ID Senator Christy Zito (photo credit: Christy Zito)
By: Idaho Senator Christy Zito
There are moments in public service that become more than memories. They become markers in your soul, reminders of who we are, what built this country, and what we are called to protect.
One of the memories that I cherish most during my time of service came soon after my first primary election.
Tim Lowery had been to every event in Owyhee County. I had great respect for their family and the Joyce family and had followed their battle against the Federal Government over water rights. They won the battle, but are still fighting the war.
Tim put together a community meeting in his small town on the far side of the county. It was there that I learned a lifetime lesson.
His father, Bill, came into the room, walking with two canes, his body bent and twisted like the brush on the open range they fought to protect and from which they carved their livelihood.
Bill’s words were written on my heart, but that was not enough.
As soon as I was out of the valley and had cell service, I called my cowboy poet friend, Brian M. Arnold, and told him the story. Less than fifteen minutes later, the masterpiece was penned.
This tribute to those “too young to shave,” who gave all, who understood the value of the blessings of this country and were not afraid to stand and defend this beautiful nation, now hangs on the walls of the Warhawk Air Museum.
Too Young to Shave
His body was gnarled and twisted, like a wind-blown juniper tree.
He’d seen the sun rise and seen the sun set more times than two of me.
Hobbling from his truck using two canes, so I stopped and held the door,
he said, “I’m here for the Town Hall meetin’. Is that what your’re here for?”
I wondered aloud why a ninety-year-old man even cared about civic affairs.
He said, “let me tell you a story.” So, I grabbed a couple of chairs.
When Pearl Harbor was bombed a bunch of us boys all went into town to join up,
from the farms and ranches, and some from in town. We had an enemy to whup.
They took down our names and gave us a number, then said they’ give us a call.
So many young fellers were signing up that they couldn’t process them all.
Was a whole lot of youngsters standin’ in line, see they was lyin’ about their age,
all ready to die for our country, while still too young to shave.
It took a few months before they got to us all, ‘cause so many want to go,
I was an infantryman in the Army, a regular G.I. Joe.
Saw many a good man die over there, it was a special kind of hell,
we were all just tryin to do our part, for some it didn’t work out well.
Most are buried in those foreign lands; they never did come home.
They gave their all for freedom, across the briny foam.
That war’s long over and there’s been some since, but I can never forget,
true comrades that I fought alongside, as they placed their final bet.
So that’s why I’m here, just to make sure that as long as our proud flag waves,
I do my damndest to honor those men too young to shave.
Brian Arnold
11/16/2016
Today, those words still echo.
Not only as a tribute to the men and women who served, but as a warning and a responsibility to each of us.
Freedom is not self-sustaining. Liberty is not inherited without sacrifice. The blessings we enjoy today were purchased by generations willing to lay down comfort, safety, and sometimes life itself for something greater than themselves.
May we never become so comfortable that we forget the cost. May we never become so divided that we dishonor their sacrifice. And may we never forget the men and women who stepped forward, many still just boys, too young to shave, yet old enough to bleed for freedom.
God bless,
Senator Christy Zito,
District 8, Protecting Freedom for Future Generations
P.S. If you haven’t already, subscribe to my Substack (zitoforidaho.substack.com) for straight updates you won’t get from the mainstream press. Let’s stay connected and stay strong.
May 25, 2026 (Cover Image Credit: Gem State Chronicle)
Memorial Day 2026
By: Brian Almon
Gem State Chronicle Publisher Brian Almon
Memorial Day is all about remembering those who died in service to our country—those who gave their lives so that others could live. While we honor the fallen on Memorial Day, its true purpose is for we the living, to remember their sacrifice and become better for it. As Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. explained in 1884:
But although desire cannot be imparted by argument, it can be by contagion. Feeling begets feeling, and great feeling begets great feeling. We can hardly share the emotions that make this day to us the most sacred day of the year, and embody them in ceremonial pomp, without in some degree imparting them to those who come after us. I believe from the bottom of my heart that our memorial halls and statues and tablets, the tattered flags of our regiments gathered in the Statehouses, are worth more to our young men by way of chastening and inspiration than the monuments of another hundred years of peaceful life could be.
Two hundred and fifty years is not a long time in the grand scheme of things. Holmes himself was born at a time when veterans of the War for Independence were still alive. He later fought in the Civil War, where he was wounded three times. Appointed to the Supreme Court by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, Holmes served until age 90 before passing away in 1935. There are still living Americans who were children during Holmes’ tenure on the Court, though their numbers dwindle every day.
