We plan to write regularly on fundraising and spending, as all 105 legislative seats are on the ballot.

Look for lists and articles throughout the election, starting today, Feb. 1. Here’s a top 10 list: the incumbents and candidates who have raised the most money so far:

1. Ted Hill, R-Eagle: $110,310. There’s an asterisk here: Hill, a first-term lawmaker, has loaned an eye-popping $106,860 to his campaign. Hill sits on the House Education Committee, and he has sponsored a bill to allow teachers and school staff to carry guns on campus; the House passed this bill Wednesday.
2. Jim Woodward, Republican, Sagle: $85,568. A big-money rematch will unfold in Idaho’s northernmost legislative district. Woodward, a former state senator, has raised much of his money from mainstream GOP circles — such as Idaho Power, Spokane, Wash.-based Clearwater Paper, and State Board of Education member Shawn Keough, his predecessor in the Senate. Woodward also has loaned his campaign $20,000. (More on his opponent later in this piece.)
3. Steve Berch, D-Boise: $75,764. Berch, a three-term incumbent and House Education Committee member, represents West Boise’s battleground District 15. No opponent appears to be doing any fundraising so far.
4. Brett Skidmore, Republican, Ammon: $64,700. Skidmore is raising money from conservative circles — including Idaho Freedom Foundation vice chair Bryan Smith and former Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin. Skidmore is taking on first-term Rep. Joshua Wheeler, R-Ammon, who has raised $27,279.
5. Brandon Shippy, Republican, New Plymouth: $57,574. Shippy’s donors include Freedom Foundation chair Brent Regan and Freedom Foundation board member Doyle Beck. Shippy is opposing Assistant Majority Leader Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, who has raised $10,150.
6. Josh Tanner, R-Eagle: $56,750. Tanner, a first-term lawmaker and Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee member, has loaned $50,000 to his campaign.
7. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle: $56,602. Herndon defeated Woodward in the 2022 GOP primary, and now sits on the Senate Education Committee and JFAC. His donor base includes several Freedom Foundation connections: Regan, Beck and Smith’s Idaho Falls law firm.
8. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d’Alene: $43,539. The Senate Education vice chair has loaned $40,000 to his campaign.
9. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle: $43,170. Grow is JFAC’s Senate co-chair. His donor base includes several industry PACs and Idaho Chooses Life.
10. Codi Galloway, Republican, Boise: $42,980. The former legislator has secured donations from at least four sitting lawmakers, and has loaned $20,000 to her campaign. She is positioning for a rematch in District 15. Democrat Rick Just, who narrowly defeated Galloway in 2022, has raised $40,155.

We haven’t received the records. On Friday, we received a second bill for the same documents — this time, in the amount of $326.15.

The U of I says both bills are legal. And the U of I doesn’t rule out billing us a third time.

At issue are records that we believe will tell an important part of the story about the U of I’s proposed University of Phoenix purchase — a controversial $685 million deal that could make or cost the U of I millions of dollars, and forge a partnership with a for-profit university with a troubled track record.

We have asked, twice, for invoices paid by the U of I and its affiliates, related to the Phoenix purchase. We submitted our original request on Dec. 22.

The U of I first billed the $88.65 to cover the cost of identifying and gathering the invoices. The U of I now says it needs an additional $326.15 to review and potentially redact the records.

In both cases, the U of I says the costs are estimates. If costs come in lower, the U of I promises to refund the difference. Or if the costs come in higher, the U of I says it will ask for more money.

In other words, the U of I isn’t ruling out charging us three times for the same set of public records. Not even when EdNews asked for assurance that the second bill would cover all costs.

“Simply put, this process, which is authorized under the law, ensures that taxpayers are not funding labor that goes solely to the benefit (of) individual requestors, such as you and your employer,” U of I senior associate general counsel said in a Wednesday email to EdNews.

State law allows agencies to bill for public records — for labor costs exceeding two hours of staff time. But the law doesn’t require agencies to seek payment, and many agencies don’t.

We also take issue with Klein’s insinuation that our records requests are self-serving. We have spent eight months pushing for details on the Phoenix purchase on behalf of our readership — and all Idahoans, who have a vested stake in this decision.

We are a public news source. And a well-read news source. Since last week, our stories on the trial that threatened to block the Phoenix purchase have been republished by the Idaho Statesman, the Idaho Press, the Lewiston Tribune, Boise State Public Radio, the Idaho Capital Sun and BoiseDev — and anyone else we might have missed along the way.

