Idaho
Bill prohibiting mask mandates heads to Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s desk – East Idaho News
BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) – Idaho Gov. Brad Little will soon have the final say over whether a bill prohibiting government and school mask mandates to fight the spread of infectious disease will become law.
On Friday, the Idaho Senate voted 27-6 to pass House Bill 32.
If it becomes law, House Bill 32 would prevent the state, cities, counties, school districts, public health districts and government officials in Idaho from mandating that an individual wear a mask or face covering to prevent or slow the spread of an infectious or contagious disease.
There are exceptions in the bill for health care facilities and hospitals, as well as an exception for face shields used to protect workers who are working around hazardous materials or who are welding.
Friday’s vote in the Idaho Senate was nearly along party lines. Only Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, broke ranks with the Republican supermajority to vote against the bill. All Senate Democrats who were present Friday also voted against the bill.
Guthrie said he did not support COVID-19 safety restrictions, but he opposed the bill because it ties the hands of local governments and schools, which he said should be trusted to make decisions at the local level.
The Idaho House of Representatives already voted 52-16 to pass the mask bill on Jan. 29.
Once the bill reaches his desk – likely sometime next week – Little will have three options. He can sign it into law, he can allow it to become law without his signature or he can veto it. If Little vetoes the bill, the Idaho Legislature could override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the Idaho Senate and Idaho House.
Under the Idaho Constitution, Little will have five days, Sundays excluded, to act after the signed bill is presented to him. If Little does not act within five days of receiving the bill, it will become law without his signature.
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BLACKFOOT — A large contingent of Blackfoot Police officers has cordoned off an area near the Taco Bell on Parkway Drive in Blackfoot.
Police responded around 5 p.m., according to multiple witnesses who contacted EastIdahoNews.com.
EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to Blackfoot Police for details.
We will update this story as we learn more.
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MISSOULA, Mont. — An Idaho Falls angler is back in the Idaho record books after landing a record-setting lake trout at Payette Lake.
Idaho Fish and Game said Dylan Smith caught and released a 43.25-inch lake trout on May 2, setting a new state catch-and-release record for the species. The fish surpassed the previous record of 42 inches.
The catch marks Smith’s second appearance in Idaho’s record books. He previously held the state catch-and-release lake trout record after landing a trophy fish in 2018 before that mark was later broken.
According to Fish and Game, Payette Lake has become one of Idaho’s premier lake trout fisheries thanks to years of management efforts aimed at improving both lake trout and kokanee populations.
Pride Month looks different this June along Boise’s Harrison Boulevard, where a long-standing tradition of hanging Pride flags on lamp posts has been put on hold after a new state law restricted which flags can be flown on government property.
For several years, Pride flags lined lamp posts along Harrison Boulevard in Boise’s North End neighborhood. But Idaho House Bill 561, signed by Gov. Brad Little in March, restricts which flags can be flown on government property, including the City of Boise’s Harrison lamp posts.
In response, a group of neighbors formed Pride North End and launched a distribution effort to help residents show support from their own front yards. The group has been making Pride flags and yard signs available to people who want to display them at home.
“I thought that I would…be a personal example of ‘yes, this is what I do.’ This is what I believe in,” said Edna Schochat, a North End resident.
Pride North End has already distributed more than 900-yard signs and 250 flags. The group’s original donation goal was around $2,000 to order 100 flags and 200 yard signs, but it has exceeded that GoFundMe goal, reaching $10,000 worth of donations.
The group plans to continue holding public flag and sign distributions through the end of the month.
“We cannot just say something without doing something that proves that we mean what we say,” Schochat said.
Pride North End said any leftover funds after materials are distributed will go to local LGBTQ+ nonprofits. A link to the group’s GoFundMe can be found here.
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