Author: KIFI

News Team

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — The City of Blackfoot is calling on the community for leads after a vandal or vandals violently smashed a stall in the men’s restroom at Jenson’s Grove.

In a Facebook post, the City of Blackfoot shared photos of the vandalism. Due to the damage, the men’s restroom at the park is closed until further notice.

The city is now asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the Blackfoot Police Department.

“We appreciate the community’s help in keeping City facilities safe and respectful,” the city stated in its post.

For more information, click HERE.

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Par Kermani

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) – The Blackfoot Animal Shelter is facing a critical overcrowding crisis, with officials reporting that the facility has been at maximum capacity every day since opening its new doors last May.

Shelter Director Amanda Cevering said the situation has reached a “dire” point, driven by a relentless surge in abandoned animals and unchecked local breeding.

Since the beginning of 2026, the shelter has already rescued between an estimated 300 and 400 animals, which puts them on track to meet and exceed their typical annual average of 1,500 rescues.

“Every shelter, rescue, foster homes… everybody’s full,” Cevering said. “And it’s because people keep breeding and breeding and breeding.”

The severity of the crisis was highlighted recently when four puppies were found abandoned in a small kennel at a Walmart loading dock.

The mixed-breed abandoned puppies were discovered covered in filth and feces, suffering from hunger and thirst. While police recovered the puppies, the angle of the security footage prevented authorities from identifying a license plate on the vehicle involved.

Cevering said the dumps are happening “all too often.” She added, “We’ve been at our new facility since May. And we have stayed at full capacity.”

With the Easter holiday approaching, shelter staff are also warning the community against the practice of giving animals as gifts. Cevering said the shelter regularly receives calls from people looking to surrender pets they received as presents but no longer want.

“Do not give animals as gifts,” Cevering said. “And remember, animals are a lifelong commitment. It’s not just until they grow out of their cuteness. It’s forever”.

To combat the overcrowding, the shelter is urging residents to prioritize spaying and neutering their pets. Cevering dispelled common myths about breeding, noting that fixing pets can prevent various forms of cancer.

She noted that with animal shelters constantly at full capacity and not enough people adopting, it makes it difficult to care for and give all animals a chance.

“No kill does not mean absolutely no kill. It just means you stay at a certain amount, or the animals are not euthanized on the premises.” Cevering noted, “Euthanasia is something that nobody wants to talk about. Nobody wants to think about. They want to turn a blind eye to it… However, you’ve got to look at the bigger picture.”

As a nonprofit organization reliant on donations, the shelter is encouraging those looking for a pet to choose adoption over breeders. Cevering emphasized that the shelter’s goal is to find the right behavioral fit for a family, rather than just matching based on appearance.

For more information on adoption or how you can donate to help the shelter, click HERE.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — One of the oldest women in the world is making one final journey back to Idaho, where she’ll be laid to rest.

Bonita Gibson, who passed away in Canton, Michigan, on March 10 at the remarkable age of 114, is returning to the state where her family tilled the earth and farmed potatoes for over three decades. At the time of her passing, Gibson was the oldest living person in Michigan, the second-oldest in the United States, and the seventh-oldest person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group.

Witness to a Century

Long before she became a supercentenarian, Bonita lived through some of the pivotal moments of American history.

She was born on July 4, 1911, to John Franklin and Ella Mabel Spear, 6 years before the United States entered the First World War. In April 1930, she married Kenneth Gibson in Oregon, Missouri. Two years later, at the height of the Great Depression, the young couple migrated west to the Gem State to join Kenneth’s uncle in the wheat business.

Eventually, the couple settled in Newdale, where Kenneth transitioned into the potato industry. Following the end of World War II in 1946, the Gibsons moved to Idaho Falls. Bonita remained a fixture of the community until Kenneth’s passing in October 2003, after 72 years of marriage, according to her obituary.

The Secret to 114 Years

Bonita’s deep connection to Idaho went beyond her 70+ years living in the Gem State; Up until she was 109 bonita would keep a fridge bottom drawer full of Idaho potatoes for cooking in her retirement home apartment, reports WXYZ-TV in Michigan.

Last summer, the Idaho Potato Commission helped her celebrate her milestone birthday in style, driving the famous 72-foot fiberglass “Great Big Idaho Potato” to her retirement home in Michigan.

Courtesy, WXYZ-TV

While she spent her final years in the Midwest, Bonita’s final resting place will be at Fielding Memorial Park Cemetery in Idaho Falls.

