HAILEY, Idaho, May 5 [Category: Environment] -- The Western Watersheds Project posted the following news release: * * * Appeal Challenges Plan to Bulldoze Forests, Sagebrush Near Nevada National Park Contact: Paul Ruprecht, Western Watersheds Project, (208) 421-4637, paul@westernwatersheds.org Scott Lake, Center for Biological Diversity, (802) 299-7495, slake@biologicaldiversity.org Massive Pine, Juniper, Sagebrush Removal Threatens Species, Tribal Traditions LAS VEGAS-- Western Water  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, May 9 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics - Western Regional Information Office issued the following report on May 8, 2025, entitled "Occupational Employment and Wages in Idaho Falls - May 2024": * * * Workers in the Idaho Falls, ID Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $28.05 in May 2024, compared to the nationwide average of $32.66, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commission  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on May 7, 2025, from Economics Daily: * * * Employment up in 23 metro areas, down in 1 area, over the year ended March 2025 From March 2024 to March 2025, nonfarm payroll employment increased in 23 metropolitan areas, decreased in 1 area, and was essentially unchanged in 363 areas. The largest over-the-year percentage gains in employment occurred in Barnstable Town, Massachusett  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Crapo Announces Hearing on Trade in Critical Supply Chains Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) announced the Committee will convene for a hearing on trade in critical supply chains on Wednesday, May 14 at 10:00 AM. Title: Trade in Critical Supply Chains Witnesses: * Caleb Ragland, President, American Soybean Association  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Crapo Joins Bipartisan Bill to Help House Disabled Veterans Washington, D.C.-- U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-California), Dave McCormick (R-Pennsylvania), Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) and Katie Britt (R-Alabama) to introduce bipartisan legislation to ensure veterans experiencing homelessness and receiving disability payments maintain access to crucial housing support.   more

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Crapo Statement at HHS Nominations Hearing Washington, D.C.-- U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) delivered the following remarks at a hearing to consider James O'Neill to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Gary Andres to be an Assistant Secretary of HHS. As prepared for delivery: "Today, we meet to consider the nominations of Mr. J  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on May 6, 2025: * * * Crapo Statement at HHS Nominations Hearing Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) delivered the following remarks at a hearing to consider James O'Neill to be Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Gary Andres to be an Assistant Secretary of HHS. As prepared for delivery  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on May 6, 2025: * * * Crapo Supports Bisignano to be SSA Commissioner Washington, D.C.--Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Frank Bisignano to be Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) by a vote of 53-47. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) issued the following statement on Mr. Bisignano's confirmation: "Mr. Bisignano understands the imp  more

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Crapo Supports Bisignano to be SSA Commissioner Washington, D.C.-- Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Frank Bisignano to be Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) by a vote of 53-47. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) issued the following statement on Mr. Bisignano's confirmation: "Mr. Bisignano understands the importance of improving customer service at the Social Sec  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Crapo, Merkley Lead Bipartisan Effort to Expand Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Washington, D.C.-- U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) teamed up to introduce the bipartisan Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLR) Program Reauthorization Act of 2025. This legislation would reauthorize and expand the CFLR program, which helps fund collaborative and community-ba  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Crapo, Tuberville Introduce Legislation to Level Playing Field for Sporting Equipment Businesses Washington, D.C.-- U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) introduced the Sporting Goods Excise Tax Modernization Act to close a tax loophole that has resulted in lost revenue for state-led wildlife conservation efforts. Foreign sellers should be held to the same tax regulations as d  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Crapo, Wyden Introduce Bill to Improve Wetland Habitats in the Pacific Northwest Washington, D.C.-- U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced bipartisan legislation that would improve wetland habitats in the Pacific Northwest. "Preserving critical wetland habitat is vital to protecting open landscapes for the diverse species--including numerous varieties of birds and fish--th  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Fulcher On Natural Resource Committee Advancing Historic Package For Reconciliation Bill WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Congressman Russ Fulcher (Idaho-01) issued the following statement after the House Committee on Natural Resources held a successful full committee markup and advanced its portion of the reconciliation bill:  "After a long night on Capitol Hill, my Natural Resources colleagues and I passed o  more

BOISE, Idaho, May 10 -- The Idaho Democratic Party issued the following statement on May 9, 2025, by Chair Lauren Necochea: * * * A Message from the Chair: The Idaho GOP Abandoned Your Schools, Let's Show Up For Them May 20 When public schools thrive, so does Idaho. Our classrooms prepare the next generation to lead, build, and care for our communities. Yet year after year, the Republican-controlled Legislature underfunds our schools, abandoning its responsibility to Idaho kids and the futur  more

POCATELLO, Idaho, May 9 -- Idaho State University issued the following news: * * * Idaho State University Signs New MOU with Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia in Peru Idaho State University is expanding its global research footprint through an agreement with an institution in Peru, building upon prior collaborations to spark new research opportunities. Recently, representatives from Idaho State University signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding with Universidad de Ingenieria y T  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- In a public comment submitted to a federal agency regarding the Section 232 national security investigation into timber and lumber imports, Idaho Timber CEO Ted Ellis voiced strong concerns about potential tariffs on Canadian lumber. Highlighting the significant role of the value-added manufacturing sector in the U.S. economy, Ellis emphasized that this sector employs considerably more individuals than primary sawmills. Ellis stated directly in his letter, "US value added j  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Lujan, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve AI Testing and Evaluation Systems, Safeguard Americans Against Risks Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Testing and Evaluation Systems for Trusted Artificial Intelligence (TEST) AI Act of 2025, legisla  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Lujan, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve AI Testing and Evaluation Systems, Safeguard Americans Against Risks Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Testing and Evaluation Systems for Trusted Artificial Intelligence (TEST) AI Act of 2025, legisla  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: * * * Lujan, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve AI Testing and Evaluation Systems, Safeguard Americans Against Risks Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Testing and Evaluation Systems for Trusted Artificial Intelligence (TEST) AI Act of 2025, legisla  more

