STATE OF IDAHO 2000 - PRESENT
| 2000 | Idaho Population: 1,211,537. Largest wildfires in recent history, 559,183 acres burn in Salmon-Challis National Forest, Payette National Forest and Bureau of Land Management, Idaho Falls District. |
| 2001 | Idaho filed suit against federal Grizzly Bear reintroduction plan. U.S. Dept of Labor grants $1 Million to aid displaced Jaype mill workers. Twenty-four Idaho counties declared drought disaster areas. Governor orders 2% holdback for state agencies and 1.5% holdback for public schools in response to softening economy. Sawmill closings in Cascade and Horseshoe Bend leave only one mill south of the Salmon River. Largest salmon runs since 1978. |
| 2002 | Closure of the potato processing plant in Heyburn. |
| 2003 | Longest legislative session in history - 118 days. Sales tax goes to 6 percent. Expansion of Boise municipal airport. |
| 2004 | On July 3rd Governor Kempthorne dedicates the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery. 612,786 ballots were cast in the November 2004 General Election, the highest number ever. J.R. and Esther Simplot donate residence above Bogus Basin Road to state as mansion for the governor, giving Idaho an official governor's residence for the first time in 15 years. The Idaho National Guard's 116th Brigade Combat Team called up for yearlong mission in northern Iraq, about 1,700 Idaho soldiers are part of the 4,300 member brigade. |
| 2005 | 90 Marine Corps reservists in Company C, 4th Tank Battalion, 5th marine Division based at Gowen Field are deployed to Iraq. About 15 Boise-based Army reservists with the 321st Engineer Battalion based in Fort Lewis, WA are in the Middle East. 100 members of the 124th Wing of the Idaho Air National Guard, including more than 20 members of the 189th Airlift Squadron, are deployed to assignments in the Persian Gulf. Nez Perce water agreement has passed Congress and Idaho legislature. This legislation ratifies a 30-year agreement, which calls for the Nez Perce to drop their claims to nearly all the water in the Snake River Basin. In exchange, the Tribe would have annual rights to 50,000 acre-feet of water from the Clearwater River, plus $80 million in cash. Hydrologists with the Idaho Department of Water Resources say lack of precipitation could make 2005 one of the worst on record. Sales tax reverts to 5 percent on July 1st. |
| 2006 | In January, Albertsons. Inc. agrees to sell the company to Minnesota-based Super-Valu Inc. and CVS Corp. During the Legislative Session, homeowner’s property tax exemption is raised from $50,000 to $75,000. In March, President Bush nominates Governor Dirk Kempthorne to be U.S. Secretary of Interior. Following confirmation hearings in May, Kempthorne heads to Washington, leaving Jim Risch at the helm in Idaho. In June, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival celebrates the opening of its 30th season. In August, Cabela’s opens its first store in Boise. In November, the Rolling Stones play a sold-out show at the Idaho Center. Also in November, Boise State Broncos end their regular season with a 12-0 record, landing them a place in the Fiesta Bowl. |
| 2007 | Boise State Broncos win the Fiesta Bowl. Senator Larry Craig’s arrest becomes the biggest news story of the year. Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and lawmakers temporarily halt work on the Idaho Capital expansion until a compromise is reached to scale back the underground wings to half their original size. |
| 2008 | Barack Obama visits Boise in February and draws a crowd of 14,000. Federal protections for gray wolves were lifted in March, but a federal judge rules the delisting plan fl awed in July. At the end of the year the future of wolf management is still uncertain. Sales slumped for auto dealers as gasoline prices reach $4 per gallon over the summer. The dour economy resulted in at least 44,000 workers without jobs in November. A record 667,506 Idahoans cast ballots in the November General Election. |
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