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Proposed amendment to Idaho Constitution would limit special legislative sessions to 20 days – Idaho Capital Sun

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Proposed amendment to Idaho Constitution would limit special legislative sessions to 20 days – Idaho Capital Sun


A proposed new amendment to the Idaho Constitution would ask Idaho voters to decide in November whether to limit the length of any special session of the Idaho Legislature to 20 days. 

The Idaho Legislature’s Senate State Affairs Committee voted Friday to send Senate Joint Resolution 104 to the floor of the Idaho Senate with a recommendation it passes.

In 2022, voters approved an amendment to the Idaho Constitution that allows the Idaho Legislature to call itself back into session upon a written request of 60% of the members of the Idaho House of Representatives and Idaho Senate. Previously, only Idaho’s governor had the power to call a special session of the Idaho Legislature. 

During Friday’s Senate State Affairs meeting at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Sen. Mark Harris, R-Soda Springs, said the amendment voters approved in 2022 should have included language limiting a special session called by the Idaho Legislature to 20 days, but it was overlooked by legislative drafters at the time.

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“It’s not really a correction, it’s an omission we discovered,” Harris said during Friday’s meeting.

“This was not the intent of the Legislature; we don’t want to be a full time Legislature,” he added.

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Citing the original version of the Idaho Constitution, Harris said it has always been the state’s intention to have a citizen-led, part-time Legislature. The Idaho Constitution limits the length of any special session called by Idaho’s governor to 20 days. Harris said the new proposed amendment, SJR 104, would make it so that special sessions called by the Idaho Legislature would have the same 20-day limit as special sessions called by the governor. 

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In a public hearing Friday, Trent Clark, former chairman of the Idaho Republican Party, spoke in favor of the amendment. He told members of the committee that passing the new amendment with the 20-day limit would make it so the two sections of the Idaho Constitution conform and the terminology used is not disjointed. 

Originally, Harris said there was a limit of 60 days for the length of a regular session of the Idaho Legislature, but the Idaho Constitution was amended in the 1950s to repeal the limit. Today,  there is no limit to the length of a regular session of the Idaho Legislature.

SJR 104 heads next to the Idaho Senate for consideration. 

If two-thirds of the members of both the Idaho Senate and Idaho House vote to approve the proposed amendment, it will be put on November’s election for voters to decide. It would take a simple majority of Idaho voters to approve the amendment if it makes it to the November ballot.

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Charges dropped against BYU-Idaho student accused of kidnapping baby at Costco – East Idaho News

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Charges dropped against BYU-Idaho student accused of kidnapping baby at Costco – East Idaho News


Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal describes a new video from Costco over the incident involving an alleged kidnapping prior to Thanksgiving. | Daniel V. Ramirez, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS — Weeks after a BYU-Idaho student was accused of kidnapping a baby from Costco, the Bonneville County Prosecutor announced Thursday afternoon that charges will be dismissed.

During a news conference, Prosecutor Randy Neal showed three videos from inside Costco during the alleged incident on Nov. 24, which led to Michael Raine, 24, being charged with felony second-degree kidnapping.

According to court documents, Raine was looking at books inside the store and a cart with a baby was nearby.

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RELATED | BYU-Idaho student accused of kidnapping 4-week-old baby in Costco

The document states that Raine “looked around” and then grabbed the cart and walked away.

The issue for officials was what occurred once Raine rounded the corner with the cart and the baby.

Neal said the new video shows Raine walking away with the cart, and the baby’s mother finding him almost immediately. The prosecutor explained that when pursuing cases, a prosecutor reviews the evidence and determines whether, beyond a reasonable doubt, the action was a crime.

“For a prosecutor, the analysis is whether there is a rational basis for someone to conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that they are to a moral certainty, that this is a crime? I don’t think that we can say that,” Neal said.

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Neal said the surveillance videos from Costco show that Raine had no intention of running away with that cart.

WATCH COSTCO SURVEILLANCE VIDEO HERE:

The other aspect is that Raine didn’t leave the store after the incident, which, according to the documents, indicates the student had purchased items and eaten at the food court.

