Madras Interim City Administrator lays out a path for his replacement

KTVZ on May 5, 2026

Tyson Beauchemin

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) — David Clyne, interim city administrator for Madras, is prioritizing clear financial preparation and up-to-date budgets in time for a new, permanent city administrator.

Clyne, who serves as interim city administrator for the city of Madras, has nearly 40 years of combined experience acting as a city administrator or manager in Oregon and Colorado He has been contracted by Madras to serve in this capacity until October.

In an interview with KTVZ, he expressed optimism about the city’s fiscal health, despite the city being behind on preparing for upcoming audits and budgets.

Regarding the city’s financial standing, Clyne said, “I’m pretty confident we’re not where people thought we were. I think people were using the, you know, the ‘bankruptcy’ word that was getting tossed around here. That’s not the case.”

“Oregon has a really tough situation with measures five and 50 that were passed in the 90s.” Said Clyne, referring to legislation which capped property taxes. He also cited Oregon’s absence of a sales tax as another potential revenue stream the city didn’t have access to. “So we’re severely limited on the typical public revenues that are available in a lot of other places.”

Clyne also aims to inspire the next city administrator to develop a unified, long-term plan for Madras. He believes this vision should be shared between the city and the community, rather than being a simple list of projects. In previous roles in other cities, Clyne often met with the public to ensure their goals aligned with community needs.

Another pressing issue for Clyne is the strain being placed on the Madras police department. He expressed a need for a permeant police chief, and hiring more officers. The search for a new police chief is on pause till the city recruits a city administrator

Clyne was also impressed by the warm welcome he’s received in Madras. He expressed an appreciation for the natural beauty in the area, saying “The climate’s incredible, but it’s also a city that is really postured itself in a way that it can really do something very special going forward.”

Currently, the city is considering pre-finalists for the permanent city administrator position.

Next week, the city will select finalists for interviews. Officials hope to hire the permanent city administrator by June 9.

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Idaho farmers confronting a ’horrible, perfect economic storm’

KIFI on May 5, 2026

David Pace

BONNEVILLE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) – Farmers are facing a vortex of problems as they enter Idaho’s prime growing season with limited water, low crop prices, higher gas and fertilizer costs, myriads of aphids and mite pests, abundant disease, damage from freezing temperatures and weeds run wild.

In addition, Idaho’s warm winter – combined with an abnormal number of freezing nights in April – has decimated the winter wheat and barley crop.

“I’ve seen a lot of people decide to Roundup crops. So they completely stopped the plant growth, and they’re either putting the crop (or) not planting because of water shortages,” said Juliet Marshall, Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station associate director. “I’ve seen people take their crop and mow it down.”

She reports as much as 50 percent killed of winter barley main stems and some fields of winter wheat.

April’s extreme temperature oscillations decimated early crops.

“We had temperatures in some areas in Roberts and in Hamer and up and down the valley were seven degrees,” said Mickelsen Farms CFO Stephanie Mickelsen. “So when that freezes, what happens is, is it can reduce your crop anywhere from 30 to 60 to 100 percent. So right now we’re out taking a look at surveying the damage. We’re concerned.”

Most worrying is the drought that is already impacting the entire region.

“Just hope for some rain for a couple months – maybe ease the drought conditions we’re probably going to see,” said Surface Water Coalition Attorney Travis Thompson. “It’s probably the most severe year I’ve seen in my 25 years of practice.”

Combined with next year’s “Super El Nino” expected to extend and worsen the drought next year, farmers are in for a tough stretch.

“Farmers are facing a significant economic storm. Whether you’re talking about drought and disease and insects and the overall economy associated with the price of inputs, and the overall prices associated with commodities,” said Marshall. “So this is a horrible, perfect economic storm for producers to be facing at this time.”

Juliet Marshall is a University of Idaho agriculture specialist with grave concerns about this year’s winter wheat and barley harvest, combined with difficult crop-raising conditions.

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Jefferson City Council approves new contract for yard waste drop-off

KMIZ on May 5, 2026

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a new contract with All Seasons Landscaping for yard waste drop-off.

The new drop-off site will be at 2417 Southridge Drive.

The first year of the new contract will cost the city $231,600 and the city will have the option to renew the agreement for four additional years, which would include a 1% price increase each year.

