The Idaho State Board of Education Thursday signed off on a nearly $163 million on-campus housing proposal from University of Idaho as its freshmen enrollment continues to grow.

Total enrollment since 2019 grew by 14%, with freshmen enrollment up 42% during that same period.

That’s a problem since the school’s housing is over capacity, and many of the buildings are in disrepair, like the South Hill Apartments, which will be torn down and newly replaced.

“We have four of those buildings that have already been demolished over the last 10 years and another three buildings that have been mothballed and are currently offline because they’re quite literally uninhabitable,” said Brian Foisy, UI VP of Finance and Administration.

The university currently has capacity for 2,075 students to live on-campus, with another 200 overflow beds at a former motel nearby. Foisy said students are not satisfied with those converted motel rooms and UI doesn’t plan to renew its lease.

The upcoming project will also renovate dorms in the Wallace Residential Complex and Theophilus Tower, which are nearly 60 years old and make up the majority of the school’s capacity.

“The Moscow community simply does not have sufficient resources to meet the housing needs of these students, and available housing on the university campus is inadequate and well beyond useful life,” Foisy said.

UI will begin working with its contractors to begin demolition and complete initial utility work over the next several months.

State board of education members will need to approve a full finance plan, which UI will fully cover, in the first half of next year.

The first phase of new construction and renovations are expected to open Fall 2026, with the remaining work planned to be complete by Fall 2027.

Copyright 2024 Boise State Public Radio

The UCLA Bruins didn’t make it look all that pretty on Wednesday night, defeating Idaho State by a score of 84-70.

Yes, the final result is nice, but UCLA opened up a 27-point second-half lead at one point and allowed a far inferior opponent to eke its way back into the game.

Nevertheless, the Bruins improved to 4-1 with the victory, and we should probably focus on one key positive for the squad in the win: their three-point shooting.

Perimeter shooting had been a critical issue for UCLA over its first four games. Even in its 40-point triumph over Lehigh last Friday, the Bruins went just 3-of-13 from beyond the arc.

But against Idaho State, UCLA connected on nine of its 14 long-range attempts in what was, by far, its best shooting effort of the season.

Tyler Bilodeau went 4-of-4 from downtown, and Eric Dailey Jr. went 2-for-3.

Let’s not get it twisted: the Bruins are still a work in progress from deep. They are making just 31.7 percent of their three-pointers this season, which ranks 205th in the country.

It’s not far off from last year when UCLA finished 213th in the nation in three-point shooting in what ended up being a 16-17 campaign.

This is definitely an area in which the Bruins need to show dramatic improvement in order for anyone to take them seriously as legitimate contenders in the Big Ten, but Wednesday evening represented a major step forward for the team.

UCLA brought in four significant transfers for the 2024-25 campaign with the hope that the incoming talents would bolster their NCAA Tournament chances.

The Bruins entered the year ranked 22nd in the country, but a loss to New Mexico instantly dropped them out of the top 25.

The problem is that UCLA has not placed an incredible emphasis on outside shooting, which was clear in its defeat at the hands of New Mexico when it shot 5-of-23 from distance.

But again, baby steps. Beating Idaho State is expected, but it’s the little things the Bruins did in the process that made the victory more impressive.

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NAMPA, Idaho — In October, the Southwest Idaho Health District voted 4-3 to remove the COVID-19 vaccines from its facilities. So, what does this mean to the residents in their six-county district?

• Southwest Idaho Health District votes to remove COVID-19 vaccines.
• Board Chair Kelly Aberasturi explains his view on vote.

(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

Owyhee County Commissioner Kelly Aberasturi was one of the three who voted to continue providing vaccines because he feels taking the shot or not is an individual choice, and that the District shouldn’t get in the way of that. “I voted against it but not that I believe in the shot but because I believe it’s individual rights who can make their own decision.”

I asked Aberasturi what the discussion was like before they took the vote. “A couple of the commissioners are pretty conservative, and they just didn’t think that they should be giving out a vaccine that has negative effects on some certain individuals.”

To be clear, the CDC recommends everyone over six months get an updated COVID-19 vaccines and emphasizes they are safe. So where can you go to get one if you are in the Southwest District? I reached out to the Central District Health and they told me anyone can visit their Boise clinic by scheduling an appointment for their immunizations — no matter where they live or work. They accept most insurance and have options for those under-insured or uninsured. They won’t turn anyone away based on where they live.

The F.D.A.’s top vaccine official urges everyone eligible to get immunized.