Category: kifi-local-news

Abi Martin

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – One person is dead after a house fire in Pocatello on Tuesday night.

According to the Pocatello Fire Department, crews responded to a structure fire at 1935 S. 5th Avenue shortly after 8 p.m.

Firefighters arrived quickly and were able to contain the fire to a single home. However, an adult was found dead at the scene.

The Pocatello Fire department said additional information will be released after the investigation progresses and the victim’s next of kin have been notified.

The Pocatello Fire Department is also asking the public to avoid the area while investigators continue their work.

As of July 22 at 4 p.m., the Pocatello Fire Department and Pocatello Police Department have no updates on the investigation or the identity of the individual. PPD has taken over the investigation as they have to rule out criminal activity in the case. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Local News 8 will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

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David Pace

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – As you travel on U.S. Highway 20, you may have noticed a smoother ride on sleek new asphalt. 

Crews have been working on mainline U.S. Highway 20 since May to resurface the roadway for years to come.

“We’re almost done with the main line from Idaho Falls to Rigby,” said Idaho Transportation Department Engineering Apprentice Payton Hubbard. “Then we’ll do a couple fixes, and then we’re going to start working on the off and on ramps.”

45,000 vehicles travel the highway every day in summer between Idaho Falls and Rigby – making it the busiest stretch in the area.

Construction professionals with HK Contractors, engineers, inspectors and material testers have been working nights only – leaving the lanes open in the day to minimize disruption to the high flow of traffic.

But working at night increases the level of complexity for the project. 

“I’d say the biggest difficulty is the traffic that does go through there going at high speeds,” Hubbard said. “Sometimes they don’t follow the traffic control, dropping it down to 60 mph.”

Idaho Transportation Department spokeswoman Sky Buffat says crews have “resurfaced 60 lane miles – 15 miles in each direction, twice over, one lane at a time.”

The resurfaced highway is rated to last for 25 years, provided it is chip sealed in two years, followed by additional treatments every seven years, Buffat explained.

The total cost is approximately $15 million.

The project’s next phase involves resurfacing all the exit ramps from Rigby to Idaho Falls, which is expected to continue for the duration of the summer.

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Jeff Roper

SWAN VALLEY, Idaho (KIFI-TV) – A Swan Valley couple is making history after bringing hundreds of people to the region for a record-breaking event.

The third year of family summer camp for Bryce and Nelli Jurgy, owners of The Park in Swan Valley ended in a big way. 

“We broke a world record. So pretty crazy. The world’s largest hammock hangout.

We also had the most people lying in hammock stands or hammocks at the same time. Pretty wild. So it’s a little surreal. Still, just. This was like a dream that we had talked about. I don’t know when. How long ago?”, Bryce Jurgy explained.

“Bryce has always wanted to do this. Just because we have a campground and it has hammocks”, Nelli Jurgy said.

The Jurgys teamed up with Grand Trunk, a custom hammock maker out of Bountiful, Utah.

“This will go down in history. Yeah. You know, i thought it was going to be an easy world record, but I’m sunburnt. I’m filthy because I’ve been camping all week. It was a little harder than i thought. You are the grand trunk. But we got it. But we got that world record.”, Grand Trunk owner Paul Asis said.

Despite the sun and the wind. We made it happen.

The previous record was 269 continuously swinging hammock dwellers in Germany in 2016.

It’s officially “most people lying in hammocks” and the event in Swan Valley on Saturday registered 350 participants in hammocks, not touching the ground, taking in the Idaho scenery and doing nothing else but winning for 5 minutes. Accounts were recorded on video from multiple angles, multiple counts were made on the ground, witnesses recorded their accounts and everyone signed in and was cornered and roped off and not allowed to leave the “hammock landing area” for well over 90 minutes, while every angle and participant was documented. Participants will receive a certificate from authorized organizers and record keepers in their email. This may take months to approve.

“And so the record until now was 269. So beat that. You beat that with us. I did”, Jurgi added.

And every record breaker was offered a custom hammock to hang out in.

So next time you’re in Swan Valley. Come and hang out.

When you come out here, it’s so beautiful. You’ll you’ll get that. You will. You’ll show up as friends, leave feeling like family and you’ll be closer with your people. It just happens.

Each summer The Park at Swan Valley RV park hosts family summer camp designed for parents to attend camp with their kids and enjoy the 30 acres of space the Jurgis use to entertain. Registration and sign ups happen in the winter and sell out fast.

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Idaho Capital Sun

By Laura Guido

BOISE, Idaho (Idaho Capital Sun) — Idaho state fire officials have spent more than $20 million fighting wildfires so far this year, and conditions are expected to worsen as the fire season continues. 

Idaho Department of Lands Director Dustin Miller told the State Board of Land Commissioners on Tuesday that the agency expects to be reimbursed from other fire agencies for about $5.7 million of those costs for suppressing fires, leaving the state with around $15 million to pay so far. 

