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Brandon Hixon, 36, was found dead in his home in Caldwell on Tuesday from a single gunshot wound, the Canyon County Coroner’s Office said.
Former colleagues at the Idaho Statehouse have offered kind words about him. But Danielle Eirvin Hixon, who was married to the former lawmaker for 10 years until their divorce in 2016, said the suicide robbed her family’s hopes of finding justice and closure though the legal system. She told police about the abuse, she said.
The three-term Republican had resigned from the Legislature in October after news emerged that he was the subject of a criminal investigation involving possible sexual abuse. No details were made public at that time.
Scott Graf, spokesman for Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, said Wasden’s office had no comment Wednesday on the investigation. The Attorney General’s Office took over the investigation at Canyon County Prosecutor Bryan Taylor’s request because of an undisclosed conflict of interest.
His ex-wife said investigators told her not to disclose details about the case until charges were filed against her ex-husband. But, she said, the reason to keep the information confidential ended with his suicide. She said she and two other people had been scheduled to testify before a grand jury on Wednesday. She showed the Statesman a copy of her grand jury subpoena.
Brandon Hixon’s defense attorney, Gabe McCarthy, told the Statesman he was unaware if there was going to be a grand jury hearing, and that prosecutors never notify defense attorneys if an indictment is planned.
The second alleged victim was not related to the lawmaker, Danielle Eirvin Hixon said, adding that she learned about that girl from the girl’s mother.
Danielle Eirvin Hixon said comments by lawmakers praising her ex-husband’s character prompted her to speak up about the abuse allegations. She said she wanted people to know her side of the story.
“I say he was a coward by taking the easy way out,” she said of his suicide.
Olson criticized the ex-wife for “already running to the press” amid the family’s fresh grief. She said her family is asking for privacy.
“This is a sealed case with minors involved and the children need to be thought of first, which she has completely failed to do,” Olson said.
McCarthy, the attorney, said Wednesday that being a public figure under investigation takes “a terrible toll” and that it was “tragic” that Brandon Hixon’s death came before the judicial process even began, allowing Hixon to offer defense.
In the month leading up to his death, Hixon was arrested twice on suspicion of driving under the influence, on Dec. 9 and Dec. 30. In the second incident, Hixon was not under the influence of alcohol but failed a roadside sobriety test, Caldwell Police Capt. Devin Riley told the Statesman Wednesday. Riley said he was unsure what kind of substance Hixon was under the influence of and could not speculate without lab results.
Records released since October also show that Brandon Hixon was previously the focus of a separate police investigation in 2014. He was accused of inappropriately touching a different child, people familiar with the matter told the Statesman, but records show charges were never brought because the victim was not able to provide enough details. Brandon Hixon denied the accusations and told police he was worried they would harm his political career.
House Speaker Scott Bedke, a Republican, has said the chamber is planning on offering some sort of financial support to the ex-lawmaker’s family.
The Statesman’s Ruth Brown contributed.
Call the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255.
A lesson from Rep. Hixon’s death: When you see someone struggling, reach out.
One of the great things about this ongoing conversation called blogging is that you never cease to surprise me. I told our blogmaster Mary-Ellen Deily at Education Week that the blog should be retitled "Never the Last Word." It is that love of intellectual mano-a-mano that keeps us energized. I hope we never lose it.
In your last post, you restate your objection to mandates, then shift into a defense of teachers' unions. I expect that the anti-union people will jump all over the opening that you created for them to rant against mandatory dues payments by teachers who are forced to pay to unions that they never chose to join. But I'll leave that rant to them.
I am sure that our readers expect that we will engage in the grown-up version of Mortal Kombat (that's a beat-em-up video game series). But this is an area where we agree.
I continually am amazed by the anti-union sentiment in the media (and it seems to be growing). Politicians get great press coverage when they thunder on against the teachers' union, about ending tenure, getting rid of bad apples, etc. The public apparently likes this swaggering tough guy approach. I think this is so stupid! A few weeks ago, Steve Jobs—the CEO of Apple Computers—said to a big convention that the biggest problem in American education is the teachers' unions. Al Shanker (one of my personal heroes) would have said to him, "Let's make a list of the highest performing states and a list of the lowest-performing states. Which list has strong teachers' unions? Which list has weak ones?" If Steve Jobs were right, the South would have the highest academic achievement, but it does not. Shanker would win this one easily.
Al Shanker also used to point out that the kids do a great job of weeding out incompetent teachers; within their first five years of teaching, somewhere between 40-50% of all new teachers leave for greener pastures, either another district or another line of work. Teaching has always been a hard job; today it is harder than ever, now that the public expects all children to become proficient (I agree, by the way, that the goal of 100% proficiency by 2014 is absurd).
