Small plane damaged after landing at Pocatello Airport; High winds suspected

KIFI on April 24, 2026

Seth Ratliff

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — A small plane was damaged after landing at the Pocatello Regional Airport Thursday, by what officials speculate may have been a large gust of wind.

Airport Director Alan Evans confirmed Friday that incident took place around 4:20 PM involving a small single-engine plane. Evans says the plane had landed and come to a stop on the runway without incident, when it experienced “some kind of issue” while it began to taxi toward the hangar.

According to the National Weather Service, a 45 mph WSW wing gust was measured at the airport around that same time.

Evans confirms that no one was injured, but plane did suffer some damage and the airport did receive a call to remove the plane from the runway. An airport crash rescue truck responded and taxied the single-engine plane to a parking spot.

The airport will not be conducting a formal investigation into the mishap. Under standard aviation protocol, the pilot or owner of the aircraft will have to file the inicdent with the NTSB.

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USS Idaho to be commissioned into Navy’s active fleet Saturday

KIFI on April 24, 2026

Seth Ratliff

GROTON, Connecticut (KIFI) — The U.S. Navy has a powerful new addition to its arsenal honoring the Gem State. This Saturday, after years of construction, the USS Idaho (SSN 799) will be formally commissioned into active service.

The official commissioning ceremony begins at 9 a.m. MST, Saturday, April 25. You watch the historic event via the livestream below:

The future USS Idaho is the fifth vessel to bear the state’s name, carrying on a naval tradition that dates back over a century.

Built by Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding, Idaho is the 26th Virginia-class sub. The sub was christened in March 2024 before undergoing “rigorous sea trials,” to “ensure that the performance of the ship was in accordance with its plans and specifications.”

After this series of tests, the submarine was accepted by the U.S. Navy in December 2025.  With the commissioning ceremony this coming Saturday, the USS IDAHO will become an active part of our nation’s military strategy. When it joins the fleet, it will operate quietly, gather intelligence, and carry out missions worldwide.

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Jury recommends 25 years in prison for Holts Summit murder conviction

KMIZ on April 24, 2026

Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County jury suggested sentencing a Holts Summit woman convicted of murder to up to decades in prison on Friday.

The jury deliberated the sentence of Heather Smith, 38, on a change of venue from Callaway County. She was convicted on five criminal counts on Thursday, including felony murder.

Smith was also found guilty of three counts of unlawful use of a weapon and a count of armed criminal action.

After deliberating Friday morning, jurors came back with suggested sentences that add up to more than 41 years in prison, including 25 years for murder. The judge will decide the final sentence, and whether prison terms should be consecutive or concurrent at the sentence hearing scheduled for June 18.

The prosecutor argued that Smith shot and killed 37-year-old Kara Dills at Hunter Lane Apartments in April 2025. Smith’s attorney tried to convince the 12-member jury that Smith shot Dills in self-defense.

Smith faces a max imprisonment of four years or a max fine of $10,000 for three counts of unlawful use of a weapon. The prosecuting attorney is asking for the maximum prison sentence.

The maximum sentence for felony murder is life in prison, and prosecutors were seeking 25 to 30 years in prison.

Smith’s attorney is asking for minimum sentences.

Both attorneys gave final statements and called a few witnesses up to the stand, including Dills’ daughter and mother.

After the jury announced its decision, Dills’ daughter, Kariah Bryant, said she’s happy with outcome.

“I feel like the outcome was good on our part,” Bryant said. “I do feel for her children, well, her child Pierce, a lot. He’s the same age as my little brother, and I know in a sense, he’s losing his mother, too.”

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DOJ Drops Powell Investigation, Clearing Path for Warsh Nomination

CNN Newsource on April 24, 2026

By Tom LoBianco | Quincy News Correspondent

Click here for updates on this story

    Washington (Quincy News) — The Justice Department announced Friday it was ending its investigation of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, clearing a path for successor Kevin Warsh to win Senate confirmation.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, had been leading the investigation into whether Powell misled Congress about the cost of Federal Reserve office renovations, a case that became a flashpoint in the ongoing dispute between Powell and President Donald Trump. The effort stalled in court after a federal judge blocked their subpoenas last month.

Meanwhile, Trump’s nominee to replace Powell as Fed chair had been held up in Senate confirmation, as Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) refused to support Warsh until the Justice Department dropped the criminal probe.

The Fed has maintained a target inflation rate of 2% in order to justify another interest rate cut since December’s quarter-point reduction to a range of 3.5% to 3.75%. But key inflation markers have been trending up, even before the price hikes spurred by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and Powell maintained his position on rates throughout.

