Author: KIFI

Seth Ratliff

TETON COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — The Teton County Idaho Search and Rescue team is mourning the loss of a long-standing member after a fatal snowmobiling accident over the weekend. In a deeply moving Facebook tribute shared on Thursday, the volunteer organization identified the victim as Mark Bostleman, a dedicated teammate who had served as a leading advisor since joining the group in 2018.

The fatal crash happened on Sunday in the Big Hole Mountain Range, where it appears Bostleman was recreating at the time, according to the TCISAR Facebook page. TCISAR says his passing leaves a void in the team he served with for over seven years.

RELATED: 63-year-old man killed in Big Hole Mountain snowmobile crash

Mark Bostleman, Courtesy TCISAR

In a Facebook post, TCISAR describes Bostleman as a generous spirit who truly embodied the core mission of search and rescue. Throughout his tenure, he became known for a unique blend of leadership, humility, and grit.

“He will be remembered by his team, friends, and family—not only in Teton Valley but far beyond— for his contributions in the field, kindness, humor, and the sense of community he embodied. His absence is deeply felt by his fellow SAR members and the many lives he touched throughout this community,” said the post.

In a quirky reflection on his local impact and spirited personality, his teammates’ post fondly recalls how Drigg’s own Pizzeria Alpino named a menu item in his honor, known simply as “the Bostleman.”

The organization extended its deepest condolences to Bostleman’s family and friends, promising to honor his memory through continued service to the region.

“Mark will always be part of this team. In living memory, and in continued service,” states the post.

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News Team

UPDATED: 5:17 PM

BONNEVILLE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — A tactical standoff ended Tuesday morning after Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office deputies apprehended a wanted man who had barricaded himself inside a trailer near the Lane Clark Rest Area.

35-year-old Trevor Allen Clark, Courtesy BCSO

As of 10:30 AM, the BCSO SWAT Team took 35-year-old Trevor Allen Clark into custody. Clark was wanted on two active felony warrants for failing to appear in court, stemming from a September incident where Clark allegedly rammed his vehicle into several patrol cars.

Standoff Timeline

The incident began around 7:20 AM when BCSO deputies received a report that Clark was at a residence in the 1000 East block of Swan Valley Highway (Hwy 26). The caller told dispatch that Clark was allegedly destroying property and a vehicle and threatening another person at the scene.

Rushing to the area, the BCSO SWAT Team established a perimeter, closing off a two-mile stretch of Highway 26 between the Lane Clark Rest Area and Antelope Creek Road for public safety.

Sgt. Bryan Lovell says deputies were able to safely approach, separate, and move the other adult in the area out of harm’s way. At the same time, Clark left the trailer armed with an axe and walked into an open field.

According to Sgt. Lovell, Clark initially ignored the deputies’ commands to drop the weapon. Deputies deployed ‘less-lethal munitions’ to incapacitate him. Clark dropped the axe and was taken into custody without further incident.

Following the arrest, Clark was transported to a local hospital for medical clearance before being booked into the Bonneville County Jail on the outstanding warrants.

“We appreciate people’s understanding when we need to shut down a road, a busy highway like this, you know, interrupt traffic for a little while, and we try to do those things as quickly as possible and as safely as possible. We just don’t want people, in the line of sight or potential line of fire, you know, during these operations,” said Sergeant Bryan Lovell, PIO for the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.

Lovell confirms one else was injured in the incident, and Hwy 26 has now been reopened after being closed for around 45 minutes. The incident remains under investigation by BCSO.

ORIGINAL:

BONNEVILLE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office has blocked off a portion of U.S. Highway 26 east of Ririe due to a tactical incident involving a wanted suspect who has barricaded themselves near the Lane Clark Rest Area.

BCSO has blocked the highway from the Lane Clark Rest Area to Antelope Creek Road. Deputies and tactical teams are currently on the scene.

Drivers are being directed to avoid the area and seek alternate routes. No further details have been released at this time.

This is a breaking news story. Local News 8 will provide more details as they become available.

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Phillip Willis

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (KIFI) — According to “The Gonvalces Family Page” on Facebook, the parents of Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen met in Coeur d’Alene.

A wall honoring their children had been established as a memorial in McEuen park. The two families visited the engraved site, and shared pictures of the event on social media.

The post on the Goncalves family page says, in part, “… They will ever been forgotten. They are forever a part of Coeur d’Alene, ID…”

Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were victims of convicted murderer Bryan Kohberger. He was charged with four counts of first-degree murder, and will never see the memorial himself, as he spends four life terms in prison.

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Danielle Mullenix

Ammon, ID (KIFI) – Ammon food lovers are in for a treat this January with the opening of a new restaurant! Cafe Zupas will hold its grand opening on Thursday, January 15th, at 3771 South 25th East, located in the new retail center Foothills Square. This center is situated just south of Culver’s restaurant and Bass Pro Shops (formerly Cabela’s) on 25 East.

This will be the first of three Café Zupas restaurants to open in Eastern Idaho. Known for its healthy, satisfying menu, the restaurant offers a variety of dietary options, including protein bowls, sandwiches, soups, and made-to-order salads. One of the most popular items featured on the Cafe Zupas menu is the chocolate-covered strawberries served with every order.

“We’re excited to welcome Café Zupas to Foothills Square and to introduce such a beloved brand to the community,” said Tahri Molifua, Ball Ventures’ President of Real Estate. “As the first Café Zupas on this side of the state, this opening highlights our vision for Foothills Square as a hub for exciting, diverse, and high-quality retail experiences.”

In celebration of the grand opening, the cafe will offer $5 off customers’ first meal, free sweatshirt giveaways, and, for students, a Student ID to earn free drinks with every visit.

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Danielle Mullenix

Ammon, ID (KIFI) — Returning for the 6th year, the “Icy Inferno” Bonfire Night will offer a night of celebration for Ammon residents this weekend. Residents in the area are encouraged to drop off their live Christmas trees at McCowin Park, where they’ll fuel a large community bonfire this Saturday, featuring prizes, activities, and fireworks.

The city of Ammon is accepting live, undecorated, and unwrapped trees now through this Saturday at McCowin Park. The festivities will begin at 6 PM, with Ammon firefighters lighting the trees at 6:30 PM.

Many giveaways are being offered at this year’s celebration. With a wide variety of events and prizes to win, some of the evening’s lucky winners will walk away with a new Star Wars LEGO set from Brick & Minifigs, AirPods 4, a two-hour limousine service from Blacknight Limousine, and 2 tickets to see the musical “Guys and Dolls” at Centerstage Theatre.

For more information on the event schedule, location, and prizes, visit the City of Ammon’s official Facebook page.

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David Pace

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A voter initiative to repeal the grocery tax in Idaho is gaining traction in the state.

Every time you pay for bananas, carrots, bread and other groceries, you pay 6 percent sales tax to the state government.

Stand Up for Idaho hosted a public debate to discuss the merits and drawbacks of the proposal Wednesday in Idaho Falls.

Idaho Freedom Foundation President Ron Nate said the grocery tax is an unfair burden to taxpayers suffering from inflation.

“Families are hurting, the inflation during the Biden administration (was) over 30% – and I think that was an underestimate of the cost of food going up,” Nate said.

However, Rep. Rod Furniss, (R)-Rigby, said the sales tax on food provides an important revenue stream for education.

“We have about $3 billion in sales tax that we get throughout the state. Roughly, you know, 10.7 or 12.4 percent of it is grocery tax,” Furniss said. “So that generates around $200 million (in) revenue to the state. Sixty-five percent of that money goes to education.”

Furniss pointed out that each year, in-state residents receive a grocery tax credit of $155 per taxpayer on their tax returns, meaning these education funds are paid by out-of-state individuals.

“After we collect the sales tax, we get the money,” he explained. “We then give the (grocery tax) credit back and (with) the credit – the $155 – a family of four can roughly buy $10,333 worth of groceries.”

But Nate, who previously served in the Legislature, argued that the majority of legislators would support repealing the tax if leadership would back the measure.

“It is a dumb policy. It’s an unfair policy. It’s an unpopular policy, he said. “There’s only a few key people in the Idaho Legislature who want to keep this tax in place. And unfortunately, they’re in leadership. So they stop the bill before it even gets voted on.”

Idaho is one of four states that fully tax groceries, Nate pointed out.

Furniss argued that he would support removing the grocery tax if it were replaced with a revenue stream that primarily targets out-of-state buyers.

The debate is expected to continue, as supporters work to gather 70,000 signatures to qualify the grocery tax credit repeal voter initiative for November’s ballot.

For more information, you can view the full forum here.

Rep. Rod Furniss and Idaho Freedom Foundation President Ron Nate debate over repealing the grocery sales tax.

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The community of Pocatello is in for a treat very soon! The Chocolate Lover’s Affair, put on by the Pocatello Rotary Club at the Stephens Performing Arts Center, is next Saturday, January 23, from 6-9 pm.

The event features local bakery vendors and their decadent chocolate desserts for tasting. Guests purchase tickets in advance, and chocolate treat tasting is included. Wine will be available for purchase as well as silent auction items.

Many regional bakers have gotten their start at the Chocolate Lover’s Affair, including the owner of Shay’s Pie Place, Shay Longhurst. She provided 800 samples at the event a couple of years ago when she first began her bakery business.

“I ended up winning that competition,” Longhurst said. “It kicked my business into a whole other level. It was a risk to get out into the community, and then by winning, it became a bigger deal than I thought it was, and all of a sudden, people knew Shay’s Pie Place.”

Mersad Rezaei is the Fundraising Committee Chair for The Chocolate Lover’s affair and tells us the event provides a space for both established and upcoming master chocolatiers in the community to connect with customers.

“Our attendees over the past years have loved this event. It’s a chance for them to come and sample different chocolates, different brownies, fudge, pastries, and desserts from different vendors around town,” said Rezaei.

Some attending vendors this year include Camille’s Crepes, Woodland Orchards, and Snow Cookie Creations. The sponsors of the event, including Cole Chevrolet and others, will be in attendance.

The event is a fundraiser for the Pocatello Rotary Club. Rezaei says they aim to raise funds and do good with them.

“Some of the things the rotary club does you’ve probably seen around town,” he says. “We do the Little Free Libraries, which are especially for children and people in the community who don’t have access to cars, so they can still have access to books. Literacy is one of our core pillars we focus on at the Rotary Club, so we want to make sure to promote literacy and make it accessible for everybody.”

Miss Pocatello will also be at The Chocolate Lover’s Affair this year, and she says her personal initiative in the community perfectly aligns with the goals of the Rotary Club.

“I have a community initiative, which is Dyslexia Awareness Through Literacy, which fits right in with the Rotary Club of Pocatello. I’m so excited that I get to be a part of this with them,” said Rachele Story, Miss Pocatello 2025-2026.

Story encourages everyone in the community to purchase tickets and come to enjoy some chocolate and music next week.

“I’m looking forward to wearing a beautiful gown, eating some chocolate, and seeing all of the lovely faces in Pocatello that I represent,” she said. “Not just that I’m from this area, but that I get to know more of the 60,000 people that live here.”

“We start planning normally three to five months in advance before this event, a lot goes into it,” said Rezaei. “We’re so thankful for our Pocatello Rotary Club for putting this on, there’s nothing like it in the general vicinity of Pocatello.”

If you haven’t been to the Chocolate Lover’s Affair before, 2026 is the perfect year to start going.

“It gives people a chance to get out, go on a date night,” said Rezaei. “This is the perfect opportunity to purchase two tickets for you and your significant other as a Valentine’s Day gift.”

For more details about this year’s event and to purchase tickets, you can visit https://chocolateloversaffair.com/purchase-tickets/.

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Maile Sipraseuth

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) — Farnsworth Middle School was the center of a special celebration this Wednesday as students gathered for a special introduction. The guest of honor? A multi-ton Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) snowplow now officially christened “Catch My Drift.”

The naming is part of ITD’s second annual “Name a Snowplow” contest, a statewide initiative that turns road safety into a creative challenge for 6th through 12th graders. This year, Farnsworth Middle School rose to the top, beating out a record-breaking number of entries with their pun-filled winning submission.

The “meet-and-greet” allowed students to see the massive machine up close as it goes about its winter rounds.

According to ITD, naming the plows serves for more than just a laugh. ITD believes the name will make the plows more visible to drivers and less likely to be hit. 

“We just kind of thought it was a good way for Idaho to reach out public, get their input and feedback, and have an educational arm for trying to reach out to people about snowplow safety,” ITD’s Public Information Officer, Sky Buffet, said.

While the winter has been relatively mild so far, ITD officials say “Catch My Drift” is fueled up and ready to hit the pavement as soon as the next storm rolls through.

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Max Gershon

EAST IDAHO (KIFI) — A recent nationwide analysis of 129,825 fatal crashes by ISelect has revealed a trend: US highways, are the site of the most deadly accidents across in Idaho. The data shows over the past five years there have been 1,071 fatal crashes recorded statewide. Here’s the breakdown by road type where fatal crashes occur: State highways: 35%, U.S. highways: 40%, Interstates: 24%, Local streets: 1%.

This finding challenges the common perception that high-speed interstates pose the greatest risk. State highways often feature a mix of higher speeds, frequent access points, intersections, varying traffic types (including pedestrians, cyclists, and slower vehicles), and less separation between opposing lanes—factors that can elevate crash severity compared to controlled-access interstates.

According to the analysis, the top 10 roads in Idaho with the highest number of fatal crashes over the five-year period are:

Rank
Idaho Roads
Total Crashes

1
US-95
84

2
I-84
81

3
US-20
56

4
I-15
38

5
SR-55
35

6
US-93
31

7
US-30
24

8
US-12
20

9
SR-75
18

10
US-26
18

Local News 8 spoke with Sky Buffat from the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) about why state and U.S. highways see more fatal crashes than interstates. She explained that these roads serve as “lifelines” for communities across the Gem State.

“They are lifelines, I-15 connects Pocatello and Idaho Falls. Those are daily travel for many people in our area,” the official noted. “U.S. 20 is a major artery and lifeline, because they’re the most heavily used… This is what connects all of our communities. It’s where people live, work, play, all of it. It does fall to reason that they with us have the traffic, which gives the propensity for there to be crashes.”

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Seth Ratliff

TETON COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — A weekend excursion turned tragic in the Big Hole Mountain range after a 63-year-old man lost his life in a snowmobile crash.

The incident took place on Sunday afternoon, January 11. At around 3:00 PM, Teton County Idaho Search and Rescue (TCISAR) received an urgent call for help involving a snowmobiler who’d crashed into a tree.

Sending out a ground and short-haul helicopter team, TCISAR transported him to an awaiting ambulance. Despite the rapid response and the life-saving measures performed by volunteer rescuers and emergency medical personnel, the man succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

“We do wish to express our deepest condolences to his friends and family,” TCISAR wrote in a post on Facebook. The identity of the victim has not yet been released.

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