Idaho college students say they will protest rising fees and tuition on Monday with a sit-in at the State Board of Education meeting.

In a news release sent Sunday, Jason Denizac of the Idaho Student Association says the protest will begin at the Capitol at 8 a.m. The board is scheduled to convene at 8:30 a.m. to set fees and tuition for the 2010-11 academic year in a meeting in the House & Senate Auditorium in the building’s new garden level.

Vaughn Ward, one of five Republican candidates for Idaho's 1st District congressional seat, issued a statement Friday about his promotion in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

The statement follows, in full:

Today, Idaho 1st Congressional District candidate Vaughn Ward was selected for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps. Ward is a Marine Corps Reserve Officer and has served around the world, most recently in Fallujah, Iraq as a Rifle Company Commander.

The Idaho lottery is gambling it can help the state lure $1 billion a year in federal spending and 3,000 jobs by supporting the pitch to base the Air Force F-35 fighter jet in Idaho.

The lottery is advertising the Department of Commerce’s push for the project at Boise’s Gowen Field and Mountain Home Air Force Base.

“As a State agency with one of the top visited web sites in Idaho, we wanted to be a part of the team to help get the word out,” said David Workman, a spokesman for the lottery. “We offered the space free of charge to the Department of Commerce.”

Idaho’s two top Republicans, Gov. Butch Otter and Sen. Mike Crapo, have healthy leads in their re-election bids, according to a New Jersey polling company, Rasmussen Reports.

In the company’s first automated telephone polling of likely voters in Idaho in 2010, Otter leads Democrat Keith Allred 60 percent to 28 percent, with 9 percent undecided and 3 percent preferring another candidate.

Idaho GOP Sen. Mike Crapo has joined 10 other senators from both parties asking President Obama to join them in holding a "national nuclear summit" to advance the cause of nuclear energy.

Idaho County Commissioner Skip Brandt, who finished sixth in the six-way 2006 GOP primary for 1st District Congress, is endorsing Rep. Raul Labrador in this year's contest.

Labrador, R-Eagle, faces four other Republicans in the May 25 primary, which will choose the party's nominee to challenge Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick. The others are: Vaughn Ward of Eagle, Harley Brown of Idaho City, Michael Chadwick of Post Falls and Dr. Allan Salzberg of Boise. Independent Dave Olson of St. Maries and Libertarian Mike Washburn of Boise have already qualified for the general election ballot.

First District Congressional candidate Vaughn Ward's campaign says he'll appear at 7 p.m. MDT on the Fox News Channel.

According to the campaign, "Ward will discuss health care, reducing spending, and how Republicans can take back Congress in the upcoming midterm election."

Ward is one of five candidates in seeking the GOP nomination in the May 25 primary. The winner will face freshman Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick in November.

Challis McAffee has withdrawn from the Republican primary for Ada County Clerk, according to the Ada County Elections Office.
Republicans Christopher Rich and Merrilyn Rohner will vie for the seat.
Incumbent Dave Navarro is not running.

Here's the entire text of a news release issued Tuesday by the House and Senate minority leadership team:

Democratic Leaders Respond to the End of the 60th Legislative Session

Boise – For Democratic Legislators, the 2010 legislative session was difficult. Democrats came to Boise in January ready to face Idaho’s economic problems by introducing a package of bills filled with innovations for enhancing economic development.

Gov. Butch Otter held a news conference Tuesday morning with legislative leaders to review the session and its bills. While the news conference was under way, Otter's office put out this news release, published in its entirety:

GOVERNOR HAILS EFFICIENT LEGISLATIVE SESSION

(BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter applauded Idaho’s citizen legislators today for the efficiency, sensitivity and civic virtue with which they conducted the 2010 session, which ended late Monday.