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Idaho student murders case helps spur proposed law to stop release of photos – East Idaho News

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Idaho student murders case helps spur proposed law to stop release of photos – East Idaho News


BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — On the heels of a recent release of thousands of crime scene photos from the Moscow college student murders, images of deceased people created as part of police or coroner investigations would become exempt from disclosure in response to Idaho public records requests under a newly proposed law.

Senate Bill 1250 still would allow family members to obtain such photographs once an investigation is finished and all potential criminal cases associated with the person’s death are resolved.

The bill sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, was two years in the making after she introduced but later pulled a bill with similar intent during last year’s legislative session. Several states already have such a law on the books.

“Family members make a lot of decisions about decedents,” Wintrow said in a phone interview. “It’s just important to allow family members to do what they want to do with those photos.”

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Wintrow worked closely on the legislation with Alivea Goncalves, a sister of Kaylee Goncalves, who was one of the four University of Idaho students fatally stabbed at an off-campus house in November 2022.

Alivea Goncalves, sister of victim Kaylee Goncalves speaks at the sentencing hearing of Bryan Kohberger at the Ada County Courthouse, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for brutally stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago. Kyle Green, pool photo via Associated Press

“She and her family have been through so much,” Wintrow said. “So it’s so important to really work with folks and understand the trauma they’re experiencing, so families feel they have a sense of control.”

Alivea Goncalves credited Wintrow with taking the time to hear her out in hopes of enacting the change to Idaho law “not just for us, but for the next family facing their worst nightmare.”

“Out of many, she was the only to actually articulate my voice and value my perspective,” Alivea Goncalves said in an email to the Idaho Statesman. “More than just offering condolences — as many in positions of power have — she offered actual help, support and change. Even just the possibility of making a difference has been a beacon of hope in an impossibly never-ending storm.”

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The other three U of I student victims were Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin. The families of Mogen and Chapin successfully sued the city of Moscow last year over a related matter. On behalf of its police department, the city initially released a handful of redacted crime scene photos from inside the rooms of the victims in response to a request made under the Idaho Public Records Act.

Last month, Idaho State Police posted to its website — and then quickly removed — thousands of redacted images from the crime scene under the belief it was adhering to the state’s public records law. One of the images inadvertently failed to redact a portion of the body of one of the four victims killed by Bryan Kohberger.

RELATED | Judge rules for Moscow murder victims’ families in fight over crime scene photos

The agency recognizes frustrations from the victims’ families, ISP spokesperson Aaron Snell said in a prior statement.

“This was a tragic case, and we do not take the impact of the crime or the release of records lightly,” he said. “The Idaho State Police remains committed to handling sensitive records professionally, lawfully, and with respect for all affected parties.”

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But ISP’s release of the photos again drew condemnation from the victims’ families, including the parents of Kaylee Goncalves.

“The crime scene photos were bad,” her mother, Kristi Goncalves, said through tears this week on the Brian Entin Investigates podcast. “They were bad.”

“We’re trying to change laws,” added Steve Goncalves, Kaylee and Alivea’s father. “You’re not going to murder someone and then their records get blasted out for the rest of the world to see … .”

Wintrow’s bill also came about as the result of efforts by another father, who sought to prevent the disclosure of autopsy photos of his daughter possessed by a county coroner. Allen Hodges, whose 16-year-old daughter died from an epileptic seizure in 2020, has pushed to clarify the state’s public records law to ensure that such images can’t be released to a requester, the Idaho Capital Sun reported.

Melissa Wintrow
Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, has proposed a new legal exemption that would prevent release of photos of a decedent’s body under the Idaho Public Records Act. | Darin Oswald, Idaho Statesman

Wintrow told the Statesman that her reworked bill aims to reach a proper compromise over what members of the public, including the press, can receive in records requests while upholding the dignity of the person who died and honoring their family’s wishes. On Monday, the bill advanced in a Senate committee for a future public hearing.

The Idaho Press Club worked with Wintrow, reviewed various legislative proposals for the past year and does not oppose the bill that would add the new public records exemptions, said Melissa Davlin, the group’s president.

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“We believe it strikes the balance between protecting the privacy and dignity of the decedents while preserving transparency on other aspects of investigations, including factors that may have public health and safety implications,” Davlin told the Statesman by email.

Editor’s note: Idaho Statesman journalists are members of the Idaho Press Club, and editor Chadd Cripe serves on the board of directors.

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Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Pick 3, Pick 4 on April 19, 2026

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The results are in for the Idaho Lottery’s draw games on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on April 19.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 19 drawing

Day: 9-5-1

Night: 8-0-6

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Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 19 drawing

Day: 2-7-0-3

Night: 4-3-3-3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Idaho Cash numbers from April 19 drawing

15-28-31-38-45

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Check Idaho Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 19 drawing

32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life 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.
  • Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

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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‘Unrelenting’: Statehouse reporters recap 2026 legislative session in Idaho Falls – East Idaho News

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‘Unrelenting’: Statehouse reporters recap 2026 legislative session in Idaho Falls – East Idaho News


IDAHO FALLS — Two prominent Idaho Statehouse reporters say this past legislative session was “unrelenting,” chaotic, largely driven by budget cuts, and they see the Legislature getting more powerful.

Kevin Richert and Clark Corbin recapped this past legislative session at a forum on the ISU Idaho Falls Campus on Thursday.

Richert is a senior reporter at Idaho Education News, with more than 30 years of experience covering education policy and politics. Corbin is a senior reporter at the Idaho Capital Sun who has covered every Idaho legislative session, gavel to gavel, since 2011.

