Author: KIFI

KIVI Staff

By: Victoria Rodriguez , Ellie Sullivan

Posted 3:26 PM, Mar 30, 2026

BOISE, Idaho — A revived immigration bill that would require local law enforcement agencies to work with federal immigration officials is moving forward at the Idaho Statehouse — but not without continued pushback from local sheriffs.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | “We don’t need a law to tell us to do so”: Idaho sheriffs oppose revived ICE partnership bill

On Monday, the Senate State Affairs Committee voted 6-3 to advance Senate Bill 1441, sending it to the Senate floor.

The proposal comes after a similar bill, House Bill 659, failed earlier this session. Lawmakers say the new version is intended to address concerns raised by law enforcement while still strengthening cooperation with federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“You’ll recall that we had a similar bill to 1441 in the committee before which failed. And so when that failed because there was enough interest in my caucus, I began working on another piece of legislation…” said Republican Senator Kelly Anthon of District 27.

Like its predecessor, SB 1441 would require local law enforcement agencies to apply for participation in a federal 287(g) program, which allows local officers to assist with certain immigration enforcement duties.

The updated version includes new language allowing county commissioners or city councils to opt out of participation under specific conditions — particularly if it would interfere with their ability to provide essential services.

Despite those changes, local sheriffs say their concerns remain.

This marks the third time sheriffs have testified against legislation tied to immigration enforcement this session.

Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue said the revised bill still gives too much authority to the federal government and raises questions about local control.

“This illusion that they’re working with us is absolutely a farce,” Donahue said. “It’s offensive for him to say that they have been, because they haven’t been.” Donahue also raised concerns about the role of local governing bodies in the decision-making process.

“There are many… things not known to the board of county commissioners,” he said. “So to have them decide whether we can participate or not is misleading, to be polite.”

He added that communication from the bill’s sponsor has been lacking.

“Let’s make no mistake — he has never asked us into a room to talk about this bill… prior to it being tabled a couple of weeks ago, nor since.”

Other law enforcement leaders warned about how the bill could play out under future federal administrations.

Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford said the requirements could limit local flexibility depending on who is in power.

“What happens when Kamala Harris gets, if she gets elected here in 2 years, everybody in here is gonna be crying because now we have to comply by this law and I don’t have an inability to work with the 287G program”, Clifford said.

In a joint press release issued last week, the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association and its 44 elected county sheriffs said lawmakers may be moving too quickly without sufficient input from local law enforcement.

They also claimed federal officials, including the Department of Homeland Security, have been in contact with state leaders advocating for mandatory participation.

Idaho News 6 reached out to Senator Anthon for comment but has not yet received a response.

Supporters of the bill argue it is necessary to address illegal immigration and ensure local agencies are working proactively with federal partners.

“I want you guys to be proactive on this too,” said Senator Ben Adams, District 12. “If this legislation goes forward this year, you will be.”

With the committee’s approval, SB 1441 now heads to the Senate floor for further debate.

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Danielle Mullenix

Chubbuck, ID (KIFI) – The wait is almost over for chicken-finger fans in eastern Idaho. Raising Cane’s is opening its first Chubbuck location today — bringing fresh meals, community pride, and a full day of festivities.

Raising Cane’s newest location in Chubbuck, ID

The new restaurant at 4310 Yellowstone Avenue officially opens at 9 a.m., but eager customers are encouraged to arrive early as the celebration kicks off well before doors open.

Known for its focused menu and made-to-order approach, Raising Cane’s serves hand-battered chicken fingers marinated for at least 24 hours, alongside favorites like buttery Texas toast, crispy fries, coleslaw, and its signature Cane’s Sauce. Every item is prepared fresh daily—no heat lamps, no shortcuts—just hot, quality food made in real time.

The Chubbuck restaurant marks the brand’s fourth Idaho location, following recent openings in Meridian, Twin Falls, and Coeur d’Alene. Founder Todd Graves says the company is excited to continue growing across the state and connect with the local community.

