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

Skill development is the focus of a new business opening in Idaho Falls

IDAHO FALLS – As 2018 winds down, you may be thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s losing weight or learning a new skill, a business opening the second week of January in Idaho Falls may have something to help you get a jump start on your goals.

The Idaho Falls Community Center will begin offering after-school classes and activities for kids and families Jan. 7. The center will offer a variety of classes ranging from yoga and cardio exercise to finance, cooking, art, theater and science. Business owners Tory and Ashley Alldridge tell EastIdahoNews.com the idea behind the venture is to provide a way for kids, in particular, to develop skills and learn new things.

“Just having kids of our own and seeing that they wanted to learn new things, we felt very limited in what we could offer them. We quickly learned we were not alone in that frustration,” Tory says.

One of the classes is personal finance. Like all the courses offered, it will be available for youth ages 5 to 18 Monday through Thursday between 3:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Ashley says they started teaching their kids how to budget when they were young and noticed how much they loved it and easily caught on. The Alldridges say they were never taught as kids how to budget and now realize it’s a valuable principle for kids to understand.

“Our oldest daughter is 13 and has a really good financial sense already. Our middle daughter is 9 and has several hundred dollars she has earned and saved, and our son is 7 and learning to save money and use it appropriately,” says Ashley.

Classes last eight to 12 weeks. Each class will cost between $42 and $60 a month. They will be divided by age group. Additional classes and resources for adults and young adults will be offered as well.

“We do believe in giving back to the community, so we’ll have several events throughout the week and month that are completely free for the community to enjoy in a safe and comfortable (environment),” Tory says.

Even though the business is not yet open, Tory says the response to the concept has been overwhelmingly positive and they are excited to watch it grow.

“Creating a center that is not only uplifting and fun but extremely valuable for adults, children and families is honestly a dream come true for us.”

“I’ve watched kids when they feel empowered after tackling something new. It’s so powerful to watch,” says Ashley. “Just to know that they’re capable and can accomplish things is invaluable. We all want to feel like we’re successful, so to help our kids feel that (is a wonderful thing).”

The Idaho Falls Community Center is at 400 W. 13th St. across from Poitevin Park. A grand opening and open house is in the works. Visit the Facebook page to learn more.

BIZ BITS

Wells Fargo invests in local Girl Scout leadership program

POCATELLO – Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council was recently presented with a $5,000 check from Wells Fargo to support educational programs and activities that promote leadership development and financial literacy for more than 3,800 K-12 girls. Girl Scouts of Silver Sage CEO Patricia Pyke accepted the check on behalf of the organization, along with Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Board Secretary and Wells Fargo Loan Administration Manager Leatha Thayer.

EISF manager recognized as fair manager of the year with prestigious award

BLACKFOOT – During the 93rd annual convention, the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs named Eastern Idaho State Fair General Manager Brandon Bird the recipient of the Kermit Fleming Fair Manager of the Year award. This coveted award is given annually to an outstanding fair manager throughout the 11 states in the Rocky Mountain region and Canadian providences. During Bird’s 9-year tenure, the Fair has set attendance records 5 out of the past 9 years. Bird has been instrumental in developing a long-term plan that will expand and improve the north side of the fairgrounds.

The Bank of Commerce spreads Christmas cheer with big donations

IDAHO FALLS – It’s become a holiday tradition for The Bank of Commerce to make annual food or cash donations to food banks in Eastern Idaho, totaling over $111,000 more than the past three years. This year, the Bank continues giving with a donation of $3,500 to Community Food Basket’s Emergency Food Assistance Program. The check was presented to Community Food Basket on Tuesday. Community Food Basket Idaho Falls, formerly called the Idaho Falls Food Bank, was started in 1980 by several churches to meet the emergency needs of church members facing food insecurity. Today, CBFIF provides assistance to over 1,000 families per month. Another $5,000 donation will be delivered to Eastern Idaho Public Health on Thursday.

