The Connector: Idaho Daily News

A suspect in what police have characterized as a random killing on the Boise greenbelt this week is in custody, what public lands advocates in Valley County like about a new proposed land swap around Payette Lake, and thousands of Snake River trust water users will not face curtailment this irrigation season.

Boise Police need the public's help in an investigation into a homicide on the greenbelt, evacuation orders from the Claremont Fire downgraded in Boise County overnight, drought conditions expected to worsen this summer, and midwives at a Lewiston hospital sidelined after a physician steps down.  Today's audio file was corrected to remove music accidentally included in the final mix.

More than 100 people in Idaho have now been sickened - some hospitalized - after drinking raw milk. Plus, the latest on the Claremont fire in the Boise foothills, Fruitland Police get to the bottom of a smelly situation, and protests planned around the annual gathering of wealthy and powerful tech and media leaders in Sun Valley. 

Multiple new fires sparked in Idaho Monday, including in the Boise foothills. Plus, a homicide investigation is underway after a man was found dead on the Boise Greenbelt, where to access free meals for kids this summer, and a cancer diagnosis for the superintendent of Idaho's largest school district. * After publication of this podcast, fire officials updated the size of the Claremont fire from 2...

News on Idaho’s abortion ballot initiative, solar power in the West, how Idahoans celebrated the Fourth of July, and the state of the states. 

Federal agencies are increasing firefighter safety, plus more on holiday weekend travel and Boise State University’s new president.

The architect of Idaho and other state's laws banning trans girls and women from girls and women's sports reacts to Tuesday's Supreme Court ruling permitting states to enact such laws, Boise requires e-motos to follow the same rules at motorcycles, new laws take effect across the state today, and Zoo Boise provides a health update on Sabu, the zoo's beloved 12-year old snow leopard.

Western Governors gather this week and plan new policy recommendations, journalists at the Idaho Statesman have reached a new labor agreement with the paper's owner after more than a year of negotiating, a long-running defamation case over a private airstrip in the Sawtooth Mountains has been dismissed for a second time, and Boise Fire plans to join a regional initiative to better understand and p...

The man who tried to start a nonprofit connected to a slain Ada County Sheriff's Deputy is facing new child sex abuse charges, misdemeanor drug charges against former Olympic gold medalist Bode Miller in Idaho are being dropped, elevated uranium levels have been detected in some well water in Canyon County, and how McCall is planning to reverse recent increases in bad behavior at it's 4th of July...

Leaders in Ketchum will ask residents to increase the city's local option tax, and they've implemented new water restrictions, Idaho's two largest hospital systems are celebrating construction milestones this week, the University of Idaho leans in on AI, and what researchers learned about driving safety after Utah reduced its drunk driving blood alcohol threshold.

For 60 years, conservationists have worked to protect Idaho's wild places and now, a new book is telling the stories behind the landscapes and wildlife that define the Gem state.

St. Luke's accuses the state's prison healthcare contractor of fraud in a new lawsuit, Micron posts another record quarterly earnings report - and predicts more to come, Boise finally gets money to study the return of passenger trains and the Ketchum City Council will evaluate water use restrictions and an increase to its local option tax.

It's shaping up as another tight budget year for the state of Idaho, former Olympic Gold medalist Bode Miller was arrested on drug charges in eastern Idaho, a federal judge rules against restrictions on food for SNAP recipients, and solar overtakes coal for energy production.

Micron announces a strategic partnership with AI computing company Anthropic, the family of a girl injured by shattering glass at Boise's New Year's Eve celebration wants millions from the city, bird flu is forcing a local farm to temporarily shut down, and most - but not all - state employees will get extra days off this July 4th holiday.

We visit Boise's World Refugee Day celebration, plus: diverging results for low and high-income families in Idaho after nearly a decade of tax reforms, budget and service cuts appear to be headed for Valley Regional Transit in Nampa, and an all-woman slate of party officers elected by Idaho Republicans at their annual convention this past weekend.

We have news on AI tools being used to detect wildfires, as well as survey results from federal firefighters who are worried about the season and feeling burned out. Plus, the latest on a local landfill. 

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new law restricting trans people's use of bathrooms in Idaho, Gov. Brad Little says the state is ready - but will need the public's help to endure the fire season, a divided Ada County Commission has again banned fireworks in unincorporated areas, and the sole finalist to become BSU's next president is on a campus blitz this week after being named Tuesday.

Nampa's new mayor is sworn in, Gov. Brad Little has tasked eight Idahoans - mostly business leaders and politicians - with researching the best ways state Universities can stay competitive on the collegiate athletics landscape, there are new security measures for a safe 4th of July holiday in McCall, and Valley County Commissioners weigh in on a proposed land swap around Payette Lake.

How Idaho will operate its firing squad executions of death row inmates when a new state law takes effect July 1, GOP officials allege abortion drug mifepristone is an environmental hazard, Canyon County celebrates Pride! and a Nampa teacher under arrest for alleged sexual battery of a minor - one of his students.

The trial of a man accused of kidnapping and killing a young boy in Payette County five years ago will be moved nearby to avoid a biased jury. The City of Boise is testing residents' poop for 16 different viruses to help track health data. And more than 15,000 acres of public land could be swapped with the federal government.

The state has released new information on how its firing squad executions will take place. Idaho officials are implementing tough new restrictions to prevent the spread of screwworms.   And the potential new president of Boise State will be announced next week.

The Boise School District has settled a lawsuit brought by a teacher who says administrators ignored a significant mouse infestation for years. State officials have certified the results of last month’s primary election. And a burn ban is now in effect for the City of Caldwell

A recent fire in Mountain home destroyed 15 homes. We'll tell you more about who's liable under a new state law. Testimony is underway in a trial of an Idaho physician suing to overturn the state’s strict abortion ban. And LDS congressmen are telling the Pentagon to classify their religion as Christian.

A federal trial challenging Idaho's abortion ban begins in Boise today, Nampa should know who its next mayor will be tonight, a busy weekend on local fire lines, and the city of Caldwell disputes a new tort claim brought against it by Police Chief Rex Ingram.

A fight over ballot language for constitutional amendments coming to the November ballot, could a change in the way Idaho schools are funded be on the table? The state's top educator wants to hear from districts and taxpayers, and opponents of Idaho's new anti-trans bathroom bill will be in court today, asking a federal judge to block the law.