Name: Season 53 Episode 25: A Walk in the Park by Idaho Reports
Duration: 28 min 46 s
Description: Idaho has 30 state parks, and word is getting out that they’re great places to visit. This week, we head to Bruneau Dunes State Park to catch up with Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Director Susan Buxton and look into the status of record investments made into Idaho’s state parks over the last few years. Plus, the latest on a lawsuit over abortion ballot initiative language.

One of the bills signed into law this session will make three changes to urban renewal in Idaho: allowing cities to dissolve an urban renewal agency, allowing extensions for districts with a single industrial user, and allowing fire districts to opt out of inclusion in an urban renewal district. BoiseDev reporter Margaret Carmel joins Logan Finney to break down the changes.

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Episode: Revamping Urban Renewal with Margaret Carmel of BoiseDev

The session is over. Time to talk about what passed, what didn’t, and the lawsuits already underway. This week, professor Geoffrey Heeren with the University of Idaho College of Law discusses questions around an Idaho immigration bill, as well as the revocation of visas for international college students. Then, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News and Dr. Jaclyn Kettler of Boise State University’s School of Public Service discuss the end of the 2025 legislative session, and what might be next.

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Season 53 Episode 23: Looking Back, Moving Forward

The "Fighting Oligarchy Tour" on Monday featuring U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, drew a full venue of roughly 12,500 people to the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa. Speakers included former Idaho state Rep. Nate Roberts, D-Pocatello; family physician Dr. Penny Beach; House Minority Caucus Chair Rep. Todd Achilles, D-Boise; American Federation of Government Employees Local 1273 president Chandler Bursey; and AOC and Sanders. 

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Extra: Sanders and AOC "Fighting Oligarchy Tour" in Nampa

After hosting Sen. Bernie Sanders this week at the largest political rally in state history, what's next for the Idaho Democrats? Party chair Lauren Necochea joins associate producer Logan Finney to discuss the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour and what's next on the national and local front.

Episode: Where Idaho Democrats Go From Here with Lauren Necochea

The legislative session may be over, but debates about government spending are still going strong across the state and the country. This week, we look at national political figures like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Turning Point USA activist Charlie Kirk making their case to Idahoans. Then, Speaker of the House Mike Moyle joins Logan Finney to discuss lawmakers’ spending and policy priorities.

Season 53 Episode 24: The Ongoing Debates

Bruneau Dunes State Park is home to the tallest single-structure sand dune in North America, but it's also a certified dark sky area with a notable astronomy facility. Associate producer Logan Finney sat down with manager Bryce Bealba and ranger Greg Harman to talk about the park.

Episode: Sand Dunes and Dark Skies at Bruneau Dunes State Park

Idaho has 30 state parks, and word is getting out that they’re great places to visit. This week, we head to Bruneau Dunes State Park to catch up with Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation Director Susan Buxton and look into the status of record investments made into Idaho’s state parks over the last few years. Plus, the latest on a lawsuit over abortion ballot initiative language.

Season 53 Episode 25: A Walk in the Park

Gov. Brad Little signed an executive order last week directing the Idaho Department of Lands to collaborate with the U.S. Forest Service in support of the Trump administration's goals of increased timber production and improved forest health. Associate producer Logan Finney sat down with Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller to ask what that relationship will look like.

Episode: Idaho's Role in Federal Forest Management with Dustin Miller, Idaho Department of Lands

Over the course of three fiscal years starting in 2022, the legislature appropriated a total of $160 million to improve Idaho’s state parks, with $95 million coming from state surplus funds, and another $65 million coming from the American Rescue Plan Act. On Thursday, the Idaho Reports team headed to Bruneau Dunes State Park to catch up with Director Susan Buxton and find out how that money was put to use, and to tour the facilities at the dunes.   

Extra: Investment in the Parks with Susan Buxton, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation

Three decades after a monumental agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy over radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel storage, Idaho this week agreed to a waiver that will allow the federal government to send a cask of spent nuclear fuel to the Idaho National Laboratory. Plus, increased attention on wildfire management and the possible impacts of the Trump administration’s budget proposal. 

Season 53 Episode 26: Fuel for Thought

The longest-running public policy show in the West, Idaho Reports turns a spotlight on the statehouse during the legislative session. Subscribe for regular episodes and bonus content dedicated to political analysis and in-depth reporting from around the state.

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Season 53 Episode 25: A Walk in the Park

Idaho Reports

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