Inside, the space is designed with Chubbuck pride in mind. Customers will find memorabilia from nearby schools, such as Highland High School and Pocatello High School, along with displays featuring Idaho State University and nods to the gem state’s outdoor lifestyle and local sports culture.

Opening day is packed with excitement, including:

A “Lucky 20” giveaway where 20 guests will win free Cane’s for a year

Free branded hats and a Box Combo card for the first 100 combo purchases

A special prize package for the very first customer in line

Free coffee from Idaho Coffee Company before opening, while supplies last

A ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce around 8 a.m.

A donation presentation to the local school district

Appearances by the Idaho State cheer team and mascot Benny Bengal

Restaurant leaders say the goal is to create not just a place to eat, but a welcoming, high-energy spot where the community can gather.

“I’m excited to open the first Raising Cane’s in Chubbuck and fourth in the state of Idaho,” said Raising Cane’s owner and founder, Todd Graves. “Our Crew is looking forward to opening our doors and serving Craveable Chicken Finger Meals to this great community.” 

The new location will be open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.—making it a late-night option for those craving a Box Combo.

With more than 1,000 locations worldwide and plans for continued expansion across Idaho, Raising Cane’s is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands—and now, Chubbuck is officially part of the excitement!

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Abi Martin

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — The First Presidency for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced changes to its Sunday worship schedule. 

Beginning on September 6, Sunday school classes along with the Relief Society, Elders Quorum, Young Women, and Aaronic Priesthood meetings will be held each week during the second hour. 

Sacrament meeting will remain at sixty minutes, followed by Sunday school for 25 minutes and then men’s and women’s classes for 25 minutes. Primary will also continue for the full hour. 

This comes just before the LDS Church’s General Conference, set for this weekend. 

You can read about the changes here.

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Maile Sipraseuth

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Bonneville County election officials are working to clear up confusion after inaccurate flyers regarding the upcoming May Primary Election were handed out throughout the area. The flyers in question contain incorrect dates for early voting.

The correct early voting period will run from May 4 through May 15, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the elections office.

For more information, call the Bonneville County Election’s Office at (208) 529-1363 or click HERE. General voting information can be found on voteidaho.gov

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Kaelyn Blessinger

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — Light the World Giving Machine presented checks to 7 local nonprofits this afternoon.

These machines, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, work as vending machines in reverse, allowing people to donate various items in a simple purchase; Such as meals, clothing, hygiene supplies, school materials, and livestock.

Over 48 days (from November 15th to January 1st), more than 95,000 people visited the machines. 78,000 donations were made across Pocatello, Rexburg, and Idaho Falls.

The total donations raised in Rexburg was $625,270.00

Care USA- $112,060

Right to Play- $116,710

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho- $65,985

Idaho Falls Rescue Mission- $67,390

Idaho Falls Area Humanitarian Center- $67,825

Family Crisis Center- $106,670

Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership- $88,630

The non-profits were very appreciative of all of the donations they received. These amounts are not just numbers, but a showcase of the care within the community.

“We had 1695 family meals donated. Our new home starter kit for survivors who have escaped abuse and are starting a new home. We received 140 starter kits, new beds, 170 for nights of safety, 274 nights of safety and transportation assistance, 305 of those,” Marie Harris, the representative for the Family Crisis Center, said. “[It’s] just overwhelming how much support and the impact that this is going to have for survivors of abuse in our community.”

Each donation could be life-changing. The Eastern Idaho community came together to make a change for many people’s lives.

“We were able to get a month of utility assistance, and there are so many families with the cost of living right now being really high, that’ll be very useful,” John Radford, the representative for Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership, said. “We also had senior meals, which are desperately needed. So those dollars will help our local senior centers get more food into more seniors’ homes.”

The Light the World will present Pocatello’s numbers tomorrow, March 31st, and in Idaho Falls on Thursday, April 2nd.

