Month: August 2025

News Release

The following is a news release from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Last week, Bonneville County Sheriff Samuel Hulse and the BCSO Team presented several awards and recognitions during two formal awards night events. These events included formal swearing-in and badge pinning ceremonies for 26 Deputies hired over the past several months. Planning around academies and schedules have made these events a long time in the works as you will notice by the number of people recognized, as our team is continually growing and striving to make our community proud. A summary of awards and recognitions are as follows:

BCSO Community Service Awards

– Bonneville County Parks and Recreation Director Jeremy Neibauer was presented with the BCSO Community Service Award for rescuing a man and his dog found walking out of the backcountry after being stuck. 

– Watkins Distributing and Jason Stevens were recognized for their partnership with BCSO supporting DUI investigation training and promoting safe responsible driving in our community. 

– Ann Johnson was presented the BCSO Community Service Award for her hard work in the Bonneville County Jail IGNITE Program helping inmates obtain their GED, graduating 58 students in less than 2 years, and helping our jail facility become a GED testing site. 

BCSO Meritorious Service Awards

– Dep. Matthew Clark was recognized for his response and action during a nearby medical emergency. 

– Dep. Jill Fabbi and Dep. Monique Win were recognized for their dedication and hard work handling a high volume of records management processes and requests as new staff was in the process of being brought online. 

BCSO Award of Excellence 

– Dep. Fernando Romero was recognized for his action and response to a medical event at the Bonneville County Jail where an inmate was transported to the hospital requiring care and supervision. 

– Dep. Kelson Casperson was recognized for managing inmate scheduling and court transport amid construction at the courthouse that altered normal security and processes. 

BCSO Sheriff’s Commendation

– Since the launch of IGNITE Program at the Bonneville County Jail in August of 2023, the facility has become a GED testing site graduating 58 inmates and graduating more than 40 inmates from The Solution rehabilitation program. Sheriff Hulse recognized several people on our team for their efforts in the success of the program and presenting them the Sheriff’s Commendation. They are:

Ann Johnson – GED Facilitator

Capt. Ed Vitacolonna 

Lt. Linzie Klucken 

Lt. Brian Johnson

Sgt. Mark Mecham

Sgt. Matt Westfall

Dep. Katherine Stiens

BCSO Life Saving Awards

– Dep. Chad Campbell, Dep. Cole Kelley, and Dep. Ian McMurtrey were presented life saving awards for their response to a medical emergency in Feb. 2025. 

– Dep. Curtis Brown, Dep. Kyle Penney, and Dep. Tristan Smith were presented life saving awards for their response to an overdose emergency in Oct. 2024.

– Dep. Teagan Gardner, Dep. Kaleb Judy, and Off. Conner Loos were presented life saving awards for their response to a medical emergency inside the Bonneville County Jail in May 2025. 

BCSO Good Conduct Awards 

– The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office recognizes Deputies who serve three or more years in good standing as part of the BCSO Team. Deputies recognized by Sheriff Samuel Hulse this week with Good Conduct Ribbons are as follows:

Dep. Kyle Marty

Dep. Brian Merjil

Dep. Aron Powell

Dep. Kurt Thode

Dep. Mason Turnblom

Dep. Matthew Clark

Dep. Dante Curtis

Dep. Kyle Penney

Dep. Michael Wall

BCSO Promotions 

– Several Deputies were formally recognized for promotions over the past several months within our BCSO Team: 

Dep. Mike Vasquez promoted to Patrol Sgt. Nov. 2024

Dep. Dayna Harris promoted to Civil Division Supervisor

Dep. Crystal Trubl promoted to Assistant Office Supervisor

Dep. Patti Luna promoted to Assistant Office Supervisor

BCSO Formal Swearing In and Badge Pinning Ceremony

– The following Deputies were formally sworn in by Sheriff Hulse and badges pinned by family members and friends:

Dep. Jayke Austin – Detention Team

Dep. Joel Griffes – Detention Team

Dep. Craig Hammon – Detention Team

Dep. Alexander Hinckley- Detention Team

Dep. Kaleb Judy – Detention Team 

Dep. Parker Miller – Detention Team 

Dep. Javier Orozco – Detention Team 

Dep. Abraham Rivera – Detention Team 

Dep. Isaac Rohde – Detention Team 

Dep. Brody Buck – Detention Team 

Dep. Gerardo Carrillo – Detention Team 

Dep. Dillon Maddox – Detention Team 

Dep. Michael Sunderland – Detention Team

Dep. Tom Bolleurs – Animal Control Team

Dep. Kayla Lawrence – Admin Team

Dep. Rika Upchurch – Records Team

Dep. Amber Mulberry – Drivers License Team

Dep. Timothy Slenders – Patrol Team

Dep. Thomas Forte – Patrol Team

Dep. Maddison Hewitt – Patrol Team

Dep. Jake Mann – Patrol Team

Dep. Jacob Miller – Patrol Team

Dep. Bryce Nielson – Patrol Team

Dep. Jackson Schmitt – Patrol Team

Dep. Jasen Smith – Patrol Team

Dep. Pedro Valenzuela – Patrol Team

     The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office is proud of its team and the great work they do. We are humbled in the amount of community support we see each day, something that motivates our team toward excellence in everything we do and everything we stand for. 

