Category: kifi-local-news

Megan Lavin

IDAHO FALLS — Normally, a parent’s biggest worry on Halloween is how much sugar their kid will consume. But for some Idaho families who deal with food allergies, every single bite matters.

When one piece of candy can be deadly, there’s a lot of stress and pressure to keep your child with food allergies safe.

Both allergy mom, Katherine Lee, and local allergy specialist, Dr. David Petty, DO, recommend reading every single label–especially since festive wrappers can often look different from the typical branding.

Local News 8’s Megan Lavin is also a food allergy mom. Her son, Carter Lavin, shows just how many candies he can’t have and what a food allergy reaction–known as anaphylaxis–can feel like.

With food allergies on the rise, Dr. Petty sees over 1000 patients in the area and reminds parents with food allergies that they shouldn’t allow their kids to eat any homemade treats. No matter how kind the neighbor, if you can’t verify the ingredients, it shouldn’t be consumed by those with food allergies.

Join us tomorrow, Thursday, October 30 for part 2, where Megan will share with you ways you can be inclusive and some safe treat ideas to help those with food allergies be safe.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Starting today, Oct. 29, crews with the Bonneville County contractor Knife River will begin work to improve the right northbound lane of 25th East (Hitt Road) north of the Costco roundabout at Lincoln Road.

Idaho Falls Public Works anticipates the work to last through November, weather permitting.

During construction, the right northbound lane will be closed north of the roundabout, and the speed limit will be reduced to 20 mph heading into the roundabout. All lanes approaching and within the roundabout will remain open.

Public Works crews are urging drivers to slow down, follow posted signs, and watch for construction crews in the area.

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News Release

The following is a news release from the Idaho Transportation Department:

IDAHO FALLS – Winter travel in Eastern Idaho means more than just tossing on a jacket before you go. The Idaho Transportation Department is teaming up again with the Idaho State Police to offer free winter driving safety classes to help Eastern Idaho drivers be prepared for the reality that snow and ice changes everything.

Registration is now open for these popular, helpful sessions at the following places and dates:

Idaho Falls

Wednesday, November 5 @ 7 p.m.

Rocky Mountain Middle School, 3443 N Ammon Rd

Register for Idaho Falls  

Rexburg

Wednesday, November 12 @ 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

BYU-Idaho Little Theater, Manwaring Center, 101 E Viking Street

            No registration needed

Pocatello

Tuesday, November 18 @ 5:30 p.m.

Chubbuck City Hall, 290 E Linden Ave.

            Register for Pocatello

Rigby

Wednesday, December 3 @ 7 p.m.

ITD District 6 Office, 206 North Yellowstone

Register for Rigby

The classes are designed to help drivers prepare for Idaho’s winter conditions by covering topics like vehicle readiness, proper equipment, defensive driving techniques, and how to safely share the road with snowplows. Instructors include state troopers and ITD operators who bring firsthand experience from years of working on Idaho’s roads and responding to emergencies during severe weather.

While these classes are open to everyone of all ages and skill levels, they are especially valuable for:

Young drivers with limited winter driving experience

New drivers, including those preparing to start driver’s education in the next year

New residents facing their first Idaho winter

Participants who complete a class will receive a coupon for 10 percent off a new set of tires at any Les Schwab Tires location in Eastern Idaho from American Falls to St. Anthony. ITD and ISP extend a special thank you to Les Schwab for their partnership.

More information and direct links to these classes can be found on ITD’s website Travel page, itd.idaho.gov/travel.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO (KIFI) — Idaho food banks lost out on 370,000 pounds of food shipments from May through September due to massive cuts to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), according to USDA records obtained by the investigative website ProPublica.

These canceled shipments, first detailed in a report by non-profit newspaper The Idaho Capital Sun, included meat, dairy, and fresh produce intended for distribution centers in North Idaho, Lewiston, Boise, and Pocatello. Local partners, including Community Action Partnership and El-Ada Community Action Partnership, lost planned deliveries of essential items like cheese, chicken, turkey, and pork.

According to the records obtained by ProPublica, the USDA cut approximately 94 million pounds of food nationwide from the program under the direction of the Trump administration, resulting in a loss of over $500 million in scheduled deliveries.

In a statement released in March, the USDA justified the cancellation of aid as “prioritizing stable, proven solutions.”

“USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that deliver lasting impact. The COVID era is over — USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality moving forward.”

Compounding Crisis: SNAP Benefits Halted Due to Government Shutdown

The canceled aid comes as the USDA informed the states that the ongoing government shutdown has placed a hold on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly known as food stamps. Due to the gridlock in the Senate and the House, over 42 million Americans, including over 130,000 Idahoans, who rely on these essential benefits, will not receive crucial funds in November.

The USDA posted a statement on its website addressing the halt in benefits, stating:

“Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”

Political Standoff Over Contingency Funds

Idaho Democrats and advocacy groups have sharply criticized the Trump administration for failing to release an estimated $5 to $6 billion in available funds that could provide at least partial SNAP benefits during the shutdown.

“Idaho families are working hard to put food on the table, and our farmers are working hard to feed them,” Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea said in a written statement. “These programs make sense because they fight hunger and help producers move their goods. But the Trump regime doesn’t care. They are letting good food rot in warehouses while children, veterans, seniors, Idahoans with disabilities, and thousands of working families go hungry. Republicans are sitting on their hands instead of standing up for the families and farmers they’re supposed to represent. It’s cruel and pointless, and everyone in Idaho can see it,” Necochea said.

The Trump administration, however, maintains it cannot use the contingency funds for SNAP, with Speaker Mike Johnson claiming the money is not “legally available”  for this purpose.

“The contingency funds are not legally available to cover the benefits right now,” Speaker Johnson told reporters Monday. “The reason is because it’s a finite source of funds. It was appropriated by Congress, and if they transfer funds from these other sources, it pulls it away immediately from school meals and infant formula…There has to be a preexisting appropriation for the contingency fund to be used, and Democrats blocked that appropriation when they rejected the clean continuing resolution.”

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Ariel Jensen

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) — There’s still time for Idaho students to help name one of the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD’s) snowplows.

IDT says it is excited to include students in its 2nd annual ‘Name a Snowplow’ contest. They say this is a fun challenge for students in grades 6 to 12 to learn about Idaho transportation.

ITD also says that when its plows have names, it makes them more visible to drivers, so they are less likely to be hit.

“It is the time of year to start looking out for plows, looking out for slick roads, winter driving yet again. And we are happy to see students getting interested and hope that we can have fewer and fewer plow strikes all winter long, especially in our area and all across Idaho,” said Sky Buffat, PIO for the Idaho Transportation Department.

Last year’s winners were the Swan Valley School, which came up with “Anti-Snow-cial,” and Rigby Middle School, which came up with “Pow Pow Ka Plow.” To check out last year’s winners, visit HERE.

If you are a teacher and want to register your class for a chance to win, visit HERE.

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Phillip Willis

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Today’s story is a mix of fact, myth, speculation, and madness. In January of 1956, American UFO researcher Morris Ketchum Jessup received a strange letter, a warning to stop digging into the levitation mechanisms of UFOs. More letters followed, each more cryptic than the last. One correspondent shared a story of dangerous science based on alleged unpublished theories by Albert Einstein, and how one scientist named Franklin Reno put the theories into practice.

According to historians, the first-hand account letter purports that a supernatural event, the “Philadelphia Experiment,” occurred on October 28, 1943. It describes an experiment witnessed by Mr. Carl M Allen while he served aboard the SS Andrew Furuseth.

Using aspects of “Unified Field Theory” that dealt with gravity and magnetism, Allen wrote that a destroyer escort – the USS Eldridge- was successfully turned invisible in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. However, the ship inexplicably teleported to Norfolk, Virginia for several minutes before returning to the Philadelphia yard. Once the ship was back, the crew was… different.

Some of them were completely insane. Others were completely intangible. Some were fused into the ship’s bulkheads, and others still were stuck, “frozen” in place.

Author Robert A. Goerman says, after reading the letter, Jessup was hooked, and he wrote back, asking for proof. Allen directed him to a Philadelphia newspaper article, one Jessup would never find.

A year later, Jessup was summoned to the Office of Naval Research. While there, he was shown a copy of his own book, The Case for the UFO: Unidentified Flying Objects. You can imagine his delight that this government agency had some of his work, but his joy surely turned to dread when he noticed the annotations in the margins. In the scribbled notes, Jessup could read a debate between three individuals. They discussed the propulsion for flying saucers, alien races, indirect references to the Philadelphia experiment, and how they were concerned that Jessup was getting too close to discovering their technology. Worst of all, he recognized the handwriting. It was the same handwriting as the letters he had received from Allen.

