Month: August 2026

David Pace

Recovery participant Jaykub Ary (right) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Faith Director Monty Burks (left) smile at the Community Roundtable Friday.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Homelessness, addiction, recovery, mental health and hope touch every one of us.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center for Faith Director Monty Burks visited Idaho Falls Friday to discuss how faith-based and private organizations can better serve the homeless and individuals struggling with addiction and mental health.

“For a significant amount of time, our houses of worship have responded to different addiction and support issues in the community,” Burks said. “They provided housing, transportation, resources, recovery support, and other ancillary resources to support people in their most vulnerable moments.”

A federal Point-In-Time study found at least 2,128 homeless people in Idaho in 2023, but according to the National Institute of Health, most cases go unreported.

Often individuals facing homelessness or mental health crises are overwhelmed and don’t know who to turn to.

“Where are the gaps? What is working? What can we do to strengthen what’s already existing? And most importantly, how can we work together as a community in ways that none of us could accomplish alone?” asked Stephanie Taylor-Thompson, Cornerstone Wellness & Recovery Chief Operating Officer, who has completely rebuilt her life after emerging from addiction and imprisonment.

The Center for Faith Director, who hails from Nashville, Tennessee, experienced his own bouts with club drugs and addiction as a young college student, before he was invited by a 60-year-old woman to a recovery meeting at a local Christian church.

He since went on to found Tennessee’s Certified Recovery Congregation Initiative, which yielded 30,000 treatment referrals in seven years after providing training to more than 1,000 houses of worship.

Burks spoke at a community roundtable discussion with counselors, the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission, elected City Council members, state legislators, and law enforcement to address how the federal government can better support individuals in crisis.

“In my role, I connect our faith communities to support, provide technical assistance and also bridge gaps between our houses of worship and government,” Burks said.

Today, he mentors and speaks to others with lived experience about hiring people with previous convictions, law enforcement records or addictions, and welcoming them as part of the community.

“It’s important to make sure [organizations] have resources, access to people and access to support so they can support people on their own grounds, people from their own culture in their community,” Burks said.

Burks and U.S. Health and Human Services Regional Director Victoria Seaman also highlighted federal resources and tools that professionals can use to assist in their work.

“Recently, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of National Drug Control Policies and HUD released a ‘Treatment-First’ model tool kit. The goal is to provide treatment and resources to people as you provide housing,” Burks said. “This is the type of program that ensures for long term support, and also equals development for a person while they walk the journey and creates opportunity for them to go back into the workforce, be reunited with their family, and also become a community advocate and use that experience to support other people.”

The program, in tandem with the Trump Administration’s “Great American Recovery Initiative“, provides more than $700 million in funding for STREETS (Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Support) and behavioral health. 

“I did spend six years on the City Council in Las Vegas, so this issue of homelessness is near and dear to my heart as well,” Seaman said, “and the Administration has a heart for recovery.”

Cornerstone Wellness and Recovery CEO Jeremy Manwaring, COO Stephanie Taylor-Thompson and U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Regional Director Victoria Seamon and HHS Center for Faith Director Monty Burks hosted a community roundtable discussion for the mental health, addiction recovery and homeless resource providers on Friday at Brad Hall Companies’ headquarters.

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William Syslo

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) – The Rigby Trojans high school football team is preparing for the upcoming season in Idaho’s 6A division under Head Coach Armando Gonzalez, relying on the pillars of what Rigby football is all about to prepare this season’s squad for what’s ahead.

The program emphasizes physical and mental preparation to compete in Idaho’s highest classification. Gonzalez said the coaching staff focuses on building mental toughness and managing high-stress game conditions.

“We have a certain identity. We want to be the most dominant team in Idaho physically, mentally…” Gonzalez said. He added that success depends on focus: “Can we focus better than everybody else and can we operate in a stressful environment because varsity football, especially in 6A is pretty competitive. We want to be the mentally Toughest team in Idaho. We want to play with perfect effort. And, if we focus on what’s, you know, happening right in front of us, Then the rest will take care of itself.”

Rigby is replacing a talented senior class from last season that included quarterback Jacob Flowers, running back Amani Morel and defensive back Cannon Korth to name just a few. A new group of upperclassmen has stepped into leadership roles for the upcoming season.

Senior running back Kue Kofe was named a team captain this summer. Last season, he earned first-team all conference honors. Kofe noted that the program relies heavily on player leadership.

“Every day you’re doing the best you got,” Kofe said. “Other places, it’s the coaches that run everything. And I’m sure [coach Gonzalez] talked about it, but he wants things to be team led, leader led by our captains. And that’s what we try to do. And that’s how it was when I first got here. And I’ve appreciated it as I’ve come up through the program.”

