Public lands

BOISE, Idaho -- Idaho could be the next western state to engage in a public lands fight with the federal government.

WASHINGTON TERRACE — Rep. Rob Bishop and challenger Donna McAleer held an often-contentious debate Monday evening, trading jabs over congressional pay and Bishop’s record in Congress that, McAleer says, does not warrant sending Bishop back to Congress for a sixth term.

Bishop, for his part, used his entire five-minute closing statement to correct many statements McAleer made during the debate that he described as “flat-out inaccurate.”

The two met for an hour at Weber County Library’s Pleasant Valley branch in a town hall-style forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.

Anticipating the bitter battle to come, governors from five Western states will meet in Salt Lake City on Friday to devise strategies to persuade Washington to give them more control over federal land within their own boundaries.

PHOENIX -- Arizona may join Utah in demanding that the federal government surrender control of millions of acres of public land to the state.

I enjoyed hearing Lt. Gov. Greg Bell talk last week to a Bank of Utah gathering about Utah’s improving economy. Because there’s always more in such a talk than can fit into a news story, I thought I’d ponder a few leftovers:

• Someone asked if illegal immigration is costing Utah taxpayers a lot of money for schools. It is illegal for schools to ask for a child’s documentation, Bell said, adding that illegals are only about 4 percent of Utah’s population.

OGDEN — More than 300 Democrats turned out Saturday to choose their state delegates, listen to candidates’ speeches and get revved up for November.

“We’re going to go out and change this state,” said Jim Dabakis, Utah State Democratic Party chairman.

BOISE, Idaho --Two Idaho state agencies have taken opposing views of the effect motorized recreation can have on elk habitat.