The event was hosted by the City Club of Idaho Falls, which “exists to sponsor and promote civil dialogue and discourse on all matters of public interest” and strives to be “nonpartisan and nonsectarian,” according to its website.

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Budget cuts

Both Richert and Corbin said this session was driven by budget cuts. Corbin said this was due to a lack of revenue stemming from past income tax and the adoption of new federal tax cuts.

“Cuts for almost every state agency and state department dominated the legislative session,” Corbin said. “We’re talking about 4% budget cuts for most state agencies and departments in the current fiscal year, and we’re talking about an additional 5% budget cuts for almost all state agencies and departments starting next year — fiscal year ’27 — and continuing permanently.”

RELATED | Gov. Little signs so-called ‘crappy bill’ to cut state budget

Richert said he thought higher education was taking the brunt of budget cuts. “It’s not a question of whether tuition fees are going to go up at the universities; it’s a question of how much,” he said.

When asked what the future would hold, Corbin said the budget cuts aren’t likely to go away, and their effects will be felt over time.

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“There could always be a change of leadership in the House, but they do expect the budget crunch to continue in the next year’s legislative session,” Corbin said.

‘Radiator capping’

Richert said he has one word to describe this year’s legislative session: “unrelenting.”

One thing that made it feel that way was that some bills were recycled over and over, he said. For example, Richert said the Legislature saw five different versions of a bill that proposed cuts to the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance.

“We had multiple bills that came from the dead,” he said.

The journalists said this is partly due to a tactic called “radiator capping.” The term means to replace the entire car — the bill’s text, in political terms — while only keeping the radiator cap: the bill number. By rewriting a bill on the House or Senate floor while maintaining its number, failed bills can effectively bypass the committee process.

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“Those are the changes they tried to make on immigration bills, on union bills this year,” Corbin said. “It made it extremely difficult for the public to have any idea what was going on, to have any opportunity to participate in the legislative process and share their opinions.

A more powerful, more chaotic Legislature

Richert said Idaho’s annual legislative sessions are trending longer, commonly going into the early part of April, and producing a record number of bills.

“There are rumblings that this Legislature, as a body, is wanting to expand its reach over more and have even more power over the other branches of government to the point of — are we trending towards more of a full-time professional legislature?” Richert said. “We’re a long way from there.”

“The legislative branch of government, particularly the Idaho House of Representatives, is the most powerful I’ve seen it in 16 years of covering state government,” Corbin said.

He added that this year’s legislative session was unlike any he’s experienced.

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“The overall temperature in the building was bad,” Corbin said. “It was divisive. It was chaotic. People were not hiding their feelings of disgust for each other. These traditional ideas of decorum and respect very much fell by the wayside.”

Richert said Gov. Brad Little vetoed very few bills that came across his desk, and the ones he did weren’t high-profile.

RELATED | Idaho Gov. Brad Little issues 5 vetoes. Here are the bills affected

“I think the governor behaved like he was very concerned about the supermajority-controlled Legislature, and I think that that Legislature, in turn, asserted itself and took control of the agenda this year,” Corbin said.

Are legislators representing Idaho?

Corbin said some bills this year also focused on the LGBTQ+ community, such as a bathroom restriction for transgender individuals, and a bill that banned the City of Boise from waving a Pride flag.

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RELATED | Idaho governor signs bill to criminalize trans people using bathrooms that align with their identity

RELATED | Boise removes LGBTQ+ pride flag as Idaho governor signs bill to fine city for its display

When asked if these were what Idahoans wanted, Corbin said it doesn’t necessarily appear so to him, based on his review of Boise State University’s annual public policy survey.

“For years and years, I’ve heard concerns about affordability of housing, access to housing, managing the growth of the state of Idaho, having quality public schools available for our young people — that also generates a workforce pipeline for some of our businesses,” Corbin said. “I’ve heard about paying for wildfires. I’ve heard about having good roads, supporting access to public lands, public recreation, those are the concerns I hear from Idahoans.”

“But the Legislature spent a significant amount of time over the last two, three, four years placing additional restrictions on LGBTQ communities, placing restrictions on what teachers can and cannot teach in their classrooms, what school boards can and cannot do,” Corbin continued. “They talked about requiring a moment of silence every day to begin the public school day, where children could pray or read the Bible.”

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RELATED | Gov. Brad Little signs public school ‘moment of silence’ bill into law

Corbin said it may be his own opinion, but perhaps it is easier to “make a bunch of noise about what’s going wrong and (distract) people with social issues” rather than focus on harder issues that Idaho faces.

“I think what you saw on the policy space is a reflection of the fact that you had legislators thinking about reelection, and legislators with time on their hands — and that’s not always a good combination,” Richert said.

Accountability

When asked how people can keep legislators accountable, Corbin said it can be done by following the state Legislature through trusted news sources, going to community events and voting.

“This is a great year to practice accountability, because all 105 state legislators and all statewide elected officials are up for election this year,” he said.

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Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Pick 3 on April 18, 2026

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The results are in for the Idaho Lottery’s draw games on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on April 18.

Winning Powerball numbers from April 18 drawing

24-25-39-46-61, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 5

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 18 drawing

Day: 9-5-1

Night: 0-2-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 18 drawing

Day: 4-6-0-4

Night: 9-9-8-2

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Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from April 18 drawing

18-21-22-32-42, Star Ball: 10, ASB: 03

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Idaho Cash numbers from April 18 drawing

08-19-22-31-44

Check Idaho Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 18 drawing

17-19-47-48-55, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life 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.
  • Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

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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