Category: kifi-local-news

News Release

The following is a news release from the College of Eastern Idaho:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Christopher Gress, a student in the Medical Assisting program at College of Eastern Idaho (CEI), has been named the sole national winner of the 2025 Student Essay Competition hosted by the American Association of Medical Assistants® (AAMA). 

Gress’s essay, titled “Building a Meaningful Future in Medical Assisting,” was selected from entries submitted by medical assisting students across the country. The competition recognizes personal stories of growth, dedication, and professionalism within the field of medical assisting. Gress’s story stood out for its honesty, resilience, and passion for patient care.

“Thank you to everyone who lifted me up and brought me down, who saw both my wins and my failures,” said Gress. “Each moment taught me to reflect on the past to build a brighter future. I’m especially thankful for my family and my instructor, Jessica Hunter, for their support. I’m proud to represent College of Eastern Idaho and the AAMA as I pursue my career in medical assisting.”

This is the first time that a student from Idaho has won the prestigious award, and Gress will be featured in the AAMA’s national magazine and on their official website. He will also receive a $1,000 prize and will be honored during the 69th AAMA Annual Conference in Arlington, Virginia, during the Welcome and Awards Celebration on Friday, September 19.

Gress is currently working as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) at Family First Medical Center in Idaho Falls. His essay reflects on his personal journey—from creative writing student to future healthcare provider—and the power of education and professional development to transform lives.

“This profession has given me direction, purpose, and a sense of belonging,” Gress wrote in his essay. “Participating in the AAMA Student Essay Competition is an opportunity to celebrate that journey and reaffirm my dedication to both personal excellence and the advancement of medical assisting.”

The American Association of Medical Assistants®, the only organization in the world devoted exclusively to the medical assisting profession, was established in 1956 and serves the interests of more than 92,000 medical assisting professionals. For more information, please visit www.aama-ntl.org or call the AAMA at 800-228-2262.

To learn more about the Medical Assisting program at College of Eastern Idaho, visit www.cei.edu/program/medical-assisting

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News Release

The following is a news release from the National Park Service.

ARCO, Idaho (News Release) – The National Park Service invites members of the public to celebrate the beauty of public lands and sharpen their photography skills in one of Idaho’s most iconic landscapes by participating in a special Nature Photography Workshop to commemorate National Public Lands Day.

The workshop will be held on Saturday, Sept. 27 from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, located at 1266 Craters Loop Road, approximately 18 miles southwest of Arco, Idaho. It will be led by Doug Owen, who worked as a park ranger, park geologist, and education specialist for 19 years at Craters of the Moon and is also a professional photographer.

Workshop participants will gain ideas, methods, practices, and tips to take their nature and wildlife photography to a higher level, guided by Owen’s decades of experience in both land stewardship and nature photography. The workshop will start in a classroom setting in the Visitor Center, followed by shooting out in the park.

“National Public Lands Day, which is held annually on the fourth Saturday of September, provides a great opportunity for people to connect with the natural spaces that belong to them,” said Catherine Orland, interpretive park ranger at Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve.

Space in the photography workshop is limited to 30 individuals. There is no fee to attend. Members of the public that are interested in participating should call the park Visitor Center at (208) 527-1300 to reserve a spot.

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Noah Farley

SHELLEY, Idaho (KIFI) — The 7th annual Spud Days Car Show featured cars both modern and classic. People proudly showed everyone their cars from across the decades.

“I bought it ten days after I got out of Vietnam in October of ’67,” said Car Show Participant David Johnson. “There’s some days when I pull it out and it’s in the sun that I just can’t believe how shiny it still is with that old paint job on it.”

Each car and owner has a story—how they got the car and the years of work they’ve put in to maintain and improve it.

Some people love restoring cars to their former glory.

“This is a 1966 three-quarter ton Chevrolet,” said Car Show Participant Gary Shipley.

When Shipley retired, his friends told him to buy a new truck. He decided it would be more fun to buy an old truck and fix it up. He was right. He says his truck keeps turning heads wherever he takes it.

“You can’t go to the gas station or anywhere without somebody coming over, commenting on how much they like your truck,” Shipley said. “I can take a new one or go to town and nobody notices it.”

