Idaho Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Northwest Public Broadcasting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 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

The Northwest Cattle-Branding Show Goes On, With Cautious Eye Toward Coronavirus Safety

By Anna King April 16, 2020

Cattle brandings in the Northwest take a lot of people. One person vaccinates, another brands, another castrates the calves — all at the same time. Courtesy of Gary King

Around a million beef cattle are born each spring in the Northwest — about 228,000 in Washington, 533,000 in Oregon and 495,000 in Idaho last year. It takes a large crew working close to get through hundreds of cattle at a time, and ranchers say the job can’t wait — coronavirus or not. Read More

Gov. Brad Little Extends Idaho’s Statewide Stay-Home Order Through April, Loosens Some Closures

By NWPB News April 15, 2020

Idaho’s statewide stay-at-home order has been extended through the end of April, Gov. Brad Little announced Wednesday. Little said the extension was necessary to ensure the state continues to slow the spread of the coronavirus, prevent health care facilities from being overwhelmed and hopefully hasten the end of the pandemic.Read More

Idaho Primary FAQ

By Jessie Mack April 14, 2020

Listed here are some frequency asked questions and resources regarding Idaho's presidential primary on May 19th.Read More

In Idaho, Anti-Government Militia Leaders And Elected Officials Defy Coronavirus Restrictions

By NPR News April 13, 2020

Libertarian activist Ammon Bundy (second from right) prays during an Easter Sunday church service he organized despite concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in Emmett, Idaho. Jim Urquhart/Reuters

Ammon Bundy had pledged to hold a nondenominational Easter service in a venue holding up to 1,000 people. In reality on Sunday, a much smaller crowd would turn out at a warehouse he owns in a dusty lot near the Emmett railroad tracks.Read More

In Northwest States, Newly Jobless Wait For Unemployment Systems To Catch Up

By Tom Banse April 10, 2020

Laid-off restaurant worker Katrina Thiessen is frustrated by the weeks-long delay in having her unemployment claim approved.

There are hundreds of thousands of additional jobless workers waiting in the wings to file claims, including part-time and gig economy workers and self-employed who qualify under expanded federal benefits. But they are temporarily frozen out. The wait for overloaded unemployment systems to catch up is leaving some of them frustrated or anxious.Read More

A High Statewide Rate, With Big Fluctuations: Reading Idaho’s Coronavirus Numbers

By NWPB News April 6, 2020

Idaho has one of the highest coronavirus rates in the nation, according to a state epidemiologist. But infection rates can vary widely from county to county. And Idaho’s daily case reports fluctuate too.Read More

Why Insurers May Not Cover Business’ Coronavirus Losses

By NWPB News April 3, 2020

Carlo Lamagna, the owner and chef of Magna Kusina in Portland, Ore., poses for a portrait inside his closed restaurant on Friday, March 27, 2020. Lamagna laid off his entire staff and closed the business following Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s order to halt dine-in eating at restaurants in response to the coronavirus outbreak. CREDIT: Bryan M. Vance/OPB

As coronavirus pandemic shutters small businesses across the Northwest, business owners are bracing for a wave of insurance denials. That’s because insurers have been telling businesses that coronavirus losses don’t count.Read More

Inslee Asks Washington Manufacturers To Help COVID-19 Fight; Idaho Goes Vote-By-Mail For Primary

By NWPB News April 1, 2020

Kaas Tailored employees sew masks on Monday, March 23, 2020, at the Kaas Tailored furniture factory in Mukilteo. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

Gov. Jay Inslee is calling on businesses across Washington state to help produce critical medical supplies, such as N95 masks, face shields, and testing supplies. Also, Idaho will go ahead with a May 19 primary -- but switch to an all-vote-by-mail system, like Washington and Oregon already have.Read More

Idaho Gov. Brad Little Signs Bill Banning Transgender Women And Girls From School Sports

By NWPB News March 30, 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signs into law legislation to make the overdose reversal drug naloxone more readily available. CREDIT: Keith Riddler/AP News

Gov. Brad Little signed the bill Monday, March 30, with no explanation for his vote — governors occasionally, but do not always, post transmittal letters outlining their decision. No letter was posted. The most hotly debated education bill of the 2020 legislative session, House Bill 500 would ban transgender girls and women from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.Read More

As Monthly Rents Come Due, So Do Different Eviction Policies For Idaho And Washington Tenants

By Nicholas Deshais March 30, 2020

Rent is due this week. But with stay-home orders in both Washington and Idaho, shuttered businesses and a troubled economy, some people wonder if they’ll get evicted if they don’t pay. In Washington, a moratorium on evictions gives protection to renters hit hard by the COVID outbreak. Idaho has no such moratorium, but a recent court order may protect them.Read More