BIZ BUGS

HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS

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

It is becoming that time where many are packing up and heading to spend the holidays with family. Christmas can be such a magical time and the Better Business Bureau wants to make sure that isn’t taken away by con artists and scammers.

No matter when or where you are traveling, there are things you should always do to protect yourself, your home, and your belongings. While you’re on the road with your family and loved ones, the BBB wants to ensure a worry-free vacation with these tips.

• Pay with a credit card. Paying with a credit card gives you additional protection if something should go wrong with the travel reservation.
• Wait to post on social media. We all like to share our vacation adventures with friends and family, but wait until you get back from your trip. Giving too much detail about when you will be away, and your home will be empty, could attract thieves.
• Beware of internet that is not secure. If you are at a hotel or vacation rental where internet is provided, be careful what personal information or accounts you are accessing.
• Check your home insurance. If your home will be unattended while you are away, make sure you know your responsibilities under your home insurance policy. Some policies do not cover damage if nobody checks on your for a certain amount of time.
• Share a copy of your itinerary with a family member or friend. Include the contact information of someone joining you on your trip.
• Take a map. People rely heavily on smartphones and GPS. Have a hard copy backup in case of technical difficulties or if you are going through an area with poor cell phone reception.
• Check the weather conditions where you will be traveling and pack appropriate supplies and clothing.
• Avoid traveling alone. Use the buddy system and stick with your friends.
• Use hotel safes to store extra cash and keep any valuables under lock and key.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT …

Memorial honoring female veterans of Idaho unveiled at new health clinic

Eastern Idaho solar company getting worldwide attention

United Way needs your help this holiday season

Arts Council wants your help for Colonial Theater centennial

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.

HELENA, Mont. – A man says he was shot at multiple times after a hunter mistook him for Bigfoot.

The 27-year-old from Helena said he was setting up targets on BLM land Sunday when bullets whizzed by him on either side. He said he ran to cover and heard more shots.

He told authorities he confronted the shooter, who was in a black pickup. The shooter was “not wearing orange and thought he was Bigfoot,” the Independent Record reports.

“I thought you were Bigfoot,” the man quoted the shooter as saying, according to Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton. “I don’t target practice, but if I see something that looks like Bigfoot, I just shoot at it.”

absentee_redstate via Flickr

Dutton says the man wants the area checked and the shooter found and talked to about safe shooting in the area, but the man doesn’t want to press charges.

McClatchy reports local law enforcement officials are questioning the man’s report because it was called in a day afterward, the man couldn’t describe the shooter and they couldn’t find the pickup. However, a woman has come forward with a similar story about a man who was shooting at her, although humanoid cryptids did not come up in her version.

“We’re working to find this person,” Dutton said. “It is of great concern that this individual might think it’s OK to shoot at anything he thinks is Bigfoot.”

Editor’s note: EastIdahoNews.com covers church events that are in the public interest. To submit an event from your congregation, email us at news@eastidahonews.com.

IDAHO FALLS – A local church group is hosting a large-scale Christmas celebration this week, and they want you to join them.

The Idaho Falls Central Stake with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sponsoring “A Nephite Christmas.” The event is an original stage production written, produced and performed by members of the Idaho Falls community.

The play, based on a story in the Book of Mormon, is set in ancient America at the time of Jesus Christ’s birth. It’s told through the eyes of one family.

“The (birth of Jesus Christ) is a sweet story that’s told every year, but that first Christmas happened all over the world,” Denalee Chapman, the play’s writer and director tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We wanted to be a part of sharing how wonderful America’s first Christmas was and so we put together (a story portraying) the way it could have happened for one particular family.”

“A Nephite Christmas” is a musical featuring 12 original songs written by Chapman and Debbi Maynes. Chapman wrote and produced the play in 1994 while she and her husband were living in Guam. Efforts to resurrect the play locally started more than a year ago when Chapman was asked by her stake president to come up with a stake cultural event.

