Idaho

Gov. Little highlights success in the State of Idaho Address

Published

2 years ago

January 16, 2024

Gov. Little highlights success in the State of Idaho Address

With a new year comes a new address from Gov. Brad Little on the State of the State. Gov. Little spoke in front of the joint Idaho Congress on Jan. 8, 2024 at 9 a.m., highlighting accomplishments from the previous year and plans moving forward for the state of Idaho.

“We are the least regulated state. We are one of the safest states in the union. We rank first for income growth. We have delivered more tax relief per capita than any other state,” the Governor said in his address.

Governor Little went on to compare his achievements to other states such as Florida and Texas.

“We’re a top ten state for best economy, rivaling Florida and Texas,” Little said in his address.

The key topics highlighted in the address were education, economic growth and infrastructure. This all ties into the Governor’s new “Idaho Works” plan.

Education

Governor Little has education at the front of his mind when it comes to policy, which was shown during his address to the state.

He emphasized a strong push for school choice and supporting charter schools in Idaho.

“We are a leader in education freedom. Idaho is a top ten state for charter schools,” said Little.

Governor Little intends to introduce a bill this legislative session to “cut more red tape” and provide “taxpayers the transparency they deserve.”

In 2021, Governor Little signed into law HB 377 which limits how public schools and public charter schools can discuss issues relating to “sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, or other criteria in ways contrary to the unity of the nation and the well-being of the state of Idaho and its citizens”, according to the bill.

“Idaho was the first state to ban critical race theory in our schools. We’re taking a stand that we should not divide our children,” Little said in his address.

Gov. Little also highlighted the new Idaho LAUNCH grant program saying 12,500 students applied for the program.

Economic growth

“We must continue to lead the nation in fiscal responsibility, tax relief and strategic investments to keep up with record growth,” Little said in his address.

Idaho has seen a substantial increase in population growth and migration to the state of Idaho. Census data estimates Idaho’s population grew 1.3% within the last year.

Gov. Little called attention to Idaho’s budgeting and a projected $3.7 billion in tax relief to Idaho residents.

The Governor also recommended an additional $125 million of state funding to be allocated to property tax relief for local school districts.

Infrastructure

“Since I took office, I have recommended and the Legislature has approved more than $1 billion in additional funding for water-related infrastructure projects,” Little said in a video presented at his State of the State address.

Gov. Little stated half of the aforementioned $1 billion will go to improving drinking water and wastewater treatment, while the other half will go to “modernize water infrastructure statewide”.

The Idaho Works plan also lays out a plan to add $200 million to improve local bridges, making the new budget allocated to bridge infrastructure $600 million.

The plan states 900 bridges are more than 50 years old which are in need of repair or need to be replaced.

The plan also addresses a $50 million investment into the Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) bonding program to strengthen Idaho’s transportation system.

Gov. Little promises “no new taxes” when it comes to funding long-term needs.

Little closed with an ode to former Idaho Gov. Phil Batt, citing his “unrelenting human rights leadership, determined fiscal conservatism and enduring love of Idaho.”

The full transcript for the State of the State address can be found here.

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Idaho

Charges dropped against BYU-Idaho student accused of kidnapping baby at Costco – East Idaho News

Published

11 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Charges dropped against BYU-Idaho student accused of kidnapping baby at Costco – East Idaho News

Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal describes a new video from Costco over the incident involving an alleged kidnapping prior to Thanksgiving. | Daniel V. Ramirez, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS — Weeks after a BYU-Idaho student was accused of kidnapping a baby from Costco, the Bonneville County Prosecutor announced Thursday afternoon that charges will be dismissed.

During a news conference, Prosecutor Randy Neal showed three videos from inside Costco during the alleged incident on Nov. 24, which led to Michael Raine, 24, being charged with felony second-degree kidnapping.

According to court documents, Raine was looking at books inside the store and a cart with a baby was nearby.

RELATED | BYU-Idaho student accused of kidnapping 4-week-old baby in Costco

The document states that Raine “looked around” and then grabbed the cart and walked away.

The issue for officials was what occurred once Raine rounded the corner with the cart and the baby.

Neal said the new video shows Raine walking away with the cart, and the baby’s mother finding him almost immediately. The prosecutor explained that when pursuing cases, a prosecutor reviews the evidence and determines whether, beyond a reasonable doubt, the action was a crime.

“For a prosecutor, the analysis is whether there is a rational basis for someone to conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that they are to a moral certainty, that this is a crime? I don’t think that we can say that,” Neal said.

Neal said the surveillance videos from Costco show that Raine had no intention of running away with that cart.

WATCH COSTCO SURVEILLANCE VIDEO HERE:

The other aspect is that Raine didn’t leave the store after the incident, which, according to the documents, indicates the student had purchased items and eaten at the food court.

Looking at the reasons for Raine’s arrest, Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said at the time, there was only one single video, and based on what was seen, Raine’s actions were found to be suspicious.

Another factor that influenced Raine’s arrest was his trip to the United States Marine Corps Recruiting station in Boise on Nov. 25.

“The detectives were consulting with the prosecutors and made the proper decision at that time in the interest of public safety, based on probable cause, to make that arrest,” Johnson said. “That just doesn’t end the case. There’s a requirement to keep on going.”

Johnson and Neal discussed how detectives met with the mother of the baby and went over the events in a cognitive interview. Neal said this type of interview is a narrative recount of the events by the victim, without any questions being asked.

“Often, the mind will just start filling in pieces in order to make it make sense to them,” Neal said.

Detectives worked on recreating the incident at Costco with the mother, but Neal said some of the mother’s version of events were inaccurate in terms of the cart placement and other minor details.

Neal said Natalie Millett was told charges have been dropped.

Victim Impact Statement from Natalie Millett. | Courtesy Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney

In a statement to the media, Millett said the event has caused the emotional pain that words can’t describe and will impact her for life.

“I believe it was miraculous that I ran in the right direction and recovered my baby swiftly, but the outcome could have been so different had I not listened to my intuition and impressions that day,” Millett said.

After being informed that the charges against Raine would be dismissed, Millett stated that she does feel at peace because she has done everything in her power.

One of the major talking points of the conference and in Millett’s statement is the reaction and comments from social media that have attacked her and made egregious remarks about people involved.

“To sit in your basement and write poison is just really disgusting. It’s just inappropriate,” Neal said.