Idaho
Annual fly fishing expo returns to Idaho Falls next weekend – East Idaho News
IDAHO FALLS — The 29th Annual East Idaho Fly Tying Expo will return to Idaho Falls’ Mountain America Center this month, once again looking to raise money for conservation efforts.
The event, organized and hosted by the Snake River Cutthroats — the local chapter of the nonprofit organization Trout Unlimited — will offer various activities, attractions and workshops.
“This is our annual fundraiser,” said spokesman Dave Pace. “This is where we make our money … and all the money we make on this show, we use to fund our conservation projects and our education projects throughout the year.”
This year’s two-day expo will run Friday and Saturday, Feb. 14 and 15, and is admission-free.
As with years past, there will be vendors, workshops, classes, and youth activities. This year, though, there will be even more than ever, according to Pace.
With some 20 new vendors — 64 altogether — the expo will span nearly the entire Mountain America Center arena, concourse and Blue Cross Conference Center.
“We started out just using the arena area, then last year we added a couple vendors out on the concourse,” Pace said. “This year, we’re taking up about two-thirds of the concourse with vendors.”
The event, Pace said, is perfect for anyone who has never tried fly fishing before — with beginner workshops, including those for women-only and youth-teaching-youth — or the experienced fly fishers searching for new gear. And with a casting pond inside the arena, shoppers will be able to try out the new rod before they make a purchase.
Because the event is a fundraiser, some attractions will require a fee. The workshops, which offer lessons in small groups — usually 10 students per instructor — are among them.
But one event Pace is very excited about is the International Fly Fishing Film Festival, which will include a number of short films on fly fishing. The film festival will be held Friday beginning at 7 p.m. inside the Blue Cross Conference Center (which is inside the Mountain America Center). Admission to the film festival is $15.
There will also be raffles and a live auction. But donations to the Snake River Cutthroats’ conversation work can also be made on the organization’s website — here.
For more than 30 years, the Snake River Cutthroats have been involved in the care and maintenance of fisheries across eastern Idaho. Last year, money raised at the Fly Tying Expo went, among other projects, the construction of four ATV bridges at Rainey Creek, an area the organization has been working on for quite some time, Pace said.
“More recently, we’re working closer to home,” he said. “Rainey Creek has been a project of ours for close to 15 to 20 years. … Even though it’s the biggest tributary (to the South Fork), it’s the least-used. So it’s a big potential there that we’ve been trying to get opened back up. It’s been a hassle, but we’re still working on it.”
With around 60 members from multiple organizations, they built the bridges to eliminate the use of stream-crossings, which contributed to damage and sediment brought to the area.
The organization is also involved in yearly stream, river and roadside cleanings, all of which are funded through money made at the expo.
For more information about the Snake River Cutthroats, including how you can donate your time, visit their website or Facebook page here.
For further information about the expo, visit its website or 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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