Month: April 2012

Thanks to advance emergency planning, Shoshone-Bannock tribal officials say a planned overnight power outage was uneventful. The Idaho Power Company outage affected 924 residents and 820 Fort Hall homes. Twenty-four of the affected residents were identified as high-alert medical risks, including some on dialysis. The outage was planned to allow for major infrastructure improvements. Tribal

A standoff in the Pocatello Costco parking lot led to the arrest of a man and woman who police said would not come out of a van. Idaho State Police got a tip about the silver and green van at about 3:30 p.m. and pulled the van over in the Costco parking lot in Pocatello.

Blackfoot Police are looking for the person, or people, who have been firing BB guns at parked cars. Capt. Kurt Asmus said 12 to 15 car windows have been shot at over the past two and a half weeks. Police believe the shots are being fired from a moving car during the late night or

Careers in nursing are in high-demand, but it’s not often that you find a high school student gearing up for the healthcare field even before she graduates. But that’s exactly what Century High School student Rachel Loftin has done, and it’s just one of the reasons why she is this week’s United Dairymen of Idaho

A resident came home early Wednesday afternoon to find two people going through his cupboards, the Madison County Sheriff?s Office said. In a call to dispatch at 1:10 p.m., the resident said he had detained the pair and needed the deputies to respond. When the deputies arrived at the scene, they found the two alleged

The Madison County Sheriff has some strong words of warning following the arrest of two teens accused of stealing prescription drugs from people’s homes. Sheriff Roy Klingler said Brandt Edelmayer, 18, and a 17-year-old accomplice are lucky to be alive. An Archer man reportedly caught them from a distance, sneaking into his home. “Especially in

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for a popular government program that pays farmers to leave some of their land alone. The Conservation Reserve Program is designed to prevent erosion into rivers and streams and create more habitat for wildlife. “They can do some things for the environment. It’s also a great

Easter weekend is fast approaching and for many of us those presents can come in a cute, soft, cuddly and living form. Stores like C-A-L Ranch stock up on several kinds of ducklings, chicks, rabbits and even baby turkeys for the Easter shopper. But the Health Department also warns to use caution when investing in

Geoffery Elawadly pleaded guilty on Wednesday to second-degree murder as part of a plea arrangement with the state. The guilty plea drops a laundry list of other charges against Elawadly, including two counts of aggravated assault and a deadly weapon enhancement. Members of Elawadly’s family looked on as proceedings took place. Elawadly’s charges are in

The Blackfoot City Council approved two measures that will mean changes to taxpayers Tuesday. City fees will increase, and the area for urban development is expanding. Mayor Mike Virtue said these increases are modest and they are being made to keep up with the service that people have come to expect. Fees in the city

A government-funded transportation company is looking for a hike in funds this year. Targhee Regional Public Transportation Authority, better known as TRPTA, has been lobbying city councils around eastern Idaho as they set their yearly budgets. Technically they can survive without more money, according to representatives. But TRPTA has a lot to make up for

Police arrested Marlana Lee Loveland on a Bonneville County warrant charging her with two counts of forgery Tuesday. The warrant stemmed from an identity theft investigation. On March 15, 12 Idaho Falls detectives began investigating an identity theft in which a Green River, Wyo., resident was the victim. Loveland was a friend of the victim

According to national auto-sales tracker Autodata, new car sales are up dramatically in the United States. Sales rose nearly 13-percent in March — the best numbers since 2008, before the gas-price spike and financial meltdown. At least one eastern Idaho dealer said on Wednesday the sales boom has hit home. Smith Chevrolet says cars are

Bannock County is a step closer to turning its landfill into a power plant. “You always look at the garbage as being garbage, but sometimes that garbage can be hidden gold,? Bannock County Commissioner Karl E. Anderson said. That hidden gold is methane gas. Deep inside the landfill, microbes and bugs eat away at the

An eight-hour power outage is planned for Wednesday night and Thursday morning in the Fort Hall area. The Department of Public Safety and the Tribal Emergency Response Organization have coordinated the power outage by Idaho Power on from Wednesday at 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Thursday. According to a news release, Idaho Power will be

A proposal for new charter school will be heard on Tuesday night in Idaho Falls. The twist: the school would focus on patriotism and capitalism. A group advocating for the creation of the school will present a proposal in front of the Idaho Falls District 91 Board at 7 p.m. Tuesday. “Schools at least when

A group of local people wants to bring the option of a patriotism-themed school to Idaho Falls District 91, and they want to do it with local support. On Tuesday night, leaders behind the proposed American Heritage Charter school presented to board members, making their case for why the two entities should work together. If

After nearly three years of pursuing justice, it’s case closed for two local people scammed by a Rigby couple on Craigslist. On March 30, a jury in Jefferson County ordered Todd and Amy Ostrovsky to pay a total of $200,000 in fraud damages. Attorney Allen Browning, who represented the plaintiffs, said the scam happened back

A group of Idaho Falls women is remembering the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking with a themed tea party. The ‘Ladies Tea Guild’ filled The Stillwater on Monday night, decked out in early 1900s costumes from head to toe. The rooms were decorated with authentic artifacts, like a Boston newspaper from the day after

An American Fork city councilman and four city employees are getting credit for rescuing a woman and her young daughter from a burning house. Nobody was seriously injured in the fire reported just before noon Monday. American Fork Fire Chief Kriss Garcia tells the Daily Herald of Provo the mother and daughter wouldn’t have been

A gun burglary occurred at a home on Oxbow Lane, Idaho Falls police said Tuesday. Police said a man reported the burglary on Sunday. He had come home from an overnight snowboarding trip and noticed items missing from the house and that an exterior door had been forced open. Two handguns and a shotgun, valued

