Category: kifi-local-news

Kaelyn Blessinger

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) – Every year, over two-hundred thousand illegal school bus passings happen every year across the United States. Local school bus drivers report that many of them are repeat offenders along their routes.

In Southeast Idaho, Teton Stage Lines is working with AngelTrax to hold these drivers accountable.

“Technology has advanced and that’s great,” Teton Stage Lines Operations Manager, Nathan Harrington, said. “However, so has the distractions of the everyday driver in their vehicle at this point has also advanced with it.”

AngelTrax developed this AI detection tool, which is being used in other states. It is a small device on the side of the school bus which records when a driver runs the school buses stop sign.

“It will then notify AngelTrax of the violation that has taken place,” Harrington said. “And then human interaction will take place at this.”

So far, AngelTrax has noticed improvements across the states they are utilized in.

“We have actually seen that 98% of violating that have violated the law, never do it again once receiving a citation,” Katherine Tolar, the Vice President of Operations at AngelTrax, said. “So we do know that it’s changing driver behavior. And we also know in other programs across the United States that we have seen a decrease year over year, up to 33%, which is a huge decrease in what is happening with these children. And the risk to these children as they’re entering and exiting the bus.”

They are currently working with Idaho lawmakers to allow the technology across the state. However, both organizations urge you not to wait until AI can hold you accountable, but to take extra care when you see a school bus on the road.

“Slow down and take a moment to reflect on what you can do and the repercussions that you can play in the children’s lives and families lives at that point,” Harrington said.

How to safely drive around a school bus

Lights:

Yellow Flashing Lights: The bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children; slow down and prepare to stop. Red Flashing Lights & Extended Stop Arm: You must come to a complete stop. It is illegal in all 50 states to pass a stopped school bus when these signals are active

Road type:

Two-Lane Road: Traffic moving in both directions must stop Multi-Lane Road (without a median): Traffic moving in both directions must stop Divided Highway (with a physical median or barrier): Traffic moving in the same direction as the bus must stop; traffic moving in the opposite direction may proceed with caution

General Safety:

Distance: Stop at least 20 feet away from the front or rear of the bus to give children room to walk safely. Blind Spots & Unpredictability: Children often cross the street directly in front of the bus and may not be visible to passing drivers. After the Stop: Wait until the red lights turn off and the stop arm retracts – and make sure all children are safely clear of the roadway – before moving No Distractions: Avoid using mobile phones or electronic devices while driving near school buses or in active school zones

You can find more information about local bus safety on the Idaho Department of Transportation’s website.

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News Team

BONNEVILLE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) – The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has named Bonneville County as a high intesity drug trafficking area. County officials and agencies will receive federal funding for anti-drug efforts.

The funding comes from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program, which assists local agencies to dismantle drug trafficking organizations across the nation.

The ONDCP announced Friday that Bonneville County, Coconino County in Arizona and Taylor County in Texas are newly designated counties for the program.

ONDCP Director Sara Carter said the Trump Administration is committing all its resources to stop the drug trafficking surge in America. “Our HIDTA Program is just one powerful tool among many that we are employing,” Carter said.

Bonneville County will receive critical federal resources to dismantle the drug trafficking networks that negatively effect the community.

In order to receive program funding, the ONDCP looks at several factors within counties including drug production, manufacturing, importation and distribution where those activities may cause significant harm to the communities in the area.

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News Team

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Drivers heading south on I-15 near Pocatello should prepare for lane closures and changing traffic patterns next week due to striping crews.

The Idaho Transportation Department said crews will be paving and striping the interstate from the Sheepskin Road Bridge to just south of the Fort Hall interchange.

Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, November 9 and go through Friday with lane closures from 8 a.m. – midnight.

ITD says at least one southbound lane will remain open, but drivers should expect delays, especially during the afternoon commute on I-15. Crews will also continue work on the concrete median barrier, install guardrails and drainage infrastructure.