If it was important in Holmes’ time to set aside a day filled with pomp and ceremony to remember our honored dead, it is even more important now, in a world dominated by technology that offers ephemeral experiences to feed short attention spans.
The further we drift from our history, and the more the experience of war is removed from the average person, the more imperative it becomes to put aside our daily distractions and meditate on what their sacrifice really means. It is in the death of our heroes that we find meaning for our own lives, as Holmes captured more than a century ago:
But, nevertheless, the generation that carried on the war has been set apart by its experience. Through our great good fortune, in our youth our hearts were touched with fire. It was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing. While we are permitted to scorn nothing but indifference, and do not pretend to undervalue the worldly rewards of ambition, we have seen with our own eyes, beyond and above the gold fields, the snowy heights of honor, and it is for us to bear the report to those who come after us. But, above all, we have learned that whether a man accepts from Fortune her spade, and will look downward and dig, or from Aspiration her axe and cord, and will scale the ice, the one and only success which it is his to command is to bring to his work a mighty heart.
Those of us who never wore the uniform, served in combat, or faced death must learn secondhand from those who did. That is the ultimate purpose of Memorial Day—to remind those of us who live in safety and relative naivete not only what our liberty cost, but also that life is, as Holmes said, a “profound and passionate thing” not to be taken lightly.
They died so that we might live. Let us not take that gift for granted.
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
Idahoans care deeply about our public lands. These lands support recreation, conservation, local economies and tribal heritage. They should be managed well for the benefit of current and future generations.
Public lands face a growing maintenance backlog, which affects roads, bridges, campgrounds, boat ramps, water systems, visitor facilities and trails. The Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) uses a self-sustaining funding model that reinvests 50 percent of federal energy royalties (monies collected from oil, gas, coal and renewable development) back into our public lands.
In Idaho alone, the LRF invested over $86 million in more than 100 U.S. Forest Service projects spanning all seven of Idaho’s national forests. The U.S. Department of the Interior invested an additional $82.9 million in Idaho across 16 projects and improved more than 100 assets statewide from 2020 to 2025.
The LRF lapsed at the end of September 2025. I have co-sponsored the America the Beautiful Act to reauthorize the program through 2033 to address the maintenance backlog on federal lands as the nation prepares to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary this year.
Renewing the LRF will help ensure vital repair work continues in Idaho and across the nation, without adding any additional tax burden to Americans. Read more about the bill, as well as statements of support from Idaho’s public lands, conservation and recreation groups on my website HERE.
Preserving Multiple-Use Mandate
The Biden-era Bureau of Land Management (BLM) committed serious government overreach by issuing the onerous “Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.” This rule directly conflicted with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). FLMPA explicitly directed federal lands be managed for “multiple-use,” protecting the environment while serving the public good with regard to economies driven by recreation, timber, agriculture, energy production, mining and tribal culture.
The uncertain times in which we live make it essential we maximize our domestic critical mineral production, maintain a high level of energy production, supply lumber in a time of a severe affordable housing shortage, prevent and manage catastrophic wildfires and feed the world.
These multiple uses in today’s world are all conducted with environmental protection and conservation as a mandated objective. The Biden-era rule would have favored “conservation” to the detriment of those other critical multiple uses.
I joined legislation that would block the rule and urged the BLM to withdraw the rule.
Thankfully, President Trump and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently rescinded the onerous rule. Once again, the Trump Administration has taken decisive action to restore commonsense, effective multiple-use land management policies.
The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program is a vital lifeline to Idaho’s rural counties containing large tracts of federally owned, tax-exempt forest lands. I pressed for reauthorization of the program through Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 and am exploring long-term solutions that would provide more certainty to rural communities.
In April, I joined Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth and the other members of the Idaho Congressional Delegation to announce Idaho will receive a total of $24 million in SRS payments for Fiscal Year 2025.
Under Idaho law, 30 percent of SRS funding goes to counties to help fund schools, and the remaining 70 percent supports roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure projects.
Additionally, the U.S. Forest Service recently moved forward with reestablishing SRS Resource Advisory Committees (RACs) and soliciting nominations for membership. RACs help provide local input and recommendations for Title II projects involving forest restoration, watershed improvements, roads, trails and other community priorities on National Forest System lands. More information on membership and how to submit a nomination can be found HERE.
