Happy June! With the arrival of summer, we want to remind you that the weekly Idaho Reports show is taking a well-deserved summer hiatus. While we'll be taking a short break from the airwaves to prepare for our upcoming season, we remain committed to keeping you informed about the issues that affect you. As always, we'll deliver regular news and analysis through our online content, and directly to your inbox here in the newsletter. From interviews to breaking stories and insightful analysis, we've got you covered throughout the summer months.

Idaho Reports returns this fall on Idaho Public Television

Families sue to block ban on healthcare for transgender minors

Two Idaho families are suing to block the state's ban on gender affirming healthcare for transgender minors. The lawsuit points out that the same treatments that are criminalized for transgender youth are allowed for minors with certain medical conditions, such as testosterone for polycystic ovarian syndrome or delayed puberty, or puberty delaying medication for premature initiation of puberty.

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Hispanic parents grateful for Idaho schools, study finds, but need more cultural awareness from staff

The “Here to Stay” report, released by charter school support nonprofit Bluum, details five focus groups with Hispanic parents of school-aged children in Idaho. Many of the findings address school and teacher capacity, or struggles understanding new techniques used to teach math – issues that all Idaho parents are facing, not just Hispanic ones.

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Conservation groups ask Idaho and Wyoming to require bear identification courses for hunters

“From 2010 to 2022, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team identified 14 grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone region that were killed because of mistaken identity, but a total of 113 mortalities remain ‘under investigation,’” the coalition said in a Thursday press release. “Detailed information on these mortalities is not available to the public and the occurrence of grizzly bears being killed by black bear hunters is likely higher than reported.”

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This week on the podcast:

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Help Idaho Address the Opioid Crisis

The state is poised to spend roughly $2 million annually on opioid abatement following a nationwide settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, in addition to payouts to local governments. The Idaho Behavioral Health Council this month is asking for public input about how the money could best be used to support opioid mitigation in the community, which will inform how the funds will be spent next legislative session.

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Bureau of Land Management allocates $27 million for Idaho landscape restoration projects

“With today’s investment, we will be able to pass these lands to future generations in better shape than we find them today,” BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said in a news release Wednesday. “We’re thrilled to be able to put people to work to benefit wildlife habitat, clean water and the overall health and productivity of our public lands.”

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Just for fun

The story behind Owyhee County's only parking meter

Located in the southwestern corner of Idaho, the town of Murphy — which once claimed to be the smallest county seat in the United States — was made up of just 31 people when the original parking meter was installed in 1953. Its residents owned more horses than cars, the AP article that ran in the Idaho Statesman noted.

To keep the cows from feasting on the lawn around the courthouse, county officials had erected a fence around the building. But courthouse employees soon became frustrated by drivers unknowingly blocking the entrance when they parked in front of the only gate.

Lessons from a life sentence at the Old Idaho Pen

For more than 100 years, the Old Idaho Penitentiary housed some of the most dangerous criminals in the West: murderers, bank robbers, troubled souls running from one crime to the next. There were also a handful of inmates who weren't criminals at all, but rather had found themselves on the wrong side of the law at the time.

The Old Pen was also home to a dozen or so residents who were not convicts nor staff. In fact, they weren’t even human. And no, they weren’t ghosts either, though plenty of spirits are said to live there these days. A dozen or so animals also lived at the Old Idaho Pen. Most were working or played some sort of role keeping order within the prison.