Idaho
Voters in 13 Oregon Counties Approve 'Greater Idaho' Measure Seeking to Secede From Liberal-Run State
Thirteen counties in Oregon have voted in favor of measures to begin negotiations on seceding from the state and joining neighboring Idaho.
The latest county to endorse the initiative was Crook County, where voters approved the “Greater Idaho Measure” on Tuesday. The proposal aims to move Oregon’s border approximately 200 miles to the west, which would place 14 counties and several partial counties under Idaho’s jurisdiction.
“The Oregon/Idaho line was established 163 years ago and is now outdated,” the movement’s website says. “It makes no sense in its current location because it doesn’t match the location of the cultural divide in Oregon.”
The organizers of the Greater Idaho movement argue that residents in eastern Oregon feel increasingly alienated by the state’s progressive policies, which they say contribute to high crime rates. Their website says becoming part of Idaho would offer lower taxes and improved representation and governance for the communities.
“We want an economy that is not held back by Oregon regulations and taxes, including environmental regulations,” Greater Idaho executive director Matt McCaw, said, according to the Daily Mail. “We’ll still have federal and Idaho regulations, and that’s plenty. Idaho knows how to respect rural counties and their livelihoods.”
In Crook County, Measure 7-86 passed with 53 percent of the vote, marking another victory for the Greater Idaho campaign. But the vote is not legally binding. Instead, it merely indicates that residents want their state and federal representatives to consider starting negotiations on the matter.
“We call on the governor, speaker of the House, and Senate president to sit down with us and discuss next steps towards changing governance for eastern Oregonians, as well as for the legislature to begin holding hearings on what a potential border change will look like,” Mr. McCaw said.
Pocatello, ID (CBS2) — A late-night attempted traffic stop near Pocatello led to a vehicle pursuit and the seizure of multiple pounds of narcotics, according to the Idaho State Police Domestic Highway Enforcement team.
Just before 12 a.m. on May 18, a DHE trooper patrolling Interstate 86 saw a sedan with California license plates turn northbound onto Interstate 15 without signaling. When the trooper tried to stop the car near milepost 74 in Bannock County, the driver did not yield, and a pursuit began.
Police said the pursuit went through a construction zone where traffic was diverted onto the southbound U.S. Highway 91. During the chase, the sedan used the right shoulder to pass several semi-trucks, struck a construction sign, and ignored directions from a construction flagging crew.
The vehicle continued toward the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, where the Fort Hall Police Department deployed spike strips, stopping the car. The driver, a 40-year-old man from Fargo, North Dakota, was arrested without further incident.
Troopers searched the vehicle and found about one pound of fentanyl powder, two pounds of methamphetamine, more than two pounds of cocaine, and one-half pound of marijuana.
The driver was booked into the Bingham County Jail on probable cause for trafficking fentanyl, trafficking methamphetamine, trafficking cocaine, felony possession of marijuana, and felony eluding.
“This seizure highlights the value of having a dedicated team focused on disrupting drug trafficking across Idaho,” Lt. Ryan Hoxie said. “Through support of Gov. Little’s Esto Perpetua initiative, DHE proactively targets the criminal organizations bringing dangerous narcotics into our state. These drugs continue to devastate Idaho families and communities, and our troopers work every day to identify traffickers, stop illegal drugs from reaching our communities, and arrest offenders.”
ISP said its Domestic Highway Enforcement team is part of Gov. Brad Little’s Esto Perpetua initiative and is a multijurisdictional narcotics task force made up of 14 troopers, including seven canine handlers, stationed throughout Idaho. The agency said the team combats emerging criminal trends using advanced interdiction techniques, intelligence-driven enforcement, and partnerships with local prosecutors and allied agencies.
The team is supported through the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program and also works through an Office of National Drug Control Policy-sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding for multiagency drug enforcement initiatives, ISP said.
Communities across Idaho are preparing to honor fallen service members with Memorial Day ceremonies, patriotic observances and family events during Memorial Day weekend.
One commemoration will take place at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise on Monday, May 25, for the annual Boise Memorial Day Ceremony. The event is scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. and will recognize military personnel who died while serving the nation.
In northern Idaho, the Hayden Veterans Commission will host two Memorial Day observances. A wreath-laying ceremony is planned for 9:30 a.m. at Honeysuckle Beach, followed by the city’s main ceremony at 11 a.m. at McIntire Family Park.
Boise-area families will also find educational and recreational activities throughout the holiday weekend. Community guides highlight cemetery visits, children’s activities and patriotic gatherings designed to blend remembrance with family participation.
Additional Memorial Day activities are planned throughout the Treasure Valley, including parades and community ceremonies. A regional calendar of events can be viewed HERE.
In Coeur d’Alene, Memorial Day weekend activities will include remembrance ceremonies alongside community fitness events such as a free Memorial Day 5K run and walk. Information on Coeur d’Alene events is available HERE.
Preliminary infrastructure work to support the future Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints is now underway, per a press release published Monday on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Preliminary work for the temple began following the city’s approval. It includes grading and the installation of underground utility infrastructure, such as water, sewer and electrical service connections to the city’s existing systems, according to the church’s release.
“Design work on the temple continues, and a date for an official groundbreaking ceremony has not yet been announced,” the church’s release states.
Plans to construct the Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple were first announced during the church’s October 2024 general conference by then-church President Russell M. Nelson.
The future temple will serve Latter-day Saints throughout north Idaho and the inland northwest.
Currently operating temples in Idaho include the Boise, Burley, Idaho Falls, Meridian, Pocatello, Rexburg and Twin Falls temples.
Three temples in Idaho — including the Coeur d’Alene, Teton River and Caldwell Idaho temples — are currently under construction or in planning/design stages, and one other Idaho temple is scheduled to be dedicated this fall.
Learn more about the Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple and others worldwide on the Church News’ temple almanac.
-
Ohio1 minute agoOhio lawmakers refuse to protect girls from nightmarish marriages | Opinion
-
Oklahoma7 minutes agoSan Antonio at Oklahoma City, Final Score: Spurs’ late comeback falls short, 122-113
-
Oregon13 minutes agoOregon Homegrown 2026 highlights “Deep Cut” Cascade Hops — New School Beer + Cider
-
Pennsylvania19 minutes agoPennsylvania scrutinizes fraud prevention as feds put Medicaid under the microscope
-
Rhode Island25 minutes agoShark season is here. One just popped up in a Rhode Island pond.
-
South Dakota37 minutes agoBlake Ellwein is South Dakota’s Mr. Basketball
-
Tennessee43 minutes ago
TN Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for May 20, 2026
-
Texas49 minutes agoStorm cleanup continues after Central Texas thunderstorms topple trees, damage roads