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News Team

CASSIA COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) – Idaho State Police is investigating a fatal crash outside of Murtaugh in Cassia County. The crash happened just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 7 on US Highway 30 near milepost 247. One person is dead and three are in local hospitals with injuries.

A 23-year-old man with a 21-year-old passenger from Burley was traveling eastbound in a Hyundai Elantra on US30 when it crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Mazda Tribute. The Mazda was driven by a 58-year-old woman with a 23-year-old passenger, also both from Burley.

The head-on collision caused debris to scatter on the westbound lanes of US30. A Ford Edge struck some of the crash debris, but the driver was not injured.

The driver of the Mazda died at the scene, while her passenger was transported by ground ambulance to a local hospital. Both the occupants of the Hyundai were transported by air amulance to a hospital.

The drivers of all three vehicles were wearing seatbelts while the passenger in the Mazda was not wearing a seat belt. Idaho State Police remind everyone to buckle up while on the road.

All lanes of US30 were blocked for approximately six hours while emergency crews assisted those involved in the crash and conducted an investigation before clearing the scene.

Idaho State Police was assisted on scene by the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office, emergency responders from Cassia and Minidoka counties, Burley Fire, Life Flight and Cassia Classic Air crews.

The crash remains under investigation by the Idaho State Police. All survivors in the crash remain in local hospitals for injury treatments.

Idaho State Police is investigating a fatal crash that occurred on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at approximately 5:50 a.m. on US30 near milepost 247, outside of Murtaugh in Cassia County.

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The ISU Women’s Club works throughout the year to promote friendship and community at ISU, with the largest event of the year for the club coming to the ISU campus this weekend. On November 6 and 7, the Pond Student Union Building Ballroom was filled with vendors for the Holiday Fair.

Local artists were able to show off their creations at booths in the ballroom, featuring everything from handmade pots and vases to watercolor paintings. The fair also included perishable art like flavored kettle corn and holiday treats.

On Friday, the Women’s Club served their traditional chicken enchiladas with homemade desserts. Three of the Women’s Club booths were selling upscale clothing and decor items. Heartfelt Creations had homemade crafts and foods. There was also a Basket Silent Auction on Friday donated by several Idaho State University departments.

This year’s fair also included raffle tickets for purchase at the Women’s Club Raffle Booth for a chance to win a handmade quilt among other handmade items.

All proceeds from the Holiday Fair go towards funding scholarships for ISU students. For more information about the ISU Women’s Club, click HERE.

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Three camels were on the quad lawn on Saturday, November 7 for the 6th annual Fall Fossil Fest hosted by the Idaho Museum of Natural History. This year’s theme was “Camels and other Mammals,” with the event including lectures, booths and touchable samples of fossils.

The camels accompanied the new giant camel skeleton mount at the museum. Education manager Robert Gay said the camel was found in the 1960s in the Mountain Home area.

“We have the only mounted skeleton of this critter,” Gay said. “It’s called Mega Lupus and it’s an enormous, hump-less camel.”

The Idaho Museum of Natural History collaborated with Thunderstorm Ranch to bring the three living camels to the event. People were able to get up close and personal with the animals, petting them and taking photos.

Gay said each year the museum tries a new theme for the Fossil Fest. Years past have featured crocodiles and dinosaurs. By focusing on camels and other mammals, people can enjoy live exhibits of animals that still exist.

“We have a lot of different stations throughout the museum,” Gay said. “These are researchers that are working on fossils here at the museum from ISU and the museum as well as folks from Oregon, Washington and across Utah.”

The exhibit is part of a major re-vamp of one of the museums permanent galleries, titled “This is Idaho.” Gay said the exhibition will be on display for the next two years for people to come see.

“Lots of people have never seen a camel, let alone pet one and then be able to go inside and see the fossil, we can’t do that with dinosaurs, not a whole lot of hadrosaurs walking around,” Gay said.

He continued to explain the Fall Fossil Fest is essentially the premiere fossil event in the entire state. For those interested in dinosaurs, mammals or any kind of fossils, this event is the time and place to learn while the researchers are all in one space.

