All About the Coroner's Office

Daily Digest 4/28/26

I’ve been working on a deep dive into the county coroner’s race for the past week, and this morning I finally published my findings:

The office of coroner is deeply embedded in our history and tradition. Idaho Code § 31-2807, which has been part of our laws since before statehood, establishes that the coroner has the authority to act in place of the county sheriff should the need arise. At the same time, because of the highly technical nature of the job, many jurisdictions throughout the country are amending their laws to make the coroner an appointed rather than elected position.

Residents of Idaho retain the solemn duty of electing the man or woman who is entrusted with determining the official cause and manner of deaths in our counties, and it is a duty we should take seriously. It is up to voters to weigh management ability, outside perspective, and technical expertise as they cast their ballots for this important office.

Magic Valley money

Tim Oren continues his regular (and exclusive) column analyzing the Legislature. This week he took a close look at the six legislative races in the Magic Valley, which is the home turf for the Gang of 8:

Districts 24 and 25 lie in the Magic Valley of southern Idaho, comprising the city of Twin Falls and part of its agricultural hinterlands. Like all of Idaho, this area has been changing due to in-migration, though these districts are about average in that regard.

Its Statehouse representation has been changing as well. The 2024 primaries returned a more conservative, small government-oriented delegation from Districts 24 and 25. Four of the legislators – Zuiderveld, Kohl, Leavitt and Hostetler – are members of the well-known Gang of 8 fiscal conservatives. Big Ag has boosted a slate of candidates to take back the conservative-held seats, so this looks like a good area to see how these groups and averages are working in reality. I’ll examine the races in order of total contributions, starting with the highest. The heavyweight contest is Zuiderveld vs. Reinke for the District 24 Senate seat…

Congressman Fulcher checks in

Congressman Russ Fulcher’s newsletter doesn’t come out weekly, but it is comprehensive. Check it out to see how CD1 is being represented in DC:

I recently became a co-sponsor on legislation to pair the SAVE America Act with a 60-day extension of full funding for DHS while a reconciliation bill is formalized. Both measures are vital to advancing America first priorities—safeguarding the integrity of our federal elections while ensuring DHS has the resources necessary to keep our homeland safe.

The House has acted responsibly and passed legislation to advance the SAVE America Act and fund all of DHS four times now. This proposal builds on that effort and doubles down on our commitment to see these objectives through. As we move forward, I will keep you posted on the latest regarding this measure.

As always, thank you for staying engaged, and I hope this e-newsletter provides a beneficial update on what my team and I have been working on as of late.

College tuition is going up

The State Board of Education issued a press release today announcing modest increases in tuition at Idaho’s taxpayer-funded colleges and universities:

The Board approved an increase of $425 for resident undergraduate students at Boise State, University of Idaho, and Idaho State University and $350 for students attending Lewis-Clark State College. The decision reflects a deliberate effort to balance student affordability with the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of Idaho’s higher education system.

The Board adopted a set dollar increase, rather than a percentage-based adjustment, to provide greater predictability for students and families. A dollar-based approach ensures a more consistent impact across institutions, avoids disproportionate increases at lower-tuition campuses, and keeps the focus on the actual cost to students.

Senator Crapo cosponsors a bill

Sen. Mike Crapo announced today that he is cosponsoring a bill to continue a terrorism insurance program:

Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, most states began allowing terrorism risk to be excluded from commercial insurance policies, leaving businesses and industries without access to coverage. Since insurance is a precondition for commercial lending and real estate transactions, this gap in coverage threatened broad economic damage across real estate, construction, energy, transportation and related industries. Congress responded by passing the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA), creating a federal reinsurance backstop to stabilize the private market and ensure that commercial policyholders could continue to obtain terrorism risk coverage.

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There’s no shortage of interesting stories to cover, so stay tuned for more. I’m working on a project involving the Idaho GOP Platform as well as continuing to dig into how are tax dollars are being funneled through healthcare providers.

Remember to make a plan to vote, whether by mail, early, or on Election Day on May 19.

Thanks as always to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!