RivCo Dept of Animal Services flies 39 pets to Seattle

KESQ on October 16, 2025

Jesus Reyes

Riverside, Calif. (KESQ) – The Riverside County Department of Animal Services flew 22 dogs and 17 cats to Seattle to find new homes amid the overcrowding crisis at local shelters.

RCDAS partnered with Wings of Rescue to make the move possible.

To encourage lifesaving in the community, RCDAS is extending fee-waived adoptions through October 31st.

“We can all play a part in helping RivCo pets find their way out of the shelter and into loving homes,” said Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. “If we can give 39 pets a new chance in Seattle, we can work together to give even more a new beginning here at home.”

The department is operating in critical overcapacity for dogs and is participating in the BISSELL Pet Foundation Empty the Shelters event alongside 300+ shelters across 38 states to help pets find loving homes through fee-waived adoptions, generously sponsored by BISSELL Pet Foundation.  

“These lifesaving flights are important and help make space in overcrowded kennels, but we also need help from the community to find homes for the pets waiting behind,” said RCDAS Assistant Director Dr. Kimberly Youngberg. “If you’re not able to adopt, we are always in need of temporary fosters and volunteers that make a huge impact for the pets in our care.”  

All fee-waived adoptions include spay/neuter surgery, microchips, vaccinations, and an engraved ID tag. With 1,000 dogs in the shelter there are hundreds of breeds, ages, sizes and personalities to choose from. RCDAS also extended weekday hours Tuesday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. to make it easier for people to meet shelter pets.

“With extended hours and free adoptions, we can do more for our RivCo pets,” said Fifth District Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez. “Behind every number is a story to be told and a journey to help continue—it takes one moment to make a lasting connection.”

Since its inception in 2016, Empty the Shelters has helped more than 360,000 pets find loving homes and is now the largest funded adoption event in the country. The program partners with more than 815 animal welfare organizations across 49 states and Canada. 

BISSELL Pet Foundation and RCDAS urge families to research the pet they are interested in adopting, as well as adoption requirements. For more information on adopting or donating to “Empty the Shelters,” visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org/empty-the-shelters and www.rcdas.org.  

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Boone Health continues to hire primary care providers among shortage

KMIZ on October 16, 2025

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone Health is chipping away at Missouri’s primary care shortage, hiring 25 providers in the past 12 months, eight of whom are primary care providers.

Four additional primary care providers are expected to join Boone Health by the end of the year, according to a Wednesday press release from Boone Health. The release adds that each provider can accept 1,800 new patients.

“It’s not an 8-to-5 job. We do a lot of extra charting, we have to do a lot of extra reading to keep up the credentialing that we have, we obviously do research,” Boone Health Dr. Holly Boyer said. “We’ve got more people to be able to accept those new patients.

“Across the nation, there has been a strong need for primary care providers, and the mid-Missouri community is no different,” said Drew Wilkinson, Boone Health vice president of provider and ambulatory operations said in the press release.

According to Rural Health Information Hub, 106 out of 114 counties in the state are considered Health Professional Shortage Areas for primary care.

According to a Health Resources and Services Administration report from June, Missouri needs to add 476 primary care physicians to address the state’s shortage rates.

“I’ve heard from patients that they’re being booked out six months, sometimes eight months, to get into a primary care physician,” Boyer said. “It’s been really hard for patients to be seen in a timely fashion just because of the shortage.”

Both SSM Health St. Mary’s in Jefferson City and MU Health Care are focusing on increasing numbers. MU Health Care reported in June that 13 providers were expected to join its workforce in July.

The next primary care provider expected to join Boone Health will begin working at Boone’s Moberly Clinic in December.

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Palm Springs City Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein announces reelection bid

KESQ on October 16, 2025

Peter Daut

Palm Springs, Calif. (KESQ) – Palm Springs Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein announced his reelection bid for his District 2 seat in November 2026.

Bernstein is a small business owner who was first elected to the council in 2022.

He has already received several endorsements, including from the Palm Springs police officers and firefighters associations.

If re-elected, he says he wants to focus on AI opportunities for the city and several economic development projects.

Bernstein spoke with News Channel 3’s Peter Daut about his campaign.

 “We need to help secure tourism, which is our primary economic driver, but we need to look at other revenue sources to grow our year-round economy and help our workforce out there,” Bernstein said.

