EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is an editorial column submitted to EastIdahoNews.com by D91 Taxpayers – an advocacy group in opposition to the $110 million school bond proposed by Idaho Falls School District 91. Click here to read the editorial submitted by those in favor of the bond.

Click here to read a comprehensive report on the issue by EastIdahoNews.com.

From D91 Taxpayers

On November 7th, we urge a NO Vote to the massive $110 million District 91 school bond. The bond is flawed on many levels and we all deserve a better choice.

Most patrons, including many of us opposed to this bad proposal, do feel we need to upgrade our schools, but let’s upgrade them smart and cost effectively. Let’s not burden our children and our community with 20 years of excessive debt, unwisely incurred.

Some of the concerns about this bad bond include:

1. The process the district used to get this bond is known as a NO BID buying model. Firms were asked to submit their qualifications without pricing. Awards were then made to the bond company, the architect and the general contractor – all before any pricing was discussed. How much could be saved if bids were solicited before an award was made? We believe Idaho Falls and Skyline High could be updated for a fraction of the cost of what the selected NO BID firm now claims.

2. Both sides agree taxes have to go up! The district’s own chart shows collected taxes have to go from $13.8 million to $20.1 million to pay for this proposal. The debate is whether the district’s “no rate increase” promise for the next 20 years is believable. Even if their fancifully optimistic numbers pan out and the levy rate stays even, taxes will go up because the numbers require that the county will raise your property valuation. Taxes go up when the levy rate goes up, the valuation on your home goes up, or both. Since new construction has historically contributed to just 1.5% annually to market growth, the district needs your valuation – and hence your tax bill – to grow so they have enough new money. Again, their charts show they have to raise collections 46%, even if they keep their levy rate the same.

3. This bond hurts children that live in the working class neighborhoods close to the school. These families chose to live near the school where their children can walk to after-school activities, sports, and educational opportunities. Building a new school miles south punishes the lower income children and their families who might not have an extra vehicle, or a vehicle at all. They may not be able to participate in after school events. While some students on the south side have bus rides now, those families moved to where they did knowing they had said bus rides. Let’s protect the families around the school and further north.

4. This bond hurts us all by increasing taxpayer indebtedness, going from a current debt of $40 million to a whooping total new debt of over $183 million total when you add interest. This is 20 year of new taxes. Children that are in 1st grade now will be paying for this for 8 years after graduation, either passed on in increased rents or through higher taxes when they buy their first home. This is 20 year of new taxes.

5. It is questionable if Idaho Falls High even needs to be replaced. After all, the district has announced that it intends to continue to put up to 600 students in the building every day for technical classes without doing a major remodel. The district also plans to relocated offices without a remodel as well. WiFi and power are inexpensive to put in and classic schools are very popular. Many high schools nation wide were built in the early 1900s and are centerpieces of their neighborhoods.

This bond is to build some of the fanciest and most expensive buildings in the state. It is wasteful and teaches our children to spend foolishly. Yes, we all went to schools paid for by taxpayers, but we didn’t go to school to be in elaborate buildings, we went to be educated!

We urge our fellow District 91 taxpayers to reject this proposal and demand better. Demand a bond where bids are gathered first, cost effective solutions are weighed, and taxpayers won’t have a 46% tax increase. This bond proposal is not good for our children, families, or community. We deserve better.

Be sure to visit www.d91taxpayers.com and www.saveIFHS.com to learn more.

The post OPINION: Here’s why you should vote ‘NO’ on the D91 school bond appeared first on East Idaho News.

EastIdahoNews.com is hosting several forums over the coming days featuring men and women who are running for local political office in Pocatello, Blackfoot, Idaho Falls, Ammon, Rigby and Rexburg.

Each candidate is given 90 seconds to make an opening statement. They are then given 90 seconds to respond to questions and they get a final 90 seconds for a closing statement.

You can watch previous forums here.

In Rigby, incumbent Mayor Jason Richardson is the only candidate running for the position.

