Rexburg man arrested after spying on sunbathers at Porter Park

KIFI on July 1, 2025

Phillip Willis

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — According to the Rexburg Police Department, on Sunday afternoon, a man was arrested after spying on sunbathers at Porter Park.

Officers responded to several calls about a suspicious individual at the park. After identifying himself hesitantly as “John”, he fled the officers, and then attempted to fight them. He was tased and taken into custody.

Pictures of girls at the park were found on his phone. He also had a pair of gloves and roll of duct tape.

“Rexburg is just a great place to live, and we don’t need any people do that kind of stuff around here.” says Jennifer, a young girl who lives in the local community.

The Rexburg Police Department is requesting that witnesses come forward — specifically those that saw suspicious activity between the hours of 2–3 p.m. at Porter Park on Sunday, June 29th.

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The Colorado Springs Sky Sox are coming back

KRDO on July 1, 2025

Rob Namnoum

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The Pioneer Baseball League’s Board of Directors accepted the resignation of the Northern Colorado Owlz baseball club as a team in the league. Instead, a new team has entered: the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

The Sky Sox will complete the Owlz’ 2025 season.

Field Manager Dimitri Young, Pitching Coach Ray King, and their coaching staff will assumecommand of the Sky Sox, who open their first series in Grand Junction on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

“I am so grateful and proud of the Owlz players and coaches who have performed this season withthe highest degree of professionalism,” said PBL President Mike Shapiro. “Under the leadership ofmanager Dimitri Young and pitching coach Ray King they’ve conducted themselves with utmostcharacter and have honored the Pioneer League and the game of Baseball.”

The Sky Sox will play their 2025 home games at blocktickets Park in Colorado Springs, home to theRocky Mountain Vibes.

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Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on 34-home affordable housing community in La Pine

KTVZ on July 1, 2025

Barney Lerten

(Update: Adding video)

La PINE, Ore. (KTVZ) — Habitat for Humanity of La Pine Sunriver officially broke ground last week on its largest affordable housing development to date: Park View, a 34-home neighborhood located in north La Pine, at the corner of Barron Road and Crescent Creek Drive.

The event marked a major milestone for the organization and the community’s efforts to address the growing need for affordable homeownership in South Deschutes County.

Here’s the rest of their announcement:

Board Chair Scott Asla, joined by Deschutes County commissioners Patti Adair, Phil Chang, and Tony DeBone, shared remarks highlighting the collaborative effort behind the development.

“Habitat makes such a difference. It makes a lifelong difference. If you can build up equity, have a home, your children will graduate from high school. We truly support you so thank you!” said Commissioner Adair.

“I’m really proud that the county has been such a long standing partner to Habitat and to other affordable housing developers, providing a stream of either land donations or land discounts so that we can make this kind of economic opportunity available To all of our families in our community, especially the kinds of working folks who we see end up in habitat housing in the pine so with that, I just want to say congratulations to habitat for making this project happen,” said Commissioner Chang.

“We went through a lot to get here, which is exciting. You know, we’ve got a model of who’s moving here now, people that have resources, maybe selling a house somewhere else and buying one here, but this is for the local folks, being able to get employment, generational wealth, the on ramp for that. So it’s so exciting, the mission of Habitat around the country, but being able to do this here on these four acres is really special for the community. So congrats!” said Commissioner DeBone.

Park View homes will serve income-qualified homebuyers earning 60–80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). All homeowners must qualify for a mortgage, complete homeownership education classes, and contribute sweat equity by helping build their homes and those of their neighbors.

Construction on the first four homes is scheduled to begin in 2026.

For more information about the Park View development or how to support affordable housing efforts in La Pine, visit www.habitatlapinesunriver.org or contact: info@habitatlapinesunriver.org.

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Wind-fanned brush fire in Redmond’s Dry Canyon prompts evacuations; legal fireworks the cause, four teens cited

KTVZ on July 1, 2025

Barney Lerten

(Update: Adding video; cause, four teens cited)

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Four teens were cited late Monday for using legal fireworks that sparked a one-acre brush fire in Redmond’s Dry Canyon Park and prompted Level 3 GO NOW evacuation of 21 threatened homes, Redmond Fire Marshal Tom Mooney said.

The Quartz Fire was reported around 5:20 p.m. north of Quartz Park and Obsidian Avenue and quickly put up smoke visible over a wide area.

