Idaho
$1M earmarked for North Idaho forests
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Northern Region said Tuesday it is investing $1 million to expand work with the Idaho Department of Lands to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health through the Good Neighbor Authority.
The investments will fund projects on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest while also providing funding for IDL staffing.
The funds will support about 3,000 acres of fuels reduction work administered by IDL such as fuel breaks and vegetation treatments to improve forest health, a press release said.
The funds will also expand road repairs to improve watershed conditions and provide access for wildfire management and implementation of project activities.
“Our strong partnership with IDL through the Good Neighbor Authority program is an important component in restoring National Forest System lands in Idaho,” said Deputy Regional Forester Tim Garcia.
The additional investment in GNA expands forest management capacity to help meet Shared Stewardship goals, the release said.
Through coordination with private landowners to define and implement cross-boundary projects, Shared Stewardship aims to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health, doubling the number of acres treated on National Forest System lands in Idaho by 2025.
State and federal officials are working with diverse interest groups through partnerships and forest collaborative groups to prioritize areas for treatment, improve coordination with adjacent forestland owners and better leverage limited resources.
Work is underway throughout 621,400 acres of Forest Service land within a 2-million-acre landscape in the Idaho Panhandle which was jointly prioritized for fuels reduction and forest restoration activities.
“These funds will expand the work IDL is able to do on federal ground to better protect our communities,” said Idaho State Forester Craig Foss.
He said much of the current GNA work is within the Wildland Urban Interface, where homes and forestland meet.
“This work is vital to help decrease the risk of catastrophic wildfire to adjacent forests, homes and nearby towns,” Foss said.
BOISE,ID (CBS2) — If you’ve been waiting for a reason to get outside, this is it. We’re looking at a massive warmup across southwest Idaho and southeast Oregon this week. A strong weather pattern is pushing temperatures about 20 degrees above what we’d usually see this time of year, with highs hitting the 70s – even 80 in some spots. We might even break some daily records before the week is up.
Expect plenty of sunshine and dry skies through Saturday. It’ll be a bit breezy Tuesday afternoon—especially if you’re down in the Magic Valley—but things should settle down after that. Cooler air starts moving in this weekend, bringing more clouds and a solid chance of rain by early next week.
The Idaho House quickly passed a bill Monday that would make it a crime for transgender people to use a restroom, locker room or shower facility that doesn’t match their sex at birth.
House Bill 752 would apply to both government and private businesses. Anyone caught knowingly violating the bill would be charged with a misdemeanor for the first offense and a felony for a second incident within five years.
If convicted, sentences for those crimes would be up to a year in a county jail or a prison sentence of up to five years respectively.
Rep. Barbara Ehardt (R-Idaho Falls) said society never used to bat an eye at keeping bathrooms separated by sex.
“I do not understand why we seem to all of a sudden have a problem with discerning who is who and where we each should be,” Ehardt said.
Rep. Dale Hawkins (R-Fernwood) agreed.
“If someone followed my daughter into a shower room, my family would have to come visit me somewhere because I wouldn’t be waiting for police,” Hawkins said.
State lawmakers in recent years have increasingly restricted access to sex-segregated bathrooms, including at university dorm facilities, domestic violence shelters and prisons.
Rep. Clay Handy (R-Burley), one of the few Republicans to oppose the bill, said allowing transgender people to use the bathroom isn’t a problem.
“I’ve seen people in every way shape or form all over the world going to the bathroom and, to tell you the truth, I don’t know if very many people are sexually aroused by watching someone go to the bathroom,” Handy said.
House lawmakers easily passed the measure, which now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
After an unusually mild winter, Idaho is on the cusp of officially welcoming Spring. The season officially begins on Friday, March 20 but one area ice cream shop is getting a jump start!
If you’re someone who keeps track of the best food freebie days, you probably already know that Thursday, March 19 is Dairy Queen’s “Free Cone Day.” If you didn’t, you know now and the timing couldn’t be better. Not only does the day hit while many schools in Idaho are on Spring Break, the Boise area could see near-record temps around 80 degrees.
READ MORE: ‘The Planet’s Best Ice Cream’ Is Finally Coming to Idaho
On Thursday, ice cream lovers can enjoy a free small vanilla cone, no strings attached. That’s right. You don’t have to purchase another item. You don’t have to download an app. There are no hoops to jump through. You just have to show up in person and ask for your cone while supplies last.
Free cone day also gives you an opportunity to pay it forward. At most Dairy Queen locations, you’ll have the option to have that free cone dipped for $1. You can choose from chocolate, cherry or the new Mint Crunchin’ Cookie.
The money raised from those dipped cones on Free Cone Day will benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Idaho’s only children’s hospital, St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital is one of the 170 children’s hospitals that receives funds as part of the network.
The tradition of Free Cone Day dates back to 2015. The ice cream chain has 25 locations across Idaho.
KEEP READING: The Mount Rushmore of Ice Cream in Boise
We asked you to rank Boise’s Top 4 Ice Cream locations! Here’s how it played out according to our listeners.
Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart
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