Click the video above to watch the interview with Mayor Richardson.

The post East Idaho Elects: Rigby Mayor Jason Richardson appeared first on East Idaho News.

REXBURG – Either one Rexburg car owner was confused, he is bad at lying, someone was pulling a prank … or a certain car boot is haunted.

Rexburg police say officers were dispatched to a Brigham Young University-Idaho student apartment complex for a booting complaint. The owner of the vehicle told police his car had been stolen and then driven to another complex, where it was booted.

Shortly after that, though, the car owner told police his car (which had been booted at the different apartment complex) had somehow reappeared at his own apartment — with the boot still in place.

Car boots are designed to immobilize a vehicle, rendering it impossible to drive.

“He said somebody took the car,” Capt. Randy Lewis of the Rexburg Police Department told EastIdahonews.com. “Then the car turned up at his apartment.”

Lewis said the owner told police he was leaving for an appointment when he found the car booted.

Police informed him what his options were concerning the boot. He decided to pay to have it removed.

Rexburg police are conducting an investigation into the claim that the vehicle was stolen.

The post The mysterious case of the teleporting car boot appeared first on East Idaho News.

REXBURG — When it came time for the Madison School District to hire a physical education teacher, the Eastern Idaho district received just one application.

The applicant, now on staff, is off to a good start, Superintendent Geoffrey Thomas said this week. But he’s also well aware of the odds. The shallower the applicant pool, the greater the chance of making a bad hire.

Madison’s search is just one passage in an ongoing story. Idaho’s teacher shortage is widespread. And it’s unlikely to go away any time soon.

The evidence is anecdotal but widespread. Some administrators simply left some jobs vacant this fall, for lack of qualified applicants. Administrators are also plugging vacancies with uncertified teachers; not too far from Madison, about a fifth of the West Jefferson School District’s faculty is on the job while pursuing alternative routes to certification.

The historically hard-to-find teachers remain scarce; in an Idaho Education News online survey, West Jefferson Superintendent Dwight Richins likened math, science and special education teachers to “unicorns.”

But the struggle to find and keep quality teachers doesn’t stop there.

‘I ask them, “Please stay”’

As a member of Gov. Butch Otter’s K-12 task force, Thomas helped push for teacher pay raises. The 2015 career ladder salary law has its origins in the 2013 task force recommendations.

The extra money helps. But a scent of “toxicity” lingers — from a time when teachers felt they were treated as the enemy.

“We’re not that far removed from the Luna years,” Thomas said. “You don’t always see the effect immediately.”

The Madison district has an edge in recruiting teachers — its proximity to Brigham Young University-Idaho. The district usually has plenty of applicants, at least for elementary school jobs.

Retention remains a problem, though. Turnover rates have topped 20 percent in recent years — and it means that this year’s 11.5 percent turnover rate qualifies as a positive sign.

Even so, recruiting is a big job. So when Thomas addresses his faculty at the start of the school year — and looks out at a room with a lot of new faces — he quickly pivots from a welcome to another message.

“I ask them, ‘Please stay,” he said.

Scramble in suburbia

The teacher shortage may hit rural schools the hardest — but the pain is felt beyond small-town Idaho.

Meridian’s Compass Public Charter School scrambled this year. Compass hired three teachers through alternative routes: a physical education teacher, a math and chemistry teacher and a part-timer to teach one health class.

When it came to finding a part-time junior high school Spanish teacher, Compass wasn’t as fortunate. One promising applicant backed off, and the school could never make the hire. Compass’ Spanish teacher will still have to cover high school and junior high classes. That forced the school to drop a dual-credit class, even after students had signed up for it.

“That was a bummer,” school administrator Kelly Trudeau said.

Like Thomas, Trudeau struggles with retention — since teachers can find higher salaries elsewhere in the Treasure Valley. She lost two veteran teachers this summer, one each to the West Ada and Boise school districts.

The career ladder is part of the problem.

