Category: kifi-local-news

KIVI Staff

Originally Published: 05 MAY 26 14:03 ET

By KIVI Staff

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    BOISE COUNTY, Idaho (KIVI) — It was a ruff day on the hillside for one fluffy Samoyed named Nash. The 70-pound pup misstepped and tumbled down a steep embankment Monday morning.

Boise County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies responded around 11:30 a.m. and made their way to the edge of the drop. One look down was all it took to call Garden Valley Fire for some backup.

BCSOO says two firefighters and one deputy anchored at the top with rope work, while Fireman Austin Fields made the steep descent down to Nash. Slowly but surely, they hoisted Nash back up, and he was reunited with his owner at the top.

In a Facebook post, Boise County Sheriff’s Office praised Garden Valley Fire for their response, writing, ” Big thanks to Garden Valley Fire for treating every life like it matters… even the four-legged, tail-wagging kind.”

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Danielle Mullenix

YELLOWSTONE, Montana (KIFI) — Two hikers were injured Monday afternoon, May 4, following an encounter with one or more bears near the Mystic Falls Trail. The incident marks the first incident of a bear injuring a person within the park for the 2026 season.

National Park Service emergency personnel responded immediately to the scene. The victims’ were airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, but their current conditions have not been released. The NPS has launched a full investigation.

In the interest of public safety and to allow investigators to work undisturbed, the NPS has implemented a temporary closure of the following areas west of Grand Loop Road from the north end of Fountain Flat Drive to Black Sand Basin:

Trails:

Fairy Falls Trail north of the Grand Prismatic Overlook

Sentinel Meadows Trail

Imperial Meadows Trail

Fairy Creek Trail

Summit Lake Trail

Backcountry Campsites:

OG1

OD1

OD2

OD3

OD4

OD5

Recreation:

Fishing along the Firehole River and associated tributaries within the closure area

While Yellowstone is bear country, the park stresses that bear injuries in the park are rare. The last time a visitor was injured by a bear in the park was in September 2025, and the park has not seen a bear-related fatality since 2015.

The NPS has provided the following guidelines for park visitors to stay safe in bear country:

Stay 100 yards away from bears at all times

Carry bear spray and know how to use it

Be alert. See the bear before you surprise it. Watch for fresh tracks, scat, and feeding sites (signs of digging, rolled rocks, torn up logs, ripped open ant hills)

Make noise

Hike in groups of three or more people

Don’t hike at dawn, dusk, or at night, when grizzlies are most active

Don’t run from a bear  

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Danielle Mullenix

Idaho (KIFI) – As wildfire season approaches amid an abnormally dry, warm spring, Idaho is rolling out a new standardized evacuation system designed to make emergency alerts clearer and easier to follow.

State officials have officially adopted the “Ready, Set, Go” wildfire evacuation program as the statewide standard, aiming to eliminate confusion caused by inconsistent messaging among counties during fast-moving wildfires.

How “Ready, Set, Go” works

The system introduces three simple evacuation levels:

Ready — Be aware of danger and begin to prepare for a possible evacuation

Set — Be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice: be packed and ready

Go — Evacuate immediately when directed by local authorities

South Fremont Fire Chief Chris Hill says a consistent approach to safety like this will help residents better understand their risk and respond more quickly in emergency situations.

“We are 100% volunteer here in Fremont,” said Hill. “And we love to help, but it’s also important to follow local authorities and stay up to date on how hazardous fires can be, especially with the dry summer season we have ahead.”

The move comes in response to recommendations outlined in Governor Brad Little’s 2024 wildfire response report, which called for improved evacuation planning, clearer public messaging, and stronger coordination among agencies.

The effort is being implemented through a collaboration between several statewide organizations, including the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association, Idaho Department of Lands, and the Idaho Office of Emergency Management.

Officials emphasize that while the messaging is now standardized, local county sheriffs will continue to have the authority to issue evacuation orders. Chief Hill also emphasized the need for a structured system like this, as the South Fremont Fire Department has already received over 50 fire calls by early May.

“It’s got the potential to be probably the worst fire season on record,” said Chief Hill. “In March, we usually shouldn’t have any fire kills – but we had 29 fire calls. Hopefully, we get some rainfall, but it’s bad out there. Just pray. ”

As wildfire activity increases and more communities expand into fire-prone areas, state leaders say having a clear, unified system in place could help save lives.

Residents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the “Ready, Set, Go” system and stay connected to their local emergency management agencies for updates throughout wildfire season.

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David Pace

BONNEVILLE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) – Farmers are facing a vortex of problems as they enter Idaho’s prime growing season with limited water, low crop prices, higher gas and fertilizer costs, myriads of aphids and mite pests, abundant disease, damage from freezing temperatures and weeds run wild.

In addition, Idaho’s warm winter – combined with an abnormal number of freezing nights in April – has decimated the winter wheat and barley crop.

“I’ve seen a lot of people decide to Roundup crops. So they completely stopped the plant growth, and they’re either putting the crop (or) not planting because of water shortages,” said Juliet Marshall, Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station associate director. “I’ve seen people take their crop and mow it down.”

