Logan Finney

Tax penalty advances for local govt’s that refuse felony enforcement

by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports The House Revenue & Taxation Committee advanced a bill Thursday that would withhold sales and use tax funds from local governments that refuse to enforce the state’s felony crimes. Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa said House…

Protecting Rural Power Grids | Will Hart, Idaho Consumer-Owned Utilities Association | Idaho Reports

Over the past few months, people across the United States have unexpectedly lost power after targeted attacks on power substations. One gunfire attack in North Carolina took out power for 40,000 residents for several days, and another in Washington…

Hand-count requirement for election audits passes House State Affairs

The House State Affairs Committee unanimously advanced a bill Tuesday which clarifies Idaho’s post-election audits must be conducted by hand. “This will simply codify what has already been the practice and ensure we are clear about the expectations,”…

Bills on abortion, public contracts, self-defense introduced in Senate State Affairs

The Senate State Affairs Committee introduced a series of bills on Monday that would amend the state’s definition of abortion, void provisions in local public works contracts regarding transgender people and restrooms, and change the way self-defense…

Episode: What is a Lobbyist?

It's the first week of the legislative session in Boise, and lawmakers are hitting the ground running. Associate producer Logan Finney speaks with Jayson Ronk, vice president for public affairs at Blue Cross of Idaho, about the different kinds of…

New Podcast Episode: What is a Lobbyist?

Idaho Reports is a weekly public policy show focused on issues that affect Idahoans in every corner of the state. We bring interviews, panel discussions, and original reporting each week exploring how the decisions in Boise and D.C. affect Idahoans…

Are you ready for a hike? | FYIdaho

Hiking can mean a lot of different things, depending on who you ask – from a walk in the woods to summiting the tallest peaks in Idaho. No matter where you’re heading outdoors, make sure you go prepared for any scenario. The “Ten Essentials” is a…

Episode: Studying the Silver Valley

Last week on the Friday show, we featured a segment about the environmental cleanup in the Bunker Hill Superfund site, which stretches all the way from the Montana state border in Shoshone County past the Washington state border in Kootenai County.…

Cleaning Up the Legacy of Silver Valley Mining | Bunker Hill Superfund Site | Idaho Reports

Associate producer Logan Finney visited the Coeur d’Alene River Basin this summer to report on the decades-long effort to mitigate historic mining waste in the Bunker Hill Superfund site, including a recent influx of funding from the state for local…

Little allocates $1 million for UI murders investigation

by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports Governor Brad Little has allocated $1 million in state emergency funds to aid the ongoing investigation into the November 13 murders of four University of Idaho students. Little’s office told Idaho Reports that the…

Episode: Getting Organized

This week, the Idaho Legislature convened in Boise for an organizational session at the state capitol in preparation for the 2023 session. Associate producer Logan Finney spoke with several newly elected members about their experiences transitioning…

Senate committees assigned; Grow to co-chair JFAC

by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports Idaho Senate leadership on Thursday posted rosters outlining committee assignments for the upcoming session. House committee assignments are not expected to be announced until Friday. The wave of new lawmakers this year…

Mountain West economy strong coming out of pandemic

by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports Just a few blocks from freshman lawmaker orientation at the Idaho capitol, policy makers and business leaders have gathered for the annual Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference. “We all need to get to know each…

How does Idaho get unofficial election results out so quickly?

by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports Idahoans in some counties had to wait a day or two for local election results this year. For national outcomes, on the other hand, control of Congress was not known until victories for Democratic U.S. Senate candidates…

Idaho Has Election Day, Not Election Week | Secretary of State and Ada County Clerk | Idaho Reports

Idaho Reports Associate Producer Logan Finney visited with Idaho Chief Deputy Secretary of State Chad Houck and Ada County Chief Deputy Clerk Trent Tripple on November 8, 2022 to get a behind the scenes look at the local, state and national…

IDOC serves Pizzuto death warrant

by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports The Idaho Department of Correction announced that it served Gerald Pizzuto, Jr. with a death warrant Wednesday at 1:05 PM. Pizzuto has been on Idaho’s death row for over 35 years for two murders in Idaho County. His…

2022 ANALYSIS: Nature abhors a power vacuum

After the election dust settled, the partisan makeup of the Idaho Legislature shifted slightly to 59-11 in the House and stayed the same at 28-7 in the Senate. However, Idahoans can expect to see many new faces in both chambers this coming session.…

Idaho politicos rally support and opposition for constitutional amendment

by Logan Finney, Idaho Reports SJR 102, the constitutional amendment which would allow lawmakers to independently call the Legislature back into special session without relying on a call from the governor, needs a simple majority to pass on the…

Episode: Hispanic Voters in Idaho

This week, Logan Finney is joined by Margie Gonzalez, Executive Director of the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, to discuss Hispanic voter outreach in Idaho, recent improvements and difficulties in that arena, and where Latino Idahoans can find…

Public Participation in Idaho Government | CIV•ED | A Guide to Idaho Politics and Civic Education

Of everyone involved in government, it’s the public that has the most important role. And at no time is that more apparent than on election day.Primary elections are for political parties to choose their candidates, whereas any registered voter can…