Idaho
One-of-a-kind NASA jet donated to Idaho State University – East Idaho News
The DC-8 was the first and largest flying science laboratory for 37 years. | Logan Ramsey, EastIdahoNews.com
POCATELLO — The engines of a historic research jet roared as it flew low toward its new home.
On Wednesday, this DC-8 jet, which belonged to NASA and served as the first and largest flying science laboratory for 37 years, landed at the ISU Aircraft Maintenance Technology Program Hangar. Now, ISU students will get the opportunity to prepare for their field by training on this aircraft.
“This aircraft has served as a premier flying science lab, contributing to groundbreaking research, and now it embarks on a new journey here at Idaho State University that will significantly impact our students and their futures,” said ISU President Robert Wagner.
While many people think of rockets when they think of NASA, the organization’s research extends below the stars. For nearly four decades, the DC-8 assisted scientists in their research by gathering useful data.
“I’ve been part of missions where we do air-quality research, so we’re flying low over big cities like New York and Chicago to get air quality data,” said Kirsten Boogaard, the DC-8 deputy project manager of four years, in an interview with EastIdahoNews.com.
NASA also runs the Student Airborne Research Program, where students would come onboard the DC-8 and learn how to conduct scientific research.
“We always have grad students that are doing research real-time for their papers, their dissertations, real-time work on the aircraft,” Boogaard said.
Taylor McWane, product support manager at the Logistics Management Division Headquarters of NASA, said that it was a difficult decision to twilight the aircraft that had served NASA for so long.
“You have to analyze the budget and make the determination of, ‘Does NASA have the resources to keep this older platform up and running for the next several years?’ And oftentimes, you have to make that difficult call and say no,” McWane said.
So how did this research plane ended up in the hands of an Idaho university?
Receiving this donation, the largest ever made from the federal government to the state, was spearheaded Ed Foster, a clinical instructor and coordinator with the College of Technology.
“His hard work and commitment have been instrumental in making this day possible, and we are incredibly grateful for his efforts,” Wagner said.
Wagner also offered thanks to Alan Evans — an ISU alumnus and the Pocatello Regional Airport manager — as well as the airport’s whole staff.
Dean Jerry Anhorn of the College of Technology first became familiar with the prospect of receiving the jet when he got an email from Foster.
“Hey, suppose we could get this jet?” Anhorn said that the email read. “And it’s sitting here today.”
But Foster’s work began many months before that, when he found out that Idaho was selected by the federal government to receive the jet. To do this, Foster and Evans had to coordinate to make sure they would have the space to hold it.
ISU was the only entity in Idaho to apply to receive the donation, Foster said, so if they hadn’t been able to take it, the DC-8 would’ve gone to a different state.
Anhorn said that the College of Technology prides itself on a hands-on approach to education, so receiving this aircraft was a pivotal moment.
“This is more than just a learning enhancement. It is the preparation for real-world challenges. The DC-8 will serve as an integral part of our curriculum, where students will conduct actual maintenance and repair tasks,” Anhorn said.
Foster is excited that his students will have the opportunity to train on the DC-8.
“It’s actually rare for programs like ours across the country to have one because most people still want to use these aircraft, so we’re very fortunate and excited about that,” Foster said.
Boogaard said that throughout its use, the DC-8 has benefited education, and she’s happy to see it continue to serve students.
“Now it (will) continue that for future generations on the aircraft maintenance side, and I think that that’s really a beautiful thing,” Boogaard told EastIdahoNews.com.
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Rapid population growth is reshaping Idaho’s politics and creating new tensions across the state, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane said Wednesday to the Boise business community.
“If there’s anything to reflect on, it’s just how much Idaho is changing, the rate of growth that we are seeing, and the rate of growth we’re going to continue to see,” McGrane said at an event hosted by the Boise Metro Chamber.
According to data by the U.S. Census Bureau, Idaho had the second-highest population growth in 2025, which was the largest nationwide in the past five years. With a 10.4% increase comes people from all walks of life.
McGrane pointed to Boise’s evolving skyline and with that comes new business. Idaho business filings have increased from 425,000 in 2020 to roughly 650,000 in 2025 — a 50% increase.
But it isn’t just the economy driving these newcomers. Natural disasters and people exhausted from their home state’s politics are also a force.
Look no further than California: the largest group of migrants to Idaho. McGrane noted that northern Idaho farmers picture them as “blue-haired hippies from the Bay Area.” In fact, it’s the exact opposite.
Seventy-seven percent of Californians moving to the Gem State are registered Republicans.
“When you see the fires in LA, what I see is people moving to Idaho,” McGrane said. “Your home burned down, you’re probably not going to build it where you’ve just burned down, you’re going to find someplace else to move.”
