Idaho
SE Idaho AAH Group of the Year leader Debra Gilmore remembered for legacy of community service
Debra Gilmore lost an extended fight with cancer on July 1, but even in her final months, she didn’t let the disease keep her from accomplishing a goal she’d had with her “Friends of Riverdale” group since co-founding it in July 2004. During the April meeting of the Idaho Transportation Board, she was on-hand as the group was named District 5 (Southeast Idaho) Adopt-A-Highway Group of the Year.
During those 20 years, the group has picked up approximately 42,000 pounds of litter from their two-mile stretch of State Highway 34 near the landfill. Routes near landfills are challenging because parts of uncovered loads headed to the landfill blow out of trailers and pickup beds, leaving much more than the average amount of roadside trash. Gilmore also paid particular attention to broken glass that could be harmful to wildlife, and items that could start a roadside fire. She even turned in several driver’s licenses to local law enforcement.
The Friends of Riverdale AAH group was created when Debra Gilmore’s father mentioned to his local coffee group that his daughter was taking long daily walks along the highway and collecting bottles and cans as she walked. A friend who worked at ITD suggested she officially adopt the highway so she could access trash bags and protections such as safety vests and roadside traffic signs.
Debra, along with a friend, came up with the name “Friends of Riverdale” in reference to the two founding members’ friendship. Others from the town of Riverdale occasionally assisted in keeping the local highway clean.
Debra is survived by her loving husband (Stephen), two daughters (Rosalind and Corinne) and four grandchildren (Austin, Cameron, Jack, and Isabella).
Stephen said he plans to keep the Friends of Riverdale group active, as that would have made her very happy. He said the Adopt-A-Highway group was very important to her, and that cleaning up litter was a long-term passion of hers. “Even before she ‘adopted’ the highway, she’d always take a garbage bag with her to pick up trash on her walks. It’s just who she was.”
Idaho
Idaho Department of Lands to hold fire prevention meeting at Clarkston
The Idaho Department of Lands will host a wildfire preparation meeting for people living near the lower Snake and Salmon rivers at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Wet Ever Boat Shop at 1030 16th Ave., Clarkston.
Fire specialists from the IDL Craig Mountain Forest Protective District will speak about fire prevention, how the department manages fire suppression efforts and how those efforts can differ when a complex incident management team is called in to take over large fires.
Idaho
Lab Findings Reveal Idaho Trout May Swim Further On Cocaine
More and more data is revealing that the human dependency on drug use is extending greatly into our natural habitats. A European experiment was conducted recently involving discarded drugs and fish, and the affects they have on the animal’s behavior.
Idaho, like most states, has a great deal of wastewater sources from agricultural runoff, food processing plants, sewage, and other industrial activities throughout the Snake River Basin, and fish are coming into contact with various drugs and chemicals.
It’s estimated that more than 270 million humans use drugs each year, according to a United Nations report. Sadly, drug use is a fact of life in the Gem State as well, despite laws forbidding it recreationally. Drug pollution is spilling over into Idaho lakes and rivers.
A Recent Study Found That Fish Are Among The Most Drugged-Out Animals On Earth
wastewater Credit: YouTube
A university in Sweden recently published finding on the affects of cocaine and other drugs on fish. The experiment yielded not to surprising results–one of which found that fish swim longer distances with drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine in their bodies, according to details shared by The Guardian.
READ MORE: Here’s Where And When 110,000 Fish Will Be Stocked In Idaho This Month
A fish’s brain chemistry is altered in similar fashion to humans, which include a sense of dependency, according to details provided by the BBC.
Animals should never be deliberately given drugs of any kind. To do so qualifies as animal cruelty, and police will have cause to make an arrest.
Hagerman: The Magic Valley’s Kayaking Crown Jewel
Thousand Springs State Park Kayaking Is Next Level
Gallery Credit: Greg Jannetta
Idaho
Idaho officials review medical cannabis campaign as donor records change
BOISE, Idaho — Newly obtained documents from the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office are raising questions about transparency behind a major ballot initiative effort, while updated public records show changes in how millions of dollars tied to the campaign are being reported.
In documents Idaho News 6 obtained from the Secretary of State’s Office, five in total, the state raises concerns that the campaign may not have fully disclosed the source of its donations.
WATCH: Funding behind Idaho cannabis initiative reviewed in new records
Idaho officials review cannabis campaign as donor records change
But as of Thursday evening, public campaign finance records on Idaho Sunshine show a change.
What was previously listed about $1.7 million in contributions from the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho LLC now shows that money attributed to two sources: $1 million from Double Springs Ranch, LLC and $700,000 from Mike Tunney.
Both are tied to the family of Dr. Dori Tunney, who died in 2024 after a battle with brain cancer. Campaign organizers have said her experience helped inspire the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act.
In a previous interview, campaign spokesperson Amanda Watson described the family’s involvement and said privacy was initially a factor.
“This incredible woman, Dr. Dori Tunney, she unfortunately passed away in 2024 after a very brutal bout of glioblastoma. Our group is trying to finish the work she began, and I think for the privacy of the family, there was maybe the hope that it could be done without having to drag, kind of, that story into it. All the cards are on the table; these are Idaho people,” Watson said.
At the center of the state’s review are two connected entities: the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho PAC and the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho LLC.
The PAC is the political committee supporting the ballot initiative. The LLC, according to the campaign, is a for-profit merchandise business tied to that effort.
In correspondence, the Secretary of State’s Office questions whether that LLC was used in a way that could conceal donor identities and whether it should instead be classified as a “nonbusiness entity,” which would require full disclosure of its contributors.
Campaign representatives have pushed back, saying the LLC is a legitimate business, pointing to merchandise sales and operations.
Watson said the campaign has been transparent and believes it is fully compliant with Idaho law.
The development comes as the campaign says it has collected more than 100,000 signatures, with just over 70,000 valid signatures needed to qualify for the 2026 ballot.
The Secretary of State’s Office has also urged campaigns to submit signatures sooner rather than later to help county clerks manage the verification process.
The Secretary of State’s Office said it is still reviewing the information and declined to comment further.
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