Policy

Is The Controller’s Office Holding Lava’s Feet To The Fire?

By Eireann Van Natta

October 20, 2026

This is Part Four of IFF’s investigation into Lava Hot Springs; please read Part One HERE, Part Two HERE, and Part Three HERE. Idaho Freedom Foundation, back in August, reported on the City of Lava Hot Springs’ noncompliance with the State Controller’s Office (SCO), specifically regarding reporting and auditing requirements. The city confirmed to IFF […]

Out Of The Hot Springs And Into The Frying Pan

By Eireann Van Natta

October 15, 2026

This is Part Three of IFF’s investigation into Lava Hot Springs, please read Part One HERE and Part Two HERE. In Part Two of Idaho Freedom Foundation’s (IFF) investigation into Lava Hot Springs, we covered a sewer extension project the city had committed to partly funding. The development sparked backlash after a survey characterized an […]

TAGS: Amantha Sierra, Are the mayor’s sons connected to the KOA East project, Bannock County, Can an Idaho mayor break a tie vote, City Council agenda mayor approval, city council conflict of interest Idaho, Commercial Energy Management, Did Rickey Frandsen buy the hydro plant, Does Lava Hot Springs comply with public records requests, Don White, Fish Creek Road, How long is the Lava Hot Springs sewer investment payback, Idaho Freedom Foundation investigation, Idaho Freedom Foundation's Center for Local Government Accountability, Idaho local government accountability, Idaho public records law, Idaho public records request, Is the KOA East expansion inside Lava Hot Springs city limits, Jonathan White, KOA East expansion, Kody Tillotson, Kris Lyon, KT Excavation, KTX 83246 LLC, Lava Hot Springs, Lava Hot Springs city clerk, Lava Hot Springs City Council, Lava Hot Springs city limits, Lava Hot Springs Foundation, Lava Hot Springs hydro plant, Lava Hot Springs revised answers, Lava Hot Springs sewer extension, Lava Hot Springs State Controller noncompliance, Lava Hot Springs transparency, local government, Maher Wissa, mayor tiebreaking vote Idaho, Mayor Vicky Lyon, public-private partnership sewer Idaho, Rickey Frandsen, Rodney Burch, small-town government transparency Idaho, Sunrise Engineering, Victor Lyon, Who owns the Lava Hot Springs hydro plant, Why did Lava Hot Springs change its answers

“I Want Transparency”: Resident Alleges Lava Hot Springs Sewer Project Relied On Inaccurate Survey

By Eireann Van Natta

October 14, 2026

This is Part Two of Idaho Freedom Foundation’s investigation into the city, so please read Part One HERE. The City of Lava Hot Springs is in the hot seat once again. Mayor Vicky Lyon cast the deciding vote in a motion to sign a sewer extension agreement for new campsites in early 2025 — but […]

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IFF Asked Governor Little About This Southeast City’s Noncompliance — Here’s What He Said

By Eireann Van Natta

October 13, 2026

This is Part One of IFF’s investigation into Lava Hot Springs. Governor Brad Little’s office selected Lava Hot Springs as “Capital for a Day” for September 22, and IFF showed up to his morning town hall. IFF previously documented the city’s history of noncompliance HERE. So, instead of facing accountability, the city was rewarded by […]

TAGS: Bannock County, Bannock County Idaho, Brad Little, Brandon Woolf, Capital for a Day, city financial mismanagement, government financial reporting, government noncompliance, government transparency, Governor Brad Little, Idaho, Idaho Capital for a Day, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho government accountability, Idaho government audits, Idaho government oversight, Idaho government spending, Idaho public funds, Idaho public records request, Idaho State Controller, Idaho State Controller's Office, Idaho taxpayer accountability, IFF, Lava Hot Springs, Lava Hot Springs city government, Lava Hot Springs Idaho, Lava Hot Springs investigation, Lava Hot Springs Mayor Vicky Lyon, Lava Hot Springs sewer project, local government compliance, local government spending, local government transparency, municipal financial audits

Caldwell Plans To End Its Contract With Flock — But There’s A Catch

By Eireann Van Natta

October 9, 2026

The City of Caldwell intends to terminate its contract with Flock Safety, but not the use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs). The Caldwell City Council voted in October to switch from Flock to Axon, approving a 10-year contract totaling $6.7 million, according to KTVB. The number of ALPRs will increase from 45 to 65 […]

