Idaho House Committee advances bill to repeal voter-approved medicaid expansion

KIFI on March 9, 2026

Seth Ratliff

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — In a swift and controversial move, the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee voted 10–6 on Monday to introduce a bill that would repeal Medicaid expansion, effective January 1, 2028. The decision followed less than 20 minutes of debate centered around rolling back the 2018 voter-approved initiative.

Idaho Medicaid Expansion Background

Idaho voters approved Medicaid expansion through a 2018 ballot initiative. The policy extended Medicaid coverage to Idahoans who earn less than 138% of the federal poverty level, around $22,025 annually for a single person, or $45,540 for a family of four in 2026.

Based on data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, of the 89,000 to 90,000 people on medicaid expansion, 48% were working in 2025. Last year, Governor Brad Little signed into law House Bill 345, requiring Idahoans on Medicaid expansion to prove that they work.

The Argument for Fiscal Control

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jordan Redman (R-Coeur d’Alene), framed the repeal as a necessary step recommended by the Idaho Department of Government Efficiency. Redman argued that the program no longer reflects its original intent to provide healthcare to the “working poor” and the most vulnerable due to significant enrollment growth.

“I believe that oftentimes this can actually hold people back from their full potential,” Redman told lawmakers, after voicing concerns from employers in his district that workers are turning down raises to avoid hitting the “benefit cliff.”

Rep. Lucas Cayler (R-Caldwell) echoed these sentiments, warning that the program would eventually “blow out” the state budget. “There are entirely way too many people—able-bodied adults who are not working—participating,” Cayler said. “This is a problem that we need to address now and not kick the can down the road.”

The “Will of the Voters”

Opponents were quick to point out the human and democratic costs of the repeal. According to Idaho Voices for Children, the move would leave the approximately 90,000 Idahoans enrolled in Medicaid expansion without health insurance and no clear backup plan.

“Idahoans voted for their neighbors to have healthcare—61% approved Medicaid expansion,” said Hillarie Matlock, Policy Director at Idaho Voices for Children. “Ignoring that and taking coverage away goes directly against the will of the voters.”

In response to similar concerns brought up in committee, Rep. Redman argued voters did not have accurate information to know how the expansion would affect the state.

The Cost of Medicaid Expansion

While supporters argue the repeal saves the state money, House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel (D-Boise) and financial analysts argue it would actually cost the state in the long run.

Ruble pointed to a study by the Department of Health and Welfare showing $80 million in savings across corrections and behavioral health. Idaho also receives approximately $1 billion in federal funds annually, which support 9000 jobs, Rubel says would be lost without the program.

“I take great issue with the fundamental premise that has brought this, which is this notion that it will somehow save our state money and help our budget,” said Rubel. “This would put us in the hole. It would be a net loss of at least $20 million.”

According to a study by the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy, Medicaid expansion also generates neary $47 million in tax revenue for the state, while Idaho’s Medicaid actual expenditures went down by 0.4 percent from FY 2019 to 2024 when adjusted for inflation.

While the projected state cost for Medicaid expansion in FY 2026 is $91 million, Idaho Voices for Children estimates a repeal would actually cost the state $143 million as costs shift back to other General Fund programs.

The bill now moves to the House floor for further debate.

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One dead in fatal crash on I-8 in Imperial County

KYMA on March 9, 2026

Dillon Fuhrman

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA) – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is investigating a crash which left one person dead.

According to a press release, the crash happened before 12:30 a.m. Monday in the area of Interstate 8 (I-8), west of Westside Road.

CHP says a 68-year-old woman was driving a 1997 Toyota Tacoma eastbound on I-8 at an unknown speed when the Toyota rolled over and “impacted the dirt shoulder.”

As a result, CHP says the driver, who has yet to be identified, died at the scene.

While the driver was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash, CHP says the airbags were not deployed.

The crash is under investigation.

