(Idaho Department of Transportation Press Release, October 2, 2026)
POCATELLO – The Idaho Transportation Department will begin work to replace damaged concrete in Pocatello on Yellowstone Avenue (U.S. Highway 91) on Monday, Oct. 5. Work will begin Monday evening at the intersection of Yellowstone Avenue and Flandro Drive, with several detours near Costco necessary to create a safe work zone for crews.
What to expect:
No right turnsonto Yellowstone Avenue from eastbound Flandro Drive (leaving Costco). Motorists will instead use the parking lot exit to the south.
No left turnsonto Flandro Drive (heading toward Costco) from northbound Yellowstone Avenue. Motorists will use Quinn Road and Hiline Road to detour around the closure.
On the southwest side of the intersection (near Costco), the pedestrian crosswalk to cross Yellowstone Avenue will be closed. Pedestrians will detour to Pearl Street to reach their destination. Traffic is expected to remain in this pattern through October, and the overall project is anticipated to be complete in 2027.
Yellowstone Avenue is a main thoroughfare in the area, providing access to many businesses, residences and services. Several areas of Yellowstone Avenue have deteriorated after years of heavy use, and the new concrete is expected to serve the community for 20 years.
BANNOCK COUNTY, Idaho – Idaho State Police is investigating a single-vehicle fatality crash that occurred on Sunday, October 4, 2026, at approximately 6:57 PM, on US30 near milepost 375, east of Lava Hot Springs.
A 2006 Toyota Sienna, occupied by two males from Montpelier, was traveling westbound on US30. The vehicle left the roadway before overcorrecting and overturning the vehicle.
Neither male was wearing a seatbelt. One of the males succumbed to his injuries on scene. The other male was not transported.
The roadway was blocked for approximately five hours and 50 minutes.
Idaho State Police was assisted by Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, Caribou County Sheriff’s Office, Bannock County Coroner, and Bannock County Ambulance District.
Pocatello–Local book group “Patriots for Liberty & Constitution” plans to continue discussing Chapter 2 of Marshall Foster’s book, The American Covenant, at their weekly meeting tonight. If time permits, they will also begin looking at Chapter 3.
(Bannock County Press Release, October 2, 2026; Cover Photo Credit: Bannock County)
Bannock County Commissioners Meetings, October 5-9, 2026
Monday, October 5, 2026:
There are no meetings scheduled at this time.
Tuesday, October 6, 2026:
9:00 AM Business Meeting (action items)
Wednesday, October 7, 2026:
There are no meetings scheduled at this time.
Thursday, October 8, 2026:
9:00 AM Work Session and Claims Meeting (action items)
The Work Session Agenda will be updated on Monday, October 5, 2026.
Friday, October 9, 2026:
There are no meetings scheduled at this time.
(The information packets for the business meeting and work session can be found at http://www.bannockcounty.gov. Scroll down and click on “Agendas and Minutes” then click on the information packet for the meeting that you are interested in.)
About BOCC Meetings
The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is comprised of the three elected County Commissioners: Ernie Moser (District 1, Chair), Jeff Hough (District 2), and Ken Bullock (District 3).
The BOCC generally meets twice a week: regular business meetings are on Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m. and work sessions are on Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. Meetings are generally held in the Commissioner’s Chambers at 624 E Center, Room 212, Pocatello, Idaho, unless otherwise noted. Times subject to change within 15 minutes of stated time.
During these meetings, the BOCC may: approve contracts, expend funds, hear testimony, make decisions on land use cases and take care of other County matters, and are open to the public.
I have lived the pain of hearing that my child has no future and wrestled with how long to hang on. In 2006, doctors told me that my infant son would probably never walk or talk. A preemie of 29 weeks, he suffered an intracranial hemorrhage. Their recommendation: discontinue care. Had we done so, my son would have died a natural death. We did not. He did not. Instead, he went on to do everything they said he couldn’t, and much more. At birth, he was developmentally comparable to the preborn babies at the center of Idaho’s fetal anomaly debate. For those with similarly grim prognoses, the alternative being promoted is not a natural death. It is abortion.
Supporters of Proposition 1 have made “fatal fetal anomalies” a primary selling point. They argue that “forcing” a mother to carry a baby who cannot survive is cruel, and they blame the Legislature for not legalizing abortion in these cases. In reality, lawmakers have not acted because there is not a consensus on the answer to the fundamental question raised by these painful cases: Should Idaho embrace the premise that some disabilities justify ending a life?
