With 35 U.S. Senate seats on the ballot in November 2026, Idaho’s contest is part of a sweeping national map that will determine whether Republicans hold their majority or Democrats engineer a come-from-behind takeover of the chamber. Where the Senate Stands Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate majority, a figure that includes two independents who […]
Idaho is now enforcing expanded federal work requirements for food assistance recipients, a policy shift that took effect in the state in April 2025 following congressional action the previous year. The change requires most able-bodied adults to meet an 80-hour monthly threshold — through employment, volunteering, or approved work programs — to continue receiving Supplemental […]
The Idaho Transportation Department released a draft seven-year plan this week that moves nearly 70 highway projects — totaling roughly $1.3 billion in planned work — into an unfunded category, reflecting the fallout from significant cuts made by the Legislature earlier this year. Scale of the Shortfall The draft plan, unveiled Wednesday, proposes shifting 68 […]
David Leroy, a Boise attorney who once came within a single percentage point of winning the Idaho governorship, is spending his later years connecting the state’s political history to the ideals of Abraham Lincoln — and making peace with a career that saw both high achievement and narrow defeat. Leroy shared the reflections in a […]
President Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for six North Idaho counties, unlocking federal assistance for communities still recovering from a powerful storm system that struck the region in mid-March and caused more than $5.9 million in damage. Storm’s Scope and Impact The March 11–15 storm brought extreme conditions across northern Idaho, with […]
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz is moving forward with the most significant structural overhaul of the agency in roughly a century, consolidating operations into state-based offices and preparing to interview candidates for 15 newly created state director positions that drew approximately 300 applications. The reorganization dissolves regional offices that have operated since the Gifford […]
Idaho’s legislature approved a slate of education changes set to take effect July 1, 2026, reshaping policy on artificial intelligence, virtual school oversight, parental notification requirements, and the relationship between school districts and teacher unions. AI and Virtual School Accountability The new laws establish frameworks governing generative AI use in schools while imposing stricter accountability […]
A one-year congressional ban blocking Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood for non-abortion services is set to expire July 4, allowing federal and state Medicaid funds to once again flow to the organization’s clinics for routine healthcare. The lapse comes as Republican lawmakers work to extend the prohibition but have been unable to do so before […]
Supporters of a proposed abortion-rights ballot measure turned in nearly 110,000 signatures Thursday at Idaho’s Capitol, advancing their effort to place the initiative before voters in November. The submission came after months of grassroots signature gathering, with supporters arguing they have cleared the threshold needed to qualify for the general election ballot. The initiative would […]
Idaho Senator Mike Crapo is urging community development lenders across the state to move quickly after federal grant application materials became available Tuesday for two key lending programs. The Office of Management and Budget released Notices of Funding Availability for the Bank Enterprise Award (BEA) and Small Dollar Loan (SDL) programs housed within the CDFI […]
A wave of new Idaho laws took effect July 1, 2026, touching everything from how cities zone residential neighborhoods to how social media platforms handle children’s accounts — and making Idaho the first state in the nation to designate the firing squad as its primary method of execution. The changes come out of a 2026 […]
The Trump administration has sharply narrowed the definition of “medically frail” under new Medicaid work requirements, forcing states to implement stricter eligibility standards by January 2027 that healthcare advocates and Democratic-led states say will create administrative chaos and strip coverage from vulnerable populations. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published interim guidelines on June […]