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Idaho should consider bringing transparency to college costs and data on in-demand careers • Idaho Capital Sun

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Idaho should consider bringing transparency to college costs and data on in-demand careers • Idaho Capital Sun


Is the cost of college still worth the price?

According to the Education Data Initiative, the average student loan debt in the United States currently totals $37,338. The average student borrows more than $30,000 to pursue a bachelor’s degree. And more than 45 million Americans have student loan debt.

High school students considering whether it is worth it to pursue a college degree usually consider two major questions: how much debt will I incur, and how much will I make when I finally achieve graduation and a career? Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to easily find the answers, which can result in students taking out large college loans for careers that might not provide the adequate salary to pay down the loans.

Many colleges and universities have been criticized for offering classes and degrees that put students little in the way of career benefit. At the University of Houston, you can obtain a degree in foresight – or the ability to predict the future. A Georgetown, you can take classes called “Philosophy and Star Trek.”

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A recent survey by the Wall Street Journal found that 56% of Americans believe a four-year college degree isn’t worth the cost. Depending on the career choice, they may be right. Attendance at universities throughout the region and nation show precipitous declines.

Between 1963 and 2021, cost of attendance at a four-year college rose 165%. Increases can be found in both public institutions, where the average cost is now $19,374, and private, where students can now pay $45,920. Interestingly, private, for profit colleges have been successful in lowering their costs, from a peak of $31,709 in 2004, to $27,470 today.

It is not a given that the cost of college must increase, however. Consider the example being set by Purdue University.

Purdue University has kept its tuition frozen for 13 years – at less than $10,000 per year. Former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels – who became president of Purdue – says it has been a top priority to keep the number affordable for families. As a result, student loan borrowing at Purdue has decreased by 40% since 2012.

Now, 11 graduating classes at Purdue have never experienced a tuition increase.

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Daniels says the key has been an effort to manage expenses, and asking alumni for more contributions. But as Purdue has kept tuition frozen, student enrollment has increased, allowing the university to more easily balance its books.

While we are hopeful that other higher education officials can learn from the Purdue example by adopting policies that make tuition more affordable, policymakers can also help provide data that informs a student’s decision on which colleges to attend and degrees to pursue. One option to make the decision easier is a concept Mountain States Policy Center is calling a Career Transparency Act or CTA.

The act would require the state to make a variety of statistics and information publicly available to high school students considering a college path. The information would include:

  • A listing of the state’s future workforce needs;
  • Starting wage information and education requirements for the top 25 high demand jobs in the state;
  • A listing of the 40 baccalaureate degree programs with the highest average annual wages following graduation;
  • A listing of the 20 associate degree programs with the highest average annual wages following graduation;
  • The cost of obtaining the degree or certificate at state institutions of higher education, including;
    • Tuition and fees
    • Room and board
    • Books and supplies
    • Transportation
    • Other costs
  • The median wage earned by students who graduated with the certificate or degree;
  • The median student debt of those who graduated with the certificate or degree;
  • Progress on repaying student loans by those who graduated with the certificate or degree; and
  • The percentage of students who withdraw from the institution and do not enroll in the program at another higher education institution.

With this information readily available, students could better understand whether the long-term career benefit would be worth such a large financial burden.

Policymakers may not be able to control all college costs, but they can help inform better career and financial decisions by students considering higher ed. Identifying workforce needs, a listing of wages, clear information about the cost of obtaining a degree, and more should all be made readily available via a Career Transparency Act.

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Idaho

Interstate 84 near Mountain Home back open after utility work

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Interstate 84 near Mountain Home back open after utility work


MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Interstate 84 near Mountain Home is back open after crews closed the freeway due to utility work.

Crews closed westbound and eastbound lanes on Saturday morning from milepost 90 to milepost 95 due to Idaho Power working on power lines in the area, according to the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office. All lanes are now back open in both directions.

The sheriff’s office and the Mountain Home Police Department apologized for the inconvenience, saying they were just informed of the closure on Saturday morning.

More information regarding road closures and traffic conditions can be found at the Idaho Transportation Department’s 511 map.

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Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University

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Idaho murder victims’ families file wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University


The families of the four University of Idaho students killed in a brutal 2022 stabbing attack have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Washington State University (WSU), alleging the school ignored repeated warning signs about Bryan Kohberger.

The civil complaint, filed Jan. 7 in Skagit County Superior Court, was brought by Steve Goncalves, father of Kaylee Goncalves; Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogen; Jeffrey Kernodle, father of Xana Kernodle; and Stacy Chapin, mother of Ethan Chapin.

The lawsuit accuses WSU of gross negligence, wrongful death and violations of federal education laws, including Title IX. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Attorney Robert Clifford, senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that the decision to leave damages “unspecified” is a strategic norm in high-stakes litigation because it prevents the focus from shifting towards sensationalism and keeps the decision firmly in the hands of the jury.