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CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 24 MAR 26 17:39 ET

By Pat Reavy

Click here for updates on this story

    MIDVALE (KSL) — A joyride on the hood of a car on I-215 — apparently all for social media hits that had reached 9 million views as of Tuesday morning — caught the attention of more than just the man’s followers.

After the Utah Highway Patrol saw the video, they tracked the 20-year-old man down and arrested him.

About 7:30 p.m. on March 14, a West Valley man — who describes himself as a “digital creator” on Facebook — posted a video of himself riding on the hood of a moving vehicle on eastbound I-215 between about State Street and Union Park Avenue. The edited video shows the man sitting on the hood, then kneeling with flowers and a ring as if he’s proposing to someone, and lying on the hood while talking on the phone.

His actions are recorded by a camera inside the vehicle.

UHP troopers were made aware of the video on the morning of March 15.

“Based on the recklessness of the male on the hood of the vehicle, troopers believed if he fell off, he could have caused serious injury to others or himself. Troopers then began conducting an investigation into the reckless incident,” a police booking affidavit states.

“Troopers went to the area of 230 East on I-215 South eastbound and located multiple red/orange/yellow flowers that matched the flowers used in the video,” according to the affidavit. They then tracked down the man whose name was on the Facebook profile where the video was posted.

Monday, troopers went to the man’s home and placed him into custody.

“While transporting (the man) to the Salt Lake County Jail, he (said) he made a dumb decision and that riding on the hood was a terrifying situation,” the affidavit alleges.

The man’s car, which had an expired registration, was impounded after troopers “located containers with nicotine pouches inside, an open container of an alcoholic beverage with alcohol inside in the center console, and two unopened alcoholic beverages in the trunk,” the affidavit says.

The man was booked into jail for investigation of several misdemeanor crimes, including reckless endangerment, aggravated disorderly conduct on the highway, having an expired registration, having an open container of alcohol in the car, and being a person under 21 and possessing alcohol.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. ­­­KSL 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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Kevin Richert

Originally Posted: 03/24/2026, IdahoEdNews

By: Kevin Richert and Ryan Suppe

BOISE, Idaho — A late-session bill to address school sexual abuse investigations sailed through the Senate.

Without debate, the Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 1412 — a response to the spate of tort claims filed against the Boise School District, involving former special education assistant Gavin Snow.

SB 1412 would add whistleblower protections for school employees who report sexual abuse. The bill also would prohibit schools from conducting “an internal review or investigation of alleged abuse, abandonment, or neglect of a child in lieu of reporting to law enforcement.”

During opening remarks, the bill’s Senate sponsor said SB 1412 is designed to bring consistency to the process of vetting applicants and hiring staffers.

“Student safety should never depend on whether the right steps are followed,” said Sen. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton.

Introduced in Senate committee just last week, the bill heads to the House.

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KIVI Staff

Originally Published: 24 MAR 26 14:27 ET

By Lorien Nettleton

Click here for updates on this story

    BURLEY, Idaho (KIVI) — A 77-year-old retired veteran in Burley is fighting to keep his home after a cash-for-homes company filed a lawsuit against him over an electronic contract he says he never understood.

Ron Paget, who has lived in his Burley house since 2013, has until this Thursday, March 26, to formally reply to the lawsuit in court. He is currently trying to raise enough money to hire a lawyer.

“To me, it’s been a whole scam all the way through,” Paget said.

In January of this year, Paget received an estimate for roof repairs that would cost him about $100,000. He commented to the roofer that it would make more sense to sell the house.

“And he says, ‘I’ll give you $350,000 for it,’ and I says ‘Well, fine, I’ll give you a week to come up with it,'” Paget said.

After a week had passed, Paget called the roofer as a courtesy to tell him he was going to list the house with a realtor. The roofer told him he had a realtor friend who could help sell his house.

That is when Paget started getting documents in his email asking for signatures. He said he did not realize he was signing off on the agreement simply by clicking through each page.

“It would only take you through the little places where you’re supposed to sign in, so you push on that and sign it, and then when that’s done, it all disappears. That’s the stuff I couldn’t even read,” Paget said.

Paget changed his mind about selling altogether because of the hassle and sought to cancel the agreement. He then started receiving emails from someone named Char Hiaring.

“I never opened any of his emails because I figured I didn’t even know who he is. Why would I open his e-mails if I don’t know who he is?” Paget said.