Operating hours will be:

From April 1-Oct. 31:

10 a.m.-7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday

Noon-5 p.m. Sunday

Nov. 1-March 31:

8 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday

Noon-5 p.m. Sunday

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Study says Onvida Health investments expected to boost Yuma’s economy

KYMA on May 5, 2026

Moses Femino

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – Onvida Health is continuing to invest millions of dollars into Yuma County, with new projects aimed at expanding healthcare access while also strengthening the local economy.

At their Economic Impact Community Luncheon Monday, a study from a leading Arizona economist highlighted how healthcare investments can serve as a major driver for long-term economic growth in the region.

“This is quite an amenity for this community,” Jim Rounds, President and CEO of Rounds Consulting Group, said. “And if I was an economic development person here, I’d love the fact that one of the most challenging ones was already checked off and I could go on to the others.”

According to the study, Onvida Health already plays a significant role in Yuma’s economy. The organization makes up more than 14% of Yuma’s workforce and has generated $693.3 million in total labor income in 2025.

Onvida Health President and CEO, Dr. Robert Trenschel, says the organization understands the impact it has on the community and is focused on continuing that growth.

“We’re excited to be able to be such a cornerstone for the community. And we also know that it’s a great responsibility,” Trenschel said. “We’ll continue to execute on that responsibility and make sure that we’re always meeting our community’s needs.”

Several major projects are already underway or set to launch in the coming years. A new medical school in partnership with the University of Arizona – Phoenix is expected to welcome its first students this July.

While additional facilities are scheduled to open in 2027, those include a new health campus in San Luis, a health careers center aimed at building a local workforce pipeline and a Veterans Administration medical clinic.

Rounds says investments like these can create a ripple effect throughout the community. Supporting local businesses, attracting new industries and generating tax revenue that helps fund future infrastructure and development.

“They’re generating the tax revenue, which allows people to have lower tax rates. But still get the amenities and the things that they need, like infrastructure,” Rounds said. “Which brings in the next business that pays for the infrastructure for the next business. It’s compound interest, but it’s compound economic development instead. It’s the same concept.”

Onvida Health leaders say the goal is to create long-term opportunities for Yuma County. Not just in healthcare, but across the broader local economy.

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Idaho Gives campaign returns to support nonprofits statewide

KIFI on May 5, 2026

Par Kermani

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Idaho’s annual statewide giving campaign, Idaho Gives, is back, encouraging donations to nonprofit organizations across the state.

The campaign began Monday and runs through Thursday, May 7.

Organizers say hundreds of Idaho-based nonprofits are participating this year, representing a wide range of causes, including housing, education, community services and the arts.

Several events are also taking place across eastern Idaho as part of the campaign, giving residents opportunities to connect with local organizations and learn more about their work.

Idaho Gives is designed to raise both funds and awareness for nonprofits serving communities throughout the state.

A full list of participating organizations and events can be found on the Idaho Gives website.

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Man charged in 2000 killing of MU student appears in court for first time

KMIZ on May 5, 2026

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A South Carolina man who is accused of killing a University of Missouri student 26 years ago appeared in court for the first time on Monday.

Sentrell Wilson, 45, of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, is charged with first-degree murder in the 2000 death of Candace Richie, 21.  

Wilson was arrested in South Carolina on Feb. 23 and was held at the Spartanburg County Jail until he was extradited to Boone County last week. He is being held without bond.

Wilson appeared in court Monday by video from the jail without an attorney and was given two weeks to find one. His next appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, May 18.

A bond motion claims Wilson asphyxiated a woman and left her body where it was not found for several days, then fled Missouri.

The Columbia Police Department interviewed Wilson in 2000, but an arrest was not made at the time due to concerns about the ability to establish a clear medical cause of death, previous reporting shows.

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Yellowstone Food Village is shutting down

KIFI on May 5, 2026

Kaelyn Blessinger

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Multiple food trucks located at The Yellowstone Food Village for years are facing uncertainty as the site prepares to close, with no confirmed reasoning.

Some of the vendors have already left, and others in the area plan to relocate by the end of the week. According to vendors at the site, they were told they must “vacate” the property by Oct. 1.

“We’ve run into some news lately that Bonneville County will be either shutting this down or selling it,” said Delbert Kirkham, owner of Thai Food Plus. “And we’re kind of in limbo trying to figure out what they’re going to do.”

