Idaho Reports is moving to Thursday nights at 8:30 pm. We’re still bringing you updates and analysis from the legislature, plus interviews and in-depth discussions with policymakers on how decisions they make in Boise affect you. Watch Idaho Reports starting January 8th at our new time, Thursday nights at 8:30pm on Idaho Public Television, or stream it online at idahoreports.org or in the PBS app.
Nearly all of us will need help at some point in our lives with daily tasks, like bathing or housekeeping, whether it’s because of aging or an injury. Some of us will be able to rely on family members for help, but not everyone has that luxury. That’s where in-home caregivers come into play, but for years, Idaho has struggled to find enough workers to provide these essential in-home care services.
For years, the Idaho Reports team has brought you coverage on how public policy issues in the Gem State affect caregivers and the people who depend on them. This month, we bring you the latest, including recent legislative proposals on state and federal levels.
Idaho is one of the fastest-growing states in the country, but what does that mean exactly? Associate producer Logan Finney sits down with economist Liz Bageant to discuss a new report on state population change from the University of Idaho's McClure Center for Public Policy Research. VIEW THE REPORT: https://blog.idahoreports.idahoptv.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/MCCLURE0010-IAAG-PopChange2025-DIGITAL.pdf
How we care for vulnerable people changed a lot during the pandemic, and with the federal government reexamining how we pay for entitlement programs, more changes are on the way. This week, Idaho Capital Sun reporter Kyle Pfannenstiel discusses the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s early end for the family personal care program, and we sit down with one Idaho family to talk about losing that lifeline.
Summer is back in Idaho, which means scammers posing as door-to-door sales representatives are back in our neighborhoods too. Associate producer Logan Finney sits down this week with Dan Estes, Director of the Consumer Protection Division in the Idaho Attorney General's Office, to talk about the warning signs Idahoans need to watch out for.
Local elections have the lowest voter turnouts, but some of the biggest impacts on your property taxes and the services your community receives. This week, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News and Drs. Stephanie Witt and Jaclyn Kettler of Boise State University’s School of Public Service join the show to discuss Tuesday’s local elections. Plus, progress on the Trump administration’s budget bill.
Voters in Idaho County have officially approved the deconsolidation of the Mountain View School District into two smaller districts, Grangeville and Clearwater Valley. Interim superintendent Alica Holthaus spoke with associate producer Logan Finney about placing the question on the ballot and what comes next for them.
Administrator Laura Denner from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Division of Family and Community Partnerships and director Christine Tiddens of Idaho Voices for Children discuss recent efforts by the state to address issues in the foster care system. Then, former congressman Larry LaRocco shares what he and Richard Stallings heard from Idahoans after eleven town halls across the state.
The cost and availability of housing is a constant concern in Idaho. State lawmakers have assembled an interim committee to study the issue over the summer, with their first meeting this week discussing inventory shortages and the compounding effects of missing affordability.
This week, Idaho made national news as Boise and Bonners Ferry passed resolutions to continue flying flags – pride and organ donor flags in Boise and a Canadian flag in Bonners Ferry – despite a recently passed law that prohibits government entities from flying flags that aren’t state, city, tribal, military, or the US flag. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador discusses the new law, recent litigation, his views on civic discourse, and much more.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order upon taking office in January that suspended the U.S. Refugee Admission Program. Associate producer Logan Finney sat down with Holly Beech from the Idaho Office for Refugees which oversees refugee resettlement in Idaho in partnership with local community resettlement agencies. They discuss the effects of the program pause and funding freeze, as well as the case of a resettled Twin Falls man in ICE deportation proceedings with no country that will accept him.
Three decades after a monumental agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy over radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel storage, Idaho this week agreed to a waiver that will allow the federal government to send a cask of spent nuclear fuel to the Idaho National Laboratory. Plus, increased attention on wildfire management and the possible impacts of the Trump administration’s budget proposal.
Gov. Brad Little signed an executive order last week directing the Idaho Department of Lands to collaborate with the U.S. Forest Service in support of the Trump administration's goals of increased timber production and improved forest health. Associate producer Logan Finney sat down with Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller to ask what that relationship will look like.
Over the course of three fiscal years starting in 2022, the legislature appropriated a total of $160 million to improve Idaho’s state parks, with $95 million coming from state surplus funds, and another $65 million coming from the American Rescue Plan Act. On Thursday, the Idaho Reports team headed to Bruneau Dunes State Park to catch up with Director Susan Buxton and find out how that money was put to use, and to tour the facilities at the dunes.
Idaho has 30 state parks, and word is getting out that they’re great places to visit. This week, we head to Bruneau Dunes State Park to catch up with Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Director Susan Buxton and look into the status of record investments made into Idaho’s state parks over the last few years. Plus, the latest on a lawsuit over abortion ballot initiative language.
Bruneau Dunes State Park is home to the tallest single-structure sand dune in North America, but it's also a certified dark sky area with a notable astronomy facility. Associate producer Logan Finney sat down with manager Bryce Bealba and ranger Greg Harman to talk about the park.
The legislative session may be over, but debates about government spending are still going strong across the state and the country. This week, we look at national political figures like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Turning Point USA activist Charlie Kirk making their case to Idahoans. Then, Speaker of the House Mike Moyle joins Logan Finney to discuss lawmakers’ spending and policy priorities.
After hosting Sen. Bernie Sanders this week at the largest political rally in state history, what's next for the Idaho Democrats? Party chair Lauren Necochea joins associate producer Logan Finney to discuss the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour and what's next on the national and local front.
The "Fighting Oligarchy Tour" on Monday featuring U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, drew a full venue of roughly 12,500 people to the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa. Speakers included former Idaho state Rep. Nate Roberts, D-Pocatello; family physician Dr. Penny Beach; House Minority Caucus Chair Rep. Todd Achilles, D-Boise; American Federation of Government Employees Local 1273 president Chandler Bursey; and AOC and Sanders.