The Gem State Brief

Curated by Locus Lectorum

July 17, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

State of Idaho ends 2025 fiscal year with a $345 million balance

State Capitol | July 11 | Idaho Capital Sun

Despite lower than predicted state revenues, the State of Idaho ended the 2025 fiscal year on June 30th with a positive cash balance of about $345 million. Between tax cuts and tax credits, the legislature reduced the potential income for the state by around $450 million during the 2025 session.

Boise School District will continue to display "Everyone is Welcome Here" signs

Boise School District | July 10 | Idaho News 6

In a memo sent to all families in the district on July 10th, the Boise School District stated that in order to comply with with newly enacted law HB 41, many flags and banners, including pride flags, would no longer be allowed in schools. However, the memo also stated that the school district will continue to support teachers displaying the "Everyone is Welcome Here" sign that sparked the initial controversy. Last week, the Attorney General's office released a statement saying the sign violated the new law.

Protests greet the Allen & Co Conference in Sun Valley

Sun Valley | July 9 | BoiseDev

Hosted by a private investment firm in New York, the annual Allen & Co conference in Sun Valley is designed to facilitate major tech and financial deals and is often frequented by some of the biggest names in the industry, including names like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. This year locals in the Wood River Valley have organized several protests against the billionaires attending the conference.

Idaho AG prepares to defend Idaho's trans sports ban before the Supreme Court

State Capitol | July 9 | Fox News

Five years after the case against Idaho's ban on transgender athletes competing in sports was filed, Little v. Hecox has finally reached the United States Supreme Court. Idaho Attorney General Labrador says that he hopes the court will rule broadly, creating a national precedent that laws such as Idaho's are constitutional.

ITD accepting feedback for seven-year roadway improvement plan

State Capitol | July 13 | Idaho Press Tribune

Through the month of July, Idahoans can submit feedback on the Idaho Transportation Investment Program, the seven-year, $5.8 billion plan to improve and expand Idaho's road infrastructure. An interactive map and detailed project list is available at the link to Idaho.gov.

Idaho Supreme Court rules Attorney General can subpoena COVID grant recipients

State Capitol | July 10 | Boise State Public Radio

The state of Idaho granted dozens of nonprofits $72 million in COVID relief funds in 2021 and 2022 to offset learning loss in elementary school students. After reports of fraud with some of these funds, the Attorney General's office began an investigation, but was halted when the nonprofits sued to halt the investigation. Now the Idaho Supreme Court has ruled that the AG's office can continue the investigation, overruling a lower court injunction.

Highlights & Insights

"Restoring America's Naval Dominance" - Back in April, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at helping restore our naval superiority. This article, written by former Navy Commander and US Naval Academy professor Claude Berube, provides a good review of the goals set by Trump's order and the timelines for their accomplishment.

🏛️ Apologetics Fact

One of the compelling pieces of evidence for a universal, catastrophic flood is the sharp boundaries between discrete sedimentary rock layers in places such as the Grand Canyon. Old-earth theory places millions of years between each of these layers, yet no erosion is visible between the layers. This is much better explained by the layers being laid down rapidly by a catastrophic event. Notably, this process of rapidly deposited discrete layers of rock was observed during the Mount St. Helens eruption.

🗣️ Quote

"At the moment, the most virulent of the idols in America appears to be the belief that political results of a leftist variety are the only things that count; and we are observing the politicization of our culture with consequent damage to institutions and disciplines that once had standards of integrity unrelated to political results. That is today's cultural war, and since the idol of politics rests upon faith quite as much as any other belief system, our cultural wars are religious wars." — Robert Bork (Preface to Idols for Destruction)

🏅 Person: John Stark (1728-1822)

Born in New Hampshire to Scotch-Irish parents, John Stark was captured by a Canadian Indian tribe while hunting as a young man, but was adopted into the tribe after the chief was impressed by his bravery. Ransomed the next year, Stark went on to take part in the French and Indian War, perfecting the guerrilla warfare of the American frontier as the second in command of the famed Rogers' Rangers. During the Revolutionary War, Stark's New Hampshire regiment was critical in covering the retreat of Col. Prescott's men at Bunker Hill. Later as a brigadier general, Stark gathered a force of 1400 untrained militiamen armed entirely with their own personal weapons, and managed to head off and destroy a British supply column of roughly 1000 trained soldiers in the Battle of Bennington, famously saying "We'll beat them before night or Molly Stark's a widow." At the end of his life when unable to attend a gathering of the survivors of the battle, Stark sent a letter which closed with "Live free or die, death is not the worst of evils."

📕 Book: Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors

This book covers the last major naval battle in history, the concluding rearguard action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, widely considered by historians to be amongst the most desperate last stands in naval history. A Japanese force of 21 ships, including 4 battleships fell upon a small American task force of three small escort carriers and 6 destroyers tasked with supporting landed troops. Despite lacking guns that could even penetrate the Japanese armor, the 6 American warships fought desperately to protect the carriers, successfully sinking 3 heavy cruisers and severely damaging 7 other Japanese ships. This extraordinary tale of heroism not only highlights the bravery of the commanders and men, but also gives a great deal of insight into the wartime shipbuilding decisions that led to the United States Navy operating what were effectively merchant vessels with guns bolted to the deck.