Idaho Reports

Logan Finney is joined by Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News to discuss recent issues facing North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene. The school is facing an accreditation review in January following local complaints against members of the NIC Board of Trustees. Finney and Richert review the clash between rival trustee factions, the Idaho State Board of Education weighing in, and what it could all...

December 10, 2021, Weekly Idaho Coronavirus Update | #IdahoCOVID19 Central District Health has announced it has detected the state’s first case of the highly transmissible omicron variant. The health district detected the case in an Ada County resident who recently traveled out of the state. The patient is older than 50, is fully vaccinated, and has experienced mild symptoms. Currently, all adults...

This week, Idaho surpassed 4,000 recorded deaths due to COVID-19. Producer Ruth Brown sits down with Rep. Brent Crane to discuss changes to House ethics rules after a contentious year at the Idaho Legislature. Then, Idaho Fish and Game Director Ed Schriever joins Melissa Davlin to discuss the discovery of chronic wasting disease in Idaho, and how it may affect hunting policy in the coming years.

After two high profile hearings in 2021, the Idaho Legislature's Committee on Ethics and House Policy met this week to discuss possible changes to their role and processes under House Rule 45. On Wednesday, Ruth Brown talked more in-depth about those details with committee member Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa. Read more on the blog: https://blog.idahoreports.idahoptv.org/2021/12/07/ethics-committee-we...

Cases and hospitalizations continue to fall throughout most of the state. While epidemiologists nationwide are watching for signs of the omicron variant of COVID-19 spreading in the United States, as of Friday afternoon, no cases of the highly transmissible variant had been reported in Idaho. Statewide, the test positivity rate is at 7 percent. That varies by region, with 5.4 percent in Public Hea...

Idaho’s on track to hit a $1.6 billion surplus, and there are a lot of eyes on that money. This week, Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra joins Melissa Davlin to discuss staff shortages and her 2022 legislative priorities. Then, Miguel Legarreta, president of the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho, talks about his organization’s 2021 conference and what we might see from the upcoming leg...

Lawmakers and lobbyists regard the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference, held each year at the beginning of December, as the unofficial start of the legislative season. Logan Finney attended the conference for Idaho Reports and sat down with Ruth Brown to break down the discussions around Idaho tax policy and what we might expect in the 2022 legislative session. Read more on the blog about Gov...

This week, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare deactivated crisis standards of care for six of Idaho’s seven health districts, thanks to decreasing hospitalizations and test positivity rates. Only the Panhandle Health District remains under crisis standards of care, due to a large number of cases and hospitalizations, particularly in Bonner County. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Dir...

The Idaho Supreme Court said that parents who sued over fees for full day kindergarten have standing in that lawsuit. Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News and Betsy Russell of the Idaho Press discuss early childhood education and the latest election news. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced it has deactivated crisis standards of care in six of the state’s seven health districts.

The Idaho Reports podcast is taking a break from our Wednesday episode this week to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. On Tuesday, we recorded a conversation with our pundits, Betsy Russell of the Idaho Press and Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News for our Friday broadcast show on early childhood education, election news, and the state deactivating crisis standards of care. You can watch the fu...

This week, the Idaho Legislature attempted to pass several bills regarding vaccine mandates and masking requirements, but all failed to pass the Senate. Extensive misinformation was shared in the statehouse this week, but the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare continues to provide accurate information on the state’s current health crisis at coronavirus.idaho.gov. The statewide test positivity...

This week, the Idaho Legislature returned to the statehouse in Boise after an already extraordinarily long legislative session this spring. The House was back with a lot on their minds, but with some push back from the Senate. The action started Monday morning when lawmakers introduced 36 pieces of legislation, just one of which made it across the finish line. Plus, the latest legal challenge to t...

On Monday, the legislature reconvened to consider bills opposing vaccine and testing mandates from the Biden administration, as well as other proposals relating to COVID-19 and public health measures. Both chambers adjourned sine die Wednesday afternoon, when Melissa Davlin, Ruth Brown and Logan Finney sat down to review the end of the 2021 legislative session. Plus, the latest legal challenge to...

