The Gem State Brief

Curated by Locus Lectorum

December 04, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Report reveals dubious purchases with virtual school funds

Oneida County | December 2 | Idaho Capital Sun

An evaluation was published this week for the Idaho Home Learning Academy -- an online charter school operated by the Oneida School District. As part of enrollment, families receive approximately $1700 per child to help cover education expenses. However, the report revealed that some families had used these funds for non-educational items, ranging from home theater projectors to RC cars to BBQ tongs.

Eagle bar's free beer offer reposted by DHS

Eagle | December 1 | KIVI

Old State Saloon in Eagle has offered a month of free beer to any customer who provides ICE with a tip that leads to the deportation of an illegal immigrant from Idaho. The official Department of Homeland Security X account reposted their offer, sparking nationwide attention for the bar.

KTVB ownership group merger threatened by Trump

KTVB | November 27 | Idaho Statesman

Local news station KTVB is owned by Tegna, a conglomerate that owns 63 other TV stations as well. Nexstar Media Group, which owns over 200 stations around the US, has announced plans to acquire Tegna, which should have finalized in mid-2026 pending FCC approval. However, President Trump seems to be leaning against the FCC lifting the cap on how many TV stations can be owned by one corporation, potentially preventing the merger.

New Undergraduate Medical Education Plan available for public review

State Capitol | December 2 | Gem State Chronicle

As part of new legislation passed this year, the state board of education along with a working group has drafted a plan to expand and improve education for Idaho medical students, particularly those in rural areas. The plan is available for public comment from now until December 12th.

ACHD five-year plan changes priority of various projects

State Capitol | December 2 | Boise Dev

Various projects in southwest Ada County were reduced in priority in the latest ACHD five-year plan, with plans for widening and adding bike lanes to roads such as Cloverdale, Amity, and Lake Hazel de-prioritized or removed. The changes were primarily driven by increasing construction costs and a stronger preference for the submitted priorities from Ada County and the City of Boise.

Highlights & Insights

"Economists Are Shocked, Shocked by Who Is Paying the Tariffs" - As 2025 draws to a close more data is in on tariffs and their effects and the answers are different than experts predicted, with significant portions of the cost being borne by foreign firms and/or countries.

🏛️ Apologetics Fact

A noteworthy feature of linguistic history is the great variety of unique linguistic origins, with current research estimating over 100 different language families. This variety is a surprising result if human linguistic capabilities evolved, since we would expect one, or at most a few, source languages. Conversely, the Biblical explanation of the Tower of Babel explains this perfectly. There was only one language until God directly intervened to create more to force the post-Noahic humans to spread out over the earth.

🗣️ Quote

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." — Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)

🏅 Person: Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)

Considered 'The Father of Microbiology', Pasteur revolutionized the understanding of sickness and infection. Through careful experimentation, he disproved spontaneous generation--the prevailing theory of the day that living microbes (and other organisms) spontaneously generated from non-living matter. This work would lead to his development of several of the first effective vaccines, the process of Pasteurization, and other discoveries. It is almost certain that, in the 100+ years since he lived, Pasteur’s work has saved millions of lives

📕 Book: White Horse King

This excellent book traces Alfred's reign with a special emphasis on his intentional transformation of Anglo-Saxon culture that ultimately led to the defeat of the Danes and the unification of Britain. The clash of pagan raider culture with scattered agrarian village life required different approaches to achieve success; Benjamin Merkle does an excellent job of tracing how faith ultimately led Alfred to triumph. Bonus points for the subtle callouts to Alfred's influence on Tolkien.

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.