Click here to follow the original article.

CNN Newsource

By Cindy Von Quednow, Michael Callahan, CNN

(CNN) — A “cruel hoax” sent Villanova University students sheltering into place on the first day of orientation after a false report of an active shooter, the school’s president said, prompting a massive response by local and federal law enforcement as they worked to secure the campus.

No injuries were reported and no weapons were found, Peter M. Donohue, the university’s president, said in a letter sent to the campus community and obtained by CNN.

The first campus alert went out around 4:35 p.m. ET, during an opening mass, which was set to be followed by a family picnic.

“ACTIVE SHOOTER on VU campus. Move to secure location. Lock/barricade doors. More info to follow,” read an alert on the campus website.

The anonymous report indicated there was an active shooter in the Charles Widger School of Law and claimed at least one person was wounded, school and police officials said.

“Panic and terror ensued” after the report, Donohue said in the letter.

Police and fire officials swarmed the area of the law school, with some armed officers on the roof, as they worked to clear buildings and look for a possible shooter or victims, video from CNN affiliate WPVI showed.

None were found.

“While it is a blessing and relief, I know today’s events have shaken our entire community,” Donohue said in the letter sent just after 6 p.m.

He apologized to first-year students and their families.

“This is not the introduction to Villanova that I had hoped for you,” he said.

Authorities seek to prosecute person responsible

New student orientation and registration began Thursday and is scheduled to go until Saturday, while classes begin Monday, according to the school’s academic calendar.

All other orientation activities scheduled for the day were canceled and were expected to resume Friday, school officials said.

The report of a shooter came hours after the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sent an active-shooter alert and the campus went on lockdown. Police later said the authorities found “no evidence of a threat.” Authorities are investigating the Tennessee incident as a possible case of swatting, a law enforcement source told CNN.

Swatting is a dangerous criminal hoax where a false report is made to police with the express purpose of luring them to a location, where they are led to believe a horrific crime such as a mass shooting, an imminent bombing, or hostage taking has been committed or is in progress.

This can result in a forceful response from local police and SWAT teams, who have no way to know the call is a hoax.

Swatting has been on the FBI’s radar for nearly two decades, and gained notoriety after high-profile celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian became victims. In a 2008 assessment of the “new phenomenon,” the FBI said a group of recently convicted swatters were motivated by “bragging rights and ego, versus any monetary gain,” noting group members “did it because they could.”

Over time, law enforcement analysts studying incidents of swatting have observed an expanded list of motivations, including personal or societal grievances, disrupting operations at schools and places of business, diverting law enforcement resources away from other crimes, and financial gain. Numerous recent hoax incidents have emanated from overseas, according to officials, complicating efforts to locate the perpetrators.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he directed state police to “use every tool at our disposal” to find the person responsible for the swatting incident.

“I know today was every parent’s worse nightmare, and every student’s biggest fear,” Shapiro said in an X post. “I am profoundly grateful no one was hurt, and thankful to all members of law enforcement who ran towards reports of danger to keep Pennsylvanians safe.”

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer echoed Shapiro’s sentiments.

“My office, Investigation Division, the FBI, will all work to try to get to the bottom of who might have done this,” Stollsteimer said during a news conference Thursday. “We will track you down if it’s the last thing we do.”

Villanova is a private Catholic university in the suburbs of Philadelphia and is the alma mater of Pope Leo XIV.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Josh Campbell, Danny Freeman and Amanda Musa contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Click here to follow the original article.

Seth Ratliff

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — In yet another example of his struggles to adjust to prison life, confessed murderer Bryan Kohberger is seeking a transfer from his current prison unit. The former Washington State University criminology Ph.D. student claims he is being sexually harassed by other inmates.

Kohberger, 30, was recently sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for the murders of University of Idaho students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin. After pleading guilty to the murders, he was transferred to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna.

Just one night after arriving at the facility, Kohberger submitted a handwritten request to be moved from J-Block. According to a note originally obtained by People magazine, he wrote that J-Block “is an environment that I wish to transfer from” due to being “subject to minute-by-minute verbal threats/harassment.”

Only days after his initial complaint, Kohberger submitted a separate complaint to a prison guard, this time specifically alleging sexual harassment. An incident report notes that one inmate allegedly told Kohberger, “I’ll b— f— you,” while another was recorded as saying, “The only a– we’ll be eating is Kohberger’s.”

