CHUBBUCK — After a nearly eight-month investigation across several countries, a Chubbuck man has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography.

Shawn M. Young, 44, is charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child and could face up to 100 years in prison and $100,000 in fines if convicted on all charges.

The investigation began on April 10 after a family member contacted police to report finding sexually explicit photos on Young’s cell phone, according to court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com.

Police arrived to execute a search warrant of the home. During the search, police examined the phone and an officer allegedly observed images of what he described as minors as young as 1 year old being engaged in sexual acts with a man.

Police confiscated the phone and obtained a search warrant to download the image files as evidence and submission for image verification. Police also discovered and seized a Nikon camera with an SD card in the apartment’s kitchen.

After downloading images from the phone, Chubbuck Police contacted the FBI, which agreed to complete a forensic download of the phone, using the obtained search warrant on April 11. Investigators also discovered Young had a storage shed and a camper containing several phones, laptops and tablets and storage devices.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent the abuse, endangerment and sexual exploitation of children, was brought in on the case. The FBI requested its assistance in June to help identify the child victims found in the photos.

Of the files searched, 98 photos matched those identified by the the center’s victim identification program. The investigation not only led to the location of several children exploited in the United States, but others elsewhere in the world.

Included in the search were law enforcement in France, Germany, Italy, Moldova, Paraguay, the United Kingdom, Australia, Russia, Canada, Sweden and Lithuania.

Once the FBI concluded its investigation, it was determined that about 275 images were of prepubescent child pornography. An additional 63 images were found of child pornography of victims estimated to be from 12 to 14 years of age; and around 29 images that appeared to show victims that were possibly under the age of 18, according to court documents.

“There were numerous sexually explicit chat data/evidence, which indicated Young had been chatting/communicating via the cell phone on the internet regarding child pornography,” police said in their report.

Included in the report was the description of multiple videos of violent rape of minors, including with the use of weapons.

On Nov. 10, police noted they had been in contact with Young for several weeks. Young agreed to take a polygraph examination at the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office. On the date of the examination, Young failed to appear. He claimed to have forgotten the scheduled polygraph. Police then scheduled a second test on another date, and Young allegedly was a no-show again.

“Due to Young being unwilling to take a polygraph examination, this incident will be forward to the Bannock County Prosecutor’s Office for review, at their request,” according to court documents.

Documents state during interviews Young said he was exposed to pornography at the age of 12 and has been addicted since.

“Young said that pornography is and probably will always be an addiction for him and he said, ‘I can’t get enough,'” according to court documents.

The Chubbuck Police Department arrested Young on Tuesday. He is being held in the Bannock County Jail on a $25,000 bond. He expected to appear in court Dec. 19.

The following is a news release from the Blackfoot Police Department.

BLACKFOOT — On Dec. 12, at about 12:30 p.m., the Blackfoot Police responded to the 1600 block of Camas Street in reference to a wanted subject – Niko Georgette, 26, of Blackfoot.

Upon arriving, officers identified Georgette and confirmed a no bond warrant for aggravated assault, witness intimidation, burglary, and possession of marijuana.

Georgette refused to come out of the apartment and was suspected of having a weapon. A total of seven other apartments were evacuated while verbal negotiations ensued. Deputies from the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to the scene to assist. After approximately two hours of talking with Georgette, he surrendered without incident.

Georgette is being held on the no bond warrant, resisting and obstructing, and possession of methamphetamine. Georgette was in possession of an air pistol.

Do you want to know what’s happening on the east Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered.

Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BRIEF

IDAHO FALLS

Santa says kids in eastern Idaho have been good this year and he wants to chat

IDAHO FALLS – He’s still making his list and checking it twice, but this year Santa Claus is also making sure to chat with kids in eastern Idaho on social media up through Dec. 25.

Though he can’t visit with every family, for the first time ever, Santa is making time in his busy schedule to visit with kids in eastern Idaho through social media. If you feel like your kids would benefit from a one-on-one visit with Santa, you can learn more on his Santa Live Facebook page.

On the page, Santa can learn a little bit about the child from their parents, and the children can talk with Santa through a video application. Prices for an interview with Santa start at $10, with additional fees for a recorded copy of the interview or a handwritten letter from Santa.

Santa will also be making several visits to eastern Idaho in person prior to making Christmas deliveries around the world Christmas Eve.

“A lot of the visits that I’m doing are focused on families with children that are autistic or down syndrome or have sensory input issues,” Santa tells EastIdahoNews.com. “It’s been rewarding to see the community (rally) around these families.”

Santa says he appreciates all the love and giving he sees from people. Kids in eastern Idaho have been very good this year, he says, and he has a special message for the kids and their parents.

You can watch the full interview with Santa in the video above.