She reports as much as 50 percent killed of winter barley main stems and some fields of winter wheat.

April’s extreme temperature oscillations decimated early crops.

“We had temperatures in some areas in Roberts and in Hamer and up and down the valley were seven degrees,” said Mickelsen Farms CFO Stephanie Mickelsen. “So when that freezes, what happens is, is it can reduce your crop anywhere from 30 to 60 to 100 percent. So right now we’re out taking a look at surveying the damage. We’re concerned.”

Most worrying is the drought that is already impacting the entire region.

“Just hope for some rain for a couple months – maybe ease the drought conditions we’re probably going to see,” said Surface Water Coalition Attorney Travis Thompson. “It’s probably the most severe year I’ve seen in my 25 years of practice.”

Combined with next year’s “Super El Nino” expected to extend and worsen the drought next year, farmers are in for a tough stretch.

“Farmers are facing a significant economic storm. Whether you’re talking about drought and disease and insects and the overall economy associated with the price of inputs, and the overall prices associated with commodities,” said Marshall. “So this is a horrible, perfect economic storm for producers to be facing at this time.”

Juliet Marshall is a University of Idaho agriculture specialist with grave concerns about this year’s winter wheat and barley harvest, combined with difficult crop-raising conditions.

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Par Kermani

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Idaho’s annual statewide giving campaign, Idaho Gives, is back, encouraging donations to nonprofit organizations across the state.

The campaign began Monday and runs through Thursday, May 7.

Organizers say hundreds of Idaho-based nonprofits are participating this year, representing a wide range of causes, including housing, education, community services and the arts.

Several events are also taking place across eastern Idaho as part of the campaign, giving residents opportunities to connect with local organizations and learn more about their work.

Idaho Gives is designed to raise both funds and awareness for nonprofits serving communities throughout the state.

A full list of participating organizations and events can be found on the Idaho Gives website.

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Kaelyn Blessinger

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — Multiple food trucks located at The Yellowstone Food Village for years are facing uncertainty as the site prepares to close, with no confirmed reasoning.

Some of the vendors have already left, and others in the area plan to relocate by the end of the week. According to vendors at the site, they were told they must “vacate” the property by Oct. 1.

“We’ve run into some news lately that Bonneville County will be either shutting this down or selling it,” said Delbert Kirkham, owner of Thai Food Plus. “And we’re kind of in limbo trying to figure out what they’re going to do.”

Without a lot of answers, many of the vendors are looking for a new place to call home. However, Kirkham hopes the vendors can remain at the site.

“It would do nothing but benefit us being small businesses as we are,” Kirkham said. “You can’t get much smaller than what we are, but we’re all together, it’s a hometown feeling here. The whole family’s here, and they do enjoy it. And we would like to stay.”

While Kirkham waits to get more answers, he remains optimistic about staying on the site.

“I’m sure they have some good reasons,” Kirkham said. “But we have some good reasons to stay.”

In September 2025, the Bonneville County Commissioners announced they would end the lease for the Idaho Innovation Center on September 30, 2026. The food village is next to the Idaho Innovation Center and manages the lot.

County leadership said that, while the Idaho Innovation Center has provided valuable contributions to the community for many years, the County’s significant financial investment in the facility is no longer aligned with its economic development goals to unify and strengthen efforts across the broader community.

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Par Kermani

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) — It is one of Idaho’s biggest nights in journalism, where top journalists from across the Gem State gathered to learn who took top honors at the Idaho Press Club Awards.

Local News 8 received 17 awards across multiple categories including General Excellence in television which includes overall excellence in news coverage, storytelling, and production.

Local News 8 earned the top spot for Best Morning News program in its division, and multiple individual journalists from the Local News 8 team were recognized for their reporting.

Ariel Jensen received the top spot in Best Live Shot for division, while Seth Ratliff took home the top spot in Serious Feature Report in Division B for his coverage on Jensen’s Grove late last year. Hadley Bodell gave Local News 8 name recognition in the Student category as well as the TV category.

Local News 8’s full list of all seventeen awards included:

Television

General Excellence – Division B

1. Seth Randal, Kalvin Pike & Staff – KIFI, Local News 8

Best Morning News Program – Division B

1. Jeff Roper, Kailey Galaviz, Maggie Moore – KIFI – Local News 8 at Noon

Spot News Report – Division B

3. Ariel Jensen – KIFI Local News 8 – Rigby Plane Crash

Best Live Shot – Division B

1. Ariel Jensen – KIFI Local News 8 – “You can’t park here!”

Watchdog

3. Seth Ratliff, Chris Nestman – KIFI, Local News 8 – Local News 8 Investigation: Pocatello Police had previous interactions with Victor Perez before fatal shooting

