Month: September 2026

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) – An 18-year-old from Rigby is getting a taste of the national spotlight after taking the stage on NBC’s The Voice. For Owen Uffens, stepping onto The Voice stage wasn’t just another performance: It was a moment he had dreamed about long before he ever knew it could become a reality.

Owen Uffens, currently a freshman at BYU-Idaho, grew up watching the singing competition with his family in his Rigby living room —and says being on the show was once something he could only imagine.

During an interview with Local News 8, Uffens recalled dreaming about performing on The Voice long before he ever stepped onto the stage.

“When I was little, I would dream of myself on stage all the time,” Uffens said. “I distinctly remember I woke up; I was in the middle of the stage… it was The Voice.”

The dream became a reality when Uffens stepped onto the Blind Auditions stage in front of one of America’s most-watched primetime shows. Connected to the show’s producers through local SOS group leader and The Voice alum Ali Wilde, Uffens began initial rounds of auditions earlier this year. It wasn’t until later this spring that Uffens got the call that he’d miss his high school graduation for a chance to sing on one of TV’s biggest stages.

During his Blind Audition, Uffens chose to perform Harry Nilsson’s 1969 acoustic hit “Everybody’s Talkin’” — a song he says he chose because he had recently fallen in love with it and wanted to step outside his comfort zone.

That step beyond his comfort zone quickly led him to two of The Voice’s most iconic coaches: Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson. Both music industry megastars were hooked on the young Rigby singer’s smooth vocals, and turned their chairs before Uffens even made it to the song’s first chorus.

Uffens ultimately chose Levine as his competition coach.

For Uffens, seeing Levine turn his chair first was especially meaningful and full-circle for the Rigby native who recalls the pop singer being a constant North Star on the competition show.

“I don’t remember a whole lot [during my performance],” Uffens said, describing how nervous he was. “But then… when I did see him… instant relief. One of my favorite people ever is recognizing my talents.”

But while the national spotlight may be new, Uffens says he’s still figuring out exactly what kind of artist he wants to become.

He isn’t limiting himself to one genre. Instead, he wants to explore different sounds and prove he can grow into a versatile artist.

“I’m a really nervous performer,” Uffens vulnerably said. “I’m not a very flamboyant performer… something I hope to work on during the competition.”

Despite those nerves, Uffens says his experience on The Voice has been more welcoming than he expected — and it’s given him deep friendships and memories he expects to carry with him long after the competition.

Back home, his Eastern Idaho community has been following along, too.

Uffens says he’s received messages from businesses and people throughout Rigby congratulating him and telling him, “Way to represent.”

“It’s awesome to be kind of like a hometown hero,” he said. “There’s been a lot of community response I’m so thankful for.”

That support has even reached local schools and libraries. Uffens says librarians at The Rigby Library have created an “Owen Uffens” section — something he calls truly heartwarming.

Ultimately, for Uffens, as someone who grew up dreaming about performing and The Voice Stage, it’s a full-circle moment.

And while Uffens is a freshman studying marketing at BYU-Idaho, his music-making and career-building are just getting started. He says learning how to market himself could eventually help him turn his music into a business.

As for what comes next on The Voice, Uffens can’t quite give away what happens in the Battles.

But he can say he’s nervous—and even more excited.

And whatever happens next, he says he doesn’t want to put a ceiling on his dreams.

Uffens imagines a future that could involve traveling the country, making music on the road, and having the creative freedom to build a career on his own terms.

His advice to other young people in Rigby and across eastern Idaho is rooted in the same kind of dreaming that once put him on The Voice stage in the first place.

“If you have a dream, dude… that’s what keeps me going,” Uffens reflected. “Life’s really boring if you just don’t have aspirations or crazy big dreams.”

His overall message of encouragement?

Dream bigger.

“The bigger the dream, the bigger the possibility that something could happen,” he said. “Don’t keep those aspirations and dreams small.”

For 18-year-old Uffens, one of those once-impossible dreams has already become reality.

And now, eastern Idaho is watching to see where that dream takes him next.

