Category: kifi-local-news

Stephanie Lucas

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The College of Eastern Idaho hosted its first Ag Tech Robotics Challenge on Thursday, May 14, bringing together high school students from Hansen, Aberdeen, and Driggs for a hands-on competition.

Organized in partnership with the University of Idaho Extension, the free event focused on agriculture technology, coding, and problem-solving.

Four teams from Hansen, Aberdeen, and Driggs high schools competed to program AgXRP robots to complete simulated agricultural challenges. These challenges involved sensors, data collection, and decision-making systems used in modern agriculture.

The competition was created as part of CEI’s ongoing efforts to build awareness around its future Agriculture Technology program. This program is planned to launch in Fall 2027 inside the Battelle Energy Alliance Future Tech Building in partnership with Frontier Credit Union.

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Kaelyn Blessinger

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — With Tuesday’s primary election fast approaching, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane is aiming to remind and educate voters of the importance of Idaho’s primaries. Speaking to the Idaho Falls City Club on Thursday, it was noted that only about 30% of Idaho’s 2 million residents typically participate in the primary process, which means the entire election is typically up to roughly 600,000 voters.

With this in mind, McGrane stressed the importance of each vote. Addressing Idaho’s status as one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, McGrane emphasized that every vote makes a difference, including new Idahoans.

“Let’s say they got here a month ago, but they want to participate in the election,” said Secretary McGrane. “The good news is they still can. In Idaho, we have same day registration. So as long as you bring photo identification and proof of residence, you can show up to the polls and register.”

Newer voters should be prepared for specific party restrictions when they arrive at the polls. Because the primary is the process parties use to choose their final candidates for November, the rules vary by affiliation:

The Idaho Republican Primary: Closed. Only voters registered as Republicans may participate.

The Idaho Democratic Primary: Open. Voters of any party affiliation may request this ballot.

Unaffiliated Voters: Idahoans not belonging to a party may choose any ballot. However, to vote in the Republican primary, an unaffiliated voter must register as a Republican at the polling place.

The window for early voting is closing rapidly, with the state’s official primary day set for early next week. Voters will have until 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 14th to cast their ballot as part of early voting.

On election day, polls will open Tuesday, May 19, at 8:00 a.m. Idahoans could start to see the results of the election as early as 9:00 p.m.

Local News 8 will be monitoring the results closely and sharing them live on our voter resources page, HERE.

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Hadley Bodell

FORT HALL, Idaho (KIFI) – If you’ve been looking for a local place to get wagyu beef and tender steak, you’re in luck. The Camas Restaurant held its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting on May 14, after a year of highly anticipated construction.

Previously, the casino held Camas Sports Bar and Grill, which opened in 2012. Calista Matsaw, CEO of Shoshone-Bannock Casino, said the inspiration for the renovation was to get something new and exciting to offer the patrons.

She said the team went through the process of elimination and decided Southeast Idaho was lacking in steakhouse options. “We’re partnering up with Snake River Farms, whose reach is far and wide,” Matsaw said. “We’re offering two options with wagyu beef, a ribeye and a New York strip, which are amazing.”

Matsaw also said the original plans didn’t flow as they were supposed to with the liquor licensing for the previous sports grill, which led to wasted space. At the new Camas Restaurant, there is a designated seated bar area as well as 30 additional seats.

The staff of the new restaurant are tribal members, which they say brings their culture and unique culinary talent to the menu items.

“Our chef will sometimes come out and talk to the tables about whatever it is, it could be a potato,” Matsaw said. “They’re so passionate about the food they’re cooking. You can tell they have a passion for the technique, and I feel like that is one of the most exciting things for people to look forward to with dining here.”

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Kevin Richert

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on May 14, 2026

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Late in the 2026 legislative session, a $5 million plan to support Idaho’s most vulnerable students hung in the balance.

A moderate Republican tried to rally support for the special education bill, reaching out to three of his local school leaders. But Rep. Ben Fuhriman’s email backfired — infuriating Rep. Barbara Ehardt, one of the House’s most influential conservatives.

