Free Republic

For the people who now live in Eastern Oregon, they could see some of their existing rights eliminated under Idaho law, writes guest columnist Rebecca Tallent. It is unique: Some parts of Oregon are seeking a divorce from the state because the residents do not feel represented in the state Legislature.In recent elections, 11 Oregon counties voted to change states, from Oregon to Idaho. Greater Idaho, the nonprofit group promoting the move, said four Washington Counties (Asotin, Columbia, Walla Walla and Garfield) also expressed interest in moving. But what would this mean for Idaho?On its website, Greater Idaho said the...

Tomorrow, (right now) the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Moyle v. United States and Idaho v. United States, two consolidated cases questioning whether the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) supersedes Idaho’s near-total abortion ban and can force physicians to perform abortions in emergency situations. Idaho’s “Defense of Life Act” was enacted in 2020 and took effect when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. The law makes it a felony for doctors to perform an abortion unless it’s necessary to save the life of the mother. Soon after Roe’s overturning, the...

An 85-year-old Idaho woman fatally shot a home intruder in an act of self defense. County Prosecutors stated that Christime Jenneiahn committed a “justifiable homicide” after she shot an armed burglar who handcuffed her to a chair and threatened to kill her multiple times. Jenneiahn shot and killed 39-year-old Derek Condon, presenting “one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation” that Bingham County prosecutor Ryan Jolley has ever heard of, according to an incident review written Tuesday.

A group in Seattle, Washington – the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights (IREHR) – is warning Idahoans about an event taking place this weekend in Coeur d’Alene at Altar Church. Former Sheriff Richard Mack of Arizona, the presenter for the event, spoke to the Idaho Dispatch today, responding to the claims and accusations. IREHR’s About Page explains the organization’s beliefs and mission saying, in part, “Our long-held dreams for social and economic justice have become imbued with new hope in the future. More, the drive towards a truly multi-racial, multicultural democracy and individual human rights have gained...

An 85-year-old Idaho woman shot and killed an intruder in her home in what a county prosecutor called "one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have ever heard of." Bingham County Prosecutor Ryan Jolley said in a case review that the woman, identified Wednesday as Christine Jenneiahn, acted in self-defense and ruled it was a case of justifiable homicide. "That Christine survived this encounter is truly incredible," Jolley wrote. "Her grit, determination, and will to live appear to be what saved her that night. [snip] While Condon was searching downstairs, she dragged the wooden chair to which she...

The FBI arrested a man on Saturday who pledged his alliance to ISIS and planned to attack churches in Idaho. Alexander Scott Mercurio, 18, was charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to the Justice Department. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force conducted the investigation, CNN reported. Mercurio planned to attack churches in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday “using weapons, including knives, firearms, and fire,” according to court documents cited by the Justice Department. “Thanks to the investigative efforts of the FBI, the defendant was taken into custody before he could...

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The FBI on Saturday arrested an 18-year-old in Idaho for reportedly attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State group. The arrest came one day before the suspect was allegedly going to carry out a series of attacks on Idaho churches in the name of ISIS. Alexander Scott Mercurio, of Coeur d'Alene, allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and planned to carry out attacks on churches in the city on Sunday using "knives, firearms, and fire," according to a statement released by the Department of Justice. "The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force conducted...

Idaho school districts soon will have to remove any requirements that teachers use transgender students’ preferred pronouns. Gov. Brad Little quietly signed House Bill 538 on Monday. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, broadly enacts protections for public employees, including teachers, who are unwilling to use someone’s preferred name and pronouns. It had overwhelming support among Statehouse Republicans. The bill bars teachers from referring to a student by a name or pronoun that doesn’t align with their birth sex, unless the teacher has parental consent. It also gives teachers the right to sue their district if they’re disciplined...

If you’re worried about Idaho becoming too blue, don’t. “This is a red state,” said Secretary of State Phil McGrane. “No matter what you heard from someplace else, this is a Republican state, and I’m sorry for the Democrats in the room. Idaho is becoming redder. It’s just a fact.” In a 30-minute speech to about 100 Coeur d’Alene Rotarians at The Coeur d’Alene Resort on Friday, McGrane offered voter registration numbers to back up his statement. He said that between 2004 and 2023, 118,639 voters from 49 states moved to Idaho. Of those, 77,089, 65%, registered as Republicans, while...

What are the ramifications and true reality of breaching the dams in the pacific northwest (PNW)? Idaho Dispatch brought you this article last December when the Biden Administration reached an agreement with Oregon, Washington, and four Pacific Northwest Native American Tribes. Now we will look back at the history and examine the myriad aspects of this topic which must be discussed and analyzed thoroughly. A short list to begin includes: the population and health of salmon, the irrigation/farming/water rights which will be affected, the financial impacts, the shipping and barging system, and hydroelectric power. We start with history, legal aspects,...

