Category: kifi-local-news

Seth Ratliff

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — A 15-year-old Canadian runaway is now in custody in Lincoln County, Wyoming, facing multiple serious felony charges after allegedly stealing and crashing several vehicles across Idaho and Wyoming. Authorities estimate the damage from his alleged crime spree to be $100,000.

The string of incidents began on June 29 at 7:12 AM, when Jefferson County Dispatch received a report of the runaway near Menan, Idaho. The teen, visiting from Canada, had last been seen walking south on 3100 E the previous evening.

According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the teen is suspected of then breaking into a dealership in Afton, Wyoming, and stealing a BMW. This stolen BMW was later found crashed in Bear Lake County, Idaho. Authorities believe the teen then walked away from that crash and stole a Volkswagen Jetta.

The runaway’s alleged journey ended in Lincoln County, Wyoming, where he was taken into custody at 10:48 AM after crashing his stolen vehicle yet again.

Charges and Ongoing Investigation

The juvenile is currently being held in Lincoln County, Wyoming, where he’s facing charges of felony burglary, felony vehicle theft, felony property destruction, and felony possession of stolen property in that county. He has also been charged with grand theft in Bear Lake and Jefferson Counties in Idaho.

As of now, the 16-foot ATV trailer, which did not have license plates, has not been located. It is believed to have become separated from the stolen pickup between Menan, Idaho, and Afton, Wyoming. If you do spot the trailer, authorities are directing you to contact the Jefferson County Dispatch at 208-745-9210, option 7.

Click here to follow the original article.

Linda Larsen

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)—All around Pocatello, vibrant murals beautify the sides of buildings across town.

Some even in unseen places, all with the same artist signature, N-H, for Nick Hottmann.

“I do really bright, punchy, contrasting colors,” said Nick Hottmann. “It’s something that I’ve really enjoyed.”

“I jokingly tell people I’m a professional colorer because it’s what I do. My full-time gig is I’m a professional muralist and graphic designer, and, I guess a fine artist, so just kind of a jack of all trades when it comes to the arts in general,” said Hottmann.  

Originally from Michigan, Hottmann moved to Pocatello a few years ago.  Since then he’s left his mark on southeast Idaho with his murals.

“Pocatello, Chubbuck, Blackfoot, American Falls, Idaho Falls, that area,” Hottmann said.  I’ve probably have, I’d say, probably up close to 100 in the area.”

Hottmann says he has loved art since childhood. But his career and the demand for his signature art style took off during a dark time in recent history.

“I always do high contrast poppy colors because they’re visible and they’re fun and they’re energetic,” Hottmann said. “A lot of that really kind of shifted when Covid hit. A lot of people were asking for murals at that time, because people wanted to be able to get in their car and still drive around and see things, even if they weren’t able to get out and go in and do things. It something that’s brighter and more optimistic at that point, really seemed to resonate with a lot of people.”

Since then, Hottmann has continued his work and kept on his mission of making sure everyone can enjoy art.

“Art should be for everyone. Doesn’t matter who you are, how you identify, what you are, what you want to be. You should be able to come in and just enjoy this art because it’s free, it’s public. It’s for you to see,” Hottmann said.

Nick, for adding a splash of color to the world when people needed it most, and continuing your passion to make the mundane beautiful, and making art accessible to everyone, you are this week’s Community All-Star.

Click here to follow the original article.

Noah Farley

UPDATE 9:15 P.M. — The suspected gunman in the fatal ambush of firefighters has been found dead, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

SWAT team members found a dead male with a nearby firearm on Canfield Mountain.

Local News 8 will continue to provide updates as we learn more.

ORIGINAL —

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (KIFI) — Several firefighters were ambushed by a gunman while responding to a brush fire in Coeur d’Alene. Two firefighters were killed.

Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris tells ABC News the firefighters were responding to a fire on Canfield Mountain. When the firefighters arrived, someone started shooting at them from the woods, according to the Sheriff.

The number of injured people is currently unknown.