“I almost torpedoed the whole thing,” said Rep. Ben Fuhriman, R-Shelley, referring to his email exchange on the high-needs special education bill. (Sean Dolan/EdNews)

The email thread, thick with tension, jumped quickly as a brushfire. State superintendent Debbie Critchfield and House GOP leadership were soon looped in.

The special education bill did not go up in smoke, as Fuhriman feared it might. Senate Bill 1288 passed, and with Ehardt’s support. Beginning July 1, school districts and charters will be able to tap into the $5 million to cover the cost of serving high-needs special education students who need full-time staff assistance or expensive learning materials.

The emails — obtained by Idaho Education News, through a public records request — shed new light on the tensions within Idaho’s Republican supermajority. Tensions that define the debate over special education funding. Tensions that will play out in Tuesday’s GOP legislative primaries.

A cast of characters — and a GOP divided

The key figures in this debate represent the various factions within the Idaho GOP.

Fuhriman, R-Shelley, is a first-term lawmaker and a survivor of the closest race in the 2024 primary. Fuhriman defeated Blackfoot Republican Julianne Young, a prominent social conservative, by a scant four votes. Since then, Fuhriman has been at the forefront of the special education issue. He carried an unsuccessful high-needs bill in 2025. Earlier this year, he co-sponsored a nonbinding memorial urging the feds to increase special education spending.

Fuhriman and Young will square off again in Tuesday’s primary.

Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, is a fifth-term lawmaker who falls squarely into the House’s social conservative camp. In 2020, she co-sponsored Idaho’s first-in-the-nation legislation banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports — a law now before the United States Supreme Court. She faces a primary challenger next week, Connor Cook, who says Idaho has “gone rogue,” losing sight of common sense.

The high-needs special education funding bill was state superintendent Debbie Critchfield’s top priority for the 2026 legislative session. (Sean Dolan/EdNews)

Unlike Fuhriman and Ehardt, Critchfield is unopposed in the GOP primary. But Critchfield overcame stiff resistance — all from her own party — as she secured support for the breakthrough high-needs program. While legislative co-sponsors would come and go through the session, one thing was constant; the high-needs program was Critchfield’s top priority for the 2026 session. The bill passed with comfortable bipartisan majorities, but 33 Republicans still voted against it.

One of those 33 lawmakers was Rep. Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood. One of the House’s hardline conservatives, Hawkins says the high-needs program puts public education in a role better served by health and welfare agencies. The first-year chairman of House Education Committee gave the high-needs bill a committee hearing on the morning of March 20, hours after the Fuhriman-Ehardt email exchange.

‘I am so mad. … This is not how we do business’

The Senate had already passed the high-needs bill, but the House Education hearing was pivotal. The email blitz unfolded over four hours on March 19 — the afternoon before the hearing.

12:20 p.m.: Fuhriman received an unsigned note from the House Education email account, saying he is on the March 20 agenda to present the high-needs bill.

1:06 p.m.: Fuhriman urged three Eastern Idaho superintendents — Jeff Gee of Ririe, Douglas McLaren of Shelley and Basil Morris of Firth — to make a last-minute and targeted push for high-needs funding. Fuhriman’s appeal focused on just one lawmaker: Ehardt, who had opposed the 2025 version of the bill.

“Barb is a swing vote,” Fuhriman wrote. “With it being an election year and her having a legitimate opponent, she’s approaching things a little differently this session. Regardless of the dynamics, we really need her vote to move this bill out of committee.”

None of the superintendents emailed Ehardt. But Ehardt also received Fuhriman’s email — and moved quickly.

1:33 p.m.: “I have not sent a response yet. But I am so mad that I am considering what I will do,” Ehardt said in an email to Hawkins. “I’m disturbed by the comment that I am approaching things differently due to an election year …  I have not approached anything differently. Very disturbing. This is not how we do business.”

