IDAHO FALLS — The following eastern Idaho schools have announced classes are delayed or canceled Tuesday due to extreme weather conditions:

Delays

• West Jefferson School District 253 is on a two-hour delay

Closures

• American Falls School District 381
• Arbon School District 383

EastIdahoNews.com will update this list if any other delays are announced.

The National Weather Service in Pocatello issued a wind chill warning Monday that’s in effect until 9 a.m. Tuesday. Sub zero temperatures are expected overnight with dangerously cold wind chills.

RELATED | Another wind chill warning has been issued, but is warmth on the horizon?

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, click here.

The post These schools are closed or delayed Tuesday, Jan. 16, due to cold weather appeared first on East Idaho News.

RIGBY – A bill being proposed in the Idaho Legislature aims to increase the authority of local farmers and ranchers to improve range land across the state.

Rep. Jerald Raymond, R-Menan — who represents District 31 covering Jefferson, Fremont, Clark and Lemhi counties — is introducing legislation he’s calling the Rangeland Improvement Act.

He tells EastIdahoNews.com this bill would give boards in local grazing districts the ability to prioritize projects in specific areas and direct the Idaho State Department of Agriculture to apply for grants to pay for those projects. Examples of rangeland improvement projects could include water distribution, cross-fencing (fences built on grazing land to divide the property into smaller pastures) or predator and invasive species control.

Raymond and his wife, Cheri, own a feedlot near Menan and have worked in the cattle industry for decades. The beef cattle market in Idaho ranks 13th in the nation, according to the ISDA. Rangeland occupies 54% of the land area. Of the 22 million acres in the southern part of the state, the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission says 80% of it is managed by the state or federal government.

For this reason, Raymond says this bill is needed in the Gem State. He points to the Taylor Grazing Act passed by Congress in 1934, which established grazing rights for livestock ranchers across the U.S. and gave authority to the federal government to manage it.

“There’s been a movement for many years for the state to take over either management or ownership of federal lands. We’ll never get to the point where the state takes over ownership of federal lands, but this gives us the opportunity to partner with those who use the rangelands for grazing to improve it,” Raymond says. “Protecting rangelands and open spaces (is crucial to the health of the livestock industry).”

Rangeland fires and invasive grass species are the two biggest challenges ranchers currently face in Idaho, according to Idaho Cattle Association Executive Director Cameron Mulrony. These are issues that can only be handled by the federal government, Mulrony says, and Raymond’s bill wouldn’t change that.

But water projects are something that would benefit from this legislation, he says.

“There’s a lot of space out there where water availability isn’t there. If we can enhance that through this or other programs — that’s just the easiest one that we really can see more utilization and expansion,” Mulrony explains.

Raymond says enhancing water availability would also allow ranchers to distribute cattle where there is more grass and prevent overgrazing, which has a detrimental effect on land and other wildlife in riparian areas (grazing land near a body of water).

“When we overgraze riparian areas, it destroys the visual part of the landscape. You want greenery, you don’t want to see dirt,” says Raymond. “If you overgraze, the grass doesn’t come back like it should and we don’t get that second chance (of grazing) in the same season.”

Virtual fencing, which Raymond describes as an electric shock collar for a cow, is a management tactic that’s becoming a rising trend for cattlemen to keep livestock away from riparian areas. Boundaries are set using a computer program and when the cow steps outside the boundary, it shocks them so they’ll get back inside.

It’s an option available to ranchers that Raymond wants to make more feasible through this bill.

Grant funds for rangeland improvement projects are available from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Land Management. If a project is beneficial for multiple wildlife species, there are also funding sources from non-governmental organizations like Pheasants Forever or the National Elk Foundation.

“We’re excited to get this piece of legislation passed. I’ve been working on it for quite some time, and it’s taken a while to get the language right,” Raymond says. “Livestock has a huge impact on the economy and we need to make sure that producers can contribute and make money.”

