Category: kifi-local-news

Stephanie Lucas

JACKSON, Wyoming (KIFI) — Teton County has issued a rare apology and a nearly $30,000 refund to a Jackson couple after admitting it “incorrectly calculated” an affordable housing fee that sparked a years-long legal battle. What the county called a staff mistake, business owners Trey and Shelby Scharp called a “hostage” situation over their building permit.

“Teton County made a mistake. We required you to pay an affordable housing mitigation fee that you did not need to pay,” county leadership said in a statement Monday. “We are sorry. We regret every minute of distress this litigation caused you,” the statement continued.

The case began in 2021 when local business owners Trey and Shelby Scharp bought a five-acre property with a 1,000-square-foot cabin on it. They planned to build a new family home on the property while living in the cabin, then turn the cabin into a rental after their new home was ready.

Teton County officials told the Scharps their cabin was too big to be considered an auxiliary dwelling unit. Then, when they applied for a building permit for the new house in 2022, the county said they were required to pay $25,000 for an “affordable workforce housing fee.”

The idea for the fee is that building in the Jackson area will create construction jobs and service jobs; however, because it is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, these workers will not be able to afford housing in the same area. The resulting fee to the builder is meant to fund subsidized housing for the area workforce.

The Scharps sued Teton County in May 2025. “Teton County cannot hold building permits hostage until property owners pay excessive fees unrelated to their projects,” said their attorneys at the Pacific Legal Foundation, “Such requirements unfairly burden families like the Scharps who simply want to build a home and help solve local housing problems,” referencing the Sharp’s plan to rent out the smaller cabin once their new family home was finished.

“The residential site included a historic structure,” Teton County said, in reference to the existing cabin, “and credit for the historic structure was applied incorrectly. When this credit was properly applied, the floor area for the overall project dropped below 2,500 square feet, negating the affordable housing mitigation fee.”

The Pacific Legal Foundation says under the settlement agreement, “the County will refund the Scharps the $24,325 in ‘affordable workforce housing’ fees, as well as 7% interest since the fee was imposed, for a total of $29,909.00.”

The mitigation fees have been controversial and challenged before. Wyoming House Bill 141 would have prohibited cities and counties from imposing those fees; however, it failed in Wyoming’s 2026 Legislative session.

Teton County housing-fee Lawsuit 03162026Download

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Par Kermani

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Falls Police Department is responding to a local woman’s harrowing Facebook post regarding a weekend incident involving a man attempting to enter a vehicle with children inside.

According to police, officers responded to a 911 call from a mother reporting that a man had approached her vehicle in a museum parking lot while her children were inside. The woman told officers the man attempted to unbuckle one of the child’s seat belts before she intervened and told him to get out of the vehicle.

He then reportedly moved through the parking lot, attempting to open the doors of other parked cars.

Officers arrived on the scene quickly and located the suspect nearby. Following an initial assessment, officials determined the man was not acting with criminal intent but was in the midst of a severe psychological episode.

“It was very evident to officers, based on his behavior and the things he was saying, that he was experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Jessica Clements, IFPD Public Information Officer. This was supported by information about the man’s behavior prior to this interaction.”

The man was placed into protective custody and transported to a medical facility for professional mental health treatment.

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Seth Ratliff

TETON COUNTY, Wyo. (KIFI) — A 28-year-old skier is recovering after a grueling three-and-a-half-hour rescue operation on Taylor Mountain this past Friday.

The incident took place just before 12:30 PM on Friday, March 13th. Teton County Search & Rescue received an emergency alert for the injured skier, who’d injured her knee while skinning up from the Coal Creek drainage. Unable to ski or hike out, her partners called 911.

TCSAR dispatched three teams to ski into the area and placed a helicopter team on standby. The first volunteer team to reach the injured skier found her 800 feet up the mountain and roughly a mile from the Coal Creek parking lot. After evaluating the injured skier’s condition, the volunteers coordinated a plan to take her by rope and toboggan to the Coal Creek parking area. It took 25 volunteers three and a half hours to complete the rescue effort.

Volunteers encountered slick conditions in their response. TCSAR says the conditions served as a timely reminder that skiers heading into the backcountry should expect to find unforgiving conditions.

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Kaeden Lincoln

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 13, 2026

By: Kaeden Lincoln

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Bonneville trustees Wednesday unanimously approved ballot language for the May 19 election that would increase the district’s supplemental levy by about $7.6 million.

Voter approval would take Bonneville’s two-year measure from $11.6 million to $19.2 million.

The district has experienced a funding shortage of about $7 million, with leaders citing the state’s return to an attendance-based funding model. State leaders temporarily shifted to an enrollment-based model while schools grappled with COVID-19 pandemic challenges.

