Idaho

Idaho beer, Idaho roots

Published

2 years ago

January 14, 2024

ST. MARIES — Turn left off the pavement and the road winds under sweeping limbs of fir and pine.

It’s dust in the summer, but this winter it’s snow and ice with a trickle of black gravel the county truck left to prevent slideoffs.

Cross the creek and the road climbs, leaving the valley.

This land is homesteaded by Grant Lee’s great-grandparents, where from a ridge behind the house there’s a view of the St. Maries River. The St. Joe River is just across the highway.

It is where Lee and his wife, Kelli, started Two Saints Brewing, named after the rivers that run through the nearby town of St. Maries.

A few years in the making, the small-distribution brewery that came online last year is family-owned and operated. Two Saints produces five signature beers including an IPA, a stout, red and blonde ale and a lager.

The beers are sold mostly in St. Maries, up the St. Joe River corridor in Calder and Avery, and in two places in Coeur d’Alene: The Moose and Lyfe Public House.

Like Lee’s grandparents, who crafted a plan, scratched savings together and traveled to a new beginning of challenge and opportunity, the Lees had packed up and traveled, too.

After earning degrees from the University of Idaho — Grant in fisheries and wildlife and Kelli in art — the couple landed in Olympia, Wash. Grant worked as a fisheries biologist, Kelli was an administrator.

“We wanted to get back to Idaho,” Grant said.

Their well-laid plan would refashion Grant’s biology know-how into beer brewing chops and Kelli’s artistry into advertising, merch and the handmade labels on each can of Two Saints beer.

“That’s a cutthroat trout,” Grant said.

It’s on the label of the brewery’s Avery Blonde Ale, named for the tiny former railroad town along the river that anglers visit to catch Idaho’s state fish, the cutthroat trout.

“That’s the Surveyor’s Ridge lookout,” Grant points to a can of Red Ives red ale, named after the ranger station built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps in upper St. Joe River country. From Red Ives, a mule trail winding miles to the fire lookout was once the only means to deliver mail, supplies and material.

The St. Joe Special lager is named for a locally developed dry fly used to catch trout on its namesake rive. As for the Quick Three stout, well, there’s a personal story behind that one:

The couple, who have two small children ages 1 and 2, honeymooned in Ireland. They went looking for a tavern and asked a man for advice.

“He was the first dude we met,” Grant said.

The man, on his way home after work, advised that three quick cream stout beers, with lower alcohol content than many other beers, were just the ticket after a day on the job. Not too heavy, not overly light. The 16-ounce Two Saints brewery product depicts an olive-sided flycatcher, a bird common to North Idaho’s forests. Its song, as birders may know, is a melodious “quick-three-beers.” This coincidence was too much to not end up on a can of dry Irish stout.

The hazy swaths of orange on the can of August Skies IPA are reminiscent of North Idaho’s fire season, when wildfire smoke illuminates sunsets with its sultry pallet of tangerines, apricot and peach.

“It gets really hazy out there,” Grant said.

After constructing their plan for a brewery, saving money and researching the topic, the couple traveled from western Washington back to the St. Maries homestead and built a 36 by 40 structure on the family property. They added tanks, fermentation and filtration units.

Kelli’s designed merch — sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats and cups, sold mostly online — is stored in a room next to the granary that holds the hops, oats, malted wheat and barley.

“I don’t use any rice,” Grant said, adding that most of the grains are Idaho-raised.

“The oats go into the stout to make it creamy,” he said, adding that hues of malted grain from light yellow to umber brown determine color and flavor. “Anything you want creamy, that’s the way to get it. The lighter ones are sweeter, the medium grains make it caramelly. This one is called chocolate malt.”

The dark brown malted grain tastes coffee-like.

Lee is a self-taught brewer. Although community college courses in western Washington offered beer-making courses, Lee followed the path of many people faced with a conundrum. He went online.

“Brewing beer is one of the few occupations that you could learn entirely from YouTube videos,” he said.

The rest requires moxie.

Although the couple’s business took off late last year, there’s much more to be done.

Scratched out on their wall calendar are times and dates of brewing get-togethers in places like McCall, brewfests in Boise and other hobnobbing events for new and established Idaho brewmasters.

One day, the couple hopes to have their own local tap house.

Meanwhile, as the season’s first snowstorm whips white stuff around the brewery building on the side of a mountain, the couple is glad for the decision they made to come back home.

“We’ve got four generations living on this property right now,” Grant said. “We’re pretty fortunate to be here.”

The grain room of Two Saints Brewing Company is where the brewery’s hops, wheat, oats and barley are stored. The grains lighten or darken the company’s five signature beers, named after local landmarks.

Family owned and operated, with owner-designed and produced merchandise, Two Saints makes batches of beer five barrels at a time. The beer is canned and distributed locally from Coeur d’Alene to St. Maries and Avery in the form of cans and kegs.