So, no, we’re not just doing this for kicks.

On Wednesday, we sent the U of I another $326.15. We’ll let you know what we get next — whether it’s a stack of public records, or another bill.

Trustees Wednesday voted to end the college’s contract with Gregory South, hired as interim president in December 2022, Kaye Thornbrugh of the Coeur d’Alene Press reported.

South’s tenure in the president’s office was short, and illustrative of the politics on a divided NIC board.

On a 3-2 vote, the board hired South as interim president, giving him an 18-month contract. That came after the board placed President Nick Swayne on paid administrative leave.

Within a matter of months, a judge ordered NIC to reinstate Swayne. But while Swayne returned to the president’s job, South remained on the payroll as well.

South still ranks as NIC’s highest-paid employee — for now — at a salary of $235,000. Swayne makes $230,000 per year.

Meanwhile, the board took no action Wednesday on another matter: a judge’s order to turn over an investigative report to Swayne. The report examines claims by a former employee, who accused Swayne of “retaliatory treatment and retaliatory discharge,” Thornbrugh reported.

On a 3-2 vote Wednesday, the board assigned legal counsel to resolve the open records issue in the most “cost effective and prudent” way possible, Thornbrugh reported.

Especially when those records pertain to public spending.

But this time, we’ve decided to pay — reluctantly. And selectively.

As you might recall, we’ve been going back and forth with the University of Idaho for months on public records requests, and the U of I’s attempts to bill EdNews.

Bear in mind, the U of I doesn’t have to send us an invoice. State law allows public agencies to bill for labor costs exceeding two hours. But state agencies aren’t required to do this, and many don’t.

Here’s where we stand with the U of I:

Phoenix-related invoices. EdNews has asked the U of I for all invoices related to the proposed purchase of the University of Phoenix. On Jan. 10, the U of I said it would cost $88.65 just to compile these bills.

“Once you have paid the estimate and we have identified and gathered the responsive documents and better understand the volume of records that would need to be reviewed, we will be able to provide you with a further estimate for us to review the responsive records,” Karl Klein of the U of I’s office of general counsel wrote.

Emails to and from legislators. On Jan. 8, EdNews requested emails, texts and other written communications with legislators. We narrowed the request to the two agencies most likely to have newsworthy contact with elected lawmakers: President C. Scott Green’s office, and the office of government affairs. The U of I said it would need to review a whopping 1,374 “potentially responsive records,” at a cost of $815.01.

‘Project Neptune.’ Since November, we have been requesting emails, texts and other public records containing the words “Project Neptune,” a code name for Phoenix. When we requested records from four departments — Green’s office, the provost’s office, the office of general counsel and the division of finance and administration — we received a $2,370.95 invoice.

We narrowed this request to Green’s office, and received a $344.23 invoice. And that’s just the cost to “review all the emails to determine their size, including the number of pages of any attachments,” Klein wrote. Here again, the actual bill for the records could prove to be higher.

On Wednesday, EdNews paid $88.65 for the Phoenix-related invoices.

We still believe the emails and the “Project Neptune” documents are in the public interest. We continue to oppose the U of I’s billing practices — which delay and dissuade public records requests.

But we also don’t like the idea of walking away just because we’re hitting some resistance. That runs counter to the tenets of watchdog journalism: reporting that holds public agencies accountable to the public.

We believe the Phoenix invoices could give us — and give Idahoans — some insight into the behind-the-scenes costs of a proposed $685 million purchase. Even though U of I officials insist Phoenix will be a moneymaker, the public still has a right to follow the dollars. Their dollars. The public has a right to know who’s already making money on this transaction.

We’re committed to telling that story. Even if we have to spend some of our own money to chase it.

More reading: Click here for our in-depth coverage of the proposed Phoenix purchase.

Rajbhandari, a Boise High School graduate now attending the University of North Carolina, called DeSantis a “climate criminal” during the protest.

NBC News posted footage from the Ames, Iowa protest on YouTube. In the video, Rajbhandari can be heard asking DeSantis, “How much money have you taken from oil companies?”

Seconds later, DeSantis shook his head, smiled and pointed at Rajbhandari on the ground. “This is (what’s) wrong with the college system right there. That’s exhibit A.”

It is the second time in four months that Rajbhandari showed up at a public protest. He was arrested in September during a protest outside the Federal Reserve’s New York City offices. The charges were later dropped, according to the Idaho Press.

Boise School Board President Dave Wagers criticized his colleague in a statement.

