WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s iron grip on the Republican Party has been clear since the day he announced he would make another run for the White House 14 months ago. It can be seen in the party’s ideological shift even further to the right on cultural issues and, especially, on immigration policy.

Iowa Republicans were a clear reflection of that on Monday night, delivering the former president an emphatic victory. They channeled his anger, and his view that basically everything President Joe Biden has done has been a “disaster.” About 9 in 10 voters said they want upheaval or substantial change in how the government operates, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 1,500 voters who said they planned to take part in the caucuses.

As clear-cut as his win was, though, Iowa has not historically played the role of kingmaker in the Republican nominating process. New Hampshire’s voters don’t take their cues from Iowa.

Here are some key takeaways:

AN INCUMBENT CAMPAIGN

This was the least suspenseful Iowa caucus in the last 20 years because Trump has essentially been running as an incumbent. He’s convinced many Republicans he didn’t really lose the 2020 election to Biden, and has dominated the race the way someone still in office does.

He traveled sparingly to the state, holding a modest number of rallies. He spurned candidate debates. He chose to appear at court hearings as a defendant in his legal cases in New York and Washington rather than to campaign in Iowa.

The former president, who remains the party’s dominant favorite, clearly wants to move on to the general election as quickly as possible.

TWISTS AND TURNS AHEAD

Inevitable can be a dangerous word, especially in New Hampshire, which holds its primary in eight days.

New Hampshire has famously delivered upsets in both parties. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley quipped that New Hampshire “corrects” Iowa. George W. Bush felt New Hampshire’s sting in 2000 when Senator John McCain defeated him. So did former vice president Walter Mondale when Senator Gary Hart of Colorado scored an upset in the Democratic race in 1984.

With its more moderate, highly educated electorate, New Hampshire presents Trump’s rivals with possibly their best opportunity to slow his march. Haley is hoping for a win there or at least a very strong showing, and after that comes a political lull — with the next major competitive race in South Carolina on Feb. 24.

But plenty can happen during that time. The U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 8 is scheduled to hear arguments in a case challenging whether a constitutional clause banning those who “engaged in insurrection” from holding office applies to Trump. The high court may also weigh in on whether presidential immunity protects Trump from federal charges for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The criminal trial in that case is scheduled to start on March 5 — Super Tuesday — when 14 states vote in the presidential nominating process. Trump’s strength among Republican voters is beyond dispute, but the road is long and could be bumpy.

IT’S NOT THE ECONOMY

Iowans had something on their minds, but it wasn’t jobs, taxes or business regulations.

About 4 in 10 caucusgoers said immigration was their top issue, compared to 1 in 3 picking the economy, according to VoteCast. Other priorities like foreign policy, energy and abortion ranked even lower.

Indeed, about two-thirds of caucusgoers said they felt their finances were holding steady or improving. But the voters still want major changes — 3 in 10 want a total upheaval of how the federal government runs while another 6 in 10 want substantial changes. As for the criminal charges against Trump, 6 in 10 caucusgoers don’t have confidence in the U.S. legal system.

It adds up to a portrait of a slice of the electorate eager to challenge core democratic institutions in the U.S.

DESANTIS DISMAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Flush with more than $100 million in cash and fresh off a blowout reelection victory, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 Republican presidential contest projecting himself as the heir to a MAGA political brand that a diminished Trump could no longer effectively carry.

Reality soon intruded.

Eight months and tens of millions of dollars later, DeSantis appears to pose little threat to the former president.

Despite more than $55 million in pro-DeSantis advertising spending, the Florida governor was instead locked in a tight race for second place with Haley.

He has been dogged by negative stories about profligate spending, including DeSantis’ preference for flying private planes.

As the trope goes, candidates don’t drop out of political races because they lose — they drop out because they run out of money.

THE EDUCATION DIVIDE

More than half of Haley’s voters had at least a college degree and roughly half of DeSantis’ did, according to VoteCast. But only about 2 in 10 of Trump’s did.

