Leak Suspect Arrested
Classified information related to the war in Ukraine has been leaked on-line for a couple of months. It recently garnered attention in the media and the suspect, a 21 year old air national guardsman in MA, was arrested on Thursday.
It is not clear at this point how a low level person was able to obtain the classified information. In addition, the content of the leaks calls into question how the conflict is being portrayed in the media including the involvement of US ground troops.
LAUNCH Program Timeline
The controversial program that was a centerpiece of Governor Little’s State of the State speech now winds through the process of getting started. It will provide up to $8000 to high school graduates to attend college or trade school. The oversight falls on the Workforce Development Council and they need to be ready to begin awarding grants by December 31st. Scrutiny of the program will likely be quite high given that it passed the House by 1 vote.
Medicaid Status
The flurry of legislation from the recent session can see substantial programs get little press coverage. Idaho’s ‘Medicaid Expansion’ program is one of those. The rate of growth in the program is concerning, enough so that House Speaker Mike Moyle called it out as one of the top priorities of the session.
The expansion to the program came in 2018 but projections have been exceeded in terms of costs and number of enrollees. One in four Idahoans are on the program. Federal subsidies help cover the costs but those may end or be reduced in the future.
Does Idaho Spend Enough on Schools?
While quality does not always follow spending, the ranking of ‘last’ in the nation on per pupil spending stands out. The article highlights some of the issues with some school facilities. Because of a 2/3rds vote requirement on school bonds, less than half of school bonds fail. This is a cause of concern for those who seek public funding to fix the problem facilities. Is there no other way to fund needed repairs?
Our mission with this substack is to provide curated news that impacts ‘The Idaho Voter’. People who follow the news closely will probably not be surprised by the stories we select to cover. However, people that do not follow the news closely but feel an obligation to be informed, that is our target market. Do you have friends and family that fit that description? Please spread the word.