More than 200 homes in American Falls remain without electricity Thursday following yesterday’s powerful storm, prompting officials to reopen American Falls High School as a warming shelter. Idaho Power says its crews are currently working around the clock to restore power to the area, though the utility provider has not yet released an estimated time for full restoration.

According to the neighboring Bingham County Sheriff’s Office, the local high school will be available to residents starting at 6:00 PM tonight, once all scheduled school activities conclude.

Two lucky Idaho Lottery players who participated in the 2025 Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle will begin the New Year as Idaho’s newest millionaires! All 500,000 tickets in the Idaho Lottery’s traditional holiday game, the Idaho $1,000,000 Raffle, have been sold, and the game has officially ended. The last ticket was sold Thursday, December 11, 2025.

With the holiday giving season underway, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office is urging Idahoans to remain vigilant against deceptive charity scams. Monday marks the start of International Charity Fraud Awareness Week, highlighting the threat of criminals posing as legitimate organizations to exploit generous donors.

“The holidays, unfortunately, bring out the worst in criminals who exploit our community’s generosity,” said Attorney General Labrador. “We can’t allow scams to undermine legitimate charities or the people who depend on them. It’s up to all of us to stay informed and make smart decisions about our donations.”

Content Warning: The following article discusses themes of sexual abuse and assault.
For the first time since InvestigateWest exposed widespread sexual abuse by Idaho prison staff, the director of Idaho’s prison system laid out plans to increase protection for inmates and accountability for those accused.

Those plans include the Department of Correction working with lawmakers to change a state law that makes it difficult for prosecutors to criminally charge prison workers who take advantage of inmates. Department of Correction Director Bree Derrick also said the department will review its public records process, implement ways to ensure inmates know their rights, and update its prison sexual misconduct policies — though she did not give specifics about what those policy changes would look like.

“Our Idaho athletes have worked incredibly hard to earn their place on this national stage,” said Special Olympics Idaho CEO, Kristi Kraft. “The USA Games are more than a competition; they are a celebration of belonging, courage and ability. We’re asking Idaho’s business community to stand with these athletes and help us reach our $100,000 goal so every team member can participate fully and proudly.”

“People may see and hear low-flying helicopters near Salmon and Challis in the coming week,” said Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Bret Stansberry of Salmon.  “While we understand that folks are still recreating, we will do our best to temporarily avoid areas where we observe people.”

Content Warning: The following article discusses sexual assault.
For nearly a year and a half, Andrea Weiskircher has been pleading with prison officials, state leaders and law enforcement to look at the evidence. 

In the summer of 2024, Weiskircher accused five Idaho prison workers of sexually abusing her while she was incarcerated. She had sexually explicit texts, Facebook messages and emails from correction officers and a prison delivery man, Weiskircher told investigators. Any sexual contact between an inmate and prison staff — even voyeurism and harassment — is prohibited by federal standards designed to protect people in custody who are vulnerable to sexual extortion by workers.

Cyclocross is a wild and wacky event requiring bikers to navigate dirt, sand, grass and they even have to get off their bike every now and then.

Twisted Turtle Racing hosts a series, as this sport takes place in the fall to help riders stay in shape during the shoulder season. We went to the Waffle Cross event at the Eagle Bike Park.

Content Warning: The following article discusses sexual assault.

During a yearlong investigation, current and formerly incarcerated women told InvestigateWest how they were raped in janitor’s closets, employee offices and at work sites where cameras couldn’t see. They said guards exploited closed-door disciplinary hearings to coerce sexual favors. Some women refused to file reports against the correction officers who harassed, groped and assaulted them for fear that they would be written up, placed in segregated housing, or chastised by other inmates and staff. And when they did speak up, their complaints were frequently ignored and investigations were sloppy.

Idaho State Highway 16 could soon get a new name. The Idaho Family Policy Center (IFPC) is partnering with state lawmakers to introduce a bill during the next legislative session that would rename State Highway 16 the “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway.”

The proposed name change would honor Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA), who was killed in September while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. Idaho State Highway 16 runs north to south, connecting the cities of Emmett and Star, Idaho.