Education has been a major dividing line among white voters during the Trump era. Iowa confirms what polling has indicated during the primary — that the education divide is also splitting the GOP.

That hints at a possible weakness for Trump in November, should he be the nominee. A greater share of the voting public has at least a bachelor’s degree now than in 2016, and that share rises every year as degrees become more popular.

Another indication of vulnerability for Trump came in the suburbs, which tend to have the highest levels of education. Only about 4 in 10 caucusgoers there supported him. The suburbs were pivotal in Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump.

RAMASWAMY PUNCHED HIMSELF OUT

Abrasive, often grating and very online — Vivek Ramaswamy’s quixotic bid for the White House has come across as a millennial distillation of Trump’s MAGA movement.

Ramaswamy rapped along to verses of Eminem, delighted in trolling his rivals and often sought to out-Trump Trump with his rhetoric. That performative aspect helped the wealthy 38-year-old entrepreneur gain considerable attention in the early days of the campaign.

But it also proved to wear thin, perhaps summed up best when former New Jersey governor Chris Christie called him the “most obnoxious blowhard in America” during a debate.

As returns from Iowa’s caucus posted, Ramaswamy trailed not only Trump, but also Haley and DeSantis. He was struggling to reach double digits.

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POCATELLO — Students, staff and members of the community marched across a college campus Monday in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

The crowd of around 50 people started the march at the parking lot of the Pond Student Union Building on the Idaho State university campus and then ended at the alumni center. There, they joined a larger crowd and listened to faculty and students deliver speeches.

Those who spoke centered their remarks around a statement MLK once made about healthcare: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.”

Jones Asiegbu, president of the Public Health Student Association, is particularly passionate about this subject. He feels preventative healthcare is important for a strong community and he wanted people who heard his speech to embrace that idea.

“We all gathered together to talk about things, but how about action?” Asiegbu told the crowd.

Asiegbu grew up in Lagos, Nigeria in West Africa. The area is commonly known as a place with low quality healthcare and infrastructure, he said, but his community has an advantage.

“Whenever there is an act to improve the health care and wellbeing of people, the community jumps in together and performs that act,” Asiegbu said. “That is the power of what the community can do.”

Asiegbu’s grandmother is more than 100 years old and her memory, he says, is “as sharp as a nail” because she understands the importance of taking care of her health.

“We have the power to make that change in our community. We do not have to rely solely on public health programs, Asiegbu said.

To do this, Asiegbu said people have to mobilize their neighborhoods and communities to focus on new healthcare prevention plans.

“Where I grew up, every last Saturday of the month, everyone in the community comes out to clean the drainage system to sweep or repair the levies. The community is clean. We did not depend on the governments to come and do something,” Asiegbu said.

Asiegbu invited the audience to become their own “center for disease prevention.”

“Teach your children the importance of health and safety. Promote health and wellness in your workplace,” Asiegbu said. “I believe the power is in you and that you can do it.”

During the event, organizers collected donations for Benny’s Pantry, a food bank on campus catering to the student population.

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IDAHO FALLS — The following eastern Idaho schools have announced classes are delayed or canceled Tuesday due to extreme weather conditions:

Delays

• West Jefferson School District 253 is on a two-hour delay

Closures

• American Falls School District 381
• Arbon School District 383

EastIdahoNews.com will update this list if any other delays are announced.

The National Weather Service in Pocatello issued a wind chill warning Monday that’s in effect until 9 a.m. Tuesday. Sub zero temperatures are expected overnight with dangerously cold wind chills.

RELATED | Another wind chill warning has been issued, but is warmth on the horizon?

For the latest road conditions, visit 511 Idaho. You can also view road conditions on the EastIdahoNews.com traffic webcam page.

For the latest weather conditions, click here.

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Houthi rebels fired a missile, striking a U.S.-owned ship Monday just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, less than a day after they launched an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea.

The attack on the Gibraltar Eagle, later claimed by the Houthis, further escalates tensions gripping the Red Sea after American-led strikes on the rebels. The Houthis’ attacks have roiled global shipping, amid Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, targeting a crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which oversees Mideast waters, said Monday’s attack happened some 110 miles (177 kilometers) miles southeast of Aden. It said the ship’s captain reported that the “port side of vessel hit from above by a missile.”

