Category: kifi-local-news

Danielle Mullenix

If the rain and colder temperatures last week weren’t your favorite kind of weather conditions, you are in luck. As we start off the week, we’ll climb back into the 70s for the next few afternoons, with clear skies and mostly sunny conditions. A brief hiatus from the stormy weather, however, will come to an end by Wednesday, when we’ll return to rain and gusty conditions.

We start off Monday morning with a small freeze, but quickly warm up as the sun rises. A major warm-up will begin this mid-morning and continue into the afternoon, with high-pressure amplifying and returning temperatures to the 70s in the lower valleys. Overnight temperatures will dip into the lower 40s, with mountainous regions slightly above freezing. This pattern will carry over into Tuesday’s forecast as well. No major concerns for the next few days, but breezy, wet conditions will return by the middle of the week. No wind concerns, around 15-20 mph in most areas across the region. Little to no precipitation is expected on this mild Monday.

Tuesday afternoon will still bring above-average temperatures, with places along the Snake River Plain reaching the mid- to upper 70s. By Tuesday evening, a major system will move in from the Pacific coast, bringing cooler temperatures and increased rain showers around Eastern Idaho for Wednesday.

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Fox13

Originally Published: 20 APR 26 11:23 ET

By Caroleina Hassett

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    BRIGHAM CITY, Utah (KSTU) — Wyatt Romney has lived by the corner of 100 South and 500 West in Brigham City for many years, and his long-time friend Blake Smith moved in a little over a year ago.

“It’s always been a really quiet neighborhood. It’s a really nice neighborhood. We’ve got really friendly neighbors,” Romney said.

That was until Romney got a phone call from his mom on Saturday night asking if something was going on.

“Me and Blake walk outside, and the cop is like, ‘Get over here. Get over here,'” Romney said. “So we walk across the road… We could just both smell it immediately.”

It was the smell of natural gas, turned on by 44-year-old suspect Jeremy Ruben Perea in an attempt to cause an explosion, according to Brigham City Police.

Detective Crystal Beck said officers responded to the area just before 8 p.m. due to a domestic violence incident.

“The suspect attempted to break into an ex-girlfriend’s apartment and threatened to blow the place up. He told her to get the dogs out, and she fled without shoes on,” she said.

They both lived in a duplex, and officers said the suspect turned the gas on in the basement. While they were able to shut it off quickly, 14 homes needed to be evacuated.

“I originally thought that it was just a gas leak,” Romney said. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I was like, ‘Okay, they’ll shut the gas off, you know, connect lines or whatever, fix what they need to,’ and then I was like, ‘Oh, it’s worse.'”

Both Smith and Romney told FOX 13 News that they were able to come back to their home after about six hours, around 2 a.m.

“Negotiators, after several hours, were able to peacefully get [Perea] out of the home, and he came out with his hands up,” Beck said.

“I’m definitely glad that whatever was going to happen didn’t happen, but I’m also very glad that everyone made it out alive,” Romney said.

“I was telling him, it’s a crazy thought that we could have just been doing our thing and then something drastic happens,” Smith added.

Beck said the victim ended up okay. She also mentioned that there was an incident in the past, but police were not called.

It’s because of this that Smith and Romney encourage neighbors to keep an eye out.

“It’s hard to think something like this is going to happen, but, I mean, it’s always good to be wary. At least look outside and make sure that nothing strange is going on,” Romney said.

“Just don’t be oblivious to something that’s happening around you,” Smith added.

Perea is in custody for aggravated assault with a domestic violence enhancement.

Brigham City PD said they take domestic violence situations very seriously and encourage the public to call 911 if they ever find themselves in a dangerous situation.

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.

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Kaelyn Blessinger

IONA, Idaho (KIFI)– A shed fire has been successfully contained after the Idaho Falls Fire Department responded to a structure fire around 11:55 a.m. today in the backyard of a home in Iona.

3 fire engines and 2 ambulances arrived on the scene. Firefighters successfully contained the fire and prevented it from spreading to nearby structures. Local law enforcement provided traffic control support during the incident.