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David Pace

UPDATED 03/31/2026

HAMER, Idaho (KIFI) — Hamer Fire Chief Scott Jacobs says Monday’s massive hay fire has died down into a smolder Tuesday morning.

Smoke is still visible but crews say the fire is well contained to the yard. Chief Jacobs says they are still on stand by as they wait for the fire to completely die out.

Jacobs says he is thankful for the help of all the people and resources who stepped in to contain this fire.

ORIGINAL:

HAMER, Idaho (KIFI) — Fire crews are continuing to battle a massive haystack fire that ignited Monday in Jefferson County. 

Teams from 11 different agencies are working to prevent the fire from spreading to the nearby Camas National Wildlife Refuge – 11,000 acres of protected sensitive habitat, located about a quarter mile away.

“We’re trying to keep [the fire] off of the refuge,” said Hamer Fire Chief Scott Jacobs. “Right now, we’re only about a quarter to a half mile south on the south end of the Camas Refuge. So if we get into that brush and that grass, it’ll take off, and then we’ll end up in some houses. Right now, we’ve got everything contained here, and we’re just fingers crossed we’ll keep it here.”

The fire ignited when electricity arced from a power pole into a 10-bale high stack of straw at 2000 North 2300 East in Hamer around 12:30 PM Monday.

“The wind picked up, power lines clapped together, arched into the straw bales, and from there, it all went up south there,” Jacobs said.

Eight hundred calves were bedded down next to the giant, U-shaped straw stack. 

One calf died when a burning stack of straw collapsed on top of it, but no other calves were killed, a firefighter reported.

Fanned by gusts of wind exceeding 50 miles per hour, the fire quickly spread from the straw bales to other adjacent stacks of hay and straw.

Four power poles were burned in the flames, knocking out electricity in nearby Hamer.

Fire fighters had to lift the fire station’s garage doors by hand.

All ditches in the area are dry, and the response teams urgently fought to contain the flames and prevent the fire from spreading to the Camas National Wildlife Refuge.

Crews are expected to work throughout the night.

“We’’re just trying to keep everything out of the silage pile,” Jacobs said.

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News Release

The following is a press release from the Idaho Falls Fire Department:

IDAHO FALLS – The Idaho Falls Fire Department will officially welcome Johan Olson as its new fire chief during a swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, April 2, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers.

The ceremony will take place prior to the regularly scheduled Idaho Falls City Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend in person or tune in to the live stream at www.idahofallsidaho.gov/429/Live-Stream to celebrate this important milestone for the department.

Olson returns to Idaho Falls following a national recruitment process and City Council confirmation. He brings extensive leadership experience, a strong background in emergency management, and a deep connection to the Idaho Falls Fire Department.

Olson most recently served as deputy fire chief for the Grand Junction Fire Department and previously served as assistant fire chief for the Buckley Fire Department. He also served with the Idaho Falls Fire Department from 2007 to 2021, holding roles from firefighter to captain and move-up battalion chief.

“I am honored to return to Idaho Falls and serve as fire chief for a department that means so much to me and to serve a community that truly feels like home,” Olson said in a previous statement. “I look forward to supporting our firefighters, continuing to strengthen safety and operational excellence, and building on the strong relationships the department has within the community.”

The swearing-in ceremony marks the official start of Olson’s leadership of the department. The City of Idaho Falls and the Idaho Falls Fire Department proudly welcome him and look forward to his leadership.

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Seth Ratliff

SHELLEY, Idaho (KIFI) — A Shelley man is dead, and a woman remains in critical condition with an apparent gunshot wound to the face after an early morning shooting that police are describing as an isolated domestic incident.

In a press release, the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the incident began at approximately 1:45 AM on March 30, when a woman called 911 from a home on 1060 N 1000 E to report that she had been injured and her domestic partner was dead on the floor.

