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Idaho Power issues response to Frank VanderSloot's comments – East Idaho News

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Idaho Power issues response to Frank VanderSloot's comments – East Idaho News


The following is a statement from Idaho Power in response to an comments made by Frank VanderSloot during an interview with EastIdahoNews.com:

Idaho Power participated with other water users over a period of 11 months in developing an Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Ground Water Management Plan which was submitted to the state last week, at the request of the Governor. Groundwater users also submitted a plan. Water users reached alignment on many details during weeks of discussion, although a handful of fundamental differences remain. Idaho Power’s goal has always been to work with other stakeholders to identify long-term solutions that work for all water users. We all need water, and nobody wants to see farmers’ pumps shut off.

Idaho Power was not involved in the Idaho Department of Water Resources Director’s decision to issue curtailment orders earlier this year, nor was Idaho Power involved in the negotiated settlement between irrigators and the state to avoid water shutoffs. Contrary to what some others have said, Idaho Power does not benefit when irrigators can’t pump water. Many of these farmers are also our customers. Irrigation pumps account for a significant amount of electricity use, in addition to being vital to the state’s overall economy.

Idaho Power does have a strong interest in this issue. Hydropower is the backbone of our system. It’s Idaho Power’s lowest-cost energy source, crucial to keeping rates 20–30% below the national average for our more than 640,000 customers. The water that fuels our 17 hydroelectric power plants comes from melting snow, upstream reservoir releases, irrigation return flows, and springs fed by the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA). During the summer, when our customers use the most energy, that aquifer provides approximately 40% of the water to our crucial dams in Hells Canyon. Water is a limited resource — one that is under growing pressure as more people and businesses flock to our state. We expect electricity demand to grow 5.5% per year over the next five years. That’s one reason Idaho Power is among the many partners working with the state and other water users to monitor and improve the health of the ESPA.

It is vital that all stakeholders develop a viable long-term water management plan that respects our State Constitution and the prior appropriation doctrine.

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Idaho AG warns Idaho renters about growing scam targetting home seekers

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Idaho AG warns Idaho renters about growing scam targetting home seekers


Photo: Margaret Carmel/BoiseDev. The Idaho Attorney General’s Office is warning renters to be on the lookout for a scam that’s becoming more common in fast-growing housing markets like Idaho. Attorney General Raúl Labrador issued a warning Tuesday about scammers creating fake rental listings to take advantage of Idaho’s fast-growing housing market and renters moving in […]



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Bond revoked for indicted Idaho mother

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Bond revoked for indicted Idaho mother


PAYETTE — A Payette mom’s bond was revoked Tuesday after she was charged with suffocating her twin children earlier this month and is believed to pose a danger to the life of her newborn child.

The case, which has drawn national headlines, concerns Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old Payette mother who in May 2025 said her 18-month-old fraternal twins died the same day, after receiving routine childhood vaccinations. In January, Shaw joined as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several other plaintiffs claiming vaccine injury or death.

Kennedy, who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services, is no longer part of the group after taking on the cabinet position, as was reported by the Associated Press.

In Idaho, the twins’ deaths prompted a 14-month investigation by the Payette County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, the investigation yielded a grand jury indictment of Shaw on two counts of first-degree murder by suffocation. If convicted, Shaw can be punished by up to life in prison or the death penalty, and the court would have the ability to order the penalties be served consecutively, or back to back.

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Tuesday’s arraignment at the Payette County Courthouse was primarily attended by Shaw’s relatives and members of the media. Payette County Judge Kiley Stuchlik, who serves Idaho’s Third Judicial District, presided.

A key consideration for Stuchlik on Tuesday was a request from Joseph Filicetti, the legal counsel for Shaw, to have her bond reduced from $2 million to $100,000. Filicetti said this would allow for Shaw to care for a newborn girl, who, according to court documents, was born by caesarean section on June 25, four days prior to Shaw’s grand jury indictment.

State prosecutors objected to the motion for bond reduction, noting at hand was a potential death penalty case and asserting, unlike her husband, Shaw’s story repeatedly changed during questioning. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Duke said releasing Shaw would ultimately put the newborn’s safety at risk.

“That child is the most at risk. We do not think she should be allowed to be anywhere near any children, let alone her own children,” Duke said.

Stuchlik decided to revoke bond entirely, stating Shaw posed a “risk of safety” to the newborn child that was not known to Stuchlik or prosecutors when the $2 million bond was initially set.

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Also for consideration Tuesday was a request to have grand jury transcripts of witness testimony provided to prosecutors and defense counsel to prepare their respective cases.



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Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort

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Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort


Photo: Courtesy Sun Valley Resort Idaho is already home to the nation’s first DarkSky Reserve. Now, Sun Valley Resort is adding another first. The resort has become the first in the United States to earn DarkSky Certified Resort status through DarkSky International’s Approved Lodging Program, recognizing the resort’s efforts to reduce light pollution and protect […]



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