Rudy Soto, chairman of the Idaho Democratic Party’s Native American Democrats Caucus, outlines his concerns with the state’s redistricting process and what the new maps mean for minority representation across the state. On Wednesday, Nov. 10, the redistricting commission held its final meeting to approve electoral maps and a final report. The commissioners finished their work before the legal dead...

Commission for Reapportionment co-chairs Bart Davis and Dan Schmidt discuss the new legislative and congressional district maps, as well as criticisms the commission has faced. On Wednesday, Nov. 10, the redistricting commission held its final meeting to approve electoral maps and a final report. The commissioners finished their work before the legal deadline at the end of the month, and now the m...

This week, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare officials confirmed the first pediatric death from COVID-19 in Idaho. The infant lived in southwest Idaho, was younger than a year old, and passed away in October. The department didn’t release any other details to protect the family’s privacy. The news comes as COVID cases and hospitalizations are dropping statewide, with ICU admissions now at lev...

Lawmakers are ready to return to Boise, but what they will accomplish is anyone’s guess. This week, redistricting commission co-chairs Bart Davis and Dan Schmidt discuss challenges in creating the new electoral district maps. Rudy Soto outlines his concerns with minority representation under the new redistricting plan. Finally, House Speaker Scott Bedke, House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, and Sena...

On Wednesday, Nov. 10, the redistricting commission held its final meeting to approve electoral maps and a final report. The commissioners finished their work before the legal deadline at the end of the month, and now the maps face likely legal challenges before eventually coming into play in the spring 2022 primaries. Clark Corbin of the Idaho Capital Sun joins Logan Finney to break down the proc...

This week the CDC gave its final approval for emergency use authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 years old. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare urges parents to consider the vaccine, saying it is both safe and effective. The children’s vaccine is available at your Idaho public health districts, or visit www.vaccines.gov to find a vaccine near you. The statewid...

This week, producer Logan Finney explores the impact of local option sales tax on Idaho resort towns, and why other Idaho cities wish they had that option. Then, Dr. Jaclyn Kettler of Boise State University and Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News give us a run-down of Tuesday’s election results, and whether we can draw any statewide conclusions from them.

Producer Ruth Brown is joined by University of Idaho College of Law Professor Shaakirrah Sanders to discuss the state’s recent decision to challenge President Biden’s executive order on vaccines. The state of Idaho has joined multiple other states in the lawsuit, led by Georgia, which challenges an executive order that would require employees of federal contractors be fully vaccinated by December...

On Friday, the FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11. The CDC must still give the final approval before pediatricians can begin administering those shots, but that approval may come as soon as next week. The statewide test positivity rate, or percentage of tests that come back positive, has dropped to 11.5 percent, down from this surge’s high of 17 percent. That’s the lowest t...

It’s the start of our fiftieth season! Idaho Reports started in 1972 as a live program called “Statehouse Report” that was broadcast directly from the capitol in Boise. Over the coming months, we’ll be taking a look back at some of the highlights from the last five decades, while bringing you the latest Idaho political news on taxes, healthcare policy, education and more. This week, producer Ruth...

This week, Ruth Brown is joined by Idaho Press reporter Betsy Russell to discuss a recent allocation of funding by the Constitutional Defense Council. The council met Monday and approved the payment of nearly $152,000 for Reclaim Idaho’s legal fees after the state lost a lawsuit over a 2021 ballot initiative bill. The Idaho Supreme Court shot down the legislation, but also ordered the state to pay...

The statewide test positivity rate, or percentage of tests that come back positive, has dropped to about 12 percent, down from this surge’s high of 17 percent. That’s still higher than what public health officials would like to see, but this is the fifth week in a row those numbers have dropped. Hospitalizations have also dropped from a late September peak, though the number of patients currently...