Month: March 2026

Seth Ratliff

JACKSON, Wyoming (KIFI) — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is touting the final sentencing in a three-year investigation that dismantled a major cocaine trafficking conspiracy operating across Wyoming and Idaho as the result of successful cooperation between multiple agencies.

Jose Junior Ramos, 32, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced earlier this month by U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson to 95 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Ramos previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and three counts of distribution.

The case was investigated by multiple federal and state agencies, including the DCI, DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Teton County Sheriff’s Office (Idaho), and the Idaho State Police. In a press conference on Friday, U.S. Attorney Darin Smith characterized the operation as a victory for multi-agency collaboration across the Cowboy and Gem States.

“This was part of a multi-agency collaboration dedicated to dismantling transnational criminal organizations responsible for drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Darin Smith. “Through sustained cooperation, we are reducing the number of drugs coming into Wyoming.”

The Investigation: From Phoenix to the Tetons

The crackdown began in November 2023, when the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Southwest Enforcement Team identified a drug trafficking organization operating in and around Jackson, Wyoming.

Agents discovered that Ramos, along with Saul Andrew Garcia of Irwin, Idaho, and three foreign nationals, was responsible for trafficking cocaine from Phoenix, Arizona, into Lincoln and Teton Counties in Wyoming, as well as Bonneville and Teton Counties in Idaho.

The investigation reached a turning point in April 2025 when investigators stopped Ramos while driving back from Phoenix, finding three kilograms of cocaine in the vehicle. After obtaining a search warrant for his home, the following raid uncovered over a dozen firearms and a significant amount of cash.

In total, the conspiracy was held responsible for trafficking nearly 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine.

The Co-Conspirators

Ramos’s sentencing marks the final nail in the coffin of a major drug case. As for his co-conspirators:

Saul Andrew Garcia, 26, of Irwin, Idaho, was sentenced to 120 months in prison with five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and three counts of distribution of cocaine. 

Cesar Antancio Torres-Cazares, 36, of La Piedad, Michoacan, Mexico, was sentenced to 24 months in prison with three years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and time served for illegal reentry into the United States. He will be deported following the completion of his prison sentence. 

Marlon Forrest, 29, of Port Maria, Jamaica, was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison with three years of supervised release for aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine. 

Oneil Anthony Findley, of Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica, was sentenced to 68 months in prison with three years of supervised release for attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine, use of a communication facility to facilitate a felony drug offense, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.

“If you are a bad actor poisoning our kids and weakening our communities, don’t even get on our roads, because we are coming for you and we are going to lock you up,” said Smith.

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Ryan Suppe

By: Ryan Suppe and Sean Dolan

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 20, 2026

BOISE, Idaho — Budget-setting lawmakers Friday cut more than half of the annual budget for the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance (IDLA) while sparing virtual charter schools from the bulk of cuts recommended by the governor. 

Lawmakers have been debating cuts to virtual education for months after Gov. Brad Little recommended a $10 million reduction to IDLA — the state’s online learning platform that offers virtual courses to public schools — and a $23 million cut to virtual charter schools. 

On Friday, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) approved $13.5 million in cuts to IDLA and $3 million in cuts to virtual charter schools. The budget recommendations — which still have to be approved by the full House and Senate — followed a flurry of conflicting motions and a contentious debate that focused on whether JFAC should be making policy decisions. 

The IDLA cut preempted a bill that’s pending in the House Education Committee. The education policy committee has considered a handful of bills this session to reform IDLA’s state funding formula. The latest stalled Thursday, but House Education is scheduled to consider Rep. Douglas Pickett’s bill again Monday. 

JFAC went ahead with the cuts anyway. 

Sen. C. Scott Grow, co-chairman of the budget committee, said Friday that Pickett’s bill is poised to fail in House Education, and JFAC’s co-chairs were asked to take up the IDLA budget Friday as the session winds down. He declined to tell Idaho Education News who made the request. 

“There are lots of names and lots of folks that are asking us to do things,” said Grow, R-Eagle. “I’m not going to name one person.”

Rep. James Petzke, who sponsored a separate bill that would have cut IDLA’s budget by a little more than $9 million, urged JFAC to hold off on the budget Friday. “We don’t have to do this bill today,” said Petzke, R-Meridian. “We can wait on the policy committees to do something.” 

But the budget committee voted 12-8 to approve Rep. Elaine Price’s motion to take $13.5 million bite out of IDLA’s state appropriation for fiscal year 2027. 

Price, R-Coeur d’Alene, initially proposed a $15 million reduction, which narrowly failed. She also sponsored a policy bill earlier this session that would have completely defunded IDLA. Price said Friday that she didn’t feel like the governor’s $10 million recommendation was enough. 

Jeff Simmons, IDLA’s superintendent, said after Friday’s meeting that the platform will have to cut its enrollment in half if the $13.5 million cut stands. “That will touch every school,” he said. “There’s just no way we can prevent that.”

Public schools leaders, particularly from rural districts, in recent weeks asked the House Education Committee not to make deep cuts to IDLA. Districts rely on the platform to supplement their curriculum with online courses that they can’t offer. 

Virtual schools spared from deeper cuts. JFAC also cut $3 million from online public schools, a fraction of the governor’s recommendation. 

Little proposed a $23 million cut to virtual schools after a December report from the Legislature’s research arm scrutinized spending and student performance at the state’s largest online school, Idaho Home Learning Academy. 

