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New Magic Valley group aims to boost voter turnout in Idaho primaries

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New Magic Valley group aims to boost voter turnout in Idaho primaries


TWIN FALLS, Idaho — A new organization in Idaho’s Magic Valley aims to boost voter participation in local elections, where Republican dominance means primary winners often secure final seats unopposed.

Magic Valley Voter Services outlined its goals at a press conference on Tuesday, focusing on increasing voter turnout, particularly in primary elections.

WATCH: Hear how a new organization is targeting low voter turnout

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Magic Valley group targets low voter turnout in Idaho primaries

“The primary and the general [elections] are extremely important for this area,” said Dr. Steven Kohtz, a member of the South Central Medical Society.

RELATED | In Minidoka, every vote truly counts — all 16 of them

According to official election results from the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, almost 28% of registered voters cast ballots in the 2024 primary, representing just 19% of the voting-age population.

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Kohtz said the best way to get representation that speaks for more Idahoans is to increase participation in these elections.

“If enough people are voting consistently, then our legislators are going to be voting the way that the Magic Valley as a whole would want them to vote,” Kohtz said.

The group aims to energize voters and provide information to help them make informed decisions.

Lisa Hymas, another member of the organization, said the group also wants to hold lawmakers accountable on issues like education.

RELATED | A school board race was decided by one vote, but voters given the wrong ballot will now have a chance to vote

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“I’ve had two kids graduate from Twin Falls High School. I have two more currently there,” Hymas said. “I am invested in seeing the public schools be a foundational part of the education in the state.”

Hymas expressed concern that legislators are listening more to outside interests than to those of local constituents.

“It does seem like these legislators are just leaning more toward voices that may come from out-of-state interest, and that’s not who’s voting, that’s not who’s living the real consequences of what happens,” Hymas said.

Kohtz noted that fewer local lawmakers have been attending the South Central Medical Society’s, an event that invites lawmakers to an annual dinner to discuss legislative priorities.

“This year in the Twin Falls area, we only had two out of the six legislators take us up on that, and that’s the second year in a row,” Kohtz said.

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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.





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Viral Idaho Domino’s pizza driver ‘Dan the Man’ retires after strangers raise $170K for his act of kindness

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Viral Idaho Domino’s pizza driver ‘Dan the Man’ retires after strangers raise 0K for his act of kindness


An Idaho Domino’s delivery worker whose small act of kindness went viral has retired after kind strangers helped raise more than $170,000.

Dan Simpson, 68, known locally as “Dan the Man,” said the surprise windfall allowed him to step away from years of grinding work from his job with the pizza chain in Boise, Idaho, earlier than planned.

“I got up this morning … and I checked my bank account and there was $163,000, what a retirement gift that was,” Simpson told KTVB Idaho on Friday. The donations have now hit $171,375.

Idaho Domino’s delivery worker Dan Simpson, 68, has retired after kind strangers helped raise more than $170,000. 11 Alive

Simpson shot to internet fame in March after a family’s doorbell camera captured him telling a customer he had bought their Diet Cokes with his own money when the store ran out during his delivery.

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“Oh, you don’t need to. It’s a good tip,” he told customer Brian Wilson, who offered to reimburse him for the beverage.

The video spread quickly online after Wilson posted it on TikTok, drawing millions of views and prompting him to launch a GoFundMe campaign that far exceeded its original goal.

“What Dan didn’t know is that my wife and I are both visually impaired, so running out to the store for a ‘quick’ pickup is not something that is simple or easy for us,” Wilson told the Idaho Statesman at the time.

“What may have seemed like a tiny inconvenience to solve on his end actually made a huge difference on ours.”

Simpson went viral after a doorbell camera showed him saying he bought a customer’s Diet Cokes when the store ran out. 11 Alive

Longtime delivery driver Simpson, who also worked for the Idaho Department of Agriculture, said he’s now ready for a slower pace.

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“I’m ready for normal again,” he told KTVB Idaho. “I got up today thinking, well, I’ll never get another phone call for an interview.”

Instead of splurging on his funds, Simpson said he plans to keep things simple and “buy a decent van.”

He hopes to travel back roads, take photographs and possibly head to the coast.

Simpson also spoke openly about his past, including struggles with addiction and time in prison.

“I got in a lot of trouble with drinking and drugs,” he said. “When I got out, I said, ‘That’s it.’ I knew I’d never drink again.”

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“I’m ready for normal again,” Simpson said. “I got up today thinking I’ll never get another phone call for an interview.” 11 Alive

He said he has been sober for nearly 24 years and worked multiple jobs after his release.

“Ever since I stepped out of prison, I’ve basically worked two jobs and worked hard and tried to do the right thing,” he said.

