Category: kifi-local-news

Maile Sipraseuth

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI)– The Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo is returning for another year, and this time it’s earning national recognition due to a featured collaboration with the Smithsonian Center for Folk Life and Cultural Heritage as part of the celebration for America’s 250th birthday.

Chase Carter, a committee member for the Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo, says this collaboration recognizes the Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo’s deep roots in Eastern Idaho and its role in preserving ranching traditions that have been passed down for generations.

“This region is an agricultural hub, especially with the cattle and in the rugged landscape we have here in the West,” Carter said, “…this event brings that all together and showcases those skills that cowboys use on the ranch every day. That’s something we have always done as part of our history, but it’s also part of our present. And it’s something that we need to continue to embrace in order to manage cattle the way we need to in this area.”

The Smithsonian collaboration is also helping organizers expand the event beyond the arena. Carter says this year’s celebration will feature new opportunities to highlight the craftsmanship and traditions supporting ranching culture.

“We’ve had a lot of more resources to enhance the event, and normally we’ve focused on our evening performances where we have the ranch rodeo and the Indian relay races. But with the collaboration, we’re able to have a gear maker’s conference where it’s going to be mostly women gear makers (who) are going to come together and display their different crafts that they have mastered,” Carter said.

The Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo also hosts the Pretty N’ Punchy Cowgirl Contest, a competition designed to showcase horsemanship, public speaking and pride in the ranching way of life.

Open to contestants ages 10 to 21, the contest is often described as Blackfoot’s version of a rodeo queen pageant. But past winners say it is much more than wearing a crown.

“We put in a lot of work and practice every day, and especially with our horse, since we have to work through all their challenges,” Previous winner Hannah Hale said.

Contestants are judged on both horsemanship and public speaking. They complete riding patterns and other ranch-style challenges while also answering questions and speaking about topics connected to ranching, patriotism and western culture.

“It’s a place for us to come and show the skills that we’ve learned through the people that have helped us become who we are,” Previous winner Reva Carter said.

The competition highlights the values that define ranching communities.

“I think it explains what we do daily on our ranches and shows our responsibility, hard work, caring for animals and just our generations passed down that we can carry on traditions,” Hale said.

Many people may only see the crown at the end of the competition, but both Hale and Reva say success requires months of preparation, including memorizing speeches, practicing riding patterns and developing the skills necessary to compete.

“I think they might think it comes a bit easier, but you do have to work hard,” Reva said. “You have to memorize patterns or speeches and all the things, and you also just have to have the skills that it requires to be in the contest.”

For more information on the Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo, click HERE.

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Seth Ratliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A growing group of parents, students, staff, and community members within Idaho Falls School District 91 is formally calling for a Vote of No Confidence in Superintendent Karla LaOrange.

The petition was made public on Change.org on Saturday, June 20. The organizers are urging the D91 Board of Trustees to place a formal Vote of No Confidence on an upcoming board meeting agenda and to publicly address the concerns outlined by the community.

By Monday evening, June 22, the online petition had already gathered 315 signatures.

In a petition published to Change.org on Saturday, June 20th, the group called upon the D91 Board of Trustees to conduct a formal Vote of No Confidence in Superintendent Karla LaOrange on a future board meeting agenda and publicly address the concerns outlined by the community.

The petition highlights a broad range of systemic issues that community members claim have severely impacted the district’s culture. The group cites a lack of transparency, communication, employee support, and student safety, resulting in declining morale, increasing frustration among families, and the departure of valued educators, staff members, and students from the district.

The petition itself is not a legal means to remove a superintendent. In Idaho, a school board hires and supervises a superintendent. Petitioners are asking that the school board put a vote of no confidence on a future agenda so that the concerns listed, which they feel point to a broader leadership problem, can be publicly addressed.

“The purpose of this petition is to hold district leadership accountable and restore trust between the administration, educators, families, students, and the community,” states the online petition. “We believe District 91 deserves leadership that prioritizes transparency, collaboration, communication, employee retention, and student safety.”

The School District 91 Board of Trustees has not yet publicly responded to the petition or indicated whether the matter will be added to a future meeting agenda. Local News 8 has reached out to Superintendent LaOrange for comment and will provide an update as she responds.