Serious Feature Report – Division B

1. Seth Ratliff – KIFI, Local News 8 – Blackfoot City Council to address new agreement to fill Jensen Grove

2. Max Gershon – KIFI, Local News 8 – Hanukkah in Idaho

3. Doug Long – KIFI, Local News 8 – Ligertown 30 Years Later

Light Feature Report – Division B

2. Stephanie Lucus, Kabrun Sharp – KIFI, Local News 8 – History of Spooky Basements

3. Ariel Jensen – KIFI, Local News 8 – Stronger Than Steel

Sports News Story – Division B

3. Will Syslo – KIFI, Local News 8 – High School Football Preview Series: Skyline High School

Weathercast – Division B

2. Michael Coats – KIFI, Local News 8

3. Jeff Roper – KIFI, Local News 8

Crime Report – Division B

2. Jeff Roper – KIFI, Local News 8 – Facebook Scam Steals Thousands from Rancher’s Customers

Government / Political – Division B

2. Stephanie Lucus, Seth Ratliff – KIFI, Local News 8 – Seven Arrested for Voter Fraud

Rookie Of The Year –

2. Hadley Bodell – KIFI Local News 8

Student

General News Report

2. Hadley Bodell – KIFI Local News 8 – Hour of AI in Eastern Idaho Classrooms

You can find the full list of winners at https://idahopressclub.org/awards/best-of-2025-award-winners/.

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Par Kermani

MONTPELIER, Idaho (KIFI)— An open house has been set for the Montpelier, Idaho, Temple beginning Thursday, Sept. 10, and a dedication is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 18.

The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the timeline with public tours being held from Sept. 10 through Saturday, Sept. 26 not including Sundays.

A dedication will be held Sunday, Oct 18 at 10 a.m with a rebroadcast at 2 p.m. According to the press release “the session will be broadcast to all units in the Montpelier Idaho Temple district.”

The temple will be the eighth in the state, joining temples in Boise, Burley, Idaho Falls, Meridian, Pocatello, Rexburg, and Twin Falls.

With 482,000 Latter-Day Saints in the state of Idaho, additional temples are also planned according to officials.

The Teton River Idaho Temple in Rexburg is currently under construction, while temples in Caldwell and Coeur d’Alene have been announced.

Church officials say temples differ from meetinghouses, where weekly worship services are held. Temples are considered houses of the Lord, where sacred religious ceremonies take place.

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CNN

Originally Published: 04 MAY 26 11:00 ET

Updated: 04 MAY 26 12:22 ET

By John Fritze, CNN

(CNN) — The Supreme Court temporarily restored telehealth and mail access to the abortion pill mifepristone on Monday, responding to an emergency appeal that warned of potential chaos for patients who had appointments to access the drug.

The “administrative stay” is far from a final decision but rather maintains the status quo for a few days while the court reviews emergency appeals filed Saturday by the drug’s manufacturer and the maker of a generic version. The order puts on hold a decision from the conservative 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals that reinstated a nationwide requirement that the medication be obtained in person, undermining access to the method of abortion that has grown more widespread since the court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Justice Samuel Alito’s order staying the 5th Circuit ruling lasts through May 11, and Alito requested a response in the cases by Thursday.

Danco Laboratories, the maker of mifepristone, told the Supreme Court in its appeal that the 5th Circuit order “injects immediate confusion and upheaval into highly time-sensitive medical decisions.” GenBioPro, which makes a generic version of the drug, said in its own appeal that the lower court’s decision risked “abruptly cutting off access for patients nationwide.”

The fast-track case puts the drug and the issue of abortion back on the high court’s docket less than two years after the justices rejected a similar challenge – a decision that allowed the drug to remain widely available. Alito handles emergency appeals rising from the New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, women have been able to obtain mifepristone – one of the two drugs in the medication abortion regimen – through telehealth appointments. The Biden administration finalized rules that ended the requirement that the pills be obtained through an in-person doctor’s visit in 2023, a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe.

As conservative states have responded to the Supreme Court’s decision by banning or severely limiting access to clinic abortions, medication abortions have become more common. Medication abortions accounted for more than 60% of abortions in the US in 2023, according to Guttmacher Institute research.

A CNN analysis of mifepristone data shows that the drug is overwhelmingly safe and has fewer reported side effects than Viagra or penicillin.

Louisiana sued last year alleging that the Biden-era regulation undermined its own abortion ban. A federal district court in April declined to restrict access to the drug until the Food and Drug Administration completed a safety review of the medication.

“Big abortion pharma claims they need an emergency stay because they will lose massive amounts of money if they can’t kill more babies quickly and efficiently by mail without medical oversight,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement Monday. “The administrative stay is temporary, and I am confident life and the law will win in the end.”

The Supreme Court reviewed the issue once before, in 2024, and it unanimously rejected a lawsuit challenging the FDA’s regulation. But the court resolved that dispute by concluding that the doctors and anti-abortion groups that had challenged access to the drug did not have standing to sue. That technical, narrow decision meant that future challenges were almost guaranteed to reach the justices again.

CNN’s Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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

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Par Kermani

Rexburg, Idaho (KIFI) — Rexburg City police found a child alone at a local apartment complex and have safely reunited her with her family.

According to the Rexburg City Facebook page, officers found the child around 10 a.m. at the Mesa Falls Apartments. Initially, the department was unable to identify her or find her parents.

However, after asking the community for tips in a social media post, the department confirmed the child has been located and reunited with her family.

The department also thanked the public for helping assist in the search.

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