Category: kifi-local-news

Danielle Mullenix

Idaho Falls, ID (KIFI) – A friendly competition is turning into a life-saving mission across Idaho. Air Idaho Rescue, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC), and the American Red Cross are teaming up to host the “Battle of the Badges” Blood Drive Challenge, encouraging Idahoans to donate blood and support local first responders.

The statewide competition invites donors to give blood at any American Red Cross location through Wednesday, April 29th. Each donation earns points for a selected team, adding a competitive twist to an effort to address a nationwide blood shortage.

Participants can choose between two teams:

Team A Positive: representing Air Idaho’s rotor-wing crews, EMS, and area fire departments

Team O Positive: representing Air Idaho’s fixed-wing crews and local law enforcement

Each unit of blood donated can help save up to three lives, according to organizers. Certain donations—such as Power Red, O-negative blood types, first-time donors, and donations made on the final day of the competition—can earn double points.

Organizers say the need for blood is constant, especially for emergency responders like Air Idaho Rescue. Their aircraft operate as flying intensive care units, equipped with life-saving tools and even blood supplies that can be administered mid-flight to patients experiencing severe blood loss.

“Everyone is invited to help combat the nationwide blood shortage by donating,” said Air Methods Account Executive Jill Egan. “Every donation is worth one point in our competition. When people donate, they can choose to join Team A+ so their point goes to the Air Idaho rotor wing, EMS, and firefighter team, or Team O+ so their point goes to the Air Idaho fixed-wing and law enforcement team. Double points are given for power red and O-negative blood, rookie donors, and donations made on April 29, which is the last day of the competition.”

The competition will wrap up April 29 with an awards ceremony announcing the winning team—but organizers emphasize the real goal goes far beyond bragging rights.

They’re encouraging everyone who can donate to step up, pick a team, and help save lives.

To participate, donors can register through the American Red Cross website and schedule an appointment at a donation center near them.

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David Pace

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – It’s National Library Week, and the Idaho Falls Public Library is celebrating with a plethora of activities!

“I like that you can pick the books out,” said one young library fan Eliza Hancock, who loves reading Fancy Nancy books.

The library is visited by half a million individuals annually and boasts a collection of more than 350,000 books.

“We think it’s a great library. We bring our kids all the time,” said book-reading Dad Jameson Rammell. “We like the fish. Don’t you like the fish? And then they have a great kids section. So we spend a lot of time there – tons of books, tons of free programs for the community.”

Thursday, for World Book Day, librarians will host Storytime and Book Babies in the morning at 10:30 and 11:30 A.M.

On Saturday, at an “Authorpalooza” event, everyone is invited to come meet local book authors at noon and 2 P.M., with a Meet and Greet from 3 to 5 P.M. in the afternoon.

“I am a big believer in libraries,” said frequent book worm Felicia Barker. “People should always come to the library. I mean, there’s so many good resources if you know how to read. You can learn anything you want – absolutely anything!”

The library appeals to people of all ages – offering a myriad of weekly programs for kids, teens, and adults.

“Part of our focus is to help young children become literate,” said Idaho Falls Public Library Director Robert Wright. “We focus on children’s programing because if we can get children excited about reading before they go to school, they do better in school.”

To young Henry Hancock, the library is a treasure trove of Dragon Masters books.

“My favorite part is I like Dragon books,” he said. “I like one of those ones over there.”

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Abi Martin

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – Local News 8 has learned that Skyline High School in Idaho Falls will be closed once again tomorrow. 

Apparently, strong odors are coming from the school’s air conditioning unit. D91 Maintenance says the stench is being caused by a stagnant cooling water within the system. 

They’re working to drain the water from the tank and safely dispose of it. Due to the size of the tank, they will have to continue working on it tomorrow. 

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Hadley Bodell

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – The TRIO Program at ISU is designed to help veterans and active duty military members find resources and support them through their education. The biggest event of the year for TRIO is coming up next month, the Military Families Resource Fair.

Held at the Bennion Student Union Building on the Idaho Falls ISU Satellite Campus, the fair is designed to connect local military members and their families with the support they need. Forty vendors will be on site, offering everything from healthcare to employment, mental health services, and kid-friendly activities.

