Idaho Reports

This week, Rep. Wendy Horman and Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking discuss school choice, full day kindergarten, and other education policy and funding issues in front of the legislature this year. Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News join us on the panel to give us a run-down on a whirlwind week at the statehouse.

This week on the Idaho Reports podcast, producer Ruth Brown is joined by Clark Corbin of the Idaho Capital Sun to discuss the latest bills introduced in the Legislature and how they could change the laws around elections and voting. A number of election bills have been introduced, covering a range from absentee ballot rules to so-called ballot harvesting, when unaffiliated voters can join a politi...

COVID-19 Update: February 11, 2022 by Idaho Public Television

This week, mayors give us their take on the legislature and property taxes. Plus, grocery tax fights! Whether it’s rising property taxes, a shortage of affordable housing, or the weekly grocery bill, the cost of living is high for Idahoans. So what can the legislature do to help? Kelley Packer, Garden City Mayor John Evans and Greenleaf Mayor Bradley Holton discuss property taxes and city budgets....

Logan Finney is joined by producer Ruth Brown to discuss the case of Gerald Pizzuto Jr., a man who’s been on Idaho’s death row for more than 35 years. A decision was made in his case late Friday that questioned the constitutionality of the governor’s decision to deny a commutation recommendation that came from the Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole. Read more: https://blog.idahoreports.idahopt...

On Monday, Gov. Brad Little activated the Idaho National Guard to assist with staffing shortages due to COVID-19 at Primary Health Medical Group and the Idaho Department of Correction. This is the fourth time the guard has been activated in Idaho to assist with COVID-related issues. Little’s decision came as three of southern Idaho’s public health districts remain under crisis standards of care. T...

The income tax bill is over the finish line, but big questions still remain on what the legislature will do about property taxes, and whether it will be enough to provide relief for Idahoans. This week, Ruth Brown interviews Rep. Brandon Mitchell on his experiences with the foster care system, and what he thinks Idaho can do to help recruit and retain more foster parents. Then, Gooding County Asse...

This week, producer Ruth Brown is joined by director Rakesh Mohan and senior evaluator Casey Petti from the Office of Performance Evaluation. Petti presented a report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Monday outlining the conditions and funding mechanisms of K-12 public school buildings in Idaho. They dive into the report's findings, the history of school building funds, local relian...

On Monday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reactivated crisis standards of care for three of southern Idaho’s public health districts due to a critical shortage of healthcare staff, as well as blood products used for transfusions and certain treatments. The affected health districts include Southwest Public Health, Central District Health, and South Central Public Health. IDHW says the...

Two years into the pandemic, how are Idaho’s public colleges and universities faring? Presidents Gordon Jones of College of Western Idaho and Cynthia Pemberton of Lewis-Clark State College discuss staff retention and student outcomes in higher education. The Department of Health and Welfare reactivated crisis standards of care for three public health districts. Associate producer Logan Finney give...

The legislature’s joint budget committee heard budget requests and presentations from Idaho’s higher education institutes this week. President Gordon Jones of College of Western Idaho and President Cynthia Pemberton of Lewis-Clark State College join Melissa Davlin to discuss staff retention and student outcomes in higher education. They also talk about career technical education, and the future of...

This week, Dr. Walter Kelley, medical officer for the American Red Cross Lewis and Clark and Arizona regions, joins Melissa Davlin to discuss the emergency blood shortage affecting Idaho and the rest of the nation. That blood shortage is a key reason the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare re-activated crisis standards of care for three public health districts in southwestern Idaho on Monday. T...

On Thursday, the statewide test positivity rate climbed to a record-breaking 34.1 percent, meaning that one in every three COVID tests came back positive last week. Public health officials’ goal is to keep that positivity rate below 5 percent. Eastern Idaho Public Health District had the highest infection rate this week, coming in at 44.7 percent. In Madison County, the positivity rate exceeded 58...

This week, Ruth Brown is joined by Reps. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, and Sally Toone, D-Gooding, for a discussion on education content standards and the prospect of all-day kindergarten. Then, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News joins Logan Finney to break down the budgets and the debates.

For the first time in more than a decade, with the support of the governor, the Idaho Department of Correction is asking lawmakers for funding to build a new prison. On Tuesday, IDOC Director Josh Tewalt pitched his $333 million budget request to the Joint Finance Appropriation Committee, outlining some of the department’s greatest needs. Those requests included $112.4 million for a new 848-bed mi...

Currently, public health districts across the state are overwhelmed with positive coronavirus cases, driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant. As of Thursday afternoon, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported a backlog of almost 18,000 positive laboratory results that hadn’t yet been processed. That’s in addition to the thousands of positive cases the state officially recorde...

It's the first week back at the statehouse, and lawmakers are already pushing for big income tax cuts. House Speaker Scott Bedke and Assistant Minority Leader Lauren Necochea join Logan Finney to discuss tax policy priorities and the start of the 2022 legislative session. Meanwhile, the omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across the state. Read more about HB 436 on the blog: https://b...

Logan Finney is joined by Kelcie Moseley-Morris of the Idaho Capital Sun to discuss issues within Idaho's child welfare system, including a shortage of social workers and foster families, and what's being considered to reform the system.

Governor Brad Little lays out his priorities for the 2022 legislative session, with focuses on education and infrastructure investments. Melissa Davlin then breaks down the proposals with pundits Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News, Dr. Stephanie DeWitt of Boise State University and Alex Adams of the Division of Financial Management.

Treasure Valley hospital officials told reporters on Thursday they’re preparing for another surge driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant. Idaho has seen a slight increase in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, as well as an increase in ICU admissions. The state positivity rate has risen to 17 percent, up from 8.6 the previous week. That’s the fastest one-week rise on record in the pan...

Gov. Brad Little and legislative leadership give us a preview of what we might see during the first few weeks of the 2022 legislative session. And no surprise: Taxes, education, and transportation are at the top of the list. Then, Senators Lori Den Hartog and Melissa Wintrow join Melissa Davlin to discuss their priorities for the upcoming session.

This week producer Ruth Brown is joined by Rebecca Boone of the Associated Press to discuss the death penalty in Idaho. On Friday, Gov. Brad Little the commutation recommendation issued for Gerald Pizzuto Jr., who has been on death row for more than 35 years for two murders. The Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole voted 4-3 to recommend life without parole for Pizzuto, but the governor denied t...

On Monday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced it has deactivated crisis standards of care for the Panhandle Health District, meaning the entire state is no longer operating under crisis standards of care. You can visit the Idaho Reports blog at idahoptv.org/idahoreports for more details. While you’re there, sign up for our newsletter to get weekly Friday news roundups delivered s...

The state has recorded 1,000 COVID-19 deaths in long term care facilities, meaning that roughly one in every four documented COVID deaths in Idaho has occurred in assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes. Because of high vaccination rates in older Idahoans, the mortality rate in these facilities has decreased by half since last year, when vaccines weren’t available....

This week on Idaho Reports, Ruth Brown speaks with Deputy Attorney General Brett DeLange and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare substance abuse program manager Rosie Andueza about what recent nationwide opioid settlements mean for Idaho. Then, University of Idaho McClure Center director Dr. Katherine Himes tells Logan Finney about a new report on climate change and the state's economy.