Idaho
Dead infant found in baby drop-off box in Idaho
A dead newborn baby girl was found in a baby drop-off box in Idaho on Oct. 13, police said this week.
The infant was removed from the box at the Grove Creek Medical Center in Blackfoot “within a minute” after a medical team responded to an alarm notifying them that a baby had been placed there.
Upon removal, they realized the infant had been dead long before being placed in the baby box, according to a news release on Monday from Safe Haven Baby Boxes on Facebook.
Idaho law allows unharmed and healthy infants to be surrendered to the baby boxes. Because this infant was already dead before being placed in the box, she was not a legal surrender.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes provide a secure and anonymous way for parents to safely surrender their newborns. But anonymity is only allowed when an infant is surrendered completely unharmed, said Safe Haven Baby Boxes Founder Monica Kelsey.
“We are heartbroken,” she said. “Let this be clear: this is an illegal, deadly abandonment. We are fully cooperating with the investigation and providing all information we possess to local authorities. When the baby was placed in the box, she was wrapped in a blanket with the placenta still attached.”
The parent’s identity is now known to police, according to a video update Kelsey posted to Facebook on Thursday.
“It is not because there’s cameras on these boxes, there is no cameras on these boxes,” she said. “It was either old fashioned police work or she stepped forward.”
The Twin Falls and Blackfoot police departments are both investigating.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and community affected by this loss. The health and safety of our community’s children remain our top priority,” the Twin Falls Police Department stated in a Monday press release.
52 infants have been legally surrendered at Safe Haven Baby Boxes since 2017, the organization said. Each infant has been adopted, the organization says.
There is only one Safe Haven Baby Box in Idaho.
Idaho
Dorothy Moon reelected to third term as Idaho GOP chair
MERIDIAN — Former Idaho state Rep. Dorothy Moon was elected to her third term as chair of the Idaho Republican Party during last week’s Idaho GOP Convention in Meridian.
Moon announced her candidacy for a third term as chair earlier this month after first being elected in 2022 and again in 2024. In this year’s election, Moon received 306 votes, former Idaho state Sen. Steven Thayn received 155 votes and Mark Fuller, the previous Idaho GOP first vice chair, came in third with 134 votes. In receiving just over 51% of the vote, Moon was able to narrowly avoid a runoff.
In his challenge to Moon, Thayn called for fostering a greater sense of unity among members of the party.
“Unity does not mean uniformity of opinion,” Thayn said in a prior news release on his candidacy. “Nor does it mean forced agreement. Forced unity always leads to tyranny. Real unity is voluntary. It is built through listening, respect, and a sincere effort to solve problems together.”
In the initial announcement of Moon’s campaign, she highlighted improvements to voter turnout and the defeat of the 2024 ranked-choice voting ballot initiative as among key party successes during her most recent term.
Idaho
Large police presence near Taco Bell in Blackfoot – East Idaho News
BLACKFOOT — A large contingent of Blackfoot Police officers has cordoned off an area near the Taco Bell on Parkway Drive in Blackfoot.
Police responded around 5 p.m., according to multiple witnesses who contacted EastIdahoNews.com.
EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to Blackfoot Police for details.
We will update this story as we learn more.
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Idaho
Idaho angler reels in record 43.25-inch lake trout at Payette Lake
MISSOULA, Mont. — An Idaho Falls angler is back in the Idaho record books after landing a record-setting lake trout at Payette Lake.
Idaho Fish and Game said Dylan Smith caught and released a 43.25-inch lake trout on May 2, setting a new state catch-and-release record for the species. The fish surpassed the previous record of 42 inches.
The catch marks Smith’s second appearance in Idaho’s record books. He previously held the state catch-and-release lake trout record after landing a trophy fish in 2018 before that mark was later broken.
According to Fish and Game, Payette Lake has become one of Idaho’s premier lake trout fisheries thanks to years of management efforts aimed at improving both lake trout and kokanee populations.
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