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wow 888 slot Fulks puts up 26, Milwaukee defeats IU Indianapolis 88-81Short Take: Shriram Finance F&O contract adjustmentsU.S. crude stocks fell by more than expected last week as refiners ramped up operations, offsetting a rise in crude imports, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday. Crude inventories fell by 5.1 million barrels to 423.4 million barrels in the week ended Nov. 29, the EIA said, compared with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll for a 671,000-barrel draw. Crude stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma, delivery hub rose by 50,000 barrels. “We’ve seen the return of refineries from seasonal maintenance, leading to a drop in crude oil inventories and a commiserate rise in gasoline and diesel stocks,” said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates. Brent and U.S. crude futures CLc1 rose after the data showed the larger-than-expected draw in crude stocks. U.S. crude oil production hit a record high last week, at 13.513 million bpd, the data showed. Refinery crude runs rose by 615,000 barrels per day (bpd) last week, to their highest level since July 12. Refinery utilization rates rose by 2.8 percentage points to 93.3%. “A pop in refining activity with runs climbing to a high not seen since the summer has resulted in a see-saw of crude inventories drawing and products building,” said Kpler lead Americas oil analyst, Matt Smith. “Stronger imports were unable to derail this week’s crude draw as exports came in firm, while steady implied demand for the products week-on-week has been unable to deter builds amid higher refining activity,” he added. Net U.S. crude imports rose by 1.64 million bpd, the EIA said, while crude exports fell by 428,000 bpd to 4.24 million bpd. Imports of crude from Iraq rose to their highest since June 2023, at 397,000 bpd. Meanwhile, U.S. gasoline stocks rose by 2.4 million barrels to 214.6 million barrels, compared with analysts’ expectations for a 600,000-barrel build. U.S. gasoline futures RBc1 edged lower after the data. Gasoline supplied, a proxy for demand, rose by 231,000 bpd in the week to 8.74 million bpd, according to the data. And the four-week average for total product demand was about 4% above last year’s levels, at 20.45 million bpd. Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, rose by 3.4 million barrels 118.1 million barrels, versus expectations for a 900,000-barrel rise, the EIA data showed. U.S. heating oil futures edged down after the data. Source: Reuters (Reporting by Georgina McCartney in Houston; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

The Lewis and Clark County commissioners have approved a $79,277 contract for a consultant to develop a master plan to expand nearly 30 acres of landscaped area of the historic Forestvale Cemetery. The work by Steiner Thuesen of Billings, according to the contract, includes general project management, site survey, stakeholder meetings, drainage assessment and recommendations, water availability analysis, development of conceptual layouts, final master plan development, cost estimates and recommendations for phasing of construction and implementation. The work to the property south and west of the existing cemetery is to be completed by Jan. 2, 2027, county engineer Dan Karlin said at Tuesday's commissioners meeting. Forestvale Cemetery north of Helena. In response to a question from Commissioner Tom Rolfe, Karlin said he expected the plan to be completed much shorter than two years, but when drafting contract proposals, they need to account for contingencies. The additional year is to allow for any snags. “It shouldn’t take two years, it should be less than a year,” he said. Karlin said the work was not difficult, but time-consuming. He expected the survey portion for the 30 acres alone to cost more $10,000. He said a water analysis would be done. There are multiple wells out there, but there may be questions as to whether another well is needed. It could also require legal analysis. Karlin said irrigation systems would be reviewed and they would determine if existing systems could be made more efficient and whether a new system be tied in. And he said there would be some “interesting” road design considered for the existing road network. A veteran is honored and remembered with flowers and a flag at Forestvale Cemetery. He said there would be several meetings to make the master plan meets the vision of Forestvale board and Historic Preservation Committee. Karlin said it is a time-intensive and hands-on investment. He said the Forestvale board and county has been planning for this expansion and the budget has set aside nearly this amount. “Our forecasting is matching up quite nicely for what we anticipated and what eventually came to us in a scoping fee,” he said. Karlin said Steiner Thuesen has worked with the Department of Defense on military cemeteries and has worked on municipal and private cemeteries as well. “They are very well qualified for this type of work,” he said. Bob Richards, Forestvale supervisor, said Wednesday the expansion is needed. "We’re starting to run out of room in the currently developed cemetery area," he said noting Forestvale has had 16,205 burials. Richards said that hopefully within the next few years they can get the new area prepped, looking nice and ready for sale. The cemetery at 490 Forestvale Road is about 21/2 miles north of the Helena city limits and consists of 148 acres with about 50 acres now developed, according to county officials. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since Feb. 21, 1990. According to a 2003 tour guide of the cemetery posted on the website “Helena As She Was,” it was founded in 1890 by a group of investors as the Helena Cemetery in an area a local newspaper at the time described as "bleak and unattractive and too remote" from town. It was designed by Helena civil engineer Harry Wheeler, who used the theme of the cemetery as a "rural park" Several governors and other prominent people from Montana history have been buried there, as well as actress Myrna Loy. The cemetery includes a Chinese section, reflecting their presence and social status in Montana's history. A plaque explains the history of China Row at Forestvale Cemetery. The cemetery underwent a $107,000 upgrade in 2024 that included demolition and excavation as well as the addition of asphalt paving, a culvert extension, more parking spots, new signage and a sidewalk that leads from the parking area through the gated pedestrian entrance. The project was included in a county capital improvement plan. A November 2022 windstorm toppled more than 30 trees and unearthed several markers as well. For more on Forestvale Cemetery, go to https://www.lccountymt.gov/Community/Forestvale Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Assistant editor/reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

The Death Of A Legend: How Jimmy Carter Influenced The Auto Industry

Cousins' return to Minnesota, his NFL home from 2018 through 2023, on Sunday comes as he is hearing speculation about his job security in Atlanta. Cousins has thrown six interceptions with no touchdowns in the Falcons' three-game losing streak. That includes four picks in last week's 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, his most in a decade. “It’s kind of the challenge always in pro football to be able to get back up off the mat and get back going,” Cousins said after Wednesday's practice. A vote of confidence from coach Raheem Morris can't silence suggestions that it's time to give rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. a chance to jump-start the Falcons' struggling offense. Morris said Sunday he didn't consider removing Cousins from the game, and he repeated his support for the veteran on Wednesday. “Got to go to Minnesota and get a big-time win and Kirk’s ready to go,” Morris said before acknowledging Cousins must bounce back from “obviously a tough game.” “You know, realistically, man he is built for this and he’s ready to go,” Morris said. The losing streak has left the Falcons (6-6) struggling to remain on top of the weak NFC South. They hold the tiebreaker advantage with Tampa Bay (6-6), but need Cousins to end his turnover streak. Cousins, 36, was expected to be the reliable leader on offense after he signed a four-year, $180 million contract. He will be in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. He said he expects a loud reception from Minnesota's fans. “They’re great fans, great football fans,” Cousins said. “As a result I think they’ll make it as hostile as they can for us.” Cousins ranks fifth in the league with 3,052 passing yards. He has 17 touchdown passes and his 13 interceptions are only one shy of his career high. Cousins insists he feels strong in his return from last season's torn Achilles tendon. He was critical of his mental mistakes in the loss to the Chargers. He said he rushed some passes, sometimes lacking the necessary velocity on his throws and giving defensive backs the opportunity to step in front of receivers for interceptions. Atlanta offensive coordinator Zac Robinson also said Cousins' lack of velocity on his throws “just goes back to, you know, decisiveness, being decisive when you do cut it loose. Certainly those things happen with quarterbacks. There might be times where, you know, you’re not as convicted on a throw. And it shows by the way the football comes out.” Morris said he still has confidence in Cousins' arm and the mental side to his game. “He’s done a great job with us, and I have no real qualms about him bouncing back and him being able to play the game the way it needs to be done,” Morris said. “He’s still an elite processor. He has the ability to make all the throws. He’s shown that throughout the year.” Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores also said he expects Cousins will shake out of his slump. “I know the narrative is he had a tough game last week, but he’s played some good football," Flores said. "I think the people in this building know what Kirk can do. He’s a very, very good quarterback.” Added Flores: “He’s a bounce-back type of guy, as we all know. I’m expecting his best, the best version of Kirk, the best version of that offense. It’s going to be a major challenge for us.” Atlanta's offensive production has dipped while the veteran quarterback’s turnovers have been on the rise. The Falcons were held to under 20 points in each of their three straight losses. “Have to just believe that tough times don’t last, tough people do,” Cousins said. “You have to keep pushing.” AP Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflDETROIT (AP) — If Donald Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, booze and other goods. The president-elect floated the tariff idea, including additional 10% taxes on goods from China, as a way to force the countries to halt the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the U.S. But his posts Monday on Truth Social threatening the tariffs on his first day in office could just be a negotiating ploy to get the countries to change behavior. High food prices were a major issue in voters picking Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris, but tariffs almost certainly would push those costs up even further. For instance, the Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said Tuesday that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when other countries retaliate. “Tariffs distort the marketplace and will raise prices along the supply chain, resulting in the consumer paying more at the checkout line,” said Alan Siger, association president. Mexico and Canada are two of the biggest exporters of fresh fruit and vegetables to the U.S. In 2022, Mexico supplied 51% of fresh fruit and 69% of fresh vegetables imported by value into the U.S., while Canada supplied 2% of fresh fruit and 20% of fresh vegetables. Before the election, about 7 in 10 voters said they were very concerned about the cost of food, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. “We’ll get them down,” Trump told shoppers during a September visit to a Pennsylvania grocery store. The U.S. is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. People looking to buy a new vehicle likely would see big price increases as well, at a time when costs have gone up so much that they are out of reach for many. The average price of a new vehicle now runs around $48,000. About 15% of the 15.6 million new vehicles sold in the U.S. last year came from Mexico, while 8% crossed the border from Canada, according to Global Data. Much of the tariffs would get passed along to consumers, unless automakers can somehow quickly find productivity improvements to offset them, said C.J. Finn, U.S. automotive sector leader for PwC, a consulting firm. That means even more consumers “would potentially get priced out of the activity” of buying a new vehicle, Finn said. Hardest hit would be Volkswagen, Stellantis, General Motors and Ford, Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska wrote Tuesday in a note to investors. Stellantis and VW import about 40% of the vehicles they sell from Canada and Mexico, while it's 30% for GM and 25% for Ford. GM and Stellantis import more than half of their high-profit pickup trucks from the two countries, according to Bernstein. If Trump does impose the tariffs in January, the auto industry would have little time to adjust, putting operating profits at risk for the automakers, Roeska said in an email. “A 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada would severely cripple the U.S. auto industry,” he said. The tariffs would hurt U.S. industrial production so much that “we expect this is unlikely to happen in practice,” Roeska said. The tariff threat hit the stocks of some companies that could be particularly hurt, such as auto manufacturers and Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and other Mexican beer brands in the United States. But the overall market held relatively steady near records as investors saw Trump’s proposal as more of an opening position for negotiations rather than as a definitive policy. It's not clear how long the tariffs would last if they are implemented, but they could force auto executives to move production to the U.S., which could create more jobs in the long run. But Morningstar analyst David Whiston said in the short term automakers probably won't make any moves because they can't quickly change where they build vehicles. To move to the U.S., they would have to buy equipment and revamp their parts supply chain, which can take years. “I think everyone is going to be in a wait-and-see mode,” Whiston said. Millions of dollars worth of auto parts flow across the borders with Mexico and Canada, and that could raise prices for already costly automobile repairs, Finn said. The Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. said tariffs on tequila or Canadian whisky won’t boost American jobs because they are distinctive products that can only be made in their country of origin. In 2023, the U.S. imported $4.6 billion worth of tequila and $108 million worth of mezcal from Mexico and $537 million worth of spirits from Canada, the council said. “At the end of the day, tariffs on spirits products from our neighbors to the north and south are going to hurt U.S. consumers and lead to job losses across the U.S. hospitality industry just as these businesses continue their long recovery from the pandemic,” the council said in a statement. Electronics retailer Best Buy said on its third-quarter earnings conference call that it runs on thin profit margins, so while vendors and the company will shoulder some increases, Best Buy will have to pass tariffs on to customers. “These are goods that people need, and higher prices are not helpful,” CEO Corie Barry said. Walmart also warned this week that tariffs could force it to raise prices, as did Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who talked with Trump after his call for tariffs, said they had a good conversation about how the countries can work together on the challenges they face. "This is something that we can do, laying out the facts and moving forward in constructive ways. This is a relationship that we know takes a certain amount of working on and that’s what we’ll do,” Trudeau said. Trump's transition team wouldn't comment on the call. Also Monday, Trump turned his ire to China, saying he has “had many talks with China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States – But to no avail.” The Chinese Embassy in Washington cautioned on Monday that there will be losers on all sides if there is a trade war. Trump's threats come as arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico have been falling . The most recent U.S. numbers for October show arrests remain near four-year lows. But arrests for illegally crossing the border from Canada have been rising over the past two years. Much of America’s fentanyl is smuggled from Mexico. Border seizures of the drug rose sharply under President Joe Biden. The tariffs would also throw into doubt the reliability of the 2020 trade deal brokered in large part by Trump with Canada and Mexico, the USMCA, which replaced NAFTA and is up for review in 2026. Trump transition team officials did not immediately respond to questions about what authority he would use, what he would need to see to prevent the tariffs from being implemented and how they would impact prices in the U.S. Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department and Economy Department also had no immediate reaction to Trump’s statements. ___ Rugaber reported from Washington. AP reporters Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Stan Choe and Anne D'Innocenzio in New York, and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.