Without a lot of answers, many of the vendors are looking for a new place to call home. However, Kirkham hopes the vendors can remain at the site.

“It would do nothing but benefit us being small businesses as we are,” Kirkham said. “You can’t get much smaller than what we are, but we’re all together, it’s a hometown feeling here. The whole family’s here, and they do enjoy it. And we would like to stay.”

While Kirkham waits to get more answers, he remains optimistic about staying on the site.

“I’m sure they have some good reasons,” Kirkham said. “But we have some good reasons to stay.”

In September 2025, the Bonneville County Commissioners announced they would end the lease for the Idaho Innovation Center on September 30, 2026. The food village is next to the Idaho Innovation Center and manages the lot.

County leadership said that, while the Idaho Innovation Center has provided valuable contributions to the community for many years, the County’s significant financial investment in the facility is no longer aligned with its economic development goals to unify and strengthen efforts across the broader community.

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Chihuahua State Police Department starts operating at Sentinel Tower in Juárez

KVIA on May 5, 2026

Heriberto Perez Lara

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) — The Chihuahua State Public Security Secretariat started operations at the new Sentinel Tower, or “Torre Centinela” in Downtown Juárez two weeks ago, a project that presented back in 2022, as ABC-7 previously reported.

During a news conference Monday, the Chihuahua Public Safety Secretary, or Police Chief, Gilberto Loya Chávez along with Adrián Eduardo Lui Chavira, the officer in charge of the Undersecretary of the ‘Centinela’ Platform, presented progress and advances of the new SSPE Chihuahua headquarters in Ciudad Juárez.

Secretary Loya highlighted the “effectiveness” and “efficiency” of the first phase of the move to the new facilities, which began with the deployment of 150 SSPE personnel, who are already operating from the tower. Loya and Lui also emphasized that this “migration process” is being carried out in an orderly manner and without interrupting security and surveillance operations in the state at any time.

According to them, in this initial phase, critical areas of the tower have been put into operation:

The 15th floor, which houses the State Command Center

The 14th floor, designated for the server area and the Undersecretariat of the Centinela Platform

The 13th floor, which houses the Undersecretariat of Intelligence and Police Analysis.

ABC-7 took a tour at the 19th and 13th floors of the tower. The 13th floor showed dozens of intelligence staff and officers working to surveil critical and important areas across the state, not only in Juárez.

Currently, the Centinela Tower project is 95.5% complete overall, with construction levels exceeding 90% from the first floor onward, in addition to 92% completion of the parking area, according to both SSPE officials.

“This infrastructure is the heart of a technological network that covers the entire state, comprised of 8,650 cameras, 98 archways, and various security checkpoints,” SSPE Secretary Loya said.

The relocation of personnel will also continue gradually until all areas are fully occupied.

“This change of administrative and operational headquarters will not affect the services the Secretariat provides to the public, guaranteeing the continuity of state security functions from the new State Police headquarters,” Loya added.

SSPE Chihuahua Secretary Loya mentioned the collaborations they have with international law enforcement agencies, with the U.S., Colombia, and El Salvador, among others to battle transnational crime and criminal organizations harming the border area are “legal and necessary,” adding they only share important information and intelligence.

“I have been very clear on this, international collaboration is legal, it is a matter that is legal and it is also necessary in that order because the need exists, why? Because transnational crime is something that occurs worldwide and we cannot be exempt from having that collaboration or that permanent communication with the different entities,” Chief Loya said.

SSPE Chihuahua has been collaborating along with U.S. federal agencies such as CBP, Border Patrol, FBI, DEA and ATF, among other Texas and New Mexico law enforcement departments, where they have identified four big issues they battle every day.

“From here (Mexico) to there (U.S.), which is a problem for U.S. authorities, is the trafficking of synthetic and non-synthetic drugs and human trafficking and from there (U.S.) to here (Mexico), we also have two problems: arms trafficking and money laundering,” Loya added. “So, since these are crimes that begin on one side of the border but end on the other, that’s why communication is so important, and it’s also so important that everyone does their part to prevent this from happening.”

Secretary Loya expects to have the Sentinel Tower ready in the coming months.

“As I said, we’ll gradually be bringing in the staff of the Public Security Secretariat with the change of headquarters and from there, we’ve started bringing in staff, and as we open floors in an orderly fashion, we’ll bring them in area by area to each of the floors as they open,” Secretary Loya also said.

