Month: April 2018

Idaho Falls Fire Department reports a structure fire on 2345 Morningstar Lane on the west side of Idaho Falls Tuesday around 5:09 p.m. caused about $10,000 of damages.IFFD reports the homeowner works at the INL and wasn’t home at the time of the fire. He actually saw the fire trucks and engines pass him as

Republican lieutenant governor candidate Bob Nonini says women who get an abortion should be punished if it is ever criminalized in Idaho, adding that the punishment should include the death penalty. Nonini’s comment came during a Monday candidate forum in Moscow hosted by conservative Christian podcast CrossPolitic. Pressed by moderators on the nature of the

If you need to withdraw or deposit money at your local credit union or bank you can just stop by Thunder Ridge High School in the fall. Bonneville School District 93 is looking for a local credit union or bank to partner with to put one in the school. There is a designated spot in

Trees were up against powerful winds. Customers were left without power when trees fell into power lines and homeowners were left with damage. “We had an outage of about 25 hundred customers, due to a tree that fell into the power line on Rollandet. Then we ended up with a smaller outage of approximately 300

The Interior Department is backing down from a plan to impose steep fee increases at popular national parks in the face of widespread opposition from elected officials and the public. The plan would nearly triple entrance fees at 17 of the nation’s most popular parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone and Zion, forcing visitors

If you still have un-used Toys ”R” Us gift cards, there’s at least one other store where you can make use of them, but you have to hurry. Bed, Bath and Beyond will stop accepting Toys “R” Us gift cards as part of its “Card cash” program this week. This is where gift cards from

No one was hurt Tuesday morning after a START Bus caught on fire. The incident happened along the Moose-Wilson Road near the Stilson parking lot. The bus was not carrying any passengers at the time and there were no reported injuries. START officials said the fire appeared to have been mechanical in nature. The bus

Three were arrested after a high-speed chase ended in Fort Hall Monday evening. A Bannock County Sheriff’s Office deputy started the pursuit of a black suburban driving at a high rate of speed traveling northbound on Rio Vista Road on the Fort Hall Reservation. The Fort Hall Police Department (FHPD) located the vehicle on ‘D’

UPDATE 4/3/18: Sheriff Craig T. Rowland reports the student was interviewed in depth by detectives, and it has been determined the student did not make any particular threat towards the school or anyone at the school. According to Rowland, the student made a comment a couple of weeks ago that was being treated at the

The Rexburg Police Department reports a man wearing Levi’s and dark jacket with a dark green baseball cap stole money from the Rexburg Broulim’s at 1:26 p.m. on March 16.According to police, the man entered the grocery store and went directly to the customer service counter and requested smaller bills for $600. The man was

The U.S. Department of Energy has decided to extend its contract with Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) to manage and operate the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. The five year modification extends the contract through September 30, 2024. The new agreement reflects DOE’s initiative to reform manaement and operating contracts. It grants greater authority and accountability to

Rain showers will arrive starting Wednesday afternoon and evening with gusty winds. The Jet Stream will be tapping into the wet weather in the Eastern Pacific. With that setup, we’ll see showers for the rest of the workweek and this Saturday Tonight: Increasing clouds with lows in the low 30’s. Wednesday: Chance of rain with

More than 1,000 bison were removed from Yellowstone National Park this winter as part of population control. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports park spokeswoman Morgan Warthin said Monday a total of 1,155 bison were removed, a sum that surpassed bison managers’ reduction goals for the winter. Officials had agreed to remove anywhere between 600 and

The Idaho State Board of Education conducted two interviews with the candidates vying to become Idaho State University’s next president Monday. Kevin Satterlee, JD, is currently chief operating officer, Vice President and Special Counsel at Boise State University. And, Laura Woodworth-Ney, PhD, is Exeuctive Vice President and Provost at Idaho State University. The third candidate

Fatal work injuries totaled 30 in 2016 for Idaho, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. That number is down from the 36 fatalities in 2015. 18 of the 30 work fatalities in 2016 resulted from transportation incidents. The agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industry had the largest number of fatalities in the state with

New state data shows Utah’s abortion rate fell to a historic low in 2016, continuing a downward trend that comes amid a national decline. The new report from the Utah Department of Health shows there were 4.2 abortions performed for every 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. That’s the lowest figure since at least 1980,