SOLO VEHICLE ROLLOVER FATAL FROM MARCH 9, 2026 288Download

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Modernization project revitalizes Santa Maria school libraries

KEYT on March 9, 2026

Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – A recently-completed project has helped modernize and refresh nearly all of the libraries across the Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD).

According to the district, the project has provided school libraries with several new improvements, including:

Complete Shelving Replacement: Battles, Fesler, Miller, Arellanes Elementary, Liberty, and Ontiveros received full shelving overhauls.

Mobile Flexibility: Almost all district sites were equipped with updated mobile shelving to allow for versatile use of library space.

Enhanced Comfort: Select libraries received new tables, chairs, and soft seating to create a welcoming atmosphere for independent reading.

Dynamic Displays: New book displays, browsing bins, and rugs were added to highlight collections and encourage student discovery.

“Any time you can upgrade a space and make it more functional, you’re going to get more out of that experience,” Megan Lizalde, Santa Maria-Bonita School District Library Media Clerk. “When you’re coming in and you are visually pulled in and attracted to things, they’re going to be engaged, they’re going to pull those books out, they’re going to flip through the pages. They’re going to get excited. We try to really make our library multi-purpose and inviting throughout the day, so it just gets the kids excited to be in the space, which of course wants them excited about reading and learning. It’s just positive all the way around.”

In addition, each school site has received approximately 300 new books, which the district said will ensure students to reading materials that are fresh, relevant and diverse.

“We were really able to upgrade our library collections,” Stephanie Lowe, SMBSD Program Specialist for Library and Curriculum. “We weeded out outdated books and are providing new, more engaging books for our students, so that that’s probably one of the most exciting parts is being able to to give students new books. We want our students to be able to have updated information and to provide students with accurate, information and the formats of newer books, it’s really easy to see how more how much more engaging the books are.”

The upgrades totaled $1.3 million and were supported through the use of Title I funding, which is described by the U.S. Department of Education as supplemental financial assistance to school districts for children from low-income families.

“This project is a testament to what happens when we align our resources with our vision for student success,” said Lowe. “Our libraries have evolved beyond their traditional role, becoming dynamic spaces where students’ curiosity thrives, students explore and connect, and a love of learning comes to life.”

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Do you know how to sleep? How to ease your aches and pains

KRDO on March 9, 2026

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – It’s the most tired workday of the year, the Monday after the daylight savings “leap forward.” While you try to catch up on the zzz’s, you could be doing it in a way that sets your body back.

Physical therapists say some of our favorite sleeping postures can hurt our joints when we get out of bed.

“So the problem with laying on your stomach is it’s actually good for your lower back because it decompresses the discs. However, when you’re on your face and you’re turned so much, these little joints in here they’re called cervical facet joints, they get compressed,” Fyzical Therapist Rocrimmon doctor Scott Moser said.

Moser and his co-workers recommend lying on your back or your side. Keep your pillow at a comfortable height, not too high or too low, so your neck is supported. If on your back, they say to put a pillow underneath your legs to take pressure off your lower back and keep your spine straight. On your side, they say to move the pillow between your legs to have the same effect.

Physical therapist Karly Lindroth said she uses a practical approach when coaching adults on how to improve their sleep.

“I think you just have to look at their function. If they’re saying, ‘hey, I’m not getting any sleep because I’m in so much back pain,’ that’s the best way to approach it. You’re like, ‘well, let’s try the sleeping position. Let’s try the stretches, let’s try the exercises to take pressure off the spine,’ And see how that goes,” Lindroth said.

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If you heard a ‘boom’ and saw a flash Sunday night, you’re not alone. But Bend police could not find the cause

KTVZ on March 9, 2026

Barney Lerten

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend police investigated several reports of a loud explosion and a flash of light on the south end of town Sunday evening. They tell KTVZ News that officers searched the area but found no evidence of property damage, injuries or criminal activity.

Deschutes County 911 dispatchers received several calls around 8:30 p.m. regarding a loud bang and a visible flash. Sheila Miller, Bend police communications manager, said that while multiple people reported the event, officers were unable to find the source of the noise or flash.