Now financially stable, Simpson said he wants to help others dealing with addiction.

“Maybe get them grounded in something that doesn’t make drugs and alcohol necessary in their life,” he said.

Despite retiring, he plans to keep delivering pizzas on weekends.

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“So thank you, Boise. Thank you, Treasure Valley,” Simpson said. “You made my life quite a little bit easier.”





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Six transgender residents sue Idaho over strict new bathroom ban – East Idaho News

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Six transgender residents sue Idaho over strict new bathroom ban – East Idaho News


FILE – The Idaho Statehouse is seen at sunrise in Boise, Idaho, April 20, 2021. | (AP Photo/Keith Ridler, File)

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Six transgender Idaho residents are suing the state in federal court, asking a federal judge to declare a strict new bathroom ban unconstitutional.

The law, which goes into effect in July, is the strictest bathroom ban in the nation, subjecting people to time behind bars if they knowingly enter a bathroom, locker room or changing area that does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth — even if the bathroom is in a privately owned business. Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and sentenced to a year in jail for a first offense, or a felony with up to five years in prison for a second offense.

The plaintiffs, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal, say the law forces them to either stay at home or risk harassment, assault or arrest when using public restrooms.

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“I’ve been enjoying life as a man and using the men’s restrooms hasn’t been a big deal,” Diego Fable, one of the plaintiffs, said in a news release. “But this law would force me to use the women’s facilities, and doing so would only invite suspicion, questions, and raised eyebrows. I would have to face tough choices every time I leave my home: Do I know the restroom situation when I go out to eat with my friends? Do I know the restrooms available when I go to public parks to go birding? What do I do while I’m at work all day?”

Republican Sen. Ben Toews, one of the sponsors of the legislation behind the law, said in March that the law was needed to protect women and children. He suggested that transgender people could simply find and use a single-occupancy gender -neutral restroom if they wanted.

Few gender-neutral restrooms available

But in the lawsuit, Fable said the only restrooms available at his work, local grocery stores and some restaurants, conference centers and gas stations are multi-occupancy gendered facilities. Other people also perceive Fable as a man, according to the lawsuit — and he is worried he will face violence if he goes into a women’s restroom facility as required by the new law.

“Ultimately, complying with this law would be extremely isolating,” Fable said. “The only safe option truly available is to just stay home –- or leave the state entirely, leaving my treasured friends and community behind.”

The other plaintiffs expressed similar concerns. Peter Poe is a transgender man with a beard, and said using a women’s restroom would be disruptive. Amelia Milette, a transgender woman, says her job requires her to assist clients at their own offices, and most of those offices only do not have gender-neutral restrooms. She said she will have to limit her food and liquid consumption to reduce the need to use the restroom in public places if the law goes into effect.

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At least 19 states, including Idaho, already have laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms and changing rooms that align with their gender in schools and, in some cases, other public places. The LGBTQ+ advocacy organization Movement Advancement Project’s tracking of the laws shows that three other states — Florida, Kansas and Utah — have made it a criminal offense in some circumstances to violate the bathroom laws.

Idaho’s law applies broadly to private businesses

But none of the others apply as broadly to private businesses as the Idaho law, which covers any “place of public accommodation,” meaning any business or facility that serves the public. The legislation includes nine exceptions for situations like performing janitorial work, responding to emergencies, helping children or cases when someone has “dire need” of a restroom.

The plaintiffs say the ban will cause emotional harm, exacerbate gender dysphoria and could lead to medical problems like kidney and urinary tract infections caused by being forced to avoid using restrooms. They contend the law is overly vague, that it discriminates based on sex and transgender status, and that it violates their constitutional right to privacy because it will force them to disclose their transgender status.

“This law is a dangerous and discriminatory effort to push transgender people out of public life,” said Barbara Schwabauer, senior staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project.

Schwabauer said they would try to have the law completely blocked. “If you cannot use the restroom at work, you cannot go to work. If you cannot use the restroom at school, you cannot go to school,” she said.

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Attorney General Raúl Labrador is named as a defendant in the case along with multiple county prosecutors.

“We look forward to defending the law,” Labrador’s office said in an email to The Associated Press.

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Today in History: May 2, carbon monoxide from Idaho mine fire kills 91

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Today in History: May 2, carbon monoxide from Idaho mine fire kills 91


Today is Saturday, May 2, the 122nd day of 2026. There are 243 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 2, 1972, a fire at the Sunshine silver mine in Kellogg, Idaho, claimed the lives of 91 miners who succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Also on this date:

In 1863, during the Civil War, Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was accidentally wounded by his own men at Chancellorsville, Virginia; he died eight days later.



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