Courtesy IdahoEdNews.org MIDDLETON (IdahoEdNews.org) — A new lawsuit is challenging Idaho’s long-standing constitutional provision that bars religious institutions — including private schools — from receiving taxpayer resources.  Last week, Truth Family Bible Church of Middleton filed a federal lawsuit claiming Idaho’s Blaine Amendment infringes on religious and free speech rights protected under the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for Idaho, could have weighty implications in Idaho’s ongoing debate over school choice, a catchall term that describes direc ..read more

Rick Carlson (left) and we are still waiting on responses and a photo from John Blayden. | Courtesy Photo SALMON – Two Lemhi County residents are campaigning against each other for a seat on the Lemhi County Commission. Rick Carlson and John Blayden are running for a two-year term. Both candidates are Republican. EastIdahoNews.com sent the same eight questions to each county candidate. Their responses, listed below, were required to be 250 words or less. EastIdahoNews.com is publishing the answers in their entirety, and without any grammatical or style editing. Blayden did not answer multiple ..read more

Shayne Young, left, and Brian Farnsworth, right | Courtesy photos RIGBY — In a closely watched race, former county commissioner Brian Farnsworth is challenging current commissioner Shayne Young for the Jefferson County Commissioner District 1 seat. The race is for a two-year term. Both candidates are Republican. EastIdahoNews.com sent the same eight questions to each county candidate. Their responses, listed below, were required to be 250 words or less. EastIdahoNews.com is publishing the answers in their entirety, and without any grammatical or style editing. The primary election is May 21 ..read more

President Joe Biden speaks before signing a $95 billion Ukraine aid package that also includes support for Israel, Taiwan, and other allies, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Washington. | Evan Vucci, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he was immediately rushing badly needed weaponry to Ukraine as he signed into law a $95 billion war aid measure that also included assistance for Israel, Taiwan and other global hotspots. The announcement marked an end to the long, painful battle with Republicans in Congress ove ..read more

A sign reading “My body my choice” is taped on a hanger in front of the Idaho Capitol in May 2022. Since Idaho’s abortion ban went into effect, the state has been in a legal battle with the federal government over the legality of emergency abortions to protect pregnant patients’ health. | Sarah Miller, Idaho Statesman BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments from the state and the U.S. Department of Justice that will determine their decision on the fate of emergency abortion access in Idaho. Since Idaho’s strict abortion laws went into effect following ..read more

This combo of graphics provided the Glacier Range Riders and the National Parks Service show’s the Range Riders arrowhead logo, left, and the NPS’s arrowhead logo. The minor league baseball team in Montana is calling out the Department of Interior for “unwarranted and relentless” trademark claims in a battle over the use of an arrowhead logo. | Glacier Range Riders, left, National Parks Service, right, via Associated Press HELENA, Montana (AP) — A minor league baseball team in Montana is calling out the U.S. Department of Interior for “unwarranted and relentless” trademark claims in a battle ..read more

Idahoans for Open Primaries gather signatures | EastIdahoNews.com file photo BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — Supporters of the open primaries ballot initiative in Idaho are offering voters one last chance to sign their petition before next week’s May 1 deadline to submit signatures for verification.  For their final push, members of the Idahoans for Open Primaries coalition are organizing “last chance to sign day” events in 20 different Idaho towns and communities on Saturday. A statewide open primaries rally is also planned for 9 a.m. Saturday in Boise at Ivywild Park, 416 Ivywild St. A ful ..read more

Andrew Wilhoite | Boone County Sheriff’s Office via WCTI LEBANON, Ind. (AP) — A central Indiana man who won a primary election for a township board position while charged with killing his estranged wife has been found guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. A Boone County jury convicted Andrew Wilhoite, 41, of Lebanon on Thursday, local news outlets reported. Wilhoite was charged with murder in the death of his wife, 41-year-old Elizabeth “Nikki” Wilhoite, who was reported missing by coworkers on March 25, 2022, when she did not show up for work. Her body was found in a creek n ..read more

President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. The Supreme Court is hearing arguments this week with profound legal and political consequences: whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a federal case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. | Evan Vucci, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments this week with profound legal and political consequences: whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a federal case charging him with plotting to overturn th ..read more

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom at his criminal trial at Manhattan state court in New York, Monday, April 22, 2024. | Brendan McDermid, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump tried to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election by preventing damaging stories about his personal life from becoming public, a prosecutor told jurors Monday at the start of the former president’s historic hush money trial. “This was a planned, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illega ..read more