Freshman U.S. Rep. Bill Sali has now decided not to participate in a debate with his GOP primary opponent, Matt Salisbury, that was scheduled to air live statewide on Idaho Public Television on the evening of May 18th. “We can’t do it, we just can’t make it work,” said Sali’s spokesman, Wayne Hoffman. “Saturday’s out of the question, Sunday is very difficult.”

The debate sponsors – the League of Women Voters, Idaho Press Club, and Idaho Public TV – had offered Sali the option of choosing any other time during the weekend, after he suggested he might not be able to make the 7 p.m. Sunday time slot. But Hoffman said Sali’s schedule on that Saturday is booked up with a radio interview, a parade, a gun show and other campaign events. “The whole day’s been blocked up,” he said. Hoffman said Sali has “some kind of a meeting he was supposed to be attending” on Monday morning in Washington, D.C., so couldn’t debate on Sunday evening. “Congressman Sali wishes it would work,” Hoffman said. “There’s nothing I can do.”

Salisbury called Sali’s decision “really a disappointment.” He said, “I think the people deserve to hear more, because the last debate we’ve gotten such positive feedback just to hear us debate and see us talk. I think in this case we would have clearly had a picture of the two candidates, and Idaho deserves that.” The two Republicans appeared together earlier on a taped debate sponsored by KTVB-TV in Boise and a group of other media outlets. Said Salisbury, “To me, it really comes down to are you going to have a dialogue and take the heat. … I don’t think I’ve done anything to this point to suggest that we’d have anything but clean, honest debate.”

I’m the president of the Idaho Press Club, so I know first-hand that the Idaho Debates, which the Press Club, the League and Public TV have co-sponsored for three decades worth of primary and general elections, require many hours by many volunteers to bring together, many of which already had been expended for the 1st District debate that was to happen in five days. Hoffman said Sali had equivocated from the start about whether he would attend. “We responded back that we could do it if we could do it,” he said. "At that time, the congressman couldn't commit."

U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge announced today that even after receiving an evaluation of confessed killer Joseph Duncan’s mental competency, he’s not ready to rule on whether Duncan can act as his own attorney in his death penalty hearings until there’s further review.
In a press release, the court announced, “The court has, on its own motion … elected to seek a further mental competency evaluation of the defendant, which will necessitate an additional delay in these proceedings.”

The case has been on hold since April 22, when jury selection proceedings were halted so Duncan’s competency could be evaluated. A competency evaluation was completed by a Boise clinical psychologist and submitted to the court under seal. But Lodge now wants more.

Duncan has admitted murdering three members of the Groene family at their North Idaho home in 2005 in order to kidnap the family’s two youngest children, whom he then held captive and repeatedly abused before killing one, 9-year-old Dylan. The only survivor of the attack on the family was then-8-year-old Shasta Groene, who was rescued after being spotted with Duncan at a Coeur d’Alene Denny’s restaurant seven weeks after her ordeal began.

Duncan has pleaded guilty to all charges in a 10-count federal indictment, several of which carry the death penalty. The current hearings are to determine whether his sentence will be death, or life in prison without the possibility of release.

Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Keith Roark, as he threw his superdelegate support to Barack Obama, had nothing bad to say about Hillary Clinton, but he did have strong words for her husband. He noted the former president’s recent crack suggesting Idaho has more elk than Democrats, and said Clinton’s two presidential terms weren’t good for Idaho Democrats. “In my view, if he had done for elk what he did for Democrats during those eight years, there wouldn’t be any elk either,” Roark said to laughter. “We’re on our way back.”

Idaho’s May 27 election is not just the primary election – it’s also the final say on the non-partisan contest for the Idaho Supreme Court. Two seats on the high court are up for a vote this year, and one is a contested race, between recently appointed Justice Joel Horton and court-reform advocate and state District Judge John Bradbury of Lewiston. Recent appointee Justice Warren Jones is running unopposed. Below is a look at the two candidates in the contested race.

