Idaho Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Northwest Public Broadcasting

The Week In Idaho’s COVID-19 Situation: Record Cases And Deaths, Again

By NWPB News November 21, 2020

Gov. Brad Little adjusts his mask during a July 9 press conference at the Statehouse.

New case numbers peaked again, for the seventh consecutive week. Deaths hit another weekly peak. And on Tuesday — the same day Idaho reported single-day peaks in cases and deaths — 404 Idahoans were hospitalized with COVID-19. That too was a single-day peak.Read More

Reversing Course, Health Board For 5-County Idaho Panhandle Region Institutes Mask Mandate

By Doug Nadvornick November 19, 2020

The Idaho Panhandle health board voted 4-2 on Thursday to reinstate a mask mandate, this time covering all five north Idaho counties. CREDIT: Screenshot/Zoom/SPR

The board that governs Idaho’s Panhandle Health District has approved a mask mandate for all five counties of north Idaho. The board had approved a previous mandate for Kootenai County only on July 23, then rescinded it on Oct. 23.Read More

Idaho Gov. Brad Little Activates National Guard, Moves State Back To Phase 2 As COVID Cases Grow

By NWPB News November 13, 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced a statewide pullback to a modified Phase 2 of reopening on Nov. 13, 2020. But he declined to issue a mask mandate, as most other states in the region have done in some form. CREDIT: Idaho Public Television/Governor's Office

The governor's executive order activated 100 National Guard troopers to assist with mobile testing support, medical facility decontamination, COVID-19 screenings, logistical support and more. He also signed a public health order moving Idaho back to a modified version of Stage 2 of the state’s four-stage reopening plan, effective Saturday.Read More

Idaho Governor Resists Calls For Mask Mandate As COVID Case Rates And Deaths Rise

By NWPB News November 11, 2020

File photo. Idaho Gov. Brad Little puts on a face mask before a public meeting earlier this year. So far he has resisted calls for a statewide mandate. On Sunday, Nov. 8, the governor of Utah, Idaho's southern neighbor, imposed a mask mandate. CREDIT: Idaho Education News

Gov. Brad Little says he has been reluctant to issue a mask mandate “because the rest of the state thinks that anything that comes from Boise is a mandate from big government.”Read More

Idaho Public School Enrollment Drops For First Time Since 1997, Virtual Schools See Big Gains

By NWPB News October 28, 2020

The Moscow School District decided earlier in March to close schools after its spring break, after Idaho Gov. Brad Little declined a statewide closure. CREDIT: Architect21c at the English Wikipedia / GFDL gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html

Idaho public schools are serving 4,554 fewer students than they did last school year, marking the first time since 1997 that the state has seen a decline in enrollment.Read More

Idaho Moving Back To Phase 3 Of Reopening, Governor Says, As COVID-19 Cases Rise

By Scott Leadingham October 26, 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little speaks at a news conference in Boise on March 13. Less than four months after the state confirmed its first case of the coronavirus, it has emerged as one of the nation's biggest hot spots. Keith Ridler/AP

Idaho is moving backward. That was the announcement Monday from Gov. Brad Little. He said the entire state will move back to its previous stage of reopening: Phase 3. Read More

Idaho Votes: Deadline To Request Absentee Ballot Is Oct. 23. Can Register In-Person Until Nov. 3

By NWPB News October 22, 2020

State elections officials said Idahoans should not worry about the security of their ballot if they vote absentee. Idaho has used the same basic absentee voting procedures since 1972. So the process is not new to elections officials, even though they are expecting a significant increase in absentee ballots due to the pandemic.Read More

Idaho Colleges Look For Budget Help, Possible Enrollment Boost, During Pandemic Downturn

By Scott Leadingham October 19, 2020

Like most colleges, the University of Idaho in Moscow is dealing with how to control rising coronavirus cases around campus. Recent cases connected to the University’s Greek system have made the school push for more testing. Unlike nearby Washington State University in Pullman, the UI has a hybrid in-person and virtual model this fall semester.Read More

In Rural North Idaho, With Help Far Away, Communities Take It Upon Themselves To Tackle Suicide

By NWPB News October 16, 2020

Hank Thornton makes the rounds in Benewah County, Idaho, where he checks on veterans to see if they need services like food assistance and medical treatment. He also looks for signs of suicide risk and offers resources and an ear when needed. Rural Mountain West communities have high suicide rates and help is often far away, so community members like Thornton have taken it upon themselves to reach out to their neighbors. CREDIT: Heath Druzin / Guns & America