“We started work on this in November 2017, but the work started in earnest in January. Local people in our stake have built the sets, the props, made the costumes. All the talent is coming from our stake,” Chapman says.

Chapman’s background in television, both behind and in front of the camera, informs her efforts for the community production, but most of the performing cast members have no previous acting experience. The performances and quality of the production, however, will astound people, Chapman says.

“(Due to the lack of experience in the cast), we’ve practiced a lot longer than people who participate in community productions on a regular basis. These people have become polished (performers), and I think people will be surprised at how few people have professional skills,” says Chapman.

Ashley Yarrington, the play’s producer, says “A Nephite Christmas” will help people gain a fresh perspective on the Christmas story and their relationship with Jesus Christ.

“It will help people understand how to connect the Christ child with their everyday life,” says Yarrington. “We hope people will come, have a good experience and walk away feeling happy and uplifted.”

“A Nephite Christmas” is free and open to the public. There will be nightly performances Thursday to Saturday at 7 p.m. inside the LDS stake center at 2025 Jennie Lee Drive in Idaho Falls, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Saturday.

FIRTH — Firth School District 59 is canceling classes on Thursday for all students.

Schools will be closed as crews work to fix problems with the fire alarm system.

EastIdahoNews.com will post updates as we learn more.

Dani Harding is the mother of five children and works as a paraprofessional educator at elementary schools in Driggs. Her car driver’s door window doesn’t work so she doesn’t drive her car in the winter, and her truck can’t go in reverse so she has to park somewhere in order to pull out.

Dani is doing the best she can raising her kids and making a living for her family.

Secret Santa asked the EastIdahoNews.com elves to give her an early Christmas gift. Watch the video above to see how the surprise turned out!

IDAHO FALLS – The spirit of giving is alive and well in eastern Idaho this holiday season.

Over the last several weeks, we’ve received numerous emails about people and organizations making donations to local nonprofits.

“I am going to give my $1,000 that I got in the mayor’s walking challenge to Henrys Fork Elementary. I was wondering if you would like to be there,” St. Anthony Mayor Donald Powell wrote.

Another EastIdahoNews.com user wrote to tell us about a pinewood derby competition at Stone’s Kia in Idaho Falls.

“The employees competed for charity, and the winner wanted to donate his winnings to the fire department,” he wrote.

Time constraints have prevented us from covering these giveaways individually, but today, we thought we’d highlight a few of them for you.

Idaho Falls

Since 2015, The Bank of Commerce has donated food and cash donations to food banks in eastern Idaho. This year, the bank continued that tradition with a donation of $3,500 to Community Food Basket’s Emergency Food Assistance Program.

Bank employees delivered a $3,500 check to Community Food Basket at 1895 N. Boulevard in Idaho Falls Tuesday afternoon. They will deliver a $5,000 check to Eastern Idaho Public Health at 1250 Hollipark Drive Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

Donations to the Community Food Basket and other nonprofits have totaled more than $111,000 over the last three years.

Blackfoot

Blackfoot Heritage Sixth Grade School in the Blackfoot School District hosts a fundraiser every year for the Blackfoot Community Dinner Table.

It donates 150 turkeys and any additional cash it raises.

Principal Colin Folsom says the school has surpassed the $6,400 amount it raised last year. The total amount will be revealed during a school assembly Thursday afternoon, but on Thursday morning staff picked up the turkeys, boxing them up with other food items and delivering them to families in need.

Pocatello

Wells Fargo in Pocatello recently invested in a local Girl Scout leadership program.

They presented a $5,000 check to Girl Scouts of Silver Sage to support educational programs and activities that promote leadership development and financial literacy for more than 3,800 K-12 girls.

Patricia Pyke, CEO of Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, accepted the check on behalf of the organization, along with Leatha Thayer, the group’s board secretary. Pyke also gave a presentation to Wells Fargo employees about the impact of the Girl Scouts Leadership Program and volunteer opportunities within the organization.

