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Guest Column – Ed. Superintendent Debbie Critchfield: We’re Putting Humans in the Driver’s Seat When It Comes to AI in Idaho Classrooms

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October 6, 2026

We’re Putting Humans in the Driver’s Seat When It Comes to AI in Idaho Classrooms

By: Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield

Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield (Photo Credit: Idaho State Board of Education)

(BOISE) –These days, technology moves quickly. Glance at the news, and you may see daily updates about the ever-increasing capabilities of AI. Collectively, we are trying to figure out what this means for society, for our workplaces, and for our day-to-day lives.

Because I get this question so often, I can say without a doubt that one thing on the minds of Idahoans – and Americans – is what this emerging technology means for today’s youth. These conversations are often accompanied by emotions, anxieties, and contradictions.

I’ve spoken to parents who want classrooms to be technology-free. I’ve spoken to local employers who demand a basic skillset in AI. And, I’ve spoken to teachers who are wondering how to walk the line between these two realities.

One thing is certain: AI is here to stay. Pretending it’s a fad is not the right answer for our students. Our kids need to know how to use technology but, most importantly, how to think for themselves. AI doesn’t replace thinking and can’t replicate judgment, emotional intelligence, and relational skills that make human teamwork irreplaceable.

So, how do we prepare kids for these realities without turning them loose on a powerful technology? Kids will explore, but they also need boundaries.

These technological tools should support learning, not replace it. Teachers need to ask key questions and ensure that anything in the classroom aligns to learning goals and enhances learning – not just engagement.

One of the biggest conversations is over screen time. Parents want screen time limited at school. I agree with that. I stood next to Governor Little when he announced the Phone Free Learning Act, a law that is currently working for Idaho students and classrooms.

We have data to show that in Idaho, screen time from devices at school, including computers, is low (excluding students enrolled in virtual schools). In one Idaho Falls school district, the total screen time per student is under one hour per day. Statewide, our teachers are doing the teaching, not technology.

I’ve also heard from parents and teachers who are concerned that AI tools will replace human instruction. Nothing I have seen in an Idaho classroom indicates that’s where we are headed

Parents and school leaders in Idaho agree: we must prepare students and keep them safe. That’s one of the reasons Idaho is a national leader when it comes to responsible, effective use of AI technology in classrooms statewide.

I supported and now oversee Idaho’s new AI guidelines for schools. This new legislation, brought forward by Senator Kevin Cook and Idaho’s AI workgroup, establishes parameters for how AI should be used, protects student information, and ensures important decisions about a child aren’t simply handed over to a computer.

Preparing kids for the future doesn’t mean saying yes to every new technology. It means understanding the benefits, recognizing the risks, knowing where to draw the line, and making sure there’s still a teacher – a human being – at the center of a child’s education.

Guest Columnist Brian Almon: What Happened to the Idaho School Benefit Trust?

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(Image Credit: Gem State Chronicle)

October 2, 2026 (Cover Image Credit: Gem State Chronicle)

What Happened to the Idaho School Benefit Trust?

By: Gem State Chronicle Publisher Brian Almon

Brian Almon

In late August, the Idaho Department of Insurance (DOI) filed to take over the troubled Idaho School Benefit Trust (ISBT), alleging that it had become insolvent and was unable to cover claims made by employees of member school districts. A court approved the takeover in late September, and now school districts are being asked to cover approximately $13 million in obligations or risk having their employees’ pending claims go unpaid.

What was the Idaho School Benefit Trust? Created in 2014 as an alternative to conventional insurance, sponsored by the Idaho School District Council, and governed by a five-member board of trustees, ISBT essentially coordinated self-insurance among member districts. Participating districts and their employees paid contributions into a common pool, and ISBT used that money to cover medical claims. Blue Cross of Idaho served as the plan administrator, processing claims and providing access to its network, but the districts themselves ultimately bore the financial risk.

This model was meant to spread risk, reduce costs, and avoid some of the overhead associated with traditional insurance coverage. ISBT advertised itself to Idaho school districts as a safe and stable alternative to conventional insurance, touting relatively low rate increases. By August 2021, ISBT had about $22.5 million in reserves. Yet by August 2025, that cushion had fallen to just $2.1 million, well below the statutory requirement. Today, the Trust is completely insolvent. What happened?

