Author: KIFI

Seth Ratliff

PHOENIX, Arizona (KIFI) — Lori Vallow Daybell’s third murder conspiracy trial resumed Monday, and court minutes, along with new filings, suggest she was reluctant to appear.

A court order filed on June 10 revealed Judge Justin Beresky authorized the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to use ‘any means necessary, including force,’ to ensure her attendance at trial on Monday, June 9, 2025.

Vallow Daybell has already been convicted of the murders of her children, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan; her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy Daybell; and her fourth husband, Charles Vallow. She is now accused of conspiring with her brother, Alex Cox, in an attempt to murder her niece’s former husband, Brandon Boudreaux.

Click here to follow the original article.

Maggie Moore

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – With the start of the 100 deadliest days, Idaho’s Office of Highway Safety is encouraging drivers to buckle up this summer with a seatbelt mobilization.

During certain times of the year, the Office of Highway Safety gives out grants to law enforcement agencies to put extra officers on the road.

Right now, those grants are helping law enforcement keep an extra eye out for seatbelt violations for the 100 deadliest days.

There’s a good reason to push seatbelts. SHIFT Idaho says a person is 50% more likely to avoid serious injury or death in a car crash when wearing a seatbelt.

Sgt. Bryan Lovell with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said that using those extra resources to educate people is much better than having to respond to a fatal crash for something preventable.

“Some of the biggest factors in the crashes that we’re going to are speed, inattention, distracted driving, those kinds of things,” Lovell said. “Putting that seatbelt on is, a small decision you can make right from the get go, as soon as you get in the car. That just eliminates that part of that risk from other people that may not be paying attention or driving aggressively.”

Lovell also says driving defensively and being patient with other drivers is a great way to stay safe this summer.

Click here to follow the original article.

Chris Nestman

UPDATE:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A fire tore through a home on Lornwood Avenue Monday afternoon, completely destroying the garage and back deck and causing an estimated $200,000 in damages. Quick action by the Idaho Falls Fire Department kept the blaze from fully engulfing a neighboring house.

Idaho Falls firefighters, supported by the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, rushed to the scene at 3:17 PM after getting the initial call. They reportedly arrived to find the home fully engulfed in flames, with the fire actively threatening the house next door. The crews quickly “knocked down” the fire threatening the second home and then focused on the main house.

Crews managed to extinguish the bulk of the fire by 4:00 PM. However, they were called back to the home at 6:46 PM after a hot spot flared up inside. Firefighters quickly put out the remaining embers by 7:00 PM.

While the garage and back deck of the main home were a total loss, a camper parked in the driveway also sustained significant damage.

The neighboring home sustained limited damage to the exterior sheeting and siding, along with smoke and heat damage to vehicles in its driveway. IFFD estimates damages to that second residence are around $50,000.

IFFD has not confirmed the cause of the fire at this time.

ORIGINAL:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Multiple fire crews are actively responding to a residential structure fire that broke out Monday afternoon at 3676 Lorna Avenue in Bonneville County.

As of 3:50 PM MDT on June 9, 2025, the scene remains active, with firefighters surrounding the home. Thick smoke could be seen billowing from the home in the early afternoon.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and it is unclear when the fire initially ignited. No information regarding potential injuries or displacements is available at this time.

Photos taken at the scene show extensive damage to the property. The home’s garage appears to be completely destroyed, with only charred remains of studs visible. A trailer parked in the driveway also sustained noticeable damage. From what we can see in the photos, it looks like the fire might have impacted a neighboring house.

Local News 8 is closely monitoring this developing story and will provide further updates as details emerge.

Click here to follow the original article.

News Team

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Individuals in Eastern Idaho grappling with addiction and mental health challenges are set to receive crucial support on their journey to recovery, thanks to a new initiative launched by Eastern Idaho Public Health (EIPH). In a partnership with Greater Idaho Falls Transit (GIFT), EIPH has introduced “Rides to Recovery,” a program designed to eliminate transportation barriers to treatment and recovery services within Idaho Falls.

