By Christina Lords | Editor-in-Chief
“We’ve done well with hiring this year, and we have a lot of returning firefighters. We are really building our program to where we are bringing back more firefighters year after year – it hasn’t always been that way.” - Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller
Wildfire emergency responders dump water on the Mesa Fire, which burned more than 16,500 acres, on July 27, 2018, near Council, Idaho. (Photo by Ron Bailey/Getty Images)
ENVIRONMENT
‘One spark can quickly become a wildfire’: Officials say Idaho could face significant fire season
By Clark Corbin
Several elements that could lead to an active, challenging fire season are already in place in Idaho and across the West.
Drought.
A warm winter.
A historically low snowpack.
Forecasts for above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation through the summer, into early fall.
“By August, our entire state is expected to have above normal significant fire potential,” Idaho State Forester Julia Lauch to the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners on May 19.
Located outside of Ashton, Upper Mesa Falls is a 114-foot waterfall on the Henrys Fork of the Snake River. (Photo courtesy of the USDA Forest Service/Caribou-Targhee National Forest)
ENVIRONMENT
Idaho’s Upper Mesa Falls to close for renovations Aug. 10
By Clark Corbin
“The timeline was chosen to minimize the impact to the public while still offering environmental conditions needed for success of the project,” Forest Engineer Steve Jenkins said in a written statement. “We want to get the word out early so visitors aren’t surprised at the end of summer.”
A licensed dispensary in Maryland sells cannabis-infused edible chews and dried marijuana flower. Many states with cannabis industries say they’re waiting for more detail before taking action in response to the Department of Justice’s rescheduling of medical marijuana. (Photo by Amanda Watford/Stateline)
GOVERNMENT + POLITICS
The feds have embraced medical marijuana. Now what?
By Amanda Watford
The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent decision to downgrade the drug classification for medical cannabis will help medical marijuana businesses. Companies will be able to claim some federal tax benefits. New research can start up at state universities.
But the broader divide between federal and state marijuana policy remains largely intact, leaving states to navigate a fragmented and still-evolving cannabis landscape with few clear answers about what comes next.
MORE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL NEWS FROM US
More cities are pressing pause on data centers as local backlash grows | Robbie Sequeira
Trump ‘slush fund’ echoes scorned 19th-century spoils system, academics say | Johnathan Shorman
ICYMI
Shining a light on other Idaho politics reporting
Note: Some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall
Coeur d’Alene Press: City looks to muffle downtown noise
Spokesman-Review: Forest Service dispatcher honored for work in Canfield Mountain shooting
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