What's The Feeling When You Become A Millionaire? Kevin O'Leary Shares His Take On The Defining MomentUS ski star Mikaela Shiffrin said Wednesday that she's "starting to feel a little bit more human" after suffering a puncture wound in a giant slalom crash but confirmed she won't race at Beaver Creek, Colorado, this month. "This is another fairly ambiguous injury and really hard to put a timeline of when I'll be either back on snow or back to racing," Shiffrin said in a video posted on social media. "But I do know that I will not be starting in Beaver Creek." Shiffrin had already said after Saturday's crash she didn't expect to be ready for the Colorado races, a downhill on December 14 and a super-G on December 15. On Wednesday, she said that whatever object caused the puncture in her abdomen also left "tore a cavern" in her oblique muscles. She said she had also undergone further testing to check for possible damage to her colon. "There were some air bubbles where the puncture came pretty close to the colon," she said. "Last night's check confirmed that my colon is, indeed, intact." Shiffrin was closing in on a once unimaginable 100th World Cup victory when she crashed in the second leg of the giant slalom at Killington, Vermont, on Saturday. She hit one gate and tumbled through another before sliding into the catch fencing and was taken from the hill on a sled. She won't miss any races this weekend because the two women's giant slaloms scheduled for Tremblant, Canada, were cancelled because of lack of snow. However, Shiffrin said she would be sorry not to resume her bid for a 100th World Cup win on the circuit's next US stop. "This is a really big bummer, not to be able to race Birds of Prey," Shiffrin said. "But on the other hand I was really lucky and I'm really looking forward to cheering my teammates on racing Beaver Creek." In 2023, Shiffrin broke Ingemar Stenmark's record of 86 World Cup wins, a mark once considered unassailable. Compatriot Lindsey Vonn has the second-most alpine World Cup wins by a woman with 82. bb/jsNo. 16 Cincinnati tests efficient offense vs. Alabama State

Vanquishing Bears, Thanksgiving losing streak tops Lions' holiday list

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Rep. Lauren Necochea With power comes the responsibility to uphold the law and conduct oneself ethically. The enormous power of presidential appointments, which include leading institutions that protect national security, should only be bestowed after thoughtful vetting. This principle is embedded in the Constitution, as our founding fathers directed the Senate to approve presidential cabinet members. Sadly, Idaho’s Republican senators have pledged to approve the president-elect’s appointee choices blindly. This is a dereliction of the constitutionally mandated duty of U.S. senators to check presidential power. The recent release of the bipartisan House Ethics Committee report on Rep. Matt Gaetz, the would-be head of the Department of Justice, shows how reckless this is. His behavior was widely known before the president-elect announced the Gaetz appointment. The report confirmed its extent. Even the committee membership that opposed the report’s release because Gaetz had resigned from the House (ostensibly to avoid the report’s release) confirmed the findings. Their letter states, “From at least 2017 to 2020, Rep. Gaetz regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him. In 2017, Rep. Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl. During the period 2017 to 2019, Rep. Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions. Rep. Gaetz accepted gifts above permissible amounts, including transportation and lodging in connection with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas. In 2018, Rep. Gaetz arranged for his chief of staff to assist a woman with whom he engaged in sexual activity in obtaining a passport, falsely indicating to the U.S. Department of State that she was a constituent.” This behavior is criminal and unbecoming of the Office of the Attorney General. It’s also a national security risk. Serious skeletons in one’s closet make it easy for our enemies to manipulate and blackmail officials into complying with demands and sharing classified information. This isn’t the only alarming cabinet selection. Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the pick for director of National Intelligence, has been flagged for suspicious travel patterns, foreign connections and espousing views sympathetic to Russian interests. Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the pick for director of National Intelligence, has been flagged for suspicious travel patterns, foreign connections and espousing views sympathetic to Russian interests. Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth is known for drinking on the job, aligning with white Christian nationalism and mistreatment of women, including a sexual assault allegation. Environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touts conspiracy theories and spreads misinformation about life-saving vaccines, proving he’s unfit to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Such nominations should not be taken seriously, let alone rubber-stamped. Our nation is fortunate to have many brilliant, experienced leaders within our military, national security agencies and public health organizations. It is foolish and dangerous to pretend unfit people are our only options. I hope Idaho’s GOP senators will rethink their stance and undertake due diligence to protect all Americans. Our school children deserve safe facilities. And after decades of letting buildings crumble, the Republican supermajority finally has a proposal. But there’s a catch. As I explained to my sixth-grader on our walk to school, the plan also cuts $60 million annually from the revenue stream that funds school operations. Her response summed it up well, “That sounds counterproductive.” Indeed, the bill helps repair facilities, but it’s a step backward in terms of our ability to support education. The most beneficial part of House Bill 521 would make $1 billion available over the next decade for construction, renovation, and maintenance. This could mean repairing the wing of a Pocatello high school that was gutted when faulty electrical wiring caused a fire. Additionally, the legislation adds funding to a pot created by property tax legislation last year. These dollars largely pay down existing bonds and levies, allowing the few dollars leftover to be used for current facilities needs. Analysts have not yet produced reliable numbers for how each district will be impacted, even as the bill advances. What’s clear is that the distribution is insufficient and inequitable. Valley View Elementary in Boundary County needs close to $20 million to replace an elementary school where a roof caved in, but will likely receive only a fraction of that. Last year West Ada failed to pass a $500 million bond to meet their building needs. The district might receive 40% of that amount. The bill arbitrarily caps the bond funds that districts that pre-date statehood can receive. This clearly targets Boise, the only district impacted. Boise Schools will consequently receive half the funding they would have received under equal treatment. While providing insufficient funding, the bill also makes it harder for school districts to fill the gap. Their option for doing so is through bonds and levies and the bill eliminates their option to hold these elections in August. This hit comes after Republican lawmakers nixed the March elections last year. Communities will have dwindling opportunities to pass funding measures. Also damaging is the upside-down tax package in the style Republican legislators have been passing for years. Through a reduction of the income and corporate tax rate from 5.8% to 5.695%, a family earning $80,000 annually will see $53 in savings, while a household bringing in $1,000,000 will receive $1,019. And a corporation will continue to pay a lower tax rate on its profits than the 6% sales tax Idahoans pay when they buy food, diapers, medicines, and other necessities. Idaho students deserve quality facilities, without having to swallow a bitter pill of slashed revenue for our schools’ future, inequitable investments, and lopsided tax policies. For democracy to work, elected leaders must have the freedom to act in the best interest of their constituents. This bedrock principle is now being severely undermined by Idaho’s House GOP leadership. We’re seeing historic levels of strong-arming around votes behind closed doors and harsh punishment for dissent. With the Idaho House looking more like the dysfunctional U.S. House of Representatives, there are harmful repercussions for Idahoans. At the heart of the conflict is our Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee. The committee’s recent departure from our decades-old budget-setting process consolidates power in the hands of a few people. The committee co-chairs are ramming through skeletal budgets they constructed without study and input from other committee members. Skeletal budgets leave out critical investments like raises earned by educators through Idaho’s teacher career ladder, the LAUNCH scholarships propelling young Idahoans to in-demand careers, and certain transportation funds. While the co-chairs claim they will go back and plug budget holes, services are now at risk. The first House vote on a skeletal budget was a test case. The bill passed 38-31 (with all 11 Democrats opposed), showing many Republicans objected to the new budget-setting scheme. That’s when the hammer came down. The next day saw an unprecedented vote on the House Floor in support of Speaker Moyle. The motion “to retain the speaker” received unanimous “yes” votes because no one was willing to fall into the trap of expressing disloyalty publicly. The Legislative Services Office couldn’t find any other instances of such a motion in state history. Immediately after, in a private caucus, House Republicans ousted the first female majority leader because she was among those opposing the new budgeting scheme. Research turned up only one other instance of a leadership change in the middle of a session, which occurred when a Senate leader was battling cancer. By making a historic example of the majority leader, the speaker sent a chilling message about the consequences of dissent. Skeletal budgets for different agencies are now zooming across the House Floor. Almost all pass on party-line votes, signaling Republicans are under immense pressure to toe the line. This budget scheme has given Speaker Moyle the singular power to block second-round funding bills that plug budget holes. It won’t matter what the Legislature as a whole wants because he can prevent votes from even taking place. And the speaker is on the record opposing LAUNCH scholarships, Medicaid services, and other crucial investments that make life better for Idahoans. The stakes are high, and the need for a government that faithfully represents the people is more crucial than ever. Idaho Democrats will continue to vote our conscience and defend a strong, transparent democracy. Investments in public education benefit all Idahoans. Regardless of whether we have children attending school at any given moment, the advantages of strong public education resonate throughout our communities. Unfortunately, the latest effort by the out-of-state voucher lobby and a faction of Republicans to implement a school voucher scheme poses a grave threat to our already underfunded schools and the state budget. House Bill 447 would start as a $50 million proposal to siphon public tax dollars to private, religious, and even for-profit institutions with zero accountability. What is particularly concerning is that the bulk of the money has no limits on eligibility. That means a working family in rural Idaho could subsidize private school tuition for millionaires in Boise. Data in states like Iowa back this up, showing voucher programs most often serve students from well-off families already enrolled in private schools. This not only creates a new budgetary obligation but also jeopardizes public school funding in future budgets. Additionally, voucher costs have a frightening propensity to explode, absorbing larger portions of the state budget. A recent analysis of vouchers in seven states between 2008 and 2019 revealed hundreds of millions of dollars being redirected to fund vouchers at the expense of local schools, despite a rise in public school enrollment. In Arizona, where only 8% of kids receive a voucher, the program is projected to cost a staggering $950 million next year, $320 million of which is unbudgeted. Utah’s original voucher bill had a $42 million price tag. Less than a year later, vouchers are projected to cost $150 million. Vouchers are too costly on their own. They are unfathomable in the context of our limited budget and the investments we’re failing to make in our children. Idaho already ranks last in the nation for per-pupil spending. Schools are struggling to retain qualified staff and we have over $1 billion in neglected facility needs. We’re also ignoring opportunities proven to boost student success. For example, almost every other state invests in preschool because every $1 invested returns up to $16 to the economy, and kids are more likely to enter kindergarten ready to learn. Today, 47% of Idaho’s children enter kindergarten already behind according to our Idaho Reading Indicator. Preschool is just one example of a proven investment that would increase student success. Vouchers, on the other hand, cut funding available to schools without generating any new educational services. HB 447 would largely serve as a giveaway to families who need it the least. We don’t have a dime to spare, let alone $50 million for a voucher subsidy scheme. For the sake of our children, our schools, and our future, Idaho must reject vouchers. Rep. Lauren Necochea All Idahoans should agree: the safety of our children is paramount. How we decide to protect them may differ from community to community. When it comes to guns in schools, current Idaho law allows locally elected school boards to set the policies they deem appropriate. Some districts keep guns out of schools unless they are in the hands of law enforcement. Others have policies providing oversight. Unfortunately, House Bill 415 is speeding through the Legislature and would undo local decision making, local training requirements, and collaboration with local law enforcement by overriding school management of firearms in schools. Today, school districts can require ongoing active shooter drills where employees test their ability to quickly distinguish between kids and assailants or mandate participation in meetings with local law enforcement to develop safety and incident response plans. School leaders can also use criteria to revoke privileges for staff who are not well-suited to the responsibility of carrying a firearm around children. In contrast, HB 415 circumvents local control and gives blanket permission to employees and volunteers who have taken a one-time concealed carry course and shot 98 rounds. Schools must allow them to carry firearms regardless of shooting skill, temperament, mental state, visual acuity, length of time since they took a course, or other factors. A major alarm bell should be that law enforcement does not support this approach. The Idaho Association of School Resource Officers and Idaho Sheriffs’ Association both oppose HB 415. It’s no wonder since experts have maintained that it is harder for police to respond to active shooters when unknown, untrained people are also engaging. Opening the door to an untrackable number of firearms means new liability for schools. The Idaho State University professor who shot himself in the foot during class and the Utah teacher who accidentally shot herself in a school bathroom are two recent examples of the risks. At least one Idaho school district has already been notified that its insurance company will drop it if this bill is enacted. We can only imagine that costs will rise for insurance companies that continue to provide coverage. Finally, this bill subverts the rights of teachers and parents who have come out in full force against this legislation. Parents won’t be able to ask whether their child’s teacher is armed, let alone demand more rigorous training requirements. One hundred Idahoans came out in opposition during the committee hearing. Only five individuals supported the bill, including the out-of-state lobbyist who brought the legislation. Homegrown Idaho solutions and evidence-based safety measures are better than a one-size-fits-all approach from special interests. As this bill moves across the rotunda, I hope the Senate will see the wisdom in rejecting it. When I was a kid, Idaho enjoyed a fairly healthy balance of political power. Democratic Governor Cecil Andrus served alongside a Republican lieutenant governor and for one legislative term, the Idaho Senate was evenly divided. As I grew up, Idaho veered rightward. Today, new migration patterns are rapidly accelerating the trend, and an interesting paradox has emerged in Boise State University’s new polling. The finds newcomers are 11 percentage points more likely to identify as Republicans and 10 percentage points less likely to identify as Independents than Idahoans who have lived here for more than 10 years. One would expect the increasingly Republican voting population to align tightly with the Republican supermajority in power, but that is not the case. In fact, the polling shows that Idahoans overwhelmingly agree with Democrats on the major issues of our day. A majority of Idahoans oppose the abortion ban the GOP enacted. Nearly 70% of voters trust their libraries to make decisions about the content they make available, while Republican lawmakers bring bills threatening librarians with jail time and expensive lawsuits. As GOP legislators push for school vouchers, only 49% of Idahoans approve, and support drops when respondents consider the diminished school funding they will cause. For the first time in the survey’s history, more voters thought Idaho was moving in the wrong direction compared with 40% who think Idaho is on the right track. A different poll showed strong opposition to Medicaid cuts and strong support for leaving Medicaid expansion in place, while the Republican supermajority seeks to slash Medicaid and repeal Medicaid expansion. Yet another poll revealed very strong support for investing in our dilapidated school facilities, an issue Republican lawmakers have refused to act on for years. These discrepancies underscore a stark contrast between the policy preferences of regular Idahoans and the legislation pursued by the dominant political party. To long-time Republicans who have been left behind by their party, I invite you to take a closer look at Idaho Democrats. For newcomers to Idaho who voted Republican in their former states, I invite you to get to know your Idaho Democratic candidates and our local issues. And every Idahoan should read the Idaho Democratic Party platform and compare it to the Idaho Republican Party platform, which is squarely outside the mainstream. For a representative democracy to function well, voters need to stay engaged, research candidates, and provide accountability when politicians ignore their views. If you, like a majority of Idahoans, support adequate school funding and safe facilities, oppose costly voucher schemes with zero accountability, support our libraries, or want the restoration of our reproductive freedoms, a vote for Idaho Democrats is your best bet. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Budgets are moral documents” because they show our real values. Allocating our public dollars demands thoughtful, transparent deliberations. Unfortunately, recent moves by Republican legislative leaders have compromised Idaho’s process with serious consequences. The integrity of our nationally lauded budgeting process started eroding last year. GOP leaders knocked House Democrats down to just one member on the budget committee, taking away our proportional representation. This week, Republican co-chairs ushered in new procedures, beginning negotiations by cramming skeletal budgets through at the outset instead of studying funding needs first. Monday’s speed-budgeting spent about $2 billion per hour. This meant many omissions and errors, including one that nearly slashed annual teacher pay by $6,359. My Democratic colleagues rightfully voted against this careless approach. The skeletal budgets leave critical initiatives unfunded such as the LAUNCH scholarships for in-demand job training, interventions for the dangerous quagga mussels threatening our water, and upgrades to bridges that pose a safety risk. Small in scope, but still important, are items like guardian ad litem programs, which advocate for children as they navigate foster care. Budget committee leaders claim they will add funding, but they have backed Idaho into a devastating default budget. And they made it difficult to resolve harmful cuts. Once a budget is passed, rules require that two-thirds of the committee vote to reopen it, or seven of the ten members from the House and Senate. This threshold means a “no” vote counts more than twice as much as a “yes” vote. A few fringe legislators have the power to keep slash-and-burn budgets in place. What is the supermajority’s motivation? It appears to be about power. Traditionally, House leaders will hold off on approving one budget bill to prevent the Senate from adjourning, before they get something they want, and vice versa. The new process yielded a default skeletal budget to fall back on, creating a “hostage” legislative leaders may be willing to shoot, with harmful repercussions for Idahoans. Additionally, the house speaker can unilaterally hold any bill, including bills that correct budget holes. It’s reminiscent of the power House Republicans in Congress gave each member to recall Speaker McCarthy. Matt Gaetz used it to leave our nation with a non-functioning government for weeks while Republicans haggled over who would become the next speaker. These changes put undue power into the hands of a few who can manufacture budget space for their personal agenda items, such as the school voucher scheme that both budget committee chairs have endorsed. Idahoans deserve a budget that goes through a fair process and is responsive to constituents. It’s more important than ever that Idahoans speak up about their budget priorities. If we truly valued our children, we would ensure they spend their days in safe school buildings. But decades of neglect have caused Idaho schools to slide into a shameful state of disrepair. Raw sewage leaking under a cafeteria, collapsing roofs, and freezing classrooms illustrate the dire condition of school facilities across the state. Most frighteningly, a fire destroyed much of a Pocatello high school after faulty electrical wiring went unaddressed. In his State of the State address, Governor Little touted a long-overdue investment in facilities that made headlines. But when we read the fine print, we see he is largely continuing to kick the can down the road. In the coming year, as schools face over $1.3 billion in facilities needs, they would receive just $200 million. And that’s if this proposal can make its way through the Republican supermajority, which has the same terrible track record in supporting school infrastructure. In addition to increased state investment, there are two obvious policy solutions GOP lawmakers have rejected that would put schools on firmer ground. First, we must allow school districts to charge impact fees on new developments. Local governments regularly charge developers for the new roads, sewer lines, and other infrastructure that new housing developments necessitate. By making the same allowance for school infrastructure, growth can pay for itself instead of asking existing taxpayers to foot the bill. Second, we need to end the two-thirds majority requirement for passing school bonds. This has tripped up desperate school districts like Boundary where recent bonds garnered a clear majority of the vote, but fell short of the threshold. The state is letting a minority of voters deny our students safe school buildings. Even a threshold of 55% or 60% of the vote would ensure that more projects with strong public support can proceed. How we got here is a lesson Idahoans cannot afford to forget. As our schools have gone long underfunded, Little and his GOP colleagues have bragged about record budget surpluses, manufactured by the neglect of our core duties. They repeatedly doled out enormous rebates and permanent revenue cuts to the wealthiest while schools crumbled. His overdue acknowledgment of the problem is a small step towards redemption, but it’s no cause for a victory lap. For over twenty years, Little has held office in the Republican supermajority that created this crisis. Idaho Democrats have tirelessly fought for increased investments in Idaho schools while the GOP underpaid our educators and let our schools fall into disrepair. Little is right when he says we can do better. It is a shame that it took him more than two decades in public office to realize this. The Idaho State Capitol is not just a building; it’s the People’s House. Regular Idaho families don’t have lobbyists and can’t afford big campaign donations, but their interests should always be front and center. As the legislature reconvenes, Idaho Democrats are prioritizing the working families who are too often left behind. First, we are committed to thriving Main Streets with economic opportunity in towns big and small. A fundamental building block of a strong economy is education. Democrats will work to protect the new LAUNCH scholarships that are opening pathways to in-demand careers with family-sustaining wages and building the skilled workforce that industries need. We must finally address the $1 billion backlog in school facilities needs so that children aren’t contending with overcrowded classrooms, leaky roofs, or unsafe situations, such as the electrical issues that led to a severe fire in a Pocatello school. Idaho Democrats want to correct last year’s funding methodology shift that shortchanged schools by $162 million. And we will again defend against voucher schemes that divert precious public dollars away from public schools and into private, religious, and for-profit institutions with zero accountability. Second, we will be a voice for Idaho’s working families when it comes to revenue collection. Idaho’s upside down tax code gets worse every year. Today, an Idaho mom pays a higher tax rate on essentials like food and diapers than corporations pay on their profits. It’s past time we eliminate the sales tax on groceries, a move supported by 82% of Idahoans but consistently blocked by the Republican supermajority. We should have a meaningful child tax credit to help make it affordable to raise the next generation and finally establish a state earned income tax credit to avoid taxing working families into poverty. Third, we should act on the principle that affordable healthcare is a necessity. We will work to properly fund Medicaid, a lifeline for children, seniors, and Idahoans with disabilities, and to extend coverage for postpartum mothers. We’ll oppose the repeal of Medicaid expansion, which would take healthcare away from tens of thousands. What Idahoans don’t need is more extremism. Whether it comes to your most intimate medical decisions, the books you read, or who you love, it’s time for GOP politicians to stop interfering in your private life. While Democrats are underdogs in the Legislature, we stand behind an agenda that is broadly supported by voters. We hope Republican lawmakers will meet us here so that we can govern to make life better for Idahoans. To advance our shared priorities, we need the voices of Idahoans to resonate in the People’s House, demanding policies that truly reflect your values. I hope to see you there. The end of a year offers a moment to take stock of our progress to date and our vision for the future. As I reflect on the future Democrats want for Idahoans — thriving Main Streets with economic opportunity, quality education, personal freedoms, and an affordable path to raising the next generation — it’s clear that supermajority rule is holding us back. Idaho Democrats are rolling up their sleeves to repair our political system by rebuilding our party. This year, we established local Democratic committees in all 44 counties and won 73% of the 65 local races where Democrats made endorsements and deployed campaign tactics. Focused candidate recruitment has positioned us to contest more races in 2024 than we have in years. Idaho’s Democratic lawmakers are also making an impact. We delivered critical wins by blocking school vouchers, stopping a bill creating bounties on libraries, protecting Medicaid expansion, enacting scholarships for in-demand careers, creating incentives for nurses serving rural Idaho, and safeguarding voting rights. Nevertheless, many votes were too close for comfort. It’s critical we elect more Democrats to make life better for Idahoans and combat political dysfunction. I will never forget the words of a very conservative colleague who congratulated me on becoming chair of the Idaho Democratic Party. In spite of our policy disagreements, the legislator sincerely wished me luck and, motioning to the House Chamber, declared, “Because this isn’t healthy.” Indeed, when one party holds 82% of the seats, there is little accountability and compromise, which are necessary for a healthy democracy. In the absence of accountability, the extremists who once operated at the fringes of the Idaho Republican Party have taken the helm. Local party tribunals are pushing GOP politicians deeper into extremism by punishing those who stray from their platform — a platform that ranges from dangerous fringe ideas that would destabilize our financial system, like returning to gold and silver standards, to outright cruelty, like murder charges for abortion even when the patient faces certain death. In 2024, Democrats will be reaching out to voters, offering an alternative to this extreme agenda. We hope to have openhearted conversations about the central issues that unite us. Voters who get to know their local Democratic candidates will find ample common ground. Polling confirms that voters agree with Idaho Democrats on the issues that affect you daily: tax policies should be fair to regular Idahoans rather than heaping more benefits onto the wealthy and well-connected, public dollars belong in public schools, Medicaid should be strong, politicians shouldn’t interfere in our most intimate decisions, and life must be affordable for working families. As we welcome 2024, I’m hopeful Idahaoans can come together to reject GOP extremism and build the future people deserve. Access to healthcare saves lives, prevents financial ruin, and simply makes life better. I am proud that advocating for affordable coverage was a focus of my earlier career. Alongside many tireless advocates, I worked for years to expand Medicaid — closing the coverage gap for Idahoans whose wages were too low to qualify for health insurance tax credits and too high for Medicaid. Republican obstructionism in the Idaho Legislature made it a lot harder than it should have been to champion a policy that’s extremely popular among Idaho voters. The scariest setback, however, came from Congress. In 2017, Republicans took control of both chambers in Congress and the White House. As they seized power, repealing the Affordable Care Act was their top priority. Frighteningly, they had no replacement plan to prevent millions of Americans from losing coverage. As advocates in Idaho, we had to pause our work to expand healthcare access and try to block this serious attempt to take healthcare away. Months of nerve wracking negotiations culminated in Senator John McCain’s iconic and dramatic thumbs-down vote on the Senate floor. Fortunately, McCain joined two Republican U.S. Senators and every single Democrat to kill the repeal effort. Recalling this barely averted disaster makes it all the more startling to hear every Republican presidential candidate vow to repeal the ACA. Again, they have no coherent replacement. The renewed threat to working families and small business owners is staggering. ACA repeal would mean protections for up to 259,000 Idahoans with preexisting conditions would vanish, allowing insurance companies to deny coverage or hike costs for people with previous cancer diagnoses, high blood pressure, asthma, and other conditions. Medicaid expansion, which finally passed by a decisive majority of Idaho voters through an initiative, would end. Tax credits to purchase coverage, which assist 80% of individuals on the market, would disappear. Young adults would no longer be able to stay on their parents’ insurance. Insurance companies could again impose lifetime caps on coverage. Idahoans are already losing healthcare access, thanks to Republican politicians. From passing one of the most extreme abortion bans in the country to criminalizing doctors and nurses, Republican politicians continue attacking our freedoms and making Idaho a hostile place for providers. Idaho ranks last in the nation for physicians and hospital beds per capita and more than 70% of Idahoans live in mental health shortage areas. This year, rural hospitals in Sandpoint and Emmett announced they can no longer provide labor and delivery services. More than 9,000 healthcare jobs in Idaho remain unfilled, according to Idaho Business for Education. The ACA is a lifeline for Idahoans. Democrats will continue protecting the healthcare that is essential to the wellbeing of our families. Rep. Lauren Necochea Every Idaho child deserves an education that prepares them for career opportunities and helps them succeed. It’s a fundamental promise to our children, enshrined in our state constitution. This promise is once again under threat from a dangerous agenda that seeks to divert your tax dollars away from our public schools and into the hands of private and religious schools through voucher schemes. Last legislative session, parents, teachers, and community leaders came together to speak out against vouchers, which are deeply unpopular among Idaho voters according to a recent poll commissioned by the Idaho Education Association. Idaho held the line as other states fell to the pressure of the voucher lobby. In the House Education Committee, Democratic votes prevented legislation from advancing, but the threat remains. Proponents of vouchers spare no expense when it comes to buying our elections and pressuring legislators. These out-of-state activists with deep pockets have flooded our political landscape, running baseless attack ads against leaders who support public education, propping up the most far-right extreme candidates, and building an army of lobbyists-for-hire. In the face of defeat, the anti-public education lobby has come up with a new tactic, which is to bypass the House Education Committee that rejected vouchers. They plan to push vouchers via our tax code and force the bill through the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. But tax code vouchers bring the same problems: Huge costs to the state with zero accountability. The primary beneficiaries of tax credit vouchers would be wealthy families with kids in private schools who will enjoy a cash subsidy paid by taxpayers. Rural families are unlikely to have private school “options.” What they will see is that their public schools receive fewer resources. Across the state, middle-class families and those who work paycheck-to-paycheck won’t be able to close the gap between the voucher credit and private tuition. Other states illustrate the damaging consequences of these schemes. In Wisconsin, vouchers blew a hole in the state’s budget, forcing homeowners to shoulder a $577 million property tax hike. In Arizona, vouchers will cost the state $900 million this year while rural schools are shuttering. Between 75% and 90% of voucher users in states like Arizona, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin were already in private schools, forcing taxpayers to subsidize wealthy families. Voucher schemes also cause pandemic-sized drops in student outcomes — proving they will only hurt student success. We must speak out during the 2024 session to defeat these schemes. Idaho Democrats remain committed to ensuring that all kids have the opportunity to receive an excellent education. This can only happen within the framework of strong, well-funded public schools that are accountable to Idahoans. Together, we will protect our children and our shared future. Rep. Lauren Necochea Great schools depend on strong communities. Strong communities, in turn, require great schools. In Idaho, many education leaders are working to bolster student success with the “community school” model. The announcement of a new federal grant marks a significant stride toward expanding this proven approach across our state. Community schools recognize that students come with families — families who need to be engaged in their children’s education and who often need connections to resources to thrive. Four Boise schools first launched the national model in Idaho in 2016. Today, Idaho has 41 community schools across 25 districts. I was fortunate to see the difference firsthand at my children’s elementary school: Parents are frequently invited into the school to engage with their students’ learning, staff coordinate parent support classes, partnerships with food banks fuel in-school pantries, and coordinators connect parents to nonprofit resources when they are facing homelessness, health care needs, and other challenges. The community school approach is backed by research demonstrating better student attendance, reductions in disciplinary events, and improved achievement. Unfortunately, a major limiting factor in their expansion in Idaho has been funding. We have a patchwork of haves and have-nots when we ought to ensure every child can attend a community school. This is why our new federal investment is so exciting. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona’s recent visit to Idaho underscores the promise of this opportunity. Idaho will receive a Full-Service Community Schools grant totalling $6.5 million annually from the Biden Administration to expand the reach of community schools. This will mean 50 additional schools implementing the model, specifically targeting rural areas and Title I schools, which have higher portions of families facing low wages. The Marsing School District has demonstrated the lifeline that community schools provide in rural Idaho. In the absence of state-funded preschool, the district established early learning programs at the local community center and partnered with neighboring districts to create a special education partnership. When the local food bank and senior center closed, the school district and community partners collaborated to create a school resource center. Marsing illustrates how community schools fill critical gaps in services, especially in regions where resources are more spread out. The success of community schools across diverse landscapes is partly why they have broad political support. They also provide a stark contrast to school vouchers, which siphon critical taxpayer dollars to private schools with no oversight or accountability. We must make smart investments in the promise of public education and offer real solutions to the unique challenges faced by students and families. Idaho Democrats will continue to support initiatives to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed. Rep. Lauren Necochea How confusing is the 2024 election season in Idaho? So much so that Secretary of State Phil McGrane, Republican Party of Idaho Chair Dorothy Moon, and Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea were compelled last week to issue a joint news release to attempt to clarify the distinction between party presidential nominating caucuses, the statewide May primaries, and affiliation deadlines for voters. They only stirred around the mud, despite their best efforts. The mud is deep. How else could you explain a joint news release from Dorothy Moon and Lauren Necochea, who likely couldn’t come to agreement on the same order at a restaurant with one item on the menu? We wouldn’t have believed it if we hadn’t seen it. They’re on opposite ends of the political rope, yanking and pulling and tugging while accusing the other of attempting to spiral Idaho into an abyss. What they do appear to share, though, is the feeling that Idahoans should make plans to exercise their right to vote. Regardless of how you feel about the caucus system — and we find it to be wholly non-representative — we’re stuck with it for 2024. As one of our board members bluntly put it, ‘And that sucks.’ “As we gear up for the May 23rd caucus, we want to ensure every eligible voter’s voice is heard,” Necochea said in the release. “We encourage all residents to engage in the process by taking part in this important event.” Added Moon, “We encourage all eligible voters who wish to have a voice in the party caucus to ensure their party affiliation is up to date by the December 31st deadline.” And then there’s McGrane, who narrowly defeated Moon in the 2022 election for Secretary of State, urging Gem State voters to take part in the May 21 primary, which will include party races for state legislators and county sheriffs, commissioners and prosecutors. “The primary election is a crucial step in shaping the future of our state,” McGrane said in the release. “We want to ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to participate, so it’s essential to be aware of the party affiliation deadlines.” The deadline to change affiliation for the primary is March 15, though unaffiliated and newly registered voters may affiliate up to and including Election Day. But, if you want to have a say in the GOP presidential nominating caucus on March 2, you must affiliate by Dec. 31 — but that’s a Sunday, so plan accordingly. To take part in the Democrats’ caucus, you must be a registered Democrat or unaffiliated voter and affirm that you have not participated in any other 2024 presidential nominating contest. The nearly 500-word news release concludes: “Idaho political parties are required to communicate with the Secretary of State’s office through written correspondence to identify the voters eligible to participate in the May 21st primary election by November 30th.” Clear as mud, right? Let’s try to clear it up, because Moon and Necochea are right: We must vote in 2024, and likely as if the future of our democracy depends on it. The Republican presidential nominating caucus is March 2, the Democratic presidential nominating caucus is May 23, the statewide primary is May 21, and the general election is Nov. 5. It’s Dec. 31 to participate in the Republican presidential nominating caucus, March 15 (to change party affiliation) or May 21 (to affiliate with a party if unaffiliated) to participate in the statewide primary, and May 23 to participate in the Democratic presidential nominating caucus. Go online: VoteIdaho.gov , IdahoGOP.org , and IdahoDems.org . Regardless of how you feel about the caucus system — and we find it to be wholly non-representative — we’re stuck with it for 2024. As one of our board members bluntly put it, “And that sucks.” But, Idaho will caucus. So, stomp the mud off your boots and make plans to have your say next year. The future of our state is in your hands. Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you don’t miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Don’t have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store . Maya Angelou famously said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” Similarly, when politicians vow to take away your freedoms, take them at their word. Among many extreme positions in the Idaho Republican Party platform is the criminalization of any abortion, even to save a patient’s life. We should therefore be unsurprised that Republican lawmakers are doubling down on their extreme, anti-abortion agenda. Recently, Republican AG Raúl Labrador and Idaho’s Republican legislative leaders teamed up with out-of-state activists to file a frightening legal appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Their goal is to reverse a small court-ordered reprieve for abortion care in medical emergencies. Idaho’s abortion ban has no allowance for patients facing health risks from carrying a pregnancy. Risk of permanent disability or fertility loss and even conditions that eventually cause death are not valid exceptions. This means physicians may have to prove in court, under threat of a lengthy prison sentence and loss of their medical license, that they performed an abortion to avert imminent death. Simply preserving the patient’s health is not acceptable. The U.S. Department of Justice successfully argued in court that this ban violates federal law enacted by President Ronald Reagan. The law requires hospitals with emergency departments to provide stabilizing treatment to anyone who seeks care. An Idaho judge agreed, ruling that pregnant women and those experiencing pregnancy loss deserve access to the full rights and protections of emergency medical care. How did Republican legislative leaders respond to this lifeline for patients and doctors? They immediately appealed the ruling. Now, they are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the prosecution and imprisonment of doctors and nurses who perform emergency abortions while the appeal works through the legal system. I know most Idahoans want to make their intimate medical decisions with their families and doctors — not have them dictated politicians. But the new Idaho Republican Party continues to prove it is light years away from what voters believe. This assault on your freedoms isn’t coming from a few far-right fringe legislators. The ban was deliberately written without health exceptions and approved by nearly every Republican legislator. In fact, a few Republicans voted in opposition because they didn’t think the bill went far enough. We should not be surprised that this new brand of Idaho Republican politician is sticking to the script. But we should be very alarmed by their extreme ideology and the lengths to which they will go. This is not the representation that Idahoans want. Patients’ lives and our ability to keep doctors in Idaho make it urgent that we vote them out. Rep. Lauren Necochea With the holiday season upon us, I’m reminded of the ways in which we care for one another. One of the best ways we do this as Idahoans is through Medicaid. It provides necessary care for our children, pregnant Idahoans, seniors who need nursing home care, and both adults and children with disabilities. Medicaid delivers developmental screenings to our kids, substance use disorder treatment, cancer care, and much more. And it demonstrates a fundamental belief we share: We never want Idahoans to go without health care due to an inability to pay. Idaho voters continue to express strong support for Medicaid. They passed Medicaid expansion in 2018 with 61% in favor and the policy has only become more popular. Recent polling commissioned by Idaho Voices for Children shows that 73% of voters favor keeping Medicaid expansion. Additionally, voters resoundingly oppose cuts to Medicaid services. Unfortunately, Idaho’s Republican supermajority isn’t getting the message. They have made repeated attempts to roll back Medicaid expansion and take coverage away from Idahoans, chronically underfunded Medicaid services, and threatened to make cuts to a critical lifeline. Today’s direct care worker crisis illustrates what happens when budget setters starve a crucial service. Direct care workers help seniors and individuals with disabilities with daily tasks, like eating and dressing themselves. This support allows Idahoans to live independently in their homes and is typically funded through Medicaid. But a new report from the Office of Performance Evaluation reveals that this workforce faces a 3,000-person shortage and workers can earn 36-39% higher wages in other industries. Idahoans requiring this assistance can be forced into the more costly and less desirable option of moving into an institution when there are no direct care workers available. There are clear steps the Idaho Legislature must take to protect Idahoans who rely on Medicaid. First, we must bolster reimbursement for Medicaid services, especially direct care workers so that Idahoans can live as independently as possible. We should also reject proposals that cut Medicaid services. Second, we need to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to mothers for one year after birth. This is a key recommendation that Idaho’s Maternal Mortality Review Board made after studying how we can best prevent maternal deaths in our state Third, we must reject attempts to dismantle Medicaid expansion. Too many Republican politicians prioritize their anti-government ideology over people’s needs. And while some lawmakers do not believe that the public sector should solve problems and help Idahoans access health care, voters clearly do. Voters want to ensure a strong Medicaid program is there when they, their loved ones, and their neighbors need it. Idaho Democrats will continue working to protect and strengthen Medicaid to keep all Idahoans healthy. Rep. Lauren Necochea From the Idaho Transportation Department: The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program was established as part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – also called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This program invests federal funding into states to build out a national network of electric vehicle charging stations, using primarily American-made materials and certified EVITP contractors. We rely on infrastructure to power and connect our daily lives. This includes the roads we drive on, our water delivery systems, and broadband access that links us to information and commerce. Two years ago, President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure. This landmark legislation is rebuilding long-neglected public structures and creating good jobs with family-sustaining wages along the way. In Idaho, $2.5 billion in funding has been announced, with over 252 specific projects identified. The investment covers $1.6 billion for roads, bridges, public transit, and airports, $210 million for water projects, and $583 million to ensure rural Idahoans can access reliable high-speed internet. In fact, more than 49,000 Idaho households are already saving on their internet bill. The impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is best demonstrated by the projects underway across Idaho. The North Portneuf Crossing project will enhance traffic safety and improve traffic flow while making the road safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Meanwhile, the Genesee and McCall-Donnelly Districts were awarded funds to purchase electric school buses. Children will no longer have to breathe diesel fumes at the bus stop, schools will see big savings in fuel costs, and entire communities will benefit from fewer emissions. The St. Maries School District will make energy-efficient building upgrades to create healthier learning environments. As wildfires continue to threaten lives and property, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law supports prevention and community resilience. These include the Clark County Roadside Fuel Breaks project to bolster wildfire protection for communities in Dubois, Kilgore, Spencer, and Medicine Lodge and funding to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, sustain industry, and protect recreation across the Boise and Payette National Forests. A $4 million effort to line the Treasure Valley’s New York Canal will more efficiently deliver water to farms and residents. And the Idaho Falls Regional Airport, a critical gateway for Eastern Idaho, received $5 million to upgrade its terminal. Local leaders are celebrating this progress because they have seen dire needs go unmet for too long. It’s also good news for our economy. The International Monetary Fund estimates that every $1 invested in infrastructure yields $1.40 in new economic activity. As we celebrate a transformative legislative accomplishment, we should remember it passed despite Republican obstructionism. Idaho’s congressmen, Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, both voted in opposition. Nevertheless, one shouldn’t be surprised to see them at ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the popular projects the law is making possible. While some Republican politicians try to roll back historic progress and heap more tax benefits on those who need them the least, Democrats will continue investing in the middle class and the infrastructure that sustains us all. Rep. Lauren Necochea Democrats had plenty of good news to celebrate in Tuesday’s off-year elections and more evidence that they can win races centered on the national debate over abortion. As Sen. Raphael Warnock says, “A vote is a prayer about the kind of world we want to live in.” Indeed, every election allows citizens to act on their hope for our shared future. With far-right extremists getting louder, more numerous, and more brazen in Idaho and Congress, many are deeply worried about the future. Today’s Republican Party seeks to divide us based on our differences, puts profits over people, erodes our public institutions, and takes away our freedoms. Nevertheless, Tuesday’s election filled me with hope as voters shifted toward leaders who will build communities where we take care of each other. In Virginia, Democrats exceeded expectations, retaining control of the Senate and flipping the state House. This victory thwarted Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plans to pass an abortion ban. In Ohio, voters amended the state constitution to guarantee the right to make personal decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion. Even in deep-red Kentucky, voters reelected Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Here in Idaho, Democratic values prevailed in encouraging ways. In Boise, Mayor Lauren McLean, who focused on home affordability, secured another term. Hayden Paulsen, a 29-year-old newly elected to Pocatello City Council, returned to his hometown driven by a belief that Idahoans shouldn’t have to leave their community to find economic opportunity. Education champions triumphed in school board elections in Caldwell, McCall-Donnelly, Blaine County, Teton County, and Moscow over far-right ideologues who seek to ban books, police curriculum, and privatize our public schools. In the 45 races where local Democrats endorsed nonpartisan candidates based on shared values — not necessarily party affiliation — 73% won. Meanwhile, voters are starting to realize that Republican endorsements often signal the most extreme, far-right candidate in a race. Coeur d’Alene City Council incumbents beat back far-right challengers endorsed by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. A Twin Falls City Council incumbent beat out a Twin Falls Republican Party official. We can take a moment to celebrate, then turn to the work ahead. In 2024, all 105 seats in the Idaho Legislature will be up for election. Idaho Democrats are committed to having a Democrat on the ballot in every legislative district and will continue to work hard to deliver leaders who better represent the people of Idaho. You can join us. Together, we can deliver on the issues that matter most to Idahoans — safeguarding our freedoms, ensuring quality education, and fostering opportunity in every corner of our state. It won’t happen magically but through the grit of candidates and volunteers who meet voters at their doors to show that Idahoans deserve better and that doing better is possible. Let’s carry this momentum forward and continue building a brighter future for Idaho. Rep. Lauren Necochea Democracy is at its best when consensus candidates prevail. In this ideal world, officeholders have broad support from their constituents and work to strengthen the institutions under their purview. Library board commissioners seek to make library services better and more accessible. Municipal leaders are dedicated to building vibrant cities and delivering public safety and other services reliably. School board trustees believe in providing quality public schools in every child’s neighborhood with qualified teachers and proven administrators. However, Idaho is seeing a disturbing trend, leading us away from this ideal. Extremist candidates with radical agendas are gaining power, often damaging the very institutions they are meant to safeguard. On Tuesday, voters must be vigilant and reject extremism as we decide who will lead our school boards and communities. The West Bonner School District is a cautionary tale , illustrating the stakes and the ease with which extremism can take hold. In 2021, far-right candidates, Keith Rutledge and Susan Brown were elected as trustees. They had extremely narrow margins of victory in a low-turnout election. Overall, only a few hundred votes were cast, just a fraction of eligible voters. It is understandable that local elections can be overlooked due to the demands of work, family, and