Category: kifi-local-news

Seth Ratliff

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) — A Rigby man is in custody after allegedly violating a no-contact order. On Monday, June 16, Bryce D. Larson, who was out on pre-trial services for an aggravated battery charge, was arrested after being found inside a protected party’s home.

Just before 5 PM, Rigby Police officers were called to the 200 block of 4th West on a report that Larson had been seen entering the victim’s residence. Upon arrival, the officers heard noises from the garage but were unable to get anyone to answer the door.

However, video evidence provided by the caller confirmed that Larson and a juvenile male had entered the home through the garage. The officers also confirmed that the protected party had left the residence on foot shortly after Larson’s arrival, with no indication that Larson had left the home.

Authorities attempted to contact Larson by phone multiple times. When they were finally able to reach him by phone, Larson reportedly refused to exit the residence and even denied being there.

Law enforcement then issued an arrest warrant for Larson, and the Rigby Police were able to enter the home around 8 PM, finding him inside. He was arrested on charges of violating a no-contact order and resisting and obstructing officers.

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News Release

The following is a news release from Idaho Falls Power:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Bear Prairie, who has served with distinction as the General Manager, and Assistant General Manager, at Idaho Falls Power and Fiber since 2010, has resigned to accept a new role within the utility industry.

“During his nearly 15-year tenure, Bear has made an indelible mark on our organization and community. His leadership, technical expertise, and commitment to public power have served to strengthen Falls Power and Fiber,” said Mayor Rebecca Casper. “He successfully led the implementation of the City’s Fiber Optic program as well as the construction of significant utility infrastructure —including a new substation and a natural gas generation peaking plant scheduled to go online later this year. We wish him well in his new endeavor and know he will excel there as well.”  

Assistant General Manager Stephen Boorman will serve as the interim general manager at Idaho Falls Power while a search is conducted for a new general manager. The national search is expected to take several months.

“Idaho Falls Power turns 125 this year and I am proud to have had the opportunity to be part of this rich history. I am going to miss working with this talented and dedicated team who are committed to reliable service and keeping our rates low,” said Bear Prairie, Idaho Falls Power General Manager.

Prairie’s leadership has strengthened Idaho Fall’s energy portfolio, which includes development of the Idaho Falls Peaking Plant. When completed, this plant will allow Idaho Falls Power to exercise more autonomy and control over energy prices to ensure reliable and affordable energy rates into the future.

Prairie’s vision was also critical to the development and construction of the citywide fiber network that enables high speed broadband at an affordable price for homes and businesses.

Prairie also made key improvements to ensure Idaho Fall’s electric grid can withstand additional pressures. With the construction of the Sugarmill to Paine transmission line, completing major hydro upgrades and navigating the nuances of long-term energy contracts, the utility will benefit for years to come. 

“Prairie has been committed to this community and public power values which emphasize people over profits. Idaho Falls Power customers will see a low single digit rate increase for 2025 while investor-owned utilities in the area are looking at double digit rate increases,” said City Councilman Jim Freeman, a longtime liaison to Idaho Falls Power.

“Bear’s most impactful legacy is the IFP culture of excellence, safety, and accountability that he fostered, a culture that will allow IFP to continue to be a leader in the utility industry for many years to come,” said Stephen Boorman, Assistant General Manager.

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Maggie Moore

Idaho Falls, IDAHO (KIFI) – With school out and sunshine, it’s time for summertime travel. But, this year the Idaho Falls Regional Airport will be a tight squeeze as it faces the second busiest summer travel season ever.

Growth is the theme at IDA as it prepares to expand to fit the growing travel needs. They’re adding new flights, updating parking systems, and starting the groundwork for a terminal expansion.

“This building is at capacity in just about every way you can imagine,” airport director Ian Turner said. “The most critical function of that is screening bags, and so that’s kind of item number one that we’re addressing. We also have interest from additional airlines to fly to Idaho Falls, and so those are top-level pieces of this expansion that we’re looking at.”

But expanding isn’t an overnight process, and in the meantime, travelers will need to adjust their plans to fit the airport’s current capacity.

Turner said that it’s essential to get to the airport 2 hours before your flight, even at smaller airports like Idaho Falls.