In December, I posed a question to the readers of this newsletter: “Do you agree the federal government should pay its share for essential services (law enforcement, roads, schools, etc.) in areas where the community cannot generate tax revenue because of federal land ownership?” More than 83 percent of respondents said, “yes.”
(Idaho State Police Press Release, May 26, 2026; Cover photo credit: ISP)
BANNOCK COUNTY, Idaho – Idaho State Police is investigating a single vehicle rollover crash that occurred at 7:15 a.m. on Tuesday May 26, 2026, on northbound I15 near milepost 38, in Arimo.
A 32-year-old male from Downey, was traveling northbound in a 2011 Subaru Outback. The vehicle went off the roadway on the right shoulder and rolled multiple times. The driver was transported by air ambulance to a local hospital.
The driver was not wearing a seatbelt. Idaho State Police was assisted by the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, Pocatello EMS, and Bannock County Search and Rescue.
The incident remains under investigation by the Idaho State Police.
(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.
Memorial Day. It is the day to honor, remember, and revere those who were willing to go to war and then died while keeping the citizens of the United States safe from all enemies. This is a tremendous sacrifice given to our country and its citizens.
History
At the end of the Civil War our nation began to praise and honor those who had died in war. Before the end of the war family and friends began to decorate the graves of the Civil War dead.
The first known observance of “Decoration Day” was held in Charleston, South Carolina on May 1st, 1865, less than a month after the end of the war.
The first state to recognize the holiday was New York State, in 1873. It wasn’t until 1890 that all the states began to observe this holiday. At the end of World War I it became a national holiday held on May 30th of each year to recognize all our war dead, not just those who died to save the Union. In 1971 Congress passed the National Holiday Act, which moved the holiday to the last Monday in May, for a three-day weekend. This year the day will be held on May 25.
Being a three-day weekend, most people make it a day of recreation: a day at the beach, at the park, or in backyards having barbeques. It’s sad that we spend little time thinking about the freedoms we enjoy and how they were preserved by our military men and women.
Our freedom began when our founding fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to establish this great nation. Since the days of the Revolution, American men and women, about 1.2 million of them, have paid the ultimate price for us. A barbeque with friends and family is one of the freedoms we all enjoy. I just wish more citizens would take a few minutes in the day to discuss our freedoms and remind others how we got them.
Remember, it is a day to honor the veterans who died while serving our country. All veterans have sacrificed, giving of their time, their talents, and sometimes their limbs, but they didn’t give their all. We who served are still able to enjoy the holiday, spend time with our families, and have that barbeque in our backyard. Being a combat veteran, I will think about those I served with who did not come home with me.
One of those was John Ramm. He escaped from communist Czechoslovakia as a young boy, then joined the Army to repay this country to be able to live in freedom. While in the United States, after what should have been his last tour of duty in Viet Nam, he made a mistake and was demoted from Sergeant First Class (E-7) to Specialist (E-4). Being a father of four, he volunteered for his third tour in order to make enough money to feed his family. He paid for his mistake on December 18, 1970. That night I should have been leading that night patrol, but it was my 21st birthday. I was sent into the rear area for a hot meal and a shower. While doing what should have been my job, Ramm’s patrol was ambushed and he and Joseph Curtis were killed. I remember John and Joe every year on my birthday, on Veterans Day, and on Memorial Day. While serving with John, he took me under his wing and taught me how to stay alive in a war zone. I was blessed and came home to live in freedom.
Freedom, what a great word, what a concept. If you have it, you tend to take it for granted. Even when our freedoms are being eroded, we don’t give it enough thought. It is my hope that we all take a few minutes this year to remember why you have the day off work.
Our freedoms are under assault every day. Freedom of speech is being eroded by political correctness. Freedom of religion is being eroded through “equal protection” laws. There are those who want to take away our guns and also disarm the police.
Those we honor on Memorial Day did not die so that our freedoms could be taken away. As with all veterans who give their life, we owe them something. The most important thing is to ensure that the United States and the freedom for which it stands, the freedom for which they died, lives on for our children and grandchildren.
Freedom of religion is one thing being attacked daily. Our founding fathers wanted freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. I believe this because our Creator is mentioned so often in the Declaration of Independence. Let me quote from that esteemed document.
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
The last line of that document states, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, (God), we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
The first Amendment to the Constitution reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; …”
We all must help preserve these rights. Just as those we are honoring this day paid a price, so must we. We all know, “you get what you pay for.” Freedom is not cheap. The price is high for some, not as high for others. The question is what price we are willing to pay.