DOI is currently investigating ISBT’s collapse, so hopefully we will have some answers in the near future. But there are certain red flags in hindsight. ISBT carried stop-loss protection through Blue Cross for exceptionally high claims, but that coverage only kicked in above certain thresholds. The Trust itself remained responsible for claims below those thresholds, and DOI now says that contributions and reserves proved insufficient to cover those costs. Meanwhile, medical claims rose substantially while ISBT continued to advertise itself to local districts as a stable and relatively inexpensive alternative to conventional insurance.

House Bill 443 in 2022 changed the insurance landscape for Idaho school districts by providing significantly more state funding for employee health insurance and making the state insurance plan a more attractive option. Twenty-four districts and charter schools subsequently left ISBT between 2022 and 2023, which could also have played a role in the Trust’s financial deterioration. However, without knowing more about the claims experience of the organizations that left compared with those that remained, it is difficult to know what effect that exodus actually had.

There’s also an open question about the school districts that remained with ISBT following the passage of H443. Every public school district had access to additional state funding for health insurance, whether they joined the state plan or not, and there were no strict statutory requirements regarding how that extra money was used. It’s plausible, though difficult to know for sure, that some might have stayed with the low-cost ISBT system and redirected the balance elsewhere. Yet now ISBT’s insolvency has brought the chickens home to roost.

ISBT’s quarterly filing for May 31, 2025, showed a surplus of approximately $13.5 million and reported a $2.4 million gain through the first nine months of the fiscal year. But an independent audit completed the following February painted a dramatically different picture: ISBT ended the fiscal year 2025 with a fund balance of just $2.1 million and a $9 million annual loss. The Trust needed approximately $13.4 million in surplus to meet statutory requirements.

A year later, even that small cushion was gone, and ISBT was officially insolvent. DOI says it became aware on June 23 of this year that the Trust could no longer pay its claims, just over a week before school districts faced a July 1 renewal deadline. However, districts claim they were not told of the insolvency at the time, and many renewed their contracts before ISBT notified members on July 14 of the gravity of the situation. Even that notice did not fully disclose the amount of the shortfall.

ISBT’s insolvency meant that school employees and their dependents potentially faced large medical bills for services received under the assumption that the Trust would cover their claims. ISBT arranged an $11.9 million loan from Blue Cross, then issued a contribution call to member districts designed to cover approximately $13 million in principal and interest. School districts were given a choice of paying $714.71 per covered employee and dependent up front, or $21.74 per covered member per month on a payment schedule that could extend for three years.

According to DOI, September 10 was the deadline for districts to choose a payment option. Its website says districts already agreed to make additional contributions when necessary when they signed their participation agreements with ISBT. From DOI’s perspective, then, districts are not deciding whether they owe the money—they do no matter what—only whether to pay their share up front or over time.

As you can surely imagine, that put member districts in a financial bind. The Coeur d’Alene School Board instructed Superintendent Shon Hocker to negotiate a modified payment arrangement with ISBT that would preserve the district’s legal rights. The district offered to make monthly payments under protest without signing the proposed contract addendum, but that was not sufficient for Blue Cross, which began denying some claims for services provided during July and August, before the old self-funded plan ended on August 31.

As of today, ISBT is fully under the stewardship of DOI Director Dean Cameron, who was appointed rehabilitator by the Fourth District Court. Cameron is now responsible for overseeing the Trust, collecting remaining contributions, paying outstanding claims, repaying the Blue Cross loan, and winding down the old self-funded plan. DOI is separately investigating exactly what happened and attempting to answer the questions that remain unresolved:

  • Why did a Trust with more than $22 million in reserves lose nearly all of them in only a few years?
  • Were premiums kept too low for too long?
  • What role, if any, did districts leaving for the state plan play?
  • Why was the Trust’s financial deterioration not communicated more clearly to member districts?
  • Why were districts allowed to renew for 2026-27 before being told that the old Trust was insolvent?
  • Did the trustees, actuaries, and DOI respond quickly enough as the reserves disappeared?
  • What did DOI know, and when did it know it?

As conservatives, we believe that competition inherent in the free market nearly always provides better solutions than government systems. What, then, do we make of this situation? There is a temptation to look at the collapse of the Idaho School Benefit Trust and conclude that the private sector failed where government succeeded. After all, the Trust ran out of money while the state employee health plan remains solvent.

But the Trust was never really a private-sector enterprise in the traditional sense. It pooled taxpayer-funded school districts, provided benefits to public employees, operated under state regulation, and relied on private companies to administer claims and insure against catastrophic losses. The districts themselves ultimately bore the risk.