Mooney said 911 callers were reporting a fast-moving brush fire spreading to the southeast and threatening homes along SW Canyon Drive.

Due to the wind-fanned spread of the fire, Level 3 GO NOW evacuations were issued by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for 21 homes on Canyon Drive, between Newberry and Quartz avenues.

“It is human-caused, by legal fireworks,” Redmond Fire Marshal Tom Mooney told KTVZ News. A joint investigation was underway by Redmond Fire and Redmond Police, he added.

Crews protected the threatened homes, and when the fire’s spread was stopped, the Level 3 evacuations were dropped to Level 2 BE SET, then Level 1 BE READY, DCSO Public Information Officer Jason Carr told us.

Forward progress of the fire was stopped before 6 p.m., but Mooney said crews would be on scene until the fire is “mopped up and cold.” Other agencies involved in stopping the fire included crews from Bend, Cloverdale, Sisters-Camp Sherman and the BLM.

A fire investigator arrived on scene and determined the fire to be human-caused due to the intentional use of legal-type fireworks, Mooney said.

“Through the assistance of multiple witnesses within the area, Redmond Police were able to identify four juveniles ranging in age (from) 15-16 years old who were reported in the area,” he said.

“The juveniles were contacted by Redmond Police, and it was determined that they had used fireworks to cause the fire within the canyon,” Mooney said. “The four juveniles were cited for reckless burning and criminal mischief and released to their parents’ custody.”

The fire occurred five days after another fast-moving vegetation fire broke out in another area of the Dry Canyon, south of Northwest Maple Avenue. It burned about three acres before it was quickly stopped.

And it happened a day before Redmond city councilors are meeting to discuss whether to ban personal-use fireworks in the city over the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

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A breath that cost $35,000: Mother fights rare disease

News-Press NOW on July 1, 2025

Kirsten Stokes

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — For Bethany Duckworth, being an active mom wasn’t just a dream; it was her plan.

“It’s depressing,” Duckworth said. “It’s sad.”

Last year, everything changed. Her world was turned upside down after being diagnosed with a rare and life-altering disease.

In June of 2024, Duckworth visited the emergency room with shortness of breath and chest pain. Over the next several months, she endured numerous tests and procedures, but still, no answers.

Then, in February 2025, she underwent an external e-consultation with Dr. Picard at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. After a thorough review of her records, the doctors finally gave her a diagnosis: Fibrosing Mediastinitis. This rare and aggressive condition causes excessive scar tissue to form in the chest, restricting lung function and blood flow.

“Basically, I have a mass in my chest that’s growing, and it’s encasing everything that makes your body work,” Duckworth said.

To reduce the inflammation and restore her breathing, doctors recommended a Rituximab infusion treatment. The plan included placing three stents in her arteries and blood vessels to allow blood to flow freely again and help her lungs fully inflate.

But, there was one major obstacle: the medication alone costs $36,000 for two infusions, and Bethany still doesn’t know if more will be needed.

“There’s no guarantee that’s all I will need,” Duckworth said.

Adding to the emotional and financial burden, her insurance company denied authorization for the treatment, claiming it was “medically unnecessary.”

In need of help, Bethany applied for a grant for financing from the Rituximab manufacturer. But she believes the couple’s combined income from the previous year will disqualify them for assistance.

Now, Bethany is turning to her community, launching a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of covering the out-of-pocket costs without going into financial ruin.

“It makes me feel like the health system has failed me and my insurance has failed me,” Duckworth said. “I pay $700 a month for my insurance, and they’re not covering anything.”

Despite the physical pain and emotional stress, Bethany finds her strength in her family, leaning on her husband and their two-year-old son, Connor, to keep going.

Because for Bethany, even when the system fails, love never does.

“My husband, he’s been wonderful. But I have a two-year-old who is very rambunctious, so it’s really hard to keep up with him. My husband has had to basically do everything,” Duckworth said.

To donate to Bethany’s GoFundMe, click the link here.

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Cathedral City mayor speaks out after ICE agents place her friend in custody

KESQ on July 1, 2025

Shay Lawson

CORRECTION: We previously reported that the event at the Mizell Center was scheduled for Sunday. The correct date is Monday. It is a third party renting space for a private event, not a Mizell-sponsored event.

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ)  – After weeks of ICE activity across the Coachella Valley, including in Cathedral City, Mayor Nancy Ross is now speaking out.

At last week’s city council meeting, she said her friend had been taken by ICE agents.