To see the full petition, click HERE.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The time frame and number of signatures reported in this article originally contained an error upon updating. The number of signatures and the timeframe referenced have now been corrected.

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News Release

BOISE, Idaho (Idaho Fish and Game News Release) —An Idaho Falls angler miraculously reeled in a new state catch-and-release record lake trout and, even more unbelievably, was able to hoist it up into the boat. Dylan Smith — the lucky angler in question — was fishing on Payette Lake in McCall on May 2 when a 43.25-inch lake trout took the line for a sprint. 

Smith was able to land the laker (well, boat it), get it stretched out on the tape measure, and was shocked when the tailfin crossed the 43rd inch line. The previous state catch-and-release record for lake trout just barely hit 42 inches. 

But that’s not the end of the story.

Courtesy: Idaho Fish and Game

Dylan Smith ain’t a stranger when it comes to the Idaho record fish books, and believe it or not, this was not his first rodeo with a 40-inch lake trout. During a separate outing in 2018, Dylan landed and recorded another impressive lake trout that eventually earned him a spot atop the record books. Shortly after, angler Aaron Goettsche beat out Dylan’s record with a 42-inch lunker laker himself. Both fish were caught and released back into Payette Lake.

Sensing a pattern? 

Payette Lake is arguably one of the premier lake trout fisheries in the state of Idaho. Catches like these have made big splashes in the record books over the past decade or so, largely due to active lake trout management by the Southwest Region’s McCall fisheries staff. 

To read more about how Payette Lake’s triumphant comeback as a lake trout destination fishery, check out this article by Sportfish Coordinator, Martin Koenig.

Want to Catch One? Here’s How

If you’re dreaming of record-breaking lake trout, it’s time to get serious about your gear and tactics. Here’s some tips for targeting these deep water predators:

Technique: Trolling or jigging near the bottom are the go-to methods.

Depth: Focus on 35–80 feet, where lake trout tend to hold tight to structure.

Locations: Target underwater ridges, drop-offs, and boulder piles.

Bait: Mimic kokanee. Use realistic lures, tipped jigs, and scent — lake trout can be selective, especially when food is abundant.

Be prepared for a potential record fish. Catch-and-release records will need a photo of the fish on a tape measure, or measuring board. You can find all the info and how to apply on the State Record Fish Page.

And lastly, congratulations to Dylan Smith on his spot atop Idaho’s catch-and-release leader board. 

More About Idaho’s State Record Fish

Thinking about chasing a state record fish? Check out the state record fish page for more information. 

How to Apply for a Catch-and-Release Record

All applicants must submit a complete Record Fish Application Form, with accompanying photographs. This form can be completed online or downloaded from our website here.

Fish must be released alive. (See tips on safely releasing fish in the Fishing Rules booklet.)

Steelhead, ocean-run salmon, bull trout, and white sturgeon submitted for records must be measured and photographed in the water.

Catch-and-release records are based only on the total length (snout to tip of tail) for fish released alive.

Fish must be photographed directly next to a ruler/tape or an object of known verifiable length.

New catch-and-release white sturgeon records must be broken by a minimum of 2 inches.

Catch-and-release records for all other species must be broken by a minimum of ½ inch.

Fish within ¼ inch of the current record will be recognized as a tied record.

All applications must be submitted within 30 days of the catch date.

How to Apply for Certified Weight Records

Records will be awarded for either fish caught by angling (rod/reel) or by archery/spearfish for legal unprotected nongame species. Archery/spear fishing records will be listed separately and identified by the angler on the application form. No records will be awarded for fish caught during salvage seasons or at private pay-to-fish facilities.

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Fox13

Originally Published: 22 JUN 26 14:07 ET

By Spencer Burt

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    SALT LAKE CITY (KSTU) — Conditions that have fueled the Bonneville Fire near the University of Utah campus died down overnight, allowing crews to gain some containment as of Monday morning.

The latest estimate places the fire at 495 acres, with state wildfire officials sharing that they have achieved 5 percent containment.

“Air and ground crews made strong progress [Sunday] on the fire. Overnight, increased cloud cover and humidity helped moderate fire behavior, resulting in minimal activity,” the Salt Lake City Fire Department said.

Despite the easing of conditions, a “READY” evacuation notice — the lowest in the system of “READY, SET, GO” evacuation preparedness criteria — remains in effect for the Arlington Hills neighborhood between 11th Avenue and Tomahawk Drive.