KTVZ News inquired after a viewer who lives in the Romaine Village area off Brookswood Boulevard told us, “We heard a big boom last night around 8:40 p.m. … It shook people’s homes and freaked a lot of people (us included) out!”

One area resident told officers that they believed a “flash bomb” had been thrown after noticing a dog barking during the incident.

Despite the reports, a search of the area by responding officers yielded no physical evidence of a blast, Miller said.

“At this time, we have received no further information and have no evidence of a crime,” Miller said.

Miller said police also asked St. Charles Bend to notify them if any patients arrived at the facility with burns or injuries consistent with an explosion, but there had been none reported so far.

Police advised residents to contact them if they find any property damage or hear more loud noises.

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Boone County deputies seek driver who struck child in hit-and-run; crash sparks safety concerns from neighbors

KMIZ on March 9, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County deputies are asking for the public’s help in finding a driver who hit a 9-year-old girl and drove away Sunday night.

The child, who was taken to a hospital but was alert and talking at the scene, was crossing in the 700 block of Demaret Drive east of Columbia at about 6:45 p.m. when she was hit, said Boone County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Brian Leer. Witnesses said the vehicle was a red sedan, driven by a young woman, with a black dog inside, Leer said.

The vehicle drove away north on Hogan Drive.

“The vehicle may have sustained some damage to the front end, however, no debris or evidence from the vehicle was found at the scene,” Leer said.

Neighbors say speeding in the area is a common occurrence

The stretch of road where the 9-year-old girl was hit on Sunday is known to frequently have drivers speed by and roll through stop signs, according to neighbors.

Although the sheriff’s office hasn’t said if speeding contributed to the crash, neighbors said they wouldn’t be surprised if it was a factor. Kisha Benson recently moved to the area in November, but has seen drivers speeding down the road every day.

“Since I’ve been out here cars have been flying up and down the street. I yell at people all the time ‘slow down’,” Benson said.

Benson said she recalls seeing the little girl playing outside before leaving her home to go get food. She returned to see the fire department and deputies who had blocked a portion of the street off and later learned that the child had been hit.

Long before Sunday’s incident, Benson said she had already taken steps of her own to ensure safety. That includes placing orange traffic cones out in the area for her 13 grandchildren who commonly play basketball and ride their bikes. She’s now taking that one step further.

Benson said she’s planning to have people sign a petition and get in contact with the city to have speed bumps or signs in the area warning people of children playing.

“I hope they catch them (the suspect) and I hope they will at least think about putting some signs out here…something because there’s too many kids out here. There’s too many children,” Benson said. “I’m very concerned about it because I fear somebody is gonna fly through here and hit one of mine, and then we’re gonna have a problem.”

Resident Richard Summers is also new to the area, only having lived there for four months. Summers said he’s personally almost been hit by a vehicle more than once while trying to cross the street to get to his mailbox and has seen people speed and roll through a stop sign near Hogan Drive.

Summers said he frequently sees deputies patrolling the area, but thinks that if that happened more often, it could help with the speeding issue.

“Because the deputies are out here and they know if they come flying down there, they’re going to get popped,” Summers said. “So that’s why they act like little boys and girls when the cops are around but other than that, they fly up and down here like crazy people…these people ain’t got on common sense. What if it was their kid? How would they feel?”

Summers said he would also support adding speed bumps to the street and said he’s considering going to the city about his concerns. He noted the many children who live in the neighborhood and said he’s worried about children possibly getting hit while getting off the school bus or again, while playing outside.

However, he said the speeding problem may also become a problem for others in the area.

“What happens if somebody on any bike gets hit? We have a lot of people going up and down through here with bicycles and everything else and it’s just ridiculous,” Summers said. “Something needs to be done and soon or another kid’s gonna get hit. It isn’t fair to the families of the kids that are in the neighborhood. It’s not fair to this neighborhood.”

