Commentary
Idaho’s physician shortage is here. Here’s what we can do about it.
I love living in Coeur d’Alene. I graduated from Lake City High School, and when it came time to start a family, my wife – born and raised in Coeur d’Alene – and I were intentional about doing so where we grew up. I’ve known from a young age I wanted to pursue a career […]
These 9 hacks will help get your Idaho student ready for kindergarten. (Hint: Start this summer)
Preschool children are confident in spirit, abundant in energy, and eager to learn. For them, everything is still possible. Many people wait until back-to-school season to begin preparing young children for the next phase. For those just beginning school, now is a good time to take advantage of precious months that can be used to […]
The Last Honest Man: Idaho Sen. Frank Church’s legacy and the American intelligence community
On the Sunday before Idaho’s four-term United States Sen. Frank Church lost re-election more than 40 years ago – the date was Nov. 2, 1980 – it was clear that Church, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, early opponent of the Vietnam War, champion of the Wilderness Act and investigator of the vast […]
Remembering and mourning our foreign partners on Memorial Day
Beginning with the Revolutionary War, almost 1.4 million Americans have died in our nation’s wars, including about 667,000 killed in combat. We remember, honor and mourn those gallant souls every year on Memorial Day – May 29 this year. Those Americans who have served in or near war zones carry their memories throughout the year. […]
The best hedge against Idaho’s rising energy prices is renewable energy
Most Idahoans are being worn down by the economic impact of inflation. Over the past two months, Idaho’s primary natural gas and power utilities, not to mention the local water company, are planning hefty raises that will harm ratepayers, particularly those living on fixed incomes. Idaho Power recently requested an increase of 10.3%, or an […]
IDeal’s May match offers a jumpstart to saving for college, training and apprenticeships
As someone who has worked in education for more than 25 years here in Idaho, I have always looked forward to the high school graduation season and the sense of excitement and promise it brings. It’s hard to top the joy and satisfaction that comes with seeing a son, daughter or grandchild walk up to […]
The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act is the last best chance for the last best place
Idaho and the Northern Rockies are facing an unprecedented wave of development that is fracturing wildlife habitat, threatening water quality, and seeing vastly increased logging of our national forests under the guise of “restoration” and wildfire prevention. There is hope, however, to keep our forests standing, our wildlife healthy in secure and connected habitat, and […]
U.S. Sen. Len Jordan reflected the values of Idaho’s traditional Republicans
Former U.S. Sen. Len Jordan served Idaho with distinction from 1962 through 1972. He was a conservative Republican who brought courage and individualism to the Senate. He differed with Idaho’s other senator, Frank Church, on a number of issues, but they worked together in harmony on issues affecting Idaho. Both were dedicated to safeguarding democracy. […]
2,429 earthquakes, 11 Steamboat Geyser eruptions, floods: Here’s Yellowstone’s 2022 year in review
Since 2017, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory has produced annual reports that contain an abundance of information about a variety of topics — ground deformation trends, earthquake activity, and upgrades to monitoring networks, for example. In addition, there is information about research results and new discoveries, like the recognition of the new thermal area near Tern […]
In the rural West, old bones can be a small town’s movie stars
The prehistoric past can perk up the present. When woolly mammoth bones were found in my hometown in Wisconsin years ago, they became the centerpiece of one of our local museums. Today, they continue to attract visitors and serve as one of the city’s informal symbols. Unfortunately, the story across much of the fossil-rich West […]
Idaho GOP supports some — but not all — as it considers changes to party voting rules
Members of the Idaho GOP Executive Committee are attempting to remove the Idaho Federation of Republican Women president from voting status. Rule 2023-07 was submitted at the January Idaho GOP 2023 winter meeting. Due to time constraints, the rule was tabled until the June 2023 summer meeting. The IFRW president would not be allowed to […]
A bright silver lining shines through an ugly cloud of misinformation in North Idaho
A bright ray of love and compassion has just broken through the ugly cloud of misinformation about transgender kids that was created in the just-concluded legislative session. At a time when extremist legislators, particularly from the northern climes of the state, seemed hell-bent on punishing these kids, a courageous panhandle librarian was selected for a […]