Author: KIFI

Seth Ratliff

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — Due to an unseasonal and total lack of snow, the City of Rexburg’s Winterfest 2026 has put on permanent ice. The Rexburg Parks and Recreation Department confirmed the cancellation on Facebook.

City leadership had initially put celebration on ice, postponing the event until January 24, in hopes of a late-season storm, but with no significant snowfall in the forecast, the city chose to call off the festivities entirely.

Winterfest typically serves as a highlight of the Rexburg winter season, usually held in January or February, featuring traditions like the Cupid Cup cross-country ski race and a polar plunge.

“Without winter conditions, Winterfest won’t take place this year, but we already have some big plans in mind for our 2027 event,” the city stated in their Facebook post. “Thanks for understanding, and we’ll see you next year… when winter will hopefully decide to show up.”

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KTVB

By: Abby Wilt

Published: 10:24 PM MST January 18, 2026

For updates in this story, click HERE.

BOISE, Idaho (KTVB) — Idaho Fish and Game is proposing new regulations to the Idaho legislature this session that would restrict hunters’ use of advanced technology during big game season, after concerns about advancements in hunting equipment.

The regulations stem from recommendations provided by a group of 23 hunters, bear baiters, trappers, long-range shooters and wolf hunters, who advised Fish and Game on fair hunting practices in Idaho. After a public comment period, the agency is now presenting the proposal to state lawmakers.

The proposed rules would restrict four main technologies from Aug. 30 through Dec. 31: drones, night vision equipment, thermal imaging optics and transmitting trail cameras. Hunters would not be able to retrieve animals after their death using these technologies.

Under the proposal, hunters would be completely prohibited from using drones for scouting or hunting big game animals. Night vision and thermal imaging technology could not be used for scouting, hunting or retrieval of big game animals. Transmitting trail cameras would be banned on federal, state or local land for big game hunting and scouting, though Idahoans could still use them to monitor private property and photograph wildlife.

The proposals have drawn mixed reactions from Idaho hunters.

Michael La Course, who has hunted in Idaho since 2012, said he understands the rationale behind some restrictions but worries excessive regulations could diminish both the enjoyment and practicality of hunting.

“I can see, in a sense, where they’re coming from,” La Course said. 

La Course said he agrees with the elimination of drones, but would like to still use thermal imaging and trail cameras. 

“Thermal imaging makes it a lot easier to find your animal just because you can literally walk past it 20 yards,” La Course said. “If you lost the blood trail, you would never find it, and you have to circle and circle. If you have thermal vision, [you] will be able to recover them.”

La Course said some regulations are necessary to protect wildlife but expressed concern about overregulation.

“If we are starting to restrict more and more, it’s going to hurt us in the long run,” La Course said. “It is very important to preserve that way of life.”

Idaho Fish and Game told KTVB they will not comment on pending legislation, and it has not yet been introduced to the legislature. 

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The lottery period is officially open for Gem Prep: Idaho Falls, the city’s newest tuition-free K-12 public charter school, ahead of its scheduled opening for the 2026-2027 academic year. Interested parents of young students have until February 26, 2026, to enter the enrollment lottery.

Gem Prep: Idaho Falls marks the 8th in a network of free charter schools across the Gem State. Crews broke ground on the new Charter School last September, and construction is projected to be finished in time for students to begin classes in mid-August 2026.

“The walls are up, and the windows and doors are going in as we speak. We are one step closer to opening this campus,” the school wrote in a January Newsletter.

For more information or to directly enroll in the lottery process, click HERE. Gem Prep will also host an in-person information session for interested parents on Wednesday, January 28, at 7:00 PM at the Idaho Falls Library.

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Maile Sipraseuth

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The Eastern Idaho Ag Expo kicked off today, January 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the ICCU Dome.

Over 150 companies were at the ICCU Dome and the Student Union Ballroom. Vendors said events like these are important for agricultural businesses to make connections with farmers.

“Everybody has this platform to show off the new products that they offer. And the things that the customers aren’t aware of that are out there. And so they get an idea of how they can better their company as well,” Corey Baumbach, outside salesman of Fairbank, said.

Vendors also saw the importance of visibility and collaboration within the agricultural sector.

“It’s important to just show the industry that we’re here and to reach out to farmers and other vendors to connect and make an impact in the community,” Anthony Schilling, sales manager, eastern Idaho salesman and agronomist of Magic Valley Compost, said.

The next three days are to focus on the potato industry, and the potato conference topics include:

Optimizing Temperature and Humidity for Storage

Management of Potato Viruses

Integrated Pest Management

Mitigating Pesticide Drift 

Over 25 hours of workshops and seminars will include Impact of Hail and Tuber Bruising, nematode management, glyphosate stewardship, Optimizing Potato Variety Selection, nutrient management, and more.

