In August, the Idaho Supreme Court began live video streaming its oral arguments from its main courtroom in Boise.

That means we can watch and report on them live from anywhere in the state; it’s a great step forward for access.

This is occurring through cooperation between the court and Idaho Public Television, in an expansion of the Idaho Legislature Live streaming service (which is now being renamed “Idaho Live”). At least initially, the streaming will occur only for Supreme Court arguments held in Boise, not for those held elsewhere in the state.

The first set of arguments that was streamed included appeals over a search after a traffic stop when a drug dog alerted on a car; Rex Rammell’s appeal in his lawsuit against the state, then-Gov. Jim Risch and Idaho Fish & Game over the shooting of his escaped domestic elk; the Idaho Wool Growers’ lawsuit against the state regarding bighorn sheep; and the Idaho State Tax Commission’s appeal of a favorable court ruling Pacificorp obtained over the taxable value of its operating property in Idaho.

Many media outlets were able to cover these arguments remotely thanks to the new live streaming, including those located far from Boise but intensely interested in the local matters being argued.

To find the live stream, you can either go to the Idaho Supreme Court’s website, http://www.isc.idaho.gov/, or to IPTV’s live streaming page, www.idahoptv.org/leglive. The Supreme Court’s website also includes links to its calendars, including summaries of cases up for upcoming arguments.

Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Burdick wrote a letter to Idaho Press Club members in August highlighting a number of steps the court is taking to improve public and media access, including the new live-streaming; that letter is reprinted below. It is also posted on the Press Club’s website in PDF form, including links to everything from the court’s Media Guide to its Data Repository, in which you can check court records, including lawsuits and traffic citations, online in a search by name.

Here’s the text of the letter:

August 17, 2012

Dear Idaho Press Club Member:

I am writing to update you on our efforts to promote the openness and accountability of the Idaho courts.

It is a great honor to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In an effort to ensure that the tradition of independence and innovation is at the forefront of everything we do as a public institution, the Idaho Courts recently revised its mission statement, goals, and values that reflect our priorities and our commitment. Please click here to read our mission, values, and strategic goals.

Openness and Accountability: The Supreme Court promotes openness and accountability through the expanded use of the Court’s Web site. Please click here to read about our strategies to do so. We also hope you find our new Website informative and easy to use. We also consider suggestions for improvement online.

Media Guide to the Idaho Courts: The Media and the Courts Committee maintains a Media Guide to the Idaho Courts, and I commend it to you as an excellent resource. It is designed to provide a quick source of basic information for journalists covering the Idaho courts and is available on the Court’s Web site at: www.isc.idaho.gov with links to rules, statutes, and other information.

Idaho Supreme Court Data Repository: The Data Repository allows you to search our court records database for pending and closed district court and magistrate division case information. Electronic records are available from 1995 forward, although some information for older cases may be available. The information is displayed according to Idaho Administrative Rule 32. Work is currently underway so that appellate court records will be available later this year.

Access to Court Records: While our long-term strategy is to provide electronic access to all documents, a statewide protocol is being developed to ensure you can readily request and receive documents from case files. The protocol will be discussed by Clerks of the District Court on Aug. 21.

Court Opinion Service

Steve Kenyon, the Clerk of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, provides a service in which all media outlets that provide an email address to the Court will receive an email with appropriate links to our Web site when the Supreme Court issues an opinion. Please send your email address to Mr. Kenyon (skenyon@idcourts.net) if you are interested in this service. We also have available to you a Twitter account for opinions issued. All opinions issued, as well as orders of significant statewide interest, continue to be posted on the Court’s Web site for your convenience. A summary of the opinion is also available to you, with the county of origin noted for your convenience.

has been meeting at least annually to ensure open and productive communication among the media, the courts, and the Bar, to address matters of significant interest to the media and the courts. We invite and appreciate your suggestions and agenda items, which may be transmitted to the Administrative Director of the Courts, Patti Tobias, at (208) 334-2246 or via email ptobias@idcourts.net.

Idaho Public Television

I am particularly pleased to announce that beginning August 20, 2012, all Supreme Court oral arguments scheduled for hearing in Boise will be web-streamed live statewide by Idaho Public Television. Look on our Website for more information!

Please let us know of issues of interest to you. If you have other suggestions that would assist you in covering the Idaho courts, please let us know. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Roger S. Burdick

Chief Justice

Betsy Z. Russell is a Boise-based reporter for The Spokesman-Review, and is the president of the Idaho Press Club.

