The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is accepting public comments on a draft reuse permit for Mountain Home’s municipal wastewater and recycled water system, with submissions due by August 24, 2026. What the Permit Covers The draft permit — designated M-037-05 — applies to the city’s Class II wastewater treatment plant and its Class C […]
Bonneville County Sheriff Samuel Hulse told Idaho lawmakers last Thursday that local agencies should not be required to enter formal partnerships with federal immigration authorities, arguing that such decisions belong to elected sheriffs answerable to their own communities. Hulse, who also serves as president of the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association, testified before the Legislature’s Committee on […]
Idaho health officials are preparing to roll out work requirements for Medicaid expansion enrollees beginning January 1, 2027, following action by Republican lawmakers and Gov. Brad Little in April to align the state with President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. An early review of enrollment data suggests that most participants already satisfy the […]
Idaho Governor Brad Little visited the White House on Thursday to join President Donald Trump at an event centered on protecting utility customers from the rising energy demands of data center development, adding his name to a growing national initiative aimed at keeping electricity costs stable for existing ratepayers. The Pledge and Its Purpose The […]
U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) introduced legislation Thursday that would permanently eliminate federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, arguing the program has strayed far from its original purpose and now functions as a backdoor electric vehicle mandate on automakers. The Restoring Affordability in Automobile Manufacturing (RAAM) Act, introduced July 24, would end CAFE standards beginning […]
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador on Thursday joined a coalition of states, led by Florida, in filing an amicus brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in defense of a federal rule that prevents states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. The Rule at Issue The case, Lujan v. […]
U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher held a telephone town hall Wednesday, July 23, covering a wide range of federal policy topics with constituents across Idaho’s 1st Congressional District, including public lands management, wildfire, the SAVE Act, and ongoing U.S. military engagements abroad. Public Lands and Wildfire Federal land management dominated much of the conversation. More than […]
An abortion-related ballot initiative will go before Idaho voters this November after supporters gathered a record-breaking number of signatures, setting up one of the state’s most consequential electoral fights in years. The Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act would establish a right to abortion before fetal viability and allow post-viability procedures to protect the health of […]
A federal judge in Billings has refused to put a consolidated lawsuit challenging the National Park Service’s bison management practices on hold, allowing the case to move forward against a 2024 bison management plan covering the Greater Yellowstone Area. The U.S. District Court denied the federal government’s request to pause the litigation, which was brought […]
Bonneville County Sheriff Samuel Hulse told a legislative committee Thursday that decisions about formal partnerships with federal immigration enforcement belong with local officials — not the state Capitol. Hulse, who also serves as president of the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association, testified before the Legislature’s Committee on Federalism in Boise, pushing back against efforts to require sheriffs […]
Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson voted Wednesday in favor of the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, a sweeping defense policy bill that cleared the House by a narrow 216-to-212 margin and authorizes $1.15 trillion in national defense discretionary spending. What the Bill Does The legislation covers a broad range of military priorities, including a […]
Paul Sand, a 77-year-old retired software engineer and antique shop owner from the tiny Clearwater-region community of White Bird, is running for Idaho governor on the Libertarian ticket, centering his campaign on a dramatic shift of power away from state government and toward county governments. Sand is making his second run for governor after a […]