On Monday, Ross sat down with News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson to share what happened and why she’s raising her voice now.

“He was pulled over on Ramon and an officer approached his vehicle,” Ross said. “When the officers come to you, they’re fully masked. They don’t wear a name badge and they will not have communication with you.”

She said agents then took him to the airport and flew him to Mexico.

“They took their wallets, so they had no ID,” Ross said. “They took their telephones, and they kind of pushed them off the plane.”

Eventually she said her friend retained his phone and called her.

“We have not been in touch since that one phone call,” Ross said.

Now, she said she’s searching for answers for her community.

“This will remain my top priority until we get some answers to where are our people?” Ross said. “It’s also my responsibility to share some of the privileges I got in life. And if I could offer some of those in any little way to somebody else, count me in.”

News Channel 3 has reached out to ICE for a comment on this situation, and are waiting to hear back.

Stay with News Channel 3 for the full report at 10 and 11 p.m.

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Prosecutors seek murder charges for 2 men accused in deaths of 3 Kansas City Chiefs fans last year

News-Press NOW on July 1, 2025

CNN Newsource

By Amanda Musa, CNN

(CNN) — Two Missouri men already facing charges in the mysterious case of three friends found dead outside a Kansas City home after watching a Chiefs football game last year could have some charges upgraded to include three counts of second degree murder, court documents show.

Clayton McGeeney, 36, Ricky Johnson, 38, and David Harrington, 37, were discovered outside of Jordan Willis’ Platte County home, north of Kansas City, around 10 p.m. on January 9, 2024, two days after the men watched the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers.

All three men died of fentanyl and cocaine combined toxicity, a doctor with Forensic Medical of Kansas determined in March, according to Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd.

Willis and Ivory J. Carson were both charged with a single count of delivery of a controlled substance and three counts of involuntary manslaughter for “recklessly causing the deaths” of the three men, Zahnd said at the time.

Both men entered not guilty pleas to the initial charges, an online court docket shows.

Prosecutors are asking a judge to upgrade the three involuntary manslaughter charges to murder in the second degree, according to an amended complaint. The judge can either approve the request for upgraded charges or deny it.

Each charge is a class A felony and carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison or life imprisonment, according to the complaint.

“While not unexpected, we are greatly disappointed in the upgraded charges. Jordan has maintained his innocence since day one and he declined the Government’s plea offer,” Willis’ attorney, John Picerno, said in a statement Sunday.

“Missouri’s Felony Murder Statute is overly broad, often misused, and excessive,” Picerno said. “It should never be used in this manner. We are very much looking forward [to] challenging these charges in open court before a fair and impartial jury.”

An attorney for Carson did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment Monday.

CNN has reached out to the Platte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for more information regarding the decision to upgrade the codefendants’ charges.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Thursday, July 24 at 9 a.m., an online court docket shows.

Powdery substances and a suspect’s DNA

After the bodies were found, detectives searching Willis’ home found two “plastic bags containing white powdery substances,” one of which tests showed contained cocaine, according to Zahnd. A probable cause statement alleges Willis “was determined to be the major contributor of DNA found on that bag.”

The other bag contained fentanyl, with Carson’s DNA found to be the primary contributor on that bag, Zahnd continued, citing a probable cause statement from February 2024.

That document also recounts a statement from a witness who told police they were at Harrington’s home the night of the football game and saw “a large plate of cocaine allegedly supplied by Mr. Willis that everyone was using,” Zahnd said.

Another witness who left before midnight said he was with Willis, Harrington, McGeeney and Johnson at Willis’ home later on in the evening where they drank alcohol, smoked marijuana and used cocaine, according to the probable cause statement.

There is no evidence that Willis bought the drugs that his friends ingested before their deaths, according to Picerno, who previously spoke to the Associated Press. He also said that the group had been partying all day, AP reported.

Kansas City had a high of 37 degrees and a low of 29 degrees with trace amounts of rain and snow on January 7, and temperatures dropped to right around freezing just before sunrise the next morning.

McGeeney’s fiancée also told police the three had gone to Willis’ home the day of the Kansas City Chiefs football game on January 7, the last game of the regular season. But the three friends never came home.

Two days later, McGeeney’s fiancée went looking for him at Willis’ house and found “at least one person dead on the back patio,” Zahnd said in March.

Eventually, she called the Kansas City police. According to a police statement, officers “responded to the back porch and confirmed there was a dead body. Upon further investigation, officers located two other dead bodies in the back yard.”