Idaho law has never embraced that premise. Abortion as the primary recommendation for a dire fetal diagnosis came into vogue alongside prenatal technology under Roe v. Wade. Once a diagnosis became a reason for abortion, it did not stay narrow. A systematic review of U.S. studies found that about two-thirds of preborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome were aborted; hospital-based studies put the figure near 85 percent; in Denmark it is 98 percent.
Diagnoses can be wrong. A 2022 New York Times investigation found that positive results on several popular prenatal screens for rare disorders were wrong about 85 percent of the time. Even conditions labeled “lethal” aren’t always. Medical literature records children with trisomy 18 living into adulthood. A 2016 report described a girl with anencephaly who lived 28 months without life support; Colorado’s Nickolas Coke lived three years. In England, Noah Wall’s parents were offered termination five times after scans showed devastating brain damage from spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Noah was born with about 2 percent of a normal brain. By age three, his brain had grown to roughly 80 percent. He talks, counts, and goes to school.
Most babies with anencephaly do not beat the odds. But the baby is not suffering in the womb, and about 72 percent are born alive, giving grieving families an invaluable opportunity to say goodbye. The anomaly itself rarely threatens the mother’s life. When life-threatening complications do arise, Idaho’s Defense of Life Act already lets a physician act on good-faith medical judgment and intervene. What remains is the claim that continuing the pregnancy is too painful, not for the baby, but for others.
This pro-abortion argument resembles the logic of euthanasia, with two crucial differences. The person whose life ends has no choice, and the death is not a gentle one. Second-trimester abortion is often carried out by dismemberment. Even abortion-rights researchers now acknowledge a preborn child may feel pain from 12 weeks.
Nor is abortion the merciful option for mothers that advocates suggest. Peer-reviewed research from the Netherlands found that nearly half of women who ended pregnancies for fetal anomalies had post-traumatic stress symptoms four months later. About one in six still showed pathological levels two to seven years afterward. A Duke University study found that women who continued pregnancies after a lethal diagnosis reported less despair and depression than those who terminated. A mother’s bond to her child does not dissolve with a dismal diagnosis; asking her to consent to ending that child’s life does not ease her anguish.
A better path exists. Perinatal hospice helps families hold, name, and say goodbye to their children with dignity. When some doctors say they “could do nothing,” they are treating abortion as if it were the only option. Comfort care, palliative support, dignity for the child, and time together are not nothing.
Idaho’s Defense of Life Act rests on a clear principle: Medical practice exists to preserve and improve life, never to deliberately cause death. Abandoning that principle raises hard questions: Which diagnoses would qualify? Who would decide? Would insurers and systems guarding “scarce” resources come to prefer the cheaper option?
Prop 1 dodges those questions, instead throwing the door wide open to elective abortion. In Florida, which tracks reasons for abortion, fetal anomalies of every kind made up less than 1 percent of abortions in 2023, while about 97 percent were for elective, social, economic, or emotional reasons. Prop 1 is no narrow fix for heartbreaking cases. It is a sweeping abortion right, and since ending the lives of healthy babies is a tough sell, its backers are playing political football with tragedy instead.
Voters beware. Vote no on Prop 1.
Julianne Young is a Bingham County Mom who loves faith, family, and freedom; a former state representative; founder of the nonprofit Idaho Family Strong; regional coordinator for Idaho Chooses Life; and 2nd Vice Chair of the Idaho State GOP.
(Idaho Fish and Game Press Release, September 25, 2026)
Youth pheasant hunting season kicks off Thursday, Oct. 8 and runs through Oct. 14. Youth ages 17 years and younger with an Idaho hunting license can participate in the youth pheasant hunt; anyone 18 years or older cannot hunt during the youth hunt.
Youth hunters do not need an Upland Game Bird Permit to hunt where birds are stocked, but they are required to wear at least 36 squares inches of visible hunter orange above the waist during the pheasant season while hunting at those locations. A hunter orange hat typically meets this requirement.
Young hunters who have never had a hunting license and have not taken hunter education can still participate in the hunt through Idaho’s Hunting Passport Program. Passport holders must be accompanied by an adult with a valid Idaho hunting license. Additionally, resident youth hunters under the age of 12 that possess a junior license must also be accompanied by an adult with a valid Idaho hunting license.
For a full list of areas where pheasants will be stocked and number of birds to be stocked, go to the Pheasant Stocking Program webpage and click on each location.