TAGS: AI surveillance, ALPR, American Rescue Plan Act, ARPA funds, artificial intelligence surveillance, automated license plate readers, Automated License Plate Readers Idaho, Axon, Axon ALPR, Axon Lightpost, Caldwell City Council, Caldwell Flock cameras, Caldwell Idaho, Caldwell Idaho Surveillance, Caldwell Police Department, Caldwell surveillance cameras, Canyon County, City of Caldwell, data privacy, data sovereignty, DeFlock Idaho, digital privacy, Eric Phillips, facial recognition, Flock Cameras, Flock Safety, Flock Safety Idaho, Fourth Amendment privacy, government accountability, government surveillance, government transparency, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho Government Surveillance, Idaho local government, Idaho privacy laws, Idaho surveillance, IFF, law enforcement technology, license plate reader cameras, license plate tracking, Limited Government, mass surveillance, Motorola cameras, police data collection, police surveillance, police technology, privacy ordinance, privacy rights, public records, Rex Ingram, surveillance contracts, surveillance data retention, surveillance technology, taxpayer dollars, Tyler Cain, vehicle surveillance, Wilder City Council, Wilder Idaho

When Access Becomes Influence

By Dr. John Livingston

September 30, 2026

I was surprised last week to see several public Facebook posts from Idaho legislative leaders thanking one of the largest health insurance companies in Idaho for sponsoring their attendance at the Governor’s Cup in Coeur d’Alene. For a brief moment, I thought I was witnessing an unusual act of honesty and transparency. Here, apparently, were […]

TAGS: checks and balances, conflicts of interest, constitutional government, corporate influence, corporate lobbying, corporate sponsorship, corporate-government collusion, crony capitalism, Cronyism, government accountability, government contracts, government ethics, government mismanagement, government oversight, government spending, government transparency, government waste, Governor’s Cup, Idaho, Idaho elections, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho government, Idaho Governor’s Cup, Idaho legislators, Idaho legislature, Idaho politics, Idaho public policy, Idaho taxpayers, independent audits, Limited Government, lobbying, Medicaid oversight, political access, political corruption, political favoritism, political influence, procurement, public corruption, public trust, public-private partnerships, regulatory capture, representative republic, revolving door, rule of law, Special Interest Groups, special interests, taxpayer accountability, taxpayer dollars, welfare oversight

Governor Little is Right – Hold the Line

By Fred Birnbaum

September 18, 2026

In late July, Gov. Brad Little issued a press release with the following opening sentence: “Good government starts with living within our means.” We could not agree more. The press release went on to state: “Going forward, our approach will remain exactly the same. We will continue to budget conservatively. We will continue to distinguish […]

TAGS: 148 Million, 470 Million, 619 Million, Brad Little, Budget, Budget Request, bureaucrats, Fiscal Year, FY27, government spending, Governor, Growth, Hold the Line, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho legislature, Idaho politics, IFF, Income Taxes, Legislature, Politicians, press release, Projections, Property Tax, revenue, Revised Forecast, State Agencies, tax, tax collections, Tax Receipts, Taxes

One Year Without Him: Still We Fight

By Rachel Hazelip, M.A.P.P.

September 10, 2026

For millions around the globe and for those who knew him, today is a painful day, the day one year ago Charlie Kirk was murdered. For those who knew him personally, the loss was profound and intimate. For those who watched him from a distance — whose lives he changed and whose faith he helped […]

TAGS: Assassination, Charlie Kirk, Idaho, Idaho Freedom Foundation, IFF, Murder, political martyrdom

Victory! Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Work in Medical Freedom Shows Nearly 1/5th of Kindergarteners Opt-Out of Vaccinations, Per CDC

By Sarah Clendenon

September 3, 2026

The CDC has just released vaccine exemption rates among kindergarten enrollments across the 50 states for last school year, 2025–2026. Idaho leads the nation by far at 17.5%. This number represents children who have any type of exemption on file — medical, philosophical, or religious — and for any percentage of the mandated injections. This […]

TAGS: 16%, 17.5%, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, Adjuvants, Allopathic Physicians, Big Pharma, Biologics, Cancers, CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chronic Disease, Enrollment, Excipients, Exemption, Exemption Rate, Exposure, Grandparents, health freedom, Holistic Providers, Idaho, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho legislature, Idaho politics, IFF, Immune System, Immunity, Infection, Malnourished, Mandate, Mandated Injections, Measles, Medical, medical freedom, MMR Vaccine, Nationwide, Naturopathic Homeopathia, Pfitzer, Requirements, school, School Year, Vaccine, Vaccine Injured, Vax, Vitamin A Deficient

Continuous Spending Growth

By Brett Farruggia

August 25, 2026

Idaho spent around $17.6 billion in fiscal year 2025 (FY25), with $4.62 billion of that spent on what are called continuous appropriations. This amounts to roughly a quarter of the budget, and it was about the same amount as all expenditures of federal funds ($4.94 billion). As opposed to the regular appropriations process, where the […]

