Month: December 2014

The Portneuf River has long been viewed as a symbol of urban decay, but now some hope it will get a new lease on life. Martin Ventura, who works at ISU’s Stream Ecology Lab and lives near the Portneuf River, said he fishes in the river often. “Every time I catch a trout … it

Idaho Falls fire investigators are trying to figure out what caused a fire on Meppen Drive on Friday night. The fire call came in just after 6 p.m. Friday. Fire crews arrived to find a fire in a garage. Firefighters were able to put out the flames, keeping the damage contained to the garage. Kelly

A Blackfoot elementary school has a lot to celebrate. A teacher from IT Stoddard won a $100,000 grant. It’s part of Farmer’s Insurance Thank a Million Teachers program. The whole thing was a huge surprise. The teacher, Melissa Hunt, had no idea going into the assembly she had won. The entire gym erupted with applause

Two assisted living facility will be going throughout the community to serve senior citizens in need. They will focus on education, wellness visits and resources for families all over our area, all at no cost. Ridge Wind and Highland Hills hope to capture working to help those in the community who may fall between coverage

The Idaho Civil Air Patrol showcased its new aircraft Thursday. The aircraft is Cessna model 206 turbocharged, single-engine aircraft. The Eagle Rock Squadron in Idaho Falls said it will increase the effectiveness of their search-and-rescue capabilities, as well as their Air Force Auxiliary cadet training. “This aircraft gives us a much broader spectrum of training

Brigham Young University-Idaho will hold its fall commencement Friday, Dec. 19, in the BYU-Idaho Center in Rexburg. Of 1,708 graduates, the university will award 1,275 bachelor’s degrees and 461 associate degrees. Elder W. Craig Zwick, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will be

Two 15-year-old boys stole a 2007 Dodge pickup on Thursday morning, Idaho Falls police said. Officers learned of a vehicle stolen from the Common Cents parking around 5:30 a.m. Around 8:30 a.m., officers spotted the pickup and tried to stop it at Ninth and Lee. The driver did not stop and instead sped up until

Idaho Falls native Spencer Woodhouse wrote a screenplay that is getting attention from Hollywood. After more than a decade of writing, his final project is called “The Quest for Perpetual Bliss.” Inspired by his own life, the script considers what classic character Peter Pan would be like if he were a real boy in the

Ririe High School senior Scott Peterson has been playing the cello since he was 5. “I really like the way it sounds — just the things you can do with it,” Peterson said. Peterson also plays trumpet, french horn and the fiddle, but cello is his favorite. Peterson tried out and made it into the

BOYS H.S. BASKETBALLGrace 45*North Gem 46 F *Firth 72Malad 34 F Castleford 31*Richfield 64 F GIRLS H.S. BASKETBALLIdaho Falls 35*Highland 54 F Bonneville 42*Hillcrest 58 F Rigby 42*Madison 49 F Skyline 42*Shelley 70 F *Richfield 47Butte County 38 F

This year’s flu vaccine may not be as effective as it should against one strain of the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Thursday. Health officials say the Influenza A H3N2 strain mutated after this year’s vaccine was released. Of 85 virus samples tested, 52 percent were different from the strains included

New products could be coming to eastern Idaho. This comes after the city and Madison Economic Partners held their annual Rexburg Business Competition.. Over $10,000 in cash prizes, mentoring and much more was awarded to three winners. The winners were chosen Thursday evening. PrintSpace took home the top prize for its 3D printer. “This is

The Idaho Falls Police Department said they expect more car thefts as the winter months continue. Authorities said by September they dealt with about 76 car thefts within the city of Idaho Falls. That’s more than half the total amount of car thefts in 2013, which was 90, and more than the 67 car thefts

A recent study shows 57 percent of Cloverdale elementary students leave school and go to an empty home. Another 20 percent of students head home to be taken care of by older siblings. “The first time I saw a Playboy magazine was in third grade in fourth grade we had lit some fires,” said a

Rural communities are about to see their local ALCO stores close their doors by the end of January. Discount stores are few and far between, and in rural communities such as American Falls, Preston and Soda Springs, they are even coveted. So, closing an ALCO not only puts people in small communities out of work,

Amy’s Kitchen is serving-up some good news, announcing on Wednesday afternoon it has hired the first of its workers, and when the company said it was coming to the Gate City, it made a promise to try and hire back the former Heinz plant employees. Co-founders Andy and Rachel Berliner said they already hired 75

