Dairy Abuse Video Prompts Education Push
(TWIN FALLS, ID) – A series of undercover videos showing the mistreatment of animals at a southern Idaho dairy is prompting a push for more education among dairy workers. University of Idaho associate professor Mireille Chahine says the videos will also help educate students taking animal welfare courses this summer. In January, a former Bettencourt [...]
Utah Soccer Ref Killed by Player’s Punch
(MURRAY, UT) – A Utah soccer referee has died after being punched by a teenage player. Forty-six-year-old Ricardo Portillo of Salt Lake City got into a confrontation with the 17-year-old player last week after Portillo gave the player a yellow card for a personal foul. Portillo was hospitalized in a coma for nearly a week [...]
Domestic Abuse Calls on the Rise in Polygamist Communities
(HILLDALE, UT) – Domestic violence authorities in Utah are raising concerns about a sharp increase in calls to the state hot line from polygamist groups. A spokesman for the state’s Attorney General’s office says they’ve received up to 200 calls each month from alleged victims in communities like Hilldale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona. Officials [...]
Fire Destroys Barn, Motorhome
(BOISE, ID) – A fire in southwest Idaho destroyed a barn and a motorhome Saturday night. Crews from five agencies responded to the blaze in Star, a rural community outside of Meridian. Investigators are unsure what caused the fire, but the animals inside the barn were able to escape. Firefighters had difficulty battling the flames [...]
Castle Rocks Could Be Closed
(BURLEY, ID) – The Bureau of Land Management is considering the permanent closure of a popular rock climbing location in southeast Idaho. The 400-acre Castle Rocks climbing area has had limited access since 2003, but may be shut down completely after complaints from the Shoshone-Bannock tribes, who consider the land sacred. BLM officials say Castle [...]
Resurfacing Project Begins Today
(REXBURG, ID) – Construction crews will be resurfacing a section of Highway 20 between Thornton and Rexburg today. Officials say traffic will be reduced to one lane in both directions. Drivers should expect minor delays, uneven surfaces and increased traffic. Resurfacing and seal coating work along the highway is expected to be completed some time [...]
Local Papa Murphy’s Pizza Employee Diagnosed with Hepatitis A; Customers Possibly Exposed
(CHUBBUCK, ID) – If you received food from the Papa Murphy’s in Chubbuck between April 19 to 21, you many have been exposed to Hepatitis A. Southeastern Idaho Public Health has confirmed that an employee of the business was indeed a carrier of the disease. So far there is no evidence of an outbreak associated [...]
Missing Girl Found
(POCATELLO, ID) – A Pocatello girl has been found safe after being reported missing Thursday afternoon. Eleven-year-old Kobe Hebert was seen at around 3 p.m. on her way to Alameda Park, but then disappeared. Law enforcement agencies immediately issued social media announcements about Hebert’s disappearance, and the girl was found safe a short time later. [...]
Local Mayors Oppose Tower Closures
(IDAHO FALLS, ID) – Two local mayors are joining their voices to dozens of community leaders across the country opposed to the closure of regional airport control towers. Officials sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration Thursday expressing concerns about safety at nearly 150 affected airports nationwide. Idaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman and Pocatello [...]
More Explosive Devices Found in Sun Valley
(SUN VALLEY, ID) – Police have discovered more explosive devices on a resort property in Sun Valley. Officials found five plastic bottle bombs filled with household chemicals floating in a pond east of Ketchum Thursday. Investigators say they match the type of device found in a mail box last week that was filled with shrapnel. [...]
Statewide Donation Day
(IDAHO FALLS, ID) – Today IS IDAHO GIVES: This statewide giving day seeks to raise 500K for over 300 Idaho nonprofits. Go to: www.idahogives.org, type in the name of your favorite nonprofit causes and make a donation online with your credit card. Donations start at as little as $10. There will be a scoreboard showing [...]
Blackfoot Man Killed in Crash
(ABERDEEN, ID) – A Blackfoot man is dead following a Wednesday afternoon crash north of Aberdeen. Idaho State Police say 59-year-old Daniel Bolgen of Aberdeen was turning off of Highway 39 in a semi truck when he was rear-ended by a Jeep driven by 63-year-old Joseph Grover at around 1 p.m. Investigators say Grover was [...]
Hill Blocks LeFavour’s Unemployment Claims
(REXBURG, ID) – Former Democratic congressional candidate Nicole LeFavour’s unemployment application has been rejected. The ex-state Senator did not run for reelection in November, but attempted to apply for 26 weeks of unemployment benefits anyway. Had she been successful, she would’ve qualified for $155 a week in benefits. Republican Senate Pro Tem Brent Hill of [...]
Rexburg City Council Approves Their Own Raises
(REXBURG, ID) – Rexburg city council members have voted to give themselves a raise. In a five to one vote, the council moved to increase Mayor Richard Woodland’s salary by $10,000 annually, while council members will receive a $2,400 raise. Councilman Jerry Merrill says the raise was needed in order to keep up with the [...]
White House Shooter Planned Attack for Months
(WASHINGTON, DC) – An Idaho Falls man charged with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama in 2011 reportedly planned the attack for months. 22-year-old Oscar Ortega-Hernandez fired at least five shots at the White House while the president was out of town. Ortega-Hernandez says he was upset about the president’s strong position on the criminalization [...]
Idaho Hispanic Population Booming
(IDAHO FALLS, ID) – An estimated 52 million Hispanics now live in the United States, representing the largest minority group in the nation. Idaho’s Hispanic population has gone up 70 percent over the past decade. Drawn to the Gem State by jobs in agriculture, the service industry, and manufacturing, many workers have settled down and [...]
Madison Adds Maternity Center
(REXBURG, ID) – One of the regions busiest hospitals will open up a new maternity center this week. Madison Memorial plans to open the new $1.9 million facility on Friday. Planners say it is designed to make the rush to the hospital a little less hectic. Maternity director Betty Barney says they’ve made the rooms [...]
Dry Winter Brings Dangerous Wildfire Forecast
(IDAHO FALLS, ID) – U.S. Forest Service officials say this year’s dry winter could bring a nasty wildfire season this summer. Two small wildfires already hit California’s wine country last month, and with little moisture saturating the region, it brings the potential for fire activity that was every bit as rough as it was last [...]
Bomb in Mailbox Was a “Dud”
(KETCHUM, ID) – A homemade bomb found in a rural mailbox near Ketchum last week appears to have been a dud. Investigators say the bomb had ineffectively detonated before police even arrived. The device, which was described as “very crude” didn’t operate as it was designed, but authorities are confident that it wasn’t intended to [...]
Fire Leaves 16 People Homeless
(JEROME, ID) - Sixteen people are homeless following a structure fire in downtown Jerome. Fire crews say the blaze tore through an apartment complex Tuesday afternoon, displacing at least nine families. High winds made fighting the flames nearly impossible, and extensive smoke and water damage was reported on nearby buildings. A temporary shelter has been [...]