might be the best news of the year

Newspaper conglomerate McClatchy—the hedge fund-owned publisher that owns local outlets across the country—wants to *aggressively* implement A.I. into its newsrooms, w/proposals that have stunned the union. @nataliekorach.bsky.social has the scoop in @status.news: www.status.news/p/mcclatchy-...

Reporters can do what AI can’t. But McClatchy Media refuses to agree to ethical guidelines on its AI usage. With your support, we can ensure your local news is done by local reporters like these. @idwanewsguilds.bsky.social @idahonewsguild.bsky.social

It's not Spotify Wrapped but here's my end of year recap of my favorite stories written by my colleagues at the @idahostatesman.com

Six months into negotiations, McClatchy Media is continuing to push back against common sense limits on AI in news. If we don't ensure AI ethics are put in place now, it will soon be too late. If reporters don't fight for transparency for our readers, no one will.

A 5th person has been charged after nearly a dozen law enforcement agencies descended on a local horse track Sunday. Officers arrested 4 people as part of an investigation into illegal betting, but hundreds of others — including children — were detained & questioned about their immigration status.

Just under a year ago, my colleague Whitney Bryen and I began hearing about women in Idaho prisons being sexually abused by staff. We investigated — and what we've found since has shocked us. Today, the first two stories in our 6(!)-part series were published.

A former sheriff’s deputy was convicted of two misdemeanors after he kissed and groped a woman incarcerated at the Payette County Jail earlier this year. Now, he could be sued.

Jordan Law, accused of killing his ex-girlfriend who disappeared in 2019, pleaded guilty to manslaughter this month through a plea deal. Without Rae Berwanger’s body, it would have been difficult for the prosecution to prove murder, and the deal guarantees the 48-year-old will face prison time.

“What makes this even more devastating is that the person responsible for her death is my own father,” the victim’s daughter said in court.

Bendawald was found NOT GUILTY on all five of the felony counts against him. Story here:

Breaking: Jurors in ex-Caldwell Police Sgt. Ryan Bendawald's criminal case have reached a verdict roughly two hours after beginning deliberations. We'll be able to get into the courtroom shortly.

His defense attorney argued that the charge against his client was “unlawful.”

Let’s get clickbait out of local news. Learn about how our regional reporters are fighting against story quotas at McClatchy Media. 🧵 Check out our video below to see local stories that took time and effort — the way our readers deserve. 👇

If this is what it looks like it is, then… woof. Good reporting from @isabellabreda.bsky.social and @conradswanson.bsky.social

One army veteran said he was praying for someone to help his neighborhood. Here's why: www.idahostatesman.com/news/busines...

Idaho has significantly reformed its public defense system since 2022. Now, the state Supreme Court will weigh whether the changes are enough to show the state is meeting its constitutional obligation to provide adequate representation or if it’s too soon to decide. #idleg #idpol

Authorities identified the 38-year-old Idaho prisoner who was killed Wednesday in a private prison in Arizona.

Shortly after Mountain Home police arrested him, the 51-year-old father accused of killing his teenage daughter admitted to the crime. The 18-year-old's mother said she couldn’t understand why this happened and wondered how long he'd planned it. “She was just a kid,” her mother said.

An Idaho prisoner died after an assault at a private prison hundreds of miles away, where several other states' correctional systems house people because of overcrowding. He was being housed at the Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona, which has been plagued by complaints for years.

An Idaho father has been accused of killing his teenage daughter, who the Coroner's Office identified as Hope Cornish. But to her family & friends, she was known as Onyx: a strong-headed young woman who loved music — particularly heavy metal — & was outspoken about her distaste for the president.

On Nov. 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students — Xana, Ethan, Kaylee and Maddie — were murdered in what law enforcement called a “true whodunit.” But a left-behind leather knife sheath would become the key to solving the case. Kevin Fixler and I break down the weeks-long investigation.

Smashed windows. Missing court dates. How ICE is changing its tactics w/help from @alexbrizee.bsky.social www.idahostatesman.com/news/politic...

just because we can request things as reporters, doesn't mean we should. good ethics is knowing the difference.

Really disappointed to see an Idaho news outlet post the Moscow homicide crime scene photos. I don’t really have much else to say besides how upsetting it is to witness

Eliseo Torres’ six-day trial is scheduled for January 2026.

