The Idaho Legislature’s new-look budget committee conducted an orientation Tuesday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise to help new members prepare for the upcoming legislative session.

Rather than debating budgets, the meeting served as a sort of orientation for the nine new legislators who will serve on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee during the 2025 legislative session.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, or JFAC for short, is a powerful legislative committee that meets daily during the legislative session to set all of the budgets for every state agency and department.

Although the committee’s two co-chairs – Sen. Scott Grow, R-Eagle, and Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, are retaining their chairmanships, there are multiple changes coming to the committee for the 2025 legislative session.

Nine of the 20 JFAC members did not serve on the committee during the 2024 legislative session, due to a combination of factors including legislators who lost re-election bids this year, and legislators who were reassigned to other committees for the upcoming legislative session.

JFAC did not consider any budget proposals or vote on any budgets Tuesday.

The 2025 legislative session kicks off Jan. 6. JFAC members plan to conduct their first meeting of the year Jan. 7.

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — A Treasure Valley man died in an avalanche north of Boise over the weekend, marking the first avalanche death in the country this season.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said it received a report at 12:21 p.m. Sunday that an avalanche had buried someone near Wilson Creek Trail in the Anderson Creek area, west of Cascade. The sheriff’s office identified the victim as 41-year-old Jason Haines, of Kuna.

Snowmobilers in the area helped get Haines out of the snowpack, but Haines died from his injuries at the scene after life-saving measures were unsuccessful, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The Payette Avalanche Center said Haines was one of two people on snow bikes who triggered the avalanche near Lookout Peak.

“The slide was reported to be relatively small, but (Haines) was carried into a terrain trap and buried deeply,” the center said. “He was found with an avalanche beacon and extricated but did not survive.”

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Quiet night in Southern Idaho for hoops action but that didn’t stop multiple teams from having impressive victories.

Boys basketball scores

Carey 56, Castleford 33

• Preston Wood had a 16 point/16 rebound double-double for the Panthers.
• Stockton Sears added 13 in the win
  

Girls basketball scores

Interclass

Oakley 49, Declo 32

1A

Carey 51, Castleford 28

Richfield 35, Hansen 20

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