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Idaho OKs permit on endowment land

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Idaho OKs permit on endowment land


“If something were to happen, the state and the endowment would be covered,” he said.

The entire project spans a total of more than 32,000 acres in Bingham and Fremont counties, with the majority of it on private land.

Because the project is bordered by landowners who are involved in the farm, it has broad support from them, Laney said.

Bruce Wilding, a participating landowner in the project, wrote to the department in support of the project, meeting materials show.

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“The project site, both on private and public lands, while sufficient for grazing, has limited broader agricultural value due to the desert climate and limited water resources in the area,” Wilding wrote. “The combination makes this an excellent location for renewable energy development.”

He added that grazing on the land with wind turbines would continue after development.

NorthRenew Energy first applied to lease the endowment land in 2019 for the project, known as Arco Wind and Solar, according to a staff memo. Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) staff has worked with the company to develop a single lease for both energy sources.

NorthRenew sold the project to PacifCorp in February, according to the company’s website.

IDL developed a new energy leasing policy June 18, and used it to develop the lease for this project.

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Bingham County commissioners are supportive and have issued a conditional use permit for the wind portion and work is underway for the solar portion, Laney said.

In 2022, Bingham County Planning & Zoning took up the project and voted to approve it with one commissioner voting against, the Bingham News Chronicle reported. The meeting lasted four hours, with 20 people submitting testimony in opposition to the proposal, the Chronicle reported, with concerns ranging from migratory patterns of eagles and bats, the area’s lava tubes and potential tribal artifacts.

The project’s plans include mitigation efforts such as buffer zones for sage grouse, technology to reduce bird collisions, and turbine spacing and minimizing fencing to mitigate effects on wildlife migration, Laney said.

Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.



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Idaho

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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