For Jessup, it was lies upon lies upon lies. Was Allen an alien? Was Jessup in danger? how deep did the rabbit hole go? The situation sent an already mentally unwell man spiraling. In 1958, Jessup’s wife left him. In 1959, he was found dead on the side of the road, a hose running from his exhaust pipe into his rear window.

And that left Allen, the mastermind behind the elaborate hoax.

According to historians, it was in 1955 that Allen sent an anonymous package to the U.S. Office of Naval Research, a copy of Jessup’s book, with his own three-sided conversation scribbled in the margins.

Allen then began writing to Jessup, sending letters from his own given name, along with the alias of “Carlos Miguel Allende.” He purposefully left his handwriting recognizable so that he could “scare the hell out of Jessup” if he visited the Office of Naval Research. When Jessup requested more information about the Philadelphia Experiment, Allen simply claimed an article existed that covered the disappearance of the ship.

According to Skeptic.com, Allen’s account of the experiment is widely understood to be a hoax. But that doesn’t keep some people from theory crafting and wondering if the story of the vanishing ship isn’t somewhat true. Just be careful not to fall into that slippery slope to insanity… or do, if you dare!

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Ariel Jensen

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — They run toward danger when most people are running away. Today, the southeast Idaho community pauses to celebrate National First Responders Day, set aside to honor the brave men and women who rush to help us when we need it the most.

Across the region, communities are making a small token of respect and appreciation to first responders. For example, several local hospitals gave doughnuts to first responders to show their respect.

Local News 8 reached out to several agencies to find out the most meaningful ways the community can honor its first responders. Their message was simple and powerful: “Take care of yourselves, be healthy, and learn basic health-saving measures like CPR.”

Departments throughout the area also expressed deep pride in their teams. Joseph Haebrle, Battalion Chief for the Madison Fire Department, highlighted the dedication of his personnel, saying, “I love the guys and gals that I work with. They’re all excellent people. They want to do a good job. They study hard, they train hard. And because of that, they have pretty good outcomes in the calls for service that we respond to.”

The Rexburg Police Department also recognized the unwavering commitment of its staff.

“With great pride, I recognize and commend the dedication and sacrifice of the men and women of the Rexburg Police Department. This recognition extends not only to those who wear the uniform and bravely face the challenges of today’s society, but also to the many individuals who work diligently behind the scenes to ensure our department operates efficiently and effectively. I firmly believe that our department acts with the community’s best interests at heart, serving our citizens each day with professionalism, integrity, and unwavering commitment. We also extend our deepest gratitude to the community for their trust and continued support. It is through this partnership that the Rexburg Police Department is able to fulfill its mission to serve and protect the citizens of our great city,” said Asst. Chief Gary Hagen with the Rexburg Police Department.

If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Rexburg Police Department and meet the people behind the badge, the department is hosting an open house on Tuesday, October 28th, from 4 to 6 p.m. 

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Camp Hayden is set to host its 6th annual Special Needs Trunk or Treat this Saturday, November 1st, offering a completely accessible Halloween experience for families in southeast Idaho.

The free, family-friendly event runs from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Development Workshop of Idaho Falls, at 555 West 25th Street.

A Spooky-Not-Scary, Accessible Halloween

Camp Hayden volunteers are inviting families with children of all ages and abilities to dress up and “trick or treat” for both candy and non-edible items for those with dietary restrictions or allergies at dozens of decorated car trunks set up in the DWI parking lot.

The fun continues inside the DWI building with an Accessible Haunted Sensory Event. Camp Hayden founder Jason Chapa promises this year’s event will be the “best one yet.”

“The accessibility of The DWI building, and our alignment in missions, makes this the perfect location for our event,” said Chapa. “What’s most unique about this event is that it’s the ONLY haunted experience that is catered to folks with special needs, but it’s also the only kid-friendly haunted experience in the area. It’s more spooky than scary, which makes it suitable for all ages.”

The Trunk or Treat is entirely free thanks to the generous support of Camp Hayden donors and community partners, including the Development Workshop of Idaho Falls, which is donating the use of its accessible facility and providing volunteers.

