Month: September 2025

News Team

ISLAND PARK, Idaho (KIFI) — The Fremont County Board of Commissioners has unanimously voted to deny Ensign Hospitality’s request to build a 132-room hotel at Henry’s Lake Flats. The decision upholds the previous ruling by the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission, following significant public opposition to the project.

The Henrys Fork Wildlife Alliance celebrated the outcome on social media, calling it a “big win for the Henry’s Lake Flats.” The organization noted that the ruling “sends a message to developers that the rural base zone is meant to preserve open space, wildlife habitat, and the agricultural heritage of the County. It is not a place to site commercial or other large-scale projects.”

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Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The Area V Agency on Aging in Pocatello is looking for donations of mobility equipment and other home-care supplies to stock their in-house ‘Assistive Technology’ (or AT) closet for local seniors in need.

Agency leaders say they try to keep their AT closet stocked with supplies to help seniors maintain their mobility and independence, especially after surgery or sickness, and the generous donations of canes, walkers, and wheelchairs from people in the area have made their way to hundreds of local seniors in need.

“It is donated by the community giving back to the community,” said Cara Christensen, information and assistance supervisor at the Area V Agency on Aging. “I always say, if you want to see how wonderful our community is, come check out our closet.”

The Area Agency on Aging provides support programs to seniors in seven counties. Currently, Christensen said, the Agency is looking for more donations of seated walkers and canes, but they are also always accepting sets of crutches, bedding, and adult briefs.

On October 3-4, the Area V Agency on Aging is hosting a pickleball tournament to raise money for the continued operation of their elderly persons’ support services.

For more information on donating supplies to the Agency’s AT closet program, you can visit the Area V Agency on Aging website. To learn more about the upcoming pickleball tournament fundraiser, you can follow the Area Agency on Aging’s Facebook page.

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News Release

The following is a news release from Southeastern Idaho Public Health and Bannock County:

BANNOCK COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — Southeastern Idaho Public Health (SIPH) and Bannock County Mosquito Abatement have confirmed a West Nile Virus (WNV) positive mosquito pool in Public Health District 6, located in Bannock County. No cases of WNV in humans have been reported.

Bannock County Mosquito Abatement increased its response to the area where WNV-positive mosquitoes were collected, and has treated both larval and adult mosquitoes. Staff will maintain an increase in control and monitoring measures in response to the positive detection.

West Nile is a potentially serious illness that is usually spread to animals and humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Most people infected with West Nile do not show symptoms; however, more severe illness can occur. People with symptoms may experience fever, headaches, body aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, eye pain, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash, typically occurring 2 to 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. More severe infections may involve the central nervous system.

To reduce the risk of WNV, the following precautions should be taken:

•When outdoors, use insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient, such as DEET or Picaridin (apply it according to the manufacturer’s instructions). Additionally, certain products containing permethrin are recommended for use on clothing, shoes, bed nets, and camping gear. Follow the directions on the package.

•Use insect repellent and wear long sleeves, pants, and loose-fitting clothing at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active and feeding. If possible, consider staying indoors during these hours.

•Make sure to have good screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.

•Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by draining standing water from flowerpots, buckets, and barrels. Change the water in pet dishes and replace the water in bird baths and feeding troughs at least twice a week. Drill holes in tire swings or old tires to allow water to drain out. Keep children’s wading pools empty or on their sides when not in use.

•Don’t over-irrigate your lawns, gardens, or pastures.

For more information on WNV, contact SIPH’s Epidemiologists, Jeff Doerr, at 478-6303 or visit SIPH’s website at www.siphidaho.org or http://westnile.idaho.gov.

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Ariel Jensen

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Luis Garcia-Diaz, 27, was sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison Tuesday for a deadly drunk driving crash that killed six people last year on U.S. Highway 20.

Luis Garcia-Diaz was sentenced to a unified term of six years fixed and nine years indeterminate on two counts of vehicular manslaughter, with the sentences running consecutively, for a total of up to 30 years. The maximum sentence was handed down by District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. in a Bonneville County courtroom.

Breaking down in tears as the sentence was delivered, Garcia-Diaz addressed the victims’ families via a Zoom conference before the hearing concluded. “I want to ask forgiveness of the families for the accident,” he said through a translator. “I know that every day I think of your families. I ask God for them, and that they forgive me.”

The tragic crash occurred on May 18, 2024, on U.S. Highway 20 near the Lindsay Boulevard exit in Idaho Falls. According to court documents, Garcia-Diaz was driving a Ram pickup with a blood alcohol level of 0.192% when his truck struck a Chevrolet van carrying 15 passengers.

The six victims included the van’s driver and five passengers. The passengers were confirmed to be agricultural workers from Mexico who were in the U.S. on H-2A Temporary Agricultural Worker visas, according to a report from the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Garcia-Diaz was originally charged with six counts of vehicular manslaughter, along with felony charges of driving under the influence, causing great bodily harm. He formally altered his plea in June, entering a guilty plea to the two vehicular manslaughter charges.

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