You are quite right about the paternalism that became deeply embedded in public education from its earliest days. The supervisors were men, most of the teachers were women. For many years, teachers (mainly women) were not allowed to marry; in some districts, they were not allowed to become pregnant (if they did, they had to retire at once).
Today, unions remain important for teachers because of the huge imbalance in power between administrators and teachers. Many administrators, especially the non-traditional ones, think they should emulate the corporate model; they would like to be able to hire and fire at will, without just cause, hoping to intimidate the people who do the actual work of educating children. Authoritarian leaders remind us why teachers need the protection of a professional union.
Many years ago, a friend and labor leader, Victor Gotbaum, said to me that politicians should stop knocking the unions; as he put it, "We are the furniture that comes with the building." Some leaders of our time would rather burn down the building than live with that furniture. But when the current crop of would-be CEOs are long gone, the unions will still be here—because they meet real needs.
I'm so pleased with this post. I'm glad that you agree with the need for tenure and unions - protection in a word - in education.
I'm coming at this from the higher education angle, but the insidious, related problems of part-time faculty and decreased tenure protection are not causing the changes hoped for by conservative higher education watchdogs.
I haven't read all of your and Dr. Meier's posts, but keep up the good work!
"Al Shanker also used to point out that the kids do a great job of weeding out incompetent teachers"
Am I understanding this correctly? Dr. Ravitch thinks it's the students' responsibility to maintain teacher quality? That urban students, who are frequently criticized for boorish behavior, should act out to force teachers from the profession?
Workforce quality is a management issue. Either administrators or unions, preferably both, need to take on the issue, because they each have significant management rights. Fair or not, holding management rights without accountability opens unions up to significant criticism.
Dr. Ravitch's unsupported statements about "authoritarian administrators" ring hollow in districts where administrators fear the significant, sometimes career-threatening, repercussions of taking on under-performing teachers.
The "incompetent teacher" issue would go away if unions took steps to take on the professional growth of their members. Professionals receive authentic feedback about their performance, recognition for growth and accomplishments, new opportunities for provide professional challenges. District central offices are certainly no models for good management, but unions can also do a better job of treating their members as true professionals by promoting policies that deprivatize teacher practice.
Once unions reclaim the moral high-ground, the public will be much more receptive to their legitimate complaints about district practice and federal policy.
I am sympathetic to unions and believe in workers' right to bargain for salary, benefits, and safe working conditions. I also believe weeding out under-perfoming teachers as the primary school reform strategy is misguided; fear does not create an atmosphere conducive to better teaching and learning.
But teacher unions can garner strong support through more compelling policies and messages that promote excellent instruction. Instead, we see LA union reps publicly encouraging their members to skip school at taxpayer expense so they can campaign for union-sponsored school board candidates. No wonder the media is cynical... but perceptions can be changed.
In reply to the previous comment: I was not suggesting that it is the job of students to maintain teacher quality, but quoting Al Shanker, who said that many new teachers leave because they can't handle the stress of teaching. Sorry, but it is not the job of the union to evaluate its members. That is management's job, and union is not management. Management has the responsibility to observe new teachers, help them when they need help, and do whatever is possible to enable them to teach effectively. If all support fails, then it is management's job to decide whether not to award tenure. When politicians rail against tenure, they should remember that unions don't award tenure; administrators do. It is the job of the union to make sure that its members receive due process and that their rights are not abrogated, not to do the job of administrators.
That's exactly the crux of the issue. Unions did take management rights in many districts. For example, take the urban district where teachers can block an educational initiative with 80% of a building-wide vote - they have management rights. Unions won de facto staffing powers through seniority staffing rules. Examples abound where unions did in fact take management rights through the labor contract.
I don't blame them for taking these powers - districts gave them up. My only point is that unions have a PR problem because they took management rights without taking management accountability.
I agree that it's not the union's job to evaluate it's members. But it could be their job to systematically support the growth of their members as professionals, and support a work environment where teaching is deprivatized, professional growth is celebrated, and good teachers do not have live in fear of being the "tall poppy."
More often then not, union platforms have hindered efforts in this direction.
The teaching profession is as complex (if not more so) as any other, such as law, medicine, and finance. Why do their representatives develop policies reminiscent of 1940's factory worker, instead of 21st century professionals?
>> For example, take the urban district where teachers can block an educational initiative with 80% of a building-wide vote - they have management rights.
Care to provide us with a specific reference for this claim?
I am a parent and I attended the "broken" California schools. I think that tenure and teachers union need to be removed and teachers should be at-will employees. I see the union looking out for teachers only and not looking at their clients: students and their true employer:the taxpayer.
I can't speak for Diane, but I suspect she may be in agreement with me. Shanker's comment was tongue in cheek, and I think he occasionally got in trouble for his quick wit.
But, of course we suffer from two--at least--problems. Not enough teachers waiting to teach in the schools that need them most, so administrators have from experience often gotten "lazy" about the efficacy of getting rid of the ones they have. And not enough time in what we claim to be the teacher's day/year to do our jobs effectively.
