Top 15 in 2015: EastIdahoNews.com's most viewed stories of the year - East Idaho News
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Top 15 in 2015: EastIdahoNews.com’s most viewed stories of the year

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IDAHO FALLS — Here are the top ten most viewed stories from EastIdahoNews.com for 2015. Events that spanned multiple stories have been condensed down into one entry for this list.

15. Family gives statement after Tanner Cox guilty verdict

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Tanner R. Cox was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in December after a five-day trial. Cox got into a fight with Josh Olzak in May 2015. Cox hit Olzak, which caused Olzak to fall and hit his head. Olzak later died. Cox will be sentenced in February. To view the article click here.

14. BYU-Idaho student drowns after helping 9-year-old cousin escape similar fate

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Sjon Trent Johnson, a Brigham Young University student, drowned in a canoeing accident in May after saving his 9-year-old cousin. Johnson’s canoe became tangled in debris while he was canoeing with family on the Henrys Fork of the Snake River. Click here for the story.

13. Trucker found dead in semi-truck at Sam’s Club

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In September a Wisconsin truck driver was found dead in his truck at Sam’s Club in Idaho Falls. David W. Fadness died of natural causes and was found a few days after his death due to a missing truck driver alert that went out on Facebook. Fadness was found with his dog, which was placed with animal control after the incident. For more click here.

12. What’s with all the smoke in east Idaho?

Idaho Smoke

More than a dozen fires burned in Idaho in August, causing the air to be filled with smoke. EastIdahoNews.com received several comments asking what was up with all the smoke. We worked with Idaho Falls Fire Department, KTVB, and other organizations to get you updates on the fires. For more click here.

11. Blackfoot police searching for man who left hospital

Police asked for the public’s help to find Dustin Jarret Hinkle, 33, who went missing from Idaho State Hospital South in December. He later returned to the hospital on his own.

10. I.F. women arrested for injury to a child

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Steffany Snell, 19, faced charges of misdemeanor injury to a child in August after leaving her child home alone. Snell left the child at home for a few hours while she attended a party, said police. The child was fine and was placed in the custody of the grandparents at the time of the incident. To view the story click here.

9. Update: More details released about man crushed in semi accident

Hendrickson Towing

The driver of a pickup was killed during a crash with a semi-truck in December. The wreck occurred at the Thornton interchange near Rexburg. Rexburg, Madison County and Fremont County law enforcement agencies responded and had one lane closed for hours to clear the wreck. For more click here.

8. Body found at KJ’s Truck Stop in Idaho Falls

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In August a Rexburg area man was found dead in the parking lot of KJ’s Truck Stop in Idaho Falls. The body was discovered after several days and removed by the Bonneville County Coroner’s office. Click here for the original story and here for the response from the man’s widow.

7. Police Pursuit Through Idaho Falls Neighborhood Ends in Apparent Suicide

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Police said a man killed himself in December after being pursued by police. The man was suicidal and officers followed him through his home trying to help before the man took his own life. To read the article click here.

6. Rexburg teen gives Valentine to every girl at school

A Rexburg teen gave away 650 valentines to make sure every girl in his school got one. Keegan Wolfe, 14, saved around $650 and bought every girl in the school a ballon. He said the only downside was some boys weren’t thrilled he gave their girlfriends a valentine. To view the story, click here.

5. One child killed in I-15 Accident; three others hospitalized

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A child was killed in a November crash on Interstate 15. The crash happened near Fort Hall when a semi-truck lost control and collided head on with a truck carrying the child. Three other children and the mother driving the truck were all transferred to the hospital and later recovered. Read the story here.

4. Elk hunter fights off grizzly bear attack in Island Park

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An Idaho Falls archer was hospitalized after being attacked by a grizzly bear in Island Park in August. The archer sustained injuries to his hand and wrist and was transferred to Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg. Idaho Falls Fish and Game tried to find the bear, but were unsuccessful. To read the article click here.

3. IFPD detective details graphic murder of Deraek Larson

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Deraek Larson was a 31-year-old Idaho Falls man who was stabbed to death in Tautphaus Park in August. Brian J. Mitchell, 18, of Shelley, was charged with second-degree murder in connection to the crime, but before Mitchell could go to trial, he committed suicide while being held at the Bonneville County Jail. To view this article, click here. Click here for more stories.

2. Pocatello/Chubbuck District offers fired school lunch lady her job back

Dalene Bowden

Dalene Bowden, a food service worker at Irving Middle School in Pocatello was placed on leave after giving a student a free lunch. Pocatello Chubback School District 35 and Bowden gave different sides to the story. After several articles in December went national and a strong public outcry, Bowden was offered her job back. For this story, click here.

1. Heartbroken parents of missing 2-year-old: “We’ll find you, son”

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In July 2-year-old DeOrr Kunz Jr. disappeared from a campsite in Leadore while camping with his family. Over the ensuing months various investigations into the boy’s disappearances have been conducted and DeOrr has yet to be found. EastIdahoNews.com originally published the story and has followed the investigation throughout the year. For more this specific article, click here.

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