Putting a ballot measure before Twin Falls County voters is the only legitimate way to measure support for refugee resettlement, a local activist says. But while he gathers signatures in support of the measure, a few people around Twin Falls demonstrate their support in direct and individual ways – like bringing presents to a baby shower for a Cong…

A young refugee mother from the Democratic Republic of the Congo – pregnant and unable to drive or speak English – deals with loneliness and isolation after her husband starts work. But one Twin Falls volunteer invites her to play dates where refugee families mingle with American ones. And another plans a baby shower to help her prepare for the bir…

A refugee family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo starts experiencing its new city: library story time, a bowling alley, a shopping trip to Walmart. Those outings are led by the volunteer mentor who’s helping the family adjust to Twin Falls. But she meets resistance when she tries to introduce the family to lasagna and corn dogs.…

Confined in their apartment by cold weather, the refugees chat online with friends back home in Africa and wish for people in Idaho to visit. The husband gets a surprising gift at an English class, and the wife learns the sex of the child she’s expecting. The project reporting team is in the room for the ultrasound and has another breakthrough in t…

A young man who fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo begins to open up about his experiences in a Malawi refugee camp. And he gives the reporting team permission for its project – following him and his wife during their first year in Twin Falls. The team will observe the couple’s first English classes and many of the troubles and triumphs cert…

On their second day in Twin Falls, rapid-fire instructions introduce the Congolese refugees to power bills, cold weather and other realities. A reporter and a photographer follow the family to a big holiday dinner at a Twin Falls home – where the conversation, naturally, turns to Idaho weather. But the news team still has some big questions to conf…

The project reporting team scrambles to prepare for the nighttime arrival of a Swahili-speaking family at the Twin Falls airport. A reporter and photographer document the family’s crash course in American life that night, as a resettlement worker shows the refugees how to use things in their new apartment: running water, refrigeration, the vacuum.…