BIZ BITS

United Way wants your help

POCATELLO – If you’re looking for a way to help someone out during the holidays, you may want to consider making a donation to the United Way. The United Way provides funding to nonprofit agencies across the country that help people who are struggling in different areas. Through its annual giving campaign, it targets its donations to three areas of focus. Kelly Stombaugh, a resource development associate for the United Way of Southeastern Idaho in Pocatello, tells EastIdahoNews.com it’s about halfway to this year’s goal of $750,000. EastIdahoNews.com will post a story soon.

New clinic offering ‘one-stop-shop’ healthcare opens this month in Idaho Falls

IDAHO FALLS – Imagine having a mini Mayo Clinic right here in eastern Idaho. That’s how Dr. Fahim Rahim and others are describing the new Comprehensive Care Clinics opening later this month in Idaho Falls. The new clinic, Rahim says, will be a one-stop-shop that provides quality medical care at a lower cost. You can take a tour of the new clinic during a ribbon cutting and open house, Monday, Dec. 17. Rumor has it, Santa will even be there. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Local Christmas concert will be shown on TV

REXBURG – In celebration of the Christmas season, Brigham Young University-Idaho’s 2017 performance of “A BYU-Idaho Christmas” will be broadcast across the state on Idaho Public Television. A 60-minute edited version of the concert will air on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 24, at 8 p.m. The 2017 concert features the BYU-Idaho Symphony Orchestra, Concert Choir, Vocal Union, Men’s and Women’s Choirs, and dancers from the College of Performing and Visual Arts, with special guests Santino Fontana and Lexi Walker.

Fall River Electric names new member service manager

ASHTON – Sheena Stricker has been named as new Member Service Manager of Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative headquartered in Ashton. Stricker came to Fall River from Golden Valley Electric Association in Fairbanks, Alaska after a career of 10 years while most recently serving as Member Service Supervisor. Her primary responsibilities were to direct 10 employees at three district offices, educate and assist the members, develop policies and procedures and oversee the Co-op’s annual meeting. Stricker has a bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in business and an occupational endorsement in sustainable energy from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

IDAHO FALLS

If you need Christmas decorations or other items, this local thrift store can probably help

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

BIZ BUGS

DATA BREACHES

The following is a news release from the Better Business Bureau.

It seems to be a common occurrence these days. A major company or organization breached by hackers taking personal information from thousands to millions of people. One of the latest companies to be hit is the Marriott International says that a breach of its Starwood guest reservation database exposed the personal information of up to 500 million people.

Your information may have been part of this breach. So what do you do? The Better Business Bureau has some suggestions for consumers concerned that their credit and debit cards may have been compromised.

First, staying calm and realize that you will not be liable for fraudulent charges on stolen account numbers. It is important check with the website of the company that was breached for the latest information. The best way to access the website is type it in yourself to ensure you don’t get lured to a site that has been fabricated by scammers.

As far as your credit and debit cards, if they have been compromised you will likely hear from the bank or the card issuer. Check those accounts yourself frequently to make sure no fraudulent charges are occurring. If you see charges, report them immediately so they can be reversed and a new card can be issued.

Also, you may consider putting a credit freeze or fraud alert on your credit reports with the three major credit reporting agencies. A credit freeze will prevent anyone from accessing your credit report or scores. This mean you cannot apply for new credit without lifting the freeze. A fraud alert flags your account, but does not automatically halt new credit being opened in your name.

Credit freezes and thaws are free now because a new law went into effect this summer for identity theft victims. You’ll need to hold on to your login credentials with each bureau to thaw your reports. A lost PIN or user ID can be difficult and time consuming to retrieve.

For more information on what to do if you are a victim of a data breach go to bbb.org.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Arts Council wants your help for Colonial Theater centennial

Dow stages huge comeback after briefly plunging below 24,000

New restaurant taking off at Idaho Falls Regional Airport

Bitcoin’s epic plunge continues

If you have a Biz Buzz item you want to share, send it to rett.nelson@eastidahonews.com. Remember to use “Biz Buzz” in the subject line. Also, don’t forget to sign up for the free Biz Buzz email newsletter.

IDAHO FALLS — Millions around the world have now seen the inspiring acts of an east Idaho Secret Santa.

On Tuesday, the NBC show ‘Access’ featured the surprise of a single Idaho Falls mother who unexpectedly received a car from Secret Santa. The touching moment was shown during a segment called “The Best Thing We’ve Seen Today.”

Other east Idaho Secret Santa surprises have been featured on AOL in the UK, Inside Edition, MSN.com, the Christian Broadcast Network and dozens of other websites.

RELATED | NBC features east Idaho Secret Santa on ‘Nightly News’

An anonymous person approached EastIdahoNews.com in 2015 and asked if we could help him give away $100,000 to deserving individuals in the community. The tradition continued in 2016 and last year, Secret Santa doubled the amount to $200,000. This year he’s asked the news team to help him give away $250,000 – a quarter of a million dollars.