Tens of thousands of Americans die every year from gun suicide, and some of hardest-hit areas spend the least on prevention. In the Idaho Panhandle, some small-town residents are stepping in where the government has failed.Read More

TikTok Sensation: Meet Nathan Apodaca, The Idaho Man Who Sent Fleetwood Mac Sales Soaring

By NPR News October 11, 2020

Nathan Apodaca's TikTok video, in which he longboards to Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," has catapulted him to viral fame. Here, he is standing in the pickup truck given to him by Ocean Spray. In his video, Apodaca sips from a bottle of Ocean Spray's Cran-Raspberry juice. CREDIT: Ocean Spray

Nathan Apodaca, 37, of Idaho Falls, recorded a laid-back video while riding a skateboard downhill and drinking Cran-Raspberry juice. The Internet went wild and streamed Fleetwood Mac.Read More

COVID-19 Cases Rise At University Of Idaho, But School Will Stay With Hybrid Classes

By NWPB News October 5, 2020

Coronavirus cases are rising at the University of Idaho, but face-to-face classes will continue. The University of Idaho reported another 116 new coronavirus cases on campus last week. The outbreak still seems to be centered on fraternity and sorority houses.Read More

In Internet Dead Zones, Rural Schools, Students And Families Struggle With Distanced Learning

By NPR News September 28, 2020

In numerous recent interviews, educators have told NPR they're concerned the rural-urban divide will only worsen if kids can't get online to learn. Tony Avelar/AP

Across the country as American schools struggle with whether to reopen or stay virtual, many rural districts are worried their students will fall even further behind than their city peers.Read More

ANALYSIS: Federal COVID Relief Money Helps Fill Some Idaho College Budget Holes, But Only Some

By NWPB News September 25, 2020

The $49.4 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act money will only go so far on Idaho’s college campuses. It won’t cover all of the schools’ COVID-related losses — or the revenue the schools have lost to the pandemic.Read More

Idaho Legislature Passes Liability Protection Bill, Wrapping Up Quick Special Session

By NWPB News August 27, 2020

A large crowd of onlookers and protesters, most not wearing masks, some open carrying firearms, gathered in the Idaho Capitol in Boise for the state's special legislative session that began Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. CREDIT: Sami Edge/Idaho Education News

After three unusual days in a special session, the Idaho House and Senate passed a civil liability immunity bill designed to protect school officials from lawsuits amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.Read More

Anti-Government Activist Ammon Bundy Arrested At Idaho Statehouse For 2nd Time In 2 Days

By NWPB News August 25, 2020

This image taken from video shows anti-government activist Ammon Bundy, rear, being wheeled into an elevator in a chair following his arrest at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise, Idaho, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. Authorities arrested Bundy after he refused to leave a meeting room where a few hours earlier angry protesters forced out lawmakers. CREDIT: Keith Ridler/AP

The incident follows another on Monday when angry protesters forced their way into the Idaho House gallery that had limited seating because of the coronavirus pandemic, the window of a glass door getting shattered as protesters jostled with police. Protesters were ultimately let in when Republican House Speaker Scott Bedke stepped in, seeking to avoid violence.Read More

Large Crowds, Protesters Turn Out For Opening Day Of Idaho’s Special Legislative Session

By NWPB News August 25, 2020

Large crowds of protesters and onlookers descended on the Statehouse Monday as legislators convened for a rare special session. The House and Senate met in person to address three issues that Gov. Brad Little outlined when he called the special session, which is officially referred to as an extraordinary session.Read More

Federal Judge Puts Temporary Hold On Idaho Law Barring Transgender Athletes In Women’s Sports

By NWPB News August 18, 2020

Chris Mosier, the first known transgender person to qualify for an Olympic trial, joined protesters in Boise, Idaho, to push back against legislation targeting transgender residents. CREDIT: James Dawson/Boise State Public Radio

A federal judge has put Idaho’s controversial transgender athletics ban on hold. The injunction will allow Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye to review the myriad constitutional questions surrounding the law, which bans transgender women and girls from participating in women’s and girls’ sports.Read More

Rural Schools In Idaho (And All Over) Struggle With Road Ahead In Era Of Coronavirus

By NPR News August 17, 2020

Third grade teacher Maya Davis attends training before her school district reopens. CREDIT: Kirk Siegler/NPR

Some schools across the country are under pressure to reopen for in-person classes, even in states like Idaho where coronavirus cases continue to rise out of control.Read More

Worried About ‘Totalitarianism,’ Some Idaho Lawmakers Want To Change School Closure Authority

