Category: kifi-local-news

Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Today marks a historic milestone for the region’s airwaves. January 23, 2026, officially marks the 65th anniversary of KIFI Local News 8, celebrating over six decades of dedicated service to southeast Idaho and western Wyoming.

Local News 8 Day

In honor of this achievement, Idaho Governor Brad Little has officially proclaimed January 23, 2026, as “KIFI Local News 8 Day.” The declaration honors the station’s unwavering commitment to excellence in broadcast journalism, providing essential coverage in news, weather, and sports.

Idaho Falls Mayor Lisa Burtenshaw also provided a local proclamation, inviting residents to recognize the station’s “long history of impactful service and continued essential contributions informing generations past, present, and future across our community.”

Pioneering the Airwaves

KIFI first aired on January 23, 1961, as an NBC affiliate. At the time, the station broadcast at 316,000 watts, making it the most powerful television station in the state of Idaho. For its first 44 years, KIFI-TV was owned by the Brady family, the longtime publishers of The Post Register.

Our station’s history and legacy have been defined by several “firsts” and major transitions for the region.

1962: Local News 8 became the first station in Idaho to broadcast a live remote sporting event, telecasting a basketball game from Reed Gym at Idaho State University.

1967: KIFI led the way again by becoming the first Idaho station to transition to color broadcasting.

Looking Ahead: A Year-Long Celebration of Local Storytelling

While today is about looking back, the celebration is just beginning. Throughout 2026, Local News 8 will feature a series of special reports reflecting on the people, places, and pivotal stories that have shaped our station and Southeast Idaho over the last 65 years. Join us on Thursday nights throughout 2026 for our special celebratory coverage.

KIFI Local News 8 Day 2026_260120_103133Download

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Seth Ratliff

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho political community is mourning the loss of a former state representative and historian. Linden Bart Bateman, of Idaho Falls, passed away on January 22, 2026, at the Lincoln Court Retirement Community. He was 85 years old.

Bateman’s career in the Idaho Legislature spanned nearly two decades across two different eras, serving from 1977 to 1986 and returning to the Statehouse from 2010 to 2016.

A native of Salt Lake City, Bateman’s path to the legislature was rooted in education. After studying political science at Brigham Young University, he spent years teaching high school history and government. He later shared his expertise as a supervisor of student teachers at BYU-Idaho.

Beyond the halls of the Capitol, Bateman was a founding member of the Bonneville County Historical Society and took part in forming that county’s history museum.

Tributes from State Leaders

Governor Little released a statement on the former legislator’s passing, saying: 

“Linden Bateman was a close friend of mine and a true statesman. Linden was passionate about Idaho history and played a key role in establishing March 4 as Idaho Day. He listened thoughtfully, led with principle, and always sought to do what is right. Idaho is better because of his work, and his legacy of character and public service will not be forgotten.”  — Governor Brad Little.

The Republican Party of Bonneville County also paid tribute to Bateman’s influence on the region, noting his “genuine care for people” and his commitment to conservative principles.

“Linden dedicated his life to education, public service, and preserving the history and values that make our community strong. His love for Idaho’s heritage, his commitment to conservative principles, and his genuine care for people leaves a lasting mark on our county and our state.” — Bonneville County Republican Party.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield reflected on Bateman’s significant contributions to Idaho’s educational communities.

“Linden Bateman dedicated his life to public service, education, and preserving Idaho’s history. As both a longtime educator and former member of the Idaho Legislature, he brought a deep respect for learning into every role he held.

Linden understood the value of passing knowledge from one generation to the next. His advocacy for the teaching of cursive writing reflected his belief that students benefit from understanding where we have been as they prepare for where they are going.

Idaho’s educational community is stronger because of his contributions, and his legacy will continue to be felt in classrooms across our state. On behalf of the Idaho Department of Education, I extend my sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all those who were impacted by his life and service.” – Superintendent Debbie Critchfield

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Danielle Mullenix

Idaho Falls, ID (KIFI) – This weekend, outdoor enthusiasts and film lovers have the incredibly unique opportunity to experience the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival – a celebration of adventures on the big screen.

Happening at the Colonial Theatre in downtown Idaho Falls, the international film festival is bringing a collection of independent outdoor films that have traveled to thousands of communities worldwide.

The festival, which originated in Banff, Alberta, is known for its breathtaking cinematography and storytelling, showcasing extreme sports and environmental journeys set against some of the planet’s most dramatic landscapes.

Here in Idaho Falls, film lovers will have three nights of films beginning at 7 pm from January 23-25th, with each evening featuring a different lineup.

Tickets are still available for the weekend’s schedule, offering locals a chance to see some of the most compelling adventure filmmaking, sure to make an outdoor enthusiast out of people of all ages.

