Category: kifi-local-news

Seth Ratliff

UPDATE:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The missing 9-year-old, Adria Huerta, has been safely located by an officer with help from the Idaho Falls community.

“Thank you to the great community members who reported sightings of Adrian that helped our officers know which direction to look for him,” stated IFPD in a release.

ORIGINAL:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Falls Police Department is seeking the public’s help in their search for 9-year-old Adrian Huerta, who has been missing since late this afternoon, Wednesday, October 8.

Adrian was last seen around 4:30 p.m. today at the basketball court located at 1325 Hoopes Avenue.

Security camera in the area that shows Adrian this afternoon, Courtesy: IFPD

When he was last seen, Adrian was wearing a blue shirt, jeans, and orange Nike shoes. He was also seen riding a scooter. The boy is approximately 4 ft tall, 60 pounds, and has dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. 

Police are asking anyone who has seen Adrian or who has any information regarding his current whereabouts to immediately call dispatch at (208) 529-1200.

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Linda Larsen

 SWAN VALLEY, Idaho (KIFI) — A 37-year-old man is fighting for his life following a horrific head-on collision between a propane truck and a passenger car this afternoon in Swan Valley.

The crash occurred just after 1:00 p.m. on U.S. Highway 26 near Fox Creek Road. The impact severely injured the driver of the passenger car, who had to be life-flighted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC). The condition of the propane truck driver is currently unknown.

Traffic and Investigation

The scene of the accident remains active, and a full accident reconstruction team is working to figure out exactly what happened, according to Swan Valley Fire Chief Travis Crystal.

As a result, a lengthy closure is expected. U.S. Highway 26 will be reduced to one lane for several hours through the Swan Valley area. Drivers are being told to prepare for major delays and consider alternate routes if possible.

Chief Crystal is urging drivers to use extreme caution when approaching the scene. A separate, secondary crash happened earlier today when a driver rear-ended another vehicle that had slowed for the initial accident. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in that second incident.

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News Team

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — Heads up, Southeast Idaho, get ready to help your neighbors. Beginning next weekend, the Mountain District of the Grand Teton Council of Scouting America is hosting its annual “Scouting for Food” community drive.

On Saturday, October 18, local Scouts will be out in force, manning collection booths across the region to gather essential food items. Your donations will directly support local food banks as they prepare for the upcoming holiday season and the greater need that continues throughout the year.

“Troops and packs will man drop off locations in the community and represent scouting as we serve our community,” said Deborah McHugh, Scout Mountain district chair. “Many families rely on these generous donations of food from our community.”

The local Scout Mountain District serves the communities of Pocatello, Chubbuck, American Falls, Inkom, McCammon, Malad, and Soda Springs. Scouts will be collecting non-perishable food items at various locations throughout the day at the following locations:

Pocatello/Chubbuck – October 18, 2025, 10 am-2 pm

Idaho Food Bank – 555 S. 1st Ave, Pocatello, ID

Ridley’s Family Market – 1000 Pocatello Cr. Rd Pocatello, ID Grand Teton Walmart 4240 Yellowstone Ave Chubbuck, ID

Smith’s Food and Drug – 4845 Yellowstone Ave, Chubbuck, ID

Fred Meyer – 800 Yellowstone Ave, Pocatello, ID

Albertson’s – 330 East Benton, Pocatello, ID

American Falls – October 18, 2025, 9 am-12noon

Advantage Plus Credit Union – 465 Hillcrest Ave, American Falls, ID 83211

Rockland Pharmacy – 524 Tyhee Ave, American Falls, ID 83211

Bank of Commerce – 590 Tyhee Ave, American Falls, ID 83211

Les Schwab – 2842 Pocatello Ave, American Falls, ID 83211

Bingham Co-op

Ridley’s – 2827 Pocatello Ave, American Falls, ID 83211

Ken’s Market – 548 Tyhee Ave, American Falls, ID 83211

Lava Hot Springs – October 18, 2025, 9-10:30 am

Community Center – 150 N Center St, Lava Hot Springs, ID 83246

McCammon – October 18, 2025-10:30-12 noon

McCammon City Park by Family Dollar 700 Center St

Inkom – October 18, 2025-12:00-1:30 pm

Bisharat Market and Automotive – 112 Old Hwy 30 Inkom, ID

Soda Springs – October 18, 2025-10 am-2 pm

Scout House – 9 W 2nd S, Soda Springs, ID 83276

Lallatin’s Grocery – 39 W 2nd S, Broulim’s 89 W 2nd S

This year’s Scouting for Food drive is co-sponsored by JustServe and the Idaho Foodbank, ensuring that all donations are efficiently distributed to those who need them most in Southeast Idaho. For more information on Scouting for Food or other scouting programs in our area, contact Corey at (208) 317-6153, Debi at (208) 406-1614 or the Pocatello Scouting America Office at (208) 233-4600.

