Category: kifi-local-news

Maile Sipraseuth

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — A 36-year-old man appeared in court today following a police standoff at an Extended Stay hotel over the weekend. Joshua Dahlinghaus is facing a felony aggravated assault charge after a Sunday incident that began with reports of a fight and a gun threat.

The standoff, which drew a large police presence, took place at the Extended Stay on West Burnside Avenue. According to the initial release, officers responded to the Pocatello motel after reports of a fight between two men and a gun threat. Police said the suspect allegedly held a woman hostage and pointed a possible BB gun at another. The situation escalated into a standoff, though police confirmed the Dahlinhaus had fled the scene before they made entry.

Dahlinghaus appeared for his arraignment at the Bannock County Courthouse via Zoom. During the hearing, a judge set his bail at $20,000 and issued a no-contact order prohibiting him from having any contact with the victim.

If convicted, Dahlinghaus could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $85,000. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for September 25.

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Noah Farley

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — September is National Recovery Month, and the Center for HOPE will be hosting a Recovery Festival on Friday, September 19, to mark the occasion. 

The public is invited to stop by Freeman Park and enjoy food, raffles, and speakers. The festival honors the families and loved ones struggling from mental health issues and addiction, and celebrates the success of people recovering from them.

Even though the stigma of getting help for addiction and mental health has lessened over the last few years, some people might still feel embarrassed or ashamed to seek help.

“The biggest step is to make that phone call or show up somewhere and ask for help, and that’s always very honored when someone has the strength to do that,” said Tami Meckley with Brick House Recovery, one of the festival’s sponsors.

The festival will feature resources and people to talk with about dealing with addiction and mental health issues. It might not always be an easy process, but Meckley says it’s a beautiful thing to see someone take the steps to recover.

“You get to see families reunited,” she said. “You get to see moms and dads reunited with their kids. You get to see the confidence come back to someone who absolutely is worthy and deserving to have a life of peace.”

The Recovery Festival is on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Freeman Park in Idaho Falls.

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News Team

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — A Montana man and woman have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced the sentencing of Carson Lee Maynard, 49, of Livingston, and Amy Marie Tillman, 43, of Lewiston.

Maynard was sentenced to 15 years (180 months) in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Tillman received a sentence of nearly six years (70 months), followed by three years of supervised release. Both were also ordered to forfeit a residence in Livingston that was used in their drug operation.

According to court documents, the investigation began when an Idaho State Police trooper stopped a vehicle carrying Maynard and Tillman for a window tint violation. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of five pounds of methamphetamine and 3,000 fentanyl pills hidden inside a spare tire in the trunk.

Maynard and Tillman were returning to Montana from trips to New Mexico and Las Vegas, where they had acquired the drugs. They admitted to law enforcement that they planned to sell the narcotics upon their return to Montana. Maynard had a prior federal conviction for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in the District of Montana.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2025. Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill presided over the case.

U.S. Attorney Whatcott praised the collaborative efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service, the Idaho State Police, the Missouri River Drug Task Force-HIDTA (Montana), and the Montana Highway Patrol for their work on the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoie Laggis prosecuted the case.

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News Team

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — Brigham Young University-Idaho is celebrating a record-breaking fall semester with an overall enrollment of 25,000 students. This milestone includes more than 6,500 new students, with roughly 5,500 of those being first-time freshmen.

The record numbers come as the university marks 25 years since President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that Ricks College would become BYU-Idaho.

“BYU-Idaho’s mission is to develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities,” said Alvin F. Meredith III, president of BYU-Idaho in a release announcing the record-breaking semester. “Students are drawn to the university because they find an education here that is both spiritually strengthening and academically rigorous.”

The total enrollment figure accounts for both on-campus students and those participating in concurrent enrollment programs.

“We are thrilled to see so many students choose BYU-Idaho to begin pursuing their degrees and, ultimately, their careers,” said Rob Garrett, the university’s chief of staff and executive strategy and planning vice president. “Their decision to come here demonstrates confidence in the kind of learning environment and community they will find.”

Garrett added that the university is committed to supporting students’ academic, spiritual, and personal growth as they prepare for “meaningful jobs.”

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News Team

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Family Policy Center (IFPC) has filed a notice of tort claim against the Boise School District, alleging that a high school student was traumatized after encountering a biological male in a girls’ restroom. The claim asserts that the school district’s actions violated Senate Bill 1100, or Idaho’s Common Sense Law, which requires separated restrooms in public schools based on biological sex.

According to a press release from the IFPC, a female student at Boise High School twice encountered a biological male in an adjacent bathroom stall during the 2024-2025 school year. During the second encounter, the girl believes the individual was masturbating. The IFPC states that school officials later told the family the individual had “explicit” permission to use the girls’ restroom under a “gender support plan.”

