NTSB: Pilot didn't clear ice before 2019 crash that killed 9
Federal investigators confirmed that the buildup of ice on the wings and other parts of the plane was a key factor in a 2019 crash that killed nine of 12 members of an Idaho family on board an overloaded small plane. The National Transportation Safety Board said in its report on the November 30, 2019 crash near Chamberlain, South Dakota, that the single-engine plane didn't even have enough seats for all the passengers aboard, and two people were likely seated in the aisles when it crashed shortly after takeoff. The report said the plane was about 100 pounds overweight, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
news.yahoo.comRare overhaul of powerful US nuclear test reactor completed
Scientists at the Idaho National Laboratory have completed a rare overhaul of one of the world’s most powerful nuclear test reactors and normal operations are expected to resume later this spring, officials said Monday. The 11-month outage at the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Test Reactor, or ATR, in eastern Idaho allowed a core overhaul that's done, on average, about every 10 years. “Overall, I’m very pleased with the ATR workforce and teamwork they demonstrated during the longest and most complex outage in our history,” said Sean O’Kelly, associate lab director for the Idaho National Laboratory's Advanced Test Reactor Complex.
news.yahoo.comIdaho Senate approves Republican bill to ban abortion after six weeks
Brad Little (R), Idaho’s abortion ban could take effect as early as April, several months before the Supreme Court is expected to rule in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case that will determine the constitutionality of Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban and determine the future of Roe. AdvertisementStory continues below advertisement“Let’s take advantage of this opportunity to halt the slaughter of the unborn in Idaho,” said Idaho state Sen. C. Scott Grow (R). Ahead of the vote, several Democratic lawmakers argued against the bill, criticizing it for undermining abortion rights and questioning whether it would survive a legal challenge. Abortion rights groups plan to challenge the Idaho bill if it’s signed into law, said Lisa Humes-Schulz, Vice President of Policy & Regulatory Affairs at Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, who advocates for Planned Parenthood in Idaho. While the Texas abortion ban was heard by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, widely known as the most conservative circuit court in the country, the Idaho ban would go up through the 9th Circuit, where justices might be more open to arguments from abortion rights groups, said Humes-Schulz.
washingtonpost.comFederal judge to decide if transgender athlete case is moot
An Idaho woman says her lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on transgender athletes should continue moving through the court system because she is enrolled as a student at Boise State University and plans to play soccer on the school’s club team next spring.
Bundy: Campaigning counts as court-ordered community service
Far-right activist Ammon Bundy says time he has spent campaigning to be Idaho's next governor should count toward his order to perform community service after being convicted of obstructing police during his arrest for trespassing at the state Capitol.
In COVID-slammed Idaho, schools risk buckling hospitals
Roughly 11,000 kids in Coeur d’Alene were getting ready for their first day of school when Idaho public health officials announced this week that northern hospitals were so crowded with coronavirus patients that they would be allowed to ration health care.
Lawmaker who ID'd rape accuser may lose committee assignment
An Idaho legislative ethics committee says a state lawmaker who publicized the name of a Statehouse intern who reported being raped by another lawmaker should be stripped of one of her committee assignments for acting in an a manner “unbecoming” to the state's House of Representatives.
Leak of billionaires' tax data draws GOP outcry over privacy
Republicans in Congress are alarmed by the leak of confidential IRS data to ProPublica that has enabled the investigative news organization to reveal that famous billionaires including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg paid little in U.S. income tax at times.
Teacher disarmed school shooter, hugged her until help came
When a student opened fire at an Idaho middle school, teacher Krista Gneiting directed children to safety, rushed to help a wounded victim and then calmly disarmed the sixth-grade shooter, hugging and consoling the girl until police arrived.