Idaho Reports

This week, Idaho Capital Sun reporter Kyle Pfannenstiel talks with producer Ruth Brown about a new residential facility that the Idaho Youth Ranch plans to open. It's the first in-state care residential facility for children with psychiatric needs. You’ll also hear from an interview with Idaho Youth Ranch CEO Scott Curtis from 2022, talking about plans for the residential facility.

This week, we're bringing you a snapshot of the water supply in Idaho from the Governor's Water Summit, where water users and policy makers gathered at the state capitol to discuss water issues. Idaho Department of Water Resources technical hydrologist David Hoekema gave an overview of surface water and drought conditions, and hydrologist Dennis Owsley gave a snapshot of the groundwater in the dif...

The growing needs of Idaho’s criminal justice system have concerned policymakers and legislators in recent years. But criminal justice is about more than just bed space. Lauren Bailey and Mackenzie Moss, analysists with the Idaho Legislature’s Office of Performance Evaluations, join Logan Finney to discuss the process of returning to the community when one exits the state’s criminal justice system...

The West Bonner School District has been rocked by controversy and contentious board meetings after trustees named a new superintendent last month. Since the hiring of Branden Durst, a former Democratic state lawmaker and Republican candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction, some patrons have even gotten a recall election on the ballot for two trustees. Kevin Richert of Idaho Education Ne...

State and provincial leaders from the northwestern U.S. and Canada gathered in Boise this week for the annual summit of PNWER, the Pacific Northwest Economic Region. Bruce Agnew, director of the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator at the organization, sat down with Logan Finney this week at the conference to talk about the future of transportation infrastructure in the northwest region.

Earlier this week, ACLU of Idaho released a report detailing findings after an investigation into allegations of racism against Latino students in some of Idaho’s school districts. On this week’s Idaho Reports podcast, ACLU of Idaho’s Legal Fellow Erica Rodarte Costa joins to discuss the report’s findings and recommendations. View the report: https://www.acluidaho.org/en/campaigns/education-equity...

Break: Happy July 4th! by Idaho Public Television

Our state is a destination for summer recreation and holiday celebrations. Ahead of July 4th weekend, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris issued an advisory reminding out-of-state visitors that they can (and will) face consequences for possession of controlled substances. "This isn't Spokane," Norris told Idaho Reports. "You're not going to get a pamphlet on where to get help. You're likely to go t...

Daniel Strawn, professor of environmental soil chemistry from the University of Idaho, joins Logan Finney to discuss his research in using biochar to capture nutrients from wastewater and distribute them back into the soil. They also discuss a paper he recently published in collaboration with the Canadian Light Source and the University of Saskatchewan that showed how the biochar and particular mi...

An Idaho man was arrested last Friday after early morning reports of gunshots fired at power substations at the the Hells Canyon and Brownlee dams. We examine Idaho's energy grid resilience with Will Hart from the Idaho Consumer Owned Utilities Association and Richard Stover from the Governor's Office of Energy and Mineral Resources. Read more about the incident from the Idaho Statesman: https://w...

It's the first full week of June, which means hot summer weather is just around the corner. Idaho Water Users Association executive director Paul Arrington talks with Logan Finney about staying safe when looking for a place to swim this summer by staying away from irrigation canals.

The state of Idaho is poised to spend roughly $2 million annually on opioid abatement and mitigation following a nationwide settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, in addition to payouts to local governments. The Idaho Behavioral Health Council this month is asking the public to submit comments about how the money could best be used to support opioid mitigation in their comm...

This week, Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue joins us to discuss challenges sheriffs are facing in recruiting and retaining deputies, and how that affects public safety. Then, Sen. Ben Adams, Rep. Julie Yamamoto, and House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel join Idaho Reports to discuss what lawmakers are working on in coming months.

Idaho Business for Education president Rod Gramer sat down with associate producer Logan Finney to discuss the state of education in Idaho, including legislative investments like the expanded Idaho Launch program and outstanding needs like stable funding for school facilities. Age of Agility: The Governor's Summit on the Future of Work (2023): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvDo4LDXnoaCTvx...

This week, Shane Leach from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare gives an update on how many people the state has removed from Medicaid rolls since the COVID-19 public health emergency. Then, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News discusses a surprise move by the University of Idaho to acquire the University of Phoenix, plus the results of this week’s school bond and levy elections.

The debate over whether libraries or parents should be responsible for what children read has not been limited to the statehouse. It's made it into local library trustee elections, with many races on the ballot place this Tuesday across Idaho. Mike Weland, publisher of 9B News, joined Logan Finney this week to break down the library district election in Boundary County and what it can tell us abou...

This week, Sen. Lori Den Hartog and Rep. Wendy Horman discuss historic state investments in education, and some possible changes they may propose next legislative session to the complex public school funding formula. Then, Sen. Rick Just discusses what lawmakers did this year to address the maintenance backlog at Idaho’s state parks.

Reclaim Idaho has gathered a new coalition behind a ballot initiative that would institute open primary elections and instant runoff general elections in Idaho. Markie McBrayer from the University of Idaho Department of Politics and Philosophy joins Logan Finney this week to explain instant runoff elections, or ranked choice voting, and what political scientists know so far about how the process w...

This week, we sit down with Gov. Brad Little for the second part of a two-part interview discussing his views on the 2023 legislative session, as well as what the coming years may bring. Plus, a voter initiative has been filed that may change the way Idaho holds elections.

Last week, Idaho Reports was invited to interview Gov. Brad Little at his home and ranch in Emmett. In part one of our two-part interview, Gov. Little shared his thoughts on Medicaid, ongoing discussions about Idaho’s abortion ban, the vetoed library bill, and the property tax compromise.

Last week, Idaho Reports was invited to interview Gov. Brad Little at his home and ranch in Emmett. In part two of our two-part interview, Gov. Little shared his thoughts on education initiatives the legislature passed this year, the state's economic prospects, and whether he plans to run for a third term as governor.

St. Luke's Health System chief physician executive Dr. Jim Souza and maternal fetal medicine physician Dr. Lauren Miller join Ruth Brown to talk about issues around recent abortion-related legislation and legal opinions the state issued this year.

We’ve heard the lawmakers’ takes on this year’s legislative session. Now it’s the governor’s turn to weigh in. Idaho Reports was invited to interview Gov. Brad Little at his home and ranch in Emmett and talk about the legislative session. "I always reflect back on my State of the State and what we talked about," Little told host Melissa Davlin. "My education initiative, my Launch initiative, our i...

Katie Sanders, the managing editor of PolitiFact, was in Idaho earlier this year as the keynote speaker for the University of Idaho's annual Oppenheimer Ethics Symposium. She joined Idaho Reports host Melissa Davlin at KUID in Moscow for a conversation on misinformation, conspiracy theories, and editorial judgement in media.

Snow and rain has relieved recent drought, but likely won’t ease the upcoming fire season. This week, University of Idaho professor Garth Taylor joins Melissa Davlin to discuss this year in Idaho agriculture. Then, Lieutenant Governor Scott Bedke talks about water and education issues, as well as his new role in this year’s legislative session. Plus, federal officials visit Idaho to announce inves...