WATCH THE VERY FIRST SECRET SANTA SURPRISE FROM 2015 HERE

Many of the surprises are filmed and at least one video is posted daily on EastIdahoNews.com. Some situations are sensitive so the EastIdahoNews.com elves drop off the gift and leave without cameras rolling.

Secret Santa still has plenty of money to give away until Christmas so if you know someone truly in need, click here and tell us about them.

IDAHO FALLS – If you’re looking for a way to help someone out during the holidays, you may want to consider making a donation to the United Way.

The United Way provides funding to nonprofit agencies across the country that help people who are struggling in different areas. Through its annual giving campaign, it targets its donations to three areas of focus.

Kelly Stombaugh, a resource development associate for the United Way of Southeastern Idaho in Pocatello, tells EastIdahoNews.com it’s about halfway to this year’s goal of $750,000.

“The three areas we primarily focus on are health, education and financial stability. (We partner with 30 different organizations) to help us determine what part they play in filling the immediate needs of people in our community,” Stombaugh said.

Financial stability is a big area of concern right now for people in the seven counties Stombaugh works with, which includes Bingham, Bannock, Power, Oneida, Franklin, Bear Lake and Caribou. She says 44 percent of households within these counties are financially unstable.

“The biggest problem (we see) is homelessness, a lack of resources for financial assistance, (a lack of) food available — just being able to make ends meet for most people,” Stombaugh says.

The Idaho Foodbank and the Salvation Army are two of the organizations the United Way partners with to combat this issue in these communities.

Despite raising less than its goal, Stombaugh says the United Way has provided 4,500 people with food assistance, clothing, housing, transportation, utilities, Christmas and school supplies. It has also provided more than 12,000 seniors with hot lunches this year.

The United Way of Idaho Falls and Bonneville County serves another seven counties in eastern Idaho: Bonneville, Jefferson, Madison, Fremont, Clark, Lemhi and Teton.

It partners with 28 organizations to help combat similar issues. Christine Wiersema, president and CEO of the United Way in Idaho Falls, says 41 percent of households in these seven counties struggle to make ends meet.

Its campaign ends March 31. Three quarters of the way through, it has raised $700,000 of its $800,000 goal.

So far, Wiersema says United Way has been able to help 85,000 people locally receive hot, nutritious meals. It has also helped 420 students receive tutoring from low-income seniors by funding a program called Foster Grandparents.

Throughout the year, the United Way holds fundraising events in these communities. In Idaho Falls, Wiersema says the majority of donations come from individuals through payroll deductions, and corporate partners will often match employee donations.

“United Way was very much a part of the baby boomer generation,” Wiersema says. “Everybody knew who we were, and it was just a checkbox on their yearly payroll deduction. With a large number of people (from that generation) retiring, we’re spending a lot more time reintroducing ourselves to different demographics.”

Though payroll deductions are a convenient way for most people to donate, cash donations are also accepted. Last week, for example, employees with the city of Pocatello donated $21,593 to the United Way.

“Since I started working (for the United Way), I’ve learned that eastern Idaho is very giving, not only financially, but also with their time. That has a huge impact on what we are able to do for the community,” Stombaugh says.

The United Way does not use any of the donations given. One hundred percent goes to the partnering agencies. If you’d like to make a donation, contact the United Way. The Pocatello office can be reached at (208) 232-1389. To contact the Idaho Falls office, call (208) 522-2674.

REXBURG — Any cars parked overnight on city streets in Rexburg may be cited or towed starting Saturday as park of the city’s snow removal parking ordinance.

Rexburg Ordinance 1030 prohibits overnight parking on all streets and alleys within city limits from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. starting on Dec. 15 through March 1. The purpose of the ordinance is to allow crews to safely clear snow from the lanes of travel during the night.

READ THE ORDINANCE HERE

Rexburg Police Chief Shane Turman says the department has been leaving pink fliers of the ordinance on vehicles for the past several weeks in the hopes of having to write less citations and tow fewer vehicles.

This ordinance applies to those with and without city parking permits in Rexburg.

IDAHO FALLS — Longtime School Board Trustee David Lent resigned from the Idaho Falls School District 91 board on Wednesday.

Lent, who has served on the board since 2006, represented Zone 2, which includes the areas served by Westside, Fox Hollow and Ethel Boyes elementary schools. He was recently elected as a state senator representing Legislative District 33, which led to his resignation from the board.

“We are saddened to see Dave Lent leave the D91 School Board. He has been a strong leader and has always sought solutions that bring people together rather than divide them,” said School Board Chairwoman Deidre Warden in a news release. “While we will miss Dave Lent’s presence on our board, we are proud he will continue his love of community service on the state level. We bid Sen. Dave Lent best wishes and a fond farewell.”

