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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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News >  Idaho

Idaho bill banning public funds for gender-affirming care goes to Senate

In a 4-3 vote Thursday morning, Idaho lawmakers on the Senate State Affairs Committee voted to move a bill forward that would prohibit transgender and nonbinary Idahoans enrolled in Medicaid, or state employees enrolled in the state’s insurance plan, from obtaining gender-affirming care.
News >  Idaho

This Meridian lawyer was disbarred for sexting clients. Now he’s accused of rape

A Meridian child-custody lawyer was disbarred for texting clients unsolicited and explicit photos of himself and making sexually suggestive and inappropriate comments, according to a notice published in The Advocate, an official publication of the Idaho State Bar. The same lawyer is also charged with rape in a separate criminal case filed in Southeast Idaho. The victim was an unconscious ...
News >  Idaho

‘In search of a problem’: Republicans butt heads over ‘harmful’ materials bill

The House on Wednesday passed a controversial bill to restrict materials children can view at libraries, the fourth iteration this year of a bill to crack down on books that Republicans deem are “harmful” to minors. Proponents of the bill, House Bill 710, have argued it’ll keep graphic sexual books out of the hands of children, while opponents have said those books already aren’t placed in ...
News >  Idaho

‘A specter of fear’: Claims about Idaho ‘harmful’ books rooted in QAnon conspiracy theory

Pedophilia. Child sex trafficking. Increased child molestation. Arguments in favor of an Idaho bill to restrict obscene library material to children seemed familiar to those following conspiracy theories. Several supporters of a bill to allow lawsuits against libraries in public hearings have cited unfounded concerns about sex traffickers who “condition” children through books or the ...
News >  Idaho

Idaho man pleads guilty to charge for shooting Idaho dams, causing $550K in damages

A Meridian man that shot a rifle at two Idaho Power hydroelectric dams and tried to flee from police has pleaded guilty to a federal charge, the U.S. attorney for the District of Idaho said in a news release Friday. Randy Vail, 59, pleaded guilty to destruction of an energy facility after shooting at Hells Canyon and Brownlee dams, causing nearly $550,000 in damage to the structures. Vail ...
News >  Idaho

Idaho bill would bar LGBTQ+ pride flags in classes. What other displays would be banned?

Mark Anderson, a music teacher at East Junior High School, has displayed a pride flag in his Boise classroom since 2019 — to him, a symbol of a safe space. He said one parent thanked him for the flag, because it meant their child had a welcoming place in the school. “Students see me as a safe person to come to, someone that will not judge them for whatever they need to speak to me about,” said ...
News >  Idaho

Why couldn’t Idaho executioners find a vein for Thomas Creech? It’s rare for death row

For almost an hour, members of Idaho’s execution team searched to find a suitable vein in the body of death row prisoner Thomas Creech to deliver the dose of deadly drugs needed to fulfill his death sentence. They were unable, and the state’s first execution in nearly 12 years was aborted. In fact, Creech’s attorneys had warned of likely “vein access problems” with their 73-year-old client in ...
News >  Idaho

Ex-Boise parole officer was charged with extortion. Prosecutor says he fled the country

An Ada County judge issued a warrant for a former Idaho Department of Correction probation and parole officer who allegedly extorted the girlfriend of one of his parolees and now has fled the country. Fourth District Magistrate Judge Susan Clark issued a nationwide warrant for Saif Sabah Hasan Al Anbagi after the 43-year-old missed a recent court date, according to a recording of the March 1 ...
News >  Idaho

Idaho student victims’ families decry ‘delay game.’ Court appeal could pause murder case

Public defenders for the man charged with murdering four University of Idaho students continue to press their case that a grand jury cannot indict a defendant unless its members reach the same legal threshold as a conviction at trial, beyond a reasonable doubt, and have appealed the issue to the Idaho Supreme Court. The development came to light last week at a pretrial hearing for Bryan ...
News >  Idaho

‘Did not look right’: Workers flagged concerns before deadly Boise hangar collapse

Several employees who worked at the site of a deadly building collapse on Boise Airport grounds told police they had noticed bending beams, snapped cables and overall structural issues, according to Boise Police Department investigative reports obtained by the Idaho Statesman. Some of these workers informed the site’s supervisor of the concerns the day before the hangar crumbled on Jan. 31, ...