Idaho
Idaho troopers bound for border
Gov. Brad Little said Friday he is following up on a promise he made during his State of the State and Budget Address to send two more teams of Idaho State Police troopers to the Texas-Mexico border.
The troopers will be deployed in their new mission in the coming weeks.
“President Biden’s disastrous open border policies have left Idahoans and Americans vulnerable,” Little said.
Little said, to help curb human trafficking and stop drugs and criminals from flowing into the U.S., the Idaho Works plan calls for sending Idaho State Police troopers to train and act as a force multiplier “at our lawless southern border, as we did with fentanyl twice before.”
“There is a direct tie between the loose southern border and the flood of deadly illegal drugs like fentanyl coming into Idaho communities,” he said.
Little said the troopers will learn the best tactics to respond to those who smuggle and abuse vulnerable people.
“They will come back to Idaho with better knowledge to stop these perpetrators in our state and, as they did before, our troopers will debrief and train their law enforcement colleagues around the state when they return,” Little said.
District 3 Rep. Jordan Redman said he supported Little’s move.
“I think what’s happening at the southern border is horrific,” he wrote in an email to The Press. “Both the human and drug trafficking that is happening is harming so many people and our country. Anything we can do as a state to help, should be done.”
Redman said he is working on legislation at the state level that can help with this issue.
“I appreciate the governor taking this step, although I’m sad that our federal government has forced us to do so,” he wrote.
Little also issued a proclamation Friday naming January “Idaho Stands With Texas in Securing the Nation’s Border Month.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this week declared Texas will defend itself in the face of the crisis at the southern border, as illegal immigration continues to increase. Many Republican governors, including Little, came to his defense.
Little has taken other steps to help secure the border, including sending two teams of Idaho State Police troopers to the border of Texas last year.
And in May 2023, Little traveled to Texas to attend a border security briefing alongside nine other governors to receive an overview of Operation Lone Star. This included an explanation of the tools and strategies that the state of Texas has found effective to deter and repel illegal immigration along the border with Mexico.
Texas is embroiled in a fight with the federal government over the control of the U.S.-Mexico border.
On Monday, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favor of the federal government’s power to remove the razor wire that was installed along stretches of the Texas border at Abbott’s direction.
According to news reports, Abbott announced plans to defy the Biden administration and U.S. Supreme Court by ordering the installation of even more razor wire to deter migration.
“The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the states,” he said in a prepared statement. “The executive branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce those laws and has even violated them.”
“The result is that he has smashed records for illegal immigration,” Abbott said.
POCATELLO – Learn physics and have some fun at the same time at a community event this weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, Idaho State University’s Department of Physics will hold its annual Water Rocket Festival at Tydeman Park — North 8th Avenue and East Young Street. The first 100 kids who arrive get to build and launch their own bottle rockets.
“The hope is to sneak some science into the summer,” said Steve Shropshire, the physics professor helping to organize it.
It’s free to the public and held in conjunction with the Kiwanis Club of Pocatello’s Bing Hong Pancake Breakfast fundraiser.
A competition will be held both days. The kid who builds the rocket that goes the furthest will be awarded with their own water-rocket launcher.
Shropshire, who’s been running events like this for nearly 40 years, started the Water Rocket Festival around 16 years ago. As a new member of the Kiwanis club, Shropshire noticed that the fundraiser only took up half of the park.
“I kind of piggybacked onto them, saying, ‘hey, you know, you’re not using this whole field over here. We could sneak some science into this,’ and I think it works well,” Shropshire said.
A student will greet each individual or group, and spend about 15 minutes explaining the physics behind building a rocket.
The kids will build their rockets, with some guidance and tips from students. All basic materials are provided.
Students will help fill the rocket with water and bring it to the launch pad, where Shropshire handles the countdown and launch. Once it’s finished, they can do it all over again.
“The kids are welcome to redesign, rebuild and launch again and again and again, or just keep launching until the thing falls apart,” Shropshire said.
The initial appeal of the event can be summed up by a short statement from Shropshire.
“Rockets are really cool. It certainly captivates the kids’ interest,” Shropshire said.