In an interview this week, Rep. Barbara Ehardt talked about her reaction to Rep. Ben Fuhriman’s email on the high-needs bill. “I’m like, you are still a newbie, you have no idea what’s going on,” said Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls. (Brandon Schertler/EdNews)

2:38 p.m.: Fuhriman received another email from House Education, saying his high-needs presentation “has been canceled.”

2:47 p.m.: House Education emailed Rep. Ron Mendive, R-Coeur d’Alene, and said he is scheduled to present on the high-needs bill.

3:34 p.m.: Ehardt replied to Fuhriman and the superintendents. “This email is very inappropriate. If this is how business is conducted, then I will not be a part of it.”

Ehardt decided to add the four members of House GOP leadership to the thread. “If this is how we’re going to act, they’re going to be repercussions,” Ehardt told EdNews in an interview this week.

Ehardt also looped in Critchfield and Brennan Summers, Critchfield’s chief governmental affairs officer, and point person on the high-needs bill. Ehardt directed much of her email to them. “I thought our discussions, to this point, had been productive in an effort to advance this. I appreciated your efforts to move money around and find a way to make it happen. Maybe I was mistaken.”

3:51 p.m.: Moving quickly into damage control, Critchfield emailed Ehardt and the entire group. “I can and will vouch that we have been talking and working with you in good faith. …  I’d love to visit with you and I’ll come find you!”

3:54 p.m.: Ehardt forwarded the entire thread to another key legislator: Rep. Josh Tanner, R-Eagle. As co-chair of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, Tanner plays a pivotal role in funding, or not funding, initiatives such as the high-needs program.

How we got the emails

To better understand the debate over the special education high-needs bill, Idaho Education News filed a public records request for emails to and from several key legislators — including Rep. Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood, chair of the House Education Committee; Rep. Josh Tanner, R-Eagle, co-chair of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee; and Rep. Ben Fuhriman, R-Shelley.

EdNews filed its request on April 20. The Legislative Services Office supplied the emails on May 4, the 10-day deadline, under state public records law. LSO did not charge EdNews for the emails.

‘It was a boneheaded stupid mistake’

Fuhriman didn’t intend to send his email to Ehardt. As he wrote to the school superintendents, Fuhriman wanted to doublecheck the spelling of Ehardt’s name. He typed Ehardt’s initials alongside the superintendents’ names, knowing her full name would automatically pop up in his email address book.

Then he pressed “send,” inadvertently delivering the email to Ehardt as well as the superintendents.

“It was a boneheaded stupid mistake that I made,” Fuhriman said this week.

He was on the House floor when he saw Ehardt’s reply. Mortified, he asked Summers, Critchfield’s aide, for advice about what to do next. Fuhriman decided to apologize, and went to Ehardt’s desk when the House went into recess. “I just stared at her and nodded and let her have her little moment, and I just took my whipping,” Fuhriman told EdNews.

In an EdNews interview this week, Ehardt didn’t walk back her reaction. “I thought that was pretty gosh darn low, manipulative, I could go on.” But she also told Fuhriman that she would drop the matter.

Rep. Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood, was one of 33 legislative Republicans who voted against the high-needs bill. (Sean Dolan/EdNews)

Hawkins overheard the exchange on the House floor.

“He walked past me, stopped, got right in my face, swore at me, and then told me, if it was up to him … that bill would never see the light of day,” Fuhriman said.

Hawkins has a different version.

“The only thing I can tell you is I don’t curse at anyone,” he said in a written response to EdNews Wednesday. “I did tell him his manipulation against Rep. Ehardt was uncalled for. She was already for the bill.”

The committee hearing: the calm after the storm

House Education’s March 19 emails to Fuhriman and Mendive suggests Fuhriman was yanked off the committee’s agenda abruptly, and right after his dustup with Ehardt.

In his message to EdNews, Hawkins didn’t respond to a question about the timing. But Fuhriman said he had pulled his name from the high-needs bill long before March 19, and never expected to be on the committee’s agenda.

