Friday, Aug. 14

From Boise State Public Radio, this is The Connector, Idaho Daily News. Good morning. I'm Lauren Patterson. It's Friday, August 14th. We made it to the end of the week. Today we have news on a new AI policy for Idaho schools. A weather update on the smoky skies and K-pop comes to the Gem State. The towering evergreen that stands in Capitol Square in Washington, D.C., to represent the people of the United States during Christmas time, also called the People's Tree, will be harvested in North Idaho this fall. Recently, Forest Service officials revealed an 80-foot-tall grand fur has been chosen from the Salmon River Ranger District. Zach Peterson is a staff officer for the Nesperse Clearwater National Forests. He says the tree will be harvested in mid-October, but they can't cut this giant fur down like a normal tree. We'll have a crane and the tree will get cut at the base and then it will get lifted up and then put onto the custom capital Christmas tree trailer. The exact location of the tree will remain secret until a few weeks before harvesting time in mid-October. Local school districts in Idaho have new guidelines on how they can use artificial intelligence. James Dawson reports on the new policy passed by the State Board of Education this week. Before explaining what the new statewide AI policy does do, Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield wanted to shut down rumors that districts would be forced to use the technology. There's nothing in it that compels anyone to utilize AI at any level for any content area for any reason. For those who choose to use AI, they'll have to follow these guidelines. Administrators cannot replace teachers with AI or use it to teach classes. And educators cannot use the technology to grade students work. Teachers will be able to limit or allow students to use AI on an assignment by assignment basis. Each of the guidelines are also tailored for a student's appropriate grade level, with older kids getting more hands-on with AI. State officials expect to update these rules every year as the technology changes. James Dawson, Boise State Public Radio News. There's significant change in the region's weather patterns this morning. We're getting a lot of moisture. coming in from the southwest. And that's going to bring us some thunderstorms through the weekend across much of the area. That's Josh Smith, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Boise. He says the number one question that his office is fielding is, will the smoke that has blanketed southern Idaho since mid-July begin to dissipate? Yes, we've been asked that a lot lately. We could get some clearing briefly from, at least from the shift in the winds. It'll be more westerly or southwesternly. We don't have as many fires in that direction. But the wild card will be, will we get any new starts, which is certainly possible with all the lightning that we're expecting to see this weekend. In the meantime, a good chance of thunderstorms remains in the forecast all the way through Saturday night.

Photocard exchanges, language lessons and dance lessons. Those are just a few of the hallmarks of the K-pop community, and it's made its way to Idaho. Chantal Ramirez Sanchez has more. Idaho is known for its rural landscapes, country music, and Western traditions. But the K-pop community, fans of the now global Korean pop genre, are making inroads in the state. We've seen people of all ages. I've seen people who are like grandmas bringing their grandchildren and the grandmas are more excited than the grandchildren to be there. And, you know, kids bringing their parents. The kids are excited. People of, you know, all races that are excited to be there, all genders. That was Madison Park, the vice president of Idaho K-pop stands. She says the community grew on Facebook. as K-pop lovers united to host fun events. We kind of felt like that was missing here in Idaho. Lots of other places like L.A. and Seattle always have these events. And we wanted to bring it here. Since then, the group has held monthly events with hundreds of attendees and is hosting the first Idaho Korean festival this weekend. I will love for everyone to leave with admiration of Korean culture and learn something new that they didn't know and hopefully want to join us again for next year. The festival will take place this Saturday in Boise at Julia Davis Park starting at 10 a.m. Chantar Ramirez Sanchez, Boise State Public Radio News.

That's today's episode of The Connector. I'm Lauren Patterson. Follow us on Instagram at Boise State Public Radio. And for more behind the scenes updates about the Capitol Christmas tree and other Idaho stories, you can follow me at PNW Reporter. Have a great weekend. The fatal shooting of a teenager at a protest in Seattle has gone unsolved for six years. This is open in your face. How are there no answers? Our investigation has uncovered new evidence and witnesses who say they've never talked to police. Did police ever call you? Not once. Listen to We Keep Us Safe, a new true crime series on the Embedded podcast from NPR.