Ada County

Can somebody explain in simple terms the proposed Ada County Jail expansion bond that will be on the ballot come Tuesday? I do not feel well-informed of the pros and cons, and what voting yes or no will mean in the grand scheme of things. And I would like to make an educated vote. Thanks in advance!!

Rumors on Nextdoor and Neighbors app. Possible 3 person homicide behind the Albertson's at Meridian and Cherry Lane. Texts and phone calls to residents that police are looking for a red-haired man wearing dark pants and a gray hoodie.

Anyone know anything more?

In the wake of the Ada County Community Library Board first voting to ban books from their collection inappropriately, then backtracking when this was discovered, I think it's important to know who you're voting for. Elections are on May 16th. Please share this information with anyone you know who lives in the district and help keep this district free.

There are two seats open for the district.

• Seat 1 is a 4 year term. The incumbent is Sandra Taylor. Her challenger is Deborah A. Pogue.

• Seat 2 is a 6 year term. This is a new seat, no incumbent. Candidates are Melodie C. Huttash, Reneé L. Trommler, and Mary Anne Saunders.

Typical of these types of elections, there's not a ton of information on the candidates available. I have done my best to gather some information.

Sandra Taylor (incumbent seat 1) and Melodie C. Huttash (seat 2) do not have campaign websites.
Edit: A person insider information from staff posted here that Sandra was the ONLY member of the board to vote against the ban and that Board Treasurer Steven Ricks is the person who brought this vote up.

Deborah A. Pogue and Reneé L. Trommler have a website, and they appear to be running together.

They are also being promoted by a far right "liberty minded" website that warns against supporting "RINO's & Democrats".

Both are originally from California and likely moved to Idaho so their conservative leanings would be more welcome. Both moved here within the last 10 years. Both are in real estate and real estate lending. Neither appear to have any experience in public service.

Mary Ann Saunders also has a website.

She grew up in Idaho, and has lived in the star area for 28 years. She has 30 years of social service experience and does not support censorship. She was quoted in the original statesman article about the book ban. “Part of the reason that I’m running is that I’ve been very concerned about some of the attacks on libraries,” Saunders said by phone. “And I’m an avid proponent of free speech, and of lifelong learning, and of diversity.”

She also has the endorsement of the Ada County Democrats and has a "Meet the Candidate" video here.

The far right elements of our community are organized and have a clear agenda. If you care about keeping these libraries censorship free, diverse, and inclusive of all people, vote FOR Mary Anne Saunders and vote FOR Sandra Taylor for standing up for what's right!

Voter information and sample ballots are available here:

If you are unsure of where these districts are drawn, district maps can be found here. (To view the library districts, click on the toolbar to the right, and put a check in ISTC Library Districts Box. Ada County Free Library is the district in question here):

Edit: Also, please consider supporting the incumbents in the Meridian and Kuna Library board elections as well.

In Meridian, Destinie Hart (6 year term) and Josh Cummins (4 year term) stood up to the far right "Concerned Citizens of Meridian" to support the Meridian Library and reject book bans.

Read about the Meridian board election here:

The incumbent in the Kuna library board race (Barbara Powell) is facing a challenge from a far right MAGA nut named Teresa Haldorson. Haldorson's campaign facebook page is but her personal page is full of conspiracy theory trash. This person doesn't belong anywhere near a governing body in my opinion.

You can check your election day polling location and download/view a sample of your ballot from here:

I print mine out every year and bring it with me for a quick fill-in of the decisions I made.

On Tuesday, December 12th, 2023, "KIND Idaho" and the Campaign of Public Awareness, two Idaho non-profits will be giving out free quality hot dogs in front of the ADA County Courthouse starting at 10:00 a.m. KIND Idaho will be gathering signatures as well as donations in support of "The Idaho Medical Marijuana Act," which should appear by referendum on the voters ballots in 2024. There will be knowledgeable people there to answer any questions.

Low turnout. But the disparity between the two major parties was gigantic. Did thousands of Democrats switch to vote for the "least Right wing" candidates?