If the bill is approved by the Resources and Conservation Committee, it will be introduced on the House floor. Click here to follow its progress.

RELATED LINKS

Local legislator says killing education tax credit is biggest priority this session

Idaho bill aims to provide funds to help first responders become mental health specialists

Idaho lawmaker introducing bill addressing what mortuaries can do with unclaimed ashes

Proposed bill in the Idaho legislature aims to make AI-generated pornography illegal

The post Local legislator wants to increase ranchers’ ability to improve Idaho’s rangeland appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — The EastIdahoNews.com crew will be highlighting different jobs in our area throughout 2024, and today we’re workin’ it with the Idaho Falls Spud Kings.

Since the launch of the Mountain America Center in Nov. 2022, the junior hockey team has become one of the venue’s most popular acts. MAC Marketing Director Kelsey Salsbery says tickets for every game are sold out.

She gave me a behind-the-scenes tour of the venue for the one-year anniversary and introduced me to Colin Fairfield, the team’s equipment manager.

RELATED | The Mountain America Center’s first year was a huge success. Here’s what’s coming in 2024

Colin showed me how to sharpen blades on skates, sew name plates on jerseys and organize the locker room. I enjoyed interacting with the team’s newest player and learned just how pivotal the equipment manager is in the team’s success.

See what it’s like and find out how I did in the video above.

PREVIOUS WORKIN’ IT STORIES

I worked as a soda jerk for a day and here’s what I learned

I spent the day training dogs. Here’s what they taught me.

What is it like to work as a mechanic? I decided to find out.

I flew with Air Idaho Rescue for a day. Here’s what I learned.

I agreed to be a school cafeteria lunch worker for a day. Here’s what I learned.

What is it like to work at the Idaho Falls Zoo? I decided to give it a try.

I went crawfishing for the first time with Crayster and here’s what I learned

The post I worked as the Spud Kings equipment manager for a day, and here’s what I learned appeared first on East Idaho News.

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series about Fred and Frank Keefer. Read the first story here.

IDAHO FALLS – The guns in Bruce Lines’ safe bring back warm memories of his great uncle.

The 74-year-old Idaho Falls man is the nephew of Fred and Frank Keefer, twin brothers for whom Keefer’s Island near John’s Hole Bridge in Idaho Falls is named. Fred built a cabin on the island in 1939 that’s still standing and served as a deputy for the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office for 21 years.

Lines still has several guns Fred used during his days as a lawman. One of them is a Colt Buntline Special, a long-barreled variant of the Colt Single Action Army revolver. Though most of the gun is still intact, the trigger guard is completely gone.

Lines also has a sawed off shotgun his great uncle once used, but in place of the handle is part of an antler from an elk or deer. Lines also has a Colt 45 with three notches on the handle, a gun Fred took from someone he once arrested.

These and a now pewterized cowboy hat worn by Fred, are just a few of the items in Lines’ possession. After Fred’s death in 1987, Lines says a realtor sold many of Fred’s belongings and whatever the family didn’t claim, the museum acquired. None of it is currently on display, but Chloe Doucette, the Museum of Idaho’s managing director, says they’re hoping to open an exhibit in the next few years.

Remembered as a soft-spoken, intelligent man, Lines tells EastIdahoNews.com Fred lived his life with one foot tied to the old west. He and his brother were born in 1891 when Idaho Falls was a burgeoning community on the western frontier. They preferred living off the land and they owned lots of it, including the property where Pinecrest Golf Course and Freeman Park now sit. (Keefer Street between Higbee Avenue and North Holmes near Pinecrest is named in their honor).

RELATED | Two brothers and a cabin on Keefer’s Island helped establish Idaho Falls as ‘a nice place’ to live ‘with a touch of wilderness’

“Frank (who was a taxidermist) and Fred lived in very modern homes, and yet Frank used his bathtub to soak his hides in. He never took a bath and Fred just stored stuff in his bathtub. They had modern things but they didn’t use them in the way they were intended,” Bruce’s wife, Jill, says.