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Keith Roark, Idaho’s last remaining uncommitted Democratic superdelegate, today endorsed Barack Obama in the presidential race. Roark, who also is chairman of the Idaho Democratic Party, noted the strong party support for Obama in Idaho, from the Illinois senator’s jam-packed Boise rally in February to his overwhelming support at the state’s Democratic caucuses. Roark said he had three standards for picking a candidate: Who’d make a better president, who is more electable, and “who would run the better race in the state of Idaho.” Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would “make an excellent president,” he said. “Both of them are electable.” But Roark said Obama clearly will run a better race in Idaho – and he added that Obama’s wife, Michelle, already has committed to an appearance in Idaho over the summer and the candidate himself may return as well.

Asked why he waited so long to commit, Roark said, “I felt it was important to see how the campaign progressed. In my lifetime, I have supported any number of candidates who didn’t make it through the primary season.” But he said he’s now convinced that Obama “is someone who can take a bunch and punch right back.” Plus, he added, “Sen. Obama netted more convention delegates from Idaho’s caucuses than Sen. Clinton got from New Jersey’s caucuses.”

Tracking superdelegates is an iffy proposition, as they can change their mind at any time. The Democratic National Committee said it doesn’t keep count. Many remain uncommitted. But according to the website Politico.com, Idaho is one of just three states or territories where the Democratic superdelegates all have committed, with the other two being Nebraska (all six Obama) and American Samoa (four Clinton, two Obama). Idaho has four superdelegates – all of whom now have endorsed Obama – and a fifth will be selected at the state party convention in June. Roark said with Idaho’s caucuses going more than 80 percent for Obama, it’s clear that the final superdelegate also will be an Obama delegate.

The Idaho Republican Party’s lawsuit against the state of Idaho seeking to close the state’s primary elections has been sitting in federal court for a month, but the state hasn’t responded. The reason? They’ve never been served with the lawsuit. “As best as I can determine, we have not been served with that lawsuit,” said Bob Cooper, spokesman for the Idaho Attorney General’s office. “When you’re named in a lawsuit, the court activity doesn’t begin, you have to serve the complaint upon the respondent.” That hasn’t occurred, he said.

Rod Beck, the party activist who earlier tried to file a similar lawsuit along with dozens of dissident party members, said, “It means they’ve filed a lawsuit but they don’t have any intent to pursue it.” He said his group is planning to file a 10-day notice today to intervene in the case.

Sid Smith, Idaho GOP executive director, wasn’t aware of the issue. “I am very much a novice in the world of legal proceedings, so I’m sure that our attorney probably has a solid reason, but I don’t know what that might be,” he said. As far as not pursuing the lawsuit, Smith said, “That certainly isn’t the case. We’re doing our due diligence to follow the rules of the party and the lawsuit is what they call for. I really don’t know why, what the reasons may be for the delay, or if it is considered a delay.”

Freshman U.S. Rep. Bill Sali of Idaho’s 1st Congressional District faces a challenge in this year’s Republican primary from a 35-year-old Iraq war veteran and party activist, Matt Salisbury of Nampa. The winner of the GOP primary will face Democrat Walt Minnick in November. Minnick’s primary opponent, Larry Grant, dropped out of the race last month and endorsed Minnick, leaving Minnick uncontested in the Democratic primary for the seat that represents North Idaho. Below is a look at the two choices on the Republican ticket, the incumbent and the challenger; the Idaho primary election is May 27th.

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Idaho Sen. Larry Craig’s retirement has prompted something of a ballot rush, with eight Republicans, two Democrats, two independents and a Libertarian vying for the chance to replace Craig in the U.S. Senate.

Idaho’s primary election is May 27, but many voters – particularly in Kootenai County – already are sitting down to mark their absentee ballots and mail them in before the polls open. Below is a look at who’s on the crowded Republican ballot and the two-way Democratic ticket.

