IDAHO FALLS — It’s been an incredible year at EastIdahoNews.com. We’ve produced a lot of good journalism, and we continue to grow by leaps and bounds as a company.

During 2023, EastIdahoNews.com celebrated its eighth birthday. Although we remain the youngest news agency on this side of the state, we have been fortunate to find a large and consistent audience among our neighbors and beyond. We are grateful for that support.

EastIdahoNews.com received some 122 million pageviews in 2023, and was read and watched by more people than in any other year of our existence.

We redesigned our website thanks to the truly Herculean efforts of web manager Robert Patten and graphic designer Alex Lemoing. Similarly, videographer Jordan Wood has revolutionized how we do video work. We look great because of these three, and keeping the site clean and shiny is comment moderator Peggy Jeppesen, whose job gets busier every year!

The EastIdahoNews.com sales team, including Josh Johnson and Alaina Russell, had a great year working with local businesses who, because of their generous support, allow us to produce the news every day without charging readers.

The state of the newsroom

There were more than a few changes in our newsroom. We added two new employees, Pocatello reporter Logan Ramsey and weekend editor Mary Boyle. Both have been quick to jump in and support the team.

In June, the newsroom suffered a devastating loss with the unexpected death of longtime entertainment columnist Adam Forsgren. His quick wit and kind heart are dearly missed in the newsroom, as are his columns, stories and reviews. Read Adam’s obituary here.

But the newsroom had some wins in 2023 too.

After nearly four years of waiting, and hundreds of stories, EastIdahoNews.com was finally able to cover the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell. It’s a criminal case our newsroom has covered in depth since we reported on the disappearance of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan in 2019. Nate Eaton has covered it since the beginning, and we sent him to Boise for the six-week trial. He was in court every day and reported to hundreds of thousands of people during his nightly Courtroom Insider program. It may have been a logistical challenge, but it was well worth the effort to bring it to our users.

This year, EastIdahoNews.com was honored with several awards for our work from the National Federation of Press Women, The Society of Professional Journalists, and the Idaho Press Club. Some noteworthy honors were Eaton’s national award for “The Hogwarts of Idaho,” a story about the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind in Gooding. Additionally, Eaton, Patten and I received the First Amendment Award for stories following a lawsuit EastIdahoNews.com filed against Jefferson County when access to public records on the Rigby Middle School shooting was denied.

That was only the tip of the iceberg. Our reporters covered stories from Malad to Salmon and everywhere in between. We published more than 4,000 local stories on a large variety of topics. Hopefully, we made a difference and kept you informed.

Among my favorite stories was Eaton’s coverage of 16-year-old Blaze Thibaudeau of Arizona, who disappeared in Idaho with family members who were acting on their beliefs in doomsday prophecies. Eaton took a deep dive on this one, and thankfully, it had a happy ending.

The horrific deaths of Kali Randall, her unborn baby and 10-month-old Zeke Best tested the reporting chops of Kaitlyn Hart. Sending her into a community that had just suffered a devastating loss would push anyone out of their comfort zone, but she came away with a fascinating insight into those who had been lost. Jeremy Best is facing charges for these murders.

Kalama Hines has spent over a year working closely with a family who is trying to find the truth about their son’s death. The way Kye Stephenson’s death investigation was handled by eastern Idaho officials is an excellent example of why investigative journalism exists. Hines’ continuing efforts are making a difference. Read the latest story on the case here.

Rett Nelson undertook a huge project in 2023 to profile historical sheriffs and coroners in eastern Idaho. It’s been a fascinating look at local history, and unveiled many stories few people had ever heard.

On the same note, Looking Back columnist Brittni Johnson dug up a fascinating historical piece on a runaway elephant.

Andrea Olson took on some of our biggest breaking news stories this year, frequently following up with features about people who had suffered extreme loss due to tragedy. One of the most poignant stories was about an ISP trooper who survived a horrific crash.

Ramsey, the newsroom newbie, took on a tough assignment about Idaho water and aquifer recharge. After several months, he crafted an insightful look at the water situation in eastern Idaho.

Boyle, our newest editor — who also does reporting — took on the tough assignment of looking into a county prosecutor who is under investigation. It was an intimidating task that turned out well. Another reason investigative journalism exists.

Those were some of my favorites, but I’ll let the reporters speak for themselves about their work and their favorites. Our reporters do good work and are making an impact on our community. I’m proud of them.

Rett Nelson

Former child actor with ties to eastern Idaho has no regrets living out of the spotlight

“For years, I’d heard that Stewart Petersen, the child actor in movies like ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’ had ties to eastern Idaho. At the same time, I always wondered what happened to him. On a whim, I decided to look into it. I tracked down his number and was surprised he actually picked up the phone. The result was one of our highest-viewed stories of the year.”

‘He shattered our dreams’: Homeowners, investors accuse contractor of fraud

“This story was rewarding because it was outside of my wheelhouse. It was challenging and I felt like I grew from the experience. It led me to pursue other stories about court cases. I understand some good things have come to the victims, which I hope to cover in a future story.”