IFPC argues that the girl suffered anxiety and other psychological harm as a result of the experience, leading her parents to remove her from Boise High School and enroll her elsewhere.

“We will hold Boise High School accountable for the psychological and emotional harm that its actions caused this teenage girl, who was understandably traumatized by the experience,” said Kevin Shupperd, a senior litigating attorney for the IFPC Legal Center. “Students cannot excel academically if they don’t feel safe at school. No girl should be forced to share school restrooms with biological males—full stop.”

The notice of tort claim states that the Boise School District breached its duty of care under Idaho law by failing to maintain sex-separated restrooms. Under the Idaho Tort Claims Act, the school district now has 90 days to respond before a lawsuit can be filed.

Senate Bill 1100, officially titled the “Protecting the Privacy and Safety of Students in Schools” act, requires public schools to maintain separate bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and overnight accommodations based on biological sex.

The law has been the subject of legal challenges. In a significant development, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit unanimously upheld the law in a March 2025 ruling.

“Senate Bill 1100 was adopted by supermajorities in both chambers of our state legislature—and it’s past time for school districts to follow the law,” said Blaine Conzatti, president of the Idaho Family Policy Center.

Shupperd added in the release, “We also trust that this serves as a warning to other public school districts across the State of Idaho. It’s time to stop flaunting Idaho law and neglecting the safety of your students.”

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News Release

The following is a news release from Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel:

FORT HALL, Idaho (KIFI) –The Sage Hill Casino, located South of Blackfoot, I-15 Exit 89, will be temporarily closed from Sunday, September 21, through Wednesday, October 15, 2025, to complete renovations designed to enhance the guest experience. Sage Hill Casino is currently scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

“These upgrades are an investment in our guests,” said Colista Matsaw, CEO. “We appreciate the community’s patience during this short closure and look forward to welcoming everyone back to an improved Sage Hill experience.”

During the closure, renovation work will focus on improvements intended to elevate comfort, efficiency, and overall service quality. Construction teams will operate on an accelerated schedule to ensure a timely reopening.

Guests are encouraged to follow our social media channels and visit shobangaming.com for updates.

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CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 15 SEP 25 16:53 ET

By Emma Benson

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    SALT LAKE CITY (KSL, KSL TV) — A Utah teacher is preparing to return to the classroom after doctors at Intermountain Health used cutting-edge 3D modeling and robotic technology to save her kidney.

When Sarah Machol suffered a painful kidney stone attack, she never imagined what doctors would discover next: a seven-centimeter cyst on her left kidney.

“I was stuck in the bathtub all night. I was in so much pain,” she said.

At first, she was told the kidney couldn’t be saved.

That changed when she sought a second opinion from Dr. Richard Matern, the lead robotics and surgical specialties surgeon for Intermountain Health’s Canyons Region.

“He actually let me see my CT scan, which I had never seen what this looked like or how it was impacting my body internally,” Machol said.

Using new state-of-the-art technology, Machol’s CT scan was converted into a 3D model by the system. That model was then integrated directly into the console of the Da Vinci 5 surgical robot.

Previously, surgeons could only view 3D images on a separate device, like a phone or tablet. That meant constantly looking away from the operating console to study the images, then going back to the surgery. Now, with the new system, the 3D model appears inside the console itself, so surgeons can manipulate and study it in real time while they operate.

Intermountain LDS Hospital was the first in the world to use the 3D model viewer in the DV5 robot.

“We can use the controls, we can look at the model, manipulate it while we’re looking at what we’re seeing inside of the patient,” he said. “It helped us be more efficient.”

The result: remarkable precision. Matern was able to remove the tumor, while saving 60% of Machol’s kidney — greatly lowering her risk of chronic kidney disease.

Machol says the experience still feels surreal.

“It feels like science fiction,” she said. “When I rolled into the ER, I saw all these advanced instruments, and I couldn’t believe that this was about to happen to me.”

Machol went home the same day. Now, just weeks later, she says she’s ready to get back to teaching third grade.

“I’m going to be back in the classroom next Monday — I can’t believe it,” she said.

Not only was Intermountain LDS Hospital the first in the world to use this advanced technology, doctors say it could transform surgeries well beyond kidneys.

“I think we’re just getting started on the advances with robotics,” Matern said. “I think we’re going to see a lot of steps forward, a lot of advances are going to be made with imaging-type things like 3D modeling.”

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CNN Newsource

By Arlette Saenz, Alison Main, Ted Barrett, CNN

(CNN) — The White House has requested an additional $58 million in security funding for the executive and judicial branches following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a Republican congressional aide said.

