What do students really think about artificial intelligence in the classroom? In this episode of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast, Managing Editor Matt Baney sits down with eight winners of the Tribune’s first High School Excellence Awards to discuss how AI is shaping education — and what it means for their future.

Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:36 Explaining High School Excellence 1:12 Athletics winner: Cody Ells, Asotin 1:31 Academics winner: Macallan Christensen, Salmon River 1:48 Arts winner: Aidan McFetridge, Lewiston 2:08 Stem winner: Nicholas Lee, Pullman 2:25 CTE winner: Solomon Trankle, Kamiah 2:38 Community/Civic Leadership winner: Bianca Boreson, Clarkston 3:19 Environmental Stewardship winner: Payton Laney, Colton 3:48 Natural Uplifter winner: Jenna Denuit, Grangeville 4:09 Editor's Choice winner: Will Mahorney, Nezperce 4:55 Unsung hero winner: Johnny Carpenter 5:19 The youth take on education today 9:25 The challenges of AI 14:15 Cause of concern for the younger generation and AI 18:36 How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect this crop of learners? 22:12 The youth’s thoughts on the future 27:57 Is AI a net positive or negative? 31:35 How can AI affect a creative workspace?

What’s happening with wolves, public lands, and this year’s Spring Chinook season?

In this episode of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast, Managing Editor Matt Baney sits down with outdoor editor Eric Barker to discuss political action committees (PACs) forming around wolves and public lands — and what they could mean for policy and the future of access.

Plus, Barker shares his outlook for the 2026 Spring Chinook season, including a look at a new app that allows anglers to tag their catch.

Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:27 What is the fish wrap? 1:07 Public Lands issue still hot 14:10 Wolves in Washington/Idaho 24:56 Spring chinook outlook 31:24 What outdoor events is Barker looking forward to?

What went wrong during Idaho’s 2026 legislative session? In this episode of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast, Managing Editor Matt Baney sits down with Opinion Page Editor Marty Trillhaase to break down what he’s calling a “legislative mess” and what it means for the state moving forward.

Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:24 Were we left a stinking pile of legislative mess? 1:55 Breaking down Idaho’s budget 4:15 Will the deficit be worse next year? 4:48 Why didn’t Idaho draw the rainy day fund 5:10 The big unknown about the big beautiful bill 7:00 Will Idaho regret not passing an open primary? 7:20 Spending a lot of time on the culture wars 11:31 Who is Perry Swisher? 13:27 What are some of Idaho’s redeeming qualities? 15:07 Why did LCSC's name change take so long? 16:46 Going over key election races 21:25 Abortion rights and medicinal marijuana 24:22 Thoughts on the Washington legislative session 27:24 Other Marty hot takes 28:39 Marty is not a pansy

Can local news keep up in 2026? In this episode of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast, Managing Editor Matt Baney sits down with Publisher Nathan Alford to break down the first-ever Local News Day and what it reveals about the future of local journalism.

Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:15 The inception of Local News Day 1:16 What is “local news” 3:58 Difference between national and local news 8:27 The Lewiston Tribune is where people are 10:26 Fill out the Trib survey 10:43 “We’re a Fabric” video 11:35 The Tribune’s Local News Day special 12:27 The importance of having a local newspaper 15:55 When butch bought the papers 17:12 Ways the Lewiston Tribune has diversified 22:01 The legacy of the Lewiston Tribune 24:46 Pressures the printed product faces

In this episode of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast, Managing Editor Matt Baney sits down with Tribune President Butch Alford to uncover stories the Tribune never published from his decades inside the newsroom.

Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:38 Butch’s time visiting “Hobo Jungle” on Holbrook Island as a youngster 4:31 Being taught how to swim by Bert Lipps 7:21 Old school election stories 8:15 The character of Blue Pete Davis 9:33 Finding a gambling den in Clarkston 16:50 An awkward situation at the police station 21:53 Peeping Toms at the Trib

In this episode of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast, Managing Editor Matt Baney sits down with Lauren Paterson — a freelancer and longtime Orofino resident — to explore the history, culture and character of the small town.

Managing Editor Matt Baney and Online Editor Trevan Pixley fill out a March Madness–style bracket featuring staples of the Lewis-Clark Valley in the latest episode of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast.

Timestamps 0:00 Intro 0:36 Breaking down the bracket 4:01 Events region 11:06 Things region 19:52 Places region 24:10 People region 31:30 Final 4 34:33 Championship

In Episode 78 of the Lewiston Tribune Podcast, managing editor Matt Baney speaks with Elaine Williams about cannabis use among youth in the Lewis-Clark Valley and what the data shows.

Timestamps 0:00 Inro 0:15 USC data fellowship 3:05 What is the effect on legal weed in the valley? 4:18 How the youth is getting its hands on cannabis 5:49 weekly cannabis use and impaired learning 7:29 Importance of this data 8:32 Story of Paige Valpey 10:14 How big of an issue is cannabis at CHS? 12:01 What was Elaine’s biggest takeaway from this project?