Rep. Ron Mendive, R-Coeur d’Alene, center, carried the high-needs bill on the House floor. He is flanked by Reps. Douglas Pickett, R-Oakley, and Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls. (Sean Dolan/EdNews)

But Mendive was on the agenda, in a clear attempt to broaden the base of support. Fuhriman and Mendive are far apart on ideology. Mendive, a seven-term legislative veteran, is aligned with the House’s conservative wing — and with lawmakers like Ehardt and Hawkins.

And after the behind-the-scenes bickering on March 19, the March 20 committee hearing was a breeze.

Ehardt praised Critchfield for finding the $5 million within her department, proposing one-time transfers to start the program. “We want our departments to use their money wisely, instead of continually asking for more money.”

Hardline opponents — and even Hawkins — agreed to send the bill to the House floor for a final vote. It came out of committee on a unanimous voice vote.

The House passed the bill on March 24. Gov. Brad Little signed it into law a week later.

What happens next? The elections will make a difference

The future of the high-needs program will rest with the 2027 Legislature. Because Critchfield used one-time money for this year’s startup, lawmakers will have to decide whether to keep the program going — and how much to spend on it.

In other words, the future of the high-needs bill is intertwined with the 2026 legislative elections, especially the GOP primaries. Across the state, mainstream Republicans and hardliners will square off. Collectively, these outcomes will determine the ideological core of the Legislature’s Republican caucuses. They will, in turn, decide the makeup of the GOP’s leadership teams, and the makeup of the committees that write budgets and set education policy.

In Eastern Idaho, in legislative districts just a few miles apart, Ehardt and Fuhriman are embroiled in two such races.

Ehardt is being challenged from the center. Her opponent, Cook, secured the Idaho Education Association’s endorsement Wednesday.

Fuhriman is being challenged from the right. Twenty-four months removed from a race decided by a quartet of votes, the Fuhriman-Young rematch will be one of the most closely watched races of Election Night.

Ehardt will be watching. She considers Young a friend. When they served together in the House, they were solidly in sync on social issues.

But Ehardt says she has kept her word to Fuhriman, and has never told Young about the high-needs scuffle.

“I never want to be that person,” she said.

Kevin Richert writes a weekly analysis on education policy and education politics. Look for his stories each Thursday. 

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KMVT

Updated: 4:40 p.m. — Originally Published: May 14, 2026 at 2:20 PM MDT

By Jennifer Williams

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — A helicopter crashed at the Magic Valley Regional Airport around 1:50 p.m., according to a release by the city of Twin Falls.

There was one occupant in the helicopter that was able to walk away and was treated for non-life threatening injuries. No other aircraft were involved in the incident.

The crash happened at the west end of the airport. The Magic Valley Regional Airport closed the scene of the crash for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation.

The crash is not impacting air traffic, Josh Palmer, public information officer with the city of Twin Falls, told KMVT.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Copyright 2026 KMVT. All rights reserved.

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Seth Ratliff

JACKSON, WYO (KIFI) — The Town of Jackson has issued an urgent warning to residents following a wave of fraudulent emails targeting local homeowners and business owners.

According to an official statement, scammers are currently impersonating the Town’s Planning/Building Department and the Planning Director. The phishing emails are reportedly asking for payment for planning, building, and liquor license fees.

“These are not legitimate communications…If you receive a suspicious email from the Town, do not click on it or respond,” said town leadership in an official email.

Town leadership is emphasizing that any legitimate digital communication will only come from addresses ending in “@jacksonwy.gov.”

As cybercriminals adopt advanced AI technology to craft more convincing messages, town leadership is urging people to watch for red flags.

“Be cautious about unexpected emails or text messages, especially requests for sensitive information, ‘urgent’ action, or payment,” states the official email.

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CNN

Originally Published: 14 MAY 26 10:37 ET

By Nicki Brown, CNN

(CNN) — Before a judge sentenced Kouri Richins for fatally poisoning her husband, the couple’s three young sons made their feelings clear.

