Idaho
Oregon secessionists make provocative pitch to lawmakers in Salem billboards: ‘We choose Idaho’
A series of billboards went up alongside Interstate 5 heading into Salem on Monday — but they aren’t meant for most of the people who will see them.
They’re for the eyes of state senators and representatives heading into the capital. Instead of slogans for products, they bear a very specific political message, stating: “RELEASE EASTERN OREGON” and “WE CHOOSE IDAHO.”
The billboards’ origin: the Greater Idaho movement, which seeks to move the state lines to put Oregon’s rural eastern counties into Idaho.
Supporters of the grassroots campaign want to escape policies embraced by the Democratic majority in the Oregon Legislature that they say don’t align with their values. They’d rather be residents of conservative Idaho – but without having to leave their homes and established lives.
In general, they’d like less regulation and lower taxes, even if that means fewer government services. The ultimate goal is more freedom. They believe the state’s politicians – including liberal ones from Oregon’s big cities – should understand their frustrations.
“We wanted to be able to talk directly to legislators,” Matt McCaw, Greater Idaho’s executive director, said of the billboards.
Voters in 13 Oregon counties – including all of the ones abutting Idaho – have passed measures in the past few years directing county leaders to study moving the state boundary. Greater Idaho’s leaders say the change would “make both states better” – or at least make more residents of each state happier with the political status quo.
Despite the success of these initiatives, the possibility that Idaho actually could poach any of Oregon’s counties is slim. The change would have to be approved by the two states’ legislatures, then the U.S. Congress.
Gov. Tina Kotek and Oregon’s other Democratic leaders have ignored the effort to move the state lines. The Greater Idaho website includes a graphic showing the number of days – now at 196 – “with no response from Gov. Kotek.”
But Greater Idaho advocates maintain hope.
The new billboards went up a day before Oregon’s legislative session began on Tuesday. Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, has already introduced a bill that invites the Idaho Legislature to engage in border talks with Oregon. Supporters also plan to introduce a bill in the Oregon House that calls for a feasibility task force, McCaw told The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Greater Idaho advocates recognize that their best bet could be to get President Donald Trump to use the bully pulpit to push forward their objective. They sent a letter to Trump last month asking him to back their plan.
“Our appeal was that the people of eastern Oregon have voted, and they have a right to self-determination,” McCall said of the letter to Trump. “They’re being held captive at this point in a state that they no longer wish to be part of.”
He added that Trump could help “bring [Gov. Kotek] to the table” and raise awareness of the effort to change the state’s boundaries.
So far, they haven’t received a response from the president. But they hope a Truth Social post about Greater Idaho could come at any time and change everything.
— Tatum Todd is a breaking news reporter who covers public safety, crime and community news. Reach them at ttodd@oregonian.com or 503-221-4313.
BLACKFOOT — A large contingent of Blackfoot Police officers has cordoned off an area near the Taco Bell on Parkway Drive in Blackfoot.
Police responded around 5 p.m., according to multiple witnesses who contacted EastIdahoNews.com.
EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to Blackfoot Police for details.
We will update this story as we learn more.
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MISSOULA, Mont. — An Idaho Falls angler is back in the Idaho record books after landing a record-setting lake trout at Payette Lake.
Idaho Fish and Game said Dylan Smith caught and released a 43.25-inch lake trout on May 2, setting a new state catch-and-release record for the species. The fish surpassed the previous record of 42 inches.
The catch marks Smith’s second appearance in Idaho’s record books. He previously held the state catch-and-release lake trout record after landing a trophy fish in 2018 before that mark was later broken.
According to Fish and Game, Payette Lake has become one of Idaho’s premier lake trout fisheries thanks to years of management efforts aimed at improving both lake trout and kokanee populations.
Pride Month looks different this June along Boise’s Harrison Boulevard, where a long-standing tradition of hanging Pride flags on lamp posts has been put on hold after a new state law restricted which flags can be flown on government property.
For several years, Pride flags lined lamp posts along Harrison Boulevard in Boise’s North End neighborhood. But Idaho House Bill 561, signed by Gov. Brad Little in March, restricts which flags can be flown on government property, including the City of Boise’s Harrison lamp posts.
In response, a group of neighbors formed Pride North End and launched a distribution effort to help residents show support from their own front yards. The group has been making Pride flags and yard signs available to people who want to display them at home.
“I thought that I would…be a personal example of ‘yes, this is what I do.’ This is what I believe in,” said Edna Schochat, a North End resident.
Pride North End has already distributed more than 900-yard signs and 250 flags. The group’s original donation goal was around $2,000 to order 100 flags and 200 yard signs, but it has exceeded that GoFundMe goal, reaching $10,000 worth of donations.
The group plans to continue holding public flag and sign distributions through the end of the month.
“We cannot just say something without doing something that proves that we mean what we say,” Schochat said.
Pride North End said any leftover funds after materials are distributed will go to local LGBTQ+ nonprofits. A link to the group’s GoFundMe can be found here.
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