“READY means THERE IS CURRENTLY NO IMMEDIATE THREAT, but conditions could change quickly. Residents should take steps now to prepare in case an evacuation becomes necessary,” SLCFD wrote on X.

Officials added that although the fire did spread northwest, it is still south of Dry Gulch Drainage, east of the Bonneville Shoreline, and north of Red Butte Canyon.

Hiking trails in City Creek Canyon, Red Butte Canyon, Bonneville Shoreline, and Dry Gulch are closed.

A shelter-in-place order originally in place on Saturday evening was lifted for the entire university campus.

The University of Utah Hospital remained operating as usual and was accepting walk-in patients. Ambulances were directed to other hospitals in the area for a time, although that order has also been lifted.

“The campus community will continue to see fire on the hillside and experience smoke in the neighborhoods throughout the night,” school officials wrote. “Some residual smoke may continue to impact the health campus and student housing as the fire burns further into the foothills. Be cautious when opening windows.”

Fire officials initially reported that Red Butte Garden and the Natural History Museum were to be closed Sunday due to wildfire risk. However, both locations were later given clearance to open to patrons at their normal business hours with caution.

Officials are asking the public to avoid the area, and also to not fly drones nearby, as doing so can interfere with helicopters and planes that are used for firefighting purposes.

There have been a few road closures in the far east portion of the campus. Several hiking trails in the area are also closed to the public.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

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Seth Ratliff

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — A Chubbuck man originally charged with six counts of child sexual abuse has entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors. The deal, expected to reduce his charges to felony injury to a child, will not require him to register as a sex offender and will allow him to avoid prison time if the judge accepts it.

According to court documents, Virgil Larson, 45, signed the agreement with prosecutors on May 26. He is expected to formally change his plea at a scheduled hearing on July 6, 2026.

The Investigation and Arrest

At the time of his arrest, Larson served as a local leader or counselor in a ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to reporting by ABC4 in Utah.

According to court documents, the investigation began on July 3, 2024, after the Chubbuck Police Department received a tip from Kirton McConkie, a Lehi, Utah-based law firm representing the church. The report claimed several underage children in the community may have been abused by an adult male.

RELATED: A Chubbuck man turns himself in for sexually abusing children

“The Chubbuck Police Department Criminal Investigations Division opened an investigation into the circumstances and learned that several underage teenage boys had potentially been victims of sexual abuse, while at Mr. Larson’s residence,” states the initial press release.

On September 17, 2024, members of the Chubbuck and Pocatello Police Departments executed a search warrant at Larson’s home. Larson turned himself in to the authorities later that day and was booked into the Bannock County Jail.

The affidavit of probable cause detailing the specific circumstances of the investigation was sealed in September 2024 to protect the identities of the underage victims. Larson was initially charged with five felony counts of sexual abuse of a child under 16, with a sixth count added later as the investigation progressed.

Terms of the Plea Agreement

Under the current terms of the agreement, Larson will plead guilty to six counts of felony injury to a child (Idaho Code § 18-1501). Each count of felony injury to a child carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $50,000, or both.

However, the court is not bound to accept the agreement. If the judge rejects the plea deal, Larson will have the option to withdraw his guilty pleas and proceed to trial.

If the judge accepts the deal, the case will move to sentencing at a later date. As part of the deal, the prosecution has agreed to recommend that Larson’s jail sentence be suspended in favor of probation. The State will not recommend more than 30 years of probation.

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Fox13

Originally Published: 22 JUN 26 14:04 ET

By Jeff Tavss , Suzanne Stevens

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    SALT LAKE CITY (KSTU) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is looking to sell the Salt Lake City warehouse it purchased earlier this year to house an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, according to a new report.

The New York Times said the Salt Lake City warehouse is one of seven that the government is now trying to offload, either by selling the facilities or giving them to other federal agencies.

DHS originally purchased the warehouse just west of Salt Lake City International Airport for a reported $145 million.

According to the report, the warehouse plan, which was an initiative favored by former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, is no longer supported by current Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Eleven warehouses have already been purchased, with four still on schedule to become ICE detention centers. The remaining warehouses, including the one in Salt Lake City, are now subject to being sold.