There are 24 locations where pheasants are stocked, with 2-5 locations in each region. Most locations will be stocked for the youth hunt. Fish and Game plans to release nearly 29,000 pheasants for hunters in 2026. Pheasant hunting at these locations starts at 10 a.m. daily, except for in the Clearwater Region where they start at 8 a.m.
Pheasant hunting for all ages starts Oct. 15 statewide. As a reminder, there is a five-day delay for nonresident participation in general pheasant seasons; however, this does not apply to the youth season.
Check out the map of pheasant zones on page 11 of the 2026-2027 Idaho Upland Game, Turkey & Furbearer Seasons and Rules booklet.
Many of Idaho’s lakes and ponds are soon going to be bolstered with Idaho Fish and Game stocking over 210,000 catchable-sized rainbow trout this October. Wondering if the stocking trucks are going to be backing up to your favorite fishing hole? We asked our Fish and Game hatchery staff to boil down some of the most notable stocking highlights coming to your local fishery this month.
Fishing for stocked rainbow trout can be a great way to introduce budding anglers to the sport by using simple, inexpensive setups. Many of these fisheries highlighted below are easy to access, family-friendly fishing destinations. All you need to get started is a fishing license, and youth (under 14) fish for free. If you need a license, purchasing one on the fly is easy to do with your smartphone—and you can start fishing immediately!
Bannock Reservoir – 500 Rainbow Trout. Located within the Portneuf Wellness Complex Park near the County Fairgrounds in Pocatello, this community park offers trout fishing with many recreational amenities nearby. Multiple docks provide fishing access around this 5-acre pond.
Bear River (Below Alexander Dam) – 500 Rainbow Trout. For those willing to hike down to the bottom of the canyon, fishing can be really good in this section of the river.
Bear River (Oneida Narrows Below the Dam) – 1,500 Rainbow Trout. A very scenic stretch of river just north of Preston.
Blackfoot Reservoir – 20,000 Rainbow Trout. This large waterbody offers a multi-species fishing opportunity.
Chesterfield Reservoir – 19,200 Rainbow Trout. Known for big fish, this reservoir is a popular spot to plan a great fishing trip. This is the workhorse fishery of the Southeast Region!
Crowthers Reservoir – 1,100 Rainbow Trout. Tucked away on the northern edge of Malad City, this reservoir is a nice local fishing spot.
Crystal Springs Pond – 1,000 Rainbow Trout. This spring fed pond is always clear and cool! Located near Springfield, this family friendly pond has a paved walking path and docks for easy fishing access.
Edson Fichter Pond – 2,000 Rainbow Trout. This community pond is located in southwest Pocatello along the Portneuf River at Edson Fichter Nature Area. It features several docks and a trail for access around the pond. Limited development and the Nature Area provide a rural feel. Just minutes from downtown Pocatello, this site offers local anglers a convenient escape close to home.
Montpelier Rearing Pond – 500 Rainbow Trout. This little fishing spot is tucked into a scenic high desert canyon in the hills east of Montpelier. It’s a great spot to take kids fishing.
Snake River – 27,350 Rainbow Trout. Fish will be stocked at Shelley.
October 2, 2026 (Cover Photo Credit: Karyn Simmons)
Raul Labrador (Photo Credit: Raul Labrador FB)
Dear Friends,
The Ninth Circuit recently ruled that a medical center employee’s sincerely held belief did not count as religion, even though the court never questioned her sincerity. Its rulings bind every federal court in Idaho, which is why I led a coalition of 18 states, Puerto Rico, and the Arizona Legislature in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Detwiler v. Mid-Columbia Medical Center and reverse that decision.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sherry Detwiler asked her employer, Mid-Columbia Medical Center, for a religious accommodation from its nasal-swab testing requirement based on her religious convictions, and she offered an alternative method of testing. The medical center denied her request and fired her. She sought protection under Title VII, the federal law that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees because of their religion.
The court called her belief a secular medical opinion because it rested on a broad religious principle and required her to weigh facts about the testing. Under that ruling, an Idaho employee who applies his faith to a decision at work could now face the same flawed analysis.
The Supreme Court has long held that courts must not determine the place of a particular belief within a religion. A court does not have to agree with a person’s faith or with the conclusion he reaches when he applies it, but deciding which sincere convictions count as religion is outside its authority. Idaho and the coalition argue that courts have no authority to decide which beliefs qualify as religious based on whether they are broad or narrow, or whether applying them requires the believer to consider facts on the ground.
