Missouri Press Association
Serving Missouri Newspapers Since 1867
Back when dinosaurs and print newspaper readers roamed the Earth, I got my first job as editor of a daily newspaper.
The year: 1976. The place: Twin Falls, Idaho.
A couple of Sundays ago, I read with interest a New York Times story about Twin Falls. The story reminded me of the power and importance of local news.
Here’s the story in a nutshell: The modest city of Twin Falls, population 51,000, sits on the rim of the Snake River canyon amid miles of farmland in every direction. It’s white, Mormon, and has voted solidly Republican for decades.
Something else distinguishes this place. Chobani yogurt is made in Twin Falls.
Hamdi Ulukaya, the founder and creator of Chobani, came to the U.S. two decades ago as a Turkish refugee. Once here, he surmised that American yogurt needed an upgrade and, to make a long story short, introduced his take on Greek yogurt to eager American consumers.
In 2012, he built the world’s largest Greek yogurt plant in Twin Falls because land was cheap and cows were plentiful. He spent $450 million. He has hired more than 2,000 employees. He pays them $15/ hour to start, twice the minimum wage in Idaho.
And one more thing. His Chobani factory has actively recruited immigrants from Africa and the Middle East to come work in Twin Falls.
Today, about 300 immigrants from places like war-torn Myanmar and Bhutan, families of African descent and Muslim faith, have come to Twin Falls to work at Chobani.
They have prospered. So has Twin Falls.
But as The New York Times reported days ago, the weight of national politics has put a strain on Chobani’s workforce development and upended daily life in Twin Falls.
The path that led refugees to Chobani has been blocked. Whereas 125,000 refugees from other lands were allowed into the U.S. in 2024, the new national refugee target for 2026 is 7,000. Most of these are white Afrikaners from South Africa.
The machinations of national political agendas are confusing, confounding, and contrary to what this small Idaho city had considered a point of pride — welcoming immigrants and Chobani yogurt. “No matter where you come from, there is an opportunity to achieve the American Dream in Twin Falls,” Shawn Barigar, head of the Twin Falls economic development program, told the New York Times.
The local news about immigration is far different in Twin Falls, compared to the national headlines about hordes of immigrants overwhelming beleaguered big cities.
In Twin Falls, unemployment stands at about 3%. Chobani represents the largest employer in town, and the lack of refugees is pinching the local economy. That’s the local story.
“The refugee program (in Twin Falls) has been a source of motivated, qualified talent,’’ said Daragh Maccabee, the chief executive of Idaho Milk Products, another food innovator in the Twin Falls area. “I fear the impact of losing this valuable source for the economy and the community.’
Immigration is an important national issue. And a complex one.
It’s not a story that can be told exclusively by politicians in Washington, D.C. It’s also a story that unfolds on the plains of southern Idaho.
As a long-ago editor in Twin Falls, I am reminded of the essential role that local news plays in communities as local residents try to make sense of complex national issues like immigration.
We need reliable, trusted local news now more than ever.