Police said at the time they found “no obvious signs of foul play.”

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Young community activist named June’s Hometown Hero

News-Press NOW on July 1, 2025

Kirsten Stokes

Sadie Sanders, is June’s Hometown Hero.

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Anthem claims ‘initial progress has been made’ with MU Health Care following Senate committee hearing Monday

KMIZ on July 1, 2025

Marie Moyer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Monday’s Missouri Senate committee hearing brought University of Missouri Health Care and Anthem to the table, but not to a solution, as both groups walked away without a clear plan to cover the health care of thousands of Mid-Missourians.

In testimony, both MU Health Care and Anthem claimed to have made several proposals since 2024, which both parties have routinely declined.

MU Health Care’s most recent proposal has been 9%, 9%, and 8% increases over three years. Anthem recently offered a plan that featured performance benefits and pay raises over inflation. MU Health Care argued that Anthem pays them less than other local insurers and academic medical centers outside Missouri.

“Anthem rates are 10% to 20% lower than other people pay us today,” MU Health Care Chief Executive Officer Ric Ransom said. “The rates that Anthem pays, other academic health systems, other places like us in the Midwest and throughout the country, it’s 30% more.”

Rich Novack, who represented Anthem during the hearing, argued that Anthem couldn’t afford the MU’s percentage increases since Anthem administration costs have only been increasing by less than 2.5% per year. Novack also made two informal offers to MU Health Care mid-way during his testimony.

The first, a three-year contract with annual increases of 3.3%. The second offer would match Anthem’s current partnership with the University of Kentucky, an academic medical center like MU Healthcare.

“University of Kentucky, I know a lot about that one,” Novack said. “I’ll take that deal top to bottom, no alterations, no amendments. I’ll take that deal, we can sign it this afternoon and everybody goes home happy.”

In a statement from MU Health Care spokesperson Eric Maze, it is too early to respond to any offers made during the hearing without a written proposal.

“MU Health Care is simply requesting rates on par with those paid by other managed care companies in the region and comparable to the rates Anthem pays other academic health systems,” Maze said. “Without fair payment from Anthem, MU Health Care, the region’s only academic health system and one of only two safety net providers in the state, is being forced to fight for its future while defending the health of an entire region.”

In a statement from an Anthem spokesperson, they claimed the hearing was productive in negotiations.

“Following the hearing, Anthem met with MU Health Care leadership to continue discussions,” the Anthem spokesperson said in the statement. “We’re encouraged that some initial progress has been made and remain committed to working toward a solution that restores in-network access while protecting affordability for the Missourians we serve.”

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Solar Panels Made in Goleta May One Day Orbit or Land on the Moon

KEYT on July 1, 2025

John Palminteri

GOLETA, Calif. – Redwire in Goleta has completed a key solar component system capable of orbiting the moon as a power source and also working on the lunar surface for up to 90 days at a time.

Prior technology had a much shorter lifespan, about a week.

Redwire Civil and International Space President Mike Gold, “this is the culmination of a decade or more of work here in Goleta, of pursuing the dream of not only bringing people back to the moon but this time bringing them back to stay.”

The large Roll Out Solar Arrays known as ‘ROSA’ will be attached to an orbiting space craft and other smaller versions will have similar power uses.

Gold said, “so we hope to be using this technology, not only on the space station around the moon, but also on the surface of the moon itself.”

International partners from countries including Japan, Canada and United Arab Emirates joined in the presentation. Redwire says this project creates and grows domestic jobs.

Redwire CEO Pete Cannito said, “because it supports U.S. manufacturing jobs here in California in the United States. The foundation of what the U.S. is capable of doing in the terms of high tech in manufacturing you will see nothing better.”

The reveal was in a special design facility which required protective personal coverings for the staff and guests watching the debut.

The full deployment of the solar panels took only about seven minutes.

This power source with its longer uses has opened up many options.

Gold said, “we need to learn not only how to conduct science on the moon, but how to live off the land.”

Because the solar panels can roll out and roll up, dust which can reduce the power, can be cleared off.

The next stop for the ROSA will be Palo Alto where it will be assembled to a space station orbiter.

Over the years, Redwire says Goleta has always been a high tech hub with solar technology goals.

“We are taking a little part of Goleta and sending it to moon, but know that the road to the moon goes through Goleta,” said Gold with an enthusiastic voice.

The staff of about 200 employees also met with NASA officials.

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