But beyond that, Shropshire says learning basic principles of physics and then applying them could spark a long-term or lifelong interest.
“The best way to learn is by doing. You understand the principles the best if you actually end up applying them, and seeing them in operation,” Shropshire said.
And Shropshire said the event goes even better when adults get involved.
“I would encourage parents and grandparents to get actively involved in helping their kids build the rockets because that’s kind of a bonding experience … ad I think the kids put better rockets together if they’ve got some parents to help them out,” Shropshire said.
But regardless of whether it sparks a child’s interest in physics or rocket-building, Shropshire said it’s still a worthwhile activity.
“There’s lots of fun, rewarding things that folks can do that are related to science and engineering, and having some awareness of that as the kids go through their schooling is a good thing,” Shropshire said.
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The city of Boise is facing a potential lawsuit brought by the parents of a girl injured by shattered glass at this year’s Idaho Potato Drop held on New Years Eve.
The Idaho Statesman obtained a copy of the tort claim filed earlier this month, which is a precursor to a possible civil lawsuit.
Richard and Daryl Ratto filed the tort claim against the city and multiple other entities, according to the newspaper, after a shard of glass slashed their daughter’s face at the late-night celebration, which required surgery.
As Boise State Public Radio previously reported, police reports from that night said they couldn’t definitively conclude that concussive blasts from fireworks shattered windows on the AT&T building and the Idaho Capitol, which fell on spectators.
The Rattos are demanding $10 million from multiple public entities, saying they’ve known for years that Potato Drop organizers have diverted from plans submitted to city officials to obtain permits for the event.
Body cam footage from that night shows Dylan Cline, the event’s CEO, high fiving his pyrotechnics contractor and saying, “F— yeah…” after being told of the broken windows by police.
City officials have 90 days to respond to the tort claim before the Rattos could file a lawsuit.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
Meridian, Idaho (CBS2) — High Desert Harley-Davidson is hosting its 16th annual Idaho Patriot Thunder Ride on Sunday, June 28th. It’s a summer tradition that brings hundreds of riders together to raise money for Idaho’s military families while also tipping a helmet to America’s upcoming 250th birthday.
“Idaho Patriot Thunder ride is a big ride for us every year. We’ve been doing it now for 16 years — first year was back in 2010 when we started this whole ride,” said Mark Dukes, General Manager of High Desert Harley-Davidson.
Registration begins at 7am on Sunday at High Desert Harley Davidson, kickstands are set to go up at 10 a.m., with hundreds of riders escorted by law enforcement down to Carl Miller Park in Mountain Home. After the ride, riders will head back to the dealership, where the event continues with food trucks, live bands, a bike wash and raffles, including a Harley-Davidson bike giveaway.
Organizers say the fundraising is straightforward: Every dollar raised goes directly to two military nonprofits, with donations split evenly between Operation Warm Heart and the Idaho Guard and Reserve Family Support Fund.
“100% of the proceeds go to Idaho Guard and Reserve Family Support Fund and Operation Warm Heart, and we’ve been doing this for years,” Dukes said.
Dukes said the money helps cover needs that can pop up unexpectedly for service members and their loved ones.
“If somebody were to get injured or get hurt for deployment, if they need food or shelter, airline tickets, toys for their families — it’s all about taking care of military people that take care of us so well,” he said.
This year also comes with extra flair: High Desert Harley-Davidson built two custom bikes — one Indian and one Harley-Davidson — both honoring America’s 250th anniversary. Dukes said the bikes will feature Idaho Patriot Thunder badging, 250th anniversary details and American flags, and they’ll be ridden at the front of the pack before being put up for sale after the ride.
“We have one Indian motorcycle and one Harley-Davidson. They’re gonna have Idaho Patriot Thunder badging, 250th anniversary, American flags — they’re gonna be custom done. Both Bruce and myself are gonna ride those bikes in the front, and when we get back from the Patriot Thunder ride, we’re gonna put those up for sale,” Dukes said.
Over the past 16 years, the event has raised up to $75,000 each year. Registration is open now through High Desert Harley-Davidson’s website, with organizers encouraging community members to get involved whether they ride or not.
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