Perhaps the better lesson is that health insurance has become such a complicated hybrid of public and private institutions that the traditional distinction between the two is increasingly difficult to make. ISBT attempted to capture some of the advantages of private self-insurance while operating entirely within the world of public employment and regulated health care. It seemed to work—until it didn’t.

The important question now is not whether government or the private sector deserves the blame, but whether there were sufficient incentives and accountability built into the system. When a pool funded by taxpayers can lose more than $20 million in reserves before its members fully understand what has happened, something in that system failed—whether we choose to call it public, private, or something in between.

Idaho Ed News was very helpful in breaking down this story. Click here for its full coverage.

About Brian Almon

Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.

Editor’s note:  This article originally appeared in the Gem State Chronicle.  I encourage our readers to visit their website and consider subscribing.  Find this and other informative articles at the Gem State Chronicle here: About – Gem State Chronicle

Hunters Will See Something New in the Air this Fall at Sterling WMA in Southeast Idaho

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(Idaho Fish and Game Press Release, October 3, 2026)

Pheasant stocking efforts will be happening on some wildlife management areas (WMAs) and other properties throughout the state during pheasant season this fall. This year, however, things will look a little different at the Sterling WMA in southeast Idaho.  That’s because Idaho Fish and Game Southeast Region has partnered with Idaho for Fish and Wildlife to run a pheasant surrogator on the WMA, one that resulted in rearing and releasing melanistic (black) pheasants. Hunters on Sterling will definitely see something new in the air this fall.

The what and why

Fish and Game and the project partners are investigating opportunities to improve Fish and Game’s pheasant stocking efforts and hunter experiences. Traditionally, Fish and Game uses staff and volunteers to truck in boxes of farm-raised rooster pheasants to release at Sterling WMA two times a week during pheasant season. That will still be happening, but this time, hunters may also encounter black pheasants from the surrogator project.

Surrogators (self-contained incubators) hold many pheasant chicks and raise them to 4-weeks old, after which the chicks are released to the wild. The hope is that this method can be successful at rearing birds to harvestable size in a more cost-effective way than purchasing adult pheasants from a commercial pheasant farm. Black birds were used so that hunters and biologists can tell at a glance where any harvested birds originated.

Evaluating success

Whether it is surrogator-raised birds or the more traditional pheasant release method, the focus of this project is to evaluate ways to improve the pheasant supplementation program and the pheasant hunting experience for those afield.

This surrogator experiment will help Fish and Game and its partners evaluate the ability to rear and release pheasants on site and evaluate the potential effectiveness of this technique by seeing how many of the surrogator birds are harvested.

A hunter who harvests a black pheasant will automatically know his/her pheasant came from the surrogator and was not a wild or farm-raised bird. Additionally, as part of this project, Fish and Game will be leg-banding a portion of the roosters distributed via traditional stocking methods. These banded birds will give managers a better understanding of what harvest rates are for farm-raised birds. Managers can then start to compare potential benefits for each of the pheasant supplementation techniques.

Hunters can help with our harvest estimates by doing the following:

  • Please leave one wing from each of your harvested pheasants in a blue wing barrel which can be found on most access areas and parking lots at the WMA.
  • If a hunter prefers to not leave a wing or if they harvest a banded pheasant, he or she can report the harvest to the Southeast Region Fish and Game office in Pocatello at 208-232-4703.

“We will be posting flyers on Sterling WMA with this information as well as some photos of black pheasants,” said Regional Habitat Biologist Maria Pacioretty.  “Just remember, Idaho has no season on hen pheasants no matter the color, so hunters should always be mindful of their target.”

Other information pheasant hunters should know

  • Traditional pheasant stocking efforts at Sterling WMA and the Zollinger Access Yes! property in the Southeast Region will begin in time for the youth pheasant season Oct. 8 through Oct. 14. Pheasant stocking does not begin at Portneuf WMA until after regular deer season ends Oct. 24 to reduce crowding for hunters. The Zollinger Access Yes! property requires an on-line signup and reservation before hunters can pursue pheasants. More information can be found here: https://idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/pheasant/stocking/zollinger-access-yes
  • Any person 18 years old or older must have a valid Upland Game Bird Permit in possession while hunting pheasants on WMAs or other access agreement properties where pheasants are stocked, including surrogator birds. All pheasants harvested on these properties are required to be validated on this permit.
  • All upland game bird hunters are required to wear visible hunter orange (minimum size 36 square inches) above the waist during pheasant season when hunting on properties where pheasants are stocked. A hunter orange hat meets this requirement.
  • Shooting hours for upland game birds on properties where pheasants are stocked are 10 a.m. to one-half hour after sunset, except for those areas in the Clearwater Region where shooting hours are 8 a.m. to one-half hour after sunset.