To purchase tickets and view the film festival’s weekend lineup, visit the Idaho Falls Arts Council’s website page here.

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David Pace

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – Rats and rodents were front and center at a public hearing today in Boise.

As reports of a rat infestation in the Treasure Valley flood the media, Ada County Director of Weed & Pest Abatement Adam Schroeder said the county is not currently authorized to target the rat population, nor have they been named an invasive species.

He played video of rats crawling around inside a home in northwest Boise.

“It’s very alarming when, you know, you can walk outside somebody’s house and see rats crawling inside there,” Schroeder said. “We have detected Norway and roof rats, rising public sentiment is that these populations are increasing.”

The reported spread is concerning as both species can carry potentially deadly pathogens.

“Both species have the ability to harbor nasty and devastating diseases, including hantavirus, plague, leptospirosis, salmonellosis and others,” Schroeder explained.  “And the status of rat infestations right now? The populations are unknown.”

Schroeder recommended a “statewide effort” to inhibit rats from spreading across the state and prevent outbreaks leading to loss of human life.

Idaho State Department of Agriculture Director Chanel Tewalt said the department is ready to act if enabled by legislators.

She evaluated the efficacy of sanitation/exclusion treatments, trapping, repellants, rodent poison and predation as possible solutions.

She also cited the department’s work targeting quagga and zebra mussels, grasshoppers and Mormon crickets, Japanese beetles and noxious weeds as examples of the agency programs to prevent and respond to past infestations.

Idaho lawmakers are expected to take action to address the rodent problem later this session.

A rat nibbles at a discarded coleslaw container. | Courtesy Chuck Homler / FocusOnWildlife.Me

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David Pace

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) – The romance is sparking in Rexburg, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Two student entrepreneurs at Brigham Young University-Idaho have invented “The Date Machine” – a vending machine with date kits that come with ready-to-use activities, icebreaker questions, and a complimentary dessert or dinner – all at an affordable price.

“It’s the best dating experience in all of the world, in my opinion,” said Donovan Strader, co-CEO of The Date Machine. “… They’re supposed to be more creative than normal date nights.”

From spa night to fancy dinners, treasure hunts to blind-deaf cooking, and birthdays to fake proposals, this machine is popping with creative outings for a first date or a couple’s night on the town.

“We’ve sold over 200 date kits,” reports co-CEO Carter Felt.

The machine offers a unique opportunity to liven up the dating routine in Rexburg.

“I think that the guys here in Rexburg tend to be slacking a little bit or, you know, not being so original when it comes to dates,” said student Audrey Scheiner. “So I think that, like, by adding that [machine], like, they can step up their dating game, you know?”

The machine’s creators partnered with ten local businesses to offer a dessert or dinner in each package.

The coupons include local favorites Kainoa’s Hawaiian Grill, Cupbop, Millhollow Restaurant, Taco Time, The Bowl Place, The Cookie Place, Pick Me Up Drinks, Jamba Juice, Snake River Soda, and Homestead Bowling.

“I had a blast doing this. It was an adventure map one,” said Date Machine customer Kyle Nelson. “It was like a treasure map. … It took us on a walk around town and ended up at Mill Hollow and gave us coupons for free sandwiches.”

The “Date Machine” isn’t just for students. Couples young and old can make it a date night by visiting the machine in the lobby of the Cedars at Hemming Village in Rexburg.

“You want to go on a date, want to find your eternal spouse?” Felt said. “Come here, and we will find it for you.”

The Date Machine co-founders Carter Felt and Donovan Strader are helping match couples with a vending machine in Rexburg.

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Par Kermani

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — It’s been 18 years since the 2008 recession, and 2026 will be the first year “recession babies” reach college age. However, there will be fewer students nationwide due to a significant drop in birth rates.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, colleges and universities collectively experienced a 15% decline in enrollment between 2010 and 2021 due to various contributing factors. In 2025, Inside Higher Ed reported that 16 nonprofit institutions announced closures, with similar numbers reported in 2024.

“We know that demographic cliff, that enrollment cliff, is coming to us,” said Lori Barber, president of the College of Eastern Idaho. “We know that there are fewer kindergartners enrolling in kindergartens here in eastern Idaho than there are graduates graduating from high schools. And so CEI is thinking, what is it we need to do to make sure that our enrollment continues to grow?”

Barber notes that while the college continues to enjoy enrollment gains—including a 10% increase in fall 2025 and a 7% rise for the current spring 2026 semester—the institution is proactively evolving to ensure continued growth.

“In Idaho, the go-on rate from high school to college in 2024 was 43.6%. So that’s a lot of students that are graduating from high school and not going on to college,” Barber said.