TAGS: 17.6 Billion, 290 Million, 4.62 Billion, 47 Million, 515% Increase, 591%, 800 Million, Accounts, Agencies, Annual Dollar Cap, Bond Servicing, Budget, Committee, Constitution of Idaho, Continuous Appropriation, Elective Continuous Spending, ER, Expenditures, Federal Funds, fiscal year 2025, FY21, FY25, General Funds, government spending, Idaho, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho politics, Idaho transportation department, IFF, Intragovernmental Payments, IT, ITD, Legislative Controls, Legislature, Luma, Off-Book, Off-Budget, Office of Information Technology Services, Oversight, Permanent Building Fund, Regular Appropriation Process, Reports, Spending, State Controller, state finances, Statute, transparency, Transparent

The Lie Proposition 1 is Selling Idaho

By Rachel Hazelip, M.A.P.P.

August 20, 2026

In an altogether tragic, yet unfortunately predictable turn of events, the leftist group Idahoans United for Women and Children obtained the necessary number of signatures to put the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act (RFPA) on the ballot in November 2026. We all now know it as Proposition 1 (Prop 1). What does it say about […]

TAGS: 1700s, 1800s, 2026, 2027, abolition, Abortion, Abortion on Demand, Act, Attending Health Care Professional, Babies, Baby, Ballot, Bishops, British Empire, Case-By-Case Basis, Certified, Cheat-Sheet, Child, Churches, Conception, Consent, Creator, Dentist, Disability, Emancipatios, Existing, Extraordinary Medical Measures, fetal viability, Fetus, Founders, Friends, Full Force and Effect, Gem State, God, Good Faith Judgement, government, Idaho, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho law, Idaho politics, IFF, In-Utero, Incest, January 1, Legal Understanding, Liberty, Life, Life of the Mother, Measure, Medical Emergency, Minors, Misinformed, Neighbors, November, Override, Parental Rights, Pastors, Physical Medical Condition, Podiatrist, Pregnant Woman, Priets, pro-life, Prop 1, Property, Proposition, Proposition 1, Radical, Rape, Registered, Reproductive Freedom And Privacy Act, Reproductive Medical Treatments, RFPA, Rhetoric, Stage of Development, Statues, Statutory Right to Abortion, Stave Trade, Unborn, Vague, William Wilberforce

Not All Idaho Cities Embrace Flock’s Panopticon

By Eireann Van Natta

August 18, 2026

Mayor Randy Westlund recently announced Post Falls will not operate Flock Safety cameras, further vowing the city will never become a “surveillance state.” He made the announcement on July 24 in response to residents’ concerns about license plate readers, while noting the city operates Motorola cameras. Westlund asserted that Idaho law mandates cities keep the […]

TAGS: $200 Million Budget, 2 years, 2027, 30 Days, 7 Days, 700 Times, AI, ALPR, Announcement, Artificial Intelligence, August 11, Automated License Plate Reader, Budget, Cameras, City of Caldwell, City of Salmon, Clearwater County Sheriff John Smith, Configured, Constitutional, Database, DeFlock Idaho, Errors, Expectation of Privacy, Federal Law Enforcement, Felony Stops, Flock Safety, Florida Police Officer, Fourth Amendment, Homicide, Idaho, Idaho Attorney General’s Office, Idaho Freedom Foundation, Idaho law, Idaho politics, IFF, Images, Inaccuracies, Institute For Justice, January 2026, Jerome City Council, Jerome County Sheriff George Oppedyk, Judicial Oversight, July 24, local government, Mayor Randy Westlund, Milwaukee, Monitor, Motorola Solutions, National Crime Information Center, Nationwide Backlash, NCIC, Norfolk Virginia, October 2024, Operational Value, Police Department, Post Falls, Post Falls Information Office, Public Street, Surveillance State, Surveilled Wife’s Car, Technology, Two-Year State Law, Tyler Cain, Unreasonable Searches and Seizures, US District Judge Mark Davis, Vehicle, Warrant, Warrantless

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Is The Controller’s Office Holding Lava’s Feet To The Fire?

Out Of The Hot Springs And Into The Frying Pan

“I Want Transparency”: Resident Alleges Lava Hot Springs Sewer Project Relied On Inaccurate Survey

IFF Asked Governor Little About This Southeast City’s Noncompliance — Here’s What He Said

Caldwell Plans To End Its Contract With Flock — But There’s A Catch

When Access Becomes Influence

Governor Little is Right – Hold the Line

One Year Without Him: Still We Fight

Victory! Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Work in Medical Freedom Shows Nearly 1/5th of Kindergarteners Opt-Out of Vaccinations, Per CDC

Continuous Spending Growth

The Lie Proposition 1 is Selling Idaho

Not All Idaho Cities Embrace Flock’s Panopticon

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