Main Street Idaho Podcast

The newly elected Director of the Idaho Health & Welfare Department, Alex Adams, is our special guest for episode 7 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast. As the former Budget Chief for Governor Little, Adams lends his background leading the zero-based regulation initiative to discuss how the Idaho Legislature has streamlined regulatory processes. He additionally highlights the immediate steps he's tak...

Idaho Secretary of State, Phil McGrane, joins our host, Brennan Summers, for episode 6 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast. Following the 2020 election, Secretary McGrane explains how election security is continually bolstered to maintain the integrity of Idaho elections. In addition to preparing for the upcoming 2024 presidential election, Summers and McGrane highlight the importance of primary elec...

For episode 5 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast, we join Dr. Kyle Tobler at the Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine in Boise, Idaho. Our host, Brennan Summers, discusses the truth behind fertility treatment and its unique role in helping build families. With as nuanced a subject as in vitro fertilization, Dr. Tobler takes that time to cover fact from fiction in an in-depth look into creating fam...

On episode 4 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast, Brennan Summers visits Senator James Risch in the heart of Boise, Idaho. As a former Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Idaho, Senator Risch lends his tenured background as a local and national politician to voice his concerns for the Lava Ridge Wind Project, the current polarization of government, and the future of Idaho politics.

Virtually joining us from Salmon, Idaho, is Laurie Lickley out of District 25. On episode 3 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast, Lickley details her native Idahoan background advocating for agriculture and natural resources. At the height of agricultural debates throughout Idaho, Lickley outlines why and how she will represent her constituents in her run for the Senate.

Live from the Governor's Mansion in Salt Lake City, Utah, Governor Spencer Cox sits down with our host, Brennan Summers, to share about his background in public service and his time as the Governor of Utah. Governor Cox explains his bipartisan initiative, Disagree Better, emphasizing respectful conflict resolution to grow healthier political relationships with friends, family, and disagreeing part...

We're back for episode 1 of our third season for the Idaho Main Street Podcast. Joining us in the studio is Representative Chenele Dixon, our new Executive Director. Representative Dixon sits down with our host, Brennan Summers, to discuss her recent primary election, how out-of-state dark money is negatively shaping Idaho politics, and the current and future issues facing the Idaho Legislature.

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 17 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Back again to the studio is Senator Dave Lent from District 33. After finishing another legislative session, Senator Lent expresses his view on how the session ended. Among the various bills brought to the floor, he discusses the historical success of funding more educational infrastructure, K-12 institutions, and Idah...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 16 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ With the 2023-2024 legislative session at an end, Josh Wheeler from District 35 joins us back in the studio for a recap of his time in Boise. After a year since his last visit, Representative Wheeler breaks down the significant changes in Idaho policy affecting physicians per capita, unnecessary regulations on small bu...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 15 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Representative Rod Furniss from District 31 returns for his second podcast appearance to recap his perspective of the now concluded legislative session. Furniss talks of the success balancing Idaho budgets, lowering taxes for Idaho residents, funding rural school infrastructure, and how he'd like to address the rising...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 14 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Fresh from the end of the legislative session, Marco Erickson from District 33 returns to the studio to recap the successes and contentions he faced on the House floor. Host and Executive Director, Brennan Summers, digs into what made Representative Erickson's bills so widely supported by the majority of fellow legisla...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 13 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Representative Matt Bundy from District 8A joins us for his first appearance on the podcast. Host and Executive Director, Brennan Summers, learns of Bundy's 20-year career as a combat aviator turned high school civics teacher, as well as his transition to the Idaho Legislature. Bundy provides his own insight to the cur...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 12 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️  Returning to the podcast is Representative Brit Raybould out of District 34. She joins us straight from the House floor to discuss the current policies up for debate. Raybould sheds light on what her constituents from Madison County want accomplished in Boise, as well as her work trying to solidify budgets for the Joi...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 11 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Our first time guest, Representative Jack Nelsen from District 26, joins us from the Boise Capitol to share his current role in the Idaho Legislature. Executive Director and host, Brennan Summers, learns how Nelsen is actively impacting Idaho law in education, agriculture, and conservation. Nelsen also gives his insigh...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 10 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Representative Josh Wheeler from District 35 comes back for another episode with our host and Executive Director, Brennan Summers. Josh breaks down his own core values and motivations for leading in the Idaho Legislature, as well as his own efforts to pass provisional licenses for internationally trained physicians.

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 9 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Joining us from the Idaho State Capitol for is Representative Kenny Wroten from District 13B. Wroten comes straight from the Judiciary Rules Committee to talk about the latest topics affecting Idahoans. Among them, human trafficking through Idaho borders, the enactment of fentanyl mandatory minimums, and potential conce...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 8 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Senator Treg Bernt from District 21 returns for another round of legislative updates from the Senate floor. Bernt walks us through his daily routine at the capitol building, the current bills he's supporting within higher education, and his advocacy for updated school facilities throughout Idaho. He continues to break d...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 7 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Longstanding Idaho Senator, Todd Lakey—District 23, joins us to shed light on the current objectives of the Idaho Legislature to support law enforcement throughout the state. As the fentanyl crisis increases, so does the Senator's fight to impose mandatory minimums for its drug traffickers. Lakey additionally breaks dow...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 6 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Joining us from Boise, Representative Lori McCann and Representative Mark Sauter elaborate on their successes and active roles in the Idaho Legislature. Our host and Executive Director, Brennan Summers, learns of the legislators' ongoing pursuit to balance the Idaho budget, as well as the management oversight for the No...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 5 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Representative Chenele Dixon and Representative Dan Garner join us for an update on their fight against the fentanyl crisis. Our host and Executive Director, Brennan Summers, gets to the bottom of House Bill 406 to see how the representatives plan to enact legislation to deter traffickers in the state of Idaho.

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 4 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Senator Kevin Cook and Representative Stephanie Mickelsen continue their discussion with our host and Executive Director, Brennan Summers. In part 2, they break down the current standing of Senator Cook's newly proposed cell phone bill. Aimed at filtering harmful material for minors, we dive into its opposition, support...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 3 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Senator Kevin Cook and Representative Stephanie Mickelsen return to chat with our host and Executive Director, Brennan Summers. In this two part segment, our legislators discuss their current pursuit to address education funding and tax credit proposals for private and public institutions.

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 2 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Senator Dave Lent joins us again for season 2 to follow up on the $2 billion funding for Idaho school facilities. Senator Lent discusses his commitment to providing infrastructure budgets to aging schools, how Idaho plans to fund them, and the future economic investments that aim to fund capital projects throughout the...

🎙️ Start listening to season 2, episode 1 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Idaho State Superintendent, Debbie Critchfield, joins our host, Brennan Summers, for her second appearance on the Main Street Idaho Podcast. We dive into more of the issues affecting education, proper spending for students, and local budgeting processes for districts throughout the state.

🎙️ Start listening to Episode 19 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast! 🎙️ Joining in-studio for episode 19 of the Main Street Idaho Podcast is Representative Jerald Raymond from District 31. Our host and Executive Director, Brennan Summers, gets to know Representative Raymond's family background, his political successes and failures, his opinions of Idaho values, and commitments to his country and fai...