New Interior Secretary Starts Job

Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne, right, started working at one of the most powerful Executive Branch agencies this week. The Department of Interior has its own police and helicopter forces. We expect great accomplishments from Secretary Kempthorne. We look forward to an opportunity to share our thoughts about how certain public lands might be used to address issues from America's past

Governor Dirk Kempthorne, 54, was first elected as Idaho's 30th governor in 1998 following a successful six-year term in the U.S. Senate. He was reelected as Idaho's Governor in 2002. Governor Kempthorne and his wife Patricia are both University of Idaho graduates and have two grown children, Heather and Jeff.