Crews conducted primary searches of both the shed and the residence to ensure no occupants were inside. No one was in the shed or residence, and both structures were confirmed clear.

The cause of the fire is currently unknown and remains under investigation.

Estimated damage is approximately $40,000. The contents of the shed are also unknown at this time.

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Hadley Bodell

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Art brings communities together, and right here in Idaho Falls several local organizations gathered people to enjoy a “Postcard Art Show” in support of Happyville Farms.

Joyful Revolution is committed to brightening our communities through expression and artwork. Since their founding in July, they have worked to create a partner show for local artists to showcase their work. People of all ages, levels, and art mediums can create work, donate it and allow Joyful Revolution to sell it.

Meanwhile, Happyville Farms has a mission in nutrition. They’ve been growing and selling crops since 2020 to donate fresh vegetables to feed people in need.

“We all know that the best thing you can get off your plate is garden fresh vegetables,” said Claudia Pine, Director at Happyville Farms. “That’s what we like to do. We grow it, we teach people how to grow it. We teach people how to enjoy preparing it and eating it in classes for all ages on our outdoor farm.”

The collaboration began when Jayden Anderson, a co-founder of Joyful Revolution, noticed Happyville’s community farm down the street from her house. As it turned out, the missions for each organization coicided perfectly, both intended to bring health and happiness to Idahoans.

“We couldn’t think of a better organization to partner with and support, because they do so much,” said Alex Petersen, co-founder of Joyful Revolution.

The Postcard Art Show featured 160 artists and 173 pieces of artwork donated from people in the community. All ages, levels and mediums were welcome, with the youngest entry being from a three-year-old artist and the oldest 87.

“We were so lucky that we had 173 pieces donated,” Petersen said. “We’re so excited to see the community’s outpouring of love and seeing them express themselves and witness and be a part of the art community and supporting them in a way we haven’t really ever seen in Idaho Falls.”

The event featured live music and food for guests. Joyful Revolution also partnered with Little Bluebird Studios to host the event in the lively space where guests could browse the art show.

“We’re a small nonprofit and what this shows is how big people can dream when they partner together,” Pine added. “Some of the artists are actually people who have come to the farm, some of the works were done by community ‘youth in action’ teams who also volunteer and take classes there. This is just another way for them to jump in and get involved and show what they can do.”

If you weren’t able to donate by purchasing any postcard artwork at the showcase, there are still ways to give to both local organizations. You can find Joyful Revolution on Instagram at joyfulrevolutionidaho and Facebook at Joyful Revolution SE Idaho to navigate to their website and donate.

For more information about Happyville Farms, you can visit www.happyvillefarm.org.

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Hadley Bodell

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Ice skating and ice hockey are two of the world’s lesser known sports, however there are clubs providing athletes the opportunity to play them right here in Idaho Falls. Expenses for ice time are steep, with tonight’s “Ice Gala” serving as a fundraiser for the Idaho Falls Figure Skating as well as the Snake River Youth Hockey Association.

The masquerade-themed ball was held at the Elks Lodge in Idaho Falls. The goal is to keep the sports affordable for local families.

“I think that what a lot of people don’t realize is when you have an athlete in a sport like this, you’re not just paying for your kid’s time on the ice,” said Sydnee Nethery with Idaho Falls Figure Skating. “The organizations have to meet anywhere from $215 to $300 every hour that they’re on the ice. And so that adds up weekly to thousands between the two organizations.”

They like to provide athletes with training opportunities, even bringing in Olympians. In order to continue these programs and allow competition at larger tournaments, the clubs host events like the Ice Gala to fundraise.

“We would love to be able to have an ice rink that has ice year round in this area. There’s one in Rexburg but we’d like one in Idaho Falls,” said Darby Heyrend with Snake River Youth Hockey Association. “Our mission is just to keep the kids on the ice and out of trouble, keep them interested in sports and keep life positive for them.”

For the young athletes within these programs, it’s about more than honing their craft and competing with passion.

