Tuesday 051623

Today is Election Day in Idaho.  Blaine County is asking voters if they support the reallocation of funds to the existing one percent local option tax.  Cassia county voters will decide on a Burley public library override levy.  The Hagerman School district is hoping to pass a plant facility levy.

The College of southern Idaho has named Dr. Joshua Kern to fill the unexpired Board seat of Jack Nelson who stepped down last year. 

Idaho state revenues beat forecasts during the most important tax month of the year, April, which could leave the state with an extra $10.3 million for property tax reductions as long as revenues meet or beat forecasts during the next two months.  If revenues hit the forecast for May and June, the state would end the fiscal year June 30 with a balance of $426.6 million.

There is a boil water advisory in place this morning for the city of Eden.  The city said they will drop the water pressure around 8 am to make a repair.

Another fire season is approaching and BLM Idaho is asking for your help to prevent human-caused fires. A Fire Prevention Order has been issued through October 20th making it illegal to use fireworks, exploding targets, steel component ammunition, tracer ammunition, shooting at steel or ferrous material targets or burn explosive materials on BLM-managed lands in Idaho.

The Joslin Field 75th Anniversary Celebration Air Show is about a month away.  The airshow is Saturday June 17th, the day before father’s day.

With Memorial Day Weekend starting Thursday May 25^th for some, Triple A is predicting that 42 point 3 million Americans will travel on the roads.  That’s 2-point 7 million more than a year ago.  In Idaho that number will be 241 thousand. 

New tenants are planning to move in to the old Bed Bath and Beyond Building near the canyon rim in Twin Falls.  Natural Grocers will have a second location in the magic valley and will be the sixth in Idaho.  They plan to open their doors this fall.

WEATHER

Today:  Sunny, with a high near 79. East wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable.

Tonight:  A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 7pm and 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east southeast after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Wednesday Night:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. West wind 6 to 9 mph becoming east southeast after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Thursday:  A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday Night:  A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Friday:  Sunny, with a high near 83.

Friday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 56.

Saturday:  Sunny, with a high near 86.

Saturday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 58.

Sunday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 86.

Sunday Night:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.

Monday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.

Monday 051523

State police were busy over the weekend dealing with several crashes.  One near Mountain Home claimed the life of three people from Boise.  It happened yesterday morning just south of Simco Road.  A pickup crossed the center line and collided with a semi-truck.  Last night a 26 year old Hagerman resident lost control of his pickup on highway 30 and struck a fence.  Then early Sunday morning a two vehicle crash in Jerome County sent three people to the hospital when they collided with a tractor on the 300 north road just after 2 am.

The Blaine County Sheriff’s office has issued a flood evacuation notice telling residents to prepare to leave at a moment’s notice.  Currently there are no immediate evacuations in place.  The weather service said the Big Wood River could flood with the snowmelt increasing river flows throughout the week.

On Friday afternoon, the jury in the Lori Vallow-Daybell murder trial found her guilty on all counts.  She will be sentenced in Three months.  She faces life in prison because the death penalty option was removed by the judge. 

With $734 million on the line, this is a huge May election for schools.  House Bill 292 eliminated the March school election date which had long been the districts’ favorite date for running bond issues and levies. Districts sought more than $1 billion in bond issues and levies this March. Many of the big-ticket bond issues failed, most of the levies passed.  Tomorrow only 16 of Idaho’s 115 school districts have measures on the ballot.  In Hagerman, they are asking for a 5 year 2 million dollar plant facilities levy.

The BLM scheduled five public meetings this week to gather feedback on major proposed changes to its stewardship of multiple-use lands across the western US including 12 million acres in Idaho.  None of those meetings will be in Idaho, and the state’s congressional delegation is asking for one.

Motorists traveling on Filer Avenue in Twin Falls will experience lane Closures starting tomorrow and continuing into Wednesday.  Contractors will construct a new utility crossing under Filer Avenue East near Blue Lakes Boulevard. During construction, Filer Avenue near the Chevron Gas Station and WaFad Bank will be limited to one shared lane.

WEATHER

Monday:  Isolated showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after noon. Some of the storms could produce small hail and gusty winds. Partly sunny, with a high near 76. East wind 10 to 15 mph becoming light northeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 52. East wind 7 to 9 mph.

Tuesday:  Sunny, with a high near 79. East wind 5 to 7 mph becoming west in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 53. West southwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming southeast after midnight.

Wednesday:  Sunny, with a high near 77.

Wednesday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 54.

Thursday:  Sunny, with a high near 81.

Thursday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 56.

Friday:  Sunny, with a high near 84.

Friday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 56.

Saturday:  Sunny, with a high near 86.

Saturday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 58.

Sunday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 87.

