Author: KIFI

Phillip Willis

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Spud King’s hometown and venue are proudly welcoming home Idaho Falls’ junior hockey team, the winners of the Dineen Cup, in a “royal fashion.”

According to a post on the Mountain America Center’s Facebook page, the event will include “food trucks, a beer garden, a DJ, fan pictures with the Dineen Cup and Mountain Division trophies, and a full-out welcome home celebration for your IDAHO FALLS SPUD KINGS!”

The event kicks off at 6 PM at the Teton Auto Group Plaza at the Mountain America Center. Fans are being asked to wear their best Spud Kings gear and bring their best signs.

Local News 8 will be streaming the event live on Facebook starting at 6:00 pm.

Mayor Rebecca Casper reads Idaho Falls Spud Kings Day proclamation.

The celebration comes after the Idaho Falls Spud Kings defeated the South Shore Kings 2-1 to claim the Dineen Cup. The win marks the first time in the Spud King’s 3-year history that the Idaho Falls team has won the cup.

In recognition of the Spud King’s achievement, Mayor Casper has officially proclaimed Thursday, May 1, 2025, as Idaho Falls Spud Kings Day. You can read the full proclamation below.

The City of Idaho Falls and Mountain America Center are encouraging fans to wear their favorite Spud Kings merch and bring signs to celebrate the team.

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Seth Ratliff

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — In honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service, Governor Brad Little is directing all state and national flags to be lowered to half staff on May 4, 2025.

Every year, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation sponsors the official national tribute to all firefighters who died in the line of duty during the previous year. The 2025 Honor Roll includes 70 firefighters who died in 2024 and 70 who died in previous years, including former firefighter/EMT Kent B. Gilbertson of the Boise Fire Department.

Gilbertson passed away from colorectal cancer in 2022 at the age of 57. According to his memorial wall, the doctors presume his illness was “tied to his 30 years of service as both a career and volunteer firefighter in Idaho and North Dakota.”

“During his career, Kent served on Boise Fire Department Truck #7 and the technical rescue team, earning the honor of Firefighter of the Year,” said his wife in his memorial wall.

To learn more about Gilbertson and the many other honored firefighters, click HERE.

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Sam Ross

SODA SPRINGS, Idaho (KIFI)—Soda Springs’ famous carbonated geyser is under repair after a pump failure and valve malfunction led to two different sets of problems for the city landmark on Tuesday.

On April 29, the City of Soda Springs announced the world-famous man-made geyser would be out of commission after a problem with the pump caused the geyser to stop working. The pump was replaced on Wednesday, but a valve malfunction is now causing the geyser to spray a six-foot jet of water nonstop.

City workers are investigating the problem and said they hope to have it returned to its normal schedule of dormancy and hourly eruptions soon.

For more information, you can visit Soda Spring’s city website.

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Sam Ross

CARIBOU COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI)—Rocky Mountain Power will hold a public meeting on May 21 to discuss changes to recreation access in the Alexander Reservoir, near Soda Springs, to address erosion concerns.

The reservoir and connected hydroelectric dam are owned by Pacificorp, parent company of Rocky Mountain Power, and representatives have expressed concerns over boat use in the reservoir to Caribou County Commissioners since March 2025.

The public meeting will be held at the second bridge boat access of the Alexander Reservoir on May 21 from 4 to 6pm.

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Seth Ratliff

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — A former employee of the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 has been charged with crimes related to downloading and distributing child pornography.

Members of the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, along with local partners, arrested 43-year-old William Strength on Tuesday. He has been charged with eight counts of Possession and two counts of Distribution of child sexual exploitation material (CSAM), according to Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s Office.

“These allegations highlight the importance of our ongoing partnerships with law enforcement and school districts. We remain committed to supporting these investigations and protecting children from online threats,” said Attorney General Labrador in a press release.

The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 (PCSD 25) confirms that William Strength was employed with the district beginning on 11/15/2018. The employee’s employment with the district concluded effective 04/29/2025.

A spokesperson for School District 25 told the Attorney General’s Office that Strength did not have direct contact with children in his role at the district and his employment was terminated after his arrest.

“Personnel matters are confidential in accordance with Idaho Code § 74-106(1), which exempts personnel records and personal information from public disclosure. As such, the district is legally prohibited from providing additional comment regarding this matter,” said PCSD 25 in a statement to Local News 8

“PCSD 25 is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment for all learners and staff. The district follows all applicable policies, procedures, and legal requirements in addressing personnel issues.”

Wednesday, April 30, 2025, Strength was arraigned in court, where the court set bail at $50,000.

Anyone with information regarding the exploitation of children is encouraged to contact local police, the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit at 208-947-8700, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. 

For more information and helpful resources, click HERE.

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Seth Ratliff

FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) – Emergency responders in Fremont County are responding to a vehicle on fire on US-20.

Both lanes of US-20 from milepost 367 to milepost 368 are blocked due to the fire, according to a post on the Fremont County Emergency Management Facebook page. They are telling US-20 travelers to expect delays and use caution.

The fire began at 12:32 PM, according to the post. There is no word on how the fire started or if there have been any injuries.

This is a developing story. Local News 8 will update as we learn new information.

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Ariel Jensen

UPDATE:

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) – A BYU-Idaho student was critically injured in an accident on campus Wednesday morning, according to school officials.

