Tim Plass News Today

For decades library trustee roles were nonpartisan. Yet over this last year, the Community Library Network majority trustees have shown themselves to be extremist. That the end justifies the means is evident in how the majority treats fellow trustees, library staff, the press and the public.

Failure to support those who would lead with distinction

Staff will be expected to present the board with a balanced budget and pare down notes taken at Community Library Network meetings following actions taken at Thursday’s three-and-a-half-hour meeting at the Hayden Library.

...chaos becomes anarchy

A special Thursday meeting with a focus on Idaho's open meeting law didn't go as planned when the Community Library Network's legal counsel was absent from the meeting.

The Community Library Network will no longer observe Juneteenth, the state and federally recognized holiday that marks the end of slavery in the United States.

The Community Library Network will no longer observe Juneteenth, the state and federally recognized holiday that marks the end of slavery in the United States.

The board majority plowed through several motions Wednesday during a special meeting of Community Library Network trustees at the Hayden Library, where the board chair had two attendees removed for behavior she considered to be disruptive.

After trustees voted to change the Community Library Network's insurance policies, the insurer they sought to contract with has declined coverage, citing current unresolved claims.

While two libraries remain closed due to catastrophic water damage, Community Library Network trustees are poised to make costly changes to CLN’s insurance policies. If no other quotes come in before Friday, library trustees will accept insurance quotes from Wright Specialty Insurance and American Family Insurance and cancel current policies with the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program and the Great American Insurance Group. These changes will nearly double the library network’s insurance...