“It’s not the checkpoint at this point that’s going to be constrained, it’s bag screening,” Turner said. “When you check your bag at the ticket counter, you expect it to get to your destination. If you’re not allowing it enough time to get through that screening process you run that risk of having it show up after the fact, and nobody likes that.”

Other ways to make travel easier is by checking into your flight ahead of time online, having your REAL ID out and ready for TSA before you get to the podium, and pack light. The less bags you need to check, the easier it will be to get in and out of the airport.

“Growth that we’ve had is fantastic to address, but it takes some work. It it can’t all happen all at once. We’re we’re dealing with government processes that can take months, a year, two years, or more to put into place. So we just ask for people’s patience,” Turner said.

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CNN Newsource

By Pat Reavy

Click here for updates on this story

MANORLANDS, Summit County (KSL) — The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is calling the death of a 2-year-old boy in the Uinta Mountains over the weekend a “tragic accident.”

The sheriff’s office received a report of a missing boy in the Manorlands area, about 50 miles east of Kamas, on Saturday at about 10:15 a.m.

“At approximately 11:15 a.m., a civilian in the area located the child unresponsive in a runoff or drainage channel near Highway 150. The child was transported by ground ambulance to a hospital in Wyoming and later transferred to a Salt Lake-area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased,” the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators say the boy, whose name has not been released, had been in a fifth-wheel camper trailer with family members. He was found about a mile downstream from the family’s campsite.

“At this time, there is no indication that the incident is anything other than a tragic accident,” the sheriff’s office said. “The Summit County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the family during this incredibly difficult time. Our hearts are with them as they grieve this heartbreaking loss.”

Please note: 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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Seth Ratliff

JACKSON, WYO. (KIFI) — Travelers heading through the Hoback Canyon, be prepared for some brief stops starting tomorrow, Wednesday, June 18. The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) will begin essential maintenance on its avalanche infrastructure along Highway 189/191, leading to intermittent road closures.

WYDOT crews will be using helicopters to perform general maintenance on the remote avalanche control systems, known as O’Bellx units, in the Stinking Springs area of Hoback Canyon. These specialized units play a critical role in keeping the roadway safe during the winter months.

“These units use explosions to trigger smaller, controlled avalanches to prevent dangerous, uncontrolled conditions,” explains Don Lawless, WYDOT Avalanche Supervisor. “The O’Bellx units are remotely operated by computer and are installed and removed by helicopter.”

For the safety of both the public and WYDOT personnel, the road will be closed for up to 30 minutes at a time during the maintenance operations. The closures are scheduled to happen between 6:30 AM and 7:30 PM. Roadside flaggers will be on site to control traffic and guide motorists through the area.

Motorists are advised to plan for potential delays and exercise caution when traveling through Hoback Canyon during these maintenance periods.

For more information and to stay up to date on the road closure, click HERE.

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Seth Ratliff

JACKSON, WYO. (KIFI) — Wildland firefighters are actively working to suppress multiple wildfires within the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Monday, June 16, crews discovered the Ski Fire, a relatively small blaze estimated at one-tenth of an acre, burning near Ski Lake. The cause of the Ski Fire remains under investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, but the blaze is reportedly visible from the town of Jackson.

The Ski Fire: Courtesy, U.S. Forest Service-Bridger-Teton National Forest 

Late Monday evening, a crew of 10 firefighters began working to attack the fire with a single engine, aided by a type 3 helicopter. The fire has not impacted any roads or trails, and crews say the fire danger for the Bridger-Teton is Moderate.

Meanwhile, crews are continuing to battle the lightning-caused Horse Fire in another area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. 110 firefighters are reportedly working to contain and put out the 950-acre fire.

Crews are currently working on establishing control lines and report that the fire danger is now moderate for the area.

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Phillip Willis

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Chairman of Senate Education, Dave Lent, held a meeting to discuss the future of education in Idaho. Local scholarship leaders and six Idaho State Legislators met this afternoon to re-imagine a system- a system they say currently does not meet the needs of students.

The event was hosted at the College of Eastern Idaho, and was organized by Dave Lent and Idaho State Representative Britt Raybould.

The meeting was geared toward brainstorming ideas for the future, with questions about not just how to meet current metrics, but if the current standards we use to judge our current school system are ideal.

