Pocatello

The Idaho High School Rodeo Association’s State Finals are underway at the Bannock County Event Center this week, and top athletes are competing for state titles and scholarships.

Friday marks the penultimate day of rodeo events with breakaway roping, tie down roping, barrel racing, bull riding, and more.

“A lot of the things that we do are computer-based with smartphones and smart glasses and smart computers and smart cars,” said Wes Jones, director of Bannock County Emergency Management. “Our approach is we need to be smarter about how we reach out to the communities, and this gives us a more timely and accurate ability to get that information out there and in the hands of the community.”

Gateway Transitional Care Center broke ground on the future site of their new Vent/Trach Unit and Outpatient Therapy Gym on Thursday.

The 14-bed Vent/Trach Unit will be the first of its kind in Southeast Idaho, helping people stay in the Portneuf Valley to receive mechanical breathing assistance after being discharged from the hospital.

ALS of Nevada is hosting their ‘Walk for ALS’ in Pocatello to raise awareness and collect donations for research into the deadly disease on Saturday.

ALS of Nevada hosted its last Walk for ALS in the Gate City in 2019. Event director, and Pocatello native, Jen Robinson said the walk is a way for people to contribute to furthering a cure for ALS and gives people a chance to show their solidarity for those suffering from the illness.

Pocatello city engineers are hosting an open house on Tuesday to discuss plans for their ‘North Portneuf Crossing Project’, which would improve accessibility for pedestrians on busy roads downtown.

Pocatello city engineers are hosting an open house on Tuesday to discuss plans for their ‘North Portneuf Crossing Project’, which would improve accessibility for pedestrians on busy roads downtown.

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will close Main Street in Inkom overnight on Tuesday, June 10, and Wednesday, June 1, to demolish the I-15 bridge over the road.

Main street traffic will be diverted onto Old Highway 91 and will only be accessible to vehicles with a height of less than 13 feet. ITD also said the demolition will cause a “considerable amount of noise”.

Gateway Transitional Care Center is remodeling their facility to include a new ‘Vent/Trach Unit’ for patients recovering from injuries or respiratory illness; the unit will be the first of its kind in Southeast Idaho.

Gavin Monteath, CEO of Gateway Transitional Care Center, said over the past seven years, the basement levels of their building have gone through multiple potential project designs, but the care center settled on a respiratory rehabilitation wing when they saw patients coming out of the hospital traveling out-of-state to get care for breathing problems before the could return home

The Ross Park Aquatic Complex opened for its 2025 season on May 24, and the waterpark is sporting a fresh look with new Pocatello city branding.

Earlier this spring, the Ross Park Aquatic Complex had a facelift with a new paint job on the main office, kiddie pool, and railings and fresh flooring in the dressing rooms.

The Portneuf District Library is showcasing their collection of cake pans and cookie cutters available for checkout as their featured resource through June.

The ‘cake pan library’ has dozens of standard cake pans, as well as bakeware in character and unique shapes–all accessible to library patrons for two-week checkout periods.

Demolition crews have started to tear down portions of the Pine Ridge Mall in preparation for renovations to turn the mall into an open-air retail space.

The upcoming ‘Pine Ridge Shopping Center’ is slated to have some of the mall’s current tenants, like Hobby Lobby and CAL Ranch, and welcome new stores like the long-awaited Target.

The American Red Cross is now working out of their new Blood Donation Center location in the Pine Ridge Shopping Center.

The Red Cross relocated ahead of demolitions scheduled in the ongoing project to turn the Pine Ridge Mall into an open-air retail space.

The Bannock County Assessor’s Office announced they have seen a record number of homeowners apply for the Property Tax Reduction (PTR) program this year.

The PTR, formerly known as ‘Circuit Breaker’, program can reduce property taxes by up to $1,500 for people with disabilities, seniors, and some veterans; applicants must have an annual income of $37,810 or less.

The My World Discovery Museum and Museum of Clean will host their second annual Touch-A-Truck event on Tuesday, June 3.

The annual Idaho Field of Heroes Memorial has returned to the Portneuf Valley for its 21st year; the memorial was officially dedicated with a community ceremony on Friday.

The Idaho Field of Heroes Memorial is a tradition started by Bannock County to honor the military members who have died in the war on terrorism since September 11, 2001. Volunteers spend over 3,000 hours building and installing 7,064 markers in the Century High School soccer fields bearing the names of men and women who lost their lives in military service.

“When families come here, hopefully it’s just a little surprise for them that someone took the time to take care of the headstone,” said Matt Stucki, regional customer relations manager for Idaho Power. “I know other organizations come and do it as well, but this is a pretty important one for us.”

Bingham Ag Services presented Willow Bay Food Bank with $7,300 in donations on Thursday. Willow Bay Baptist Church operates the Willow Bay Food Bank outreach service. Pastor Chris Thompson said the food bank serves around 200 families every month on average.

“It’s really fantastic to see what kids can do,” said Margie Gabiola, principal of Holy Spirit Catholic School. “…When you go into a space where you’re looking at art, it creates this sense of calm in you or gets you excited; if you want to come for the full experience, this is the type of event you want to come to–especially when it’s local.”

Owners of local classic car restoration business ‘Badass Glass’ are trying to get back on their feet after a fire destroyed the company’s body shop.

Jordan Miller, owner of Badass Glass, said his son woke him up in the early hours of May 13 after noticing a fire in the large body shop near their home. Miller called the Pocatello Fire Department, and firefighters extinguished the blaze, but not before the loss of the shop and the tools and vehicles stored inside.

The Bannock County Assessor’s Office announced property values may rise around the area after a study by the Idaho State Tax Commission found Bannock County prices fell below market real estate prices.

“Reading is magic, and at the Pocatello Rotary we like to bring some more of that magic to our community,” said Michael Strickland, member of the Pocatello Rotary Club. “Little Free Libraries are great because, in today’s society, so many things cost money––it’s nice to have something that people and children and families can do that doesn’t cost anything.”

“My run is really a thank you note to Pocatello in some ways,” said Swanson. “It’s always been a driver of mine to be of service and to look for opportunities to give back to the community.”

The Friends of Edson Fichter Nature Area are hosting a citizen-science Bioblitz on Saturday, May 17.

During the Bioblitz, participants will catalogue the 40-acre Edson Fichter Nature Area’s plants, birds, and mammals using the iNaturalist smartphone app, which identifies species and records sightings in a worldwide database.

Pocatello Animal Services will host their annual Low-Cost Rabies Vaccination Clinic on Saturday, May 17.

The clinic will offer rabies vaccines for pets at the low price of $10 per animal. First-time vaccinations last one year, but booster shots lasting three years are available with proof of previous vaccination.

The Pocatello Salvation Army’s box truck has broken down. Now, they are asking for people’s help to buy a new one so they can continue their mission to serve local people.

The EPA has pulled funding from Pocatello’s Portneuf River Vision project to update park and river infrastructure.

The Zonta Club of Pocatello is working to support local women and girls by raising awareness for sexual and domestic violence, providing scholarships, and collecting donations to provide basic necessities to those in need.

Volunteers needed for Community-Wide Spring Cleanup. The event starts Saturday, May 3 at 8:30am at Caldwell Park in Pocatello.