The Connector: Idaho Daily News

Blaine County teachers will get a raise, but negotiations on a formal contract remain stalled, Idaho has poured $40 million dollars into firefighting on state land this year, Idaho City merges its police with Boise County, and the city of Moscow is sued for religious discrimination.

Boise School District has settled a lawsuit brought by a female student over an encounter with a transgender girl in a girl's bathroom, Lewiston School District faces a tort claim over an assistant football coach currently behind bars for sexual abuse, tax revenue in Idaho is beating expectations so far this fiscal year, water delivery for the irrigation season is in its final weeks, and how to see the Idaho Liberty Bell as it tours all 44 Idaho counties.

Road fatalities in Idaho were up slightly this summer, but are trending down overall this year, the juvenile accused of killing a woman in a drive-by shooting at a house party will be tried as an adult, the widow of late Ada County Sheriff's deputy Tobin Bolter gets a surprise from a first responder nonprofit, and we visit the World Village Festival in Boise.

Major layoffs hit the Idaho Statesman and other McClatchy Media-owned newspapers across the country, Boise County residents are trying to crowd-fund a new rescue dive team for the area, herbicide treatment will be applied to areas of Payette Lake to reduce invasive eurasian milfoil, and BSU celebrates 40 years of 'The Blue' this season, as the home season kicks off Saturday.

The Boise Library Commission rejects a request to pull a children's book from the shelves, University of Idaho President C. Scott Green announces his retirement, AC Boise will jump up to the USL Championship League next year and expand their stadium, and a preview of local September 11th anniversary events happening Friday.

Overdose deaths appear to be trending down in Idaho, Gov. Little appoints two new members of the State Board of Education, how one Idaho fourth grader will be selected to help light the Capitol Christmas tree in Washington, D.C. this December, and Idaho's longest hiking trail - already 900 miles - will get a little longer.

The State Supreme Court has signed off on language voters will see on the ballot explaining Idaho's Proposition 1 this November, Boise Police investigate a fatal stabbing at a house party in NW Boise, Lyft is sued by a woman whose Boise-area rideshare driver kidnapped and raped her in 2024, and there's 'no moral victories' for Boise State football.

Two teens have been arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting in Boise Sunday which killed a 22-year old woman, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court puts a ruling that slight expanded access to abortion in Idaho on hold, labor leaders prep for the Labor Day Holiday, as a record number of holiday travelers is facing record high fuel prices, and a robust discussion on the Boise City Council dais over well water or city water for a new build in west Boise.

The State Supreme Court has little time to decide how Proposition 1 should be described to voters on ballots this November, Ada County's political leaders and health officials want to understand how bad the rat problem is - but say there isn't much money to do anything about it, Idaho's Department of Corrections officially signs an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and a critical incident report found a Twin Falls Police officer fired multiple shots in the response to the mass shooting at an In-N-Out Burger August 1st.

Andy Hawes will return to the Boise School District Board of Trustees, a new spider species was found in Idaho, Chobani plans more expansion - but not in Idaho, and as the 35th Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic gets underway, a look at the history of hot air balloons. 

Idaho's AG declares churches can contribute financially to political issues like Proposition 1 without declaring individual donors, Canyon County's Prosecutor drops a trespassing citation against a man who was evangelizing and refused to leave the 2C Pride event in June, and it's election day in the Boise School District.

Idaho's Department of Insurance moves to take control of the Teacher's Benefit Trust health insurance program, Boise police are investigating an apparent drive-by shooting early Sunday which left one woman dead, McCall reevaluates its Independence Day celebration, and Blaine County Commissioners split over a big budget increase for the incoming coroner.

The group behind abortion-rights measure Proposition 1 is suing the state again over proposed ballot language, drought conditions hitting Idaho's farmers hard, Idaho appears to be on a winning path in the fight against quagga mussels, and one rural Idaho county's unique approach to wildfire mitigation planning.

A recent court ruling allowing doctors to preform abortions to protect a mother's health was narrowed to protect only the doctor who sued over Idaho's abortion ban, Treasure Valley health officials are working to establish a rat abatement district as rat sightings grow, how much will Idaho get from the $17.1 billion settlement with social media giant Meta? We check in on the health of Idaho's most critical drinking water resource, and, when to look up for a partial lunar eclipse - if clouds don't get in the way.