other responsibilities. Nevertheless, as we have seen in West Bonner, the consequences of sitting on the sidelines can be profound. Brown and Rutledge, along with a third trustee, hired an unqualified, inexperienced ideologue who supports school vouchers to serve as the school superintendent. The embattled superintendent ignored input from the public, made unpopular decisions, and alienated educators. He also demanded an expensive package of perks and benefits — including free legal assistance for his spouse and a car — all while calling for deep cuts to educational service investments. Ultimately, the dysfunction united the community, which successfully recalled the two trustees. But undoing the damage was a difficult task, involving gathering signatures to secure a recall election, raising funds, and pouring volunteer hours into running recall campaigns. Even after voters decisively ousted Rutledge and Brown, court orders, criminal investigations, and obstruction ensued before the superintendent finally resigned. Idaho voters can prevent disasters like this one on Tuesday. Important races will take place across the state and many could be decided by a handful of votes. Doing our research before we enter the voting booth gives us the best chance of supporting candidates who will faithfully strengthen public education, maintain community safety, and support thriving Main Streets. Your vote in local elections is critical to protect what your community has built and make necessary progress. On Tuesday, let’s elect Idahoans who prioritize the public good and the betterment of the state we call home. Rep. Lauren Necochea The best part of my day is when I walk my kids to school. We spend this quality time connecting, while the exercise helps us wake up and get focused for the day ahead. Along the way, we benefit from sidewalks, stoplights, and crosswalks that make our journey safer. It’s less stressful than navigating traffic in a car and my kids can do it alone if my husband and I are unavailable. Every child deserves a safe route to school. And parents across Idaho should feel confident sending their children out the door. Unfortunately, we’re moving in the wrong direction as a nation. In 1969, 42% of children ages 5 to 14 walked to school. By 2009 that number was down to 13%. This trend means a lost opportunity for kids to get exercise and gain independence. It also means more cars on the road, with the related increases in traffic and air pollution. A report card from the Safe Routes Partnership shows that Idaho, in particular, has a lot of work to do to keep our kids safe. That work was highlighted last week when I attended the 2023 Transportation Policy Conference put on by the Idaho Walk Bike Alliance. The conference covered the need to improve bike and pedestrian safety. I attended because I want every family to be able to walk and bike safely and because the stakes could not be higher. Reading recent headlines, I’m heartbroken by the spike in pedestrian and bike fatalities, including child deaths. On average, 445 Idahoans are involved in motor vehicle crashes per year while walking or biking. Between 2017 and 2021, 25% of these crashes resulted in serious injury or death. People traveling in vehicles are facing increasing risks. During what law enforcement calls the “100 Deadliest Days,” the period from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Idaho experienced 21% more car accident fatalities in 2023 than in 2022. Facing such tragic trends, it’s unconscionable that Republican legislators are working against measures that prevent fatalities. The legislation they succeeded in passing, House Bill 87, limits a key transportation funding stream to road maintenance, expansion of travel lanes, and congestion mitigation. Every Democrat voted against this limitation, understanding that roads also need sidewalks and other features that keep our families safe. We also believe the locally-elected highway district commissioners should have the freedom to address local needs and not be restricted by mandates from far-away state legislators. Notably, the lone House Republican who voted with us is a retired police chief. While this legislation is a serious setback, Idaho Democrats will continue to strive for a future where we manage our roads with our children’s safety top of mind. Rep. Lauren Necochea Idaho’s economic prosperity and the very health of our communities depend on the strength and sustainability of our water resources. Idahoans deserve to turn on the faucet with confidence, knowing they have access to safe and clean drinking water. Similarly, food producers and other businesses need reliable water to operate and deliver their products to market. Recent reporting by the Idaho Statesman underscores the mounting concerns surrounding our water infrastructure. In White Bird, residents had to import water from neighboring Grangeville when one of their wells dried up in June. Other cities, grappling with aging infrastructure, population growth, and the high cost of upgrades, could face similar fates. Projects like wastewater treatment system upgrades in Preston, well installations in American Falls, and wastewater system replacements in Gooding require significant investments, with costs reaching tens of millions of dollars or more. Many of our smaller communities, facing limited local tax revenue and state-mandated budget restrictions, rely on state and federal funds to finance necessary repairs and upgrades. Unfortunately, partisan politics have come into play, with the integrity of our water systems hanging in the balance. In 2021, every Idaho Republican in Congress voted against the American Rescue Plan Act. These funds have played a pivotal role in supporting desperately needed infrastructure upgrades across Idaho, such as the $3.3 million wastewater upgrade in Grand View. Similarly, New Meadows utilized a $1.9 million ARPA grant to ensure access to clean drinking water. When there was another opportunity to bring federal dollars back to our state months later, Reps. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Thankfully, strong Democratic support in Congress led to the single most significant investment to improve water infrastructure in our nation’s history. To date, $151 million has been announced to provide clean and safe water across Idaho. Incredibly, many Republicans in the Idaho Legislature want to turn down these federal dollars, even when they are urgently needed in the communities they serve. During the 2023 legislative session, 27 Republican lawmakers voted to oppose millions of federal grant dollars for local water systems. Rejecting this support risks higher property taxes, unmanageable rate increases, and more deferred maintenance and repairs. In White Bird, $400,000 in federal funds were employed to secure drinking water and locate a new well. These funds have been a lifeline, helping our towns and communities maintain aging infrastructure and provide essential services to residents. We reach moments like this when leaders have been pennywise and a pound foolish. The repercussions of further neglecting our water infrastructure could be catastrophic. We must seize the opportunity and take advantage of available funds to protect the future of water in Idaho. Rep. Lauren Necochea A well-educated workforce is the engine that drives our economy. That’s why Democrats in the Idaho Legislature were proud to support Idaho Launch earlier this year. Now accepting applications , Launch is a monumental step forward for our state, covering 80% of the costs for Idaho graduates pursuing in-demand careers, up to $8,000. From training nurses and welders to equipping young people with the commercial driver’s licenses they need to bring our products to market, Launch will allow more Idahoans to earn family-sustaining wages while helping employers hire the workers they need. Every industry in Idaho faces a pressing need for more qualified workers with specific skills. The demands of the modern job market have evolved. Today almost 80% of all jobs require some form of postsecondary education or training. In particular, there is a growing demand for workers in “middle-skill” jobs — positions that require more than a diploma but less than a four-year college degree like electricians, bookkeepers, and medical assistants. I was encouraged to see the broad, statewide support that Idaho Launch garnered when it was introduced in early 2023. Education leaders and every major business group in the state threw their weight behind it. They recognized the positive economic benefits for students and businesses alike. However, it was disheartening to see the unnecessary obstacles this program faced within the Statehouse. The ideological objections and the rise of far-right extremism within our Legislature’s Republican caucus make it difficult for popular and much-needed investments like this to pass. Only a few years ago, the same brand of obstructionism killed an $18 million, three-year grant to support early learning collaboratives across the states by making false claims that the locally designed programs amounted to “indoctrination.” Similarly, certain Republican politicians denounced Launch as “socialism,” ignoring our economy’s dire need for a qualified workforce. Those views are out of touch with the majority of Idahoans who understand the importance of preparing our youth for the jobs of tomorrow. Without the unanimous support of Idaho Democrats in the Legislature, Idaho Launch would have failed. In the House, it passed by a single vote. If one Democrat representative had lost their election, Idahoans would be missing out on this smart investment to address serious workforce challenges. Sadly, far-right ideologues want to dismantle the progress we’re making. That’s why Idahoans must speak out to protect Idaho Launch today. Contact your legislators and tell them you support investing in our future workforce. Encourage eligible high school seniors to consider the in-demand careers that await them with Idaho Launch. Idaho Democrats remain committed to championing education investments to ensure the future prosperity of our state. Together, we can build a brighter future for every Idahoan. Rep. Lauren Necochea Idahoans need an effective public sector every day. This need becomes urgently apparent in emergencies. Regrettably, we now face a sudden, serious threat to our economy and natural resources: State testing recently revealed an invasive species in our Snake River, the quagga mussel. We need competent, swift action to avert a major disaster. From my earliest days in the Legislature, I heard about the extreme risks quagga mussels pose to our waterways. They clog pipes that deliver drinking water, the hydropower equipment that generates much of the energy we use, and the irrigation systems our farms and residents need. Similarly, they can severely damage and ruin motorized boat engines. Mitigating the harm they cause may cost Idaho hundreds of millions of dollars annually. There are also indirect costs like higher electricity prices and reduced tourism. The environmental impacts are sobering as well. Quagga mussels out-compete native species, making our rivers and lakes inhospitable to fish and other wildlife. If quagga mussels continue to spread down the Snake River, the entire Columbia River Basin will be at risk. This is an urgent emergency because quagga mussels multiply and spread rapidly. Adults produce 30,000 to 1,000,000 “veligers” annually and these microscopic larvae can flow downstream for 30 days before settling. Moments like this one remind us that our fates are linked. It only takes one careless or uninformed boater to transfer veliger-infested water to our waterways. And whether you live in Aberdeen or Wilder, quagga mussels can impact your community. I am grateful for the state agencies that have been at the ready to protect our prosperity and quality of life. They have activated a rapid response plan and designed a treatment plan. Treatment with chelated copper , at levels that do not compromise the safety of our drinking water, is already underway. If we can quickly eliminate the threat, Idaho can avoid enormous costs down the road. While state officials execute the interventions they do best, I trust that Idahoans will do their part. That means observing the Snake River closures where treatment is taking place and following instructions to “hot wash” watercraft that have been in affected areas at the designated wash stations. It also means continuing the prevention practices we should always observe — especially when bringing boats across state lines. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture posts up-to-date guidance at idaho.gov/quagga . The rapid response was possible due to bipartisan legislative support for monitoring and preparedness. The Legislature must continue to allocate resources to combat the current invasion, prevent future invasions, and conduct monitoring to help us catch future issues early. Together, we can protect Idaho. Rep. Lauren Necochea Good governance means compromise and working across the aisle for the common good. An essential governance responsibility in Congress is to pass the budgets that keep the nation operating and our economy churning. The financial stability of Idahoans is now at risk because House Republicans are refusing to make the compromises necessary to avoid a government shutdown. But you don’t have to take my word for it. As the crisis reaches a fever pitch and we approach the Saturday deadline, House Republicans have become increasingly vocal about the dire situation. Speaker Kevin McCarthy bemoaned the extreme members of his party who “just want to burn the place down.” Nevertheless, he continues to appease these members and their ludicrous demands rather than collaborate with Democrats. Idaho’s own GOP congressman Mike Simpson summed it up, “We’ve been seeing this coming ... I just didn’t think we were dumb enough to get there.” The theatrics are an unfortunate distraction from the real story: A government shutdown would cause severe hardship for Idahoans. It would force our troops to work without pay. In Idaho, 3,500 active-duty service members wouldn’t receive their paychecks, risking their ability to pay bills and put food on the table. And hundreds of thousands of civil servants at the Department of Defense would be furloughed, affecting our ability to manage national security risks. Nearly half of the babies born in the U.S. are served by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. A federal contingency fund for WIC would only last a few days and many states have limited funds to keep the program running. In Idaho, the GOP shutdown would put 17,607 children, 6,441 infants, and 6,718 pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers at risk of losing access to food. Idaho’s 268 TSA officers and 39 air traffic controllers would also be asked to do their critical work without pay until budget agreements are made. Previous shutdowns saw significant delays and longer wait times for travelers. A shutdown would also halt air traffic controller training, potentially causing long-term disruptions. These examples only scratch the surface of the potential damage. To play games with Americans’ livelihoods is unacceptable. We see this brand of recklessness at the Idaho Statehouse as well. A majority of House Republicans vote against critical budget bills — like the one that funds Medicaid — to run up their “scorecards” with far-right special interests. It’s often up to Idaho’s Democrats to deliver the votes that keep our state running. When one political party is willing to hold the economy hostage, we are in trouble. It’s critical that we elect serious public servants who will do the people’s work. Rep. Lauren Necochea Idahoans deserve elected officials who do what is best for Idaho and prioritize the people they are elected to represent. Unfortunately, the track records of our longtime Republican senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo indicate a different set of priorities, as recent headlines have shown. Earlier this month, Risch made the news for his attempts to reroute flight paths at the Boise Airport. Unhappy with the occasional sound of planes taking on and off near his 44-acre ranch, he used his position to ask the Federal Aviation Administration to change the flight traffic patterns . Despite being told by an administrator that this would threaten safety and reduce efficiency, he convinced Sen.Ted Cruz to add a clause to must-pass legislation. This isn’t the first time Risch has misused his influence. In 2018, he nearly caused a government shutdown over a provision to rename Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness after his former political rival, Cecil Andrus. Such pettiness in the face of important legislation is deeply troubling. Meanwhile, Crapo has spent his decades-long political career catering to his corporate donors, at the expense of regular Idahoans. He has accepted substantial contributions from payday lending companies, which use deceptive practices to charge Idahoans a shocking average annual interest rate of 652%. In 2021, he opposed a resolution to overturn a “true lender” rule, which let non-bank lenders avoid state interest rate caps through partnerships with lenders. In this way, even if Idaho passed a state interest rate cap, Crapo wanted to ensure his friends who make predatory loans could get around it. Further concerning is his recent hostility to a pilot program that would allow taxpayers to save time and money by filing their returns directly to the IRS — rather than having to pay a corporation for filing assistance. Crapo is happy forcing Idahoans to pay these fees, which go right into the coffers of the financial services corporations that heavily fund his campaign. Their recent votes also tell a story. Last year, Risch and Crapo were among the 11 senators who voted against the PACT Act, a bill to enhance benefits for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals. Crapo and Risch’s opposition to capping insulin at $35 a month highlights their eagerness to side with price-gouging corporations over people needing life-saving medication. And they have voted against enshrining same-sex and interracial marriage rights, paid sick leave for rail workers, and codifying Roe v. Wade protections. These two senators have collectively amassed over 80 years in public office, solidifying their status as career politicians. It’s finally time to hold them accountable at the ballot box and usher in change that prioritizes the interests of the people of Idaho over personal gain. Rep. Lauren Necochea Every Idahoan deserves to feel safe and welcome in our state. It is inspiring to watch the growing movement for our freedom to live authentically and choose who we love. Over the past few months, Pride celebrations across our state have brought communities together to celebrate this freedom. Even towns as small as Wallace, with 800 residents, joined in with its inaugural Silver Valley Pride. Across our state, everyday people and businesses are standing up in greater numbers to support our freedoms and fight back against