The funding request is being “actively processed” in the context of a stopgap funding bill, the aide said. Lawmakers are facing a looming end-of-month deadline to fund the government and stave off a shutdown, with House GOP leaders expected to move this week on a bill.

The request, first reported by Punchbowl News, comes amid heightened concerns in Washington about security for public officials, including among members of Congress, in the wake of the Kirk assassination.

House Speaker Mike Johnson conceded Monday that leadership didn’t yet have the text of a short-term funding bill because they are “trying to resolve” security funding issues, which he called “kind of a late-breaking development.”

Johnson said leadership is also looking at how to include more money for lawmaker security in the funding bill.

“We don’t have consensus around that yet, because all of this has pretty rapidly developed over the last few days, and everyone was home in their districts for the weekend,” he said, adding that Republicans and Democrats will have talks over the next two days to determine “what everyone believes is appropriate” for ensuring their safety.

“I want everyone within the sound of my voice to understand members of Congress are safe. They will be kept safe. They have security measures now at their residences. And personally, we can always enhance and do more and do better. And I think everyone’s looking at that soberly right now, after this unspeakable tragedy that befell our friend,” the Louisiana Republican continued.

Senate Republicans will be briefed on security issues by the Senate Sergeant at Arms office and US Capitol Police during their weekly conference lunch on Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter said. Senate Sergeant at Arms Jennifer Hemingway and Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan are expected to attend the GOP policy lunch after being invited by Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

Thune said on Monday that he hopes to pass a short-term government funding bill later this week, assuming the House passes it. He signaled that could require weekend work because the Senate is in recess next week for the Jewish holidays and the shutdown deadline is at the end of the month.

Thune said it’s possible that short-term bill would include additional funding for security for lawmakers.

In July, following the fatal shootings targeting state lawmakers in Minnesota, the House increased security funding and resources for lawmakers in their home districts as part of a new program. Johnson previously said that approximately 60 Democrats and 20 Republicans took advantage of the program, and he wants to examine what worked and what didn’t.

On Sunday, the speaker said that he’s been working to reassure House members about their personal security and that congressional leaders are looking at “all the options” to bolster it.

“I’ve been talking with a lot of them over the last few days about that and trying to calm the nerves to assure them that we will make certain that everyone has a level of security that’s necessary,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

He echoed calls from leaders of both parties on Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to “turn down the rhetoric.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.

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CNN Newsource

By David Goldman, CNN

(CNN) — A deal has been reached between the Trump administration and China to keep TikTok operational in the United States, administration officials announced Monday, concluding a yearslong effort that began during President Donald Trump’s first term.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that a framework agreement has been reached, and Trump will speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping Friday to finalize the deal. The agreement and conversation is a precursor to a Trump-Xi meeting that both sides have sought for months, US officials said Monday after a framework plan was announced.

“President Trump played a role in this, we had a call with him last night, we had specific guidance from him we shared it with our Chinese counterparts,” Bessent said in Madrid on Monday. “Without his leadership and the leverage he provides, we would not have been able to include the deal today.”

The Trump administration did not name the US-backed buyer, but the group is widely expected to be led by Oracle executive chairman Larry Ellison, who last week briefly became the world’s richest person. Trump in January had said he would champion Ellison, a Trump supporter, buying the app’s US assets.

Chinese and US diplomats have been meeting this week in Spain to discuss trade and other matters. Bessent, leading the latest round of trade talks with China on behalf of the United States, had said that TikTok was one of the subjects likely to be discussed.

“We were very focused on TikTok and making sure that it was a deal that is fair for the Chinese and completely respects US national security concerns, and that’s the deal we reached,” said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Monday. “And of course, we want to ensure that the Chinese have a fair, invested environment in the United States, but always that US national security comes first.”

Li Chenggang, China’s top trade negotiator and vice minister of commerce, said the two sides held “candid and in-depth exchanges” and reached a “basic framework consensus” to keep TikTok operational in the US.

The framework agreed upon includes “resolving TikTok-related issues through cooperation, reducing investment barriers, and promoting relevant economic and trade cooperation,” Li told reporters in Madrid, according to Chinese state media, adding that China won’t seek any deal at the expense of its principles or corporate interests.

Wang Jingtao, a deputy director of China’s Cyberspace Administration, said the deal could include methods such as the entrusted operation of TikTok’s US user data and the licensing of algorithms and intellectual property rights, Chinese state media reported.

TikTok and its parent company ByteDance did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment about the status of a deal.

Trump multiple times has extended a self-imposed deadline to reach a deal with China to sell at least part of TikTok parent company ByteDance’s US TikTok business to an American-backed owner. A bipartisan bill passed by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden banned TikTok in the United States because of national security concerns, allowing the app to continue operating in America only if its China-based owner divested its stake in the US assets of the social media company.