BOYS BASKETBALLBonneville 70*Burley 84 F Skyview, UT 61*Highland 76 F Rigby 66*Hillcrest 78 F Blackfoot 34*Idaho Falls 55 F Pocatello 62*Madison 65 F Shelley 67*Skyline 76 F *Century 61Twin Falls 60 F Ririe 55 *North Gem 65 F GIRLS BASKETBALLSouth Fremont 29*Snake River 61 F *Grace 37 Rockland 32 F Clark County 23*North Fremont 57

Chubbuck mayor Kevin England’s pay will remain the same after City Council voted not to give him a nearly 45 percent raise Wednesday night. Arguing that no Chubbuck mayor has received a pay increase since 2006, England initially proposed raising his pay to $65,000. Instead, City Council voted to revisit the issue of executive pay

Controversy is still brewing over a cell tower T-Mobile plans to build on the grounds of Chubbuck Elementary School. City officials tell Local News 8 at least three people have filed appeals against a conditional land use permit approved last month. “Although the FCC does have a regulation stating that an application cannot be denied

The annual Festival of Trees opened Wednesday at ISU’s Stephens Performing Arts Center. This year, there are more than 96 trees on display and many are still for sale. “There is something for everybody from small to large. Something that’s very elaborate to something that’s more modest,” said Shelley Allen, spokeswoman for Pocatello/Chubbuck School District

The United States Postal Service expects a 12 percent increase in the number of packages that are shipped out this month. The postmaster of Idaho Falls, Jim Alvord, says when it comes to mailing out your holiday packages preparation is key. “We got a lot more packages going out so people what they need to

A Salmon man was found dead Saturday night at a house fire in Salmon. Lemhi County fire Chief Mike Warner said the fire was reported at 611 Idaho Avenue at 10:35 p.m. Flames were coming out of windows on three sides of the house when firefighters arrived. According to reports, firefighters learned the home’s sole

BOYS BASKETBALL*West Jefferson 57 Teton 44 F GIRLS BASKETBALL Skyline 41*Highland 54 F *Century 81Hillcrest 57 F *Shelley 59Firth 38 F Snake River 30*Sugar-Salem 61 F *Ririe JV 42Leadore 35 F

Some community leaders are reminding everyone to shop local this holiday season, and Old Town Pocatello is seeing a lot of new businesses to choose from. Old Town executive director Stephanie Palagi said this season seven new businesses opened in Old Town and she is expecting three more to open within the next couple of

A group in Jefferson County handed in a petition Tuesday night to recall longtime prosecuting attorney Robin Dunn. After filing a petition Sept. 23, Lyndsay Goody had 75 days to get 2,824 signatures. Instead, Goody and other supporters rounded up more than 3,500 signatures. “People recognize that there needs to be a change in Jefferson

Idaho immigration attorneys say they’re worried about the possibility of new scams targeting immigrants following President Barack Obama’s announcement of a deferred action program for immigrants facing deportation. “They saw an opportunity to step in and make some money,” said Pocatello-based immigration attorney Esperanza Granados of potential scam artists. “They’ll say, ‘If you pay me

The Blackfoot City Council is discussing the city pool and whether to keep it open, remodel it or build a new one. This has been an issue in Blackfoot for years now. The community wants to keep the pool open. City officials would like the community to have what it wants but are concerned about

Blocked rail crossing for long periods of time are a concern for the city of Blackfoot. The worry is firefighters and other emergency responders may not make it to a call in time. It’s something the city officials want to fix, but the one solution they really like has hit a road block. The initial

A propane gas explosion November 20 was caused when leaking gas came into contact with an undetermined ignition source at Amerigas in Jackson. Jackson Hole Fire/EMS Fire Marshal Kathy Clay determined a leak occurred during the off-loading of gas from a delivery truck as the result of faulty equipment or a hose. According to Clay,

An Idaho Falls man has pleaded guilty to unauthorized use an access device. According to a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Pocatello, Matthew Lewis Udy, 45, was hired in December 2009 as a business and financial manager. According to U.S. Attorney for Idaho Wendy Olson, Udy was entrusted to handle his employer’s