Gay said that because of the low water levels, more fossil beds have been exposed than ever before in the last 65 years. Specifically enar Lake Powell in southern Utah, experts at the Fossil Fest gave presentations about the near-mammal animals roaming the early Earth in that area.

“We have one of our researchers coming out to visit from Oregon, talking about mammals worldwide,” he said. “Sea otters and seals from Oregon all the way out to Kurdistan and the rhinos they’re excavating out there. Another talk coming up is about sabertooth cats with world expert Chris Shaw.”

For more information about events and exhibits at the Idaho Museum of Natural History, click HERE.

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Hadley Bodell

AMMON, Idaho (KIFI) – Every year, community members in Eastern Idaho challenge themselves to drinking 32 ounces of eggnog and running a mile at McCowin Park. The holiday cheer was palpable as people ran in Christmas costumes and drank eggnog between every lap.

The runners are asked to drink an 8 ounce cup of eggnog between each quarter mile lap of the race. By the end, several participants were sick from the combination of cardio and cream.

This was the fourth year of the Nog-a-thon and runners were treated to a pleasant weather day. Runners Yuilza and Nate said they always talked about running in the event.

“We’ve always talked about drinking nog and running, so this was the perfect opportunity to do it,” Yuliza said after the race, donning a massive holiday costume decorated as a present.

Runners got t-shirts and swag bags, as the City of Ammon calls the event their “kickoff to the holiday season.”

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David Pace

AMMON, Idaho (KIFI) – One local 17-year-old is fighting her third bout with cancer with sass and spunk.

“I was first diagnosed with cancer when I was 14 years old. It was like a big lump on my foot,” said Kindi Barrie, a cancer fighting hero. “I had to do 14 rounds of chemotherapy, 31 rounds of radiation, and then a couple days before I was a year in remission – it came back in my foot, so then we had to amputate it.”

Barrie kept fighting, in spite of the rough news.

“Then while we were waiting for my stump to heal, seven nodules spread in my lungs,” Barrie said. “So then we had immediately started chemo that we did full-lung radiation, targeted radiation, papatile radiation, and then more radiation. And it still didn’t work. So it came back again.”

A special event and fundraiser/raffle,“Kicking Cancer with Kindi” will be held from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. Saturday at Thunder Ridge High School.

Kindi’s friends have gathered over $24,000-worth dollars in raffle prizes and auction items to help support her family.

“The event itself is free for anyone who wants to come. We have all sorts of activities for the kids. We have barrel rides, face painting, a kid’s craft corner. We have 14 different food vendors coming, and we have a silent auction and raffle prizes,” said Kara Reese, the event’s organizer.

Raffle prizes include Ingram’s diamond hoop earrings, a 12-month family membership to Club Apple, a year’s membership to Guns and Gears, and much more.

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Curtis Jackson

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Idaho State Police and Boulim’s Fresh Foods are once again partnering to provide holiday meals for families in need across eastern Idaho through the annual 10 Counties of Christmas donation drive.

The food drive runs from Nov. 6 through Nov. 25. During that time, troopers will collect donations at Broulim’s stores throughout eastern Idaho to help provide holiday meals to local families.

According to Idaho State Police, the program began in 2017 and provided 53 holiday meals during its first year. Organizers say the effort has grown significantly since then, serving 744 families across the 10 counties covered by ISP District 6 in 2025.

“We have never had to turn a family away, and this year we expect the need to be greater than ever,” said Sgt. Blake Higley, who founded the 10 Counties of Christmas program in 2017. “I know money is tight for a lot of families right now, but even a small donation can make a big difference.”

ISP said the fundraiser is supported through a partnership with Broulim’s Fresh Foods, sponsorships from local businesses including Westmark Credit Union, and donations from community members. Broulim’s prepares grocery packages containing everything needed for a traditional holiday meal, while local schools help identify families who may benefit from the program.

Troopers will deliver the meals to selected families in December.

Organizers say they hope the continued generosity of eastern Idaho residents will allow the program to reach even more families this holiday season.

