Idaho to receive maximum opioid settlement funds
KAYE THORNBRUGH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 9 months AGO
Kaye Thornbrugh is a second-generation Kootenai County resident who has been with the Coeur d’Alene Press for six years. She primarily covers Kootenai County’s government, as well as law enforcement, the legal system and North Idaho College. | March 26, 2022 1:00 AM
BOISE — The first opioid settlement funds could arrive in Idaho next month.
Gov. Brad Little and Attorney General Lawrence Wasden announced last August their intention to have Idaho join nationwide opioid settlements with Johnson & Johnson and three major opioid distributors.
Idaho’s maximum settlement allotment is $119 million. In order to receive that amount on the fastest timeline, Idaho needed to obtain releases from certain school, hospital and fire districts across the state.
Wasden said the state received the final release this week.
As a result, the first settlement payments could arrive in Idaho in April.
Special districts that participated in the settlements include Kootenai Health, Kootenai County Fire & Rescue and Northern Lakes Fire Protection.
ARTICLES BY KAYE THORNBRUGH
Rathdrum police seek victims amid burglary investigation
Rathdrum police arrested a suspect Tuesday who they believe to be involved in multiple burglaries, according to a news release.
BLM: Migrating eagle population peaked early this year
The annual migration of bald eagles to Lake Coeur d’Alene to feed on spawning kokanee is past its peak, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
North Idaho ski areas open after slow start
Amid challenges like warm temperatures and strong winds that caused power outages across the region, all three ski areas in North Idaho are open, though operations are limited in some cases.