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One of the surviving roommates of the four University of Idaho students allegedly killed by Bryan Kohberger didn’t immediately call police because she thought her friend was passed out drunk – not realizing she was likely already dead, a new court ruling reveals. After a night out partying, Dylan Mortensen “heard strange noises and crying” before opening her bedroom door and seeing “a man dressed in black with a ski mask on walking by her bedroom door,” around 4:00 a.m., according to a new decision by Boise District Court Judge Steven Hippler. Mortensen then got on the phone with the...

I was getting gasoline yesterday in Coeur d'Alene, ID and this beauty was at the gas pump next to me. It's a rare 1940 Ford Cabover truck. The owner was a very nice young man who picked it up from a family friend after the guy who restored it passed away from a stroke. That gorgeous candy-apple red metal flake "paint" job is actually a wrap! In the 60s, the restorer / restomodder worked on cars in Southern California and he was able to buy two Ford 427 CI engines that had been custom made by Ford for drag racing....

According to a CBC report, an extensive new project has highlighted just how vast the trade network in obsidian was for Indigenous communities living during the precontact period in current-day Alberta. Obsidian, a type of volcanic glass, was indispensable for many ancient cultures around the world because it can be easily shaped into arrowheads and cutting tools. No volcanoes have ever erupted in Alberta, however, so every sherd of obsidian was transported there from elsewhere. Researchers from the Alberta Obsidian Project analyzed 383 obsidian fragments from 96 sites across the area dating to between 13,000 and 300 years ago. They...

Governor Brad Little signed an executive order that aims to ramp up timber harvests during a visit to Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday. Titled the “Make Forests Healthy Again Act,” the executive order directs the Idaho Department of Lands to expand on its partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to reduce wildfire risk in Idaho’s federally managed forest lands. Active management activities include “increasing timber harvest, restoring watersheds to support the industry, protecting communities, and making our forests healthier, more resilient and resistant to catastrophic wildfire,” said IDL director Dustin Miller. Sixty percent of Idaho’s land is owned and managed by...

An Idaho woman filed a notice of tort claim Monday with the Kootenai County clerk saying county officials and others violated her constitutional rights when she was removed from a town hall meeting in February. “Town halls are intended to foster conversation and discourse across the aisle, which is why I am deeply alarmed that private security dragged me out of the public meeting for simply exercising my fundamental right of free speech,” Teresa Borrenpohl said in a press release. The tort claim says Borrenpohl is seeking damages of at least $5 million. Wendy Olson, an attorney for Borrenpohl, said...

City prosecutors have filed criminal charges against six men involved in a chaotic legislative town hall, including the private security guards who dragged a Post Falls woman out of the Coeur d’Alene High School auditorium. Paul Trouette, Russell Dunne, Christofer Berg and Jesse Jones, all of whom are associated with the security firm Lear Asset Management, are charged with the misdemeanor crimes of battery and false imprisonment. The five men and Alex Trouette were also cited for security agent uniform violations and security agent duties violations. Post Falls resident Michael Keller is also charged with battery, a misdemeanor. The charges...

IDAHO FALLS — Stakeholders with the Grand Teton Council and other local community leaders gathered Wednesday to discuss ways of increasing membership for the Scouting program after a massive drop in numbers five years ago. The Grand Teton Council is part of Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America, and covers eastern Idaho and parts of western Wyoming. Since 2019, the Grand Teton Council and Scouting America have struggled to maintain and grow their membership after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stopped using the organization in lieu of starting its own youth program. “We lost 95%...

The Defender’s Big Pharma Watch delivers the latest headlines related to pharmaceutical companies and their products, including vaccines, drugs, and medical devices and treatments. The views expressed in the below excerpts from other news sources do not necessarily reflect the views of The Defender. Our goal is to provide readers with breaking news that affects human health and the environment.Idaho Capital Sun reported: Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law a bill to let ivermectin be sold as an over-the-counter medicine — without a prescription or consultation with a health care professional. Typically used to treat parasites in humans, ivermectin...

It's always nice returning to North Idaho from the California Bay Area. It only takes a few minutes to spot some great bumper and window stickers in Idaho! The two below were at the Fred Meyer (aka, Kroger) store. I was shopping for Baby Back Ribs and some good rub and sauce. Baby Back Ribs are on sale for $5.49 / pound! Got two 3.5 pound racks.

Idaho’s chief lawyer has asked the city of Boise to comply with a new law that limits what flags may be flown by government buildings and warned that the state may try to withhold sales tax revenues if the city refuses. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador wrote a letter to Boise Mayor Lauren McLean on Tuesday requesting that she take down the prohibited flags outside city hall — as of Wednesday morning, the city displayed a Pride flag and a flag honoring organ and tissue donors, along with an American flag, city of Boise flag, state of Idaho flag and...

