Pocatello

Work is underway on Pocatello’s new ‘Legacy Park’ on Iron Bend Dr. on the city’s east bench, and the Parks and Recreation Department wants people to stay clear so they can finish key projects before winter.

The Pocatello Parks and Rec department will start final grading and grass seeding on the nearly 5-acre plot, and the projects are slated to last for the remainder of the summer. In spring 2026, the city plans to install paved trails, a parking lot, and a playground.

The Bannock County Fair officially opens Monday, August 4, kicking off a week of classic fun. This year’s fair is jam-packed with live music, a wide variety of food, 4-H animal shows, rodeos, and the annual parade on Wednesday, August 6.

Bannock County’s ‘The Village: A Place for Youth and Families’ recently received the 2025 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties for the center’s innovative approach to counseling kids and teens in the area.

Since opening in 2023, The Village has successfully served over 600 young people as a single point of contact for counseling and diversionary programs to keep kids out of the criminal justice system.

“Our main goal that the Salvation Army does is we want to let people know that we love them, we care about them, and one of the best ways that we can do that is we can help them with these practical things,” said Makowski. “We see a need, we fill it.”

SRD’s Traveling Animals is hosting a ‘Wild Reptile Adventure’ event at Jungle ReTreat Ice Cream in Pocatello on Saturday, July 26.

wo people are in the hospital after being rescued from an early morning house fire in Pocatello on Monday.

At around 12:40 a.m., a woman at 444 Michael Ave. called 911 with difficulty breathing. Dispatchers reported hearing a fire alarm in the background before the woman became unresponsive.

Aid for Friends is approaching the date of their thirteenth annual ‘Splish and Splash’ fundraiser event, scheduled for August 1, to raise money for Pocatello’s homeless shelter.
“This shelter belongs to the community; we want the community to be part of everything that goes on here at the shelter,” said Tami Moore, shelter manager for Aid for Friends. “We need the community support, and as we have increased our beds, it takes more money, it takes more supplies, it takes more case management time… we are unable to continue the increase until we’re able to get the money that we need to continue the stuff that we do here.”

“I’m grateful, I’m appreciative–it wasn’t expected,” said Coroner Danner. “…I don’t think anybody does anything for the awards, I do it because it’s the right thing to do; I do it because I believe in what they [the Family Services Alliance] do.”

“It’s an amazing process, three years of construction, 24/7, and all the way through the winter; it’s been a massive undertaking,” said Justin Smith, public information officer for ITD District 5. “Not only that, but keeping traffic moving while rebuilding the entire interchange has just been something amazing to watch play out, and watching the contractors working, the community interacting with us, it’s been really gratifying to see the project coming to this conclusion.”

The Portneuf District Library is featuring their vast collection of games and sports equipment available for patrons to check out and enjoy this summer.

“It’s different than anything that we’ve done before, so I thought it would be a really fun program for us to do as well,” said Amy Azzouzat, the Marshall Public Library’s public services supervisor. “It’s always wonderful to partner with an organization like SEICAA that does such good work in our community, and to be able to share our community members’ efforts with them is wonderful.”

“We have companies from all over the area here sponsoring holes, set up on holes, and then we’ve got golf teams from all over the area visiting those sponsors, playing some golf,” said Matt Hunter, president and CEO of the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce. “A lot of networking, a lot of connecting; that’s what we do at the chamber, we’re helping folks connect.”

The Bannock County Veterans Memorial Association is trying to raise $100,000 by the end of August to qualify for a matching donation, which would help the veterans repair flood damage to the historic Bannock County Veterans Memorial Building.

In December 2024, flooding in an upstairs bathroom severely damaged the nearly 100-year-old Memorial Building’s ballroom before leaking to lower levels, soaking walls, and washing up other issues, which now need repair.

Portneuf Health hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for their new ‘Portneuf Health Now-Chubbuck’ urgent care clinic.

The new location will be Portneuf Medical Center’s first outpatient urgent care clinic in Chubbuck and the second in the area. The Portneuf Health Now-Northgate urgent care opened in Pocatello in 2022.

“It’s been really cool for me to go through the community and be involved with different organizations or departments and get things done and get my hands dirty and try to fix problems,” said Sorenson. “It’s been an amazing five years, and I’m incredibly grateful to the supporters, for those that have concerns or criticisms and the changes we could make, to all of the employees––I’m nothing but grateful.”

The historic World War II B-25 Mitchell ‘Maid in the Shade’ landed at the Pocatello Regional Airport on Monday for an interactive exhibition as part of its ‘Flying Legends of Victory Tour’ across the US.

Porter Meyers, a 13-year-old from Pocatello, recently won third place in the seventh grade category at the RTX Invention Convention US Nationals in Michigan for his design of a ‘sound energy harvester’ device for cars.

“It’s funny, but it also shows the battles that children can face and how they feel like they can’t be heard,” said Hannah Christensen, a Pocatello High School freshman with a leading role as Summer Hathaway in the musical. “I think that’s really important, and I think the story can convey it to the audience.”

The Pocatello Water Department will start replacing a stretch of water main line on South Arthur Ave. between West Whitman St. and West Terry St. in Historic Downtown Pocatello on Wednesday, June 25.

The project will cause street closures and parking restrictions through the area, and residents are asked to park away from the construction zones. Local access will be available through the construction when possible and will be restored at the end of each working day.

Crews from Pocatello Parks and Rec and Artisan Skateparks are putting the finishing touches on the brand new Optimist Skatepark with plans for it to be open to skaters later this summer.
“This is something that we’ve been waiting for for a long time,” said Anne Butler, director of Pocatello Parks and Recreation. “I know the skaters in this community are ecstatic for this opportunity.”

“We have a short time with the kids, but I want to just continue it because I love spending time with kids,” said Tshiebwe. “This is one of my favorite hobbies I love to do, so I’ve been having an amazing time.”

Pocatello Parks and Rec is addressing online complaints of dry grass around the city and in the Mountain View Cemetery.

According to Parks and Rec and a post on the City of Pocatello Facebook page on Sunday, June 15, the city is aware of the dry grass and has repaired leaking sprinkler lines and timers causing dry grass in the area. People can expect to see greener grass in the next week.