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AARP IDAHO: Older Idahoans benefit from legislative session. Here’s how.

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AARP IDAHO: Older Idahoans benefit from legislative session. Here’s how.


AARP Idaho is a non-profit, non-partisan group representing greater than 180,000 members throughout the state. We work with lawmakers on each side of the aisle to assist laws and points that make Idaho a fantastic place to reside for everybody.

Earlier this yr, throughout our annual AARP Idaho Day of Motion on the Capitol, Gov. Brad Little instructed us, “In the event you’re not on the desk of public coverage discussions, there’s a superb probability you’re on the menu. AARP advocates are on the desk and that’s essential.”

He’s proper and all through this previous legislative session workers and volunteers labored diligently to advance laws that will not solely profit these 50 and older however Idahoans of all ages. And whereas there are at all times winners and losers throughout the legislative session, there is no such thing as a query Idaho’s older inhabitants benefited drastically.

For instance, because the Idaho inhabitants continues to develop and residential costs proceed to rise, we fought for reasonably priced housing choices, smart property tax options and truthful rental insurance policies to guard Idahoans dwelling on a set earnings. We advocated for modifications to the circuit breaker program to ensure those that didn’t qualify final yr might qualify in future years.

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We supported Home Invoice 51 and extra clear property valuation notices. We additionally supported Home Invoice 238 which protects householders towards unfair service settlement and predatory housing practices. We spoke in favor of Home Invoice 166 which permits non-public property homeowners the proper to have an adjunct dwelling unit on their property and earn extra earnings. We hear greater than something that Idahoans wish to age in place with dignity. These measures enable that to occur and we’re proud to assist initiatives and laws that empower folks to decide on how they reside as they age.

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We advocated for the 1000’s of Idahoans and their households who depend on the workforce of direct care workers by urging the discharge of a report from the Workplace of Efficiency Analysis titled The Sustainability of Idaho’s Direct Care Workforce. This report underscored the scarcity of direct care employees in Idaho and wanted to be made public so acceptable coverage modifications may very well be made.

We protected Idaho voters by vehemently opposing and in the end defeating Home Invoice 205, which might have amended Idaho’s absentee voting necessities placing pointless restrictions how Idahoans might vote. Voting is the proper of each citizen, and we ought to be specializing in growing turnout as a substitute of constructing boundaries.

In the end, the Legislature agreed with us.

This yr additionally introduced reminders that when a measure is accredited, our work is commonly simply starting. In 2018, Idaho voters overwhelming voted to increase Medicaid and shield those that could not afford medical insurance. Some lawmakers needed to take a step backward and repeal that effort. We disagreed and helped stall that effort. We are going to proceed to guard Medicaid and assist those that want it most.

For years we’ve got mentioned telehealth insurance policies in any respect ranges of presidency. This sort of care is essential for an growing old and rural Idaho inhabitants. That’s why we had been so happy our efforts helps go the Digital Care Entry Act. This important laws modernizes the Telehealth Entry Act to the post-COVID well being care system and offers the comfort and independence related to digital care. As well as, we efficiently lobbied for the Uniform Digital Will Act. This is a vital authorized instrument for the home-bound and people with mobility points.

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What AARP members need to say in regards to the problems with the day ought to, did and can proceed to command the eye of the Idaho Legislature. This is sensible for the reason that Idaho Division of Labor estimates 20% of the state’s inhabitants will likely be over the age of 65 by 2026. It’s additionally no secret that older Idahoans are essentially the most highly effective voting bloc within the state.

Whether or not it’s monetary safety, well being care entry and affordability or making Idaho communities extra livable, we’ll proceed to indicate up as a sensible good friend and fierce defender of Idahoans 50 and older. And despite the fact that the 2023 legislative session has ended we’re already beginning to set the desk for subsequent yr.






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Lupe Wissel


Lupe Wissel is state director for AARP Idaho.

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Idaho

U of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger investigated in 2nd home invasion attack

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U of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger investigated in 2nd home invasion attack


Alleged mass-murderer Bryan Kohberger was reportedly investigated in connection with another home invasion attack that occurred not far from where he’s accused of slaying four University of Idaho students in an off-campus home. The 29-year-old suspect was arrested at his parents’ Pennsylvania home in December 2022 after four students were killed in a house where three of them had lived and a …



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Bryan Kohberger investigated over nearby home invasion year before alleged slayings of 4 University of Idaho students

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Bryan Kohberger investigated over nearby home invasion year before alleged slayings of 4 University of Idaho students


Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger was once investigated in connection to a chilling home invasion that took place mere miles from where he allegedly slaughtered four college students inside their off-campus housing in 2022, according to a new report.

New information about the accused killer comes after ABC News obtained bodycam footage of police responding to a suspected home invasion in nearby Pullman, Wash., in October 2021 — more than a year before the University of Idaho students were stabbed to death.

