Idaho Reports

In the lead-up to the 2022 election, Raul Labrador campaigned on the promise that he would be more aggressive in defending state sovereignty. After nearly a year in office, we checked in with him about his challenges to state agencies, ongoing abortion litigation, and his approach to his job as Idaho’s chief legal officer.

It’s been nearly a year since Idaho’s new constitutional officers were sworn in, including Attorney General Raúl Labrador, the state’s first new attorney general in more than two decades. We visited Labrador at his capitol office this week to discuss his first year as Idaho's chief legal officer, his outlook on the job, and the high-profile cases his office is currently litigating.

Idaho is unique in many ways, but it unfortunately stands out in one policy area. It's the only state that still uses its prison system to house certain mental health patients — those whose condition a court has deemed "dangerously mentally ill" — even though they have committed no crime. ProPublica reporter Audrey Dutton joins Logan Finney this week to discuss this particular prison unit, the civ...

A new report outlines a rise in infant and maternal mortality. What can be done to help? This week, Ivy Smith from Idaho Voices For Children discusses Idaho’s rising infant and maternal mortality rates, as well as policy recommendations to address that trend. Then, Jason Mercier of the Mountain States Policy Center explains his organization’s proposals to improve government transparency ahead of t...

The Snake River has been in the news a lot recently, but the recent detection of quagga mussels is not the only ecological issue facing the mighty river. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey released a study this week that takes a look at how the habitat conditions behind dams affect the level of mercury found in smallmouth bass. Research ecologist Colin Eagles-Smith joins Logan Finney this...

The Greater Idaho movement would shift the Idaho-Oregon border to the west and merge conservative eastern Oregon with the Gem State. It’s a long shot — but what’s at the root of the proposal? This week, we explore the origins of the rural-urban divide. Then, Stephanie Witt and Jaclyn Kettler of Boise State University discuss how growing American political polarization fuels the conversation.

The next legislative session in January 2024 is just over a month away – and policymakers are already hard at work, pitching bills and taking stock of this year's historic property tax relief package. This week, associate producer Logan Finney brings you to the annual Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference in downtown Boise.

Break: Happy Thanksgiving! by Idaho Public Television

There are two major factors that determine the cost of living: How much things cost, and how much people earn. This week, associate producer Logan Finney explores how the state’s Workforce Housing Fund contributes to solving the affordable housing puzzle. Then, president Gordon Jones from the College of Western Idaho discusses a new four-year degree proposal at the community college.

Communities all over the state are grappling with housing affordability, but the sheer variety of programs that are available to support it can be overwhelming. Marketing and communications director Jason Lantz from the Idaho Housing and Finance Association sits down with associate producer Logan Finney this week to discuss how IHFA supports affordable homes for Idahoans in all walks of life.

Tens of thousands of Idahoans who are elderly or have disabilities rely on direct care workers to live independently, but there’s a shortage of them. We take a look at the impact of that shortage, and what the state could do to help. We also follow lawmakers on a tour of the South Idaho Correctional Institution. Then, Kevin Richert from Idaho Education News discusses Tuesday’s election results.

Ada County voters narrowly missed the 2/3 majority needed to pass a jail expansion bond in Tuesday's local election - but it's a familiar story for many counties across the state. Associate producer Logan Finney talks with jail administrator Capt. Doug Hughes from the Twin Falls Sheriff's Department about what a failed jail expansion bond means for an Idaho community.

U.S. Attorney for Idaho Josh Hurwit and Idaho State Police Col. Kedrick Wills discuss the state and federal governments’ efforts to stop fentanyl trafficking and overdose deaths in Idaho. Plus, U.S. Sen. Jim Risch provides an update on efforts to stop the Lava Ridge Wind Project, and House Speaker Mike Moyle once again expresses frustration about the state’s new business management platform.

The proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project in remote Jerome County would add hundreds of wind turbines to public land as part of President Biden's clean energy initiative. But the proposal faces fierce opposition from Magic Valley residents, county commissioners and the Idaho Legislature, with concerns ranging from land conservation to preserving the integrity and solemnity of the Minidoka Internment Ca...

This week, in the first episode of Season 52, producer Ruth Brown travels to the Nez Perce and Coeur d’Alene reservations to explore the high rate of missing and murdered indigenous people. Then, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News discusses upcoming school elections and the latest in the Attorney General’s lawsuit against the State Board of Education concerning the University of Idaho’s acquisi...

Division of Financial Management administrator Alex Adams joins Logan Finney to discuss the latest round of state revenue numbers, and what they tell us about the current economic picture for Idaho.

Rising land prices in the growing regions of Idaho don't just affect the cost of housing — they also impact how much it costs for the Idaho Transportation Department to widen a highway. Senior reporter Margaret Carmel from BoiseDev joins Logan Finney to discuss her analysis of highway right-of-way prices and how it's affected local project planning at ITD. Read more: https://boisedev.com/news/2023...

We still have an entire 2024 legislative session before the next Republican primary — but that hasn't stopped a pair of organizations from announcing their support for certain legislative candidates all across the state. Kevin Richert from Idaho Education News joins Logan Finney this week to break down the competing slates of candidates, as well as the significance of their endorsements and fundra...

Applications opened this week for Idaho Launch, the new state grant program for Idaho high school graduates to pursue training for certain in-demand careers. Workforce Development Council executive director Wendi Secrist joins Logan Finney to talk about the opportunity available to students, what constitutes an "in-demand" career, and just how much work it took since the end of the legislative ses...

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture announced last week the presence of invasive quagga mussel larvae in the Snake River near Twin Falls. Director Chanel Tewalt joins Logan Finney to discuss what this means for Idaho and the state's response plan. Find more information at http://www.idaho.gov/quagga

Boise State University professor Dr. Laura King joins Ruth Brown to discuss a recent research study about the victimization of people with disabilities in Idaho. King and her team surveyed service providers and offered recommendations to improve accessibility and service provision for people with disabilities and for victims of crime, abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Coeur d'Alene Press reporter Kaye Thornbrugh joins producer Ruth Brown this week to discuss the ongoing dispute between the board of trustees and the president at North Idaho College, and where the situation sits against the backdrop of NIC's current accreditation review.

The Idaho Department of Labor had a lot of unanswered questions about labor trends and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic - so they surveyed businesses across the state to ask them. Department of Labor regional economist Matthew Paskash joined Logan Finney this week to talk about the first annual Business Climate Survey and its findings.

Patrons of the West Bonner County School District turned out en masse this Tuesday and voted to recall two members of the school board after months of tension in the district. Kevin Richert from Idaho Education News joins Logan Finney to break down the results and what they mean.

America's mutton consumption has increased over the past decade, and the sheep that provide that meat also provide wool and graze the rangelands of the West. However, since the U.S. joined the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 90s, domestic lamb and mutton production has declined 60% while imports have increased over 500% in the same time period. Idaho sheep ranchers Frank Shirts and Henr...