IDAHO FALLS — A local prosecutor is calling on the University of Idaho to expand its law school to the Idaho Falls campus.
Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal submitted a letter to the University of Idaho President Scott Green and the University of Idaho Dean of the College of Law Aviva Abramovsky on Saturday, addressing the lack of opportunities for eastern Idahoans to pursue law and asking school leaders to consider adding a law school to eastern Idaho.
“Over the past few years, the legal profession has seen a critical shortfall in lawyers to meet the needs of the state of Idaho,” writes Neal in the letter. “The public sector has been especially hit hard. We have had to significantly increase salaries and still struggle to recover from having less than half of our authorized attorney positions filled.”
In a news release, Neal notes an interest in law degrees in eastern Idaho, but many cannot move out of the area.
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“There are people in this area who want to attend law school, but they cannot leave the area for years to accomplish the goal,” writes Neal. “The University of Idaho has shown that distance learning can expand opportunities to attend law school in a place other than just the Moscow campus.”
Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal | Kaitlyn Hart, EastIdahoNews.com
The University of Idaho has two campuses for the law school in Moscow and Boise. Neal says he hopes the university will consider using the Idaho Falls extension campus as a place for a future law school.
“Here in Idaho Falls, the University of Idaho has underutilized facilities. I believe there would also be a substantial cadre of adjunct resources available from the local legal community,” writes Neal. “With the COVID accommodations a few years ago and the success of the Boise campus, the U of I College of Law has become much more adept at distance learning.”
Neal also told the university leaders that members of his staff are hoping to start working toward a law degree but says it would hurt the prosecutor’s office to lose them.
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“In my own office, I have five administrative staff members who are eager to attend law school,” say Neal. “We want to support their progression, but they would have to leave the area for years in order to attain such a goal. This would further affect us negatively.”
Neal said there are many ways to help this idea become a reality.
“With every ounce of urgency, I implore the University to explore eastern Idaho options for a part-time law school opportunity in our area,” writes Neal. “This need not be the same type of grand undertaking seen in Boise and could take in a class every three years as opposed to every year, for example.”
Read the entire letter here.
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JACKSON, Wyo. — Springtime conjures images of adorable baby animals. Unfortunately, sometimes well-meaning humans feel compelled to interfere with Mother Nature by “rescuing” baby animals who appear to be alone.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) issued a spring reminder discouraging people from intervening when they assume a wild animal is lost, abandoned or orphaned.
“While these folks typically mean well, the sad reality is they are often doing more damage than good when they intervene — and typically, mom was not far away to begin with,” IDFG shared in a press release.
“Here’s the hard truth,” the agency wrote. “Animal parents will periodically leave their young for an extended period of time for a myriad of reasons, whether it’s to search for food, to rest or to divert attention from their vulnerable offspring, especially if they sense danger. When it comes to wildlife babies, wildlife mothers know best.”
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In short, in an encounter with a lone duckling, gosling, deer fawn, baby bird, red dog or moose calf, do not disturb it. Instead, contact the state’s wildlife agency to report it. In Jackson, call the Wyoming Game and Fish Department at (307) 733-2321. In Idaho, reach IDFG at (208) 525-7290.
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I remember watching a documentary about Idaho’s wildlands. A narrator said there were probably many parts of the state where no human being has ever set foot. I believe that, but I stay relatively close to the highways. If I were 30 years younger, I would probably enjoy exploring the back country, but today, unless a plane takes me in and out, it’s not happening. I can’t say definitively that there is one spot that I find better than others. We’re surrounded by beautiful terrain, however. One place keeps calling me back.
Like a Scene from a Legendary Movie
When I go over the mountain between Gooding and Fairfield, I take time to stop at the overlook above the Camas Prairie. It reminds me of a scene in Exodus, where the Paul Newman character takes an American woman to look across a flat plain leading to Mount Tabor. He explains that’s the site where Deborah gathered her armies. It makes me feel there is something godly about the Camas Prairie. I keep going back to this spot. Sometimes I take along a folding chair and sit and look at the world below.
Slow Down and See the Work of the Creator
Fairfield may be nothing more than a blip as people speed down Route 20, but it’s their loss. On the other side of the highway is some of the prettiest country in Idaho. It’s going to be a lot less lush this spring, but drought conditions haven’t been nearly as severe in the central highlands. But if I’m granted a few more years by the Almighty, I plan to see the prairie for many more springs.
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