Idaho
Empathy in eviction court: The path to understanding can show more than non-payment of rent. • Idaho Capital Sun
“Day in and out I work to make ends meet. Luckily, I can come home at the end of the day to my wife and two daughters. As a father, I do everything to make sure my family is living a happy life. Because I am the sole provider for my family, some days are exhausting, but I am so grateful my wife can stay at home with our 4- and 2-year-old daughters. Everything was good until my family got sick with strep throat. My job is physically demanding and I was out of work for two weeks.
I’m finally well enough to go back, but we’re short two weeks of income and can’t pay our rent along with other living expenses. After trying to make small payments, we received an eviction notice on the 5th of the month. We have no family here and none of our friends are financially stable enough to help. This was the first time we had ever experienced something like this, so we didn’t know where to turn. Jesse Tree contacted us before our court date asking if we wanted to take part in pre-court mediation. With their support, we made a pay-to-stay agreement with our landlord. Jesse Tree paid our remaining balance and connected us to resources that helped us get back on our feet. Thanks to Jesse Tree, we avoided an eviction, the stress of a sudden move-out, and homelessness.”
Treasure Valley evictions are on the rise, but rent aid is working to keep Idahoans in their homes
This is not my story, but this is a common experience among Treasure Valley residents like the Taylors. The Taylor family had never experienced housing instability so the eviction process was foreign to them. Pre-court mediation helped them tell their story, work out a plan with their landlord, and ultimately get their case dismissed.
Stories like this are not uncommon. In 2023, eviction filings more than doubled from 818 cases to 2,307 in Ada and Canyon County. However, 1,571 of those cases were dismissed. We have seen a direct connection in the number of eviction case dismissals because of Jesse Tree’s mediation work in the courts.
Why does mediation make such an impact? In an article by Eric Leake from Texas State University, he explains that leaving room for empathy allows us to see ourselves in the lives of others and acknowledge shared vulnerabilities. Leake emphasizes that we all have shared humanity. In this case, a need for stable housing is a shared similarity that transcends individual differences, circumstances and life stories.
Mediation allows tenants to share their stories with landlords, property managers and attorneys who otherwise might not have the opportunity to see the humanity on the other side of the table. As humans, it is easy to attribute one’s circumstances to something they did, rather than something out of their control. This is why Jesse Tree’s pre-court mediation in Canyon County and court-ordered mediation in Ada County are as impactful as they are.
According to the Idaho Policy Institute, Ada and Canyon County are the only major counties in Idaho that have stayed below the state average in evictions. These are the only Idaho counties where Jesse Tree is involved in the mediation process. Even with the discontinuation of Canyon County’s mediation program in June 2023, Jesse Tree pivoted and offered pre-court mediation services, keeping Canyon County below the state average and families out of homelessness.
You can help people like the Taylor family stay in their homes by donating, volunteering and spreading the word about Jesse Tree. In our 2023 Eviction Report, Jesse Tree highlighted the importance of homelessness prevention. It costs Ada County taxpayers $53,000 per year for one person living on the streets and up to $15,000 to rehouse a family after they fall into homelessness. With the help that Jesse Tree provides, it costs $2,000 to keep a family safely housed.
Eviction prevention is vital work that you can be part of. Help us help people open the door to a sustainable future and keep the Treasure Valley a stable place for people to live.
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BOISE, ID (CBS2) — As Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month comes to a close, Idaho safety officials are urging drivers and riders to stay vigilant as the “100 Deadliest Days” of summer begin — a stretch when roads see more traffic, more inexperienced drivers, more speeding and drunk driving, and more motorcycles.
Idaho State Police Sgt. Andrew Nakashima said troopers have seen an increase in deadly motorcycle crashes.
Idaho AAA, the Idaho Transportation Department, and Idaho State Police are all reminding drivers to be aware of motorcycles on the road as the summer travel season gets underway. (Dakota Castets-Didier/CBS2)
“We’ve seen a spike in fatality crashes, at least motorcycle crashes,” Nakashima said. “One of the things I’d like to tell people is I really appreciate the value of ‘Look Twice Save a Life’ campaign, but motorcycles need to do their part too.”
Nakashima said everyone has a role in preventing crashes, with drivers staying alert for motorcycles and riders preparing with proper training, awareness and gear.
Sunshine Beer, director of Idaho STAR, emphasized the importance of protective equipment and visibility.
