An investigation into Idaho’s soon-to-be defunct needle exchange program has
found significant gaps between how the law was interpreted and lawmakers’
intent when drafting it. The Idaho Legislature created the state’s needle
exchange program in 2019 as a way to reduce IV drug use and stem the
spread of HIV. They were also required to offer substance abuse counseling.
In February, police raided one of the needle exchange providers, the Idaho
Harm Reduction Project. They said they found illegal drug paraphernalia.
The days of record-breaking state budget surpluses appear to be over in
Idaho, at least for the time being. With the state approaching the end of its
fiscal year on June 30, state revenues came in below projections in April, the
most recent figures publicly available. For the month of April, revenue came in
$60.3 million below projections, missing the mark by 7.2%. Looking ahead,
the May revenue numbers aren’t looking strong either.
Former Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Daniel Eismann died at age 77
Tuesday in a Boise-area hospital. Justice Eismann spend 31 years in the
Idaho judiciary, serving the community at multiple levels before he retired in
2017. He was also a decorated veteran with two Purple Hearts for his service
in Vietnam.
Authorities in Twin Falls County had to use spike strips to stop a high speed
chase. Police in Nevada said a woman driving a BMW with Arizona plates was
traveling in excess of 140 miles an hour. The chase ceased but resumed
moments later by Twin Falls deputies. The car was stopped about 24 miles
into Idaho after police used the PIT maneuver and spike strips to stop the car.
A 3-year-old homicide case in Mountain Home is on track to being solved.
Police were involved in a standoff Sunday that lasted just over two hours.
Another suspect was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The two taken into custody are Megan Marie James and Laura Denise
Hamilton, both from Mountain Home. They are facing charges of 1st-degree
murder, failure to report a death, kidnapping, and exploitation of a vulnerable
adult.
The Idaho water resources board has finalized efforts to send Snake River
surface water into the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer to restore levels. Recharge
flows increased to 4,000 cubic feet per second per day, allowing the Board to
turn on 12 different recharge sites above American Falls Reservoir.
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