Free Republic

Around 3 a.m. on Friday, a juvenile black bear reportedly broke into a home in the Sunset Heights neighborhood in Salmon, where Brian and Kim Heidemann, along with Kim’s 14 and 9-year-old daughters were sleeping. ...one of the juvenile bears, estimated at about 1 year old, reportedly tried to break into the home through the 14-year-old daughter’s bedroom window.“(Kim’s) daughter heard noises outside of her bedroom window, and they have a swamp cooler right there,” says Dabell. “Her daughter looked out the window, and at first thought it was a human because apparently when bears grunt, they sound very human-esque.”The...

Idaho voters will be able to cast a vote for one of six guns on Election Day, and the votes will serve an “advisory” role to guide the legislature in choosing the official gun of Idaho. Idaho News 6 reported: The six options include Western-style weapons that gained fame during pioneer days, such as the 1873 Single Action Army Revolver Colt .45, the Winchester Model 1894 (.30-30), and the Winchester Model 1873, known as the “Gun That Won the West.” The list also includes weapons with military heritage, like the M1 Garand and the Colt Model 1911 .45. The sixth...

Watch as a WSJ reporter visits Idaho, where a battle is under way for the future of the Republican PartyThis is an episode of Rooted In, where our reporters take you back to their hometowns to capture the voice of the nation ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.Video Transcript Summary ISLAND PARK, Idaho—If you’re trying to understand the ongoing battle over the soul of the Republican Party, a good place to start is out on a lake in eastern Idaho near the Wyoming border. Armed with a fishing rod, of course.I met Jack Nelsen, a lifelong Republican and state representative...

Ada County Sheriff identifies man found dead in Boise church in 1982, possibly linked to the Tylenol cyanide poisonings in the 1980s. The following is the YT transcription. It might be better just to watch all 10 minutes of the news cast.

The 2026 Idaho Liberty Bell Tour will kick off with three stops in East Idaho this week before it continues its journey through all 44 counties. The bell, modeled after the cracked original in Philadelphia, will be in Pocatello from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday and from 10 a.m. to noon Friday at the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation. It will then travel to Blackfoot on Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the Eastern Idaho State Fair and Parade. The Idaho Liberty Bell was one of several replicas that were distributed to U.S. states and territories to promote the...

BOISE (CN) — Reproductive health advocates sparred with Idaho before the state Supreme Court on Wednesday in an effort to change an abortion access proposition’s ballot language ahead of the November election. The dispute concerns language used to describe the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act, an initiative from Idahoans United for Women and Families. The group accuses Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane and Attorney General Raul Labrador of mischaracterizing the initiative in the section of the ballot that explains the effect of a yes or no vote. “These statements must be clear and concise; the proposed statements are neither,”...

In an altogether tragic, yet unfortunately predictable turn of events, the leftist group Idahoans United for Women and Children obtained the necessary number of signatures to put the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act (RFPA) on the ballot in November 2026. We all now know it as Proposition 1 (Prop 1). What does it say about the current state of Idaho that this radical measure made it on the ballot? To us, it says two things. First, Idaho is not as conservative as people are led to believe; and second, there are many voters who find themselves somewhere in the middle...

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Idaho — What started with a lightning strike ended with the Tartar Fire burning more than 158,000 acres across Washington County. But some ranchers say the wildfire wasn't the only source of their losses. Kirk Chandler, who has lived on his family's ranch his entire life, says ranchers spent days working to protect their property as the Tartar Fire moved through the area. "If you're the third one to call or the second one to call for help, they're not available, and so you just have to take care of yourself," Chandler said. That meant protecting cattle, sheep...

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in supporting a federal lawsuit challenging Idaho's law that bars transgender students from using school restrooms and other sex-separated facilities that align with their gender identity. The coalition filed an amicus brief urging a federal judge in Idaho to block enforcement of the law while the lawsuit moves forward, arguing that the measure is unconstitutional and undermines the rights and safety of transgender students. Idaho's House Bill 264 prohibits transgender people from using restrooms and other sex-separated facilities consistent with their gender identity in certain public educational...

The shooting was reported at 2:30 p.m. at the In-N-Out in Twin Falls.At least three people were killed, with reports of two injured.The shooter is among the dead. This was a picture of him:One more video:A nearby civilian in a hat was also recorded firing back across the parking lot at the shooter.Zero clue who this champ is or what kind of pistol he was packing. 👇

Three people were killed and at least seven others were wounded in a shooting Saturday afternoon at an In-N-Out restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho, local authorities said. The situation unfolded before 2:30 p.m. local time. Social media video obtained by CBS News showed people fleeing a shopping center parking lot as multiple gunshots are heard. In the video, a person carrying what appeared to be a firearm could be seen outside the restaurant opening the doors to a parked sedan. In a news conference Saturday night, Twin Falls Police Chief Matthew Hicks told reporters that there were fatalities, but he...

