BOISE, Idaho — 2019 started in the shadow of the Statehouse which served as an appropriate backdrop for a year that was peppered with rulings and policy changes.
Medicaid expansion - which passed in 2018 - ended up in front of the Idaho Supreme Court in 2019. The court rejected a challenge to its constitutionality. Coverage for Idaho residents, who signed up, begins next week.
Gov. Brad Little was a guest of President Trump at the White House in December for his role in making Idaho the "least regulated state in the U.S." after cutting 75% of the state’s administrative code making good on his campaign pledge to cut government red tape.
DeOrr Kunz Jr. still missing after 4 years
The search for what happened to eastern Idaho toddler DeOrr Kunz Jr. who went missing without a trace four years ago continued in early summer. A national nonprofit missing children’s organization brought in a cadaver dog which originally was thought to have picked up a scent. Despite closing the campground in Lemhi County where he was last seen for a weekend to continue a search - nothing turned up and the mystery remains unsolved.
RELATED: Baby Shark, DeOrr Kunz Jr., and Garth Brooks: Watch the 13 most-watched KTVB YouTube videos of 2019
Twin Falls nurse involved in the murder of Kelsey Berreth
A Twin Falls nurse was at the center of a murder case in Colorado. Krystal Lee Kenney took a plea deal on an evidence tampering charge in the death of Colorado mom, Kelsey Berreth. A case that involved the former fiancé of Berreth’s who Kenney had an intimate relationship with. Patrick Frazee was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Kenney’s sentencing in late January could come with a 3-year prison term.
Alleged drunk driver kills three little girls in crash
Three little girls from Mountain Home, all sisters under the age of seven, died after the car they were riding in in Blaine County was struck from behind by an alleged drunk driver in August.
The father of the girls, and his fiancée, were also seriously injured in the wreck caused by 46-year-old Matthew Richard Park of Fairfield, who was arrested on three felony charges of vehicular manslaughter and two charges of aggravated DUI. His jury trial is set for February.
Hemp debate continues
The hemp debate was in the spotlight for much of the year in Idaho after Idaho State Police seized nearly 7,000 pounds of industrial hemp worth $1.3 million from a semi driving through the state, claiming it was actually marijuana and was the largest "trafficking seizure of this type in any present-day trooper's memory."
The company that hired the truck driver to transport the hemp offered to drop their lawsuit against the state if the hemp was returned to the company. The driver that was arrested and two other truck drivers arrested for transporting hemp through Idaho were all sentenced on misdemeanor charges.
In November, Gov. Brad Little signed an executive order to align Idaho’s enforcement laws with federal laws to allow the transportation of hemp across the state.
The debate over the legal status of hemp is expected to continue in the next legislative session, especially as Idaho's neighbors continue to growth and export hemp.
Boise and Meridian elect new mayors
2019 saw the end of mayoral eras in Idaho’s two largest cities, as Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd announced her fourth term would be her last, while Boise Mayor Dave Bieter lost a runoff election with City Council President Lauren McLean, ending his four-term run in the city’s highest office.
Both mayors helped orchestrate historic and, at times, controversial development and growth in their respective cities.
Boise State and College of Idaho reach new heights
It was also a year to celebrate the College of Idaho and Boise State University's athletic achievements.
The Yotes continued their winning streak, which started in the middle of last season, and finished the season ranked fifth in the NAIA Coches' Top 25 Poll - the highest ranking in program history.
They finished unbeaten in the regular season and claimed the Frontier Conference title, just a few seasons after the program was revived from the dead.
Their miraculous season continued when they advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA playoffs before losing to Grand View (Iowa), 14 to 6. The loss ended their winning streak at 17 games, which is a program record.
They finished their best season ever at 11-1.
RELATED: Yotes set new program winning streak record, win conference title after beating Montana Western
Boise State went undefeated for the first time in the Mountain West Conference play en route to beating the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors for the second time in the conference championship game. This was also the Broncos' third conference championship in six seasons under Bryan Harsin.
The road to the Mountain West Conference Championship game was filled with quarterback controversies, a hurricane, a bitter loss to a rival, and an unexpected senior taking over the offense.
The 2019 season started with a whirlwind of excitement and anticipation when the Broncos' game against Florida State was moved to Tallahassee after a hurricane forced the game to be relocated from Jacksonville, Florida. If that wasn't enough, for the first time in program history the Broncos started a true freshman at quarterback for the season opener. Passing for 407 yards, a touchdown, and an 18-point comeback victory, Bronco Nation was introduced to what Hank Bachmeier could do. The entire saga surrounding the season opener gave Bachmeier the nickname of 'Hurricane Hank.'
The season ended with an unsavory 38-7 defeat to former Boise State coach Chris Peterson in his final game as the Washington Husky coach in the Las Vegas Bowl.
The Broncos ended the season 12-2, the best season in the Bryan Harsin era since 2014 when they went 12-2 and won the Fiesta Bowl.
Boise State track star Ally Ostrander became the first woman to win three consecutive 3,000-meter steeplechase national championships. She left Boise State following graduating with a kinesiology degree to train full time for the Summer Olympics.
"I talked to some of my teammates, and I talked to my parents and my sister, and some of my friends," she explained during her announcement. "I talked to other runners that have faced the same decision, and obviously, I talked to potential coaches and future teammates about it. In the end, I felt like this was best for my personal and athletic growth. It was what got me most excited about running."
Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton perform at Albertsons Stadium
When it comes to a weekend many people call the most memorable of the year, you probably need to go back to mid-July when Albertsons Stadium was transformed into a 40,000-seat beer hall for country music legend Garth Brooks.
One show wasn’t enough so, at the request of the governor, a second show was added and Brooks later announced that fellow country music star Blake Shelton would join him at Albertsons Stadium to perform their duet "Dive Bar" for the first time ever.
"Boise, I don't know if they know how great they are, but they are fabulous," Brooks later said in a social media post.
The success of Brooks' two-night extravaganza at Albertsons Stadium prompted concert promoters to think about future concerts on the Blue, depending on who the artist is.
Over 80,000 people are still talking about “the” weekend of the summer of 2019.
7Cares Idaho Shares
Finally, as has been the case for over a decade, the end of 2019 will be remembered by many for the outpouring of goodness from thousands all over the region. Acts of kindness from complete strangers looking to give a hand up to neighbors and families in need.
In one day, 7Cares Idaho Shares represents what the heart of our community is about all year long.
A day that many point to as the reason they believe they live in the greatest place in the world, for so many reasons, and on this day there were hundreds of thousands of reasons to prove it.