By NWPB News August 12, 2020

The Idaho House of Representatives chamber in February 2020 before voting to pass a bill banning transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports in school settings. The Trump administration is supporting Idaho's new law banning transgender women from competing in women's sports. It's the first law of its kind in the nation and the U.S. Department of Justice backed it in a court filing on June 19, 2020. CREDIT: Keith Ridler/AP

The Education Working Group requested the Legislature take up the issue of school closure authority when Gov. Brad Little convenes an extraordinary session of the Legislature the week of Aug. 24. Currently, health districts do have the authority to issue quarantine orders or close schools.Read More

Idaho Governor Says School Districts Will Decide Whether To Do In-Person Classes, Not The State

By Doug Nadvornick August 6, 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little says individual school districts will decide whether to bring students back to the classroom this fall. But he says the expectation is that schools will not be closed for an extended period.Read More

Washington, Idaho Outline Different Approaches For Schools; Moscow Goes Hybrid, Delays Start

By NWPB News August 5, 2020

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced new guidance for school district on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. CREDIT: TVW

Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday that schools in the majority of Washington’s counties should strongly consider online-only learning for students this fall due to COVID-19 and canceling or postponing sports and all other in-person extracurricular activities. In Idaho, Gov. Brad Little is urging schools to reopen where it's deemed safe.Read More

U.S. Supreme Court Halts Online Signature Drive To Get Education Funding Measure On Idaho Ballot

By NWPB News July 30, 2020

In-person signature gathering efforts from Reclaim Idaho were put on ice during the coronavirus pandemic. CREDIT: Reclaim Idaho via Facebook

The U.S. Supreme Court has put a halt to the Reclaim Idaho K-12 initiative drive. Thursday’s ruling represents a legal victory for Gov. Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, who requested a stay of a lower court ruling allowing Reclaim Idaho to gather online signatures for its “Invest in Idaho” initiative. Read More

How And Will Idaho Schools Reopen? ‘I Think The Answer Is, It Depends,’ Governor Says

By NWPB News July 27, 2020

Gov. Brad Little still wants to see Idaho schools reopen next month — but he’s not sure that can happen in the state’s coronavirus hotspots. “I think the answer is, it depends,” Little said during a news conference Thursday morning, one day after the state reported its highest one-day death toll from the coronavirus outbreak.Read More

Lewiston School District Plans Policy Changes Following Community Anti-Racism Campaign

By NWPB News July 24, 2020

Lewiston High School Courtesy of KREM-TV

Parents raised concerns about racism with the Lewiston School District board of directors last October, citing personal experiences and reports that students made a Nazi-salute before a football game, TV station KREM reported. Parents Christine Jorgens and Sarah Graham told the board that their children have experienced harassment, physical aggression and heard racial slurs. Read More

Idaho Was One Of The Last States Hit By COVID-19. Hospital Leaders Worry As Cases Surge

By NWPB News July 22, 2020

Idaho's case count has quadrupled since mid-June, and about half of the more than 15,000 confirmed cases in the state have come in the past two weeks. Read More

State And Governor Question Security Of Reclaim Idaho’s Signature Gathering For Education Initiative

By NWPB News July 21, 2020

Amy Pratt personally collected more than 1,000 signatures to help get Proposition 2 on the ballot. It's the first time she's been politically active and she has no plans of stopping. CREDIT: JAMES DAWSON / BSPR

It will be up to the Ninth Circuit to decide whether Reclaim Idaho can continue gathering online signatures in a final attempt to get its K-12 initiative on November’s ballot. Reclaim Idaho suspended face-to-face signature gathering on March 18 — a few days after the state reported its first cases of coronavirus.Read More

Idaho Asks U.S. Supreme Court To Block Signature Gathering For Education Funding Ballot Initiative

By NWPB News July 15, 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little wants the U.S. Supreme Court to stop Reclaim Idaho from gathering signatures online, as the group tries to get its education funding initiative on November’s ballot.Read More

State Education Board Joins Governor Brad Little In Pushing For Idaho Schools To Reopen

By NWPB News July 9, 2020

With the first day of school less than six weeks away, the Idaho State Board of Education on Thursday unanimously adopted school reopening guidelines that set expectations for students to return to school in the fall.Read More

Elevated Voices: Listening To Calls For Racial Justice In The Mountain West

By NWPB News July 9, 2020

Black Lives Matter outside Colorado Statehouse. CREDIT: Mountain West News Bureau

With protesters taking to the streets nationwide to demand justice for George Floyd and confront police brutality and systemic racism, Mountain West News Bureau reporters are gathering perspectives of people of color from around the Mountain West region.Read More