Kip Crofts, the former head football coach at Caldwell High, was arrested again for a no contact order violation — 2 months after he was charged with sexual abuse of a minor. His attorney argued he was “unlawfully charged.” Myself & Rachel Roberts report:

NEW: An [email protected] football wide receiver was kicked off the team after he was arrested earlier this year. Now, he’s facing another criminal charge.

“I am unable to come up with anything redeeming about Mr. Kohberger,” Judge Steven Hippler said. “His actions have made him the worst of the worse.”

Despite handling other high-profile murder cases, the monthslong trial of Bryan Kohberger would have been a "substantial lift" for Ada County Courthouse. “This one had its own issues that would have been much harder for everyone involved." Here's what to expect Wednesday:

NEW: President Donald Trump on Monday, days before Bryan Kohberger is scheduled to be sentenced, weighed in on the plea deal that allowed the 30-year-old to avoid the death penalty for killing four University of Idaho students in Moscow..

NEW: It's been over a year since nearly 90 men incarcerated at the state's highest-security prison participated in a six-day-long hunger strike. Today, they're refusing their meals again.

NEW: Boise’s police union is going back to the negotiating table — at least according to them. The union announced Thursday that the city had agreed to continue negotiations. But Friday morning, the city said that’s not the case. What we know:

NEW: Authorities have identified the four people killed in a quadruple homicide east of Twin Falls — including a couple who were remembered by their only daughter as “exceptional parents” and “devoted grandparents.”

NEW: Jacob Miller will spend at least the next 22 years in prison after he drove drunk through a crosswalk in downtown Boise and severely injured two pedestrians. “They will forever live with the scars left from his criminal conduct."

Really good article by Nicole Blanchard for @idahostatesman.com www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/c...

NEW: Bryan Kohberger admitted in court that he killed 4 U of I students in 2022, finally bringing some closure to the 2 ½-year case that brought national attention to the grieving college town. “Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty?” Judge Hippler asked Kohberger. “Yes,” he replied.

Not sure what a plea hearing entails? I break down what we can *likely* expect at Bryan Kohberger’s Wednesday hearing.

Judge Hippler wrote that Kohberger's Wednesday hearing is regarding a "change of plea," according to an order allowing an @apnews.com photographer into the courtroom. This is the 1st public confirmation by the court system & corroborates information sent to the victims' families on Monday.

Maddie Mogen's father and his family issued a statement supporting the plea deal in Bryan Kohberger's case and thanked the prosecution for their dedication. Her family also asked the public to do an act of kindness this week so "a glimmer of Maddie's light may live on."

In Coeur d’Alene, we are at the funeral home and awaiting the arrival of the bodies of John Morrison and Frank Harwood, both Idaho firefighters shot in the line of duty while responding to a fire. Back in Spokane, the procession has started as they left the medical examiner’s office.

as idaho is once again in the national news sharing a standard i try to live by as a crime reporter

NEW: Bryan Kohberger has accepted a plea deal, according to a letter sent to one of the victims' families. “This resolution is our sincere attempt to seek justice for your family," read the letter, signed by Prosecutor Bill Thompson.

National news pronounce Coeur d’Alene correctly challenge

Today, Caldwell Deputy Chief Brad Trosky Johnson was honored at the Idaho Fallen Firefighter Memorial Park in Boise after he died in 2022. "We lost 2 brothers," his son said, regarding the shooting in CDA. "We know we'll be adding their names to this list behind me, as well as my father's."

As law enforcement left the park’s staging area, others were grouping up in an apparent debrief. A Kootenai County sheriff’s employee put his arm around another and asked, “You OK, man?”

North Idaho News on Facebook is reporting an active shooter situation at Canfield Mountain in Kootenai County. I am listening to the ISP scanner, and they said they believe someone intentionally set a fire and shot at responding firefighters. That lines up with what people are saying on FB.

Law enforcement agencies are responding after someone shot at firefighters in an “ambush-style” attack in Kootenai County Sunday afternoon.

Two dead, law enforcement says. It was likely fire personnel. Those crews responding initially were CDA city fire and Kootenai Co fire & rescue.