They urged Judge Richard Mrazik to sentence their mother – who two of them referred to as “Kouri” – to life in prison, saying they would fear for their safety if she were ever released.

“I don’t want you out of jail because I will not feel safe if you are out,” the middle child, identified as A.R., wrote in a statement read aloud in court Wednesday. “You have never said sorry for anything that you have done to me and my brothers. I don’t want you to hurt anyone again.”

The youngest son, W.R., said he wanted her to go to jail “forever.”

“If she got out, I would be so scared, really mad, and I wouldn’t want to go with her anywhere,” he wrote.

After listening to statements from the couple’s children and loved ones of Kouri Richins and the victim, Eric Richins, Mrazik ultimately sentenced the mother of three to life in prison without parole – the most severe sentence she faced.

Richins’ defense attorneys told the court they plan on appealing the sentence and filing a motion for a new trial.

Earlier this year, an eight-person jury convicted Kouri Richins, 36, of aggravated murder for fatally poisoning Eric in March 2022.

At trial, witnesses testified about troubles in the couple’s marriage, her yearslong affair and her spiraling debt – all reasons prosecutors say she killed him. Kouri Richins was also found guilty of attempted murder for trying to kill him weeks earlier, on Valentine’s Day, as well as insurance fraud and forgery related to his life insurance coverage.

“A person convicted of those things is simply too dangerous to ever be free,” the judge said during the sentencing.

The sons have their say

Before Mrazik handed down the sentence, three therapists read the children’s victim impact statements, explaining the boys each decided how their remarks would be shared with the court.

“Our roles are to read their words exactly as they wrote,” one of the therapists, Jessica Black, explained. “The boys want the court and the world to hear their side.”

The kids were all younger than 10 years old when their father was found dead in their Utah family home with roughly five times a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system.

Their mother, Kouri Richins, published a children’s book on grief about a year after his death, saying she wrote it to help their sons cope with their loss. She was arrested shortly after the book’s publication.

“You took away my dad for no reason other than greed, and you only cared about yourself and your stupid boyfriends,” A.R. wrote in his statement. “You were not caring and watching over me and my brothers.”

The two oldest children said they felt like had to take care of each other, with one describing how they would walk the youngest sibling to the bus stop and feed him. The oldest son, identified as C.R., said his mother was “always drunk or gone,” and would frequently lock him in his room.

“Kouri would lock me up if I told her she was drunk,” he wrote. “This happened pretty much daily.”

C.R. and A.R. both lamented that their animals weren’t taken care of properly, saying some of them ended up dying.

“You wouldn’t let me put my kitten in the garage for safety at night and we found it eaten by raccoons the next day,” A.R. wrote. “You wouldn’t let us turn on and use the heater lamp for the chickens and bunnies and they froze to death.”

The youngest child, who was in preschool when his father died, said he feels “hateful and ashamed” when people mention his mother.

“She took away my dad,” W.R. wrote. “It’s made me have a hard time trusting people.”

The boys – who are currently being raised by their paternal aunt and uncle – said they feel happier and safer with Kouri Richins behind bars.

“I miss my dad, but I do not miss how my life used to be,” the oldest son wrote. “I don’t miss Kouri, I will tell you that.”

A spokesperson for Richins’ defense team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Defendant addresses her kids

The kids’ statements stand in stark contrast to that of Kouri Richins’ mother, sister and sister-in-law, who all described her as a devoted mother who loved her children immensely.

“I don’t minimize what Kouri’s boys are saying today. I understand it’s contradictory to what other people are saying regarding Kouri as a mother,” defense attorney Wendy Lewis said at the sentencing hearing. “I don’t know why they’re saying these things, but what they think and feel today – they’re allowed to think and feel those things.”

In a lengthy statement addressed to her sons, Kouri Richins repeatedly told them how much she loved them and said they had a right to feel confused and sad about their father’s death.

“As much as you’ve been influenced into thinking that dad was murdered, that I took your dad from you, that is completely wrong. An absolute lie,” Richins said in court Wednesday. “And the thought of that is still as absurd today as it was four years ago.”