The vacancy on the board can now be filled by anyone living in Zone 2 of District 91. District officials say that anyone interested in filling the seat for Zone 2 should submit a letter of interest to District 91’s administrative offices at 690 John Adams Parkway.

Letters are due by Friday, Dec. 21.

The letters should include the candidate’s qualifications and the reasons he or she would like to serve on the board. Interested candidates must be 18 years old or older, a U.S. citizen, a resident of Idaho and a resident of Zone 2. For a complete description of Zone 2 or to see a map, go to www.ifschools.org, click on “Our District” and then “Board of Trustees.”

Board members are expected to interview candidates the week of Jan. 7, 2019. They hope to swear in Lent’s replacement at their regular board meeting on Jan. 16, 2019.

The person selected to fill the Zone 2 position would be up for election in 2021.

KUNA (Idaho Statesman) — A former employee at Kuna Middle School who texted inappropriate photos to a then-13-year-old student must serve at least five days in jail after pleading guilty Wednesday.

Magistrate Judge Theresa Gardunia sentenced Melissa Whiteley, 34, after she pleaded guilty to disseminating harmful material to a minor, a misdemeanor. Her second charge, misdemeanor enticing a child, was dismissed pursuant to the plea agreement.

Gardunia ordered Whiteley to serve two years of supervised probation and 30 days in jail, but 25 of those days could have options, such as work release from jail. Five days must be served with no options.

According to the initial criminal complaint, Whiteley provided the boy with “a picture of a person or portion of the human body which depicts nudity and/or sexual conduct, by words or actions, or both.”

Whiteley was an office manager at Kuna Middle School when she first began interacting with the child.

The type of photos sent were not initially clear, but the boy’s mother claimed in a lawsuit against the Kuna School District that Whiteley began texting her child, “including nude photos,” in 2017. The lawsuit has since been dismissed and there was no settlement.

Gardunia did grant Whiteley a withheld judgment, meaning that if she successfully completes her probation, she could go back to court and ask to have the conviction cleared from her record.

She was initially charged in March, but the alleged crimes happened between Oct. 1 and Nov. 10 in 2017, according to the criminal complaint. She was fired from the school in November 2017, and the boy’s family filed a lawsuit against the Kuna School District in January.

Whiteley will not be required to register as a sex offender, but she must undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation and comply with any classes ordered after the evaluation and by her probation office.

An audio recording of Wednesday’s court hearing shows that Whiteley apologized to the victim, his family and the Kuna School District. She told the judge that she has pursued counseling and is trying to address her problems.

Gardunia said in court that although it is good that Whiteley acknowledges her problems, “you’ve had an epiphany at the expense of another human being.”

“I would ask you to use this as fuel to do better,” the judge told Whiteley.

This article was originally published by the Idaho Statesman. It is used here with permission.

IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho State University professor and doctorate student recently discovered a quarter of Idaho patients who take prescription opioids for chronic pain could be in danger of overdose because of the combination of drugs they were prescribed.

Catherine Oliphant, professor of pharmacy practice at ISU, and doctor of pharmacy candidate James Berain made their discovery by studying the 2017 prescription records of 301,975 Idaho patients from the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which helps doctors and pharmacists track prescription drug use throughout the country.

Oliphant and Berain presented their findings at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition in Anaheim, California, on Dec. 4.

Berain, who currently works for Intermountain Health Care, got interested in this project after seeing so many people come into hospitals for opioid overdoses.

The overdose danger Oliphant and Berain described arises from patients who use opioids for chronic illnesses or pain, and are then prescribed other controlled substances. Their study specifically mentioned benzodiazepines, also known as benzos. Benzos are used as sedative or anxiety-reducing medications.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, opioids and benzos are dangerous together because they both relax the user and suppress breathing, which can lead to the breathing stopping entirely.

Fifty-six percent of the combined prescriptions were written by one prescriber, which Berain said was surprised him the most about their research; because the dangers of prescribing benzos and opioids are well-known in the clinical world, he had thought most doctors and pharmacists would look for other options first.

Berain and Oliphant found that 44 percent of the combined prescriptions came from more than one prescriber.

“Patients with chronic pain are often under the care of several different physicians,” said Oliphant in an article from ISU. “This co-management can lead to patients receiving unintentional prescription combinations that put them at higher risk for an opioid overdose.”

Berain and Oliphant plan to continue their research by looking at data from the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program from the last three years and creating a trend line to see if opioid/benzos combination prescriptions are going up or down. After they have done more research, they hope to publish.

Berain said there is no one solution for patients who suffer from chronic pain (handled with opioids) and insomnia or anxiety (handled with benzos). Doctors should look into other options before they prescribe patients these two drugs.

“(Opioids) are good for our acute pain, but there’s not a good amount of evidence that they benefit patients for a longer period of time,” Berain said.

