WE
WE FOCUS
WE FOCUS ON STORIES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN IDAHO.
BUT WE WOULD BE
REMISS IF WE DIDN'T TALK
ABOUT TWO BIG ISSUES
HAPPENING TO OUR WEST
AND SOUTH -- IN UTAH
AND OREGON -- PLACES
THAT OFTEN AFFECT
THOSE OF US HERE IN THE
GEM STATE.
LET'S START IN UTAH.
WHERE OUTGOING
REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR
GARY HERBERT ISSUED A
STATE OF EMERGENCY
LATE LAST NIGHT -- DUE
TO A SPIKE IN COVID-19
CASES AND AFTER WEEKS
OF CONTINUED STRESS
ON UTAH'S HOSPITALS.
AS OF THIS MORNING,
THE ENTIRE STATE OF
UTAH IS NOW UNDER A
MASK MANDATE.
ALL UTAHNS MUST NOW
WEAR MASKS IN PUBLIC --
FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT
TWO WEEKS -- AND LIKELY
INTO THE FORESEEABLE
FUTURE.
BUSINESSES MUST
REQUIRE THEIR
EMPLOYEES TO WEAR
MASKS -- AND IF THEY
DON'T -- THEY'LL BE
SUBJECT TO FINES.
AND -- CASUAL SOCIAL
GATHERINGS ARE LIMITED
TO HOUSEHOLD-ONLY
FOR THE NEXT TWO
WEEKS.
IN A STATEMENT --
GOVERNOR HERBET SAYS,
"TO MAKE A REAL
DIFFERENCE IN SLOWING
THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
AND TURNING AROUND
THE DIRE SITUATION IN
OUR HOSPITALS -- WE ALL
NEED TO DO MORE."
"THIS IS A SACRIFICE FOR
ALL OF US. BUT AS WE
SLOW THE SPREAD IT WILL
MAKE ALL THE
DIFFERENCE FOR OUR
OVERWORKED
HEALTHCARE WORKERS,
WHO DESPERATELY NEED
OUR HELP."
BUT UTAH'S GOVERNOR
ISN'T STOPPING THERE.
HE'S ALSO ACTIVATING
UTAH'S NATIONAL GUARD
RESOURCES TO HELP WITH
CONTACT TRACING AND
TO ROLLOUT ACCELERATED
TESTING FOR
ASYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE.
TESTING WILL BE
FOCUSED ON PEOPLE 35
AND YOUNGER -- BECAUSE
DATA SHOWS THEY ARE
MORE LIKELY TO BE
ASYMPTOMATIC -- AND
BECAUSE THIS AGE GROUP
IS DRIVING THE SPREAD
OF COVID-19.
TESTING WILL BE DONE AT
COLLEGE CAMPUSES AND
EXTRACURRICULAR
EXTRACURRICULAR
ACTIVITIES -- AND EVENTUALLY AT WORKPLACES.
UTAH IS ALSO WORKING
TO EXPAND RAPID
ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING
TO ALL HIGH SCHOOL
TEACHERS.
YOU MAY BE THINKING.
WOW, UTAH'S NUMBER
OF COVID-19 CASES MUST
BE REALLY HIGH TO ENACT
ALL THESE MEASURES.
HERE'S HOW THEY
COMPARE TO IDAHO.
IN THE FIRST SEVEN DAYS
OF NOVEMBER --
UTAH ADDED 16-
THOUSAND-27 NEW
CASES OF COVID-19.
IDAHO ADDED 7-
THOUSAND-704.
UTAH'S CASELOAD IS
MORE THAN DOUBLE --
BUT SO IS THEIR
POPULATION COMPARED
TO IDAHO.
THAT'S WHAT UTAH IS
DOING.
WHAT'S IDAHO DOING?
LAST WEEK WE HAD FOUR
CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF
RECORD-BREAKING DAILY
CASE NUMBERS.
SO -- WHAT'S IDAHO
DOING?
TODAY WE LEARNED THAT
REPUBLICANS IN THE
IDAHO SENATE ARE
WORKING ON WAYS TO
LIMIT THE GOVERNOR'S
EMERGENCY POWERS.