In his request to the deputy warden, Kohberger has asked to be transferred to B-Block, another unit within the same institution. However, documents obtained by the outlet indicate Kohberger was advised that J-Block is “generally a fairly calm and quieter tier” and was told to “give it some time.”

Related: Kuna inmates taunt convicted killer Bryan Kohberger through vents

The news comes only a week after reports that J-block inmates were taunting Kohberger through the vents in his cell. In both occasions, the convicted killer gained little sympathy from the online and professional community. In an interview with Fox News Digital, former prison pastor Keith Roverea told the outlet that Kohberger is only making the situation much worse by complaining.

Click here to follow the original article.

Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Providers from Southeastern Idaho Public Health (SIPH) are urging Idahoans to get their measles immunizations following a rise in disease cases in the Gem State.

On August 20, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported the third confirmed case of measles in Idaho in an unvaccinated child in Bonner County. Previous cases were discovered in Kootenai County and Eastern Idaho.

“This is probably the tip of the iceberg, and there’s other community spread of measles happening in the state of Idaho,” said Ian Troesoyer, nurse practitioner at Southeastern Idaho Public Health. “That is concerning because measles is a pretty significant illness. It’s maybe not quite as deadly as Ebola or anything like that; the risk from measles comes from how contagious it is–it’s just very contagious.”

Troesoyer said as well as being extremely contagious, the measles virus can cause rash, body aches, fever, and, in severe cases, swelling of the brain and a weakened immune system which can leave the body open to other diseases like pneumonia.

Health care providers are also battling record-low measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) immunization numbers across the state, which leaves Idaho susceptible to disease outbreaks. Currently, Idaho has the lowest MMR vaccination rate in the US.

“A lot of that is due to vaccine misinformation,” said Troesoyer. “All medicines, all vaccines, everything in the world has some risk, right?… The risk for getting vaccinated is way lower than the risk of just roughing it out with the actual illness.”

For more information on the measles immunizations, or for questions about vaccines or vaccine records, you can visit the Southeastern Idaho Public Health website or call them at (208) 233-9080.

Click here to follow the original article.

News Team

SOUTHEAST IDAHO (KIFI) — Wildfires burning in the central mountains are impacting air quality in the region. Today, the air quality in most of southeastern Idaho is expected to be moderate, which may pose a risk for sensitive groups, including those with heart or respiratory conditions.

In Lemhi County, an air quality advisory has been issued. The air quality forecast is currently very unhealthy, and an open burn ban is in effect.

Even moderate air quality can be a problem, especially for people with heart or lung conditions like asthma or COPD.

As the smoke rolls in, doctors are urging people to take precautions. Dr. Harkness, Medical Director of Optum Idaho, recommends staying indoors as much as possible, as “the air tends to be cleaner inside” when outside conditions are smoky.

For those with asthma or allergies, he adds that it’s crucial to stay on top of your medications.

If you have concerns about the smoky air and your health, contact your healthcare provider.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ariel Jensen

UPDATE AUG 21 ,5:45 P.M.- It’s a big day for STEM education and workforce development in Eastern Idaho.

Officials from the College of Eastern Idaho gathered outside the new technology center to announce a new partnership with Batelle Energy Alliance and Frontier Credit Union to launch the future tech building on the CEI campus.

“This is such an exciting day for Idaho students. It’s a huge win. I said almost 15 years ago now, we must prepare our students for their future, not our past. That’s what the STEM institute here, sponsored by BEA, INL, and Frontier Credit Union, is going to do: prepare our students in different ways for their future and future jobs,” State Representative Wendy Hornan, co-chair of the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee

The 88,000 square foot building will hold advanced classrooms and the Batelle Energy Alliance classroom, where real-world learning will lead to career paths in science, technology, engineering, and math. 

Idaho National Lab director Dr. John Wagner says the new building and partnership will provide a lot of benefits to the community.

“Workforce is essential to the community, to everything that we do. And for us, particularly STEM education and STEM-related fields are incredibly important to our national laboratory. And we want to see more of our children, of our community members being educated to be our workforce at the laboratory,” said Wagner.

Batelle is investing 5.5 million to support the facility and launch the STEM institute, and Frontier Credit Union is providing $3.5 million to the project.

“Our mission is building better lives, and we feel like this is a perfect combination of that and bringing all of that mission together for us as we invest in students and they thrive in our communities, our communities flourish. And so we’re also launching a scholarship program specifically for CEI students who are focused on STEM programs,” said Dan Thurman, CEO at Frontier Credit Union.

The building and classrooms are scheduled to open in the fall of 2026.

ORIGINAL:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Today, August 21, the College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) is taking a major step forward in workforce development and STEM education.

At noon, in partnership with Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) and Frontier Credit Union, CEI will unveil its new Future Tech Building, a facility dedicated to shaping the next generation of skilled professionals. Battelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy.

Join us for Local News 8 at noon as we take a closer look at the new facility.

Click here to follow the original article.