Friday 051223

An environmental group has accused the J.R. Simplot Co.’s cattle feedlot in Grand View of polluting the Snake River and lacking a key permit.  The nonprofit Snake River Water-keeper, in a May 9 complaint filed in federal district court in Boise, alleges Simplot is discharging manure and processing wastewater into waters.  The Grand View feedlot has more than 100,000 head of cattle.

Today you can engage with police officers from Twin Falls.  It’s Coffee with a cop from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Taylor Building on the College of Southern Idaho campus.  The Twin Falls Police Department has held the events since 2015.

Tomorrow, you are invited to join police officers and their families as they pay tribute to the service of law enforcement members and remember the men and women who lost their lives in the line of duty.  The Magic Valley Law Enforcement Memorial service begins at 11 a.m. at the Twin Falls City Park band shell.  A free picnic lunch will be provided by the Lighthouse Christian Church.

North Idaho College in Couer D’Alene was denied a request to reconsider a court order forcing the institution to reinstate its president, while the school is involved in accreditation issues since 2021.  A Judge upheld an earlier decision that requires the college to keep Nick Swayne as President of the Institution for the remainder of a lawsuit he filed against the college’s board of trustees.

The Idaho Foodbank is preparing for the largest nationwide food drive, set to take place tomorrow.  This year marks the post offices 31st annual “Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.”  You can participate in the event by filling any bag with non-perishable food and placing it next to their mailboxes tomorrow.

The city of Burley is asking a district court judge to dismiss a former mayor’s lawsuit that alleges violation of the Idaho Constitution and religious favoritism in a water and sewer development agreement.  The case is over the agreement with the LDS church’s temple being built in Burley. 

WEATHER

Today:  Sunny, with a high near 71. East southeast wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon.

Tonight:  Mostly clear, with a low around 48. Northwest wind around 7 mph becoming east after midnight.

Saturday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Sunny, with a high near 72. East northeast wind 8 to 17 mph.

Saturday Night:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Breezy, with an east northeast wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 17 to 22 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.

Sunday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 71. Breezy, with an east wind 20 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.

Sunday Night:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54.

Monday:  A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Monday Night:  Partly cloudy, with a low around 53.

Tuesday:  Sunny, with a high near 82.

Tuesday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 54.

Wednesday:  Sunny, with a high near 83.

Wednesday Night:  Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Thursday:  Sunny, with a high near 84.

Thursday 051123

New court documents accuse anti-government activist Ammon Bundy of hiding his assets in a new sequence of shell companies as a civil lawsuit against him continues.  In a video recording Bundy said he sold his home and doesn’t have much for St. Luke’s Health System to recover in the case.  The five-acre property in Emmett is now owned by a Wyoming corporation.  Wyoming allows owners of LLCs to remain anonymous.

Josiah Colt, from Meridian who traveled to Washington in a car loaded with weapons and was photographed dangling from the Senate balcony during the Capitol riot was sentenced yesterday to 15 months in prison.  Colt pleaded guilty to obstructing Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s White House victory.

Idaho has notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife services that the state plans to sue them over the failure to remove grizzly bears from the endangered species list.  Governor Brad Little said over a year ago, Idaho petitioned for delisting the “lower-48” grizzly bears.

The Blaine County Sheriff’s office said deputies were called to the detention center when an inmate became combative flooding his cell, kicking and ripping a surveillance camera from the ceiling.  44 year old Johannes Achhorner was in custody on felony assault after an incident on Monday.  Police say they were called to a business where a motorcycle had been knocked over.  Achhorner allegedly attacked a police officer.

Workers will close a portion of U.S. 26 near Shoshone for three days starting next Tuesday for railroad repair.  Motorists traveling northbound on U.S. Route 93 toward Shoshone will be detoured west on U.S. Route 26. Those traveling southbound on State Highway 75 toward Shoshone will be detoured west on U.S. Route 20.

The Idaho Transportation Department is blasting rock in the median of I-84 between the South Jerome and Twin Falls Interchanges.  Rolling closures will begin at 7:00 p.m. tonight.   Delays will range from 20-30 minutes.   A pilot car will control traffic several miles before the blast area. 

WEATHER

Today:  Sunny, with a high near 67. Light and variable wind becoming west 6 to 11 mph in the morning.

Tonight:  Mostly clear, with a low around 45. West wind 5 to 11 mph becoming east southeast after midnight.

Friday:  Sunny, with a high near 72. Light and variable wind becoming east around 6 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 49. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming east after midnight.

Saturday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 72. East wind 7 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

Saturday Night:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Breezy.

Sunday:  Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Breezy.

Sunday Night:  Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Breezy.

Monday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Monday Night:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 53.

Tuesday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 83.