Oliphant also said patients should be educated in their own care and in what doctors are giving them. One way to prevent overdose deaths is to use noloxone, a drug that can reverse opioid overdose effects. It’s expensive, but it can be prescribed by a pharmacist.

If someone in your house takes opioids, Oliphant suggests having naloxone on hand in case of an accidental overdose. She said people who have more questions about naloxone should talk with their pharmacist.

Berain added, “Have that conversation. Pharmacists are easily available, and they can have a good conversation with you on that.”

There were 119 opioid-related overdose deaths in Idaho in 2016. That’s 7.4 deaths per 100,000 people, lower than the national average of 13.3 deaths. Of those, 25 of those deaths were from heroin — 77 were prescription drug-related deaths.

RIGBY — One local family has lived without water for five weeks, and now their community is getting behind them.

On Nov. 19, the Belnap family’s septic system broke and backed up into the house. Their home insurance won’t pay to replace it, and they can’t get a loan. Nobody except their immediate family and a couple neighbors knew they were living without water.

That changed Sunday.

“A friend of ours stopped by on Sunday and said, ‘What the heck, what is going on?'” Hailey Belnap said.

For five weeks the Belnaps have showered and done laundry at family and friends’ houses. Derek Belnap showers at the Jefferson County Jail, where he works. They use bottled water to brush their teeth and only got a Porta Potti two weeks ago.

“All my kids want for Christmas is water,” Hailey said. “We’re very quiet. Nobody knew we were doing this.”

That is, until friend Barry Woodhouse decided to find out what was going on.

“They really wouldn’t ask for help. But last week we were decorating for a church party, and she broke down,” said Amy Woodhouse, Barry’s wife. “Our community’s been taking them meals and stuff, but I didn’t know it was that bad.”

After learning the truth about the Belnaps’ living conditions, Barry put together a GoFundMe called Bless the Belnap Family and set a fundraising goal of $5,000.

As of Thursday around 1 p.m., the GoFundMe had raised $5,135.

“We are very very, very, very grateful that our community’s helping us,” Hailey tearfully said. “We’re very, very, very pleased and humbled by the people in our community.”

With the money raised and through other donations, the Belnaps will be able to replace their septic system and begin repairing the damage to their house caused by the drains backing up.

“It’s going to be a process, but we’ll get it done,” Hailey said.

POCATELLO — The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation awarded $2 million to the Idaho State University College of Technology capital campaign on Thursday. The money will be used for the renovation of the ISU William M. and Karin A. Eames Advanced Technical Education and Innovations Complex.

“We applaud the ISU College of Technology leadership and commitment to providing certificates, credentials, and degrees that lead to meaningful employment opportunities for its graduates,” said Roger Quarles, executive director of the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation. “The foundation believes that ISU’s and College of Technology’s commitment to expanding these types of educational opportunities will pay big dividends to our state.”

ISU plans to relocate a number of College of Technology programs into the 150,000-square-foot Eames Complex to meet a growing interest, and enrollment, in technical education. The University wants to make it the premier center for technical education in Idaho.

The complex, located in the ISU Business and Research Park, is named after William M. and Karin A. Eames, longtime College of Technology and ISU supporters, and $2.5-million donors to this facility. With this move, programs that are currently located on various parts of the ISU campus will now be in one location.

The total cost of fully renovating the facility and moving programs is estimated to be about $22 million. Renovations began in June 2017 and are ongoing.

College of Technology programs that will initially be moved to the complex include automotive collision repair and refinishing, computerized machining technology, automotive technology, diesel on-site power generation technology, computer-aided design drafting technology, and welding.

“There’s never been a time in our history quite like this one,” said Scott Rasmussen, dean of the College of Technology. “We are embarking on a new era in the College of Technology. This gift from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation will be a monumental step forward.”

Disclaimer: Idaho Education News is funded by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation.

This article was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on December 13, 2018. It is used here with permission.

IDAHO FALLS — If your Christmas spirit is running low, the Snake River Radio Players have just the booster shot for you. These local actors are staging their production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” this week at Trinity United Methodist Church.

The Radio Players were founded by director Tasha Bere, who tells EastIdahoNews.com the idea for the group came to her unexpectedly.

“I was in a play and had been in a run of shows, and I said ‘I’m done. I need a break.’ And then the very next day after that show closed, I woke up and said ‘I want to do a radio Christmas show,” Bere says.

The group has produced four shows over three seasons, including “Miracle on 34th Street”, “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Little Women.”

The players will stage “A Christmas Carol” as if it were a radio broadcast from the 1940s. Actors will stand and microphones performing their roles, while foley artists provide sound effects to help complete the atmosphere of the scene.

The set will be decorated with clocks to highlight the theme of time, a prominent theme in “A Christmas Carol.”