To some, an old, run-down car might look useless, but to people like Shipley, they automatically see it as something with incredible potential.

“A lot of these cars have been locked away. Somebody didn’t want them anymore. They got put out,” Shipley said. “And I think they all need to be brought back.”

After spending so much time with their cars, they feel like a part of the owners’ families. Many owners say they plan to hold on to them for the rest of their lives.

“I’ve been offered over $70,000 for [my car],” said Johnson. “I had a somebody that wanted to buy it. I told him it wasn’t for sale at any price. I don’t care. It’s not leaving me.”

Whether they restore or maintain one of these vehicles, everyone at the show can agree it’s all about their love for classic cars.

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Noah Farley

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Hundreds of people met at Snake River Landing Saturday, September 20, for Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The annual fundraiser raises awareness for the brain disease and helps create a world where Alzheimer’s is no longer a problem.

“Our goal here is to find a cure someday. And we are getting closer every day,” said the Walk’s Southeast Idaho Manager, Shelly Jones. “We’re in the era of a treatment, which our motto this year is our time is now, which is now that we need to go fight for this disease and remove that stigma that’s associated with it and let people know they’re not alone.”

The Alzheimer’s Association says the brain disease causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior.

“They’re not having behaviors or forgetting because they want to. There’s really a physical change happening in the brain,” said the Alzheimer’s Associations’s Regional Outreach Manager, Jody Cornilsen.

The disease gets worse over time, but it is not a normal part of aging.

Everyone who came to the walk got to hold up a pinwheel flower. Each of the four different colors represents the person’s connection to Alzheimer’s.

“The purple flower, if you have that, you’ve lost someone to Alzheimer’s or another dementia,” Cornilsen said. “The yellow flower is for caregivers.” 

“Blue means they have the disease, and orange means they support our cause,” Jones said.

The Alzheimer’s Association says if someone thinks they might be developing the brain disease, they should talk about it with someone they trust, then try to see a doctor. That way, they can find out if it really is Alzheimer’s.

“It’s an easy test that you can ask your doctor to do,” said Jones. “And then, if they see something from that early diagnosis, they can prescribe a different test that might look into the brain more.”

Getting an early diagnosis can give you chance to plan for the future, find support services, and look into possible treatment.

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News Team

GLENDALE, Arizona (KIFI) — A massive crowd is expected to gather today at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, for the memorial service of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The service marks 11 days since the 31-year-old was fatally shot while at an event at Utah Valley University.

Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded, released a statement that reads in part, “Charlie died doing what he loved: fighting for truth, for faith, for family, and for America. His sacrifice will endure as a guiding light for generations.”

The service is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. MT (2 p.m. ET) and is set to feature remarks from a lineup of prominent speakers, including Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, President Donald Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance. Local News 8 will be livestreaming the proceedings above through our national affiliates.

The man accused of killing Kirk, Tyler Robinson, was arrested shortly after the shooting. Prosecutors have charged him with aggravated murder and have stated their intent to seek the death penalty.

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News Team

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Following an incident at the Idaho Falls vs. Bonneville football game last night, District 91 has responded with a press release regarding the situation.

The football team entered the field shortly before their scheduled time, causing overlap between their entrance and the halftime performance by the Idaho Falls marching band. Concerns were raised over the two programs coinciding on the field and whether the football team caused disruption to the performing students.

District 91’s press release emphasized they take this incident seriously and value both the football and marching band programs as integral pieces of the Idaho Falls High School community.

“I want to to sincerely apologize for the disruption that occurred during the conclusion of the marching band’s halftime performance,” said head football coach of Idaho Falls HS Joseph Parker. “I regret that this interrupted their performance and took away from the hard work and dedication they put into preparing for the show.”

Dallan Parker, principal of Idaho Falls HS, echoed this sentiment saying “Our students, staff and community take great pride in all our programs. We are implementing new protocols to ensure this does not happen again.”

District 91 also said they remain committed to ensure a positive and respectful environment for all students across the district.

