Author: KIFI

Seth Ratliff

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — The Pocatello police department is celebrating another successful year of “Give the Cops a Bird.” The community turned out strong for the 7th annual Thanksgiving holiday food drive.

This year, donations added up to $4165, 71 turkeys, and 96 pounds of food — all going to the Idaho foodbank to help those in need.

In a post on Facebook, Pocatello Police officers said they couldn’t have done this without the support of the amazing community.

“Your generosity, energy, and kindness make this event what it has become today,” stated the post. “We are truly grateful to each and every one of you who donated and made a difference this holiday season.”

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Seth Ratliff

ELMORE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — The final election results for Elmore County have been certified and will remain unchanged, even after an intensive hand recount introduced 373 ballots that were initially omitted from the election night tally.

Last week, the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office confirmed a discrepancy of nearly between the number of physical ballots cast and the initial count. The Elmore County Clerk had discovered 373 votes were missing from the original tally, triggering a full hand count —with Secretary of State Phil McGrane, 17 staff members, the Elmore County Prosecuting Attorney, and the Elmore County Sheriff on site to ensure an independent review.

“I appreciate the level of detail and openness that went into today’s count,” said Elmore County Clerk Shelley Essl. “Through this process, we have ensured that every Elmore County ballot was counted and reported.”

Despite the mix-up, none of the race outcomes changed. Secretary of State McGrane says the recount was about making sure voters have confidence that their votes count.

“In order for our elections to work, voters must have confidence that their votes will count,” said Secretary of State McGrane. “Today we demonstrated our commitment to ensuring just that. I’m proud of my team and grateful to Elmore County for partnering with us as we’ve worked to correct this error and investigate what went wrong on election day.”

The Elmore County Board of Commissioners will review and certify the new results by tomorrow morning. Following this, the Secretary of State and the Elmore County Clerk will request a judicial review before December 2 in accordance with Idaho law.

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Chris Nestman

In a push to speed up the approval and development of geothermal energy, Idaho Congressman Russ Fulcher (R) sponsored a bill to ease the regulatory burden on exploring potential geothermal sites.

“[The] biggest obstacle thus far has been just simply not getting permission or not getting access to where the resources are. And so that’s what this legislation is geared to try to do, is just make it available,” said Fulcher.

The bill, H.R. 5576, provides a new regulatory exclusion for geothermal exploration activities on federal land.

Currently, any geothermal exploration requires an Environmental Assessment (EA) that may take up to 10 months to get completed, with no guarantee the application will even get approved. Oil and gas wells do not need an EA for exploration, if land has already been approved for drilling. Fulcher’s bill would align geothermal exploration with oil and gas which he says will greatly speed up the process.

“So we think we’ve got a real win win situation here. We’ve got a great source of energy that’s a dependable baseload. It’s cheap, it’s clean, it takes a very small footprint that it disturbs on the land surface,” said Fulcher. “And and it’s just a great energy source at a time when our energy demands are really skyrocketing.”

Fulcher said Idaho in particular could benefit as we are one of the most prime states for geothermal exploration. He also said he doesn’t think other environmental concerns will hold up the development of geothermal plants as much compared to other sources of power like nuclear or coal.

The bill still has to make its way through the house, but Fulcher says he believes it has enough support on both sides of the isle to get the approval. If it does pass the house, it will then move onto the Senate. If it passes the Senate, then it moves to President Trump’s desk. Fulcher says he believes the President will support and sign the bill.

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Maile Sipraseuth

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)– Antares Industries celebrated its expansion to Idaho with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Rogers building Monday morning.

A leading developer of advanced micro nuclear reactors from California, Antares Industries, is building an office in downtown Idaho Falls. This decision comes after the company has worked extensively with the Idaho National Laboratory.

“Earlier this year, we established a $40 million partnership agreement with Idaho National Lab. And we decided, given how much we’re investing here, it’s time to have a permanent presence here in Idaho Falls,” Jordan Bramble, the CEO and Co-founder of Antares, said.

The event not only captured the collaboration between INL, the United States Department of Energy, and Antares, but also highlighted the growing nuclear energy market in Idaho.

“Idaho is really the birthplace of American nuclear energy, and we believe it’s also going to be the home of the rebirth of American nuclear energy,” Bramble said.

Representative Mike Simpson, along with representatives from INL and the U.S. Department of Energy, made their remarks before the ribbon-cutting.

“It really feels like we’ve become one team,” Bramble said.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A 60-year-old Idaho Falls man was arrested Sunday evening after a drunken disturbance in the parking lot of Boozers/Shari’s off Broadway in Idaho Falls escalated into a brief police standoff.

Police say a man, identified through court records as Danny Oswalt, 60, was allegedly seen blocking a trucker in a truck with his car, refusing to let the trucker leave, and appeared to be trying to start a fight.

The incident took place around 7:00 PM. The Idaho Falls Police said in a Facebook post that Oswalt tried to flee and drove a short distance through the parking lot as their officers arrived on scene. The officers boxed Oswalt in with patrol vehicles and attempted to instruct him to exit the vehicle.

Police say Oswalt refused to leave the vehicle, and after speaking with the man over the phone, it was clear the 60-year-old was intoxicated and should not be driving.