Starting in December, you’ll be able to enter your best work in the Idaho Press Club’s annual awards competition entirely online.

“Most other professional competitions have moved to an online system. It was time,” said contest committee chair Joan Cartan-Hansen.

The online system will accept most standard files: .pdf, .jpg, mp3, .wmv, .mov

“Broadcasters should be familiar with the video uploading process,” Cartan-Hansen said. “We are using the same company the Idaho State Broadcasters use for their contest.”

Cartan-Hansen believes the new online entry system and online judging system will make things easier for all concerned.

“A new system will take a little getting used to, but in the end, I’m sure it will make entering easier and help hold down costs,”she said.

Now is the time to start thinking about what you might want to enter, and to make sure you have an electronic copy of it readily available.

Next year’s contest includes some new categories.”Education Reporting”was added to the television division (that category already existed in the print division). The “Television Writing” category was split into writing for a single story and writing for a program. The television videography categories also were split, into story- and program-length.

Cartan-Hansen said the committee also added a special”Best Evening Newscast” category. “We are keeping the general excellence category so judges can compare who does the best job on the same designated day, but this new category will allow broadcasters to submit their single best evening newscast of the year.”The contest already included a “Best Morning Newscast” category.

After feedback from online journalists, the contest committee also added new online categories. “Now you will be able to enter your best single online news or feature story, your best public affairs or news online program, and your best online program that is not news or public affairs oriented,”Cartan-Hansen said.

Contest entry fees stay the same: $15 per entry for Idaho Press Club members and $28 per entry for non-members. Student members pay $8 per entry and student non-members pay $16. Membership is only $25 for professionals and $10 for students and retired professionals.

“As in the past,” Cartan-Hansen said,”you may have to add in a small surcharge if you use Paypal or a credit card when you pay for your entries, but we are still working that out as we move to the online entry system.”

The Call for Entries for the Idaho Press Club awards will be available at www.idahopressclub.org starting in December.

All Press Club members are invited to attend; the symposium and conference are free and open to the public. The topic will be especially timely: “Politicians vs. the Press: Media Ethics in an Election Season.”

The conference will run from 8 a.m. to noon, starting with a continental breakfast in the Senate dining room, just down the hall from the auditorium on the Garden Level of the state Capitol (the basement).

Keynote speaker is Kelly McBride, lead ethicist and media critic for the Poynter Institute of Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida. McBride also has ties to our area; she’s a former reporter for The Spokesman-Review.

Her keynote address, “Politicians vs. the Press: A Social Media  Cage Fight,” is scheduled from 8:45 to 10 a.m.

McBride is a writer, teacher and one of the country’s leading voices when it comes to media ethics. She has been on the faculty of The Poynter Institute for eight years. The world’s largest newsrooms, including  The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, NPR and the BBC, frequently quote her expertise. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree in theology from Gonzaga University, and gained a national reputation as a religion reporter, covering the moral side of fertility issues, sexual orientation, evolution and the Catholic Church’s abuse scandal.

McBride began her career as a police reporter in the hills of the Idaho Panhandle, covering the meth trade and the white supremacy movement. She recently traveled to South Africa to teach and research storytelling on mobile phones. Her current work at Poynter includes a project examining the transformation of journalism from a profession of a few to a civic obligation of many, the effects of technology on democracy, and the media habits of the millennial generation.

Following the keynote address, a panel discussion will address “Media Bias in Election Coverage: How to Spot It and What to Do About It.” Panelists will include Jamie Grey, investigative reporter, KTVB-TV; Kevin Richert, editorial page editor, Idaho Statesman; Todd Dvorak, Idaho correspondent for the Associated Press and head of the AP’s Boise office; Brian Cronin, retiring state legislator and Democratic activist; and Alex LeBeau, IACI president and lobbyist and Republican activist. Moderating the panel will be Betsy Russell, Idaho Press Club president.

The panel will run from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m.

Idaho Public Television will provide live video streaming of the conference; those who can’t attend in person can watch online at www.idahoptv.org/leglive.

The Oppenheimer Ethics Symposium is underwritten by a gift from U of I alumni Douglas F. Oppenheimer, president of Boise-based Oppenheimer Companies, and Arthur F. “Skip” Oppenheimer, chairman of the board. Co-sponsors include the Idaho Press Club, the Idaho Statesman, Idaho Public Television, the University of Idaho Boise Center and the University of Idaho College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.

The program is supported in part by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council, a state-based program of the National Endowment of the Humanities.