Friday’s announcement comes just weeks before Powell’s term as chair is set to expire, but Trump and other Republicans have signaled the possibility of additional investigations into Powell and the Fed.

Senate Banking Chairman Tim Scott (R-S.C.) promised he would continue investigating the cost of the new Federal Reserve offices and would invite the Fed’s inspector general to brief the committee within 90 days.

“As I’ve said from the beginning, the American people deserve answers about the unacceptable cost overruns at the Federal Reserve. These serious concerns warrant scrutiny, and I’m pleased this matter is continuing to receive it,” Scott said in a statement.

Trump and Powell have been at odds over interest rates since the beginning of Trump’s second term, steadily escalating from a tense photo op last July in which Trump accused Powell of inflating the cost of the Fed’s multi-billion dollar renovation.

Pirro led the probe, but U.S. District Judge James Boasberg blocked the subpoenas regarding the renovation, finding insufficient evidence of a crime and raising concerns that the investigation lacked a proper legal basis.

Responding to the judge’s decision, Pirro said: “As a result, Jerome Powell today is now bathed in immunity, preventing my office from investigating the Federal Reserve. This is wrong, and it is without legal authority.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Banking Committee, referenced separate efforts by the administration to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook before her term expires in 2038.

“Anyone who believes Donald Trump’s corrupt scheme to take over the Fed is over is fooling themselves. The Senate should not proceed with the nomination of Kevin Warsh,” Warren said in her statement.

The announcement marks a victory for Tillis, the senior Senate Republican, who has increasingly broken with the White House since announcing he would not seek re-election in November.

Tillis did not respond to Friday’s announcement, according to Punchbowl News.

Earlier in the week during Warsh’s confirmation hearing, Tillis reaffirmed his opposition to any nominee until the investigation was dropped.

“Kevin Warsh is a great nominee to be Chairman of the Federal Reserve, and I look forward to supporting him out of committee once the DOJ drops their bogus investigation into Chairman Powell that threatens the independence of the Fed,” Tillis wrote on X after the hearing.

During his comments, staff held a sign behind Tillis quoting Warsh himself saying, “Independence in the conduct of monetary policy is at the core of advanced modern economies.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Coalition of AGs challenges Trump’s executive order on mail-in voting, including Oregon’s Dan Rayfield

KTVZ on April 24, 2026

Kelsey Merison

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Attorney General Dan Rayfield and a coalition of 23 other attorneys general, along with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, have asked a federal court to permanently block an executive order restricting mail-in voting.

The coalition filed a motion for summary judgment today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. They argue the order unlawfully restricts mail-in voting and attempts to limit voter eligibility, which they contend is unconstitutional.

The power to regulate elections belongs primarily to the states and the coalition asserts the President has no constitutional authority to make or alter laws governing federal elections.

The executive order, titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” is being challenged for being unconstitutional and beyond the authority of the President and other federal officials. The motion for summary judgment seeks to permanently block enforcement of the order’s key provisions, arguing the law is clear enough to be decided without a trial.

Earlier this month, Attorney General Rayfield joined the same coalition in bringing a lawsuit against the administration concerning the executive order.

“The U.S. Postal Service delivers the mail,” said Attorney General Rayfield. “President Trump wants to turn letter carriers into election gatekeepers – and that’s not a role the Postal Service was built for, not a power the federal government has, and not something Oregon will accept. This is really about a years-long campaign to manufacture doubt about elections that Trump didn’t like.”

The coalition’s motion for summary judgment argues the executive order’s attempt to dictate federal voter eligibility lists for each state and to coerce states to deny ballots to voters excluded from those lists, unconstitutionally invades the coalition states’ power over their voter rolls.

The motion further contends that the order’s attempt to charge the states and U.S. Postal Service with compiling mail voter eligibility lists and its prohibition on the U.S. Postal Service transmitting mail ballots from voters not on those lists, are unconstitutional. These actions, the coalition argues, run contrary to states’ and Congress’ authority to regulate elections and Congress’ power to regulate the U.S. Postal Service.

Additionally, the executive order is said to threaten serious injury to the coalition states. This includes harms to states’ sovereign powers to administer their elections, fiscal injuries from being forced to administer elections under new federal procedures, and legal jeopardy to states and their election officials from directives to investigate and prosecute those who issue ballots to individuals purportedly ineligible to vote in a federal election.

Joining Attorney General Rayfield in the filing are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has ordered the Trump Administration to file its response and related motions by Thursday, May 7th, 2026. A hearing on the motions is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. ET.