“I am proud to work for a company that values its community like Wells Fargo does,” Thayer said in a news release. “This investment will help fund programs to launch these amazing young women into success for their future.”

Rexburg and Sugar City

The Sugar-Salem High School cross country team donates $1,500 to the Family Crisis Center in Rexburg on Dec. 12. | Courtesy Janson Jardine

The cross country team at Sugar-Salem High School in Sugar City held fundraisers throughout the year for various causes.

Team members and their families sponsored two races this year — The Bone and Back relay in June and the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.

Janson Jardine, the team’s assistant coach, told EastIdahoNews.com the team worked hard to raise $1,500 from the two events. On Dec. 12, the team donated the funds to the Family Crisis Center in Rexburg.

“The (Family Crisis Center) helps over 100 families during this season and (we thought it) would be nice to help them out,” Jardine said.

IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls City Council is considering making runoff elections a thing of the past — at least for City Council members.

During a work session Monday, City Councilwoman Michelle Ziel-Dingman proposed an ordinance to end the practice due to increasing costs to the city, and data that suggests runoffs are not particularly useful in choosing candidates for office.

A runoff election occurs when all candidates running for a specific race fail to achieve a 50 percent majority. The top two candidates then compete again in a second election 30 days later to decide the ultimate outcome. Eight cities, including Idaho Falls, Blackfoot and Pocatello, use runoff elections in their mayoral races.

But Idaho Falls is the only city in the Gem State to use runoffs in City Council elections, according to an email from Association of Idaho Cities Policy Analyst Justin Ruen to Mayor Rebecca Casper.

The decision on the matter probably won’t be made immediately. Originally, the new ordinance was scheduled to be voted on Thursday night. On Thursday morning, however, Ziel-Dingman told EastIdahoNews.com she would motion for the issue to be tabled so the council could do further research on the impacts of not having council runoff elections.

How the current law came to be

After receiving pressure from a local advocacy group, the Idaho Falls City Council placed a runoff question on the ballot for voters in November 2005.

Voters endorsed runoff elections with 7,359 people (68 percent) voting for the measure, compared to 3,393 (32 percent), who voted against it, according to the Bonneville County Election Office.

The City Council has discussed repealing the ordinance several times over the years, but so far it has remained on the books.

READ THE ORIGINAL BALLOT LANGUAGE HERE

The case against the current law

The biggest issue for Ziel-Dingman, and several other City Council members, is cost and effectiveness.

Since the original ordinance was passed, only two election cycles have resulted in runoffs. In 2013, three council seats went to runoff elections. Those races cost the city at least $11,000 for Bonneville County to run the election, although the total cost is still being researched, Ziel-Dingman said.

In 2017, another runoff was held in the mayor’s race between Mayor Rebecca Casper and former City Councilwoman Barbara Ehart. That runoff cost the city more than $43,000, due to higher staffing costs, Ziel-Dingman said.

“We as council members have a fiduciary responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and I can’t see how this is being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, Ziel-Dingman said.

Another concern is whether runoffs impact the outcome of elections. Historically, it doesn’t appear to be the case. In Idaho Falls, every candidate who has won the most votes in a general election has also won the runoff.

“Right now runoff City Council elections do not change the outcome. The data is clear. It has never changed an outcome since we elected this law,” Ziel-Dingman said.

The same is true statewide. In his letter to Casper, Ruan said in the past 17 years, only one runoff has changed the result of a race in Idaho. That was the 2007 mayoral race in Eagle. Otherwise, the winners remained the same.

Additionally, the number of people that participate in runoffs decreases significantly when compared with a general elections. In 2013, the number of voters dropped by 33 percent compared to the general election, and in 2017 the number of voters dropped by 25 percent.

A part of the lower numbers is a decline in absentee votes. The state mandates that if a runoff is held, it must take place 30 days after a general election; however, that frequently isn’t enough time to gather votes from afar.

“Thirty days is not enough time for our members of the military, those serving (church) missions or students who are attending college elsewhere. … It does not give those people enough time to exercise their right to vote,” Ziel-Dingman said.