“Just knowing how much the community is there to support these individuals and how much we really just want to help them,” said Joshua Badger with TRIO Veterans Upward Bound. “There’s people that are in your corner that want to help you out and that are ready and willing to to be there for you.”

Over the past year since the first resource fair, TRIO has worked to make partnerships and connections in the community to make the event more family-friendly and widespread. Community members are also invited to the event to enjoy food trucks and supporting local military.

“We know that there are there are spouses out there looking for connections with each other and with resources in the community,” Badger added. “The children of service members have opportunities for education and other benefits. So we wanted to provide those for them.”

The second annual Military Families Resource Fair will be held on Saturday, May 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, you can visit @seitriovub on Instagram or the TRIO website at https://www.isu.edu/trio/ to learn about the resources the program offers to military members and family.

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – This Saturday, April 25 is the 29th annual food drive for the Idaho Food Bank put on by Feeding the 5000 families and local faith-based organizations.

The event will be a progressive dinner, with appetizers starting at 5:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Pocatello. Salads and the turkey dinner main course with be served at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints near Caldwell Park. Finally, dessert will be at the Central Christian Church also near Caldwell Park.

All of the proceeds go to the Pocatello Idaho Food Bank, meaning donors get to see their generosity in action, helping local people in need. Tickets are $15 each for adults, children 10 and under get in free. Tickets will be sold at the door when the event begins, or you can purchase in advance by going to the Pocatello Idaho Food Bank.

“The southeast Idaho community and the area, are very supportive of everything that’s going on, or we wouldn’t be on our 29th year if we didn’t have the support of the community,” said Jolene Barnett-Stephens, the Food Drive Chairman. “It’s a really good opportunity to come out, meet people.”

Barnett-Stephens also said staff members from the Idaho Food Bank will be at the event, giving attendees a chance to connect with local non-profit change makers. She said by collaborating with other organizations, this food drive and progressive dinner event can fundraise more than just one faith-based organization in Pocatello could.

“We live in a great community that comes out and supports different food drives, whatever’s going on, different events,” said Barnett-Stephens. “It’s just nice to know that we’re here and we’re trying to help people get a good meal and help the food bank.”

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Each week, a dedicated group of ISU student dancers files into the Red Hill building on campus to rehearse solos, duets and group routines for their upcoming showcase. Just a few short months ago, the dance company didn’t exist at all.

“About two years ago they had a smaller bit of this dance club,” said Paige Robinson, the club vice president. “When it was about to be discontinued, we about lost all of our funds until Blue stepped up and said, ‘hey, we want to bring dance back.'”

The group formed through random connections and ISU-offered dance courses. They went through the process to ratify a club constitution, elect leadership, and get the company officially recognized by the university. They were told they had just under $1000 to get off the ground.

Then, on this year’s Bengal Giving Day, generous donors got that budget up to $8000. Now, the athletes are rehearsing for their first ever showcase, to be held at the Stephen’s Performing Arts Center on Monday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m.

“ISU Dance Company is a club dedicated to allowing students to continue their passion of dance,” said Blue Hill, the club president. “It is also the student led replacement of the dance program as the minor got cut last spring, and the major got cut a while before.”

The club is offering students a place to begin a new craft, continue honing in their skills and simply to have fun in a hobby. The best part of the club is that anyone is welcome.

“We wanted to make something for all levels,” said Cassidy Barrow, the club treasurer. “So you don’t have to be like, you know, really extremely well at dance. You can be an intermediate or beginner dancer and still have fun with it.”

The concert will be free with Bengal ID for ISU students and faculty, while community members will pay $5 for a ticket at the door. The concert will feature over 15 unique performances by the 22 members of the company. Each piece is entirely choreographed by the student dancers.

“Me and Blue are choreographing most of the group dances, and then everyone has their own solo they’re in charge of,” said Robinson.

The dancers are working hard in rehearsals for the upcoming weeks until the performance. Barrow says this is the first opportunity for the athletes to showcase their passion and talents with a live audience, especially since the club is so new.