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Democratic congressional candidate Walt Minnick asked Idaho’s DEQ director, Toni Hardesty, a series of questions about the contaminated Kuwaiti sand that’s bound for a hazardous waste dump 70 miles southeast of Boise, and received back a detailed three-page letter addressing each of his questions. “Like most people, when Walt heard the news, he had a few questions about the entire process, and so we submitted a private letter to Ms. Hardesty directly,” said Minnick’s campaign spokesman, John Foster. “And she gave us what I think is a very good response to those questions.”

Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden today announced an agreement between Facebook and Idaho, along with 48 other states and the District of Columbia, to provide new safeguards to protect children on the popular social networking site from sexual predators and inappropriate content. “I look forward to working with Facebook on developing industry-wide practices to ensure a safe online environment for children,” Wasden said, adding that the agreement – similar to one reached earlier with MySpace – will result in “deterring and prosecuting criminals who misuse the Internet to prey upon children.” Click below to read Wasden’s full press release.

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U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo’s Owyhee Initiative, a collaborative wilderness bill that both creates new wilderness and releases land from wilderness consideration, has cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Crapo reported that the bill, S. 2833, passed on a voice vote and likely will be included in a package of other land management bills that will be considered together by the full Senate as early as next month. “The Owyhee Initiative has made great progress here in the Senate, just as it has on the ground in Idaho, but we still have much to accomplish,” Crapo said. “We continue to work hard to secure the necessary funding to implement the language in the Initiative, and we must prepare to implement the agreements in the legislation once they become law.”

The bill creates 517,000 acres of new wilderness and releases 199,000 acres of wilderness study areas in the rugged backcountry of southwestern Idaho. It also provides assurances for continued ranching and economic activity and ensures continued access for backcountry users and preservation for Shoshone Paiute Tribal cultural resources in the area through local management agreements. Crapo said he joined the eight-year effort to negotiate the bill at the request of the Owyhee County commissioners. It’s been nearly three decades since Congress passed an Idaho wilderness bill.

The Idaho Republican Party has issued a press release criticizing Democratic congressional candidate Walt Minnick’s campaign event today, at which Minnick made up the difference to allow motorists to buy gas at a Boise Chevron station for $2.26 a gallon, instead of the posted $3.59. “This was a clever way to generate publicity for his campaign, but it does nothing to bring down the price of gas,” said GOP Executive Director Sid Smith. “Republicans in Congress, including Idaho’s Congressional delegation, have been working for real, comprehensive solutions to address the root of our energy problems.” Smith said that should include increasing oil supplies through domestic drilling and more refineries; click below to read the full GOP press release.

Meanwhile, Minnick reported that about 350 vehicles came through his gas sale in about 90 minutes – those who were in line when the hour-long sale ended still were allowed to fill up – and the motorists purchased 3,230 gallons of fuel and saved $4,259. The campaign said in a press release, “The event cost the Minnick campaign slightly more than it cost a political action committee to buy just four tickets to today's Bill Sali fundraiser in Washington, D.C.” Sali’s fundraiser was with representatives of the oil and gas industry.

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Democratic Senate candidate Larry LaRocco delivered letters to Gov. Butch Otter and Lt. Gov. Jim Risch yesterday asking them to stop a huge shipment of uranium- and lead-contaminated sand from Kuwait from coming to Idaho, for disposal at a hazardous waste dump 70 miles southeast of Boise. “Accepting this waste in the United States is poor public policy and environmentally unsound for Idaho,” LaRocco wrote. “Let’s not turn Idaho into the world’s dump.” He cited opposition from past Govs. Cecil Andrus and Phil Batt to bringing hazardous materials into the state. “Let’s stop this now,” LaRocco wrote. “It’s time for sound public policy to trump powerful special interests that hold sway over Idaho.”

