Author: KIFI

Hadley Bodell

CHUBBUCK, Idaho (KIFI) – The Hour of AI is a global program that has brought new technology lessons to over 100 million students. Last week, students in the Pocatello/Chubbuck school district enjoyed exploring the many applications of AI.

At Tyhee Elementary, Mrs. Ward’s class practiced coding with microbits. Microbits are tiny chips that can display numbers, letters and images while playing a melody the student codes on their computer. Fourth grade teacher Danyiel Ward said the AI lessons have been beneficial to her students in many ways–improving their critical thinking skills and allowing them to think outside the box.

AI also comes with known dangers, which teachers in the district are committed to teaching as well. “We’ve also talked about safety and how to be safe and the good, the bad, and the ugly of what it is,” said Ward. “But also showing them how to use it to help them.”

Over at Ellis Elementary, classes are enjoying solving AI-powered mysteries. One was the case of Santa’s missing sleigh, where third graders got the chance to interview suspects and inspect crime scenes.

“The kids have really enjoyed it and it has been great for their problem solving skills for all kids of all skill levels and academic levels,” said MaryLynn Graham, a third grade teacher at Ellis Elementary. “It’s been really a great week of different fun things that they get to do with AI and problem solving and code.”

Students in the class told Local News 8 that their Hour of AI is the best part of the day.

Ashley Schaffner, Regional Hub Coordinator for the Idaho Stem Ecosystem, has been involved in many of the Pocatello and Chubbuck Hour of AI experiences. “For students to understand how the technology works and why it does what it does makes it really important as they interact with that technology so that they can be creators of new innovations and new technologies as they grow up rather than just consumers of that,” she said.

Schaffner also explained the “light bulb” moments students have when figuring out the AI and the microbit technology, which makes the entire program feel worth it.

“It gives all of my students the opportunity to try something new that’s outside our regular curriculum,” said Ward.

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Curtis Jackson

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Idaho Falls firefighters are battling a fire that started in the Bonneville County waste management site early Sunday morning, at 395 East 33rd North.

The fire was first reported around 2:45 a.m. in the Hatch Pit, where waste materials are often deposited. As of 9 a.m., several fire engines from IFFD remain on the scene, working to control the blaze.

Authorities have not said what has burned or how it started. Early Sunday morning, witnesses took to social media saying they could see the fire glowing in the dark sky for miles.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more details are revealed.

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Hadley Bodell

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – The Ronald McDonald House Charities collaborated with Idaho Falls Rescue Mission to host the 5th annual toy drive and light parade on December 13th.

The charity runs solely on donations, which is why events like the toy drive and light parade are so important. The toys donated will supply children in need in the hospital for the coming year.

Cars in the parade were decked out with different colors of Christmas Lights and blow-up decorations. The parade began at Teton Toyota and ended at the East Falls Family Medicine Clinic. Once the fire truck arrived, volunteers helped unload the toys into the Ronald McDonald House Family Room.

Local volunteers have been filling the fire truck with donated toys, and now those toys are ready to go to the kids in need.

People could even vote for their favorite cars in the parade. Food trucks on scene helped celebrate the successful holiday toy drive with treats. Trip after trip was made back and forth between the fire truck and the family room, organizing everything from Hot Wheels to Barbies.

The event would not be possible without the help of volunteers and the collaboration with the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission. “It gives the community an opportunity to donate, to provide toys for children that probably, whether they’re at the Ronald McDonald House or if they’re over at the Haven, they’re going through what is hopefully is one of the worst times of their lives,” said Chris Aspinall, Director of Development at the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission. “So it gives the community a chance to lift the hearts and spread the love.”

Deborah Chessey, the Community Outreach Manager for the Ronald McDonald House, wanted to remind us the family room is always open for families to get toys for their hospitalized children. “If you have a child at the hospital, whether you’re staying with us or not, you can come down to the family room and get a hot meal, take a shower, get some toys for your child, get a blanket, and just take a moment,” she said. “Sometimes when you’re in the hospital, all you really need is a warm meal and a place to rest.”

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Hadley Bodell

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Kids and their families joined Santa and Mrs. Claus this morning at the Elks Lodge in Idaho Falls for the “Breakfast with Santa” event.

Guests enjoyed a homemade breakfast of eggs, bacon, pancakes, fruit and more. Santa and Mrs. Claus were available for photos throughout the morning. Kids could also write out their Christmas wishlist or take home coloring pages.

The Elks Lodge Activities Committee was excited to host this event again for community members.

“Years ago, I brought my oldest son here for breakfast with Santa, and it only happened a few years after that and then the Elks Lodge just decided not to do it,” said Brandy Skaar, Elks Lodge Activities Committee member. “When I became part of the activities committee, this was one of the events I wanted to bring back for our community.”

Many volunteers and members of the Elks lodge come together to make the holiday tradition happen.

“It takes a village basically to bring something like this together,” said Yvette Lundquist, another Elks Activities Committee member.

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David Pace

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Legislators dove into a slew of hot topics at a Legislative Preview event Thursday.

Debates over the budget, state programs cuts, education, advancing nuclear power, and health care featured prominently at the program hosted by the Bonneville County Republican Party at the Snake River Events Center at the Shilo Inn.

Idaho’s Budget

Rep. Wendy Horman (R-Idaho Falls) serves as co-chairman of the powerful Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee (JFAC) that sets the state budget.

She said that reports of an Idaho state budget crisis this year are overblown.

Projected revenues are down $48 million, Horman reported, which is 0.34 percent of the state’s overall $14 billion-plus budget.

“The governor called for some holdbacks in the current budget year and also in the next budget year,” Horman said. “We will assess those when we get to session in January, see what the real numbers are –not just forecast numbers, make some decisions and set a balanced budget.”

Currently, Idaho’s corporate tax revenues are down $67 million, due to projected business savings from the One Big Beautiful Bill, she explained. However, state sales tax revenues are up $23.4 million, pointing to a robust economy.

“We have over $1.3 billion in savings. That’s much more than we had going into the recession. And we’re not going into a recession. By all accounts, today, the economy’s strong,” Horman said.

Education

On the education front, Idaho is experiencing a demographic shift.

Declining enrollment may impact public schools, with 3,000 fewer students statewide.

“The governor did not request a three percent pullback in public schools,” Horman said. “What we’re seeing is that Idaho has now joined the list of what used to be 41 states, as of 2023, who have had declining enrollment.”

Idaho Senator Dave Lent (R-Idaho Falls) chairs the Senate Education Committee and held education hearings across the state this summer to “modernize” and create an education system that directly engages with area businesses to better prepare students for life after school.

“The current public school system is failing, and we have to do something,” Lent said. “… I think we can move from a didactic, teacher-led model to a teacher-facilitated model – using a lot more technology, and then using the resources of our teacher in the relationship and the mentoring piece that really is the expertise of the personal touch.”

Healthcare / Medicaid Expansion

The lawmakers also delved into the growing Medicaid budget, attempts to repeal Medicaid expansion, peer support program cuts, the doctor shortage and mental health.

The Medicaid budget accounts for more than $5 billion of Idaho’s budget, Horman said.

Rep. Marco Erickson (R-Idaho Falls) mentioned that some legislators will continue to push repealing Medicaid expansion.

The program covers more than 90,000 people and costs $1.2 billion.

Ninty percent of that is paid by the federal government, and $110 million comes from the state.

“On the mental health side, my priority is getting some of those things restored that were just cut,” Rep. Marco Erickson said. “There’s a prevention tier, and that’s the best. It’s the cheapest. … We do the work to keep people out of all those systems.”

Finally, Lent has set a goal to add 30 more slots for Idaho students to attend medical school.

“We have the lowest percentage of doctors per capita in the United States,” Lent said. “So I’ve been co-chairing a committee this year to increase the number of opportunities for Idaho students to become Idaho doctors.”

The Legislature reconvenes on January 12, 2026.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Two methamphetamine dealers in separate Eastern Idaho cases were each sentenced to five years in federal prison for drug distribution, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.

Tamrik Paul Day, 27, of Spokane, Washington, and Jessie Kim Mitchell, 64, of Pingree, Idaho, both received the 60-month sentence from U.S. Chief District Judge David C. Nye. The cases were investigated by the multi-agency BADGES Task Force.

Case Details: Tamrik Day

Day was sentenced for distributing a total of 82 grams of methamphetamine through the mail in early 2024.

According to court records, Day distributed the substance between January 30 and February 15, 2024, to two individuals who paid using a mobile peer-to-peer financial platform. Day pleaded guilty to the charges in September 2024. Following his prison term, Judge Nye ordered him to serve four years of supervised release.

Case Details: Jessie Mitchell

In a separate, unrelated case, Mitchell was sentenced after selling over 150 grams of methamphetamine on three occasions in November 2024.

Court records indicate Mitchell was previously convicted of delivery of a controlled substance in Bingham County in 1995.

U.S. Chief District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Mitchell to serve 5 years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Mitchell pleaded guilty to the charge in June 2025.

In his release, U.S. Attorney Davis specifically commended the Idaho State Police for leading the investigation on behalf of the BADGES Task Force, along with the Pocatello Police Department, the Idaho State Police, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Chubbuck Police Department.

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Linda Larsen

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Funeral services have been announced for former Bannock County Judge William “Bill ” Woodland. The family tells Local News 8 the services will be held on Friday, December 19, at 11:00 AM.

 Services will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 930 East Alameda Road. The family will also greet friends on Thursday, December 18th, at the Wilks Funeral Home in Chubbuck.

Judge Woodland was the subject of a two-day search and rescue operation with help from thousands of community members.

RELATED: Missing Judge William Woodland has been found deceased

He disappeared after a church service on Sunday, December 7th. After an extensive search, he was found deceased on Tuesday, December 9th.

For more information about Bill Woodland’s life and distinguished career, click HERE for his obituary.

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News Release

The following is a news release from the Idaho Transportation Department:

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) – In a continual effort to minimize snowplow strikes and increase safety, the Idaho Transportation Department is installing and testing upgraded lighting packages this winter.

When encountering ITD snowplows on the road, drivers through eastern Idaho may see

Two higher-mounted over-cab strobe lights

Four larger, sturdier wing lights mounted atop and at the side of the wing blade itself

Six total lights at the back of the truck, both strobing and alternating

New reflective orange and yellow checkerboard striping at the back of the plow truck

A whip-style, green rod light that extends six inches high at the edge of the wing plow

The green whip light has been met with success in other states around the country and is a significant change for Idaho.

“Yes, green means go but it also gets your attention,” ITD Operations Manager Ty Winther said. “And ultimately, that’s what we’re trying to do, what it’s all about- grabbing people’s attention.”

All trial lighting was chosen and installed by ITD plow operators, mechanics and welders. These changes will be placed on newer plow trucks as a standard across Idaho if they are found to be more effective at preventing snowplow strikes and increasing visibility for road workers year-round.

In 2023-24, ITD tracked 17 strike occurrences, and 11 during 2024-25. Many of these crashes involve vehicles hitting the wing plow that helps clear both the road lane and shoulder at the same time.

“When any strike happens, we’re asking ourselves what we could have done to prevent it” Winther said. “We can’t track the lives we save but we still look at it like that- how many crashes were prevented because of these ideas?”

While improved lighting is a helpful preventive measure, ITD reminds drivers to use common cautionary practices on winter roads. Slow way down, give extra space to other drivers and surroundings, brake carefully and slowly, drive with your lights on at all times, and put down or turn off any distractions.

Helpful winter road condition and driving reports can always be found on the Idaho 511 app and at http://511.idaho.gov .

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Ariel Jensen

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — One good deed is always followed by another; That’s the important lesson Students at Dora Erickson Elementary are learning with a cereal box food drive.

Jami Moore, a gym teacher and a volunteer for the school’s outreach program, came up with the idea of doing a cereal box domino food drive.

“We were trying to find a fun way for kids to bring in cereal for Outreach Pantry, which feeds the kids at our school who need food over the weekends or over long breaks. Because if you don’t learn at a young age that we can help each other, then we will probably not help each other when we get older,” said Moore.

Around 600 boxes of cereal were collected by students and other donors.

They plan to line them all up around the school and knock them over like dominoes. 

The school has tried to do food drives in years past and found little success. They decided to turn it into a fun competition.

The winning class that brings in the most boxes will have a donut-and-dodgeball party. 

“The objective is to make sure that our students and others within the community have food over the extended breaks. And as far as the participation of our students, we really hope that the students can understand that everybody can help everybody else out just a little bit. And I think it brings a little bit of awareness that not all families have the basic necessities that some of us take for granted,” said Steven Andrew, Principal, Dora Erickson Elementary.

The school is recognizing Mrs. Jess Watrous’s 6th-grade class, who brought 116 boxes of cereal and Ms. Jessica Hanson’s second-grade class, who brought in 61 boxes.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Health Officials are urgently promoting Idahoans to get vaccinated against the flu after a 50-year-old Southeast Idaho man died from influenza-related illness. Southeastern Idaho Public Health officials announced the death on Friday afternoon, Dec. 12, expressing their condolences to the family of the man.

This marks the second influenza-associated death of the season in the Gem State. Last flu season, 87 people were reported to have died from flu-related illnesses in Idaho. 

“It is important for all of us to take precautions to avoid influenza infection,” said SIPH officials in the announcement. “If you haven’t already, visit your health care provider, local public health district, or pharmacy to get vaccinated. Getting vaccinated today will help protect you and your family for the rest of the influenza season.”

The respiratory illness typically causes symptoms that include fever, headache, fatigue, and sometimes a cough and sore throat. Doctors say most people who get influenza recover after a few days, but some people may develop serious complications and even die. 

People who are especially vulnerable to complications of the flu include: 

Pregnant women,

People 50 years of age and older,

People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart or lung diseases,

People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities,

People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu.

Health officials say everyone over six months of age is recommended to get the flu vaccine.  Along with the vaccine, SIPH says people should follow these recommendations to protect themselves and others:

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing to prevent infecting other people. Avoid people who appear sick.

Stay home from work or school when sick, 

Wash your hands frequently, especially after being out in the public. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth until you have washed your hands. 

Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of liquids, eat nutritious foods and take part in physical activity to stay healthy. 

For information about influenza and how to stay healthy, please contact Southeastern Idaho Public Health at 233-9080.

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