Idaho’s lone black lawmaker receives KKK mailing
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho’s only black lawmaker says receiving a direct mailing from a national Ku Klux Klan organization has bolstered her resolve to fight prejudice.
Boise Rep. Cherie Buckner-Webb says childhood memories of a cross burning on her lawn were rekindled last week when she opened a hand-addressed application to join the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
The Idaho Statesman reports (http://bit.ly/HsN9e0 ) that the letter solicited a photo, $35 in annual dues and asked for a completed statement proclaiming: “I am a White Christian man or woman.”
Buckner-Webb believes she was specifically targeted by the group. She says she was more surprised than disturbed and will continue battling intolerance in Idaho.
Buckner-Webb served one term in the Idaho House before announcing her candidacy for the District 19 Senate seat.
Police bust pair with 500 grams of cocaine
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Two people face felony drug trafficking charges after Idaho authorities say they found more than 500 grams of cocaine in their hotel room.
The Idaho Statesman reports that Fernando Cortes-Ponce and Felipa A. Gomez were arrested Sunday after Ada County Sheriff’s deputies and DEA agents received a tip that the pair was selling drugs from a Boise hotel.
Sheriff’s officials say the seized drugs are worth about $25,000.
Cortes-Ponce and Gomez could face up to life in prison if found guilty; trafficking more than 400 grams of cocaine carries a 10-year-minimum sentence in Idaho.
Idaho man to undergo evaluation in murder case
SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) — A judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation for a northern Idaho man charged with first-degree murder.
The Bonner County Daily Bee reports a public defender for 19-year-old Austin Blake Thrasher made the request last week, raising concerns he may be delusional and unable to understand the criminal proceedings against him.
Thrasher is among three Bonner County residents accused in the death of 19-year-old Michael Wyatt Smith. Thrasher’s wife, 22-year-old Jennifer Thrasher, and 19-year-old Christopher Garlin face accessory to murder charges.
Detectives received a tip in January that a man was picked up on the pretense of attending a party, driven to the woods, then shot and buried. Smith’s body was found on private property near Hope.
Authorities allege Thrasher killed Smith over a 16-year-old girl the two had both been seeing.