GOVERNOR LITTLE HAS
THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
EXECUTIVE ACTIONS, LIKE
GOVERNOR HERBERT DID
FOR UTAH.
HE USED THAT POWER
TWO WEEKS AGO -- WHEN
HE ROLLED BACK THE
STATE TO A MODIFIED
STAGE 3 OF THE
REOPENING PLAN.
BEFORE THAT -- HE
ORDERED THE STATEWIDE
SHUT DOWN IN MARCH.
GOVERNORS HAVE THAT
EXECUTIVE POWER -- SO
THEY CAN ACT QUICKLY IN
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS,
LIKE A PANDEMIC.
BUT NOW SOME IDAHO
LAWMAKERS WANT THAT
POWER, TOO.
OUR PARTNERS AT THE
IDAHO PRESS REPORT
SENATE GOP MEMBERS
ARE WORKING ON
MEASURES TO PURSUE
THAT POWER -- WHEN
THEY CONVENE IN
JANUARY.
THE LAWMAKERS WANT
TO BE ABLE TO CALL
THEMSELVES INTO A SPECIAL SESSION. CURRENTLY IN IDAHO,
ONLY THE GOVERNOR
CAN CALL FOR A SPECIAL
SESSION AND SET THE
ORDER OF BUSINESS.
WHEN LITTLE CALLED FOR
THE SPECIAL SESSION IN
AUGUST TO DEAL WITH
COVID-19 -- THE IDAHO
SENATE DECLINED TO TAKE
UP A HOUSE RESOLUTION
THAT WOULD HAVE
ENDED THE STATE OF
EMERGENCY LITTLE
ENACTED IN MARCH.
SOME GOP MEMBERS
WANTED TO -- BUT THEY
DIDN'T -- FOR FEAR IT
WOULD BE ILLEGAL --
BECAUSE IT WASN'T AN
ITEM OF BUSINESS SET BY
GOVERNOR LITTLE.
BUT IN THE FUTURE -- IF
IDAHO LAWMAKERS HAVE
THE POWER TO CALL
THEMSELVES INTO SPECIAL
SESSION.... SENATE MAJORITY CAUCUS CHAIRMAN KELLY
ANTHON TOLD THE IDAHO
PRESS THAT "THE MAKING
OF LAWS IS FOR THE
LEGISLATURE."
BUT AS IDAHO HOUSE
MINORITY LEADER ILANA
RUBEL SAID, "IT IS
IMPORTANT WHEN YOU
HAVE A GENUINE
EMERGENCY ...YOU NEED
SOMEBODY WHO HAS THE
ABILITY TO ACT QUICKLY
AND DECISIVELY."
"THERE'S A REASON IN
WORLD WAR II WE HAD
EISENHOWER RUNNING
THINGS. WE DIDN'T HAVE
535 MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS MAKING A
DECISION ABOUT EVERY
NAVAL MANEUVER."
NOW TO WHAT'S
HAPPENING TO OUR
WEST.
ACROSS THE STATE LINE
IN ONTARIO -- JUST
ABOUT AN HOUR FROM
BOISE -- OREGON
GOVERNOR KATE BROWN
PUT MALHEUR COUNTY
ON THE STATE'S "PAUSE
LIST"
LIST" THAT INCLUDES NEW RESTRICTIONS TO HELP LOWER THE AREA'S HIGH
INFECTION RATES.
AS OF WEDNESDAY -- NO
VISITORS WILL BE
ALLOWED AT CARE
CENTERS -- AND NO
MORE THAN SIX PEOPLE
CAN DINE OUT TOGETHER.
SPECIFICALLY, LIKE UTAH
-- OREGON'S GOVERNOR
ASKED OREGONIANS TO
LIMIT THEIR SOCIAL
GATHERINGS TO ONLY
INCLUDE THOSE IN THEIR
OWN HOUSEHOLD -- AS
LARGER GATHERINGS
HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE
MAIN SOURCES FOR
SPREADING THE VIRUS.
HOWEVER, BROWN
STOPPED SHORT OF
ISSUING A COUNTY-WIDE
MASK MANDATE.
AS OF NOW -- MALHEUR
COUNTY IS REPORTING A
23 PERCENT INFECTION
RATE -- MORE THAN FOUR
TIMES WHAT IS
CONSIDERED SAFE.