Especially if we add working with our colleagues.
Unions have been struggling with how they can be both a supportive force, a force for collective solidarity while also taking on the improvement of their members/colleagues. But many, many locals have tackled it, including the UFT in New York City. It works best when the union feels strong enough not to have to be constantly on guard against being outmaneuvered--and thus needing maximum solidarity.
But I think that finding ways for teachers to be "critical friends," as some of us call it, is essential to the professional life of a good school. As for tyrannical principals, being "scared" is often the precursor to scaring others. It's the pecking order that ends up hurting kids. I think we agree on this too.
That same old friend, Al Shanker, once proposed that teachers (and I'd add parents) vote for their own leaders--including principals. Not such a bad idea. It even smacks of how we might create self-governing schools--of, for and by. There are all kinds of potential ways to govern schools so that everyone accepts responsibility for their shared student body and their colleagues.
Perhaps that is because there is none.
The Unions have had the power to mandate any necessary changes for the betterment of the student.
Al Shanker was willing to allow many changes in 1989, but our communist system,as he called it, put noses in the air and the millions of students who "graduated" are unemployed or in poverty wage jobs.
Eliminate all School Districts. Have one State School Dept. Establish a "Teacher School".
They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. But a student chose to take the phrase literally while fundraising for a charity trek along the Great Wall of China.
Julia McGill, 19, listed a piece of brown cardboard on eBay, billing it as ‘shaped a bit like an iPhone 5’.
With a little help from Stephen Fry on Twitter, Ms McGill’s online auction went viral and was soon attracting bids of more than £200,000.
However, that was before killjoys at eBay removed the charity listing – for breaching rules on using brand names.
Ms McGill, who previously sold an empty bottle of Evian for £3 for charity Dig Deep, was forced to put up a description of the cardboard ‘shaped a bit like a popular phone’.
However, the highest bid reached just £16 before that posting was also removed yesterday by eBay.
In case anyone could have been under the impression they were purchasing Apple’s latest bit of kit, Ms McGill, of Harrow, north-west London, was unambiguous in describing her product.
‘This is just a piece of cardboard. If you bid on this item you are promising to pay money for a bit of rubbish. No refunds when you realise you wasted your money on a piece of cardboard,’ her final disclaimer said.
However, it still wasn’t clear enough for the uncharitable officials.
UPDATE: It later emerged that eBay may have relented to allow the item to be listed as per before.
Daily non-stop service to Las Vegas from COS begins in April.
Frontier Airlines will offer non-stop flights to Las Vegas from Colorado Springs in April, the Colorado Springs Airport announced in a news release this morning.
The announcement came at a news conference at the airport conducted by Mayor John Suthers.
The addition is part of an expansion of Frontier into 56 new markets across the country. Frontier ended all service to Colorado Springs in April 2013, according to the Gazette.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Frontier Airlines will launch new service in Colorado Springs with non-stops to Las Vegas that begin this April. Frontier is offering special introductory fares as low as $19 one-way on these new routes as of today at Flyfrontier.com. With The WORKS, fares are as low as $118.
Customers can take advantage of Frontier’s bundled choice, The WORKSsm, containing Frontier’s most popular options for one low price. The WORKS is available at FlyFrontier.com at time of initial booking and includes one carry-on bag, one checked bag, best available seat including Stretch and Exit Row options, full refundability when canceled at least 24 hours prior to scheduled departure, no change fees and priority boarding.
“On behalf of the City of Colorado Springs, I am honored to be the first to say Welcome Back to our great city. We are extremely proud to partner with Frontier Airlines and we are committed to the success of your business and to meeting the needs of all our air service customers,” said Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers.
Last week, Frontier announced 42 new markets, and, with today’s announcement in Colorado Springs as well as other cities throughout the United States, the total number of new markets to be launched this spring and summer will be 56.
F91089Leave COS: 12:00 p.m. Arrive: LAS 1:00 p.m.
F91088 Leave LAS: 8:20 a.m. Arrive: COS 11:05 a.m.
(1) Average is based on Department of Transportation Origin and Destination Survey, Year Ending, Second Quarter, 2015.
(2) New Frontier Fare – Fares are one way and do not require roundtrip purchase.
Fare(s) shown includes all transportation fees, surcharges and taxes, and are subject to change without notice. Seats are limited at these fares and certain flights and/or days of travel may be unavailable.
Depending on the fare type purchased, nonrefundable tickets may be transferred for a fee of up to $75, or reissued for alternate flights for a fee of up to $99, as well as a possible fare increase. The name change fee and itinerary change fee are inclusive of each other. Previously purchased tickets may not be exchanged for these special fare tickets. Flight segment(s) must be cancelled prior to scheduled departure time or the ticket(s) and all monies will be forfeited.