“Transportation plays a crucial role in substance misuse treatment and recovery program participation,” said Mallory Johnson, Health Educator at Eastern Idaho Public Health. “Reliable transportation influences an individual’s ability to attend recovery meetings, treatment sessions, and other important parts of their recovery process.”

Through the partnership, EIPH has allocated Idaho opioid settlement funds to GIFT. These funds will directly cover transportation costs for individuals seeking treatment and recovery programs for Opioid Use Disorder and other co-occurring substance use disorders or mental health conditions.

The “Rides to Recovery” program is a one-year pilot project, commencing today, June 9, 2025, and running through June 30, 2026. This pilot period will allow EIPH to closely monitor the program’s utilization and effectiveness.

Participating Treatment and Recovery Locations:

The “Rides to Recovery” program offers free transportation to and from the following key facilities:

Behavioral Health Crisis Center – 1650 N Holmes Ave, Idaho Falls ID, 83401

Brick House Recovery – 1020 Landbank St., Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83402

Center for Hope – 530 E. Anderson Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83402

District 7 Treatment – 254 E. Street Suite B, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83402

Full Spectrum Psychology – 675 E. Anderson St., Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83401

Ideal Option – 380 N. Capital Avenue Suite 1, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402

Stewards of Recovery – 685 1st Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho, 83401

Additionally, free transportation will be provided to and from Eastern Idaho Public Health – 1250 Hollipark Dr, Idaho Falls, ID, 83401 for community members seeking public health services during the pilot project.

People participating in recovery or treatment services at any of the listed locations are encouraged to reach out to their case manager, counselor, or peer support representative to learn more about the program and how to access transportation services.

For more information on GIFT, including how to schedule a ride, click HERE.

For questions regarding the “Rides to Recovery” program, please contact Mallory Johnson, Eastern Idaho Public Health’s Drug Overdose Prevention Program Coordinator, at mjohnson@eiph.idaho.gov.

Click here to follow the original article.

Seth Ratliff

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad and the City Council are holding a Town Hall meeting near the end of June to discuss fireworks safety and enforcement. The discussion comes as the region prepares for the upcoming July festivities, including Independence Day and Pioneer Day, both periods when fireworks use is common.

The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. It will take place in the City Council Chambers, located at 911 North 7th Avenue.

There will be a question-and-answer session for those attending. Speakers are instructed to sign up before 6 pm and will be allotted two minutes.

The Town Hall Meeting will be available the following day on the City’s YouTube channel, HERE.

Click here to follow the original article.

Sam Ross

INKOM, Idaho (KIFI)– The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) will close Main Street in Inkom overnight on Tuesday, June 10, and Wednesday, June 1, to demolish the I-15 bridge over the road.

Main street traffic will be diverted onto Old Highway 91 and will only be accessible to vehicles with a height of less than 13 feet. ITD also said the demolition will cause a “considerable amount of noise”.

Main Street in Inkom will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. For more information, you can visit the Idaho Transportation Department website.

Click here to follow the original article.

Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Gateway Transitional Care Center is remodeling its facility to include a new ‘Vent/Trach Unit’ for patients recovering from injuries or respiratory illness; the unit will be the first of its kind in Southeast Idaho.

Gavin Monteath, CEO of Gateway Transitional Care Center, said over the past seven years, the basement levels of their building have gone through multiple potential project designs, but the care center settled on a respiratory rehabilitation wing when they saw patients coming out of the hospital traveling out-of-state to get care for breathing problems before they could return home.

“There’s not another one of these units from Salt Lake to Boise,” said Monteath. “There’s a lot of patients that are actually from this area, that have families here, that want to be back in Southeast Idaho that haven’t had the capacity to do it because they don’t have a long term care space where they can get enough therapy, or [they] need a long term care setting to be able to help them breathe. This unit will be able to help some of those patients get back to Southeast Idaho.”

Along with the Vent/Trach Unit, the remodel will also add a new 10,000 square foot Outpatient Therapy Gym, and space for Medicaid-only patient care coming in the future.