“I heard my door open and I looked over, and someone was wearing a ski mask and had a knife,” a frightened woman told police.

“I kicked the s–t out of their stomach and screamed super loud, and they like flew back into my closet and then ran out my door and up the stairs.”

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The alleged incident — which took place just 10 miles from the gruesome slayings in Moscow, Idaho — happened at 3:30 a.m., the woman told police, adding that the masked intruder was silent the whole time.

Her roommate immediately called the police, the outlet reported, but the case was left unsolved as police were left without a suspect or evidence at the time.

The terrifying incident shared eerie similarities with the gruesome quadruple University of Idaho murders.

Officials said Bryan Kohberger was investigated in connection with a home invasion that took place prior to killing Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, both 21, their housemate Xana Kernodle, 20, and her boyfriend Ethan Chapin, 20, on Nov. 13, 2022. AP

Kohberger, 29, is accused of butchering students Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21, around 4 a.m. inside their off-campus house on Nov. 13, 2022.

A surviving housemate later told police she saw a masked man with “bushy eyebrows” fleeing the house after overhearing cries and sounds of a struggle.

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Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at Washington State University, was arrested at his parents’ Pennsylvania home on Dec. 30 and charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary — charges he has since pleaded not guilty.

Thirteen days later he was named a person of interest in the Pullman case, ABC reported, but is no longer considered a suspect. 

“We have no reason or evidence to believe he was involved in this burglary at this time,” Pullman police told the outlet, citing a height difference between the alleged attackers.

While Kohberger is 6 feet tall, the alleged attacker in the Pullman incident was described as being 5’3′ to 5’5′. The accused stabber was also not yet enrolled at Washington State University at the time of the 2021 incident, the outlet reported.

Kohberger stabbed the four individuals at approximately 4 a.m. in Moscow, Idaho.

The case is now closed but remains unsolved, police said.

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“My family and I have been frustrated that the case was not investigated more in-depth or resolved,” the victim in the break-in told the outlet.

Kohberger’s highly anticipated trial is slated to begin in August and last through November.

Kohberger is currently facing four first-degree murder charges and a felony burglary charge in connection with the early morning massacre. REUTERS
The victim expressed their family’s frustration that the case was not investigated more thouroughly. Pullman Police Department

The lengthy trial, which was moved to Idaho’s capital of Boise, will include two phases — one to determine his guilt or innocence, and the other, if he’s found guilty, to determine whether he should receive the death penalty. 



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Bryan Kohberger probed for home invasion year before Idaho student murders

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Bryan Kohberger probed for home invasion year before Idaho student murders


Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in the Idaho quadruple murder case, was once investigated in connection with a home invasion in Pullman, Washington. This opens many doors for a flock of questions.

Bryan Kohberger, the man accused of fatally stabbing four University of Idaho students, is escorted into court for a hearing in Latah County District Court, Sept. 13, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool, File)(AP)

Who is Bryan Kohberger?

Kohberger, a 28-year-old PhD criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested weeks after the Idaho murders at his parents’ home in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He now faces four first-degree murder charges and a felony burglary charge. Prosecutors allege Kohberger meticulously planned the attack, stalking the victims’ off-campus rental home prior to the killings.

The Pullman home invasion occurred in October 2021, just 10 miles from Moscow, Idaho, where four college students were brutally stabbed to death in November 2022. Newly released body camera footage cited by ABC News provides a bodycam footage of the break-in that left a young woman traumatized and fearing for her life.

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“I heard my door open and I looked over, and someone was wearing a ski mask and had a knife,” the woman told officers in the footage, her voice trembling. “I kicked the s*** out of their stomach and screamed super loud. They flew back into my closet and then ran out my door and up the stairs.”

Kohberger named person of interest in Pullman case after Idaho murders

The alleged attack happened around 3:30 a.m. The masked intruder, who carried a knife, entered her bedroom silently. Despite her quick reaction and her roommate’s immediate call to 911, police found no trace of the suspect or any physical evidence.

Just over a year later, on November 13, 2022, the town of Moscow, Idaho, was shaken by the brutal murders of Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. Survivors in the home described a masked man with “bushy eyebrows” fleeing after hearing cries and the sounds of a violent struggle.

Thirteen days after the Idaho murders, Kohberger was named a person of interest in the Pullman case. The eerie similarities between the two incidents—both involving a masked intruder, a knife, and nighttime break-ins—drew immediate attention. However, authorities later clarified that Kohberger is no longer considered a suspect in the Pullman case.

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Despite initial suspicions, critical differences between the Pullman and Moscow cases ultimately ruled out Kohberger’s involvement in the earlier incident. The victim of the Pullman break-in described the intruder as 5’3” to 5’5”, while Kohberger stands six feet tall.



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