Your Daily Briefing – 11/05/2025

PRELIMINARY ELECTION RESULTS


🗳️ Twin Falls County

RaceCandidateVotes%
Twin Falls Council Seat 1 (4-yr)Jason Brown1,32171.8%
Zaine Newberry51928.2%
Twin Falls Council Seat 5 (4-yr)Nathan Murray98653.2%
Tato Muñoz86846.8%
Mayor of BuhlDoug Howarth41263.3%
Pamela McClain23936.7%
Buhl Council (4-yr, 2 seats)Ryan Loos37729.9%
Fred Bartlett33026.1%
Mark Dowding31925.3%
Anita Tatge23618.7%
Buhl Council (2-yr)Cortlin Runyan36356.1%
Kathy Schofield28443.9%
Buhl SD 412 Trustee Zone 1 (4-yr)Alisa Atkinson12657.8%
Dave Klug9242.2%
Buhl SD 412 Trustee Zone 2 (4-yr)Cody Gilland13356.4%
J.D. Gould10343.6%
Mayor of FilerBob Templeman30768.1%
Karley Harrison14431.9%
Filer Council (4-yr)Samuel Callen30237.2%
Debbie Carpenter19023.4%
Drew Olsen18622.9%
Taylor Clark13416.5%
Filer SD 413 Trustee Zone 2 (4-yr)Joe Maloney18572.8%
Jason Crump6927.2%
Hansen SD 415 Trustee Zone 1 (4-yr)Sara Villavicencio1555.6%
Nathan John Heuvel1244.4%
Filer School Plant LevyAgainst8661.4%
In Favor5438.6%
Filer Supplemental LevyAgainst8560.7%
In Favor5539.3%
Murtaugh SD 418 Plant LevyIn Favor8077.7%
Against2322.3%
Kimberly SD 414 Plant LevyIn Favor17256.8%
Against13143.2%
Kimberly SD 414 Supplemental LevyIn Favor17356.9%
Against13143.1%

🗳️ Jerome County

RaceCandidateVotes%
Valley SD 262 Supplemental LevyAgainst28050.4%
In Favor27649.6%
Hazelton City Council (4-yr, 2 seats)Michael Lakey8334.9%
Galicia Hernandez8033.6%
Liz Rovig5623.5%
Landon Jensen198.0%
Joint SD 331 Supplemental LevyAgainst73351.1%
In Favor70248.9%

🗳️ Blaine County

RaceCandidateVotes%
Sun Valley Council (2 seats)Mike Burchmore43941.8%
Keith Saks38236.3%
Geoff Tickner14413.7%
Bill Costigan868.2%
Sun Valley Ordinance 587In Favor42069.0%
Against18931.0%
Mayor of KetchumPete Prekeges1,32181.4%
John Wigdale30218.6%
Ketchum Council (4-yr, 2 seats)Randy Hall57718.1%
Matthew McGraw53316.7%
Perry Boyle50515.8%
Hannah Harris45614.3%
Ed Simon34710.9%
Tracie Smith2808.8%
Robert Vallee1574.9%
David Page1294.0%
Kendall Kirkpatrick1123.5%
Biche Rudigoz912.9%
Ketchum Council (2-yr, 5 seats)Matthew McGraw92612.8%
Randy Hall82911.5%
Hannah Harris79110.9%
Perry Boyle73810.2%
Spencer Cordovano6709.3%
Ed Simon6689.2%
Tracie Smith5467.5%
John Wigdale4326.0%
David Page3635.0%
Robert Vallee3574.9%
Kendall Kirkpatrick3424.7%
Tripp Charles Hutchinson3304.6%
Biche Rudigoz2443.4%
Ketchum Petition – Council-Manager Gov’tNo1,00860.2%
Yes66639.8%
Hailey Council Seat 1Sage Sauerbrey1,48262.5%
Joel Zellers60925.7%
Jeff Emerick27911.8%
Hailey Ordinance 1353 (LOT Increase)In Favor1,83875.3%
Against60324.7%
Mayor of BellevueChristina Giordani37760.3%
Suzanne Wrede24839.7%
Bellevue Ordinance 2025-11In Favor36557.7%
Against26842.3%
Ketchum Fire Sub Dist 1 (2 yr)Casey Finegan78053.6%
Rachel Williams67546.4%
Ketchum Fire Sub Dist 2 (4 yr)Susan Scovell75051.6%
Alex Monge70448.4%
Ketchum Fire Sub Dist 3 (4 yr)Pete Schwartz77352.6%
Slater Storey69747.4%
Carey City Council (2 seats)Clayton Mecham14942.0%
Tyler Norman12334.6%
Tara Hansen8323.4%
Blaine Rec District Levy OverrideIn Favor4,11255.5%
Against3,29644.5%
Blaine SD 61 Supplemental LevyIn Favor4,79166.3%
Against2,43933.7%

