DRIGGS — A skier was hospitalized on Friday after being rescued from an avalanche, according to Teton County Idaho Search and Rescue.

TCISR was notified that someone had been injured in an avalanche around 4:30 p.m.on Friday, the agency said in a Facebook post. The avalanche was above State Line Canyon in the Tetons, less than two miles from State Highway 33.

“Twenty-three team members responded, including three K9 teams,” TCISR said.

The victim, a man whose name wasn’t released, remained on the surface of the snow field, “likely due to his airbag deployment,” TCISR stated in the post — five other skiers who found the man had already started rescue efforts.

The man sustained significant trauma from hitting trees, according to search and rescue officials. He had multiple injuries to his upper extremities, as well as face and head trauma.

RELATED | Avalanche warning issued for areas in Idaho and Montana

Crews stabilized the patient and took him to the trailhead at ID-33, where he was handed off to Teton County Fire and Rescue and taken to Driggs. His status is unknown at this time.

Responders searched the avalanche with transceivers and canines, the post stated, as some of the debris had covered a popular ski track into Mount Oliver. No other victims were reported.

The current avalanche danger in the area is high. Although the number of avalanches may decrease over the next several days, authorities warn the size of avalanches may increase due to weather conditions.

“Please choose your lines and areas responsibly, be sure to have proper avalanche response gear and look out for each other,” the post said.

The post Avalanche victim rescued in Tetons appeared first on East Idaho News.

Check out road conditions across the region here.

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IDAHO FALLS — The following eastern Idaho schools have announced classes are cancelled on Friday, Jan. 12, due to extreme weather conditions:

School Districts

• Idaho Falls School District 91
• Swan Valley School District 92
• Bonneville Joint School District 93
• Madison School District 321
• Sugar-Salem School District 322
• Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25
• Jefferson School District 251
• Ririe School District 252
• West Jefferson School District 253
• Teton School District 401

Charter/Private Schools

• Grace Lutheran School in Pocatello
• Conner Academy in Pocatello
• Alpine Academy in Pocatello
• Gem Prep Pocatello
• Holy Rosary Catholic School in Idaho Falls
• Taylor’s Crossing Public Charter School in Idaho Falls
• White Pine Charter School in Idaho Falls
• Lighthouse Montessori School in Idaho Falls
• Snake River Montessori School in Ammon
• Vogue Beauty College and Salon in Idaho Falls
• Downtown Barber School in Idaho Falls
• Acton Academy in Idaho Falls
• Austin Kade Academy in IDAHO FALLS

Universities

• Idaho State University
• The College of Eastern Idaho
• Eagle Gate College

The majority of eastern Idaho is under a blizzard warning from Thursday evening until Saturday morning. Significant snowfall and high winds are forecast throughout the region, which will cause poor visibility on eastern Idaho roads.

A number of highways in eastern Idaho were closed Friday morning. Click here for the list.

RELATED | Do you really have to travel? How you can stay safe on the road during the blizzard

For the latest road conditions visit 511 Idaho. You can also view road conditions on the EastIdahoNews.com traffic webcam page.

For the latest weather conditions visit the EastIdahoNews.com weather page.

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IDAHO FALLS – Idaho State Police is making sure you know what to do to stay safe during the potential for an extreme blizzard on Thursday and Friday.

ISP is partnering with local law enforcement agencies and the Idaho Department of Transportation to ensure they are out in “full force” during the storm that could create extremely dangerous road conditions.

“This one has a big word in it, and it’s called blizzard,” says Capt. Chris Weadick with the Idaho State Police. “We usually don’t usually get blizzard warnings, so this one is on our radar.”

Weadick says the most important thing to do is decide if you really need to be driving during the storm or not.

RELATED | Blizzard coming to eastern Idaho Thursday night; drivers asked to not travel

“During this storm, one of the biggest things is travel. Ask yourself if you really need to be traveling out in the weather during this period of time,” says Weadick. “If you don’t, limit your travel, reduce your travel, or just simply stay home. Stay off the roadways.”

If you decide you need to travel, remember the roads are slick, the wind is fast, and there are more people on the road than just you.

“A lot of people have been comfortable for the last month or two having nice dry roads, and they have forgotten winter driving habits,” says Weadick. “Slow down, don’t follow so close, and wear seatbelts. We still see a lot of crashes with drivers that aren’t wearing their seatbelts. A lot of that type of stuff is very preventable.”

According to Weadick, the biggest threat with the blizzard will be the wind as the National Weather Service is estimating that Idaho Falls could see winds gusting as high as 55 mph.

