The Gem State Brief

Curated by Locus Lectorum

August 07, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Attack by 3 teens ends with self-defense shooting

Boise | August 2 | KTVB

18-year-old Bailey Geesey attempted to steal alcohol from a store in Boise on Saturday evening. When confronted by a store employee, Geesey and two other teenagers attacked the employee, knocking them over and repeatedly kicking them. The assault ended when the store employee drew a concealed pistol and fired, striking one of the other teens.

New law brings short-lived red-light camera program to an end

State Capitol | August 6 | KIVI

The city of Boise announced that it is cancelling a planned red-light camera program due to Senate Bill 1180. The bill went into effect July 1st and limits the usage of automatic license plate readers for ticketing to incidents involving a crash. The city legal team determined the red-light program would violate the new law.

Director of the Idaho National Laboratory says Idaho leading the way in new nuclear renaissance

State Capitol | July 31 | Idaho Capital Sun

Testifying before the Idaho Legislature's Interim Committee on Federalism, the Director of the Idaho National Laboratory says that Trump's executive orders have revitalized the nuclear power industry in the US. The INL is the leading nuclear research facility in the United States, and is now building and permitting new reactors for the first time in 50 years.

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Victory Fire near Kuna under investigation

Kuna | August 3 | KBOI

Firefighters have contained the 900-acre Victory Fire in a popular recreational shooting area near Initial Point. The BLM says that the fire was human-caused and is under investigation, coming days after the 26,000-acre Range Fire was sparked by explosives disposal in the Orchard Combat Training Center south of Boise.

Snake River reservoirs develop toxic bite

Brownlee Reservoir | August 4 | KTVB

The Hells Canyon and Brownlee reservoirs on the Snake River are currently having dangerous levels of cyanotoxin algae blooms. ID Health and Welfare are advising to not come in contact with the water, doing so can cause skin irritation and even flu-like symptoms.

Anti-Trump rally in Boise claims to represent both conservatives and liberals

State Capitol | August 2 | KTVB

Saturday saw yet another protest at the Statehouse organized by the 50501 Idaho movement, drawing a few hundred people. Organizers say the rally's purpose was to "Rage against the Regime," and primarily focused on Trump's cuts to federal funding as their primary concern.

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Idaho legislative panel considers child custody law reform

State Capitol | August 4 | KPVI

The Legislature's panel on child custody and domestic relations is considering legislation for the 2026 session to clarify rules to keep children out of the custody of abusive parents, and to encourage more mediation in custody disputes.

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Highlights & Insights

📖 Other Recommended Read

"Three Vacancies, Three Processes" - Brian Almon looks at three recent appointments by Governor Little, highlighting the powers the governor does and does not have.

🏛️ Apologetics Fact

The Bombardier Beetle -- When threatened, the bombardier beetle combines hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone with enzymes to create a chemical reaction that violently boils the mixture. A system of valves ensures that the resulting mini-explosion is directed out the beetle's tail towards its attacker rather than destroying the beetle's internal organisms. As with many other creatures, the system is irreducibly complex, any one part missing would cause the entire mechanism to be useless. This presents a serious challenge to the evolutionary model, which requires gradual, progressive steps.

🗣️ Quote

"It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." — Samuel Adams

🏅 Person: Claude Shannon (1916-2001)

Few men have had a more lasting impact on modern technology than Claude Shannon. While performing graduate studies at MIT, he demonstrated that electrical circuits could be modeled with a previously niche branch of math known as Boolean algebra. This insight has underpinned all logic circuit analysis for the past 90 years. After graduating from MIT, Shannon began to work at Bell Labs, where his study of cryptography led him to pioneer the field of Information Theory -- the mathematical study of information. The field of information theory is essential for building the reliable digital communication protocols that power every aspect of the modern world. Shannon also is credited with building perhaps the world's first working artificial intelligence -- a mechanical mouse and a maze of electromechanical relays that allowed the mouse to "learn" the path through the maze. Shannon received numerous awards throughout his career, and many have pointed to him as the single most significant factor in ushering the world into the information age.

📕 Book: Patton — The Man Behind the Legend

Martin Blumenson provides an insightful and enjoyable look at one of WWII's most enigmatic characters, one that sparks controversy to this day. A man of continuous action, yet also obsessed with logistics and the welfare of those under his command, Patton inspires men across many disciplines to this day.