New Laws Restricting Transgender Rights Take Effect In Idaho

By NWPB News July 6, 2020

Two new laws went into effect in Idaho recently that target transgender residents. The enactment comes on the heels of a major U.S. Supreme Court decision in June, which greatly expanded LGBTQ rights.Read More

On The Brink: Rural Hospitals Brace Staff And Finances For Potential New COVID-19 Surge

By NPR News July 5, 2020

A hallway leads to a makeshift isolation ward for COVID-19 patients at Syringa Hospital in Grangeville, Idaho. CREDIT: Kirk Siegler/NPR

Rural "critical access" hospitals, often some of the largest employers in small towns, have been operating on razor-thin margins throughout the coronavirus pandemic.Read More

‘The Disease Does Not Give A Damn’: Moscow, Idaho Mayor Looks Beyond Politics To Require Masks

By Nicholas Deshais July 2, 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little is encouraging, though not requiring, Idaho residents wear facial coverings and masks in public settings with the hashtag campaign #MaskUpIdaho CREDIT: Idaho Governor's Office/Twitter

“Well, none of us like to wear masks. I don’t particularly like to wear a mask,” Moscow Mayor Bill Lambert says. “But I have for the past two months, and I will in the future because I think it’s an easy thing for us to do.” Read More

Idaho Group Advocating For Education Funding Requests Spot On November Ballot After Court Ruling

By NWPB News June 30, 2020

Reclaim Idaho suspended face-to-face signature gathering for the initiative on March 18, days after Idaho reported its first case of coronavirus. The group sued on June 8, saying that Gov. Brad Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney refused to provide the group an alternative path to pursuing a voter initiative during the pandemic.Read More

The Economics Of Food Supply, Explained Through One Idaho Farmer’s Mountain Of Potatoes

By NPR News June 26, 2020

Potatoes scoot by on fast belts at Balcom & Moe in Pasco. The potatoes get a rinse, are sized and then put in bags destined for America’s supermarkets. The potato farmer and packer-shipper has been in business since the 1920’s. CREDIT: ANNA KING/NW NEWS NETWORK

Instead of letting his harvest rot, a farmer in Idaho came up with a creative outcome for his mountain of potatoes.Read More

Critics Of Idaho Governor Organize ‘Special Session’ Of Legislature. It’s Unclear Whether That’s Legal

By NWPB News June 22, 2020

File photo. Gov. Brad Little speaks March 13, 2020 at a news conference. On Wednesday, April 15, he extended a stay-at-home order to the end of April, saying it’s needed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. CREDIT: Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP

A coalition of organizations — including the John Birch Society and Health Freedom Idaho, an anti-vaccination group — are organizing what they are calling a “special session” of the Legislature Tuesday. It’s unclear how many legislators will show and whether legislators can even convene a special session in the first place.Read More

Trump Administration Files Support For Idaho Law Barring Transgender Women In School Sports

By NWPB News June 20, 2020

The support came in the form of a court filing submitted by the U.S. Department of Justice, saying a federal judge considering a lawsuit challenging the ban should conclude that the law does not violate the U.S. Constitution.Read More

After Idaho Transgender Ban, Athletes Ask NCAA To Move Tournaments Out Of State

By NWPB News June 13, 2020

Chris Mosier, a Team USA athlete and transgender activist, kneels as he listens to speakers at a rally at the Statehouse on Tuesday, March 3 against Idaho’s HB500 banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.

Dozens of advocacy organizations and hundreds of athletes are asking the NCAA to move college sports events out of Idaho in response to a state law that bans transgender women from participating in women’s sports.Read More

Idaho Moves Statewide Into Its Phase 4, Meaning ‘100% Of Businesses’ Can Reopen, Governor Says

By Doug Nadvornick June 11, 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little, left, announces stricter guidelines for social interactions to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, and also livestreaming the discussion, at his office in Boise on March 18, 2020. CREDIT: Keith Ridler/AP

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has announced his state will move to the final phase of its reopening strategy, beginning Saturday. Visitors can go see loved ones in those facilities. Night clubs and large sporting venues can reopen. Non-essential travel can continue to areas that are accepting visitors and which don’t have coronavirus transmission problems.Read More

Idaho Advocacy Group Sues To Get More Time For Ballot Measure Signature Gathering

By Doug Nadvornick June 9, 2020

Idaho’s signature gathering window was interrupted in mid-March due to coronavirus restrictions. Now, Reclaim Idaho hopes to put a public school funding initiative on the November ballot by asking a federal judge for extra time to collect signatures.Read More