Idaho AAA, the Idaho Transportation Department, and Idaho State Police are all reminding drivers to be aware of motorcycles on the road as the summer travel season gets underway. (Dakota Castets-Didier/CBS2)
“Always wear the gear, can’t overstate how important that is for comfort, protection, visibility,” Beer said. “When you’re in traffic, make sure you place yourself where you can be seen. When drivers hit a rider, they don’t intend to, but they often don’t see the rider…”
The Idaho Transportation Department said 2026 has seen a decrease in fatalities so far, potentially tied to high gas prices reducing the number of trips. But the agency warned that could change as summer continues.
Idaho AAA, the Idaho Transportation Department, and Idaho State Police are all reminding drivers to be aware of motorcycles on the road as the summer travel season gets underway. (Dakota Castets-Didier/CBS2)
“As of Monday this week, we had 66 lives taken on our roads this year, that is fewer than this time last year,” said Josephine Middleton of ITD. “We do know the price of gas has an impact on the number of trips, therefore that’s probably having a direct impact on the number of crashes.”
Officials said the reminders are simple: drivers should slow down, stay sober, and watch for motorcycles — and everyone should “look twice” to help prevent deadly collisions.
Idaho AAA, the Idaho Transportation Department, and Idaho State Police are all reminding drivers to be aware of motorcycles on the road as the summer travel season gets underway. (Dakota Castets-Didier/CBS2)
Josh Ritter, a professional songwriter and graduate of Moscow High School, will headline the America250 in Idaho celebration in Boise on July 4, event organizers announced Tuesday at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise.
Members of the America250 in Idaho Advisory Council unveiled the details about the patriotic celebrations they have been planning and promoting in Boise – and across the state – to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
For the July 4 America250 in Idaho Capitol Celebration at Cecil D. Andrus Park in downtown Boise, planned events include a veterans breakfast, the Idaho 4th of July parade that you can watch live on CBS2 which includes military fly over, a performance by the Army Band, food trucks and concerts by Idaho musicians.
In addition to Ritter, artists scheduled to perform include the Afrosonics, Jeff Crosby and Chad Marvin, officials said.
“We finally have a run of show and (confirmation of) who will be performing,” Jesse Barcroft, the chief of staff for the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, told the advisory council. “I’m really excited about it; I think that Idahoans are going to be really excited about it. It’s a really cool lineup.”
In addition to planning and promoting the celebration in Boise, members of the advisory council have also approved grants of up to $2,500 each to help local America250 celebrations in communities across the state.
Organizers initially awarded grants to 29 different Idaho arts and nonprofit organizations, but changed gears by cancelling those grants in March 2025 to focus narrowly on patriotic celebrations of America’s founding and 250th birthday, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.
So far, members of the advisory council reported that they have spent $474,425.51 and have $54,967.53 in available funding on the bottom line.
For more information about America250 in Idaho celebrations in communities across the state, visit america250.idaho.gov.
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has released the site maps and locations of future temples in Idaho and South Carolina.
The Caldwell Idaho Temple, first announced in April 2025, will be built on a 19.2-acre site located at the southwest corner of West Orchard Avenue and South Florida Avenue in Canyon County, Idaho, according to a press release published Tuesday on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Plans for the Caldwell temple site call for a multistory temple of approximately 82,000 square feet, accompanied by a meetinghouse and an ancillary building.
The Caldwell Idaho Temple was announced in April 2025 general conference by then-church President Russell M. Nelson, and was one of the last 15 temples President Nelson announced before his death on Sept. 27, 2025.
Ten other temples in Idaho are currently in operation, under construction, or in planning or design stages. Of these 10 temples, one — the Montpelier Idaho Temple — is currently scheduled to be dedicated this October.
The Greenville South Carolina Temple, to be the state’s second Latter-day Saint temple, will be a single-story structure of approximately 18,850 square feet.
It will be constructed on an 8.8-acre site located at the south intersection of Independence Boulevard/Ponders Road and Roper Mountain Road in Greenville, South Carolina.
Like the Caldwell temple, the Greenville South Carolina Temple was also announced by President Nelson in April 2025.
As the state’s second Latter-day Saint temple, the Greenville South Carolina Temple will join the Columbia South Carolina Temple (dedicated in 1999) in serving the nearly 47,000 Latter-day Saints that live in South Carolina.
Learn more about the Caldwell Idaho and Greenville South Carolina temples and others worldwide on the Church News’ temple almanac.
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