James Dawson
James Dawson joined Boise State Public Radio as the organization's News Director in 2017. He oversees the station's award-winning news department. Most recently, he covered state politics and government for Delaware Public Media since the station first began broadcasting in 2012 as the country's newest NPR affiliate. Those reports spanned two governors, three sessions of the Delaware General Assembly, and three consequential elections. His work has been featured on All Things Considered and NPR's newscast division. An Idaho native from north of the time zone bridge, James previously served as the public affairs reporter and interim news director for the commercial radio network Inland Northwest Broadcasting. His reporting experience included state and local government, arts and culture, crime, and agriculture. He's a proud University of Idaho graduate with a bachelor's degree in Broadcasting and Digital Media. When he's not in the office, you can find James fly fishing, buffing up on his photography or watching the Seattle Mariners' latest rebuilding season.
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Idaho is having its worst summer for wildfire smoke in 25 years and has been America's top smoke producer since June. One megafire will likely only stop when snows arrive.
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Idaho's supreme court heard arguments Wednesday in lawsuits against the state's abortion laws. On Tuesday, the Biden administration sued over one of the laws, too.
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A school board in a Boise suburb banned books and state lawmakers cut state library funding — so a local bookstore raised money to buy banned books to distribute for free.
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Putting off surgeries or routine treatments for serious illnesses has become common during the pandemic, a new NPR/Harvard poll finds. -
While Idaho Gov. Brad Little left the state for a trip, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who is running for the governor's seat in 2022, issued an order to ban mask and vaccine mandates even further.
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The governor in Idaho has signed a law to ban the teaching of critical race theory in public schools. Some educators in the state are calling it unnecessary and a potential violation of free speech.
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Idaho Republicans have declined to institute safety measures such as a mask mandate or social distancing. The House speaker said he had no regrets about their policies. -
Across the country, state legislatures are reconvening for the 2021 regular session. Two Idaho state representatives say having a disability makes it even more dangerous for them to meet in person.
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Anger at the state response to the pandemic spurred dozens of people, some of whom were armed, to barge into and pack the House of Representatives' gallery on Monday. -
Transgender people in Idaho say two new state laws are aimed at making their lives much harder. One involves changing the sex listed on birth certificates. The other affects trans athletes.