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News Team

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Bonneville County is reminding residents that the County Transfer Station will be closed for maintenance from October 18 to November 24.

During the closure, all county residents should dispose of their waste at the following alternate locations:

For All Municipal Waste:

Peterson Hill Landfill

Address: 9449 E Sunnyside Road, Idaho Falls

Hours: Monday – Saturday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM

For Specific Recyclable and Special Waste:

Bonneville County Hatch Pit

Address: 3690 Recycle Road, Idaho Falls

Hours: Monday – Saturday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Accepted Waste (during closure): Tires, Metal Recycling, Freon items (Refrigerators, Freezers, A/C Units), Used Motor Oil (5-gallon maximum), and Lead Acid Batteries.

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News Release

The following is a news release from the Idaho Falls Police Department:

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Bonneville County & Idaho Falls Emergency Communications Center (ECC) has launched the use of Aurelian, an AI-powered voice assistant that answers and triages non-emergency calls. This system is designed to reduce the burden of non-emergency calls, allowing our Emergency Communications Officers to devote their full attention to genuine emergencies.

In Bonneville County, 911 calls and calls to the non-emergency dispatch number (208-529-1200) are all answered by the same team of Emergency Communications Officers (ECOs). This team handles all incoming calls and dispatches for all first responder agencies in Bonneville County, including Idaho Falls Police, Idaho Falls Fire, Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, the Bonneville County Fire District, Ucon Fire, Ucon Police, and the Swan Valley Fire Department. Over the last five years, the Bonneville County & Idaho Falls ECC has averaged 211,000 calls into the center and dispatched 115,000 incidents to first responders each year.

Despite what many may think, this enormous responsibility is handled by a relatively small team of dedicated Emergency Communications Officers, commonly called dispatchers. Across the profession, many emergency communications centers struggle with staffing, turnover, and fatigue. ECOs often move from call to call, with little to no downtime between those calls. During busy times, callers may have to wait, call back, or be placed on hold while ECOs handle higher-priority 911 and emergency calls.

The addition of Aurelian, and the AI calltaker referred to as “AI Annie”, is intended to assist this team of dedicated professionals and to continue to provide excellent service to our community.

More focus on life-saving calls

By offloading routine, repetitive, non-urgent calls (e.g., noise complaints, road hazards, general inquiries), dispatchers can concentrate on urgent, life-saving emergency calls and complex calls that require a live ECO.

Before Aurelian, Emergency Communications Officers spent a great deal of time answering calls that should have been placed to other county or city entities like police records, utilities, the courts, and others. With AI Annie now in place, rather than tying up an ECO with those calls and transfers, AI Annie can transfer callers to the right place, and ECOs can focus on emergency calls.

Better caller experience, with instant response

Before adding AI Annie, non-emergency callers had to wait for an available ECO to answer their call. During busy times or when multiple 911 calls were coming in, callers may have had to wait, call back, or be placed on hold mid-call for ECOs to handle emergency calls. Because there’s zero hold time or competition with emergency calls, callers get immediate engagement and resolution when possible. AI Annie can also text callers links to online reporting and other common online resources. AI Annie is also available in Spanish. A Language Line has been used for many years and continues to be used by ECOs for many other languages.

To get the most accurate assistance from AI Annie, callers should speak in a normal tone of voice and at their usual speed—there is no need to talk louder or slower. Callers should provide two or three sentences explaining the reason for their call, just like if they were speaking to a live person. For example, “I need to get a copy of a police report from the Idaho Falls Police Department,” will provide a better result than one-word answers like “Report” or requests to speak to a live person.

Over the last several weeks, AI Annie has been integrated and trained for the ECC and is now answering all calls to the non-emergency dispatch number (208-529-1200). While AI Annie is clearly identifiable as an AI tool, there’s no “press 1 for …” menu, only a conversational interface designed to feel natural. AI Annie will ask follow-up questions, clarify information, and guide the caller through the process,

All AI-handled calls are recorded and generate logs, transcripts, and summaries that can be audited or checked for accuracy or issues. All calls handled by AI Annie are reviewed by ECOs for accuracy, then dispatched to first responders. AI Annie is also trained to monitor for sounds and situations that indicate the call should be transferred immediately and seamlessly to a live ECO.

All 911 calls will continue to be answered by live Emergency Communications Officers.

Since the start of the rollout in early September, AI Annie has had a success rate of 94%, a number that increases as the system continues to be trained and refined. The center has also seen a 62% reduction in the rate of non-emergency calls, meaning that 62% of calls to the non-emergency line were able to be handled entirely by AI Annie. The remaining 38% of calls have been transferred to ECOs.