The case for the current law

On the other hand, some say getting rid of runoffs could lead to the election manipulation — that is, political or advocacy groups could field multiple candidates in a general election for the sole purpose of splitting the vote to ensure a single candidate continues to get elected.

Former City Council candidate Evan Bastow ran in 2013 for a seat that was ultimately decided in a runoff election between two other candidates. He believes candidates should get the majority of the vote to get elected.

“(A race with many candidates) splits up the vote enough that you could have a person win an election with only a third of the vote,” he said. “It makes it so someone can manipulate the outcome.”

Some council members are concerned about the fact that runoff elections were voted into law by a wide margin.

Councilman John Radford said he agrees with Ziel-Dingman regarding the expense and effectiveness of runoff elections — but it was also the will of many Idaho Falls voters.

“When I found out it was a referendum and people voted on this, and I saw the numbers of people that had voted for it — that gave me pause,” Radford said. “I wouldn’t want the Legislature to go back and repeal the Medicaid expansion after we all voted for it.”

RELATED: Idaho Freedom Foundation asks Supreme Court to block Medicaid expansion

Radford said it’s a good idea to take some time to think on this proposed ordinance and talk to voters. He said perhaps it should be put to another vote.

“Generally when I look at this situation, it seems clear to me we haven’t gained much from a runoff,” he said. “But if voters wanted it, then we need to listen to voters when they speak.”

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — Sister missionaries now will be able to wear pants in all missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, church officials announced Thursday.

Sister missionaries will now have the option to wear dress slacks in all 407 missions across the world, according to an emailed statement from church spokesman Daniel Woodruff. The new rule for dress standards takes effect immediately.

The change is mostly motivated by concerns over the safety of the missionaries, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, one of the highest governing bodies of the church, said in the statement.

“As we adapt these standards, we always carefully consider the dignity of the missionary calling to represent Jesus Christ, the safety, security, and health of our beloved missionaries, and the cultural sensitivities of the places where they serve,” Uchtdorf said in a statement on Newsroom, the church’s media website.

Bonnie H. Cordon, Young Women general president and a member of the Latter-day Saint Missionary Executive Council, elaborated on the changes for sister missionaries in the statement.

“There are a lot of vector-borne diseases because of mosquitoes and ticks and fleas,” said Cordon. “This helps the sisters to prevent any of those bites or at least minimizes them.”

Sister missionaries in roughly half of the Church’s missions have previously been wearing dress slacks during the wet seasons to help protect them from mosquito-borne viral diseases such as dengue fever, Chikungunya, and Zika. This latest change will allow all sister missionaries to do so year-round, based on their own discretion.

“This is truly optional,” said Cordon. “The sisters can wear dresses, they can wear slacks, whatever will help them in their service as they’re out amongst the people.”

The First Presidency, the top leaders of the church, approved the dress changes, Uchtdorf said.

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

SHELLEY — The Shelley School District’s board of trustees named four finalists in its search for a new superintendent.

School Board Chair Cole Clinger announced the finalists in the race to replace longtime superintendent Brian Jolley, who is retiring at the end of this year, during a regular school board meeting Thursday. Twelve candidates applied for the position. Trustees hope to find Jolley’s replacement by the end of January.

Candidates include three superintendents in nearby districts and one from Montana.

Gary Weitz

Joel Wilson

Wilson is the superintendent of Butte County School District in Arco, which is located roughly 65 miles west of Idaho Falls. Wilson was superintendent of the Aberdeen School District from 2007 to 2011, according to his resume. He was superintendent of the Preston School District from from 2007 to 2011. He received both a doctorate degree in education and educational specialist degree from Northwest Nazarene University and Idaho State University, respectively. He also holds a master of arts degree in teaching from Willamette University, a master’s degree in educational administration from ISU and bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and management from Utah State University.