“They took from the veteran teachers to be able to boost the newbies coming in,” Trudeau said. “Budgetwise, it isn’t helping us at all.”

‘It’s not going to get any easier for a while’

Pocatello-Chubbuck is Idaho’s fourth largest school district, and the largest district in eastern Idaho. Pocatello is also home to Idaho State University, which provides the district access to a cadre of entry-level teachers.

But this year, only 50 students graduated from ISU’s College of Education, down from 75 to 80 graduates in typical years, said Sue Pettit, Pocatello-Chubbuck’s human resources director.

Pettit is starting her recruiting process sooner — in February, rather than April. Beyond the typical scramble to find special education teachers, the district even struggled to hire elementary school teachers.

Meanwhile, with 20 teachers going through alternative certification, the district is having to ramp up its training. One teacher is assigned to meet regularly with these 20 teachers. The non-traditional hires also get in-house training at their schools, and must take a course in classroom management.

Pettit is bracing for the new normal.

“It’s not going to get any easier for a while,” she said.

Taking the TFA route

As a new superintendent, Robin Gilbert inherited some harsh facts of life. Like many rural districts, the Payette School District scrambles to hire teachers. Then Payette runs the risk of losing teachers to higher-paying jobs in urban areas.

On the recruiting end, Payette has turned to Teach for America, a controversial program that is trying to make inroads in Idaho.

TFA recruits recent college graduates, puts them through a five-week summer training institute, then places them in impoverished schools. Its Idaho rollout has been slow. In 2016-17, only 12 TFA graduates taught in Idaho schools — a number dwarfed by other alternative teacher certification programs.

TFA hires need only stay on the job for two years, so the program might not address Payette’s retention troubles. And TFA hires cost more; this year, Payette has to pay a $2,000 stipend for every teacher it hires through the program. But Payette’s three TFA hires have taken hard-to-fill teaching jobs such as special education and high school science.

“It brought in candidates that we would not have been able to find on our own,” Gilbert said.

Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.

Disclosure: Teach for America is funded by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, which also funds Idaho Education News.

This article was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on October 26. It is used here with permission.

The post Idaho’s teacher shortage is widespread — and it isn’t going away appeared first on East Idaho News.

SHELLEY – A local girl is learning to cope with a rare and debilitating anxiety disorder that affects her voice.

Annika Wittwer, 17, was diagnosed with Selective Mutism when she was around 8-years-old. Selective Mutism is an anxiety disorder that prevents a person from speaking in situations where they feel uncomfortable. The disorder has progressively gotten worse over the years to where Annika can barely converse with her family members.

Selective Mutism is not a developmental disorder. According to Annika’s parents, Jacqueline and Eric Wittwer, she is very talented and intelligent, she is simply unable to “push the play button” on her voice.

According to Annika’s doctor, Dr. Shelley Avny a clinical psychologist at Kurtz Psychology Consulting in New York, Selective Mutism is treatable. However, it becomes more difficult the longer a person goes without treatment.

Recently, Annika’s parents made the expensive trip to New York so, Annika could undergo intensive treatment at Kurtz Psychology.

The treatment is a long process involving small steps to help the person with Selective Mutism become more comfortable with speaking in anxiety-provoking situations.

A GoFundMe campaign set up to help pay for Annika’s treatment has raised $4,595.

Though her parents acknowledge the considerable cost of her treatment, they wish only do whatever they can do to help their daughter.

The post Shelley teen getting treatment for rare and debilitating anxiety disorder appeared first on East Idaho News.

The following is a news release from the Idaho U.S. Attorney’s Office.

POCATELLO – Lataya Anderson and Matthew Toombs, of Pocatello, pleaded guilty this week to possession of a methamphetamine with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Anderson and Toombs were indicted by a federal grand jury in Pocatello on May 24.

According to court records, in March of this year, Anderson and Toombs sold just over 14 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant working with police investigators.

