Month: January 2012

The Marriott Residence Inn in Idaho Falls has lost funding and has been tied up in court, but less than three months ago, it finally gained the financial backing it needs to get construction up and moving again and could be open as early as June of this year, according to one of the owners.

On Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on ways to protect the sage grouse habitat in Idaho. No one has had their feathers ruffled more than the poor sage grouse lately. The rare bird has been teetering on the edge of an endangered species classification, but remains unlisted. Populations have decreased

After bringing in companies worth hundreds of jobs, Bannock Development’s director is headed to work statewide. Gynni Gilliam was integral in getting Hoku, Allstate and other businesses in the area. Now she has started working as Idaho’s Chief Economic Development Officer. Darlene Gerry is the interim director to fill the vacancy. She said the work

Thirteen Brigham Young University-Idaho students were directed to clean up glow sticks and other garbage the BLM says they left behind during a visit to the Civil Defense Caves in Fremont County on Saturday. The caves are located within the Bureau of Land Management’s Egin-Hamer Winter Closure area. BLM law enforcement officer Jeff Long says

If you’re looking for an opportunity to get involved as a community volunteer, now may be your chance. The award-winning long-term care ombudsman program in eastern Idaho is looking for more help by the end of the month. Ombudsmen go into nursing homes and assisted living facilities to ensure every resident is safe with proper

Residential customers of Rocky Mountain Power will see an increase in their electricity bills. Electric rates for residential customers of Rocky Mountain Power will increase by an average of 5.88 percent effective Tuesday, and 5.4 percent on Jan. 1 of next year, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission announced. “The requested price increase is needed to

Aiming to leverage limited numbers to win hearings on their priorities, House Democrats suggested Tuesday their most-liberal members could vote with the most-conservative Republicans against creating a health insurance exchange. Many of the 57 GOP House members, especially arch conservatives, are considering voting against Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s plan to use $20.3 million in federal

The largest military unit in the Idaho Army National Guard has a new commander. Col. Don Blunck took command of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team during a special ceremony Sunday at Boise’s Gowen Field. Blunck is from Meridian, Idaho. He replaces Col. Guy Thomas, who recently led the brigade on a year-long deployment to

A pit bull was euthanized after being shot by an Idaho Falls police officer last Friday. It all started with a phone call to IFPD early Friday morning. According to the police report, the caller was just down the street from the house at the intersection of 11th and June, and she saw her neighbor

Some of our station’s viewers have voiced concern about what seems to be a high level of water rushing out of the American Falls dam. We contacted the Bureau of Reclamation to find out if there is more water leaving the dam. The short answer is yes. But maybe not for long. “As the snow

This weekend, all 397 national parks, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton, are letting visitors in for free. The free admission is in honor of the coming Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Normally, admission for a private, noncommercial vehicle to Grand Teton and Yellowstone is $25 dollars for seven days. Common park activities this time

Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean it’s not the season for giving. Western States Caterpillar kicks of the Dump Hunger food drive today. Albertsons supermarkets and Wells-Fargo banking centers all over eastern Idaho are accepting food donations. The goal is to fill the beds of dump trucks with food for local food banks.

Teton Springs Water and Sewer Company is asking the Idaho Public Utilities Commission for authority to issue an assessment to its customers to pay for capital repairs made to two domestic wells that failed in July and August of last year. The company, which serves about 280 customers within the Teton Springs Golf and Casting

Customers of Intermountain Gas may soon be in for yet another rate decrease. Citing the “prolific availability” of U.S. shale gas production, Intermountain has asked the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to reduce rates by an average 4.5 percent effective Feb. 1 through Sept. 30. In addition to shale production, the company credits record storage of

Hoku Materials Inc. said Idaho Power Company is charging it for power it does not use. The utility has threatened to shut off electricity after the Honolulu-based polysilicon maker missed a $1.9 million payment. Hoku filed a complaint with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission asking the commission not to allow Idaho Power to terminate service

Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter outlined $60 million in income tax cuts, a pay raise for state workers and teachers and a plan to equip students with laptops in his annual State of the State speech on Monday. The tax cuts dwarf his separate $5 million initiative to create technology jobs and spur university research.

