Idaho
‘I would like to be less 50th:’ Task force continues work on physician shortage
West Virginia — like Idaho, a rural, mountainous state — has 4,914 doctors, ranking 24th in physicians per capita.
Idaho has 3,504 doctors, ranking 50th in the nation.
Idaho could take some ideas from West Virginia, as it looks to attract new doctors into its state. But it might come down to what Idaho can afford for scholarships and loan forgiveness, as it competes with other states with lavish mineral, oil and gas resources.
“I think we’re going to have to be a little bit more creative,” State Board of Education Executive Director Jennifer White said Monday, as a state working group held its third meeting to address Idaho’s physician shortage.
Formed by the 2025 Legislature, the working group will report to lawmakers and Gov. Brad Little before the start of the 2026 session — with a new blueprint for partnering with medical schools in the region. A new law calls for the state to add another 30 publicly funded medical school seats over the next three years, while some lawmakers have suggested severing or cutting back Idaho’s 50-year partnership with the University of Washington’s WWAMI program, which now takes 40 Idaho students per year.
That’s where Idaho has put its medical education-related tax dollars. WWAMI — named for its member states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho — will receive $7.5 million this year. A smaller partnership with the University of Utah will receive $3.1 million.
Other small states have tried other approaches, according to State Board research presented Monday.
A combined admissions program offers undergraduate admission to the University of New Mexico and conditional admission to the university’s medical school — an incentive geared to students committed to stay in the state to practice medicine.
West Virginia offers targets loan forgiveness for graduates who commit to working in underserved areas. The state has ample space in its public medical schools for in-state students and keeps tuition affordable, White said. West Virginia also sponsors high school and college programs that are designed to encourage students to consider a career in medicine.
The mutlipronged approach impressed Dr. Ted Epperly, a working group member who is the State Board’s graduate medical education coordinator. And while loan incentives have become the vehicle of choice in many states — and Idaho has a Rural Physician Incentive Program, partially state-funded, which offers up to $100,000 over four years — he said scholarships would also help medical school students on the front end.
“I think we’re ready for some scholarships in Idaho,” he said.
Two powerful forces contribute to the state’s physician shortage, and its No. 50 ranking for doctors per capita. The state’s doctors are aging. And the state is growing rapidly — leaving doctors to serve an ever-larger pool of patients.
It means Idaho might need to add 1,500 doctors just to get to the middle of the pack in doctors per capita, said Tracy Farnsworth, president of the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, a for-profit medical school in Meridian.
Dr. Rayme Geidl, a working group member and the University of Idaho’s interim regional WWAMI dean, offered a more modest goal.
“I would like to be less 50th,” she said.
Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — A simmering dispute between Idaho’s top elections official and the U.S. Department of Justice escalated this month after federal officials warned Secretary of State Phil McGrane about possible prosecution tied to non-citizens voting in Idaho.
The Justice Department sent a letter earlier this month threatening McGrane with prosecution. The warning came amid a broader conflict between the Trump administration and McGrane, whom the administration has sued over his refusal to provide unredacted voter rolls to the federal government.
Idaho’s chief of civil litigation, James Craig, responded on July 10. In a letter first reported by the Idaho Statesman, Craig pushed back on the federal warning, writing, “Insinuations of criminal violations of the federal election laws are not well taken,” and asking the department to “stop threatening your friends in Idaho.”
Craig also requested that the lawsuit against McGrane be dismissed and criticized the Justice Department for sending its letter directly to McGrane rather than to the Idaho attorney general’s office.
The attorney general’s office said the state has already referred 15 cases of possible non-citizen election violations to the Justice Department but is not aware of any of them being prosecuted. Craig’s letter ends by asking the department to do so.
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