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It's Worth Mentioning

It's Worth Mentioning

By: Rett Nelson
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 A podcast for trivia buffs and history nerds that takes listeners back in time. Each episode features a guest or topic that's tied to Idaho's past.Copyright Rett Nelson World
Episodes
  • Hoop memories with Jumpstart Basketball Academy, Harlem Globetrotters and former Ricks College player

    Hoop memories with Jumpstart Basketball Academy, Harlem Globetrotters and former Ricks College player
    Mar 2 2026
    Trent Shippen gets teary-eyed as he looks back on his basketball career and all the people he’s associated with through the years.

    The 60-year-old Rigby man is a sports advisor at Brigham Young University-Idaho, but was once part of a national tournament while a student at Ricks College in the 1980s. He later went on to play for Colorado State University, and eventually coached at BYU in Provo, Utah.

    This week on “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Shippen shares his memories of playing basketball for the Ricks College Vikings. He discusses some of the people he’s played or interacted with — some of whom played in the NBA — and reflects on the school’s transition from a two-year junior college to a four-year baccalaureate university.
    Shippen has been involved in intramural sports at BYU-Idaho for decades and talks about whether competitive sports will ever return to BYU-Idaho.

    Sean McDonald, and his son, Miles, also join us on this episode. Sean is the owner of Jumpstart Basketball Academy at 4141 East 645 North in Rigby, and has an extensive knowledge of basketball culture and history. Sean discusses his love for the game, how the basketball culture intersects with skating culture and some historical facts about the Harlem Globetrotters. The Globetrotters, who are celebrating 100 years in 2026, recently came through eastern Idaho.

    Miles, who just graduated from Rigby High School and is headed to Boise this week for the state basketball championship, has a YouTube channel that’s earned national attention. He appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in 2024 and often collaborates with the Globetrotters.

    At the conclusion of the Winter Olympics, it’s a sports-themed show you don’t want to miss!
    Watch previous episodes here. Check out the show on Facebook. If you have a tip or a guest idea, email rett@eastidahonews.com.

    RELATED LINK: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/09/rigby-basketball-academy-aims-to-enlarge-its-community-with-new-skate-park/
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    53 mins
  • NEW EPISODE | After Idaho political career, longtime attorney helping others ‘look to Lincoln’

    NEW EPISODE | After Idaho political career, longtime attorney helping others ‘look to Lincoln’
    Feb 23 2026
    Despite losing a bid for Idaho governor with less than one percentage point and failing twice to represent Idaho in Congress, David Leroy says he doesn’t have any “political work left undone.”

    The 78-year-old Boise man is a longtime Idaho attorney with an extensive political career in the state. It began in the 1970s as Ada County prosecutor, followed by a term as Idaho Attorney General. He was elected to the position in 1978 at age 31 — the youngest attorney general in the nation at that time.

    Four years later, he was elected Lieutenant Governor on the Republican ticket. He served under Gov. John Evans, a Democrat from Malad.
    He lost the gubernatorial race against Cecil Andrus in 1986 by only eight-tenths of a percent.

    After serving as the U.S. Nuclear Waste Negotiator under President George H.W. Bush, he became a candidate for Idaho’s first Congressional District in 1994. He finished second in the Republican primary behind Helen Chenoweth.
    He ran for the same Congressional seat in 2017 and lost to Russ Fulcher, who currently serves as one of Idaho’s U.S. Representatives.

    Leroy is also a historian and the founder of the Idaho Lincoln Institute. America’s 16th president signed the bill that created the Idaho territory on March 4, 1863. The mission of Leroy’s nonprofit is to promote Lincoln’s ideals and “help chart a new course to orient and enliven the Idaho electorate as a rallying point for the rest of the Nation.”

    This week on “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Leroy looks back on his political career and some memorable experiences. He shares what it was like being the nation’s youngest attorney general and leading the state with a governor from a different party.
    He also discusses his narrow election loss in the 1986 gubernatorial race and what missed opportunities he would’ve liked to have.

    He kicks off the show paying tribute to former state legislator and fellow history-lover, Linden Bateman, R-Idaho Falls, who passed away last month at age 85. Leroy was serving as attorney general when Bateman was in office.

    RELATED LINK: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2026/01/former-state-legislator-known-across-idaho-as-mr-history-passes-at-age-85/

    Leroy also discusses his political hero, Abraham Lincoln, and his surprising connections to Idaho, which extend far beyond the legislation he signed that led to its creation.

    RELATED LINK: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/03/historian-says-lincoln-won-civil-war-with-the-idea-of-idaho-and-early-governor-might-have-prevented-assassination/

    If you’re an Idaho history buff or political junkie, this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

    Watch previous episodes here. If you have a tip or a guest idea, email rett@eastidahonews.com.
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • REBROADCAST | Freshman legislator discusses her ties to former Idaho governor and Congressman

    REBROADCAST | Freshman legislator discusses her ties to former Idaho governor and Congressman
    Feb 18 2026
    EDITOR’S NOTE: This episode was originally published on Nov. 9, 2025. We are reposting it ahead of President’s Day.

    Monica Church is just over a year into her first term as a state legislator. The Boise Democrat is the granddaughter of two former beloved politicians from Idaho.

    Frank Church, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1957-1981 and is the namesake for the Frank Church Wilderness Area, is her grandfather on her mother’s side.

    Her paternal grandfather is Cecil Andrus, the state’s only four-term governor who served nonconsecutive terms. He was first elected in 1970 and served until 1977. His second term was interrupted with a nomination to serve as U.S. Secretary of Interior. He successfully ran for governor again in 1987 and served until 1995. The White Clouds Wilderness Area was renamed the Cecil Andrus Wilderness Management Area in 2018.

    Monica’s political roots in Idaho go back even further to Chase and Barzilla Clark, two brothers who both served as mayor of Idaho Falls and Governor of Idaho at separate times during the 1930s and 40s.

    We thought it was worth catching up with Monica about her rich, political heritage. On this week’s episode of “It’s Worth Mentioning,” she discusses how Frank got involved in politics, Andrus’ chaotic beginnings as a major political figure, and the time he spent five days on the Salmon River with President Jimmy Carter.

    It’s a politically-themed show just in time for President’s Day.

    Watch previous episodes here. If you have a tip or a guest idea, email rett@eastidahonews.com.

    RELATED LINKS: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/01/remembering-jfks-visit-to-eastern-idaho-amid-trumps-effort-to-declassify-assassination-files/

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2024/09/idahos-last-democratic-governor-left-office-30-years-ago-a-look-back-at-left-wing-leadership-in-one-of-americas-most-republican-states/

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/01/remembering-jimmy-carters-trips-to-idaho-and-his-friendship-with-former-governor-cecil-andrus/

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2025/04/remembering-two-of-idahos-most-decisive-elections-and-how-they-changed-the-political-landscape/

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/05/how-an-idaho-falls-democrat-became-the-states-16th-governor-and-started-a-political-dynasty/

    https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/07/the-story-of-idahos-18th-governor-and-the-political-statement-that-denied-him-a-second-term/
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    47 mins
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