Your Daily Briefing – 03/18/2026


⛽ GAS WATCH

Gas prices are surging fast across Idaho. AAA reports the average jumped to 3.79 a gallon overnight, with some areas seeing even bigger spikes—raising concerns $4 gas could be just around the corner.


🏛 STATE GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

✂ Budget Cuts

Governor Brad Little has signed $131 million in budget cuts into law, including additional reductions from lawmakers—hitting most state agencies, with higher education taking the biggest impact.

🗳 Jury Duty Alternative

A bill heading to Governor Brad Little would let Idaho jurors skip jury duty by volunteering as poll workers instead aiming to help counties fill election staffing needs.

🌿 CBD Regulation

A proposal to license CBD retailers in Idaho is falling short this year, leaving law enforcement without new tools to crack down on products that may illegally contain THC.

🚔 County Jail Funding

The Idaho Senate passed a bill to increase payments to county jails housing state inmates, but sheriffs say it’s still not enough to cover rising costs. The bill now heads to Governor Brad Little.

🚻 Bathroom Bill

The Idaho House passed a bill restricting bathroom use based on biological sex in public buildings. It now heads to the Senate.

🔒 Ethics Transparency

The Idaho House may make ethics hearings secret, as a proposal advances to keep investigations private raising concerns about public trust.

🤫 Moment of Silence

A bill requiring a daily moment of silence in Idaho public schools has passed the Senate and now heads to the governor’s desk. If signed, it takes effect July first.


🚨 CRIME & INCIDENTS

🚗 Crash Near Buhl

A three-vehicle crash near Buhl temporarily shut down Highway 30 yesterday afternoon. Two people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

🚴 Hit-and-Run

43-year-old Joshua Richard Fisher of Twin Falls faces felony charges after police say he hit a bicyclist and left the scene near Blue Lakes and Addison. The cyclist had minor injuries.

🏫 Hate Crime Investigation

The Cassia County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a swastika was spray-painted at Burley High School. Officials are reviewing surveillance videos.


🌱 COMMUNITY & LOCAL

💧 Irrigation Season

Twin Falls reminds residents pressurized irrigation season starts in April. With low snowpack and drought concerns, now’s the time to check your system and avoid water waste.


⚾ SPORTS

🧢 BASEBALL

🏆 Twin Falls vs Canyon Ridge

Big rivalry win on the diamond—Twin Falls edges Canyon Ridge 5-4, completing the season sweep and improving to 4-and-1. The Bruins got a big boost from a Maddox Stadelmeir home run and a clutch triple from Hoyt Murray, while Dalton Carter slammed the door in the seventh with two strikeouts. Again your final—Twin Falls 5, Canyon Ridge 4.

🔥 Filer Stays Perfect

Filer stays perfect on the season, rolling past Kimberly 13-2 to move to 4-and-0.

📅 Today’s Games

On the local diamond today, we’ve got a mix of conference and non-conference action around Magic Valley. In baseball, Gooding hits the road for a conference matchup at Buhl this afternoon. The Senators come in at 0-and-3, while Buhl sits at 1-and-2 on the season. Over in Glenns Ferry, Melba takes on the Pilots in non-conference play. Melba is off to a 1-and-1 start, while Glenns Ferry is still looking for their first win at 0-and-4.


🥎 SOFTBALL

Softball action around the Magic Valley saw plenty of offense—Burley drops both games at Rigby, falling 18-5 and 16-12. Hillcrest dominated Canyon Ridge in their softball doubleheader, winning 20-1 and 20-0, while Minico shut out Columbia twice, 18-0 in both games. Kimberly rolled past Filer 16-2, Gooding handled Jerome 16-2, Declo beat Firth 10-5, and Pocatello blanked Wood River 10-0.

📅 Today’s Matchups

On the softball side—also in Glenns Ferry—Melba, now 1-and-2, squares off with a Glenns Ferry squad that’s unbeaten at 1-and-0. Plus, Wendell heads to Gooding for another non-conference matchup. Wendell comes in at 1-and-0, while Gooding is off to a strong 2-and-0 start. Plenty of early-season action today—good chance to see who starts building momentum heading into conference play.


🏀 BASKETBALL HONORS

👑 Girls All-Conference

The 3A Southeast Idaho Conference has announced its girls basketball all-conference honors, and the Magic Valley is well represented. Wendell and Declo combined for four selections, with Declo’s Kaylee Rios and Jaylee Salmon, along with Wendell’s Audra Bunn, all earning second team honors. Wendell’s Kale Nieves picked up honorable mention. At the top of the list, Malad’s Izzy Haycock was named Player of the Year, while teammate Mikell Keetch earned Defensive Player of the Year.

🏆 Boys All-Conference

The 3A Southeast Idaho Conference has released its boys basketball all-conference honors, and Wendell leads the way. Twin brothers Jordon and Jonathan Swainston are your co-Players of the Year after a big season and deep state run for the Trojans. Wendell’s Martin Nava also picks up Defensive Player of the Year. On the first team, Wendell’s Jarret Borges and Declo’s Carter Robertson earn honors, while Jett Jasper of Wendell and Zane Snedaker from Declo land on the second team.


🤠 RODEO

The CSI rodeo teams kicked off spring in style—hosting the 49th Intercollegiate Rodeo. The women dominated, winning the team title with Hayden Corta taking all-around honors, while the men finished third with a bull riding sweep. CSI heads to Snow College next.


🥎 COLLEGE SOFTBALL

Boise State softball swept Sacramento State, winning 4-1 and 5-1. Loula-Rae McNamara earned saves in both games, while Quinn Southerland led the offense as the Broncos head into a weekend series with Fresno State.


🏀 COLLEGE BASKETBALL

The Idaho Vandals are ranked 10th in the Mid-Major poll after winning the Big Sky and earning a 13-seed in March Madness. They’ll face Oklahoma Friday night.

Idaho men’s basketball is dancing—facing 2-seed Houston tomorrow in Oklahoma City. It’s their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1990.


🌤 WEATHER

☀ TODAY

Sunny and warm with a high near 78. Light and variable wind becoming west northwest 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.

🌙 TONIGHT

Mostly clear, with a low around 47. North northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south southeast in the evening.


🌤 THURSDAY

Sunny, with a high near 79. South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming south after midnight.


🌡 FRIDAY

Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 51.


🍂 WEEKEND COOL-DOWN

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 61.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.


🌥 EARLY NEXT WEEK

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 70.


Terry "Tdub" West
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