Category: kifi-local-news

Curtis Jackson

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI)—A routine traffic stop in Rigby on Monday night led to the discovery of a significant quantity of illegal drugs and the arrest of a 16-year-old male juvenile, according to the Rigby Police Department.

At approximately 9:05 p.m. on September 22, a Rigby Police officer observed a car fail to signal while turning from East Short Street onto South Clark Street. During the stop, the officer detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.

A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered a black backpack containing 74 grams of suspected marijuana, 43 flavored THC vape cartridges, 21 grams of suspected psilocybin mushrooms, scales, plastic baggies commonly used for drug distribution, and $306 in cash.

Rigby Police display items found in a car on Sept. 22, 2025.

The juvenile driver was taken into custody and is facing multiple charges, including Felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, Misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance (psilocybin mushrooms).

Due to his age, the juvenile’s name has not been released. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office assisted Rigby Police during the traffic stop.

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Curtis Jackson

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Police are investigating a crash involving at least two cars at the intersection of 17th and Ashment on Tuesday afternoon.

Police have not reported whether anyone was injured.

It was reported around 2:40 p.m.

The crash has caused traffic to back up on 17th Street.

A car ends up on it top at 17th and Ashment in Idaho Falls on Sept. 23, 2025.

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Curtis Jackson

ARCO, Idaho (KIFI) – A hiking trip on Diamond Peak ended in tragedy last Saturday when a 52-year-old woman fell and disappeared from sight while descending the mountain with two companions. The Butte County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the incident around 3:10 p.m. on September 20.

According to the sheriff’s office, the group was navigating steep and unstable terrain when the woman lost her footing. One of the hikers attempted to reach her but was unable to do so due to the hazardous conditions.

Sheriff’s Deputies and Search and Rescue teams responded swiftly, but the terrain was too hazardous for a ground recovery. Sheriff Dave Hansen requested aerial assistance from 2 Bear Air Rescue, a specialized team based in Flathead County, Montana. The crew arrived and successfully extracted the two uninjured hikers.

At approximately 8:00 p.m., the rescue helicopter located the missing woman, who was confirmed deceased. Due to darkness and fuel limitations, her recovery was postponed until the following morning. At 9:00 a.m. on September 21, 2 Bear Air Rescue returned and removed the victim from the mountain.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office extended its deepest condolences to the victim’s family and expressed gratitude to 2 Bear Air Rescue for their critical role in the operation.

“Without their expertise and equipment, this mission would have taken significantly longer and posed greater risks to everyone involved,” the Sheriff’s Office stated.

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News Release

The following is a news release from AAA Idaho.

BOISE, Idaho (News Release) — Patient drivers wanted.  That’s AAA’s message after new research confirms that 96% of drivers have taken aggressive actions behind the wheel over the past year.

Unfortunately, aggression has deadly consequences.  According to the Idaho Transportation Department, 49% of all crashes last year involved aggressive driving, with 75 deaths.

“Having a ‘me first’ approach to driving can lead to reckless behavior.  And when people try to ‘get even’ with another risky driver, no one wins,” says AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde.  “In today’s world, courtesy and keeping your cool are more important than ever.”

AAA research – key findings

AAA compared its latest research with results from a previous study from more than a decade ago, revealing a shocking increase in aggressive driving behavior:

Cutting off other drivers is up 67%

Honking out of anger is up 47%

Making an angry gesture is up 12%

On a more positive note, tailgating is down 24%, and yelling is down 17%.

The top offenders

Drivers under age 60

Drivers with a household income of $100,000 or more

Men and women are equal offenders when it comes to aggressive driving, but men are more likely to engage in violent behavior

Aggressive driving also finds its way into other behaviors, with 82% of the driving population admitting to red light running at least once in the previous year.  68% reported passing in the slow lane, 66% reported honking the horn to indicate displeasure with someone, and 65% glared at another driver.

“As soon as we decide that our time or convenience is more important than someone else’s, dangerous things can happen,” Conde said.  “We all deserve to use the roads safely and reach our destination without a bunch of stress and frustration.”

Interestingly, AAA survey respondents acknowledged that the type of vehicle also influenced their behavior, with sports cars, big trucks and motorcycles being viewed as more “aggressive” vehicles.