LaRocco said he’s waiting for a reply. Otter’s communications director, Mark Warbis, issued this statement: “We appreciate the comments and perspectives of Mr. LaRocco and all Idahoans. A response from the Governor will be drafted as soon as possible in collaboration with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, as is the policy with all correspondence from constituents.” Otter is actually out of state on vacation all this week, and Risch is also out of state through mid-day Wednesday, necessitating the appointment of Senate President Pro-Tem Bob Geddes as acting governor.

In response to Democratic challenger Walt Minnick’s wildly popular discount-gas campaign event today, GOP Rep. Bill Sali’s spokesman, Wayne Hoffman, said, “It sounds to me as if he (Minnick) has signed on to the same energy policy Democrats have adopted, which has resulted in the high gas prices we’re experiencing.” Minnick had criticized Sali for voting against three bills this year that Minnick said offered “real solutions” to the problem, including HR 6, which Minnick said “ended the egregious, lavish tax breaks heaped on ‘big oil.’” Hoffman disagreed. “If you read those bills, there are billions of dollars in new taxes contained in the legislation, taxes on energy producers. That’s not going to lower gas prices,” he said. Hoffman said, “Radical environmentalists and left-wing Democrats are directly responsible for the high gas prices we are experiencing today.”

As to why Sali was holding a luncheon fundraiser with the oil and gas industry today, Hoffman said, “They are business people, and Congressman Sali has an excellent voting record in supporting businesses big and small. He understands that raising taxes on businesses is not going to result in lower gas prices.”

Cars started lining up at 8:30 this morning for what may be the most popular stunt of the campaign season: Congressional candidate Walt Minnick’s $2.26-a-gallon gas sale. From 10 to 11 a.m. Boise time, Minnick made up the difference between the sale price of $2.26 and the posted price of $3.59 at a Boise gas station. Minnick, a Democrat, timed his event to coincide with incumbent GOP Rep. Bill Sali’s $1,000-a-plate “oil and gas industry luncheon” fundraiser in Washington, D.C. at the Hunan Dynasty restaurant (the luncheon was $250 for individuals, $1,000 for PACs). “For one hour today, while I’m talking to Idahoans about the high cost of gasoline, Bill Sali will sit down to lunch at a fundraiser and ask for money from oil lobbyists,” Minnick declared. “In 18 months he’s become a true Washington insider. What Idaho needs is a new approach and some simple fairness.”

Minnick campaign signs festooned the Chevron station at the corner of Cole and Ustick in Boise, where the line of cars snacked through a shopping center parking lot, police were on hand to monitor traffic, and a Boise radio station was doing a live broadcast. David Sizemore said his daughter called to alert her disabled dad about the low-priced gas, and he made sure to be there to fill up. As for Minnick, Sizemore said, “I haven’t heard of him at all.” But asked if he’s more likely now to consider supporting Minnick over Sali, Sizemore said, “Oh, heck yeah! I think everybody’s going to – this is what everybody needs, is our economy to get back on its feet, and this is the way to do it.”

Brian Buffington of Payette said he was coming to town to hit Wal-Mart, heard about the gas sale, and “we decided to go for it.” Buffington said Minnick’s campaign tactic reminded him of the lively campaign going on now between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. “We’re still undecided,” he said.

Some of the vehicles lined up for the price break bore bright yellow “Bill Sali” stickers.

Minnick said, “It may cost $3,000 or $4,000 – could well.” But he said it’s worth it, “If we can use that to focus the attention on Washington. I think it’s most important that we focus on jump-starting new alternative energy programs. We need a congressman that’s going to lead that change, not pander to big oil.”

Chevron station owner Terry Debban said, “I’ve known Walt for a long time,” and he was glad to have his station participate. Oil prices have been going up so quickly that they rose another nickel this morning, Debban said, and he’ll be changing his price up to $3.64 later today. Yet he said he only makes 4 to 5 cents per gallon. “It jumps pretty fast,” he said. “It hit $120 (per barrel) yesterday – that’s pretty stiff.” Debban said the last time he remembers an event like today’s was back in 1973, when a station he worked for decided to give away $2,500 in gas during the big energy crunch. “It was the same way – we jammed it, packed,” he said, looking across the busy scene.