“Personally, I found Trustee Rajbhandari’s recent antics in Iowa disrespectful, “Wagers said, according to the Idaho Press. “More importantly, his behavior undermines the work our Board, our teachers, and our administrators do every day to ensure our students and families are treated with respect and dignity.”

Elected in September 2022, at the start of his senior year at Boise High, Rajbhardari is in the middle of a two-year term. He is continuing to serve on the board while attending college.

The State Board of Education on Tuesday approved renaming the arena the ICCU Dome, after Idaho Central Credit Union agreed to pay $6 million over 12 years for the naming rights.

Opened in 1970, under the moniker the ASISU Minidome, the arena has been known as Holt Arena for more than 30 years. This name honored former Idaho State athletic director Milton “Dubby” Holt, who was instrumental in developing the arena.

Athletic Director Pauline Thiros said proceeds from the rebrand will support Idaho State student athletics — and she said the name change would have received Holt’s blessing.

“He was shrewd in his business sense, had great passion behind his vision for Idaho State athletics, and was deeply committed to utilizing every avenue available to build the program,” Thiros said in an Idaho State news release. “I know that today, he would be delighted and proud to see this renewed investment in the facility, and in the student athletes.”

Idaho State is planning to install a mural inside the arena, honoring Holt and his contributions to the university, the State Board said in a Tuesday news release.

The dome is the second-oldest facility of its kind in the nation, following only the Houston Astrodome. The ICCU Dome has received a multimillion-dollar renovation over the past two years, funded largely by the credit union.

ICCU has a considerable mark on the state’s college campuses. Idaho State’s alumni center and the University of Idaho’s basketball arena also bear ICCU’s name.

“Government handouts generally don’t work too well, and this is a big government handout,” Moyle told reporters last week.

And at the same time, Democratic legislative leaders Melissa Wintrow and Lauren Necochea have restated their support of Launch, and urged skeptical lawmakers to come around. “Every new idea needs a boost,” said Wintrow, of Boise, the Senate’s minority leader. “It needs some investment.”

You might assume that high school seniors in Moyle’s suburban district have little interest in the Launch grants — while the program is a big hit in the North End district represented by Nechochea and Wintrow. But it’s actually the opposite.

Moyle’s District 10 has the second-highest number of Launch applicants, according to data supplied Tuesday by Gov. Brad Little’s office. District 19, represented by Wintrow and Necochea, falls in the bottom five for Launch applicants.

Little’s office compiled the breakdown of applicants by legislative district — and emailed the numbers to lawmakers Monday, as the governor made his pitch to put another $75 million into the Launch program. Idaho Education News requested and received the breakdown Tuesday.

The breakdown includes 11,371 Launch applications, completed and submitted by Dec. 28. More than 12,500 seniors have at least started a Launch application, exceeding Little’s initial forecasts.

Based on the district-by-district numbers, Launch seems to be most popular, by and large, in rural areas of East Idaho and the Magic Valley. Launch applications appear to be lagging in urban districts, including three Boise legislative districts. (Legislative districts are redrawn every decade, so they include roughly the same population.)

Here are the top five and bottom five legislative districts, based on Launch applications. And here’s how the district’s lawmakers voted on the two bills to create Launch: the original bill and the followup bill designed to rein in the program.

An important caveat: The lawmakers cast their Launch votes last year — months before students in their districts could begin applying for the grants. 

The top five districts

District 24 (Camas and Gooding counties; portions of Twin Falls County): 591 applicants. Sen. Glenneda Zuiderfeld, R-Twin Falls (opposed); Rep. Chenele Dixon, R-Kimberly (supported); Rep. Steven Miller, R-Fairfield (opposed first Launch bill, supported second Launch bill).

District 10 (portions of Ada and Canyon counties): 491 applicants. Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton (opposed); Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star (opposed first Launch bill, supported second Launch bill); Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa (opposed).

District 31 (Clark, Fremont, Jefferson and Lemhi counties): 483 applicants. Sen. Van Burtenshaw, R-Terreton (supported); Rep. Jerald Raymond, R-Menan (supported); Rep. Rod Furniss, R-Rigby (supported).

District 35 (Bear Lake, Caribou and Teton counties; portions of Bannock and Bonneville counties): 474 applicants. Sen. Mark Harris, R-Soda Springs (supported); Rep Kevin Andrus, R-Lava Hot Springs (opposed first Launch bill, supported second Launch bill); Rep. Josh Wheeler, R-Ammon (supported).