When and how they bathed is “the question of the hour,” Jill says.

A photo of Fred Keefer provided by Bruce and Jill Lines

Getting started in law enforcement

Fred was first elected Bonneville County sheriff in 1918, a position he held for about a year, according to the sheriff’s office. He became a deputy years later in 1938. Over the course of two decades, he served under five sheriffs and was acting sheriff for about a week while a replacement was found.

The Lines don’t know for sure what motivated Fred to become a deputy, but say this quality of holding on to the Old West may have had something to do with it.

He also had an interest in the military. Frank was a veteran of World War I and war was a subject Fred was interested in, particularly the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

“Fred was very handy with weapons,” Bruce says. “He had 40 or 50 guns hanging from the ceiling. Those were the decorations in his house.”

Aside from that, Bruce says Fred was well-known and even-tempered, which could have played a role as well.

Though Fred and Frank were known for their wild stories, many of which have been passed down over the years, Bruce’s knowledge of Fred’s years as a lawman is sparse.

But he does recall Fred serving as a jailer for the bulk of those years. Drunkenness was a common thing he arrested people for in those days and many of those who came through liked him because of how he treated them.

“I visited him at the jail sometimes and I could tell you what the jail looked like but not any specific stories, other than what’s in his book,” says Bruce.

The Keefer brothers’ knack for storytelling prompted both of them to write memoirs late in life. In his book, Fred recalls some childhood experiences that may have influenced his decision to go into law enforcement.

Growing up in the wild west

Fred recounts an instance in his boyhood when a saloon keeper shot and killed two cowboys for repeatedly shooting out the lights in his business.

“The law enforcement officers, which were few, were not only tough, but sometimes cruel,” Fred writes.

A man from Montana who was wanted on a “minor charge” hid out in a straw stack in Idaho Falls with his partner. Fred says an officer shot one of them, put his head in a gunny sack and placed it in a downtown bar.

On another occasion, an officer reportedly shot a 16-year-old boy who had “run away from a freight outfit.” He was an orphan and the company had snagged him to do chores, but treated him badly. He hid in a barn and an officer shot him.

Years later, Fred and his dad were in a saloon. Around 9:30 p.m., someone came in and yelled that the jail was on fire. They followed the sheriff to the jail and told him to hurry and open it so the man inside wouldn’t burn.

“He set it on fire,” the sheriff said, according to Fred.

They were able to get him out and the sheriff rolled him on the ground to put out the flames. Fred didn’t remember what happened to the victim.

In 1911, Fred and Frank were 20 years old and were part of a posse sent to catch Hugh Whitney, a man wanted for shooting a conductor and wounding another man. That fall, Fred “went to work in the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.”

‘In 20 years of service, I used a gun twice’

More than 30 pages of Fred’s memoir is devoted to his years as a deputy. Among all the cases he was involved in, he says he only used his gun twice in 21 years.

The first time happened during his first week in office. He and the sheriff (whom Fred doesn’t name but was most likely Sheriff Harry Meppen, Bonneville County’s longest-serving sheriff to date) went to a neighboring state to arrest a man on a felony charge. They picked up the 30-year-old man in a bar, who Fred says was “more than 200 pounds, half drunk and hard to handle.”

RELATED | How Bonneville County got its name and the early lawmen who protected its citizens

When they got him to the jail, he apparently refused to sign the extradition papers. They locked him up and both sheriffs later admitted they forgot to search him. A search revealed the man had nothing on him but he was now willing to sign the papers because the jail was freezing.

Fred went in the basement to wash up before they left, and the prisoner went with him because he claimed he wanted to wash up, too. That’s when the prisoner tried to escape.

“With two jumps, he landed on the bottom. How a man that size could move sure surprised me. I found him in the coal bin crawling through a coal shute. I yelled for him to stop but he kept on crawling,” writes Fred.