Monteath said the new unit has been a long time coming, and the COVID-19 pandemic set development on the back burner while the care center transitioned to helping Coronavirus patients. But project contractor, Headwaters Construction, expects to have the unit open and ready to provide pioneering care to the Portneuf Valley in late summer 2026.

“It’s been seven years that we’ve been working on this, and Covid kind of threw a wrench in a few things for us,” said Monteath “…But my team here at Gateway has been stellar and stayed consistent and been able to move the needle to be able to do something like this… to put this kind of an investment into the building to help the community.”

Gateway Transitional Care Center is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for their new Vent/Trach Unit on Thursday, June 12, at 11:30 a.m. at 527 Memorial Dr. in Pocatello.

Click here to follow the original article.

News Team

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — While Lori Vallow-Daybell is on trial in Arizona for the attempted murder of her niece’s ex-husband, her attorney in Idaho has filed an appeal with the Idaho Supreme Court to have her conviction on all charges in Idaho, including three murder charges, overturned.

In the court filing, her attorney gives five reasons:

First, he argues, Vallow-Daybell was deprived of her 6th amendment right to counsel of her choice when the court disqualified her retained attorney.

Second, the court filing suggests she was deprived of her 6th amendment right to assistance of counsel during pretrial hearings on the state’s motion to disqualify her counsel after the court denied her attorney’s request to participate. 

Third, the documents contend she was deprived of her right to due process under the 14th Amendment when the court held pretrial hearings that affected her rights in her absence and while she was incompetent. 

Fourth, her attorney suggests that the court erred in allowing the state to introduce evidence from the Arizona case into her Idaho trial.

And fifth, the court filing argues that the court erred in denying Vallow-Daybell’s motion to dismiss based on a violation of her rights to a speedy trial.

Vallow Daybell was sentenced on July 31st, 2023, to three life sentences without the possibility of parole for the deaths of her children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, and the death of her husband, Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy.

053025+Opening+Brief+-+Appellant+Lori+DaybellDownload

Click here to follow the original article.

News Release

The following is a news release from the City of Pocatello:

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — The final phase of the Center Street Underpass construction project is set to begin in January 2026. This phase will include the installation of shoring and the placement of a pedestrian bridge spanning Center Street.

Following a comprehensive construction review and the required approvals from Union Pacific Railroad, the City of Pocatello has decided to delay construction until 2026. The intent behind this decision is to minimize disruptions to Historic Downtown businesses, particularly during the important summer and winter retail seasons. The revised timeline also allows the contractor sufficient time to secure the necessary materials and allow crews to place concrete during more favorable weather conditions.

Originally constructed in 1943, the Center Street Underpass replaced an elevated viaduct to improve east-west connectivity in Pocatello. In the past year, the City has completed several key infrastructure improvements, including replacement of the waterline beneath the underpass, repairs and preservation of the abutments, and installation of a storm line and manhole to alleviate flooding issues

The City of Pocatello appreciates the continued patience and support of the community and local businesses as work progresses on this important infrastructure project.

Click here to follow the original article.

Noah Farley

BINGHAM COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — A proposed 150-acre gun range complex in Bingham County is igniting significant opposition from rural homeowners in the agricultural community surrounding Blackfoot. The planned development, spearheaded by a private developer, is slated for a site near 1600 W Taber Road, just outside Blackfoot.

Area residents are concerned that the complex would bring environmental risks, loud noise, and pose a danger to their neighborhood.

“This is a full-scale business with rotating outsiders, elevated noise levels, environmental risks, and legal protections that will strip our rights as neighbors if it’s approved,” said Jason Cook, who started the petition against the project.

Cook says since the site is in an agricultural zone, building the gun range there would be a direct violation of Bingham County’s Comprehensive Plan and Idaho Law.

The Bingham County Planning & Zoning Commission will make the final decision on whether the gun range will be built at the planned location or not.

More information on the planned gun range and the public’s opinion can be found here.

Click here to follow the original article.