District 28 (Franklin and Power counties; portions of Bannock County): 464 applicants. Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon (supported); Rep. Rick Cheatum, R-Pocatello (supported); Rep. Dan Garner, R-Clifton (supported).

The bottom five districts

District 19 (portions of Boise): 203 applicants. Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise (supported); Rep. Lauren Necochea, D-Boise (supported); Rep. Chris Mathias, D-Boise (supported).

District 16 (portions of Boise and Garden City): 195 applicants. Sen. Ali Rabe, D-Boise (supported); Rep. Soñia Galaviz, D-Boise (supported); Rep. Colin Nash, D-Boise (supported).

District 17 (portions of Boise): 195 applicants. Sen. Carrie Semmelroth, D-Boise (supported); Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise (supported); Rep. Sue Chew, D-Boise (supported).

District 33 (portions of Bonneville County): 174 applicants. Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls (supported); Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls (opposed first Launch bill, supported second Launch bill); Rep. Marco Erickson, R-Idaho Falls (supported).

District 4 (portions of Kootenai County): 145 applicants. Sen. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d’Alene (opposed); Rep. Joe Alfieri, R-Coeur d’Alene (opposed); Rep. Elaine Price, R-Coeur d’Alene (opposed).

The work comes a week before the U of I follows through on a controversial plan to raze the house.

It’s unclear what prosecutors are doing at the house, which is located on King Road, near the U of I campus. The defense team accessed the house last week, taking measurements and photographs.

“Both prosecution and defense asked for access to the house and have both gone into the house in the last two months,” the U of I said in a news release today. “Neither has asked for the house to be retained and U of I will proceed with demolition.”

That demolition is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 28.

Four U of I students — Ethan Chapin, 20, of Mount Vernon, Wash.; Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls; and Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’Alene — were stabbed to death in the house on Nov. 13, 2022. Bryan Kohberger, a former Washington State University student, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the slayings.

No trial date has been set.

Shanon Gray, an attorney for the Goncalves family, has repeatedly asked the U of I to delay razing the house, the Idaho Statesman has reported.

“This is one of the most horrific crimes in the history of Idaho, and the University of Idaho wants to destroy one of the most critical pieces of evidence in the case — and it is also important to make note that there is now a demolition date before there is even a trial date set,” Gray said in a statement to the Statesman.

The house was donated to the U of I in February.

Senate Education Committee Chairman Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, and Rep. Rod Furniss, R-Rigby, are discussing proposals to reduce the supermajority requirement, the Idaho Statesman reported Thursday.

The proposal is still being drafted, the Statesman reported.

But whatever form it takes, the resolution would face a high hurdle — perhaps an impossibly high hurdle.

The supermajority is written into the Idaho Constitution, so an amendment would need to pass both houses by a two-thirds margin. If that were to happen, the constitutional amendment would appear on the 2024 ballot, where it would need a simple majority to pass.

No state has a more stringent supermajority requirement for bond issues, and this wouldn’t be the first proposal to lower the threshold. But previous proposals have gotten nowhere in the Statehouse.

But Lent suggested that public sentiment could be changing.

“People are generally getting more and more dissatisfied with the fact that we’re not able to address our aging facilities in public education,” he told the Statesman.

Wednesday night, these same trustees bickered over Mike Waggoner’s authority.

On a 3-2 vote, the board granted Waggoner blanket decisionmaking powers over litigation, the Coeur d’Alene Press reported.

The divided vote — and the heated board debate — came just two days before NIC will find itself in court, fighting against its president. Nick Swayne sued the college in November, demanding a copy of an investigative report. Swayne says the report outlines allegations made against him by a former NIC employee, Kaye Thornbrugh of the Coeur d’Alene Press has reported.

Waggoner confirmed that Wednesday’s board action was related to Swayne’s lawsuit, Thornbrugh reported.

Wednesday’s vote split the NIC board along familiar ideological lines. The board’s conservative bloc — Todd Banducci, Greg McKenzie and Waggoner — supported the move. Tarie Zimmerman and Brad Corkill opposed it, Thornbrugh reported.

“The day is going to come when somebody in this community will have had a gut full of this silliness and there will be a lawsuit filed,” Corkill said, according to Thornbrugh’s story on the meeting.

Waggoner argued that the change will eliminate the need for trustees to convene to discuss lawsuits, Thornbrugh reported.  “We have two opinions here and counsel is telling us it’s fine and we’ve done it before and having too many people involved is unworkable.”