This is a summary of a few items in the Idaho Weekly Briefing for July 9. Interested in subscribing? Send us a note at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com.
This was the week wildfires flared up in a big way around Idaho, from the Panhandle to the southeast, in many cases near substantial population areas. The list of wildfires in this issue is much longer than up to this point in this year. Elsewhere, political campaigns remained mostly relatively quiet, and several pieces of favorable economic news were reported.
The Board of Ada County Commissioners was made aware this morning that Ada County Treasurer Vicky McIntyre was charged with seven felony counts of Misuse of Public Funds.
The Bonneville Power Administration is preparing to meet increased electricity demand as the region braces for temperatures nearing the century mark over the next three days. Power use by BPA customers rose to record highs nearly a year ago, when temperatures climbed above 100 degrees on Aug. 2, 2017. At that time, Northwest energy consumers used 8,226 megawatts. For reference, just one MW can power an estimated 700 Northwest homes; 1,200 MW can power an entire city the size of Seattle.
Access to national laboratory research collaborations just got a little easier for three companies that won grants to work with Idaho National Laboratory experts. The three firms collaborating with INL have been slated to receive Phase I grants through the U.S. government’s Small Business Innovation Research program, which helps support promising new ideas that still might be too risky to attract investment from the private sector.
Idaho State Police applied for and has now received several federal grants that will be used to improve how sexual assault evidence is collected and processed throughout our state. We know that collection of sexual assault evidence is not performed in a standardized manner around Idaho.
Representative Mike Simpson joined a bipartisan coalition of members of Congress to introduce the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act.
State regulators have approved a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for Rocky Mountain Power to build three new wind projects and associated transmission facilities.
IMAGE This one started north of the Rainbow Bridge on the north fork of the Payette River. A number of agencies, and the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association, have been at work on containing it. (photo/Idaho Department of Lands)