Author: KIFI

Curtis Jackson

MALAD, Idaho (KIFI) – A brush fire near the Idaho-Utah border has grown to over 1,500 acres. The fire is west of Interstate 15 in the Samaria Mountains area.

BLM fire managers said the ‘Buckboard Fire,’ started around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15, approximately 10 miles southwest of Malad. The cause is labeled as natural.

No evacuations have been ordered, and no structures are threatened.

Buckboard Fire burning near Idaho-Utah border on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Courtesy: BLM

Multiple fire agencies are working the fire, including BLM, USFS Caribou-Targhee National Forest, BIA, Oneida County Fire, Malad Fire Department, and Holbrook Fire Department. Single Engine Air Tankers responded Tuesday as well.

Buckboard Fire burning near Idaho-Utah border on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Courtesy: BLM

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Stephanie Lucas

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Since its introduction in May, President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill has been a dominant topic in the news. Now that it’s been signed into law, Local News 8 had a chance to sit down with Senator Mike Crapo, and get his take on what he thinks are the most important points of the legislation.

“The bottom line is that we have taken the first big steps to make sure Americans aren’t slammed by a huge tax hike and have given them additional tax cuts,” said Crapo. “We have taken big steps to take this waste, fraud, and abuse out of the Medicaid system without harming the benefits of those for whom it was intended. And we are moving forward now to do the rest of the work to try to bring our national debt under control.”

One of the tax strategies from the bill Senator Crapo referred to is the Tax Cuts and Job Act, also known as the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts. The cuts reduced income tax rates across various brackets, with the top rate at 37% and the bottom at 10%. If the cuts were not extended, rates would have reverted to pre-2017 levels, which were higher.

“We made the TCJA permanent,” said Crapo. “The TCJA is the 2017 tax law, which put a supercharged capital formation in the United States. What that means is it generated not just economic growth but more jobs, higher wages, more benefits, and lower unemployment.”

Crapo says waste and abuse in the Medicaid system are being reformed in several ways.

“One of the pieces of our bill, or Medicaid reforms, says that if you are illegally in the United States and are not a United States citizen, you cannot qualify for Medicaid, and you must be taken off the rolls. And believe it or not, there are several million people in America, most of them in states like California, that intentionally put them on the rolls who are being paid Medicaid.”

Senator Crapo also addresses an issue of redundancy within the system.

“There’s another set of people, people who are signed up for Medicaid benefits in more than one state, two or three states. Now, many times, that’s just because they left the state and moved to another state. And we’re just taking their names off the rolls. So they’re only on the roll in one state.”

As far as a reduction in the national debt, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee says, “the way to deal with [it] is to increase the growth in our economy and generate greater revenue to our Treasury and to reduce the spending. Both have to happen. Both were done in this bill, and the Council on Economic Advisors has estimated that the economic growth that will be generated by this bill’s policies will over the next decade, yield about an additional $4 trillion of revenue to the Federal Treasury, all of which can be utilized to reduce our national debt.”

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News Team

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pocatello has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the majority of Southeastern Idaho, effective immediately until 7:15 PM MDT tonight.

NWS radar is currently tracking a line of severe thunderstorms, approximately eight miles long, stretching from west of Aberdeen to Fort Hall. These storms are moving rapidly to the northwest.

Forecasters are warning of damaging winds up to 70 miles per hour, which could lead to considerable damage across the affected areas.

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News Team

ASHTON, Idaho (KIFI) — Fremont County Search and Rescue (FCSAR) successfully pulled off a tricky high-line rope rescue this past Sunday, July 13, to extract an injured hiker out of a remote canyon east of Ashton.

Around 7:19 PM, rescue crews, along with folks from Fremont County EMS, Emergency Management, and an Air Idaho flight crew, were sent out to Robinson Creek Canyon. Reports came in about someone with a broken leg stuck deep in a remote part of the canyon, which made getting to them and getting them out incredibly difficult.

EMS and FCSAR personnel had to navigate the rugged terrain to reach the injured person. They managed to stabilize the individual’s leg right there on-site before setting up a special high-line rope system to allow them to safely lift the person from the bottom of the canyon up to the rim. Once there, the injured individual was quickly moved to an ambulance that was waiting and taken to a medical facility for more care.

In a press release, FCSAR expressed their gratitude to Fremont County EMS, Fremont County Emergency Management, the Air Idaho flight crew, and even some bystanders for their help “physically demanding rescue.”

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News Team

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — The Rexburg Police are investigating the theft of a vehicle from Bunkhouse Apartments on July 8 around 8:50 AM. According to their Facebook page, an unmarked and unknown tow truck was involved in the theft.

If you have any details that could help with this investigation, contact Officer Correa directly at 208-359-3000.

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News Team

ASHTON, Idaho (KIFI) — The Fall River Electric Cooperative is reporting a power outage impacting customers residing east of Ashton. While the exact cause is currently unknown, the electric cooperative does suspect that strong winds or lightning may have played a role.

Crews are already en route to the affected area, working to restore power swiftly and safely. For the latest updates and to monitor the outage, click HERE.

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Ariel Jensen

BUTTE, Idaho (KIFI) — Butte City Mayor Kevin J. Turner was arrested after pulling out a gun during a city council meeting on July 10, 2025.

Butte County Sheriff’s Deputies said they were called to a disturbance at the city council meeting in Butte City.

According to court documents, when deputies arrived, several people were standing in the street, who claimed Turner was inside, and threatened them with a gun.

Officers contacted Turner inside and asked if he was armed and if he was waving a gun around.

Turner said that he was, but was not waving a gun. Turner stated that he had gotten it out and used his firearm as a gavel to bang on the table.

During the meeting, things became heated over issues between some of the residents of Butte City and the mayor.

At some point during the heated exchange, Turner reportedly produced a firearm and banged it on the table like a gavel, apparently to restore order to the meeting.

Later, it was clarified that he never took it out of the holster and that he held the barrel while banging the mag well against the table.

Turner was arrested the following day on July 11th. Turner is charged with violation of the Idaho Code section 18-3303, Exhibition or Use of a Deadly Weapon.

Turner was booked into the Butte County Jail and was held there until he was released after his arraignment on Monday, July 14, 2025.

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News Team

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Two men were safely rescued this afternoon after their boat overturned on the Snake River, just below the falls near downtown Idaho Falls. Bonneville County Sheriff’s Deputies and Idaho Falls Fire were called to the Broadway Bridge around 1:30 pm after bystanders witnessed the boat overturn and two men inside plunge into the water.

Emergency crews were immediately dispatched to the scene. Fortunately, both men were able to reach a rocky outcropping and get out of the swift current before responders arrived.

Using a jet ski and a rescue raft, emergency personnel skillfully brought the men back to the riverbank. One of the individuals was transported by ambulance to a local hospital as a precautionary measure, but both men were reported to be uninjured, according to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities stated that the boat, while fishing just below the falls and above the Broadway Bridge, was caught by the river’s current and collided with a large rock. The impact caused the boat to take on water and overturn. Sheriff’s Deputies are currently working to retrieve the submerged vessel from the river.

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office took the opportunity to remind the public about crucial water safety. “Even the most experienced boaters can run into an emergency situation or the unexpected,” the Sheriff’s Office emphasized in a press release. They strongly advise everyone to always wear life jackets and remain vigilant about water and weather conditions to minimize risks while recreating or fishing on the water.

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News Release

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — On Friday, July 18 at 10 a.m., the College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) Foundation will unleash 17 teams into the wilds of Snake River Landing for one of eastern Idaho’s most beloved summer traditions — The Great Race for Education.

Now in its 16th year, the Great Race blends competition, community spirit, and clever fundraising in an event like no other. This year’s theme, “Mt. Olympus”, invites teams to channel their inner gods and goddesses through a Greek mythology-inspired obstacle course of riddles, physical feats, and wild surprises.

“This is not your typical 5K,” said Dave Facer, Executive Director of the CEI Foundation. “It’s a race that tests your brain as much as your legs, and it’s all for a great cause.”

The format? Four-person teams race to complete five “Minute to Win It”-style challenges at locations hidden across Snake River Landing, then return to the Waterfront for a dramatic multi-round elimination finish. Adding to the fun: a Facebook Live auction the night before, where teams can bid for advantages—or buy disadvantages to sabotage their competition.

Participating teams include some of the region’s biggest names like Ball Ventures, Teton Toyota, Mountain View Hospital, and Idaho Environmental Coalition. And yes, costumes are encouraged—teams who decorate on-theme may even earn an early starting advantage.

Proceeds from the Great Race support CEI student scholarships, classroom supplies, and major initiatives like the Future Tech building. Just last year, the event raised $90,000 for CEI programs.

“This race builds more than school spirit, it builds opportunity,” Facer said. “Every clue solved, every challenge conquered, helps open doors for students.”

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News Team

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — A national nonprofit aiding in the search for two missing Idaho teenagers, Rachelle and Allen Fisher, has reportedly received a threat believed to be connected to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). The FLDS is suspected of being involved in the children’s disappearance.

The threatening phone call came into the Temple, Texas chapter of the Uvalde Foundation for Kids in the days after the group suspended its ground search for the children on July 3rd. An anonymous caller, identifying themselves as a “Friend of the Prophet,” warned the foundation to “stay away from the kids, or else.”

The so-called “prophet” the caller refers to is believed to be Warren Jeffs, the jailed leader of the FLDS sect. Jeffs is currently serving a life sentence in Texas for sexual assault. The FLDS is a polygamist offshoot that broke away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has no official or unofficial ties to the mainstream LDS church.

The Uvalde Foundation for Kids views the call as an attempt to deter their ongoing efforts to locate the children. Despite calling off the ground search, Foundation founder Daniel Chapin stated that they are continuing to pursue their own leads and plan to address the threats by pursuing FLDS church leaders.

“The foundation will not be deterred by any movements by the FLDS, officially or unofficially, to dismantle our dedication to these kids, the resolve of law enforcement, the unwavering love of a mother & those who care for them – to bring them safely home, away from the predatory, dangerous and manipulating tactics of this group,” said Chapin.

Elizabeth Roundy, the teens’ mother, has stated she believes her children are with their older sister and that they plan to leave Idaho to return to Trenton, Utah, and the FLDS church. For more information on the teen’s disappearance, click HERE.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office continues to ask anyone with information about Rachelle and Allen to contact their dispatch center at 208-745-9210.

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