This is considered an active shooting situation. Law enforcement is still trying to find the suspect.

Sheriff Norris says law enforcement is “actively taking sniper fire.”

FBI resources are on their way to the scene.

Kootenai County Emergency Management has issued a shelter in place for people along part of Canfield Mountain.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little says the incident is a “heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters.”

“Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho,” Little said in a post on X. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more,” he added.

Local News 8 will continue to provide updates as we receive them.

Click here to follow the original article.

Noah Farley

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Kids were ready to blast off in Pocatello this weekend by making rockets out of plastic bottles, tape, and water for fuel.

Idaho State University’s Physics Department students taught the kids a little about physics and showed them how to build their own water-powered rockets.

“We go over Newton’s laws and how they go into having a really good water rocket, and they build rockets and they can launch and then rebuild, launch again. And it’s just a whole lot of really fun summer fun with some science,” said ISU Physics Professor, Steven Shropshire.

After filling the plastic bottle rocket a third of the way with water, its opening is placed over a nozzle. Pressurized air forces the rocket upward, and the fins attached to the rocket stabilize it so it can soar across the sky.

The kids loved seeing how fast, far, and high they could send their rockets.

“They’re really smart kids. I noticed they have a pretty solid basic grasp of the of the physics behind it,” said ISU Student, Noah.

Shropshire says this annual event is a fun and interactive way for families to learn about science.

Click here to follow the original article.

Noah Farley

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Saturday was a busy day across Eastern Idaho, with events filled with friends and family.

The Greenbelt in downtown Idaho Falls was a major hot spot. Hundreds of people visited the weekly Farmers Market and celebrated Pride Month.

People enjoyed all kinds of food and got to check out items for sale from blankets to soaps to jewelry.

Local artists also showed off and sold their work on B Street.

“We’re just here meeting people. I’m really having a good time discussing the artwork and showing people my portfolio and having different interactions with people,” said Local Artist, Meredith Bobb.

Over in Shelley, dozens of people gathered for the Motorized Marvels Car Show. People brought in their prized vintage cars and trucks, some of which dated as far back as the 1930s.

“Back in the day, driving down the highway, you could see a car coming towards you and know, is it a Ford? Is it a Chevy? You could tell because the body designs were similar, not like today’s cars, where they’re kind of all the same,” said Car Show Participant, David R.

The event also featured raffles. Even some of the children got to take part in judging the cars for the competition.

Click here to follow the original article.

Curtis Jackson

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)— Attorneys of the Victor Perez family are hosting a “Truth and Reconciliation Conference” in Pocatello on Saturday to allow citizens to voice their concerns regarding the officer-involved shooting and other related issues.

You can watch the conference in the Livestream player above.

The conference is being held at Idaho State University’s Pond Student Union Building in the Little Wood room #227-B. The conference is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and last until 3 p.m.

Organizers said another goal of the conference is to match attorneys with citizens and members of the Fort Hall Reservation who need representation.

The organizers said in a news release that the conference is based on the South African Post-Apartheid model, wherein South Africans were provided a forum to testify about their experiences in a forum without judgment or fear of retribution in an ordered and moderated setting.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was an official body tasked with investigating human rights abuses, in the hope of resolving conflict and promoting healing.

POCATELLO TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION GOALS

1. Match Pocatello Citizens and members of the reservation with attorneys who can provide representation, guidance, and possible referrals. We are asking attorneys to attend. Attorneys in attendance will be introduced for their specific specialty.

2. Highlight testimony and prospective cases from members of the Fort Hall Reservation and find a possible nexus between Reservation Law, the Indian Civil Rights Act, and Federal Civil Litigation. Connect Fort Hall with other proximate reservations, who are interested in establishing a legal network.

3. Educate Pocatello citizens and reservation members about the legal process. John Burris will complete a Know Your Rights/Federal Civil Rights Educational Presentation.