Jane Ward

Ward is the superintendent of the Aberdeen School District, located some 20 miles northwest of Pocatello.

Chad Williams

Williams is the superintendent of the Ririe School District, located roughly 20 miles northeast of Idaho Falls. He graduated from Idaho State University, earning bachelor’s, master’s, and educational specialist degrees. He taught Spanish, math, and coached at West Jefferson High School for seven years. He spent one year at Butte Junior-Senior High School as assistant principal and activities director. He was principal at Teton High School for six years and has served as Ririe’s principal and superintendent for nine years.

No other background information on the candidates was made available.

Originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on December 19, 2018. It is used here with permission.

SHELLEY — Shelley High School came up more than $44,000 short during a 2018 financial audit in October.

Jolley said the shortage was due to overspending by the high school. During the audit the overspending led the auditor to discover some inappropriate accounting practices, according to school board meeting minutes from October.

“During the (auditing) process, it was discovered that the high school financial secretary manipulated the beginning balances of the high school funds to match the bank statement balance,” the minutes read. “There is an actual shortage in the high school accounts in the amount of $44,245.31.”

“(The financial secretary) wasn’t sure how to correct the problem,” Shelley School District Superintendent Dr. Bryan Jolley said. “And rather than asking for help from the business manager over here, she thought she could go back and change balances in the books to make it match what the bank account said.”

The employee resigned as a result of her actions in November. The district isn’t releasing her name as it is a personnel issue. Jolley stressed the employee was not at fault for the overspending, just the changes to the books.

Despite many rumors surrounding the unexpected resignation of high school principal Eric Lords this week, Jolley was adamant these specific discrepancies in the high school’s budget has nothing to do with Lords’ exit.

Following a school board meeting on Thursday, the district authorized an audit of all high school budgets for the last three years to ensure no other discrepancies existed.

Shelley School District Business Manager Lanell Farmer said the majority of the overspending happened in the administrative and special funds.

“I think it was just — she was inexperienced in accounting,” Farmer said.

The audit also revealed the high school had been cashing out certifications of deposit accounts to offset costs associated with the school’s athletics programs. Jolley said the money from the CDs went directly into the high school’s accounts.

“They redeemed them and transferred them into the high school accounts to try and balance those club accounts and sports accounts and everything else that’s there,” he said.

Since the discrepancies were discovered, Shelley High School’s budgets are now monitored using the same financial software the school district uses.

“There’s a lot of things our business manager has done now to try and tighten things up,” Jolley said. “That way she can have a little better oversight over reconciliations and checking out each month. So we’ve got more checks and balances that way.”

The person the school district hired to replace the former financial secretary has a degree in accounting.

“We hired somebody that’s pretty qualified to work with those accounts and understands accounting procedures and what you can and can’t do,” Jolley said. “So I think that will make a big difference.”

CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this article claimed the unnamed female employee had been fired. Superintendent Jolley later clarified that she had in fact resigned. This article has been corrected.

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.

Last week we received an email from Gem Village Assisted Living informing us that a few of their residents did not have anyone to adopt them for Christmas. The facility runs an “Adopt a Grandparent” program where members of the community can help provide Christmas for these special senior citizens.

We decided to adopt five of the residents and spread some Christmas cheer. Watch the video above to see how it turned out!

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

WATCH MORE FEEL GOOD FRIDAY SEGMENTS

Today we give random strangers Christmas presents for Feel Good Friday

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

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

IDAHO FALLS — On Thursday, Dec. 20 at approximately 08:30 a.m., the Idaho Falls Police and Bonneville County Sheriff Special Investigations Unit, as well as Idaho Falls Patrol Bureau, served a search warrant in the 300 block of Harvest Run in Idaho Falls.

As a result of the search, approximately 13 pounds of suspected marijuana (including THC wax) and 115
grams of suspected cocaine were recovered.

Idaho Falls Police arrested 23-year-old John P. Ojeda of Idaho Falls for drug trafficking in
suspected marijuana and drug trafficking in suspected cocaine.

