Latest news with #idahostatesman.com
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Busy street linking Garden City and Boise reopens after road rage shooting
This is a breaking news story. Check back to for updates. To sign up for breaking news alerts, click here. A busy Garden City roadway has reopened following a police investigation into a road rage incident near the Expo Idaho grounds. The victim told police that he was driving an SUV north on North Glenwood Street when someone on a racing motorcycle displayed a handgun, according to a Garden City Police Department news release. Law enforcement said the motorcyclist drove dangerously between traffic to pull alongside the SUV near the Riverside Drive intersection. The SUV driver then bumped the suspect by opening his vehicle door, 'causing him to travel slightly forward and fall over,' police said. The suspect then got up and fired his gun three times, hitting the SUV's windshield, according to police. Officers with the Garden City and Boise police departments responded to the scene at about noon. They located one of the people involved at a nearby business and another near Glenwood and Riverside. 'This senseless incident could have ended with an innocent person being shot,' Garden City Police Chief Cory Stambaugh said in a statement. 'As the valley has grown, traffic congestion has increased. Please be patient in your travels, and if you feel you are the victim of a road rage incident, call the police.' The police department also noted that the suspect had split lanes, an illegal maneuver in Idaho that involves a motorcycle driving along traffic lines between vehicle lanes. Glenwood is a busy street for its stretch between Chinden Boulevard in Garden City and State Street in Boise, and has two lanes of travel in each direction, with a turn lane in the center. Law enforcement booked the suspect into the Ada County Courthouse on suspicion of felony aggravated assault. He'll face arraignment at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Police temporarily asked drivers to avoid the area as they investigated, and at one point Glenwood was down to one lane going both north and south. The Boise Police Department confirmed to the Idaho Statesman that the road was fully reopen by 2:30 p.m.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Heads up, Boise-area voters: Who's running for what in May 2023 election
In case you missed the memo: Idaho's latest Election Day is almost here. It's Tuesday, May 20. The May off-year election is not high-profile. There are no prominent races for federal or state offices, or even county or city ones. But in Ada and Canyon counties, candidates are running for seats on the boards of library, auditorium and sewer districts that impose taxes to pay for government services. School, fire and ambulance districts are asking voters to cough up more money. Do you live in Meridian or unincorporated Ada County? There are library-board contests in each of those. Live in Canyon County? Paramedics are asking you to raise property taxes to support ambulance services. Boise? The auditorium district has board candidates to pick. Star or Middleton? The fire departments seek money to keep up with growth-stretched firefighting needs. Here is essential information about the races and ballot measures in Ada County and eastern Canyon County, which includes Nampa and Caldwell. At the end, we tell you how to look up your ballot and where to vote. And along the way, we'll highlight a few facts you might not know that may help you understand Idaho elections better. Like this one: Did you know? Under Idaho law, all of the contests on the May ballot are nonpartisan. If you want to learn even more, you'll find links to authoritative sources throughout this story. And you might check back with this story later, because we'll add to it as news developments merit until Election Day. (Have requests or suggestions for additions? Email dstaats@ You must be a civic-minded reader or you wouldn't have read this far. So let's start with something that most civic-minder readers of all political stripes value: libraries. The contest for library-board seats in Meridian is particularly significant. Children's access to books with LGBTQ+ or other themes that some people deem harmful to minors is once again an issue in the Meridian Library District. In the May 2023 election, two incumbents fended off challengers who objected to access to certain books. Some opponents of existing access policies sought to dissolve the library district. That effort failed. But two of its proponents, Phil Reynolds and Mike Hon, are campaigning now for the two open seats on the library board. So are an incumbent and a newcomer who have joined forces. The incumbent, Jeff Kohler, is the library board's chair. His running mate is first-time candidate Garrett Castle, who helped re-elect one of the successful incumbents two years ago. The League of Women Voters of Idaho has scheduled a candidates' forum from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, in the large conference room at the Meridian Library, 1326 W. Cherry Lane. Meanwhile, in the Ada County Free Library District, better known as the Ada Community Library, which serves mostly unincorporated areas, five candidates seek two seats. One is already on the board: Suzette Moore, who was appointed to fill a vacancy and is now facing election. She has teamed up with Rachel Moorhouse. Both are substitute