Idaho Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson recently signed on to a renewed attempt to overhaul the visa program for agricultural migrant workers. The proposed legislation includes a change long-sought by Idaho’s dairy industry leaders — it would allow year-round agriculture producers to access workers, instead of just for seasonal labor. “This is an issue that I’ve been working on for probably 20 years with the dairy industry in Idaho and the challenges they face,” Simpson said at a June 30 press conference to announce the legislation. The bill, H.R. 9535, would make several changes to the H-2A visa program, which...

The Idaho abortion voter initiative qualifies for the ballot this November. The ballot initiative would allow abortions for the full nine months of pregnancy if passed this November and nullify the “Defense of Life Act.” Since the “Defense of Life Act” legislation began being enforced on August 25, 2022, it is estimated nearly 6,000 innocent children have been saved from abortion in Idaho. Also, not one woman has been arrested for having a miscarriage, no doctor has been prosecuted under the “Defense of Life Act” and not a single woman has died seeking an “illegal abortion” as pro-choice activists claimed...

BOISE, Idaho — Micron’s rapid rise in market value is now hitting home for employees in the Treasure Valley, with some seeing enough gains to retire early or add thousands of dollars to their finances. ... One Boise-based financial planner said that kind of growth was historic for the Treasure Valley. "A lot of these Micron employees are just common people that we live next to, but underneath the surface, most of them are overnight millionaires," said JT Belnap of Treasure Valley Financial Planning Belnap said many people still do not realize how valuable Micron has become nationally. "I've talked...

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday to temporarily halt an Idaho law that would restrict bathroom access for transgender people, ruling that major parts of the law are likely unconstitutional. In a 30-page decision, Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford issued a preliminary injunction preventing House Bill 752 from taking effect while legal challenges proceed. The ruling also granted provisional class-action status to transgender residents across the state, extending the court’s protections beyond the original plaintiffs. “Another issue of enforceability is a law enforcement officer’s ability to determine an individual’s ‘biological sex,'” Judge Brailsford wrote. This ruling is a...

Nuclear energy is about to play a huge role in powering America, but the new reactors that will do the heavy lifting are surprisingly small. Some are so small they are classified as microreactors—mobile powerhouses capable of being transported anywhere they’re needed to provide power, including the most remote sites on the planet. Spotlight on America traveled to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), where these microreactors are about to be powered up and tested for the very first time inside a facility already famous for making history. Now, history is unfolding here once again. The newly renovated and reconfigured Dome...

BOISE, Idaho — All four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided and crashed on Sunday during an air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho, officials said. The collision involved two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, said Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. The aircraft were performing an aerial demonstration when the crash happened, Umayam said in a statement. The four crew members from both jets safely ejected and the crash was under investigation, she said. The crew members...

Getting car tabs renewed in Idaho will soon be easier thanks to a new law just passed in the state legislature that eliminates the requirement for physical registration stickers on license plates. The law, which takes effect in July, means drivers will still have to pay to update their tabs with the department of licensing, but won't have to put the physical sticker on their license plate. Lawmakers say the state will save $300,000 just by not having to print and distribute the stickers anymore. Some drivers are looking forward to physical car tabs going away in Idaho, especially because...

Three deputies with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office are being honored for their role in responding to the tragic Canfield Fire ambush. On Sunday, June 29, 2025, 20-year-old Wess Roley intentionally started the Canfield Fire east of Coeur d'Alene, intending to kill responding firefighters. Roley ultimately killed two firefighters and seriously wounded a third during the ambush before taking his own life. Kootenai County Sheriff's Deputies Harvey Ballman, Arek Brock, and Josh Orr responded to the shooting and, under extreme duress, helped evacuate the seriously wounded firefighter, another firefighter who was "trapped," and five other civilians. The responding deputies also...

An Idaho state Republican lawmaker proposed a bill that would fine cities for flying LGBTQ+ flags after the city of Boise declared the flag an official flag as a way to circumvent an existing state law. State Rep. Ted Hill (R) introduced legislation that would levy fines for government entities that violate a recent state law that banned state and local governments from flying any flags other than domestic government and military flags. Hill blamed Boise Mayor Lauren McLean for pushing to make the LGBQT+ pride flag an official flag. Reports suggest that the city council voted to add the...