Private security firms Ambrey and Dryad Global told The Associated Press that the vessel was the Eagle Gibraltar, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier. The U.S. military’s Central Command later acknowledged the strike.

“The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey,” Central Command said.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack in a recorded television address that aired Monday night.

“The Yemeni armed forces consider all American and British ships and warships participating in the aggression against our country as hostile targets,” he said.

The vessel is owned by Eagle Bulk Shipping, a Stamford, Connecticut-based firm traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In a statement to The Associated Press, the company said the strike caused “limited damage to a cargo hold but (the ship) is stable and is heading out of the area.”

“All seafarers onboard the vessel are confirmed to be uninjured,” the firm said. “The vessel is carrying a cargo of steel products. Eagle Bulk management is in close contact with all relevant authorities concerning this matter.”

Satellite-tracking data analyzed by AP showed the Eagle Gibraltar had been bound for the Suez Canal, but rapidly turned around at the time of the attack.

Central Command said it detected a separate anti-ship ballistic missile launch toward the southern Red Sea on Monday, though it ”failed in flight and impacted on land in Yemen.”

The U.S. Maritime Administration, under the Transportation Department, also issued a warning of a continuing “high degree of risk to commercial vessels” traveling near Yemen.

“While the decision to transit remains at the discretion of individual vessels and companies, it is recommended that U.S. flag and U.S.-owned commercial vessels” stay away from Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden “until further notice,” the advisory said.

Sunday’s missile launch toward the American warship also marked the first U.S.-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since America and allied nations began strikes Friday on the rebels following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea.

The Houthi fire in the direction of the USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer operating in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, Central Command said.

The missile came from near Hodeida, a Red Sea port city long held by the Houthis, the U.S. said.

“An anti-ship cruise missile was fired from Iranian-backed Houthi militant areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon,” Central Command said. “There were no injuries or damage reported.”

The Houthis did not acknowledge that attack.

It wasn’t presently clear whether the U.S. would retaliate for the latest attacks, though President Joe Biden has said he “will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”

The first day of U.S.-led strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets with cruise missiles and bombs launched by fighter jets, warships and a submarine. Sites hit included weapon depots, radars and command centers, including in remote mountain areas, the U.S. has said.

The Houthis have yet to acknowledge how severe the damage was from the strikes, which they said killed five of their troops and wounded six others.

U.S. forces followed up with a strike Saturday on a Houthi radar site.

Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade.

Even the leader of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, obliquely referenced the widening Houthi attacks on ships in a speech Sunday, saying that “the sea has become a battlefield of missiles, drones and warships” and blaming the U.S. strikes for escalating maritime tensions.

“The most dangerous thing is what the Americans did in the Red Sea, (it) will harm the security of all maritime navigation,” Nasrallah said.

Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to calm tensions in the Middle East for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the strikes in the Red Sea threaten to ignite one.

It’s also affecting shipping for the Middle East nation of Qatar, one of the world’s top natural gas suppliers. Three liquid natural gas tankers that had recently loaded in Qatar and were bound for the Suez Canal remain idling off Oman, while another coming from Europe to Qatar remains off Saudi Arabia. QatarEnergy and government officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting, sought to distance itself from the attacks on Houthi sites as it tries to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a cease-fire it has in Yemen. The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen that began in 2015 has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.

The American military did not specifically say the fire targeted the Laboon, following a pattern by the U.S. since the Houthi attacks began. However, U.S. sailors have received combat ribbons for their actions in the Red Sea — something handed out only to those who face active hostilities with an enemy force.

___

Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington, Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.

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The following is a news release and photo from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

IDAHO FALLS – Hunters looking to apply for 2024 spring’s controlled hunts for black bear can apply from Jan. 15 to Feb. 15. Information on the spring 2024 controlled black bear hunt can be found in the 2023 Idaho Big Game Seasons and Rules booklet.