Eventually, police say Oswalt suddenly got out of his car, saying he was going to make the officers shoot him. According to the post, he refused to follow commands and began digging in his pockets. IFPD says an officer used a less-lethal tool: a 40 mm launcher that fires a blue, ping-pong-sized foam projectile, which officers refer to as a “Smurf round.”

The officer fired three rounds, striking Oswalt all three times. The projectiles incapacitated him long enough for officers to safely and quickly approach and detain him. A further search of his vehicle uncovered multiple open containers of alcohol.

Oswalt was transported to a local hospital for medical clearance before being booked into the Bonneville County Jail. He faces charges of False Imprisonment, DUI, Eluding, Possession of an Open Container, and Resisting and Obstructing.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Two men are now in custody after crashing into an Idaho Falls neighborhood while fleeing a traffic stop early Monday morning, November 24, 2025.

The incident began around 12:30 a.m. when a Bonneville County Sheriff’s Deputy spotted two vehicles street racing near the intersection of 25th E. and 1st St.

When the Deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop, one of the vehicles immediately turned onto Mesa St. and sped away. The Deputy followed the vehicle down the dead-end street, where they found the vehicle had lost control and crashed into a tree in the front yard of a home.

As more Deputies arrived on the scene, they found and detained the two men as they attempting to exit the wrecked vehicle. The driver was identified as 18-year-old Augustine Perez Jr., who was placed under arrest for Felony Eluding a Peace Officer. The passenger was identified as 20-year-old Terrin Malik Hopwood, who police discovered was in possession of several THC Vapes.

In the subsequent investigation, Deputies found an AR-15 rifle inside the vehicle and determined that Hopwood had allegedly tossed a 9mm handgun into the front yard of the home just moments before the Deputy pulled up. Deputies also found several THC vape devices underneath the vehicle.

Both Perez and Hopwood were transported to a local hospital for medical clearance due to minor injuries from the crash. They were then booked into the Bonneville County Jail. During the booking process at the jail, Perez was officially booked on a Felony Charge of Eluding, and Hopwood was booked for Misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO (KIFI) — Ahead of the Thanksgiving travel surge, the Idaho State Police is increasing patrols on the Gem State’s roadways, reminding drivers to slow down, buckle up, and drive sober during one of the busiest travel holidays of the year.

AAA of Idaho predicts an astonishing 81.8 million Americans will travel for the holiday, including 478,000 Idahoans. With record numbers of drivers expected to hit the road, motorists can expect the largest presence of law enforcement on the day before Thanksgiving, which ISP projects to be the heaviest travel day.

“Thanksgiving weekend can often turn deadly as it combines heavy traffic with winter weather, and that means drivers need to slow down and give themselves extra time,” Lieutenant Tyler Barrett said. “We just want everyone to get to their destinations safely and return home safely, which is why this operation focuses on visibility and enforcement of driving behaviors that put lives at risk.”

ISP is set to partner with local sheriff’s offices to limit and prevent accidents, focusing on distracted and impaired drivers.

ISP reminds drivers to:

Drive sober or don’t drive at all.

Buckle up — every trip, every seat.

Watch your speed and increase following distance.

Put the phone down and avoid distractions.

Slow down and move over for emergency and tow vehicles, as required by Idaho law.

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News Release

The following is a press release from the Idaho Falls Public Works Street Division:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Beginning Dec. 1, 65th North will be closed between 5th West and 5th East (Lewisville Highway) to allow crews to remove the existing bridge and replace it with a wider structure over the Idaho Canal. During this closure, drivers will need to use 81st North or 33rd North as east- and westbound detour routes. Glen Abby Lane/Circle and the Sage Lakes Golf Course will be accessible from North 5th West, and Ender Lane and Brad Avenue will be accessible from North 5th East. The closure is anticipated to remain in place through April, weather permitting, with paving and remaining construction resuming once conditions allow.

The existing bridge is being replaced to ensure long-term safety and reliability, and the new bridge will be wider to accommodate a turning lane and better pedestrian and bicycle access. Replacing the bridge will bring the structure up to current safety standards, improve the roadway approaches, and provide a safer and more dependable connection for residents, businesses, and emergency services.

Please watch for posted signs, use alternate routes, and exercise caution near crews and equipment.

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Ariel Jensen

IDAHO (KIFI) – The Idaho State Department of Agriculture is strongly recommending the cancellation of upcoming equine events in Idaho following confirmed reports of Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 (EHV-1) that were linked to several recent equine competitive events in Texas and Oklahoma.

ISDA is also looking to temporarily stop the transportation of all horses into or out of the state to avoid the spread from reaching Idaho.

At this time, Idaho has no confirmed cases of EHV-1. But due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, the Idaho State Veterinarian urges horse owners, trainers, and event organizers to take immediate biosecurity precautions.

They recommend temporarily stopping any transportation or hauling of equine to protect Idaho horses.

“One of the most important things to know is that people can act as fomites, which is basically where if you go touch an infected horse, you can get the virus on your hands, and then you go touch a horse that’s not infected. You can technically spread it from the infected horse to the Non-infected horse. Even without those two horses coming into contact,” said Abby Matthaeus, veterinarian and owner of Teton Equine Veterinary practice.

There is a vaccine for the virus, commonly known as the rhino vaccine. Dr. Matthaeus says to talk to your veterinarian if your horse hasn’t been vaccinated.

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