Thousands attend gay pride festival in Rexburg

“This is a story I was assigned initially. It’s become one of the stories I’m most proud of because it’s a good example of what journalism is all about. The gay pride movement attracts opinions on both ends of the spectrum, and this story provides a balanced look at the issue. It also illustrates how messaging shapes people’s perceptions of reality. I hope it was eye-opening, regardless of where you stand on the issue.”

Nelson was also particularly proud of some investigative work into Clark County government, and an analysis of local city leaders’ salaries.

Andrea Olson

‘I thought I was going to die.’ Man shares story about the moment he was trapped under a garbage truck

“This story was incredible. A man survived after being crushed by a garbage truck, then on the same day, he ended up helping someone after a crash! Every part of this story to me is a miracle and the man behind it is a really positive individual. It was one of those mind-blowing stories that I loved telling.”

Local doctor reflects on ‘fantastic’ career after being diagnosed with terminal disease

“This story hits close to home because I know someone personally who has been diagnosed with ALS. Meeting John and Nanette Allred was an honor, and I was grateful to tell their story. They are such wonderful people, and John has a positive outlook on life that I think we can all learn from.”

‘It’s a miracle that I survived.’ Trooper critically injured directing traffic last year retires after successful career

“The Wendlers are a wonderful family who graciously allowed me to follow their journey. Even though Mike’s life and his family’s lives have forever changed, they remain optimistic, which I admire. I am grateful to them and their examples.”

Olson was also proud of a feature story about a young girl that was bitten by a rattlesnake while swimming, and a story about an unlikely friendship between a legally blind 7-year-old boy and a group of kids 15 to 18.

Kalama Hines

After his death was ruled a suicide, a Blackfoot man’s family is left with more questions than answers

“I have spent a great deal of time with the Stephenson family over the past year. Obviously, I have no way of knowing exactly what happened the night Kye died, but what made this story important is that many questions were not answered during the initial investigation. Because of that, the story surrounding Kye’s death remains ongoing.”

‘Last-chance’ program helps drug addicts win the ‘battle for (their) life’

“Being the Pocatello-area crime reporter, I spend a fair amount of time in court, and I cannot tell you how many times I have heard a judge or attorney mention Wood Court. I did this story as much for myself as for any of the readers. I truly wanted to know how the program works and may have learned more while doing this story than I have doing any other.”

‘I just kept kissing him and saying, “Baby, I love you.”’ Mom recalls dog attack that killed her son, says death will not be in vain

“For this story, I spent several hours in a hospital room with Emily — who was still very much recovering from her injuries — and Kyle. In that time, I got a very brief glimpse into Kellan’s life — the boy he was and the man he was supposed to become — and I am forever grateful for that opportunity.”

Hines was also grateful for an opportunity he had to look into the workings of local food banks, and for some investigative work he has been doing about dilapidated bridges in Inkom.

Kaitlyn Hart

The only female judge in the 7th Judicial District leaves the bench for private practice. Here’s why

“I didn’t realize how proud of this article I was until I started receiving feedback. Michelle Mallard was very open with me, and I’m proud of how we painted a picture of the struggles that modern-day judges are dealing with. I hope that bringing this to the public helped them to see judges in a different way. After the article went up, Michelle told me that the media person from the Idaho Supreme Court asked if he could recommend the use of this article for Chief Justice Bevan to use in his State of the Judiciary address to the Legislature.”

Idaho Falls man accused of murder testifies, ‘I was scared out of my mind’

“This trial took a LOT of time (two trials worth) and effort to cover. By the second trial, I was in my last semester of graduate school. The reason I’m so proud of the coverage of this trial is that Andrea Olson and I were able to use teamwork to make the dream work. Because I was in graduate school, I wasn’t able to cover every day of the trial, so Andrea and I switched off every other day to be in court, which had the potential to be very complicated, but we worked together as a team and made something very informative and thorough.”

Residents are concerned and the DEQ is involved after water in Roberts comes out brown

“To be completely honest, this is a story I was very wary of completing. There’s a joke in the newsroom about “water stories” being very complex, and this one felt as if it got more complex the further it went. But as I dove into it and spoke with DEQ employees, Roberts locals, and even did an interview with the Roberts mayor, it gave me a good insight on the process of providing clean water to community members, and journalistically helped me hone in on my investigative skills, something I want to improve on further.”

Hart also expressed pride in her initial work on the Jeremy Best case, which has garnered national attention. She also wrote an expansive series on the death penalty in Idaho in 2023.

Logan Ramsey

Highland High School failed its fire inspection before April’s blaze

“This is a story that I think went relatively under the radar, even though it’s an important one for people to know. The Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Fire Investigation Report provides context to the blaze Highland experienced. It’s also important for people to understand the process of fire inspections, and that according to a fire department official, it’s not uncommon for buildings to fail them.”

Woman honored for heroism after dragging stranger out of burning home

“It’s not often that I come across stories that are as incredible as this one. When Kortnie Balls ran into a burning home to save a man she didn’t even know, she took the risk of sacrificing her life. In my time as a reporter, I’ve never talked to someone as heroic as her. A commenter on this story said it best when they said, ‘If I’m ever in a tough situation, I hope to see her coming!’ I think everyone would be inspired if they read Kortnie’s story.”

Eastern Idaho’s groundwater has declined by hundreds of thousands of acre-feet. Will that trend continue?