“We put a lot of work into all of our dances that we are performing,” Barrow said. “ISU students that have joined, they kind of found a love for dance again and everyone has really enjoyed this club. And so we’re hoping to share that with the audience.”

 To keep up with the ISU Dance Company or for more information about joining, you can find them on Instagram at ISU Dance Company.

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Par Kermani

Blackfoot (KIFI) — The city of Blackfoot has implemented water restrictions due to concerns about water supply heading into the summer months.

Mayor Scott Stufflebeam said the decision came after reviewing regional water data and seeing warning signs tied to this year’s water outlook.

“I received several emails about the regional water supply, and at that point I decided that we needed to do something so that we can be conservationists in terms of how to make sure we have enough water,” Stufflebeam said.

The restrictions are aimed at reducing demand on the city’s system early, as officials prepare for what could be a difficult summer.

Currently, watering is based on odd and even house numbers. Stufflebeam said he plans to propose a change to a more structured weekly schedule at an upcoming city council meeting to make it easier for residents to follow.

Under that proposal, homes with odd-numbered addresses would water Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while even-numbered addresses would water Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. No watering would be allowed on Sundays.

The mayor said enforcement will rely in part on community cooperation, with warnings issued before any citations.

“We have a limited police force, but everybody has a neighbor,” Stufflebeam said. “If someone’s not following the rules, they can call it in and we’ll start with a warning.”

The restrictions apply only to city water use. Stufflebeam said residents using irrigation ditches, private wells or other water sources are not subject to the city’s watering schedule.

“Our proclamation only applies to the use of city water,” he said.

The move comes as hydrologists warn this year’s snowpack is significantly below normal in parts of eastern Idaho.

According to Erin Whorton, a hydrologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, snowpack in the Blackfoot area peaked at about 58% of normal this year.

“This year we had a very low snowpack, and in the Blackfoot area it only peaked at about 58 percent of normal,” Whorton said.

Whorton said the issue is not just the amount of snow, but how early it melted.

“The snowpack peaked in mid-March, and that’s earlier than normal,” she said. “In some areas around Blackfoot, it melted out almost five weeks earlier than normal.”

Snowpack plays a critical role in Idaho’s water supply, acting as a natural reservoir that slowly releases water into rivers and streams during the spring and summer.

“The majority of the water we see in our rivers, lakes and streams actually comes from the snowpack,” Whorton said. “About 75 percent of that water comes from the melting snowpack.”

Whorton said warmer temperatures this winter caused more precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow, reducing the amount of water stored in the mountains.

“When precipitation falls as rain rather than snow, you’re not storing that water in the mountains,” she said. “It just runs off earlier instead of being available later in the summer.”

That shift in timing, combined with lower overall snowpack, could lead to reduced streamflows during peak demand months.

Stufflebeam said the situation is concerning not just for residents, but for agriculture and the broader economy.

“I’m concerned for all of Idaho,” he said. “This affects our farmers, our economy — it affects everyone.”

He said conservation now is key, especially as uncertainty remains about future water conditions.

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Maile Sipraseuth

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)— Healing doesn’t always happen in a traditional setting. For some girls and women, it starts in the saddle. A partnership between Champ’s Heart and Bridle Up Hope gives women the opportunity build confidence, resilience, and inner strength through horsemanship.

“Our mission is to inspire girls and women to learn habits and horsemanship and build hope, confidence and resilience,” said Savannah Christiansen, one of the program instructors.

The non-profit goes beyond a typical riding experience. Participants learn life skills alongside horse training, forming a partnership between rider and animal.

“The fun part about Bridle Up Hope is we’re reaching a new generation of girls,” said Emily Sellers, the executive director, “We can help instill confidence, resilience, and that self-worth that sometimes feels like it’s lacking. It’s really hard to be a teenage girl these days.”

Participants begin with classroom sessions focused on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, learning principles like responsibility, goal-setting, and leadership.

From there, they head to the arena for equine-assisted learning, applying those habits in real-time with horses.

“We’re helping teach life techniques and training and helping them apply those in their everyday lives,” Seller said, “Because if you don’t have confidence, your horse doesn’t want to work for you.”