It isn’t just California refugees contributing to the significant increase in Idaho’s Republican makeup. Migrants from all across the country are sharing similar sentiments, highlighting the 58% to 62% increase of registered Republicans since McGrane first took office in 2023.
Migration patterns are creating more of a divide within the Republican Party of Idaho, he said. Multi-generational Idahoans are concerned with agriculture and water rights, while newer residents are fixated on social and policy debates.
Voter turnout has been an issue nationwide, spilling into the Gem State. According to data from Idaho.gov, about 73% of its voting-age population is registered to vote. That means over a quarter of Idahoans who are eligible to vote aren’t registered.
To emphasize the importance of voter participation, McGrane pointed to a phrase often expressed by Gov. Brad Little: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”
Just 12% of Idaho’s voting-age population participated in the primary election to select a party nominee for governor. That figure underscores how primaries carry lots of weight in Idaho.
“The overwhelming majority of decisions were just made on the May 19 election,” McGrane said.
Consequences of low voter turnout are often visible in tight-knit elections, he added. In 2020, there was a race for the Ada County Highway District commission, featuring Rebecca Arnold vs. Alexis Pickering.
The contest ultimately came down to two votes out of roughly 40,000 ballots cast. Around 10,000 voters skipped the race entirely, which illustrates how a small number of ballots can determine elections.
McGrane said those dynamics will continue shaping the fast-growing state’s political sphere.
“One of the biggest decisions that we have as a state is just who gets engaged, who participates and who votes in our elections,” McGrane said.
The Idaho State Police say that Robert Giesick, 40, from Billings is the man missing in a crash on State Highway 55 near Cascade, about 80 miles north of Boise.
A pick-up truck driven by Giesick ended up in the Payette River after a head-on crash with another pick-up truck.
Watch Idaho crash story here:
Idaho state troopers identify Billings man missing in traffic accident
“I was able to find some people that saw a male, an adult man, swimming for the shore from the truck,” said Idaho State Trooper Richard Knapp, who attempted to rescue Giesick. “Unfortunately he didn’t make it. He got swept downriver. Witnesses lost sight of him, and that was the last time anybody saw him.”
Knapp says search crews looked extensively for the 40-year-old, but after 24 hours, it became a recovery effort for the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit.
After that on Monday came the monumental task of removing the pickup truck from the raging water.
“It was an intensive a recovery, honestly, our operators were tested, their knowledge was tested,” said Mark Boisvert, Code Red Towing owner. “They said it was a very extreme recovery for them, more than usual.”
Idaho business owners have less than a month to decide how to comply with a new state law criminally banning trans people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.
The law is set to take effect July 1, which would make it a misdemeanor for the first offense and a felony for subsequent offenses within five years.
It’s currently being challenged in federal court by the ACLU of Idaho.
On Tuesday, a panel sponsored by Idaho Employment Lawyers encouraged companies to prepare now as if the law will remain in effect as litigation continues.
Cody Earl, a lawyer for St. Luke’s Health System who spoke on the panel in his personal capacity, said there are several paths businesses can take.
Converting all bathrooms into single-use, gender-neutral facilities is one option, though it could be costly for larger businesses. Earl said companies could take other steps to make the transition more affordable.
“Even if it is a gender-specific restroom, [adding signage] that indicates where the closest gender-neutral restroom is so you could at least show that you’re giving employees an option or a choice,” he said.
Simply adding locks and only allowing one person at a time to a multi-stall bathroom is another choice, though panelists said that could be problematic for businesses with large amounts of customers, like restaurants and bars.
Idaho Employment Lawyers owner Pam Howland said companies also need to consider how this will affect their staff.
“This could definitely create some culture issues,” said Howland. “Do you have the policies you need to ensure your expectations as an employer of respect and civility are being followed? Possibly code of conduct provisions related to that? How about privacy?”
Those policies could include limiting or outright banning recording at the workplace.
Another legal wrinkle to complying with the law, the panel said, is that precedent in both the U.S. Supreme Court and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals prohibit discrimination based on someone’s gender identity.
Gender dysphoria, a mental health designation that causes severe distress to someone when their sex doesn’t align with their gender identity, has been considered a protected condition under the Americans with Disabilities Act in certain cases.
Republican state lawmakers argued earlier this year that Idaho needs to take this first-in-the-nation step to protect women and girls when they use the restroom in private businesses.
A 2025 study out of UCLA hasn’t found any increased risk to safety by allowing transgender people to use restrooms aligning with their gender identity.
A federal court in Boise will hear arguments over whether to approve or reject a preliminary injunction on June 5.
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