Earlier this month, Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County filed a lawsuit over the warehouse and the planned detention center, claiming it was “cloaked in secrecy” and violated federal laws.

When contacted by FOX 13 News, the office of Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson had no comment about the New York Times report.

Thursday’s news was welcomed by those who spent hours protesting the site after it was purchased, but for protest organizer TJ Young, the fight is far from over.

“I think it’s just making Salt Lake City an unattractive site for DHS and a problem,” said Young. “So we want to continue being a problem.”

Marie Cornwall with Uproar Utah shared similar sentiments, but isn’t ready to stand down just yet.

“We’re over the moon. We’re celebrating, but with caution,” she said. “Until we get something official, we’re just going to keep going with our plans.”

Although neither Wilson nor Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall shared their thoughts on the report, the Utah Democratic Party called out DHS and ICE for their change of plans.

“Mass detention has no place in Utah, at any price,” said the Utah Democratic Party. “ICE paid millions for an SLC warehouse, and may now sell or abandon it. This is fiscal recklessness and an insult to taxpayers.

“Let us be clear: ICE is not welcome here.”

Besides Salt Lake City, the other locations where ICE is reportedly looking to unload its facilities are Romulus, Michigan, Social Circle, Georgia, Flowery Branch, Georgia, Hamburg, Pennsylvania, Tremont, Pennsylvania and Roxbury, New Jersey.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

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

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Seth Ratliff

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — A local driver was arrested on multiple charges, including driving under the influence, after allegedly ramming their vehicle through the gates on the grounds of the Rexburg Idaho Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Friday night.

According to the Rexburg Police Department, officers were dispatched to the temple grounds on South 2nd East on Friday evening, June 19, following reports of a vehicle smashing through the perimeter fence. Police say that once stuck inside the grounds, the suspect then rammed a second gate, causing damage to the grounds before fleeing the scene.

The driver’s escape was short-lived. With the help of witnesses and debris left behind by the damaged vehicle, the officers successfully located the suspect car at a nearby residence. Following a brief investigation at the home, officers arrested the driver for malicious injury to property, leaving the scene of an accident, and DUI.

Authorities have not released the suspect’s identity or an estimate of the financial cost of the damage to the temple property at this time.

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Seth Ratliff

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — The Bannock County Coroner’s office has released the identity of the local woman killed in a high-speed crash last Friday.

The driver has been identified as 26-year-old Rayne Rose-Marie Singer of Fort Hall.

Just after midnight on Friday, June 19, the Pocatello Police Department and Idaho State Police responded to a severe accident near the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and East Cedar Street. According to witnesses, the driver was seen speeding down the roadway when she struck two parked vehicles, causing her car to leave the road completely.

First responders worked to extricate Singer from the wreckage. She was rushed by EMS to Portneuf Medical Center, where she later succumbed to her injuries.

Authorities confirmed that Singer was the sole occupant of the vehicle, and no other injuries were reported. The crash remains under investigation.

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CNN

Originally Published: 22 JUN 26 11:21 ET

Updated: 22 JUN 26 13:38 ET

By Andi Babineau, CNN

(CNN) — A Utah judge in the case against the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk has postponed a decision on whether to find prosecutors violated a pretrial publicity order, and, if so, whether to take the death penalty off the table as the remedy.

Instead of deciding on the violation issue during a ruling hearing Monday on pretrial motions in the case against Tyler Robinson, Judge Tony Graf set a Friday morning hearing to address it.

Also at Monday’s hearing, Graf ruled prosecutors will be allowed to present hearsay evidence during Robinson’s preliminary hearing, scheduled to begin next month.

At a hearing earlier this month, Robinson’s attorneys argued comments made to several media outlets by Christopher Ballard, one of the prosecutors and a spokesperson for the Utah County Attorney’s Office, violated the judge’s order – issued in September and amended in December – prohibiting the parties from making public comments about the case except under certain circumstances.

Robinson’s attorneys this month asked Graf to remove the death penalty as a possible outcome if he determines prosecutors violated the order and holds them in contempt of court.

Robinson faces charges including aggravated murder, felony use of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering in the September shooting death of conservative firebrand Kirk. Robinson has not yet entered pleas.

