Idaho
Idaho Republican State Convention kicks off Thursday in Coeur d’Alene • Idaho Capital Sun
Hundreds of Republican delegates from across the state will gather in Coeur d’Alene beginning Thursday to elect a party chairperson and vote on the Idaho Republican Party’s platform, rules and resolutions.
The Idaho Republican State Convention is scheduled to run Thursday through Sunday at the Coeur d’Alene Resort and North Idaho College.
The state convention is held every two years and is where delegates elected by Republican county central committees gather to elect the party’s leadership and approve rules, resolutions and a party platform that will guide the party moving forward.
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“Our biennial convention will be where we do the work of the party and celebrate our conservative values with fellow Republicans from all across the Great State of Idaho,” Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon wrote in a letter to Idaho Republicans that is included in the convention program.
While delegates have the power to approve party rules and resolutions, they do not have the power to pass laws. Only the Idaho Legislature and citizens, using the ballot initiative process, can pass laws.
The state convention also serves as a major fundraiser for the Idaho Republican Party. In addition to delegates, alternates and guests selected by the county central committees will also attend.
On Friday night Kari Lake, a former television news anchor who is running for the United States Senate in Arizona, will speak during the Idaho Republican Party’s convention gallery.
At the Idaho GOP convention, news reporters will not be allowed inside business meetings during the convention and will be restricted to a designated area outside of meeting rooms, according to an email Idaho Republican Party officials sent the Idaho Capital Sun on June 7.
Idaho GOP chair candidates Moon and Souza have run against each other before
One of the closely watched agenda items this week will be the election of the Idaho Republican Party’s chair.
Last week, former state Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, announced that she is challenging Moon in the race for Idaho Republican Party chair.
Moon is also a former Idaho legislator from Stanley. Moon and Souza ran unsuccessfully in the 2022 Republican primary election for secretary of state, which got heated at times – including during the 2022 Idaho Debates.
In her announcement last week, Souza said she is running to unify the party under a conservative umbrella.
“I am running to restore unity within our party and to reaffirm our dedication to the conservative values that have long defined the Republican spirit,” Souza wrote June 6 in a written statement. “Our party stands at a crossroads, and it is essential that we come together to support the robust agenda set forth by President Donald Trump, to secure our southern border and to protect Idaho from the scourge of drugs like marijuana and fentanyl. The future of our state and our nation depends on our ability to stand united against the threats that challenge our way of life,” Souza continued. “Together, we can achieve great things for Idaho. It’s time to come together, as one unified Republican Party, and secure a brighter future for our state.”
Souza is a former critical care registered nurse who served four terms in the Idaho Senate. Souza finished third in the 2022 Republican primary election for secretary of state, which current Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane won.
Moon is a former public school special education director and gold miner who served three terms in the Idaho House of Representatives. Moon was elected chairwoman of the Idaho Republican Party during the 2022 Republican State Convention in Twin Falls, wresting control of the party away from former chairman and ex public schools chief Tom Luna.
Efforts to reach Moon on Monday were unsuccessful.
This biennial event unites representatives of the Republican grassroots to conduct party business and celebrate the values that bind us together. In a June 6 column Moon also wrote about the importance of unifying the party, writing that the convention itself offers Republicans across the state to unite heading into the Nov. 5 general election.
“Delegates and guests will have the chance to meet like-minded individuals from every corner of our great state and equip themselves with tools to become better voters, activists, and candidates,” Moon wrote. “Attendees will return home energized and ready to fight for faith, family and freedom in their communities.”
Idaho GOP to also vote on ranked choice voting, party affiliation
On top of the party leadership elections, Republican delegates will also vote on a proposed party platform and rules resolutions.
The party platform is a document that reflects the values and beliefs of the Idaho Republican Party.Proposed rules, resolutions and platform planks up for consideration during this week’s convention address an array of topics.
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Some of the proposed rules, resolutions and platforms deal with:
- Adding a plank to the party platform expressing formal opposition to ranked to choice voting, a component of the open primary ballot initiative that supporters hope to qualify for the Nov. 5 general election.
- Various platform planks and resolutions addressing undocumented immigration and calling on the government to “secure” the U.S. southern border with Mexico.
- A platform plank calling on support for Israel.
- A platform plank calling on the state to abolish the income tax.
- A resolution calling for the Idaho Republican Party to encourage the Idaho Legislature to make and pass bills that ban any vote by mail elections and voting center style polling places and reduce absentee voting.
- A proposed resolution calling for the chair of the Idaho Republican Party to file a lawsuit against the state in response to the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office not enforcing party affiliation deadlines that were not part of Idaho law, which the Sun has previously reported on.
- A proposed resolution establishing a committee to consider alternatives to primary elections.
- A resolution directing the chairperson of the Idaho Republican Party to send copies of the updated party platform to Republican candidates for office and have them indicate whether they support the platform, or identify any areas where they disagree.
- A resolution calling for the Idaho Republican Party to encourage the Idaho Legislature to make and pass bills that ban any vote by mail elections and voting center style polling places and reduce absentee voting.
The proposed resolutions, rules and platform changes will first be considered during committee meetings on Thursday that will not be open to new reporters.
The Idaho Democratic Party State Convention runs June 22 and June 23 at the University of Idaho in Moscow.
POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho agriculture officials are taking aggressive action after five Japanese beetles, a highly destructive invasive pest, were detected in Acequia near Rupert, according to information provided by the Idaho Farm Bureau Foundation.
The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation reports the Japanese beetle, a non-native insect that feeds on more than 300 species of agricultural and ornamental plants, poses a significant threat to Idaho agriculture. In response to the discovery, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has deployed about 800 traps in the Rupert area to determine the extent of the infestation.
“We take an aggressive approach to make sure we don’t see those numbers boom before we can actually handle the situation,” said Vene Stewart, an ISDA pest survey and detection specialist helping lead eradication efforts.
Stewart said Japanese beetles are not selective feeders.
“They eat about 300 different types of flowering plants. Pretty much anything that flowers, they would love to demolish,” Stewart said.
The ISDA is also conducting eradication efforts in Caldwell and Pocatello. Last year, the department detected 160 Japanese beetles in Caldwell and 12 in Pocatello. Residents in those areas, as well as Acequia, may notice the yellow traps used to monitor the pest’s presence.
“We will be treating all three of those areas this year,” Stewart said.
Caldwell, like Acequia, is located in a major agricultural region. About 700 traps have been placed throughout the Caldwell area.
“The Caldwell infestation isn’t moving at all,” Stewart said. “In fact, where we are finding the beetles is getting to be a smaller and smaller area. You like to see that.”
The department has also placed approximately 550 traps in the Pocatello area.
Stewart said eradication efforts require ongoing monitoring and treatment.
“It’s unfortunately not something that we can just treat one time and assume everything’s going to be (OK) the following year,” she said. “It’s something we’re going to have to keep up on.”
According to a recent University of Idaho study, agriculture accounts for one in every nine jobs in Idaho, 17% of total sales and 12% of the state’s gross domestic product.
ISDA officials have worked to eliminate Japanese beetles wherever they appear in Idaho. About 15 years ago, large numbers of the beetles were detected in the Boise area. Officials say the state’s eradication campaign there resulted in no detections in Boise for several years. According to ISDA officials, the effort became the largest documented Japanese beetle eradication in U.S. history.
“We definitely want to protect our agriculture, especially in Caldwell where it is such an agriculture-(rich) area,” Stewart said. “It’s definitely important to the residents and the farmers out there to make sure that we keep our eye on it and make some progress.”
Stewart said the department’s eradication efforts have received support from farmers, local residents and city officials.
Adult Japanese beetles are about a half-inch long with metallic green bodies and copper-colored wing covers. The insects can skeletonize leaves and leave holes in plants while feeding.
Officials warn that if the beetle were to establish a permanent presence in Idaho, it could lead to reduced crop production, increased pesticide use and potential market restrictions through quarantine measures.
Native to Japan, the beetle was first detected in the United States in 1916 and is now found throughout most states east of the Mississippi River.
Although Idaho has preventative measures in place to reduce the risk of introduction from infested states, ISDA officials believe the beetles still arrive by hitchhiking with people moving from affected areas.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (CBS2) — A joint investigation by the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Home Police Department has led to the arrest of a man accused of multiple sexual offenses in Elmore County and the city of Mountain Home.
An arrest warrant was issued on June 10, 2026, for Dillon Thorpe following an investigation conducted by Elmore County Sheriff’s Office detectives. Thorpe was taken into custody on June 11, 2026, on a warrant by the Idaho State Police.
Thorpe is charged with rape, child enticement, lewd conduct with a minor, and sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16.
Authorities said additional details about the investigation will not be released at this time because of the nature of the crimes and to protect the privacy of victims and witnesses.
Law enforcement believes there may be additional suspected victims and/or witnesses who have not yet been identified. Anyone with information or evidence relevant to the investigation is encouraged to contact the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office or the Mountain Home Police Department to make a report.
DENVER (KDVR) — Three Colorado motorcyclists died on Tuesday in northern Idaho after a pickup truck driver, also from Colorado, hit all three while trying to pass another vehicle, according to the Idaho State Police.
The crash happened at about 4 p.m. Tuesday outside the town of Kooskia on U.S. 12, police said. The pickup truck driver, identified as a 60-year-old Colorado Springs woman, was headed west on the highway when she crossed the double yellow line in a no-passing zone while trying to pass another vehicle.
She then collided head-on with the three motorcycles that were headed east on the highway.
The three motorcyclists died at the scene. The Idaho County Coroner identified the motorcyclists as: Ethan Powers, 35, of Timnath, Jeremy Coleman, 45 of Berthoud, and Nathan McCormick, 26, of Loveland.
The Colorado Fraternal Order of Police later identified Coleman and Powers as a sergeant and deputy with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and McCormick as Coleman’s son-in-law.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, coworkers, and the members of FOP Lodge 4 as they face the difficult days ahead,” the union said. “The law enforcement profession is built on service, sacrifice, and commitment to others. Sgt. Coleman and Deputy Powers dedicated their lives to protecting their community, and their impact will continue to be felt by those who had the privilege of serving alongside them.”
The truck driver was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation before being released then arrested. She was booked into the Idaho County Jail on probable cause for three counts of vehicular manslaughter, police said.
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