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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho officials reported 299 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. That brings the total confirmed and probable cases reported since March to 172,587. There are a total of 139,871 confirmed cases and 32,716 probable cases in all 44 of the 44 counties in Idaho, according to numbers released from the local health districts and the state. See the chart below. googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-6"); }); The [...]

MGN Image SOUTHEAST IDAHO (KIFI/KIDK) - UPDATE 4:40 p.m. Local health officials reported 107 new COVID-19 cases in the area Thursday. See the health district breakdown below. UPDATE 4:35 p.m. Eastern Idaho Public Health reported 89 new COVID-19 cases Thursday. There are 51 new cases in Bonneville, 1 in Custer, 5 in Fremont, 10 in Jefferson, 2 in Lemhi, 16 in Madison and 4 in Teton. There are a total [...]

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Health officials in Idaho have announced a new centralized state system will allow residents this month to reserve coronavirus vaccine appointments. The Idaho Press reported Wednesday some residents frustrated with the current sign-up process have reached out to multiple providers and failed to cancel appointments. That's caused vaccine delays for others who are eligible under the state’s priority guidelines. googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-6"); }); The new [...]

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Health officials are urging us to remain alert even as more vaccines are rolling out. In a meeting Thursday morning, officials from Eastern Idaho Public Health, area hospitals and county commissioners talked about case rates and hospitalizations going up and gave numbers. For example, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center went from as few as six patients a couple weeks ago to 20 as recently as [...]

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – A 61-year-old Ketchum man was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced Thursday. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also imposed a term of three years of supervised release to follow Timothy Semones’ prison sentence, a $5,000 fine and entered a restitution order for $3 million payable to the victim, ETA Compute. According to court records, Semones admitted [...]

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – A 31-year-old Filer man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 36 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced Thursday. U.S. Chief District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Scott Nice to serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Nice pleaded guilty to the charge on March 6, 2020. googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-6"); }); According to [...]

OGDEN, Utah (KIFI) - USDA Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen announced Thursday the appointment of Mary Farnsworth as Regional Forester for the agency’s Intermountain Region, located in Ogden, Utah. Farnsworth will oversee management of more than 32 million acres of national forests and grasslands, across six states with over 3,500 permanent and seasonal employees. “Mary’s ability to build effective and enduring partnerships will ensure the continued delivery of healthy, working [...]

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The Environmental Protection Agency and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have each sued a phosphate mining company owned by Monsanto over toxic waste that experts believe has poisoned plants, water and animals in eastern Idaho. The government entities filed the lawsuits against P4 Production LLC over waste at the Ballard Mine site near Soda Springs earlier this week, along with a proposed clean-up agreement that could settle the [...]

MOOSE, Wyo. (KIFI) - Boaters to Grand Teton National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway will have the option to purchase their park boating permits online beginning Tuesday, April 6. The new online mail-order system will improve the visitor experience by allowing boaters to plan ahead and have their permit mailed directly to them within two weeks. The system allows for contactless ordering and will provide an [...]

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - The Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s (ISDA) Invasive Species Program announced Thursday the detection of invasive zebra mussels in aquarium products sold in the state. The ISDA has found live, viable zebra mussels in Marimo moss balls which commonly are sold for use in aquariums. googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-6"); }); ISDA officials were first made aware of the issue Wednesday and agency personnel immediately responded with in-person inspections. ISDA’s [...]

Washington, D.C. (KIFI) – Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson joined Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney in reintroducing H.R 1403, the Grizzly Bear State Management Act. This legislation would return management of the grizzly bear to each state by directing the Department of Interior to re-issue its delisting decision and prohibit further judicial review of this decision. “The Greater Yellowstone Grizzly Bear is one of the most well documented bear populations in the world [...]

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A Senate panel has approved legislation that's the product of more than 400,000 cows and some 50 million pounds a day of cow manure. The Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee voted Thursday to send to the full Senate the bill requiring state officials to consider economic ramifications when imposing pollution regulations on farms and ranches, many of which produce cow manure. The bill is backed by the [...]

Idaho - The Idaho Department of Labor is reminding people to be alert for identity theft related to unemployment insurance claims. Many individuals have had their personal information compromised, hacked or breached by fraudsters in a large-scale nationwide scam involving phony unemployment benefits claims. If someone has applied for benefits using your personal information, it may have been stolen and misused by fraudsters for unemployment benefits. The Labor unemployment insurance [...]