Idaho's Congressional members have sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in an effort to convince him not to close the state's five air traffic control towers that are targeted under sequestration, including the one at the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration announced its intention to close a total of 173 towers on April 7th.

The white power activist that wants to be the next Bonner County sheriff held a cross burning with fellow Ku Klux Klan members at his Priest River home last Friday.

Thirty-three-year-old Shaun Winkler defended the burning and called it a historic ritual steeped in Christian roots, according to the Associated Press.

Winkler is a member of the Aryan Nations and is also a KKK imperial wizard.

If elected sheriff, Winkler says his ties to white power groups would not impact his decisions. He says the mission of his campaign is to crack down on drugs and sex offenders.

The 33-year-old runs a landscaping business, but does not have any law enforcement background.

Would you say the state of Idaho is accountable? If you thought yes, your opinion would not match the score of a recent integrity investigation. The state ranks #40 in the nation, or a D- if you want to go by the letter grading system. The Center for Public Integrity released new data yesterday that examines state politics and just how dirty it gets.

Idaho ranks in the same level as many other sparsely-populated states in the nation like Wyoming and the Dakotas. The watchdog group says the honest belief that “everybody knows everybody” has overridden the perceived need for strong protections in law.

They also cite libertarianism roots, that small-town and neighborly approach to government. A lack of transparency is also to blame. Idaho has no financial disclosure requirements for lawmakers and executive branch officials.