On April 27, Anderson and Toombs were arrested in Pocatello by the Idaho State Police Anderson had a vial containing approximately 3 grams of methamphetamine in her pocket. In Anderson and Toombs’ vehicle, police found 23 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale with residue, a Phoenix Arms .22 caliber handgun, a drug ledger, approximately 2.8 grams of marijuana, small clean plastic baggies and a glass drug pipe.

The charge for possession of a methamphetamine with intent to distribute is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1,000,000 and at least three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is set for January 18, 2018, before U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

The case was investigated through the combined efforts of the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office, the Idaho State Police and the Eastern Idaho Partnership. The Eastern Idaho Partnership is a collaborative effort among local communities, law enforcement, the State of Idaho, and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho.

The post Pocatello pair plead guilty to federal drug trafficking charges appeared first on East Idaho News.

WEBER COUNTY, Utah (KSL) — The families of two couples killed in a plane crash in Weber County in July are still friends, says the attorney representing one of the families suing the other family’s estate.

“The Huffakers were friends with the Clarkes before this tragic incident happened. They remain so today,” said Eric Olson, who is representing the Huffaker estate in a wrongful death lawsuit against the Clarke estate.

The estate of Perry and Sarah Huffaker filed the lawsuit in 2nd District Court last week against the estate of Layne and Diana Clarke. Both couples were killed July 26 when the Beech A36 Bonanza they were in crashed into the median of I-15 near Riverdale shortly after taking off from Ogden-Hinckley Airport. The couples, close friends, were flying north to go on vacation together.

After filing their lawsuit, the estate of the Huffakers received some negative feedback from the public.

But Olson wanted to clarify the situation on Thursday, and assured that the families are still friends and that the filing of the lawsuit is a legal formality.

RELATED: Wrongful death lawsuit filed by family of couple who died in Utah plane crash

RELATED: Report on deadly plane crash on I-15: Group was headed to Island Park

“The Clarkes obtained insurance for the airplane in case anything tragic like this ever happened. The amount of insurance coverage is still under investigation. The law imposes deadlines by which lawsuits have to be filed,” he said. “The lawsuit was filed Friday to meet any and all deadlines that could apply, while the parties continue their investigation.”

Members of the Clarke family were named in the lawsuit to comply with the rules of filing such a case, Olson explained. Even when the plaintiffs are only seeking insurance proceeds, a member of the estate has to be named, he said.

The Clarkes’ attorney was notified before the lawsuit was actually filed, “so they would understand why the lawsuit was filed,” he said.

A final report from the National Transportation Safety Board on a possible cause of the crash has not yet been completed. According to a preliminary report, witnesses told investigators that, “As the airplane passed by, they noticed the engine sound was underpowered and the tail of the airplane going up and down, as if the pilot was struggling to keep the airplane at altitude.”

This article was originally published by KSL.com. It is used here with permission.

The post Families of couples killed in plane crash still friends, attorney says appeared first on East Idaho News.

POCATELLO — A local woman is accused of not only driving to a Pocatello early childhood center while intoxicated to pick up one of her children, but police say she left her other young child home alone.

Police arrested Amanda Gould-Honena, 35, of Pocatello, on Thursday afternoon and charged her with drunk driving and child endangerment, both misdemeanors.

Police were initially notified about Gould-Honena by staff members at the Lincoln Early Childhood Center on Oakwood Drive. Police said staff members reported that a highly intoxicated Gould-Honena had arrived at the Lincoln center to pick up her 5-year-old child around 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

In addition to allegedly being drunk, Gould-Honena told Lincoln center staff members that her other child, a 3-year-old, was missing.

Lincoln center staff members took Gould-Honena’s car keys away from her so she couldn’t drive away, police said.

Responding officers placed Gould-Honena under arrest and began searching for her missing 3-year-old. Officers found the child alone but in good condition at Gould-Honena’s home on North Harrison Avenue around 2 p.m. Thursday.