“This story involves something absolutely critical to life: water. Our groundwater has decreased over decades, and while the problem is more well known now, it’s still not on the forefront of our minds. Solving this issue is absolutely imperative to our lives, and the only way for us to do that is to better understand it.”

Ramsey also expressed excitement about a story he wrote about urban legends in Idaho, and a feature story about a local backup dancer for Michael Jackson.

Mary Boyle

‘Keeping our hopes high.’ Pocatello teen’s family determined to recover his body

“I felt lucky to be able to follow this story from day one and get to know Jayden’s family just a bit. This incident happened so soon after Baby Zeke, I was really hoping for a happy outcome. Watching the community uplift and support the Jensen family through this tragedy was, as Bingham County Chief Deputy Jordyn Nebeker said, a silver lining.”

Note: Jayden’s body was recovered Monday. Read the story here.

Local attorney faces possible disbarment over accusations of professional misconduct

“I don’t know if this story was impactful (I don’t think it had a lot of views), but it is probably my best-written story to date. I loved combing through the court documents and getting up to my ears in research. It’s not sexy, but it is solid.”

‘Baby Zeke’ found dead; father Jeremy Best taken into custody

“This story pushed me out of my comfort zone on several levels. I almost handed this story off to Nate Eaton because I knew it had gained national attention. Glad I didn’t. I made my television debut (yay?) and forged some good relationships through the search for and discovery of Zeke.”

Boyle also recalls fondly features about a local father-son team that raced through the Alps, and a story on the Madison Fire Department’s Pipe Brigade.

Brittni Johnson

The one time a ‘mad elephant’ chased a family near Downey in 1913

“I love writing the weekly Looking Back series because I never know what stories I’ll come across, like this one on the mad elephant. I searched and searched for more information on what exactly happened and finally came across information in a Utah newspaper. I’m glad I found more details and could share this wild and unique story with our readers.”

A local man saw our story, was touched and donated his kidney

“In March 2022, I wrote a story on an Idaho Falls man needing a kidney. In January 2023, I got a text from the man saying he recently received the needed kidney. It came from the first person who reached out to him after seeing the original story published on EastIdahoNews.com. I was grateful to share an update with the miraculous and good news as I know many people reached out to help this man.”

Local mom talks about living with dementia after TikTok video goes viral

“Writing this story on Jana Nelson was a reminder to me to live every day to the fullest because life can change in an instant. Nelson’s story about living with dementia is heartbreaking but the life lessons she shared with me since her diagnosis are powerful and something I think of often.”

Johnson also expressed pride in a feature story about the return of a lost dog, and her weekly You have to See This column.

The post A year-in-review at EastIdahoNews.com and some of our best work in 2023 appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS – The world was watching EastIdahoNews.com this year as Lori Daybell was convicted of murder.

A case involving another Doomsday family, along with body cam footage of a traffic stop for Bryan Kohberger a month before the University of Idaho killings were popular as well.

Everything from crime to Feel Good Friday and Secret Santa made you watch, and we’re grateful.

Here’s a look back at the top 10 most viewed videos of 2023.

10. Explosive jail call between Lori Vallow Daybell and her sister Summer Shiflet (April 25, 2023)

Summer Shiflet took the stand in her sister’s murder trial in Ada County on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

The emotional 12-minute phone call between Shiflet and Lori Vallow Daybell was played while Shiflet was on the stand. The call was made while Daybell was in the Madison County Jail on June 20, 2020 – eleven days after the remains of JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan were found buried on Chad Daybell’s property.

The recording in the video above garnered 410,394 views. See the original story here.

9. LISTEN: Brandon Boudreaux sobs on the stand while testifying about JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan (April 10, 2023)

Brandon Boudreaux took the stand in the Lori Vallow Daybell trial Monday, April 10, 2023, and sobbed while testifying about JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan. Listen to his entire testimony in the video player above. This video got 412,300 views.

See the original story here.

8. ‘If there was a face to evil, it was hers.’ Juror describes serving in Daybell trial (May 17, 2023)

A man who served on the jury in Lori Vallow Daybell’s murder trial says he saw evil for the first time in his life while sitting in the courtroom with her for five weeks.

Saul Hernandez was juror No. 8 and was assigned the seat closest to the witness stand from when the trial began on April 10 until a verdict was announced Friday afternoon. He and the 17 other jurors, including six alternates, sat directly across from Daybell.

“If there is a face to evil, it was hers,” Hernandez told EastIdahoNews.com.

As of Dec. 22, this video had 530,777 views. Read the original story here.

7. Young father hopes for justice after he says ex-wife poisoned him, mom and sisters (June 14, 2023)

Lung infections, lesions and constant migraines. Loss of hair, skin, fingernails and toenails. Jared Goody was told these symptoms were related to COVID-19.

But after months of suffering, Jared learned he was being poisoned, and the person he says is responsible is his ex-wife, Courtney Goody.

More than 563,918 views later, it’s one of our highest-viewed videos of the year. See the original story here.

6. Lori Vallow Daybell leaves the Fremont County Courthouse and is taken back to the Madison County Jail (Jan. 19, 2023)

This 54-second video had 609,361 views.