Senator Lent lightly touched on the current state of education policy to open the meeting. He spoke on how recent legislative changes have caused a lack of oversight concerning tax dollars going toward “private and religious schools”, and on how our current education system follows the Carnegie model.

“If you were to imagine what a system in our state could be and how it would best serve our students and our public, what would that look like?” says Senator Lent.

There were school board members and other local education leaders who were in attendance. One shared a quote from a local mother who is concerned about her child:

“So one Idaho mom recently, told me- she said ‘grades are only important because they’re the vehicle to opportunity. But if my son isn’t stimulated, if he’s not seen, challenged, or inspired, he shuts down. He might be brilliant, but without the right system, he’s at a risk of becoming a shell of an unfullfilled potential.'” – Jamie Braithwaite

The first meeting of the “Idaho Public Education Coalition” was on April 2nd in Boise. There will be more meetings in the coming months. Towards the end of July, leaders will gather in northern Idaho. In September, the coalition will revisit Boise. Finally in October, they will go through the suggestions and data collected to better determine what legislative policy will best serve the community.

More information about the “Imagine Excellence” initiative can be found here.

To participate in a survey to help the initiative, follow this link.

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Chris Nestman

AMMON, Idaho (KIFI) — Months of detours, delays, and extra traffic are almost over. The construction and closure of 17th Street in Ammon is less than three weeks away from completion, according to the Ammon City Administrator, Micah Austin.

“The way we understand it is that all five lanes of the bridge will be open before July 4th,” said Austin.

The City of Ammon is not directly associated with the construction project. According to Austin, everything’s been handled at the state level. Specifically, the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC) represents the state, and Keller Associates, the contractor and firm hired to reconstruct the road and bridge.

“So we’re not directly involved in it (the construction), but we are in the loop,” said Austin. “We are in discussion with the contractor and the state on a weekly or sometimes daily basis.”

City leaders say they appreciate the public’s patience. They also say once the bridge is back open, traffic congestion around the area should decrease significantly.

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Chris Nestman

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — In an effort to get a contract nailed down before the start of next school year, Idaho Falls School District 91 and the Idaho Falls Education Association (IFEA) will officially go into mediation on Wednesday, June 18.

The meeting starts at 8:30 am at the D91 offices. Initially, the start of the meeting will be open to the public, but actual mediation efforts will be a private, closed-door, affair.

The goal is to come up with an employment contract for D91 staff that both the District 91 School Board and the Education Association are satisfied with.

In a statement to Local News 8 about the upcoming mediation, D91 School Board Vice Chair Larry Wilson said, “The Idaho Falls School Board remains committed to a resolution to all outstanding matters. We appreciate the efforts of all parties involved and are optimistic that we will reach a positive outcome.”

Representatives from the IFDA also issued a statement on the upcoming mediation. They said, “The Idaho Falls Education Association is looking forward to bargaining in good faith with theDistrict this Wednesday and building upon the progress both parties have made this Spring. Ourgoal in these negotiations is to reach a fair agreement that supports our Instructional and PupilService staff and their dedication to the students in our community.”

Local News 8 will follow up with both parties after Wednesday’s meeting.

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News Team

The following is a press release from the City of Pocatello:

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — The Pocatello Arts Council invites local artists to contribute to its 2025 entry for the annual Festival of Trees, benefiting scholarship programs through Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25.

This year’s tree, themed “ArtisTree,” will celebrate creativity in its purest form. Instead of traditional ornaments, the tree will be adorned with miniature original artworks, each a unique 4×4 canvas masterpiece, created by local artists and displayed on miniature easels.

How to Participate:

The Pocatello Arts Council will provide one blank 4×4 canvas to each participant; you bring the creativity!

Art does not need to be holiday-themed, offering artists full creative freedom.

Canvases can be picked up during First Friday Art Walks on July 4, August 1, and September 5 at The Glen Allen Project, 426 W. Lewis (shop #2, Lookout Point, Historic Downtown Pocatello). If you are unable to attend during Art Walk or have questions, please email artistree2025@gmail.com to arrange an alternative pickup.

Deadline:All completed canvases must be returned by Friday, October 10, 2025. Return instructions will be provided with your canvas.

Join us in making this year’s tree a vibrant celebration of local art—and help support a great cause while you’re at it!

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