“I think that between the two organizations, they learn so much more than just how to play hockey or figure skate through working with a team,” Nethery added. “You learn accountability and learn responsibility, things like that. For the figure skaters, they learn all the performance skills that will carry them through one day leading a meeting in a boardroom or being able to connect themselves in a way that represents them and their organization really well. So the lessons they learn go far beyond the ice, and that’s what’s really important.”

To donate to Idaho Falls Figure Skating, you can visit https://www.idahofallsfsc.org/.

To donate to Snake River Youth Hockey Association, you can visit https://www.yetishockey.com/.

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – In honor of celebrating Earth Day this weekend, 70 organizations, businesses, agencies and vendors set up at Lookout Point in downtown Pocatello for the annual Portneuf Valley Environmental Fair.

The event brings people together to walk through vendors and learn about local organizations promoting environmental awareness. Fries were available from Lamb Weston as well as hot dogs for attendees. Live music added to the joyful atmosphere at the Lookout pavillion.

Idaho State University students from the nursing program also got involved at today’s event.

“We actually split into two groups to be able to go to two different events,” said Hailey Bernard, an ISU nursing student. “We all chose to come to the environmental fair because we wanted to be a part of all this, so we’re out here taking vitals for the community.”

Around 4,000 total people attend the environmental fair, which ran from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.

“We’ll check blood pressure, your pulse, your oxygen saturation,” added Bernard. “And then how fast you’re breathing and all those work together just to help see how well your body is functioning. It’s just good to know, and so important to stay on top of it and know when things change.”

Many Pocatello and Chubbuck organizations were in attendance offering hands-on activities for children, providing giveaways and prizes. Their purpose is to teach people about protecting the Portneuf Valley for generations to come.

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Every summer, volunteers and the Reconnect Southeast Idaho organization work together to bring fun, education and performing arts to kids in Pocatello at the Constitution Camp. This year is extra special because it’s the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

This year’s camp is June 15-19 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. On the Friday of the camp, the kids come back for a performance at 6 p.m. The entire community is invited to the free performance at Calvary Chapel on June 19. It will showcase all the history knowledge the campers learned throughout the week.

It takes over 60 volunteers to make the camp experience memorable for the children. Some are teachers from the community and others put on costumes to play historical heroes like George Washington. Throughout the week, the campers have countless hands-on learning opportunities.

“They rotate through stations and they do really fun activities like they march through the icy river with rags tied on their feet with George Washington,” said Michele Holyoak, Camp Director. “They learn what it’s like to live like a 17th century kid by feeding chickens and making bread and root beer.”

The week also includes practices for Friday’s performance, memorizing important documents like the preamble to the Constitution, and other crafts like sewing stars.

“This year, we decided that we wanted to celebrate as much of the 250 years as we could. So, instead of just learning about the revolution we are going to take them on a journey through the early colonists from the Mayflower all the way up to World War I and World War II,” said Holyoak.

The camp isn’t about the memorization of small details like dates of events in U.S. history, but rather to give children a memorable experience they’ll carry with them, as well as teach them valuable themes.

“The point is to get them to have an associated feeling with this country of patriotism and love and courage and freedom,” Holyoak said. “So that when they go out into their lives and into adulthood, that they remember that spirit of freedom and spirit of patriotism and love of country, and having these true heroes in their pockets.”

The camp expanded this year to accommodate 100 campers and there’s just under 30 spots remaining. In order to secure a T-shirt with registration, you must do so by April 30. For more information and how to register your child for Constitution Camp, visit reconnectsoutheastidaho.org.

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David Pace

ARCO, Idaho (KIFI) – Idaho Department of Water Resources Director Mat Weaver has lifted the curtailment order on Butte County farmers through May 4th.

The decision means farmers in the Big Lost River and Little Lost River Basins will be able to water their crops for the next two weeks.

During that time, “good faith” negotiations will continue between the Idaho Ground Water Appropriators and the Surface Water Coalition over accepting three ground water districts in the Big Lost River and Little Lost River basins into the 2024 Mitigation Plan. 