The college is leaning into technology, with a new tech building opening later this year. Areas of focus target AI. This semester, the institution is redesigning its English 101 course—a class taken by nearly every student on campus—to be “AI-heavy,” focusing on ethics and prompt engineering to prepare students for a changing workforce.

Furthermore, the college is investigating ways to address a growing national gender gap, as current enrollment reflects a roughly 60% female and 40% male split. By evaluating campus culture and ensuring male students feel welcomed, the administration hopes to better serve the community.

While on a national level institutions continue to struggle to enroll students, local schools in Idaho continue to be immune to the problem, and hope to stay that way.

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Seth Ratliff

WESTERN IDAHO (KIFI) — A west Idaho School bus driver has been arrested on multiple felony charges related to child exploitation following a joint law enforcement investigation led by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.

On Wednesday, January 21, Jeremy Wakeley, 42, was taken into custody on several counts of possession of child pornography and one count of child sexual exploitation, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced today.

The arrest was the result of a coordinated effort led by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit. At the time of his arrest, Wakeley was employed as a bus driver with a company that contracts with local schools.

Despite the nature of Wakeley’s employment, AG Labrador has stressed that there is currently no evidence linking his alleged crimes to local students or children.

 “We’ve found no evidence of any local victims at this time, but parents deserve to know that my team is working overtime to protect Idaho’s children,” said Attorney General Labrador in a news release. “I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their help with this arrest.”

Authorities are asking anyone with information regarding this case or other instances of child exploitation to contact the Local Police or the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit. For more information and helpful resources, click HERE.

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CNN Newsource

Originally Published: 22 JAN 26 13:24 ET

By Chris Reed

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    LA VERKIN, Utah (KSTU) — A groundbreaking $51 million water reclamation facility is about to transform how southern Utah handles wastewater. The Confluence Park Water Reclamation Facility represents 20 years of planning and construction, and it’s the first of its kind in Utah.

“As a child, I always wanted to be a marine biologist. But I also wanted to live here. So those two things don’t work together very well,” said Bradley Johnson, who grew up in Hurricane and La Verkin and now works at the facility.

Johnson said he never intends to leave the area because he loves the beauty of the terrain and landscapes. The 34-year-old is helping improve the water supply situation in Washington County through his work at this innovative facility.

All wastewater from public sewer systems in the Hurricane-LaVerkin-Toquerville area will be processed here. The facility may be hard to find — from the outside, it could easily be mistaken for a business park, Amazon warehouse or gymnasium.

“The least desirable thing next to a nuclear reactor is a wastewater treatment plant. So if we’re hitting well enough that you need additional directions, there’s a little bit of comfort for us,” said Mike Chandler, superintendent of Ash Creek Special Service District.

The facility uses new technology with a triple-filtering chemical and filtering system designed to prevent the characteristic bad odors typically associated with wastewater treatment plants. The project is being funded mostly through impact fees on new homes and development.

“Growth needs to pay for growth,” Chandler said.

The process begins when wastewater enters the collection system.

“A toilet is flushed. A sink is turned off. The dishwasher turns off. The water comes down through our collection system, conveyed to the front of our plant,” Chandler said.

The water that emerges meets Type 1 water standards according to state regulations — equivalent to pristine groundwater from a well. This treated water can be used to irrigate farms, parks, schools and home gardens.

“You’re able to pump this to the local elementary school. They can put it on their soccer fields. They can go to the local golf course. It can be used on residential gardens, and there’s not the likelihood or any chance of really there being any sort of contamination,” Chandler said.

The facility represents a significant component of the Washington County Water Conservancy District’s overall water reuse strategy. Chandler said the plant will help offset agriculture’s impact on the dwindling water supply in the region.

“That facility with the storage that it will allow increases the degree of robustness that we have as far as water scarcity through years like this, where there’s no snow on the mountains as you see out there today, which makes it a little bit problematic for us as we look and say, ‘What’s this next water year going to look like?'” Chandler said.

The Confluence Park facility uses technology developed in the Netherlands during the 1990s and 2000s, only licensed for use in the United States in 2016.

“So, relatively new process, first of its kind in Utah,” Chandler said.

The facility is currently undergoing final testing with clean water. Full wastewater processing will begin within the next week.

The biological process relies on bacteria to break down contaminants. Let the biologist who lives in LaVerkin explain.

“So the bacteria, they’ll eat the organic matter and contaminants, convert it into more of themselves through reproduction. And then we essentially just have to get rid of those bugs. And that’s through filtration,” Johnson said.

Johnson emphasized the quality of the final product.

“Essentially, the water that comes out of here is way cleaner, like way, way cleaner than the water that you see just in the Virgin River. And you’re willing to go play in that with your kids and stuff, so there shouldn’t be any concern with lawns being sprinklered with it or watering your garden,” Johnson said.