Hiaring describes himself on social media as a multi-millionaire real estate investor and influencer. He is also listed on the Secretary of State’s website as the principal contact for Sell My House Idaho, LLC. Both Hiaring and the company are named in the lawsuit filed against Paget on March 6.

Teresa Loya, who has 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, said there are a variety of red flags in how this sale progressed.

“Typically, you know, in a real estate transaction, the seller and buyer are both aware of who each other are,” Loya said.

“Pressure to sign quickly, pressure to sign in a manner that you’re not comfortable with, if that’s a lot of times, that can be an electronic signature situation,” Loya said.

A GoFundMe fundraiser is hoping to help the fixed-income veteran cover costs for an attorney.

Neighborhood Reporter Lorien Nettleton has tried to call and email Hiaring and his businesses to understand their side of the deal, but has yet to hear back.

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

DRIGGS, Idaho (KIFI) — A boil water advisory for residents living north of Valley Center Drive. Recent testing confirms that the water supply is once again safe to drink.

The advisory was triggered after a city water system valve was accidentally closed, causing a significant drop in water pressure. When pressure drops below certain levels, there is a potential risk for backflow, which can allow bacteria, viruses, and parasites to enter the supply.

While the water is safe, residents in the affected areas should flush their taps by running cold water for 3–5 minutes before drinking or cooking.

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Kaeden Lincoln

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 24, 2026

By: Kaeden Lincoln

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of candidate profiles Idaho Education News will publish ahead of the May 19 primary election. We’re highlighting competitive races impacting education policy. Click here to see our Elections webpage featuring a list of all candidates and much more. Click here to see your voter information. Follow our elections blog for breaking news and insights.

AMMON, Idaho — A first-term lawmaker and a former representative are on a collision course in District 35 — with different ideas about what should drive Idaho policy.

Incumbent Rep. Mike Veile is defending his seat against former lawmaker Chad Christensen in the upcoming Republican primary.

Veile is centering his campaign on education and collaborative policymaking, while Christensen is returning with a focus on law-and-order conservatism and support for school choice measures like Idaho’s new private school tax credit.

“One size doesn’t fit all for our kids,” Christensen told EdNews.

But Veile says he’s just settling in as representative of the district covering a large swath of Bonneville County and Teton, Caribou, and Bear Lake counties.

He hopes to continue focusing on education. 

“I just love getting in the middle of some of these bills,” he said. 

Incumbent: Mike Veile

Occupation: Engineer
History of elected service: One term in Idaho House. Appointed in 2025.
Campaign website: mikeveileforidaho.com

 

 

Gov. Brad Little appointed Veile to office last year after former Rep. Kevin Andrus was tapped by the Trump administration for a U.S. Department of Agriculture role.

As a former Soda Springs School District trustee, he said education tops his priorities if reelected — and he values including as many people as possible in the legislative process.

“I love sitting down in a room with different stakeholders and trying to get to a result,” he said.

This session, his priorities have revolved around several education-focused bills, including:

House Bill 883, which gives state funding flexibility to districts that meet certain academic benchmarks.

House Bill 712, which would create a state seal of excellence in civics to appear on high school diplomas for qualifying graduates.

Senate Bill 1339, which Veile sponsored alongside Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, to create a requirement for school districts to adopt strategic performance improvement plans with measurable goals.

Rep. Michael Veile at the House Education Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (Sean Dolan/EdNews)

He finds charter schools innovative and a model Idaho public schools can learn from, but he worries they divide families between haves and have-nots depending on things like at-home support and special needs.

“We cannot turn our backs on those students,” he said of students with special needs. “They will become members of our society. It’s in all of our best interests to make them as successful as possible.”

He wants to increase special education budgets, especially in smaller districts, to support paying for things like speech pathology and to boost support for undertrained paraprofessionals.

Veile opposes private school tax credits. Idaho doesn’t have the funding to support multiple education systems, he said. He worries directing dollars to private schools reduces the effectiveness of money for public schools. 

He’s unsure what kind of funding model would solve problems in school budgets, but he doesn’t think it’s as simple as keeping the state’s average-daily-attendance model or even shifting to an enrollment-based approach.

“I think there’s other factors that are rapidly changing in how students do their learning through online avenues and things like that, which don’t make it an easy answer,” he said. “So that would be something that I think needs to be looked at differently.”

He believes Idaho is typically fiscally responsible, but some recent decisions unsettle him.