Hunters must have a 2024 hunting license in order to apply for controlled hunts, and there are several ways to apply:

• Online: Hunters can apply here, or on the Fish and Game mobile app. There is a service charge of 3% of the transaction in addition to the nonrefundable controlled hunt application fee.
• Licensed Vendors: At any Fish and Game regional office or license vendor.
• Telephone: Applications can be placed over the phone by calling 1 (800) 554-8685.
  Mail in applications are no longer accepted.

Controlled hunts are hunts with a limited number of tags allocated by a random drawing, unlike a general season hunt, which allows hunters to purchase tags over the counter. Controlled hunts are often desirable because of location and timing, and success rates are usually higher than general season hunts.

Junior hunters must be between the ages of 10 and 17 to participate in any bear controlled hunt, but a 9-year-old may buy a junior license to apply, provided the hunter is 10 years old at the time of the hunt for which they are applying.

Controlled hunt applications for spring 2024 black bear close on Feb. 15. Successful spring black bear applicants will be notified no later than March 10. Any leftover tags for spring bear controlled hunts go on sale April 1.

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(CNN) — A skier was found dead after an avalanche in a backcountry area of Shoshone County, officials said, in a week of snow-related accidents across the West and Northwest.

Corey J. Zalewski was found and extracted from the area Friday afternoon, according to the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Corey’s family as they are remembering the life of this great man,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Facebook.

Three skiers were caught in the avalanche and two were found alive, Capt. Seth Green told CNN.

Rescue workers found the two – Landon E. Crecelius and David R. Sittser – near Steven’s Peak after getting in contact with the individuals via a GPS device that also enabled texting.

“We were able to coordinate with the two individuals, one of which reported having a broken arm,” Green said. “And the third at the time was still in the vicinity of the avalanche.”

Rescuers found the pair amid rough weather conditions, and got them medical care, Green said.

“Once we got them to medical care, we got the information, pretty definitively, leading us to believe that the third individual is deceased up on the hill where the avalanche occurred,” Green said on Thursday. “Due to this information, we are not continuing our effort tonight due to the safety of everyone involved. We plan on doing a recovery mission tomorrow.”

RELATED | Body of skier retrieved from Idaho backcountry after avalanche that forced rescue of 2 other men

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and the US Air Force assisted in the rescue mission.

Shoshone County is located about three hours from Spokane, Washington.

Also on Thursday, the occupants of two vehicles were rescued after being stuck in an avalanche on State Highway 21 in Boise, according to a news release from the Idaho Transportation Department.

“We are relieved to report that all occupants were safely rescued by first responders from Custer County and Boise County,” the Boise County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

Earlier this week, a skier was killed and another person was injured in an avalanche at a Lake Tahoe-area ski resort in California, authorities said.

The avalanche occurred on Wednesday morning at Palisades Tahoe, a popular ski resort that draws in scores of visitors each year, and quickly prompted a search and rescue effort by multiple teams for potential victims, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said. More than 100 resort personnel assisted in the search, Palisades Tahoe said in a statement.

The avalanche occurred in an area that had just opened in the morning and that underwent rigorous “avalanche control assessments” for several days from teams who also evaluated weather conditions and safety measures, said Michael Gross, Palisades Tahoe’s vice president of mountain operations, during a news conference on Wednesday.

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RIGBY – A bill being proposed in the Idaho Legislature aims to increase the authority of local farmers and ranchers to improve range land across the state.

Rep. Jerald Raymond, R-Menan — who represents District 31 covering Jefferson, Fremont, Clark and Lemhi counties — is introducing legislation he’s calling the Rangeland Improvement Act.

He tells EastIdahoNews.com this bill would give boards in local grazing districts the ability to prioritize projects in specific areas and direct the Idaho State Department of Agriculture to apply for grants to pay for those projects. Examples of rangeland improvement projects could include water distribution, cross-fencing (fences built on grazing land to divide the property into smaller pastures) or predator and invasive species control.