5. We bought 40 items from Temu, the online superstore with the #1 app. Here’s what we got. (March 13, 2023)

Temu became a popular online shopping platform this year. We tested it out by ordering a bunch of random things, and our video about it earned 662,061 views.

See the original story here.

4. A young man raising his niece & nephew after a tragic accident gets a Secret Santa surprise (Nov. 27, 2023)

In July 2019, David Silva’s mother passed away in an unexpected tragic accident. As a result, David took over guardianship of his then 8-year-old nephew and 12-year-old niece. Although this wasn’t how David saw his future going, he never hesitated to work toward giving those kids the best life he could.

It’s been four years and David is still putting in long hours at work to ensure his niece and nephew are able to take advantage of every opportunity presented to them.

Secret Santa asked the East Idaho News elves if we could pay David a visit and surprise him with some early Christmas gifts. The video above had 748,732, as of Dec. 22.

See the original story here.

3. Body cam footage of Bryan Kohberger traffic stop (May 5, 2023)

Moscow defendant Bryan Kohberger talked his way out of a traffic ticket for running a red light in Pullman, Washington the month before the November killings, newly released police body-cam footage obtained by the Idaho Statesman shows.

The 9 1/2-minute video shows a Washington State University campus police officer pull over and park behind Kohberger in a campus parking lot on Oct. 14, 2022. Kohberger was seated behind the wheel of his white 2015 Hyundai Elantra with a Pennsylvania license plate.

Total views: 877,145

2. Doomsday family last seen in Idaho with teen they believe is chosen of God (Oct. 26, 2023)

An Arizona family was desperate for their loved ones to return home after they abruptly bought thousands of dollars of survival gear, boarded a plane for Idaho and cut off all communication because they believe the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is imminent.

Sixteen-year-old Blaze Thibaudeau was found the day after this interview dropped, but the video was our second-highest of the year with 917,250 views.

See the original story here.

1. Teen who bought a guitar for his friend with Down syndrome is surprised for Feel Good Friday (Feb. 3, 2023)

Shelby Murdock, the owner of Snake River Strings Co. in Blackfoot, sent us an email about 16-year-old guitar student Dallin Polatis. He bought a guitar for his friend who was unable to buy one for himself. The touching surprise is our highest-viewed video of the year with 1,004,316 views.

See the original story here.

The post The top 10 videos you were watching on EastIdahoNews.com in 2023 appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — 2023 was a year of tragedy, mystery and curiosity. Here are the stories that got the most reads on EastIdahoNews.com this year, based on our analytics. Click the headlines to read the articles.

10. They fell in love backpacking through Europe then they lost each other. Here’s how they’ve ended up married for 24 years

Who doesn’t love a good love story?

When Tom Latkovic lost the woman of his dreams, he had to take action. His plan involved a unicycle and swords. And it worked.

9. Mom leaving a doctor’s appointment with her special needs son gets surprised from a Secret Santa

Since 2015, the EastIdahoNews.com team has helped a local Secret Santa give to deserving people during the holiday season. (You’ve watched all of them, right?)

This year, one of the recipients was Alesia, who has four children and a baby with special needs. Secret Santa asked us to track Alesia down and deliver an early Christmas gift.

8. ‘Baby Zeke’ found dead; father Jeremy Best taken into custody

Kali Randall with Zeke Best | Courtesy photo

We cover a lot of tough stories at East Idaho News. This one was especially hard.

Jeremy Best is accused of killing his pregnant wife, Kali Jean Randall, their unborn child and their 10-month-old son, Zeke Gregory Best. A follow-up on this story published on Dec. 19 gives more details on Best’s alleged crimes.

7. Doomsday family from Arizona last seen in Idaho with teen they believe is chosen of God. His father is desperate for answers.

When a teenager disappeared with his mom, sister and uncle due to doomsday prophecies, many of you expressed concern for his safety and followed this story closely. Fortunately, Blaze Thibaudeau survived the ordeal.

6. I feel guilty because when we got married, my wife has $70,000 in savings and I had a lot of debt

We run a column from financial guru Dave Ramsey every Thursday. In this particular one, Ramsey went beyond mere finances and gave marriage advice that many people may find helpful:

“When you got married, the ‘me’ and ‘mine’ became ‘we’ and ‘ours.’ You got all her stuff, the good and bad, and she got all of yours.”

(By the way, reporter Emmy Eaton interviewed Ramsey in 2022. Check out the video here.)

5. Affidavit released in Bryan Kohberger, University of Idaho murder case

Court documents in the prosecutors’ case against Bryan Kohberger were unsealed. Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary in the killings of four University of Idaho undergraduate students. This is another case we’ll be keeping a close eye on in 2024. Get the latest here.

4. The ‘blue moon’ won’t be the only rare sight in the night sky this week

Things were looking up in August! We were treated not only to a bright supermoon, but Saturn made its closest and brightest appearance of the year near the moon.

3. 8 billion-year-old radio signal reaches Earth

Another space story! A mysterious blast of radio waves took 8 billion years to reach Earth. The fast radio burst is one of the most distant and energetic ever observed.