In her statement, Richins acknowledged the boys might not believe her.

“I still and will always love you, and I’m asking that you please just don’t give up on me,” she said. “I’m coming home. Not today, not this year, but we’re going to make this right.”

Lewis argued the judge should impose a lesser sentence with the possibility of parole in case the children change their minds and later decide they want a relationship with their mother.

“Don’t allow their statements at age 9, 12 and 13 to become another tragedy, another trauma that they may end up suffering as adults,” she said.

Mrazik ruminated on the potential impacts different sentences would have on the couple’s young sons before he sentenced Kouri Richins to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“Sitting here today, it is simply not possible for anyone, even those young men, to know how their view of this case may evolve over the next several decades,” he said. “My hope is that every person affected by Eric Richins’ death will, over time, find their way to a state of peace.”

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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Bailee Shaw

Jackson, WY (KIFI) — Fire crews are battling to contain the Spread Creek Wildfire in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The lightning-caused wildfire has already burned an estimated 300 acres in the Spread Creek drainage near Sagebrush Flat in the Blackrock Ranger District, just a few miles south of the Hatchet Resort near the base of the Togwotee Pass.

Courtesy: U.S. Forest Service-Bridger-Teton National Forest

Wednesday, firefighters attacked the blaze from the air, utilizing a helicopter while simultaneously, engines worked to contain the blaze from the ground. Despite these efforts, the wildfire grew to an estimated 80 to 100 acres by late afternoon due to thunderstorms, strong winds, and dry conditions.

Additional hotshot crews and firefighting resources are being brought in today to strengthen the containment efforts.

Fire crews are asking the public to stay out of Hatchet and Flagstaff roads, so firefighters can keep working safely and efficiently on the ground.

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News Team

SODA SPRINGS, Idaho (KIFI) — Idaho state police is investigating a five-vehicle crash that sent three people to the hospital during Wednesday’s dust storm on State Highway 34 just north of Soda Springs.

The incident began when several vehicles were stopped on northbound State Highway 34, waiting for a dust storm to pass. ISP says a 2024 Toyota Prius then attempted to pass these stopped vehicles, leading to a chain of events that ended in the multi-vehicle collision.

When the Prius tried to re-enter the northbound lane of travel, it blocked the southbound lane. At the same time, a 2005 Dodge Ram, driven by a 66-year-old male from Soda Springs, Idaho, also traveling northbound, attempted to pass. ISP says the Ram sideswiped a stopped 2003 Chevrolet Silverado before striking the Prius. The force of the impact caused a 1996 Dodge Dakota (driven by a 28-year-old Pocatello man) to collide with a 2005 Acura (driven by a 23-year-old Preston woman).

Emergency responders transported the 49-year-old male driver of the Prius, along with his two passengers, to a local hospital. While most involved in the pileup were wearing seatbelts, ISP confirmed that one passenger in the Prius was not restrained at the time of the crash.

The wreckage and subsequent investigation stalled traffic on State Highway 34 for around 3 hours on Wednesday. The crash remains under investigation by Idaho State Police.

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Danielle Mullenix

The record-breaking high temperatures from earlier this week will take a brief pause as we cool down due to the First Alert Weather on Wednesday. We can expect temperatures to return to the 60s and 70s for the remainder of the workweek, accompanied by calmer winds and drier conditions, wrapping up this unpredictable week in May.

The sunshine will return to the forecast for this Thursday, with highs in the upper 60s and low 70s. A bit of a drop-off in temperatures from earlier this week. where we saw record-breaking highs reach the upper 80s. Leftover winds from yesterday will shift from the southwest at around 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph.

Friday’s forecast indicates another day of sunny weather, with a high of 69°F. It will be breezy, with southwest winds at 15 mph, increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds may gust up to 40 mph.

Over the weekend, will dip into cooler temperatures, with some more elevated regions experiencing overnight freezes. Mountainous areas can expect the possibility of frost slipping into the weekend forecast by Sunday.

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