Idaho
May the 4th be with you at the 20th annual teen film festival in eastern Idaho – East Idaho News
IDAHO FALLS – The East Idaho Falls Rotary Club is pulling out the red carpet for aspiring young filmmakers at the 20th annual Idaho Teen Film Festival.
The event, formerly known as the Kiwanis Teen Film Festival, is happening on May 4 — Star Wars Day — at Hillcrest High School. Workshops will be held throughout the day for participants. Students can see their work on the big screen in 4K during a public film screening at 6:30 p.m.
A red carpet event will be held before the screening, where participants can take photos and limo rides with the local chapter of the501st Legion, an international organization dedicated to celebrating “Star Wars” by wearing costumes.
“We thought it was particularly pertinent, considering it’s Star Wars Day,” Alex Purcell, president of the East Idaho Falls Rotary Club, tells EastIdahoNews.com.
Following the screenings, an Oscars-like ceremony will be held where awards will be given in different categories. Category winners will get a trophy and $300. The overall winner will receive $1,000.
Purcell is encouraging the community to come and support these kids at the festival.
“We aren’t charging admissions. If we can load up that auditorium for these kids — how cool and special is that going to be for them,” says Purcell.
Justin Hemsley participated in the film festival the first year it was held. The 35-year-old Idaho Falls man now works as a freelance visual effects artist in Hollywood. He’s worked on films like “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “The Suicide Squad,” “Free Guy” and the miniseries “WandaVision.”
He and another film festival alum, Josh Contor, are helping to organize the event and will be teaching workshops to participants.
Hemsley was a huge “Star Wars” fan as a kid and made a short “Star Wars” film in high school.
He submitted a different project in the film festival, which didn’t win any awards. But Hemsley says his participation in the event was still beneficial because it helped him realize what he was capable of.
He and his friends reunited in 2016 with a lot more experience under their belts, to shoot a remake of the “Star Wars” film in 4K.
One thing Hemsley finds rewarding about making movies is that it’s a “hybrid” of many different careers.
“You’ve got acting and writing but you also bring in photography as an element. With visual effects, you get magic,” he says. “There really isn’t anything else like that.”
He’s grateful to be working in Hollywood, living his dreams and it’s a thrill for him to mentor young artists interested in a similar career.
Hemsley says the film festival is important for aspiring filmmakers because it provides an outlet for them to showcase their work.
“Nowadays, anyone can put something online … but there’s something special about watching it in a theater with an audience,” Hemsley explains.
Purcell, whose son is a participant this year, expresses a similar sentiment. Media production is a viable career option, he says, and this film festival illustrates that for parents and students.
He’s excited to celebrate its 20th anniversary with the community.
To watch student films from previous years or learn more, visit the website.
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Idaho
Idaho is home to the nation's first DarkSky Reserve. Now it's home to the nations first DarkSky Certified Resort
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A controversy is brewing as the City of Idaho Falls reviews its alcohol ordinance.
The goal is to consolidate four existing ordinances for beer, wine and liquor into a single law and ensure compliance with state code.
However, at its meeting last Thursday, the Idaho Falls City Council unanimously voted to remove the proposed ordinance from its agenda, in order to receive and consider additional public comment.
The proposed ordinance would:
1. Require commercial establishments selling, dispensing or permitting consumption of alcohol – including beer, wine or liquor – to have an alcohol license, alcohol catering permit or a charitable event permit.
2. Business events with 20 or less employees consuming alcohol at the business would be allowed.
3. Require alcohol servers to complete training every three years.
4. Individuals who violate the law could be charged with a misdemeanor.
Idaho Falls City Council President Jim Francis said the changes were the culmination of months of collaboration between law enforcement, business owners and city attorneys.
“We wanted to provide a safe environment – the primary point here – for public gatherings,” Francis said. “We recognize that certain antiquated elements of the current code are overly restrictive and needed to be addressed. We wanted to make the code more accessible to the public. We needed to address over-pouring issues. We wanted to reduce penalties where possible for violations, particularly the first offenses, and yet make the code clear enough to be enforceable consistently by law enforcement.”
But City Council Member John Radford said the changes represent an overreach by city government.
“I believe it’s a bad policy. What problem are we solving in the name of trying to solve a non-problem?” Radford said. “We’re becoming big brother around alcohol in your private property. I’m concerned that landlords will be at risk of being charged with a misdemeanor if they knowingly, which I made sure that was in there, because that is what we’ve been talking about, allowed people to drink in our business. We will be outside the norm of Idaho cities. This is a big step, and I don’t think the public has weighed in on this.”
At a City Council Work Session on June 1, Idaho Falls Chief of Police Bryce Johnson cited an increase in alcohol-related crime – particularly downtown – as a reason for the changes.
“DUI is there, but this would include sexual assaults, assaults, batteries, disturbances, urination, public vandalism, shooting – all sorts of crimes,” Johnson said.
But business owners are concerned about the potential impact on commercial enterprises.
“The ordinance doesn’t address the real problem – which is people drinking … at one event and then showing up in a bar or restaurant already hammered and causing problems anyway,” ” said Terri Ireland, representing the Idaho Falls Downtown Merchants Association. “The industry is really well-regulated by state and local laws already.”
The City of Idaho Falls began the process of updating its alcohol ordinance in January 2026, seeking input from community stakeholders.
Multiple community members spoke out about the ordinance.
For more in-depth information, you can read the full 39-page proposed alcohol ordinance here.
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — A simmering dispute between Idaho’s top elections official and the U.S. Department of Justice escalated this month after federal officials warned Secretary of State Phil McGrane about possible prosecution tied to non-citizens voting in Idaho.
The Justice Department sent a letter earlier this month threatening McGrane with prosecution. The warning came amid a broader conflict between the Trump administration and McGrane, whom the administration has sued over his refusal to provide unredacted voter rolls to the federal government.
Idaho’s chief of civil litigation, James Craig, responded on July 10. In a letter first reported by the Idaho Statesman, Craig pushed back on the federal warning, writing, “Insinuations of criminal violations of the federal election laws are not well taken,” and asking the department to “stop threatening your friends in Idaho.”
Craig also requested that the lawsuit against McGrane be dismissed and criticized the Justice Department for sending its letter directly to McGrane rather than to the Idaho attorney general’s office.
The attorney general’s office said the state has already referred 15 cases of possible non-citizen election violations to the Justice Department but is not aware of any of them being prosecuted. Craig’s letter ends by asking the department to do so.
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