As one of you observed in the comments, “The message said, ‘We’ve been trying to reach you about your car warranty …'”

2. Lori Daybell trial and sentencing

Lori Vallow Daybell, who was charged in the deaths of two of her children, Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, and her husband’s then-wife, Tammy Daybell, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Her jury trial in Boise lasted six weeks, and we covered it extensively. During the trial, witnesses shed more light on the tragic events that led to the deaths of her victims. Click here to see our articles during her trial.

Daybell is awaiting another trial in Arizona on charges of conspiracy to commit murder for the death of Charles Vallow, her fourth husband, and Brandon Boudreaux, her former nephew-in-law.

The jury trial of her husband Chad Daybell is scheduled to begin April 1, also in Ada County.

1. New online superstore surpasses Amazon and Walmart to become most downloaded app in US

We thought Temu was interesting enough to post about, but wow — the amount of interest in this story was incredible. And we imagine many of you either bought or received Temu gifts for Christmas!

Shortly after we published this story, reporters Kaitlyn Hart and Nate Eaton investigated the quality of items they ordered off the site.

The post Tragedy, science and shopping: The most-read stories of 2023 on EastIdahoNews.com appeared first on East Idaho News.

EastIdahoNews.com’s comment moderator Peggy Jeppesen shares her adoption story on National Adoption Day, in hopes of helping others know there can be hope and beauty in adoption.

In 1970, an overwhelmed 16-year-old girl from Las Vegas, Nevada found herself pregnant.

This was long before such situations were somewhat common and more socially accepted, so she was sent to Booth Maternity Home for Unwed Mothers in Boise, Idaho.

She quickly made friends with all of the staff and nurses there. On a cold, wintry November day, she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl. She named her Stephanie, even though such naming would never be official. She named her after Stephan, the boy she knew she loved — her baby’s father, whom she was forced to leave behind in Las Vegas.

She was allowed to hold her new baby for one hour, breaking all the formal rules of the maternity home.

Then, she kissed her daughter on the forehead and whispered the parting words, “Come find me someday, little one. I love you.” Many tears openly flowed in that room that day.

A couple of days later, she was sent home to Nevada and was warned by her embarrassed and upset parents to never speak of this again. She told everyone who would listen.

Meanwhile, on a farm and ranch in Rexburg, Idaho, a couple who already had five children of their own, was hoping and praying for another baby. They’d felt very strongly that a baby was on the way but were also keenly aware that due to a farming accident, that wouldn’t be possible naturally.

They approached the idea of adoption in a hopeful manner. They went to their LDS Stake President who surprisingly forwarded their information to the State of Idaho. This drastically diminished their chances of adopting. Healthy babies were usually placed with first-time adoptive parents in the state, and they already had five naturally-born kids.

Nevertheless, they took the necessary steps, including home studies, financial reviews and a lot of paperwork that goes along with adoption. Within a few months, they were phoned and told a baby girl would be ready for pick up the following day at noon in Boise. They quickly prepared and were in the car by 4 a.m. to make the drive.

They arrived at noon, only to have a very worried case worker tell them the baby was entirely too ill to travel. The anxious parents begged to take their baby home and promised they’d take extra precautions and would have this baby “good as new” in no time, with the help of their beloved family Doctor.

When they arrived home, the five kids had made a huge banner and hung it up. It read, “WELCOME HOME PEGGY.”

I was that baby girl.

As I grew up on a farm, I had wonderful experiences and a childhood of joy. I rode horses and three-wheelers, drove tractors and loved all the animals. From the time I could comprehend, my parents told me they loved me and that I was picked out in Heaven.

They told me they had stood my siblings and me in a hallway in Heaven and explained to us that they could only bring five kids to earth; one had to be brave and strong enough to find their own way. I raised my hand, they said.

My Mom tells of a story that happened when I was barely old enough to talk. I asked a childhood friend if they were adopted. They replied that they were not. I said, “Well, I bet your parents love you anyway.”

At 18, my birth mother sent in her information to the Idaho adoption registry, which can reunite birth families. She did not get it notarized, which meant her information ultimately couldn’t be shared.

At 28, I sent in my own information. Doris at Booth Maternity Home for Unwed Mothers, told me she could do nothing about the situation. I pleaded. I begged. It wasn’t until a few months later that I received a call from Doris.

“I have never forgotten you,” she said. “I’m retiring next week. I decided to go through some of my files to see if I needed to clean anything up. I found yours. What are they going to do? Fire me?”

She gave me all the information that I needed. I quickly phoned my birth mother. Soon after, we arranged a meeting.

My parents will always be my parents. They earned that right. I also have a wonderful birthmother and extended family there, too. After I found my birthmother, I was given a pink sweatshirt that read “Two Mothers – Twice the Love, and I felt fortunate in every way to have so much love in my life.

The post Twice the love: an adoption story appeared first on East Idaho News.

CINCINNATI, Ohio — EastIdahoNews.com was honored by the National Federation of Press Women Saturday night during the organization’s annual communications contest ceremony in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Reporter Nate Eaton won national first-place honors in the video category for “The Hogwarts of Idaho,” a story he shot, edited, wrote and produced about the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind in Gooding.