In conjunction with this year’s symposium, an additional hands-on session, also co-sponsored by the Press Club and the University of Idaho School of Journalism and Mass Media, will be held for high school and community college journalism students in the afternoon from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.; for more information about the student session, contact UI journalism professor Steven Smith, sasmith@uidaho.edu.

The Press Club would like to thank Steve, the Oppenheimers and the U of I for working with us on this exceptional program, and encourage all our members who can to attend!

When Ian Marquand told the Idaho Press Club he was just passing through Boise and would be willing to give a freebie seminar on public records and the Freedom of Information Act, we jumped at the opportunity.

Marquand is the former Freedom of Information chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists and a longtime leading voice in the West for teaching reporters why mining public records is essential to what we do, and how to better use the law to our advantage. He lives in Helena, Mont., and was driving through Idaho en route to Oregon where he was presenting to a convention of journalists. It took Idaho Press Club President Betsy Russell about five minutes to take him up on the offer.

The summer “Access Across America” seminar, hosted by The Idaho Statesman, was attended by about 40 reporters from Boise-area newspapers, news radio and television stations. Another session was held earlier this summer in Idaho Falls, hosted by the Post Register.

The main thrust of Marquand’s program is simple: Actively chase public records, learn the applicable laws and don’t be intimidated by government officials who reflexively try to make our hunt more difficult.

Here are a few points Marquand conveyed during the 90-minute session:

• Don’t be sidetracked by costs: In many cases, especially small requests, copies should be made free of charge. If the agency insists on copying and preparation charges, take a trip to the agency and ask to inspect the records yourself.

Another point on costs is publicity. In other words, if an agency insists on payment or if the costs are high, write about it. Let the public know that governments, universities and police departments are charging your newspaper or station for documents designed to be free to the public.

• Question why a records request is being denied on privacy or personnel reasons. And in doing so, make the case that releasing the records is in the public interest, something that outweighs privacy or personnel. Add this to your argument arsenal: Would the average, reasonable person be appalled or angry at a records rejection letter?
• Using public records makes us better reporters and makes our news agencies better watchdogs. So get used to using records in your reporting and making it part of your routine. A good tool for that is devoting one day a week to submitting requests. FOI Fridays anyone?
• Track your records. The busy schedules we all keep can help bury our best efforts at housekeeping vigilance. Avoid that by keeping a log or file on your computer with the name of the request, date filed, the agency’s initial response and other means to track requests until they are fulfilled.
• Watch what other reporters, newspapers and broadcasters are doing with public records. Then don’t be shy about stealing their ideas. If a government agency is doing something that doesn’t pass the smell test in Idaho Falls, Seattle or California, follow their lead as it applies to your city, county, public school system or state. Yeah, it may not have been an original idea, but watchdog journalism pays dividends.
• Carry copies of Idaho’s public records law in your wallet, brief case or computer bag. Copies of Idaho’s laws for public records and open meetings are available and downloadable. Arming yourself with the law is the best way to assert your right to know.
• Get others involved. Having trouble getting records or believe an agency is violating the law? Reach out to the Idaho Press Club, reporters at other newspapers or broadcast stations. There is strength in numbers if a case is worthy of fighting in court. A case in point in Idaho developed in 2011 when a variety of Idaho newspapers, the Idaho Press Club and Associated Press teamed up and shared the legal bills in a fight for records denied by The University of Idaho.
• Bookmark resources dedicated to public records, access and the laws. Those include: The Society for Professional Journalists; The National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. In Idaho, don’t forget Idahoans for Open Government, or IDOG (www.openidaho.org).

Thanks to Betsy Russell, Ian Marquand, the SPJ and The Idaho Statesman for all the help in making this seminar happen on such short notice.

Todd Dvorak is the Boise correspondent for the Associated Press, and is vice president of the Idaho Press Club and chairman of our First Amendment Committee.

Did you know the Idaho Press Club offers scholarships to working journalists every year? It’s true! Through the Don Watkins Scholarships, the Idaho Press Club funds scholarships for both working journalists and students.

You’re probably familiar with the Don Watkins Memorial Scholarship for college students; there’s more info on that below. But we also have the Don Watkins Mid-Career Scholarship, which is available to any Idaho Press Club member for a worthy project or expense.

Last year, the Idaho Press Club awarded Nathaniel Hoffman a $500 scholarship to help in writing his nonfiction book about immigration. In years past, journalists have used this funding to attend conferences, workshops and other training opportunities.

