Essential StateImpact: The Five Most-Read Stories of the Week

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In case you weren’t glued to your computer screen all week, here’s what you missed at StateImpact Idaho.  These are the five most commented, clicked and shared stories of the week!

1. Idaho’s Food Stamp Rolls Nearly Triple in Four Years: Food stamp use in the state used to be cyclical.  It waxed and waned according to the availability of seasonal jobs.  “Use would go down in the spring and up in the fall,” Shanahan said.  Now it only climbs.  “There’s not any kind of cycle anymore except up,” he said.
2. Idaho in Top Ten for Cuts in Mental Health Spending: As advocates for people with mental illness will point out, Idaho hasn’t had a great track record of funding services for the state’s mentally ill. “I think the shocking part is we spend $44 per capita on mental health, and the national average is $122. So we’re about a third of the national average,” said Doug McKnight, president of the Idaho chapter of NAMI.
3. Idaho’s Poverty Rate Higher Than the National Average, Neighboring States:  The percent of people living in poverty has steadily increased since 2008, the official start of the latest recession.  In 2007, Idaho’s poverty rate was 12.1 percent, last year it climbed to 15.8 percent.
4. Idaho Poised to Lead the Nation in Medical Job Growth: A recent study estimates that by 2018, jobs in Idaho’s health sciences sector will have seen a 33 percent increase, growing faster than any other sector in the state. It also indicates that Idaho’s economy will build on familiar strengths. The state is projected to lead the nation in the share of jobs in the agriculture, food and natural resource sectors by 2018.
5. Liveblog: Associated Taxpayers of Idaho Annual Conference: This annual event is often seen as a preview of the legislative session.  The liveblog details all seven hours of the conference. Happy reading!