Idaho Gov. Brad Little Orders Statewide Budget Cuts In Face Of Widening Coronavirus Fallout

By NWPB News March 28, 2020

In the face of rising unemployment and shriveling tax revenues, Gov. Brad Little cut state spending by $40 million Friday. “We know this number is going to be necessary.” CREDIT: Sami Edge/Idaho EdNews

By the numbers, Little’s decision will cut state spending by $40 million, from a state general budget of close to $4 billion. State agencies will have to move quickly, imposing the spending cuts over the final three months of a budget year that ends June 30.Read More

Are Gun Stores ‘Essential’ During Coronavirus Outbreak? Different States Have Different Answers

By NPR News March 27, 2020

Andrea Schry (right) fills out the buyer's part of legal forms to buy a handgun as shop worker Missy Morosky fills out the vendor's parts after Dukes Sport Shop in New Castle, Pa., reopened on Wednesday. Keith Srakocic/AP

Governors and mayors in some parts of the country are requiring them to close like many other businesses. Other officials are letting gun sales continue. Gun rights groups are on the defensive. Read More

Northwest States See Unprecedented Surge In Unemployment Claims

By NWPB News March 26, 2020

File photo. Porter Hahn makes an iced coffee drink in November 2019 in a Seattle coffee shop. U.S. services companies grew at a faster pace in February 2020 than the previous month. Then the coronavirus outbreak in the region shut down much of the service industry. CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP

Mirroring the national trend, Washington, Idaho and Oregon are experiencing an unprecedented spike in unemployment claims caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More

First COVID-19 Deaths Reported In Idaho, 1 Day After Governor Issues 21-Day ‘Stay-At-Home’ Order

By Nicholas Deshais March 25, 2020

Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued a 21-day stay-at-home order Wednesday. Little had resisted issuing the order even as neighboring states were taking more drastic measures. On Thursday, the state officially announced three deaths from COVID-19.Read More

Distanciamento Social Continuará Después Del 4 De Mayo, Según Inslee

By Enrique Pérez de la Rosa March 25, 2020

In an April 28, 2020, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said residents should prepare for current social distancing restrictions to continue past May 4. CREDIT: Austin Jenkins/N3

Northwest Public Broadcasting ha creado esta página para mantener a lectores hispanohablantes al tanto de recomendaciones y medidas gubernamentales para combatir el coronavirus, también conocido como COVID-19. Esta página será […]Read More

Idaho Education Board Orders Closure Of All Public Schools, Among Last States To Do So

By NWPB News March 24, 2020

During what the board called a “soft closure,” schools will be closed to students. At least for now, the shutdown runs through April 20. The shutdown is designed to provide some guidance for school administrators, as a global pandemic shakes the foundation of Idaho education.Read More

Yakima County Gets Stay-At-Home Order As President Trump Declares Emergency For Washington

By NWPB News March 22, 2020

Jess White, a registered nurse at UW Northwest, demonstrates to another nurse how to properly remove a mask on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at UW Medicine's drive-through testing clinic in Seattle. CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

Coronavirus continues to spread in Washington and Idaho. As of Sunday, March 22, Washington had nearly 2,000 confirmed cases, with at least 95 deaths since the outbreak began. Idaho’s official number stood at 47 cases, with most in Blaine County. Read More

Coronavirus In Idaho: Moscow Closing Bars And Restaurants As Cases Grow Statewide

By NWPB News March 20, 2020

There may not be enough beds for coronavirus patients in Idaho, if even the most conservative estimates from state epidemiologists are accurate.Read More

Inslee Gives Washingtonians Eviction Protection; Little Asks Idahoans To Avoid Large Crowds

By NWPB News March 18, 2020

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, left, gives an elbow touch to American Sign Language interpreter Terry Dockter after a news conference about the coronavirus outbreak Monday, March 16, 2020, in Seattle. Inslee ordered all bars, restaurants, entertainment and recreation facilities to temporarily close to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced a slate of measures Wednesday to help the state’s workers, businesses and renters. In Idaho, Gov. Brad Little urged his state’s citizens to impose more discipline on themselves to keep COVID-19 from spreading. Read More

Rural Hospitals Brace For Coronavirus Impacts. Here’s How Grangeville, Idaho Is Preparing

By NPR News March 16, 2020

Michelle Schaeffer, director of Syringa Clinics in Idaho, says her facility and an adjoining hospital have about a month's supply of masks left. CREDIT: Kirk Siegler/NPR

There is no intensive care unit at Grangeville, Idaho's Syringa Hospital. So when they do get a critically ill patient or trauma victims, it's standard protocol to stabilize and transfer them to a large regional hospital in western Montana or Spokane, Wash. But what if ICUs in those places become overwhelmed with coronavirus patients?Read More