Police said they will use the Lincoln center’s security camera footage showing Gould-Honena arriving at the facility to prove she was driving drunk.

Gould-Honena was booked into Bannock County Jail following her arrest. Her children are now in the custody of other family members.

If convicted of the charges against her, Gould-Honena faces a maximum penalty of 18 months in jail and a $2,000 fine.

This article was originally published in the Idaho State Journal. It is used here with permission.

The post Mom arrested for child endangerment after picking up child while drunk, police say appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — A white Chrysler landed on a resident’s lawn after being slammed into by a bronze Nissan Thursday night.

Idaho Falls Police responded to a two-vehicle car crash on Iona Street and Canyon Avenue at around 9:20 p.m.

A 29-year-old male driver of a Nissan Pathfinder was headed westbound on Iona Street and failed to yield to the Chrysler that was traveling southbound on Canyon Avenue.

The 41-year-old male in the Chrysler passed out after his car was struck and accidentally shifted into another gear.

“Somehow the car ended up in reverse so it rolled up into the lawn,” Idaho Falls patrol officer Rick Lainhart told EastIdahoNews.com.

A unit from the Idaho Falls Fire Department and ambulance also responded to the scene. The driver of the Chrysler was responsive when being checked but then taken to hospital due to minor injuries.

The post Crash causes car to swing into reverse and end up in lawn appeared first on East Idaho News.

This week on Feel Good Friday we are surprising children at the Behavioral Health Center in Idaho Falls with pumpkins.

New Sweden Farms generously offered to donate 30 pumpkins so each child at the BHC could have their own to decorate or carve for Halloween.

The Behavioral Health Center is a 74-bed psychiatric hospital in Idaho Falls providing mental-health services.

Watch the video above to see this week’s Feel Good Friday!

PREVIOUS FEEL GOOD FRIDAY SEGMENTS

She’s dreamed of meeting this singing group for years. Then they knocked on her door for Feel Good Friday.

She has terminal breast cancer & the message this teacher sent us after her Feel Good Friday surprise touched our hearts

She has 3 kids, is carrying a baby for another woman and just received a Feel Good Friday surprise

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

The post A special group of kids is about to get a Halloween surprise for Feel Good Friday appeared first on East Idaho News.

RIGBY — Two people were rushed to the hospital after a two-vehicle accident at the corner of 100 North and 3700 East in Rigby.

Witnesses and emergency responders say a black Dodge Charger was traveling south on 3700 East around 8:15 a.m. Friday. A grey Hyundai was traveling eastbound on 100 North and failed to yield at a stop sign and T-boned the Charger.

Nearby residents went to help a female who was trapped in the Hyundai, but weren’t able to get her out of the car. Central Fire District responders got her out of the car shortly afterwards.

Central District Fire Chief Carl Anderson said both drivers were in fair condition when they were transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

EastIdahoNews.com will update this article if more information is released.

The post Two people hospitalized after T-bone crash in Rigby appeared first on East Idaho News.

REXBURG — A 25-year-old woman was arrested on a number of felony and misdemeanor charges for allegedly scamming people trying to rent a townhouse.

Ashley Nicole Vidrine of Rexburg has been charged with felony grand theft, misdemeanor petty theft and a felony computer crime.

Police reports show Vidrine was fraudulently advertising a townhouse for rent without the intent of actually renting it and accepting down payments from unsuspecting victims.

A total of $3,500 was taken on three separate occasions in September from an unknown number of victims. None of the victims recovered any of their money, Capt. Randy Lewis tells EastIdahoNews.com.

The suspect was living in the advertised house with her husband on Pioneer Road in Rexburg.

She was located and arrested Thursday and booked into the Madison County Jail. Her bond is set at $50,000.

The post Local woman arrested for townhouse rental scam appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — A least two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were in Idaho Falls and Ammon on Thursday and Friday searching for at least one individual.

On Friday, EastIdahoNews.com was inundated by phone calls, text messages and social media alerts reporting a massive ICE raid on illegal immigrants at a variety of locations.

