Super scanner reading INL documents • Editorial suggests Otter pony up during budget cuts • Crapo, Simpson look for pardon for Idaho soldier • Credit Suisse takes a big hit • What's in the water in Post Falls?

Super scanner reading INL documents

International Management Solutions is attempting to convert records kept on paper at the Idaho National Laboratory since the late 1940s into digital formats using one of the world's fastest scanners.

All of the documents that will make up the "National Nuclear Archives" have been declassified or cleared for public review by federal authorities.

The $220,000 Kirtas APT BookScan 2400 is capable of recording up to 2,400 pages per hour.

"About 30 percent of the reports that we're scanning right now have never been available to the public," INL project manager Emert Follett said. "Nobody even knew they existed."

Read more at the Post-Register's Web site. (Subscription required)

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Editorial suggests Otter pony up during budget cuts

An editorial in the Times-News suggests that with a 3 percent state government spending holdback on the heels of a 1 percent mid-year budget cut, Gov. Butch Otter ought to turn his $54,000-a-year housing stipend back to the state.

The taxpayers of Idaho already pay the governor $105,560 a year expenses.

"The governor's 30-year-history of public service shows clearly he's not in it for the money," says the editorial.

"...Symbolically, foregoing his housing allowance would be a significant gesture on the governor's part of solidarity with Idahoans who are hurting."

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Crapo, Simpson look for pardon for Idaho soldier

Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo and Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson are seeking a presidential pardon for Sgt. Evan Vela, a former Rexburg area resident, who was convicted last February for the unpremeditated murder of an unarmed Iraqi man.

"The safety and success of our men and women in uniform would be seriously jeopardized if every service member was subjected to the same scrutiny for their actions during combat as in Sgt. Vela's case," Crapo wrote in a letter to President Bush.

Crapo and Simpson insist that Vela was following an order from his superior during the incident.

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Credit Suisse takes a big hit

Credit Suisse, the Swiss bank working high-end resort projects like Tamarack and the Yellowstone Club in Montana, announced Thursday that it posted a major net loss in October and November and is cutting 5,300 jobs.

New West picked up the Wall Street Journal story about the Swiss bank that calls the problems "stark signals" that investment banks are moving into safer businesses during a tough fourth quarter.

Credit Suisse is the lead in a group of investors to whom the prestigious Yellowstone Club owes more than $307 million.

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What's in the water in Post Falls?

A water test turned up trace amounts of coliform bacteria in Post Falls water, but officials say there is no risk to residents.

Total coliform, commonly found in soil and vegetation, are not the same as more harmful fecal coliform or E. coli bacteria, which have not been found in any of the samples.

Officials say there is no need to boil water, but suggested families with infants and people with severely compromised immune systems should contact their doctor for advice.

"We are working diligently to correct this problem and anticipate that it will be resolved within a few days," Public Works Director Terry Werner.