NAMPA, Idaho — To support Southern California homeowners still recovering from the devastating wildfires that plagued the state back in January, Nate Morris is working tirelessly to continue delivering crucial donations such as clothing, diapers, and even dog treats as part of the Love, Idaho charity campaign.

“The reception was very warm, and they were thankful. They thought it was amazing that the ‘State of Idaho’ would do something like this,” said Morris, the owner of Resto Clean, of the charitable effort. The donations were sent two months after the fires had been contained, thanks to a partnership with the LA Dream Center in Los Angeles.

Sid’s Garage is joining the mission to support those impacted by the Southern California Wildfires

Kelli Bradley, the executive director of programs at LA Dream Center, highlighted the ongoing challenges victims face as they begin the rebuilding process.

“You’re looking at tens of thousands of people [who were] impacted by this [disaster]. Every story is just gut-wrenching,” explained Bradley. “Many of [the victims] not only lost their homes, but their kids lost their schools.”

Significant cleanup efforts are projected to last months if not years. “We’ve been doing ash-outs every day in the community— meaning that we’re going to the burned properties at the request of homeowners and helping them sift through the ashes to try to find anything of value or sentiment that they might be looking for,” Bradley said.

Nate Morris shared photos of ash and debris infiltrating homes that were not directly affected by the flames. In April, the LA Dream Center will host an event focusing on recovery and rebuilding, with Morris and his team from Resto Clean participating. “They want us to come down and do a smoke and ash cleanup class for them,” Morris added.

Looking ahead to the future of Love, Idaho, Nate Morris is optimistic. “We’ve already got a couple of other businesses that would like to use the branding and the name, and I’m all about it. I think they can still funnel the proceeds through the Grace Center and use it for whatever they would like to use it for,” Morris says.

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Emotions and pride ran high as the sun was coming up over Gowen Field on Saturday, as families and friends waved goodbye to just over 300 Airmen from the 124^th Fighter Wing of the Idaho Air National Guard.

For security reasons, the Pentagon doesn’t release too many details at deployment; that said, the Guard did say the Airmen were headed for southwest Asia (i.e. the Middle East) “in support of combat and peacekeeping operations within the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.”

Command Chief Master Sergeant Lehi Hartwell knows all too well about deployments. He’s been on nine himself.

“I always pass on to our Airmen that a deployment is where you get to do your actual job” said Hartwell. “Every weekend we drill… we prepare to go and actually do our job. There are stresses to it. But when we go and deploy, we overcome those stressed by getting hands-on… well, everything.”

But then there is the very real issue of leaving their loved ones back home.

“I think the biggest stresses we have is leaving our loved ones and our civilian jobs in Idaho,” said Hartwell. “But we have a lot of resources. We have a Yellow Ribbon program that we walk through. And there are plenty of us at home that are well positioned to take care of that for them.”

The 124^th Fighter Wing has deployed often in recent memory – twice in 2003, plus in 2007, 2008, 2016, the largest in 2020, and others. Nearly 1,300 Airmen comprise the Idaho Air National Guard.

Find reporter George Prentice @georgepren

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BOISE, Idaho — One of the most heated debates at the Idaho Capitol this session centers on who belongs in which spaces—and who gets to decide.

House Bill 264 aims to restrict access to bathrooms, changing rooms, dorms, and shelters based on biological sex, not gender identity. Supporters argue that the bill is intended to protect privacy and safety.

“Protecting female spaces really is a continuation of a lot of the things that we have done as Idahoans… men should not be in our private spaces,” said Rep. Barbara Ehardt (R). “Imagine if you sent your daughter to go to the university and she found out that for a year her roommate was going to be a biological male who identified as a female. That’s not right.”

Critics, however, counter that the bill targets an issue that is not grounded in Idaho reality and could create more problems than it solves.

“I don’t think they’re going to increase women’s comfort level by forcing trans men into women’s bathrooms, which is what this bill does,” said Rep. Ilana Rubel (D). “This one in particular on the bathrooms is… extremely misguided. I think a lot of the folks in here are legislating without ever having really known a trans person in their life.”

Rubel also noted that there is no record of assault by a trans woman in Idaho bathrooms and expressed concerns that the bill could lead to costly lawsuits. “At best, it’s a total waste of time that is a distraction from the real needs of the people of Idaho,” she added.

Another bill, HB 239, is gaining attention as it would require parents to actively opt their child into any sexual content in classes, as opposed to the current system that allows them to opt-out.

“The opt-in is really about consent, not content,” Ehardt said. She believes the change empowers parents after hearing what she described as alarming stories from families. “The subject matter being taught really was about self-gratification… My child cannot unsee that,” she continued. “They were role-playing sexual situations… I have story after story.”

Rubel warned that the bill could unintentionally block teens from learning important lessons about their bodies due to possible administrative delays or parents forgetting to opt in. “Whenever you flip things from opt-out to opt-in, you end up losing roughly half the people along the way just from paperwork and administrative hurdles,” she stated.

Additionally, HB 352 would ban any classroom instruction touching on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through high school. Supporters assert that the classroom is not an appropriate setting for such discussions.

“We don’t want teachers… allowing the kids to choose another name, other pronouns… this is not something for the school to decide,” Ehardt expressed.

Rubel argued that the line between what is banned and what is allowed is too blurry and risks erasing many students’ identities. “It’s been a disappointing session… very silly culture war issues… not responsive to the actual needs of the people of Idaho,” she concluded.