But local law enforcement says that is not the case, no arrests were made, and the ICE officers have now left the area.

Bonneville County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Bryan Lovell said ICE officers were looking for an specific individual near 1st Street and Ammon Road Friday morning. That individual fled on foot and sheriff’s deputies were called in to assist in the search. He was not apprehended at that time.

No details about the targeted individual have been released.

EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to ICE officials for comment and will post if they respond.

Additionally, a significant number of people contacted EastIdahoNews.com about ICE officers being at Eagle Eye Produce. An Eagle Eye manager, who did not want to be named, told EastIdahoNews.com that isn’t true and ICE officials had not been anywhere on the premises. EastIdahoNews.com has no direct evidence they were there, other than reports from witnesses.

Video sent to EastIdahoNews.com shows two ICE officers detaining two individuals alongside a road. However, Lovell said ICE officers confirmed they did not make an arrest.

This article has been updated with new information from Eagle Eye Produce.

The post UPDATE: ICE officers in Idaho Falls were looking for specific person appeared first on East Idaho News.

Sometimes you can’t help getting lost and frustrated in a straw maze. After all, everything looks the same and it can be hard to remember which way you last turned. It doesn’t take long for the whole maze to morph into an interminable straw-colored blur.

Hoping to get some tips for how to successfully navigate a straw maze, EastIdahoNews.com dropped in on Rexburg’s ScareTower and spoke with Eric Sorensen, one of four partners who run the attraction. The ScareTower features an unhaunted straw maze and a haunted house. With his help, we came up a few helpful suggestions for you maze runners out there.

Wear the right gear

Be sure to dress appropriately. Sorensen recommended long pants and close-toed footwear, so as to avoid the discomfort and annoyance of getting straw in your shoes. And be sure to bring a jacket in case it gets cold or starts raining. Straw mazes are a lot harder to navigate when you’re miserable, wet and cold.

Follow a wall

Sorensen said one way to get through a maze is to pick a wall to follow as soon as you enter the maze. “If you’re already in a loop and you hug a wall you’re just going to continually go around in the loop”, he said. “But if you start at the beginning of the maze and follow a wall, it should lead you out.”

Know your limits

Some straw mazes are haunted, providing an extra level of excitement to your maze running experience. But some folks have anxiety issues or weak hearts or may be prone to panic attacks. “I don’t know if there’s anything you can do about that”, Sorensen said. “People just have to police themselves.” So know what sets you off and how much you can take. And if the idea of being scared freaks you out, find a maze that isn’t haunted.

Reward yourself

A reward for finishing is also a reason to keep going. At the Scaretower, the reward for successfully finishing is built right into the maze – a 65-foot slide.

“You don’t get to go down the slide unless you finish the maze,” said Sorensen. “That was my intention of putting it there – as an incentive. And once kids finish the maze, they go on it over and over and over. They just love it.”

But you can use all kinds of things to motivate yourself. Take yourself out for ice cream if you get all the way through. Get some little item you really want — anything that keeps you focused and motivated.

Find an emergency exit

Straw mazes are required to have emergency exits at the perimeters, in the event of an emergency. These exits also serve as an escape should you get lost and frustrated.

Don’t cheat

According to Sorensen, lots of people like to create their own shortcuts. “You try to build your maze nice and tight, so there are no shortcuts”, he says. “But, inevitably kids find find holes in the corners and they cut through the bales, and by the end of the season, a 4-inch hole has turned into a 2-foot passageway.” He says much time is spent finding those holes and stuffing them with straw so there are no shortcuts. And don’t climb on top of the maze.

“It’s fun to get on top, because you can see where you’re going and see where the paths go,” said Sorensen. Both these cheats may seem like clever ways to win, but they can spoil the fun for others and even present safety issues.

