skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

State of the State Reax: Consider all Funding Options

play audio
Play

Tuesday, January 11, 2011   

BOISE, Idaho - Governor Butch Otter presented his list of proposed budget cuts during his combined State of the State and Budget Address Monday, with most of the reductions targeted at Medicaid coverage for adults.

He proposed about $20 million more for public education to help cover rising enrollment, and gave praise to teachers and parents for improvements in student performance.

Idaho Education Association president Sherri Wood says that, with stimulus and reserve funding gone for the next fiscal year, it will be tough to keep education funding level. And, she says, there was another point in the speech that raised eyebrows.

"We are perplexed by the Governor's call for radical restructuring for a system that they themselves call 'highly performing.'"

David Irwin, communications director with AARP Idaho, says he was encouraged to hear that the Governor wanted public input on budget decisions, and he's hoping all options are considered, besides just budget-cutting. AARP supports an increase in the cigarette tax to preserve Medicaid coverage.

"We have to guard against an 'efficient and effective' Idaho state government becoming a 'harsh and hurtful one,' Especially as so many Idahoans have seen, and continue to see, very difficult economic times."

The state budget shortfall has been forecast at more than $300 million, with some of that expected to be eased through economic growth. Gov. Otter is predicting three percent growth, but his Division of Financial Management is expecting more than double that rate.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021