The new levy amount aims to overcome that shortage, said Superintendent Scott Woolstenhulme, who fought tears to introduce the new levy amount during a board meeting Wednesday.

“These are never easy decisions to make,” Woolstenhulme said after recalling the story of a retired widow who testified at a prior board meeting about how increasing taxes threatened to push her out of her family home.

Trustees reflected on the increase — and the impact on students, if key programs like band and orchestra were lost.

Board Chair Carissa Coats pointed out that the district’s levy ask hasn’t increased since in 2017.

“It hasn’t been easy to maintain that with rising costs,” Woolstenhulme said.

Since 2024, the district has tapped its savings account, or fund balance, to make up funding gaps. Projections suggest the amount will run empty by 2027 if the district doesn’t find a new funding source.

If it can’t make up the difference, the district is looking at layoffs and cutting programs like music and physical education. Trustees fear such cuts would hurt students.

“One of the things we try to do is make sure every student has something to attach them to the school,” said longtime Trustee Paul Jenkins. “Whether it be sports, drama, debate – so that they have some connection to help ground them. We want a well-rounded student, and to do that, it does cost.”

Earlier in March, Woolstenhulme predicted the levy increase would have to be as much as $8 million. The final increase was about $7.6 million. Woolstenhulme also projected that a house with a roughly $300,000 taxable value would see an annual increase of around $150 if the levy meets the simple majority requirement to pass.

Friday is the deadline for districts to put measures on the ballot.

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Kevin Richert

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on March 13, 2026

By: Kevin Richert and Ryan Suppe

BOISE, Idaho — A bill to criminalize violations of Idaho’s bathroom law is headed to the Senate.

The House-passed bill would make it a misdemeanor to use a bathroom “that is designated for use by the (user’s) opposite biological sex.”

The bill would apply to schools and any government or public buildings. A 2023 law already requires schools to regulate bathrooms and locker rooms, based on gender assigned at birth.

“(This is) consistent with Idaho’s recent policy direction,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Cornel Rasor, R-Sagle. “Single-sex facilities have long existed to safeguard females.”

The bill would apply to anyone who “knowingly or willfully” uses a bathroom not aligned to their “biological sex.” A first offense would be a misdemeanor, but a second offense would be a felony.

“We are about to criminalize fear as opposed to actual harm,” said Rep. Chris Mathias, D-Boise. Mathias added that the bill poses a threat to transgender people, who would have to use bathrooms and facilities that make them uncomfortable.

Rep. Dale Hawkins said the rest of the population should not have to accommodate transgender Idahoans, who make up 0.4% of the population. “I don’t know how we got here,” said Hawkins, R-Fernwood. “This is about men in women’s spaces.”

With the 54-15 vote, House Bill 752 now heads to the Senate.

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CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 16 MAR 26 18:06 ET

By Emma Benson

Click here for updates on this story

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSL) — At a time when owning a home seems out of reach for many, a group of friends is trying to make the American dream possible.

Sky Evans, along with his wife Lily and friend Sawyer Reidelbach, started what they call the Homerun Project. They are renovating a 1920s house in Salt Lake City and, once it’s finished, plan to give it away — no mortgage, no rent, just a fresh start, in a drawing.

“We cannot fix the housing crisis for everybody, it’s such a disaster. But we wanted to fix it for someone,” Lily Evans said.

Evans said they are renters themselves and even sold one of their investment properties to help make the renovation possible.

“That’s really how passionate we are about this — to be able to bring such a dream to somebody else,” Sky Evans said.

The transformation is already well underway.

“What’s cooler than being able to give away a house?” Reidelbach said. “Every day I wake up, it’s all I think about. I lay in bed, and I think about it — getting to work on this makes me so happy.”

Once the renovation is complete, they say the goal is simple.

“Somebody is going to get keys to a home, and that’s really the moment that this whole project is for,” Sky Evans said.

They hope to expand this project in the future, giving even more people a place to “run home” to.

“We love it. We’re so excited about it, and we think it will change someone’s life,” Lily Evans said.

The giveaway ends Aug. 23, and the winner will be randomly chosen after that. Each dollar spent on merchandise through their website counts as entries. For more details, visit TheHomerunProject.com. Updates on the renovation are also available on their Instagram page.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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Seth Ratliff

UPDATE 6:40 p.m. PARK CITY, Utah (KIFI) — A jury found Kouri Richins guilty of murdering her husband on Monday evening. She was accused of poisoning her husband, Eric, with fentanyl in 2022.

The jury found the defendant guilty on all 5 counts, which included aggravated murder, attempted criminal homicide, two counts of fraudulent insurance claims, and forgery.