“We’re expecting extremely high winds. If we get a couple of inches of snow with 50 mph winds, you’ve got significant drifting issues,” says Weadick. “We could still have significant snow accumulations, but really, the wind is going to be a very big concern.”

All of local law enforcement and the Idaho Transportation Department will be deploying everyone available to make sure the roads are clear and people are as safe as possible during the storm.

“The Idaho Transportation Department is going to be out in full force, trying to keep the roadways clear,” says Weadick. “It is going to be all hands on deck for the Idaho State Police, here in the Idaho Falls area. We are pretty much going to have every trooper available in our ranks working.”

Weadick says local law enforcement will also be patrolling more remote areas and long stretches of road to ensure drivers are using caution.

“The other law enforcement agencies are out doing the same thing. We’ve got a lot of remote highways, a lot of long stretches of road, everybody is going to be out trying to provide the best travel safe roadways out here,” says Weadick. “We’re committed to being out in full force, and trying to help the motoring public.”

The post Do you really have to travel? How you can stay safe on the road during the blizzard appeared first on East Idaho News.

POCATELLO — A blizzard is coming to eastern Idaho, bringing significant snowfall and high winds throughout the region starting Thursday evening.

The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued a blizzard warning starting 5 p.m. Thursday and will last until Friday evening or Saturday morning in certain areas.

NWS Meteorologist Audra Moore said the last blizzard warning that was issued was eight years ago in eastern Idaho during December 2016. She said there have been about seven blizzard warnings issued since 2006.

“We are trying to get people to understand how serious this is,” Moore said. “A blizzard is sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or greater causing blowing snow to reduce visibility to a quarter of a mile or less for 3+ hours. So a blizzard warning is less about the snow falling than it is about the blowing snow impacting travel.”

Blizzard conditions are expected all across eastern Idaho, with total snow accumulations of one to five inches in the Upper Snake River Plain. The snowfall and wind is expected from 5 p.m. Thursday to 5 p.m. Friday. Areas affected include the Mud Lake, Teton Valley, Idaho Falls, Rexburg, St. Anthony, Victor, Ashton, Tetonia and Driggs.

Places like Pocatello, Fort Hall, Shelley and Blackfoot could expect snow accumulations of four to eight inches and winds gusting as high as 60 mph. In these areas, the blizzard warning is in effect from 5 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Saturday.

Places like Inkom, Lava Hot Springs, Preston, Montpelier, Soda Springs and Swan Valley could have five to nine inches of snow. The blizzard warning in these areas is also in effect from 5 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Saturday.

Additionally, there is a wind chill watch in effect from Friday through Saturday. Winds gusting as high as 55 mph are possible. Dangerously cold wind chills are possible, with chills as low as 25 below zero.

“Tomorrow (Friday) morning would be a nightmare travel scenario with gusts in that 50 to 60 mph range,” Moore added.

The blizzard warning from NWS says that travel could be very difficult to “impossible.” Blowing and drifting snow will significantly reduce visibility. In a graphic posted by NWS, the blizzard warning advises, “do not travel.”

“It’s way too dangerous. Don’t be out unless it is an emergency. Not only are you putting yourself at risk, but you also put at risk the lives of the emergency responders,” Moore said.

If you have to travel, Moore suggests doing it on Thursday before the blizzard warning is in effect.

“Make sure you’ve got your snow gear in the car with you and make sure you’ve got extra food, extra water, flashlights, and power banks to charge your phone,” she added.

Click here to check out the road conditions. Click here to view the weather in your area.

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Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BUZZ

AMMON

Mrs. Powell’s Bakery under new ownership

AMMON – Like many people in eastern Idaho, Joe Cooper has fond memories of going to Mrs. Powell’s as a kid. He never dreamed he would own it one day.

The 42-year-old Utah man bought the business in August when the previous owner, Amy Romriell, decided to give it up. He runs it with his wife, Necia, and he tells EastIdahoNews.com that aspect is what he enjoys most.

“I’ve been in startups the last four years, and I was looking to buy a business my wife and I could do together. She’s a fantastic baker,” Cooper says. “I didn’t know it was Mrs. Powell’s (when I inquired about a bakery for sale). But when I found out, I said, ‘I gotta do that!'”

The fact that it had a long track record also appealed to him.

Cooper went to high school with the daughter of the original owner, Gayle Powell. Since taking it over, he’s been in touch with Powell, and he’s thrilled that she’ll play a small role in the business operation under his leadership.

