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Black History Month: Erma Hayman House preserving Idaho History

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Black History Month: Erma Hayman House preserving Idaho History


BOISE, Idaho — The Erma Hayman House is a historically preserved property at the corner of Ash and River near Downtown Boise. The building was home to Erma Hayman, the city of Boise describes her as a 20th-century leader of the River Street community.

  • The community was home to many working-class Black and Immigrant families in the 20th century, carrying a negative stigma from outside of the neighborhood. The Erma Hayman house hopes to provide a different narrative of the neighborhood.
  • The house is hosting an event celebrating women of color who are change-makers in their community. The event is on March 28th at 5:30 p.m. at Trailhead in Boise.

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)

Right on the corner of River and Ash, near downtown Boise, sits a tan single-family home, built from sandstone, like the Idaho Capitol itself.

Inside, a step back in time, into the life of the woman who once lived there.

“It’s really hard to summarize someone who was so multi-faceted,” said Tenisha Eastman-Dodson, the cultural sights program coordinator for the Erma Hayman House. “She was a lot of things, but to her neighborhood, she was a huge community advocate.”

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Hayman raised her family in this River Street neighborhood house and lived here until she was 102.

“She was an extraordinary person, but she also was a very regular person,” Eastman-Dodson said. She continues, “And I think that not only speaks directly to the city’s mission but it also empowers the community in Boise.”

While new developments crowd the neighborhood, River Street was home to many working-class immigrant and Black families in the mid-20th century and it had a different reputation.

“Unfortunately there was a lot of stigma, from the outside in about the community that lived here, which was entirely inaccurate,” Eastman-Dodson said.

Eastman-Dodson says part of her job is breaking down that stigma, and that starts with Ms. Hayman, who was a vocal leader in that community, advocating for change and resources in her neighborhood.

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“But we also, now present-day, get to showcase where there were misinterpretations of this community, and we get to see how dignified they were, and how resilient they were, and how hard-working they were, and how communal they were,” Eastman-Dodson said.

The House preserves history, but also serves as a museum for Black culture, the exhibition right now is called Afro Blue. It highlights the spectrum of Black emotion.

“You see sorrow, you see happiness, you see joy, you see an empowered group of people. And oftentimes, this is a community of people whose stories are not represented or not heard from,” Eastman-Dodson said.

From a bird’s eye view, the neighborhood is changing. New developments and fewer homes.

That is why Eastman-Dodson says preserving the house means preserving Idaho’s history.

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“This is the last single-family house on its block. It’s not a mansion, but it is very special in its own right, and I think that speaks volumes to people,” Eastman-Dodson says.





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Idaho is in for a streak of clear skies next week

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Idaho is in for a streak of clear skies next week


After a round of showers came through this week, the Gem State is staying dry and clear for next week.

Temperatures finally started to feel winter-like as we take a tumble this weekend. Consistent 40’s the highs, and 20’s the lows.

Conditions on the valley floors are not expected to get past the mid 40’s. Showers appear to be nonexistent for the next 7 to 10 days.

We will also see some air stagnation in our area, meaning that as a high-pressure ridge moves in, not too much change is expected in the air. So, air quality may take a bit of a fall.

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Not much more than cold and dry air is on the way for Idaho, but at least the sun will shine for most of the forecast.

Have a great weekend and stay warm!





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Interstate 84 near Mountain Home back open after utility work

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Interstate 84 near Mountain Home back open after utility work


MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Interstate 84 near Mountain Home is back open after crews closed the freeway due to utility work.

Crews closed westbound and eastbound lanes on Saturday morning from milepost 90 to milepost 95 due to Idaho Power working on power lines in the area, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. All lanes are now back open in both directions.

The sheriff’s office and the Mountain Home Police Department apologized for the inconvenience, saying they were just informed of the closure on Saturday morning.

More information regarding road closures and traffic conditions can be found at the Idaho Transportation Department’s 511 map.

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Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University

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Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University


The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), alleging the school ignored repeated warning signs about Bryan Kohberger.

The civil complaint, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, mother of Ethan Chapin.

The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education laws, including Title IX. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Attorney Robert Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that the decision to leave damages “unspecified” is a strategic norm in high-stakes litigation because it prevents the focus from shifting towards sensationalism and keeps the decision firmly in the hands of the jury.

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“Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury,” said Clifford, who is not involved in the lawsuit. “But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”

The brother and parents of Kaylee Goncalves speak after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing at the Ada County Courthouse on July 23, 2025. Reuters
Bryan Kohberger in police custody after his arrest in December 2022. Moscow Police Department
Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were found dead inside an off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho.

Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof – requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.

“The mere fact that he pled guilty might not even be admissible in the civil proceeding because he’s not the defendant, right? If he is a defendant in the civil proceeding, then his plea of guilty will be important. And indeed, this school might try to use that to say, ‘See, it wasn’t our fault. He admits that it was his fault.’ But the bar is different for someone in a criminal proceeding than it is in a civil proceeding.”

According to the lawsuit, WSU hired Kohberger as a teaching assistant in its criminal justice and criminology department and provided him with a salary, tuition benefits, health insurance and on-campus housing.

The victims’ families allege the university had extensive authority over Kohberger’s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.

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Here’s the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger:


The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory behavior toward female students and staff during the fall 2022 semester. The families argue university officials did not meaningfully investigate those complaints or remove Kohberger from campus before the murders – even though they had the authority to do so.

The lawsuit also alleges that the university failed to use its own threat-assessment systems designed to identify individuals who pose a risk of violence, even as concerns about Kohberger escalated. Instead, the families claim, the university continued to employ him, house him and give him access to students.

“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.

Madison Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie, and stepfather, Scott Laramie, leave the courthouse after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing. Reuters
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on July 23, 2025. Getty Images

The lawsuit also alleges broad failures within the public university, including alleged dysfunction within campus police and compliance officers who are responsible for handling accusations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and stalking.

Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

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Prosecutors said Kohberger stabbed the four students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, inside an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.

Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogan, and Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves’ mother, embrace after the sentencing hearing for their daughters’ murderer. Reuters
Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation.

Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data showing repeated late-night trips near the victims’ home.

WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.

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