A group of local people, along with the Portneuf Health Care Foundation, is trying to bring some more mental and emotional healing to the Portneuf Medical Center by creating its first meditation garden. “I would see it as a place that’s really optimistic and joyful, in a sense, that people will be happy to be

The man who was allegedly the intended victim in an early Christmas morning stabbing in Ammon is speaking out against violence on Sunday. Two weeks after he witnessed the death of his best friend Buck Garner, Andrew Hall spoke to our station for the first time about what happened that night. “I lost a brother,

A Lewisville man’s dog is alive and well after tumbling down a 50 foot mine shaft on Friday night. Extensive search and rescue efforts in Clark County helped save his life. Meet Chester: A 6-year-old English Pointer. He’s recovering from a near-death experience, and his owner, from a scary 24 hours. “You put that much

At a tattoo convention in Pocatello, some are calling for government intervention in the industry to stop the spread of disease. Over the weekend, crowds of people covered in body art and ink are converging at the Gate City Community Center for tattoo competitions, music and a little education. Local tattoo artist Mike Swallow said

It’s National Radon Action Month, and experts say the radioactive gas is seeping into homes throughout Idaho. The EPA says radon causes more than 20,000 deaths each year in the United States. Radioactive radon gas seeps up from the ground, settling in homes. The EPA says levels in Idaho are higher than in many other

Apparent “road rage” led to one arrest in Pocatello at around 4 p.m. Thursday. Pocatello police say officers were investigating a traffic accident that turned into a disturbance when one of the drivers assaulted another with a baseball bat. The other driver’s vehicle was damaged by the bat. Police arrested Nicholas Goodwin for aggravated assault

The city of Idaho Falls ushered in a few changes Friday within a major department. Fire Chief Dean Ellis pinned a new captain and an inspector at a ceremony Friday afternoon. With the bang of a drum and the call of a bagpipe, two men in uniform received long-awaited promotions. “We that know the work

A new survey out today suggests that an overwhelming number of Idahoans are ready for a change when it comes to their health insurance. That survey, conducted by the AARP, says that the vast majority of people in Idaho want a state health insurance exchange program. A health insurance exchange is a set of state-regulated,

This winter is becoming deadly for eagles across southeast Idaho; many of the majestic birds have been hit by cars and one bald eagle has been shot. Idaho Fish and Game has found eight killed eagles since the start of December, including four just in the past week. IFG says eagles will often stop to

Idaho doesn’t do well when it comes to getting high school students to continue on to college, but a nontraditional school in Pocatello has won a prize for turning that trend around. The Idaho Distance Education Academy won a $100,000 prize from the Albertson’s Go-On Challenge. I-DEA won for having more kids taking college entrance

A Rexburg teen is the winner of a statewide video contest aimed at encouraging kids to stay away from alcohol. The IDontDrink.com campaign is operated by the Idaho Beer and Wine Distributors Association. The first place anti-underage drinking video may only be 30 seconds long, but it took almost four weeks for Jessica Julander and

A new policy being considered by the Obama administration will be good for local families, the Idaho Community Action Network says. The proposed rule change would reduce the time illegal immigrant spouses and children are separated from their American relatives while they try to gain legal status in the United States. Currently, many illegal immigrants

The lack of snow may make for an easier commute to work, but business owners in Island Park say it’s hard on the local economy. Snow is what every business in Island Park is praying for. Pond’s Lodge general manager Carl Solden says the lack of it has really slowed things down. “We have cancellations

Bethany Carter, the missing girl from Utah, has been found safe, Lincoln County, Wyo., Sheriff Shane Johnson announced Friday. On Thursday, the Jackson Police Department had announced the 16-year-old from Utah was missing. The police had said they were working with the Box Elder County, Utah, Sheriff?s Department on the case. She is being returned

Minidoka County officials are searching for a Rupert man and his 3-year-old daughter who are missing after reporting vehicle problems in south-central Idaho. Sheriff Kevin Halverson said the two were last seen at 4 p.m. Thursday. The man called relatives via cellphone at about 6:30 p.m. and said he and his daughter had left their

A semi-truck vs. train crash occurred in Shelley on Wednesday. Idaho State police said Laron Nielsen, 47, of Idaho Falls, was traveling west on Center St. towards U.S. 91 in a 2004 Columbian Freightliner semi-truck at about 4:30 p.m. Nielsen crossed over the railroad tracks that were parallel to U.S. 91 and stopped at a

Parking restrictions will be in effect along Memorial Drive on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13 as Idaho Falls Power crews remove Christmas lights along the greenbelt, the company said in a news release. Traffic will not be affected, but motorists are urged to use caution on these two days and to watch for equipment and

States across the country are struggling to fund public education, and Idaho is no exception. On Thursday, a State Supreme Court ruling said the legislature in nearby Washington state simply isn’t doing its job when it comes to funding schools. The decision said it is the state’s constitutional obligation to fully fund basic education for

Utah authorities say the suspect injured in a shootout with police in Ogden is a 37-year-old man with a limited criminal history. Ogden police say Matthew David Stewart suffered injuries that are not life threatening in the shooting Wednesday evening that killed one officer and wounded five others. The officer killed, Jared Francom, was with

A Pocatello man is being held in the Bannock County Jail today on charges of possession of sexually exploitative materials. Pocatello Police say detectives arrested Paul Bushlow after investigating a report he possessed child pornography on his computer and electronic devices. After confirming he had collected a vast number of images, police say Bushlow confessed