teachers. Running against them are Johnathon Baldauf and Travis Worwood, who have likewise teamed up. A fifth candidate is Sabrina Napolitano, who didn't respond to Statesman questions. A sixth candidate, Lori Billaud, is on the ballot but has suspended her campaign. As for Kuna? There would have been an election for two seats had enough candidates filed. But Trustees Joan Gidney and Marie Leavitt are uncontested, so they will retain their seats without an election. Read this Statesman story for an in-depth report on the library candidates (with photos) and issues. Don't know if you live within one of the districts? Here's a map showing their boundaries. Did you know? Libraries are part of city government in many Idaho cities, including Boise, Eagle, Garden City, Nampa and Caldwell. Their residents don't get to vote for library trustees. The district raises money for economic development. Its major project is the Boise Centre, the downtown convention center. It has built up tens of millions of dollars in reserves and is considering ways to spend that money, including a sports arena or a convention-center expansion. Four candidates seek two seats with six-year terms: Danielle Horras, Sophie Sestero, Aimee Pollard Tylor and incumbent Jim Walker. Incumbent Jody B. Olson declared her candidacy for re-election but withdrew in time for her not to appear on the ballot. All of the candidates but Horras took part in a candidate forum May 1 reported by BoiseDev. This district includes most of Boise and Garden City plus pieces of Meridian and unincorporated Ada County. Check this interactive map to see if you live in it. Did you know? Local residents don't pay taxes to support the Greater Boise Auditorium District as they do for other local-government entities. Tourists and business visitors do. The district raises most of its revenue through a 5% tax on hotel rooms. The Canyon County Ambulance District is asking property-tax payers to cough up $7.9 million more per year for two years to hire paramedics and EMTs and pay for other expenses. It estimates that the levy will cost $18.62 a year per $100,000 of taxable assessed value. The rapidly growing Star Fire Protection District and the Middleton Rural Fire District ask voters to approve an additional $2.25 million a year for each in property tax revenue. The money would help to operate a new Star fire station on Floating Feather Road and help pay for other staffing and district expenses as the demand for service keeps rising in response to growth and development. The two adjoining districts have an expense-sharing partnership and are running nearly identical levies in ballot measures using nearly identical language. But the tax burden for Middleton homeowners would be higher than those in Star. Middleton's would cost property taxpayers an estimated $61.72 a year per $100,000 of taxable assessed value. In Star, the estimated cost is $44.79 per year per $100,000. The measures require two-thirds majority votes. Did you know? The taxable assessed value of your property is what's left after you subtract Idaho's $125,000 homeowner's exemption from the full value on your annual tax-assessment statement. The Middleton School District, which hasn't built a new school in 17 years, is asking voters to authorize the sale of $19.9 million in bonds to be paid back over 20 years with a property-tax increase to finance a new elementary school. It would cost about $34 per $100,000 of assessed value in 2026, IdahoEdNews reported. Did you know? General obligation bonds are a form of debt, and the Idaho Constitution requires a two-thirds majority of voters to approve such indebtedness. The sprawling, growing Vallivue School District around Nampa and Caldwell is seeking to renew a $7 million yearly supplemental levy that voters approved and which will expire on June 30, 2026. It would help pay for transportation, teachers and other personnel and programs that state funding won't pay for. But unlike most new levies or levy renewals, this one won't actually raise taxes or even maintain them at current levels. The existing levy costs $76 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value, and the new one would decrease that by $11, the ballot measure says. Did you know? Many Idaho school districts rely on supplemental levies to help pay for school operations. They last two years, and they require only a majority vote, not the two-thirds required for bonds. Eagle Sewer District: Incumbents John R. Bennett and James Gruber face Christopher Hadden, Deborah L. Kowalcyk and Angela Stoppello Russell for six-year terms. Vote for two of them. Also, incumbent Tillie Reed faces Miguel DeLuna for a two-year term. West Boise Sewer District: Two candidates seek one seat with a six-year term: Gerald W. Bresina and Logan J. Kimball. Did you know? To save time and money, elections for some uncontested races in Idaho are canceled and do not appear on voters' ballots. Whatever candidates there are win their seats automatically. That's the case in Ada County this election with the Kuna Library District, the Star Sewer District and the Boise Warm Springs Water District. To see what's on your May ballot — and to see if you even have one — type in your name and date of birth on the state-run voter-information lookup page. This will also tell you where your Election Day polling place is. But note: This works only if you're already a registered voter. Ada County has an interactive map where you can zoom in on