Donations can be made at participating Broulim’s locations through Nov. 25, either at collection booths staffed by troopers or at store checkout registers.

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The Pocatello City Council heard from community members at a public hearing on November 5 regarding a proposed ordinance on the sale of kratom products in the city. More citizens spoke in support of the ban ordinance, while several argued that it isn’t a necessary policy.

The Pocatello Police Department first presented information on the proposed ban ordinance. The ordinance would not make possession or use of the drug illegal, only the sale of it.

“The goal of this proposal is to take a proactive approach to public safety, reduce local accessibility, and provide a clear and consistent standard for businesses operating within the city,” said Mallory Bascom, licensing enforcement officer with the Pocatello Police Department.

Bascom read a portion of written testimony from a 17-year-old who had lost a cousin to kratom. “It [kratom] is sold in gas stations, known as ‘gas station heroin or crack’, advertised in bright, colorful packaging sometimes next to energy drinks and everyday snacks,” Bascom read to the council from the testimony. “It is marketed as an energy-booster, mood enhancer, pain reliever, or pre-workout, making it look harmless and appealing to teenagers and athletes. Young people deserve to grow up in a community that puts their safety first.”

“When these products are marketed to look fun, safe and natural, it encourages young people to experiment without understanding the consequences,”

-Mallory Bascom, reading from email testimony of 17-year-old Pocatello citizen

The podium was then opened to public testimony. Tia, a Pocatello resident, spoke first about the death of her young daughter due to kratom use. After beginning to take kratom as a medication for her condition, she became addicted and died from the drug.

“It helped, it did help I’m not going to deny that,” Tia told the council. “But it grew into an addiction, she became addicted to it and it eventually led to her death.”

Tia’s story echoed many others shared during Thursday night’s public hearing, including those from family members who lost loved ones to kratom use. By sharing their personal experiences, speakers hoped to help the City Council better understand the risks of unregulated kratom sales in the community.

“I find it really reckless that anybody can walk into a gas station of any age and purchase an opiate product in any form, concentrated or not,” said community member Michelle York. “This product has a lot of health risks for the person, the user that take it, but it also has a lot of health risks for the people around the user.”

Dr. Ryan Hope, a pain management and addiction specialist at Bingham Hospital, said that half of his clinic’s patients are opioid-addicted. In the last year, he said 25 percent of those cases were addicted to kratom.

“It’s a very significant problem,” Hope said. “We don’t even have an official diagnosis for kratom use disorder, it’s too new. So, we classify these patients as opioid use disorder or substance use disorder. Those ones who become addicted are devastated. I see them everyday, lose their jobs and families ruined. I’ve seen people spend $100 to $150 per day on kratum products.”

Another citizen, Jim Abel, said he moved his family from Spokane, Washington to get away from the rampant drug use. Unfortunately, one of his family members became addicted to kratum after coming to Pocatello and experienced seizures.

“We want Pocatello to be a place where families can come and have a restbit from harmful, addictive drugs and that’s what kratum is,” he said.

Several other community members spoke in favor of the kratom ban, before a few took the podium to speak against the ban. Pat Soulliere is a representative of Animal Farm, an Idaho-based company with several businesses in the kratom industry. He said the state legislature will tackle the issue soon, and Pocatello itself doesn’t need a city-wide ban.

“It is not going to get kicked down the road again and they are going to look to either putting strong regulations that protect consumers, or ban it will be the two options,” Soulliere said. “We’re asking the City Council to remove the synthetics from the community. No one is opposed to that. But wait and see what the state does under natural leaf, botanical kratom.”

Joyce Bybee spoke against the ban, saying the ordinance banning commercial sales of kratom products will really only effect businessowners, and not have the positive effects on the community that people who support the ban are hoping for.

“With the patchwork laws and ordinances around here, people will still have it,” Bybee said. “I agree that the state needs to handle this, I don’t think the city is the right body to determine if a substance should or shouldn’t be sold.”

The Pocatello City Council is scheduled to vote on the ban ordinance on November 19.  

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