Author: KIFI

David Pace

RIRIE, Idaho (KIFI) – It has been more than eighty years since U.S. Navy Corpsman Calvin Hairl Johnson left Ririe for the front lines of World War II.

In honor of Memorial Day, hundreds gathered at the Ririe-Shelton cemetery to pay tribute to a local hero — the cemetery’s most decorated veteran.

Johnson was one of more than 6,800 U.S. servicemen who gave their lives in the battle of Iwo Jima.

“These men were not fighting for a piece of volcanic rock. They weren’t just defending a hill or an island,” said Johnson’s granddaughter Kelsey Tucker. “They were standing in the breach between a brutal, expansionist empire and everything we hold dear – our families, our democracy, our freedom.”

He left behind a wife, Shirley, and a newborn daughter Cheryl.

Shirley and Calvin Johnson.

On Monday, Cheryl and her daughter Kelsey shared the legacy they have painstakingly uncovered through hundreds of Johnson’s letters and interviews with fellow servicemen.

Twenty-nine days after his arrival on Iwo Jima, on March 20th, 1945, the 20-year-old medic ran into the line of fire to save another wounded Marine.

“Cal didn’t hesitate. He moved forward through mortar blasts and machine gun fire, determined to reach the wounded man,” Kelsey said. “Shrapnel tore into him, but he kept crawling. He reached the man and rendered first aid. Cal then exposed himself again to enemy fire, intending to get a litter team to evacuate his patient. Cal was hit a second time and killed.”

For his sacrifice, Johnson was awarded the Silver Star, the military’s third highest honor, by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

“If that trouble to keep this freedom of ours must go on and on and on, may God help you and me and all Americans to have the fortitude of Calvin Hairl Johnson and his World War II buddies,” Cheryl said.

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Abi Martin

CASSIA COUNTY, Idaho – Crews from the Bureau of Land Management and the United States are fighting a fire that is now over 500 acres.

The Summit Creek Fire is burning in Cassia County, south of Burley, and started shortly after 2 p.m.

This is a developing story, and we will keep you up to date.

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CBS2 Staff

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Thunderstorms and severe wind gusts nearing 60 mph in some places have been knocking out power and delaying flights.

Early reports indicate that the roof was blown off the Alaska Air Cargo center building near the Boise Airport. CBS2 crews managed to get photos of roofing materials and debris in front of the building. We are working to get more information about what happened and the extent of the damage.

Photo Credit: CBS2

Photo Credit: CBS2

Multiple flights are now showing delayed for both arrivals and departures at the Boise Airport.

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News Release

The following is a news release from the City of Idaho Falls:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The City of Idaho Falls is notifying developers, builders, and the public of upcoming changes to the City’s residential impact fee assessment structure that will take effect June 1, 2026.

Impact fees help fund the infrastructure and public facilities needed to support new development, including parks, transportation systems, and public safety facilities. They help ensure growth pays for growth, rather than shifting the cost of new infrastructure and public facilities onto existing taxpayers.

Idaho Falls first adopted impact fees in 2022. As part of an update to the City’s impact fee ordinance approved by the Idaho Falls City Council on April 23, 2026, the city will transition from assessing residential impact fees on a per unit basis to a square footage-based assessment structure.

The updated structure is intended to more proportionally assess impact fees based on the size of residential development and anticipated demand for public infrastructure and facilities.

“Idaho Falls continues to experience steady growth, and it’s important that infrastructure planning keeps pace with community needs,” said Community Development Services Director Wade Sanner. “Impact fees play an important role in our city by providing a way for new developments to contribute to the cost of public facilities and infrastructure resulting from growth.”

Impact fees play an important role in helping Idaho Falls plan for and accommodate continued growth while maintaining the level of service residents expect. Projects funded through impact fees include the growth-related portions of the Idaho Falls Police Complex, the northside Fire Station, improvements to Heritage Park, Utah Avenue roadway improvements, the pathway along the Idaho Canal south of Sunnyside Road, and improvements to Holmes Avenue.

Additional information, including the updated ordinance, and impact fee study, is available on the City of Idaho Falls website.