You can catch Uffens’ journey on the 30th season of The Voice every Monday night at 6 PM MST on NBC or streaming on Peacock.

JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI)— After months of calls for improved safety on Teton Pass, the Wyoming Department of Transportation is enforcing a new program aimed at helping drivers better prepare for mountain driving.

The Safe Pass Program takes effect Oct. 1 and requires certain drivers to complete an online self-certification course before traveling on Teton Pass.

The program applies to vehicles towing trailers, recreational vehicles and vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight combination of more than 10,000 pounds, but anyone who drives the pass can do the program. The course is designed to educate drivers about the risks of mountain driving and how to safely navigate the pass.

“This safety program was something we felt like we could implement fairly quickly to address some of the safety concerns, especially with lost breaks on Teton Pass,” Stephanie Harsha, District 3 Public Relations Specialist for WYDOT said.

The new program comes after multiple crashes resulting in deaths and injuries on Teton Pass this summer.

RELATED: Coroner releases names of two men killed in tragic Teton Pass crash

“The Safe Pass Program is a great beginning,” Jared Smith, a member of safety advocacy group ‘Make Teton Pass Safer’ said.

Make Teton Pass Safer and government agencies worked closely to develop this program.

“We’re WYDOT, so we want boots on the ground. We want projects in the works, and that takes time. And that takes money. But we really shifted in a new direction,” Harsha said.

Jackson Hole Fire and EMS crews who respond to crashes on the pass say they have seen more incidents, which makes this new program essential in enforcing safety on the road.

Brian Coe, Deputy Chief of Operations says that increase also needs to be considered alongside the number of people using the road each day.

“We are responding to more incidents on the pass, but I just think that that is more correlated to how many people per day use the pass,” Coe said.

Safety advocates say education is an important first step, but they also want additional enforcement and resources along the corridor.

“We’re hopeful that the Highway Patrol will get increased funding. So that’s a longer term measure that we’re going to be working on with the legislature. Similar with Teton County Sheriff’s deputies being able to be dedicated to the pass corridor, that’s going to require funding from our decision makers. And so we want to continue to work on that aspect as well,” Smith said.

Penalties for failing to complete the program and then driving on the pass are listed in the program’s frequently asked questions.

Originally Published: 30 SEP 26 14:00 ET

By Jeff Tavss

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    SALT LAKE CITY (KSTU) — Rep. Trevor Lee announced his resignation from the Utah State House of Representatives on Monday, hours after being charged by the Utah Attorney General’s Office on multiple counts, including fraud and forgery.

“Due to personal circumstances that require my attention, I no longer feel I can give my constituents the time, attention, and service they deserve,” said Lee in a statement.

Lee faces one count each of Communications Fraud, Mortgage Fraud, Forgery, and Possession of Forgery, which are connected to his alleged attempt to illegally obtain a loan, with the investigation into the Layton representative’s activities beginning in April.

An oft-controversial political figure, Lee served as the District 16 representative for over three years, but lost in this year’s GOP state primary election and was set to leave office early next year.

At the start of the investigation, the lead investigator was given two videos and screenshots of conversations “relating to a prior check-fraud incident,” the documents state.

One of the videos allegedly showed Lee requesting a $93,000 cash advance from Trent Spafford, the CEO of Enevive, a local water treatment company, and promising to make the executive “whole” by getting the company a government contact at Hill Air Force Base.

Spafford told investigators that Lee needed the advance to finance a new home.

Documents obtained from the lending company featured an agreement and offer letter from Enevive with a monthly salary of $168,000 a year. The CEO told investigators that the document was “fraudulent and that his signature was forged.”

In an interview with FOX 13 News, Stafford shared his thoughts on Lee and their interactions.

“My experience of Trevor Lee is that he is all about Trevor Lee, and not about the people, that it was all about him,” he said.

Another document was an offer letter from Blue Logic claiming Lee was a full-time employee at $190,000 per year. However, a company official said that while the offer had been made to Lee, he never accepted and was a contract employee, not full-time.