Fred placed his gun in the middle of his back and told him he’d shoot if he didn’t stop. He crawled back and Fred handcuffed him before bringing him upstairs and back to Idaho.

Fred actually fired his gun on the second occasion. He’d gone to bed at the jail while working the night shift. Around 1 a.m., he saw a man inside the barbed wire fence that surrounded the jail.

The man was running around so Fred put on his boots and his holster and yelled at him to stop. The man ignored his warning and Fred fired a shot above the man’s head. Fred reports the man jumped over the eight foot fence like it was nothing. He kept running and Fred fired a second shot, causing him to stop. Fred caught him on the west side of the courthouse.

“I then found out why he had ignored the gun shots — he was drunk,” Fred writes. “He was carrying a package of hack saw blades, which he was intending to put through the bars. I was severely reprimanded by the sheriff for this act.”

‘People are still talking about him’

Fred retired as a deputy in 1959, the same year he sold his cabin to the city for $1. He was 96 when he passed away on Dec. 5, 1987.

Fred wasn’t the only member of his family to serve his community. His sister, Louise Blackbird, was the first woman in eastern Idaho to pass the bar exam, according to Bruce. Fred’s brother, Clyde, who is Bruce’s grandfather, was the mayor of St. Anthony for 34 years. Clyde Keefer Memorial Park is named in his memory.

Bruce is proud of his heritage as a member of the Keefer family and the indelible mark Fred and his brother had on the city of Idaho Falls.

“He’s been gone for a long time and people are still talking about him,” says Bruce. “He was a man of integrity.”

A photo of Fred Keefer in his old age | Courtesy Museum of Idaho

RELATED LINKS

Why a former deputy cut off an outlaw’s leg, and the ‘controversy’ surrounding a notorious gunfight

A former sheriff says a head-on collision was a ‘blessing in disguise,’ and how he arrested one of America’s most wanted fugitives

Locals recall 2 bank robberies, and a rollover collision involving Clark County’s longest-serving sheriff

Why a former sheriff is remembered as ‘the Wyatt Earp of Madison County’

Remembering a former Madison County sheriff, and a ‘tragic accident’ that made national headlines

Former Bonneville County sheriff was a ‘self-taught, hard-working’ man who solved 2 murders

Rigby’s longest-serving police chief looks back on 43-year career and tragic double homicide

How a former Driggs lawman with a bullet in his side captured a triple murder suspect

Why one of Fremont County’s most respected lawmen was arrested and sued in two separate cases

Former Bannock County sheriff recalls one of ‘the most difficult service calls in law enforcement history’

Fremont County’s first sheriff, a ‘ghastly’ murder, and the lawmen who had a brush with fame

How Bingham County was formed and why its first sheriff was a ‘fearless and efficient officer’

Fremont County sheriff who served nonconsecutive terms shares memories of time in office

Jefferson County’s longest-serving sheriff looks back on 40-year career in law enforcement

How Bonneville County got its name and the early lawmen who protected its citizens

Jefferson County’s beginnings and why its first sheriff was ‘widely known and highly respected’

The post Iconic Idaho Falls citizen who served as a lawman for over 20 years grew up in the city’s Wild West infancy appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS – Sen. James Ruchti, D-Pocatello, says one thing on his list takes precedence above everything else this Legislative session.

“If there’s only one thing I could get done … it would be to defeat any sort of tax credit voucher proposal,” Ruchti tells EastIdahoNews.com.

He’s referring to the education tax credit, a bill that aims to provide $5,000 for every K-12 student ($7,500 for special ed students) to use for academic instruction. The idea, according to Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, one of the bill’s sponsors, is to give parents “the power to choose the learning environment that works best” for their child.

It sets aside $40 million from the general budget to fund it. Ten million of that would go towards a grant for lower income families.

“Parents who can’t afford tuition expenses upfront … could apply for a grant for the same amount and be eligible for the refundable tax credit the next year,” Horman explains.