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, May 7 [Category: Sports] -- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics posted the following news release: * * * NAIA Sets 46-Team Field & Opening Round Brackets for 2025 Baseball Championship * Opening Round Schedule * Watch the 2025 Selection Show KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Ten sites and 46 teams have been announced as the 2025 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round gets underway May 12, ending May 15, with trips to the Avista-NAIA World Series on t  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Rep. Simpson Joins Bipartisan Group of Members to Reintroduce Bill Addressing Agriculture Workforce Crisis WASHINGTON-- This week, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson joined Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Adam Gray (D-CA) in reintroducing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. This legislation would make meaningful reforms to the H-2A visa program and  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release on May 6, 2025: * * * Risch Introduces Bill to Fight Antisemitism at the UN WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Katie Bri  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release on May 8, 2025: * * * Risch Statement on Committee Passage of Five Trump Nominees, 26 in Total WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) today issued the following statement after the Foreign Relations Committee passed Brandon Judd for ambassador to Chile, Leah Campos for ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Charles Kushner for ambassador to France, Edward  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Risch Votes to Support Trump Nuclear Energy, Land Management, and Water Nominees WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) yesterday voted to support four of President Trump's nominees in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "Idaho's leadership in nuclear energy and our vast natural resources are critical to the state's economy and way of life," said Risch. "I'm proud to support President Tru  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Risch, Cantwell Introduce Bill to Expand Small Business Disaster Coordination WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) today introduced the Small Business Disaster Coordination Act to improve on the ground support for small businesses affected by disasters. This bill would allow Small Business Administration (SBA) resource partners to assist businesses outside their us  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following news release on May 6, 2025: * * * Risch, Shaheen Statement on Meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement regarding their meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan earlier today. "It was good to welcome King Abdulla  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, issued the following news release: * * * Scott, Risch, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Fight Antisemitism at the UN WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Republican colleagues in introducing the No Official Palestine Entry (NOPE) Act to cut off U.S. assistance to entities that give additional rights and privileges to the Palestinian Authority   more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following remarks from an April 30, 2025, confirmation hearing for Rodney Scott to be commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection: * * * "Today, we will hear from Rodney Scott, who is nominated to serve as Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection--or CBP. "Mr. Scott, congratulations on your nomination, and thank you for your willingness to serve. "Mr. Scott's twenty-nine  more

WASHINGTON, May 5 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following remarks from an April 29, 2025, open executive session to consider the nominations of William Kimmitt to be under secretary of Commerce for international trade and Kenneth Kies to be assistant secretary of the Treasury for tax policy: * * * "We meet today to consider favorably reporting the nominations of William Kimmitt, who is nominated to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce for I  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released the remarks from a May 6, 2025, confirmation hearing for James O'Neill to be deputy secretary of the Health and Human Services and Gary Andres to be assistant secretary of HHS for legislation: * * * "Today, we meet to consider the nominations of Mr. Jim O'Neill to serve as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Mr. Gary Andres to serve as the Department's A  more

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued the following information for a nomination hearing at 10:30 a.m. on May 8, 2025, at 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building: Nominees * Mr. Brandon Judd, of Idaho, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Chile * * * Original text here: https://www.foreign.senate.gov/hearings/business-meeting-05-08-2025  more

WASHINGTON, May 7 -- Community Health Association of Spokane (CHAS Health), a major safety-net provider in Eastern Washington and North Idaho, has voiced significant concerns over proposed federal rules for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces, arguing they could inadvertently harm the low-income and vulnerable populations the health center serves. In a formal comment letter dated April 9, 2025, submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding its "Marketplace I  more

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, May 6 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Idaho National Laboratory issued the following news release: * * * Water resiliency at Camp Buehring: INL's innovative water reclamation system Camp Buehring, a United States military base nestled in northern Kuwait just 20 miles from the Iraqi border, faces a challenge: there are no wells, rivers or other easily accessible sources of water. In this arid region, water is a precious commodity. Soldiers rely on trucks to deliver the w  more

HAILEY, Idaho, May 8 [Category: Environment] -- The Western Watersheds Project posted the following news release: * * * WWP Condemns Public Lands Sale Provisions in House Budget Package Western Watersheds Project Condemns Public Lands Sale Provisions in House Budget Package  Amodei-Maloy amendment could force sale of nearly half a million acres without environmental review In a late-night maneuver Tuesday, Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT) introduced a last-minute amendment  more

WASHINGTON, May 6 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Crapo Introduce Bill to Improve Wetland Habitats in the Pacific Northwest Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, today introduced bipartisan legislation that would improve wetland habitats in the Pacific Northwest. "Restoring our wetlands is about more than just providing habitat for birds and other wildlife living along the Pacific Northwest coast. It is abo  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Crapo Introduce Legislation to Modernize Short Line and Regional Railroad Tax Credit Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he has reintroduced legislation with U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, to expand the Short Line Railroad Tax Credit that provides operators with essential resources to ensure communities and small businesses can rely on safe infrastructure. The bipartisan  more