Author: KIFI

Seth Ratliff

PRESTON, Idaho (KIFI) — A 67-year-old Preston man has died from injuries after being hit by a pickup truck while crossing the road over the weekend.

The accident happened around 3:44 p.m. on February 28. The man was using a marked crosswalk to cross South State Street, north of West First Street, when he was hit by a 2003 pickup truck heading south. The driver of the truck has been identified as a 62-year-old male from Nibley, Utah.

Emergency responders rushed the man to a local hospital in critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, March 3. The investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing.

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David Pace

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – A bill stirring discussion about the potential impacts to Harriman State Park passed the Idaho Senate on Monday.

The legislation’s sponsor, Idaho Senator Doug Okuniewicz, R-Hayden, reached out to Local News 8 today to defend his legislation and share his support for the bill.

“If there were even a remote chance that we thought this could jeopardize a park – let alone Harriman – we wouldn’t do this,” Okuniewicz said.

Senate Bill 1300 proposes that the Governor appoint the directors of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, Idaho Fish and Game and Idaho Transportation Department, subject to confirmation by the state Senate every four years.

Okuniewicz said the directors are presently appointed by a board or a commission, whose members are appointed by the Governor.

The Senator believes having political appointees would improve relationships between the Legislature and the agencies.

He acknowledged that he’s received opposition claiming that the proposed law would violate the state of Idaho’s 1961 agreement with the Harriman family that established Harriman State Park.

Section 4(b) of that agreement states: “The People of the State of Idaho acting by and through the Legislature of Idaho will establish pursuant to law a professionally staffed career Park Service whose personnel shall be chosen on the basis of merit alone, and which shall be administered under merit system procedures for personnel administration, and the said Park Service shall, when established, be vested with the control and administration of the Park, subject to the advice and consent of the Governor of Idaho.”

Under Okuniewicz’s new legislation, the Senator said the Governor would still appoint directors to the three agencies based on their merit.

“As I said on the Senate floor, there’s zero risk of this somehow violating an agreement with the Harriman family – particularly to such a degree that it resulted in any kind of repercussions,” Okuniewicz said. “So the bill is perfectly in line with that agreement and can coexist with it quite easily.”

A grandson of one of the park’s original owners, Averrell Harriman Fisk, disagrees, sharing in a statement, “The gift is currently under threat by a bill pending in the Idaho Legislature. For years, Harriman State Park has been enjoyed by our family and millions of visitors. It must be protected from political whims. It must be protected for the people of Idaho.”

Senate Bill 1300 passed the Senate by a vote of 21 to 14 on Monday, and now goes to the Idaho House of Representatives for consideration.

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Phillip Willis

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFK) — It’s big election year with a May primary election and November general election. Last week was filing week for all candidates, people who could have heavy sway on issues that impact students and educators if they win. Class sizes, programs, and resources are all tied to the purse, and those elected to legislative power will hold those strings.

In the elections, there are rematches, comebacks, rookies, and a few uncontested champions. As races stretch across the state, and campaigning begins, it’s only fitting that we take a look at the one thing that truly matters to education… numbers.

272 candidates filed for the 105 legislative seats

29 are running for seven statewide offices

99 of the 105 incumbents are seeking relection

That’s not a lot of open seats.

There are many more Democrats running this year than in years prior, with twice as many running now than there were in 2022.

There will be 48 Republican primaries and seven Democratic primaries – that is, unless someone drops out. There have been a few cases of that happening, so it’s not without precedent.

Some East Idaho races are drawing attention. The return of past lawmakers Chad Christensen and Julianne Young is making waves – Young lost to Ben Fuhriman of Shelly by only a few votes in the last go-round.

Seven incumbents have no challengers at all, including Representative David Cannon of Blackfoot. He’s set up for another term without a contest.

In statewide races, both the Governor and State Superintendent are facing challengers, but the State Superintendent has no primary challengers for May.

The primary election is on May 19, and the general election is November 3.

You can find further details on these political races and their impact on education by visiting idahoednews.org.

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David Pace

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) – Rexburg’s Mayor Jerry Merrill touted the city’s economic growth during a State of the City address Tuesday.

New businesses and developments coming to Rexburg include a WinCo, Home Depot, Olive Garden, Zupa’s, Jersey Mike’s, Zeppe’s, Shoe Barn, and Rexburg’s first skybridge between apartment buildings, Merrill said.

Watch Mayor Merrill’s full State of the City Address below:

“Most importantly, our community is defined by you. You are the ones making an impact, growing our university, our local businesses, and our neighborhoods,” he said.

The city, home to Brigham Young University-Idaho, is also experiencing widespread growth.

“Rexburg has changed a lot in the last century. Today, our population has surpassed 40,000 residents, with internal projections putting us at approximately 46,000,” Merrill said. “We are a young, vibrant city. 85% of our residents are under the age of 30 years old.”

