This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on June 26, 2024.

The University of Idaho and the University of Phoenix want more time to talk about a deal.

And the State Board of Education will meet Friday morning to discuss an extension — which could immediately net the U of I $5 million.

If the State Board signs on, the parties would have until June 10, 2025, to reach a deal that would move the for-profit online giant under the U of I’s ownership. The State Board first endorsed the $685 million purchase in May 2023. The deal has been mired in political and legal limbo for months. However, the U of I and Phoenix have continued to negotiate past an initial, nonbinding May 31 deadline.

“The extension will allow the (U of I) time to incorporate feedback from legislators and other Idaho stakeholders into the transaction and make amendments based on the feedback,” State Board staff said in a memo released late Wednesday afternoon. “There is no commitment to a closing at this time.”

The extension has been in the works for some time. Idaho Education News reported first on many of the basics in a May 28 article.

The State Board memo spells out the details:

• Phoenix and its owner, Apollo Global Management, would have a chance to negotiate with other would-be sellers, or pursue an initial public offering.
• The U of I would immediately receive $5 million for agreeing to an extension.
• The U of I could also receive additional “breakup” fees if the purchase falls through. If the June 2025 deadline comes and goes without a sale, the U of I would receive another $5 million. If Apollo finds another buyer or pursues an IPO, the breakup fees would total $15 million.

The fees to the U of I are designed to offset the university’s consulting and legal bills. As EdNews has previously reported, the U of I has spent some $11 million on due diligence as it has reviewed a Phoenix purchase; the bulk of those fees went to U of I President C. Scott Green’s former employer, Hogan Lovells, an international law firm.

In their memo, State Board staffers say the U of I remains bullish on a Phoenix purchase. The U of I says its Phoenix business model “remains intact and is growing stronger.” The U of I has maintained it could net $10 million or more in annual revenues from Phoenix operations.

The U of I also maintains that it can navigate some turbulent political waters  — even after the state Senate voted down a bill in March designed to salvage the purchase.

“The parties … are committed to continue working collaboratively with legislators, through the 2025 legislative session if needed, to arrive at transaction acceptable to all.”

The board is scheduled to meet at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Check Idaho Education News on Friday for coverage of the meeting. And click here for in-depth, exclusive Phoenix coverage from Idaho EdNews.

(Idaho Statesman) — A “local disaster emergency” declaration was issued in Canyon County after a severe thunderstorm cell passed through the area on Wednesday.

The storm left downed trees along roads near Parma, caused a power outage, and damaged sheds and outbuildings, according to Aaron Williams, Canyon County director of Constituent Services. One person reportedly suffered a broken arm, but no more injuries or deaths were reported.

Williams told the Idaho Statesman that a possible tornado touched down within the emergency radius, which starts at Pearl Road and U.S. Highway 95, and goes north to the Payette County line.

Jackson Macfarlane, with the National Weather Service in Boise, told the Statesman on Wednesday evening that it would be “inappropriate” to call what happened a tornado at this point. He said a meteorological team would go to sites Thursday to investigate.

The weather service issued a severe thunderstorm watch earlier Wednesday for 19 counties in Idaho, including Canyon and Payette. Heavy storms producing hail and high winds blew through Southwest Idaho early in the afternoon along the U.S. 95 corridor.

RELATED | Gusts up to 65 mph are possible on Thursday in eastern Idaho

“Declaring this as an emergency allows for additional resources to be utilized to serve the area that was impacted by the severe weather,” according to a news release from Canyon County. “This opens up an avenue to allow taxing districts who are providing support in the area to get reimbursed for possibly unanticipated costs.”

The Supreme Court appears poised to allow emergency abortions in Idaho when a pregnant patient’s health is at serious risk, according to Bloomberg News, which said a copy of the opinion briefly posted Wednesday on the court’s website.

The document suggests the court will conclude that it should not have gotten involved in the case so quickly and will reinstate a court order that had allowed hospitals in the state to perform emergency abortions to protect a pregnant patient’s health, Bloomberg said. The document was quickly removed from the website.

The Supreme Court acknowledged that a document was inadvertently posted Wednesday.

“The Court’s Publications Unit inadvertently and briefly uploaded a document to the Court’s website. The Court’s opinion in Moyle v. United States and Idaho v. United States will be issued in due course,” court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said in a statement.

The case would continue at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals if the high court dismisses proceedings.

The finding may not be the court’s final ruling, since it has not been officially released.

The Biden administration had sued Idaho, arguing that hospitals must provide abortions to stabilize pregnant patients in rare emergency cases when their health is at serious risk.

Most Republican-controlled states began enforcing restrictions after the court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago.

Idaho is among 14 states that outlaw abortion at all stages of pregnancy with very limited exceptions. It said that its ban does allow abortions to save a pregnant patient’s life and federal law doesn’t require the exceptions to expand.

The Supreme Court had previously allowed the measure to go into effect, even in medical emergencies, while the case played out. Several women have since needed medical airlifts out of state in cases in which abortion is routine treatment to avoid infection, hemorrhage and other dire health risks, Idaho doctors have said.