05/28/09

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ State Treasurer Ron Crane is hosting an
event in Boise to tout his plan to give Idaho families scholarships
to start college savings accounts and help students pay for
expenses such as tuition.

Crane will award the first of ten $529 scholarships to open
IDeal plans, or Idaho's version of a 529 college savings account,
at a Friday event in front of Boise City Hall.

The plans, which waive taxes on a portion of college savings,
are often called 529 plans after a section of the Internal Revenue
Code. More than 9,000 Idaho families have saved $116.3 million with
these plans since 2002.

The remainder of the ten scholarships, which are funded by Qwest
Communications International Inc., will be awarded during a June 9
drawing.
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On the Net:

Idaho Treasurer's Office:
http://sto.idaho.gov/Programs/IDeal.aspx

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-05-28-09 1729MDT<