Looking at the reasons for Raine’s arrest, Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said at the time, there was only one single video, and based on what was seen, Raine’s actions were found to be suspicious.

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Another factor that influenced Raine’s arrest was his trip to the United States Marine Corps Recruiting station in Boise on Nov. 25.

“The detectives were consulting with the prosecutors and made the proper decision at that time in the interest of public safety, based on probable cause, to make that arrest,” Johnson said. “That just doesn’t end the case. There’s a requirement to keep on going.”

Johnson and Neal discussed how detectives met with the mother of the baby and went over the events in a cognitive interview. Neal said this type of interview is a narrative recount of the events by the victim, without any questions being asked.

“Often, the mind will just start filling in pieces in order to make it make sense to them,” Neal said.

Detectives worked on recreating the incident at Costco with the mother, but Neal said some of the mother’s version of events were inaccurate in terms of the cart placement and other minor details.

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Neal said Natalie Millett was told charges have been dropped.

Victim Impact Statement from Natalie Millett. | Courtesy Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney

In a statement to the media, Millett said the event has caused the emotional pain that words can’t describe and will impact her for life.

“I believe it was miraculous that I ran in the right direction and recovered my baby swiftly, but the outcome could have been so different had I not listened to my intuition and impressions that day,” Millett said.

After being informed that the charges against Raine would be dismissed, Millett stated that she does feel at peace because she has done everything in her power.

One of the major talking points of the conference and in Millett’s statement is the reaction and comments from social media that have attacked her and made egregious remarks about people involved.

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“To sit in your basement and write poison is just really disgusting. It’s just inappropriate,” Neal said.

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Drivers urged to exercise caution amid potential flooding in North Idaho

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Drivers urged to exercise caution amid potential flooding in North Idaho


The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is warning drivers in North Idaho to be vigilant as rising water levels from recent rainfall and runoff may lead to roadway flooding and washouts.

ITD crews are actively monitoring the situation and are prepared to respond as conditions change. Drivers are advised to exercise extra caution, particularly in lowland areas, where conditions can shift rapidly. ITD strongly recommends against driving through standing water, as it can be difficult to gauge its depth or identify hidden hazards. Water intake can also cause significant damage to vehicles. For updates on detours and road closures, drivers are encouraged to visit Idaho 511.



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Notre Dame pulls away from Idaho, wins 80-65 despite missing leading scorer Markus Burton

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Notre Dame pulls away from Idaho, wins 80-65 despite missing leading scorer Markus Burton


SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jalen Haralson scored 20 points, Carson Towt had 19 points and 15 rebounds and Notre Dame pulled away late to beat Idaho 80-65 despite playing without leading scorer Markus Burton on Wednesday night.

Burton, who leads the Fighting Irish at 18.5 ppg, was to have had surgery Wednesday on his left ankle after suffering an injury in Notre Dame’s previous game, an 87-85 overtime win over TCU. He is expected to be out “for the foreseeable future,” according to the school.

Haralson was 8-of-16 shooting and Towt was 9 of 12 in collecting his third double-double this season. Cole Certa had a trio of 3-pointers and 15 points and Braeden Shrewsberry made four 3s and scored 14. The Irish (8-3) shot 52% and made 9 of 14 from the arc in winning their third straight game and improving to 6-0 at home.

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Biko Johnson made three 3s and scored 19 points and Jackson Rasmussen added 16 points though the pair combined for only eight second-half points for Idaho (6-4). Brody Rowbury added 11 points. The Vandals shot 40% and made 10 of 24 3-pointers.

Tied 33-all at halftime, Notre Dame never trailed in the second half, going up 61-51 with nine minutes to go after Certa scored the first seven points in an 11-2 run. The Vandals got back within four with six minutes left on a Johnson 3-pointer but that was their final field goal. Shrewsberry and Certa hit 3-pointers in a game-ending 12-1 run.

Up next

Idaho is home against Evergreen State on Sunday.

Notre Dame is home against Evansville on Sunday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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