Idaho
'We are Idaho'
COEUR d’ALENE — Speakers at the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee’s Lincoln Day Dinner called on members to stand strong for their country, or risk losing it, and support Donald Trump for president.
About 600 people attended the event at The Coeur d’Alene Resort on Saturday. With a large flag as the backdrop, firearms as prizes and babies in red, white and blue, patriotism was on full display.
A video warned people that Idaho could turn into another California, while another featured families and friends shouting, “We are Idaho.”
Dorothy Moon, chair of the Idaho Republican Party, criticized rank-choice voting and the media before asking the crowd for help.
“Please stand with me to stop the cronyism that’s happening in our capital,” she said. “Please stand with me to stop the woke corporations that are taking over this state. I really need you to help me stop the overreach of our state and federal government.”
“But I really need you to stand up with me to save the Idaho Republican Party and save our faith, our family and our freedom,” she said.
Idaho Congressman Russ Fulcher said the widening partisan divide is preventing Congress from getting anything done.
He said he has endorsed and is working on behalf of Donald Trump to become the country’s next president, which drew a cheer from the crowd.
“Whatever corruption there is in Congress, and there is significant corruption, the corruption in the intelligence community and the DOJ (Department of Justice) is worse,” Fulcher said.
He said Congress has oversight, but it is inadequate.
“This has got to be addressed to remain a free nation, and there is no one who can address that like Donald Trump,” Fulcher said.
Kootenai County Commissioner Bruce Mattare asked what it would take to save the country as it suffers the consequences of open borders and a growing national debt.
“I do believe Trump is part of that solution, but we need a longer-term one,” he said.
Mattare said there is a way to “put a stop to this madness and preserve our country.”
He called on the audience to pledge their lives, fortunes and honor to each other.
“He cannot win, we cannot win, until we are willing to risk our comfort and our material wealth to fix these problems,” Mattare said
“It’s impossible to defeat a people with that mindset,” he said.
Sebastian Gorka, a British-born Hungarian-American media host and commentator and former deputy assistant to President Trump, delivered the keynote speech.
Gorka was born in London. His parents fled to the United Kingdom from Hungary after an uprising against the Soviet Union failed in 1956.
He said he moved to America 16 years ago. When he did, he made fun of his fellow conservatives who said communists and socialists were here.
“I used to laugh at them,” he said.
Gorka said his life changed when he was 8 years old and one day, he noticed pale, white lines on his father’s wrists.
“What’s that?” he asked his father.
“Son, that’s where the secret police bound my wrists together with wire behind my back so they could hang me from the ceiling of the torture chamber,” his dad responded.
Gorka said that his life was never the same after that.
“Because from that point onward, I understand here in my soul that evil is real and that evil walks the Earth in the hearts of men,” he said.
He said he no longer laughs about communism in America.
“It’s real. It’s here,” he said.
Gorka said people always ask him of the upcoming election, “Are we going to win?” which he said makes him angry.
Here’s the answer he gives them: “What the hell are you doing about it?”
The crowd applauded.
He said no one can save the country alone. It must be done together.
“This is our country. We save our country,” he shouted.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris leads the Pledge of Allegiance at the Lincoln Day Dinner at The Coeur d’Alene Resort on Saturday. Veteran Jeff Broadhead was part of the Color Guard at the Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday. The crowd listens to a speaker at the Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday.
Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — A simmering dispute between Idaho’s top elections official and the U.S. Department of Justice escalated this month after federal officials warned Secretary of State Phil McGrane about possible prosecution tied to non-citizens voting in Idaho.
The Justice Department sent a letter earlier this month threatening McGrane with prosecution. The warning came amid a broader conflict between the Trump administration and McGrane, whom the administration has sued over his refusal to provide unredacted voter rolls to the federal government.
Idaho’s chief of civil litigation, James Craig, responded on July 10. In a letter first reported by the Idaho Statesman, Craig pushed back on the federal warning, writing, “Insinuations of criminal violations of the federal election laws are not well taken,” and asking the department to “stop threatening your friends in Idaho.”
Craig also requested that the lawsuit against McGrane be dismissed and criticized the Justice Department for sending its letter directly to McGrane rather than to the Idaho attorney general’s office.
The attorney general’s office said the state has already referred 15 cases of possible non-citizen election violations to the Justice Department but is not aware of any of them being prosecuted. Craig’s letter ends by asking the department to do so.
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