The program has a global reach, with locations spanning from Utah to Ukraine, and now a growing presence in Idaho Falls since it’s grand opening in September.

Bridle Up Hope recently had their first advancement with their girls, and is now enrolling for our second session of girls and women.

“The confidence that radiates off the girls is empowering in itself,” Emily said. “At first, they’re quiet, shy, and soft-spoken. By the end, it’s like a new flower has bloomed. That’s pretty incredible.”

For more information on this program click HERE.

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Kaelyn Blessinger

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Frontier Center for the Performing Arts, formerly the Idaho Falls Civic Center, has finished its expansion, making the local landmark more ADA accessible.

Wednesday, city officials and community leaders gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of a multi-year, multi-million dollar expansion designed to modernize the historic venue.

The venue has served generations of Idahoans since the early 1950s. However, as the region’s population surged, the building’s aging infrastructure became a concern for city leadership.

Today’s celebration marks the end of a decade of work that began with auditorium improvements, including new seating and carpet, acoustic enhancements, updated lighting, and a new marquee. Phase 2 brought the most dramatic change, as Frontier Credit Union bought the naming rights to the building, gifting the city $4.4 million to renovate the venue and expand the lobby.

Today, the lobby has tripled in size, growing from 2,200 square feet to 6,600 square feet.

“This is exactly the kind of project our community does best,” said Mayor Lisa Burtenshaw. “We all enjoy the shade of trees we did not plant, and the Frontier Center for the Performing Arts is one more gift we’ll enjoy for generations because people in Idaho Falls stepped forward to make it happen.”

Frontier Credit Union CEO Dan Thurman says he hopes that the facility lives up to the Civic Center’s legacy and remains a community pillar for years to come.

“I hope that the Frontier Center continues for twice as long and it continues to be a place where families can gather and enjoy the arts in our community,” said Thurman. “Our mission at Frontier Credit Union is building better lives, and I hope that this helps us build better lives in Idaho Falls for years to come.”

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Meghan Elaine

By: Meghan Elaine

Originally Posted 4:45 PM, Apr 21, 2026

WEST YELLOWSTONE (KBZK)— A vehicle crashed into a family-owned gift shop in West Yellowstone last week, sending merchandise flying and narrowly missing striking employees inside.

Surveillance video shows the moment a car drove straight through the side of the Cradleboard Gift Shop, shattering glass and sending merchandise across the store.

“It was just absolutely crazy,” said shop operator Jennifer Reinsch.

Reinsch said she received a call about the crash on Friday and has since reviewed video and photos of the aftermath.

“She calls me, and she’s just like, ‘Oh my God, a car just drove through the side of the building,’” Reinsch said.

The vehicle traveled several feet into the store, coming close to hitting an employee.

“It was all the way in the store, not even sticking out a little bit — it was a couple of feet in the store,” she said.

Reinsch said her father-in-law was behind the counter when the crash happened. Glass shattered around him, and he was briefly buried under debris.

“You can literally see it hit so hard it just tipped over and just shattered,” she said.

The shop, known for selling Yellowstone-themed souvenirs ranging from jewelry and clothing to rocks and hats, sustained significant losses as items were thrown throughout the store. The Merchandise damages totaled 17,000 dollars.

“We had so much stuff just fly everywhere,” Reinsch said.

West Yellowstone police said the driver was operating a rental vehicle and that the crash was accidental.

The West Yellowstone police chief tells MTN the vehicle was a rental car and drugs or alcohol were not factors.

As cleanup continues, Reinsch said the experience is something she will not forget.

“You watch stuff like ‘caught on camera’ and think that will never happen to you — but it can happen to anybody,” she said.

Despite the damage, Reinsch said insurance is expected to cover repairs and lost merchandise, and she hopes the business will continue for decades to come.

“People have been coming since my husband was 2 years old and he’s 50 now, so they’ve watched him grow up,” she said.

She said the incident reinforced what matters most.

“The building can be replaced — people can’t,” Reinsch said.

The store is expected to be repaired sometime in May. In the meantime, it remains open to customers through a single entrance.

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