North Idaho residents challenge residency of state senator
A group of Kellogg residents and the Idaho Democratic Party are calling for an investigation into State Senator Phil Hart.
They question whether he actually lives at his listed Kellogg address, which has been under construction for several years. Instead, they say there’s evidence he may be living at his business in Hayden, which falls in legislative District 3.
If true, they say the allegation would mean Hart is ineligible to serve as the senator representing Legislative District 2, where he’s currently running for reelection.
Hart’s Democratic opponent and residents of Kellogg held a press conference Tuesday.
Diannah Fields-Brown is a registered voter in Kellogg who spoke at the event.
"I have lived three blocks away for the past 23 years, and I've never seen him. I've never met him, never bumped into him at the grocery store or spotted him at community events," she said.
Fields-Brown and a bipartisan group of voters from the district are now asking the Idaho Secretary of State to investigate the matter.
Hart's Democratic opponent also spoke at the press conference, saying "If it is true that Phil Hart is once again violating the rules and the law, he should be disqualified from running for reelection in District 2.”
In 2018, Hart was ruled ineligible to run for the statehouse in District 7 on residency grounds.
Hart did not respond to Spokane Public Radio's request for comment.
Chronic wasting disease causes hunting changes in north Idaho
New rules went into effect Tuesday for hunters who target white-tailed deer in parts of Boundary County.
Idaho Fish and Game officials want to identify animals that have been stricken with chronic wasting disease. One deer carcass that tested positive for the illness was found near Bonners Ferry in July, the first case of the disease in north Idaho.
The state held a special hunt in late August to see if it could identify more diseased animals. Two deer carcasses brought in as part of that also tested positive.
Fish and Game has declared the area a chronic wasting disease management zone. Hunters who harvest deer there must present the bodies for testing and carcasses aren’t to be transported outside the zone.
Idaho’s public defense system makeover begins
Public defenders across all 44 Idaho counties will work under a centralized state system for the first time.
The Sixth Amendment guarantees criminal defendants the right to adequate legal representation.
A 2010 study by a national group found glaring problems with Idaho’s county-by-county public defense system and an ongoing lawsuit filed in 2015 has led to similar conclusions.
Idaho chief public defender Eric Fredericksen says he and another leader in his office are pinch-hitting these first few days in counties that have holes in their roster.
“Kootenai and Shoshone [counties] we’re continuing to work on. Our litigation director, Doug Nelson, is up there right now," Fredericksen said.
Part of the issue is pay. Most staffers will get a raise, but 15% lose money under the new salary structure.
“Probably the most difficult day I’ve ever had as an attorney. You never want to give somebody a pay cut," he said.
Fredericksen says some contracted attorneys want to continue working for a flat fee, which he says his office eliminated based on fairness. State officials will collect data over the coming months and years to determine if the system needs more funding to uphold its constitutional obligations.
Eastern Washington tribes get money for drug and gun programs
The Colville and Kalispel Tribes are among the entities receiving money from the federal government for programs that target fentanyl trafficking and gun violence.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell’s office announced the Department of Justice has distributed nearly $7 million to agencies around Washington.
The Kalispels will receive about $600,000 to hire an advocate for victims of sexual assault, to start an emergency hotline for reporting cases and for a public education campaign.
The Colville Tribes will receive $425,000 to hire a professional who will help tribal members make the transition to life after being released from incarceration.
The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s office will receive $60,000 to buy drug testing kits and adult body bags.
Reporting contributed by Doug Nadvornick, Owen Henderson and James Dawson.