RELATED | East Idaho News receives First Amendment Award, other honors during Idaho Press Club banquet

Nearly 2,000 entries from states across the country were submitted in this year’s contest. All of the entries were published, broadcast or posted in 2022. Author Donna Fletcher Crow of Boise was the only other Idaho winner taking second-place for her Fiction for Adults book, “The Shaping of the Union, Of Plot and Parliaments.” You can see all the winners here.

“The NFPW contest showcases outstanding entries from throughout the United States,” says Teri Ehresman, NFPW contest director. “Our judges continue to comment about the high caliber of entries they judge in the contest. The entries showcase high quality and exceptional efforts.”

The award comes weeks after EastIdahoNews.com earned three awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. Winners of the annual Northwest Excellence in Journalism contest consist of journalists from Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon.

In the small newsroom division, Eaton took first place in the following categories:

• Video feature – Hard News: “The Hogwarts of Idaho”
• Video feature – General Assignment Pre-Produced: “Stronger than a Rock”
• General Assignment Same Day: “Teacher for a Day”

SPJ winners were picked from thousands of submissions in audio, video, magazine and written categories. News organizations aired, posted or published the stories last year. You can see the rest of the winners here.

The post East Idaho News honored with national, regional press awards appeared first on East Idaho News.

The staff at EastIdahoNews.com lost a good friend this weekend, and the community at large lost a one-of-a-kind writer and online personality.

Longtime entertainment reporter and columnist Adam Forsgren died at home Saturday due to a long-fought heart condition. He was 49.

Adam was the first contributor to EastIdahoNews.com when it launched in 2015. A native of Sugar City, Adam came to us with a degree in film arts and a passion for the written word, the silver screen and all things nerdy. He pitched us on running his movie reviews and columns about everything from comic books and cosplay, to metal music and artwork.

READ: Thomas Adam Forsgren’s Obituary

During his eight years with us, he deeply delved into eastern Idaho’s arts and entertainment community. Although he often described himself as an extreme introvert, in his professional life, he often found himself among large groups of eccentric or interesting people.

You may have run into Adam at Comic-Con or Fandom events. He attended Renaissance Fairs and LARPing battles. He covered concerts — large and small — and enjoyed attending community theater or high schools events. He spent a great deal of time covering new exhibits at the museums, and art galleries in our small communities.

No matter what he was covering, his editors and audience could always expect articles full of life, thoughtfulness, and humor.

More than anyone at EastIdahoNews.com, Adam knew how to insert his own personality into his writing. Once, we gave him the challenge to write something about fashion. His response was the photo displayed below — accompanied by an article about shirts every nerd need to have. It’s a delightful read.

He would be surprised when one of his odd-topic articles went viral online. His first article to circle the globe was about a Japanese music phenomenon called Babymetal in 2015. We had no idea why it got so much attention, but it was good to see Adam’s work recognized.

Although Adam’s work was generally focused on local arts and entertainment, he never strayed far from his roots as film expert and critic. He wrote hundreds of reviews for us over the years, and despite his other writing assignments, he often managed to get a couple of reviews in a month. His final review, which was for the latest Transformers movie, was published Saturday, just a few hours before his unexpected death.

As a film critic, Adam had an unwavering sense of what made good cinema and didn’t compromise. His reviews drew strong criticism and mean comments on more than one occasion. But he always took it in stride, ignoring the hate and trying to present a logical and technical argument behind his viewpoints.

Besides his writing for EastIdahoNews.com, Adam was an aspiring novelist and avid blogger. He often talked about participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and it was always a treat to hear about his ideas coming together.

Adam Forsgren’s body of work speaks for itself — and we hope readers will take the time to read it. EastIdahoNews.com won’t be the same without him, but we are grateful that so much of himself will live on in his writing.

Our hearts also go out to Adam’s family and friends grieving his loss. Anyone wishing to help with funeral expenses or a headstone can donate to the GoFundMe here.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Friday, June 16, at the Sugar City Gray Chapel. The family will receive friends Thursday evening from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Flamm Funeral Home and again from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at the church prior to services. The interment will be in the Fielding Memorial Cemetery.

Read Adam’s obituary here.

The post Longtime EastIdahoNews.com reporter and columnist Adam Forsgren has passed away. He will be greatly missed. appeared first on East Idaho News.

VIRTUAL EAST IDAHO — At its heart, EastIdahoNews.com is both a news and technology company that revels in taking advantage of new inventions or processes to better interact with our audience.

So it’s no surprise with the sudden popularity of artificial intelligence or AI, our staff started playing with how we could use it to enhance our reporting or visual storytelling.

Our graphics wizard, Alex Lemoing, started playing with Midjourney AI beta. The company is a new independent research lab that uses artificial intelligence to create complex images or artwork by following the directions given by a human being.

Some other popular AI technologies take a different approach. ChatGPT, for instance, focuses on generating written prose or stories by following a human’s parameters.

Midjourney AI is still a work in progress and is in open beta testing for users to play with. The company routinely tweaks and improves its algorithms to better the results.

In our experience with the algorithms, the program can create a wide variety of images — from the stunningly accurate to the downright bizarre. Sometimes the depictions are hilarious, other times flattering and even occasionally offensive.

