Molly Messick

Knocking on doors in Colorado, NPR's Steve Inskeep reports that the GOP could be close to winning the Senate without changing the political positions that are said to endanger the party's future.

The housing crisis has taken a toll in Idaho. Home prices dropped by 46 percent in the Boise area and many people lost homes to foreclosure. Before the bubble burst, Charter Pointe became less a neighborhood of neighbors, and more about investor-buyers looking to make money.

Not every farm in the state was blessed with an aquifer for irrigation. For those that are, crops have flourished despite the drought that has stricken much of the U.S. Farmers dependent on rain, however, are stuck with devastating crop losses.

Cutbacks in airline routes affect more than disgruntled passengers — it may hinder a city's opportunity to turn around economically. Business owners say, as one of the most remote U.S. cities, Boise can't afford to lose flights.

For years, Boise's strong economy, good-quality affordable housing and supportive community created an especially favorable environment for refugee resettlement. The recession has shifted that picture.

Before the recession, Idaho had one of the fastest growing economies in the country. But last year, its jobless rate peaked at nearly 10 percent. That number has begun to creep down – but many workers in the state are still struggling to replace the jobs they've lost.