Living
Should Idaho’s minimum wage be raised? Experts, Idahoans weigh in on proposed two-year plan
“How much money do you make?” This question has historically been considered impolite to ask one another, but with the cost of living rapidly rising in Idaho, it’s become a relevant one. How much money are Idahoans making, and more importantly, is it enough? Even though the cost of living has been increasing over the […]
2021 grads face an uncertain future. Next Steps Idaho connects high school seniors with resources to help.
Some 22,000 students will graduate from Idaho high schools in the next eight weeks, as did a similar number a year ago. Some have plans. Many don’t. The unusual, semi-virtual school year, rising college costs, lingering effects of the pandemic, and other factors create confusion and uncertainty for recent grads and young adults trying to […]
‘Our economy won’t recover without child care.’ Boise-area child care providers to protest Legislature’s inaction
Child care centers across the Treasure Valley are scheduled to be closed Monday to call attention to $34 million in child care funding that the Idaho Legislature has not approved. Child care providers say the funds are the difference between staying open and closing their doors. The Idaho House of Representatives voted down the $200 […]
Saturday events honor memory of Idaho workers who died on the job
At least three dozen Idaho workers lost their lives on the job in 2019, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Many of them were employees in Idaho’s agriculture and construction industries. OSHA each year around Workers Memorial Day recognizes people who died in work-related accidents, injuries and illnesses. Labor unions will host […]
More than 650 Idaho nonprofits could use your help. Here’s how to donate during Idaho Gives.
Starting today, Idahoans can donate to more than 650 charities and nonprofits throughout the state through Idaho Gives, the Gem State’s largest online fundraising event each year. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased need for nonprofits statewide, the donation window will remain open for a week from April 29 through May 6. Donors […]
St. Vincent de Paul invites Treasure Valley residents to tour new administrative office
In celebration of Idaho Gives, St. Vincent de Paul invites Treasure Valley residents to tour the charity’s new administrative office and learn more about its work in southwest Idaho. At the open houses, residents can meet St. Vincent de Paul’s team, which works to prevent homelessness and connect people who are homeless with programming and […]
Data shows widening gap between Ada County’s commercial, residential property taxes
As debates over property tax relief have continued in the Boise area, legislators, city officials and residents alike have pointed to an increasing shift of the tax burden to residential homeowners over commercial properties. A dataset of residential and commercial property taxes obtained from the city of Meridian and reviewed by the Idaho Capital Sun […]
Nonprofit Jesse Tree creates security deposit assistance program with grant funding
Homelessness prevention nonprofit Jesse Tree has launched a Security Deposit Assistance Program with a $30,000 grant from the Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation to help assist those losing their rental housing, according to a press release from Jesse Tree. The program applies to anyone in the Treasure Valley living in a form of rental housing, including […]
Idaho child care providers say grant dollars are key to survival
When the Boise School District shut down in March 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic began, Melissa Buck’s enrollment at the Vista Montessori School child care center went from 45 children to 12. She normally fields five to 10 inquiries a week for enrollment and quotes a yearlong waitlist for potential children from infants to age […]
New Boise State Model United Nations program receives $500,000 gift
Boise State University will begin a new Model United Nations program after a donation of $500,000 from the Frank Church Institute, according to a BSU press release. The money will be used to administer the program and to subsidize attendance from high school students who will participate in an annual competition on Boise State’s campus. […]
Boise auditorium district was down $3.1M last year, but demand may be up – way up – come fall
Despite a downturn in hotel occupancy rates during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, officials with the Greater Boise Auditorium District and Pocatello-Chubbuck Auditorium District say they used reserve funds to get by and expect a boom from pent-up demand in the coming months. Auditorium districts were established in Idaho Code in 1959 […]
Idaho families are still — and will always be — suffering because of COVID. Mine is one.
Editor’s note: Karen Kay died Sunday, April 11, 2021. She was 61. My Aunt Karen Kay has a sneaky smile with crooked teeth, a rebellious stubborn streak and a purse collection that rivals even Cardi B’s. She loves cold Cokes, black “kiki” cats and dozens and dozens of photo albums full of family. And as […]