“Our intention from the beginning was to take (the bakery) back to what it was that made it so popular in the first place,” Cooper says. “Gayle came in to look at the recipes we’re using and compare it to what she had originally. We’re really excited to have her involved (as a consultant).”

Many of the items customers know and love are still available, with a few exceptions. Sandwiches are only available at the Rigby location now. Soup is served at the Rexburg and Rigby stores. Cookies and some other desserts are no longer at the Ammon location.

Joe says the main focus of the Ammon store at 1813 South 25th East is homemade cinnamon rolls made fresh daily.

Some of the Cooper’s personal touches include three savory rolls: three cheese, jalapeno cheddar and Italian with mozzarella, olive and Italian seasoning. They’re also offering an unfrosted cinnamon roll topped with butter, cinnamon and sugar. A rotating cinnamon roll flavor will be available every month.

The Coopers say they were waiting for the right moment to announce the new ownership, which is why the transition happened quietly. They’re planning some type of celebration in the near future.

“I don’t know exactly how we’ll do it, but I want to do something,” says Joe.

Mrs. Powell’s originally opened inside the Grand Teton Mall in the early 1980s. Joe isn’t sure how long Gayle owned it. She later franchised it, which led to multiple locations in the eastern U.S. In time, Powell sold the franchise so she could focus on the local store.

The Rigby and Rexburg stores opened after Romriell bought the business five or six years ago.

Orange rolls being prepared at Mrs. Powell’s Bakery | Courtesy Joe Cooper

Though Joe grew up in Idaho Falls, he lives in Syracuse, Utah. He and his wife recently built a house there and he owns several businesses in the Beehive State. He’s planning to travel back and forth and will be visiting each store three days a week.

“We have a fantastic product, and we want to grow it,” Joe says. “We don’t want to make any big changes. If anything, it’s more of taking a step back to what it was originally, with a baker in the store making things fresh daily. We want to make sure everybody knows about it and make it as popular as it has been.”

Mrs. Powell’s is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m at all three locations.

BIZ BITS

Frontier Credit Union opening first Driggs location

DRIGGS – Frontier Credit Union is excited to announce the opening of its new branch in Driggs on Feb. 15.

A ribbon-cutting will kick off at 10:45 a.m. at 1105 State Highway 33. The grand opening celebration will follow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Swag will be available along with food from Captain Ron’s Smoke House.

“We are thrilled to finally open our doors in the beautiful Teton Valley! We can’t wait to continue to build better lives and support our community members,” branch manager Jenny Bressler says.

Hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Fall River Electric earns spot on list of Top 100 privately owned companies in Idaho

ASHTON – Fall River Electric Cooperative has been named one of the Top 100 privately owned companies headquartered in Idaho.

It was ranked No. 78, up five spots from last year.

This is the cooperative’s fourth year in a row being recognized. It’s one of 12 local companies to make the list and the only privately owned electric utility.

It came about as part of Nerus Strategies’ annual survey of top performing privately held Idaho-based companies, as compiled by the international accounting firm KPMG.

The top five companies are Simplot, WinCo, Jackson Foods, Kendall Auto Group and Woodgrain. The top east Idaho company was Melaleuca at No. 6. Other local companies on the list include North Wind Group, Potandon, Smith Chevrolet, Kingston, Valley Office, Headwaters Construction, Heartland Pharmacy, Health West, Premier Technology and Title Financial.

See the full list here.

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Judge says contractor must give back $114,000 in ‘unearned payment’ to Rigby homeowners

The post Meet the new owners of a longtime bakery in eastern Idaho appeared first on East Idaho News.

UPDATE
According to the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, Steven Daniel Murphy has been found safe Wednesday night.

ORIGINAL STORY
DRIGGS — A local sheriff’s office is searching for a missing 41-year-old man who hasn’t been seen since last week.

The Teton County Sheriff’s Office is trying to find Steven Daniel Murphy. His last known location was in the Driggs area around 8 a.m. on Jan. 2.

Murphy may be driving a white 2015 Toyota Tundra with Idaho license plate 1T32707.

Where he is headed is unknown at this time, according to a missing person alert posted on social media.

Murphy is about 6 feet tall and weighs around 200 lbs. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

If you have any information on where he might be, call the Teton County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 776-8200.

The post UPDATE: Missing man has been found safe appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — A woman who was hit by a drunk driver in Grand Teton National Park returned to Idaho Falls on Friday to visit the team who saved her life. It was an opportunity rarely afforded medical personnel.