Keep calm and drive on

Respondents use several strategies to stop themselves from driving aggressively, including:

Thinking about the potential consequences (69%)

Letting other vehicles pass (57%)

Listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks (49%)

Cursing under their breath (30%)

Focusing on breathing (25%)

Drivers who felt threatened by others used these and other techniques to de-escalate the situation:

Avoid eye contact (45%)

Let someone else go first (45%)

Take another route (33%)

Situations affecting aggression

AAA’s research points to a variety of environmental factors that determine how aggressively some people drive.  For example, some drivers were much safer during inclement weather or when they had their kids in the car.  And some drivers were more aggressive during rush hour or when they encountered unexpected traffic.

“It’s totally reasonable to take extra precautions to protect your kids but remember – everyone on the road is someone’s child,” Conde said.  “A friendly wave and a smile can go a long way in keeping the roads safe for all.”

82% of respondents reported experiences where they felt threatened by other drivers.  AAA urges drivers to take deep breaths and not react.  If the situation continues, call 911 or go to a public place.  Never drive home.

“Aggressive driving is contagious, but so is courtesy,” Conde said.  “As drivers, we get to make our own choice on which attitude will prevail.”

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News Release

The following is a news release from Rosemark Women Care Specialists.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (News Release) — Rosemark Women Care Specialists is proud to announce the expansion of its Potomac facility, marking an exciting new chapter of growth and enhanced patient care. As part of this expansion, services previously provided at the Taylor Crossing location will transition to the Potomac facility, located at 3450 Potomac Way, Idaho Falls, Idaho. 

This move reflects Rosemark’s continued commitment to leading the way in women’s health care by providing comprehensive, patient-centered women’s healthcare in an environment designed for convenience, comfort, and excellence. 

One Location, All Services Under One Roof

With the expansion, patients will now enjoy a larger, state-of-the-art facility where nearly all women’s health services are available in one place. The Potomac location will house: 

Bone Density Scans & Ultrasounds 

Med Spa Procedures & Services 

On-site Lab Resources 

IV Therapy 

Non-Stress Tests 

Comprehensive Gynecological Care & Treatments 

Bladder Testing 

This unified approach eliminates the need to travel between multiple locations, ensuring patients have one location to visit, one phone number to call, and one trusted team to guide their care. 

Expanded Access and Care

The new space is designed with patients in mind, allowing for greater provider availability, including same-day and urgent care needs. With all providers and services under one roof, patients can expect fewer delays, more collaboration among providers, and an improved overall healthcare experience. 

Commitment to Our Community

“Rosemark has been dedicated to serving women in our community for over 3 decades,” said Britni Burnside, Director of Clinical Operations at Rosemark. “By expanding our Potomac facility, we are not just growing our physical space, we are growing our ability to care for women at every stage of life, in a way that is seamless, supportive, and comprehensive.” 

Celebrating the Transition Together

To celebrate this exciting milestone, Rosemark will be engaging with the community through the upcoming Women’s Expo that will be held at the Mountain America Center on October 17-18, 2025, and an open house that will be held at the 3450 Potomac Way facility on October 30, 2025 between the hours of 4:00pm – 7:00pm. These events will provide opportunities for patients and the community to tour the expanded facility, meet providers, and learn more about the enhanced services available. 

Looking Ahead

While the Taylor Crossing location will close as part of this transition, patients can rest assured that the same compassionate providers and staff will continue to deliver exceptional care at the Potomac Facility. Rosemark is committed to making this transition smooth, simple, and reassuring for all patients. 

About Rosemark Women Care Specialists

Rosemark Women Care Specialists has been serving women in eastern Idaho with excellence in obstetrics, gynecology, and women’s health for over 30 years. With a team of dedicated providers and advanced resources, Rosemark is committed to empowering women with the care, support, and knowledge they need to thrive. 

For more information about the expansion, services, or upcoming events, please visit Rosemark.net or call 208-557-2900. 

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Maile Sipraseuth

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The Pocatello Police department claims multiple scams in town have been reported. One scam that’s been making the rounds in Pocatello is the ransom phone scam.

“They’ll call a father or mother or grandparents, and say, ‘hey, we’ve abducted your child and you have to pay us ransom money to get the child back,'” said Pocatello Police Department Lieutenant Josh Hancock.

The ransom scam is where the scammer will claim to have your loved one hostage. Recently, they have begun to use artificial intelligence to generate fake images, audio, and video to make the hoax look more believable.

“People are using the internet to contact specific people within the community, and they’re using, some type of AI information to gather information on people,” Hancock said.

Unfortunately, this is not the only scam method infiltrating Pocatello.

The Pocatello Police Department has found something called a romance scam, where scammers will pretend to be a romantic interest and request gift cards and money.

They have also seen a serious scam where scammers will impersonate an officer, and claim that there is a warrant out for their arrest and the only way to avoid jail, is to pay.