A misdemeanor citation was issued to a 21-year-old for frequenting a place where drugs are used, manufactured or cultivated. An 18-year-old Idaho Falls resident was also issued a citation for
frequenting a place where drugs are used, manufactured or cultivated.

IDAHO FALLS — A new ordinance will require cat owners to obtain a yearly license if their pet doesn’t meet certain criteria.

The Idaho Falls City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to pass the law that will now require a license for every cat that isn’t vaccinated, chipped and altered.

The yearly license costs $10 for animals that have been spayed or neutered and $30 for unaltered animals. The licenses expire Dec. 31 of the year they were purchased.

“(The ordinance) will give us more cats that are accounted for,” Idaho Falls Animal Control Officer Laramie Pancheri told EastIdahoNews.com. “We’ll know where they belong (and) that they’re actual pets as opposed to just the wild stray ones running around.”

RELATED: Idaho Falls to tackle stray cat problem with proposed licensing ordinance

Pancheri said by knowing which cats are owned, animal control can know where to direct their resources. She explained animal control will know which cats need to be returned, which are strays and which ones are part of the Trap Neuter and Release program.

Dog owners already have to license their pets. However, they must now renew those licenses yearly instead of every three years under the previous ordinance.

Any unaltered cats impounded at the Animal Control Shelter twice in one year will need to be spayed or neutered before the owners can reclaim them.

IDAHO FALLS — Traffic is backed up on Sunnyside Road near Chaparral Drive due to a downed power line.

Idaho Falls Fire Department spokesperson Kerry Hammon says a transformer is also out and crews are investigating how it happened.

All lanes on Sunnyside Road in the area are closed as crews remove the power lines that are lying across the road. Drivers are asked to avoid the area.

Rocky Mountain Power is reporting no outages. It’s unknown how long it will take to make repairs.

Stay with EastIdahoNews.com for updates.

SHELLEY — A truck carrying potatoes overturned on US 91 south of Shelley Friday morning.

The crash happened near Monroe Road and both directions of traffic are stopped until the potatoes can be cleaned up.

Hundreds of potatoes have spilled all over the highway and officials are urging drivers to use alternate routes.

EastIdahoNews.com will post updates as we receive them.

TRAFFIC ALERT…..US91 south of Shelley – road blocked both directions due to overturned potato truck. Find alternate route of travel.

— Idaho State Police (@ISPeasternIdaho) December 21, 2018

Ivy Haumschilt is an extraordinary 11-year-old who loves doing service for the community.

She has a rare eye disease that has led to incurable vision loss in her right eye and it is spreading to her left. Doctors believe blindness is inevitable.

Ivy volunteers each summer at Swore Farms to help harvest, weed and deliver pumpkins to needy families. She asked to spend her entire birthday working on the Field of Heroes at Century High School in Pocatello and also helped her Girl Scout troop raise money and toys for Crazy Lady Animal Rescue.

Her goal is to be the first woman on Mars and work for Nasa or SpaceX so she can work on robots and rockets. At just ten years old, she begged her mom to enroll her in a math class at Idaho State University. She kept up with college students and completed the class with an 87 percent.

She did ZeroRobotics last summer where her team went to MIT and the ISS where they made it to the semi-finals. She also completed an EV3 Robotics course and is taking active steps toward being a rocket scientist.

Ivy wants to see the Kennedy Space Center, Universal Studios and the Grand Canyon before she goes blind. Secret Santa decided to help her with these goals and asked the EastIdahoNews.com elves to deliver an early Christmas present.

Watch the surprise above!

BLACKFOOT — The Idaho Public Charter School Commission is investigating a wide range of allegations brought against two Blackfoot-based charter schools.

Allegations of misconduct at both Bingham Academy and Blackfoot Charter Community Learning Center include “inappropriately addressed allegations of sexual misconduct by school employees,” a lack of transparency regarding school finances and “questionable internal controls and financial practices,” according to a Dec. 4 letter to Bingham Academy’s board of directors from PCSC Director Tamara Baysinger.