Tickets purchased at FlyFrontier.com must be paid for at the time the reservation is made, and you may request a full refund up to 24 hours after the time of purchase, if the purchase is made 7 days (168 hours) or more prior to your flight's departure. This ticket may be canceled and refunded at the My Trips section on FlyFrontier.com. Additional travel services, such as baggage (www.flyfrontier.com/customer-service/travel-support/baggage) and advance seat assignments (www.flyfrontier.com/flight-info/seating-options) are available for purchase separately at an additional charge. Some markets do not offer daily service. Schedules are subject to change without notice. Flights are operated by Frontier Airlines. Other restrictions may apply.
(3) Intro Fare – Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 pm Eastern time on Feb. 17, 2016 for nonstop travel through Aug. 15, 2016. For flights operating Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, off-peak fares are offered Tuesday. For flights operating Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, off-peak fares are offered Wednesday and Saturday. For flights operating daily, off-peak fares are offered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The following blackout dates apply: May 28 & 31, 2016, and July 5, 2016.
Fares are one way and do not require roundtrip purchase.
Discount Den fares are only available at FlyFrontier.com to members of Discount Den.
Depending on the fare type purchased, nonrefundable tickets may be transferred for a fee of up to $75, or reissued for alternate flights for a fee of up to $99, as well as a possible fare increase. The name change fee and itinerary change fee are not exclusive of each other. Previously purchased tickets may not be exchanged for these special fare tickets. Flight segment(s) must be cancelled prior to scheduled departure time or the ticket(s) and all monies will be forfeited.
Tickets purchased at FlyFrontier.com must be paid for at the time the reservation is made, you may request a full refund up to 24 hours after the time of purchase, if the purchase is made 7 days (168 hours) or more prior to your flight's departure. This ticket may be canceled and refunded at the My Trips section on FlyFrontier.com. Additional travel services, such as baggage (www.flyfrontier.com/customer-service/travel-support/baggage) and advance seat assignments (www.flyfrontier.com/flight-info/seating-options) are available for purchase separately at an additional charge. Fares include all transportation fees, surcharges and taxes, and are subject to change without notice. Some markets do not offer daily service. Schedules are subject to change without notice. Flights are operated by Frontier Airlines. Other restrictions may apply.
(4) The WORKSsm is available at FlyFrontier.com at time of initial booking; prices range from $49 to $69 each-way, based on round-trip purchase, and includes one carry-on bag, one checked bag, best available seat including Stretch and Exit Row options, full refundability when canceled at least 24 hours prior to scheduled departure, no change fees and priority boarding.
Why Are Fruits & Vegetables Important?
Fruits and vegetables provide health benefits and are important for the prevention of illnesses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal. Fruits and vegetables contain a variety of nutrients including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day can reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Vegetables are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, fiber and potassium. Folate helps the body form red blood cells. It is especially important for women of childbearing age to consume folate-rich foods such as bell peppers, tomatoes and spinach to prevent neural-tube defects in babies. Vitamin A-rich foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash help keep your skin and eyes healthy and protect against infections. The USDA recommends eating 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day.
The USDA recommends consuming 2 cups of fruit per day. The healthiest choices are fresh fruits or frozen without added sweeteners. Fruit is naturally low in fat, sodium and calories, and rich in potassium, fiber, vitamin C and folate. Some high-potassium fruits include peaches, cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges and bananas. Fiber in fruit helps to protect against heart disease and lower cholesterol. Vitamin C in foods like citrus and strawberries helps with wound healing and keeps gums and teeth healthy.
Eating produce can cut your risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes and protect against various forms of cancer. The USDA states that fruits and vegetables high in fiber can reduce chances of developing coronary heart disease. Eating potassium-rich foods such as bananas and potatoes can help reduce blood pressure, decrease bone loss and prevent development of kidney stones. Produce also contains different phytochemicals, natural chemical compounds in plants, which maintain proper cell health.
Along with health benefits, eating fruits and vegetables can make weight management easier, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Most produce is low in calories compared to other foods, so filling up on these foods can aid in weight loss or maintenance. Fruits and vegetables work as excellent substitutes in different recipes. For example, use fresh applesauce instead of oil in muffins or cookies. Add sauteed vegetables to an omelet to make it more filling without a lot of calories.
Hernandez, Amanda. "Why Are Fruits & Vegetables Important?" Healthy Eating \| SF Gate, http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/fruits-vegetables-important-4703.html. 12 December 2018.
Why Is Eating Healthy Important?
The presenter said her show was cut with no warning.
As part of Fora’s How My Business Works series, we profile classic rock station Radio Nova.
Around 30% of motorists could miss FM “break-in” information.
The former head of 2fm will take to the airwaves on Radio Nova on Sunday September 27.
Radio Nova’s Joan Lea wasn’t quite as successful as JCVD.

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