[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 10, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E10-E11]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             COMMEMORATING THE RETIREMENT OF BETSY RUSSELL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 10, 2023

  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention to the retirement 
of Betsy Russell, 1 of the most effective and respected reporters in 
Idaho, from 37 years of remarkable reporting and editing in Idaho 
politics.

       As reported by Clark Corbin, of the Idaho Capital Sun,
       Russell started her reporting career early, joining her 
     high school paper and covering her own graduation.
       She earned a political science degree from the University 
     of California-Berkeley and a master's degree in journalism 
     from Columbia University.
       Russell moved to Idaho in 1986 to cover Boise City Hall for 
     the Idaho Statesman. Over the next 36 years she covered the 
     Idaho Legislature, government and politics for the Statesman, 
     the Spokesman-Review and Idaho Press newspapers. Along the 
     way, she was a part of a team of Spokesman-Review journalists 
     that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for their 
     coverage of Randy Weaver and the Ruby Ridge standoff in 
     Boundary County, Idaho.
       Her coverage exposed false claims made by Republican and 
     Democratic elected officials from the campaign trail to the 
     floor of the Idaho House of Representatives. Russell's 
     stories led to prison reform and changes in state policy, 
     while her work with the Idaho Press Club and Idahoans for 
     Openness in Government sought to increase transparency in 
     halls of power across the state.
       When Russell first arrived at the Idaho Statesman, she 
     covered then-Mayor Dirk Kempthorne and the debate about 
     downtown Boise's redevelopment and an ill-fated proposal to 
     build an indoor shopping mall. Gov. John Evans was nearing 
     the end of his last term in office and Russell got her first 
     taste of covering the Idaho Legislature and the governor's 
     office when Kempthorne would testify at the Statehouse. 
     Russell went on to cover six other Idaho governors closely--
     Cecil Andrus, Phil Batt, Kempthorne, Jim Risch, Butch Otter 
     and Brad Little.
       Russell's career included several highlights.
       Russell created and wrote the Eye on Boise blog, first for 
     the Spokesman-Review and later for the Idaho Press. that was 
     a must-read for anyone interested in the Idaho Legislature 
     and state government--including many of the most highest 
     ranking and influential elected leaders in the Gem State.
       In 2004, Russell and Dean Miller, a veteran Idaho and 
     Washington newspaper editor, created Idahoans for Open 
     Government, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to 
     openness and compliance with the Idaho Public Records Act and 
     Idaho Open Meetings Law.
       Russell's 1997 series investigating Idaho prisons revealed 
     the fact that nearly a quarter of Idaho's prison population 
     was incarcerated for 4 crimes that are not even considered 
     felonies--simple drug possession, drunk driving, driving 
     without a license and writing bad checks--in a majority of 
     states. The series led to a gubernatorial investigation 
     launched by then-Gov. Phil Batt and led to several reforms. 
     In a telephone interview, Russell called her prison series 
     `probably the most significant story I have covered in my 
     career.'

  I thank Betsy for her outstanding service to the citizens of Idaho. 
All of Idaho is better because of her premier skills and relentless 
commitment to accuracy. Her remarkable impact in Idaho journalism and 
politics will never be forgotten. I hope she enjoys her well-deserved 
retirement.

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