IDOC Withdraws Mental Health Prison Plan
(BOISE, ID) – Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and the state Department of Correction are moving away from a plan to build a $70 million mental health prison. Officials cited concerns about costs from state legislators and Idaho’s priorities for addressing mental health issues. They plan to explore alternatives through the Department of Health and Welfare [...]
Crash on Lorenzo Bridge Blocks Traffic
(RIGBY, ID) – An early morning crash on the Lorenzo Bridge along U.S. Hwy 20 blocked traffic for several hours Monday. Idaho State Police say a semi truck was passing a tow truck on the bridge at around 3:30 a.m. when the semi lost control and crashed through both northbound barriers. Another semi truck then [...]
Wyoming Considering Year-Round Schooling
(CHEYENNE, WY) – Wyoming state lawmakers are considering a measure to determine if year-round class schedules would improve learning in public schools. The bill would provide $3 million to six schools to implement new schedules. Under the plan, school years would remain the same length, but summer breaks would be replaced with multiple three-week vacations [...]
Hydro Plant Helps Power Yellowstone Facilities
(JACKSON, WY) – A hydroelectric power plant along the Gardiner River in Montana will save Yellowstone National Park more than $70,000 per year in power bills. Officials say the new plant is powering about one-third of the park’s buildings at the headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs. The $1.1 million plant is expected to pay for [...]
Fish and Game Commission Appointee Faces Opposition
(BOISE, ID) – A woman appointed as a member of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission encountered stiff opposition during her Senate confirmation hearing Monday. Joan Hurlock of Buhl was named to the seven-member panel last June. However, Doug Palmer, a Twin Falls resident, voiced opposition to Hurlock’s appointment on grounds that she wasn’t a [...]
Blackfoot Schools Chairman Reese Resigns
(BLACKFOOT, ID) – Blackfoot School District 55 Board Chairman Scott Reese is stepping down amid pressure from a recall petition. Reese fears staying on the board would keep voters from passing a supplemental levy he believes is crucial for the well-being of the district. Reese and Trustee Jenny Hong were being targeted by petitioners for [...]
Pocatello Woman Celebrates 100th Birthday
(POCATELLO, ID) – A Pocatello woman celebrated her 100th birthday over the weekend. Fern Lloyd, a resident at Quail Ridge retirement center, was born on a farm in Mendon, Utah and eventually settled in southeast Idaho. Lloyd’s family members say she’s still active and lighting up the lives of her friends and neighbors. She says [...]
Group Shows Parents Signs of Youth Rx Drug Abuse
(IDAHO FALLS, ID) – An area non-profit group is working with parents to educate them about the warning signs of prescription drug abuse among local youth. Officials with the Bonneville Youth Development Council say many parents aren’t aware of their teen’s substance abuse problems until they’ve been using for over a year. They recommend turning [...]
Sho-Ban Kids Participate in Buffalo Hunt
(FORT HALL, ID) – A group of Fort Hall residents are working to ensure that tribal traditions stay alive for generations to come. Members of the Shoshone-Bannock tribes staged a buffalo hunt last month. Organizers shot and killed one of the nearly 400 bison on the reservation to teach youth the basics of skinning, cutting, [...]
Most Rocky Mountain Power Customers to Avoid Rate Hike
(BOISE, ID) — Rocky Mountain Power authorities say most eastern Idahoans won’t face a rate increase this spring. Current projections don’t propose any increases for residential, commercial, or irrigation customers, though two industrial customers will see increases because of a rate adjustment made in 2011. If approved, adjustments will take effect April 1.
Idaho Democratic Chairman Resigns
(BOISE, ID) – The chairman of the Idaho Democratic Party has announced his resignation. Larry Grant, who has held the post since 2011, says he didn’t accomplish what he’d set out to do, though he’s proud of the few competitive candidates his party was able to muster in the 2012 election. The party will elect [...]
Two Semi-Trailers Crash on Icy Highway
(MENAN, ID) — Two Semi-trailers and a two truck were involved in an accident early Monday morning on the Lorenzo bridge on Highway 20. State Police closed down the highway at mile post 326, two miles east of the Rigby area. Authorities indicated that the Highway was very slick around the Madison and Jefferson County [...]
Super Bowl 47 on Newstalk 690/1260
(NEW ORLEANS, LA) – The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers can get down to business of deciding the NFL championship in Super Bowl 47. Super Bowl 47 may also decide a few other questions leading up to the game: – Can Baltimore coach John Harbaugh continue his mastery over brother Jim? John’s Ravens [...]
Accused Murderer In Court Friday
(IDAHO FALLS, ID) – The attorney for 22-year old Adan Arroyo, Justin Oleson, told the court on Friday that he has not received all the necessary reports from the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s office and asked for the preliminary hearing to be rescheduled. Arroyo is in jail on charges of first degree murder in the [...]
Idaho Senate Debates Use of Drones
(BOISE, ID) — The Idaho Senate is considering a bill that would allow local law enforcement to use unmanned drones in criminal investigations. Republican Sen. Chuck Winder of Eagle, himself a former military pilot, says drones have a wide variety of potential uses for law enforcement. However, he wants to ensure that any drafted legislation [...]
Check Scam Hits Rexburg
(REXBURG, ID) – A Craigslist scam using bad checks is now targeting Rexburg residents. Officials say the criminals purchase items on Craigslist and then overpay the sellers with a bad check, instructing them to send back the difference in cash. Since it can take a few days for checks to process, sellers are left with [...]
Concealed Carry Applications on the Rise in East Idaho
(POCATELLO, ID) – Fear of the unknown is a likely factor in the recent spike in firearm sales, and applications for concealed carry permits are on the rise as well. Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen says applications have gone up throughout southeast Idaho. Because of high demand and increasing state fees, Bannock County is being [...]
LDS Church Announces New MTC in Mexico
(SALT LAKE CITY, UT) – Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have announced a plan for a new missionary training center in Mexico City, the second-largest of its kind worldwide. The facility will be converted from a church-owned high school and will hold approximately 1,500 trainees at a time. Applications for [...]
Man Claims Self Defense in Monkey Death
(BOISE, ID) – A Weiser man has pleaded not guilty to breaking into Zoo Boise two months ago and killing a monkey. 22-year-old Michael Watkins claimed he was defending himself when the monkey attacked him. Watkins’ attorney maintains that his client was trying to set the animal free as a practical joke. Watkins faces several [...]
Bonneville County Sheriff Seeking the Public’s Help
(IDAHO FALLS, ID) – The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the shooting death of Kristy Aschliman on Lincoln Road earlier this month. As the investigation began that day she was shot, two adults in a green pickup stopped and told a uniformed deputy about a man hiding near a tree. The deputy was [...]