Category: kifi-local-news

News Team

CHALLIS, Idaho (KIFI) — Camping in the Challis area is about to get a little pricier. Monday, the Bureau of Land Management announced it would raise fees at four campgrounds near Challis.

The sites include:

Bayhorse Recreation Site

Cottonwood Recreation Site

$20 for RV/tent campsites ($15 when water not available)

$10 for dump station use

$50 for group day use shelter

East Fork Recreation Site

$20 for RV/tent campsites ($15 when water not available)

Joe T. Fallini Recreation Site

BLM says the increases will help cover the rising costs of maintenance and upkeep while also improving camp amenities for visitors. The plan went through public comment and the Idaho resource advisory council reviewed it before getting final approval.

For more information, click HERE.

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News Team

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Transportation Department is moving forward with plans to widen Interstate 15 between Blackfoot and Fort Hall. Next week, the department will host a round of open houses to showcase the final design to improve the corridor.

The project covers the stretch between the South Blackfoot Interchange (Exit 89) and the US-26/Blackfoot Interchange (Exit 93). According to ITD, the stretch of roadway no longer meets the area’s needs.

“This stretch of interstate is reaching the end of its service life, and growing travel volumes have made it necessary to increase the capacity and improve safety and operations,” said ITD in a recent news release.

ITD is inviting members of the larger Blackfoot community to drop in and learn about the projects, ask questions, and provide feedback to the project team. The open houses will be available on the following dates:

Tuesday, May 12, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Shoshone-Bannock Convention Center (777 Bannock Ave., Fort Hall)

Wednesday, May 13, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at Ridge Crest Elementary School (800 Airport Rd., Blackfoot)

Information about the widening and redesign of the Blackfoot Interchange, as well as plans to replace the Riverton Road Bridge, will be available.

Residents who cannot attend in person are invited to join online. The digital open house will feature identical information and will accept public comments from May 12 through May 26. For more information, click HERE.

Construction is slated to begin in 2028. However, ITD says the timeline may change depending on the availability of funding.

The expansion is supported by Transportation Expansion and Congestion Mitigation (TECM) funds as part of Governor Little’s Leading Idaho program, according to ITD. The program allows ITD to accelerate project timelines to address rapid growth and build critical infrastructure today that would otherwise take many years to fund and build.

For more information on the project, click HERE.

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Fox13

Originally Published: 05 MAY 26 15:20 ET

By Mythili Gubbi

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    OGDEN, Utah (KSTU) — A family thought they could close a tragic chapter of their life on Monday when the woman accused of murdering their loved one was supposed to be sentenced. But a mix-up in court led to the family having to wait a little longer for justice.

“Anything that a son-in-law could ask for, really, she was a protector, she was always there for me whenever I needed her,” described Shiloh Alires about his mother-in-law, Nakeena Youngman. “She was the mom I never had and I wished for.”

Youngman was a beloved mother, aunt, grandma, cousin and friend.

In April 2025, she was found with a gunshot wound on 800 North in Ogden. She died at the hospital. Since then, her family has been trying to cope with her loss.

“We’re hoping today we could get it so it could ease up the little ones a little bit more,” Alires added. “Now it’s just a lot harder.”

Ana Maria Zaragoza, 38, was scheduled to be sentenced for Youngman’s murder on Monday. She pleaded guilty to murder in March of this year and had charges dropped for weapon possession and obstruction of justice.

But after loved ones were already in the courthouse, the procedures were postponed because Zaragoza was not transported from jail.

“We apologize for not being able to proceed,” Judge Craig Hall said. “We just can’t proceed without the defendant being here.”

Stephanie Wilkinson is a longtime friend of the family.

“I used to babysit Nakeena, anytime mom went somewhere, I was the older kid,” Wilkinson recalled. “A lot of laughs and ups and downs throughout, but she was a beautiful, beautiful person.”

She said having to leave the courtroom on Monday without the sentencing was tough.

“The family has had to emotionally and mentally prepare for this. We have been preparing for this for 13 months, but really for two months, just waiting for the sentencing to be today,” she said. “We have taken off work, we have redone our whole schedules, but to listen to the children cry knowing this day was supposed to sort of be the end and it is not because they failed to get her to the courthouse is absolutely unacceptable.”

Zaragoza is currently being held at the Davis County Jail. FOX 13 News spoke to the Davis County Sheriff’s Office about why she wasn’t brought to court. An official there said it was the Weber County Sheriff’s Office’s responsibility to transport the defendant since the courthouse is in their jurisdiction. But, they also said that both sheriff’s offices did not get the paperwork from the court notifying them of the hearing, so they did not know they had to transport her.

The sentencing was moved to Friday, May 15, at 1:30 p.m.

“We’re processing throughout the weeks, that we’d have justice and stuff, and today, now, they can’t bring her here,” Alires added.

Through Mother’s Day and over the next 10 days, they will continue to wait for justice.

“Quite bugged, honestly, quite frustrated, quite bugged,” Alires 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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KIVI Staff

Originally Published: 05 MAY 26 13:59 ET

By Joey Martin

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    SHOSHONE, Idaho (KIVI) — With temperatures heating up and school coming to an end, Idahoans across the state will be hitting the road looking for that next family adventure — and this one takes you underground.

