Idaho
Idaho Legislature selects watchdog analyst to head Office of Performance Evaluations • Idaho Capital Sun
A Boise native who worked for more than a decade as an Idaho state government watchdog analyst is now leading the agency.
Ryan Langrill, the new director of the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations, told the Idaho Capital Sun that there’s nothing quite like the work he gets to do.
“What other job do you get to do a new deep dive every year, if not more often?” Langrill told the Idaho Capital Sun in an interview. He said “it seems like we’re sort of in between this, like, investigative journalist and management consultant role.”
Langrill served as the agency’s interim director since July, after the agency’s previous director of 21-years, Rakesh Mohan, retired.
On Nov. 7, the Idaho Legislative Council officially named Langrill as director of the Office of Performance Evaluations.
At the meeting, Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said the committee received applications from across the U.S. in its national search.
“But the committee, when it came right down to it, felt like we have the best qualified person to do that already in house,” Winder said.
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How he got started in government watchdog work
Langrill started his career on a route toward academia, earning a PhD and master’s degree in economics from George Mason University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in history in economics from Gonzaga University, based in Spokane.
But soon, he realized that he didn’t have as much passion for teaching.
He started searching for jobs back home in Boise, where his wife returned to while he worked in Atlanta.
When he found a job posting at the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations, he saw it as an opportunity to do what he loves: applied research.
“This seems like that, and it seems very practical. Like, ‘Oh — it is research that is directly being used to improve the governance of the state of Idaho,’” Langrill recalled.
And he’s stayed ever since. He worked as an evaluator for the agency for over a decade, leading 14 projects.
Report on mental illness facility found issues. Then conditions transformed.
Langrill told the Sun that the most memorable report that he’s worked on at the agency was a 2019 report on a mental illness facility in Nampa called the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center, which found a “culture of constant crisis.”
But in 2023, when Langrill briefed lawmakers on the agency’s follow-up report, he reported that conditions had improved.
“It’s been a big transformation. And the report was not the whole reason for that, but I think it was part of that,” Langrill told the Sun. He said “that’s been the most concrete observed outcome I’ve seen from our work.”
As part of the initial report on the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center, he told the Sun he embedded himself at the center for much of one year, was trained on its direct care process and restraint program, and became certified with its nonviolent crisis intervention team.
Being there helped him understand the culture, and to “diagnose” what wasn’t working, he said.
His plans as Idaho watchdog agency director
Langrill said his principles are fundamentally the same as the agency’s previous director: Rigor, credibility and independence.
“We need to do a really good job of understanding — if we’re evaluating a program, not just understanding what the role of the state employees are in it, but what is the experience of the people receiving services and the people on the other side of things?” Langrill said.
And he knows that the Office of Performance Evaluations fills a critical role in state government, as one of the tools for the Idaho Legislature see how “government is actually working,” including how the executive branch, laws passed, and money doled out actually function.
“It’s hard for 105 part-time legislators to do that on their own,” Langrill said. But, he said, “if they need a deep dive to understand what’s happening, we are — I think — a great tool for that.”
“That’s how I see the role of the office. And so we provide understanding, and then we provide accountability, if we find that the implementation of programs is not in line with good practices or legislative intent,” he said.
During the legislative session, Langrill said he hopes to spend more time in the Idaho State Capitol.
Part of that time could be spent synthesizing more of the office’s in-depth work on complex issues, like he did with the Idaho Medicaid Managed Care Task Force in 2023. The Office of Performance Evaluations already presents its reports to the Idaho Legislature’s Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, which requests reports from the agency. And the agency presents to relevant committees.
“But are there opportunities for us to take what we’ve learned from a whole stable of reports and say, ‘Hey, we have, we have some findings that may inform this conversation,’” Langrill said.
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CALDWELL, Idaho (CBS2) — More than 2,000 Idaho Power customers in Canyon County are without electricity Wednesday evening as crews respond to an outage affecting Caldwell and Middleton.
Idaho Power reported the outage at 8 p.m. July 8, listing 2,163 customers impacted in the 83605, 83644 and 83687 ZIP codes.
The outage is expected to be resolved by 10 p.m. July 8; Idaho Power said a crew was dispatched and en route. The cause of the outage is not immediately known.