“Looking ahead, fire conditions are expected to become more challenging as we continue on through (the) fire season,” Miller said.

He said persistent drought has elevated the risk of fires, especially in northern and southern parts of the state. By August, the entire state is expected to see above-normal fire risk, Miller said. 

Idaho’s 2026 wildfire season – so far

Statewide, more than 60,000 acres have burned on state, federal and private land. About 4,000 acres have burned on state endowment land. The majority of the fires are human-caused, Miller said. 

The agency covers costs with fighting fires on the more than 2 million acres of state endowment land, and sometimes shares costs through agreements for fighting fires with other jurisdictions, such as federal agencies or cities. 

The Claremont Fire in the Boise foothills is 6,800 acres and about 85% contained, Miller said. Firefighters from the Boise Fire Department, the federal Wildland Fire Service and Department of Lands have all worked on the fire, Miller said. He told the land board members it is not yet clear how much the state owed on that operation. 

Last month, the state’s wildfire suppression balance hit $0, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. This meant the state has been paying for active firefighting efforts through “deficiency warrants” in a process likened to paying off wildfire costs with a credit card. 

State officials propose forest fire protection surcharge increase to cover ‘preparedness fund’ 

The state agency, in an effort to stabilize its funding for “fire preparedness,” is also proposing an increased surcharge on forest land owners.

While the state’s wildfire suppression fund is used to cover the costs of actively fighting a fire, the state has separate wildfire preparedness funding. These preparedness funds are used to hire and trail personnel, buy equipment, install infrastructure to detect and respond to fires, and fund other prevention activities. 

Some of the money for the fund comes from what are called “Forest Fire Protection” tax assessments. Private and state land owners on forested parcels in Idaho pay additional costs on their property tax bills to cover costs associated with protecting their properties from wildfire. 

The assessment is set at 60 cents per acre, charged at a minimum of 25 acres, with a $40 surcharge if a residential structure is on the parcel. The surcharge was last increased in 2009. 

State Forester Julia Lauch told land board members that agency staff recommends increasing the surcharge to $90 per qualifying parcel. 

“This provides a level of dedicated funding necessary to stabilize the dedicated fund and reduce the program’s dependence on the fluctuations of general fund appropriations and uncertainty of federal preparedness grant availability,” Lauch said. 

The maximum rate is set by Idaho Code, but the agency, with land board approval, sets the actual rate. The Legislature this year passed House Bill 511, which would allow the surcharge to be set up to $100. 

The surcharge is meant to reflect the reality that residential buildings in forested areas and the “wildland-urban interface” often raise costs associated with fighting nearby fires. 

“They typically present the greatest suppression complexity and require additional firefighting resources to respond to incidents, protect lives and property, and suppress the fires,” Lauch said. 

Because stakeholders did not know the proposed new surcharge rate, land board members voted Tuesday to delay a final decision on the new charge until the August meeting. 

“I would like to get more information from you,” Attorney General Raúl Labrador said Tuesday. 

He said he wanted to explore a tiered process, in which parcels with more valuable structures potentially receive a higher surcharge. 

Secretary of State Phil McGrane said he supported the rate increase, but also supported the idea of receiving more information before making a final decision. 

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — The City of Pocatello is looking for a volunteer to fill a vacancy on its Golf Advisory Committee.

The position is open for immediate appointment, and applications will be accepted through Aug. 4.

The seven-member committee makes recommendations and decisions related to the city’s municipal golf courses. Members also help oversee communication between golfers, city officials and course employees at Riverside Golf Course and Highland Golf Course.

The committee meets at 1 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month during the golf season, which runs from March through October.

Anyone interested in serving on the committee can apply by contacting the mayor’s office at Pocatello City Hall or by visiting pocatello.gov and selecting the Advisory Committees link.

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Maile Sipraseuth

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)– After five years in the making, downtown Idaho Falls has a new pet mural.

The Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation and the Snake River Animal Shelter celebrated its completion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

Painted by Marina Zavalova on the north wall of Blackrock Fine Wine & Craft Beer, the mural is designed to give pet owners a place to honor and remember their pets.

“People love their pets and they love supporting downtown,” said Kerry Hammon, executive director of Idaho Falls Downtown Development.

The project began as an effort to revitalize downtown Idaho Falls while supporting the Snake River Animal Shelter.

Hammon said she hopes the mural is just the beginning of a larger effort to make downtown a destination where people can support local businesses and connect with one another.

“We’re going to do more exciting things. It’s the 30th anniversary of the Idaho Falls Downtown Development and our Business Improvement District next year, so we’re going to be rolling out more programs, more art, nature, and different activities to revamp downtown Idaho Falls,” Hammon said.

The Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation is also encouraging artists and community members to submit ideas for future public art projects.

More information is available on the organization’s website and social media pages. Its Instagram account is @idahofallsdowntown.

