The Gem State Brief

Curated by Locus Lectorum

November 13, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Illegal alien runs down Boise girl

Boise | November 11 | KTVB

Elvin Ramos-Caballero, a foreign national in Idaho illegally with an outstanding federal warrant, was arrested by ICE after fatally striking a young girl on Harrison Blvd Tuesday.

City of Boise settles for $200,000 in anti-loitering case

Boise City Hall | November 10 | ICFP

An anti-loitering law in Boise was ruled unconstitutionally vague by a US District Court judge. The City of Boise has agreed to pay $200,000 to the man who brought the initial lawsuit, and Boise will consider repealing the ordinance within 90 days.

Local Catholics plan vigil for migrants at the Idaho Capitol building

State Capitol | November 5 | Idaho News 2

Idaho Catholics for Social Justice, a local advocacy group, plans to hold a vigil for migrants at the Capitol building on the 13th, to include multi-lingual prayers and cultural dances.

Idaho DOGE Task Force briefs JFAC on initial findings

State Capitol | November 6 | Idaho Capital Sun

On Thursday, the DOGE Task Force, created this year, presented its list of more than 70 possibilities for reducing the size of the Idaho government to JFAC, including 13 "Low-Hanging Fruit" actions. The Joint Finance-Appropriation Committee is responsible for approving agency budget requests, and would play a key role in implementing any of the proposed changes.

This story is the latest in a series, view the full thread here → 🧵


Report reveals State Board of Education misspent $1.8 million

State Capitol | November 5 | Idaho Ed News

The legislature had earmarked $1.8 million for an upgrade to the Idaho System for Educational Excellence, a high priority data system upgrade for Idaho schools to allow tracking of money spent and academic progress. Instead the State Board spent the money on a dyslexia handbook and math programs, in what appears to be an unintentional error.

Idaho AG's office forces real estate scammers to settle

State Capitol | November 5 | Idaho.gov

The Idaho Attorney General's office sued MV Realty in May over the company's predatory practices in pressuring Idaho homeowners to encumber the title to their property with a deceptively named "Homeowner Benefit Agreement". Under the terms of the settlement, the agreements are rendered void and MV Realty is prohibited from conducting real estate work in Idaho for 5 years.

BLM survey underway to retrace border line between Montana and Idaho

Lookout Pass | November 5 | NBC Montana

Due to years of confusion regarding the location of the state boundary between Idaho and Montana in the Lookout Pass region, a BLM survey crew has begun the work to retrace and verify the original boundary line.

Meridian begins process of building prosecution office

Meridian City Hall | November 7 | Boise Dev

The safety levy passed in Meridian last week, now city leadership is tasked with building a prosecution office from scratch as City Hall prepares to separate from the City of Boise.

Highlights & Insights

"Gambling raid, ICE arrests show how Idaho’s local news lost touch with its community" - Local media personality Brian Almon explores how traditional media outlets in Idaho are actively promoting narratives counter to both reality and the local political climate.

🏛️ Apologetics Fact

In continuation of the whale series, this week, we will take a look at the fossil record. The Pakicetus, based on its triangular teeth and the bony wall around its ears, is considered to be one of the first semi-aquatic ancestors of the whale. The first discovery of the Pakicetus was a singular skull in 1981, which was enough for evolutionists to dub it an ancestor of the whale. However, in 2001, a complete skeleton was discovered, indicating that the Pakicetus was actually a fully terrestrial animal. Additionally, further research on the ear indicates that it is better suited to hearing sounds via air, and there have been other land animals discovered with triangular teeth. We can also look at the Rodhocetus, a species with a fluke (whale tail) and four legs, making it an ideal link between whales and their terrestrial ancestors. However, we only have two skeletal samples and neither have a ball vertebrae at the end of the tail, which is required for a fluke. The discoverer of the Rodhocetus even admitted that he was only speculating that the Rodhocetus had a fluke and now doubts that it does.

🗣️ Quote

"For socialism is not only a problem of labor... but is in the first instance a problem of atheism. The contemporary problem of atheism. The problem of the tower of Babel, constructed expressly without God. Not for the attainment of heaven from earth, but the abasement of heaven to earth." — Fyodor Dostoevsky The Brothers Karamazov

🏅 Person: Presley O'Bannon (1776-1850)

Born in 1776, Presley O'Bannon was a First Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and was given command of a small detachment of 8 Marines sent to protect the United States' Agent to the Barbary States, William Eaton. Landed in Alexandria, Egypt in March of 1805, O'Bannon and Eaton raised a force of roughly 500 Greek and Arab mercenaries to attack Derna, a stronghold of the Barbary pirates. During the 500 mile forced march across the desert, O'Bannon and his Marines were forced to defend Eaton and their supplies against multiple mutiny attempts by their hired mercenaries. Arriving at Derna, O'Bannon and his Marines took the lead in storming the fortress, during which 4 of the 8 Marines were killed or wounded. O'Bannon himself raised the American flag over the fortress, the first time the new nation's flag had ever been raised over foreign soil in time of war. Marine Corps legend states that O'Bannon was gifted a bejeweled sword by the grateful new ruler of Derna, the model for the Mameluke sword still worn by USMC officers to this day.

📕 Book: The Road to Serfdom

One of the most famous works in conservative economics, F.A. Hayek skillfully describes how regulation and intervention in the market inevitably lead to ubiquitous dependence upon the government. While more compromising than some 'pure' Austrian economists, Hayek nonetheless lays out a very pragmatic case for free market libertarianism in this brief volume.

Non-AI Generation Disclaimer: All elements of the Gem State Brief (headlines, summaries, highlights, insights, original articles/videos, etc.) are produced exclusively by members of the Locus Lectorum book club (learn about each member here), not AI. This is news by humans for humans.