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KIVI Staff

Originally Posted: 9:43 PM, May 24, 2026

By: Allie Triepke

BOISE, Idaho (KIVI) — As rat sightings continue to spread across the Treasure Valley, one Boise woman is hoping a community-driven map can help neighbors track the growing problem — while promoting a more humane approach to pest control.

Boise neighbor Robin Hadder created a website featuring an interactive map where people can anonymously report rat sightings and signs of infestations throughout the Treasure Valley.

“And I just thought… I know how to do that,” Hadder said.

The map allows neighbors to report sightings of live or dead rats, along with evidence such as droppings, burrows and chewed materials.

Hadder said the response from the community has been immediate.

“Well, we’ve had dozens of, um, sightings already put on the map,” she said.

Concerns over rats have increasingly become part of the public conversation in Idaho. Earlier this year, lawmakers discussed whether rats should be declared a public nuisance during the legislative session after growing concerns from residents across the Treasure Valley.

No formal action was ultimately taken.

Now, Hadder hopes the map can help identify infestation hotspots and provide useful data for communities, researchers and pest control companies.

Friday, Hadder met with Idaho News 6 near one of the latest reported sightings near the Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve parking lot off McMillan Road.

“And so when we find hotspots in towns, we’ll be able to do things like do a trial of rat birth control in an area and document the results. And I am going to be giving the results for free, like open source to the city and to like local universities if somebody wanted to do a study on rats in the area,” Hadder said.

Hadder is advocating for pest control companies to use rodent birth control instead of rat poison, saying it offers a more proactive and humane way to reduce rat populations while limiting unintended consequences for pets, wildlife and the environment.

Earlier this week, Idaho News 6 reported on a Treasure Valley family whose cat died after coming into contact with rat poison.

“Stories like the one that you had about that cat dying… I don’t want to hear stories like that anymore,” Hadder said.

Hadder is now inviting exterminators to partner with the project and become preferred pest control businesses listed on the website.

“Anybody that partners with us will, uh, not use the rodenticides, but use rat birth control instead. It will knock out their ability to reproduce, and rats usually only live a year or two, and so… just the natural die-off in the area will drastically cut the populations,” she said.

Neighbors can report rat sightings through the website’s map feature.

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Kaelyn Blessinger

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — To celebrate and commemorate Memorial Day, POW/MIA hosted the 23rd Annual Thunder Run.

As part of the ceremony, organizers held a flag retirement ceremony, where worn flags were respectfully retired.

Properly retiring an American flag is considered a way of showing respect not only for the flag itself, but also for the country and those who have sacrificed for it.

“The flag burning is it’s called a retire with respect ceremony. Just basically the dignified way of disposing of used in tattered flags, American flags,” Joe Fitzen the POW*MIA Board Chair said. “Just out of respect, just, you know, just showing our respect and can’t think of the words, but, you know, just basically taking good care of our country’s flag, you know, showing respect to it and the fallen that have died protecting, protecting it.”

American flags are not the only flags that should be retired respectfully. State and country flags should also be properly retired when they become worn or damaged.

Worn flags that can no longer be flown should not be thrown in the trash. Instead, they can be respectfully retired through methods such as burning, burial, cutting, repairing or recycling.

The U.S. Flag Code states, “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”

While burning is still considered an acceptable method of retirement, the Flag Code was written more than 100 years ago when most flags were made from wool or cotton.

For more information about properly retiring worn flags, several organizations provide educational resources and retirement guidelines.

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Par Kermani

Wilson, Wyo. (KIFI) — Fire crews remain on scene Monday after a structure fire broke out at an office building in the Teton Pines area of Wilson early Monday morning.

According to Jackson Hole Fire/EMS, Teton County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received the initial report of the fire around 3:01 a.m. on May 25.

Jackson Hole Fire/EMS and Teton Village Fire Department crews arrived to find heavy fire conditions.

One firefighter with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS was injured during operations and transported to St. John’s Health. Officials say the firefighter is in stable condition.

No other injuries to firefighters or the public have been reported.

Officials say the fire remains contained to the office building and no evacuation orders have been issued.

Multiple agencies responded to assist during the incident, including Lower Valley Energy and the Aspens Water and Sewer District, which helped coordinate utilities and infrastructure support. The Wyoming State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting with the investigation into the cause of the fire.