As the center continues to use and fine-tune the Aurelian system, the Bonneville County and Idaho Falls Emergency Communications Center expects to see a measurable drop in dispatcher workload from non-emergency calls, faster response to critical 911 calls, enhanced staff well-being, and a more sustainable work environment, along with high caller satisfaction with prompt, clear, and accurate responses.

Addressing common AI concerns

Is this replacing human dispatchers?

No. Aurelian is designed to assist, not replace. It absorbs non-critical load so that dispatchers can do what they’re trained to do: handle emergency calls. This team already runs incredibly lean, and there is no expectation that AI Annie would replace ECOs.

What about errors or false negatives?

Aurelian continuously monitors conversations and can escalate to a live dispatcher if anything appears potentially urgent. All calls, even those handled autonomously, leave an audit trail for oversight.

Is caller privacy safe?

Callers’ data is handled under strict policies, and Aurelian does not mine or share customer data. Information provided from calls handled by AI Annie is handled the same a

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Curtis Jackson

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Phone lines are down for the City of Idaho Falls on Wednesday morning. According to the city’s Facebook post, crews are working to restore phone service.

In the meantime, they say you can reach departments by email.

The phone line issues does not affect emergency lines, such as 911 or the non-emergency line at (208) 529-1200.

It’s unknown how long the phone line will be down for the city departments.

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Seth Ratliff

IONA, Idaho (KIFI) — A Bonneville County man is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after he allegedly stole a pickup truck and a boat, then led deputies on a brief chase on foot early Tuesday morning near Iona.

According to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), the incident began around 6 a.m. when deputies were dispatched to a residence on Helios Lane near Iona. BCSO says a man, later identified as 29-year-old Dylan Lutz, allegedly entered the home but fled on foot after being confronted by a resident. Lutz abandoned his vehicle, which law enforcement later discovered.

Minutes after deputies arrived on Helios Lane, a nearby resident reported that their pickup truck and boat had been stolen.

Deputies reportedly contacted the truck’s owner, who stated the vehicle had been taken just a few minutes after he had gone out to start it to warm up. While speaking with the owner, they spotted the stolen pickup driving away from the area toward Foothill Road.

A BCSO deputy was able to position their patrol car behind the stolen vehicle and attempted a traffic stop. However, the suspect failed to yield and continued driving away.

The brief pursuit ended a short distance later on North Foothill Road, where Lutz pulled over and fled the vehicle on foot. Deputies quickly caught the suspect after a short foot chase.

Lutz was identified as the same man who had entered the residence on Helios Lane. During a subsequent search, deputies seized a small amount of Methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. He was later booked into the Bonneville County Jail on Felony charges for Grand Theft and Possession of Methamphetamine, along with Misdemeanor charges for eluding an Officer, Resisting Arrest, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Unlawful Entry. 

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Maile Sipraseuth

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO (KIFI) — With the Idaho winter months rapidly approaching, local auto experts are sounding the alarm: now is the critical time to prepare your vehicle for safe driving. Procrastinating on car maintenance can lead to dangerous situations and costly roadside breakdowns once the snow and ice arrive.

Local News 8 spoke with Matthew Conde of AAA of Idaho, who emphasized that drivers should be proactive, starting with a basic but often neglected item: windshield wipers.

“A lot of us haven’t been using our windshield wipers very much lately, so now’s a good time to maybe think about replacing those wiper blades if they’re skipping or streaking or just not doing the job anymore,” Conde said.

Conde adds that preparation begins where your car meets the road: the tires. Worn treads drastically reduce traction on slick surfaces, yet many drivers postpone replacement until the first snowfall.

Conde highlighted an easy way to check a tire’s lifespan. “One of the best ways you can go about it is the quarter test, and you stick a quarter in the main track of that tire, and if you can see the top of George Washington’s head, it’s time to think about replacing those tires,” he advised. AAA recommends tire tread depth be at least 4/32″ for adequate traction in winter weather.

One of the best methods to prepare your car is to start from the ground up. After you get your tires replaced, check your fluids. Conde recommends switching to a washer fluid that has antifreeze-type properties to prevent freezing. He also urged motorists to address any existing mechanical problems.

“If you’ve been neglecting that drip in the driveway, it’s like going to the dentist’s office,” Conde said. “No one wants to face those mechanical issues, but dealing with them now, while the weather is still pretty good, is probably your better solution than finding something out on the side of the road somewhere.”

Upkeep is also important for maintaining your car, especially cleanliness. Juan Gonzalez, owner of All Season Detailing, notes that constant exposure to road salt and de-icing chemicals is one of the biggest threats to a vehicle’s longevity.

