A note from the editor

We’re a business paper, not a political paper, but it’s tough to pay attention to anything other than the Legislature when it’s in session because, directly or indirectly, what’s going on in the Legislature affects business.

Normally, what would be going on right now is what can affect business the most — where the Legislature votes whether to approve rules state agencies enacted over the year. Idaho is the only state that grants its Legislature this power, and it usually takes the first couple weeks of the session.

However, like everything else lately, this isn’t a normal year, and the Legislature is also focusing on bills to define who gets to declare an emergency and whether the Legislature can call itself into session (currently, only the governor can do that). It will be interesting to see how that turns out and what the repercussions could be.

In other news, our Focus section this week is on Legal. Typically in January we’d have a lot of articles on the Legislature, but our big article this week is by our intrepid reporter Catie Clark on a long, strange legal case concerning a venerable eastern Idaho business. It just goes to show the complexity involved in a family-owned business, particularly when it’s with a couple that’s divorcing.

Another article this week — sometimes I get to write, too —is how Idaho banks are ramping up to help businesses apply for the new round of Paycheck Protection Program loans from the federal government. That, combined with articles by Catie on how well Albertsons is doing, and a new lumber business, can, as Gov. Brad Little says, almost make us believe that the coronavirus epidemic is in its final phases.

Almost.

Sharon Fisher is interim editor of the Idaho Business Review.