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig joined officials from the French company Areva today to announce that the firm has chosen eastern Idaho as the location for its next uranium enrichment plant. Craig called Areva “a world-class nuclear company,” and said, “It is a phenomenal opportunity for Idaho to play host to and partner with the potential that this company brings to the state.” Idaho lawmakers this year scrambled to enact big tax incentives designed to woo the firm, which also was considering Washington, Ohio, Texas and New Mexico for the $2 billion uranium enrichment plant, the first the company will build in the United States. The company expects to begin construction by 2011.

Lawyers and judges across Idaho rated the two competing candidates for the Idaho Supreme Court on everything from integrity to legal ability, and incumbent Justice Joel Horton outscored challenger Judge John Bradbury of Lewiston in every category. This is the first time the Idaho State Bar has conducted such a survey in a Supreme Court race. It's an effort to inform voters in a race where the candidates can't take positions on any issues that might come before the court. You can read my full story here at spokesmanreview.com, and click here to see the full survey results.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Larry LaRocco’s campaign headquarters in Boise was broken into over the weekend, but apparently nothing was stolen. The campaign reported that Boise Police are investigating the break-in, which occurred mid-day, just past noon on Saturday. “We will not know whether this was a politically motivated break-in or just a random act of senseless violence until the Boise police conclude their investigation,” said Bob Stout, campaign manager. “We would like to thank the police for their prompt and professional work.” The break-in caused $200 in damage to the office’s front door and frame. The campaign office is the only office in the building, which is festooned with LaRocco for Senate campaign signs.

In a letter to the organizers of the “Idaho Debates,” Lt. Gov. Jim Risch’s campaign spokesman, his son Jason, wrote, “We chose to participate in the KTVB debate rather than the League of Women Voters debate because of its format, and because of its wide circulation to Idaho voters. Your format and rules said that the “format is fluid” and that “cross talk” would be permitted. Our experience in that regard has been that the format you chose frequently deteriorates into a negative exchange between the candidates, which is unhelpful and unappreciated by the viewers.” You can read the full letter here.

Two years ago, Idaho Lt. Gov. Jim Risch demanded that he be able to appear alone on the “Idaho Debates,” sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Idaho Press Club and Idaho Public Television, answer questions, and then leave the studio before his opponent appeared. When the debate sponsors refused, Risch skipped the traditional debate and appeared only on one sponsored by a Boise TV station with a more controlled format. Now, he’s doing the same in his run for the U.S. Senate. The crowded GOP primary race is scheduled to be featured on the Idaho Debates on May 22; it’ll go on without Risch.

In a press release, Risch said, “We have an excellent group of candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. I look forward to a positive and constructive discussion of the important issues facing Idaho and America today. The KTVB format has proven to be the best format for undecided voters to judge the candidates’ positions on issues.” In letter to the League of Women Voters, Risch’s campaign spokesman, his son Jason, criticized the Idaho Debates for allowing “cross talk” among the candidates.

The Idaho Debates sponsors issued the following statement:

"We are obviously disappointed; we believe our format is an actual debate, one that benefits Idaho voters interested in seeing the candidates, a format that's been tested and has worked over many decades in both primaries and general elections. Despite Mr. Risch's refusal to participate, our debate will be held as scheduled. It will air live, statewide, on Thursday May 22 at 8 p.m. Mountain time, 7 p.m. Pacific."

