Category: kifi-local-news

Kaelyn Blessinger

STATE OF IDAHO (KIFI) – People have been lining up at the polls all day to cast their ballot, with the Idaho Secretary of State reporting 42% of voter participation as of 2 P.M. With so many people showing up to cast their ballot, you should expect a longer line.

Polling sites are expecting an increase in turnout after 5 P.M. which is when most people get off of work. Some voters are noticing increased wait time and are spending more time filling out their ballots, which may be caused by some of the longer ballot measures.

Ballotpedia ranked Idaho’s HJR4 and HJR6 as some of the hardest measures to understand on our ballots. With over a hundred words to read and many of the words were ranked at a college-graduate reading level, making understanding and readability really difficult for the average voter.

Idaho House Joint Resolution 4 is one of the most difficult-to-understand measures in the nation, according to Ballotpedia. The resolution would give the Idaho Legislature exclusive authority to legalize marijuana and other controlled substances, taking that power away from voters through the citizen-led initiative process.

Idaho House Joint Resolution 6 would make English the official state language. With a summary word count near 100, it may take time for voters to read through.

This could increase the time it takes for voters to fill out their ballot.

If you’re interested on a breakdown of the reading scores for each ballot measure, you can find more information on Ballotpedia’s website.

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Curtis Jackson

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Eight-time Grammy-nominated comedian Jim Gaffigan will be performing at the Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls as part of his ‘Everything is Wonderful Tour’ on January 21, 2027.

Gaffigan is known for his observational humor and relatable takes on everyday life, and is one of the most recognized comedians in the world.

According to Mountain America Center, tickets go on sale with a special pre-sale on Thursday, November 5, at 10:00 a.m., and to the general public on Friday, November 6, 2027 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or in person at the center’s box office.

According to the Mountain America Center, Gaffigan is an eight-time Grammy Award nominee, three-time Emmy Award winner, two-time New York Times bestselling author and multi-platinum-selling recording artist whose career spans comedy, television, film and Broadway. He has been recognized by Forbes as one of the top 10 comedians and by Pollstar as one of the highest-grossing comedians in the industry.

The venue said Gaffigan’s latest comedy special, The Skinny, premiered on Hulu in 2024 as the streaming platform’s first original stand-up special under its Hularious comedy brand. The special generated nearly 100 million online clip views. His previous special, Dark Pale, debuted on Amazon Prime Video in 2023, while his Netflix special Comedy Monster earned a Grammy nomination. Mountain America Center officials also noted Gaffigan became the first comedian to surpass one billion streams on Pandora.

Beyond stand-up comedy, Gaffigan has appeared in several film and television projects, including Netflix’s Unfrosted, Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy and the science-fiction drama Linoleum. He has also performed on Broadway and regularly contributes commentary to CBS Sunday Morning, a role that has helped earn him three Emmy Awards.

According to the Mountain America Center, Gaffigan has performed at some of the nation’s most prominent venues, including a sold-out arena tour with comedian Jerry Seinfeld and two sold-out shows at the Hollywood Bowl during the 2024 Netflix Is a Joke Festival.

For additional information about Jim Gaffigan and the Everything Is Wonderful Tour, visit jimgaffigan.com. 

You can also visit mountainamericacenter.com for more information on this show and other events coming to the arena.

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Seth Ratliff

NAMPA, Idaho (KIFI) — A Nampa man and convicted sex offender who fled Missouri to evade law enforcement is back behind bars following a joint operation led by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Ivan Aleksandrovi Fesik was taken into custody during a car stop in Star on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

Fesik was convicted of sexual misconduct in 2013, a charge that legally required him to register as a sex offender. In addition to failing to register, Missouri authorities had issued warrants for his arrest on charges of felony aggravated driving while impaired and second-degree assault.

The U.S. Marshals Midwestern Violent Fugitive Task Force joined the search for Fesik on Feb. 10, 2025. Following an extensive investigation, authorities discovered Fesik had been hiding in plain sight in Nampa, working in home renovation, according to a news release.

On Oct. 26, 2026, the Midwestern task force handed the lead to the U.S. Marshals Greater Idaho Fugitive Task Force to track Fesik down in the Treasure Valley.