Those who are opposed to more education options often call it a voucher, Horman says, but tax credits and vouchers are two different things.

Horman introduced similar legislation with Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, during the 2023 session. SB 1161 called for $30,000 in ongoing state funding to provide tuition grants of $6,000 for up to 2,000 students a year. It failed to earn enough votes in the House Education Committee to advance it to the floor.

RELATED | Proposed bill makes state funds available to students in private or homeschool

Regardless of the changes, Ruchti is opposed and under no circumstances would he vote for it.

“It’s going to take money from our public schools and give it to private schools, religious schools and home schools,” Ruchti says. “It’s a program that will continue to grow and expand, and we’ll have less money for facility repairs, less money to pay teachers and staff, less money to provide quality education and technology for students.”

Another reason Ruchti is not in favor of it is that it’s “totally unaccountable.” He says there’s no requirement for private, religious or home schools to report how the money is spent or the impact it’s having on students.

“We have all kinds of state statutes that govern how money is spent and we expect graduates to meet certain metrics each year,” says Ruchti. “I’m really shocked when legislators endorse this type of program. This is a conservative state and I can think of nothing less conservative than allowing public money to be spent without accountability.”

But Horman, who served on a local school board for 11 years, says this bill will not take money away from public schools because it’s completely separate from public school funding.

“The money we appropriate belongs to the people, not schools, and the people have entrusted their elected representatives to appropriate it out to the various agencies and institutions of the state,” Horman says.

She cites Article 7, section 13 of the Idaho Constitution, which prohibits “money to be drawn from the treasury,” except through “appropriations made by law.”

Regarding Ruchti’s point about the bill having no accountability, Horman says it requires recipients — not institutions — to keep receipts for how the money is spent.

“The Tax Commission has the authority to audit the expenses and recapture the grants if they aren’t used in accordance with the law. It can also report potential misuse to the Attorney General for investigation and prosecution,” she says.

She points to a recent study from the Mountain States Policy Center showing how Idaho’s public school enrollment isn’t keeping up with the population growth and school choice often improves student outcomes.

But Ruchti says Idaho is a highly ranked school choice state nationwide without implementing tax credits and students already have options for their education.

“You can enroll your kid in private school (if you aren’t satisfied with the public school system). But you do it on your dime because we don’t have accountability for it,” he says. “When you hear people say this is all about school choice, it’s not true. This is about taking tax money and using it in a way we don’t allow in any other scenario.”

Horman is sponsoring the bill with Senators Hartog, Doug Ricks, R-Rexburg, and Scott Grow, R-Eagle, along with Rep. Jason Monks, R-Nampa.

Once a final draft is approved, it will be introduced in the Revenue and Taxation Committee. Ruchti anticipates it being a highly-debated bill in the Legislature. Follow its progress here.

RELATED LINKS

Idaho bill aims to provide funds to help first responders become mental health specialists

Idaho lawmaker introducing bill addressing what mortuaries can do with unclaimed ashes

Proposed bill in the Idaho legislature aims to make AI-generated pornography illegal

The post Local legislator says killing education tax credit is biggest priority this session appeared first on East Idaho News.

REXBURG – Customers are addicted to the lighter, healthier menu at Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

At least, that’s what restaurant manager Alex Plummer says after eight months in business at 113 South 2nd West in Rexburg.

The Rexburg eatery offers a variety of smoothies, bowls, sandwiches, wraps, flatbreads, salads and more. Plummer tells EastIdahoNews.com the most popular item is the Bahama Mama, a smoothie with strawberry, pineapple, coconut and white chocolate. EastIdahoNews.com sampled this and other items, which you can watch in the video above.

Plummer’s parents, Kelly and Nepal, are the restaurant’s owners and it’s rewarding for him to be a part of the family business.

“Having something that I can call my own and take ownership of (is fulfilling),” he says. “It’s something I take a lot of pride in.”