Rexburg Police and Madison Fire/EMS responded to the medical emergency at the Austin Building on campus at 11:02 a.m. on August 30, said police.

According to the BYU-Idaho website, the Austin Building houses shops and classrooms for students interested in automotive, engineering, and industrial fabrication. Madison County Deputy Chief Toryce Miskin describes the incident as an industrial accident.

“What had taken place is in a storage room off of their machine fabrication shop area, they had a stack of sort of steel beams that the students had been asked to move. They were in the process of moving (those) when that stack collapsed,” said Miskin.

Miskin says the student caught under the collapse is in their mid-twenties and was taken to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for treatment.

“At the time of the incident, paramedics responded swiftly and transported the student to receive medical care. BYU-Idaho invites the campus community and friends to join us in praying for the student and his family,” said the school in a statement to Local News 8.

The incident is still a pending investigation, according to Rexburg Police.

“Our thoughts and our prayers are with the family and with our patient, for sure. And, we’re just praying for them at this time,” said Miskin.

ORIGINAL:

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) – A BYU-Idaho student was critically injured in an accident on campus Wednesday morning, according to school officials.

Rexburg Police and Madison Fire/EMS responded to the medical emergency at the Austin Building on campus at 11:02 a.m. on August 30, said police.

“At the time of the incident, paramedics responded swiftly and transported the student to receive medical care. BYU-Idaho invites the campus community and friends to join us in praying for the student and his family,” said the school in a statement to Local News 8.

The incident is still a pending investigation, according to Rexburg Police.

Local News 8 has reached out to Madison emergency responders and will update this story as we learn new information.

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Kailey Galaviz

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Local faith leaders joined together Thursday morning observing a National Day of Prayer.

The event was sponsored by the Regional Council for Christian Ministry (RCCM) to call on people of all faiths to pray for the nation and its leaders.

“The power of prayer is tremendous as people of diverse faith traditions join to lean on a higher power for wisdom, support, and peace to work towards the common good,” said Pastor Ann Bjorkland.

The National Day of Prayer was established in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law by President Truman. It is an annual observance in the United States, held on the first Thursday of May.

The inspiring event was attended by 42 faith leaders from Bonneville County and the surrounding area. They were joined by the mayors of Idaho Falls and Ammon, along with local high school student body officers.

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Maggie Moore

Idaho Falls, IDAHO (KIFI) – Over the weekend, Pocatello Animal Shelter was closed to the public after 4 puppies caught Parvovirus. The virus is highly contagious and attacks a dog’s bone marrow and small intestine. So what can dog owners do to protect their pets?

Parvovirus affects dogs that are not fully vaccinated the most. Dr. Kasey Sweeney with the Snake River Animal Shelter says that Parvovirus is very hardy, and can last for months after a dog sheds it.

With how contagious and hard to kill the Parvovirus is, the best way to protect your dog is to keep them up to date on all their vaccines. If your dog isn’t up to date or isn’t old enough to get the full vaccine, keep them away from other dogs.

“If you have a puppy between eight weeks and 16 weeks, we really don’t want them going to any public spaces meeting any other dogs. just because dogs, even if they aren’t showing signs, can still carry it and shed it, even if they’re a vaccinated, older dog,” Sweeney said.

If you think your dog is sick, contact your vet as soon as possible. With Parvovirus, the sooner you can see a vet, the better their chance at getting healthy again. But that vet treatment does come with a pretty hefty price tag.

“It can be pretty expensive, too. Sometimes I’ve seen vets charge $2,000-$5,000 for treatment, which is why we really recommend that vaccine,” Sweeney said. “Just because that price difference can really make or break families.”

Symptoms of Parvovirus include:

Lethargy

Loss of appetite

Vomiting

Severe, often bloody, diarrhea

Abdominal pain and bloating

Fever or low body temperature (hypothermia)

If your dog gets Parvovirus, it’s very important to clean every surface they’ve touched with bleach to kill the virus.

“If you have a puppy in your house that does have parvo, because it’s so resistant in the environment, you can almost never have an unvaccinated puppy in your house again. Just because it’s so hard to kill, you would have to use bleach pretty much every square inch of your house, and that’s not typically feasible for most people,” Sweeney said.

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Ariel Jensen

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)– Broulim’s in Ammon has raised over $37,000 and presented a check to the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission. 

“Broulim’s is a very community-organized corporation. They really like to give back to the community,” said Kelly Allen, Store assistant director, at the Ammon Broulim’s. “This is just one little piece of goodness we can give back is to help feed the homeless and the hungry and all the things that Broulim’s does. Again, this is just one little thing that we can do, but it helps tremendously. So we are definitely very glad and very happy to do it.”

The store was able to raise that money in a little under a month.

Through donations and setting aside a percentage of some of the items that were purchased in the store.

The Idaho Falls Rescue Mission tells us this money will help fill a lot of hungry bellies. 

“We’re always in need of food. So this is going to go a long way to help our organization serve the community and those who are more needy, ” said Colin Himmelstein, Food Service Coordinator for Idaho Falls Rescue Mission 

Himmelstein tells local news 8 that they serve about 80 to 90 meals a night, and this funding should help them continue to feed those numbers for about two months. 

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