Bernstein added, “We need to make sure that we have good jobs for people in our high schools and College of the Desert so they can stay in our valley. So far, we’ve had opportunities in tourism and healthcare, but we need to do more to keep this brainpower in our city.”

Watch Peter’s full in-depth interview with Bernstein at the top of the article.

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Still Missing: Family seeks safe return of Idaho Falls Teen, Kaiden Pulliam

KIFI on October 16, 2025

Maile Sipraseuth

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Authorities continue to search for 15-year-old Kaiden Christopher Pulliam, who has been missing since October 6th.

Kaiden was last seen at Idaho Falls High School. His family says they’re desperate for his safe return.

“We miss him and just want Kaiden home,” Kaiden’s aunt, Holly Ironstar, told Local News 8. “I hope he is safe wherever he is at and with whomever he is with.”

Kaiden is described as having Blond Strawberry Blond hair and blue eyes.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Kaiden Christopher Pulliam, reach out to the Idaho Falls Police Department at 208-529-1200.

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2 men indicted in separate federal child porn cases

KMIZ on October 15, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two men who were charged in separate child porn cases in Missouri were indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday.

David Narcato, 41, of Columbia, was indicted in the western district of Missouri on two counts of producing child pornography and one count of child porn possession.

He was previously charged in 2023 in Boone County with five counts of first-degree child molestation, three counts of statutory rape, first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, two counts of statutory sodomy of a victim and possession of child pornography. All Boone County charges stated the victims were younger than 12 years old.

Court documents in previous reporting state the assaults occurred between 2021-23. One of the victims underwent a SANE exam following an injury. Documents initially stated the child “fell off a bike” but a physical exam indicated injuries related to sexual assault.

That victim eventually stated there was sexual contact from Nacarato and that he lied about the incident, court documents say.

Case from Miller County

Brandon Long, 21, of Eldon, was indicted on receiving child porn and possessing child porn. He was previously charged in 2024 in Miller County with possessing child pornography and first-degree promoting obscenity.

Court documents in previous reporting say the Miller County Sheriff’s Office received a cybertip from the social media messaging application Kik that said child porn was uploaded from a Miller County IP address.

Search warrants were served to Kik in July 2024, and the company provided encrypted files that depicted child porn from an account, the statement says. Images of Long were also include, the statement says.

While a search warrant was being served at his home, Long allegedly admitted to sending and receiving child porn and claimed the account belonged to him, previous reporting says.

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RivCo extends fee waivers at animal shelters to encourage adoptions

KESQ on October 15, 2025

Jesus Reyes

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – The current waiver on most pet adoption fees at Riverside County animal shelters will continue until Halloween to encourage residents to take home lost or abandoned pets, it was announced today.   

“We can all play a part in helping county pets find their way out of the shelter and into loving homes,” County Board of Supervisors Chairman Manuel Perez said.

The fee waivers, which were inaugurated at the start of the month as part of the BISSELL Pet Foundation’s “Empty the Shelters” adoption bonanza, entail waiving costs for vaccination, microchipping, spay/neuter and impoundment, or in the case of residents who have lost their pets but show up to reclaim them, no reclamation fees.   

Prospective adopters will only be asked to pay canine licensing fees, which for altered dogs is generally $25 or less. The fees are required and based on where an adopter resides.

The latest adoption campaign coincided with the Department of Animal Services’ change in shelters’ hours of operation.   

The county’s Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms, San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus and Western Riverside County Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley are now open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. The shelters’ previous weekday hours of operation were 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The shelters are always closed on Mondays, but on Saturdays and Sundays, the facilities operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Blythe Animal Shelter, which is closed on weekends, has the least capacity and has not been included in the revised scheduling. That shelter continues to be open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.   

As of Wednesday, roughly 1,000 canines and felines were available for adoption at county shelters. Not all of the impounded pets, however, are housed on-site. Some, especially kittens and younger cats, have been placed with “pet fosters” who have agreed to keep them temporarily. The county is always seeking additional fosters to free up space under tight capacity constraints.   

More information is available at rcdas.org/.

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Judge Finds Probable Cause: Island Park Voter Fraud Case advances, preliminary hearings for other defendants set for late October

KIFI on October 15, 2025

Seth Ratliff

FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — A voter fraud case against Chad Vanderbeek will proceed after a judge ruled Wednesday that the prosecution met the burden of proof for probable cause.