We thought we’d see what the AI thinks of eastern Idahoans. We specifically asked the computer to create photos of “the most typical couple from (various cities) in Idaho.” The only caveats we added was the image had to be taken in the style of a Sony Alpha camera, and it had to be a full body shot. For some of the pictures, we requested certain elements to be in the background, such as mountains or a bridge.

Here are the results. Did the AI get it right? Did you spot the extra body parts? Tell us in the comments.

(Keep in mind that these pictures were generated by a computer and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of EastIdahoNews.com about the people who live here!)

And, as a bonus, behold us!

We don’t know who these people are. They could be Midjourney’s idea of what a typical news team from Idaho would look like, or each one could represent a real employee in our office. If those pictured are us from an alternate universe where ankles are optional, only Bizarro Nate Eaton would have the courage to inflict that bow tie upon the world. To see what we actually look like, click here.

The post Here’s what AI thinks eastern Idahoans looks like. Did it get it right? appeared first on East Idaho News.

BOISE — The EastIdahoNews.com team was honored with multiple Idaho Press Club awards Saturday night during a banquet at the Boise Centre.

Nate Sunderland, Nate Eaton and Robert Patten received first place in the ‘First Amendment Award’ category for their stories following a lawsuit EastIdahoNews.com filed against Jefferson County when access to public records on the Rigby Middle School was denied.

RELATED | Why EastIdahoNews.com is suing for public records about a school shooting

East Idaho News was successful in the lawsuit and reported on the findings contained in the records.

Other awards our news organization received include:

• First place – General TV News Report (Division B) – Nate Eaton – Kayden’s Courage: Seven Years Later
• Second place – General TV News Report (Division B) – Andrea Olson – Nothing short of a miracle
• First place – Serious TV Feature Report (Division B) – Nate Eaton – Stronger than a rock
• First place – Light TV Feature Report (Division B) – Nate Eaton – Paige the welder
• Second place – Arts / Entertainment TV Report (Division B) – Andrea Olson – A passion for percussion
• First place – Health / Medical TV Report (Division B) – Nate Eaton – What’s wrong with Abigail?
• First place – Education Report (Division B) – Nate Eaton – The ‘Hogwarts of Idaho’
• First place – Best Online News Video Story – Nate Eaton – Teacher for a day

Winners were picked from hundreds of stories published, posted or aired in 2022. News organizations and public relations professionals attended the annual banquet where retiring Idaho Press Club President Betsy Russell was recognized for her prestigious journalism career in the Gem State.

You can find a list of all the winners here.

The post East Idaho News receives First Amendment Award, other honors during Idaho Press Club banquet appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — One of my worst nightmares came true: I tore my ACL.

Growing up, friends and family told me, “You never want to tear your ACL” and “Your knee will never be the same if you tear it.”

When I was involved in youth sports such as soccer, swimming, and skiing, I was sometimes a little worried but as I continued with my life and grew older, I quickly forgot about the possibility of tearing my ACL.

I thought, “Oh, this will never happen to me.”

But it did.

The day of the injury

On Jan. 21, my husband, Tyler, and I decided to go skiing and snowboarding at Grand Targhee Resort.

It was the second run of the day and I wanted to go faster, so I passed Tyler.

I decided to stop and wait for him but when I did, I skidded, caught an edge and immediately flew out of my skis. My body was dragged down the mountain, and I could only think, “My knee hurts SO bad.”

My right knee was twisted inward toward my left leg, which was straight. I tried to move my right knee while sliding but could not grab it fast enough.

Finally, I dug my boots into the snow and stopped. My husband rushed over on his snowboard and asked if I was okay. I tried to get up and we got me back into my skis but I noticed my right knee would not stop wobbling.

I took one turn to see if I could continue skiing. I couldn’t.

Ski patrol at Grand Targhee came to the rescue. They strapped me inside a toboggan and took me down the mountain.

I made it back to Idaho Falls, went to urgent care and was told I needed to go to an orthopedic doctor.

My knee blew up that night and turned purple and blue. It hurt.

I ended up getting an MRI and found out I needed surgery for my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

So much was racing through my mind. What’s the recovery process? Would I ever ski again?

ACL tears are becoming more common

I talked to everyone I knew about my torn ACL and learned from many people that they had experienced a similar injury.

Dr. Cedric Ortiguera, a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, said in an article that 150,000 to 200,000 ACL injuries occur each year in the United States.

I visited Dr. John Andary at the Shoulder & Knee Center in Idaho Falls. Andary has been an orthopedic surgeon for over 20 years and says ACL tears are becoming more common.

“Its prevalence is increasing as the years go on, and I think that probably has a lot to do with more involvement in youth sports,” he said. “Once you start getting a little older into your double digits, it kind of starts becoming more prevalent, and once you become an adolescent, then it really goes up because you are having so much more athletic activity.”

An ACL tear, however, can happen at any age.

Women versus men

Do women have a higher chance of ACL tears compared to men?

“When you talk about the difference between men and women — it’s very common in both. But women have a little bit increased risk of ACL tears,” Andary said.

He explained women have a little more elasticity in their ligaments, meaning they are probably a bit more hypermobile and have an increased risk in tearing the ACL.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are a number of factors that increase your risk of an ACL injury including participating in sports like soccer, football, basketball, gymnastics and downhill skiing, poor conditioning, using faulty movement patterns such as moving the knees inward during a squat, wearing footwear that doesn’t fit properly, and using poorly maintained sports equipment.