hate. Idaho voters understand the harms of discrimination at a gut level. They know that it’s wrong to fire someone or deny them housing based on their identity. This is why a majority of Idahoans support adding the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the Idaho Humans Rights Act. Idaho Democrats sponsor a bill to do just that every year, but we are blocked from getting a hearing by the Republican supermajority. The Idaho business community recognizes that being inclusive is both the right thing to do and smart for their bottom line. Businesses large and small support Pride celebrations to build the welcoming communities that attract and retain talented employees in Idaho. These companies are also sending an important message to their prospective customers about their values. The trend toward accepting and celebrating our friends and neighbors is positive for all Idahoans, except the politicians who seek to gain power by making us fear each other. While progress is often met with backlash, it’s extremely troubling that hateful rhetoric is coming from leaders we ought to be able to trust. Combined with the onslaught of Republican-backed bills attacking our LGBTQ+ community, this posturing can make Idaho a hostile place. Last week, the top Idaho Republican Party official wrote that community celebrations of our fellow Idahoans comprise “deviant debauchery,” among other hurtful statements. The words are not just painful, they are dangerous. The demonization of our fellow Idahoans fuels senseless — and even deadly — violence, as recent events show. Just last year, 31 members of a white supremacist group packed up riot gear, loaded themselves into a U-Haul, and set out to terrorize the Coeur d’Alene Pride celebration. Thankfully, their plans were thwarted by the quick actions of local law enforcement. The ending of another story is heartbreakingly tragic. In 2017, Steven Nelson was murdered in Canyon County simply for being gay. Idahoans all deserve dignity, respect, and a life free from discrimination and violence. We must elect leaders who will fight for this ideal and reject those who use hate and fear manufactured for political gain. Rep. Lauren Necochea This week, Idahoans celebrated Labor Day. It’s a moment to spend time with family and friends. It’s also a time to reflect on the strides labor movements have made and the work we still have to do. Idaho Democrats believe that if you work hard and do your part, you should be able to get ahead. Unfortunately, Idaho is not delivering on this promise and the Republican supermajority continues to push it further out of reach. In 2015, McCall residents organized to address the abysmal minimum wage that didn’t support the workers who powered the local economy. The question of raising the minimum wage was put on the ballot and failed by a slim margin. It might have passed in future years or inspired other communities to take similar action. But Republican legislators, spurred on by corporate lobbyists, acted swiftly to ensure that no community, by any vote margin, could ever increase the minimum wage, no matter how sorely it is needed. Every Democrat, joined by only one Republican, voted against the new law that took away this power from locally elected officials. Workers’ skills are the hard-earned assets they ought to be able to take with them to start a new job or their own enterprise. Sadly, powerful corporate interests saw an opportunity to limit their workers’ options by claiming ownership over their experience. Republican lawmakers catered to lobbyists by passing a law making it easier for companies to enforce noncompete agreements. This threat coerced employees to stay at a corporation even if wages didn’t meet their needs or they simply wanted a change. While the law was ultimately repealed, it nevertheless sent a chilling message about how far the Idaho GOP will go to put corporations’ desires over workers’ freedoms. Laws to weaken whistle-blower protections and strip public school teachers of their bargaining rights are additional Republican-led efforts to undermine workers’ rights in recent years. And Idaho lacks many common protections such as heat safety standards for outdoor workers, accommodations for pregnant workers, and the right to discuss compensation with coworkers. Labor movements and unions have grown the middle class. At different times in our history, Idaho workers joined together to secure fair compensation in Coeur d’Alene mines, Lewiston lumber mills, and Pocatello labor halls. Much of modern working life — weekends, health insurance, paid leave, pensions, Social Security and Medicare — were made possible by organized labor. But many of these benefits are still unattainable for too many Idahoans. While Idaho’s GOP lawmakers continue to double-down on the false promises of trickle-down economics that don’t deliver for working families, Idaho Democrats will fight for policies that make hard work translate into the financial stability workers deserve. Rep. Lauren Necochea Idahoans value our public schools, as demonstrated by this week’s election — voters passed all but one education funding measure. I’m grateful voters stepped up to deliver crucial resources to schools where funding from the Legislature is inadequate. Still, the most notable result was the successful recall of two West Bonner School District trustees. The district offers a cautionary tale of the damage that occurs when far-right politicians seize power. And it reminds us that ongoing vigilance is required to defend against extremism at all levels of government. In June, West Bonner trustees Keith Rutledge and Susan Brown voted to install a far-right politician with zero school administrative experience. This superintendent holds fringe views, including support for censuring curriculum and voucher schemes that siphon funds from public schools to private and religious schools. His lack of experience, coupled with his anti-public education ideology should have disqualified him. Instead, Rutledge and Brown saw these as assets. Voters approved levies for Castleford and Valley school districts, but Shoshone fell short of the 66% needed for its $8.2 million bond. The superintendent’s first priority was personal gain. On top of a six-figure salary exceeding his predecessor’s, he asked for eye-popping perks like a personal vehicle, car insurance and free gasoline, a housing allowance, relocation reimbursement, and free meals. A red flag was embedded in his bizarre request for the district to cover legal costs for both himself and his wife. Then came the mismanagement. Despite fierce opposition from the community, he advanced plans to combine the middle school and high school. He fired two administrators without cause (prompting a lawsuit) and replaced them with political allies, one of whom is the spouse of a vocal anti-Semite. The State Board of Education warned he lacked the credentials to hold the job lawfully and educators fled the chaotic district. Fortunately, parents, educators, and business owners sprang into action. Working across party lines, they publicized the superintendent’s terrible leadership and the lack of transparency from Rutledge and Brown during the hiring and negotiations. Volunteers knocked on doors and built a homegrown recall effort, gathering enough signatures to put the trustees on the ballot. Extremist candidates campaigning today share the far-right’s objectives: To sow chaos, bully teachers, and undermine our schools. With massive voter turnout and by decisive margins, Rutledge and Brown were successfully recalled. The efforts of the concerned residents were remarkable. Still, serious damage was done and the future of West Bonner Schools remains uncertain. In one of their final acts, the trustees amended the superintendent’s contract, making his removal more difficult. It is imperative that Idaho avoids future calamities like this one. In November, voters across Idaho will elect school board members. Extremist candidates campaigning today share the far-right’s objectives: To sow chaos, bully teachers, and undermine our schools. Idaho voters must pay close attention to these races and vote for candidates who will protect and improve our schools, rather than tear them down. Rep. Lauren Necochea Access to clean water and protection from extreme weather aren’t luxuries. They are a matter of survival, both today and for future generations. ... Democrats are acting on the truth that addressing climate change is necessary and goes hand-in-hand with building a thriving economy. This is top of mind as Idaho faces blistering record-breaking temperatures and potential water shortages. But when it comes to addressing our changing climate, too many politicians have been content to kick the can down the road indefinitely. It is especially true in Idaho, where the Republican supermajority has responded by ignoring and often denying the problem. Fortunately, Democrats are acting on the truth that addressing climate change is necessary and goes hand-in-hand with building a thriving economy. Last week was the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act , a decisive move to build our economy out of its pandemic slump by growing jobs and raising wages. But it did much more, making the biggest strides in our nation’s history toward protecting our climate future. The legislation makes crucial investments to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen energy security while creating jobs — despite every Republican in Congress voting against it. In the last decade, Idaho experienced 13 extreme weather events, costing billions in damages. As climate change drives harsher heat waves, more volatile weather, and record drought conditions, Idahoans feel the impacts: more costly utility bills, uncertainty for the agricultural sector that produces our food, and limitations on the time we can comfortably and safely spend outdoors. The Inflation Reduction Act advances conservation solutions and climate resilience across Idaho. The law helps Idaho’s 25,000 farms deploy climate-smart practices that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make their operations more productive. It makes it more affordable for Idahoans to purchase energy efficient appliances and make home repairs while helping families save on their utility bills. By supporting tree planting, it delivers shade and cooler temperatures to our communities. The Act also funds wildfire prevention, protecting life and property, lowering firefighting costs, and keeping our air clean. These investments not only protect health and safety; they make good financial sense. Each dollar spent on preparedness today is worth $15 in mitigated future damage. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act expands the clean energy sector, bringing an estimated $320 million of investment in large-scale clean power generation and storage to Idaho between now and 2030. A historic set of tax credits creates jobs across clean energy industries. These credits include bonuses for businesses that pay a prevailing wage so that Idaho workers earn a good paycheck as we build our energy independence. The savings, jobs, and other benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act are already materializing across the nation and here in Idaho and will continue for generations to come. Democrats remain committed to building our sustainable future. Rep. Lauren Necochea Through the lenses of Times-News photographers, a look into the classrooms of the Magic Valley. As kids head back to school, families like mine feel the promise of the year ahead — a promise that depends on our dedicated teachers. Currently, teachers are putting in extra hours and digging into their own pockets to ready their classrooms and, too often, facing a heavier workload and less pay than the Legislature promised. Sadly, they are also bracing for harassment from far-right agitators. It’s therefore not surprising we see growing teacher turnover and schools with hundreds of vacancies. We must better support teachers to deliver the education we want for our children and the working conditions teachers deserve. Two recent news stories illustrate what we are up against. The first was an article in the Boston Globe about 2023 Idaho Teacher of the Year Karen Lauritzen, who left our state. The second was a KMVT piece about unfilled teaching vacancies in the Twin Falls School District less than a week before the start of school. Many districts face the same challenge and larger class sizes are the most likely fix when vacancies go unfilled. Lauritzen was nationally recognized for excellent instruction and her passion for student learning. Receiving this prestigious award should have been cause for celebration in her community. Unfortunately, the opposite occurred. Far-right conflict profiteers picked her part online, criticizing her personal social media posts expressing support for the LGBTQ+ community and opposition to excessive police violence against Black people. Idaho promised a historic boost in new money for education — but districts have set their budgets without receiving the full amount. Why? Despite having zero evidence that her personal views had any bearing on classroom instruction, parents started questioning her every move, even discussions of topics like world cultures and the United Nations. The harassment took its toll. Ultimately, Ms. Lauritzen — like many other Idaho teachers — made the difficult decision not to return. When educators exit the classroom, we pay a high price. Student achievement suffers in schools with more turnover. Attrition costs rural districts up to $9,000 per educator and $20,000 in urban districts. Alarmingly, an Idaho Education Association survey found that 51% of Idaho educators are considering early retirement or leaving the profession. Lack of funding, salaries that fall behind the cost of living, and a worsening anti-educator climate are driving qualified teachers from the classroom. Extreme Republican politicians have been deliberately sowing the seeds of doubt in public education for decades. They ignore the needs of students, parents, and educators and instead try to distract voters by politicizing our classrooms. Instead of censoring books and curricula, Idaho Democrats are working to support our educators. We are advocating for the things schools need, like reasonable class sizes and professional development. If we focus on delivering excellent educational opportunities to every child, we can build a bright future for Idaho. Rep. Lauren Necochea All Idahoans need a roof over their heads, but today’s housing market challenges residents across the income spectrum. Rapid population growth has led to home costs outpacing wages, with monthly rents climbing an average of $475 in Idaho — a staggering 41% increase — over the past three years. And a worrisome trend in out-of-state investors scooping up large swaths of properties is only exacerbating the situation. While many landlords operate in good faith, state laws allow bad actors to take advantage of having the upper hand in a tough market. Renters sometimes have no other options than to pay exorbitant application fees, exploitative charges, and steep rent hikes. Idahoans are often surprised to learn how little recourse renters have against these practices. With so much at stake for families, Idaho Democrats have worked hard to enact basic consumer protections. While there is much more progress to make, we have scored critical wins toward leveling the playing field. Until 2020, landlords could demand any level of rent increase once a lease expired with no advance notice, which often left renters scrambling. House Democratic Leader Ilana Rubel led the passage of the Fair Warning Act, requiring a 30-day notice for rent increases or terminations of a residential lease. This gives families a fighting chance at landing on their feet. This year, Sen. Ali Rabe, who leads an eviction prevention nonprofit, brought legislation to stop the surprise fees and wildly unreasonable charges she has seen unscrupulous landlords spring on renters. In one incident, a landlord billed a family $300, claiming that a praying mantis kept in a jar for a science fair was an unauthorized pet. While 34 Republican legislators voted against this commonsense legislation — a compromise between lobbyists for landlords and renters’ advocates — enough Republicans sided with Democrats to ensure fees are reasonable and spelled out in the lease ahead of time in the future. Idaho Democrats have also played defense against state legislation threatening city-level consumer protections. One city passed an ordinance to curb some landlords’ deceptive practice of charging exorbitant rental application fees and collecting fees from applicants even when no unit was available. Republican legislators attempted to restrict the power of local governments to tackle this issue through state law. Fortunately, we have been able to block this legislation. We have a lot of unfinished business, such as Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Wintrow’s bill requiring landlords to justify deductions from security deposits, which Republican legislators blocked. But all our wins have been hard-fought, multi-year efforts to get the Republican supermajority to come along. And Idaho Democrats will continue fighting for a housing market that works for all Idahoans. Rep. Lauren Necochea We know that when our small towns and communities thrive, Idaho thrives. Idaho Democrats have long supported investment in these communities to drive growth, create jobs, and ensure rural youth have the same opportunities as kids across the state. But for too long, rural Idaho has been left to struggle under the weight of broken promises and failed leadership. It’s time to do better. When rural Idaho is neglected, key sectors of our economy like food production, forestry, and renewable energy suffer. Opportunities for children and working families also narrow. Without access to affordable homes or child care, families are pushed out of their communities to find jobs elsewhere. Consequently, rural industries and small businesses are challenged by labor shortages and a shrinking customer base. Rural Idaho has different needs than our cities and we need policies that acknowledge this. Nationally, Democrats delivered big wins that will benefit rural Idaho, including long-needed repairs to roads and bridges that will bring products to market and a $583 million investment in expanded broadband access in our state. Thousands of Idahoans living in small towns and communities will be able to access the reliable, affordable internet they need to work, learn skills, and conduct business. Here at home, Idaho Democrats are working to deliver solutions, despite pushback from Republican legislators. Rural Idahoans face limited access to health care and Idaho ranks last in the nation for physicians per capita. The Republican supermajority’s criminalization of medical care is driving more doctors and nurses out of state, causing the discontinuation of rural labor and delivery services, among other issues. When a bill advanced to incentivize nurses to serve rural areas, Democrats backed