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Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Bannock County commissioners have taken action to restore some funding that was previously cut from Pocatello-area non-profits.

They include Aid for Friends homeless shelter, the Pocatello Free Clinic, and Healthwest Pocatello.

They were initially set to lose funding in the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget.

But after hearing from concerned residents, county leaders decided to take another look.

Commissioners say they’ve been able to restore some of that funding—thanks to more than $90,000 left over from last year’s budget.

While some public service organizations are getting county support again, commissioners are encouraging the city and its citizens to come together to help keep these nonprofits going for the long haul.

“This is discretionary spending. It may not be there next year,” Commissioner Ken Bullock said. “We could have some issues come up that we may not know about. So, we’re encouraging the community in general. When I say community, I’m talking about organizations, churches, city, Pocatello, city of Chubbuck. Basically, step up and let’s see if we can’t help as a community in a collaborative effort, take care of the needs in these nonprofits.

Commissioner Bullock said they cut the checks for the non-profits this week.

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Ariel Jensen

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Many people have seen videos of two recent murders circulating the internet.

The murders of Charlie Kirk and Iryna Zarutska, the woman stabbed on a North Carolina train, were watched not only by adults, but by teens and children as well.

Local experts say parents should talk with kids about what they may have seen. 

“We always have concerns about the exposure to violence, online exposure to a lot of things online. Our children are constantly being bombarded. And so as those things become a big deal in the news, we know that kids are seeing it, and they’re seeing things that no other generation has,” said Aaron Harris, Clinical Psychologist at Full Spectrum Psychology.

Harris also says parents should look for indicators that their children have been exposed to violence.

“Look for just general emotion and behavior changes. And that can be a range of things depending on what your child is like. But their demeanor may change. They may become more irritable, they may become more isolated and shut down,” said Harris.

Full Spectrum Psychology Psychologist Kevin Beyerlein adds that his own daughter has been exposed to these graphic materials.

He advises the best way to approach the subject is head-on.

“Just go at it and just tell them what happened, what the events were, and then have them express their feelings, you know, really listen to them. I think that’s the big one, really listening,” said Beyerlein.

Dr. Harris and Beyerlein say that children struggling to sleep or are scared to leave their home are also signs that your child might be experiencing vicarious trauma.

If you’d like to learn more about your child’s or your own vicarious trauma, visit here.

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Sam Ross

UPDATE Monday, September 22, 2025: Three names were selected on Saturday to replace State Rep. Kevin Andrus.

According to the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee’s Facebook post, Mike Veile, Alana Burns, and Lori Anne Lau were named finalists for the position. Idaho Governor Brad Little will select one of the three candidates to serve the remainder of the term in District 35, Seat A.

Andrus resigned on September 12 to take a new position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

District 35 encompasses Bear Lake, Caribou, and Teton counties, as well as rural areas of Bannock and Bonneville counties.

PREVIOUS STORY:

INKOM, Idaho (KIFI)– Precinct Committee Officers from Legislative District 35 will host a public meeting on Saturday, September 20, at Inkom City Hall to nominate three potential replacements to fill the now-vacant Idaho House of Representatives, District 35 Seat A position.

The seat was left vacant following Representative Kevin Andrus’ resignation on September 12. Andrus has accepted a new presidential appointment as State Executive Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) for Idaho.

The nominees for the open House of Representatives position will be announced at the Saturday meeting before being passed to Governor Brad Little for the final appointment decision.

The public meeting will take place at Inkom City Hall, located at 365 North Rapid Creek Road, starting at 2 p.m.

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Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Idaho State University is ending ‘ISU Celebration Week’ with the first Bengal Street Party on Friday, September 19.

Martin Luther King Jr. Way will be closed off to make way for food, games, prize giveaways, live music, and more.

The Bengal Street Party will run from 4 to 7 PM. The campus community and the public are invited to attend.

On Saturday, Idaho State University will unveil the new ‘Papenberg Hall of Champions’, a tribute mural to Bengal Athletics, at the ICCU Alumni Center. The unveiling will be followed by ISU Football’s season opener against Lincoln University at the ICCU Dome.

For more information, check out the events calendar page on ISU’s website.

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