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VIRUS OUTBREAK-IDAHO
Idaho governor OKs additional lifting of virus rules
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Gov. Brad Little says Idaho can move to the third of his four-stage plan to return to regular activity as it seeks to recover from he economic damage caused by the coronavirus. The Republican governor said Thursday that restrictions will be lifted Saturday that will allow bars to reopen and gatherings of up to 50 people as long as precautions are taken. Little also moved up the opening of movie theaters two weeks to Saturday. He said if possible businesses should still have employees work remotely. Little’s plan is based on declining infections and testing.
IDAHO UNEMPLOYMENT
Idaho unemployment claims still high but slowing down
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Fewer people are filing initial unemployment insurance claims or requesting payments under continued claims, but Idaho's overall jobless numbers remain bleak. The Idaho Department of Labor said Thursday that 4,700 people filed claims last week, a drop of about 1,100 from the week before that. The agency also says that continued claims dropped 5.7% to about 57,000. However, Idaho's unemployment rate for April was 11.5% with nearly 103,000 Idaho residents unemployed. Idaho paid out $11.2 million in unemployment benefits last week, about an 8% decrease from the week before. Idaho has been slowly reopening under Republican Gov. Brad Little's four-stage plan.
ABSENTEE BALLOTS
Idaho gets 14K more absentee ballot requests after extension
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The state of Idaho has received another 14,000 absentee ballot requests after a federal court extended the deadline for the primary election because of website problems that kept some voters from filing their requests on time. The Idaho Press reported that Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck said about 3,000 of the requests were submitted online after the Friday extension. If all voters who requested absentee ballots actually return them and vote, Idaho would see a record-high turnout for a primary election. Voters who are just now receiving their ballots in the mail are advised to complete them immediately and deliver them in person by the Tuesday deadline.
TRANSGENDER-SPORTS-BAN-IDAHO-LAWSUIT
Idaho Republican joins transgender sports lawsuit fight
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Republican Party Chairman Raul Labrador has signed on to represent two college track athletes who want a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a new state law banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports. The lawyer who served four terms in Congress before an unsuccessful run for governor filed paperwork in federal court Tuesday to represent 19-year-old Madison Kenyon of Johnston, Colorado, and 20-year-old Mary Marshall of Twin Falls, Idaho. The Idaho State University track athletes say they’ve lost races to a transgender athlete and that transgender athletes are unfair competition. They asked to join Idaho in fighting the lawsuit.
AP-US-TRUMP-FOSSIL-FUEL-FIGHTS
Trump's fossil fuel agenda gets pushback from federal judges
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Federal courts have delivered a string of rebukes to the Trump administration over what they found were failures to protect the environment and address climate change. The rulings, the latest on Thursday, have challenged the administration's vociferous promotion of fossil fuel interests and natural resource extraction from public lands. Some of the most far-reaching rulings have come from U.S. District Judge Brian Morris in Montana. This month alone he canceled oil and gas leases on several hundred thousand acres and struck down a nationwide permitting program for new oil and gas pipelines. Despite the courtroom setbacks, the U.S. became the world's top oil producer under Trump.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-CHILD ILLNESS
Fourth child in Washington has coronavirus-related illness
PASCO, Wash. (AP) — A child in the Pasco, Washington, area has been diagnosed with a multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, an illness associated with COVID-19. That's according to the Benton Franklin Health District. It's one of four cases of the syndrome identified in Washington state and the first in the Tri-Cities area. The child is under 10 and is hospitalized. Children diagnosed with the illness are healthy before developing symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease.
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