We have enough water for now, but there are concerns for the future. Tad Barrie has seen irrigation come a long way one the course of his 26 years in the industry. “We’re probably going to have to do more and more with less and less,” Barrie said at this year’s Idaho Irrigation Equipment Show

The Jackson Police Department is asking for the public?s help to track down a bronze buffalo that was stolen from a local gallery. On Jan. 1, the police department took a report that the bronze had been stolen from the gallery during business hours that day. The bronze was one piece of a two piece

Idaho Power Company says Hoku Materials Inc. not paying its electric bill will have repercussions for other customers. State regulators will hear oral arguments Wednesday on Hoku’s complaint over Idaho Power Company?s intent to end electric service to its plant in Pocatello. Idaho Power Company had threatened to shut off electricity after the Honolulu-based polysilicon

Due to the mild winter, Special Olympics Idaho has canceled its annual State Winter Games. The games were to be held in Valley County on March 2 through 4. More than 330 athletes and 175 volunteers normally participate, according to a news release. Although snow sports, such as snowboarding, snowshoeing, cross country skiing and alpine

Being careful about passwords should be a priority, said Dale Dixon, president of the Better Business Bureau Serving Southeast Idaho and Eastern Oregon. ?We have seen, over and over again, that if you don?t change your password in a timely fashion, there?s somebody out there who?s going to figure out how to hack into your

Karina Karla Martinez, 36, of Rexburg, was arrested on a charge of forgery and other charges pending, Rexburg police said Thursday. The department says Martinez passed fraudulent checks under other people?s identities. Police say their cases date back to 2007 when Martinez opened up checking accounts under false names and passed fraudulent checks throughout the

The city of Blackfoot is changing its ordinance when it comes to electing council members. Tuesday’s unanimous vote came just one month after a runoff election for council seat four, which cost the city more than $6,000. From now on, when more than two candidates are running for council, the person with the most votes

An epidemiologist who spent a year studying the high rate of workplace deaths in Wyoming says his research points to lack of a “culture of safety” in the state. Dr. Timothy Ryan says in a report to Gov. Matt Mead that more than 85 percent of reports on deadly workplace accidents in Wyoming show safety

The three bills that make up the Students Come First legislation will probably be changing, and those changes could be dramatic, local legislators said at an Idaho Education Association legislative sendoff Wednesday night. The changes are happening because Students Come First was pushed through pretty quickly so not everything was ironed out, said Rep. Roy

Local school districts have one more day to tell Idaho’s Department of Education how they’ll spend their portion of $13 million for technology in the classroom this year. The money is part of the Students Come First plan, but completely separate from the one-to-one laptop requirement, which calls for each student to have a computing

The Bannock County Sheriff?s Office has issued a warning on a phone scam in which the scammers ask people if they would like to renew their driver?s licenses. Deputies are reminding residents that a license can only be renewed by self-initiated email to the state of Idaho, by mailing in a state renewal form or

A manufacturing plant is closing it’s doors and moving away, but Pocatello’s loss will be Idaho Falls’ gain. Community leaders have known for some time that Frazier Industrial was considering leaving, and they’ve been working to prevent that, but it seems those efforts weren’t succesful. “So the economic development community here has been working with

There have been more layoffs at the Idaho Cleanup Project on the Idaho National Laboratory site. It’s earlier than most workers expected. The layoffs come after more than 200 employees lost their jobs at the end of September. CWI operates the cleanup project. A number of ?force account? employees have been laid off. The laid

Police have identified a man they say has used stolen credit cards at multiple locations in Idaho Falls. They have not yet released the suspect’s name, but said more information will be forthcoming. The alleged victim of a wallet theft told police that someone had used three of his credit cards. The credit card user

Rocky Mountain Power customers can expect to see an annual increase in prices over the next decade as the company seeks to build up its infrastructure. That’s what Rocky Mountain Power president Richard Walje told community leaders at the company’s annual community meeting in Idaho Falls Wednesday. This year residential rates will increase 7.8 percent

A 911 hang-up call ended with Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies confiscating 18 marijuana plants and arresting the occupant of an alleged grow house last night. Police arrived to 820 N. Contor Ave. in the Fallsbrook mobile home park after receiving a 911 call from the house around 10 p.m.. When they arrived, deputies found a

An Idaho Falls woman was arrested on a charge of felony possession of a controlled substance after she attempted to flee from courthouse security when she was found with methamphetamine, Idaho Falls police said. According to the police, Donna R. Ludwig, 41, was going through the security screening at the Bonneville County Courthouse around 1:30

The Bureau of Land Management wants local people’s opinions on how to make itself more competitive when it comes to solar and wind energy projects. The BLM has started a 60-day comment period to figure out how to create a competitive bidding system for those projects, where land would be leased to the highest bidder.