“One of the biggest concerns from customers right now is how they maintain the vehicle or how do they prepare the vehicle for the wintertime from all the salt and contaminants they get into the vehicles,” said Gonzalez. “

“Something else that gets neglected quite a bit is carwashes,” adds Conde. “Getting that undercarriage washed out, you can prevent any buildup of corrosive stuff, any gunk or debris that might damage brake lines or get up in the brakes themselves. Things like that damage your brake lines or in the brakes themselves. Things like that damage your muffler, so periodically washing all that gunk out of there is a really good idea.”

Gonzalez and Conde both said the same thing when it comes to getting rid of ice on your windshield: Use an ice scraper and never use hot water.

“One of the things that can happen there is called thermal shock. And you can actually crack the windshield doing that,” Conde said.

In terms of safety, AAA recommends keeping an emergency bag in your vehicle that includes a first aid kit, a flashlight, snacks and a blanket in case you get stranded.

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News Team

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — A touching scene unfolded at BYU-Idaho’s campus today, Tuesday, October 7, 2025, as thousands of students and faculty gathered to watch the funeral and celebration of life for President Russell M. Nelson, the late prophet and 17th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

With all noon classes canceled, a quiet campus filled the I-Center auditorium to view the live broadcast of the services, which were held in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The gathering served as a collective moment of mourning and remembrance for a leader who served as Church President for seven years.

Students attending the viewing shared with Local News 8 the profound impact President Nelson had on their lives and the Church during his tenure.

“It’s really cool to see a giant group like that gather together to, you know, sort of make a life of just one person,” said BYU-Idaho student Norrah Nielsen. “It’s awesome to see how one person can mean so much to the lives of many.”

President Nelson passed away on the evening of September 27, 2025, at the age of 101. The public funeral service officially concludes the period of tribute, which began with a special tribute broadcast on October 1, followed by a public viewing on October 6.

The funeral featured moving tributes to President Nelson, a world-renowned heart surgeon before his full-time church service. President Dallin H. Oaks, who currently serves as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — the governing body of the LDS faith, offered powerful words praising Nelson’s life and service.

“He will be remembered not only as a prophet, but as a bridge builder, a healer, and a man whose life bore witness to the power of faith in action,” said President Oaks

The passing of a Church President dissolves the governing First Presidency. Following established LDS Church precedent, President Dallin H. Oaks is expected to be named the next President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the coming days or weeks, succeeding President Nelson as the prophet.

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News Team

WYOMING (KIFI) — Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) is speaking out after a newly released document revealed the FBI targeted the phone data of nine Republican members of Congress—including her—as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The document, released Monday by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), details how the FBI targeted the legislator’s personal cell phones for “tolling data”  under the investigation codenamed “Arctic Frost.”

In a statement released yesterday, Senator Lummis denounced the action as a “blatant assault” on their constitutional rights.

“I’m absolutely appalled that the Biden administration used the FBI to spy on the private communications of Republican U.S. Senators – myself included,” said Lummis. “This was a blatant assault on our constitutional rights as elected officials and a calculated attempt to sabotage the separation of powers.

“Make no mistake: this authoritarian, unconstitutional surveillance and attack on the legislative branch under the Biden administration demands immediate investigation and prosecution. Those responsible must be held accountable, and we must ensure this abuse of power can never happen again.”

According to the released document, the FBI sought and obtained phone data for the targeted members of Congress spanning the period from January 4 through January 7, 2021.

Grassley’s investigation indicates that the data the FBI collected does not include the content of the calls, but reveals:

When and to whom a call was made.

The duration of the call.

General location data of the call.

The senators’ records were allegedly found in a Prohibited Access file within the FBI, a filing system whose existence was previously exposed by Senator Grassley’s oversight efforts.

The Arctic Frost investigation, which focused on efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, began in April 2022. Senator Grassley’s release claims the probe was initially opened by “former anti-Trump agent Timothy Thibault” before being taken over by Special Counsel Jack Smith in November 2022.

Grassley claims that whistleblowers disclosed that the FBI also acquired the government cell phones of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence during the investigation, with “Officials in the Biden White House personally assisted the FBI” in securing those devices.

“Based on the evidence to date, Arctic Frost and related weaponization by federal law enforcement under Biden was arguably worse than Watergate,” stated Grassley in the release. “What I’ve uncovered today is disturbing and outrageous political conduct by the Biden FBI. The FBI’s actions were an unconstitutional breach, and Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel need to hold accountable those involved in this serious wrongdoing.”

The FBI targeted the following Members of Congress:Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.)Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.)

In September, House Speaker Mike Johnson appointed five Republicans to serve on the new GOP-led select subcommittee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

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