Tuesday Night:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 55.

Wednesday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 84.

Wednesday 051023

Idaho researchers will receive $24 million for a new research project on the impact of changes in climate, population and technology on energy and water use in Idaho. Researchers will work to identify energy and water use strategies that will be resilient to Idaho’s changing needs, based on ongoing feedback from communities.

When the jury returns its verdict in the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell, people will be able to watch it live on the internet and on television.  Judge Steven Boyce yesterday issued an order stating the the court will broadcast through its official YouTube channel using the court's own media devices.  The date and time of the verdict are not yet known.

A federal judge denied Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s request to reconsider the order barring the state from prosecuting emergency room physicians for providing abortion care to stabilize a patient.  U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill made his initial decision to block part of Idaho’s ban on abortions in August, just before the ban went into effect.  Idaho’s ban on abortion applies to all stages of pregnancy.

A 28 year old Twin Falls man was arrested Monday afternoon after he led police on a high speed pursuit through Twin Falls ending in a parking lot on Kimberly road.  Zachary Cole is facing charges of eluding officers and possession of meth. 

A Payette attorney who is qualified for capital murder defense has joined the defense team of Bryan Kohberger who faces charges of killing 4 U of I students.  Elisa Massoth joined the team on Monday.

Police say 46 year old Joseph Baxter of Twin Falls died Monday after his pickup rolled down a ravine in the South Hills.  A horseback rider discovered the accident just after noon off Cottonwood Road south of Foothill road.

Yesterday was groundbreaking for a new business in Heyburn.  Advanced Biofuels of Idaho looks to be the first renewable natural gas facility in the Magic Valley will take over the old ethanol plant that started 15 years ago.

WEATHER

Today:  Partly sunny, with a high near 65. Light and variable wind becoming west northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Tonight:  Mostly clear, with a low around 40. Southwest wind 7 to 13 mph.

Thursday:  Sunny, with a high near 70. West wind 6 to 13 mph.

Thursday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 44. West wind 6 to 15 mph becoming south southwest after midnight.

Friday:  Sunny, with a high near 73. South southeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon.

Friday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 49.

Saturday:  Sunny, with a high near 76.

Saturday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 52.

Sunday:  Sunny, with a high near 78. Breezy.

Sunday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 55.

Monday:  A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.

Monday Night:  Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Tuesday:  A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.

Tuesday 050923

$4 gasoline could return to some parts of the Gem State as early as this week.  Today, Idaho’s average price for a gallon of regular is $3.75, which is four cents more than a week ago and 20 cents more than a month ago.  Meanwhile, the national average currently sits at $3.54 per gallon, which is seven cents less than a week ago and six cents less than a month ago.

As expected, some prominent Idaho Republicans have started pushing back against a new ballot initiative that is designed to end Idaho’s closed primary system and fundamentally change elections in Idaho.   Last week, organizers with Idahoans for Open Primaries filed a new ballot initiative with the state that is designed to replace Idaho’s closed primaries with an open primary election that all Idaho voters could participate in. Under the new primary format, the top four vote-getters from the primary would all advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. 

The U.S. senate has given their nod of approval for a new U.S. district judge that would serve Idaho.  Both Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch agreed Amanda Brailsford should be the next judge.  If confirmed, Judge Brailsford, would be the first woman to serve in the role of U.S. District Judge in Idaho.

Starting tomorrow if you want to burn outside the city limits you must obtain a Free State fire burn permit issued by the Idaho Department of Lands.  Within city limits, most cities require a burn permit as well if even allowed. 

Many school districts in Idaho are worried about the ability to access the full historic state funding allocated to public schools because of a change in the funding formula.  Starting the fall of 2023, Idaho will fund public schools on the regular attendance-based formula.  Some districts including Twin Falls say they have not seen attendance reach pre-pandemic levels. 

Boise-based Albertsons is being sued over a data breach that affected about 33,000 employees.  The breach happened in December of 2022, but employees did not find out until nearly five months later, in late April of 2023.

Today is National fentanyl awareness day and the local health district will be hosting a community panel in Twin Falls to awareness of the problem.  It’s set for tonight at 6:30 at the CSI Taylor building. 

WEATHER

Tuesday:  Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. West southwest wind 8 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night:  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.

Wednesday:  Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Light and variable wind becoming west 6 to 11 mph in the morning.

Wednesday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 43. Southwest wind 8 to 14 mph.

Thursday:  Sunny, with a high near 68.

Thursday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 45.

Friday:  Sunny, with a high near 73.

Friday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 50.

Saturday:  Sunny, with a high near 77. Breezy.

Saturday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 54.

Sunday:  Sunny, with a high near 80. Breezy.

Sunday Night:  Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.

Monday:  Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.