When the crash happened on July 17, 2023, Debbie Crawley was riding her motorcycle over Togwotee Pass with her husband, Mike, and four of their friends. The group had just cleared a long stretch of construction when a driver crossed over the center line and hit Crawley.

“I never, never saw him,” she told EastIdahoNews.com.

Crawley’s left foot was severed on impact.

She had other extensive injuries. Her left hip was shattered, and her femur was broken. Both of her elbows were broken. Large patches of her leg had been scraped off to the bone, and her face had scraped along on the road as well.

She was quickly bleeding out.

Togwotee Pass is well-traveled, but there’s no cell coverage at over 9,600 feet above sea level.

What happened next, Crawley attributes to “God’s grace.”

Incredibly, two trauma nurses were driving behind the group, and they had a satellite phone.

“They called for help and started working on me,” Crawley remembers.

One of Crawley’s friends had a saddlebag packed with emergency supplies, including a tourniquet. This was immediately applied to her leg to stem the bleeding.

Teton National Park EMS arrived and began administering fluids directly into Crawley’s bone to help stabilize her blood pressure, gave her oxygen and called for air transport.

It took an hour for the helicopter to reach them.

Clinging to life

Despite everyone’s best efforts, when Air Idaho Rescue arrived, Crawley was barely breathing. She had lost massive amounts of blood. Medics gave her a blood transfusion equal to about 20 percent of her total body blood volume.

The flight crew administered multiple rounds of medications for hemorrhaging and blood pressure and stabilized her shattered pelvis to prevent further hemorrhaging.

The nearest Level II Trauma Center was Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.

By the time she arrived, Crawley had suffered an overwhelming blood loss and her organs were shutting down. Over 15 clinical experts met Crawley, including trauma surgeons, ER physicians, multiple RNs, radiology technologists, lab phlebotomists, pharmacists, anesthesiologists and others.

RELATED | Here’s what happens at EIRMC if you are a trauma patient

She was sent to the operating room immediately, where two surgeons — trauma surgeon Dr. Adam Meziani and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lance Jacobson — operated simultaneously to keep Crawley from bleeding to death.

During her first five hours at EIRMC, she was infused with 22 units of blood — enough to replace her entire blood volume twice over.

Although her life was ultimately saved, it would never be the same.

“I’m glad you’re here, kid”

Crawley would spend 37 days at EIRMC, 23 of which were in the ICU. During her hospitalization in Idaho Falls, she had eight surgeries. After she went home to Colorado, she underwent four more, she said.

On the day she left, Dr. Meziani told her, “I’m glad you’re here, kid. I lost you twice.”

Now living as an amputee, Crawley admits she has her ups and downs. But, on the whole, she’s simply happy to be alive.

The driver who hit her was later identified as Joshua Berry, 36, of Wisconsin. Crawley said he didn’t seem to realize what had happened and kept driving. Construction workers had to run after him and flag him down.

Berry’s breath test was nearly triple the legal limit, at 0.217.

In October, he pleaded no contest to felony DUI and two misdemeanors of failure to drive a vehicle in a single lane and leaving the scene of an accident, the Jackson Hole News and Guide reported.

Crawley will give her victim impact statement at Berry’s sentencing on Tuesday but first, she wanted to reconnect with the people she calls heroes and thank them again for their tireless efforts.

EIRMC was happy to oblige, hospital spokeswoman Coleen Niemann told EastIdahoNews.com. She contacted Air Idaho Rescue, Teton National Park EMS and EIRMC’s emergency department to coordinate a reunion.

Although everyone who had a hand in saving Crawley couldn’t attend, those who did greeted her and each other with warm handshakes, hugs, smiles and sometimes tears. For the trauma team, it was a rare treat.

“People spend time here, healing. But when their time is done, they leave and go on with life. They don’t usually look back,” Meziani explained.

Watch Debbie Crawley’s story and the reunion in the video player above.

The post Woman who nearly died after being hit by drunk driver reconnects with team that saved her life appeared first on East Idaho News.

BOISE — A pair of Republicans unveiled a new proposal Friday designed to help Idahoans fund private school: a $5,000 tax credit. 

Surrounded by “school choice” advocates in the Statehouse, Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, and Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, announced the $50 million “parental choice tax credit” program. 

It’s the latest Idaho proposal that seeks to open up public funds for private education. Den Hartog and Horman, who have been leading proponents of the “school choice” movement in Idaho, plan to introduce the bill during the upcoming legislative session, which starts Monday. 

“In a time of high inflation and economic uncertainty, the increased concern over the alignment of family values and education, this proposal is designed to support Idaho parents as they make decisions about their child’s education,” Den Hartog said.