(KRON) — An Idaho man is recovering after a life-threatening rattlesnake bite during a family visit to Oroville, Northern California. Chris Howarth spent nearly two weeks in intensive care following the incident in his mother’s garden.
During his 12-day stay in intensive care, Howarth received 54 vials of anti-venom and multiple blood transfusions, split between six days at Oroville Hospital and six days after being flown to Stanford.
Six weeks after the incident, he is approximately 80% recovered.
Howarth initially believed the bites were a prick from a thorn or a “star thistle or one of those goat heads.” He described the sensation as feeling “like getting your blood drawn.”
“I think I got bit twice. I said ‘ow’ again and ‘ow’ again. It almost felt like getting your blood drawn,” said Howarth. Howarth also noted he “didn’t hear it at all” when his father went to inspect the area and observed the snake shaking its tail without making noise.
As his wife drove him to the hospital, his condition worsened.
“On the way there, he was started kind of feeling some numbness and tingling in his mouth and his tongue so I knew we needed to get to the closest hospital,” said Jenny Howarth.
Howarth is still experiencing lingering effects from the bite, including swelling, soreness and fatigue.
“My leg is still kind of sore and tender, my ankle still swells, I barely got able to tie a shoe just a few days ago and also still having lingering effects of fatigue,” Howarth said.
California’s Poison Control system has received 77 rattlesnake-related calls this year, with experts reporting encounters are occurring earlier and more frequently. Dr. Rafa Lima, an emergency physician at Kaiser Permanente in San Leandro, explained that rattlesnake venom “destroys local tissue and causes a lot of pain and swelling.”
Dr. Lima advised immediate medical attention for suspected venomous snake bites. “If you are bitten by a snake with a rattle or you suspect is venomous, you should really get care immediately,” Dr. Lima said.
He also dispelled common myths, stating, “There’s a common myth that you should just tourniquet up the wound and bind it and mobilize it, or even try to suck the venom out but all that does is delays the time to get treatment and the longer the venom is in the tissue, the worst prognosis.”
Howarth mentioned that the weather conditions were unexpected for a rattlesnake encounter.
“That day and even the day before, it kind of been cooler and it had been raining so we weren’t expecting to see a rattlesnake,” she said.
Howarth hopes his experience highlights that rattlesnakes pose a risk in garden areas, not just hiking trails, even during cooler weather. Howarth hopes to return to work next week.
Those who want to donate to a GoFundMe set up for Howarth can do so here.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.
NAMPA, Idaho — Nearly 20 years after Idaho soldier John Borbonus was killed in Iraq, his legacy is continuing to serve fellow veterans.
The Borbonus Family Foundation, created in his honor, announced a $500,000 grant Tuesday to the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa.
WATCH: One Idaho soldier’s legacy continues to serve fellow veterans
Warhawk Air Museum receives $500K grant honoring Idaho soldier John Borbonus
The museum says the unrestricted gift is its largest ever and will help cover operating costs as it continues to grow.
Executive Director Carson Spear says grants of this size often come with requirements to fund a specific project, but the Borbonus Family Foundation instead asked to use the funds where they are most needed.
Warhawk leaders say the funding will help preserve veterans’ stories and continue programs like the Kilroy Coffee Klatch, which brings together veterans from different generations each month.
RELATED | Kilroy Coffee Klatch brings veterans together at the Warhawk Air Museum
Vietnam veteran Emil Berry says the museum is more than a place to display history.
“It brings back memories, and also it helps the veteran, helps the military personnel. It’s just a special, very special establishment,” Berry said.
Borbonus’ sister, Alexa Borbonus, says Warhawk already preserves part of her brother’s story through a display dedicated to his service.
“The Warhawk Museum, they have a special place in our hearts,” Alexa Borbonus said. “They have John’s case on display now, and they provide a safe space for all our veterans in Idaho.”
RELATED | Skydivers honor fallen Boise soldier John Borbonus at annual memorial golf tournament
Sen. Jim Risch, who attended Tuesday’s announcement, said museums like Warhawk remind people that “freedom isn’t free” and help future generations appreciate the sacrifices made by those who served.
Following the announcement, the Borbonus family also donated John Borbonus’ challenge coin and the KIA bracelet worn by his family to Warhawk’s bar display, adding another piece of his legacy to the museum.
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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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