So how does it work? Any Press Club member can apply for up to $500 to use toward training or a project that will improve the working press in Idaho. The only catch is you must share what you learn with Press Club members through a presentation at a conference or a newsletter article in the Communicator. (Really, it’s not much of a catch at all!)

To apply, just send your resume and a proposal for how you’d spend the money to: Idaho Press Club, P.O. Box 2221, Boise, 83701, or e-mail it to email@idahopressclub.org. The deadline is Feb. 15, but there’s no need to wait – apply now. The funds are paid out to reimburse actual costs, so if you use the scholarship to attend a conference or go on a reporting trip, for example, you’ll need to submit receipts for payment; that’s why it’s a good idea to plan ahead.

The mid-career scholarship is a supplement to our longstanding Don Watkins Memorial Scholarship for students. If you know a graduate of an Idaho high school who has completed a year of college and wishes to pursue a career in journalism or communications, please encourage them to apply for this scholarship!

To apply, students are asked to submit a one-page resume; a 500-word essay explaining their interest in a journalism or communications career; samples of journalistic work, whether published or unpublished; and a copy of transcripts, including GPA, through the most recent fall term. Applications may be mailed to the Idaho Press Club at P.O. Box 2221, Boise, 83701.

The deadline for both scholarships is February 15, 2013. The winners will be announced at the Press Club’s annual awards banquet in the spring.

More information is available online at www.idahopressclub.org. If you have questions, please contact Press Club Executive Director Martha Borchers at (208) 389-2879 or email@idahopressclub.org.

Melissa McGrath, a former newspaper reporter, is the public information officer for the Idaho State Department of Education, and is the secretary of the Idaho Press Club board.

Name:

Press Club position, and how long you’ve held it:

Executive Director, since April 1992.

Background/career path:

Prior to my years with the Idaho Press Club I worked for several years at a law firm as a secretary/ legal clerk.   Then, to indulge my interest in healthcare, switched gears and worked for a new doctor just opening his practice.   I enjoyed the variety of work in a solo medical practice environment because I did everything from receptionist to transcriptionist to in-office procedure assistance.

What interested you in this position?

There are two reasons I pursued this position.  The Press Club offered me the opportunity to gain experience in my third area of personal interest, communication and media.   I felt like I would be rounding out my exposure to different fields of work.    I must admit the other reason was practical in nature.   The position is operated in a home office environment.   I had three small kids at the time and it offered me an opportunity to utilize my previous experience and save money on childcare.

I have learned much more than I ever anticipated.

Education:

Boise State University

Family:

I have been married for almost 32 years to Jim Borchers.  We have two daughters and one son and currently 6 granddaughters and 1 grandson.

Pets:

We are presently empty-nesters in the pet department, but have enjoyed the company over the years of a menagerie of dogs, hamsters and fish.    We do claim the neighbor’s cat occasionally as our property de-mouser.

Formative experience:

I don’t think I could name just one formative experience.   My life has been an amazing collection of experiences and  I’m still a work in progress.    I’m a Boise girl from the very beginning.   Born at St. Luke’s hospital on the same floor I later worked on as a teenager as a candy striper, only by then it was the cancer patient floor and I had to learn very quickly about the realities of illness and death.

My childhood was idyllic and typical with all the wonderful family characters contributing.  I married young, but for me it was the right time.   I call the years with kids at home my “wonder years.”    I wondered how to ever do it right and now I wonder how it ever went so fast.   I do however think I’m going to enjoy the Grandma gig quite nicely.

Something people may not know about you:

My first experience as a media representative was as a photographer’s assistant covering a space shuttle launch.    My husband was working his way through college as a photographer and we decide to offer our photos to Deseret News in Salt Lake City in exchange for press credentials.    We secured the necessary clearances and joined the news media covering STS-7– Challenger launch with Sally Ride aboard.    Prior to the Challenger explosion that occurred years later, the news media would be gathered alongside a sandy lagoon only a mile from the launch pad.   I was lined up along the bank with hundreds of other photographers from around the world and was star-struck by the national news media (including Tom Brokaw) doing live shots just over my shoulder.

The actual launch of the shuttle had a profound effect on me and as I would watch later shuttle launches on television I could still feel the rumble of the engines’ thrust rattle in my chest and the smell of the burning fuel.   It was an amazing feeling.

Hobbies:

Amongst the other usual hobbies, we joke that we’ve gotten into ‘heavy-metal.’  We zip around town in our 1929 Model A Ford and have two more in various stages of reconstruction.   The new car around here is 10 years old.