Be sure to consult the 2026-2027 Upland Game, Turkey, & Furbearer Seasons and Rules before heading out to the field to hunt pheasants this season. For information about pheasant stocking efforts on WMAs and access agreement properties throughout Idaho, visit https://idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/pheasant/stocking.

Idaho DMV Preparing to Launch Customer E-Notifications

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(Idaho Department of Transportation Press Release, October 2, 2026)

BOISE — The Idaho DMV will begin sending official e-notifications via email to customers as part of an upcoming modernization and cost-saving effort. With the number of customers who have online accounts, the DMV estimates at least a $400K in savings. The e-notification system will provide reminders and updates directly to customers who have an email associated with their DMV account.

The DMV is sharing this information so customers know what to expect and do not mistake official messages for spam. Emails will come from an ITD-managed address and will include clear instructions and links to DMVOnline.itd.idaho.gov.

“Many Idahoans will receive an e-notification from the DMV for the first time,” said DMV Administrator, CJ Kendrick. “We want customers to feel confident the message is legitimate and understand why they’re receiving it.”

Customers who prefer traditional mail will need to log into their account and opt out of e-notifications.

To verify a message from the DMV, customers can check that links direct to official ITD websites.

For more information, visit dmv.idaho.gov.

AG Labrador Defeats Challenge to Idaho’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act in Federal Court

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(Attorney General’s Office Press Release, October 6, 2026)

BOISE, ID —  Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced today that a federal district court has rejected a long-standing constitutional challenge to Idaho’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), dismissing all claims brought by individuals convicted of sex offenses and granting summary judgment in favor of the State of Idaho.

“The Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act is an important tool for protecting Idaho communities,” said Attorney General Labrador. “The registry gives parents, schools, churches, daycares, and other organizations information they can use to make informed decisions about safety. The damage caused by these crimes does not disappear when a prison sentence ends, and our responsibility to protect Idaho communities should not end there either.”

The plaintiffs challenged Idaho’s 1998 SORNA on three grounds, arguing that lifetime sex offender registration constituted additional punishment in violation of the Double Jeopardy Clause, that applying the law to offenses committed before its enactment violated the Ex Post Facto Clause, and that registration requirements violated their right to the free exercise of religion.

The plaintiffs also argued that their status as registered sex offenders prevented them from serving in leadership roles within their churches or attending churches of their choice. The federal district court rejected all of the claims and ruled in favor of Attorney General Labrador.

Bannock County DMV: October Updates

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(Bannock County Press Release, October 2, 2026; Cover photo credit: Bannock County)

Here’s what’s happening around our office and across the state this month:

  • Leadership & Future ITD Updates:In September, our Lead, Kandice, represented Bannock County at the DMV County Leadership Conference with ITD this September. She brought back great insights to support our team, along with expectations about the future of DMV operations.
  • Streamlined Titling for Dealerships:Over the coming months, ITD is rolling out phase two of the dealer portal. Idaho dealers will soon be able to submit titling paperwork electronically—saving mountains of paper! For you, this means if you buy a vehicle from an Idaho dealership, your vehicles purchase information will already be in our system when you walk in to register, speeding up your trip at the counter.
  • DMV Kiosks: ITD and a third-party vendor have launched a pilot program with 9 self-service kiosks state-wide, including one at our local Fred Meyer.
    • Keep in Mind:The kiosk adds a $7.95 vendor processing fee to your registration costs, in addition to the 2.5% fee that will be added for using a card for processing
    • Who to Contact: Because these machines are owned and operated directly by ITD and a third-party vendor, county staff cannot troubleshoot or assist with kiosk transactions. If you run into any hiccups while using the machine, please use the contact number printed on the kiosk or reach out to ITD directly.

October is the perfect time to get ahead of December vehicle renewals! Registration renewals are now open state-wide for all trailers, RVs, and motor vehicles expiring in December.

To help you avoid end-of-year holiday expenses and dodge the longer wait times we typically see in December, we encourage you to renew early.

Here is a quick look at the opening dates for other recreational registrations:

  • Trailers & RVs: Open now (as of October 1)
  • Snowmobiles: Opening later this month
  • Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) & Vessels: Opening in December

Beat the rush, skip the line, and enjoy a hassle-free holiday season!