The verdict came in just after 6:30 p.m. after deliberation on Monday afternoon.

Richins is scheduled to be sentenced on May 13, 9:30 a.m.

PREVIOUS STORY:

PARK CITY, Utah (KIFI) — Closing arguments began Monday in the high-profile murder trial of Kouri Richins, the Utah mother accused of fatally poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, then writing a children’s book about coping with grief.

The case now moves to the jury for final deliberations.

The Prosecution – ‘The sound of a black-widow.’

In the state’s closing arguments, Summit County prosecutor Brad Bloodworth painted a picture of a woman driven by a desperate need for status and privilege. According to the state, Kouri’s motive was a mix of failing finances, control over her husband’s $4 million estate, and her affair with Robert Josh Grossman.

Monday, Bloodworth opened by detailing Kouri’s background, alleging she sought to distance herself from a troubled childhood by projecting a life of privilege and success. Bloodworth says Kouri achieved this goal when she met and married Eric Richens, a successful business owner. However, prosecutors argue that after three children and several years of marriage, Kouri wanted out but refused to leave the wealth behind.

“All the while, Kouri Richins was more interested in spending time with Josh Grossman than Eric,” said Bloodworth. “She dreams of living in the Midway mansion with Josh, running it as an event center, farming it, and raising kids. But she did not have the money to leave Eric.”

The state alleges that Kouri siphoned $250,000 from Eric’s accounts to fund her own failed business ventures, hoping to earn enough money to leave him. Witnesses testified that she asked for illicit drugs before ultimately getting hold of the fentanyl used in the murder. Furthermore, prosecutors revealed Kouri had already booked a future vacation with Grossman for a date she knew Eric would not live to see.

The state argues that Kouri spiked Eric’s Moscow Mule with five times the lethal limit of fentanyl. To close his argument, Bloodworth replayed the first minute of the 911 call Kouri made the morning Eric was found dead. Bloodworth stated that the recording was not the sound of a wife becoming a widow, but instead “the sound of a wife becoming a black widow.”

The Defense – “Kouri Richins’ world collapsed.”

Defense attorney Wendy Lewis countered by painting Kouri as a caring mother and attempting to discredit the prosecution’s star witness, the Richens’ former housekeeper Carmen Lauper.

Lewis opened her arguments by revisiting the night of March 3rd, 2022, when the couple was celebrating the closing of the Midway Mansion. She described a mother tending to a crying child before returning to her bedroom to find her world had collapsed.

“Something feels wrong,” said Lewis. “[Kouri] turns on the light, and when she looks at her husband, really looks at him, she realizes something is terribly wrong. In that moment, Kouri Richins’ world collapsed.”

She also attacked the credibility of Carmen Lauper, who claimed to have sold Kouri the drugs, saying that Lauper changed her story numerous times. Lauper was already in a drug court program as an alternative to incarceration on other charges when authorities arrested her in connection with the Richins case, according to the Associated Press.

“She’s not a truthful person,” argued Lewis, framing Lauper’s testimony as a “get out of jail free” in the face of a long prison sentence.

While acknowledging Kouri’s affair and how she’d deleted certain text messages, Lewis speculated her client may have deleted texts due to an affair or drug purchases.

The closing arguments capped three weeks of testimony where the defense rested its case without calling any witnesses. If convicted of the charge of aggravated murder alone, Kouri Richins faces a potential sentence of life in prison.

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Seth Ratliff

UPDATE:

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — The Bannock County Coroner’s Office, in coordination with the Idaho State Police ISP, has released the identity of the man killed in a motorcycle accident on I-15 last week.

Coroner Torey Danner confirmed that Tyeson Iverson, 31, of Pocatello, died from his injuries at the scene.

The crash took place just after 2:50 PM near milepost 67 in Bannock County. According to ISP, Danner was riding a 2021 Indian Motorcycle Co. Chieftain motorcycle on northbound I-15 when he lost control, hit a guardrail, and came to rest on the right shoulder.

“My heart goes out to Tyeson’s family and friends, and I’m so very sorry for their loss,” said Coroner Torey Danner. 

The incident remains under investigation by the Idaho State Police.

ORIGINAL:

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — A 31-year-old McCammon man is dead after his motorcycle collided with the guardrail of I-15 near Bannock County on Friday afternoon.

The crash took place just after 2:50 PM near milepost 67 in Bannock County. The man was riding a 2021 Indian Motorcycle Co. Chieftain motorcycle on northbound I-15 when he lost control, hit a guardrail, and came to rest on the right shoulder.

The Idaho State Police say the rider was not wearing a helmet and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

The crash is under investigation by the Idaho State Police. 