Armed with these suggestions, you should have a better chance of successfully getting through your local straw maze (and many of these tips hold true for corn mazes too). Just be more mindful than this EastIdahoNews.com writer, and don’t forget them the instant you enter the maze.

The post FORSGREN: The straw maze survival guide appeared first on East Idaho News.

The following is a news release from the Idaho Falls Police Department.

IDAHO FALLS — Authorities have arrested three individuals in connection with a recent string of vehicle burglaries in Idaho Falls.

Over the past couple of weeks, the IFPD has been investigating numerous vehicle burglaries in which windows were smashed in and purses, wallets and other property were taken.

“Due to a lot of great teamwork, tips from other agencies and hours of investigation from Idaho Falls detectives and patrol, we were able to locate and make the arrests,” Police Chief Bryce Johnson said.

Three individuals were arrested and detained after an Idaho Falls detective witnessed one of the suspect’s vehicles, a dark gray 2016 Chevy Cruz, pulling into the Xtreme Clean Car wash at 1595 W. John Adams on Thursday evening. The occupants of the Chevy Cruz then met up with one occupant in a white 2004 Jaguar in the parking lot of the car wash.

Christopher A. Jewkes, a 28-year-old male from Idaho Falls was arrested on an Idaho Falls felony order to show warrant and a felony Idaho Department of Corrections warrant. Jewkes is also under investigation for other charges.

Holly N. Beltran, a 34-year-old female was arrested for larceny, burglary and two felony counts of fraud-possession of a financial transaction card.

Ryan S. Rasmussen, a 37-year-old male from Rigby was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and drug trafficking. During the investigation, Rasmussen was found in possession of 39.3 grams of methamphetamine, as well as stolen property.

Officers are continuing to work on resolving several vehicle burglary cases associated with these arrests and appreciates the patience of those affected.

The post Three arrested in connection to string of vehicle burglaries appeared first on East Idaho News.

DRIGGS — Patrons in the Teton Valley are mixed over the local school district’s $30 million bond issue to upgrade its four aging and cramped elementary schools.

Supporters of the measure, which includes $23 million to rebuild both Victor and Driggs elementary schools, say a laundry list of fixes are long overdue:

• Lack of storage
• Aging infrastructure
• Cramped campuses
• Unsafe drop-off zones
• Crowded facilities

“The lack of space here is spreading our teachers thin,” said trustee Chris Isaacson. “Teachers at Victor (Elementary) even have to share a bathroom with students.”

Isaacson walked through a labyrinth of what used to be storage space and a locker room under the gym bleachers at Victor Elementary, which served as the town’s high school during WWII. The space now serves as a remedial reading room, storage and a one-person bathroom crammed with learning materials.

The school’s stage, meanwhile, functions as both a lunchroom and special education classroom, with a row of listing six-foot office partitions dividing them.

“These teachers have to work around the school’s PE schedule to hold classes in here,” Isaacson said. “It’s hard to teach with all the noise going on in the gym.”

Isaacson and other supporters say upgrading similar scenarios in the district’s three other elementary schools, all 59-76 years old, will bear a gamut of benefits, from more space and better technology to improved student achievement.

But everyone’s not on board.

Local business owner and lifelong resident Travis Moulton said the district could save about $10 million by replacing both Victor and Driggs elementary schools with one large school between the two towns. Updating the district’s current fourth- and fifth-grade elementary school, located in Driggs, to include all elementary-age students within its boundaries would also free up space, Moulton said.

Trustees say months of feedback via surveys and open meetings shaped the current proposal, and one particular messages was clear: the district’s fourth- and fifth-grade elementary school, Upper Rendezvous, helps kids transition from elementary school to middle school.

Moulton questions the logic.

“Does it improve our test scores?” he said. “No one has answered that question for me.”

Despite Moulton’s arguments, a local support group has rallied around the measure, plastering “Vote Yes” leaflets throughout the valley and loading up both a website and Facebook page with promotional posts and videos.