DURING A PRESS
CONFERENCE ON FRIDAY,
BROWN SAID ADDITIONAL
CLOSURES ARE IMMINENT
IF CASE NUMBERS AREN'T
LOWERED WITHIN THE
NEXT TWO WEEKS,
CALLING IT A WAKEUP
CALL FOR OREGONIANS.
BACK IN IDAHO.
GOVERNOR LITTLE HAS
LEFT MASK MANDATES UP
TO LOCAL CONTROL.
LAST MONTH WHEN HE
ANNOUNCED THE
ROLLBACK TO STAGE 3 --
HE SAID HE BELIEVES THE
EFFICACY OF A MASK
MANDATE
MANDATE IS BEST IF IT'S GENERATED LOCALLY, SAYING THAT'S THEIR JOB.
CITIES LIKE BOISE,
MCCALL, KETCHUM,
VICTOR AND COEUR
D'ALENE HAVE ALL
ENACTED THEIR OWN
MANDATES.
AND TONIGHT, TWIN
FALLS COULD JOIN THEM.
THE TWIN FALLS CITY
COUNCIL IS SET TO VOTE
ON A MASK MANDATE.
THIS
THIS IS
THIS IS A
THIS IS A LIVE LOOK AT THAT MEETING THAT JUST GOT UNDERWAY A FEW
MINUTES AGO.
IF APPROVED, THE
ORDINANCE SAYS PEOPLE
IN TWIN FALLS MUST
WEAR A MASK OR FACE
COVERING WHEN IN
PUBLIC TO HELP SLOW THE
SPREAD OF COVID-19.
FOR 12 HOURS THIS
WEEKEND AND 12 HOURS
LAST
LAST WEEKEND -- ST. LUKE'S MAGIC VALLEY HOSPITAL IN TWIN FALLS
-- HAD TO TURN PATIENTS
AWAY BECAUSE THEY
WERE SO STRAINED BY
COVID-19.
TWIN FALLS IS IN THE
SOUTH CENTRAL PUBLIC
HEALTH DISTRICT.
REMEMBER, LAST MONTH
SOUTH CENTRAL PUBLIC
HEALTH VOTED DOWN A
MASK MANDATE OF THEIR
OWN.
BUT PASSED A
RESOLUTION ASKING
GOVERNOR LITTLE TO
ENACT A STATEWIDE
MANDATE.
HE HASN'T, AGAIN --
LEAVING THAT TO LOCAL
CONTROL.
BUT, HE DOES HAVE A
"MASK UP IDAHO"
CAMPAIGN CURRENTLY
RUNNING COMMERCIALS
ACROSS THE STATE.
AND JUST THIS
MORNING, LITTLE
RELEASED AN OP-ED,
SAYING IN PART QUOTE
"OUR VETERANS BRAVELY
ENCOUNTERED BULLETS
AND BOMBS SO THAT YOU
CAN HAVE THE FREEDOM
TO CONTROL YOUR OWN
ACTIONS. AND YOUR
PERSONAL ACTIONS ARE
THE ONE AND ONLY
THING THAT WILL DEFEND
OUR VETERANS FROM
SUCCUMBING TO THE
ENEMY VIRUS."
"THIS YEAR, IN ADDITION
TO OFFERING PRAYERS
AND KIND WORDS TO
OUR VETERANS ON
VETERANS DAY, MAKE THIS
MINOR SACRIFICE: HELP
SLOW THE SPREAD OF
THIS DANGEROUS VIRUS
BY KEEPING YOUR
DISTANCE FROM OTHERS,
WEARING A MASK, AND
WASHING YOUR HANDS
FREQUENTLY.
OUR VETERANS NEED US
TO GET TOUGH AND PUT
UP WITH THESE MINOR
INCONVENIENCES FOR A
RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD
OF TIME SO THEY CAN
HAVE A FIGHTING CHANCE
AGAINST THE COVID-19
ENEMY THAT IS RAPIDLY
ADVANCING ON THEM."
GOVERNOR LITTLE
CONTINUING TO MAKE A
PLEA FOR PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY -- RATHER
THAN ENACTING MORE
POLICIES AND MANDATES
-- AS HIS COUNTERPARTS