The report, from the nonpartisan Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE), highlighted $20 million in “supplemental learning funds” that went to private education vendors, which passed on most of the taxpayer money to parents. Parents spent much of the supplemental funds on computers, lessons and other education-related expenses, but some of it went to private school classes and other questionable purchases like entertainment devices and household items. 

JFAC members considered five motions proposing virtual school cuts Friday. They rejected four of them, which would have taken between $8 million and $18.5 million in classified staff funding from virtual charters and traditional districts with online programs. 

Then the committee approved a motion from Sens. Cindy Carlson, R-Riggins, and Codi Galloway, R-Boise, to cut $3 million in discretionary funding for virtual charter schools. 

Galloway said it would be unfair to protect traditional public schools from budget cuts while giving virtual schools a “haircut.” Meanwhile, a bill that already passed this session added “sideboards and protections” in response to the OPE study, she said. 

House Bill 624, which passed unanimously before Little signed it into law, restricts the use of supplemental learning funds to education-related expenses. It also tightened state oversight of education service providers, the private vendors that contract with virtual schools and collect millions in taxpayer dollars. 

JFAC approved the $3 million cut on a 12-7 vote. 

Both the IDLA and virtual schools budgets now go to either the full Senate or full House. The budget bills must pass both chambers before they go to the governor’s desk.

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Dylan Carder

REXBURG, Idaho — The Rexburg Police Department is warning the community about potential safety concerns tied to the growing popularity of the “Senior Assassin” game among high school students.

Senior Assassin is a student-organized elimination game typically played by graduating seniors in the weeks leading up to graduation. Participants pay an entry fee that contributes to a prize pool, with the last remaining player declared the winner.

The game involves players being assigned specific targets. Once a player successfully “eliminates” their target—usually by spraying them with a water gun or hitting them with a foam dart from a Nerf-style blaster—they take over that target’s assignment. The cycle continues until only one participant remains.

While the game is meant to be lighthearted, police say it often takes place off school grounds and can lead to dangerous situations.

The use of realistic-looking toy guns can cause confusion and alarm among the public, potentially prompting emergency calls or encounters with law enforcement. In some cases, the game has led to reports of trespassing or suspicious behavior, particularly when players attempt to track targets in neighborhoods or around businesses.

Police also warn that certain tactics used in the game can cross the line.

“Don’t creep around in the shadows of a business late at night,” the Rexburg Police Department advised in a Facebook post. “Don’t be filming girls through windows as you’re creeping in the shadows of a building late at night. And don’t be carrying replica guns while hiding in the shadows of a building late at night.”

Some businesses in Rexburg have already taken steps to prevent issues, posting “No Senior Assassin” signs to deter participants from using private property as part of the game.

Police say while the game may seem harmless, the potential for misunderstandings and unsafe situations makes it important for participants to think carefully about how—and where—they play.

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KIVI Staff

By: Allie Triepke, KIVI

Posted 6:21 PM, Mar 19, 2026

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho lawmakers are considering a temporary funding plan to restore critical mental health services after recent cuts, as behavioral health leaders report growing impacts across the state.

The proposal, approved this week by the Joint Millennium Fund Committee, would provide one-time funding through 2027 for programs including Assertive Community Treatment, or ACT. The plan relies on a combination of state funds and potential opioid settlement dollars and still requires approval from the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, the full Legislature, and the governor.

Behavioral health leaders say the cuts, which took effect Dec. 1, have disrupted care for people living with severe mental illness.

Laura Scuri, with Access Behavioral Health, said four deaths have been reported since the program ended.

“It’s just slightly terrifying to wake up every day and wonder if today’s the day that we’ll have another death or another tragedy in the community,” Scuri said.

ACT is an intensive, team-based model of care designed for people with severe mental illness who often struggle to access traditional treatment. Teams typically include medical and behavioral health professionals who provide services in the community, such as medication management, crisis response, and long-term care coordination.

Supporters say the program helps reduce hospitalizations and interactions with the criminal justice system by stabilizing patients outside of institutional settings.

READ MORE | Idaho Sheriff’s Association speaks out against mental health care cuts

Lawmakers backing the funding proposal described it as a short-term solution.

“Lawmakers need to come together to ensure that some of our most vulnerable persons in our community are taken care of,” said Rep. Brooke Green, a member of the Joint Millennium Fund Committee.

Even if approved, the funding would not be permanent.

“It is temporary through 2027,” said Scuri. “We still don’t have permanent funding.”

Allie Triepke / Idaho News 6Lauri Scuri from Acess Behavioral Health discusses what restoring mental health programs might look like if funding is restored.

Providers say restarting the program would require rehiring and training staff, as well as reconnecting with patients who may have disengaged from care.

“Yes, I am very confident that the programs can be reassembled. The longer this goes on, the more difficult that becomes,” Scuri said.

Officials say the absence of ACT services has increased pressure on emergency systems, including hospitals, jails, and crisis centers. Law enforcement leaders report rising call volumes tied to mental health needs since the cuts.

“We’re starting to see the calls start to climb and we were expecting that,” said Meridian Police Chief Tracy Basterrechea.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee is expected to take up the proposal next week. If approved, it would move to the full Legislature for consideration.

Behavioral health leaders say a long-term funding solution will be necessary to sustain services beyond the temporary measure.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Providers warn of public safety threat as Idaho slashes Behavioral Health funding

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News Team

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) — The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says a planned power outage is set to impact a significant portion of Rigby starting tonight at 10:00 PM.

According to a JCSO post on Facebook, Rocky Mountain Power crews will be performing essential upgrades to the Rigby substation. Power is expected to be fully restored by 4:00 AM tomorrow.

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