4. Educate Pocatello citizens and reservation members about conflict resolution and alternative dispute resolution. Alice Shikina Conflict Resolution/Mediation will complete a Conflict Resolution seminar.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ariel Jensen

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — The search for missing Jefferson County teens continues.

Organizations across the country are helping with the search for 13-year-old Allen Fisher and 15-year-old Rachelle Fisher. The teens are members of the Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or FLDS, and were last seen on Sunday, June 22nd, in the Monteview area.

The Uvalde Foundation, based in Dallas, Texas, said it is expanding its search efforts through its Tucson, Arizona, chapter. This comes after an overnight tip suggested the missing youth may be headed to Fredonia, Arizona, or possibly Phoenix.

A Utah organization, Holding Out Help, spoke with Local News 8 earlier Friday. Executive director, Tonia Tewell said the search efforts can be complicated. She said the FLDS church has gotten smaller over the years, and many FLDS members don’t live in the traditional communities like they used to. 

They now live in “Pods” or smaller communities. Scattered across the country in rural locations.

If you happen to have any information on the whereabouts of the Fishers, please contact the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office at (208) 745-9210.

Click here to follow the original article.

Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 is entering the 2025-26 school year with an updated cell phone policy which includes big changes for when and where students can use phones and smart devices.

The updated policy states students must keep cell phones, earbuds, smartwatches, tablets, and laptops turned off, out of sight, and off the student’s person (not in pockets) during the school day, including between classes. High school students may only use devices during lunch time.

Deanna Judy, chair of the PCSD 25 school board, said the updated policy was voted in to promote social interaction and ensure an effective learning environment in classrooms.

“We share this goal as a board to have more face to face communication with teachers and students and peer to peer,” said Judy. “We really just want more of a focused education atmosphere, and there are studies that show the more face to face interactions students have, the better off they are.”

The updated cell phone policy was drafted by PCSD 25’s Cell Phone Policy Committee, a group of school district staff, parents, and city leaders who started revising the policy in February 2025.

For more information, you can visit the PCSD 25 website. To view the full, updated cell phone policy, click this link: https://go.boarddocs.com/id/pcsd25/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BFVMCT5AA513.

Click here to follow the original article.

Curtis Jackson

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)—Bonneville County Commissioners selected Chris Poulter as the next County Clerk on Friday.

Poulter will replace Penny Manning, who is retiring on July 25, 2025. Manning has been the county clerk since 2016. Poulter will serve out the remainder of Manning’s term through 2026.

The commissioners said they are looking forward to Poulter bringing a new outlook with considerable experience and skill to the position.

Poulter was chosen from a list of three potential candidates chosen by the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee. The other candidates were Natalie Kennedy and Andrew Russell.

Click here to follow the original article.

Curtis Jackson

JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI)— The Wyoming Department of Transportation will close Wyoming State Highway 22, Teton Pass, beginning Friday night through Monday morning.

WYDOT said crews are working on the final phases of work this month, and crews will pave the final stretch of the new roadway. The closure is planned to begin the evening of June 27, at 6 p.m. and will run through Saturday and Sunday, opening back up on Monday, June 30, at 6 a.m. Crews will work 24 hours a day to expedite the work.

During the closure, drivers will have to detour around Teton Pass using US 26 through Swan Valley and then into the Snake River Canyon.

During the weekend closure, WYO 22 will be closed to vehicles at the Coal Creek Campground on the west side of the pass and closed to vehicles at the mile marker 7 road closure gate on the east side of the pass. During that time, bicyclists and recreationalists will still have access to Coal Creek Campground on the west side, as well as access to the top of Teton Pass from the east side. However, WYDOT asks that those walking or biking be cautious and aware of heavy trucks traveling to and from the work site and not to descend west toward the construction site.

During the closure, WYDOT and crews will be milling, grading, placing crushed base, paving, and installing guardrails and signs.

WYDOT and the contractor said they are confident the work can be completed in a single weekend. But unpredictable weather and other unforeseen variables could necessitate last-minute changes to the plans.

Click here to follow the original article.