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Idaho's longest-serving death row Inmate scheduled for execution after botched attempt – UPI.com

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Idaho's longest-serving death row Inmate scheduled for execution after botched attempt – UPI.com


Thomas Eugene Creech is scheduled to be executed at 10 a.m. on Nov. 13. Photo courtesy of Idaho Department of Corrections/Website

Oct. 17 (UPI) — An Idaho judge has scheduled the execution of the state’s longest-serving death row inmate following a botched attempt to administer his sentence earlier this year.

Fourth Judicial District Judge Jason Scott on Wednesday issued the death warrant for Thomas Eugene Creech for 10 a.m. on Nov. 13.

The Idaho Department of Correction then served Creech, 74, the death warrant at 10 a.m. Wednesday. He was immediately moved to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution’s F Block, where his execution will take place.

IDOC Director Josh Tewalt confirmed in a statement that Creech will be put to death by lethal injection and that the department has procured the chemicals necessary to administer his sentence.

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The announcement came a day after the IDOC said it had completed modifications to its F Block necessitated by the state’s botched Feb. 28 execution of Creech.

With the septuagenarian strapped to a gurney, the medical team was unable to establish an IV line to administer the lethal cocktail, and his death was called off.

The IDOC said in a statement Tuesday that it had lacked “the appropriate environment to conduct the procedure” but over the summer, the F Block “was renovated to create an execution preparation room to establish venous access.”

It also revised its execution protocols “to reflect how the new space affects the protocols and sequence of procedures,” it said.

Creech has been convicted of killing five people, four in 1974 in Portland, Ore., and Sacramento, Calif., for which he received life sentences. The death penalty was handed down after he pleaded guilty for beating a fellow inmate to death with a sock filled with batteries in 1981.

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However, Creech has confessed to killing more than two dozen people, claiming he was 15 years old when he killed his first victim.

Following its failure in late February to kill Creech, the state’s attorney general, Raul Labrador, described it as a delay of justice.

“Today is a sad day for the families of his victims, and a continuation of the pain they have endured for almost five decades,” Labrador said in a statement. “Our duty is to seek justice for the many victims and their families who experienced the brutality and senselessness of his actions.”

Following the issuance of the death warrant Wednesday, Creech’s attorney, Deborah Czuba, said she was “heartbroken and angered” that the state would try again to execute her client before conducting an official review of what caused the state’s initial failure.

“The level of recklessness puts Idaho in a class by itself, as other states that botched executions took significant steps to examine what went wrong before trying again,” Czuba, supervising attorney for the Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Defenders of Idaho, said in a statement to local media.

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“Idaho has now made itself the first state in the history of the country to try to use lethal injection a second time on the same inmate after failing the first time.”

According to the IDOC, there have been three executions since Idaho enacted its death penalty statute in 1977.

There are nine people on Idaho’s death row, including Creech, who was sentenced to death in 1983, making him the state’s longest-serving death row inmate.



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Idaho politicians respond to Trump authorizing U.S military force in Iran

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Idaho politicians respond to Trump authorizing U.S military force in Iran


On Saturday, the United States and Israel launched major strikes in Tehran, with President Trump calling for an Iranian regime change.

RELATED | Trump announces ‘major combat operations’ in Iran, reportedly killing hundreds

President Trump authorized the U.S military operation without congressional approval, a decision that Democrats in Congress are arguing is unconstitutional.

RELATED | Trump’s Iran attack raises legal concerns among Democrats in Congress

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Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea says Democrats are “demanding answers and accountability on behalf of the American people, who are being dragged toward another open-ended war they do not support.”

Necochea says her greatest concern lies with American troops, contractors and civilians who she says “did not choose this conflict.”

“Idaho has thousands of active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, and military families who live with the consequences when leaders make reckless choices,” she says.

However, not all lawmakers share Necochea’s sentiments.

Idaho Republican representative Mike Simpson commends President Trump’s “decisive action” in Iran.

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“Iran was given every opportunity to resolve this peacefully through negotiations but chose not to,” Simpson said in a post to Facebook. “I commend President Trump for taking decisive action against a regime responsible for decades of terror. May God protect our men and women in uniform on this vital mission.”





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Town Hall to address future of Medicaid expansion in Idaho – Local News 8

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Town Hall to address future of Medicaid expansion in Idaho – Local News 8


POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Nearly two-thirds of Idaho voters approved Medicaid expansion, but local leaders say that coverage is now at risk.

According to the organizers of a town hall set for Saturday, February 28, proposed changes could severely impact Idaho’s rural hospitals and leave thousands of residents without access to healthcare.

The town hall, titled “Protecting What Works: Medicaid Expansion in Idaho,” will take place at Chubbuck City Hall from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

A panel of representatives from across the healthcare sector — including home health, hospitals, and public and community health — will answer questions about how Medicaid expansion works in Idaho and how potential cuts could affect communities. Organizers say there will also be time for audience questions.

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One of the event organizers told Local News 8 why the discussion is important:

“There have been conversations in the last couple of legislative sessions about either fully repealing Medicaid expansion or making significant cuts to Medicaid,” Shantay Boxham, the organizer, said. “This is an educational forum to ensure voters and community members have the information they need about what the program is, what’s at stake, and how it supports Idaho and Idahoans.”

There are limited seats available for the meeting. To reserve a spot, visit members.pocatello.com.

Local News 8 will continue to follow this story and have updates tomorrow.

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Idaho CBD retailers navigating uncertainty under new hemp rules

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Idaho CBD retailers navigating uncertainty under new hemp rules


Idaho takes pride in being a no-THC zone. Unlike our neighbors on all sides, the Gem State has taken a firm stance not to legalize marijuana for medicinal or recreational use for years. This opposition long extended to the legalization of hemp, a plant relative of marijuana with far lower levels of the intoxicating chemical […]



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