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Anger, Spite and Farce Plague Idaho Politics

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Anger, Spite and Farce Plague Idaho Politics


Half the Body Politic is Insane

Liberals are angry.  They aren’t getting what they want at the ballot box, so they’re attempting to disrupt popular will.  It was evidenced last week in Kootenai County, where they shouted down Republican State Legislators at a public meeting.  One liberal may also have bitten a security guard.

Things were noisy in Twin Falls on March 1st.  They shouted, booed, and hissed as Republican Legislators answered questions about the current legislative session.  They were warned that more outlandish behavior would bring the program to an end.

I shared with friends at the event that for many the frustration is with President Donald Trump, and state legislators are the surrogates for the liberal’s unhinged anger.

Credit Bill Colley.

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Credit Bill Colley.

Nine legislators were aligned on stage.  There was only one Democrat among them, State Senator Ron Taylor from Blaine County.  He was situated at the left end of the table figuratively and literally.  He was among a group of four on the left side of the stage who most often voted to appease the liberal mob.

Profiles in Gibberish

He was joined by men like State Representative Lance Clow, who paraphrased John Kerry in explaining that he voted in committee against a bill that he later supported in a vote of the entire House.  I would say that was a clumsy attempt at rhetorical sleight of hand.

But for the craziest thing I heard all day, it came from Representative Jack Nelsen from District 26.  In the lobby after the event we chatted and I told him that many of his constituents aren’t happy that many of his votes mirror those of liberal House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel.

I’m not making this up.  I hear it from many of his constituents, and I hear it from many of his party’s foot soldiers.  They backed him as their party’s nominee.  Now they’re hearing complaints from the public when they go shopping and out to eat.  He’s put them in a difficult spot and I’m not sure he’s aware and possibly he doesn’t care.

Jack Nelsen States the Obvious

The man told me he doesn’t consider himself a Republican or a Democrat, but a fiscal watchdog.  First, I also don’t consider him a Republican!  Second, he had made an impassioned defense of spending your tax dollars on the Launch Program, which provides money to business owners who are allied with the power base.  It’s a wealth transfer.

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For all his talk about expanding the trades in Idaho, I know that the building trades are shopping for his primary opponent.  You may not know this, but the builders are a powerful lobby.  The lobby represents construction trades, lenders, and realtors.  Cross them at your peril.

There’s spite in Idaho politics.  Two million people will pay more for eating because a powerful legislator is holding up grocery tax repeal.  Because a relative of another legislator sponsoring the repeal says mean things about the power broker.  Can you define petulance?
There’s a farce when the Speaker of the House attempts to jail a former legislator for tossing out a cheap gag gift.  A toy crow.  The Speaker accuses Ron Nate, now President of the Idaho Freedom Foundation of destroying state property.

Moyle showed up for work one day last week in a bow tie.  All he needed was a seltzer bottle to complete his application for Clown College.  You can’t make this stuff up!  And these people got a raise!  At your expense!

I may have my differences from time to time with the various liberty groups serving in the House and Senate, and they often get portrayed as being loopy.  In comparison to what?

Our Leaders Don’t Even Know They’re Clueless

I was talking to a priest Saturday afternoon as he stood outside his confessional, and I told him I had just sat through 90 minutes of a political forum.  I said it had almost put me to sleep and I asked him if he could imagine that happening at a political event.  He rolled his eyes and laughed.

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His reaction is why the public finds so much of modern government a joke, and no longer trusts institutions.  Oh, and we surely have no respect for the baloney legislators are selling.  A large number of people in government are certifiable.  Because they’ve had a complete break from reality.

Credit Bill Colley.

Credit Bill Colley.

Elon Musk and Idaho: An Internet Love Affair?

Well, it’s a match we never thought we’d see…

Gallery Credit: Mateo, 103.5 KISS FM





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League of Women Voters of Idaho partners to host candidate forums ahead of 2026 primary elections

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League of Women Voters of Idaho partners to host candidate forums ahead of 2026 primary elections


The rotunda as seen on March 16, 2026, at the Idaho State Capitol Building in Boise. (Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)

Ahead of the 2026 primary elections, the League of Women Voters of Idaho is teaming up with several local groups to hold candidate forums and voter education events in the hopes of boosting voter turnout.

The groups invited all candidates for public office in Ada and Canyon County’s commissions, and in legislative district 11, which is in Canyon County.

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The groups that are hosting include Mormon Women for Ethical Government, the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce, the American Association of University Women’s Boise branch and the College of Idaho’s Masters of Applied Public Policy Program.