Raymond and his wife, Cheri, own a feedlot near Menan and have worked in the cattle industry for decades. The beef cattle market in Idaho ranks 13th in the nation, according to the ISDA. Rangeland occupies 54% of the land area. Of the 22 million acres in the southern part of the state, the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission says 80% of it is managed by the state or federal government.

For this reason, Raymond says this bill is needed in the Gem State. He points to the Taylor Grazing Act passed by Congress in 1934, which established grazing rights for livestock ranchers across the U.S. and gave authority to the federal government to manage it.

“There’s been a movement for many years for the state to take over either management or ownership of federal lands. We’ll never get to the point where the state takes over ownership of federal lands, but this gives us the opportunity to partner with those who use the rangelands for grazing to improve it,” Raymond says. “Protecting rangelands and open spaces (is crucial to the health of the livestock industry).”

Rangeland fires and invasive grass species are the two biggest challenges ranchers currently face in Idaho, according to Idaho Cattle Association Executive Director Cameron Mulrony. These are issues that can only be handled by the federal government, Mulrony says, and Raymond’s bill wouldn’t change that.

But water projects are something that would benefit from this legislation, he says.

“There’s a lot of space out there where water availability isn’t there. If we can enhance that through this or other programs — that’s just the easiest one that we really can see more utilization and expansion,” Mulrony explains.

Raymond says enhancing water availability would also allow ranchers to distribute cattle where there is more grass and prevent overgrazing, which has a detrimental effect on land and other wildlife in riparian areas (grazing land near a body of water).

“When we overgraze riparian areas, it destroys the visual part of the landscape. You want greenery, you don’t want to see dirt,” says Raymond. “If you overgraze, the grass doesn’t come back like it should and we don’t get that second chance (of grazing) in the same season.”

Virtual fencing, which Raymond describes as an electric shock collar for a cow, is a management tactic that’s becoming a rising trend for cattlemen to keep livestock away from riparian areas. Boundaries are set using a computer program and when the cow steps outside the boundary, it shocks them so they’ll get back inside.

It’s an option available to ranchers that Raymond wants to make more feasible through this bill.

Grant funds for rangeland improvement projects are available from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Land Management. If a project is beneficial for multiple wildlife species, there are also funding sources from non-governmental organizations like Pheasants Forever or the National Elk Foundation.

“We’re excited to get this piece of legislation passed. I’ve been working on it for quite some time, and it’s taken a while to get the language right,” Raymond says. “Livestock has a huge impact on the economy and we need to make sure that producers can contribute and make money.”

If the bill is approved by the Resources and Conservation Committee, it will be introduced on the House floor. Click here to follow its progress.

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Proposed bill in the Idaho legislature aims to make AI-generated pornography illegal

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AMMON — It’s been one week since a popular restaurant caught fire in Ammon, and the business is expressing its thanks to the community on social media.

The structure fire happened on Monday, Jan. 8, at Texas Roadhouse.

RELATED | Blaze at Ammon restaurant causes $200,000 in damage, fire officials say

“We are truly overwhelmed with the current support of our community, thank you!” the restaurant posted on its Facebook page over the weekend.

Businesses like Cocoa Bean, Chick-fil-A, Guns N Gear, and Dixie’s Diner have reached out to Texas Roadhouse in support.

“Our utmost priority at this time is taking care of our Roadies,” the post said. “…our Roadies have a safety net for tragedies like these.”

Texas Roadhouse is temporarily closed due to the fire and it’s unknown when it will re-open. It’s also unclear what caused the fire.

EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to Texas Roadhouse but has not received a response back.

When the fire broke out, Bonneville County Fire District No. 1 Ammon Division Capt. Jon Molbert told EastIdahoNews.com there were reports the blaze started in the attic and heavy smoke was coming out of the roof.

Some employees were inside preparing for the day when the fire broke out, firefighters said, but nobody was injured.

“We feel incredibly lucky for our fast-acting employees that helped keep damage to a minimum and kept everyone safe. We are working hard to open as quickly as possible. Until then, we miss you all, and we LOVE this community!” the post from Texas Roadhouse said.