Deputies arrived at the home to find the woman, who had an apparent gunshot injury to her face, and called paramedics to the scene. Shelley Fire/EMS provided emergency treatment on-site before rushing her by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Detectives from the Bingham County Joint Investigations Division were called in to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. While the male victim was turned over to the Bingham County Coroner’s Office, the press release states BCSO is yielding to the coroner’s discretion regarding the release of his identity. The identity of the hospitalized woman is also being withheld as the active investigation continues.

” Our condolences go out to all involved and their respective families,” wrote BCSO in the release.

Police say preliminary evidence indicates this was an isolated domestic incident and there is no ongoing danger to the public.

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CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 30 MAR 26 14:56 ET

By Arianne Brown, KSL

Click here for updates on this story

    IVINS, Washington County, Utah (KSL) — A couple had an unexpected visitor at their elopement ceremony on Saturday.

The couple was visiting from out of state for a picturesque “secret elopement” when a rockslide occurred. The moment was captured by Shane Schieve, who said they initially thought it was a low-flying jet because it was so loud.

“It was at 6:01 p.m. (at the) top of the Veterans Home Street in Ivins,” Schieve told KSL. “They were using my car for the wedding photos, and they were almost done with the ceremony when it happened. It just sounded like thunder and we looked up … and saw the dust and rocks falling down the mountain. Talk about a wedding crasher!”

The couple’s wedding photographer, Lois Valdez, also took photos and video of the event. She said it felt surreal, but also “a little wild in the best way.”

“We were in the middle of the ring exchange,” Valdez said. “Everything was super quiet, intimate and low-key, since it was a secret elopement. And then out of nowhere, we see part of the red rock start sliding down the mountain.”

Valdez said the moment was made even stranger when, just before the rocks came tumbling down, the officiant gave the couple some advice that may or may not have foreshadowed the impending event.

“What made it even crazier was that right before it happened, the officiant had been talking about the mountains,” Valdez said.

The officiant’s words were shared with KSL by the bride. In his address to the couple, the officiant spoke about the native lands where the ceremony was taking place, saying in part, “In the spirit of the love and commitment we celebrate today, we offer our gratitude for the land itself and our respect to the Paiute people —past, present and emerging.”

“The timing just made sense,” Valdez said. “It turned this calm, private moment, into something loud, unexpected and honestly kind of exciting. … On top of that, we saw turtles out there, too, which just added to the whole feeling. That day was just magical and meant to be. … It was perfect.”

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by KSL’s editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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Seth Ratliff

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — Federal investigators have officially determined pilot error led to last November’s single-engine plane crash in the Snake River near Blackfoot. Fortunately, the pilot walked away despite his serious injuries and managed to reach a nearby home to call for help.

According to the final reports released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) last month, the accident took place during the final leg of a multi-leg cross-country training session.

Earlier that day, the student pilot had flown round-trip with his instructor from Idaho Falls to Cody, WY, then Driggs, and back in preparation for a night solo flight endorsement.

Investigators say the student pilot had dropped off his instructor, then flew out of Idaho Falls solo, climbing to 7,200 feet heading for McCarley Field in Blackfoot. Reaching the airfield, the pilot spotted another aircraft on the runway waiting to depart.

Documents indicate the student pilot turned left and began to circle the airfield to make more space between his plane and the departing aircraft.

“While turning, the student pilot kept visual contact with the airport lights. Momentarily, he looked back at the airplane instruments and realized he was descending during the turn,” states the report.

In the darkness, the plane struck a treetop. While the pilot attempted an emergency climb to recover, he lost control of the aircraft and crashed into the waters of the Snake River near Blackfoot’s Porterville Road bridge.

Following the initial crash, police confirmed to Local News 8 that the pilot was able to escape the partially submerged plane and managed to reach a nearby home immediately following the crash to call for help. From there, he was rushed to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

The NTSB has redacted the pilot’s name in the report, but the documents do confirm that he had over 675 hours of flight time.

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