“Just slow down. Just be really cautious of scams because it’s. It’s pretty bad right now,” Hancock said.

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Stephanie Lucas

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Nuclear power continued to be a big topic in eastern Idaho Monday afternoon as Senator Jim Risch spoke with the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce after the groundbreaking at the INL. 

Senator Risch started the roundtable discussion by saying the nation is experiencing “a tremendous nuclear renaissance” and that President Trump is “all-in on nuclear.”

In light of the groundbreaking at the INL today, Local News 8 asked Senator Risch if there will be ways in the future to streamline the licensing process for both new and updated nuclear plants.

One issue is that licensing a nuclear plant can take anywhere from five to 15 years.

And complaints that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in charge of licensing, is understaffed.

“The complaint is correct that it’s taken way too long. The complaint that they’re understaffed is a complaint I hear from every single federal agency.” Risch said.  “Okay, so I could have predicted that if you just said, if you’d asked me, what do you think they’re complaining about, that they’re understaffed, they’ve got the staff to do the work. They are committed to do the work. And as you know, Trump is tough when it comes to making the people do things. So, we are committed to shortening the time.”

We also asked Senator Risch if he could share more details about what’s happening within the NRC to streamline the agency and if it would be helpful to have separate groups within the NRC to process the licensing for each type of reactor, like boiling water reactor, pressurized water reactor, molten salt reactor, and so on.

“I can tell you this, they are doing their best to consolidate within agencies. One is when possible, because there are tremendous number of agencies that are duplicating each other and nobody ever checked on it,” Risch responded.

Senator Risch spoke with members of the chamber about a wide variety of topics, including tariffs, inflation, farming, and his thoughts on water storage in eastern Idaho.

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Noah Farley

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A new nuclear power plant meant to benefit Idaho, and the entire country, is being built on federal land at Idaho National Laboratory.

“We are experiencing a real…nuclear renaissance, not only here in America, but on the entire planet,” said U.S. Senator Jim Risch.

Ground was broken at INL for a new fast fission power plant on Monday, September 22, 2025.

“They will be building a sodium-cooled fast reactor that will be very capable of sustaining fuel cycle through recycling,” said INL Director John Wagner.

INL is working with Oklo, an advanced nuclear technology company, to build the Aurora Powerhouse, which is designed to deliver plenty of carbon-free energy faster than before.

Several officials say nuclear power is the energy for our country’s future.

“Those of us who have been a governor of this great state have all embraced in recent decades what is done here at the lab and the fact that nuclear energy is so important to the world,” said Risch.

Nuclear power does not produce greenhouse gases, so it benefits the environment. This new power plant will also help the United States in the artificial intelligence race. Since AI needs lots of power to run and improve, this power source will help tremendously.

“Everybody throughout Idaho is going to benefit by what happens here,” Risch said. “Not just by reputation, but by the economics that it is going to continue to generate for the state of Idaho.”

Oklo says the power plant project is expected to create almost 400 construction jobs and around 80 long-term jobs to operate the facility.

The Aurora Powerhouse is expected to start commercial operations in late 2027.

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Sam Ross

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The Marshall Public Library is offering Idaho State Civic Symphony and Idaho State University theater tickets for check out during the 2025-2026 season.

The Idaho State Civic Symphony and Friends of the Marshall Public Library donated tickets to the library’s ‘Arts and Community Tickets’ program, an annual initiative that allows library patrons to check out the passes and attend symphony performances for free.

The Friends of the Marshall Public Library also donated tickets for the Idaho State University theater this year.

The Idaho State Civic Symphony will kick off the season with their concert “One Day at a Time” on Friday, September 26.

ISU’s School of Performing Arts will open their theater season with Christopher Durang’s comedy “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike”; the first performance will be October 3.

Tickets to the symphony and theater are available to all adult Marshall Public Library cardholders one week before the performance. Tickets are checked out on a first-come, first-served basis and are only available for one show per household per season.

For more information on the Arts and Community Tickets program, visit the Marshall Public Library website. For performance dates and times, visit the Idaho State Civic Symphony and Idaho State University School of Performing Arts websites.

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Curtis Jackson

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)—Governor Brad Little announced he signed an executive order to create the Idaho Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force. He made the announcement Monday afternoon at the Idaho National Laboratory during the Western Governors’ Association’s first workshop of Utah Governor Spencer Cox’s initiative, “Energy Superabundance: Unlocking Prosperity in the West.”