A man was taken to the hospital Tuesday morning after Idaho State Police says he lead them on a chase. Just after midnight Tuesday, Idaho State Police stopped a 2005 Chevrolet Impala, north on Interstate 15 at milepost 73, in Bannock County, for speeding. Idaho State Police says the driver identified as Tyson Coby, 32

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s office is working to rustle up some missing cattle. Sgt. Jeff Edwards said 25 cow and calf pair of Black Angus cattle were reported missing by rancher Dexter Van Orden in the Castle Rock area. Van Orden said his animals graze in the Horse Creek drainage to the top of the

Idaho Fish and Game are keeping an eye on a large elk herd along Interstate 15. The herd of around 100 elk moved into the area between Highway 33 and Roberts recently. Idaho Fish and Game is concerned because of the elk might move back and forth across the highway, causing a danger for motorists.

A Pocatello man was arrested Monday night after he attempted to intervene in a vehicle repossession. According to Pocatello Police, Anthony Gene Norman, 30, threatened a wrecker driver with a handgun and a baseball bat while the driver was attempting to repossess his girlfriend’s truck. Norman was arrested at 1760 Gwen shortly after 10 p.m.

Traffic is moving again on Main Street in Rexburg. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office closed Main Street for a couple of hours Monday afternoon between the Idaho State Highway 33 exit of U.S. Highway 20 and 12th West when a suspicious package was found near propane gas tanks at Alpine Propane in Rexburg. The Idaho

It’s been roughly four months since the speed limit was raised to 80 miles per hour on many of Idaho’s interstates, and on at least one highway, the number of speeding tickets has fallen. According to Idaho State Police, only 982 speeding tickets were issued on Interstate 15 from July 24 to Nov. 13, 2014.

Earlier this year, a man made online threats toward Brigham Young University-Idaho. Now the Rexburg Police Department and Madison County Prosecutor’s Office are looking for legislation to be more precise when it comes to violent online threats made to any schools. Right now, there is a statute that does make these threats a felony, but

Scammers are always looking for ways to get your money. The attorney general is warning Idahoans about pyramid schemes. Financial experts say these have been around for more than a hundred years, but now they’re presented in a different way which is why people fall for them. “Often times pyramid schemes are presented in different

Rocky Mountain Power restored electricity to about 743 customers in the Lava Hot Springs area Monday. Company spokesman Dave Eskelsen said there is unknown damage to a transmission line in the mountains around Lava. Snowcats were used to patrol the lines. A substation circuit was tripped again at around 1 p.m. Monday. In the meantime,

The local Taco Bell restaurants are teaming-up with a local nonprofit organization to make sure kids in need are getting winter clothes to keep them warm this holiday season. On Monday afternoon the Court Appointed Special Advocates group joined together with local law enforcement officials to thank the director of the six local Taco Bell

Crews are still investigating a rail car business at the former Kraft plant in Pocatello caught fire Saturday. Pocatello Fire Department battalion chief Ron Davies said the fire started around 6:15 p.m. and was mostly contained around 5 a.m. Sunday. “We are now in the process of making sure the fire is completely out and

Twin Falls man is being held in the Cassia County Jail in connection with a holdup at Walgreen’s Pharmacy in Burley. The Cassia County Sheriff’s office said Chandler Lee Palmer, 22, walked into the pharmacy and handed the clerk a note demanding pain medication. The man left the store with an undisclosed amount of medication.

Four doctors who tried to withhold emergency room services at Madison Memorial Hospital were using anti-competitive tactics to bring about change in the marketplace, said Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden on Monday. Wasden investigated allegations the four doctors violated the Idaho Competition Act during negotiations over on-call pay between the doctors and hospital administrators. The

A Pocatello man was arrested after police said he made threats using what appeared to be a real gun. Police said Tyler Jay Konomos, 19, pointed a BB style gun at another man and threatened to shoot him. The orange tip of the gun had been cut off to make it look like a real

A man was arrested after Pocatello police said he was swinging a golf club at other people. Tyrell Dixey, 30, was arrested at 1:45 p.m. Sunday on the 3500 block of Hawthorne on two counts of aggravated assault and was cited and released for battery and malicious injury to property.

The Century freshman football team didn’t win a single game in 2014, often getting blown out by opponents. But despite the tough year on the field, Freshman Quarterback Sarah Moloney made Century history being the first Female football player in school history.