Investigators from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, the Caldwell Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested Fesik without incident during the Tuesday traffic stop. He was taken into custody on an arrest warrant out of Christian County, Missouri, dated October 2023, for failure to register as a sex offender.

Fesik is currently booked at the Ada County Jail, where he awaits extradition back to Missouri.

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Danielle Mullenix

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Election Day is finally here, and voters across Idaho are heading to the polls this Tuesday to cast their ballots in the 2026 Midterm Elections.

After months of campaigning, debates, and conversations about issues affecting communities across the Gem State and the country, Idaho voters now have the chance to make their voices heard.

From local leadership to state and national races, the decisions made at the ballot box will help shape the future of Idaho and communities across the country.

What voters need to know

Idaho voters planning to cast their ballots this Tuesday should confirm their assigned polling location and hours before heading out.

Eligible Idaho residents who are not registered to vote may also be able to register at their designated polling place on Election Day.

Voters can find additional information, including polling locations and election resources, through the Idaho Secretary of State’s website

Local News 8 Election Coverage

Local News 8 will follow Election Day developments throughout Tuesday, including voter turnout, conversations with voters and the issues they are weighing, and election results as they become available.

Stay with Local News 8 for continuing coverage of the 2026 General Election by visiting our official 2026 Voter Guide page HERE.

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Bryson Cook

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) – Idaho is set to receive nearly $1 billion over the next five years to improve healthcare in rural communities through a new initiative aimed at making healthcare more accessible.

At a press conference today, Governor Brad Little joined Bingham Healthcare staff to discuss the first year of funding.

The money is going toward a variety of projects, including maternity care, emergency care, and cardiovascular modernization. These projects are designed to make healthcare more accessible for people living farther away from medical facilities.

“Whether you live in Idaho Falls, Rigby, Rexburg, Salmon, or other small communities miles from the nearest hospital, you deserve quality healthcare,” Little said.

The funding comes from a $50 billion federal program created through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. Congress set aside that money to help improve rural healthcare nationwide, distributing the funding across all 50 states. Idaho is expected to receive $186 million every year through 2030.

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David Pace

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – With one day left until the election, candidates are making a final push to draw voters to the polls.

Two candidates running for Idaho Senate District 33, Democrat Jan Brown and Republican Dave Lent (incumbent) spoke about the rising costs of fuel, housing, groceries, health care and other essentials, and the role government should play in addressing inflation and improving economic outcomes.

Lent pointed to relief from recent tax cuts passed by the Legislature.

“Over the last eight years I’ve been in the Senate, five of those years we have reduced taxes for Idaho citizens. The number that we have reduced taxes to is $2.8 billion – a lot of that coming from income taxes,” said Lent. “At the same time, we’ve reduced those taxes, we’ve tried to streamline our state government to make it less burdensome for our citizens. Many people would be might be surprised to know that Idaho is in the bottom five when it comes to property taxes in the United States per person.”

Brown called for raising the homeowners’ exemption and indexing it to inflation.

“There are some things we can do immediately at the state level. One of them would be addressing the homeowner exemption to make sure that we raised that exemption from its current $125,000 up to $200,000,” Brown said. “I also feel like the wealthy are getting a lot of the tax breaks that we really need to address. That means total tax reform – trying to equalize property, income and sales tax. The way it used to be in the 1980s, when I first arrived in Idaho, was far more balanced.”

Check out our full, unedited interviews on immigration, health care, education and more below.

For more information on local and statewide candidates, and to watch other interviews from this campaign season, check out our full 2026 Voter Guide.

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Kaelyn Blessinger

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Halloween has come and gone, but students at Holy Rosary Catholic School are still dressing up. However, these costumes aren’t meant to scare; they are an opportunity for kids to connect with their faith.

Every year on November 1st, millions of Catholics worldwide are bringing their history to life through All Saints Day.

“Even though today was All Souls Day, we celebrated All Saints Day today in school,” Patrick Ryan, the Principal at Holy Rosary Catholic School, explained. “So you can see all the kids dress up in our school, and all of our kids get to dress up as their favorite saint.”

In the Catholic Faith, a Saint is a holy person who parishioners look up to as a spiritual role model. For this Holiday, students get to research the saints and find one who they believe could be their spiritual role model.