Located along Highway 75, 8 miles north of Shoshone, Mammoth Cave has a history that stretches back more than 70 years.

As a senior in high school, Richard Olsen stumbled across the cave while hunting coyotes and bobcats, and from that point on, Mammoth Cave was his.

Charles Drake, the site’s manager, said the property has been welcoming visitors for decades.

“Richard found the place in 1954 and homesteaded the land…and we’ve been doing tours out here since the early 60’s,” Drake recounted.

Before visitors even make their way to the cave, they are greeted by the Richard Olsen and Shoshone Bird Museum — a sprawling collection of taxidermy, prehistoric artifacts, and curiosities from around the world that Olsen spent a lifetime assembling.

“A little bit of everything… Richard spent his entire life traveling, hunting, fishing all over the world, and his life passion was bringing the world back to Idaho,” Drake added.

The museum is enough to keep visitors busy for hours, and the property’s free-range peacocks are sure to keep them on their toes.

“Yeah, we have about 40 or 50 free-range peacocks… we have them because they are really aggressive to rattlesnakes, they make it a little safer out here, and they are really great at taking care of ticks,” Drake said.

The main attraction, however, is Mammoth Cave itself.

“It’s one of the largest volcanic tubes open to the public in the world. Goes for a quarter of a mile long because it is self-guided out here, you can spend as much time as you like down there, but on average it is usually done in about 30-40 minutes,” Drake explained.

The cave briefly served as a fallout shelter during the Cold War and remains structurally solid today, though Drake acknowledged its limitations in a modern context.

“It could still provide shelter today for a lot of things… but nuclear holocaust?… Probably not,” Drake said.

Mammoth Cave and the museums are located along Highway 75, north of Shoshone, and are open 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KIVI verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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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KIVI Staff

Originally Published: 05 MAY 26 14:03 ET

By KIVI Staff

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    BOISE COUNTY, Idaho (KIVI) — It was a ruff day on the hillside for one fluffy Samoyed named Nash. The 70-pound pup misstepped and tumbled down a steep embankment Monday morning.

Boise County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies responded around 11:30 a.m. and made their way to the edge of the drop. One look down was all it took to call Garden Valley Fire for some backup.

BCSOO says two firefighters and one deputy anchored at the top with rope work, while Fireman Austin Fields made the steep descent down to Nash. Slowly but surely, they hoisted Nash back up, and he was reunited with his owner at the top.

In a Facebook post, Boise County Sheriff’s Office praised Garden Valley Fire for their response, writing, ” Big thanks to Garden Valley Fire for treating every life like it matters… even the four-legged, tail-wagging kind.”

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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Danielle Mullenix

YELLOWSTONE, Montana (KIFI) — Two hikers were injured Monday afternoon, May 4, following an encounter with one or more bears near the Mystic Falls Trail. The incident marks the first incident of a bear injuring a person within the park for the 2026 season.

National Park Service emergency personnel responded immediately to the scene. The victims’ were airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, but their current conditions have not been released. The NPS has launched a full investigation.

In the interest of public safety and to allow investigators to work undisturbed, the NPS has implemented a temporary closure of the following areas west of Grand Loop Road from the north end of Fountain Flat Drive to Black Sand Basin:

Trails:

Fairy Falls Trail north of the Grand Prismatic Overlook

Sentinel Meadows Trail

Imperial Meadows Trail

Fairy Creek Trail

Summit Lake Trail

Backcountry Campsites:

OG1

OD1

OD2

OD3

OD4

OD5

Recreation:

Fishing along the Firehole River and associated tributaries within the closure area

While Yellowstone is bear country, the park stresses that bear injuries in the park are rare. The last time a visitor was injured by a bear in the park was in September 2025, and the park has not seen a bear-related fatality since 2015.

The NPS has provided the following guidelines for park visitors to stay safe in bear country:

Stay 100 yards away from bears at all times

Carry bear spray and know how to use it

Be alert. See the bear before you surprise it. Watch for fresh tracks, scat, and feeding sites (signs of digging, rolled rocks, torn up logs, ripped open ant hills)

Make noise

Hike in groups of three or more people

Don’t hike at dawn, dusk, or at night, when grizzlies are most active

Don’t run from a bear  

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Danielle Mullenix

Idaho (KIFI) – As wildfire season approaches amid an abnormally dry, warm spring, Idaho is rolling out a new standardized evacuation system designed to make emergency alerts clearer and easier to follow.

State officials have officially adopted the “Ready, Set, Go” wildfire evacuation program as the statewide standard, aiming to eliminate confusion caused by inconsistent messaging among counties during fast-moving wildfires.

How “Ready, Set, Go” works

The system introduces three simple evacuation levels:

Ready — Be aware of danger and begin to prepare for a possible evacuation

Set — Be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice: be packed and ready

Go — Evacuate immediately when directed by local authorities

South Fremont Fire Chief Chris Hill says a consistent approach to safety like this will help residents better understand their risk and respond more quickly in emergency situations.