TikTok briefly went dark in the United States on January 18, the day before the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act went into effect. But on January 19, one day before Trump took office for his second term, he said he would sign an executive action upon the beginning of his term that would ensure US companies would not be punished for hosting TikTok on their app stores or servers.

The executive order, signed on January 20, delayed for 75 days the enforcement of the law. Trump extended the deadline again in June. The deadline had most recently been extended to September 17, but Trump was widely expected to move the deadline again if a deal didn’t come together in time.

The law gives the president broad discretion on how to enforce the ban. But critics have said Trump’s extensions thwarted the will of Congress.

Trump toward the end of his first term had advocated for banning TikTok — a policy he never got passed but which Biden eventually supported and signed into law. But Trump’s opinion eventually changed after he viewed the social media app as contributing to his election victory in 2024.

TikTok boasts around 170 million US users, many of them young people – a contingent that offered significantly more support to the Republican presidential candidate in the 2024 election than that segment of the population has in recent years. Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close, but no breakthrough emerged until Monday.

Who is buying TikTok?

Several investment groups have come forward in recent months saying that they would be interested in buying TikTok. Among the most prominent has been led by former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and investor Kevin O’Leary of “Shark Tank” fame, who have made several public pleas to own TikTok, and who made an offer to ByteDance.

But TikTok would likely cost more than the group can afford — likely in the tens of billions of dollars. So that group said it offered to purchase TikTok’s US assets without the app’s secret sauce: its algorithm that hooks users into watching video after video on the platform. They said they were convinced they could create a comparable algorithm from scratch.

That’s why industry analysts believe a much more likely candidate to buy TikTok’s US assets is Ellison, who has the capability of leading a group of investors with the money to buy the algorithm — and whose company already has a relationship with TikTok.

Oracle in 2020 began hosting TikTok’s US data, and it briefly reached a deal with the first Trump administration that year to buy TikTok, before that deal was ultimately blocked.

Trump has previously said he would seek a 50-50 joint venture between ByteDance and a new American owner. It has since been heavily debated whether any amount of Chinese ownership would be allowed by law, and the Trump administration didn’t clarify what kind of agreement it had secured on Monday.

China, up until this point, has been hesitant to allow ByteDance to give up its US stake. But as trade tensions between the companies reached an inflection point in the spring and continued throughout the summer – evidenced by China’s announcement Monday that Nvidia had violated its antitrust laws – Chinese authorities apparently decided that it should play ball.

Without a TikTok deal in place, a meeting between Trump and Xi wouldn’t be possible, US officials said. An agreement makes it more likely the two leaders will sit down when Trump visits Asia at the end of October, according to those officials.

Trump in late October and early November has an Asia trip planned, and their first in-person meeting of Trump’s second term could, in theory, take place then.

Trump on Monday hinted that a deal is now close.

“The big Trade Meeting in Europe between The United States of America, and China, has gone VERY WELL! It will be concluding shortly,” Trump said Monday in a post on Truth Social. “A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday.”

CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote characterizing the deal as fair for China while respecting US national security concerns. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer issued that statement.

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News Release

The following is a news release from the State of Idaho Office of the Attorney General:

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — The Office of the Attorney General won a complete legal victory last Friday when Ada County District Judge Jonathan Medema dismissed all claims in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former deputy attorney general Daphne Huang. The court ruled that Huang could not prove any of her allegations and therefore dismissed the case in full. “Idahoans elected me to protect families, uphold the Constitution, and ensure government follows the law,” said Attorney General Labrador. “The people of Idaho sent a message that they wanted to change the direction of the Attorney General’s office. When I took office, we began advising state agencies on legal compliance and setting our policies in place. While this former employee may have disagreed with our policy directions, the court found no basis for her claims. I will continue protecting Idaho families and ensuring government accountability.” In the decision dismissing the former employee’s lawsuit against the Office of the Attorney General, the Court made it clear that “The People demand that their civil servants comply with the law and demand transparency when they fail to do so.” Attorney General Labrador’s efforts to do just that—demand that civil servants comply with the law and demand transparency when they fail to do so—has once again been vindicated through the dismissal of this frivolous lawsuit. The Court repeatedly stated that there is no objectively reasonable basis to support the claims in the lawsuit that the Attorney General violated the law or Rules of Professional Conduct, and dismissed the lawsuit because “no rational juror could find that Plaintiff had proven any of her claims.” The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. This victory confirms that the Office of the Attorney General did not violate the Idaho Protection of Public Employees Act when it terminated Ms. Huang’s employment with the Office of the Attorney General. 

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