REXBURG — A local couple is taking a historic store and revamping it.

Aubree and Richard Mason, known as Bree and Bud, are the new owners of the Archer General Store.

“Aubree is always coming up with different ideas for our next flip or our next renovation. She’s been talking about this store for a while and so when it became available, she was very excited,” co-owner Richard Mason says.

“We’re actually going to call it White Sparrow Country Store,” Aubree adds. “We’ve never done something like the General Store, so we just decided to take it on.”

The two say they want to retain the General Store business located at 7875 South 1800 West but add a rustic farmhouse twist.

“We hope to open up the ceiling so that we have the exposed rafters and we want to paint it. I know there’s another metal roof here so we’ve got to open it up and see what’s up there,” Aubree says.

The Masons have done many renovations and are excited to add their aesthetic touch. Aubree sees a lot of brightness and white in the store’s near future.

“It will be a mix of country and modern. We definitely want to keep the old store kind of feel,” Aubree says. “I don’t want to take that away from the community.”

In the past few decades, the building has played many roles including a post office, gas station, burger joint, hardware store and pizza parlor.

The Masons feel they can offer the community more stability.

“We’re also excited because we own the building and the attached apartments. I think it’s going to be something that is always going to be cash flow positive, so we’ll be able to keep the store open in the community for a really long time,” Richard says.

Richard says the store is going to offer more than in the past. They will sell a variety of merchandise like tackle and bait, animal feed, work gloves, hardware and more. The locals want to cater to farmers and locals who live in the country. They also want to add old-fashioned ice cream and flavored sodas to the mix.

The Masons will begin renovations in January and are looking forward to a grand opening in the spring. They also plan on bringing a southern surprise — a reminder from Richard’s hometown in Oklahoma.

People can see the design style on Instagram and take a look at what the store has the potential to look like.

“I think they’ll get really excited when they see her style is a farmhouse and a lot of white colors mixed with wood stain,” Richard says. “It’ll be really pretty when we’re done.”

DUBOIS — Over three million dollars worth of marijuana was discovered during a traffic stop in Clark County Saturday.

Jonathan D. Speckman, 37, was pulling a trailer with a pickup truck around 7:30 p.m. when he was stopped for a traffic violation on I-15 north of Dubois, according to an Idaho State Police news release.

An ISP K-9 drug dog detected the presence of drugs and troopers obtained a search warrant for the pickup and trailer. Over 800 pounds of marijuana was discovered inside, according to officials.

Speckman is from Hainesville, Illinois. He was booked into the Clark County Jail on $100,000 bail for trafficking marijuana.

The following is a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

REXBURG — Conservation Officer Andrew Sorensen received a call on Dec. 19 about a deceased mule deer fawn on the outskirts of Rexburg. The fawn belonged to a group of about 25 mule deer that hang out on the south end of town every winter. Upon investigation, Sorensen determined that the young fawn had ingested a large amount of Japanese yew and died of yew toxicity.

Japanese yew is a non-native plant that is often used an ornamental shrub for landscaping. It is often sold by local nurseries and chosen by homeowners due to the plants ability to stay green and lush all year. Japanese yew is highly toxic when ingested by domestic livestock or by wildlife such as deer, elk, pronghorn and moose. Eating only a few ounces of the plant may result in the death of the animal.

“This is the first death I have seen this year caused by the plant and I hope it does not become a pattern.” says Sorensen.

Multiple wildlife deaths have been attributed to the Japanese yew over the past few years in Idaho including a moose calf Sorensen collected in the same area last year.

Fish and Game is encouraging homeowners living on the edge of towns or in rural areas to consider alternative plants when landscaping and to replace Japanese yew plants if they have them. In addition, anything a homeowner can do to prevent animals from gaining access to the plants is helpful.

You can find more information about the Japanese yew and reducing the risk to wildlife by clicking here.