The man charged with stabbing another man to death on the Boise Greenbelt this summer could have charges paused indefinitely, Boise School District cuts the ribbon on new electric school buses, firefighters battle new blazes in Idaho as dangerous weather conditions persist, and press freedom groups are suing the Trump Administration over non-reporting of deaths and injuries in U.S. National Parks.

Campaign coffers fill up on both sides of the fight for abortion rights in Idaho, the 'orange bag' plastic recycling program will end next year, vaccination exemptions continue to rise among incoming kindergarten students, and more on how Idaho's economy could suffer in a U.S.-Canada trade war.

Idaho starts its new fiscal year by beating income expectations, the newly-revived trade war between the US and Canada could affect Idaho businesses, a Twin Falls man has died after an incident with police in Ontario, Oregon, and Ketchum has its first new police chief in 17 years.

Micron plans a $10 billion research facility investment in Boise, a 'rising star' in nematology will be the first presidential Endowed Chair at the University of Idaho, Amazon expanding drone delivery to new cities - including Boise, and BSU soccer has the longest unbeaten streak in women's college soccer.

New details on the helicopter crash that killed two pilots fighting fire in Utah, seniors in Idaho are being scammed, and how pickle ball is picking up in Boise.

The latest on the Idaho fire season, the USDA makes an announcement that could affect Idaho forests in a big way, and a new state law could change how apartments are built in Boise.

News on new campaign finance rules, gas prices in Idaho and an infestation of rats in the Treasure Valley.

A federal judge narrowly expands abortion access in Idaho, firefighting aircraft are coming in from Canada to help fight fires in the US, Australian and New Zealand firefighters are also coming out West to help - and the NPR Senior Podcast Competition has begun.

"The People's Tree" has been chosen, there's a new AI policy for Idaho schools, a weather update on the smokey skies and K-pop comes to the gem state. 

News on firefighter deaths in Utah, a new requirement for Idaho schools, more affordable housing construction is underway in Boise  and there are fire restrictions in Northern Idaho.

News on how Idaho lawmakers are trying to regulate health insurance companies, kids in Boise start heading back to school and there’s a fire weather watch for multiple Idaho cities starting tomorrow.

News on e-moto policy in Boise, the Interior Department reviewing federal wilderness policies across millions of acres of public lands, a call for ornaments for the Capitol Christmas Tree, and updates to the Discovery Center of Idaho. 

News on how Idaho is managing this fire season, a new app making it easier to comment on changes to public lands, a north Idaho police shortage, some upcoming road construction, and tips on food safety from Idaho health officials.

News on how wildfire smoke affects mental health, a revamp of Idaho’s attorney licensing exam, the latest wildfire potential forecast for the Northwest, and a new project that could help Idaho store more water. 

Drones are interrupting fire operations, news on how huckleberry season is faring, Idaho State Police Headquarters has a new patrol captain, and researchers are using AI to find critical minerals.

Free counseling continues today for people affected by the Twin Falls shooting, the Red Cross has a major blood shortage, the latest on schools in the Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences fighting over big money, and lawmakers weigh in on whether people should be betting on wildfires.

A man has been arrested in connection with the Spokane fires, police presence is increasing across the region tonight, a christian nationalist group is suing Boise State University, and BSU’s fall football training camp.

News on multiple wildfires blazing in the Inland Northwest an adjustment to some local trails and a mass shooting in Twin Falls that caught national attention. 

Some outdoor events are canceled or changed, others will continue as-scheduled as wildfire smoke continues to harm air quality in southern Idaho, containment increases on the Big Grass Fire now primarily burning in Owyhee County, three of the Idaho women who sued the state over its abortion ban are among more than a dozen accusing an anti-abortion website of defamation, and Perpetua Resources and Idaho National Laboratory cut the ribbon on a pilot plant for processing antimony mined at stibnite for the U.S. Military.

How does wildfire smoke and poor air quality affect us? Plus, Idaho Governor Brad Little declared a wildfire emergency and deployed the Idaho National Guard to help. Separately, two Idaho Guardsmen face an assault allegation while deployed in Washington, D.C. Idaho could trade nuclear development opportunity for nuclear waste, and how the state's inmates played a role in the North End Zone renovation project at Boise State's Albertsons Stadium.

David Roth drops out of the Idaho senate race, the police department in McCall is struggling to keep summer tourists in line, a Caldwell woman was arrested on first degree murder charges yesterday and political money is flowing in Idaho after an initiative qualified for the November ballot. 