Idaho Primary Election Results Show Familiar Names Returning To November Ballot

By Doug Nadvornick June 3, 2020

The matchups have been set for Idaho’s November election. Results were announced Tuesday night in the state’s first all-mail primary election.Read More

Idaho Moves To Phase 3 Of 4-Stage Reopening Plan

By Doug Nadvornick May 29, 2020

Idaho Governor Brad Little announced Thursday his state is ready to move on to the next phase of its coronavirus reopening plan, beginning Saturday, May 30.Read More

A Novel Virus Exposes An Old Rift Within Idaho’s GOP

By NWPB News May 26, 2020

Gov. Brad Little delivers his State of the State address on Jan. 6, with Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin seated behind him. McGeachin has been among the state’s most vocal critics of Little’s coronavirus response. CREDIT: Sami Edge/Idaho EdNews

In Idaho, the divide between Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin is something we all could see coming — grounded, in part, by the fact that Idaho elects its governors and lieutenant governors independently. Little has no more say in this matter than any individual Idaho voter. Read More

Idaho Soon Moves To Next Reopening Phase; Washington Denies Spokane County’s Phase 2 Request

By NWPB News May 14, 2020

Idaho Governor Brad Little at state medical supplies stockpile in Boise - April 14 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little says the Gem State will move to the second phase of state’s four-part coronavirus recovery plan on Saturday. That means businesses such as gyms and hair salons will be able to reopen with the appropriate precautions. Little made his announcement Thursday and threw in a surprise as well.Read More

‘A Helpless Feeling’: Hundreds Of Idaho Children Unaccounted For In Switch To Distance Learning

By NWPB News May 6, 2020

Children in the Blackfoot School District pick up meals from a “Bus Bites” program that brings food to kids at home. Courtesy of Idaho Education News

Administrators in Idaho’s largest districts say they’ve lost touch with up to 5 percent of their students during the transition to remote learning. These families haven’t responded to texts, calls, emails and sometimes home visits from administrators.Read More

Idaho Gov. Brad Little Begins Lifting Stay-Home Measures To ‘Re-open’ Economy

By Nicholas Deshais April 30, 2020

Idaho Governor Brad Little kicked off the process Thursday of “re-opening” the state after five weeks of “stay home, stay healthy” measures to help stem the spread of coronavirus.Read More

16 Idaho Nursing Homes Hit By Coronavirus, State Mum On Details

By NWPB News April 28, 2020

A pedestrian wearing a mask passing under the marquee at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre

Idaho nursing homes have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with at least 150 cases reported at 16 different long-term care facilities in the state. So far, at least 26 people at such facilities have died from COVID-19.Read More

Gov. Brad Little Announces 4-Stage Reopening And Recovery Plan For Idaho

By Doug Nadvornick April 23, 2020

Idaho has created a new website to share details of its new four-stage coronavirus reopening plan.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has announced a four-stage plan for re-opening the state’s businesses and communities after closures due to the coronavirus. The first stage is scheduled to take effect May 1.Read More

Inland Northwest Farmers Markets Hit By Coronavirus Closures Adapt To New Rules

By Nicholas Deshais April 23, 2020

Morgan Henry Kerr of Bellingham's Farmers Market monitors the new market entrance to monitor the number of people in the market so that physical distancing is maintained at all times.

While some elements of a farmers market are allowed — selling food and soap — other parts are not considered an “essential business” under Washington and Idaho’s orders. That means no more live music. No more kids’ activities. No seats. No touching the produce.Read More

Idaho’s Reckoning: From Business And School Closures To A Long, Slow Reopening

By NWPB News April 22, 2020

Gov. Brad Little extended his stay-at-home order April 15, while deferring to the State Board of Education, the State Department of Education and local administrators on the question of reopening schools. CREDIT: Sami Edge/Idaho EdNews

Little’s extended stay-at-home order, running through April 30, spells out a few small steps to reopen the economy. Some businesses, previously deemed “nonessential,” will be able to reopen for curbside or delivery service.Read More

Surge In Unemployment Continues As Clunky State Systems Await Upgrades

By Tom Banse April 17, 2020

Shavonne Maes paints a mural onto the boarded up facade of Some Random Bar on March 26, 2020, in Seattle.

Fresh numbers of initial claims for jobless benefits showed some moderation in the past week in the staggering wave of layoffs across the Northwest caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But the level of unemployment claims continues to hover at record levels, as reported Thursday by the state labor and employment departments of Washington, Idaho and Oregon.Read More