Why church conference snubbed Idaho, Greenbelt suspect’s past — what you may have missed

From a church conference bailing on its Boise plans to a Boise Greenbelt murder suspect with a decades-long record, here are some of the Idaho Statesman’s top stories in recent days.

• The United Methodist Church’s Oregon-Idaho Conference voted 52% to 48% to move its 2027 annual gathering out of Idaho over safety concerns tied to state laws targeting transgender and nonbinary people. The decision follows Idaho’s passage of a bathroom law that makes it a crime to use facilities not aligned with one’s sex assigned at birth.
• Ross Wardlaw, accused of fatally stabbing 25-year-old Jordan Harbst on the Boise River Greenbelt on July 6, was acquitted just two months earlier on aggravated battery and assault charges. His criminal history spans more than two decades and includes at least half a dozen battery charges.
• Former Boise State football head coach Lyle Setencich, who led the Broncos onto the blue turf for the first time in a 74-0 win over Humboldt State on Sept. 13, 1986, has died at age 81. Setencich compiled a 24-20 record as head coach from 1983 to 1986.
• Henya Sushi, an all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant, is on track to replace the former Great Wall location in Five Mile Plaza. The first-time owner is receiving guidance from Johnny Deng, founder of Nara Ramen, and remodeling is estimated at $85,000.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.