Benson also said people’s cars are frequently side swiped due to drivers that are speeding in the neighborhood. Several other neighbors in the area also said they don’t allow their children to play outside due to speeding.

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Pismo Beach’s Mounting Worries Over Declining Monarchs

KEYT on March 9, 2026

Jarrod Zinn

PISMO BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – The Pismo Beach Butterfly Grove may have more humans than butterflies visiting this year, further increasing concerns for scientists.

But they’re still not on the endangered species list.

The latest counts of monarch butterflies are the third lowest in recorded history.

But their addition to the endangered species list has been delayed.

“They said, ‘okay, things are postponed,’” says Isis Howard, a conservation biologist with the Xerxes Society. “Like, listings are postponed. Not just for the monarch butterfly, but for other species, too.”

Scientists with the Xerxes Society say the evidence showing the butterflies are a threatened species still holds.

“Fish and Wildlife Service agreed that monarchs should be listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act,” says Howard. “However, the listing has been postponed and we don’t know when that will start up again.”

Studies reveal that in addition to environmental factors beyond control, such as weather patterns and wildfires, the use of herbicides and pesticides is one of the leading causes of the species’ decline in population.

“I think what’s most striking and concerning from my perspective is that the three lowest counts have all occurred in the last five years,” says Howard. “And so this is kind of typical of what we see with species in decline.”

Butterflies give scientists indicators of overall ecological health.

They also serve as pollinators along with bees, and they provide food for birds and wildlife.

“There’s an awesome website called CalScape, and you can just type in your address or zip code, type in milkweed and it’ll generate a list of all the milkweed that’s native to you,” says Howard. “Then I think one of the top things people can do is also reduce or limit their reliance on pesticides.”

People can help the monarchs by gardening plants that yield nectar, and milkweed which is a host plant for caterpillars.

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Dos Pueblos High Students Win Big in National ‘Lights, Camera, Save!’ Banking Competition

KEYT on March 9, 2026

John Palminteri

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – The American Bankers Association (ABA) Foundation says the winners of the Lights, Camera, Save! teen video contest have come from the same high school and it is in Goleta.

This is a nationwide competition that encourages teens ages 13–18 to create a 30-second or less video educating their peers on the importance of smart money management.

The winners are from Dos Pueblos High. It is the first time first and second place have come from the same school.

The first-place winner is Adam Costa, representing Montecito Bank & Trust for his video “It All Adds Up!” That comes with a $10,000 grand prize. Costa’s video was selected from a record number of entries after two rounds of national judging, including public voting on ABA’s Instagram page.

His theme using graphics and cash showed how a small amount of money, for example $5.00 at a time, can build up and, with interest, become thousands of dollars.

The second place winner is Ethan Gardiner, representing American Riviera Bank for his video, “Climbing the College Mountain.” That earned a $5,000 prize. It was produced in collaboration with classmates Zenia Potter and Deveraux Wigo.

The videos are designed to promote financial literacy among teens.

Honors were given out on the campus and large checks were presented to those involved in the videos. Family members were invited to the event and lunch was served. Gardiner was unable to make the event.

Potter was on camera in the “Climbing the College Mountain” video with Wigo using her camera skills. They did several takes to get it right and said they went to the site more than once. It also involved creative technical editing and moving animation. There was a time limit for each video. They made “a shorter version and longer version. We saw what we could mesh together to fit under the 30 seconds,” she said when describing the challenges.

Costa also used various technical skills to consolidate his message and meet the contest requirements. He said, “the 30-seconds part was kinda hard. I had to make a script and then time each part and make sure it was all under and edit some things out so it was under.”

Montecito Bank & Trust and American Riviera Bank are strong supporters of financial literacy and both banks have outreach programs at many levels from young students, to teens and seniors. They cover many financial topics including scams, understanding credit and ways to pay for college. There’s also advice on how to get out of debt.