it unanimously. It passed by a single vote. Idaho Democrats also overcame Republican opposition to increase investments in rural first responders because timely treatment in a medical emergency should not depend on your zip code. Our rural schools need resources as they face inadequate, crumbling facilities and severe staff shortages. Idaho Democrats continue to advocate for fair funding. In 2022, Democrats successfully passed legislation to incentivize educators to take rural teaching positions. It took several years to overcome GOP opposition to this commonsense proposal. Whether it comes to approving desperately-needed grant dollars for preschool and child care access or investing in workforce training, it has been hard to understand Republican legislators’ opposition to policies that address rural Idaho’s needs. By prioritizing investments in our rural communities and industries, we can create a stronger, more resilient Idaho for generations to come. The Idaho Democratic Party Rural Caucus is ready to be a strong and united voice for the 500,000 people who call rural Idaho home. Rep. Lauren Necochea Sally Toone Idaho’s attorney general is the top law enforcement officer in our state. We rely on that position to protect the public interest, hold wrongdoers accountable, and provide sound legal guidance to our state agencies. From upholding the rule of law to defending our rights, the attorney general holds a serious office requiring serious leadership. In six short months, Raúl Labrador has demonstrated his top priorities are advancing his extreme agenda, fueling his political ambitions, and embroiling Idaho in costly lawsuits. In one of his first moves, Labrador dismissed trespassing charges against one of his most ardent campaign supporters, despite objections from the local chief of police. Soon after, he launched a politically motivated “investigation” into cash-strapped private nonprofits serving children. The organizations had already provided all the necessary reporting for state grants they received. But Labrador served them with a demand to produce thousands of pages of unrelated and invasive documentation, including staff texts. This frivolous case will only harm our kids and waste precious state dollars. Instead of safeguarding our freedoms, Labrador finds every possible opportunity to undermine them. He published an opinion arguing it is illegal for Idaho doctors to inform patients about their options for lawful abortions in other states. Such a gag order would subvert our right to freedom of speech. He rescinded the opinion without offering clarifying guidance for doctors, spurring another costly lawsuit against the state. Most recently, Labrador signed onto a lawsuit seeking access to your private medical records for care you receive out of state, in his quest to prosecute abortions outside his jurisdiction. Democrats are not alone in our alarm. More than 50 prominent Idaho Republicans, including former Gov. Phil Batt and former Secretary of State Ben Ysura, endorsed his Democratic opponent. Labrador’s level of dysfunction is just what these respected Republicans feared, if not worse. Sitting Republican legislators are frustrated that Labrador refuses to deliver requested legal analysis — a service they relied upon for decades — and hired an out-of-state staffer lacking critical legal credentials for a top post. Republican representatives helped kill the proposed AG Office budget to communicate their discontent. Meanwhile, the office has lost dozens of dedicated, experienced staff. In a resignation letter, one attorney warned of Labrador and his allies, “They instead appear intent on dismantling government, and doing so without regard for the people who believe in public service who fall in their wake.” Labrador was ushered into office with big money from deep out-of-state pockets. Their goal seems to be positioning their far-right darling for higher office. We mustn’t allow one man’s political ambitions to undermine our rule of law, our freedoms, or our right to functioning state agencies. Idahoans deserve better. Rep. Lauren Necochea I have to believe that no Idahoan wants to let a child go hungry. Making sure our children are nourished requires special attention in summer. When school meals are unavailable, there is additional pressure on families earning modest wages and it’s harder to make groceries stretch. It is therefore confounding that Idaho opted out of a summer food program that would have fed 123,000 kids across the state with $15 million available for our families. The root cause of this failure is poor leadership. Under single-party rule, a complete lack of accountability — compounded by decades of underinvestment in our schools — ultimately failed our kids. Our children’s access to food should have been a serious priority. It’s harder for kids to learn on an empty stomach and food insecurity impacts everything from a child’s mental and physical health to their future economic prosperity. That’s why it’s crucial to take advantage of every opportunity to nourish our kids. This new federal program first launched in 2020, providing eligible families with the cost of breakfast and lunch that their children receive during the school year when school is out. These extra funds for food cost Idaho nothing but required coordination between the state Department of Education and the Department of Health and Welfare to determine eligibility and administer benefits. Over the intervening years and with a leadership change at the Department of Education, elected Republican officials had the opportunity to act. They could have fought for an appropriation needed to implement the program, ensured schools could update the necessary data systems, and put a plan in place to implement the program. Instead, they did nothing. The deadline to participate in the 2023 summer passed earlier this month with no action. While Republican state leaders dropped the ball in such a profound way, they have no sense of accountability to the kids and families who are impacted. The Department of Education’s explanations that changing course would be “difficult” or “that’s the way it was done before” are not much better than Gov. Brad Little refusing to comment on the mess at all. The uncomfortable truth is that elected Republicans calculated that they could deny Idaho families their due benefits without any consequences because the kids at risk of going hungry have no political power. And the Idaho Republican Party’s walled-off primary elections reward not what is right, but what is the most extreme. Denying summer meals for Idaho children is an administrative failure and a moral outrage. One-party rule will continue to harm Idahoans and put our shared prosperity at risk — until we change it. This summer, our children will pay the price. We can and must do better. Rep. Lauren Necochea STK In the Times-News of July 15, Rep. Lauren Necochea, with the headline " Democrats are building stronger, more resilient recovery ," claims that "real wages for the average American worker are now higher than they were before the pandemic." This is clearly wrong as inflation (caused in large part by President Joe Biden's super-sized giveaways) has easily outstripped wage gains. Also, in the same July 15 edition, Dorothy Moon, with the headline, " Kari Lake's Idaho visit will only fuel grassroots enthusiasm ," claims that "Lake has solidified her prominence as a leading figure in the fight for election integrity ...," when, in fact, she refused to concede the election and sued in an attempt to have the results overturned and that lawsuit was rejected by the courts and she was fined $33,000 in fees. It would be nice to have just a little more truth in these opinions. Ken Downs Kimberly The National Defense Authorization Act funds the annual budget for the Department of Defense. It usually passes on a bipartisan basis. Recently, House Republicans broke that tradition and loaded the bill with amendments that eliminate all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the Defense Department. It blocked the Pentagon from putting in place President Biden’s executive orders on climate change; ends reimbursement to military personnel who travel for abortion services, bars health care for gender transition, prevents schools associated with the Defense Department from teaching that the U.S. is racist, and blocks military schools from having certain books in their libraries. House Speaker McCarthy proudly tweeted that “the bill ENDS wokism in the military and gives our troops their biggest pay raise.” Think about it. House Republicans are hijacking our national security for morality issues that have been a part of the planet since the dawn of humanity. You might not agree with gender transition, or abortion, or the color of someone’s skin, but are you willing to sacrifice our national security to keep people in power who are legislating health care when they have no training in health care? Would you go to your state representative to have bladder surgery, or to deliver a baby? Rather than delivering solutions on climate change (just talk to insurance companies — yes, it is real), economic inequality, or cyber and racially motivated hate crimes that will eventually destroy us all, extremists are legislating whether someone can read a book. President Trump pulverized the NATO alliance. Putin has been obliterating Ukraine ever since. Diplomacy has thankfully expanded the alliance with a grateful Sweden. Regrettably, we’re edging closer to confrontation with Russia or China. It won’t be reading a book, getting transition care, or having an abortion that will determine the defense response. Act. Vote the crazies out. Kate Lopez Twin Falls I grew up on a small ranch and embraced animal agriculture long before I graduated from veterinary school. Animal agriculture is a noble enterprise, providing sustenance for billions of people and livelihoods for millions. Cockfighting, on the other hand, is a disgrace and a crime, providing no benefit to anyone but the people who enjoy animal bloodletting. The Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, S. 1529, closes loopholes in the enforcement of animal fighting laws that allow criminals to sell fighting animals and generate vast sums of money from illegal gambling. I have become more concerned lately about the future of agriculture in our country as Senior Veterinarian for Animal Wellness Action. There are powerful individuals, foundations, and organizations intent on smearing animal agriculture and not distinguishing between legitimate uses of animals and gratuitous abuses of them. Cockfighting bears no resemblance to animal agriculture. If we in animal agriculture do not distinguish between this kind of evil, and the proper, acceptable uses of animals, we will see people turn away from animal agriculture. Now it’s time to work to strengthen the federal law, so that the nation can better distinguish between proper animal use and the worst forms of malicious cruelty. It is past due that the cockfighters hang up their spurs and halt their criminal animal abuse. Support the FIGHT Act, S. 1529 and H.R. 2742, to oppose cruelty and support integrity of agriculture. Thomas Pool Norman, Oklahoma Brainwashed? Think again Solomon Asch performed some exceptional psychology experiments in the 1950s. His experiments showed the power of conformity when people sometimes agree with a group’s opinion, even when shown evidence the group is wrong. But in the 1950s, Asch could not determine whether his subjects consciously changed their views or whether social cues unconsciously skewed their perception. In 2005, Gregory Berns answered this question by repeating Asch’s experiment with brain scans. Berns found the brain’s visual center changed what it perceived to fit with the group opinion before it passed this information to the reasoning part of the brain: So people “see” evidence that doesn’t exist and do not know their perception is false. And as this process is common, it has crucial practical implications for all of us. For instance, if self-deception is unconscious, we must choose our company carefully. We safeguard our thinking by mixing with skeptical people who make evidence-based decisions and only use reputable sources. We must avoid the company of the deceived. A radio or TV constantly blaring nonsense might be enough to poison a mind. It also means we must show compassion when talking to climate, vaccine, or election deniers because, unconsciously, their brains may have “shown” them evidence that does not exist. Let’s not assume people are brainwashed when all it takes for most of us is a light rinse. Simon Smith Pullman, Washington Truth or fiction? In the Times-News of July 15, Rep. Lauren Necochea, with the headline “ Democrats are building stronger, more resilient recovery ,” claims that “real wages for the average American worker are now higher than they were before the pandemic.” This is clearly wrong as inflation (caused in large part by President Joe Biden’s super-sized giveaways) has easily outstripped wage gains. Also, in the same July 15 edition, Dorothy Moon, with the headline, “ Kari Lake’s Idaho visit will only fuel grassroots enthusiasm ,” claims that “Lake has solidified her prominence as a leading figure in the fight for election integrity ...,” when, in fact, she refused to concede the election and sued in an attempt to have the results overturned and that lawsuit was rejected by the courts and she was fined $33,000 in fees. It would be nice to have just a little more truth in these opinions. Ken Downs Kimberly It’s not the job of government What’s the role of government? Is it to dictate to the people what there morals are or what religion they should belong to? During the territorial days of Idaho the Republican Party in 1884 passed the Idaho Test Othh. The purpose of this law was to keep members of the LDS faith from voting or holding public office. The Democratic Attorney General, Richard Z. Johnson, opposed the law to the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court in 1888, when they upheld the law. He appealed it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and lost again. At the time this law was passed, it disenfranchised 25% of the voters in Idaho. As a result of this law, the statehouse went from the control of the Democratic Party to the control of the Republican Party. In this case, a law was passed on the moral basis that plural marriage was bad, therefore members of the LDS faith could not vote or hold office. It is not government’s place to punish people because of their beliefs as long as those beliefs do no harm. Edward Easterling Kimberly Ukraine in NATO isn’t good for US If Ukraine were to be included in NATO now, it would automatically require the U.S. to go to war with Russia. NATO-type defense treaties contain a “common defense pledge” that requires every member nation to defend an attack against any other treaty nation. (“ What is Article 5? “ magicvalley.com , July 13). George Washington warned against getting involved in “permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.” Democracies like Athens and Rome saw that group defense treaties were made by two or more kings wishing to protect their dynasties against another more aggressive king. Democracies have always believed it is best to stay on the sidelines regarding these kinds of petty personal squabbles and to avoid binding future generations to wars they might not agree with. Washington also learned from the Bible, where prophets like Isaiah warned Israel against “association” with other nations. After several hundred years of democratic independence, northern Israel made a common defense treaty due to their fear of aggressive Assyria, and southern Judea made a common defense pledge out of fear of autocratic Babylon. Both treaties led to complacency, decline in the fortitude of the people, aggravation of the militancy of the aggressor nation, and Israel’s dark journey into Assyrian and Babylonian captivity. Our current treaty obligations require us to get involved in virtually every war in Europe and Asia. Is that the future we want for our grandchildren? Kimball Shinkoskey Woods Cross, Utah An economy should serve the people who power it, not the other way around. Building such an economy requires making smart investments in our communities, empowering workers and small business owners, and cutting costs for families. Democrats are working to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. Historic progress over the last 2 1/2 years — including the lowest unemployment in over 50 years and 13.2 million new jobs — shows our agenda is working. Democrats have driven billions of dollars in investments, jobs, and economic opportunities in Idaho alone. Micron broke ground on a $15 billion Boise manufacturing facility expected to create 2,000 good-paying jobs following the passage of the Chips & Science Act. Democrats are working to bring manufacturing jobs back home, even while Idaho’s Republican delegation voted against this legislation to strengthen our national and economic security. Rural communities are also benefiting from Democratic leadership. Idaho was awarded $583 million to expand broadband services. Thousands of Idahoans living in small towns and communities will be able to access the reliable, affordable internet they need to work, learn skills, and conduct business. In towns like Driggs, Cascade and Priest River, critical funds will repair roads, bridges, and other long-neglected infrastructure. These projects were made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, championed by Democrats. Democrats are fighting to give families more breathing room by lowering costs. Over 324,000 Idaho residents with Medicare will benefit from the $2,000 yearly cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs and a $35 monthly cap on insulin. Earlier this week, Vice President Kamala Harris announced new steps to lower the cost of childcare, making it possible for parents to stay on the job. It is no accident that the United States has seen the strongest pandemic recovery of any leading economy. It is a direct result of the Democratic economic agenda that prioritizes working families. For the 12th straight month, annual inflation has fallen and real wages for the average American worker are now higher than they were before the pandemic. This strategy of boosting working Americans into an expanding middle class fuels local businesses because more families can afford shoes for their kids, car repairs, and other goods and services on Main Street. While our work isn’t finished, our economy grows stronger every day. But this progress is at risk. MAGA Republicans continue pushing failed trickle-down policies: heaping expensive tax treats onto the well-off and profitable corporations that blow up the deficit and do nothing for regular people. Idahoans deserve a vibrant economy in which working families benefit from their contributions. Democrats will keep fighting for an economy that works for all. Rep. Lauren Necochea State Rep. Lauren Necochea is chair of the Idaho Democratic Party. Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!