The city will also begin constructing a new park on the banks of the Teton River this year.

A Rexburg Future and Founder’s Day celebration will be held on March 14 at the old Madison Junior High Building on Main Street.

Rexburg will also be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Teton Dam flood and the 250th birthday of America with special celebrations throughout the year.

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Par Kermani

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce is warning of a dual threat to local Idaho Falls business leaders, citing a looming state budget deficit and a nationwide “leadership deficit.”

During a recent networking event, Chamber CEO Paul Baker described the current fiscal environment as a “critical moment” for Eastern Idaho. He warned that despite the region being called the best-performing small cities in the country, legislative decisions in Boise are creating a “trickle-down” effect that will soon hit local taxpayers.

“If there is another round of tax cuts, we don’t just have a budget problem… we actually have a revenue problem,” Baker said. “We don’t have the revenue coming in that we can afford to do the things that the state needs to do to operate.”

According to Baker, the warning comes as Idaho faces a projected unconstitutional deficit of between $40 million and $80 million.

Baker noted that these gaps often manifest in higher health insurance premiums as hospitals absorb Medicaid cuts, and increased pressure on local law enforcement and education.

Beyond the balance sheet, Baker identified a second “silent” threat to the private sector: a lack of qualified leaders entering the workforce.

“There’s this other thing that’s kind of quietly happening. It’s called the leadership deficit that’s happening across our country right now,” Baker said. “And what that means is that organizations are just not seeing the quality of people coming up with natural leadership skills. And so we’re having to teach that, and it’s a huge cost. So productivity, revenue, retention, you name it, huge costs in the private sector.”

Citing national data, Baker noted that 77% of organizations report a leadership gap. In Eastern Idaho, the Chamber estimates the resulting loss in productivity and retention costs the local economy approximately $1 billion.

To combat the talent drain, the Chamber is expanding its Young Professionals program, a two-year leadership curriculum for high school seniors. The program aims to provide students with professional skills and “reasons to stay” in Idaho rather than exporting talent to other states.

The Chamber will host a fundraiser gala on March 13 to support the youth leadership initiative economic shifts

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KIVI Staff

Originally Published: 03 MAR 26 14:57 ET

By Sahana Patel

Click here for updates on this story

    MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (KIVI) — A Mountain Home mother is recovering from serious injuries after the family’s foster dog attacked her while she was holding her infant daughter.

Natasha Chapman said the attack happened on Friday, Feb. 20. Her 4-year-old daughter, Atalie, was home from school, and her husband, Nate, was at work in Eagle when the family’s foster dog, Bodie, a Lab Catahoula mix, attacked her while she was holding her 11-month-old baby.

“So I tossed her out of the way and just went back to fighting him off,” Chapman said. “He had bit down on, I think this arm first, and then this arm, and like he had bitten all over and then at one point he had my face and my ear.”

Bodie had been with the family since November. Chapman said they were actively looking to rehome him and that the attack was unexpected.

“It was totally out of character. I would never have a dog that I thought was dangerous,” Chapman said.

While Chapman was being attacked, Atalie ran down the street screaming for help until a neighbor came to their rescue.

“I was sitting on the floor, and the neighbor came in, and she scooped up the baby who was just crawling around. And she immediately started calling everybody for me,” Chapman said.

Mountain Home Police arrived quickly, and four officers stayed for more than two hours caring for the girls.

“Then the cops really took over taking care of the girls. I guess they had them in the cop car and were playing with them,” Chapman said.

The community response extended beyond that day. Friends brought food, others offered furniture — because Chapman now has to sleep upright to restore blood flow to her ear. Plus, a local jiu-jitsu gym offered free classes for Atalie, including purchasing her a gi.

Bodie was euthanized following the attack, a decision Chapman said she is still struggling with.

“I have a lot of guilt because my daughter misses him so much. She tells me every day she misses Bodie. I have all this guilt because it feels like I triggered something. Which logically I know that I didn’t because I wasn’t hurting him,” Chapman said. “Since I’m the one who was attacked, I feel like I had to have done something to set him off, and he was like my daughter’s best friend,” Chapman said.

Chapman said she can currently hear out of her left ear, but there is still limited blood flow, and doctors have told her there is a chance she could lose it. She is also dealing with nerve damage that has left part of her face paralyzed.

Despite her injuries, Chapman said she is grateful for the outpouring of support from her neighbors.

“They just embraced my family and have helped us so much. It’s been insane,” Chapman said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. ­­­KIVI verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. ­­­KIVI verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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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News Team

INKOM, Idaho (KIFI) — Crews are preparing to resume work on several I-15 bridge projects near Inkom as the winter season draws to a close. In a recent Facebook post, Inkom Mayor Max Shaffer alerted commuters that the next phase of construction is set to impact daily travel through the area.