RELATED | National franchise opening first restaurant in eastern Idaho

Tropical Smoothie Cafe first launched in Destin, Florida in 1999. It started spreading across the United States several years ago. The Rexburg store is the sixth location in Idaho.

Alex first heard about the franchise while serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arkansas years ago and he grew to love it.

He and his family moved to Rexburg from California in 2016 so he could attend Brigham Young University-Idaho. Kelly and Nepal were eager to open a business together and Alex’s experience at Tropical Smoothie Cafe inspired them to bring it to Rexburg.

“They sent a letter (to the company) saying they were interested in franchising. An opening came up and so they snagged it,” says Alex.

The Plummers are looking to open another location in Idaho Falls in the near future. They hope to eventually have four or five locations in the area.

“We’re poking around everywhere. They’re developing new places out by Costco on that side of town. We’d love to get our foot in the door over there somewhere,” Alex says.

Until then, he’s encouraging people to stop by the Rexburg location and give the food a try.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday with an 8 a.m. opening on Saturday. Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The post Customers are ‘addicted’ to the delicious menu at Tropical Smoothie Cafe appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS – Rep. Rick Cheatum, R-Pocatello, is hoping to pass a bill during the legislative session that would provide state funding for first responders interested in becoming mental health specialists.

The Republican Representative for District 28, which includes all of Franklin and Power counties and a portion of Bannock County, has been working on the bill since last summer and he says it’s gotten a lot of support.

Cheatum tells EastIdahoNews.com mental health issues have resulted in a “crisis” for emergency responders in Idaho and across the U.S. Pocatello police officers and other law enforcement personnel brought this to his attention, which is what prompted the bill.

“The problem we’re having is getting first responders to meet staffing needs in local jurisdictions,” Cheatum says.

The number of people who apply to become law enforcement officers is much lower than it was 20 years ago, he says, and one reason for that has to do with the mental and emotional toll it takes.

RELATED | Local man shares what it’s like to serve in city and state government simultaneously and whether it’s happened before

Often, Cheatum says, a new recruit will begin working as a police officer after completing all the necessary training only to quit a year later because they weren’t prepared to deal with it.

“The bill I’ve got would offer … early or regular retirees or active emergency responders the ability to get a mental health certification (so they can help other first responders) and encourage them to stay in the profession,” Cheatum explains.

Zac Bartschi, a sergeant with the Pocatello Police Department, provides additional perspective on this issue. He and Cheatum have spoken extensively on this subject.

Bartschi says the department is leading the state in having a full staff. With a capacity of 100 officers, there are currently 97 people on the force.

The department has an Employee Assistance Program, which gives officers access to a counselor and other free mental health resources. Not every police department has this available to them, he says, and he credits this as one factor contributing to employee retention.

The amount of trauma an officer will experience over the course of their career far exceeds what the average person experiences during their lifetime, he says, which makes access to quality mental health care an ongoing need.

Though mental health resources are available, Bartschi says it often isn’t adequate in giving officers the tools they need to cope.

“I know of an officer who made a mental health specialist cry when they went to a counseling session,” Bartschi says. “(Some counselors) just don’t understand what an average response (to an emergency call is like) so they want to know more (about what happened) instead of figuring out how to treat the responder.”

As a result, Bartschi says officers will sometimes end up reliving the trauma by repeating what happened to the counselor and will walk away without anything to help them.

Cheatum and Bartschi are working to change that with this new bill.

“We want more law enforcement officers who can draw from their experience to empathize with other first responders and help them cope,” says Bartschi.

Bartschi knows of a retired Pocatello police officer who is already seeking education in the mental health field. Since Cheatum started drafting the bill, several others, including Bartschi, have also expressed interest in the program.

“Pocatello alone would benefit from this, but around the state it would be a huge victory,” he says.

The bill proposes $300,000 a year be allotted for 50 applicants. Details about how it will be funded are still being worked out.

Once a draft is approved, Cheatum is planning to introduce it in committee.

