Lawmakers weigh $3M for drug prevention, treatment proposals+ First Idaho flu death reported during 2026-27 season

By Christina Lords | Editor-in-Chief

“We are working to support the whole person, not just their addiction, but their family, their education, their parenting, their health, and their future.” - River of No Return Recovery Center Executive Director Annie Stokes

The Idaho State Capitol building as seen on Jan. 23, 2024, in Boise. (Photo by Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)

GOVERNMENT + POLITICS

Idaho lawmakers weigh $3M in drug prevention and treatment proposals

By Laura Guido

Idaho lawmakers will weigh whether to fund several drug-prevention and treatment projects, totaling over $3 million, through the state’s endowment fund from tobacco lawsuit settlement money.

The legislative Joint Millennium Fund Committee, which oversees the endowment, heard 10 proposals Friday for use of the settlement money, which must go toward drug and alcohol prevention.

An influenza vaccine is pictured at the Ellis R. Shipp Public Health Center in West Valley City on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

HEALTH

First influenza-related death of 2026-27 season reported in Idaho

By Christina Lords

Public health officials said that while a flu season’s timing and length vary, emergency department and urgent care visits relating to influenza in Idaho have been higher during the last two weeks than they were during this same time last year.

Voters cast their ballots in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, at Calvary Baptist Church in Boise. (Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)

ELECTION 2026

General election guide: The candidates, the ballot measures, and the tools you need to cast your vote.

By Idaho Capital Sun staff

The Nov. 3 general election is important in Idaho because voters will determine who will be selected for office for all six statewide constitutional officers, including governor, and all 105 legislative seats. State constitutional officers serve a four-year term, while state legislators serve a two-year term.

Three of Idaho’s four congressional seats are also up for election this year, including one U.S. Senate seat, which is a six-year term, and two U.S. House of Representatives seats, which are two-year terms.

There are also four ballot measures on all Idahoans’ ballots.

MORE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL NEWS FROM US

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Federal regulators crack down on organ donation groups | Nada Hassanein

ICYMI: OUR TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK

Where are the debates? Idaho incumbents largely forgo debates and forums this year. | Laura Guido
Restoration projects underway at Idaho’s Minidoka National Historic Site | Clark Corbin
Tobacco manufacturers donate $27K to Idaho AG Labrador’s campaign, years after settlement tweaks | Kyle Pfannenstiel
Idaho legislator selected to serve as state’s next US attorney after Davis retires | Christina Lords
The race for Idaho’s top election official, the secretary of state, is a rematch | Kyle Pfannenstiel
Costs and permitting are barriers to nuclear-powered electricity in Idaho, utilities say | Clark Corbin
Stream, riparian restoration could protect Idaho’s Kackley Ranch Preserve for generations to come | Liz Cartwright
Idaho’s health agency director to step down by end of year | Laura Guido
Largest gas pipeline network in Northwest could grow as Oklahoma-based owners pursue expansion | Alex Baumhardt
Idaho DEQ awards Island Park $1.4 million for drinking water project | Clark Corbin
Friends of Minidoka symposium connects Japanese-American incarceration to immigration debate | Christina Lords

ICYMI

Shining a light on other Idaho politics reporting

Note: Some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall

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