The event will be held through Wednesday, Jan. 21, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

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KIVI Staff

Originally Published: 5:55 PM, Jan 19, 2026

By: Brady Caskey

BOISE, Idaho (KIVI) — A new way to pay could be coming to Idaho — letting residents buy everyday items with gold or silver using a debit card linked to physical precious metals.

Lawmakers heard how the proposal might work at a meeting on Monday, January 19.

“What we would like to see is a system that is backed by gold and silver, where people can actually use it in the day-to-day sphere,” said Idaho State Sen. Josh Kohl, who is spearheading the idea in Idaho.

“I think there would be a state depository where Idahoans could put in certain accounts, their accounts, of gold and silver, and then they could use that,” he said.

Kohl says the precious metals-based system could help protect Idahoans from inflation.

“But that’s actually gold and silver that they’re using to make purchases and not a devaluing dollar,” Kohl said.

Similar systems have been implemented in Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, and Florida. Economic author Kevin Freeman said Idaho could benefit from creating a transactional gold and silver system.

“States can make gold and silver coin, let’s just make them modern — let’s slap a debit card on them and allow people to spend gold and silver as real money,” Freeman said.

He said the move could make owning precious metals more accessible for everyday use.

“Under the system, you could buy $100 or $10 or $50 worth of gold or silver and use it like money,” Freeman said.

For the system to work, the state would need to create a depository to hold gold and silver controlled by individual Idahoans.

“But the underlying value is gold or silver, not paper,” Freeman said.

Even so, prices for gold and silver can still fluctuate.

“It’s really optional, it’s a choice. Now the downside would be gold could go down in value, it could go down against the dollar,” Freeman said.

“The real question is, how do we make this fit for Idaho best?” Kohl added.

Kohl says he is working on legislation this session to lay the framework for gold and silver to be used in everyday transactions.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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David Pace

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Twenty-four individuals commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a b-r–r–r–rave display of courage – confronting the icy waters of the Snake River in a cold plunge on Monday morning. 

Patrick Toussaint started the event reading from King’s famous “I Have a Dream” address. He recited stories of racism he experienced growing up as a young man in Miami, Florida.

“In Florida, I was public enemy number one – black guy crossing the street, they see me coming, I’d hear the door lock,” Toussaint said. “I’m walking along the street. Lady sees me; she crosses the street. If I’m in the supermarket, a lady sees me; she’s moving her purse to the other side.”

However, here in Idaho he reports his mixed racial family has been embraced.

“I haven’t felt racial stuff here,” he said, before repeating King’s immortalized lines, “I have a dream that one day my children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Immediately following Toussaint’s statements, the cold plungers jumped, waded or flipped into the 27-degree waters of the Snake River.

Organizers started the morning by chipping away four inches of ice in preparation for the event.

The cold plunge serves as a reminder that “courage is rarely comfortable.”

“Thank you, Brother [Martin Luther] King, because of what you did back then, I’m living the dream right now,” Toussaint said afterward. “I love doing hard things. Again, back in the day with Martin Luther King, things were hard for black people.”

He said the cold plunge helps him “assimilate some kind of toughness to overcome that, because that’s what this is all about – overcoming.”

“We came to celebrate Martin Luther King Day here in Idaho Falls,” said Andy Johnson, a cold plunger extraordinaire. “… because we have a dream, as far as what he stood for, as far as the civil rights and liberties that we get to exercise in this country. How better to celebrate it than with a cold plunge?!”

Johnson led a group of hardcore enthusiasts in submersing in a two-feet-square hole in the ice. 

“We got to be able to chip out the ice, and be able to choose our mind over our physical needs,” he said.

During college, organizer Tyler Price heard Rosa Parks tell her experiences from the Civil Rights movement in person, and said that the struggle for civil rights and human dignity continues today.

Taking the plunge in today’s divisive climate, he said, means standing up to injustice while respecting each other’s differences and disagreeing respectfully. 

Tyler Price takes a plunge to end racism, and Patrick Toussaint speaks about civil rights on Monday.

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Maile Sipraseuth

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI)– Idaho’s newly launched Parental Choice Tax Credit program drew heavy interest from families with over 3,300 applications submitted within the first few hours, but it is now facing scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers.

Background

The Parental Choice Tax Credit program provides a refundable tax credit of up to $5,000 per eligible child ($7,500 for children with qualifying disabilities) to help cover education expenses for students attending non-public schools. Families can use these funds for private school tuition, homeschooling expenses, curriculum costs, and other education-related expenses.

RELATED: Idaho Parents Rush to Apply for New Parental Choice Tax Credit Program

Idaho Democrats call for a pause on funds

“We’re worried that the Idaho Tax Commission has not built in enough oversight (in) how that money is spent. We know of no auditor who’s going to go check to make sure that the money is spent properly. No clawback provisions to make sure that the money, if it’s misspent, fraudulently wasted, there’s no clawback provision that will allow the state Tax Commission to get that money back, or at least nothing that’s enforceable,” District 29 Senator James Ruchti said, who helped draft the letter to the Idaho Tax Commission Chairman Jeff McCray.

When asked whether the request to pause funding was a response to a letter from Republican chairs of the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee calling on the Department of Health and Welfare to freeze child care payments, Sen. James Ruchti said the same standard should apply to the Parental Choice tax credit program.

“If you’re going to do it for payments made to child care centers based on something happening in one state, Minnesota, then why wouldn’t we do that exact same thing for the voucher program when there’s so much evidence that in voucher programs in other states, there is waste, fraud, and abuse, all over the place. And so we should do that here in Idaho and make sure we’re spending our Idaho taxpayer money with some oversight,” Ruchti said.

Ruchti also raised concerns about how the tax credit could affect public school funding, particularly in rural and aging school districts. He says the program prioritizes private and religious schools while longstanding infrastructure problems in public schools remain unaddressed.

“If you’re in Idaho Falls and your kids attend a school where the ceiling tiles are falling down in the hallway or in the classroom, or you’re in Salmon and your kids go to a school where the sewage is running underneath the cafeteria, you have a situation where the state of Idaho is going to send $50 million to private schools and religious schools, while your kids classroom still struggles with those issues. It’s just not right. And it’s going to get worse because we’re going to start cutting K-12 budgets,” Ruchti said.

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Seth Ratliff

SALT LAKE, Utah (KIFI) — Erika Kirk has filed a formal motion pushing for a speedy trial for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of murdering her husband, Charlie Kirk. The filing alleges that Robinson and his defense are intentionally stalling the criminal justice process.

In the motion filed last week, Kirk cited the Utah Code, which guarantees the victims of a crime the right to a “speedy disposition” of charges and protection from “unwarranted delay” caused by the defendant.

“Nobody believed in the importance of the United States Constitution more than Charlie Kirk. And although the United States Constitution guarantees criminal defendants many rights, it does not guarantee them the right to cause undue delay in the criminal justice process,” states Kirk’s motion.

“The Defendant in this case is entitled to a fair trial, and he must be given one, but he is not entitled to cause undue delay to the criminal justice process,” it continued.

Kirk’s motion was filed on January 16, the same day Robinson’s defense team attempted to disqualify the Utah County Attorney’s Office from the case. At the hearing, Robinson’s attorneys argued that because the daughter of a deputy county attorney attended the rally where Charlie Kirk was fatally shot, the Office should not be allowed to try the case due to a conflict of interest.

This argument was met with sharp criticism from Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray, who characterized the motion as a “stalling tactic,” as reported by Fox 13 in Salt Lake.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — This year, the College of Eastern Idaho recorded an all-time high of 625 students enrolled in its apprenticeship programs. The school says this increased enrollment reflects a rapid regional growth and demand for skilled trades.

Enrollment at CEI’s apprenticeship programs has been climbing for the past three years straight, reaching 496 students in 2025 and 422 in 2024. The programs, which include Electrical, Plumbing, and HVAC, provide students with both classroom instruction and real-world, on-the-job training.

The college attributed the success and growth of the apprenticeship programs to the quality of its instructors — whose real-world knowledge provides students with invaluable insight and experience — and CEI’s Program Manager, Josiah Bell. CEI says Bell’s leadership and commitment have been instrumental in the program’s continued growth and high retention rates.

To keep up with the growing demand in the program, the college just launched a new January start date for several programs that traditionally are only offered in the fall. Looking ahead, CEI plans to explore opportunities to expand access, including multiple annual start dates and hybrid learning options in the future.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Idahoans may catch a rare glimpse of a celestial display Monday night as a powerful solar event sends the northern lights further south. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch effective from January 19 through January 21, following a massive eruption of solar material over the weekend.

The disruption was triggered by what scientists call a Coronal Mass Ejection —a burst of solar plasma—that blasted from the sun on January 18. NOAA says this event was accompanied by a “Strong” R3-class solar flare originating near the center of the solar disk.

According to the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the resulting radiation storm is the most significant of its kind in over 20 years.

RELATED: Sun releases the largest solar radiation storm ‘in over 20 years,’ forecasters say

“The last time S4 levels were observed was in October 2003,” the SWPC shared on X. “Potential effects are mainly limited to space launch, aviation, and satellite operations.”

While high-level solar activity can cause disruptions to power grids and satellite communications, solar radiation is the cause behind the Northern Lights. Under the current forecast, the aurora may be visible across much of the northern half of the United States, and even as far south as northern California, according to SWPC. The only question is – will residents in southeastern Idaho be able to see the lights, considering the overcast skies in Monday night’s forecast?

If you manage to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights through a break in the weather, we want to see it. Send your photos to Local News 8 for a chance to be featured on our social media pages and during our evening broadcast. To share your photos, click HERE.

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