Kootenai County Republicans Host Legislator Town Halls at Coeur d'Alene Churches

About 10 North Idaho legislators gathered Friday evening at Candlelight Christian Fellowship on Pioneer Drive to close out the 2026 legislative session in front of constituents, the first of two back-to-back town halls organized across Coeur d'Alene churches this weekend.

The Candlelight event ran from 6 to 8 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. at the church's 5725 N. Pioneer Drive location. Legislators shared highlights from the recently concluded session and fielded audience questions. A second session, sponsored by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee and its 74-member body, is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at The Altar Church, 901 E. Best Ave.

The return to church venues carries context. The KCRCC's February 2025 legislative town hall, held at Coeur d'Alene High School's auditorium, turned volatile when plainclothes security guards physically removed Post Falls resident Teresa Borrenpohl after she heckled legislators from the audience. That episode sparked a public dispute over whether the event was public or private, with the Coeur d'Alene School District, city police, and county prosecutors pushing back on the KCRCC's claim that it was a private gathering.

KCRCC legislative subcommittee member Marc Stewart had chosen CDA High School for that 2025 event partly because local churches lacked the capacity and parking for expected attendance. Saturday's session at The Altar Church, a venue the KCRCC has used for previous town halls including a November 2025 county officials forum that drew more than 200 attendees, returns the committee to more familiar territory.

The twin events give Kootenai County residents two opportunities in 24 hours to hear directly from their Idaho state legislators as the 2026 session winds down, covering issues that ranged this year from artificial intelligence in education to human trafficking policy and gender identity legislation. Saturday's 10 a.m. session at The Altar Church is open to the public.