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Idaho

What Idaho AARP Members Are Saying: Highlights from the 2025 Survey

Published

6 hours ago

February 14, 2026

Press Room

What Idaho AARP Members Are Saying: Highlights from the 2025 Survey

AARP regularly surveys members across the country to better understand their experiences and concerns. The 2025 AARP Member Opinion Survey offers an important snapshot of what matters most to members here in Idaho—and the results highlight key challenges around financial security, health, independence, and staying connected

VIEW THE ENTIRE SURVEY HERE

Financial Security and Retirement

Economic concerns remain front and center for Idaho members. Ensuring the future of Social Security is the top economic issue, with many also worried about inflation and the rising cost of everyday necessities like groceries, utilities, and insurance. More than six in ten members are concerned about the security of their retirement plans and having enough money to retire. While many hope to retire around age 70, most expect it may take longer.

Fraud and Online Safety

Fraud continues to affect Idahoans directly. Nearly one in five members report being a victim of fraud or a scam in the past two years, and more than half are concerned about online security and privacy. Members also express concern about keeping up with technology and the growing role of artificial intelligence in daily life.

Health and Independence

Health care costs, Medicare benefits, and staying mentally sharp rank among the most common concerns. While only a small share report recent memory loss, the vast majority say maintaining mental sharpness is extremely important. Physical health and chronic conditions are also top worries for many members.

Housing and Caregiving

Most Idaho AARP members own their homes, yet many are concerned about being able to remain there as they age. Long‑term care affordability is a significant issue, especially as one in five members serves as a family caregiver. Many also worry about their ability to support a loved one in the future.

Staying Connected

While few members report recent isolation or loneliness, many are concerned about staying socially connected as they grow older. Access to technology remains uneven, with nearly three in ten Idaho members lacking high‑speed internet—creating challenges for communication, services, and online safety

Why This Matters

The 2025 survey reinforces what AARP Idaho hears every day: members want to age with financial security, good health, independence, and connection. These insights help guide AARP Idaho’s advocacy, education, and community work—ensuring we stay focused on the issues that matter most to Idahoans as they age.

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Idaho

Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Mega Millions, Pick 3 on Feb. 13, 2026

Published

18 hours ago

February 14, 2026

Press Room

The results are in for the Idaho Lottery’s draw games on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on Feb. 13.

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Feb. 13 drawing

34-40-49-59-68, Mega Ball: 01

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Feb. 13 drawing

Day: 0-4-8

Night: 0-7-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Feb. 13 drawing

Day: 8-2-7-7

Night: 2-2-4-8

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Feb. 13 drawing

06-18-21-35-39, Lucky Ball: 12

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Idaho Cash numbers from Feb. 13 drawing

05-06-12-17-39

Check Idaho Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Idaho Lottery drawings held ?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: 1:59 p.m. (Day) and 7:59 p.m. (Night) MT daily.
Pick 4: 1:59 p.m. (Day) and 7:59 p.m. (Night) MT daily.
Lucky For Life: 8:35 p.m. MT Monday and Thursday.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
5 Star Draw: 8 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Idaho Cash: 8 p.m. MT daily.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Idaho

Weather balloons soar 100,000 feet to help NWS keep tabs on Idaho’s atmosphere

Published

1 day ago

February 13, 2026

Press Room

Weather balloons soar 100,000 feet to help NWS keep tabs on Idaho’s atmosphere

BOISE, Idaho — The National Weather Service (NWS) has many tools to keep everyone in Idaho informed about the forecast, but one device goes above all the others— literally.

Reaching heights of 100,000 feet above sea level, twice a day, every day, NWS sends weather balloons sky high to help track a number of statistics.

“They track the temperature, the humidity, and they are able to use their GPS circuitry to track wind direction and speed,” said Wasyl Hewko, a hydrometeorological technician who oversees balloon launches. “We want to get data not necessarily horizontally like we do for weather observation, but we want to get the vertical profile of the atmosphere.”

During the winter months, Hewko’s scheduled launches happen daily at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. MT.

Check out the hydrogen-hauled weather tracker:

This National Weather Service tracker climbs 100,000+ feet

This isn’t a solo effort either. At the same time, across the world, hundreds of balloons are launched from 900 different sites— live tracking and building a visual guide of what the world’s atmosphere and weather patterns look like in real time.

Hewko says the ultimate goal is to build “a three-dimensional profile of the atmosphere [with] all this information worldwide.”

“This is the one time where the world is holding hands, I guess, as far as that goes, you know— everyone is in it to get this information, so we can have accurate forecast models,” added Hewko.

What’s especially fascinating is that as the weather balloon gains altitude, the density of the atmosphere decreases, which allows the balloon to grow to “an incredible size,” explained Hewko.

Ultimately, the balloon pops, but before it does, it can grow to be approximately the size of a two car garage.

If you want to see the balloons take flight, you can go to Sondehub.org to find out exactly where the launches take place on any given day.

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