Category: kifi-local-news

News Team

IDAHO (KIFI) — Starting today, law enforcement is stepping up patrols around schools. The Southeast Idaho Traffic Safety Task Force is stepping up patrols to protect students and crack down on unsafe driving behaviors.

The heightened enforcement will focus on common violations that put students at risk, such as speeding in school zones, ignoring school bus stop arms, and failing to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. This effort is aimed at reducing the dangerous behaviors that tend to spike this time of year.

“We’ll be in school zones during the day and watching for impaired drivers at night,” Lieutenant Todd Orr said in a release. “From young children to college students, our goal is to keep every student safe.”

To report unsafe driving, call *ISP (*477).

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Curtis Jackson

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) – A multi-vehicle crash blocked southbound I-15 near Blackfoot Thursday afternoon.

Idaho State Police said a red Toyota Avalon hydroplaned into a barrier, triggering a chain reaction with a Dodge Ram pulling an RV and a Kenworth semi.

The Toyota’s driver, a 21-year-old from Rexburg, was hospitalized. All drivers wore their seatbelts.

The highway was blocked for over two hours.

ISP is investigating, with help from local law enforcement and fire crews.

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Ariel Jensen

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A new interactive exhibit is teaching the local community about hydropower.

Heritage Park in Idaho Falls welcomed its first historical exhibit with a ribbon-cutting on Thursday afternoon, August 28th, 2025. The park is dedicated to celebrating the city’s cultural heritage. 

Idaho Falls Power and INL together unveiled an interactive hydropower exhibit in the park.

“Heritage Park demonstrates a lot of heritage for the city and our community and Hydro’s been part of Idaho Falls city for 125 years. So this is a great place to demonstrate that and showcase that,” said Stephen Boorman, Interim General Manager for Idaho Falls Power.

As part of their joint partnership to promote STEM education in the community, the project invited BYU students to help them with the design.

“The BYU, Idaho team collaborated on how to really design and implement the inner workings of the exhibit so that it would communicate and demonstrate how a hydropower plant actually looks and feels,” said Thomas Mosier, Lead of Hydropower Research and Manager of Decision Sciences for INL.

Heritage Park offers visitors a view of the real deal hydroelectric dam, and just a few steps away, and with a push of the button, they can see a miniature version of how it all works. 

“The original founders of the city, what a vision they had in order to create a power plant here to power our city. And it has continued for over 100 years,” said Lisa Burtenshaw, Idaho Falls City Council president.

Burtenshaw says there will be more heritage stops in the park as it continues to grow. She says the next project is a statue of Rebecca Mitchell, one of the founders of the first school in Idaho Falls. 

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News Team

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Idaho Falls Police were on the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Pancheri Drive near Culver’s, which caused minor traffic disruptions.

The crash was reported around 3:14 p.m. on Thursday. Witness photos show one of the vehicles, a silver sedan, overturned. Despite witness concerns, Idaho Falls Police spokesperson Jessica Clements has confirmed that all individuals involved sustained “what appears to be minor injuries.”

Clements stated in an email, “They’re working on getting a tow truck there to get the last vehicle off the road.”

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News Release

The following is a scam alert news release from the Idaho State Police:

IDAHO — The Idaho State Police (ISP) is warning the public about a scam in which callers are spoofing ISP phone numbers, making it appear the calls are coming from official ISP dispatch centers. These calls are not from the ISP.

In recent days, ISP received multiple reports of individuals receiving suspicious calls from numbers that appeared to be from ISP. In one disturbing incident, a parent answered back-to-back calls from a man claiming to be a medic and insinuated that their child was in distress. He requested the child’s name, and the parents heard the sound of crying in the background. Thankfully, the child was safe at school, but the incident serves as a stark reminder of the manipulative tactics employed by scammers.

“These calls are not coming from the Idaho State Police. This scam is designed to play on the hearts of potential victims and undermines trust in first responders,” Captain Tyler Jussel of the ISP Regional Communications Center said. “By spoofing first responders and dispatch centers, these scammers try to gain credibility in their deception. We want the public to know that ISP will never call in this manner.”

Protect yourself against spoofing scams:

Don’t provide personal information such as names, addresses, or account details over the phone unless you are certain of who is calling.

Hang up immediately if the call seems suspicious.

Verify before trusting – if a caller claims to be law enforcement, hang up and call the agency back directly using their publicly listed phone number.

