Idaho
State officials worry about financial impact after bird flu cases detected in Idaho cattle • Idaho Capital Sun
As cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza spread across U.S. cattle, Idaho officials say their biggest concern is the virus’ impact on Idaho’s economy.
The illness, also coined the bird flu, has sickened cattle across at least eight states, with the first case detected in Texas cattle in late March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
On April 1, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture reported its first case of the bird flu in cattle in Cassia County. The cattle infected had been recently imported from Texas, Sydney Kennedy, the spokesperson for the department of agriculture told the Idaho Capital Sun.
And on Monday, the department confirmed a second herd in Cassia County is positive for the bird flu.
Kennedy said the state is well-prepared with financial resources and trained staff to respond to animal diseases. The Idaho facilities with infected cattle have been placed under a quarantine to limit the movement of cattle, she said.
“Idaho is a major livestock state, and we cannot forget about what this truly means to the dairymen,” she said. “The outbreak in dairy herds primarily affects lactating cows, reducing milk production, this leaves the greatest amount of financial impact on the dairymen. Idaho’s dairy industry contributes significant economic value ($3.5 billion) to our state.”
What is the highly pathogenic avian influenza — a.k.a. bird flu?
The bird flu spreads naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide, and it can infect domestic poultry and other species, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the virus emerged through birds, it has been detected in cattle, which is unusual, according to University of Idaho veterinary medicine assistant professor Lauren Christensen.
“This is not something that we’re typically looking for in mammals because the virus typically is only able to infect other poultry or other birds,” she told the Idaho Capital Sun. “We usually don’t see the virus able to switch over to mammals.”
The virus is mostly seen in wild flocks of geese or ducks that are migrating, Christensen said. Like with the flu, she said it’s virus particles coming from one infected animal or person going to another — usually in close contact.
Christensen said the virus causes significant disease and even death among chickens. But so far, no cows across the country have died from it.
Christensen said the main symptoms of the virus in cows include decrease in milk production and loss in appetite. Other symptoms may include a low grade fever, color changes in milk or thickened milk.
Pasteurized dairy products are safe, experts say
Christensen said milk bought at the grocery store is safe for human consumption because it’s been pasteurized, or heated to a high temperature to kill harmful bacteria.
“Wash your hands, drink pasteurized milk, and you’ll be fine,” Christensen said.
While the bird flu does not normally infect humans, some human infections have occurred, according to the CDC. Earlier this month, federal officials identified the first human case of the illness in a Texas dairy worker, Politico reported. The symptoms are mild and the worker is expected to recover.
Rick Naerebout, the CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, told the Sun the biggest concern for Idaho is its financial impact on the dairy industry.
Naerebout said Idaho dairy workers are encouraged to follow biosecurity measures such as wearing personal protective equipment such as gloves, aprons and glasses. Dairy workers are also encouraged to separate their work clothes and everyday clothes, he said.
“What we’re hearing coming out of the Southwest is you can lose up to 20% of your milk production, and our dairymen are coming off over a year of negative margin,” he said. “That’s just really stressful on the finances and trying to be able to continue to wander through the storm that we’re in.”
To learn more about detections of the virus, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture website. For updates about detected reports in Idaho, visit the Idaho State Department of Agriculture website. To learn more about the virus and how to prevent it, visit the CDC website.
The department recommends dairy producers contact their local veterinarian immediately if their cattle are showing the following symptoms:
- Drop in milk production
- Loss of appetite
- Changes in manure consistency
- Thickened or colostrum-like milk
- Low-grade fever
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Idaho
Gov. Little signs bill ending license plate registration stickers in Idaho
Gov. Brad Little has signed House Bill 533, which would remove the need for license plate stickers on Idaho vehicles.
The legislation, introduced earlier this session by Rep. Jon Weber (R) of Boise, eliminates the requirement for registration stickers on Idaho license plates. Weber stated during the bills intorduction that officers can verify the status of license plates without the stickers, potentially saving the state around $300,000.
During the bill’s introduction, some lawmakers argued that it could increase the workload for law enforcement.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
The new law is set to take effect in July.
