The Idaho Way: Meet the residents living at the Red Lion hotel in downtown Boise
By Scott McIntosh, opinion editor
The Idaho Way is a weekly roundup of opinions, commentary and letters to the editor to encourage conversation on topics important to Idahoans. If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend, and they can sign up here.
An old maxim of the journalism trade is, “Comfort the afflicted; afflict the comfortable.”
With debate raging about whether the Ada County commissioners should continue funding a program through Interfaith Sanctuary that uses the Red Lion hotel in Boise to house people experiencing homelessness, I sought out the people who are most affected: the residents.
Gerri-Lynn Graves is “a mom from Hyde Park” who first experienced homelessness after she lost her job because of medical issues, including a torn ACL at work, a broken back and a surgery that went very wrong.
Jimmy Coonce was living in a trailer next to the Payette River near Emmett when he was rushed to the hospital, where he spent 102 days because of congestive heart failure, bad lungs and other medical problems. When he left the hospital, he had nowhere to live.
April Kuper was diagnosed with breast cancer the same month her family had to leave the house they were renting because the owner wanted to do something else with it. April and her family of six couldn’t find anything they could afford, so she, her husband and their four children split up and found housing where they could, all while April began cancer treatments.
What gets lost in the debate is the humanity and the individual stories about the real people who are affected.
So I sought to tell their stories. Here they are.
Meta data center in Kuna
Remember that bill I told you about a few weeks ago that would prohibit Kuna from putting the Meta data center into its urban renewal district?
Well, the bill failed to get approval in a House committee. But after some sneaky legislative shenanigans, the bill came back, several legislators changed their minds and it passed the House.
It also passed the Senate Thursday evening and now heads to the governor to sign.
Passage of the bill means that Meta’s tax dollars can’t be used to fund about $50 million in infrastructure improvements, things like water and sewer lines and roads that would spur even greater economic development beyond just the data center.
Read my column here on how legislators keep getting this wrong.
Medical students speak out
A group of Idaho medical students wrote a guest opinion speaking out against House Bill 71, which criminalizes gender-affirming care for transgender youth and would throw these budding doctors in jail.
“As medical students in Idaho, state lawmakers have created a challenging decision for us when evaluating where to practice.” they wrote. “We want to honor our Idaho roots and return to practice in this state, as we know Idaho is in desperate need of physicians. In fact, as of 2020, Idaho had the lowest number of physicians per capita, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges Idaho Physician Workforce Profile. However, we also must honor our oath to do no harm in our practice. The reality is that this law, if passed, will prevent us from keeping that oath by barring us from providing care we know is necessary and will impact our decision on where to practice in the future.”
Read their full guest opinion piece here.
‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ Gov. Little, veto Idaho ban on transgender care
Former Boise City Council member and former state Sen. Maryanne Jordan wrote a guest opinion piece this week, urging Gov. Brad Little to veto the bill criminalizing gender-affirming care. In her piece, she reveals that she has a grandchild who is transgender.
“As the proud grandparent of a transgender young person, I know first-hand the care, caution and time that goes into treatment for these kids,” she wrote. “Parents are doing everything they can to keep their kids safe, kids who have a much higher than average potential for suicidal ideation. They are walking a path that none of them have chosen. Our daughter is not a felon. She is the kind of parent any struggling child would be lucky to have as a mom.”
Read Maryanne’s full guest opinion piece here.
One child needed gender-affirming care, another does not
An Idaho mom of two children who struggled with gender identity wrote a guest opinion this week, testifying that one of her children desperately needed gender-affirming care, while another child did not.
“As the loving mother of four (plus a ‘bonus’ child), my journey has proven that not only do doctors in Idaho not “push” gender-affirming care onto families, but obtaining health care for trans youth can be quite difficult to get, even when it’s needed,” she writes. “And sometimes, it is very needed. I know because two of my children struggled with their gender identity. One of them needed gender-affirming health care, which saved their life. The other not only doesn’t need gender-affirming medical care, but their quality of life would be negatively impacted if they did receive it.”
Immigration bill
Rancher and former director of the Idaho Department of Agriculture Celia Gould wrote a guest opinion this week about a Senate Joint Memorial addressing immigration and workforce needs.
“Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon recently distributed an opinion piece through the state GOP email, falsely claiming Idaho is trying to turn blue,” Gould wrote. “This is a petty talking point to pander to a small group of people and divide the GOP. Her statistics regarding Senate Joint Memorial 101 were far-fetched. Here are the facts from someone actually involved in the agriculture industry, which is one of many in need of immigration reform.”
Read her full guest opinion piece here.
Lunch with The Idaho Way
Join us for our new livestream show, Lunch with The Idaho Way, at noon on Wednesdays.
So far, we’ve tackled the issues of transgender rights; school vouchers; the initiative process; militias; and local property taxes.
This week, we spoke with Jodi Peterson-Stigers about homelessness and the program housing residents at the Red Lion Downtowner Boise hotel. Check out that episode here.
Next week, we’re scheduled to talk to journalist and author Leah Sottile about the upcoming trial of Lori Vallow, set to begin next week in Ada County.
Register for this discussion for free at our Eventbrite and ask your question in advance. Click on “select a date” and choose April 5.
Or simply tune in at noon every Wednesday on Facebook or YouTube. Ask questions and join the conversation.
Capitol Letters
Idaho Statesman reporter Ryan Suppe and politics editor Hayat Norimine keep you updated on each day’s happenings in the Idaho Legislature and what to expect for the upcoming day.
Plus, I throw in our astute politics observations and opinions on a daily basis.
To sign up to receive Capitol Letters, click here.
I’m listening
Send me your story ideas, news tips, questions, comments, or anything else on your mind. You can reach me via email at smcintosh@idahostatesman.com.
Find me on social media:
Twitter (my DMs are open)
What you’re saying
This week, we received letters to the editor on Idaho’s abortion law and miscarriage care, the war in Vietnam and the bill reviving the firing squad. You can read these and more letters by clicking here.
You can submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion by clicking here.
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