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Happening Today: Prescribed burns around Central Oregon

KTVZ on April 24, 2026

Kelsey Merison

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Happening today, three prescribed burns are set to take place around Central Oregon.

-10 a.m. 4/24 on 100 acres 3 miles NW of Sisters, W of Hwy 20 along FSR 1012.

-10 a.m. 4/24 on 363 acres 11 miles south of Bend and 4 miles east of Lava Butte

-11 a.m. 4/24 on 80 acres, 4 miles west of the Highway 58 and 97 junction. That’s about 58 miles south of Bend and 8 miles north of Chemult.

Nearby residents are advised to close doors and windows at night to mitigate smoke impacts. Those impacts are most likely overnight and in the early-morning hours.

You can text ‘COFIRE’ to 888777 to receive wildfire and prescribed fire text alerts.

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Trial of Boone County dog breeder pushed back to October

KMIZ on April 24, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The trial of a Boone County dog breeder charged with 13 counts of felony animal abuse has now been scheduled for October.

Melissa Sanders, 26, had been set to face trial next week in a Boone County courtroom. However, she waived her right to a speedy trial during a pretrial conference Friday, pushing the date back to the fall.

Judge Josh Devine revealed at the hearing that Sanders rejected a plea deal from the state and will stick with her not guilty plea. Prosecutors offered her 16 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to four counts. Sanders could be sentenced to 54 years in prison if convicted on all 14 counts, including a misdemeanor animal abuse charge.

Devine scheduled a bond reduction hearing for May 1.

Sanders ran Magnum Opus German Shepherds. A number of dead dogs, including a dozen dog skulls, were found at the property of the business when law enforcement served a search warrant in 2025, according to court documents. Several malnourished dogs were also found at the property.

Court documents say at least two living dogs that were found were on the brink of death.

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The School Buzz: D-11’s ‘Teacher of the Year’ nominee up for national recognition

KRDO on April 24, 2026

Josh Helmuth

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Southern Colorado has countless remarkable teachers. But one is currently standing out amongst the rest, currently nominated for “America’s top teacher.” 

Laurel Latimer teaches early childhood special education and pre-school at Martinez Elementary School in Colorado Springs. She is currently a finalist for America’s Top Teacher, an online competition operated by Colossal.org for DTCare, a national charity that will grant donations to The Planetary Society.

Latimer says she’s always had a passion for kids. She meets the kids where they are. She goes beyond academics. Most of all, she takes pride in teaching her “littles” how to be good little people. 

“I love my preschoolers, how we get to build that foundation of learning, those strengths, so that as they get older, they’re going to grab a box and learn about social skills, how to talk to one another, and how to be kind,” said Latimer.

And parents are noticing her impact.

Becky Thompson is a parent. She said moving to the area recently was stressful. They were looking for community. She says Ms. Latimer has brought just that for her child. In fact, she’s enrolled her other two kids in the school just because of Latimer.

“Roman, he thrives. She definitely brings out the best in him – very artistic, outgoing. He’s been excelling,” said Thompson.

As of Thursday night, Ms. Latimer was in first place.

The next round of voting should be underway soon. If Latimer wins this region, she will then be up against all the other #1s around the country; voting ends May 21.

If Ms. Latimer wins, Martinez Elementary will get Bill Nye the Science Guy for an assembly. They would also get money for their school library. And, Ms. Latimer would get a cash prize; she says she would share it with her classroom for new materials. And oh yeah — she would be in Reader’s Digest.

Is there someone remarkable at your school? Hit us up! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com. 

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Good Vibes Only: El Paso family earns Volunteer Family Award, to be honored by governor next week

KVIA on April 24, 2026

Rosemary Garcia

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)—El Pasoans Oscar, Yolanda, and Adrian Cisneros will visit the Texas Governor’s Mansion next week to receive the Volunteer Family of the Year Award. For 18 years, the family has diligently volunteered to help improve the lives of others.

At the age of one, Oscar and Yolanda’s oldest son, Alex, was diagnosed with leukemia. He would spend the next few years of his life in and out of the hospital.

While he was hospitalized at Providence Children’s Hospital, Alex participated in the Creative Kids hospital art program. It’s a nationally recognized youth development organization that allows young people to thrive creatively and emotionally. The program offers art classes to children while they are hospitalized.

Yolanda said Alex deeply enjoyed the classes.

“He would say, ‘When I’m painting free, I’m free. I don’t have to remember if I’m at the hospital, if I have leukemia. I’m just free.”

During their time at the hospital, the family remembers the generosity and kindness of many volunteers, who overall improved their hospital experience.

At seven years old, Alex died, but despite his short life, he left a resounding impact. His family remembers him as a wise and meticulous child.

