Idaho firing squad nears, drought impact, bathroom lawsuit — news you may have missed

Idaho is preparing to become the only U.S. state with the firing squad as its primary execution method. Farmers face a difficult drought. And transgender residents have sued over a new bathroom law.

Here are recent top headlines from the Idaho Statesman:

• Firing squad ready by July 1: The Idaho Department of Correction is finishing more than $900,000 in execution chamber renovations and will have a team of riflemen prepared by July 1, when a new state law takes effect making the firing squad Idaho’s primary execution method. Efforts to obtain a remote-operated system have so far been unsuccessful, and IDOC will instead plan to use the “manual process.”

• Drought hits farmers hard: The Idaho Department of Water Resources declared a drought emergency for the entire state on April 13, citing record-low snowpack. Opinion Editor Scott McIntosh caught up with some Idaho farmers to learn how the water shortage, along with low commodity prices and rising fertilizer and fuel prices, are affecting Idaho.

• Transgender Idahoans sue over bathroom law: Six transgender residents filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging House Bill 752, which makes it a misdemeanor to use a restroom in a government building or place of public accommodation that doesn’t match someone’s sex assigned at birth. A second offense within five years is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. The law takes effect July 1.

• Crime victims fund dispute resolved: After months of conflict, state Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, passed a corrective law in March restoring access to the Idaho Crime Victims Compensation Program for victims regardless of residency status. Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s office had interpreted a 2025 law to require proof of lawful presence in the country, even for sexual assault exams.

• Fatal Star parking accident: A 90-year-old man unintentionally drove his Ram truck forward and struck his 87-year-old passenger, who had gotten out to help guide him into a parking space in the 11000 block of West State Street on Wednesday, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office said. She died at a local hospital. Investigators are calling it a “tragic accident” and seeking witnesses.

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.