“With Scrooge, a lot of what he’s dealing with is a wasted life and the little time he has left,” Bere says.

Bere says the group’s productions have grown more emotionally complex and heavy during the course of its lifetime.

“‘Miracle on 34th Street’ is kind of light and easy emotionally,” she says. “But as we’ve progressed, we’ve gone into these shows that the emotion and the expression of the show itself are darker and more difficult to convey to an audience, especially just through voice because we don’t have movements or other things that help an actor show an audience how they’re feeling.”

The Radio Players’ take on “A Christmas Carol” may surprise audiences who may only be familiar with more recent adaptions featuring Mickey Mouse or the Muppets.

“To take a line from one of our cast members, ‘It’s going to be more Dickens and less Disney,’” Bere says. “It’s going to be very true to the story itself and be a bit darker.”

She reminds us that “It IS a ghost story.”

Nonetheless, Bere hopes people will be uplifted and leave the show feeling the Christmas spirit.

“We hope people leave feeling enlightened and understanding the weight that it takes for a soul to change,” she says.

Bere also says the “radio theater broadcast” aspect of the show offers potential showgoers a unique experience. “It’s as if you’re in the studio audience of a 1940s radio play,” she says. “The sound effects are live, and our actors are playing multiple roles, and those things are different to audiences in the area.”

She says although many people enter their shows skeptical that such a production can work, they leave thoroughly impressed by what they see and hear.

You can catch the Snake River Radio Player’s production “A Christmas Carol” Thursday, Dec. 13, and Friday, Dec. 14, at 7:30 p.m, and Saturday, Dec. 15, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church in Idaho Falls. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted and go toward the church’s renovation fund, with donations from Saturday night’s show going to the Upper Valley Child Advocacy Center.

Note: The church is currently undergoing renovations and is without running water.

The following is a news release from the American Red Cross of Greater Idaho.

IDAHO FALLS — Do you know a passerby who pulled a drowning child to safety, a neighbor who administered CPR to a stranger or a firefighter who rescued a family from a burning apartment?

If so, nominate them to become an East Idaho Real Heroes award winner.

Each year, the American Red Cross of Greater Idaho honors individuals whose extraordinary acts of courage saved a life and made them someone’s hero.

Outstanding individuals are recognized in as many as 12 categories:

YOUTH HERO: Presented to a youth (17 and younger) who applied lifesaving skills to save another.

ANIMAL RESCUE HERO: Presented to a person who saved an animal’s life or to an animal that saved a person’s life.

FIRE SAFETY HERO: Presented to a professional or volunteer firefighter or an ordinary citizen involved in a fire-related incident.

MILITARY HERO: Presented to a member of the armed forces (active or retired) for a lifesaving action.

MEDICAL HERO: Presented to a medical professional.

LAW ENFORCEMENT: Presented to a member of law enforcement or a 911 dispatcher for lifesaving actions that went above and beyond the call of duty.

WORKPLACE SAFETY HERO: Presented to an ordinary citizen who saved a life at the office, a construction site or any other workplace environment.

WATER SAFETY HERO: Presented to an ordinary citizen or professional rescuer for saving a person in a water environment.

SEARCH-AND-RESCUE HERO: Presented to a person or organization for saving a life during a search-and-rescue mission

BLOOD DONOR HERO: Presented to a person who has gone above and beyond to donate lifesaving blood to the Red Cross.

SPIRIT OF THE RED CROSS: Presented to a person or organization for lifesaving actions that embody the spirit of the Red Cross.

EVERY DAY CITIZEN HERO: Presented to an ordinary citizen who saved the life of another.

Past winners have included Highland High School Athletic Director Keith Forkin and off-duty Pocatello firefighter Jake Liday, for helping save a 77-year-old man who suffered a heart attack while officiating a high school basketball game; Coy Danner, a UPS driver who pulled a man from a vehicle submerged in water; and Larry Orchard, who saved his wife from an explosion and fire inside their camper.

To nominate someone to receive a Red Cross Real Hero award, click here. Please send nominations by Jan. 12.

This year’s Heroes event will be March 7 from noon to 1:30 at The Waterfront at Snake River Landing, 1220 Event Center Drive in Idaho Falls.

Proceeds from this event will support Red Cross response to Idaho home fires and fund smoke alarm installations. To support these heroes and sponsor a table, contact Bryce Sitter at (208) 258-1793.

The following is a news release from Idaho State University.

POCATELLO — Kurt Bestor, who has played a dozen or so Christmas specials in Southeast Idaho through the years, is excited about returning to Idaho State University at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 with his “Peace on Earth Tour” that will feature, among other highlights, stellar musical accompanists.

“It has been a few years since I have been in Pocatello, but that hall there, the Stephens Performing Arts Center, which we call the ‘Potato Mahal,’ makes it extra special, not only for us but for the audience, because it gets us up front and personal,” Bestor said.

