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# Higher Dread
- URL: https://www.rangemedia.co/podcasts/higher-dread/
- Published: 2021-04-09T21:01:15.000Z
- Updated: 2021-04-09T21:01:15.000Z
- Description: Hey y’all. A couple weeks ago the DC-based Chronicle of Higher Education ran a story from right in our backyard about a coordinated effort by Kootenai County Republicans to run for the ostensibly non-partisan North Idaho College Board of Trustees on explicitly conservative talking points
- Author: RANGE
- Tags: Education, Podcast, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-02-19 03:03

Hey y’all. A couple weeks ago the DC-based Chronicle of Higher Education ran [a story](https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-county-turns-against-its-community-college?ref=rangemedia.co) from right in our backyard about a coordinated effort by Kootenai County Republicans to run for the ostensibly non-partisan North Idaho College Board of Trustees on explicitly conservative talking points. They leveraged the full power of the local Republican Central Committee, ended up winning a super majority on the board, then quickly came into conflict with the college’s administration, faculty and staff.

The report’s author, [Emma Petti](https://twitter.com/EmmaJanePettit?ref=rangemedia.co)t, joins us to get the details.

It’s a fascinating window on our region and a great conversation, though one important question remains unanswered: whether this is a new tactic in the conservative war on higher education or if it’s just [Kootenai County being Kootenai County](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/wackadoodles-north-idaho?ref=rangemedia.co).

As a bit of a coda, this week Emma wrote a quasi-follow up piece about [Idaho Freedom Action’s campaign to “Fix Idaho Colleges”](https://www.chronicle.com/article/anti-american-pushing-marxism-and-more-do-you-recognize-your-college-here?cid2=gen%5Flogin%5Frefresh&cid=gen%5Fsign%5Fin&ref=rangemedia.co) by robocalling about Marxism and how students are conditioned to “apologize for being white.”

#### FURTHER READING

- **[A County Turns Against Its College](https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-county-turns-against-its-community-college?ref=rangemedia.co) |** Emma Pettit | Chronicle of Higher Education
- **[“I Don’t Work for You, Greg”](https://cdapress.com/news/2021/mar/26/i-dont-work-you-greg/?ref=rangemedia.co)** | Fallout from Emma’s story | Cd’A Press
- **[NIC Pres: ‘These are more than serious distractions’](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/mar/02/north-idaho-college-president-on-conflict-with-boa/?ref=rangemedia.co)**| Spokesman-Review

#### PREVIOUS REPORTING

- **[NIC trustee Wood calls for chair to resign](https://cdapress.com/news/2021/jan/20/call-resignation/?ref=rangemedia.co)** | Cd’A Press
- **[NIC trustees reject removal of board chair in split vote](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/feb/10/north-idaho-college-trustees-reject-removal-of-boa/?ref=rangemedia.co)** | Spokesman-Review

#### CITED

- **[Here’s What Happens When Republicans Have No One to Fight](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/wackadoodles-north-idaho?ref=rangemedia.co)** | Buzzfeed

#### GOOFS

- **[It’s a whole new ballgame on campus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALth838XCcQ&ref=rangemedia.co)**