Emilie Ritter Saunders

Federal officials say an Uzbekistan national has been arrested on federal terrorism charges. According to a press release, 30-year-old Fazliddin Kurbanov was arrested Thursday morning in Boise, Idaho. 

Kurbanov was living legally in Boise at the time of his arrest.

Idaho has the largest percentage of minimum wage jobs in the country. That’s been the jumping off point for StateImpact Idaho’s series examining wages; we’re calling it Bottom Rung.

As in many states, Idaho’s minimum wage hasn’t changed since 2009, when the hourly minimum was boosted by the federal government.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found 31,000 hourly Idaho workers earned the minimum wage, $7.25, or less in 2012. That’s a 63 percent increase from 2011.

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter is using Idaho’s low wages as a selling point. In a letter sent to out-of-state gun manufacturers last month to encourage them to relocate to Idaho, Otter touts the comparatively low cost of labor here.

There’s a brand new pizza joint in southeast Boise. It’s nestled in a mini-strip mall with a gas station, dry cleaner and hair salon.

On a recent Friday evening, Franco’s Pizzeria was just starting to pick up. It’s a tiny place. The cash register is only a few steps away from the industrial pizza ovens. There are a handful of tables and stools inside for someone who just wants a quick slice.

Remember those round, shiny discs with the hole in the middle. You know, the ones that play music? We're selling a couple thousand of them!

CDs are $3 each. We've got music for all ears, everything from holiday and jazz to classical and rock.

The Radio Television Digital News Association has awarded Boise State Public Radio six of 13 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Boise State Public Radio news director Sadie Babits was elated upon seeing the news. “I couldn't be more proud of our journalists,” said Babits. “They've worked incredibly hard over the past year to bring quality radio and digital content to our audience and these awards are well deserved."

The Senate has rejected a bipartisan effort to expand federal background checks to more firearms buyers in a crucial showdown over gun control. 

Idaho's Republican Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo voted against the measure. Just four Republicans voted in favor of the expanded background check amendment.

At least 90 Idaho runners were signed up for today’s Boston Marathon, a race that ended with two deadly explosions.

Boise State University director of trademark licensing Rachael Bickerton finished the race about 40 minutes before the explosions occurred. She is safe, along with another Boise State employee, Casey Jones. Bickerton says she's contacted about a dozen fellow Idaho marathon runners, who are all safe. 

Updated at 9:15 p.m.

According to the Boston Athletic Association's website 90 Idahoans were signed up to run today's Boston Marathon.

Two apparent explosions went off near the marathon's finish line. The number of people injured continues to climb, three are dead.

Updated 1:00 p.m.: Students at Boise High have been allowed back in after a bomb threat was received earlier this morning. Classes will resume this afternoon after police used bomb sniffing dogs to check student bags.

The all-clear has been given to Kuna High School students, where classes have resumed.

Driver’s license data show more people moved to Idaho than left the state in 2012. But that data finds at least 29,253 Idahoans did move to another state last year.

Idaho is no stranger to population growth. The number of people in the Gem State has steadily grown from about 710,000 people in 1972 to 1.59 million in 2012. That’s a 124 percent increase.

The Idaho Legislature will go home today having approved nearly $20.7 million in tax cuts. That’s a fraction, less than one percent, of the state’s general fund budget.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis will release personal income data for 2012. In anticipation of that release, StateImpact Idaho pulled together personal income data going back to 1990 and compared it with the U.S. average. The data show a widening gap between Idaho and the country as a whole.

A sales tax exemption for Girl Scout cookies sold in Idaho will advance to the upper chamber after lawmakers in the House approved the measure 59-11.

Idaho and Hawaii are the only two states that tax the sale of Girl Scout cookies. In Idaho, 22 cents from every box sold goes to the state. That amounts to about $140,000 in revenue each year.

After seven hours of debate, Idaho House lawmakers voted 41-29 to pass a bill that would give Idaho control over building and maintaining an online insurance marketplace.

The Idaho House of Representatives could be in for a marathon debate over the latest state-based health insurance exchange plan. The  discussion will start Wednesday  morning, less than a month after the Senate spent nearly six hours debating a similar proposal.

Idaho Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill joked Tuesday the debate in the House over an online insurance marketplace could be twice as long since that chamber has double the Legislators.

Public comment on the Idaho Legislature’s new health insurance exchange bill starts bright and early Thursday morning. With signup starting at 6:30 a.m., interested citizens will have the chance give the House Health and Welfare Committee their opinion on the revamped bill that would create a state-based health insurance exchange.