Idaho
Idaho creates execution preparation room
The state of Idaho has renovated the F Block unit at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution south of Boise to create a new execution preparation room, the Idaho Department of Correction announced Tuesday.
The move to create a new execution preparation room and update the Idaho Department of Correction procedures and protocols for executions occurred after the department was unable to carry out the scheduled execution of convicted murderer Thomas Creech on Feb. 28, Idaho Department of Correction officials said.
On Feb. 28, Idaho Department of Correction Director Josh Tewalt halted Creech’s execution after the medical team was unable to establish an IV line to administer the lethal injection chemicals to Creech, the Sun previously reported.
The cost for this phase of F Block renovations was $313,915, which included F Block imaging, design and engineering for total F Block renovations and phase one construction, Idaho Department of Correction public information officer Sanda Kuzeta-Cerimagic said. Those costs do not include additional funding that would be needed to create a secure facility in F Block to carry out an execution by firing squad, which the Idaho Legislature added as an alternative form of execution in 2023. Total costs for phase two of construction to accommodate executions by both lethal injection and firing squad are an estimated $952,589.
The new execution preparation room at Idaho Maximum Security Institution allows the medical team to have an alternative method to establish a central line to administer lethal injection chemicals when the team cannot establish a peripheral IV access – like what happened to Creech – Idaho Department of Correction officials said.
“Central lines are commonly used in medical situations for the administration of IV fluids or medications when it is difficult to establish or maintain peripheral venous access,” the Idaho Department of Correction said in a press release issued Tuesday.
“Our previous protocols proved effective at protecting the integrity of the process and ensuring adherence with 8th amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment,” Tewalt said in a written statement. “These changes enhance the state’s ability to carry out an execution by lethal injection by ensuring we have the infrastructure in place to establish IV access,” Tewalt added.
Idaho
Two from Idaho arrested in Centralia trying to sell guns and drugs
Two people from Idaho driving a stolen car have been arrested in Centralia after trying to sell guns and drugs.
Around noon on Jan. 3, Centralia police got calls about three people trying to sell firearms and drugs.
Police used the Flock Safety Cameras to search for the suspects’ car and developed a suspicion that it may have been stolen.
Police said the car was stolen after a carjacking in Meridian, Idaho.
After police confirmed that the car was stolen, they went undercover and convinced the suspects that they could sell the guns and drugs.
A 23-year-old man and woman from Idaho returned only to be arrested during a traffic stop.
With a search warrant in hand, police searched the car and found two semi-automatic rifles, a shotgun, 3 handguns and one ghost gun.
Police said they also found ammunition, a large quantity of marijuana and other narcotics in the car.
Both were taken to Lewis County Jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen car, possession of a stolen firearm and conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance.
The man may face additional charges for gun possession since he is a felon.
Idaho
Domestic elk in east Idaho tests positive for Chronic Wasting Disease – East Idaho News
The following is a news release from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. Photo: Envato Elements
IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho State Department of Agriculture received confirmation of Chronic Wasting Disease following testing of an adult domestic cow elk that died at a captive facility in Jefferson County. This detection is the second case of CWD identified in a captive elk in Idaho.
This case of CWD in Idaho has no association with the CWD-positive captive bull elk identified in Madison County in December 2024. Idaho requires domestic elk facilities to submit all inventory and disease surveillance data to ISDA at the end of each calendar year, which correlates to the close timing of the two cases.
The infected animal was located on a captive elk ranch that had been under enhanced CWD surveillance protocols, which require mandatory 100% testing of all on-facility cervidae deaths. Enhanced CWD surveillance protocols were implemented when the facility imported shipments of domestic elk in 2023 from a captive facility that was located within 25 miles of a confirmed case of CWD in wild elk. All remaining elk that arrived in the 2023 shipment are alive and will remain under quarantine.
The facility had been in compliance with CWD testing requirements. Following the positive detection, ISDA issued a quarantine of all remaining elk on the facility to restrict further movement of the CWD-exposed animals.
CWD was first detected in wild deer in Idaho in 2021 and the following year in wild elk. CWD is a rare disease affecting the brains of mule deer, black-tailed deer, white-tailed deer, elk, moose and reindeer. The disease belongs to a group of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). There is no known cure for TSEs, and they always are fatal in susceptible host species. No CWD infections in people have been reported. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends that people do not eat meat from CWD affected animals.
The ISDA regulates all captive cervid farms for recordkeeping, disease testing, movement and permit requirements. The ISDA has notified the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and will move forward working with the affected facility pursuant to Idaho’s restrictions.
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Idaho
US approves Idaho antimony mine a month after China blocked exports of mineral
The US Forest Service released the final record of decision for Perpetua’s Stibnite project – essentially the mine’s permit – after an eight-year review process, according to documents published on the agency’s website.
Perpetua’s mine will supply more than 35 per cent of America’s annual antimony needs once it opens by 2028 and produce 12,800kg (450,000 ounces) of gold each year, a dual revenue stream expected to keep the project financially afloat regardless of any steps Beijing may take to sway markets.
For example, Jervois Global, the owner of an Idaho mine that produces only cobalt, declared bankruptcy on Thursday after Chinese miners aggressively boosted production of that metal in a bid for market share.
Shares in Idaho-based Perpetua gained 9.1 per cent in after-hours trading after Reuters reported the permit decision earlier on Friday.
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