A music video set in Idaho Falls and performed by a famous local duo is hitting the airwaves. Two months ago Local News 8 told you about Ali and Christina Christensen’s new five-song EP. Now they’re releasing a single from that called “The Same Way” with a video that will look very familiar to eastern

For a small-sized airport, Idaho Falls Regional Airport has many contented travelers. Lines at checkstands, luggage stress, getting through security…all things travelers worry about before boarding a plane. Frequent flyer Vicky Duffey said those aren’t things she has to worry about at our local airport. “We [my husband and I] lived in Long Island, New

Judges in Idaho are taking part in a Resolution Roundup, volunteering their time to solve lawsuits without ever going to trial. Free of charge judges will spend the week mediating court cases. In mediation, the judge works with the two sides, trying to come up with a solution they can both live with to avoid

Sticks of dynamite were found in a Twin Falls backyard Tuesday. The Twin Falls Police Department Bomb Squad responded to the residence and recovered about six sticks of dynamite from the backyard and 21 electric blasting caps from the basement of the house on Sixth Avenue East. No further details were released. The bomb squad

The cost of repairing Bonner County roads damaged by stormwater runoff is expected to exceed $1 million. The northern Idaho county was expected to formally declare a state of emergency Tuesday. The designation would allow officials to apply for state or federal disaster relief funding to repair public roads maintained by the county. The Bonner

Flying on Allegiant Airlines is getting more expensive for anyone with carry-on luggage. Starting Wednesday, the airline will charge up to $35 to place a carry-on bag in an overhead storage bin, according to airlinereporter.com. Passengers will be allowed one free personal item like a purse, briefcase or laptop, but anything larger will require the

More than half the wolves in Idaho were killed in the recent hunting season, according to numbers from the Idaho Fish and Game. By some estimates, the Gem State had 745 wolves when the season began Aug. 30. By March 31, when the season ended for most of the state, 252 wolves were harvested by

A private lawsuit against Teton School District has been dropped. The suit, filed by Brad Brewster centered on a 2010 hazing incident at Teton High School in Driggs. Two students said they were inappropriately hazed in a high school wrestling practice room and later in the school locker room. Superintendent Monte Woolstenhume said high school

Pocatello police said an Idaho Falls man kicked a window out of a patrol car Sunday night. Derek Furniss, 31, was arrested at Portneuf Medical Center after police said he was driving while intoxicated and provided alcohol to at least one minor. According to police, Furniss kicked a rear window out of the patrol car,

The top official for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs is resigning to accept a full-time leadership position with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Larry Echo Hawk, assistant secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, is being appointed to the Quorum of the Seventy, which is the Mormon Church’s third-highest governing body.

A 7-year-old Rigby boy is recovering from head trauma after getting run over by an ATV on Saturday afternoon. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Kaden Thomas was trying to climb onto the back of his grandfather’s ATV. The grandfather didn’t know Kaden was there as the rear wheel caught the boy and pulled

Three of the seven defendants connected to the Christmas Day killing of 20-year-old Buck Garner in Ammon were back in court on Monday. The appearances painted a clearer picture of which defendants’ cases will likely go to trial, and which may involve a plea deal. Adan Cisneros was first to appear before Judge Dane Watkins

Madison Memorial Hospital has appointed a new CEO, who says that the transition has been ?natural? since Friday?s announcement. ?I believe that you need to maintain your integrity at all costs, and that you are only as good as those around you,” said the newly-appointed CEO, Rachel Gonzales. Those words serve as Gonzales’ mantra, and

A Canadian company said it will open a new manufacturing plant in Pocatello bringing more than 150 full-time jobs to the area. ATCO Structures and Logistics announced Monday it will refurbish a 200,000 square foot plant in the Gateway West industrial park. The plant will produce modular workforce housing for use at the oil and

A fire ignited at a Rexburg business over the weekend. It happened at Mountain West Bark Products on South Highway 191, just before 1 a.m. Sunday. Investigators say a pile of compost spontaneously combusted and strong winds fueled the flames. The fire then spread to a nearby field and burned a shed. It took 28

In this week’s Main Street Buzz, we found a doctor’s office with a unique twist: there is just one man running the whole show. Idaho Falls native Dr. Orie Browne’s practice is like any other doctor’s office with his medical degrees hung proudly, tongue depressors, and hand sanitizer; but it is all in one single

Former Idaho Transportation Director Pamela Lowe says she is elated with a federal judge’s ruling that found the state must provide a reason for her 2009 firing. The decision filed Saturday sided with Lowe on a key legal question in her wrongful termination lawsuit against Idaho Transportation Department officials, who said Monday they’ll consider an

After four years of enduring cutbacks, Idaho’s public universities can finally breathe a little easier. “It feels a lot better than the past four years,” said Idaho State University Vice President of Finance and Administration James Fletcher. Fletcher broke down the numbers to show exactly what the university has been allocated. ISU is getting $1,924,000

Several Idaho Falls community members gathered together Saturday night for a candlelight vigil in honor of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed African-American teenager who was shot to death in his Florida neighborhood on Feb. 26. Residents say that even in eastern Idaho, many mourn Martin’s death. Saturday night?s candlelight vigil served as a way to express

The 182nd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrapped up Sunday. Tens of thousands of LDS church members flocked to Salt Lake City to receive guidance at the two-day event. Leaders announced at the conference that Larry Echo Hawk, a top official for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs,

There is another delay in the sexual abuse case against former Snake River Junior High principal Christopher Cox. The presiding district judge in the case has been disqualified. Cox was scheduled to appear in district court on Monday, but that appearance has been canceled. According to court records, a motion to disqualify district judge Darren