“Fiscal responsibility is also not passing costs on to our local governments,” he said about bills that impact property taxes. “I’m here to push bills that advance. I’m interested in making things better. I’m not interested in punishing.”

Challenger: Chad Christensen

Occupation: Real estate agent
History of elected service: District 35 representative, 2018-22.
Website: chadforidaho.com

 

 

Christensen lost his House seat to former Rep. Josh Wheeler by 362 votes – a 4% difference – in the 2022 Republican primary. He withdrew the following cycle because he supported Andrus, who left for the Trump administration.

If elected, Christensen said he would prioritize issues of welfare recipient fraud and would seek harsher penalties for sex offenders, issues he focused on during his previous tenure in office.

Chad Christensen (Photo courtesy of Chad Christensen for Idaho)

His children once attended public schools, he said. But when his son suffered an ankle injury, he switched to an online school. The experience left Christensen feeling that public schools should be funded based on enrollment, rather than average daily attendance.

Education isn’t his primary focus, he said, but he supports school choice, public schools and career-technical education. He said he doesn’t want people to think he’s against traditional public school because he supports school choice.

“I support all education avenues,” Christensen said. 

Consolidating some school districts is an area he would like to explore, he said, as long as it is economically feasible. Consolidation proposals have gained traction in recent years, including in Vermont, where enrollment has shrunk in the last two decades.

Christensen expressed concerns about a lack of conservatism in the Statehouse. 

“The people in Idaho are conservative. I think the Legislature doesn’t mirror that,” he said.

He feels some representatives campaign on conservative platforms and then vote more liberally.

“I’m a true conservative,” he said.

Fundraising –  2026 election cycle

Chad Christensen

Beginning cash balance: $5,083
Total contributions: $17,130
Total expenditures: $11,975
Ending cash balance: $5,539

Mike Veile

Beginning cash balance: $7,342
Total contributions: $8,750 (+$16,000 loan)
Total expenditures: $7,155
Ending cash balance: $17,595

Source: Idaho Sunshine, as of March 23

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Kaelyn Blessinger

Boise, Idaho — Idahoans are being warned about another wave of scam text messages circulating across the state. These messages include links to pay for traffic tickets or vehicle registrations that are not real.

The Idaho Transportation Department stress, these text messages for unpaid traffic fines are NOT from them or the Department of Motor Vehicles.

“Scammers are still targeting Idahoans with messages that look official but are completely fraudulent,” said Lisa McClellan, DMV Administrator. If the link does not end in a dot gov address, it’s a scam.”

If you receive one of these messages, do not click any links and do not provide personal or payment information. Report the message to your mobile carrier and delete it. 

For accurate and secure information about DMV services in Idaho, always visit www.dmv.idaho.gov.

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Maile Sipraseuth

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Ticks may be tiny, but they can carry serious diseases, making prevention especially important during outdoor activities like hiking, camping, or even working in your yard.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare warns that local insects carry several diseases of concern. In southeast Idaho, ticks are known to spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick-borne relapsing fever, and tularemia.

One way ticks jump into your home is through your pets.

“So normally ticks are outside and are brought in from pets going outside and coming inside. Most commonly grassy areas, wooded areas, places with high grass such as fields. But they can get into your yard,” Elise, a Certified Veterinary Technician at the Idaho Falls Veterinary Hospital, said.

“A bite can cause a disease that might seriously impact your health. It’s important to do everything you can to avoid getting bitten,” said IDHW in a 2022 news release.

This year can be especially bad for ticks in Southeast Idaho due to the unusually warm winter, and it’s taking a toll on veterinary clinics.

“The fact that we had such a mild winter does give them a longer breeding season, and we do expect to see a lot more ticks this year,” Elise said.

Removal is important especially to ensure that the tick is successfully removed.

“If you find a tick on your pet, stay calm [and] ideally, you want to get tweezers and then you want to grasp it firmly where it meets the skin and then pull with constant pressure,” Elise. said

The CDC recommends several simple steps to reduce your risk:

Before going outside

Use EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, or similar ingredients

Wear long sleeves and long pants when possible

Treat clothing and gear with permethrin for added protection

While outdoors

Stay in the center of trails and avoid tall grass and brush

Be cautious in wooded or shaded areas where ticks are common

After coming inside

Check your entire body for ticks, especially under arms, behind knees, and around hairlines

Shower within two hours to wash off unattached ticks

Put clothes in the dryer on high heat to kill any ticks

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