Bryan Kohberger, the man convicted of killing four college students, files to change his guilty plea. New science on how wildfire smoke affects ozone pollution, the smoke outlook for Southern Idaho this week and how smoke affects our pets. 

A special edition of The Connector, as air quality across southwest Idaho is unhealthy, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality. Local AQI readings are worse in some areas. Fires burning in eastern Oregon have triggered evacuation orders, the closure of Interstate 84 and other state highways, and the degraded air quality across southern Idaho. Relief may not be on the way, with dry conditions and increasing temperatures in the forecast later this week.

News on how the war in Iran is affecting gas prices for Idahoans, smaller yields for winter crops, an increase on a fee for Idaho landowners, and how the viral video of a grandpa getting tossed by a bison is helping doctors diagnose his injuries.

Today we have news on officers in Boise shooting a man, Albertsons' stock taking a plunge, the latest on a bonfire accident that happened in Pierce, and details on cyclosporiasis spreading in the Mountain West states - including Idaho.

How big businesses in Idaho are affecting small communities, details on the Banana Ball Tour coming to town, the way wildfire smoke affects dogs, and details on how an organization in Caldwell is combating food insecurity.

What you should know about air quality, with wildfire smoke inundating the Treasure Valley, southern Idaho's cereal grain crop should be okay this year after concerns of damaging spring frosts, and Idaho group hopes to get a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on coordinated campaign donations overturned, and Idaho has spent about half its planned wildfire budget already this fire season.

Evacuation orders downgraded on the Ohio Fire near Hailey, a North Idaho drag performer drops a defamation lawsuit against a Christian lobbying group, the suspect in this month's deadly stabbing on the Boise greenbelt will undergo a mental competency evaluation, and state water managers meet today to discuss newly-expanded oversight responsibilities for cloud-seeding.

The latest on major fires burning in Idaho, smoke in the air and the increasing fire activity across the U.S., plus Idaho ended last fiscal year in the black, Nampa defunds public transit, and United Methodist Church leaders from Oregon and Idaho will not bring a regional conference back to Idaho next year after concerns over LGTBQ safety and respect.

Pro women's soccer in Boise will be delayed, 'community solar' is coming to the city of Boise, some water customers in McCall are in danger of shutoffs after a billing system change, and the coach who led Boise State football onto blue turf for the very first time has died.

Lawmakers debate how much to spend on improving physician education in the state, Garden City joins Boise in requiring e-motos to be licensed and insured and only used on roads, Idaho schools get a record dividend payment from the Idaho Lottery, and the Attorney General warns of a new scam targeting the race for housing.

Boise's mayor pushes back on suggestions the city is somehow responsible for the murder of a man on the greenbelt by an unhoused person, Boiseans come together in solidarity with the latest person killed by federal immigration agents, forest officials are looking for people they say left a campfire unattended, leading to a wildfire Sunday near Alturas Lake in Blaine County, and direct service to Hawai'i is returning to the Boise Airport after more than a decade.

Abortion rights will be on the ballot in Idaho this November - what the data say about the petition signatures which qualified the issue for voters. Plus, two Republican state lawmakers blame Boise for the murder of a 25-year old man on the greenbelt trail last week, two national monument areas in neighboring Utah are being shrunk - again - by the Trump Administration, and one of Costa Rica's best soccer teams is coming to Boise in August. 

Passers-by thwarted an assault and kidnapping Saturday night on the Boise greenbelt, a 41-year old man has confessed to killing a 25 year old riding a scooter on the greenbelt last week, chainsaws are coming to the Frank Church wilderness, estimated containment on the Claremont fire in the Boise foothills is pushed out to August 1, and Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford explains why the county is changing it's emergency alert provider.

A suspect in what police have characterized as a random killing on the Boise greenbelt this week is in custody, what public lands advocates in Valley County like about a new proposed land swap around Payette Lake, and thousands of Snake River trust water users will not face curtailment this irrigation season.

Boise Police need the public's help in an investigation into a homicide on the greenbelt, evacuation orders from the Claremont Fire downgraded in Boise County overnight, drought conditions expected to worsen this summer, and midwives at a Lewiston hospital sidelined after a physician steps down. Today's audio file was corrected to remove music accidentally included in the final mix.