Full disclosure here: I’m the president of the Idaho Press Club, which has been one of the three sponsors of the Idaho Debates for the past four decades (since long before my tenure). Last week, when I interviewed Risch about his campaign for the U.S. Senate, he told me he’d always debate his political opponents, but that his idea of a debate is that a question is asked by a third party, each candidate responds separately, and then they move on to the next question. “I want to make sure that you explain this to your readers, that I am running a positive campaign,” Risch said. “I am not running a campaign where I’m going to engage in responding to allegations from someone else. … I don’t do that.”

Idaho has long been one of just a handful of states with no official governor’s residence, though the state now has the donated Simplot house atop a distinctive green hilltop in Boise, which is scheduled to become an official governor’s mansion after a major, not-yet-started remodel. But Idaho’s mansion-free status in recent decades has kept it free of what Nevada’s experiencing right now – a divorce fight in which the governor has moved out of the mansion, the First Lady still lives there, and he’s filed for divorce and to try to get the courts to order her out of the official mansion in Carson City. Really. It’s in the New York Times.

Reports that august publication, “Since last month, Mr. (Jim) Gibbons, a first-term Republican, has been living in the couple’s Reno home while his wife, Dawn Gibbons, remained at the official residence in Carson City. ‘Our firm filed various legal documents pertaining to the dissolution of his marriage and requesting a court ruling concerning the living arrangements of Governor and Mrs. Gibbons,’ Mr. Gibbons’s lawyer, Gary Silverman, said in a statement. … Mr. Gibbons had been under pressure to resolve the matter of his living arrangements in part because of an 1866 law stating that he must ‘keep his office and reside at the seat of government.’”

Incidentally, American Ecology Corp., the company bringing the contaminated sand from Kuwait to Idaho, also employs a prominent Boise lobbyist to represent the firm in the Idaho Legislature, Roy Eiguren.

American Ecology Corp., operator of the hazardous waste dump 70 miles southeast of Boise that’s about to get 6,700 tons of uranium- and lead-contaminated sand from Kuwait, has been a generous donor to Idaho politicians’ campaigns. Most recently, the firm’s PAC, AEC PAC, gave $2,300 to Idaho Republican Jim Risch’s U.S. Senate campaign and $500 to the re-election campaign of state House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star. Both those contributions were in November. Since 2002, AEC PAC has donated $3,000 to Sen. Larry Craig; $4,500 to Sen. Mike Crapo, $1,750 to U.S. Rep. Bill Sali; and $3,000 to U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, all Republicans. The PAC also gave $1,000 to Risch’s lieutenant governor campaign in 2006; $5,000 to Gov. Butch Otter’s gubernatorial campaign in 2005; $3,100 to Otter’s congressional campaigns from 2002 to 2004; and contributions to an array of state legislative candidates from both parties.

A major annual study of “entrepreneurial activity rates” has Idaho tied for first place as the most entrepreneurial state in the nation. Idaho shares the top honors with the District of Columbia and Arizona, and is followed by second-ranked Tennessee and Louisiana. Ranking the lowest were West Virginia, Alabama, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The index measures the percentage of the adult population that created a new business each month, and was developed by Robert Fairlie, a professor of economics and the director of the master’s program in applied economics and finance at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Known as the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, it’s been calculated each year since 1996 and includes extensive demographic research about who tends to start new businesses and who doesn’t. You can read the full report here.

The Idaho Department of Fish & Game is seeking public comments through May 16th on its proposed 2008 wolf hunting season. The gray wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains was removed from the endangered species list in March. “Fish and Game recommendations call for a total mortality quota of 328 wolves in 2008, which includes all reported wolf kills – from natural causes, accidents, wolf predation control actions and hunter kills,” the department said in a press release. “Reaching the quota would result in an estimated end-of-year population of 550-600 wolves. When the statewide quota is reached, all hunting would stop. When quotas in individual zones are reached, hunting in those zones would stop.”

Public comments can be submitted at the Fish & Game website; or they may be sent by mail to Wolf Hunting Rules, Idaho Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707. The department also is planning a series of public open house meetings around the state to gather comments. The proposed seasons and rules are posted on the department’s website.