What you wish all Press Club members would do:

General answer – Please let us know what you need from us.  How can we help you as a member of the Idaho Press Club?   Administrative answer – Let me know any address changes quickly.  

The best part of this job:
The best part of this job is getting to know your stories and why you do what you do.

More than a year ago, Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Public Television teamed up with Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland to help launch a regional journalism initiative called EarthFix. This public media project is now being recognized by the Online News Association (ONA ) with two prestigious awards.

At the September ONA awards banquet in San Francisco, EarthFix won in the small site category for topical reporting. It also was honored with another award for its emphasis on explanatory reporting.

Aaron Kunz is the Idaho reporter for EarthFix. He splits his reporting time between IPTV and BSPR. Kunz’ work is featured on EarthFix and you can hear his stories on KBSX 91.5 and watch them on Idaho Public Television.

You can learn more about EarthFix by visiting http://earthfix.opb.org/

Sadie Babits is the news director at Boise State Public Radio, and is a broadcast rep on the Idaho Press Club board.

LEWISTON TRIBUNE

Brad W. Gary has been promoted to assistant city editor at the Lewiston Tribune after spending six years as a reporter at the paper. Before coming to the Tribune, he was a reporter for the Columbia Basin Herald in Moses Lake, Wash., the Shoshone News-Press in Kellogg and the Clark Fork Valley Press in Plains, Mont. He is a 2003 graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism. He replaces Randy Thompson, who was recently named editor of the Hermiston (Ore.) Herald.

IDAHO FALLS

POST REGISTER

Robert Bower has retired from the Post Register effective Sept. 28. Had he stayed around until January, he would have been taking photographs for the paper for 42 years. He was the longest-serving Post Register employee; he joined the paper Jan. 11, 1971. Said Bower, “I always said that someday I’d get a real job, but don’t believe I will now. Retirement will just mean I don’t get paid (regularly) as I continue taking pictures.”

Alex Stuckey joined the Post Register on August. 20 as the new Idaho National Lab reporter; she arrives from Dayton, Ohio, and is a recent graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. New reporter Christina Lords joined the staff in early August as a features writer. A 2009 graduate of the University of Idaho’s School of Journalism and Mass Media, she most recently covered sports, features and Newcastle city government for the Issaquah Press; she also has worked for the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Ben Kennedy, who joined the paper in late July, replaces Tiffany Aldinger on the copy desk. Ben is an eastern Idaho native and ISU grad; he worked at the Idaho State Journal on the copy desk for the past five years. Paul Lambert has rejoined the sports staff, on which he previously worked from 1999 to 2005.

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW

Environmental reporter Becky Kramer has been selected as one of five Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The 9-month fellowship will allow Becky to work on an independent study project, as well as take classes and go on field trips. Becky’s topic is wolves and wildlife conflict management; she’ll also llearn to shoot and edit video and audio.

While she’s gone, assistant city editor Scott Maben is taking on a temporary assignment as a reporter and editor in North Idaho. Reporter John Stucke is filling in for Scott on the city and business desks, and temporary reporter Jennifer Pignolet joins the staff through the end of May to cover business and general assignment, filling in for Stucke. Pignolet was formerly a reporter for the Medina Gazette in Ohio.

MOSCOW-PULLMAN  DAILY NEWS

New reporter Estelle Gwinn, a recent graduate of Washington State University’s Murrow School, is covering Idaho education, particularly the University of Idaho. She replaced Holly Bowen on the beat, who moves to cover Whitman County and Pullman government and issues, the former assignment of Kelli Hadley, who took a magazine internship in Seattle.

Elizabeth Rudd, a recent graduate of the University of Idaho Journalism and Mass Media program, has been hired as Business Editor and Page One editor, replacing Amelia Veneziano, who took a job in marketing with Eastside Marketplace in Moscow.
Kelcie Moseley moved from Page One editor to the Washington education beat, particularly Washington State University, replacing Katie Roenigk, who returned to work at the Riverton, Wyo., Ranger newspaper.
Another recent UI JAMM program graduate, Ben Handel, has been hired to cover Idaho sports, particularly the UI Vandals, replacing Sports Editor Devin Rokyta, who retained that title as well as taking on News Editor responsibilities, replacing Robert Monteith, who departed for a job as Night Editor at the Twin Falls Times-News.

