With its rugged Western landscapes, Idaho attracts visitors who want to immerse themselves in the peace, quiet, and charms of the great outdoors. But now there’s another great — and thrilling — reason to visit the Gem State.

A recent study conducted by casino sweepstakes comparison site Casinos Sweeps revealed the top 50 highest-rated theme parks in America. The site analyzed over 300 amusement parks across the country — including favorites like Dollywood,  Silver Dollar City, and Disneyland — using Tripadvisor and Google reviews. And landing in the top 30, with a solid ratio of 70 percent five-star reviews, is Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho.

The Wild West-themed park, located less than 20 miles north of Coeur d’Alene, opened in 1988 and has transformed from a local amusement park to a regional destination. With over 70 rides and attractions, it’s the largest theme park in the northwest. 

For thrill-seekers, Silverwood has an impressive array of seven rollercoasters. There’s Aftershock, an inverted, boomerang-style roller coaster as well as the Stunt Pilot, a unique, single-rail attraction, designed as a homage to the daily air shows that used to take place in the park. For those with little ones, there are also family-friendly rides, including the spinning Krazy Koaster, which runs on a figure-eight track.  And don’t miss out on Tremors, an award-winning, earthquake-themed roller coaster that takes riders through four underground tunnels.

But for those interested in gentler excitement, Silverwood has several classic amusement park attractions, including a Ferris wheel, carousel, log flume, and drop tower. Be sure to make time to ride the Silverwood Central Railway, which takes riders on a scenic 30-minute ride around the park aboard a 1915 steam engine with views of northern Idaho.

Summertime temperatures in Athol can sometimes reach the high 80s, and a visit to Boulder Beach is an ideal way to cool off. Best of all, access to the water park is included with standard admission (prices start at $74 per person for a day pass). Guests can relax in one of two wave pools at Boulder Beach Bay or take on the 925-foot-long Eagle Hunt, the longest dueling water coaster in the country. The truly brave will want to conquer Velocity Peak, a high-speed water tower with three slides that can send riders careening off at 55 miles per hour.

Silverwood’s seasonal events are also a fan favorite, including the annual Halloween Scarywood Haunted Nights. The nighttime celebration embraces the spooky season with haunted scare zones and immersive mazes.

As for other highly rated theme parks across the West, properties such as Epic Discovery in Breckenridge, Colorado; Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park in Maricopa County, Arizona; and Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, Utah also made Casinos Sweeps’ list.

BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho legislative committee is reviewing a draft bill titled the “Freedom of Inquiry in Higher Education,” presented by Republican Senator Ben Toews. The proposal aims to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices from state-funded colleges and universities and redirect those resources to academic support programs for all students.

“My goal is to work together with our higher education partners to move us in the right direction of guaranteeing the freedom of speech and freedom of thought, which I actually believe we all desire to have on our college campuses,” Toews said.

The drafted bill would prohibit public universities from funding or supporting identity-based DEI offices, with the exception of tribal centers. It would also prevent schools from requiring students to take DEI courses unless they are part of a chosen academic program.

Toews said the bill is modeled after policies in other states.

“We’re looking for what’s worked in other places to attempt to make sure that our universities and higher education institutions have that freedom of thought that we want,” he said.

However, Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, a Democrat, criticized the proposal, saying the committee’s focus is misplaced.

“It doesn’t feel like a productive working group. And in fact, it’s really troubling that we’re spending this amount of time and resources on talking about something that the government really shouldn’t have a role in,” Wintrow said. “We should really be focusing on what’s important to students—and that’s affordability, making sure they can pay for school, get to school, find a place to live and study and thrive.”

Josh Whitworth, executive director of the Idaho State Board of Education, said it’s important to support all students without isolating specific identity groups.

“The question is, as an institution, we want to make sure that the services that they need are not focused down on their identity, but focused on what they need,” Whitworth said. “The idea is don’t just create little groups. How do you give the support of all students to engage together and really create that holistic environment?”

The committee will continue reviewing the draft bill in the coming weeks.

Most Idaho state employees could see about a 5% raise come July in a recommendation approved by a legislative committee Thursday.

Specifically, the proposal calls for a $1.55 hourly pay bump. That works out to at least a 5% raise for those earning less than $64,500 annually.

Democrats on the Change in Employee Compensation Committee, like Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking (D-Boise), voted against the measure, saying it didn’t go far enough – especially for higher paid workers.

“I’m worried that they’re not even going to keep up with the cost of living and that’s really a problem for me,” Ward-Engelking said.

After experiencing some of the highest rates of inflation in the country in 2022, prices in the Mountain region rose just 1.7% from November 2023 to November 2024.

The latest data from an Idaho Department of Human Resources labor market study show state workers here, on average, earn 15.1% less than the median wage of public and private sector employees in the region.

That’s also factoring in healthcare and retirement benefits, which are more generous than the private sector.

Base salaries across Idaho state workers are 25.1% below average compared to the median regional public and private sector employees.

The CEC Committee approved an 8% pay raise for Idaho State Police troopers to help retain and recruit more officers.

“It takes years of training and expense to produce a trooper with the experience to handle all the things that a trooper has to handle and this has become, in my opinion, a public safety issue,” said Sen. Dan Foreman (R-Viola).

Nurses and healthcare staff would get a 3% raise under the plan, with IT workers earning up to 4.5% pay hikes.

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee will consider the recommendation before finalizing a bill.

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