Jessica Robinson

Study: Urban stresses cause birds to abandon nests, eggs and all

Jessica Robinson — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:19:49 +0000

A bird of prey can get so stressed out by city noise that it might abandon its nest—eggs and all, according to a new study by researchers at Boise State University. The study suggests human disturbances affect the American kestrel more than previously thought.

Why won't this McDonald's move 20 feet into lower-wage Idaho?

Jessica Robinson — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:00:20 +0000

The border between the states of Washington and Idaho is like a Petri dish for what the minimum wage does to the economy. That’s where two extremes meet.

Idaho has the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. While Washington’s is nearly $2 more, the highest in the nation. You might expect that wage gap to send Washington border businesses fleeing over to Idaho. But that's not what's happening.

Boston Marathon runner races again in Spokane

Jessica Robinson — Mon, 06 May 2013 03:18:07 +0000

Three weeks after the Boston bombings, one of the iconic figures of that tragedy was racing again in Spokane. Bill Iffrig of Lake Stevens, Wash. joined more than 50,000 runners on Sunday for the Bloomsday Run.

Idaho company seeks to introduce genetically-engineered potato

Jessica Robinson — Sat, 04 May 2013 18:24:24 +0000

One of the country's leading suppliers of French fries is asking the federal government to approve genetically modified potatoes. The USDA on Friday announced J.R. Simplot’s petition to produce what would be the only genetically-engineered potato on the market.

Northwest professor turns to drones in quest for Sasquatch

Jessica Robinson — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:14:05 +0000

A Northwest anthropologist has risked his career in pursuit of what the rest of science considers a myth.

Jeff Meldrum of Idaho State University is the nation’s lone academic trying to make the scientific case for Bigfoot. It’s no joke. Now he's even raising money to launch an unmanned aircraft that would scan the Northwest's forests for the large, hairy creature.

Wolf count: Numbers up in Wash., Ore.; down in Idaho

Jessica Robinson — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:40:00 +0000

There are fewer wolves overall in the West, but Oregon and Washington's wolf populations continue to grow, according to the federal government's annual gray wolf tally released last week. The count has also revealed the initial effect of a controversial wolf hunting season in Idaho.

In the 2011-12 season, Idaho hunters and trappers killed nearly 400 wolves. Yet the population count decreased by just 63 animals, or 11 percent. David Allen, who heads the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, says when you take into account new pups, the once-endangered wolves are now stable.

In birthday message, POW's parents promise to bring him home

Jessica Robinson — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 06:25:34 +0000

The parents of Idaho soldier Bowe Bergdahl are hoping a message they recorded for his 27th birthday will reach him in captivity.

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl turns 27 in enemy hands

Jessica Robinson — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:49:39 +0000

Captured U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl turns 27 Thursday.

Turkish company loses bid to trademark 'Idaho'

Jessica Robinson — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:14:59 +0000

It looks like Idaho is the victor in an international trademark dispute over its most famous product. Officials in Turkey blocked a move that would have allowed a Turkish company to stamp “IDAHO” on produce, including potatoes.

For the keepers of the Idaho brand name, it's a crisis averted.

According to records on the Turkish Patent Institute's website, the agency has rejected an application to trademark the word “IDAHO”. Idaho Gov.

Turkish Company Loses Bid To Trademark 'Idaho'

Jessica Robinson — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:14:59 +0000

For the keepers of the Idaho brand name, it's a crisis averted.

According to records on the Turkish Patent Institute's website, the agency has rejected an application to trademark the word “IDAHO”. Idaho Gov.

Wash. town rides ups, downs of 'broken' immigration system

Jessica Robinson — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000

There's one word that politicians almost always use when they talk about the U.S. immigration system: “broken.” But what does that really mean?

Residents of the small town of Brewster, Wash., know. For decades, immigrants have come from Mexico, often illegally, to work the surrounding apple and cherry orchards.

Navy investigates what caused jet crash that killed three

Jessica Robinson — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:45:59 +0000

SPOKANE, Wash. - The Navy says it's trying to figure out what caused a plane crash that killed three crew members Monday. The military jet went down during a training exercise 50 miles west of Spokane.

The crash happened in Lincoln County, near the small town of Harrington. There were no survivors. Aerial photos showed a gash in a farm field, ending in a crater. There's barely any wreckage visible.

Judge: Idaho’s ‘fetal pain law’ unconstitutional

Jessica Robinson — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:56:00 +0000

A federal judge has declared Idaho’s so-called “Fetal Pain Law” unconstitutional. Idaho is one of eight states with a law banning abortions after 20 weeks. As Jessica Robinson reports, the case stems from a woman’s arrest under a separate statute for having an abortion.

Judge B. Lynn Winmill says the 20-week limit on abortions is unconstitutional because it doesn’t seek to inform the pregnant woman, nor improve her health, as the Supreme Court has allowed.

Idaho researchers reveal the terrifying face of prehistoric shark

Jessica Robinson — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 19:16:00 +0000

Researchers in Idaho say they've finally solved a mystery surrounding a 270-million-year-old shark. After a century of guessing, scientists have put a face to the giant animal that once swam the region, back when the Northwest was underwater.

The problem was that sharks are mostly made of cartilage, which doesn't keep well over millennia.

Idaho bills would keep state from following neighbors on pot

Jessica Robinson — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:11:00 +0000

Idaho is now hemmed in by four states where marijuana is legal in some form, and a panel of state lawmakers fears Idaho could be next.