Have a wonderful month, stay safe on the roads, and we’ll see you back here next month with more updates!

Public Hearings Scheduled for Proposed Bannock County Land Use and Development Ordinance (LUDO)

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(Bannock County Press Release, October 6, 2026; Cover photo credit: Bannock County)

BANNOCK COUNTY, Idaho – Bannock County residents will soon have the opportunity to participate in upcoming public hearings regarding a proposed update to the county’s land use regulations.

The proposed draft consolidates eight existing county land-use codes into a single, updated document titled the Land Use & Development Ordinance (LUDO). The effort aims to eliminate overlapping regulations, clarify planning procedures, and update land-use requirements. The proposed ordinance applies strictly to unincorporated areas of Bannock County and does not impact municipal building or zoning codes within city limits.

“We’ve spent several years going line by line to clean up decades of outdated land-use rules,” said Tristan Bourquin, Assistant Planning Director for Bannock County. “When property owners come into our office, they shouldn’t have to dig through eight different books just to figure out what they can do with their land. Making these rules clear, fair, and easy to follow is really what drove this whole effort.”

In addition to consolidating current code sections, key proposed changes in the LUDO draft include:

  • Adjusting minimum lot size requirements in certain zones to align with their intended use.
  • Removing open space requirements to allow property owners full use of their land.
  • Transitioning from the Minor Land Division process to a Short Plat framework, requiring staff review and final approval by the Board of Commissioners to establish legally recorded divisions.
  • Moving from an outright prohibition on large-scale solar, wind, and nuclear energy to a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process, which requires public hearings and strict safeguards.

Residents are invited to review the complete draft text and share their input. To ensure an efficient and fairprocess, public comment is limited to one submission per person per hearing—either through advance written comment or three minutes of in-person testimony. Additionally, written comments gathered during the County’s July 2026 public comment period have already been submitted into the official record for the Planning & Development Council’s review, so those contributors will not need to re-submit testimony for the October 29 hearing.

Planning & Development Council Hearing

  • Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at Chubbuck City Hall, Council Chambers (290 E. Linden Ave., Chubbuck)
  • The Advisory Council will review the draft, accept public testimony, and issue a formal recommendation to the Board of Commissioners.
  • Written testimony of less than two pages must be received by the Planning & Development Office by Oct. 21, 2026. Comments can be emailed to development@bannockcounty.gov or mailed to Planning & Development Services, 5500 S 5th Avenue, Pocatello ID 83204.

Board of County Commissioners Hearing

  • Tentatively scheduled for Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at Bannock County Courthouse, Room 119 (624 E. Center St., Pocatello)
  • The Board will review the ordinance draft and Council recommendation, accept public testimony, and evaluate the draft for potential adoption, revision, or denial.
  • Written testimony must be received by the Board by 5 p.m. Nov. 17,2026. Comments can be emailed to commission@bannockcounty.gov or mailed to Bannock County Commissioners, 624 E Center Street, Room 101, Pocatello ID 83201.

Full text of the proposed LUDO and more information is available at bannockcounty.gov/ourfuture.

Subaru Loves Pets Adoption Event Returns to Pocatello October 10

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(City of Pocatello Press Release, October 2, 2026)

Pocatello Animal Services, in partnership with Phil Meador Subaru, is excited to announce its annual Subaru Loves Pets adoption event Saturday, October 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Pocatello Animal Services, 3100 Avenue of the Chiefs.

Thanks to Subaru’s support, adopters can choose their own adoption fee, with a minimum fee of $25. This year, Phil Meador Subaru will match the adopter’s selected adoption fee with a donation to Pocatello Animal Services. The promotion applies to all available dogs over six months of age and weighing more than 25 lbs., as well as cats and small critters.

“We love seeing the community come together for our biggest adoption event of the year and help find our shelter pets loving homes,” said Sarah Moore, Management Assistant. “With Subaru’s generosity, families can focus less on adoption fees and more on opening their homes and hearts to a new best friend. It’s the perfect way to kick off the cozy season!”

In addition to adoptions, visitors can meet with a Phil Meador Subaru representative and learn more about how Subaru supports animal welfare nationwide through its Subaru Loves Pets initiative.

Pocatello Animal Services encourages anyone considering adding a pet to their family to stop by, meet the wonderful animals available for adoption, and take advantage of this special opportunity. All cats and dogs adopted from Pocatello Animal Services are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and up-to-date on vaccinations before heading to their new homes.