Mayor Shaffer noted that residents will see crossovers being prepared along I-15 in the coming days and weeks, which will divert traffic into a single lane. Afterwards, crews will begin work to demolish bridges in the northbound lane, and the new ones will be constructed.

“Thanks for your patience. We all look forward to having this project completed by Fall this year,” said Shaffer.

From March 8 to the 12th, the on-ramp from Inkom to Pocatello will be closed to all traffic overnight from 7 PM to 7 AM. Immediately following this, the bridge at the bottom of Rapid Creek is scheduled for demolition between March 13 and March 16. During this four-night window, the bridge area will be completely closed to motorists overnight. For more information, click HERE.

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Ryan Suppe

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 3, 2026

By Ryan Suppe and Kevin Richert

BOISE, Idaho — For the second consecutive year, House Republicans passed a bill that would prohibit school districts from deducting union dues from payroll systems and from offering employees paid leave for union activities, among other restrictions. 

House Bill 745 passed on a 45-23 vote Tuesday. 

“It does not prevent people from joining unions or having activities through their unions,” said sponsoring Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale. “It just prevents taxpayer money being spent on that union activity.”

Forty-five Republicans supported the bill. This included Rep. Clint Hostetler of Twin Falls, who argued that teachers’ union dues support the National Education Association’s “very leftist” ideology. 

“Taxpayer dollars belong in the schools for the children, for the purpose of learning, not for the association,” he said.

Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale

Rep. Soñia Galaviz, a public school teacher and member of the Boise Education Association, argued that teachers’ unions save taxpayer money. They conduct professional development and conflict mediation while helping teachers navigate their rights, said Galaviz, D-Boise. 

“All of that is provided for free to the school district,” she said. “I literally pay dues so I can do that work for other educators and my colleagues in the building and help out my school district.”

Under the bill, public school districts would be prohibited from: 

Deducting union dues from paychecks. 

Covering union dues in employee wages. 

Providing personal information about employees, including contact information, to the union. 

Requiring employees to meet with union representatives. 

Communicating on behalf of the union. 

Offering employees paid leave for union activities – although the union could still reimburse districts for paid leave, as it does now, or employees could use their own sick leave or paid time off. 

The bill applies to government labor unions broadly, but police and fire unions are exempt. Boyle said during a committee hearing last week that “law enforcement and firefighters are not included here to make them happy.”

Rep. Megan Egbert, D-Boise, argued that the bill should have made changes to the section of code that applies to teachers’ unions. “I fear for our firefighters and our police officers that all we are going to do is come for them next,” she said. 

HB 745 now goes to the Senate.

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Ryan Suppe

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 3, 2026

By Ryan Suppe and Kevin Richert

BOISE, Idaho — The House State Affairs Committee introduced a replacement bill that would update the state’s “harmful materials” library law. 

The new bill supplants House Bill 796. 

The previous version would have prohibited stores from selling material that’s harmful to minors “or” sexually explicit. The new bill would prohibit stores from selling material that’s harmful to minors “and” sexually explicit. 

Sponsoring Rep. Jaron Crane, R-Nampa, said the attorney general’s office recommended the change. 

It’s one of two bills introduced last week that are aimed at incorporating wording from a U.S. District Court ruling on the harmful materials law.

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Seth Ratliff

UPDATE:

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — A 27-year-old Madison County man faces multiple felony charges after an attempt to evade police led investigators to a cache of messages and sexually illicit photos from an underage girl in another state.

27-year-old Raymond Gruce has been charged with four felony counts of possession of sexually exploitative material, along with felony attempting to elude a police officer and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

The investigation into Gruce began on February 26, when he allegedly fled from a patrol deputy, leading to a short car chase. While executing a search warrant on Gruce’s phone in relation to that incident, a Madison County Sheriff’s Deputy discovered several photos containing illicit content that prompted a deeper investigation.

After obtaining a second search warrant for the Sexually Exploitative Material, investigators uncovered a gallery of Snapchat photos and videos featuring a partially or completely nude underage girl.

Investigators were able to track the victim’s identity through a message thread with an account titled “My Queen.” Those messages, which included discussions involving a possible pregnancy scare, linked the girl identified as “Heather” to an email address associated with a school in Nelson County, Kentucky.

Madison County investigators coordinated with regional law enforcement to confirm the girl’s identity. A Nelson County Sheriff’s Deputy positively identified the victim as a 17-year-old student currently attending high school in Kentucky.

Local law enforcement continued to coordinate with the Bardstown Police Department, the Kentucky State Police, and the Kentucky State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force to pursue charges against Gruce.

“This case shows the dedication law enforcement has to protecting children, no matter how near or far they are,” the MCSO stated in a news release.

Gruce was already being held at the Madison County Jail on unrelated charges at the time the new evidence was discovered. According to court documents, he refused further questioning by deputies and requested an attorney.

While the initial charges have been filed and a $100,000 bond has been set, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office says that the investigation remains ongoing.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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