🗳️ Camas, Cassia, Lincoln, Minidoka & Gooding Counties

RaceCandidateVotes%
Camas SD 121 Trustee Zone 2 (4-yr)Nancy Hallowell5150.0%
Allen Wilson4140.2%
Melodie Ballard Wilson109.8%
Camas SD 121 BondAgainst23484.8%
In Favor4215.2%
Mayor of MinidokaJulie Peterson956.3%
Becky Ziebach743.8%
Minidoka Council (2-yr, 2 seats)James F. Cook1140.7%
Monique Hurst1140.7%
Jerry Toliver518.5%
Minidoka Council (4-yr, 2 seats)Bulmaro Paz1346.4%
Bonnie Hofmeister828.6%
Mark W. Cartwright725.0%
Mayor of BurleySteve Ormond640100%
Burley Council (4-yr, 3 seats)Raulan Young53127.4%
Casey Andersen49025.3%
Craig Mills46123.8%
John Craner45623.5%
Paul Council (4-yr, 2 seats)Brent Browning11945.2%
Conrad May10640.3%
Damian David Rodriguez3814.4%
Declo Council (4-yr, 2 seats)Sayger Kidd4230.9%
Brittney Byington3827.9%
Alesha Stringham3122.8%
Lamont Young2518.4%
Oakley Council (4-yr, 2 seats)William Brett Arnell12244.9%
Ralph L. Barnard11341.5%
Kelley Gorringe3713.6%
Gooding Ambulance LevyIn Favor91852.8%
Against81947.2%
Gooding SD 231 Trustee Zone 1 (4-yr)Deborah Balch17768.3%
Melissa Shurtz8231.7%
Gooding SD 231 Bond ($26.4 M)Against62457.2%
In Favor46642.8%
Hagerman Council (4-yr, 2 seats)LuAnne Coates17942.2%
Bob Bonning11727.6%
Nate Kerbs6515.3%
Marieta McAhren389.0%
Brock Nichols255.9%
Richfield Fire Dist 1Mark Whitesell10459.4%
Ashley Lezamiz7140.6%
Richfield Fire Dist 3Jason Brauburger9958.9%
Mike Race6941.1%
Dietrich SD 314 Trustee Zone 3Kade Shaw2468.6%
Benjamin Hoskisson1131.4%

🗳️ Election Results Across the Magic Valley
Local results are coming in across the region. In Twin Falls, incumbents Jason Brown and Nathan Murray retained their city council seats. In Buhl, Mayor Doug Howarth won re-election, and Cortlin Runyan secured the two-year council term. Filer voters kept Mayor Bob Templeman, while Joe Maloney won the school trustee race—but both plant facilities and supplemental levies were rejected. Murtaugh voters approved a ten-year plant facilities levy, while Valley School District voters narrowly turned down their supplemental levy by just four votes. In Kimberly, both school funding measures passed. In Blaine County, Ketchum voters overwhelmingly re-elected Mayor Pete Prekeges and voted against switching to a council-manager government.

💵 Federal SNAP Aid During Shutdown
The federal government will distribute partial food assistance during the ongoing shutdown after a court ruling ordered the USDA to use contingency funds. More than 130,000 Idahoans rely on SNAP benefits.

🎣 Carey Teacher Identified in Henrys Lake Deaths
James Morey, a teacher at Carey School, was identified as one of two fishermen found dead in Henrys Lake. His body was recovered Monday.

✈️ Breeze Airways Coming to Twin Falls
Breeze Airways is adding service to Twin Falls, with direct flights to Las Vegas and one-stop connections to Orange County beginning March 6, 2026. Tickets start at $49 one-way.

⚖️ Kohberger Restitution Challenge
Bryan Kohberger, who admitted to killing four University of Idaho students, filed an objection to the state’s request for more restitution. His defense argues the plea deal already covered funeral costs and that additional payments are not valid under Idaho law. A hearing is set for today.

🚫 Idaho Rejects Federal Family Planning Funds
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare declined $1.5 million in Title X funds, cutting off free and low-cost reproductive services statewide. The move forced 28 clinics to close to comply with Idaho’s parental consent laws.

🏠 Idaho Leads in Debt-to-Income Ratio
Idaho now has the highest debt-to-income ratio in the U.S.—roughly $2 of debt for every $1 of income. Analysts point to rapid population growth and skyrocketing housing costs since 2020.

🚧 Road Work Update
The Shoshone and Minidoka intersection in Twin Falls was closed yesterday for emergency railroad signal repairs but is now back open.


🏐 SPORTS

District Four All-Star Volleyball
The high school volleyball season ended Tuesday with the District Four All-Star Game in Twin Falls. Wood River’s Ellie Sandoz played her final match before heading to Pepperdine. Carey’s Teresa Smith coached her seniors to victory, with her Yellow Team finishing undefeated.

CSI Soccer Postseason Honors
For the men, Cacique Maia made Region 18 First-Team, while Marvin Jaeger and Toby Longnecker earned Second-Team honors. On the women’s side, Alivia Marshall earned First-Team recognition, with Presley Houghton, Kirstine Kent, and Araya Wood also honored.

College Football
The Idaho Vandals host #11 UC Davis this Saturday in the Big Sky Game of the Week. Kickoff at 4 p.m. inside the Kibbie Dome.

Boise State Women’s Soccer
The Broncos face San Diego State tonight at 7 p.m. in the Mountain West semifinal. Freshman goalie Ava de Leest was named both Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.

Wildlife Poaching Convictions
A two-year Idaho Fish and Game investigation led to 17 convictions for illegal hunting across Idaho and Oregon—over 30 mule deer, a moose, swan, and bobcat were taken unlawfully. Offenders face $48,000 in restitution and lifetime hunting bans.


🌤️ WEATHER FORECAST

Today: Mostly cloudy, high near 64°, east wind shifting west 7–13 mph.
Tonight: 30% chance of showers, low around 44°, gusts up to 25 mph.
Thursday: 20% chance of morning showers, mostly sunny, high near 55°.
Thursday Night: 30% chance of showers after 11 p.m., low around 41°.
Friday: Mostly cloudy with early showers, high near 54°.
Weekend: Mostly sunny, highs in the low 50s; cool nights in the 30s.
Veterans Day: Mostly sunny, high near 60°.

Benjamin Reed
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