“I’m dressed as Saint Hildegard of Bingen. She’s my patron saint,” Trinity Fielder, a student at Holy Rosary Catholic School, said.

Fielder has been participating in All Saints’ Day traditions for as long as she can remember, a tradition that dates back more than a millennium.

“You get to see the kids dig in and really get to research new saints and get to learn about different saints and when they were alive and what they were doing,” Ryan explained. “I think it actually gives them the opportunity to look at it and say, ‘hey, I could be a saint if I just live the life the right way.'”

For these students, history is no longer just words out of a book; it’s a story they’ve helped bring to life, and maybe even changed their lives just a little at the same time.

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Danielle Mullenix

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in the appeal of Lori Vallow Daybell, as she continues her effort to overturn her convictions in the murders of her two children and the conspiracy to kill her husband’s former wife.

What is Daybell appealing?

Daybell filed her appeal earlier this year, arguing that several constitutional and procedural errors occurred during the original proceedings.

The majority of Monday morning’s arguments focused on the district court’s decision to disqualify Mark Means during the time Vallow Daybell was considered incompetent to stand trial based on a conflict of interest. Means had briefly represented both Lori and her husband, Chad Daybell, early in the case.

Attorney Craig Durham argued that the district court lacked specific factual evidence to establish an actual conflict of interest when it removed Means.

“It made a serious analytical error when it concluded that prior joint representation… meant there was an actual conflict of interest,” Durham argued. “In its decision, there are no specific facts about the nature and scope of that attorney-client relationship such that it could find or conclude that Mr. Means’ representation would be adversely affected. It had a starting point, which was joint representation. It had a conclusion, which was an actual conflict of interest, but it didn’t have a bridge connecting those two.”

What is the state arguing?

Representing the district court and the prosecution, attorney Jeffrey Nye countered that removing Means was a necessary measure to protect Daybell’s right to competent representation. Nye pointed out that Means continued submitting court filings even after Daybell had been formally declared incompetent.

“We did not just have a state case where everything was paused,” Nye argued. “We had a case where everyone, including Mr. Means… was filing things into this state case. The documents that the district court cited that raised concerns with him were filed while the case was stayed, including statements that Mr. Means was swearing under penalty of perjury his incompetent client had made to him under the attorney-client privilege. Mr. Means is actively violating his client’s constitutional rights… We do not want our district courts in this state to stand back and say, ‘Nothing I can do. The case is stayed.'”

Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice G. Richard Brody questioned how lower court actions could lawfully proceed while the defendant’s mental competency was actively in doubt.

Another significant issue raised today involves the possibility of the death penalty returning if Daybell is granted a new trial. According to Durham, Daybell is aware of this possibility and wishes to proceed with her appeals anyway. 

The State of Idaho maintains that the district court committed no reversible errors and that Daybell’s conviction should stand.

The hearing marks another significant development in a case that drew national attention after the disappearance and deaths of seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.

Vallow Daybell was convicted in May 2023 of murdering her children, seven-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell, the former wife of Chad Daybell. She is currently serving multiple consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

The Idaho Supreme Court is not expected to issue an immediate decision on Monday’s arguments. The justices will deliberate and release a formal written ruling at a later date.

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Kaelyn Blessinger

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) – Dancing with the Rexburg Stars has it all this year, from Performances, to fundraising, and even a dancing cat.

“He’s so ready for his performance. We’ve been practicing for our performance a couple of times a week,” said Brian Ward, one of the performers for Dancing with the Rexburg Stars. “He’s a really good dancer. So we’ll be doing a Charleston.”

Brian will be participating in this competition, but he won’t be alone. His 11 year old cat, Thor, will dance with him. He’s been working on a couple of dance moves and balancing on his father’s shoulder. Thor and Brian have done it all together.

“We’ve gone downhill skiing, four wheeling, rafting, tubing, and boating,” Brian recalled.

Now, they and seven other contestants are preparing to take center stage to dance for a good cause.

“We invite eight community members,” Carolyn Broadbent, a science teacher for Madison Junior High School and the organizer for the event, said. “They come in as our stars. They dance with our senior IBA or ballroom pros. They get a coach. They have about 6 to 8 weeks to prepare a 90 second number and then perform.”