There’s a new a female Mueller’s grey gibbon at the Idaho Falls Zoo. Sahra (pronounced Saw-Ra) was born on January 23 and is the second baby for mother Shannon and father Sterling.On April 30, 2017, Shannon gave birth to a male, Sid, who became popular from the “Saturdays with Sid” series on the zoo’s Facebook

UPDATE 9:45 p.m.: The Idaho Transportation Department has officially re-opened all lanes of travel on I86 from mile marker 40, American Falls, to 44, Ramsey Road. UPDATE: The Idaho Transportation Department has officially closed I-86 in both directions from mile marker 40, American Falls, to 44, Ramsey Road. ORIGINAL: Idaho State Police are investigating multiple

There’s a new champ in town. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation just named its first place winner in the women’s division of the World Elk Calling Championship. She’s from Rexburg, and she says she was surprised by her win. “It was really exciting, it was a good time. What’s wonderful is that there was a

Idaho is the 20th state to pass the Jason Flatt Act. A new law wants to train school personnel to spot signs of depression and suicidal thoughts in kids. “Requires school districts to train all of their staff with at least a minimum of, it looks to be about 2 hours of minimal training each

Much calmer winds are expected today as the cold front that moved through yesterday exits the region. High pressure will briefly build back in for today with mostly sunny skies. Wet weather will arrive late Wednesday and continue through the weekend. Tuesday: Partly cloudy with mid to upper 40’s for highs. Breezy. Tonight: Increasing clouds

Idaho is joining a long list of states to require health insurers provide coverage for the treatment of autism. Department of Insurance Director Dean Cameron said Monday his department has issued a bulletin warning insurers that an exclusion of autism treatments will be deemed discriminatory if an insurer’s plan includes coverage of rehabilitative or habilitative

UPDATE 8:30 p.m.: Rocky Mountain Power reports there are 24 outages affecting 514 customers. UPDATE 6:30 p.m.: Rocky Mountain Power reports there are 41 outages affecting 907 customers. UPDATE 5:45 p.m.: Rocky Mountain Power reports there are 40 outages now affecting 868 customers. ORIGINAL: Rocky Mountain Power reports there are a total of 50 power

Idaho Falls Fire Department crews are responding to multiple calls of power lines down, trees down, power outages, fire alarms and transformers on fire due to high winds. Here is a brief recap of what we know at this time: 35th W. 410 S. – A large tree took out several power poles. Several power

Idaho Transportation Department has closed Interstate 15 north of Idaho Falls from exit 119 to exit 135 (near Roberts). ITD reports there are high winds and reduced visibility. You can check current conditions HERE. Winds were also dangerous east of Ririe on U.S. 26. In this case, they blew a boat off the trailer that

UPDATE 5:45 p.m.: Idaho Transportation Department reports US 20 and ID 87 is now open. ORIGINAL: Idaho Transportation Department closed US 20 from milepost 394 to milepost 406, which is from Island Park to the Montana state line. ITD reports there is drifting snow on the roadway. ID 87 from milepost 0 to milepost 9,

UPDATE 5:00 p.m.: Idaho Falls Power reports all power has been restored. UPDATE 4: 30 p.m.: Idaho Falls Power reports about 336 customers are still without power. ORIGINAL: About 2,500 Idaho Falls Power customers are experiencing outages. The outage includes businesses on E. 17th Street. Idaho Falls Power said crews are working to restore service,

Our cold front is exiting the region, leaving windy conditions and a few showers this evening. High pressure will briefly build back in for Tuesday with sunshine. Wet weather will arrive late Wednesday and continue into Thursday. Tonight: Chilly with lows in the low to mid 20’s with a chance of rain/snow showers. Tuesday: Partly

It can be challenging to plan a family activity when you’ve got so much going on in your life. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long advocated for weekly family home evenings. Ryland Evans, originally from Idaho Falls, created a family home evening app he hopes will help not just Mormons, but

Pocatello Police arrested two people Saturday after a robbery investigation. According to police, Tommy T. Tucker, Jr., 32 and Karenda Lynn James, 27, were arrested on charges of robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. Both suspects had forced their way into the home of an acquaintance and stole items from the house. Both James

Christopher Hansen, 35, of Meridian was hospitalized Sunday after his ATV crashed at the St. Anthony Sand Dunes. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office was called to the dunes at 9:45 a.m. According to reports, Hansen went over a small dune. His ATV rolled end over end when it landed. Hansen was treated by Fremont County

Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad and Chubbuck Mayor Kevin England officially proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Supporters planned to install a group of pinwheels as a symbol of the event, but gusty winds proved too much for the symbolism. This group of pinwheels was already planted at another Pocatello business.

