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Idaho Department of Environmental Quality revokes permit granted to Perpetua Resources

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Idaho Department of Environmental Quality revokes permit granted to Perpetua Resources


The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality Board of Environmental Quality Wednesday pulled back a permit granted last year to Perpetua Resources for its planned gold and antimony mine at Stibnite in Valley County.

The Nez Perce Tribe and multiple conservation groups had appealed the air permit, saying it allowed excessive dust-based toxic air pollution beyond the mine’s boundaries, threatening land users with carcinogens like arsenic. The main focus of the challenge was the permit’s “project-specific adjustment factor for ambient concentration.” State rules do allow an “acceptable risk” level of contaminants released into the air, depending on a variety of factors.

The permit DEQ granted Perpetua allowed greater emissions than generally allowed because of the way expected toxic air emissions (known as Ambient Air Concentration for Carcinogen, or AACC) were calculated over the 16-year predicted life of the mine versus a standard human life span, explained the Idaho Conservation League’s Will Tiedemann.

“It’s kind of like saying, if you were allowed so much arsenic to be exposed to in 70 years, let’s allow Perpetua to emit that much arsenic in just 16 years,” he said.

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ICL was among the groups challenging the air permit, and have filed multiple challenges to the proposed mine over other environmental concerns.

DEQ board members ultimately agreed that pro-rating emissions in that way was not a safe calculation.

“DEQ’s project specific adjustment factor creates a new, higher level of cancer risk for 16 years,” said board Vice President J Randy MacMillan during Wednesday’s determination meeting. He said the approved permit did not fit within any measure of ‘acceptable risk’ identified in the state’s air quality rules.

MacMillan spoke at length Wednesday from a prepared statement regarding the board’s reasoning behind remanding that portion of the air permit. The board in March heard oral arguments over the issue, but deliberated in closed executive session before primarily relying on MacMillan to speak publicly.

By applying the, what I would call short sighted, project-specific adjustment factor to the Stibnite Gold project,” he said. “DEQ created a misleading risk analysis that greatly underestimates the actual cancer risk.”

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The board unanimously voted to pull the permit back to DEQ to be reworked based on that finding. It upheld several other aspects of the permit which had also been challenged by the outside groups.

It’s not clear how the decision could affect Perpetua’s planned site operations. The air permit is one of a handful of ‘major’ permits needed to fully operate, in addition to approvals through the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process. A Forest Service spokesman said the final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision for the Stibnite Gold project should be released this summer, with a final record of decision issued by the end of the year. Those dates are only estimates.

Prep work at Stibnite has been underway for several years already, including as of 2022, SuperFund-sponsored cleanup of some previous mining leftovers. Perpetua has long said their plan is to mine the area and fully remediate their impact and the mess previous companies left behind after decades of mining.

Perpetua could appeal the DEQ board’s decision in state court. In a statement, the company characterized the board’s action as remanding only a ‘narrow issue’ for additional review, and said it will work with DEQ to respond. But Perpetua reserved additional reaction until after it receives the full written order from DEQ May 9.

Tiedemann called the board’s decision a big win that validates opposition groups’ concerns about the project.

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“It’s maybe not as glamorous or as romanticized as water,” Tiedemann said. “But harmful effects on air quality can be just as significant and harmful to human health and the environment as water pollution. And so I think it’s an important win.”





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University of Idaho professor awarded $10M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders

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University of Idaho professor awarded M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders


A University of Idaho professor won a $10 million judgment after a tarot TikTok influencer publicly pushed false claims that she was behind the savage quadruple slayings of four college students.

A Boise jury in US District Court ordered fortune-telling Texas TikToker Ashley Guillard on Friday to pay $10 million after concluding she falsely accused professor Rebecca Scofield of having a secret romance with one of the four victims and orchestrating their killings, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Following the verdict, Scofield thanked the jury and said she hopes the case sends a clear warning that making “false statements online have consequences in the real world.”

Ashley Guillard posted TikTok videos falsely linking a University of Idaho professor to the Idaho college murders, leading to a defamation lawsuit. TikTok/ashleyisinthebookoflife4

“The murders of the four students on November 13, 2022, were the darkest chapter in our university’s history,” Scofield told Fox News.