The Blue Logic executive said the letter was “prepared to help Lee as a friend and was not accurate.”

In an interview with investigators at his Utah State Capitol address, Lee admitted forging Spafford’s signature after first denying the accusation.

“Angry, misrepresented, lied to, that’s how I feel about it,” Spafford told FOX 13 News. “When I found out he had forged my signature and he had misrepresented so that he could gain for whatever reason, especially after he has taken.”

Lee also admitted that the Blue Logic salary was not accurate.

The Davis County Republican Party said it will hold a special election to fill Lee’s district for the remainder of the term.

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.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Originally Published: 30 SEP 26 13:57 ET

By Ben Winslow

Click here for updates on this story

    PROVO, Utah (KSTU) — Former death row inmate Douglas Stewart Carter was released from jail on Monday after a judge granted him bail as Utah County prosecutors weigh a retrial in light of newly discovered DNA evidence that does not place Carter at the scene of the murder he has been accused of committing.

Carter left jail at 7:45 p.m. with a smile while partially covering his face before getting into an awaiting vehicle. After some of his belongings were packed up, the vehicle drove off as he continued to smile in the front seat.

On Monday, Carter sat quietly in court as his lawyer and a prosecutor discussed conditions of bail, should he be released.

“There were DNA results that did not include the defendant, so at this point the state is reassessing the remaining evidence in the case,” said deputy Utah County Attorney Erwin Petilos. “With that in mind, the state believed a reassessment of the bail was necessary and fair.”

Carter, was ordered to wear a GPS monitor and will leave jail and stay at a location near his son’s home.

Neal Hamilton, Carter’s defense attorney, told the Associated Press that his client will need therapy to deal with his extended incarceration.

“It’s not just as simple as, ‘Let’s let him go,'” Hamilton said. “He’s being released with 41 years of state-induced trauma and the effect it will have on him is very real.”

Last week, the Utah County Attorney’s Office abruptly announced it had withdrawn its intent to seek the death penalty for Carter in his retrial in the 1985 murder of Eva Olesen. It was based on the DNA evidence.

“Eva’s blood is on the blade and on the handle there’s two profiles. One of the profiles is Eva. So we are confident the killer stabbed her, cut himself, and left his blood behind,” Hamilton told reporters outside court before the ruling. “That’s not Doug. None of it Doug. We all know Doug didn’t do this. It’s what he’s been telling everyone for 40 years.”

Carter had been on death row for more than 40 years when his aggravated murder conviction was overturned over accusations that Provo police mishandled the case and bribed and threatened witnesses. Carter’s lawyers have also argued that his own confession to the murder was coerced. The Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial, and Utah County prosecutors were gearing up to try Carter again.

During Monday’s hearing, Hamilton agreed that should Carter be released, he would have no contact with the Olesen family.

But the Olesen family does not want him released. They submitted numerous statements to 4th District Court Judge Derek Pullan asking for Carter to remain in custody.

“The current findings do not exonerate Carter,” Theresa Olesen, Eva’s daughter-in-law, told the judge.

She argued a jury heard the evidence and rendered its verdict.

“I understand where we are here, and it’s disheartening. Because while in 2026 DNA is very critical and we have videos and all these things and, by golly, we were hoping for concrete match. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t there,” she said. “But I’m not an expert on that. What I am is an expert on my feelings, and it’s very hard to hear things being said, especially by people who weren’t there and don’t know what they’re talking about.”

She expressed concerns about TikTok videos posted by a relative of Carter’s about the case, which Judge Pullan said could be alleged to be indirect contact. Hamilton said those videos would stop if Carter is released.

Utah County prosecutors have until November to decide whether to continue to pursue a new trial against Carter. Hamilton said outside of court he wanted the case thrown out.

“We want it yesterday. Because until that happens, Doug is still being held captive by this. This is still hanging over his head; it’s guiding and directing his life,” he said.

If the prosecution dismisses the case, Hamilton said he would pursue a factual innocence petition, which allows a wrongfully convicted person to receive some financial compensation from the state.

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.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.