Idaho
Island Park Oldies Snowmobile Race brings classic racing back to east Idaho – East Idaho News
ISLAND PARK — Four dedicated snowmobile enthusiasts are bringing back the thrill of snowmobile racing with the inaugural Island Park Oldies Snowmobile Race on Friday, Feb. 21, to Saturday, Feb. 22. The event aims to unite seasoned riders, fans, and the Island Park community to celebrate classic winter snowmobile racing.
Self-described “oldies,” event organizer Jason Smoot and local businessmen Kevin Phillips, David Yuskewich, and Justin Pyne have worked together to secure sponsors and coordinate the event’s details. Even “Old Man Winter” helped out by providing great snow.
The 25-mile cross-country loop, which features men’s, women’s, and co-ed classes, starts and ends at Lakeside Lodge. Lakeside is a great place for spectators and racers to gather and stay warm while enjoying good food, drinks, live music and raffles.
Smoot, from Pocatello, is a well-known snowmobile and dirt bike racer in east Idaho with an extensive collection of trophies and other awards to prove it.
“I’ve been racing snowmobiles and dirt bikes since 1978. I wanted to do something to give back to the sport that’s given so much to me. That’s why I initiated this race on a course never done before,” said Smoot. “We’re targeting the grassroots people to come and enjoy snow machining with like-minded people.”
Following the “oldies” theme, race classes are determined by the combined ages of team members. Three-person teams compete in the under-150 or over-150 age class, while co-ed two-person teams are divided into under-100 and over-100 categories.
While racers can sign up for the races at Lakeside Lodge on Friday from 2 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 8 to 9:30 a.m., they’re encouraged to come on Friday and pre-ride the course. All racers must have current insurance and registration.
Main sponsors for the race include Mountain Mayhem, Lakeside Lodge, Pocatello PowerSports, and Hardrock50 Cabin Rentals, which offers discounted lodging for the event.
While Smoot admits it has been challenging to manage the details of the event, such as insurance, permits from the Caribou-Targhee National Forest Service, permission from private land owners, and the logistics of laying out a 25-mile loop, he hopes to grow the race into an annual event that gets better each year.
“We’ve had a great response from local sponsors and learned a lot. We hope to eventually get recognized and picked up by big-name sponsors to help us like Polaris, Ski-Doo, or Arctic Cat,” said Smoot. “There’s nothing like this around.”
All custom trophies and awards, including a commemorative first-place belt buckle for the inaugural Island Park Oldies Snowmobile Race, are complete.
“We want to bring back the thrill of snowmobile racing with a competitive edge,” said Smoot. “World-class snowmobiling is right here in Island Park. The trails have been groomed, and they’re ready to go. They’re really, really good.”
For more information on the race or to contact the organizers, see the Island Park Oldies Snowmobile Race Facebook Page.
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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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