Washington sports reporter Andrew Nemec is returning to Portland, Ore., and the paper is looking to hire a sports reporter to replace him, covering Washington sports, particularly WSU.

BOISE WEEKLY

Boise Weekly Editor-in-Chief Rachael Daigle has left after more than four years in her position with the alt weekly newspaper to explore new options on the East Coast.

Daigle has worked for Boise Weekly on and off for nearly 10 years as a copy editor, reporter and editor. Her successor has yet to be named.

IDAHO STATESMAN

The new night breaking news reporter/editor is Meghann Cuniff, who previously covered crime and courts at The Spokesman-Review and worked at smaller papers in Oregon. Sven Berg joined the Statesman staff in July as Boise city reporter; he arrived from the Post Register in Idaho Falls.

Niki Forbing-Orr, a longtime Statesman local editor, copy editor, Life editor and outdoors editor, is now a public information officer at Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Sandra Forester, a Statesman city editor and reporter, has gone to work handling internal communications for St. Luke’s. Carroll Kimsey, the Statesman’s longtime newsroom administrator, retired in August.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Education reporter Jessie Bonner left the Boise bureau to move to Des Moines, Iowa, where husband Charlie Litchfield, former Idaho Press-Tribune photographer, is starting a new job as a photographer for the Des Moines Register.

Idaho Business Review

Scott Ki has joined the Idaho Business Review as a staff writer.  He covers finance, technology, and other sectors for the print and online business publication.  Before coming to the IBR, he spent two years as general assignment reporter at Boise State Public Radio where he wrote and recorded stories ranging from pole-dancing to state executions.  He has also worked for public and community radio stations in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico.  While reporting for public radio, he received regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for individual and team coverage, a Society for Professional Journalist’s award for sports reporting, and a number of awards from the Idaho Press Club, Idaho State Broadcasters’ Association, and New Mexico Associated Press.  He is a former senior director with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in Washington, D.C. responsible for trade relations with Asian countries.  

TELEVISION

Idaho Falls/Pocatello

KIFI/KIDK

Brittany Borghi, a reporter at KIFI/KIDK’s Pocatello Bureau, has moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa as a reporter for KGAN. Marissa Bodnar, a reporter at KIFI/KIDK, moved to Portland, Maine to be a reporter at WGME.

Taylor Alward was hired as the weekend sports anchor for KIFI/KIDK. He’s originally from Provo, Utah; he graduated from Carroll University in Wisconsin. Elaine Washam is now the 6 a.m. morning show producer for KIFI/KIDK. She is a graduate of Idaho State University in Pocatello.

Boise

KBOI2 News

New general manager Don Pratt comes on board from being news director at KATU in Portland. Reporter Jennifer McGraw left in September for a position at a TV station in Lexington, Kentucky. Other staff departures include reporter/weathercaster Erik Avanier; news director Julie Weindel; and editor Amy Murphy.

KTVB-TV

Reporter Karen Zatkulak has joined the staff, arriving from WTVC in Chatanooga. Tyson Miller, previously with KIVI, is the new digital media producer/assignment editor.

Anchor Kim Fields was promoted to anchor/reporter/special projects reporter/producer; while reporter Andrea Lutz was promoted to weekend anchor. Digital media producer Jordan Gray left for a position with the Idaho Press-Tribune.

KIVI-TV

Anchor Natalee Morales is leaving in October. Meteorologist Kyle Gravlin departed for Austin, Texas.  Former sports director Amanda Maynard accepted a position as sports reporter in Indianapolis.  Anchor Tamara Jolee left for a ministry position in Zimbabwe, Africa.  Brianna Egger is the new morning weather anchor; Mike Vogel a new video journalist.

Twin Falls

KMVT-TV

Ngozi Ekelado, a recent Northwestern grad who’s from Macon, Georgia, is the new weekend sports anchor and reporter, replacing Amy Gill, who left for a similar job in the State College, Penn. market.

Brandon Redmond is new at weekend weather/reporter; he most recently worked in Indiana. New co-anchor Tara Palmer is originally from Vancouver B.C. but has anchored in Florida and Washington before joining the KMVT team. New morning producer/reporter Alexa Tieu joins the staff from Fox Sports Texas.

IDAHO ALUMNI

Former Idaho broadcast journalist Thanh Tan has joined the Seattle Times editorial page staff as a multimedia editorial writer and columnist. She most recently worked for the Texas Tribune; before that, she was the host of Idaho Reports at Idaho Public Television; and before that she was a commercial TV reporter.