For the idea of having a new “International Fusion Center” aimed at having foreign law enforcement agencies collaborating here, Loya said. According to him, only the Mexican ‘Cancillería,’ or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) is the entity that can determine which foreign, or international law enforcement agencies can be operating within Mexican territory.

Watch the full ABC-7 Xtra story on ABC-7 at 10.

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Local News 8 earns top honors at Idaho Press Club’s annual banquet

KIFI on May 4, 2026

Par Kermani

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — It is one of Idaho’s biggest nights in journalism, where top journalists from across the Gem State gathered to learn who took top honors at the Idaho Press Club Awards.

Local News 8 received 17 awards across multiple categories including General Excellence in television which includes overall excellence in news coverage, storytelling, and production.

Local News 8 earned the top spot for Best Morning News program in its division, and multiple individual journalists from the Local News 8 team were recognized for their reporting.

Ariel Jensen received the top spot in Best Live Shot for division, while Seth Ratliff took home the top spot in Serious Feature Report in Division B for his coverage on Jensen’s Grove late last year. Hadley Bodell gave Local News 8 name recognition in the Student category as well as the TV category.

Local News 8’s full list of all seventeen awards included:

Television

General Excellence – Division B

1. Seth Randal, Kalvin Pike & Staff – KIFI, Local News 8

Best Morning News Program – Division B

1. Jeff Roper, Kailey Galaviz, Maggie Moore – KIFI – Local News 8 at Noon

Spot News Report – Division B

3. Ariel Jensen – KIFI Local News 8 – Rigby Plane Crash

Best Live Shot – Division B

1. Ariel Jensen – KIFI Local News 8 – “You can’t park here!”

Watchdog

3. Seth Ratliff, Chris Nestman – KIFI, Local News 8 – Local News 8 Investigation: Pocatello Police had previous interactions with Victor Perez before fatal shooting

Serious Feature Report – Division B

1. Seth Ratliff – KIFI, Local News 8 – Blackfoot City Council to address new agreement to fill Jensen Grove

2. Max Gershon – KIFI, Local News 8 – Hanukkah in Idaho

3. Doug Long – KIFI, Local News 8 – Ligertown 30 Years Later

Light Feature Report – Division B

2. Stephanie Lucus, Kabrun Sharp – KIFI, Local News 8 – History of Spooky Basements

3. Ariel Jensen – KIFI, Local News 8 – Stronger Than Steel

Sports News Story – Division B

3. Will Syslo – KIFI, Local News 8 – High School Football Preview Series: Skyline High School

Weathercast – Division B

2. Michael Coats – KIFI, Local News 8

3. Jeff Roper – KIFI, Local News 8

Crime Report – Division B

2. Jeff Roper – KIFI, Local News 8 – Facebook Scam Steals Thousands from Rancher’s Customers

Government / Political – Division B

2. Stephanie Lucus, Seth Ratliff – KIFI, Local News 8 – Seven Arrested for Voter Fraud

Rookie Of The Year –

2. Hadley Bodell – KIFI Local News 8

Student

General News Report

2. Hadley Bodell – KIFI Local News 8 – Hour of AI in Eastern Idaho Classrooms

You can find the full list of winners at https://idahopressclub.org/awards/best-of-2025-award-winners/.

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‘Cult-like’ Amish leader indicted by grand jury in baby death, sex crime case

KMIZ on May 4, 2026

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The leader of a “cult-like” Amish community who was charged with several felonies, including manslaughter and sex crimes, was indicted by a Cooper County grand jury on Friday.

Sam Shetler, 42, of Boonville, is charged with three counts of trafficking for the purpose of slavery, a count of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sex abuse, four counts of kidnapping and one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter. 

He is being held at the Cooper County Jail without bond. An arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, May 11.

Shelter is accused of forcing teenagers work at the t the Mercy and Truth-Amish and Mennonite Retreat without pay and rubbing oils on young females to “heal” them, court documents in previous reporting indicate.

Following his March arrest, more victims came forward and accused Shetler of posing as a doctor that gave a “lavender breathing treatment” to a baby who suffered from multiple viruses in 2025, including COVID-19, court documents in previous reporting say. The baby had died on March 6, 2025.

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