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“Ultimately, that’s to be determined and answered by the jury,” said Clifford, who is not involved in the lawsuit. “But you have some compelling facts and the liability is going to depend on the strength of what the school knew.”

The brother and parents of Kaylee Goncalves speak after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing at the Ada County Courthouse on July 23, 2025. Reuters
Bryan Kohberger in police custody after his arrest in December 2022. Moscow Police Department
Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle were found dead inside an off-campus apartment in Moscow, Idaho.

Despite Kohberger’s guilty plea in the murders, Clifford explained the civil case remains strong because the families face a lower burden of proof – requiring only a preponderance of evidence to establish the university’s liability.

“The mere fact that he pled guilty might not even be admissible in the civil proceeding because he’s not the defendant, right? If he is a defendant in the civil proceeding, then his plea of guilty will be important. And indeed, this school might try to use that to say, ‘See, it wasn’t our fault. He admits that it was his fault.’ But the bar is different for someone in a criminal proceeding than it is in a civil proceeding.”

According to the lawsuit, WSU hired Kohberger as a teaching assistant in its criminal justice and criminology department and provided him with a salary, tuition benefits, health insurance and on-campus housing.

The victims’ families allege the university had extensive authority over Kohberger’s conduct but failed to act despite mounting concerns.

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Here’s the latest coverage on Bryan Kohberger:


The complaint says WSU received at least 13 formal reports accusing Kohberger of threatening, stalking, harassing or predatory behavior toward female students and staff during the fall 2022 semester. The families argue university officials did not meaningfully investigate those complaints or remove Kohberger from campus before the murders – even though they had the authority to do so.

The lawsuit also alleges that the university failed to use its own threat-assessment systems designed to identify individuals who pose a risk of violence, even as concerns about Kohberger escalated. Instead, the families claim, the university continued to employ him, house him and give him access to students.

“The murders were foreseeable and preventable,” the complaint states, alleging WSU prioritized avoiding legal and reputational risk over student safety.

Madison Mogen’s mother, Karen Laramie, and stepfather, Scott Laramie, leave the courthouse after Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing. Reuters
Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on July 23, 2025. Getty Images

The lawsuit also alleges broad failures within the public university, including alleged dysfunction within campus police and compliance officers who are responsible for handling accusations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and stalking.

Kohberger pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of first-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

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Prosecutors said Kohberger stabbed the four students in the early morning hours of Nov. 13, 2022, inside an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, just miles from the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington.

Karen Laramie, mother of Madison Mogan, and Kristi Goncalves, Kaylee Goncalves’ mother, embrace after the sentencing hearing for their daughters’ murderer. Reuters
Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania in December 2022 following a multi-state investigation.

Authorities linked him to the crime through DNA evidence, surveillance video and cellphone data showing repeated late-night trips near the victims’ home.

WSU has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. Fox News Digital has reached out to WSU for comment.

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Turkey Town Hall to be held at the end of January to discuss North End nuisance

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Turkey Town Hall to be held at the end of January to discuss North End nuisance


BOISE, Idaho — At the end of January, Boise City Councilmember Jimmy Hallyburton will hold a town hall meeting to discuss the growing population of wild turkeys in the North End. The meeting, which is set to take place at Lowell Elementary School on January 29 at 7 p.m., will center around education and how to treat wildlife in an urban setting.

The public meeting will feature speakers from the Boise Parks and Recreation Department, Idaho Fish & Game, and Councilmember Hallyburton.

Hallyburton told Idaho News 6 over the phone that the meeting was prompted by damaging and, in some cases, violent behavior by wild turkeys in the North End. Residents in the area have reported turkeys scratching cars with their talons, ruining vegetable gardens, sparring with domesticated dogs & cats, and even becoming aggressive towards human beings.

A viewer in the North End recently shared a video with Idaho News 6 that shows a flock of turkeys accosting a postal service worker. Thankfully, a dog intervened and saved the USPS worker from further harm.

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See the video of the attack below

Hallyburton said that the North End community needs to take a focused approach to how it deals with the turkeys. “We’re making it too easy for them to live in the North End,” Hallyburton said. “We need to make our urban areas less habitable for the turkeys.”

The North End councilmember goes on to explain that residents who are feeding or treating the turkeys as pets are creating an environment in which human vs. wildlife conflict is more likely. “You might think that you’re helping the turkeys, but you’re actually causing them harm over the long term,” said Hallyburton.

Hallyburton added that the population of turkeys in the area has ballooned from a single flock of around a dozen turkeys to multiple flocks and roughly 40 turkeys. They are mostly located in the residential area of the North End between 18th and 28th streets.

Idaho Fish & Game recommends “gentle hazing” to keep turkeys from roosting in urban areas. This can include squirting turkeys with water when they approach one’s property.

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Since transplanting wildlife has become more difficult in recent years due to new laws, the only other option for the turkeys would be extermination, which Hallyburton said he would like to avoid at all costs.

WATCH: Wild turkeys take over Boise’s North End

Wild turkeys turn Boise’s North End into their new roost





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