We have all heard the words of our National Anthem; we’ve sung the first verse many times, which ends with this question, “oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave”?
John Ramm and Joseph Curtis, along with the 1.2 million who gave their lives, have paid a very high price. Today it’s up to us to keep up the fight, to speak out for what we know and believe. We must not be silenced by the noisy few. The stakes are too high; we dare not fail. Let us do our part to keep our flag waving over the land of the free.
May 22, 2026 (Cover Image Credit: Gem State Chronicle)
The Two Idahos
By: Brian Almon
Gem State Chronicle Publisher Brian Almon
I’ve written before about the paradox of republican government: legislators are elected by their districts, which consist of about 52,000 people each, yet they are increasingly part of large statewide strategies as various factions vie for control of the Legislature. This dynamic was clearly visible in this week’s primary results. In fact, I would venture to say that Idaho is really two different states combined into one.
You could divide the state in dozens of different ways, but for the sake of simplicity let’s use the existing congressional districts. CD1 is roughly the western half of the state, including the panhandle, covering 18 counties plus the western half of Ada County. CD2 encompasses the southeastern portion of the state, covering 25 counties plus the eastern half of Ada.
Ada is the only county split between the two congressional districts. Two precincts in my own District 14 are in CD2, as well as one precinct from Legislative District 21. Elsewhere, Legislative District 8 is split evenly between the two congressional districts, with Boise and Valley Counties in CD1 and Custer and Elmore Counties in CD2.
Congressman Russ Fulcher won his CD1 primary with 78.1% of the vote, with a total turnout of 127,948 voters. Congressman Mike Simpson won his primary in CD2 with 63.31% of the vote, with 100,225 voters casting their ballots. Exactly half of the counties above the median in voter turnout are in CD1, while 62% of the counties in the bottom half for turnout are in CD2.
Not counting the split District 8, CD1 is currently represented by 51 Republicans and not a single Democrat. CD2, on the other hand, is represented by 36 Republicans and 15 Democrats. Additionally, in my opinion, quite a few of those 36 CD2 Republicans appear more comfortable aligning with Democrats than with conservative Republicans from CD1.
Most Idaho citizens consider themselves conservative. Republican candidates in every region of the state describe themselves as true conservatives, as opposed to their opponents, who are either liberal RINOs or libertarian extremists, depending on whom you ask. Yet it is clear that there are very different prevailing views of what conservatism means, depending upon which side of the state one lives in.
In western Idaho and the panhandle, conservatism tends to emphasize individual liberty, self-sufficiency, the smallest government possible, and the freedom to live life your own way. Homeschooling is a major part of the culture in this region. It’s no surprise that one of Idaho’s most notorious stories of the past half century involved a man and his family who were persecuted by the government despite simply wanting to be left alone.
In eastern and southern Idaho, conservatism often centers more on community institutions such as churches, public schools, and farming co-ops. Government is viewed as necessary to maintain jobs and economic opportunity, while the large businesses that provide those opportunities are seen as pillars of the community deserving support. Conservatism there is often tied more closely to stability, continuity, and maintaining longstanding traditions.
There are exceptions, of course. Gov. Brad Little seems to identify more with the CD2 brand of conservatism despite hailing from Emmett. Is Gem County an outpost of the east here in the west? The governor and his allies spent significant time and money supporting eastern Idaho incumbents, including Sen. Jim Guthrie, whose voting record and rhetoric often resemble Boise liberals more than what many would consider standard Idaho conservatism.
Both sides attempted to gain ground in the other’s territory. CD1 conservatives, including this author, donated to challengers in eastern Idaho such as David Worley, James Lamborn, and Julianne Young. I know many people who traveled to Blackfoot and American Falls to knock doors on their behalf. Yet those challenges ultimately proved unsuccessful.
On the other hand, CD2-aligned figures were equally unsuccessful in challenging conservative incumbents in southwest and North Idaho. Big machine PACs spent heavily on Biden/Harris fangirl Christa Hazel in District 4, Rep. Lori McCann and Cindy Agidius in District 6, Michael Collins in District 7, and Kody Daffer in District 13, but came up short in every race. Additionally, Sen. Jim Woodward and Rep. Mark Sauter, who regularly aligned themselves with their eastern Idaho colleagues, lost their primaries in District 1.