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Seth Ratliff

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — For the second time, a jury has failed to reach a verdict in the case of Brandon Cook, a local contractor accused of defrauding homeowners of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The two-day trial ended Thursday, March 12, after a hung jury forced the judge to declare a mistrial.

Cook, operating through his company Re-Lived Construction, was charged in 2024 following a wave of complaints from former clients. The Trial centered specifically on a contract with homeowner Cody Hawker, whom Local News 8 interviewed in February 2024 before Cook was charged.

Hawker hired Cook in February 2023 to add an extention on his home. He says he paid him $33,000 upfront, only to be left with a massive, exposed hole in his backyard leading to his basement. A year later, when we interviewed him, Hawker had been forced to board up the excavation and run a pump 24/7 throughout the winter to prevent his home from flooding.

In Bonneville County, Jennifer Bennent claims to have hired Cook in 2023 and was left with gutted walls and severely compromised support beams. At least 10 other homeowners claim to have lost money to the contractor, and the local non-profit LIFE Inc. (Center for Independent Living) reportedly lost $200,000 to Cook’s business dealings.

Despite the evidence against Cook, after three hours of deliberations, the jury remained deadlocked. The future of the case remains uncertain, as the court has not yet set another jury trial. However, Jennifer Bennet and her fellow homeowners remain hopeful.

“We are going to beg [deputy prosecutor] Fred Wheeler to try one more time, but whether he declines or not, we are going to see if we can assist in the Bannock County case and also talk to Randy Neal about trying him in Bonneville,” said Jennifer Bennent. “Additionally, I think I want to appeal to the Attorney General and state legislature for law reform so that we can get a conviction. Because the intent piece is the hardest to prove.”

While another criminal trial is a possibility, Jennifer Bennett tells Local News 8 that, as Cook has declared bankruptcy, there is little chance she or anyone else will get their money back.

In our initial investigation, Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal told Local News 8 that malicious parties or contractors would sometimes close their business or declare bankruptcy as a way of “avoiding civil liability.” In those cases, Neal said victims were left with few options.

The simplest answer is “don’t get in this situation in the first place.” For what we learned on how to vet a contractor, click HERE.

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Par Kermani

ROBERTS, Idaho (KIFI) — Painter Bob Ross once said, “You need the dark in order to show the light.” For 12-year-old Caellum Hebdon, who is battling brain cancer, that light is now coming in the form of encouraging news about his treatment.

The update comes days after Hebdon’s story first aired on Local News 8, highlighting the Idaho Falls middle schooler’s battle with brain cancer and his passion for drawing prehistoric creatures. 

Brain scans show encouraging results. Courtesy Hebdon family.

Caellum Hebdon and his family recently received results from a follow-up MRI that showed his chemotherapy and radiation treatments are working better than doctors expected.

“We just see minimal cancer in there now — just two little spots left,” said his mother, Kaylene Hebdon. “So much has cleared up. It’s just amazing.”

Hebdon was diagnosed in 2025 after he suffered a stroke. He was life-flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, where doctors discovered a bleeding tumor in his brain and performed emergency surgery to save his life. 

The stroke temporarily took away his ability to speak and move the right side of his body. This became an obstacle that Caellum had to overcome, because he was right-handed and art is his passion in life. 

When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Hebdon had a quick answer. “Artist.”

Months of therapy helped him regain those abilities — including the ability to draw. His artwork has since earned him national attention as a finalist in the “Bob Ross presents: America’s Most Artistic Kid” competition.

Following the Local News 8 story, his family says the community support helped push Hebdon back into first place in his contest group.

“He’s back at number one in his group of about 60 people,” said father JayC Hebdon. “All the extra votes people have been giving have made a really big difference.”

Doctors say the radiation therapy Hebdon completed last fall will continue working over the next year as his body clears damaged cancer cells.

His family says the latest scan results have given them something they’ve been waiting months to feel.

“Before, we didn’t know what was going to happen,” said his mother, Kaylene Hebdon. “Now we know the treatment is working. There’s hope.”

To celebrate the encouraging news, the family took a spring break trip to California, visiting Legoland and SeaWorld before heading to Universal Studios.

Caellum, who remains quiet but appreciative of the support, offered a simple message to the community, helping him stay in the contest.

“Thanks for all the votes,” Caellum said.

If Bob Ross taught generations that painting can bring calm in difficult moments, Caellum is Eastern Idaho’s living proof. 

Voting for Hebdon in the national art competition remains open, with the top contestants advancing to the next round.

If you want to help Caellum bring home that national title and help his family with those medical bills, there are a few ways to get involved. The “America’s Most Artistic Kid” contest relies on community support. You can cast one free vote every 24 hours by heading to the contest website.

https://artistickid.org/2026/caellum-3f31

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