Weaver’s decision only applies to farmers who are members of the ground water districts applying to join the plan.

Local News 8 spoke with representatives from both the SWC and IGWA before Weaver issued his decision.

“Those farmers out there – those growers – had their crops dying on the vine because it’s been a very dry, warm spring, and they have very rocky, kind of shallow soil,” said Idaho Ground Water Appropriators Chairwoman Stephanie Mickelsen. “So for them, this is the critical time where they may not end up with a crop if we don’t get this resolved.”

The Butte County farmers started the process to join the 2024 mitigation plan late last summer.

“They have to first set up a ground water district. Then they have to go hire an attorney,” Mickelsen explained. “All of this takes time because you have to have public notices and all those kind of legal requirements met in order to do that. So they have been working on this for a significant period of time.”

Tensions between the two groups culminated when Weaver declined to lift an order to cut off the Butte County farmers’ water on Thursday.

That decision brought both two groups of irrigators closer together, with negotiations continuing in earnest.

“I think over the next two weeks, we’ll continue to meet and discuss those and try and reach a resolution,” said Surface Water Coalition Attorney Travis Thompson. “That’s really the point for today is to agree to continue those good faith negotiations.”

On Friday afternoon, the traditional rivals – SWC and IGWA – jointly asked Weaver to allow Big Lost River and Little Lost River Water District farmers to continue to irrigate.

“Just some real hard work on both sides – attorneys getting together and trying to find a path forward for some negotiations to continue that dialogue,” Thompson said.

For full coverage of the latest developments, check out our article from Friday afternoon.

RELATED |  Surface Water Coalition, Groundwater Districts seek emergency stay on Butte Co. curtailment

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Par Kermani

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — As spring projects ramp up across eastern Idaho, the East Idaho Home and Garden Show is giving homeowners a chance to get a head start — but a freeze warning could impact early planting.

The event is underway at the Mountain America Center, bringing together nearly 200 vendors offering everything from landscaping and gardening advice to home improvement services.

Vendors say the show is designed to help residents plan ahead as temperatures begin to warm.

“We’ve got trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals—everything you need to make your yard look great, and it’s really a good way for people to come out, see what does well in this area, and get ideas before they start planting,” said Kennedy Haslam with Sunnyside Gardens.

However, a freeze warning remains in effect across eastern Idaho through Friday and into Saturday, creating potential challenges for early planting.

Garden experts say timing is critical this time of year, especially for more delicate plants.

“The average last frost date is around May 22nd, so if you’re buying plants right now, you really want to babysit them until then, and if temperatures drop, you can use things like frost cloths or even blankets to help protect those more sensitive plants,” said Cassidy Barnes with Sunnyside Gardens.

The East Idaho Home and Garden Show continues Friday from noon to 7 p.m., with free admission for senior citizens and military veterans from noon to 2 p.m.

The event resumes Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with teachers and first responders admitted free from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Organizers say the show offers a chance for residents to connect with local experts and prepare for the spring season despite changing weather conditions.

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Par Kermani

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A supplemental levy aimed at keeping key programs in place will be on the ballot for Bonneville Joint School District 93 voters in May. 

The proposed measure would provide $9.6 million per year for two years. If passed, it would replace the district’s existing levy while adding the necessary funding to bridge a growing budget gap.

District 93 Superintendent Scott Woolstenhulme warned that the district has reached a financial breaking point. For the past two years, the district has stayed afloat by relying on savings to maintain programs—but that funding is running out.

“We’ve been using our fund balance—basically our savings account—to support programs that have lost state funding to support,” Woolstenhulme explained.

Superintendent Woolstenhulme cited two reasons for the loss of funding: declining enrollment and budget reductions to offset that enrollment.

If approved, the levy would help fund programs like Full-Day Kindergarten, Gifted and Talented Education, and elementary P.E. and Music. District leadership confirmed that if the levy fails, these programs will likely be phased out over the next few years, as the district will no longer have the “savings” required to subsidize them.

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