Idaho Public Radio

12/24/2025

12/23/2025

As of 3:30 p.m. PT, Dec. 23, about 557 Clearwater Power customers remained without power following the severe Dec. 17 windstorm.

The restoration work continued today. About 800 members had been without power as of 8:00 a.m. Tuesday.

The company said Tuesday morning that power had been restored to more than 10,000 Clearwater Power members.

“We understand the importance of power in our lives and appreciate the patience and resilience of Clearwater Power members,” the company said.

12/23/2025

Idaho news briefs:

• The property known as the Payette Readiness Center in Payette, Idaho, was sold at auction on December 13, 2025. The Idaho Department of Lands says one bidder participated and the property was sold to Agape Bible Church for the appraised price of $810,000.

• Idaho Governor Brad Little has announced his appointments of Jason Walker and Daniel Clarkto serve as District Judges for the Seventh Judicial District, Rick Carnaroli to serve on the Idaho Judicial Council, and Suzanne Hawkins as Twin Falls County Commissioner.

• Idaho Attorney General Labrador and the Attorneys General of Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Wyoming raised concerns about the federal ma*****na rescheduling. “We all believe the science surrounding ma*****na—which has become only more clear in recent weeks—properly establishes it as a Schedule I drug, and we have seen firsthand the harm the drug has caused in our communities,” the AGs said in a statement.

12/23/2025

12/23/2025

Avista announced Monday that power restoration efforts following Wednesday’s windstorm are complete.

“We’re incredibly thankful for the resilience of our customers and the dedication of every crew member who worked tirelessly to restore service,” Heather Rosentrater, Avista President and CEO said. “We are pleased to share that all crews completed restoration work without any safety incidents.”

Avista crews and support staff have returned to normal operations.

Avista says its teams and contract partners worked around the clock over the last six days to bring service back to more than 80,000 customers who lost power at the height of the storm.

12/23/2025

Idaho Governor Brad Little will extend two additional paid holidays to all state employees this year—Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas, December 24 and December 26, 2025.

“Idaho’s state employees are dedicated public servants and proud Idahoans who bring professionalism, care, and commitment to their work each and every day in service to the people of our great state,” Little said Monday.

State offices will be closed to the public on these days, except for agencies and employees required to maintain critical services in hospitals, correctional facilities, and public safety.

12/22/2025

The University of Idaho says two multi-institutional grants from the U.S. Department of Defense will support machine learning research at the U of I to advance the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and strengthen support systems for military families experiencing stress throughout the deployment cycle.

Colin Xu, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Communication, will lead the development of machine learning models to improve early detection of adverse health outcomes for military servicemembers and their families.

"We hope to improve early identification and prediction of PTSD risk for servicemembers and improve prediction and prevention of adverse health outcomes for servicemember families," he said.

Xu's team will also focus on understanding how deployment-related stress affects military families and increases risk for harmful behaviors.

Together, the two multi-site projects total more than $6 million, with $1.33 million supporting research at U of I.

(U of I photo)

12/22/2025

Based on observations since 1955, the odds of having at least an inch of snow on the ground in Spokane on Christmas Day are just over 50%. Unfortunately a white Christmas is not looking likely for 2025, but if you were hoping for a rainy Christmas instead, this is your year! ☔️🎄

12/22/2025

Less expensive fuel is a boost to those making year-end road trips to and from Idaho.

According to AAA Idaho, Monday’s average price for a gallon of regular in Idaho is $2.89, which is ten cents less than a week ago, 39 cents less than a month ago, and 17 cents less than a year ago.

“With price drops of 12 cents, 12 cents and 10 cents over the past three weeks, the 700,000 Idahoans who are traveling for the holidays will be good to go,” AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde said.

Idaho also fell to 17th place in the country for the most expensive fuel this week.

The national average is currently $2.85.

12/21/2025

Idaho news briefs:

* Utilities continue to work on restoring electricity to customers without power since the Dec. 17 wind storm. Just before 1:00 p.m. PT Sunday, Clearwater Power was reporting 2,338 affected customers; Avista was reporting 1,679 affected customers.

* The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has announced the award of $45,000 to the city of Lewiston to prepare a drinking water planning study and environmental review to evaluate the current drinking water system and identify needed improvements.

* Clearwater Power is one of eight electric utilities selected by the Idaho Office of Energy and Mineral Resources to receive funding to help protect against wildfires. The funding comes from the state's Wildfire Resilience Investment Program. The utility will install fire-resistant mesh wrap on 2,150 power poles.

* Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield announced that the Idaho Department of Education is not moving forward with a $50 million state budget request for additional special education funding. Critchfield said in a statement this reflects the most current state revenue projections. She says new recommendations will ensure that available resources are aligned with the needs of students.

* Idaho Court of Appeals Judge Michael Tribe has been selected as that court’s next chief judge for a two-year term starting Jan. 1, 2026. The Court of Appeals is made up of four judges who, in panels of three, hear appeals from Idaho’s trial courts as assigned by the Idaho Supreme Court.

12/21/2025

Idaho-Washington, D.C. news briefs:

• President Trump has signed the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act, which will reauthorize the SRS program through FY 2026 and provide lapsed payments for FYs 2024 and 2025. The Idaho congressional delegation celebrated the signing as a win for Idaho’s rural counties.

• President Trump has signed an executive order rescheduling ma*****na to a Schedule III drug. Idaho U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch had joined 20 of their Republican colleagues in asking that ma*****na remain a Schedule I drug.

• The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill from Idaho U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher and Missouri U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell to authorize the National Mall as the location for a memorial honoring the women who worked on the home front during World War II.

12/21/2025

Happy Winter Solstice! ❄️ At 8:03 AM MST/ 7:03 AM PST, the Northern Hemisphere officially will tilt into winter. While today marks our shortest day of the year, we can look forward to gaining a little more daylight starting tomorrow! ☀️