Montecito Bank & Trust Financial Officer Bruce Stephens said, working with young people, and even helping them to open an account, “that’s where it’s got to start. It has to start at a young age so people understand that you start now and maybe that will help in the future when you become adults and have to save also.”

At American Riviera Bank, Chief Risk Officer Laurel Sykes said, “it is really important for kids to hear from other kids, why it important to save and why money is something you need to think about from the get go so you don’t end up in debt, right out of of college and not get into debt. If you do, you have a plan to pay it back.”

Brianna Aguilar, Vice President, Manager of Community Programs at Montecito Bank & Trust, said, “We believe financial education is one of the most powerful tools we can provide the next generation. By engaging in conversations about budgeting, saving and credit, young people gain the knowledge and tools to help make informed decisions about their finances as they navigate the various stages of life.”

Principal Bill Woodard said, “we love when out students are participating in things beyond the classroom and taking the skills they learn in our media program and other technical programs and applying that to a nationwide contest is definitely something that makes me very proud.”

Dos Pueblos has the Virgil Elings Media Arts and Communications Center. Woodard said, “being able to use all the great tools we have in this wonderful new facility tied into this financial literacy really ties into some great issues which we have here at DP.”

He said at his school and throughout the district, “Our Career Technical Education Programs, including the Engineering and Media Programs are dedicated to helping students develop their passions while investing in the arts and real-world skills. Opportunities like this show what can happen when students have access to strong programs and community support.”

Media instructor John Dent said, students from the program recently won several honors at a national event in Tampa, and 38 went in person to the workshops and on site competitions during the week-long event.

Speaking about the current financial video honors he said to both, “American Riviera Bank and Montecito Bank & Trust, thank you so much for the opportunity for giving our students the opportunity to be successful and to show off what they can do.

For more information about American Riviera Bank, visit americanriviera.bank. For more information about Montecito Bank & Trust, visit montecito.bank. For more information about Dos Pueblos High School, visit www.dphs.sbunified.org.

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New Transitional Home Opens for Young Adults Facing Homelessness in Santa Barbara

KEYT on March 9, 2026

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Channel Islands YMCA just opened a new transitional home in Santa Barbara, offering young adults experiencing homelessness a place to rebuild and gain independence.

The Mission House will welcome eight residents between the ages of 18 and 21.

Residents can stay for up to eighteen months while receiving support for education, employment, and everyday life skills.

The program is designed to give young adults stability while they plan for the future, with guidance on finding work, continuing school, and learning essential life skills.

Leaders hope the structured support can help residents take the next step toward self-sufficiency.

For those moving in, this home could be a turning point toward a brighter future.

For more information on Channel Islands YMCA, visit: https://www.ciymca.org/.

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ICE reports no active measles cases at Camp East Montana

KVIA on March 9, 2026

Heriberto Perez Lara

FORT BLISS, Texas (KVIA) — The Department of Homeland Security, through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), just confirmed as of March 6, there are no active measles infections at Camp East Montana.

“As of March 6, 2026, there are no active measles infections at Camp East Montana in Texas. Upon the confirmation of measles at the facility, ICE Health Services Corps immediately took steps to quarantine and control further spread and infection, ceasing all movement within the facility and quarantining all individuals suspected of making contact with the infected,” said an ICE spokesperson.

Even though there are no active measles cases anymore, in-person visitations continue to be suspended, ICE says it is to protect the health and safety of all detainees, staff and the community. However, all detainees will still have access to attorneys and visitation through Visual Attorney Visitation booths, tablets, or telephones. 

“Medical staff is continuing to monitor the detainees’ conditions and will take appropriate and active steps to prevent further infection.  All detainees are being provided with proper medical care, an ICE spokesperson added. “It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care—including access to vaccines. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. This is the best healthcare than many aliens have received in their entire lives.”  

In recent weeks, 14 cases were confirmed, prompting the ICE detention center to implement quarantine protocols and suspend all visits since last week.

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