where you live to see what's on your ballot even if you're not yet registered. But it might not display optimally in some browsers on your computer, including Chrome. Try Firefox or another browser if needed. Early voting opens on Monday, May 5, and runs until Friday, May 16. For early voting, voters can go to any of these sites from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Ada County Elections Office: 400 N. Benjamin Lane in Boise. Boise City Hall: 150 N. Capitol Blvd. in Boise. Eagle Public Library: 100 N. Siterman Way in Eagle. Garden City City Hall: 6015 N. Glenwood St. in Garden City. Meridian City Hall: 33 E. Broadway Ave. in Meridian. Library! at Bown Crossing: 2153 E. Riverwalk Drive in Boise. Star City Hall: 10769 W. State St. in Boise. Canyon County Elections Office, 5801 Graye Lane, Building B, Caldwell. Want to vote absentee? You must request a ballot by 5 p.m. Friday, May 9, on the state's site. You must return it by mail or to an election drop box by 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, the same time as polls close. The deadline for preregistration has passed, but voters can still register in person on Election Day. Voting hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check register-to-vote page to see what you need to bring. Did you know? This is the final election for Ada County's Mobile Voting Unit, which traveled to high-traffic sites on scheduled days to make early voting easier. Launched in 2016, the unit has become less important as the county has increased early voting locations in buildings, County Clerk Trent Tripple says. It will remain available for emergencies. We'll post an Election Night story on the races and ballot measures at updating it with the latest results until they are complete. — Reporter Rose Evans contributed reporting on the library districts and on early and absentee voting. Boise officials violated city code, a court ruled. So they just changed the code Boise-area sheriff criticizes a new Idaho law he says police can't enforce 'It's a dire time': Bernie Sanders, AOC draw 12,000-plus to Idaho rally Teachers, parents give West Ada school board an earful over classroom sign
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Little keeps emergency fund used in Idaho homicides investigation
This is a breaking news story. Check back to for updates. To sign up for breaking news alerts, click here. Idaho Gov. Brad Little hopes to retain control of more than half a million dollars in emergency funding after he rejected part of a bill lawmakers passed in the last few days of the legislative session. Little signed off on the other elements of House Bill 482 but vetoed the line item Monday evening that would have eliminated the governor's emergency fund, by transferring the remaining $652,500 in the pool to the state's general fund. In a news release Monday, Little pointed to his use of the funding in the past few years, which included his pledge to provide $1 million to support law enforcement with the homicide investigation of four University of Idaho students in Moscow. He also used the fund to pay for trips to the U.S.-Mexico border that he said helped his initiative to tackle the fentanyl crisis, Operation Esto Perpetua. Little can use the fund in any emergency that the Legislature couldn't 'reasonably' foresee under state law. In his veto letter, the governor said eliminating the fund would have hindered the state's ability to respond to certain crises swiftly. 'I share the Legislature's vigor for ensuring government is efficient, but citizens expect government to be responsive in times of crisis,' Little said in his news release. Lawmakers can typically override a governor's veto with another vote on the bill if the legislation receives two-thirds support from each chamber, though the Idaho Legislature ended this year's regular legislative session early this month. Lawmakers can call themselves back to the Capitol in Boise for special sessions with a petition signed by at least 60% of the House and Senate. The rest of House Bill 482 remained intact and became law, Little said in his veto letter. That included transferring the remaining $37.8 million from a fund created to help public schools pay interest on bonds into the general fund. The bill also included moving $1.1 million from the Constitutional Defense Fund into the Legislative Legal Defense Fund. Both pools of money have been used to fight lawsuits against the state. But the constitutional fund needs sign-off from leaders of both legislative chambers, the governor and attorney general. The use of the legislative fund needs approval only from legislative leaders. Before police found Bryan Kohberger, the suspect accused of killing the four college students in November 2022, Little committed up to $1 million to help fund the sprawling investigation. About $435,000 from the fund was used to reimburse Idaho State Police and the Moscow Police Department, which had a total budget of $6.5 million in 2022. Kohberger was charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the stabbing deaths of the college students, as well as one count of felony burglary. His murder trial is expected to start with jury selection in late July, and prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted. The four victims were Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d'Alene; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington. Little, a University of Idaho alumnus, said the fund 'has been used to address serious unexpected situations that fall outside of a formally declared state of emergency,' including high-profile criminal cases. Taxpayer costs for the Moscow homicides case have continued to climb as Kohberger awaits his chance for a defense at trial and remains jailed. The amount had already exceeded $3.6 million as of April 2024, with the University of Idaho shouldering the brunt of the cost, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Court records reveal prosecutors allege Kohberger bought knife, sheath before Idaho homicides