“As we usher in President Donald Trump’s Nuclear Renaissance, my executive order refreshes our efforts and empowers a new group of leaders dedicated to ensuring Idaho continues to lead the way in nuclear innovation, energy security, and economic growth,” Governor Little said.

The task force will advise the governor on nuclear energy policy.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin also attended the event.

According to the governor’s office, the new task force replaces the Leadership in Nuclear Energy Commission, or LINE Commission.

The contents of the Governor’s executive order follow:

EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 2025-06 

CREATION OF THE IDAHO ADVANCED NUCLEAR ENERGY TASK FORCE

WHEREAS, Idaho is committed to supporting President Donald Trump’s vision for America’s Nuclear Renaissance in order to secure our nation’s energy dominance and protect our national interests; and

WHEREAS, the State of Idaho is home to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a global leader in nuclear energy research, development, and demonstration; and

WHEREAS, energy reliability, affordability, and environmental stewardship are essential to Idaho’s economic prosperity and quality of life; and

WHEREAS, advanced nuclear energy technologies, including small modular reactors and next-generation reactors, offer promising solutions to meet Idaho’s growing energy needs while supporting emissions reduction goals; and

WHEREAS, strategic planning and collaboration among industry, academia, and government is necessary to ensure Idaho remains at the forefront of nuclear innovation;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Brad Little, Governor of the State of Idaho, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Idaho, do hereby order the following:

The Idaho Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force (“Task Force”) is established to assess, recommend, and support strategies that advance Idaho’s leadership in nuclear energy innovation, deployment, and workforce development.

The Task Force shall advise the Governor on nuclear energy policy including but not limited to the following topics.

a. Spent nuclear fuel b. Legislative and regulatory reforms that would facilitate the timely and safe development of advanced nuclear projectsc. Energy resiliency and security d. Fuel creation, enhancement, and minimizatione. Opportunities for support from federal agencies and project initiativesf. Policy recommendations on legacy, current, and emerging nuclear issuesg. Opportunities for Idaho to collaborate with other nuclear-advanced statesh. Strategic outreach and recruitment of companies and partnerships that can help expand Idaho’s nuclear economy

The Task Force shall coordinate with other state task forces and advisory boards and other national partners to keep the Governor informed of nuclear policy shifts, technological breakthroughs, and cross-jurisdictional opportunities.

The Task Force shall develop or direct the creation of marketing materials that position Idaho as a national hub for nuclear innovation, research, and private-sector development.

The Task Force shall stay informed on and provide updates to the Governor on:

a. Ongoing research and developments at INLb. National trends and policy updates in nuclear energyc. Current nuclear industry issues and innovationsd. Cleanup progress and legacy waste issuese. Companies interested in operating or investing in Idaho

The Task Force shall report on the activities of any subcommittees that may be created under this executive order.

The Task Force shall evaluate the feasibility and benefits of deploying advanced nuclear technologies within the State of Idaho, including but not limited to small modular reactors, microreactors, and molten salt reactors.

The Task Force shall identify public-private partnership opportunities to support research, commercialization, and deployment of nuclear technologies.

The Task Force shall coordinate with the INL, universities, utilities, industry stakeholders, and federal agencies to align state policy with national innovation efforts.

The Task Force shall explore workforce development initiatives, including training programs and academic partnerships, to support a growing nuclear industry.

The Task Force shall report findings and recommendations to the Governor annually, with subsequent updates as necessary.

The Task Force shall be comprised of no more than 20 members appointed by the Governor and may include: 

A constitutional officer of the State of Idaho;

The Idaho Attorney General or a designee chosen by the Attorney General;

The Director of the Idaho Department of Commerce or a designee chosen by the Director;

The Lab Director of INL or a designee chosen by the Director;

A staff member of the Office of the Governor;

The Director of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality or a designee chosen by the Director;

The Administrator of the Idaho Office of Energy and Mineral Resources or a designee chosen by the Administrator;

The President of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission or a designee chosen by the President;

Electric utilities doing business in Idaho;

Representatives from private-sector nuclear industry;

Representatives from Idaho colleges and universities;

Two representatives from the Idaho Senate;

Two representatives from the Idaho House of Representatives;

Local governments;

The Executive Director of the Workforce Development Council or a designee chosen by the Executive Director;

A representative of a federally recognized Indian Tribe located within the state.

The Governor will appoint the co-chairs of the task force. The Governor, in consultation with the co-chairs, may create subcommittees of this task force that are necessary to further explore specific issues that support the goals of this executive order. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Idaho at the Capitol in Boise on this 22nd day of September in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-five.

//Brad Little

Governor of Idaho

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