City officials in Boise are considering tougher ordinances on panhandling following complaints. The Boise City Council on Tuesday is scheduled to review three ordinances. One ordinance would outlaw aggressive panhandling. Panhandling where solicitation can't be avoided would also be banned. That includes asking for money from drivers on roadways, people in line, or people dining at a sidewalk cafe. Another ordinance would require panhandlers to have permits to put up tents, chairs or tables on public property. If approved the ordinances would take effect in July.   Click here for details

A judge has ruled there is enough evidence for felony domestic battery counts against a Twin Falls County sheriff's deputy for the case to go to trial. The Times-News reports that 5th District Judge Roger Harris made the ruling Friday concerning three counts against Sgt. Michael Cooper filed in Twin Falls County. But Harris dismissed a fourth count filed against Cooper in Camas County. The cases had been consolidated. The 15-year-member of the sheriff's office in April was charged with four counts of felony domestic battery in the two jurisdictions. At the hearing Friday, a woman testified Cooper intimidated her into not reporting injuries she received from Cooper, and that he told her to tell police she injured herself.   (Information in the following story is from: The Times-News, http://www.magicvalley.com) Click here for details

A northern Idaho judge has declared a mistrial after the jury deadlocked in a case involving a Montana man charged with rape. The Bonner County Daily Bee reports 1st District Judge Barbara Buchanan also on Wednesday set a retrial for September. Jury members told Buchannan they were hopelessly deadlocked in the case involving 53-year-old James Stephen Anderson, a logger from Bigfork, Mont. Police say he raped an intoxicated 17-year-old girl at a motel west of Priest River in August 2011. Anderson didn't testify at the trial. The girl testified that Anderson gave her alcohol and pinned her on the bed. In a video-recorded interview by a sheriff's deputy, Anderson denied the girl was ever in his room.   (Information in the following story is from: Bonner County (Idaho) Daily Bee, http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com) Click here for details

A former volunteer firefighter who set a fire northwest of Boise last summer that destroyed a home, threatened about 100 others and cost $2.3 million to fight has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Nineteen-year-old Nathaniel Bartholomew's sentence Friday in 4th District Court requires him to serve at least three and a half years before becoming eligible for parole. Judge Patrick Owen retained jurisdiction, meaning if Bartholomew successfully completes a six-month program in prison he could be released on probation at that time. Bartholomew was a member of the Clear Creek volunteer fire department when he started the fire Sept. 17 in Boise County. Bartholomew was arrested while fighting the fire with other Clear Creek volunteer firefighters.   Click here for details

A weekend barn fire in south-central Idaho claimed the lives of 14 calves. Wendell Fire Department Assistant Chief Crystal Houser tells The Times-News the fire appeared to have been caused by a controlled burn that spread to the concrete and wooden barn Sunday afternoon. Eight calves escaped and 14 died. The barn about five miles west of Wendell was a complete loss. Houser says there probably won't be an investigation or criminal charges. She says the calves that died were worth between $250 and $300 each.   (Information in the following story is from: The Times-News, http://www.magicvalley.com) Click here for details

An eastern Idaho auto dealership that offended some area residents with a radio commercial that included a derogatory reference about special needs children in a sales pitch for trucks has apologized. KIFI-TV reports in a story Friday that Pocatello-based Cole Chevrolet pulled the ads and is also teaming up with the Special Olympics of Eastern Idaho. Company officials say they made an unwitting mistake. The advertisement says, "Are you driving a wimpy truck? Do your kids take the short bus so they won't be seen in it?" The company says it has made a donation and that Marketing Director Valorie Smith will create public service announcements for Special Olympics. Special Olympics of Eastern Idaho Director Holly Giglio says in the end good things came about for Special Olympics.   (Information in the following story is from: KIFI-TV, http://www.localnews8.com/) Click here for details

A central Idaho couple is suing the Sun Valley Co. and the Twitter Inc. social media site, asking a judge to bar the resort from using the handle "SunValley." Leonard Barshack and Erin Smith also say Twitter should return the username to them because they'd been using it for nearly three years and weren't impersonating the Idaho resort. The Idaho Mountain Express reports the resort sought to use the name in October. That's when Twitter sent Barshack an email, saying he was breaking Twitter's rules. But Barshack contends he never impersonated Sun Valley and only periodically sent tweets since registering for the handle around April 2010. Sun Valley's spokesman and Twitter didn't respond to requests for comment.   (Information in the following story is from: Idaho Mountain Express, http://www.mtexpress.com) Click here for details

Holly Lahti of Rathdrum, Idaho, won one of the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, and then seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. The 31-year-old Lahti this week gave her first interview since she split a $380 million Mega Millions jackpot in January 2011. As might be expected, Lahti received lots of real estate and business invitations, letters from inmates and marriage proposals from strangers. It was the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history at the time. She tells The Coeur d'Alene Press that soon after she hit that jackpot she fled to California, to a town she would not reveal. She says her focus has been on trying to build a normal life for her two daughters.   (Information in the following story is from: Coeur d'Alene Press, http://www.cdapress.com) Click here for details

Federal authorities have arrested five Boise-area residents as part of an investigation into money laundering and trafficking synthetic marijuana products known as "spice." The arrests came after a federal grand jury in Boise issued an indictment against all five defendants on Tuesday. The indictment alleges conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance analogue, conspiracy to smuggle goods into the country, selling drug paraphernalia and money laundering. Federal officials say the scheme occurred between March 2011 and July 2012 in Idaho as well as Alaska, California, Washington and Wisconsin. Those arrested include: 35-year-old Mark Ciccarello, of Meridian; 30-year-old Robert Eoff of Boise; 43-year-old Troy Palmer of Boise; 45-year-old William Mabry of Boise and 39-year-old Holly Ciccarello of Meridian. Investigators say they imported chemicals from China to help make the synthetic marijuana.   Click here for details

The Idaho Department of Labor says the state's unemployment rate remained stable at 6.1 percent in April, in part because of a continuing decline in the number of people seeking work. April saw the fourth consecutive monthly decline in the state's labor force, which is a combination of those working and those actively seeking work. The labor force fell to under 771,000 people in April, the lowest level since October 2011. Total employment is down by 1,500 people since January, despite employers generating 17,000 new jobs. Analysts speculate the gap likely reflects a number of formerly self-employed workers securing more traditional jobs. The agency said Friday that hiring decreases in manufacturing and professional and business services were offset by better than normal hiring by retailers, private educational institutions, hotels and restaurants.   Click here for details