This is a breaking news story. Check back to for updates. To sign up for breaking news alerts, click here. Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with murder in the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students, bought the same brand of knife that police suspect was used in the violent crime in November 2022, according to a new court filing. In March 2022, Kohberger ordered a Ka-Bar knife with sheath and a sharpener from Amazon, the prosecution alleged in the legal brief, which was filed Monday but not made public until Wednesday. Detectives found a Ka-Bar brand leather knife sheath that included the U.S. Marine Corps stamped insignia at the crime scene in Moscow next to one of the victims and later discovered DNA on its button snap, according to a probable cause affidavit. Assisting with the high-profile case, the FBI used an advanced forensic technique called investigative genetic genealogy, or IGG, with the knife sheath DNA to initially land on Kohberger as the suspect in late December 2022, prosecutors previously said. After Kohberger's arrest 12 days later in Pennsylvania, police and prosecutors allege the DNA was matched directly to Kohberger through a swab of his cheek. The four U of I student victims were Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d'Alene; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Washington. The three women lived in the Moscow home with two other young women who went physically unharmed; Chapin was Kernodle's boyfriend and stayed over for the night. Each victim died from stab wounds and sharp-force injuries caused by an edged weapon, believed to be a large, fixed-blade knife, Latah County Coroner Cathy Mabbutt previously said. Just days into the sprawling homicide investigation, the Idaho Statesman was first to report that police were canvassing area hardware stores asking about any recent sales of fixed-blade knives. Kohberger, 30, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, and prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if a jury finds him guilty. He is a former graduate student at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. In summer 2022, Kohberger moved from Pennsylvania, where he grew up, to Washington to attend WSU's doctorate program of criminal justice and criminology, according to court records. After a court hearing in November 2024 in Boise, Steve Goncavles, father of victim Kaylee Goncalves, told the Statesman in an interview that he was informed of evidence that Kohberger bought a Ka-Bar knife before he relocated to the West for graduate school. 'I think he had thought about this crime immensely, planned it, and I think the facts will bear that out,' Steve Goncalves said. 'I've been told the murder weapon was purchased in Pennsylvania. (If) you come out with that, then you're coming with a plan.' It remains unknown if police have found the weapon they believe was used to kill the four students. Kohberger's defense has said repeatedly in court that their client has no connection to the victims and is innocent of the crimes for which he stands accused. The defense said in a court filing last month aimed at excluding the prosecution's use of information obtained from Amazon at trial that the search warrants were overly broad, and resulting data 'incomplete' and from a 'household account shared by Mr. Kohberger and other family members.' 'Cherry-picking specific clicks or purchases out of an Amazon click-history removes all of the context,' read the filings signed by defense attorney Elisa Massoth. In fact, investigators 'narrowly tailored' their search warrant for Kohberger's Amazon account and disclosed all of the data to the defense, the prosecution argued in response Monday. The account's historic data showed 'purchase of a Ka-Bar knife with sheath before the murders and his click activity indicat(ed) a search for a knife with sheath after the murders,' the filing read. Prosecutors plan to use means other than Amazon click activity to connect the knife purchase — 'and subsequent search inquiries for a replacement knife and/or sheath' — to Kohberger, including his financial activities, they added. Investigators in the case limited their spring 2023 search warrant to Amazon account activity, including payment methods, cart items, wish lists, purchases and reviews of knives and accessories viewed by Kohberger from March 20 to March 30, 2022 and also from Nov. 1 to Dec. 6, 2022, prosecutors wrote. Amazon responded with the requested data in June 2023, and two weeks later prosecutors provided the same information to the defense, they wrote. NBC's 'Dateline' previously reported Kohberger purchased a Ka-Bar knife, but cited only unnamed law enforcement sources. Kohberger's capital murder trial is set for this summer in Boise, starting with jury selection in late July. Opening statements are expected to begin by mid-August.