The Good Samaritan Mission also provided food and water for firefighters working at the scene.

“From utility coordination to water system support, investigation and fireground operations, every partner organization has played a critical role in maintaining an efficient and unified response,” said Jackson Hole Fire/EMS Battalion Chief Chris Stiehl. “Our crews remain on scene conducting suppression and overhaul work to ensure the structure is fully secured and the area is safe for the community.”

Drivers are encouraged to avoid the immediate area as emergency crews and apparatus remain on scene throughout the day. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Maile Sipraseuth

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)– Dangerous days are ahead for teen drivers as the weather warms up and more people hit the roads. Between Memorial and Labor day traffic increases and risky driving behavior becomes more common among teens.

According to the National Road Safety Foundation, car crashes are the leading cause of death for American teens. During the “100 Deadliest Days,” teens are 20% more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than during the rest of the year.

According to Matthew Conde, director of government and public affairs for AAA Oregon/Idaho, summer driving conditions create additional dangers for inexperienced teen drivers.

“We know there’s a new group of teens every year learning the ropes,” Conde said. “That youthful inexperience tends to play a role in crashes. They don’t always have the judgment and decision-making skills that come with experience, which helps many of us intuitively recognize dangerous situations.”

Several factors contribute to the increase in fatalities during this time period, including:

Summer break putting more teenagers behind the wheel

Inexperience. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, teen drivers have crash rates nearly four times higher than drivers 20 and older per mile driven

Distracted driving

Speeding

Drunk driving

Parents and guardians can help make these 100 days safer by encouraging smart driving habits early. Experts recommend reminding teens to never drink and drive, stay off their phones behind the wheel, always wear a seat belt and follow speed limits. Modeling safe driving behavior can also make a major difference.

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Par Kermani

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — A Hindu and interfaith leader is set to speak at Brigham Young University–Idaho later this week during an event hosted by the university’s Interfaith Leadership Society.

According to organizers, Rajan Zed will address students on May 28 in Rexburg. Faculty members from the university’s Department of Religious Education have also been invited to attend.

The Interfaith Leadership Society is a student-led organization founded in 2020 at BYU-Idaho. Organizers say the group has grown to more than 400 members.

Zed serves as president of the Universal Society of Hinduism and has been involved in interfaith dialogue efforts both nationally and internationally. Organizers say he has received the World Interfaith Leader Award and serves on several interfaith advisory boards and organizations.

Zed is also familiar with Idaho audiences. Over the years, he has delivered opening prayers before the Idaho State Senate, county commissions in Bonneville and Owyhee counties, and several city councils across the state, including Boise, Meridian, Burley, Star, St. Anthony and Arimo.

Hinduism is considered the world’s oldest religion and the third largest globally, with roughly 1.2 billion followers worldwide, according to organizers.

BYU-Idaho states students pursuing a bachelor’s degree are required to complete 14 religion credits before graduation.

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Danielle Mullenix

We will observe this year’s Memorial Day with temperatures climbing into the lower 80s and isolated thunderstorms that will persist through the entirety of this week’s forecast. While most of these thunderstorms will be dry, a slight possibility of precipitation will sit in the air for most of this final week of May.

We start off the morning in the upper 40s and 50s with high clouds passing through the region. Some scattered thunderstorms will pass through on this Memorial Day with gusty winds as a result. High temperatures will be warm and above average, with the Snake River Plain reaching the mid 80s and more mountainous regions in the upper 70s. Dry humidity is expected throughout Monday, with chances of rainfall looking slim overall. Wind gusts will range between 15 and 25 mph for the afternoon hours.

Tuesday will be slightly cooler with extra cloud coverage expected. High temperatures will range from the 70s across the mountains and highlands to right around 80 for the Snake River Plain. Chances of rainfall remain small, but a slight increase in likelihood is expected toward Lemhi County and the Eastern Highlands. The Jackson area can expect around 75% chance of rain and storms.

Temperatures will remain above average but slightly cool off as we progress into the week. Expect isolated and scattered thunderstorms by Wednesday afternoon. Gusty winds to accompany the week’s overall forecast.

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