“We are 100% volunteer here in Fremont,” said Hill. “And we love to help, but it’s also important to follow local authorities and stay up to date on how hazardous fires can be, especially with the dry summer season we have ahead.”

The move comes in response to recommendations outlined in Governor Brad Little’s 2024 wildfire response report, which called for improved evacuation planning, clearer public messaging, and stronger coordination among agencies.

The effort is being implemented through a collaboration between several statewide organizations, including the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association, Idaho Department of Lands, and the Idaho Office of Emergency Management.

Officials emphasize that while the messaging is now standardized, local county sheriffs will continue to have the authority to issue evacuation orders. Chief Hill also emphasized the need for a structured system like this, as the South Fremont Fire Department has already received over 50 fire calls by early May.

“It’s got the potential to be probably the worst fire season on record,” said Chief Hill. “In March, we usually shouldn’t have any fire kills – but we had 29 fire calls. Hopefully, we get some rainfall, but it’s bad out there. Just pray. ”

As wildfire activity increases and more communities expand into fire-prone areas, state leaders say having a clear, unified system in place could help save lives.

Residents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the “Ready, Set, Go” system and stay connected to their local emergency management agencies for updates throughout wildfire season.

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David Pace

BONNEVILLE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) – Farmers are facing a vortex of problems as they enter Idaho’s prime growing season with limited water, low crop prices, higher gas and fertilizer costs, myriads of aphids and mite pests, abundant disease, damage from freezing temperatures and weeds run wild.

In addition, Idaho’s warm winter – combined with an abnormal number of freezing nights in April – has decimated the winter wheat and barley crop.

“I’ve seen a lot of people decide to Roundup crops. So they completely stopped the plant growth, and they’re either putting the crop (or) not planting because of water shortages,” said Juliet Marshall, Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station associate director. “I’ve seen people take their crop and mow it down.”

She reports as much as 50 percent killed of winter barley main stems and some fields of winter wheat.

April’s extreme temperature oscillations decimated early crops.

“We had temperatures in some areas in Roberts and in Hamer and up and down the valley were seven degrees,” said Mickelsen Farms CFO Stephanie Mickelsen. “So when that freezes, what happens is, is it can reduce your crop anywhere from 30 to 60 to 100 percent. So right now we’re out taking a look at surveying the damage. We’re concerned.”

Most worrying is the drought that is already impacting the entire region.

“Just hope for some rain for a couple months – maybe ease the drought conditions we’re probably going to see,” said Surface Water Coalition Attorney Travis Thompson. “It’s probably the most severe year I’ve seen in my 25 years of practice.”

Combined with next year’s “Super El Nino” expected to extend and worsen the drought next year, farmers are in for a tough stretch.

“Farmers are facing a significant economic storm. Whether you’re talking about drought and disease and insects and the overall economy associated with the price of inputs, and the overall prices associated with commodities,” said Marshall. “So this is a horrible, perfect economic storm for producers to be facing at this time.”

Juliet Marshall is a University of Idaho agriculture specialist with grave concerns about this year’s winter wheat and barley harvest, combined with difficult crop-raising conditions.

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Par Kermani

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Idaho’s annual statewide giving campaign, Idaho Gives, is back, encouraging donations to nonprofit organizations across the state.

The campaign began Monday and runs through Thursday, May 7.

Organizers say hundreds of Idaho-based nonprofits are participating this year, representing a wide range of causes, including housing, education, community services and the arts.

Several events are also taking place across eastern Idaho as part of the campaign, giving residents opportunities to connect with local organizations and learn more about their work.

Idaho Gives is designed to raise both funds and awareness for nonprofits serving communities throughout the state.

A full list of participating organizations and events can be found on the Idaho Gives website.

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Kaelyn Blessinger

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Multiple food trucks located at The Yellowstone Food Village for years are facing uncertainty as the site prepares to close, with no confirmed reasoning.

Some of the vendors have already left, and others in the area plan to relocate by the end of the week. According to vendors at the site, they were told they must “vacate” the property by Oct. 1.

“We’ve run into some news lately that Bonneville County will be either shutting this down or selling it,” said Delbert Kirkham, owner of Thai Food Plus. “And we’re kind of in limbo trying to figure out what they’re going to do.”

Without a lot of answers, many of the vendors are looking for a new place to call home. However, Kirkham hopes the vendors can remain at the site.

“It would do nothing but benefit us being small businesses as we are,” Kirkham said. “You can’t get much smaller than what we are, but we’re all together, it’s a hometown feeling here. The whole family’s here, and they do enjoy it. And we would like to stay.”

While Kirkham waits to get more answers, he remains optimistic about staying on the site.

“I’m sure they have some good reasons,” Kirkham said. “But we have some good reasons to stay.”

In September 2025, the Bonneville County Commissioners announced they would end the lease for the Idaho Innovation Center on September 30, 2026. The food village is next to the Idaho Innovation Center and manages the lot.

County leadership said that, while the Idaho Innovation Center has provided valuable contributions to the community for many years, the County’s significant financial investment in the facility is no longer aligned with its economic development goals to unify and strengthen efforts across the broader community.

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