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Hadley Bodell

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The Friends of the Marshall Public Library (FOMPL) are hosting their annual summer book sale this Friday and Saturday in the community room at the Marshall Public Library. The seasonal book sales are the main fundraiser for the FOMPL organization, to help keep library programs and services running throughout the year.

It’s also the 30th anniversary of the FOMPL organization, meaning there are special extras at this year’s book sale. “We have some raffle baskets, if you spend 30 bucks at the sale, you get a chance for the raffle,” said Melanie Gygli, Secretary of the FOMPL. “Everything you buy goes back into supporting the library’s various programs that are not part of their usual budget.”

RAFFLE TICKET SIGN, PHOTO CREDIT MARSHALL PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Friends have helped the library support projects like the new Pocatello mural near the staircase, tickets to the symphony and the zoo and the 3D printer in the library.

They will have thousands of books at the sale, ranging from adult mystery, thriller and romance, to children’s books and large coffee table books. Paperbacks will be $1 and hardbacks are $2.

“The majority of what we get is mystery and fiction in adults, but we get sociology, history, biography, science and nature, language, travel,” Gygli said. “We get some great kids books and young adult too.”

All the books in the sale come from donations in the community or are discards from The Marshall Public Library. Gygli said people move often and leave the Friends with their book collections or have simply read them and want to donate to the book sale.

This year, the FOMPL are also offering a bag of 20 books for three dollars. They will be categorized by genre.

“It really is an affordable way to buy a book, and some of them are almost new,” Gygli explained. “You can give them as gifts, even though it’s early for Christmas gifts, this is an affordable way to do that.”

For those who can’t make it out to the book sale this weekend, the FOMPL has their storefront open daily at the library. Throughout July, the store is themed AMERICA250 and next month it will switch to a summer reading theme.

AMERICA250-THEMED FRIENDS OF THE MARSHALL PUBLIC LIBRARY STOREFRONT

“The sale is a really great way to pick up a book for yourself, but I think more important it’s a way to support your community,” Gygli said. “Support your library and the programs that they offer back to the community, to adults and children.”

The book sale will be open Friday, July 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Winners of the raffle will be chosen the following Monday and contacted to pick up their baskets at the library circulation desk.

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Par Kermani

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal crash after a pickup truck struck a tree.

Deputies and emergency crews responded just before noon to the 7000 block of North 15th East, where they found a small pickup that had left the roadway and struck a tree in the front yard of a home.

When first responders arrived, they found an adult man and a dog inside the vehicle. Both were dead at the scene.

Bonneville County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Daniel W. Meyer, 52, of Idaho Falls.

Investigators say the pickup was traveling north on 15th East when it lost control and left the roadway. No other vehicles were involved, and the driver was the only person in the truck.

The Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is continuing.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the victim’s name.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A 25-year-old Pocatello man lost his life Tuesday morning after police say he was struck by a semi-truck while running through traffic on Interstate 15.

According to the Idaho State Police, the fatal crash happened around 5:30 a.m. near milepost 116 on northbound I-15 in Idaho Falls.

Investigators say a 28-year-old Canadian man driving a northbound 2024 Volvo semi-truck spotted the man running in the roadway and attempted to avoid him. However, the truck struck the man, who died from his injuries at the scene.

Authorities have not released details on why the man was running through interstate traffic.

The Bonneville County Coroner’s Office identified the pedestrian as Tyson Dorey, 25.

The truck driver was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured. Northbound lanes of I-15 were blocked for roughly five hours while emergency crews cleared the area.

The crash remains under investigation by the Idaho State Police.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the victim’s name.

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Par Kermani

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), the Idaho National Lab’s managing and operating contractor, has agreed to a $5 million settlement following a federal investigation into claims that the company denied religious and disability accommodations tied to its COVID-19 vaccine policy, according to a press release from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The EEOC said its investigation found reasonable cause to believe Battelle Energy Alliance discriminated against more than 100 employees who requested accommodations because of sincerely held religious beliefs or disabilities.

The agency said the alleged discrimination included improper medical questions, denial of accommodation requests and, in some cases, termination.

 “Let me be clear: there was no pandemic exception to workers’ civil rights and liberties,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “Absent undue hardship, employers are required to provide reasonable accommodation for sincerely held religious beliefs and qualifying disabilities.”

The settlement resolves a 2021 lawsuit, filed by the EEOC and employees who worked at the BEA facilities in Idaho Falls, alleging 15 individual charges of discrimination against the BEA.

Battelle Energy Alliance agreed to resolve the matter without admitting guilt to “avoid an extended dispute,” according to the EEOC.

Part of the settlement, reached during a pre-litigation conciliation process, includes a three-year agreement requiring BEA to provide back pay and compensatory damages to the affected employees. The agreement also requires BEA to train human resources personnel on religious- and disability-related accommodation request policies.

Battelle Energy Alliance manages and operates Idaho National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.

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