Andary said orthopedic surgeons will typically recommend getting ACL surgery done within three months of the injury.

The day of the surgery

On March 2, I went in for surgery at Mountain View Hospital. Andary performed the operation with Todd Curtis, his PA, and many others providing assistance.

According to instructions I got from Andary in a packet, “ACL surgery is done arthroscopically through several small poke holes in the skin and a small incision to pass the graft.”

“We cannot simply sew the torn ACL back together. We must reconstruct the ligament with new collagen. This new collagen can be taken from another part of your own knee (autograft) or we can use tissue that was donated by another person (allograft).”

I had a hamstring autograft to fix my ACL.

Post operation

After my surgery, I was given a continuous passive motion machine (CPM). A physical therapist told me I needed to use it so I could keep my leg moving and I had to use crutches.

“After the ACL reconstruction, you can be up and doing weight bearing as tolerated if you didn’t have a meniscus tear and be off crutches in a week or two,” Andary said. “You can be active and functional doing your normal and daily activities after a month or so, but you can’t be doing anything with power or strength like returning to sports.”

It can take several months to get back to sports, he says.

Physical therapy for the ACL

I started physical therapy a little over a week after my surgery with Keegan Parmer in Ammon. He owns Vista Physical Therapy which is attached to Anytime Fitness. Parmer has been a physical therapist for six years and does one-on-one therapy.

Parmer says right after an ACL surgery, there’s not much movement. The muscles start to lose strength.

“Initially, you have to get a range of motion back. A lot of people come in and they are very stiff. That knee doesn’t want to bend. Sometimes, it doesn’t even want to go straight,” he said.

At the beginning of physical therapy, Parmer massages the knee and focuses on stretches and exercises to build strength.

“As we progress from there when we get the green light to start putting more weight on your leg…then that’s when we start focusing on more of the strength, balance even…agility where you start putting different pressures on the knee and getting used to it,” he said.

He says seeing people for 12 weeks in physical therapy at least three times or twice a week is very common for ACLs.

It can be mentally challenging but Parmer says it gets better.

“It’s awful for everybody with an ACL injury. I don’t think people realize the mental toll that it takes on a person to not be able to use your leg after a major surgery. It’s a slow process,” he said. “I think it’s important for people to remember: it’s going to get better. It’s time and patience.”

I asked Parmer if he thought I will ever ski again. Thankfully, there’s hope.

“Oh yeah! For sure. Probably not in the Olympics or anything. Give it time. Usually, it’s about a year until you get back to an activity like that,” he told me.

ACL tear prevention

Dr. Andary says there are ways to prevent an ACL tear and programs that can help athletes. Even working with an athletic trainer or physical therapist on a six to eight-week program can help teach how to strengthen quads and hamstrings.

I asked Parmer, too, if you are more in shape than someone who isn’t, would you have a better chance of not tearing your ACL.

“I think the general answer is yes. The stronger your muscles are, the more stability they help give to your knee,” he said. “It’s obviously going to help, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not that risk no matter what you do.”

There you have it. I am in my 30s. I had a freak ski accident and tore my ACL.

My knee is getting better and I look forward to a full recovery. It’s not easy and it has been painful. I plan to be on the slopes again next winter but this time, I’ll go slower.

The post My nightmare came true: I got an ACL tear. It’s more common than you’d think. appeared first on East Idaho News.

Welcome to our new look!

If you’re a regular visitor to EastIdahoNews.com, you likely realized we’ve had a makeover. For over a year, we have been working to improve your experience on our website. Robert Patten, our web manager and developer, has spent countless hours completely rebuilding the backend of our site to make it faster, more responsive and far more user-friendly.

We did not want to launch a drastic overhaul of the website, so Alex Lemoing, our graphic designer, came up with a refreshing new theme that still maintains many familiar characteristics of our previous look.

Enhanced features and designs to many EastIdahoNews.com sections will be rolled out in the coming days. Like much of the news we cover, our website is a continual work in progress. There are still some kinks we are working out so please be patient as we make minor adjustments to text, photos, links, etc. And if you notice something that needs to be fixed, reach out and let us know here.

We’re happy to say that 100% of the redesign effort was done by our in-house staff – no outsourcing to developers, programmers or designers overseas. I’m proud of what our team has accomplished while still posting news every day and never missing a beat.

Speaking of our team, we continue to grow here at EastIdahoNews.com as Logan Ramsey and Mary Boyle joined us this month.

Logan was born and raised in Pocatello, graduated from ISU with a degree in multiplatform journalism and has been reporting news for over five years. He and Mikayla Morgan recently became parents to adorable baby Micah. Logan will report stories in and around his hometown of Pocatello.

Mary is an eastern Idaho native who has a decades work of experience in the news business. She’s the proud mother of two kids and rescues animals in her free time. Mary loves to garden, paint and write. She will be reporting and editing many of the stories you find on EastIdahoNews.com.

Our new site and team members will allow us to bring you more local news and information. Thank you for supporting us as we strive daily to be a news source you can trust.

The post EastIdahoNews.com welcomes a new look and new team members appeared first on East Idaho News.