One gets the sense that the circus doesn’t stop in Boise much — at least not the political kind. On Monday night, an estimated 12,500 people — mostly retired Boomers, with a smattering of Gen X and Gen Z — packed in an arena in Nampa, Idaho, a 30-minute drive from the Gem State capital. They were there for the latest stop on Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. Sanders did speak here in 2016. But “Fighting Oligarchy” is a new beast — progressive Democrats zagging into what is mostly Republican territory. On Sunday, the two...

An autistic teenager with cerebral palsy, armed with a knife, has been left in critical condition after being shot nine times by Idaho police officers, prompting public outrage. Victor Perez, a 17-year-old boy described by his family as nonverbal, autistic and intellectually disabled, was gunned down by police from behind a chain-link fence just seconds after officers exited their vehicles on Saturday. Doctors removed nine bullets from Perez's body and amputated his left leg. He now remains on a ventilator in 'critical condition' after being revived twice, Idaho News 6 reported. 'The police barely spoke to anyone,' Ana Vazquez, the...

Republican Idaho Governor Brad Little passed a law last week granting judges and juries the power to sentence convicted pedophiles to the death penalty. The news came a month after Little made firing squads the Gem State’s primary method of execution for child sex abusers. Upon ratifying the legislation, Little said: “Just like capital murder destroys lives, aggravated sexual abuse of a young child devastates victims and families for generations. The sexual abuse of children is sickening and evil, and perpetrators convicted of these crimes deserve the ultimate punishment.” Idaho House Bill 380, sponsored by Republican state Reps. Bruce Skaug...

An Idaho gun owner from Kuna was found not guilty by a jury of his peers recently in a case that some are questioning why the gun owner was charged in the first place. What’s Happening: Theron Cameron, a Blackhawk helicopter pilot who does search and rescue missions, a combat veteran, and former sheriff’s deputy, rushed to his child’s bus stop after his wife called, terrified. A man had attempted to kill himself and was threatening kids and Theron’s wife, according to testimony in court. Theron eventually drew his weapon in a low-ready stance after the man was running at...

MERIDIAN, Idaho — On Saturday at approximately 1 p.m., a protest in front of the Tesla dealership on Franklin Road in Meridian turned violent when one protester struck another counterprotester with their vehicle. According to a release from the Meridian Police Department, 70-year-old Christopher Talbot of Meridian made an "obscene gesture" towards a 49-year-old before hitting the same person with their car. The victim had just parked his truck, which was adorned with pro-Trump flags, and exited the vehicle when Talbot hit him with his car. After being hit, the 49-year-old transported himself to a nearby hospital, where he was...

Idaho Governor Brad Little signed a bill into law on Thursday requiring public schools in the state to utilize a prenatal development educational curriculum in their classrooms. Idaho is the third state to implement a prenatal development curriculum, following North Dakota and Tennessee. Currently, 20 states are considering similar legislation, despite pushback from pro-abortion groups such as SIECUS and Planned Parenthood — with the latter claiming that prenatal development education for teens could “stigmatize” abortion. According to the law — Human Growth and Development Instruction in Public Schools — the curriculum will “include instruction on human growth and development” to...

In newly filed court documents, prosecutors say they will use evidence of an apparent knife purchase and a selfie that they believe link Bryan Kohberger to the murders of four University of Idaho students. Kohberger is charged in the murders of Mount Vernon native Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, who were stabbed to death in the early morning of Nov. 13, 2022, at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho.

Idaho Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 59 into law on Wednesday — a measure that would safeguard conscience rights for pro-life medical professionals. The bill, which had been sent to the governor’s desk earlier in the month, aims to protect healthcare professionals from being compelled to perform non-emergency procedures like abortions that conflict with their religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. Supporters argue that it safeguards the conscience rights of medical providers. The Medical Ethics Defense Act applies to a wide range of healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists. Under the new law, these professionals cannot be forced...

Over one year after taking his 15-year-old girlfriend out of Idaho and into Oregon for an illegal abortion, Kaidyn Swainston — 18 at the time of the incident — had his sentence reduced to probation only, after originally being sentenced to five years in prison. In November of 2023, Swainston and his mother, Rachael, took a 15-year-old girl known as K.B. to Oregon for an abortion. At the time, Swainston was 18, and he was charged with second-degree kidnapping, rape, and three counts of producing child sexually exploitative material. Rachael, meanwhile, was charged with trafficking methamphetamine, two counts of possession...

IDAHO FALLS – An Idaho Falls man who tried to get away from police on a skateboard and was charged with trafficking meth and fentanyl has been sentenced to probation. Justin Roy Richards, 42, faced multiple charges, including two felony trafficking counts for meth and fentanyl, felony possession of a controlled substance, and three misdemeanor charges for drug counts and resisting an officer. He accepted a plea agreement on Dec. 10, in which he agreed to plead guilty to one count of possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance. The state agreed to dismiss the remaining charges....