RELATED: Island Park Voter Fraud Investigation

Vanderbeek is one of eleven defendants accused of illegally voting in the 2023 Fremont County municipal election by allegedly using incorrect addresses in Island Park. Judge Eddings announced his ruling in a near-empty courtroom, with at least two seats filled by Vanderbeek’s visibly disappointed family.

The ruling comes three weeks after a heated preliminary hearing where the defense argued Vanderbeek never intended to move from his primary home in Island Park. He had been staying in Idaho Falls since 2022 to care for his aging parents, which the defense said should not impact his voting residence.

“There is no indication under black letter law that my client has established residence somewhere else,” argued Malek. “There is, however, an indication that my client has established residence in Island Park.”

 However, the prosecution argued that under Idaho Code 34-107, the Island Park address was not his primary residence for voting purposes. The code outlines that factors like “residence of parents… and motor vehicle registration” should be considered to determine residence where no homeowners’ exemption has been taken out.

Blake concluded that because Vanderbeek’s parents have taken out a homeowners’ tax exemption in Bonneville County since 2016, his primary residence would be in Idaho Falls.

RELATED: Man accused of voter fraud in Island Park awaits judge’s decision

The ruling by District Judge Faren Eddings means that Vanderbeek will appear in court once again to formally enter a plea at an arraignment on October 28th before Judge Steven Boyce.

Preliminary hearings for several of the remaining individuals in the voter fraud investigation have been scheduled for the following day, October 29th, at 1 p.m.

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Cold weather’s coming for your tires! What you need to know to keep them from losing pressure

KIFI on October 15, 2025

Ariel Jensen

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — It’s getting cold outside, and some people woke up to a chilling reminder that it’s time to keep up with our car maintenance.

Take a look at this flat tire. 

No one wants to wake up to this first things in the morning.

With the weather getting colder, many tires are losing air.

The best way to avoid this is to fill up the night before, and even then, you still might notice a leak the next day.

Car maintenance shops are noticing more drivers coming in for air at the start of this winter season. 

“It’s usually when it gets colder, the air gets more condensed in the tire. And so it comes in a little more flat. And so once you come in, we fill it up with more air than we have. And once we do that, the tire pressure light will go off and it’ll be gone until, you know, till the air goes back down,” said Colby Smith, a manager at Nitro Station & Express Lube in Rexburg.

Smith says park your tire in a straight postion. If the tires are tilted in a certin direction it can cause a slow leak.

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American Falls Police Department urges public for help on runaway juvenile

KIFI on October 15, 2025

Maile Sipraseuth

AMERICAN FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – The American Falls Police Department is urging the public to help locate a runaway juvenile, 16-year-old Leland Hawke of American Falls.

Hawke was last seen wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans. He’s described as 5’6, 120 lbs, with brown eyes and brown hair.

If you have any information about Leland Hawke’s location, please contact the American Falls Police Department immediately at 208-226-5922.

The AFPD reminds the public that harboring a runaway juvenile is a criminal offense, and anyone found to be intentionally assisting or hiding Leland could face criminal charges.

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Family of woman who died after falling at nursing home sues for wrongful death

KMIZ on October 15, 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A family member of a woman who died in 2022 more than a month after she fell at a nursing home in Miller County has sued the facility for wrongful death and negligence.

A petition filed Tuesday in Miller County by Brenda James — the daughter of Ursula Hill — alleges the Miller County Nursing Home District in Tuscumbia did not have proper staffing levels and employees were not trained properly to deal with a “catastrophic injury.”

The lawsuit claims that Hill slipped on feces that was on the floor of a room that was not properly cleaned on Feb. 25, 2022. Hill was told she had a broken bone in her left leg on March 1, 2022, and was brought to Lake Regional Hospital on March 12, the petition states.

She was diagnosed at the hospital with a fractured left fibular and a swollen ankle, court documents say. She died on April 5, 2022.

The death certificate – which is partially shown in court documents – lists three causes of death, including complication from diabetes, complication from dementia and a significant condition of a left fibula fracture.

A summons was issued for the Miller County Nursing Home District on Tuesday.

ABC 17 News has reached out to the Miller County Nursing Home District on Wednesday afternoon.

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