Still, Teton has a shaky history of passing bond issues, which require a two-thirds supermajority of votes in Idaho. The burden of scrounging for local funds falls heaviest on rural districts such as Teton, where farmers ride the ups and downs of markets and harvests.

Though the district did pass a $12 million bond issue for a new middle school in 2006, a $19 million elementary school measure fell 10 points shy of a supermajority in 2014.

Supporters hope historically low interest rates and the quasi-tourist area’s booming market value will up their chances this time around.

Projections from asset management firm Piper Jaffray peg a likely annual tax hike of about $60 per $100,000 of taxable value if the measure passes. The district is also floating a $7.2 million contingency bond issue to upgrade Teton Middle School and Teton High School, including a new auxiliary gym.

Local patrons will find the measures on the ballot Nov. 7.

This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on October 26. It is used here with permission.

The post Debate swirls around Teton school district’s $30 million bond issue appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS – What started as a birthday party for a local man’s niece has become one of the biggest haunted house attractions in east Idaho.

Darrell Wagner is the owner of Dr. Slaughter’s House of Terror. The project, Wagner says, began in the basement of his home with his wife and three kids.

Today, the same house of terror covers more than 30,000 square feet and is the biggest supporter of drug and alcohol prevention among students in Idaho Falls and Bonneville school districts 91 and 93.

“We have been able to give $1.7 million to the DARE Project in Idaho Falls,” Wagner says.

Wagner is a peer support specialist with the Bonneville County Wood Pilot Project.

The haunted house allows him to give kids something positive to do with their time after school.

“We have 80 to 100 kids volunteering,” Wagner said. “They come in after school, and we feed them.”

The students get into make-up and find their positions in the haunt. Some are part of the Living Dead Dance Team and some are part of the cast.

The Living Dead Dance Team entertains patrons while they wait to enter the house of terror.

Those who enter Dr. Slaughter’s experience an alien invasion before entering Zombie City. Participants are taken upstairs into a 3D maze with glow-in-the-dark artwork and a look at Krazy Krista, as she is affectionately called by staff.

Leslie Sieger | EastIdahoNews.com.

Patrons seem to love it. Check out their reviews here.

Dr. Slaughter’s House of Terror is open Monday through Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to midnight, through Oct. 31.

The post Owner of Dr. Slaughter’s helps students resist drugs appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office responded to a rollover crash on South Holmes Avenue near Taylorview Middle School shortly before 5 p.m. Friday.

Police reports show the vehicle, driven by a male occupant, smashed into a utility pole and cables were strewn across the road. Officials said they did not believe the cables were power lines.

Bonneville County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Bryan Lovell said crash was likely the result of a medical issue.

The driver suffered minor injuries in the crash and was transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center to receive treatment for his medical issue.

The post Rollover crash takes out utility pole on Holmes appeared first on East Idaho News.

The following is a news release from Jefferson County.

RIGBY — The groundbreaking for a multimillion-dollar courthouse expansion will be held on Nov. 1.

The groundbreaking ceremony, at 1 p.m., begins construction on the $4 million Jefferson County annex building located immediately south of the of the county courthouse.

The construction project was awarded by the Jefferson County Commissioners to DL Beck Inc. located in Rexburg. It will be paid for by existing funds and taxes from the federal government. Officials say it does not require a raise in taxes.

The new building will house multiple departments currently scattered throughout Rigby.

Jefferson County Commissioners, the contractor and NBW Architects will meet for a pre-construction meeting following the ceremony.

The post Groundbreaking ceremony for Jefferson County annex building announced appeared first on East Idaho News.

Nothing brings a team closer together than freaking out together, right?

The EastIdahoNews.com crew recently spent an evening at the Theatre of the Lost Souls in Shelley and it was an experience many of us never want to have again.

We could tell you all about it – or you could just watch the video above for a small taste of what happened.

Here’s a Facebook video we recorded immediately following the experience:

The post WATCH: Here’s what happened when we went through a haunted theatre appeared first on East Idaho News.