Month: September 2026

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — For 61 years, John Bagley has spent his life in the skies. When he’s not in the cockpit, you can find him at the Legacy Flight Museum in Rexburg, probably talking about vintage aircraft. On Saturday, September 19, Bagley was honored by the Federal Aviation Administration with the prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, recognizing his decades of dedication to aviation.

“All the good things that there is to do in life, you can experience in an airplane,” Bagley said.

The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award is known to be the highest honor in aviation. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, you must meet these requirements to earn the award:

“The FAA called me, and they interviewed me for a while, and they said, ‘Do you think you deserve it?’ And I said, ‘No, but my mechanics do, because my mechanics keep me flying,'” Bagley said.

While he says that, he is grateful for the recognition from the FAA.

“To me, it was just a great honor to get it. You know, I’ve got about 10,000 hours of flying and this is the FAA’s way of saying good job,” Bagley said.

Like every career, there were tough times. But he survived.

“I had an airplane quit on me just south of town, and I had to landed on the freeway. In 1995, I had a TI-28 fireball on me, and we crashed it outside of town, and I was burned very badly. My buddy in the back seat had a broken back, and I waited about ten days for I went flying again,” Bagley said.

Despite the challenges, it wasn’t able to keep him out of the pilot’s seat.

“(I love) the beauty of the earth when we’re in the air. But there’s another part when you’re up high and the clouds,” Bagley said, “And you’ll see it is so peaceful up there. You get up at 24, 26, 28,000ft and everything is calm. And there’s not really a sense of motion, and it’s just wonderful. It’s just delightful. It’s home.”

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – After a bit of an enrollment slump last year, Idaho Falls School District 91 has more than doubled its band and orchestra enrollment this year, with well over 150 signing up.

“Last year we had a little bit of an off year with not as many students, so I’d say we’re more than double already,” Sharon Cole, District 91’s Music Office Manager, said.

The teachers are thrilled of having more students enrolling in the program.

“With this new class of sixth graders coming in, we have a ton of students, and we’re just really excited to just provide this opportunity for more kids,” Jake Snarr, the Band Director at Taylorview, said.

More student’s enrolling in these music programs not only brings a smile to the faces of the teachers, but it could prove beneficial to their development. In a study conducted by The University of Southern California, scientists found that as little as 2 years of music instruction could boost brain engagement, the ability to focus, creativity, and enhance intellectual development.

“It’s very important for development,” Cole said. “Studies have shown that students in band, choir or orchestra classes actually do better academically.”

Cole said it also gives students a chance to take full responsibility for their own equipment, teaching them a valuable life lesson.

“One of the things that I think is important that we teach is responsibility,” Snarr said. “Taking care of the instrument is a big challenge for students. It’s a very fragile piece of equipment and there’s a lot of nuance to taking care of each and every single one of them. So it’s a great way for them to become responsible for something that is very valuable and fragile.”

The District is thrilled to provide this opportunity for so many young students, but they could use a little help ensuring every student gets an instrument.

“We are especially low on trumpets, trombones and alto saxophones,” Snarr said. “If there’s anybody in the community that would like to donate those, we always accept donations. And often the district will take care of repairs so that they are ready to go and get into a student’s hands.”

If you are interested in donating an instrument or simply want to show support for these young performers, you can find more information on District 91’s Music Department page.

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Southeastern Idaho Public Health is offering free STD testing for the rest of the month, urging community members to take advantage of quick, accessible screenings.

The test will consist of a small needle prick to the finger; then the blood sample taken will be used to screen for Syphilis, Hepatitis C, and HIV, helping people catch potentially serious conditions early. Ian Troesoyer, a board-certified family nurse practitioner for Southeastern Idaho Public Health, recommends annual testing for individuals with multiple or new sexual partners.

“Anybody who has sex with new partners or whose partners have sex with other partners should get screened,” Troesoyer said.

Although Idaho is ranked as one of the lowest STI and STD rates in the nation, that does not make them non-existent. Local cases are steadily rising across the region. According to data from the Pew Research Center, the prevalence of HIV cases in Idaho increased from 55.8 to 83.2 per 100,000 people between 2008 and 2021.

“Southeastern Idaho Public Health and East Idaho Public Health put out a press release earlier this year saying that we’ve gotten the same number of HIV cases in the first three months that we normally get in the whole year,” Troesoyer said.

Routine screening is important not only to stop the spread of infection, but also to prevent long-term health complications. Conditions like Hepatitis C, if it goes unnoticed and untreated, could do irreversible damage to the liver.

Public health officials also want to eliminate the stigma and anxiety often associated with STD testing.

“There are a lot of people who feel uncomfortable or nervous about getting tested because nobody wants bad news. But knowing is empowerment,” Troesoyer said. “Knowing is able to keep yourself healthy. And so even if someone is positive for something, there’s usually something we can do about it. It’s better to know better to help protect your partners, protect the community, and also protect your own health.”

If you are interested in free testing, click is HERE.

Residents unable to attend this month’s event will have another opportunity when SIPH hosts its next free testing event in December.