An overpass for a subdivision, Idaho’s new license plates — what you may have missed

From a massive Eagle development building its own highway overpass to a Meridian man sentenced to decades in prison for years of sexual assault, the early part of this week delivered several major stories across the Treasure Valley. Here’s a rundown of top stories from the Idaho Statesman.

• Clyde Capital Group and the Spring Valley Community Infastructure District are footing the $12.5 million bill for an overpass crossing Idaho 16 near the 7,000-home Valnova development in exchange for the removal of future impact fees. The public-private partnership with the Idaho Transportation Department shaved years off the timeline, with construction that began in early March expected to wrap in December.
• Thomas Spencer, 51, of Meridian, was sentenced Monday to a maximum of life in prison — with parole eligibility in 40 years — after admitting to drugging and sexually assaulting a woman several times over a five-year period. Investigators recovered hundreds of videos from Spencer’s phone after the FBI flagged a Telegram group chat whose members shared footage of assaults on unconscious victims.
• The Idaho Transportation Department unveiled two new license plate designs, including an agriculture-themed plate featuring a sunrise over farm fields and a high-contrast white-and-black option. The agriculture plate fees remain the same and the new white-and-black plate costs $70 annually; both designs became available July 1.
• A judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by Michael Boren, the Clearwater Analytics cofounder and now U.S. under secretary of Agriculture, over criticism of an airstrip on his Sawtooth-area ranch. Judge Darren B. Simpson ruled June 26 that Boren had shown “pure neglect of the case,” which had sat idle for more than a year, though the dismissal was without prejudice.
• The Ada County Coroner’s Office identified 65-year-old Dawn Hettinger of Nampa as the woman killed after exiting her vehicle on westbound Interstate 84 about 20 miles east of Boise. Hettinger was struck by at least one vehicle around 10:25 p.m. Saturday near mile marker 67 and pronounced dead early Sunday morning.
• The Idaho Attorney General’s Office is warning that scammers are impersonating city planning officials in Boise, Meridian, Nampa and Caldwell, using public permit information to create realistic fake invoices. The scammers demand payment via wire transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency ATMs, threatening to stall or cancel projects if applicants don’t pay immediately.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.