MONDAY UPDATE Soda Springs police officer Anthony Stuckey, 25, is currently suspended from his position, Police Chief Joe Rice said Monday. Rice said he is disappointed by the unfortunate circumstance because he holds his officers to a much higher standard. Rice is waiting for the results of the Caribou County Sheriff Office’s investigation of the

What waits around the bend in the financial world is never certain. But at a meeting of the Greater Idaho Falls Area Chamber of Commerce meeting on Tuesday, market strategist Fred Dickson said it is predictable. Dickson is nationally recognized and has 40 years of investment strategy under his belt. He said if it feels

An Idaho hunting group says Idaho Fish and Game is holding secret meetings with environmental groups, and planning illegal changes to how the department runs. Save Western Wildlife said Fish and Game is conspiring to keep hunters out of the loop. “What it will mean for Idaho hunters is the beginning of the end for

Wolf hunting by permit in Idaho began in August, and wildlife managers say it’s going according to plan. About 30 permits were issued in the Island Park region, and nine wolves have been killed. Local hunting zones are now closed, but there are many more still open statewide. Fish and Game says the agency is

Brigham Young University – Idaho is expanding more than ever as the school continues to break record numbers of enrollment. Now, the city of Rexburg is in a construction frenzy, working to keep up with the growing population. It’s been nearly four years in the making, and now The Ivy apartment complex has opened up

Idaho Falls police arrested Travis Lance Harmon, 30, after an argument that turned physical at a residence in the 1400 block of Austin around 3 a.m. on Sunday, police said. Harmon was arraigned Tuesday on a reduced charge of misdemeanor domestic battery with an enhancement of occurring in front of children. Harmon was booked into

A 47-year-old Rigby man will be arraigned Tuesday on felony charges of aggravated assault and stalking. Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jeff Edwards says Rafael Galvan allegedly followed his ex-wife to work at 477 W. 65th S. at about 2:45 p.m. Monday. Investigators say Galvan pulled a gun on his wife and threatened to kill

Idaho Falls police arrested 46-year-old Fred Julian Pando on a charge of attempted rape. The alleged victim, a 17-year-old female, stated that Pando gave her alcohol and then tried to sexually assault her around 1:30 a.m., police said in a news release Tuesday. Pando was arrested early Sunday morning. He was booked into the Bonneville

It’s a big month for politics and Idaho is in the mix. First, Iowa is in the spotlight with Tuesday’s big caucus. New Hampshire will follow with it’s primary on Jan. 10. Not to be outdone, Idaho is conducting a straw poll this weekend right in the middle of these preliminary votes. It’s scheduled for

It’s a month all about learning snow sports, and there are instructors everywhere who are all about teaching them. Kelly Canyon has kids starting on skis as young as 3 or 4 years old “It’s really rewarding to have kids out here,” said Kelly Canyon’s ski school director, Teresa Anderson. “We have a ton of

The state legislature in Boise is back in session Jan. 9, and that means a whole new year of laws and issues on the table. Those following the state Legislature could experience deja vu. “Some of the things that carried over from last year will be tried again this year,” said Senate President Pro Tem

Paying for a chance to win big will soon be going up for some lottery fans. Lottery officials say the price of tickets for the Powerball jackpot will double to $2 starting Jan. 15. The starting Powerball jackpot will also double, from $20 million to $40 million, but officials are reducing the number of red

Three train cars derailed in the Union Pacific rail yard in Pocatello, the company said Monday. Union Pacific said the cars were carrying flour, but none of the product was released. It also said there were no injuries in the incident, which occurred Friday. The company says it plans to move the derailed cars out

The family and friends of 20-year-old Buck Garner — murdered in Ammon on Christmas Day — gathered across the street from the crime scene on Sunday night. Family members tell our station at least 300 people attended a viewing earlier in the evening, and at least 100 stayed to participate in the vigil. Friends stood

A born-and-bred Firth man is receiving national attention for his play on the polo field. The ?hockey on horses? sport is still growing in the United States, and Lucas Reid is one of the latest young talents to be named a member of the U.S. Polo Association, or USPA. ?C?mon bud,? said Reid, leading a

One family is celebrating possibly the best new year in Idaho Falls by welcoming 2012’s first new born baby. Brittany Mangum gave birth to John Robert Mangum at 2:36 a.m. on Sunday Jan. 1. Weighing in at 6 pounds and 15 ounces, little baby John was surrounded by dad Jay and big brother Michael on

Dr. Henry West, one of Pocatello’s favorite doctors of chiropractic medicine, died last Tuesday. But he wasn’t just a doctor for people in Idaho, he’s served patients from 48 states and countries around the world. Dr. Henry West west was a third generation chiropractor and an innovator in his field. The sun was shining on