Producer Ruth Brown is joined by University of Idaho College of Law Professor Shaakirrah Sanders to discuss the state’s recent decision to challenge President Biden’s executive order on vaccines.

The state of Idaho has joined multiple other states in the lawsuit, led by Georgia, which challenges an executive order that would require employees of federal contractors be fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021, with few exceptions. The State Board of Education is also party to the lawsuit on behalf of Idaho universities.

Sanders applies constitutional principles around executive authority, states' rights, and federal contracting to examine the issue.

On Friday, the FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11. The CDC must still give the final approval before pediatricians can begin administering those shots, but that approval may come as soon as next week.

The statewide test positivity rate, or percentage of tests that come back positive, has dropped to 11.5 percent, down from this surge’s high of 17 percent. That’s the lowest that number has been since the beginning of August. Public health officials would like to see the percentage drop to 5 percent or lower.

Still, north Idaho continues to see much higher levels of community spread, with a test positivity rate of 19.2 percent. Those rates are especially high in Boundary, Shoshone, and Bonner counties. In southern Idaho, Bonneville and Jefferson counties have the highest seven day rolling average case rates.

Hospitalizations and ICU admissions continue to drop, though are still higher than they were at the peak of last December’s surge. A number of Idaho hospitals continue to operate under crisis standards of care, meaning higher nurse to patient ratios and cancelled procedures.

It’s the start of our fiftieth season! Idaho Reports started in 1972 as a live program called “Statehouse Report” that was broadcast directly from the capitol in Boise. Over the coming months, we’ll be taking a look back at some of the highlights from the last five decades, while bringing you the latest Idaho political news on taxes, healthcare policy, education and more.

This week, producer Ruth Brown explores a shortage of juvenile mental health care in rural north central Idaho. Dr. Chris Yates of Idaho State University's Department of Counseling discusses what they are doing to address those shortages, and what the state can do to help. Then, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News discusses vaccine mandates and the potential impact of next week’s school district elections.

Watch the broadcast show Friday nights at 8pm on Idaho Public Television. Stream it online at www.idahoptv.org/idahoreports or on the PBS app.

This week, Ruth Brown is joined by Idaho Press reporter Betsy Russell to discuss a recent allocation of funding by the Constitutional Defense Council.

The council met Monday and approved the payment of nearly $152,000 for Reclaim Idaho’s legal fees after the state lost a lawsuit over a 2021 ballot initiative bill. The Idaho Supreme Court shot down the legislation, but also ordered the state to pay the legal bills of the plaintiffs.

Read Ruth Brown's coverage: https://blog.idahoreports.idahoptv.org/2021/10/25/legal-fees-over-ballot-initiative-bill-will-cost-taxpayers-150000/

Listen to our past conversation with Betsy Russell about the case: https://soundcloud.com/idaho-reports/episode-supreme-court-overturns-initiative-law

The statewide test positivity rate, or percentage of tests that come back positive, has dropped to about 12 percent, down from this surge’s high of 17 percent. That’s still higher than what public health officials would like to see, but this is the fifth week in a row those numbers have dropped.

Hospitalizations have also dropped from a late September peak, though the number of patients currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 is still much higher than it was during last December’s surge. Some hospitals across the state continue to operate under crisis standards of care, and fully staffed adult ICU beds are still limited, with 15 or fewer available daily over the last week.

North Idaho has the highest concentration of COVID cases right now, with public health district one reporting a test positivity rate of 20 percent. Currently, Boundary, Lewis, Power, Shoshone and Kootenai counties are reporting the highest seven-day rolling average case rates.

This week, Idaho Reports spoke to a Nampa mother about her toddler’s fight against a nearly fatal COVID-19 infection. Visit the Idaho Reports blog at idahoptv.org/idahoreports to read her story.

As Idaho sits on a nearly billion-dollar budget surplus, Melissa Davlin sits down with Clark Corbin of the Idaho Capital Sun and Ruth Brown of Idaho Reports to break down what happened — and what didn't happen — at the first day of the annual Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee interim budget meeting.

Read Ruth's coverage: https://blog.idahoreports.idahoptv.org/2021/10/19/idaho-state-budgeting-committee-meets-surplus-nears-1-billion/

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is asking Idahoans to answer an anonymous survey about how the pandemic has impacted their life and mental health. The survey is open through Oct. 31 and can be found online at coronavirus.idaho.gov/behavioral-health.

Some hospitals in Idaho continue to use crisis standards of care, as unvaccinated COVID-19 patients flood hospital beds. Statewide, on Thursday, there were only 15 open ICU beds for new patients.

There have been no pediatric deaths due to COVID-19, as of Thursday, but there have been pediatric hospitalizations and serious illness due to the virus.

Case positivity rates have dropped modestly, down to 13.2 percent, but that’s still well above the goal of keeping the rate below 5 percent.

State health officials continue to stress that the best way to prevent hospitalization due to COVID-19 is to be vaccinated. Vaccinated people are 4 times less likely than unvaccinated people to contract the virus and if they do, they are 5 times less likely to need hospitalization, according to Central District Health on Thursday.

Visit the Idaho Reports blog at idahoptv.org/idahoreports to see our latest updates on COVID-19.

This week, producer Ruth Brown is joined by Audrey Dutton of the Idaho Capital Sun to discuss a complaint about the newest member of Central District Health’s board of health, Dr. Ryan Cole.

Read Audrey's article here: https://idahocapitalsun.com/2021/10/11/it-should-be-stopped-idaho-medical-group-files-complaint-against-dr-ryan-cole/

The month of September marked a grim milestone with more coronavirus deaths in one month than any other month in the pandemic.

The state of Idaho has now reported more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths statewide.

In north-central Idaho, hospitals are reaching a breaking point. In Moscow, Gritman Medical Center’s COVID-19 patient care unit is at capacity, with the largest number of people with COVID-19 being admitted for inpatient treatment, the hospital announced Thursday.

On Wednesday, Kootenai Health was reporting 150 COVID-19 patients hospitalized with 43 in critical care and 2 pediatric COVID patients.

No Idaho child has died of causes related to COVID-19 as of Thursday, but there have

been children with serious illness due to the virus.

Case positivity rates have dropped modestly, down to 14.6 percent, but that’s still well above the goal of keeping the rate below 5 percent.

State health officials continue to stress that the best way to prevent hospitalization due to COVID is to be vaccinated.

Visit the Idaho Reports blog at idahoptv.org/idahoreports to see our latest update on the costs of transfers to other states for medical care amid a hospital bed shortage.

This week, our producer Ruth Brown sat down Tuesday morning with reporter Ryan Suppe of the Idaho Press to discuss labor shortages across Idaho and how the pandemic has impacted those in the workforce. Then, Ruth and Logan Finney looked at workforce issues in specific sectors of state government.

But first, on Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin wasted no time exercising her temporary gubernatorial authority, issuing an executive order banning state agencies from requiring COVID testing and vaccines. She also contacted the Idaho National Guard to ask about deploying them to the US Mexico border -- a query that Major General Michael Garshak turned down, as no request for National Guard assistance had been submitted.

McGeachin is acting governor while Gov. Brad Little is visiting the US Mexico border. Little said Tuesday he would immediately rescind all actions taken by McGeachin upon his return. For more, visit the Idaho Reports blog. Visit idahoptv.org/idahoreports to find the link.