A whole host of local businesses and organizations have stepped up to sponsor the event, including All Access Therapy, The Civitans, Festival of Trees, Frontier Credit Union, Bikers Against Bullies, Ascend Chiropractic, Opal Autism Centers, Achieve Therapy, Eagle Landscaping, Trail Life, and Sensory Getaway. Mars/Wrigley has continued its long-standing tradition by donating the majority of the candy for the fourth year in a row.

“We are grateful to all of our sponsors and supporters who’ve helped us create these events for our community,” says Chapa.

If you’d like to get involved, the group is still looking for event volunteers to help run the event, volunteer “trunks” to bring their cars and candy for the participants to trunk or treat at, and candy/money donations to offset candy and decoration costs.

About Camp Hayden

Since 2018, Camp Hayden has been dedicated to creating accessible adventures for families of children with special needs. Starting with rebuilding the Big Elk Creek YMCA Camp, the organization runs an accessible camp annually, hosts “mobile adventures,” and coordinates inclusive holiday events year-round—from Easter egg hunts to visits from The Grinch.

Camp Hayden is a 501(c)(3) organization. To learn more about Camp Hayden, sign up to volunteer, or make a donation, click HERE.

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News Team

YELLOWSTONE, Montana (KIFI) — All Yellowstone National Park roads, aside from roads that have closed for the season, have now reopened to travel after hazardous winter driving conditions led to multiple traffic incidents and accidents over the weekend.

RELATED: Major road closures south of Mammoth due to wicked winter weather

Yellowstone staff are issuing a reminder to visitors that most of the park’s roads will close after Friday, October 31. The park is preparing to close the West, South, and East entrances on November 1st for the winter season.

The only roads open year-round are between the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, and the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City/Silver Gate, Montana (via Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction, and Lamar Valley). 

Visitors planning to drive in the park during the fall and winter should: 

Prepare for changing weather conditions. 

Have flexible travel plans. 

Expect limited services. Check Operating Dates for details. 

Anticipate possible road closures due to inclement weather and dangerous driving conditions. 

Check for temporary travel restrictions or closures that can occur at any time without notice. 

Stay informed about up-to-date road conditions in Yellowstone:

Visit Park Roads. 

Receive Yellowstone road alerts on your mobile phone by texting “82190” to 888-777 (an automatic text reply will confirm receipt and provide instructions). 

Call (307) 344-2117 for a recorded message. 

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Maile Sipraseuth

Edited: Oct 28 5:29

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)– With federal workers facing furloughs and food assistance programs halted for November, the southeast Idaho community is stepping up to help families in need.

One local restaurant is helping with free meals during this time of hardship. Himalayan Flavor in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and Logan, Utah, is offering assistance to those affected by the government shutdown by providing one free meal per day. All you need is an ID for verification.

“We are basically giving away free meals to the families who needs support. They do not have anything on their table to feed their family,” Roshan Kumar, owner of Himalayan Flavor, said.

Kumar said his inspiration to giving back to the community was after seeing the news of families, food banks and pantries struggle due to the government shutdown.

“I have been following the news every single day in the mornings. And I have been looking at how it’s getting very difficult for the food bank to keep up with the supplies. And I saw a lot of federal agencies are accepting donations and things like that. And I was like, how about we join the hand and help?” Kumar said.

He said this service is a way to give back to the community that has loved and trusted him all these years.

“They give me everything. Like the trust, the kindness, the support throughout the years,” Kumar said, “My journey started in Idaho. I came in 2011 as an international student. I graduated and I decided to stay here because I really love the community around here. Food I feel like is the most promising way where I can reflect the culture, and bring the best food for the people to try and serve the people who gave me everything.”

Kumar said he hopes to see other local restaurants do the same.

“It cannot just be a one person job. I just want to inspire more businesses and more people to come together. Let’s serve our community, give back to the community. Because I think this is a very crucial time for everybody and this will definitely bring a big change in the community,” Kumar said.

This is just one of several local efforts around the community to help. The Idaho Falls Community Food Basket and other local food banks are stepping in to provide food assistance. The Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership in Custer and Lemhi counties is expecting a surge in demand as the calendars turn to November.

To find food banks around Idaho, click HERE.

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