Senior tight end and slot receiver Jaxon Nelson was also appointed a team captain during the summer following an honorable mention all-conference selection last year. Nelson mentioned how impactful roster turnovers make outsiders ask questions, but is confident that this year’s team is filled with talent and competitors.

“People always say, oh, they lost a lot. We’ll see how they do,” Nelson said. “The program that we’ve built, it just builds people. That’s how we do it… we ‘build men for others’ that’s our motto,” he said with a chuckle, as he pointed to head coach Gonzalez, acknowledging the team’s internal slogan. He continued, “we build the warriors to fill the positions.”

Nelson highlighted a team tradition known as the Long Gold Line, which emphasizes mentorship between graduating players and incoming seniors.

“It’s kind of the tradition we have of like loving each other and being for each other, being a brotherhood,” Nelson said. “Right. So there’s like this big brotherhood. And so they… took care of each other and took care of us and like, mentored us, it’s just kind of how it is.”

The Rigby Trojans travel to Utah on Friday, Aug. 21, to open their season against the Roy Royals.

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News Team

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Portneuf Health announced Saturday afternoon they reached a new agreement with Regence BlueShield of Idaho insurance, calling it a “long-term” deal for all Regence members that restores in-network access and rates.

The agreement restores in-network access for Regence members at all Portneuf Health facilities, including physicians and advanced practice providers. Members can once again receive care at in-network rates. Portneuf says this helps alleviate any further disruption and the ability for families to continue seeing providers they know and trust at Portneuf Health.

The agreement is also retroactive to June 15, meaning all claims within the time when Portneuf Health was out of network will be covered at in-network rates. Along with the reimbursement, Portneuf said the agreement will help simplify administrative processes and “enhance the experience for patients and providers.”

In a press release from August 15 sent by Portneuf Health, CEO Nate Carter stated, “This agreement is an important step forward for patients who rely on our teams for care. It restores in-network access, provides greater certainty for patients and families, and establishes a foundation that supports the long-term delivery of high-quality care in our region.”

In the same press release, Mark Ruszczyk, president of Regence BlueShield of Idaho said, “We appreciate Portneuf’s willingness to work with us on an agreement that allows our members to continue access to in-network care at Portneuf Health. We are also grateful to the Pocatello community for its patience as we advocated for affordability on behalf of our members and customers.”

Patients who have questions about their coverage at Portneuf are encouraged to contact Regence or visit their website at regence.com.

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The mission for Bannock County Veteran Services is simple: gather resources for veterans to assist in employment, education and entrepreneurship opportunities post-service. The Mission 3E Summit at The Village in Pocatello provided training sessions and expert advice for veterans in the community.

“Often times, veterans find that it’s time to transition into something new, but they don’t know where to begin,” said Melissa Hartman, coordinator with Bannock County Veteran Services. “It’s overwhelming and a lot of information to take in, and we just need a spot to start.”

The three pillars of the future presented by Bannock County are employment, education and entrepreneurship. Hartman said most veterans are interested in one of the tracks, and some combine them. Specialists and organizations were on site at The Village on Saturday, August 15 for the summit event.

“They can learn how to apply to a federal position or how to write a resume,” Hartman said. “Or if they’re ready to start delving into school and what that process looks like, we can help and have professionals in those areas.”

One mentionable booth at the summit was TRIO with Idaho State University, the local organization committed to helping veterans attend university and graduate with their degree. They can help with on the job training, first generation students and more at their office space on the ISU campus.

Hartman said officials from the Idaho Department of Labor were also presenting at the event, teaching veterans about job interviews and applications.

“We also have many people here who are business owners and investors and can help you if you’re thinking about starting your own business and what those challenges are,” she said.

The organizers said they wanted to build an in-person network for veterans in the community, going “old-school” instead of shepherding them all to an online portal with resources. Hartman said it’s important to have face-to-face conversations with local resources and employers, making connections to put to use for veterans’ futures.

She also said the readjustment period when any kind of service member returns home is extremely complicated and veterans may feel overstimulated by all the things to do.

“If we can just give them a tiny bit of an edge by bringing all of that together and say, hey, we’re here,” Hartman said. “They’re used to having that platoon or that squad mentality, we’re here now. We’re your support system. We want veterans to succeed.”

Hartman said this is the first Mission 3E Summit in Pocatello and was grateful for the food trucks and vendors who volunteered to be a part of it. For community members who want to support veterans and get involved, Bannnock County has a Military Affairs Committee that meets monthly.

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