I hate to admit it, but I am fascinated by the "birther" controversy.

Not because I think there's a shred of any concrete evidence at the heart of it. I am absolutely convinced that President Obama was born in Hawaii, and was convinced when this non-story surfaced during the campaign.

The facts are settled, so instead I'm interested in the phenomenon. What exactly keeps this story going?

UPDATED, 5:15 p.m., with details on Simpson's vote.

The House of Representatives voted Friday to pump an additional $2 billion into the popular "cash for clunkers" car rebate program.

And this time around, 2nd District Rep. Mike Simpson voted for the plan.

UPDATED, 2:15 p.m., with more detail on Idaho State University enrollment figures.

Workers were scrambling this week to put down tile and complete classrooms at Idaho State University's Meridian campus — and for good reason. ISU staff is scheduled to move in next week, and classes on the 182,000-square-foot satellite campus will begin in August.

Will a similar flurry of private business activity follow? The answer could go a long way to determining the future of Meridian's economy, and the entire Treasure Valley's health-care job sector.

UPDATED to reflect that the board voted to write a new mercury rule.

The Idaho Board of Environmental Quality did the right thing Wednesday.

But how could the board have done otherwise?

Quick math quiz.

Let's say you're an auto buyer and you have a case of "cash for clunkers" fever. You're eager to pocket a fat federal rebate for trading in the old family gas-guzzler for a new car.

You settle on a $20,000 car that gets good gas mileage — so good that you qualify for the maximum $4,500 federal rebate. How much state sales tax will you owe?

A: You'll pay $930, or 6 percent on a $15,500 balance.

B: You'll pay $1,200, because you're on the hook for 6 percent on the full purchase price.

Since we've had a good deal of arguing here the past couple days, I thought I should post a quick reminder about comments — and my approach to them on the blog.

• I really don't want to block any commenters, as has been suggested. I'd like to make sure everybody has access.

Another new local blog, and one worth bookmarking.

This one comes from Marc Johnson — the host of Idaho Public Television's "Idaho Reports," turned aide to former Gov. Cecil Andrus, turned president of Gallatin Public Affairs in Boise.

In his inaugural post, Johnson offers a nice historical look at Supreme Court nominations, and the role Idaho Sen. William E. Borah played in the process of his era.

Idaho's dairy industry has turned sour, and the state's two House members are looking for some help from Uncle Sam.

They don't invoke the "b" word, but Republican Rep. Mike Simpson and Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick are sounding an alarm about an industry accounting for some 26,000 Idaho jobs. "Without continued assistance, dairy operations, jobs, and perhaps the entire the industry could be lost," they wrote in a letter Friday to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

UPDATED, 12:36 p.m., to include comments from Sen. Jim Risch.

Idaho's two senators say they will vote against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

Republican Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch announced their intentions this morning, in statements issued just minutes apart.

And the two senators cited similar talking points. Both saying Sotomayor is not strong enough on Second Amendment issues, and both express concern that Sotomayor believes judges should look to foreign law to interpret the U.S. Constitution.

It's not just us.

The Idaho Press-Tribune's editorial board also says Canyon County's officials need to get serious about tackling air quality.

Last week, Nampa and Caldwell city officials refused to approve a local vehicle emissions program, preferring instead to present a bunch of alternatives to the state's Department of Environmental Quality.

From the Press-Tribune's well-reasoned Saturday editorial: