Author: KIFI

Ashley Chilcutt

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — It’s official. BYU-Idaho is requiring an age cap for its approved student housing. Students 26 years and older are no longer eligible to live in student-approved housing complexes and will now be required to live in community housing. That’s according to BYU-Idaho’s website.

As part of our ongoing effort to support students and meet the needs of a growing campus, BYU-Idaho is updating its Approved Housing Eligibility Policy, effective Fall 2025.

This change is designed to align with recent updates to the Church’s General Handbook and YSA guidelines, enhance the student residential experience, and ensure suitable housing is available for all students.

This official change comes after updates to the university’s website were made without final approval. If you are a student affected by this policy change, the University recommends exploring community housing options, planning ahead and finding a roommate.

Click here to follow the original article.

Seth Ratliff

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) – A 42-year-old woman from Billings, Montana, is now in custody after allegedly stealing a 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL450.

An officer with the Rigby Police Department was patrolling traffic along highway 20 when a driver in a white SUV, later identified as Kerry L Lira, sped past, traveling 83 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone.

According to Rigby PD, the officer activated his patrol vehicle’s emergency lights, but the SUV accelerated to 130 mph and turned west on Menan Lorenzo Hwy, then south on 4100 E.

The officer lost sight of the SUV but spotted fresh tire tracks into a driveway as he searched the area, reports Rigby PD. A white SUV was discovered parked in the backyard, on the grass of the adjacent residence.

Rigby PD says the officer was able to contact the homeowner, who confirmed they did not own the vehicle, and it shouldn’t be parked on the grass.

The driver, Kerry Lira, was discovered hiding in the trunk of the SUV. According to law enforcement, Lira ignored several verbal commands to exit the vehicle, and a Deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was called to unlock the SUV with a Big Easy unlock kit.

As Lira was being arrested and restrained in the back of a patrol vehicle, law enforcement officers say the 42-year-old woman leaned down and bit the arresting officer’s forearm.

The 42-year-old was arrested and booked into the Jefferson County Jail for Felony Eluding an officer, Battery of a peace officer, Possession of a stolen vehicle, and Resisting and Obstructing an officer.

Click here to follow the original article.

News Team

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) – Emergency responders are reporting damage to a “very large gas line” in the area of S 2nd E and the Crestview Subdivision in Rexburg.

“The immediate area at risk has been evacuated,” writes the Rexburg Police Department on its Facebook page. “We are asking residents within the subdivision to stay inside your (their) home.”

COURTESY: Rexburg Police Department

Rexburg police say no other actions are necessary at this time. There is no current estimation for how long repairs will take.

2nd E is currently closed to traffic south of the temple to the water tower, according to Rexburg PD.

The cause of the damage has not been released at this time. This is a developing story, Local News 8 will update with more details as they become available.

Click here to follow the original article.

Seth Ratliff

ARIZONA (KIFI) – The jury has reached a verdict in Lori Vallow Daybell’s Arizona murder conspiracy trial. Vallow Daybell has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.

The court has immediately entered an aggravation phase, meaning the state will present arguments to justify a harsher punishment in sentencing.

Click here to follow the original article.

Seth Ratliff

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – Governor Brad Little is taking steps to minimize wildfire risk through increased management of Idaho’s federal forests.

Tuesday, the governor issued a new executive order, the “Make Forests Healthy Again Act,” directing the Idaho Department of Lands to expand its partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to increase management activities and reduce fire risk in Idaho’s federally managed national forests.

“For too long, millions of acres of national forests in Idaho have remained totally untouched, creating a tinderbox of fuel that threatens communities, air quality, and the environment,” Governor Little said in a written statement highlighting the order. “The State of Idaho has led the country in standing up programs to help our federal partners increase the pace and scale of active management on federal ground.”

Governor Little’s action complements a March 1 executive order from President Donald Trump, aimed at revitalizing rural communities, cutting red tape to streamline timber production, and improving forest health.

According to a report by the National Interagency Fire Center, Idaho had more than 1,400 wildfires in 2024, burning nearly 1 million acres.

Under the Biden administration, there were only two small areas in national forests in Idaho where IDL could assist the federal government with expediting on-the-ground management activities, writes Governor Little’s office.

“The work we’ve done is making a difference. However, under the previous administration, we were limited in the extent we could help. That has changed under the Trump administration,” Governor Little said.

Little office says that with the Trump administration’s actions and the “Make Forests Healthy Again Act,” millions more acres of national forests could be authorized for treatment to reduce fire risk and improve forest health.

Trump administration officials have expressed support for Governor Little’s executive order.

“I commend Governor Little for acting quickly to fix our national forest emergency. Americans rely on Idaho’s productive and abundant forests, and this executive order will go a long way towards strengthening the timber industry in the state and minimizing harmful pests, disease, and risk of fire,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said

To track the progress on Idaho’s collaboration with the federal government, click HERE.

Click here to follow the original article.

Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) awarded JR Simplot Company the ‘Adopt-A-Highway Group of the Year Award for Southeast Idaho’ on Friday, in recognition of the company’s hard work keeping their stretch of adopted road clean.

In 2005, Simplot adopted a two-mile stretch of US Highway 30, and, since then, employee volunteers have picked up trash twice a year and average about 1,600 pounds of litter cleaned up annually.

According to ITD, the Adopt-A-Highway program saves the State about $750,000 annually on cleaning costs, and volunteers have picked up around 5.5 million pounds of trash around Idaho since the program launched 35 years ago.

For more information on the Adopt-A-Highway program, you can visit the Idaho Transportation Department website.

Click here to follow the original article.

Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) warns people to watch for any invasive species that may be hitchhiking on watercraft this spring.

Cole Morrison, section manager of ISDA’s invasive species, noxious weeds, and grasshopper/Mormon crickets division, said aquatic invasive species are often brought in on boats coming into Idaho’s waters from out of state.

Morrison said even a handful of Quagga mussels, Zebra Mussels, Asian clams, or New Zealand mud snails can cause devastating problems for Idaho’s economy and ecosystem.

“They don’t have any natural predators or natural controls in the way of diseases that might suppress the population here, so they come in and they reproduce out of control,” said Morrison. “…And then even once these things die… they will still remain. Even though they’re dead, they’re still going to cause problems. That stops up water supply, and that’s a huge concern for Idaho agriculture, our partners at Idaho Power, [and] they have impacts on our ecosystem.”

Morrison said Quagga mussels pose a particular set of problems by filtering natural waterways and making them uninhabitable for native fish and plant life, and even causing algae blooms, which make water hazardous for humans and pets.

But the ISDA says simple boat maintenance, like pumping bilges and ballasts and inspecting fishing gear, can stop the spread of invasive species.

“If we make sure that all of our boats are clean, drained and dry, we’re going to do go a long way to make sure that none of these guys are moving around,” said Morrison.

The ISDA is manning boat check stations around Idaho to catch aquatic critters coming from out of state before they make it to Idaho waters. Boaters are required by law to stop at check stations, and ISDA agents will inspect and wash boats for free.

For more information on invasive species, boat check stations, and Idaho laws about watercraft inspections, you can visit the ISDA’s Invasive Species of Idaho website.

Click here to follow the original article.

News Team

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Local golfing enthusiasts are saying goodbye to the man known as the face of Idaho Falls golf. After 46 years with the city of Idaho Falls, golf pro Tim Reinke is retiring.

The 65-year-old joined the city in 1979 before he was promoted to the head golf pro of Pinecrest Golf Course in 1984. He became the manager of golf operations for all 3 city courses in 2014.

Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper says Reinke has been the driving force in making Idaho Falls’ golf courses the success they are today.

“He was one of the masterminds behind a significant management change over a decade ago that resulted in the City’s three courses emerging from what seemed like perennial red ink,” said Casper. “But perhaps more importantly, Tim has helped teach and share his love of the game with countless generations over the years.  He’s been a true steward of the sport—not just in our City, but in golf communities nationwide. He will be greatly missed, and we wish him well in his retirement.”

Reinke’s last day at the City will be on April 30, with a retirement celebration on Friday, April 25, from 4 to 7 PM at the Pinecrest Golf Course.

Click here to follow the original article.

Kailey Galaviz

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Bonneville Joint School District 93 is considering plans for the future of Ammon Elementary School.

In a D93 public board meeting, board members proposed the idea of relocating the Praxium Mastery Academy to the Ammon Elementary School building, due to the overwhelming popularity and success of the program.

The academy is currently housed in an auxiliary building near Rocky Mountain Middle School.

Superintendent Scott Woolstenhulme says many students at the Academy have expressed the desire to continue on in the program into high school, but have been unable to because of space limitations. If the students were allowed to continue the program from 7th to 12th grade, the district estimates a maximum enrollment of 450-500 students.

“Its current location… does not allow any expansions beyond 7th and 8th grades,” said Superintendent Scott Woolstenhulme. “The classrooms that we currently have there are full. We have perhaps one modular trailer that we could add an additional classroom in that trailer. But that does not allow a full expansion into high school.”

The proposal follows voter approval of a $34.5 million bond to construct a new elementary school south of Telford Road in Idaho Falls in 2023.

Superintendent Woolstenhulme says the district built multiple elementary schools to meet the rapid growth in population over the past 30 years. However, the district faced a new challenge as population growth fell short of their projections.

“At the time that we originally proposed the elementary school, we were anticipating that we’d continue to see that type of growth in the district,” said Woolstenhulme. “But through a couple of really interesting shifts in demographics that just didn’t happen.”

In response, several staff members at Ammon Elementary have requested that their entire team simply relocate to the new school building.

“We as a staff are not here to resist progress,” said Ammon Elementary 4th-grade teacher Tressa Packer. “We are here to advocate for a thoughtful transition. Rather than disband a cohesive team that has built a strong culture of learning and support, we are asking to move together as a nucleus to the new school.”

The school board will vote and decide in May or June.

D93 parents and staff are welcome to share their comments and concerns with the board through email. For more information, click HERE.

Click here to follow the original article.