People of faith do not leave their beliefs at home when they go to work. Every day, Idahoans apply the principles of their faith to real decisions on the job, guided by scripture, prayer, and conscience. Those principles are often broad, because scripture does not come with an instruction manual for every situation a person will face, and living by those principles means weighing the facts in front of you. Under the Ninth Circuit’s reasoning, that ordinary process of applying faith to real circumstances is enough to lose the law’s protection.
The government does not have to agree with someone’s faith, or the conclusions a person reaches when applying that faith to the circumstances of his life. The government doesn’t need to give permission to anyone’s faith. However, under the First Amendment of the Constitution and Title VII, the government is obligated and constrained to respect and defend those rights.
In the case of Detwiler v. Mid-Columbia Medical Center, the government is no longer defending religious liberty. A court is instead deciding which beliefs are religious ‘enough’ to receive its protection. That discretion was never given to our government, and for very good reason:
A government that tells you HOW to believe is awkwardly close to a government that tells you WHAT to believe.
The Fourth Circuit reached the opposite conclusion of the Ninth Circuit on September 1st in a similar case, Wilkins-Bailey v. Essity Professional Hygiene North America LLC. When federal appellate courts arrive at opposite conclusions, the question becomes one only the Supreme Court can resolve, and until it does, the religious protection an American worker receives depends on which circuit he happens to live in.
No judge has the authority to tell a believer what his faith requires. I have asked the Supreme Court to take this case and restore the protection Congress wrote into law, so all Idahoans of faith can continue applying their convictions to the work that supports their families.
Best regards,
ABOUT THE OFFICE
The Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to the State of Idaho. The Attorney General and his deputies represent state agencies and offices, to better the lives of Idahoans.
For more information about the Office, visit our website here.
(Idaho Department of Lands Press Release, October 2, 2026)
BOISE, Idaho — The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) announced five new Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreements to expand active forest management, accelerate restoration, and strengthen long-term collaboration across Idaho’s national forests.
The agreements provide $12.4 million in federal funding for timber sale preparation and implementation, hazardous fuels reduction, road improvements, timber salvage, reforestation, post-wildfire recovery, thinning, watershed protection and other forest restoration activities.
A key component is a 20-year statewide GNA agreement covering all National Forests in Idaho. It establishes a long-term framework for sustained investment, coordinated planning and implementation of forest management projects.
Together, the agreements are expected to support more than 100 future GNA timber sales and dozens of additional restoration projects across Idaho. The work will increase the pace and scale of forest management to improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, support rural economies and provide sustainable timber supplies.
“These agreements strengthen Idaho’s partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and provide a long-term framework for increasing forest management and reducing wildfire risk,” said Idaho Gov. Brad Little. “This work supports my Make Forests Healthy Again Executive Order and our shared commitment to healthy, resilient forests and strong rural communities.”
The agreements build on the 2025 Idaho Shared Stewardship Agreement between the state and the USFS, which calls for expanded sustainable timber production, accelerated landscape-scale restoration, increased hazardous fuels reduction on national forests and greater use of GNA to advance cross-boundary forest management.
“These Good Neighbor Authority agreements strengthen our partnership with the Idaho Department of Lands and reinforce our shared commitment to Idaho’s communities. By accelerating forest treatments across diverse landscapes, we’re working together to reduce wildfire risk, improve forest health, and protect the places where Idahoans live and work. Healthy forests mean resilient communities, and these agreements help us support both,” said Michiko Martin, Regional Forester, Southwest and Intermountain Regions, U.S. Forest Service.
“These agreements give us the tools and resources to put more forest management projects on the ground and build on the success we’ve had through Good Neighbor Authority,” said Jon Songster, IDL Deputy Division Administrator of Forestry. “With a long-term statewide framework and new federal funding, we can increase the pace and scale of work that improves forest health, reduces wildfire risk and supports Idaho’s forest products industry.”
Since Idaho first implemented Good Neighbor Authority in 2016, the state has become a national leader in collaborative forest management. It used it to increase forest restoration on federal lands through partnerships among IDL, the Forest Service, local governments, tribes, private industry and other stakeholders. These projects support local jobs, reduce wildfire risk and improve forest conditions.
About Good Neighbor Authority
Good Neighbor Authority allows states, tribes, and counties to enter into agreements with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to perform forest management activities on federal lands. In Idaho, GNA is an important tool for accelerating restoration, reducing hazardous fuels and supporting rural economies.