Here’s when and where the forums are:

  • Ada County Commissioner District 2: 7-8:30 p.m. April 24 at Meridian City Hall, located at 33 E. Broadway Ave. in Meridian.
  • Ada County Commissioner District 1: 7-8:30 p.m. April 28 at Valley View Elementary School, located at 3555 N Milwaukee St. in Boise.
  • Legislative District 11: 6:30-8:30 p.m. April 30 at Caldwell City Hall, located at 205 S. 6th Ave. in Caldwell.
  • Canyon County Commissioner: 6-8 p.m. May 7 at Caldwell City Hall, 205 S. 6th Ave. in Caldwell.

Learn more about candidates at the League of Women Voters’ online voter guide, VOTE411.ORG

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX



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Check out Idaho’s newest license plate — with a patriotic flair (and no potatoes) – East Idaho News

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Check out Idaho’s newest license plate — with a patriotic flair (and no potatoes) – East Idaho News


BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Idaho drivers wanting to celebrate America’s anniversary this year now have a unique way to do that. The Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles has released an America 250 license plate to mark the occasion.

The new license plate includes an American flag on a blue background with the words “America 250” and the dates “1776 – 2026.”

The plate requires an extra fee that will go toward supporting the Idaho Heritage Trust, according to an Idaho Transportation Department news release. The specific fee wasn’t listed.

“This plate gives Idahoans a chance to mark a historic milestone and show their pride on the road,” said Lisa McClellan, DMV administrator, in a statement. “We’re proud to offer a design that honors our country’s past while supporting Idaho’s efforts to preserve its own history.”

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The America 250 license plate was released to celebrate a historic national milestone. | Idaho Transportation Department

Idaho’s favorite license plate

The new license plate may give Idaho’s favorite a run for its money.

The Idaho Transportation Department recently held a “Battle of the Plates” vote to find out which license plate Idahoans loved best.

The Forests Forever plate was crowned the champion on April 7. Funds generated from this plate go toward Idaho replanting and reforestation projects, as well as environmental education programs for Idaho students and teachers.

“One of Idaho’s newest plates, Forests Forever made a strong run and came out on top, highlighting just how much Idahoans value our forests and natural resources,” the transportation department said in a social media post.

Idahoans chose Forests Forever as their favorite specialty license plate.
Idahoans chose Forests Forever as their favorite specialty license plate. | Idaho Transportation Department

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Burley deputy says she was mocked at work for breastfeeding, files lawsuit – East Idaho News

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Burley deputy says she was mocked at work for breastfeeding, files lawsuit – East Idaho News


Courtesy KIVI

BURLEY (KIVI) — A woman from Burley says the job she once loved became hostile after she returned from maternity leave. She is now sharing her story exclusively with Idaho News 6 as new data shows a rise in workplace discrimination claims across the state.

Hannah Jones says she has worked as a deputy at the Mini-Cassia County Criminal Justice Center for over three years and enjoyed the job before returning from leave.

“It was humiliating, and it seemed really discrediting,” Jones said.

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Jones said she initially had a positive experience at work.

“I love my job. I have gotten to meet a ton of really cool people,” she said.

She said that quickly changed after she returned from maternity leave, when she began hearing comments about breastfeeding.

“I came back, and it was only almost immediate that I started getting some pretty embarrassing comments about me breastfeeding and me having to go to the bathroom to pump,” Jones said.

Jones said supervisors made repeated comments in front of others.

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“They would make comments about how I was a cow and … they would actually make mooing noises at me as I was walking through the hallways and stuff as well in front of inmates and other agencies,” she said.

She also described a more explicit comment from a supervisor.

“One of my male supervisors claimed that he thought I should have responded to a fight with my ‘titties’ out,” Jones said.

Jones said that when she reported the behavior, she felt it was not taken seriously and that she later experienced retaliation.

“I just felt like it wasn’t taken seriously at all,” she said.

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She said she filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Idaho Human Rights Commission, which she says found in her favor.

Jones has since filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and gender discrimination, detailing the same claims she shared with Idaho News 6.

“I started experiencing what I believe to be retaliation … and that’s the point that it kind of got to be too much,” she said.

Her case reflects a broader trend, according to the Idaho Human Rights Commission.

“In the last year, we’ve seen a doubling of the reports of discrimination,” said Ben Earwicker, administrator for the Idaho Human Rights Commission.

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Earwicker said the increase includes cases involving pregnancy and motherhood.

“So postpartum is protected, breastfeeding … reasonable accommodations for those, including private spaces to breastfeed, including time off as needed,” he said.

He said retaliation is also a common claim.

“Retaliation is a much easier claim to prove because usually there’s temporal proximity where the initial reporting of discrimination occurs followed almost immediately by some kind of retaliatory action,” Earwicker said.

Jones said the experience has changed how she views her career and worries it could discourage other women from entering law enforcement.

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“I feel my heart break for women that are coming into the force, knowing that that’s probably going to happen to them too,” she said.

Jones’ lawsuit is ongoing. The legal firm representing the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.

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