The annual State of the Judiciary address to the Idaho Legislature discusses the work of the courts and maintaining the state’s court system. Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Bevan urged lawmakers to increase judicial compensation to help with challenges in recruiting and keeping judges in Idaho’s state courts.

"Judges are elected officials, but taking that office requires the new judge to undergo a dramatic transition," Bevan said. "Becoming a judge often means relinquishing existing friendships, adjusting hobbies and revisiting how you spend every moment of your free time — all to ensure impartiality and fulfill constitutional duties."

We get an update from producer Ruth Brown on the state of emergency medical services in Idaho. Mario Pile, associate director of student involvement at University of Idaho, shares his thoughts on the State Board of Education’s DEI resolution that led to the closure of the Black and African American Cultural Center. House Education Chairman Doug Pickett discusses proposals to use public funds for private education costs.

The 2025 legislative session kicked off this week and the high-priority policy issues are already coming into focus. Legislative leaders and Gov. Brad Little touched on school choice, tax cuts, and Medicaid Expansion.

Gov. Brad Little delivers his 2025 State of the State Address with commentary from Idaho Reports guests Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News, Dr. Stephanie Witt of Boise State University's School of Public Service, and Lori Wolff of the Division of Financial Management.

With the 2025 session just days away, we have a good idea of what’s at the top of the priority list. This week, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News and Dr. Jaclyn Kettler from Boise State University School of Public Service join the show to discuss what we learned at Friday’s Idaho Press Club Legislative Preview, where Gov. Brad Little and legislative leaders gave a sneak peek of their priorities for the upcoming session.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed away Sunday, December 29 at age 100. The Georgian served as the 39th president from 1977 to 1981. Carter and his family visited central Idaho in August 1978 on vacation, a three-day raft trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River with the family of then-Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus. The Idaho Reports team this week tracked down and got in touch with Judy Clapp, one of the U.S. Forest Service Kayak Patrol who worked the presidential float trip.

The Reporters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3ITjXfe0KA

More: https://gorafting.com/jimmy-carter-middle-fork-salmon/

This week, Don Day of BoiseDev catches us up on the unsuccessful merger between Kroger and Albertsons and how it might affect Idahoans. Producer Ruth Brown examines foster care concerns with Cadence Wright, a woman who aged out of Idaho’s foster system. Then, Rep. Lance Clow of Twin Falls and John Robison of the Idaho Conservation League discuss approval of the Lava Ridge Wind Project in Magic Valley.

Melissa Davlin sat down to discuss the Lava Ridge Wind Project with Rep. Lance Clow of Twin Falls and John Robison, Public Lands and Wildlife Director at the Idaho Conservation League. The project will include 241 wind turbines and related infrastructure on federal and state land in Jerome, Lincoln and Minidoka counties. The final plan is only about half of what was originally proposed, but it still faces local opposition.

Idaho lawmakers were unable to reach an agreement last year on legal protections for in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Associate producer Logan Finney discusses how the procedure works and the legal landscape around fertility with Dr. Emily Jungheim, Chief of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The people of Idaho had their say on legislative representation, and now lawmakers have elected their own leadership. We discuss the new legislative assignments and the potential implications on public policy with Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News and Drs. Stephanie Witt and Jaclyn Kettler of Boise State University’s School of Public Service.