He anticipates the cost being a talking point for critics as the bill advances, but Cheatum doesn’t feel it’s a huge ask when the state’s general fund totals $5.3 billion.

“It’s time we recognize the stress that police officers and firemen go through,” says Cheatum. “Those things build up (over time) … and we need to provide some help for these people.”

RELATED LINKS

Idaho lawmaker introducing bill addressing what mortuaries can do with unclaimed ashes

Proposed bill in the Idaho legislature aims to make AI-generated pornography illegal

The post Idaho bill aims to provide funds to help first responders become mental health specialists appeared first on East Idaho News.

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.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Idaho broker who heads National Association of Realtors resigns, says she was blackmailed

Temperatures drop, gas prices follow

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IDAHO FALLS – Stephanie Mickelsen is anticipating a “chaotic” legislative session as it wraps its third day in Boise.

The Republican Representative for District 32, which includes most of Bonneville County, is headed into the session on the heels of a censure from the Legislative District 32 committee. The committee is dissatisfied with her performance, based on the way she voted on 13 different bills in the last legislative session.

RELATED | Bonneville County legislator ‘censured’ for platform violations; committee issues ‘guidance’ to colleagues

Though she pledged to support the Republican Party platform when she filed to run for office, the committee says her voting record appears to be more in line with the Democrat Party. The fact that she did not attend the committee’s public hearing last month, which was designed to give her a chance to account for her votes, indicates she has no interest in the Republican Party’s concerns, they say.

The committee is calling on Mickelsen to “reaffirm her commitment” to the party this session and to “consider the platform when evaluating proposed legislation.”

Mickelsen tells EastIdahoNews.com her responsibility is to her constituents and she’s planning to continue to represent them, regardless of how the committee feels about that.

“That’s the responsibility I have and the local party is going to have to do whatever they want to do,” Mickelsen says. “I’m going to continue to vote the way constituents in my district need me to vote.”

Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen of Idaho Falls | Courtesy photo

Mickelsen’s three committee assignments include Environment, Energy & Technology, Resources & Conservation and Revenue & Taxation.

There are multiple bills she’s working on. One of them introduces the idea of electronic driver’s licenses, which we’re planning to cover in a future story.

One piece of legislation she’s particularly passionate about revolves around the disposal of unclaimed ashes at a funeral home.

“Apparently, there are people who have their loved ones cremated and then don’t want to collect their ashes,” says Mickelsen. “Funeral homes are at a loss at what they can do because state statute doesn’t really spell that out.”

‘A side of the industry no one ever thinks about’

Kelby Dayley, funeral director at Coltrin Mortuary in Idaho Falls, brought this to her attention. The crematory has 10 urns with unclaimed ashes currently in storage. The oldest one dates back to 2013.

It’s an issue they deal with every so often, he says, and there are a variety of reasons for it.

“Sometimes I think it’s neglect or regret. They don’t want their loved ones ashes (because they didn’t get along with them),” Dayley says. “Other times, people (who live outside the area) don’t want to pay for the shipping (of the urn) because it costs too much money.”

Though the mortuary tries contacting the family about it, Dayley says many times they say they’ll come pick it up and never do or they don’t respond.

Boxed up urns sitting in storage at Wood Funeral Home in downtown Idaho Falls. The oldest one dates back 20-30 years. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Brian Wood at Wood Funeral Home — which has a “closet full” of unclaimed ashes over the years with the oldest ones dating back 20-30 years — cites similar reasons.

“More often than not, they are what the county deems an indigent case. Somebody is either alone or homeless and the county eventually signs as a representative to cremate. Once we cremate, that’s when we are worried legally what to do with the cremains,” Wood explains.

RELATED | What happens to a body after it’s taken to a funeral home?

Under Idaho law, the final disposition of a dead body is defined as the burial or cremation. Idaho code 31-2802 specifies how the burial or cremation of unclaimed bodies in a coroner’s custody should be handled, but there is no statute explaining how it works for mortuaries.