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.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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Fox13

Originally Published: 22 JAN 26 13:31 ET

By Michael Martin

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    DAVIS COUNTY, Utah (KSTU) — A Davis County man is facing charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and voyeurism after he was allegedly caught using a hidden camera to film members of his family without their knowledge.

The 26-year-old man, whose identity FOX 13 News is not providing to protect the privacy of the victims, was arrested Wednesday and is being held without bail.

In August, a report was filed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children claiming a user uploaded files containing possible child sexual abuse material. Investigators identified a Davis County home as the location where the files were allegedly uploaded.

On Wednesday, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force served a search warrant at the home and spoke with the man, who admitted that he had downloaded child sexual abuse material, but claimed the last time he had done that was over a year ago, but did admit to viewing material in the last month.

The man also told investigators that he had been setting up a spy camera in an adult family member’s room inside the home, with detectives saying the camera captured one of the man’s family members as she was changing.

According to investigators, the man admitted to setting up the camera in December of 2024, but said the last time it was recording was a month before the search warrant was executed. When police searched the SD card from the camera, they said it contained videos of a bedroom with someone who appeared to be sleeping on the bed.

Numerous child sexual abuse files were found on the phone and computer that were in the man’s room. Also on the computer was a word-based guide that police claim was a “how-to” on manipulating and abusing children.

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.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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Seth Ratliff

EDITORS’ NOTE: Local News 8 has reached out to the Idaho GOP leadership for a response to the Idaho Democratic legislator’s joint statement and will update this story when we receive word back.

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — On the anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, Idaho Democratic legislators marked the date with a call to restore abortion access, reaffirmed their commitment to a 2026 ballot initiative aimed at ending the state’s near-total abortion ban.

In a joint statement released Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow and House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel argued that Idaho’s current laws have created a healthcare crisis, forcing patients to leave the state for care and causing a healthcare shortage in the Gem State.

Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow

House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel

“Idahoans value privacy, freedom, and responsibility. Our laws should reflect those values,” the lawmakers stated. “Instead, these bans threaten physicians with criminal penalties and tie the hands of medical professionals when pregnant patients need urgent care.”

The lawmakers continued by endorsing a ballot initiative, the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act, introduced in 2025 by Idahoans United for Women & Families.

A Shift Toward the Voters

The move to a ballot initiative marks a strategic shift for reproductive rights advocates in Idaho. By bypassing the Republican-controlled Legislature, Democrats hope to let voters directly decide on “reasonable standards” for reproductive healthcare.

“We will keep fighting in the Legislature, in our communities, and at the ballot box until every Idahoan can make their own reproductive health decisions without fear, delay, or political interference,” concludes the lawmaker’s statement.

Idaho GOP Leadership Responds

In a statement to Local News 8, Idaho GOP Chairwoman Dorothy Moon provided the following statement in response to the Idaho Democratic lawmaker’s joint statement.

“The Idaho GOP has always championed the cause of life. We mourned for nearly 50 years as a single Supreme Court decision allowed the wholesale murder of unborn children in our state, and we celebrated when that decision was overturned. The people of Idaho believe in protecting preborn children, and their legislators acted on that belief by enshrining it in state law. I’m proud of Idaho, and our party will never stop fighting to protect the unborn.” – Dorothy Moon

For more information on the Idaho Republican Party’s position, click HERE.

Senate Bill 1385: Idaho’s Trigger Law

Idaho’s abortion ban, Senate Bill 1385, passed in 2020 and went into effect following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe.

The law makes performing an abortion a felony, with exceptions for situations when the life of the mother is at risk or in reported cases of rape or incest. While the Biden administration previously challenged the law under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), the lawsuit was dismissed by the Trump administration in early 2025.

Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador praised the dismissal, stating, “We are grateful that meddlesome DOJ litigation on this issue will no longer be an obstacle to Idaho enforcing its laws.”

The End of Roe.

The current legal battle follows the controversial and sweeping 2022 Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade in a 5-4 vote.

In the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito declared that Roe was “egregiously wrong from the start,” arguing that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. In a joint dissenting opinion, Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan wrote that the decision stripped away “a fundamental constitutional protection” from millions of American women.

Nearly four years after that ruling, Idaho remains one of the most restrictive states in the nation, setting the stage for what is expected to be a divisive 2026 midterm election cycle.

In the wake of the ruling, pre-existing state abortion bans, known as trigger laws, such as Idaho’s Senate Bill 1385, immediately went into effect. Nearly four years after that ruling, critics argue that Idaho remains one of the most restrictive states in the nation, setting the stage for what is expected to be a divisive 2026 midterm election cycle.

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