Another utility scam is targeting Idaho Falls Power customers. IFP spokesperson Joelyn Hansen offered the following tips to anyone who gets one of the phone calls: If the caller is demanding immediate payment or for you to buy a prepaid credit card to make a payment, it’s a scam. If the caller says payment must

Update: Fall River Electric reports power has been restored to the affected area. Original Story: High winds are being blamed for a power outage in southern Fremont County. About 353 customers of the Fall River Electric Cooperative in the Chester and Wilford area are affected. Utility officials blame the outage on high winds that brought

A Rigby couple was indicted last week by a federal grand jury for one count of sexual exploitation of a minor child, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced Monday. Joseph Lavern Harris, 30, and Elizabeth Dawn Evans, 27 made their initial appearance on the charge on March 30, 2018, where they entered not guilty pleas.

7-year-old Madden and his new kitty share more than just a loving human-and-pet bond. They both have a cleft lip and eyes that are two different colors. Madden adopted Moon after he was bullied on the school bus for his unique features. Madden’s mother Christina Humphreys encouraged Madden to create a video to explain his

Idaho candidates seeking higher office didn’t hit pause on their goal of wooing voters while the Legislature was in session for the past three months. Republican Lt. Gov. Brad Little missed 34 Senate floor sessions this year- the most out of his three terms in the post. Little is running in Idaho’s competitive gubernatorial primary.

A bridge that has stood in Pocatello for more than 50 years is getting a bit of work. Recently, crews began work on the substructure that supports the Benton Street Bridge. The project will use various techniques to rehabilitate the structure with plans calling for reinforcing the concrete using carbon fiber wrapping, installation of a

A recent report says Idaho led the nation last year in workers’ earnings growth. But the Idaho Statesman says Idaho’s ranking as having the biggest workers’ pay increase in the nation isn’t really all that impressive, given that Idaho workers still make well below their counterparts in every neighboring state. The federal Bureau of Economic

A cold front is marching across the Gem State today, with the biggest impact being the wind. The winds will peak in the late morning to early afternoon, where gusts between 50-70 mph are likely across the Plain. Blowing dust and power outages are possible given the high winds. Showers of rain/snow across the region

UPDATE 04/01/18: Students were given a couple of hours to get as much stuff as they could today and then other rooming assignments. “As I was running out, I saw another student that looked kind of frantic and I asked him what happened and he said he was cooking and something went wrong. I asked

With the recent passing of the Bonneville Joint School District 93 bond allowing a new middle school to be built, it calls for some boundary changes. The district held a work session on Wednesday to talk about that. Bonneville School District 93 has some big decisions to make in the next couple of weeks. Board

80 volunteer hours a week. That’s what one local doctor put in to help those affected by the hurricane in Puerto Rico. Dr. Mayra Rodriguez was supposed to relocate to Idaho Falls to work at Mountain View Hospital in September but then tragedy struck when hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. “My parents were on the

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Russell M. Nelson announced Sunday afternoon that the Church’s home and visiting teaching programs will be replaced by a coordinated, more personalized approach known as “ministering.” “For months, we have been seeking a better way to minister to the spiritual and temporal needs of our people

As the final session of the Church’s 188th annual general conference came to a close, Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced plans to build seven new temples. These temples will be in the following locations: Salta, Argentina; Bengaluru, India; Managua Nicaragua; Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; Layton, Utah;

UPDATE: There has been no follow-up reports from law enforcement of any missing persons or evidence of someone in the river. —————— Emergency crews in Idaho Falls are investigating the waters of Snake River after receiving reports of a man jumping off the Pancheri Bridge. Idaho Falls Fire Department says a witness was traveling east

President Russell M. Nelson announced two significant organizational changes Saturday night designed to help everyday Latter-day Saints in congregations throughout the world minister more like Jesus Christ. “Tonight we announce a significant restructuring of our Melchizedek Priesthood quorums to accomplish the work of the Lord more effectively,” President Nelson said during the general priesthood session

The Latest on Mormon conference in Utah: 10:35 a.m. The Mormon church has made history and injected diversity into a top leadership panel by selecting the first-ever Latin American apostle and the first-ever apostle of Asian ancestry. The selections of Ulisses Soares of Brazil and Gerrit W. Gong, a Chinese-American, were announced Saturday morning at