Kyle Pfannenstiel

Kyle Pfannenstiel

[email protected]

Kyle Pfannenstiel is a reporter for the Idaho Capital Sun focusing on health care. He previously covered rural health care and the COVID-19 pandemic for the Post Register and Report for America and worked as a night reporter at the Idaho Press. He fell in love with storytelling as a reporter at The Argonaut, the student newspaper at University of Idaho, and later worked as media relations manager at the university. His family is from Idaho Falls. He lives in Boise, where he spends his time cycling, brewing coffee and walking with his two small poodles.

Idaho’s general election is less than a month away. Here’s what you need to know.
With a little less than a month left until the 2026 midterm election, here’s how Idaho voters can start preparing. 2026 Voter Guide Dates to know, how-to instructions and candidate surveys for Idaho’s top contested races. Read More This election...
Mental health nonprofit to honor clinic owners who pushed Idaho Legislature to retract budget cuts
When two mental health clinic owners in Idaho set out to restore critical services for people with severe mental illness, they faced an uphill battle. The Idaho Legislature was gearing up for across-the-board budget cuts. But Laura Scuri and Ric...
Grand jury indicted ex-Idaho health official on felony misuse of funds. A judge dropped the case.
Two days after a grand jury indicted a former Idaho state government employee on two felony counts of misuse of public funds, a local judge dismissed the case — after a request from the prosecutor. The case marked the first...
Former Republican Idaho attorneys general endorse Democrat in attempt to unseat Raúl Labrador
Two former Republican attorneys general in Idaho — along with dozens of former lawyers at the office — on Thursday endorsed the Democratic challenger in the race for the state’s top attorney. Lori Hickman, who’s trying to unseat Republican Attorney...
Federal judge upholds Idaho law that bans vaccine, medical treatment requirements in daycares
An Idaho judge dismissed a lawsuit from a Boise daycare and parents that sought to block enforcement of a state law that bans daycares from requiring vaccines or medical treatment. The lawsuit claimed that the Idaho Medical Freedom Act was...
Idaho’s 2026 election voter pamphlet is coming to a mailbox near you
Ahead of the 2026 general election, Idaho election officials mailed out hundreds of thousands of informational pamphlets to households across the state. The state’s official voter pamphlet has already started to arrive at some households, the Idaho Secretary of State’s...
Ahead of 2026 midterm elections, Idaho officials begin mailing ballots to overseas, absentee voters
With less than two months before the 2026 midterm elections, election officials across Idaho mailed the first round of mail-in ballots to voters who are overseas or who requested absentee ballots locally. The finalization of ballots in Idaho follows after...
Idaho minister found guilty of trespassing at a protest of anti-trans bills to serve no jail time
An Idaho judge on Thursday ordered a Boise minister who was found guilty of misdemeanor trespass during a political protest to pay $357 in fines — but not serve more jail time. The Rev. Sara LaWall, the minister for the...
Lava Hot Springs to serve as Idaho’s ‘Capital for a Day’ with Gov. Little, state officials
The southeastern Idaho city of Lava Hot Springs will serve as the host of Idaho’s next “Capital for a Day” event on Tuesday. Capital for a Day events feature Gov. Brad Little and many of the state’s agency directors traveling...
As Idaho extends slim budgets and feds shift stance, disability care may face cuts, advocates worry
In January, as Idaho state lawmakers prepared for budget cuts, the state’s governor laid out a list of options for Medicaid decreases. One of them called to cut a set of programs that help people with disabilities live in their...
Top insurance official recommends task force for studying Idaho’s most critical healthcare issues
As the Idaho Legislature continues to study the state’s health insurance system before reconvening for the 2027 legislative session, the state’s top insurance official recommended having prolonged study of healthcare issues. The suggestion came soon after Dean Cameron, the director...
Searching for work in Idaho? Employers to attend Boise job fair Tuesday.
Employers seeking workers will be available at a hiring event next week in Boise, the Idaho Department of Labor announced in a news release. More than a dozen employers — in government and private business — plan to attend the...