Idaho
Idaho resolution opposing same-sex marriage advances
For the second year in a row, House lawmakers will consider urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
The nonbinding resolution, which carries no legal weight, says the decision in Obergefel v. Hodges violates the longstanding religious definition of marriage between one man and one woman.
“The current definition of marriage that allows for same-sex marriages is a defilement of the word marriage,” said Rep. Tony Wisniewski (R-Post Falls), who sponsors the measure.
The resolution further states that the Obergefel decision “arbitrarily and unjustly” rejects the historical definition of marriage.
Idaho voters passed a constitution amendment in 2006 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, which was invalidated by the Obergefel ruling.
Wisniewski said regulating marriages should be a power left to the states.
Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa) agrees.
“If you want to get things … closer to the people with respect to some of these more complex social issues, I think the best place for those things to happen is in the states,” Crane said.
Doing so is a risk, he said.
“You may have states that choose to acknowledge [polyamorous relationships]. You may have states that choose to have relationships between adults and younger children,” Crane said.
Cities in neighboring Oregon and Washington, for example, are considering giving those in polyamorous relationships legal recognition.
But he said that risk is worth it to allow other states that choose to only recognize traditional marriages.
Four lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee opposed the resolution.
Rep. Erin Bingham (R-Idaho Falls) said she’s tried to balance her own religious beliefs with those of others while considering the measure.
“I do feel like that it is important for us to work together, to find ways to compromise and to live together in peace and mutual respect,” Bingham said.
The resolution now goes to the House floor for consideration.
House lawmakers last year passed a similar measure, but it never received a hearing in a Senate committee.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
Idaho
University of Idaho professor awarded $10M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders
A University of Idaho professor won a $10 million judgment after a tarot TikTok influencer publicly pushed false claims that she was behind the savage quadruple slayings of four college students.
A Boise jury in US District Court ordered fortune-telling Texas TikToker Ashley Guillard on Friday to pay $10 million after concluding she falsely accused professor Rebecca Scofield of having a secret romance with one of the four victims and orchestrating their killings, the Idaho Statesman reported.
Following the verdict, Scofield thanked the jury and said she hopes the case sends a clear warning that making “false statements online have consequences in the real world.”
“The murders of the four students on November 13, 2022, were the darkest chapter in our university’s history,” Scofield told Fox News.
“Today’s decision shows that respect and care should always be granted to victims during these tragedies. I am hopeful that this difficult chapter in my life is over, and I can return to a more normal life with my family and the wonderful Moscow community.”
Scofield, the university’s history department chair, filed the lawsuit in December 2022 — just weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were brutally stabbed to death at an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.
Guillard began uploading videos to her more than 100,000 TikTok followers in late November 2022, accusing Scofield of a secret relationship with one of the students and claiming she had “ordered” the killings, garnering millions of views across the social media platform.
The complaint states that Scofield had never met the victims and was out of state when the murders occurred.
Even after being served with cease-and-desist letters and after police publicly confirmed Scofield had no connection to the murders, the Houston-based tarot reader continued posting videos, the history professor’s legal team argued.
Guillard doubled down on her accusations against Scofield after being sued, posting a defiant video saying, “I am not stopping,” and challenging why Scofield needed three lawyers to sue her “if she’s so innocent.”
The professor’s legal team argued the defamatory accusations painted her as a criminal and accused her of professional misconduct that could derail her career.
Bryan Kohberger, then studying criminology at Washington State University, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the quadruple murders in a deal that took the death penalty off the table. He is currently serving four consecutive life sentences in Idaho.
In June 2024, Chief US Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco found Guillard’s statements legally defamatory, leaving damages to be decided by a jury.
During the damages trial, Scofield described the anguish of seeing her name tied to the murders online, the Idaho Statesman reported.
However, Guillard, acting as her own attorney, insisted her comments were simply beliefs based on tarot card readings.
She claimed to have psychic powers and testified that she relied on tarot cards to try to solve the shocking homicides that shook the rural college town and sparked global attention.
It took jurors less than two hours to return their verdict, the outlet reported.
The jury awarded Scofield $7.5 million in punitive damages in addition to $2.5 million in compensatory damages.
With Post wires
-
World7 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Wisconsin3 days agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Denver, CO1 week ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Maryland4 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Florida4 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Oregon5 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