Costa Rica's digital identity reflects its international growth

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League was cut to seven points after a thrilling 3-3 draw with Newcastle on Wednesday. Chelsea moved up to second by thrashing last-place Southampton 5-1, while Arsenal is third after a 2-0 win over Manchester United. Fourth-place Manchester City ended its with a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. Liverpool’s result will give hope to its title rivals after Fabian Schar’s 90th-minute equalizer at St James’ Park. Arne Slot’s team had twice come back from a goal down to take the lead in the 83rd through Mohamed Salah’s second goal of the match. But the Merseyside club was denied an eighth-straight win in all competitions when Newcastle produced a fightback of its own. “I have mixed feelings, we were outstanding in the second half, but we were not good enough in the first half," Slot said. “Maybe 3-3 is what the game deserved.” Chelsea and Arsenal took advantage. Chelsea's third league win in a row puts it ahead of Arsenal on goal difference. City also reduced the gap and is nine points behind Liverpool after finally ending the worst run of results of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career. “We needed it. The club, the players, everyone needed to win,” Guardiola said. After wins over Real Madrid and City last week, Liverpool’s title credentials were given a stern test by Newcastle, which led at halftime through Alexander Isak and again in the second half through Anthony Gordon. Goals from Curtis Jones and Salah twice leveled the game before Salah looked to have sealed the win late on. Schar equalized after Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher misjudged a late free kick. It meant Liverpool dropped points for only the third time this season after drawing against Arsenal and losing to Forest. Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said this week that his team was not in the title race, but the standings tell a different story. The London club is Liverpool’s closest challenger after its latest win against 10-man Southampton. Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho were all on target in the rout at St Mary’s Stadium. Southampton had briefly leveled the game through Joe Aribo, but Chelsea was already 3-1 up and in control when Jack Stephens was sent off before the break. Arsenal inflicted a first loss on new United head coach Ruben Amorim with a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium. Two goals from second-half corners made the difference, with Jurrien Timber and William Saliba finding the back of the net, but Arsenal still slipped to third, despite edging closer to Liverpool. Mikel Arteta's team finished runner-up in each of the last two seasons and looks primed to challenge again after making an unconvincing start to the campaign. “You get written off but we stuck together as a group," Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said. “You stick together and we’re starting to reap the rewards of that.” Making his first start since September, Kevin De Bruyne showed City exactly what it has been missing by scoring a goal and creating another as the four-time defending champion got back to winning ways. The Belgium playmaker provided the cross for Bernardo Silva to give City an eighth-minute lead against Forest at the Etihad Stadium. He produced a trademark finish to sweep the ball past goalkeeper Matz Sels in the 31st to put City on course for a first win in eight games. Jeremy Doku made it 3-0 in the 57th, but it was De Bruyne’s performance that stood out after seeing much of his season disrupted by a groin injury. He left the field in the 74th to an ovation from the home crowd. “It’s been a tough time but you have to accept the challenge and I think we did well today," De Bruyne said. "The Premier League is getting harder and harder. We have to improve as a team first and we’ll see in a couple of months where we are. Hopefully, we would have improved a bit and are a lot closer.” But victory could have come at a cost with concerns over the fitness of Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake, who both went off. “Nathan doesn’t look good. We (will) see tomorrow,” Guardiola said. “Manu is making the last two months struggle a lot.” A first win in six games for Everton moved Sean Dyche’s team further away from the relegation zone, while back-to-back losses for Wolverhampton left the club second from bottom of the standings. Ashley Young and Orel Mangala put Everton in control before two second-half own goals from Craig Dawson sealed a 4-0 win for the Merseyside club, which is five points clear of the bottom three. Aston Villa ended an even longer winless run by beating Brentford 3-1 to secure a first victory in nine games in all competitions. Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins from the penalty spot and Matty Cash were on target. James Robson is at AP soccer:

Black Friday is upon us, and Bambu Lab has kicked off a massive sale on its top-of-the-line 3D printers, plus the filaments and accessories you'll need to use them. The sale only lasts through Dec. 3, though, so if you've been eyeing a 3D printer, now is the time to buy. Bambu's products include some of our favorite 3D printer models , and this $250 price cut is Bambu's biggest sale of the year -- an even better deal than the $50 discount Bambu offered in honor of its two-year anniversary earlier this year. It doesn't matter if you're new to the hobby or a seasoned pro, these prices are hard to beat. 3D printing has exploded in popularity over the past few years as prices have fallen and products have become much more user friendly. Previously a niche hobby, it's now an entire ecosystem. Almost anyone can buy and use a 3D printer, but where to begin? With so many kinds of 3D printers, choosing one can be overwhelming. We love Bambu Lab's 3D printers because they're quick, versatile and accurate. Bambu's A1 Mini Combo , in particular, is the perfect gift for those just getting into 3D printing. While prices are pretty good on the Bambu lineup, the Black Friday sale is a great opportunity to get one for less -- or even a better chance to treat someone this holiday season . With that, you can find some picks from its Black Friday sale below. Just note that the sale itself is set to run until Dec. 3. A1 series deals The 3D printer is excellent, with fast, quality printing at a great price. Adding the AMS Lite elevates it to the best printer you can buy right now. Four-color printing for less than $500 is such a good price, I'm still shocked the company can manage it. The A1 creates a lot of waste when printing in color, but that's not a good reason not to buy this machine. Whether it's your first printer or another one for your collection, the A1 Combo is the No. 1 printer to buy right now. P1 series deals The P1S is an updated version of our previous best 3D printer winner, the P1P. Each of the machine's updates -- plastic side panels, glass top and door, camera, part fan and LED light -- makes the P1S our No. 1 pick for an enclosed machine. The quality of the models and the speed at which it can print them are amazing, and very few printers can do both of those things at anywhere near the same price. X1 series deals The X1C also includes an automatic material system, or AMS. That's a small unit that sits on top of the X1C and feeds four rolls of filament into it. An AMS lets you print a single model with four different colors, or it lets you use different materials in the same build. The Wi-Fi is rock solid and while also having an SD card slot, also seems to have more onboard memory, making it significantly faster than the P1P at transferring files. The X1C also comes equipped with a camera that allows for 1080p time-lapse videos, print monitoring via the handy app and even livestreaming in the latest update. Accessories and filaments The AMS is the part of the printer that gives you extra colors to work with. Most of the deals above come with one AMS, but being able to grab another means you can print up to eight different colors. The P1P, P1S and X1 Carbon allow multiple AMSes, so go crazy and get that color system while it's $100 off. What our expert James Bricknell thinks Bambu Lab has changed the landscape of 3D printing in the last two years, and while its printers are reasonably priced at the best of times, snagging a bargain when possible always makes sense. I've been working with and testing printers for the better part of a decade now, and these are the printers I would pick. If you want to buy your first 3D printer, I can't recommend the A1 Combo enough. It's tailor-made for new people wanting to get into the hobby, and with the AMS Lite color system, you can start printing four-color prints immediately. The P series printers are the right bracket for those with more knowledge and need more control over their 3D printing. The P1P is the cheaper of the P series, but if you have a little more to spend, the P1S with an AMS is going to be a better all-round product. The enclosure makes it good for exotic filament, and the AMS works wonders. While some of you might find the X1 Carbon to your liking, if you are creating a print farm for your business and you aren't printing carbon fiber or nylon-style filaments, then it's likely overkill. The P1S will do the job and save you $500 in the process. That $500 could go to getting you another AMS , for one of your machines, letting it print eight colors at a time. Why this deal matters 3D printing can be an expensive hobby, so it's important to take advantage of good deals when they come around. This Black Friday sale will significantly lower the cost of entry for anyone looking to get a new machine, and it offers experienced users a chance to stock up on filament and other supplies they'll use all year long. In addition, the Bambu Lab brand comes highly recommended by expert James Bricknell. Not only is this the best deal we've seen from Bambu all year, we don't anticipate anything better coming along in the near future. There are so many good deals that it's going to be hard to choose. However, if these 3D printers aren't cutting it for you, check out our list of the top 3D printer deals happening right now. Of course, Bambu Lab isn't the only retailer offering Black Friday deals right now. Thousands of price cuts are taking place. We've rounded up the best ones across tech, health, sleep, kitchen, security, software and much more.Some countries not happy with Pakistan's progress: LukashenkoMUNICH, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Siemens AG (SIEGn.DE) , opens new tab is reviewing its majority stake in medical technology subsidiary Siemens Healthineers, (SHLG.DE) , opens new tab , the German technology group's Chief Financial Officer Ralf Thomas told the Handelsblatt newspaper. The synergies with the manufacturer of MRI machines and laboratory systems are not great enough to justify a capital commitment of 45 billion euros ($46.91 billion), Thomas told Handelsblatt, referring to how much Siemens' 75% equity stake is worth. "We are evaluating the economic opportunities for Siemens AG in the healthcare sector. We will then derive from this how instrumental Healthineers is as an investment. And then we will draw a conclusion from that," he said, adding that the results will be presented at a capital markets day at the end of 2025. Siemens AG spun off the Erlangen, Germany-based subsidiary in 2018 and floated it on the stock exchange. Until now, Siemens had maintained it would keep the majority stake in Siemens Healthineers. However, Thomas recently held out the prospect of selling around 5% in the foreseeable future to finance the takeover of U.S. software company Altair (ALTR.O) , opens new tab . Thomas said he remained committed to the Mobility train division, which investors have repeatedly called to be spun off. "The business is in good hands with us. I don't see any need for us to part with it at the moment," he told Handelsblatt. ($1 = 0.9592 euros) Sign up here. Reporting by Alexander Huebner, Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Rod Nickel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) — Steven Clay scored 15 points as Morehead State beat Alice Lloyd 94-63 on Saturday. Clay shot 6 for 12, including 3 for 8 from beyond the arc for the Eagles (7-6). Kenny White Jr. scored 14 points, finishing 7 of 9 from the floor. Jerone Morton, Tayler Brelsford and George Marshall all scored 13 points. Jared Strickland finished with 12 points and eight rebounds for the Eagles. Landon Napier added 10 points for Alice Lloyd. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .‘General Hospital’ Alum Ingo Rademacher Reignites Legal Battle With ABC After Steve Burton’s Return

The Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball team has gotten off to a fast start this season in more ways than one. The No. 16 Bearcats have raced to a 5-0 record while outscoring their opponents by more than 31 points per game, with just one team (Northern Kentucky) coming within 16 points. Cincinnati is averaging a robust 87 points per game with one of the more efficient offenses in college basketball. Cincinnati will look to continue that hot streak when it plays host to Alabama State in nonconference action Wednesday evening. Cincinnati has punished opposing defenses in a variety of ways this season. Despite being the No. 14 offense in the nation in Ken Pomeroy's efficiency ratings, the Bearcats aren't among the nation's leaders in pace. Still, they take advantage of those opportunities when they are there. "Us playing fast is something we want to do," Cincinnati forward Dillon Mitchell said. "When I was being recruited here, that was something Coach (Wes) Miller wanted to do. "There could be games where we're not making shots or something is off, but one thing is we're gonna push the ball, play hard and play fast. That's something he preaches. We'll be in shape and get rebounds." Mitchell is fresh off a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in Cincinnati's 81-58 road win at Georgia Tech Saturday. He is one of four Bearcats to average double figures in scoring this season. That balance was on display once again against the Yellow Jackets, with Connor Hickman and Jizzle James also scoring 14 points each and Simas Lukosius contributing 12 points. In that game, Cincinnati sank 51.6 percent of its shots while regularly getting out into transition with 16 fastbreak points, while winning the rebounding battle 36-29. "Any time you get a road win over a quality, Power 4 team, you're gonna feel good about it," Miller said. "I was pleased with our effort." Lukosius is scoring 16.6 points per game, while James is at 14.0 points, followed by Mitchell at 12.4, while he also grabs a team-best 8.6 rebounds. Alabama State (3-3) has a tough task ahead, especially when considering its 97-78 loss at Akron Sunday, which ended a three-game winning streak. The Hornets allowed the Zips to shoot 46.4 percent from the field and were 53-32 in the rebounding battle. Alabama State gave up a season high in points, after playing the likes of LSU and UNLV earlier this season. Akron standout Nate Johnson lit up Alabama State for 25 points, as the game got away from the Hornets in the second half to keep them winless in true road games. Alabama leading scorers CJ Hines and TJ Madlock still got theirs against Akron, scoring 19 and 17 points, respectively. They were joined in double figures by reserve Tyler Mack (18 points), but recent history says they'll need more help to keep up with the Bearcats. Hines leads the Hornets with 15.7 points per game, while Madlock contributes 14.5 points. In previous Akron Basketball Classic wins last week against Omaha and Lamar, Alabama State featured at least four double-digit scorers in each game. --Field Level MediaHeidi Klum is manifesting a lucky 2025 in any way that she can. “Do you have a tradition on New Year’s Eve?” Klum, 51, wrote via Instagram on Saturday, December 28. “For me ... it’s red lace ❤️ . Good Luck 🍀 .” The supermodel shared a video of herself frolicking in the snow — only wearing a matching red lace lingerie set. In the clip, Klum ruffled her long blonde locks before picking up a handful of snow left on a balcony ledge to fling it toward the camera. Klum has never been particularly modest about showing off her curves. “I’m not shy about my femininity,” she told The Times of London in a profile published last month. “I love dressing up where I have my cleavage showing, wearing miniskirts, high heels, gorgeous stockings — but that doesn’t mean I want to go home with you.” She added, “That’s just my personality. Why not? I want to have fun and show my body, but I have boundaries, as do all women.” A post shared by Heidi Klum (@heidiklum) Klum has also worked hard through the years to maintain her physique. “I don’t really have a specific diet. I just eat very healthfully,” she previously told Entertainment Tonight in 2018. “I start with great smoothies in the morning. I also have four children, so we cook a lot. I don’t really eat out a lot. I think when you eat out a lot or order food in a lot it gets a little tricky because you don’t know what people are putting in there.” You have successfully subscribed. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Check our latest news in Google News Check our latest news in Apple News Nearly five years later, Klum revealed via Instagram that she also doesn’t count her calories in a day. “I don’t think I’ve ever had to count my calories in my life, [so] don’t believe everything that you read,” she said in an August 2022 upload. “I don’t count my calories.” Klum had faced backlash that month after a social media user asked her about her weight. In a since-expired Instagram Story video, she got out a scale and learned that she weighed between 137 and 139 pounds.

The world's poorest ever president earning just £500 a month and driving a 20 year old carMoore’s 33 lead Norfolk State past High Point 77-74Oregon started signing day behind Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten recruiting rankings and was poised to finish Wednesday on top. The Ducks flipped five-star cornerback Na'eem Offord from the Buckeyes and four-star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele from California — additions that pushed them to No. 4 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten in the A Big Ten-high four five-stars signed with the Ducks. Ohio State's class, ranked fifth in the country, is highlighted by a pair of national top-five prospects in quarterback Tavien St. Clair and cornerback Devin Sanchez. Michigan's class was rated third best in the Big Ten and seventh best in the nation. Quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 national recruit, was scheduled to sign his letter of intent with the Wolverines on Wednesday evening. Two other Big Ten teams were ranked in the top 20, No. 13 Southern California and No. 17 Penn State. Oregon closed with a flourish with Offord and Sagapolutele flipping on signing day and four-star linebacker Gavin Nix switching from Miami on Tuesday. The Ducks signed some of the nation's top prospects at wide receiver and cornerback. Dakorien Moore is the No. 1 receiver and Dallas Wilson is No. 4. Offord is the No. 2 corner, Brandon Finney is No. 5 and Dorian Brew is No. 8. They also signed a second quarterback, the four-star Akili Smith Jr., whose father was the Ducks' quarterback in 1997-98 and an NFL first-round draft pick. Five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet was USC's top signee, and the Trojans beat out Ohio State and Oregon for five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart. Penn State landed the No. 4 offensive lineman in the country in Malachi Goodman. Among eight four-star defensive players to sign was linebacker LaVar Arrington Jr., whose father was a 1998 All-American for the Nittany Lions and No. 2 overall draft pick in 2000. Nebraska signed four-star linebackers in Dawson Merritt and Christian Jones and got a pleasant signing-day surprise when four-star wide receiver Cortez Mills flipped from Oklahoma. Iose Epenesa, the No. 14 national prospect and No. 3 defensive lineman, continues his family's tradition at Iowa. The edge rusher from Edwardsville, Illinois, is the brother of former Iowa star AJ Epenesa. Another brother, Eric, is a walk-on linebacker for the Hawkeyes. Their father, Eppy, played at Iowa in the 1990s. ... Indiana's breakthrough season produced a minimal bump in the recruiting rankings. The Hoosiers, who signed 21 players, went from No. 16 last year to No. 13 in the Big Ten. . ... Maryland signed four four stars, including the nation's No. 5 quarterback prospect in 6-foot-4, 215-pound Malik Washington. ... Michigan State didn't sign a four-star recruit for the first time since at least 2009. ... Purdue, three days after the firing of Ryan Walters and coming off one of the worst seasons in program history, signed just six players. Michigan's NIL collective reportedly offered Underwood an eight-figure financial package and Tom Brady provided a strong nudge to two weeks ago. Underwood is from Belleville, Michigan, less than a half-hour drive from Ann Arbor, and he has said playing close to home also was a factor. Underwood is the first No. 1 national prospect to land at Michigan since defensive end Rashan Gary in 2016. An Ohio State stocking cap sat alongside Auburn and Oregon ballcaps on a table at Offord's signing ceremony at Parker High in Birmingham, Alabama. He picked up the Auburn cap and put it on for a split-second, then flipped it into the crowd and put on the Oregon cap. With three of the top eight cornerback prospects and four-star safety Trey McNutt expected to sign, the Ducks would have the highest-rated group of defensive backs. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college football: and

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