Ammon Fire Marshal Keith Banda estimated the damage to be $200,000.

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IDAHO FALLS — Idaho State Police are on the scene of a semi-crash near the Rose and Firth area, and drivers are asked to use caution.

The crash happened right before 2 p.m. on Monday. It’s on Interstate 15 northbound near West 450 North, according to Idaho 511. This is by milepost 99. The left lane is blocked and drivers need to keep right.

According to a video sent to EastIdahoNews.com, it shows part of a semi rolled over off the side of the road. Tow trucks are on the scene.

It doesn’t appear there are any injuries, ISP dispatchers say.

EastIdahoNews.com will update this article if more information becomes available.

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BOISE (IdahoEdNews.org) — Librarians told the House State Affairs Committee on Monday that a bill requiring them to relocate “harmful” books would be impractical and expensive to implement.

The committee voted along party lines to advance the legislation during a crammed hearing that needed overflow rooms to hold attendees. Rep. Jaron Crane’s bill is the latest among a string of proposals to restrict material available to underage library patrons.

House Bill 384 requires that libraries implement a process through which patrons can ask for material to be moved to an adults-only section. If library officials don’t relocate the book, they could face a civil lawsuit that includes statutory penalties.

RELATED | Idaho Republican wants to allow damage claims for ‘harmful’ materials in libraries

“There’s no book banning, and there’s no book burning,” Crane, R-Nampa, told the committee. “We’re simply codifying a relocation policy that creates a fair process for both parties that are involved.”

State Affairs Chairman and Nampa Rep. Brent Crane, Jaron Crane’s brother, allowed for about an hour and a half of public testimony on the bill. Hundreds of people attended the meeting, which fell on the same day as a teachers union event at the capitol.

Most testimony strongly opposed the proposal. Libraries already have policies for challenging material in circulation, and the Legislature should allow those processes to be controlled locally, several librarians said. And the threat of a lawsuit would compel costly renovations and additional staff to create adults-only sections and guard them, said Idaho Falls Public Library Director Robert Wright.

“We’re one of the largest libraries in eastern Idaho,” he said. “We can’t afford to do this.”

RELATED | Local libraries increase protective measures for kids as parental concerns rise

Others criticized the standards that would determine whether content is “harmful” to minors. Idaho law defines “harmful” as content that’s “obscene,” appeals to the prurient interest of minors” and is “patently offensive to prevailing standards” of what’s suitable for children. Content is also “harmful” if it’s “obscene” and “has the dominant effect of substantially arousing sexual desires” in minors.

“Obscene material,” as defined by Idaho law, is content that includes nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement and sado-masochistic abuse. Any act of homosexuality falls under the definition of “sexual conduct.”

“The homophobia in this bill is blatant,” said Isabella Burgess, a college student and associate librarian in Meridian. “It’s absolutely essential that we have books that represent every member of our community that are accessible to every age range.”

The hearing showed diverging opinions over whether libraries should be responsible for supervising content that children access. Mary Ruckh, a Boise grandmother of two elementary schoolers who opposes the bill, urged lawmakers to “trust and allow parents to care for their children.”

Jennifer Holmes of Post Falls had a different view. Holmes said she asked officials from her local library to relocate a DVD that showed two men kissing on the cover. The request was denied and Holmes was told “it’s my responsibility as the parent to monitor my children,” she recalled for the committee.

“Needless to say, I stopped going to that library,” Holmes said.

Others who support House Bill 384 said they’ve struggled to change library policies locally. Children are “frequently being harmed and corrupted” by library content, said Rachelle Ottosen, a public library trustee in Rathdrum. The board has tried since last year to tighten library policies, but has been stymied by threats of lawsuits, Ottosen said.

“It’s mind-boggling that adults demand children have access to sexually explicit materials,” she said.

There was little discussion among committee members before a vote to advance the bill to the full House with a “do-pass” recommendation. Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, moved to delay a vote and allow those who didn’t testify in the allotted time an opportunity to submit written comments to the committee. The motion failed on a party-line vote.

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