Idaho
Idaho’s potential for significant fire activity increases with hot, dry conditions – East Idaho News
BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — Idaho fire officials are preparing for above normal fire potential in parts of the state due to high temperatures and dry conditions.
Idaho Department of Lands fire management chief Josh Harvey told Gov. Brad Little and other members of the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners on Tuesday that the southern portion of the state has already experienced temperatures well above average, coupled with precipitation levels that are below average.
“The significant wildfire potential outlook for July shows above normal fire potential for southern Idaho – and this is above normal fire potential that’s already present in southern Idaho, and extends into portions of northern Idaho into August and September,” Harvey said during a land board meeting at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise.
In response, the Sawtooth National Forest will enter Stage 1 fire restrictions on Wednesday, while the Central Idaho Restriction Zone will go into Stage 1 fire restrictions on Friday, Harvey said.
Under Stage 1 fire restrictions, building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire or stove is prohibited except within a designated recreation site or on a person’s own land when using an owner-provided fire structure, according to the Idaho Department of Lands.
“So the season ramps up, fire managers are talking, (and in) North Idaho we have discussions coming up about going into restrictions there as well,” Harvey added.
Once again this year, the majority of fires that state fire officials are tracking have been caused by humans. This year, 99 of the 116 fires that state officials are tracking have been human caused, according to the Idaho Department of Lands. The remaining 17 fires this year were caused by lightning.
Fire near Idaho’s Redfish Lake increases in size
The Bench Lake Fire burning in the Sawtooth National Forest near Redfish Lake grew to an estimated 1,250 acres in size by Tuesday morning, according to the Great Basin public information team’s incident report for the fire.
As of Tuesday, more than 200 firefighters were fighting the Bench Lake Fire, which started July 11.
On Sunday, crews were able to use helicopters and scooping aircraft to dump more than 370,000 gallons of water collected from nearby Redfish Lake onto the fire, fire officials said. However, as of Tuesday morning, crews were reporting the fire was 0% contained.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to the Great Basin public information team.
A community meeting about the Bench Lake Fire is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Stanley Community Building, 500 Eva Falls Ave., in Stanley.
Fire danger in Yellowstone National Park listed as ‘high’
The fire danger in Yellowstone National Park remains at “high” after the designation was raised law week.
In a news release issued July 10, Yellowstone National Park’s public affairs office announced that park officials were increasing the fire danger from “moderate” to “high.”
A day later, Yellowstone National Park officials announced that they were closing three rivers to fishing due to warm water temperatures and low river flows. Officials closed the Madison River, Firehole River, Gibbon River and their associated tributaries to fishing until conditions improve.
Yellowstone National Park remains open to the public. The latest fire information for Yellowstone National Park is available online.
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PAYETTE — A Payette mom’s bond was revoked Tuesday after she was charged with suffocating her twin children earlier this month and is believed to pose a danger to the life of her newborn child.
The case, which has drawn national headlines, concerns Andrea Renee Shaw, a 23-year-old Payette mother who in May 2025 said her 18-month-old fraternal twins died the same day, after receiving routine childhood vaccinations. In January, Shaw joined as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed by Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with several other plaintiffs claiming vaccine injury or death.
Kennedy, who now serves as secretary of Health and Human Services, is no longer part of the group after taking on the cabinet position, as was reported by the Associated Press.
In Idaho, the twins’ deaths prompted a 14-month investigation by the Payette County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, the investigation yielded a grand jury indictment of Shaw on two counts of first-degree murder by suffocation. If convicted, Shaw can be punished by up to life in prison or the death penalty, and the court would have the ability to order the penalties be served consecutively, or back to back.
Tuesday’s arraignment at the Payette County Courthouse was primarily attended by Shaw’s relatives and members of the media. Payette County Judge Kiley Stuchlik, who serves Idaho’s Third Judicial District, presided.
A key consideration for Stuchlik on Tuesday was a request from Joseph Filicetti, the legal counsel for Shaw, to have her bond reduced from $2 million to $100,000. Filicetti said this would allow for Shaw to care for a newborn girl, who, according to court documents, was born by caesarean section on June 25, four days prior to Shaw’s grand jury indictment.
State prosecutors objected to the motion for bond reduction, noting at hand was a potential death penalty case and asserting, unlike her husband, Shaw’s story repeatedly changed during questioning. Prosecuting Attorney Mike Duke said releasing Shaw would ultimately put the newborn’s safety at risk.
“That child is the most at risk. We do not think she should be allowed to be anywhere near any children, let alone her own children,” Duke said.
Stuchlik decided to revoke bond entirely, stating Shaw posed a “risk of safety” to the newborn child that was not known to Stuchlik or prosecutors when the $2 million bond was initially set.
Also for consideration Tuesday was a request to have grand jury transcripts of witness testimony provided to prosecutors and defense counsel to prepare their respective cases.
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.
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