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“Today’s decision shows that respect and care should always be granted to victims during these tragedies. I am hopeful that this difficult chapter in my life is over, and I can return to a more normal life with my family and the wonderful Moscow community.”

Scofield, the university’s history department chair, filed the lawsuit in December 2022 — just weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were brutally stabbed to death at an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.

Guillard began uploading videos to her more than 100,000 TikTok followers in late November 2022, accusing Scofield of a secret relationship with one of the students and claiming she had “ordered” the killings, garnering millions of views across the social media platform.

The complaint states that Scofield had never met the victims and was out of state when the murders occurred.

Idaho murder victims Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, center, and Xana Kernodle, 20, right, and their two surviving roommates.

Even after being served with cease-and-desist letters and after police publicly confirmed Scofield had no connection to the murders, the Houston-based tarot reader continued posting videos, the history professor’s legal team argued.

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Guillard doubled down on her accusations against Scofield after being sued, posting a defiant video saying, “I am not stopping,” and challenging why Scofield needed three lawyers to sue her “if she’s so innocent.”

The professor’s legal team argued the defamatory accusations painted her as a criminal and accused her of professional misconduct that could derail her career.

Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the savage slayings in July 2025 in a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table. AP

Bryan Kohberger, then studying criminology at Washington State University, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the quadruple murders in a deal that took the death penalty off the table. He is currently serving four consecutive life sentences in Idaho.

In June 2024, Chief US Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco found Guillard’s statements legally defamatory, leaving damages to be decided by a jury.

During the damages trial, Scofield described the anguish of seeing her name tied to the murders online, the Idaho Statesman reported.

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The off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death on Nov. 17, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho. James Keivom

However, Guillard, acting as her own attorney, insisted her comments were simply beliefs based on tarot card readings.

She claimed to have psychic powers and testified that she relied on tarot cards to try to solve the shocking homicides that shook the rural college town and sparked global attention.

It took jurors less than two hours to return their verdict, the outlet reported.

The jury awarded Scofield $7.5 million in punitive damages in addition to $2.5 million in compensatory damages.

With Post wires

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Gas prices expected to exceed $3 as the Iran conflict prompts supply shortages

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Gas prices expected to exceed  as the Iran conflict prompts supply shortages


BOISE, Idaho — AAA is warning Idaho gas consumers that pump prices will likely rise as the conflict in Iran disrupts oil and gas supply chains worldwide.

The ongoing turmoil in the Middle East will likely push the price for a gallon of regular gasoline past the $3 mark over the coming days.

“On one hand, the crude oil market had time to account for some financial risk in the Middle East as forces mobilized, but a supply shortage somewhere affects the global picture,” says AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde. “If tankers can’t move products through the region, there could be ripple effects.”

On Monday, March 2, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.97, reports AAA, which is 12 cents more expensive than it was a month ago but 20 cents less than this time last year.

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State / Price: 1 gallon of regular gasoline

  • Washington / $4.37
  • Oregon / $3.92
  • Nevada / $3.70
  • Idaho / $2.97
  • Colorado / $2.89
  • Montana / $2.82
  • Utah / $2.74
  • Wyoming / $2.73

In terms of the most expensive fuel in the nation, Idaho currently ranks #14. However, buying a gallon of regular gas in neighboring states such as Oregon and Washington could cost a whole dollar more. In contrast, gas prices in Utah, Montana, and Wyoming are anywhere between 15 to 24 cents cheaper than fuel in the Gem State.





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Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Pick 3, Pick 4 on March 1, 2026

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The results are in for the Idaho Lottery’s draw games on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on March 1.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 1 drawing

Day: 7-2-3

Night: 2-7-6

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Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 1 drawing

Day: 4-7-9-3

Night: 8-7-7-3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Idaho Cash numbers from March 1 drawing

03-06-07-33-41

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Check Idaho Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 1 drawing

10-11-12-35-56, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Idaho Lottery drawings held ?

  • Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3: 1:59 p.m. (Day) and 7:59 p.m. (Night) MT daily.
  • Pick 4: 1:59 p.m. (Day) and 7:59 p.m. (Night) MT daily.
  • Lucky For Life: 8:35 p.m. MT Monday and Thursday.
  • Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • 5 Star Draw: 8 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Idaho Cash: 8 p.m. MT daily.
  • Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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