Lori Vallow packed her bags for a weekend trip to St. George, Utah, in late October 2018. She and a few friends were traveling north from Arizona to attend a weekend preppers conference held at a local high school. At the time, Vallow was married to her fourth husband and had two children and adopted another. But that didn’t stop her from catching the eye of the author and seminar speaker she was here to see. Chad Daybell had already built a reputation, the former Utahn whose apparent near-death experiences had prompted his foray into the world of preppers —...

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (KUTV) — Idaho leaders have responded to allegations of racism toward University of Utah women's basketball players while they were staying in Coeur d'Alene for the NCAA Tournament. Mayor Jim Hammond, Police Chief Lee White and representatives with the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations were among speakers at Tuesday's press conference.

Anything like the Laura Sylsby story is a candidate for being scrubbed off the internet sooner or later and I want at least the one versionof the story I'm still finding to be around as close to forever as possible. The article notes: Laura Silsby convicted in Haiti, but free to go JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press Writer May 17, 2010 Comments  ......U.S. missionary Laura Silsby, left, leaves a courthouse in Port-au-Prince, Monday, May 17, 2010. Silsby, the last of 10 Americans detained while trying to take 33 children out of Haiti following the Jan. 12 earthquake, was released...

G.M. had provided information about braking, acceleration and speed to LexisNexis Risk Solution and Verisk, firms that generated driver risk profiles for insurers... General Motors said Friday that it had stopped sharing details about how people drove its cars with two data brokers that created risk profiles for the insurance industry. The decision followed a New York Times report this month that G.M. had, for years, been sharing data about drivers’ mileage, braking, acceleration and speed with the insurance industry. The drivers were enrolled — some unknowingly, they said — in OnStar Smart Driver, a feature in G.M.’s internet-connected cars...

U.S. Bank has debanked the Constitution Party of Idaho March 22, 2024 — The Chairman of the Constitution Party of Idaho (CP-Idaho) received by mail the balance of the party’s funds in the account held with U.S. Bank since 2006, along with a short account closure letter which read, US BANK — ACCOUNT CLOSURE Reference number xxxxxx Dear Constitution Party of Idaho, Advertisement Enclosed is an official check in the amount of $xxxxxxx for the balance of the above referenced account. Sincerely, Retail Quality Assurance – Account Review Advertisement Check number xxxxxx This account has always been in good standing...

Skylar Meade escaped from corrections officers after an accomplice ambushed them while they were transporting Meade back from a Boise hospital.Authorities are investigating whether the deaths of an 83-year-old man who was walking his dogs and a 72-year-old man who lived in a remote cabin are connected to the escape of an Idaho white supremacist prison gang member and an accomplice after a Boise hospital ambush. The escaped prisoner, Skylar Meade, and the accomplice, a recently released inmate named Nicholas Umphenour — both members of the Aryan Knights gang — were arrested in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Thursday afternoon. Their...

In the book, ‘1984’ is a famous quote: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face—forever.” Too often, laws are passed without looking through the foundational lens of our country. By that I mean the lens of the “purpose of government.” Where do we find that lens? We find it in one of the four organic laws of the United States: Namely, The Declaration of Independence. In it we are told the purpose of government is “…to secure God-given rights.” Without that lens, liberty is at risk of being stomped in the...

Dear Idaho, You are not a conservative state. I know you think you are. After all, more than 80% of your lawmakers call themselves Republican. The Republican Party controls the House, the Senate, and the Governor’s office. But let’s be honest. Idaho just isn’t conservative. Many Republican lawmakers vote like Democrats. Even those who campaign as “conservatives” vote liberal more than half the time. Here are some examples: HJM11—To hold President Biden and the federal government accountable for the invasion at our southern border. (Failed on the House floor.) Conservative states stand up for the rule of law rather than...

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department issued an arrest warrant for 45-year-old Daniel Rodimer.A former congressional candidate was identified by Las Vegas police as the murder suspect in the death of Christopher Tapp. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said on Wednesday an arrest warrant for Daniel Rodimer, 45, was filed on March 6. He is being charged with open murder. LVMPD said on Oct. 29, first responders went to a call of an injured man on the 3000 block of the Las Vegas Boulevard. When they got there, they found Tapp injured from what they believed was an...

Idaho’s attempt to execute death row prisoner Thomas Creech, 73, was halted an hour into his scheduled lethal injection after prison officials were unable to establish a vein to insert an IV, according to the Idaho prison system. Creech’s attempted execution began at 10 a.m. and was called off at 10:58 a.m., media witnesses said. Creech’s death warrant expires just before midnight Wednesday, and it would be allowed to lapse, said Josh Tewalt, director of Idaho Department of Correction. “At approximately 11 a.m., Director Tewalt, after consulting with the medical team leader, determined that the medical team could not establish...