Scammers thrive on fear and urgency. Take a moment to pause and verify before responding to any call. If you receive a suspicious call, don’t hesitate to hang up and report it to your local law enforcement agency and the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Your caution could be the difference between falling victim to a scam and staying safe.

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News Team

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Transportation Department is hosting an open house on Thursday, September 4, to discuss proposed improvements to U.S. Highway 20 from Idaho Falls to Arco. The meeting will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Snake River Event Center at the Shilo Inn, located at 780 Lindsay Blvd in Idaho Falls.

The highway, first built in the 1950s, serves as an important roadway for the over 6,000 Idahoans who work at the Idaho National Laboratory. However, in order to continue to serve motorists for years to come, ITD says the roadway requires “robust improvements.”

“We know this route needs improvements and have been very focused on working towards them,” ITD District Engineer Jason Minzghor said. “We’re excited to get public input on the design and see construction happen in the very near future.”

Proposed designs aim to boost safety and capacity by widening the road to two lanes in each direction, starting in Idaho Falls and heading west. This expansion will make the route safer for everyone, including freight, agricultural, and commuter traffic, by providing more passing opportunities and improving visibility.

The open house will serve as an opportunity for the public to review the designs, learn about project timelines, and see how ITD plans to reduce construction impacts. Construction could begin as early as next summer with additional funding.

If you can’t make it in person, you can view the materials and submit comments online from September 4–18 at us20arcotoif.com.

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Noah Farley

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Ground was broken at Idaho National Laboratory for a new experimental nuclear reactor Thursday, August 28.

INL is working with Aalo Atomics, a company that mass-manufactures nuclear plants. Representatives from both companies broke ground together for Aalo-X, “the nuclear industry’s first experimental extra modular nuclear reactor (XMR).”

“We’re getting back into a new nuclear age,” said INL Director, John Wagner. “Multiple companies like Aalo, their first groundbreaking, are paving the way toward to this new nuclear age where we will see a lot of growth in clean nuclear power for the nation. And this is particularly important in terms of the energy demand growth that we’re experiencing as a nation and across the world.”

Aalo Atomics was recently chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy to participate in President Trump’s Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program.

The new nuclear reactor is planned to start operating by July 4, 2026.

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News Release

The following is a news release from the Eastern Idaho State Fair:

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — The Eastern Idaho State Fair is proud to announce the winners of its highly anticipated 2025 Best Fair Food Contest, where local media members served as judges to crown the best new and returning fair food offerings.

The competition featured four categories judged by local media representatives, with vendors being evaluated on both appearance (1-10) and taste (1-10) for a total possible score of 20 points.

Contest Winners:

Best New Entrée

First Place: La Quesabirra from La Casita Mexican Food

Second Place: Monte Cristo from Camille’s Crepes

Third Place: Hulu Hog from Blackhawk BBQ

Best New Sweet

First Place: Peachy Keen from Camille’s Crepes

Second Place: Campfire Secret from Sweet Temptations

Third Place: Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake from Creamy Creations

Fairest Entrée of Them All

First Place: Crazy Corn Nachos from Mexican Crazy Corn

Second Place: Triple Mac from Blackhawk BBQ

Third Place: Salmon on a Bagel from C & R Fish

Fairest Sweet of Them All

First Place: Devil’s Delight from Sweet Temptations

Second Place: Strawberry Butter Cake from Creamy Creations

People’s Choice

First Place: The Warhawk from Blackhawk BBQ

Contest Participants:

Best New Entrée Category:

Monte Cristo from Camille’s Crepes

Hulu Hog from Blackhawk BBQ

Pig Wings & Bacon Mac from Pig Wings & Things

Queso Birria Taco from Morel Homemade Tacos

Hot Honey Buffalo Fries with Chicken from The Chop and Crab

La Quesabirra from La Casita Mexican Food

Crazy Pulled Pork Nachos from Mexican Crazy Corn

Midway Curd Melt from Between the Buns

The Baked Barnyard from Smokin Bs

Best New Sweet Category:

Campfire Secret from Sweet Temptations

Dubai Chocolate Cheesecake from Creamy Creations

Deep Fried Cookie Dough/Ice Cream from Yankee Kan Kook

Chocolate Cheesecake Crepe from Camille’s Crepes

Chocolate Covered Strawberry with Oreo Mousse from Snack Shack

Mango Cup from Morel Homemade Tacos

Fried Peaches and Cream from Pig Wings & Things

Peachy Keen from Camille’s Crepes

The Rhuby Curd Churro Donut from CR Fish

Fairest Entrée of Them All Category:

