U of I told to trim the reserves • Crapo wants you to witness Obama's inauguration • Some Mountain West states hit harder by foreclosures than others • Recall 'em all in St. Anthony • Oregon Gov. wants gas tax hike • Hercules the boa constrictor finds closure

U of I told to trim the reserves

The University of Idaho received a memo from the State Division of Financial Management Monday, hinting at an additional budget cut.

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News reports Gov. Butch Otter ordered all state agencies to reduce spending in September, cut their budgets for fiscal year 2009 by 1 percent and hold an additional 1.5 percent in reserve.

Monday’s memo, sent by Wayne Hammon of the DFM, states: "Since that time we all have witnessed the continuing decline of the nation’s economy. And while Idaho may be better off than most, it is not immune from these harsh realities."

Hammon then asked agencies to take another look at their 1.5 percent reserve holdback plans.

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Crapo wants you to witness Obama's inauguration

In response to a flood of calls, Sen. Mike Crapo has set up a page on his Web site with information about how Idahoans can request tickets to the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Barack Obama.

"Idahoans requesting tickets and information will be given priority over those from other states, and it is my intention to assist all those from Idaho who make the journey to Washington, D.C., for President-elect Obama's swearing-in. I will also coordinate with the other Idaho delegation offices to make certain that we provide maximum service on this matter to Idahoans," said Crapo.

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has printed approximately 250,000 tickets to the ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, a news release from Crapo states.

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Some Mountain West states hit harder by foreclosures than others

While Colorado, Utah and Idaho were hit hard by foreclosures, Wyoming and Montana had two of the nation's lowest home foreclosure rates for the third quarter of 2008.

Colorado ranked fifth, Utah 10th and Idaho 16th in the nation according to RealtyTrac Inc., which tracks foreclosures.

Wyoming ranked 44th and Montana ranked 46th.

The Casper Tribune says homeowners in parts of Wyoming are feeling effects of the national housing and credit problems, but the state has been largely immune from the mortgage crisis because subprime mortgages uncommon in the state.

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Recall 'em all in St. Anthony

Members of a St. Anthony family that had several vehicles and other materials removed from their property by contracted and city crews in July have mounted a recall effort against city officials.

"We have decided that since the city of St. Anthony City Council and mayor have decided to take the constitutional rights away from the citizens using a colored law, then we are in the process of putting (together) a recall petition," a member of the family told the Rexburg Standard Journal.

The first step in the recall process is securing 20 valid signatures on each petition. Once the signatures are verified and the petition declared legal, the family would have 75 days to gather a larger number of signatures to demand a recall election.

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Oregon Gov. wants gas tax hike

Under a plan proposed Monday by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski to pay for road and bridge improvements and create thousands of new construction jobs, motorists would see a 2-cent-per-gallon increase in the state gasoline tax and higher vehicle fees.

The increases would generate nearly $500 million a year and pay for 2,100 new construction-related jobs annually over the first five years, the governor said.

The Oregon-Idaho AAA association applauded Kulongoski's plan, saying it would promote good roads and boost the economy.

The Associated Press says efforts to raise the state's 24-cent-a-gallon tax haven't been popular with Oregonians. The most recent try — a nickel-a-gallon increase — was rejected by Oregon voters in 2000.

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Hercules the boa constrictor finds closure

The Coeur d'Alene Press reports that the Kootenai County Prosecutor's Office has decided not to file a felony grand theft charge against the man who sold an 8-foot boa constrictor on Craigslist.

"It's just not really a theft case," said Marty Raap, deputy prosecutor. "To prove theft, I have to prove the intent to permanently deprive someone of their property. Ultimately, at the end of the day, they got the snake back with not much harm done."

Kootenai County animal control officer Karen Williams said the snake is safe and has been placed in a new home.