Idaho Education News welcomed reporter Emma Epperly to its staff Friday to launch full-time education coverage in North Idaho. 

Epperly comes to EdNews from The Spokesman-Review where she covered a bit of everything from public safety to wildfires. She largely focused on criminal justice, covering both state and federal courts. 

She also worked on projects, including covering the town of Malden’s first year of recovery after it was devastated by a wildfire, the flood of Ukrainian refugees into Spokane after the start of the Russian-Ukraine war, and the lack of youth drug treatment in the state.  

Epperly studied journalism and French at Washington State University. Epperly: “Go Cougs!”

She was born in Boise but spent most of her childhood in Montana. She now lives in the Inland Northwest. 

“I’ve long wanted a full-time reporter in North Idaho and Emma is the perfect fit,” said Jennifer Swindell, managing editor for EdNews. “She’ll dive into the unique policy issues that North Idaho educators, parents and patrons face. She’s extremely talented and we’re lucky to have landed her.”

Epperly will write about topics that impact families and educators. She hopes to become an expert in charter schools and how their specialized curriculums impact the education system. 

Idaho Education News is a nonprofit, digital news organization. The staff reports primarily on Idaho public education, but also on national education issues and their impacts on Idaho. EdNews is a public awareness service where parents, patrons, educators and lawmakers can find accurate, critical information on issues that affect Idaho’s children and their futures. 

You can follow Epperly’s work on Twitter @EmmaEpperly and send her news tips at [email protected].