Defense asked judge to remove death penalty

The main remedy Robinson’s defense suggested if prosecutors were held in contempt was for the death penalty to be removed as a possible punishment, should Robinson be convicted.

Other possible penalties for contempt include attending a continuing education program or referral to the state bar association, the defense said.

Following the June 12 hearing where defense attorneys argued for a contempt finding, prosecutors filed an objection to the request, calling it “grossly disproportionate to the alleged misconduct.”

“To the extent the Court finds that the prosecution could have made a better statement, it certainly is not a misstep that warrants the drastic and never-before-imposed remedy of reducing the aggravated murder charge to a first-degree felony,” the document says.

Robinson’s defense fired back with its own opposition brief, calling the objection “uninvited” and saying the court did not request nor authorize “any written post-hearing briefing.”

Contempt accusation stemmed from comments about ballistics evidence

The defense filed the contempt motion in response to interviews Ballard gave to several media outlets at the end of March and beginning of April about an inconclusive ballistics report referenced in a March defense filing. Ballard testified his remarks were about circumstances that can lead to an inconclusive test result, not about specific evidence, and said he included comments in each of the interviews indicating Robinson is presumed innocent.

He said he does not believe his comments violated the court’s order.

Robinson’s attorney Richard Novak argued the comments were “extremely reckless.”

“I find no credibility in Mr. Ballard’s sworn testimony that he only intended to communicate with the media generally about bullet fragment analysis,” Novak said June 12.

Kirk’s shooting death on a Utah university campus last September triggered an avalanche of misinformation. Robinson’s attorneys have repeatedly raised concerns about news coverage of the high-profile case potentially harming their client’s right to a fair trial.

“The goal of these interviews was to respond to the specific media inquiries that were being generated by the misinformation” in the filing, Ballard said.

The defense filing Ballard addressed in the media interviews – a motion to continue the preliminary hearing filed on March 27 – states the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson.”

Prosecutors argued the defense’s statement in the filing omits an important piece of the report’s conclusion: The ATF was also unable to exclude the bullet as coming from the rifle. Ballard said that is what he was trying to clarify in the media.

During their testimonies, Ballard and Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray repeatedly pointed to a professional rule referenced in the order that allows attorneys to comment on public information when they believe there is a possibility of prejudicial pretrial publicity.

Prosecutors allowed to present hearsay evidence in preliminary hearing

Graf on Monday ruled that he will allow prosecutors to submit hearsay evidence during Robinson’s preliminary hearing, which begins July 6.

“In Utah, the primary purpose of the preliminary hearing is limited to determining whether probable cause exists,” Graf said. “Although the preliminary hearing is a critical stage of the criminal process, it is not a trial and does not involve the determination of guilt or innocence.”

Defense attorney Michael Burt had argued a video deposition of a key witness should not be admissible, as the witness could not be subject to cross-examination. The witness was later identified in court filings as Robinson’s roommate at the time of the shooting.

Ballard contended earlier this month the defense is not entitled to cross-examine witnesses in this instance, as they are during other types of hearings, because the preliminary hearing has the limited purpose of establishing probable cause to bring charges to trial.

“If this court granted the defendant’s motion, it would be going where no other court has gone before,” Ballard said. “This court would be the first court to find that the Sixth Amendment right to confrontation applies at a preliminary hearing.”

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Seth Ratliff

RIRIE, Idaho (KIFI) — A 44-year-old Idaho Falls woman died, and four others were hospitalized, Saturday afternoon after an early evening drive along US Highway 26 ended in a two-vehicle crash over the weekend.

According to the Idaho State Police, the crash occurred just before 4:30 p.m. near milepost 349.

Investigators report that both a 2017 Honda Accord, driven by the Idaho Falls woman, and a 2007 Toyota Tundra towing a utility trailer were traveling westbound. As the Honda attempted to turn left, it was struck by the Toyota, which was driven by a 37-year-old Ammon man carrying three juvenile passengers.

The driver of the Honda was not wearing a seatbelt and succumbed to her injuries at the scene.

The driver of the Tundra and all three juveniles were wearing seatbelts. Emergency crews transported all four by ground ambulance to a local hospital.

The crash blocked the westbound lane of the highway for roughly three hours.

ISP continues to investigate the incident. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information that could assist investigators is urged to contact the District 6 office at 208-528-3400.

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