The event not only brings the community together, but it will also raise some much needed funds for teachers. Everything raised goes towards teacher grants through the Madison Education Foundation.

“Money is always needed in the schools,” Broadbent explained. “There’s never enough for the number of students that we have. Our regular fees are not necessarily enough to cover everything that we have. This allows for teachers to write grants to get consumables or for big projects or anything like that.”

This weekend, these competitors will be strapping on their jazz shoes for their big performance. Including Thor, who will get to continue his adventure on his father’s shoulder.

Dancing with the Rexburg Stars will take place this Saturday, November 7th at 7 P.M. at Madison High School. You can find more information about the event on Dancing with the Rexburg Star’s Facebook.

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Residents driving past the Pocatello Reel Theatre may have not noticed it was there, it was a simple white building with a piece of artwork on one side. Now, local artist Nick Hottmann is transforming the Pocatello hotspot into a piece of art with giant murals covering the sides of the building.

Hottmann said Sandra, owner of The Reel Theatre, was interested in getting the business painted by a local artist. The residents know the theatre to have a small, well-loved mural on one side of the building. The original mural was done by teenage employees of the theatre, featuring a film reel, popcorn bucket and candy.

The Reel Theatre original mural, created by teenage theatre employees

When Hottmann set out to re-vamp the outside of the building, he and Sandra agreed to protect the integrity of the original mural, adding plenty of nods to the historic piece.

“I love the reel theatre,” Hottmann said. “I grew up in Michigan and we had a local theater like this where it was originally one and split into two. I just get a lot of good hometown vibes from this place.”

Each part of the new mural is intentional, including mixing specific colors that all stem from the iconic pink and teal of the Reel Theatre’s logo. The artist also got permission from Pepsi to use their logo with accurate colors.

“The other side has never been painted before, so it’s a whole new area to work on,” Hottmann said. “It’s going to be a poster theme.”

The posters on that wall will include a zombie hand for “Reel Chills,” two hands making a heart for “Reel Love” and a cowboy riding a horse for “Reel Adventure.” The mural will stay true to the 50’s theme of the entire project.

The new Reel Theatre mural

“This way, you know it’s a movie theater,” Hottmann explained. “Previously, it was just a big white building and you didn’t realize it was a theater until you drove past it. So, we’re hoping to get a bit more attention and draw some business with the art.”

The walls are essentially a massive canvas for Hartmann, who hand-brushed the entire piece. It began with sketches and then drawing the design out on the wall itself. The artist says to stay in school, because his geometry and math skills have helped him scale his artwork onto large spaces.

“Depending on the complexity, sometimes I’ll bring a projector out,” he said. “But it’s a lot of math. It’s all rulers to make those lines straight and obviously a lot comes with experience. I’ve done a lot of lettering over the years.”

With 20-plus years of painting things by hand, Hottmann says he’s comfortable freehanding letters. When he was a budding artist in town, he said he spent hours taping before painting. Turns out, it was extra steps, time and money he didn’t need to spend.

“I learned really well how to have a steady hand, using markers, chalk, pencils, whatever you can get your hands on,” Hottmann said. “And then cutting it out and finding a good paintbrush to cut in all the edges.”

Hottmann on his lift measuring the next part of The Reel Theatre Mural, Oct. 30

With projects like The Reel Theatre, Hottmann said it isn’t about the commission he will earn from creating the artwork, it’s the joy that comes from both the painting process and the product the community will get to enjoy.

“It’s been really fun to see the little kids in particular pull up and think it’s really cool,” he said. “I get a lot of beeps and drive-bys, people stopping and giving me a thumbs up and that feels really good because that means people are enjoying it.”

The community has already embraced the new murals on Facebook and in-person. The Reel Theatre has been a staple in the community since its founding as the “Crest Theatre” in 1949. Hottmann’s project is breathing new life into an old building.

“To me, it’s like having the people be happy, that’s the reward for me,”

-Nick Hottmann, Artist

The far side of the building will be completed within the next week, weather conditions permitting. Hottmann says he’s moving to mostly indoor projects next, as the weather turns colder.

Hottmann’s artwork is well-known and loved in the community for its punchy, graphic and colorful style with clean lines. If you’d like to contact Hottmann to commission a piece, he is on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok at Nick Hottmann Art.

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