Districts 24 and 25 are firmly in CD2, yet bucked the trend in 2024 by electing four western-style conservatives. However, three of those four lost their primaries this week following a major barrage of outside spending. Reps. Clint Hostetler and Barbara Ehardt, in Districts 24 and 33 respectively, remain among the last western-style conservatives standing east of Glenns Ferry.
District 8, split evenly between the two regions, elected three moderates in 2022 and three conservatives in 2024, but this year replaced Rep. Faye Thompson with Brian Beckley.
There are minorities within each region, of course. Groups like the North Idaho Republicans in Kootenai County espouse a far more eastern-style perspective, with several of their PC candidates this year having signed the initiative to legalize abortion. They view the majority faction as radical right-wing extremists. Conversely, groups like the Magic Valley Liberty Alliance and East Idaho Patriots represent a more western-style conservatism, viewing the eastern establishment as liberal Republicanism masquerading as conservatism.
This leaves us at something of an impasse. The words “conservative” and “Republican” increasingly mean different things in western Idaho than they do in eastern Idaho. Yet both factions remain part of the same Legislature, working together—or against each other—to enact their preferred policies. Barring some dramatic political realignment, we will continue sharing the same state and the same government.
I’ve long said that eastern Idaho remains a tough nut to crack. Many voters there appear motivated by factors beyond ideology, which may explain why candidates like David Worley and Kelly Golden failed to secure majorities despite presenting strong evidence that their opponents’ records diverge sharply from the conservative ideals they claim to uphold. Yet they came close. Golden reduced a 1,900-vote loss in 2024 to just 900 votes this year, Worley came within 500 votes of unseating one of the longest-serving senators in the state, and James Lamborn fell only 235 votes short of defeating Rep. Rick Cheatum.
Winning in the east will require finding young, principled community leaders who speak the same language as their voters—leaders who can not only demonstrate where incumbents have strayed from conservative principles, but also present a compelling alternative rooted in local trust and credibility. Idaho conservatives should be looking for the next generation of leaders like Kevin Andrus, Wendy Horman, and Barbara Ehardt: people who are community-focused first, yet still willing to champion firmly conservative policies in the Legislature.
In the west, conservatives must continue supporting leaders who consistently practice what they preach. It is encouraging to see representatives like Cornel Rasor, Elaine Price, Kyle Harris, Rob Beiswenger, Steve Tanner, and Chris Bruce win overwhelming victories despite heavy opposition spending. These legislators, along with figures such as Reps. Jordan Redman, Josh Tanner, Heather Scott, and many others, represent an energetic and growing conservative movement within Idaho.
In the end, whether we live in Bonners Ferry or Bear Lake, whether we call Salmon home or call it dinner, whether we are fifth-generation Idahoans or refugees from blue states, we all share Idaho and a responsibility to preserve it for future generations. No matter how deep these regional divides become, Idaho’s future will ultimately depend on whether its competing visions of conservatism can learn not merely to coexist, but to govern together. Those of us in the west should continue articulating our beliefs in individual liberty and limited government, working to persuade all Idahoans of the merits in our cause.
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
May 22, 2026 (Cover Photo Credit: City of Pocatello)
The City of Pocatello’s Road Construction & Traffic Report for the week of May 25, 2026, has been published and may be read here.
Highlights include:
Street sweepers are currently performing their regular sweeping schedule.
The Street Services crew will be patching potholes and curb lines throughout the City.
Crews will be jetting and cleaning sewer mainlines throughout the City.
Highland Blvd will be closed to through traffic from Hillcrest Drive to Mountain Drive on Wednesday, May 27, for a sewer line replacement
The Water Department is replacing the water mainline on E Putnam St. Crews will work from 6:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday to Thursday. Work is expected to continue for 4 weeks.
Work continues on the Benton Street Bridge over the Portneuf River April 15, 2026. West Benton Street remains closed between South Hayes Avenue and South Grant Avenue. Construction is anticipated to be finished by the end of September, weather and other unforeseen conditions permitting.
South 5th Avenue will be reduced to one lane between West Piedmont Road and West Darby Road for water line work.
South Garfield Avenue between Center Street and West Lewis Street will be closed from 2 PM to 9 PM on Mondays for Curbside Cravings.
South Garfield Avenue between Center Street and West Lewis Street will be closed from 6 AM to 3 PM every Saturday for the Portneuf Valley Farmers Market.