“Alex was an amazing kid. Everyone who knows Alex or who met Alex at that time fall in love with him. He was a magical kid,” said his mother.

His brother Adrian was only two years old when Alex died.

“Every recollection I have of him, he’s smiling. He’s always happy to be there. Even, like, in the stressful hospital, he was always running around. He made me like value that every day is another day,” he said.

The Cisneros decided to take their pain and grief and transform it into something good. The family decided to join Creative Kids as volunteers and give back to a cause close to their hearts.

Evwery week, the Cisneros help others process fear, experience moments of healing and rebuild confidence.

The family was recently nominated for the Governor’s Volunteer Awards. Andrea Gates-Ingle, the executive director and co-founder of Creative Kids, met the family over 20 years ago and she nominated them.

She said it is admirable to see the family continue to help others during times of grief.

“They could have easily just, you know, gone away and try to grieve on their own. But instead, they decided they wanted to honor Alex’s memory,” Gates-Ingle shared.

Earlier this year, the family learned they had been chosen as the recipients!

Yolanda was at the park when she received a phone call from Gates-Ingle, asking her to check her e-mail for the announcement.

“I was amazed. So I turned to my husband, and I said, ‘We got the award.’ He said, ‘No.’ And I’m like, ‘Yes.’ So we were just quiet. Just, it was a big surprise. We feel so special. My family, we were like us? because we don’t feel like we are doing something that extraordinary,” she said.

The Cisneros said they will continue to share Alex’s passion for art with others. They hope they can continue to carry Alex’s legacy.

“We decided to honor his name,” said Oscar Cisneros, Alex’s father, when asked why he volunteers.

“We decided to continue. We decided to honor Alex’s memory. So that’s what we’re trying to do,” Yolanda added.

A room at Creative Kids was also renamed in honor of Alex’s memory.

Forty-two recipients, including the Cisneros family, will be traveling to the governor’s mansion next week for a special reception at the Texas Governor’s Mansion.

The Governor’s Volunteer Awards serve as the state’s highest recognition for volunteer service.

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Oregon Department of Transportation funds 126 new EV charging ports through federal grant

KTVZ on April 24, 2026

Kelsey Merison

OREGON (KTVZ) — Electric vehicle drivers can expect 24 new public DC fast charging station options over the next few years across the state, including here in Central Oregon. The Oregon Department of Transportation Climate Office recently selected seven private electric vehicle charging companies for $16.7 million in federal grants.

These grants will fund the 24 new stations, providing 126 new DC fast charging ports across major state roads, making long-distance travel by electric vehicle more convenient.

The funding for these stations originates from the 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. Through this program, Oregon is allocated $52 million over five years to establish a comprehensive charging network.

This second round of grants, totaling $16.7 million, is a significant part of the statewide initiative to build out public charging infrastructure.

The 24 new DC fast charging stations will be strategically located along Interstate 84 and U.S. Highways 20, 26, 97, and 101. Each station will feature at least four charging ports, with some having as many as eight, contributing to a total of 126 new DC fast charging ports. Click here to view an interactive map of where the new charging stations will be located.

Bend, Sisters, Prineville, and Madras were selected:

-BEND: 70 NW Newport Avenue

-SISTERS: 625 N Arrowleaf Trail

-PRINEVILLE: 1595 NE 3rd Street

-MADRAS: 1678 SE Highway 97

DC fast charging stations are designed with high-powered ports capable of recharging some electric vehicles from 10% to 80% in less than 30 minutes. The private companies awarded the grants chose the station locations, ensuring each site is near amenities such as food, shopping, and supermarkets.

The seven private electric vehicle charging companies were selected through a competitive process. These companies are responsible for installing, owning, and maintaining the NEVI charging stations. Grantees are required to provide a minimum of 20% in matching funds and submit a five-year maintenance plan for each station.

NEVI is a federal initiative with the goal of establishing a nationwide network of public DC fast charging stations in all 50 states over five years along major highways and interstates. By law, the federal funds from the NEVI program are restricted and cannot be used for other purposes, such as state road or bridge maintenance.

A third NEVI grant opportunity is planned for this summer. This upcoming round will focus on filling rural gaps in Oregon’s public DC fast charging network. Specific areas targeted include Interstate 82, Oregon Highway 42, U.S. Highway 95, U.S. Highway 101 south of Reedsport, and U.S. Highways 20 and 26 east of Bend and Prineville, respectively.

The Oregon Department of Transportation Climate Office expects to finalize grant contracts with the selected companies over the next few months. Several stations are anticipated to become operational over the next 12 to 18 months.

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