Since the law doesn’t define what to do with cremains if no one claims them, Wood says funeral homes have the burden of storing them indefinitely and it makes them liable to potential lawsuits if they dispose of them without permission from the family.

“It’s a gray area that’s never been addressed,” he says.

Family members have the right to scatter ashes wherever they choose, as long as they have permission from the property owner. There is a statute that says ashes cannot be scattered in a waterway, according to Mickelsen. The reason for it is tied to concerns about water contamination.

Wood feels funeral homes should have a right to scatter ashes a year after the cremation if no one comes forward to claim them, on the condition it’s done in an “honorable and dignified manner.”

Dayley feels similarly, saying it’s not doing the mortuary any good to store cremains for a family “who doesn’t want to pick them up.” But he thinks a year might be too soon.

“Three to five years (is a good timeframe),” says Dayley.

Cremations are becoming more common due to a variety of factors, and both men say having state guidance on the matter would be helpful.

RELATED | Rising trend prompts opening of new cremation center in Ammon

Though they’re hopeful a solution will be reached eventually, they don’t anticipate it happening quickly because it’s “a side of the industry no one ever thinks about.”

Mickelsen is planning to introduce the bill soon. It’s in the preliminary stages, so it’s hard to say what committee will approve it or whether it will move forward. The Legislature is scheduled to be in session through at least March 22.

The post Idaho lawmaker introducing bill addressing what mortuaries can do with unclaimed ashes appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS – As the 2024 Idaho Legislative session gets underway, lawmakers across the state are pushing for a bill that would make sexually explicit AI-generated images of people illegal.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, is working with Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls, and Rep. Julianne Young, R-Blackfoot, in drafting legislation aimed at criminalizing sexually explicit deep fake depictions in adults and children.

Skaug, an attorney by profession who has dealt with many “stomach-turning” sex abuse cases over the years, tells EastIdahoNews.com “there’s a real problem” with pornography.

RELATED | AI-generated child sexual abuse images could flood the internet. A watchdog is calling for action

Though there are laws addressing pornography, it hasn’t been updated to include advancements in technology that make it easier to produce. The ability to create images using artificial intelligence increases the risk of people being targeted, he says.

“Only four states have passed laws against taking someone’s face and putting it on naked bodies and doing perverted things. There’s really no recourse, except civil recourse in a lawsuit,” Skaug explains. “I looked at those bills and didn’t like how they were written.”

Skaug’s number one priority with this bill is to protect children.

RELATED | Teen girls are being victimized by deepfake nudes. One family is pushing for more protections

Jared Mendenhall, an Idaho Falls police detective on the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, says they are actively investigating sex cases today that involve children and the use of AI.

Though the technology to put someone’s face on another person’s body has been around for a while, he says it’s only within the last year that it’s become difficult to determine whether an image is real or fake.

Since there is nothing in current Idaho or federal law that outlaws the use of AI to create pornographic images, police can’t always investigate it and some cases are disregarded as a result. That’s a major concern to Mendenhall and he says it needs to change.

“It needs to be illegal to possess or transmit sexually explicit images of children, regardless of whether they’re real children or fake children,” he says. “There is no societal need for sexually explicit images of children.”

Skaug agrees.

After speaking with detectives on the ICAC Task Force and a New York Congressman who’s trying to pass similar legislation, he has a better idea about what needs to be addressed.

“The defense now (with AI-generated porn) is that it’s not a real child (in the photo),” Skaug explains. “We want to criminalize that because of how it affects people.”

Skaug started working on this bill before the session started. It’s not clear when it will advance in the House, but Skaug is appreciative of his fellow lawmakers who are working with him. He hopes to see it become law soon.

“The legitimate purpose of government is to restrain evil,” Skaug says. “I looked at my list and asked what’s going on that’s evil in society? These two things and fentanyl were at the top of my list. As a legislator, I’m ready to go after these things this year.”

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