For more information about Pocatello Animal Services and to view adoptable pets, visit pocatello.gov/150/Animal-Services.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is the policy of the City of Pocatello to offer its public programs, services, and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities.  If you are disabled and require an accommodation, please contact Skyler Beebe with two (2) business days’ advance notice at sbeebe@pocatello.gov; 208.234.6248; or 5815 South 5th Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho.  Advance notification within this guideline will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility.

Idaho Secretary of State: What It Takes to Reach 850,000 Idaho Households

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(Idaho Secretary of State, October 2, 2026)

Remember when the back of the cereal box was our morning entertainment as we inhaled spoonfuls of milk-covered breakfast? There were puzzles, trivia, colorful pictures, and always something that kept you reading until it was time to head out the door.

This year, as we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, we brought a little of that spirit to Idaho’s Voter Pamphlet. Along with the official information on the measures appearing on November’s ballot, you’ll find important election dates and useful voting information, mixed in with historical trivia, fun facts, and a few other things to keep you turning the page.

There is a lot packed into those 20 pages, and even more happening behind the scenes.

Producing 850,000 copies for households across Idaho is a months-long undertaking that begins as soon as we know what measures will appear on the November ballot.

Idaho law dictates much of what we include. For ballot propositions, that means the short title you’ll see on your ballot, a longer title explaining the measure, the fiscal impact, and arguments for and against, along with rebuttals. For constitutional amendments, we include the proposed constitutional language, a statement of purpose from Legislative Council, the question you’ll see on your ballot, arguments for and against, and the full text of the legislation.

This year we also have something different: an advisory question. November’s question involves the selection of a state gun, and the pamphlet includes pictures of the choices (which won’t appear on your ballot). Unlike an initiative or constitutional amendment, an advisory question is non-binding. It gives Idaho voters an opportunity to express their preference to the Legislature as lawmakers consider possible future legislation.

Then comes the printing.

Eight hundred and fifty thousand 20-page pamphlets require a LOT of paper. Our printer has to order that much paper well in advance, and the presses run at full capacity to get everything printed and mailed on time.

After months of work, all 850,000 pamphlets have begun making their way across Idaho and arriving quietly in your mailbox.

When yours does, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to look through it. There is a lot of work behind those pages, but more importantly, there is a lot of useful information inside them.

And I still think we can do more.

Since taking office, I’ve worked with legislative partners on legislation to create a full voter guide with everything in the pamphlet, plus information from the candidates themselves. We haven’t gotten it across the finish line yet, but I’m not giving up. I believe having more information in one place helps all of us be better prepared to vote.

In the meantime, watch your mailbox. And when the pamphlet arrives, give it a read.

Yes, even the back.

Phil McGrane

ABOUT SECRETARY PHIL McGRANE

Phil McGrane was elected Idaho’s twenty-eighth Secretary of State and took office on January 2, 2023. McGrane served as elected Clerk of Ada County from 2019-2022.McGrane holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, a juris doctorate, and a Master of Public Administration. As a fourth-generation Idahoan, Phil has dedicated his career to making elections in the state of Idaho accessible, secure and transparent.

Road Construction Planned on Bannock Highway for New Connections Credit Union Clubhouse

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(City of Pocatello Press Release, October 5, 2026)

Utility work related to the construction of the new Connections Credit Union Clubhouse at Riverside Golf Course will impact traffic on Bannock Highway October 7–8, 2026.

Crews will be making utility connections for the new clubhouse, requiring work across Bannock Highway near the intersection of Johnny Creek Road. Contractors will have traffic control measures in place throughout the work.

Motorists are encouraged to use extra caution, slow down, and expect delays while traveling through the area. Traffic lanes may be restricted at times, and access to the main golf course parking areas will be limited.

Golfers should plan to arrive early for their tee times and follow all posted traffic and parking signs. Visitors are also asked to be respectful of surrounding residential areas and avoid parking where it could impact neighborhood access.

Construction of the new Connections Credit Union Clubhouse at Riverside Golf Course is continuing. The approximately 3,700-square-foot, two-story clubhouse will include cart storage on the basement level, a golf simulator, restaurant, pro shop, and approximately 1,600 square feet of patio space for guests to enjoy.

A temporary parking map and additional information are available at:

pocatello.gov/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/2555

Pocatello Projects: pocatello.gov/1002/Projects

For more information, please contact Pocatello Parks & Recreation at 208-234-6232.