Bestor, an Emmy-Award-winning and Grammy-nominated composer, has been doing Christmas musical specials for 31 years. He doesn’t usually name his tours, but found it necessary this year.

“It seems like the volume of everything has been turned up to 11 and people are kind of frantic, so I want to be an antidote to that, so you can take your Christmas past and make it your Christmas present.”

The concert will feature Bestor’s songs that from his five-CD box set “The Complete Kurt Bestor Christmas,” including his most popular and iconic piece, “Prayer of the Children” and some new works.

“I was doing Christmas specials before it was cool,” he said. “Now it seems like everyone has a Christmas show, but it is nice to have a niche and be slightly iconic when it comes to Christmas music,” he said.
The musicians coming with him will give the concert a special flair.

“New this year for Pocatello is I’ll be bringing bassist Carlitos Del Puerto and drummer Eric Valentine,” Bestor said. “Both these guys raise the level of music so high. It is going to be really fun.”

Del Puerto is usually touring with jazz legend Chick Corea this time of year and has played with an array of famous musicians including Bruce Springsteen, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder, to name a few.

Also accompanying the group is woodwind player Daron Bradford, who has played as many as 30 different instruments – from saxophones to ethnic flutes from around the world – in a single concert.

Bestor will sing and play the piano and flugelhorn and is bringing his vocal machine that allows him to sing more than one part on a single song.

This concert is part of ISU’s “A Season of Note” series and will be performed in the Stephens Performing Arts Center’s Jensen Grand Concert Hall.

Prices are $38 for main seating and $32 for upper-level seating. Tickets are available in person at the ISU Box Office in the Stephens Performing Arts Center from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the Campus Connection Pond Student Union Information Desk, by phone at 208-282-3595 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., online at isu.edu/tickets or at Vickers Western Wear stores in Pocatello and Idaho Falls.

For more information on Bestor and his music, visit www.kurtbestor.com.

EastIdahoNews.com and Ashley Furniture HomeStore are teaming up every week to bring you some good news during Feel Good Friday!

We want to surprise people in our community with random acts of kindness and leave you feeling good.

Today we are passing out Christmas gifts to strangers on the street, at their homes and in their cars. We drove around for an hour with presents spreading holiday cheer – and it was a lot of fun!

Watch the video above to see what happened.

If you have any ideas for Feel Good Friday, email neaton@eastidahonews.com.

WATCH MORE FEEL GOOD FRIDAY SEGMENTS

Woman who has helped hundreds of teens is moved to tears during this Feel Good Friday surprise

A Feel Good Friday surprise for Mr. Pizza

The $10 Feel Good Friday Challenge

A Feel Good Friday surprise for a volunteer who has spent 15 years helping hospice patients

Fed Ex driver helps with Feel Good Friday after some of her customers endure 2 heartbreaking tragedies

A special thank you for a woman who provides a unique service for breast cancer survivors

For Feel Good Friday, we surprised a group that has helped over 100 students get a college education

A Feel Good Friday surprise for the sisters of a 9-year-old who hasn’t woken up since having brain surgery

Seriously ill girl moved to tears when her favorite singers show up at her house

A surprise for the sister of a high school football player who was paralyzed diving into the Snake River

A Feel Good Friday surprise for 6 siblings who survived a horrific crash

A Feel Good Friday surprise for some workers who have had the worst month of their careers

A thank you for a woman who’s helped thousands of animals find their homes

Brigitta Fifield is a nurse at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center who selflessly gives of herself to others. She works full time and then goes home to take care of her three young children.

Brigitta and her husband, Tim, have an old minivan that is close to dying. Tim gets up with Brigitta in the morning, loads all three children in the van and drives her to work. At the end of a 12-hour shift, he repeats the process and he picks her up, kids in tow. On the opposite days, she drives him to work in the same fashion and picks him up again.

The Fifields only recently got the heat working in the van, the windows won’t roll down and the workers at the auto parts store know Tim on a first-hand basis.

In May, the family had their third child, who was born with a condition known as “microtia.” This means he is missing an ear and will need specially fitted hearing aids, surgeries, etc. Some of these things won’t be covered by insurance.

Secret Santa asked the EastIdahoNews.com elves to go surprise the family with a special Christmas gift they will never forget. Watch the video above to see what happened!

BLACKFOOT — Tiny-home subdivisions may be the key Blackfoot’s housing shortage. At least, city leaders hope so.

The Tiny House Subdivision Ordinance would do exactly what the title implies: create tiny-house subdivisions.

“We’re kind of in a housing crisis right now, up and down the whole corridor. There’s just not a lot (of housing) on the market,” Planning and Zoning Director Kurt Hibbert said.