The proposal has two parts. First, private school families of any income could claim $5,000 tax credits for expenses “related to the nonpublic academic instruction,” Den Hartog said. That includes tuition, fees, transportation, tutoring, test-taking and exam preparation, among other things.

Qualifying students would be school-aged and enrolled in a non-public school, which could include religious schools and home schools. The tax credits would be first come, first served with a $40 million cap. 

A second bucket of state funds — $10 million — would be set aside for a “kickstart” program benefitting low-income students. Rather than claiming private school expenses on their taxes, families who qualify for the federal earned income tax credit could collect up to $5,000 in grants for one year. After a year, those families would be rolled into the tax credit program. 

In recent years, similar legislation has failed in the face of widespread anxiety about expending public funds on private schools. Opponents of similar mechanisms — often called “vouchers” — worry about a lack of accountability for private school expenses and fear that limited public school funds would be siphoned. 

Public school leaders have bitterly fought proposals to fund private education at the state level. Quinn Perry, policy and government affairs director for the Idaho School Boards Association, told Idaho Education News this week that private school voucher programs in other states have been “budget busters.”

Arizona’s expanding school voucher program is expected to cost taxpayers $900 million this school year. Initial estimates in the Grand Canyon State pegged the cost at $65 million.

The Arizona Mirror reported last week that the state faces a $400 million deficit, because of the rising cost of private school vouchers and decreasing state revenue due to a new flat income tax — which Idaho also enacted, in 2022.

Den Hartog and Horman brushed aside those concerns Friday. They touted the proposed spending caps and the fact that the State Tax Commission would oversee the tax credits and grants, creating an “accountability measure” backed by the threat of perjury for lying on one’s taxes. 

Horman, a former public school board trustee who co-chairs the Legislature’s powerful budget committee, said the program would be “complementary” to Idaho’s public school system. She said she wouldn’t support a policy that harms public education. 

“I am not a fan of budget-busting bills,” Horman said. 

Den Hartog and Horman also acknowledged that those caps could increase in future years, if demand calls for it. 

House Assistant Minority Leader Lauren Necochea slammed the proposal in a conversation with reporters Friday. The Boise Democrat said funneling the money through the Tax Commission is likely a strategy to sidestep the House Education Committee, which blocked similar legislation last year. 

“Whether it’s the state Tax Commission cutting the check or another agency, the result is the same: dollars are being siphoned out of the fund that we use for public schools and will go towards private, religious and, potentially, for-profit institutions with zero accountability,” Necochea said.

National groups that advocate for “school choice” in recent years have spent heavily lobbying Idaho lawmakers to pass a private school voucher policy. But Friday’s news conference demonstrated homegrown support, as well. Dozens of children and parents held signs reading “support the parental choice tax credit program.”

Robbe Hart, a single father from Emmett, said he commutes more than 60 miles, round-trip, for his sons to attend Greenleaf Friends Academy. The travel is “extremely expensive,” Hart said, but his sons have “thrived” at the Christian school.

“If this bill passed, it would help thousands of other people that are going through the same thing that I go through,” he said.

The post Republicans unveil private school tax credit proposal appeared first on East Idaho News.

TETONIA —- Three people are in custody for allegedly trafficking drugs, according to the Teton County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests in a Facebook post on Friday.

On Wednesday, a deputy made a traffic stop on Highway 32 near Tetonia at about 5:30 p.m. A K9 was deployed on the scene, officials said. When it indicated a positive alert, deputies searched the car and reportedly found methamphetamine.

The driver, Shayla D. Waddle, 36, of Rexburg, was taken into custody.

Deputies discovered who the methamphetamine was being delivered to during their investigation, officials stated. Daniel G. George, 53, of Gladstone, Oregon, and Shawn Michael Myers, 29, of Felt were subsequently arrested.

Each suspect is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges.

Myers has been charged with conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance — all felonies — with an enhancement for a second or subsequent offense. He has also been charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

George has been charged with felony conspiracy to deliver with an enhancement for a second or subsequent offense.

Charges for Waddle include criminal conspiracy and drug trafficking in methamphetamine or amphetamine, both felonies. She also has an enhancement for a second or subsequent offense and is charged with a misdemeanor use or possession with intent to use of drug paraphernalia.

“All three arrestees were transported to the Jefferson County Jail to await arraignment,” the Sheriff’s Office stated.

Although these individuals have been charged with these crimes, that doesn’t necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The post Three arrested in Teton County drug bust appeared first on East Idaho News.