Crazy Corn Nachos from Mexican Crazy Corn

The Whole Damn Farm from Billmans

Smoked Salmon on a Bagel from CR Fish

Triple Mac from Blackhawk BBQ

Surf N Turf from Between the Buns

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich from Yankee Kan Kook

Fairest Sweet of Them All Category:

Strawberry Butter Cake from Creamy Creations

Peachy Keen from Camille’s Crepes

Devils Delight from Sweet Temptations

The judging took place on Thursday, August 28, with local media members evaluating each entry based on visual presentation and taste. The competition showcases the creativity and culinary expertise of Eastern Idaho’s fair food vendors.

“The Eastern Idaho State Fair food contest continues to highlight the incredible talent of our local food vendors,” said Brandon Bird, General Manager. “Each year, we’re amazed by the innovative dishes our vendors create, and this year’s competition was no exception.”

Winners will receive recognition during the fair and special signage at their booths. The contest serves as a way to highlight new offerings and celebrate the fair’s diverse food scene.

For a complete schedule of events, entertainment lineup, and ticket information, visit www.funatthefair.com or follow the Eastern Idaho State Fair on social media.

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Seth Ratliff

NAMPA, Idaho (KIFI) — A Catholic Priest at Nampa’s St. Paul’s Catholic Church has been arrested and charged with sexual battery of a minor, the Nampa Police Department confirmed Thursday.

45-year-old Robert Mendez Esquivel was arrested on Wednesday and is being held at the Canyon County Jail. He faces one count of sexual battery against a minor between the ages of 16 and 17. Authorities have stated that the alleged incident did not involve a minor from the church or its affiliated school.

Diocese of Boise Responds

In a statement, the Diocese of Boise confirmed it is cooperating with law enforcement and has immediately removed Esquivel from all priestly duties. The bishop, Reverend Peter F. Christensen, released a statement to the community asking for prayers for the alleged victim and the parish.

“I humbly ask for your fervent prayers, for the alleged victim, for the faithful of St. Paul’s community in Nampa and for our entire Diocese as we navigate this painful situation,” Reverend Christensen said.

According to the Diocese’s website and the St. Paul’s Catholic Church Esquivel previously served as chaplin for ministries called “Courage and Encourage,” which reportedly support individuals with same-sex attraction in living according to Catholic teachings and “ministers to family members of people with same-sex attraction.”

Ongoing Investigation

The investigation is ongoing, and police are working to determine if there are any other victims. Authorities are urging anyone with additional information to contact Crime Stoppers at 208-343-2677 or online at www.343cops.com. Tips can be submitted anonymously.

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Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Bannock County Commissioners voted unanimously to implement their controversial 2026 proposed county budget at a regular meeting on Thursday, August 28.

The budget has drawn sharp criticism from Bannock County residents and non-profit organizations for its drafted 14% raises to the Board of Commissioners and cuts to programs like the Aid for Friends homeless shelter, the Pocatello Free Clinic, and the Veterans Memorial Building.

At the commissioners’ meeting on Thursday morning, Commissioner Ken Bullock said funding cuts were made in an effort to lower taxes for residents, but admitted cutting non-profit support may not have been the best course of action.

“One of the biggest mandates we have from the county is to keep their property taxes low; that is probably the number one mandate–we try,” said Commissioner Bullock. “Sometimes in our efforts, maybe we miss, and we probably did as we got down to it. One of the areas that we probably did miss a little bit was some of the charities, some of the non-profits.”

Commissioner Bullock also said the board’s raises were drafted using funds previously allocated to a commissioner’s chief of staff’s job position (with a $75,000 annual salary), which was not filled this year, and the raises would not come from cuts to area non-profits.

Because the proposed budget has already been published, commissioners voted to pass the budget with plans to add revisions, potentially reinstating some county support to cut non-profits.

“I, like Commissioner Bullock, apologize for my narrow view and some of the incorrect information I had,” said Bannock County Board of Commissioners Chair Jeff Hough. “…I’ve been looking for ways to restore some funding to some of the nonprofits that we’ve talked about; we don’t have a solution today, but we have a path forward… I think we can find a way to do some things a little bit differently and correct the wrong.”

Commissioner Hough said budget revisions for county support of local non-profits could come in the next couple of weeks.

For more information or to view the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget, you can visit the Bannock County website.

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