Hibbert said the subdivisions would ideally be built in underdeveloped single-family areas of the city. The ordinance would require the subdivisions to create a highly vegetated, park-like environment.

“Now, these are tiny homes on permanent foundations as opposed to the tiny homes on wheels,” Hibbert said.

Hibbert said the goal of the ordinance is to address several key issues: increase housing stock, increase affordable housing, facilitate intergenerational living, attract new residents, increase municipal revenue and support vulnerable populations.

RELATED: Local couple and their tiny home to be featured on national TV

“There’s a lot of minimalist-living lifestyles now. People are trying to dejunk and trying to gain some liberation through not having stuff everywhere. So that’s something that’s being supported by this,” Hibbert said.

Blackfoot Mayor Marc Carroll he’s excited to see if there is a market for tiny homes and if a subdivision could attract new residents to the city.

“Obviously, tiny homes are not for everybody,” Carroll said. “But there is a part of the population that seems to be very attracted to it.”

Lot sizes within the subdivision will, at least, be the size of the house with space for parking. The tiny houses will likely have a minimum of 200 square feet of living space.

“(The designer) can propose the lot sizes they think will work best for their development,” Hibbert said.

The public is invited to give their thoughts on the ordinance Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Blackfoot City Building.

“We’re pretty excited about this. I think there’s a lot of interest in it right now,” Hibbert said. “We feel like this is going to allow one of hopefully several solutions to the housing crunch we have right now.”

(CNN) — Facebook announced on Friday that the social network had exposed the private photos of millions of users without their permission.

The company said a bug recently allowed third-party app developers to access photos people may not have shared publicly. Facebook believes as many as 6.8 million users could be affected.

Photos that users started to upload to Facebook but did not post could have been accessed, along with images posted to Facebook Stories, Tomer Bar, an engineering director at Facebook, wrote in a blog post.

“We’re sorry this happened,” he added.

Users’ photos were exposed over a 12 day period in September, the blog post said.

When asked why Facebook waited to inform the public of the issue, a Facebook spokesperson told CNN Business, “We have been investigating the issue since it was discovered to try and understand its impact so that we could ensure we are contacting the right developers and people affected by the bug. It then took us some time to build a meaningful way to notify people, and get translations done.”

The information Facebook gives to third-party app developers continues to be under scrutiny. Earlier this year, a data scientist working for Cambridge Analytica revealed the company had several years ago used the system to gather data on tens of millions of Americans.

As a result of this bug, the company said it believes the photos could have been accessed by 1,500 apps built by 876 developers.

Facebook said it will notify people potentially impacted by the bug.

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — A man who stabbed a stranger doing yardwork in a quiet southeast Boise neighborhood last month has been deemed mentally unfit for trial.

District Judge Jonathan Medema on Dec. 12 ordered Ruben Diaz to be committed to the state for treatment at a psychiatric unit for up to 90 days. He will be re-evaluated to see if he’s gained competency.

The judge said a psychiatric evaluation showed Diaz currently “lacks capacity to make informed decisions about treatment” and that he “presents a substantial risk of physical harm to other persons.”

RELATED: Boise man accused of stabbing stranger was released from prison 4 months ago

Diaz was diagnosed at some point in his life with schizophrenia and a developmental disability, according to court records.

Diaz is accused of stabbing a 74-year-old man in the face, neck and hands with a knife. They were strangers, and Diaz first approached the man seeming to ask for directions, according to previous reports.

He was released into an assisted living facility four months ago after spending nearly 10 years in prison. The facility was less than a mile from the victim’s home.

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

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced age-related changes to its youth program Friday. Below is a letter from the church’s First Presidency. For answers to frequently asked questions on the subject, click here.

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Age-Group Progression for Children and Youth

We desire to strengthen our beloved children and youth through increased faith in Jesus Christ, deeper understanding of His gospel, and greater unity with His Church and its members. To that end, we are pleased to announce that in January 2019 children will complete Primary and begin attending Sunday School and Young Women or Aaronic Priesthood quorums as age-groups at the beginning of January in the year they turn 12. Likewise, young women will progress between Young Women classes and young men between Aaronic Priesthood quorums as age-groups at the beginning of January in the year they turn 14 and 16.

In addition, young men will be eligible for ordination to the appropriate priesthood office in January of the year they turn 12, 14, and 16. Young women and ordained young men will be eligible for limited-use temple recommends beginning in January of the year they turn 12. Ordination to a priesthood office for young men and obtaining a limited-use temple recommend for young women and young men will continue to be individual matters, based on worthiness, readiness, and personal circumstances. Ordinations and obtaining limited-use recommends will typically take place throughout January.

We encourage local leaders to implement these changes throughout January 2019. Additional information is enclosed and is also available at childrenandyouth.lds.org.

Sincerely yours,

Russell M. Nelson
Dallin H. Oaks
Henry B. Eyring