Idaho
Everything You Need To Know About The New Idaho Route To Jackson Hole With Teton Pass Closure
Where to eat, stop, and stay in Swan Valley, Idaho, on your way to Jackson Hole.
SWAN VALLEY, Idaho, June 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — With catastrophic damage to the Teton Pass corridor, commuters and tourists are now forced to take a longer route from Idaho to/from Jackson Hole, WY. The new commute through Swan Valley may help shed some light on this small but vibrant community that is often overlooked, and River Retreat Lodge is sharing the local spots for travelers to know.
Located in southwestern Idaho, Swan Valley is known first and foremost for world-class fly-fishing on the Southfork of the Snake River. Many visitors to Jackson Hole come to experience this river’s greatness. Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel frequent the area, and Kimmel even has a lodge here.
Second, it is known for Palisades Reservoir and the surrounding lush forests, which are great for hiking, biking, and adventuring. A small ski resort, Kelly Canyon, is also located in the Valley, and travelers often visit Heise Hot Springs.
Swan Valley’s local businesses are the heart and soul of the area and rely on tourism, just as Jackson Hole and Driggs, to survive. As tourists and commuters now traverse this scenic valley, it’s the perfect time to spotlight these small, local businesses that are happy to welcome new guests and support locals and workers traveling to/from Jackson Hole during the interim until the pass is repaired.
Where To Eat
Treat yourself to a gourmet dinner, order a picnic lunch, or stop at the roadside grill.
The Gilded Trumpeter is a new boutique dining restaurant at River Retreat Lodge. It offers apps, salads, proteins, sides, desserts, wine, and beer. Breakfast is also available, and you can preorder a picnic lunch. Located in Irwin, just off the main drag at 1591 Old Irwin Road, or call +1 (877) 787-5634. Make dinner reservations on Open Table- https://bit.ly/swan-valley-restaurant-reservation
Breakfast Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 8:00 – 9:30 am
Happy Hour: Wednesday – Friday, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Dinner Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 5:30 – 8:00 pm
Snake River Roadhouse Bar and Grill is your standard community pub located on the main highway at 2998 Swan Valley Highway. For more information, call +1 (208) 483-2000.
Lunch and Dinner Hours:
Wednesday: 11:30 am – 8:30 pm
Thursday: 11:30 am – 8:30 pm
Friday: 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday: 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday: 11:30 am – 8:00 pm
Little Moose Lodge Restaurant is a quaint establishment serving burgers, fish and chips, and similar items. Wine and beer are also available. It is located at 3427 Swan Valley Hwy, or you can call +1 (208) 483-2281.
Call for restaurant reservations.
Lunch and Dinner Hours:
Friday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Monday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Need to Stay Over
River Retreat Lodge—Six spacious suites offer warm hospitality and breakfast included with your stay. There is a restaurant on site and beautiful grounds to sit back and unwind. Located off the main highway at 1591 Old Irwin Road
Hansen Guest Ranch– A western-style bed and breakfast and guest ranch in Irwin. Horses may be welcome if traveling with a trailer. 956 Rainey Creek Road
Little Moose Lodge – The stopover if you travel with a pet ($25 pet fee). The lodge offers seven rooms, and breakfast is available onsite for an additional charge. 3427 Swan Valley Hwy
Convenience Store
Swan Valley General Store, grocery store, deli, bakery, beer, wine, 12 gasoline/diesel pumps.
Hours:
Monday – Thursday, 7:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday, 7:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday, 7:00 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday, 7:00 am – 8:00 pm
In a recent CNN article, the US Department of Transportation said the Teton Pass corridor “serves as a critical commuter route and facilitates the transport of goods and services that are lifelines to the growing regional economies in Wyoming and Idaho.” Swan Valley hopes to help support the region during this unprecedented event.
About River Retreat Lodge
Six spacious suites perfect for couples, friends, or family looking for a getaway in top fishing and year-round outdoor destination Swan Valley, Idaho. Boutique dining onsite at The Gilded Trumpeter serves breakfast, happy hour, dinner, and pre-order picnic lunch. Restaurant open to the public with reservations. Book online at riverretreatlodge.com or find the restaurant on OpenTable.
1591 Old Irwin Road
Irwin, ID 83428
877.787.5634
SOURCE River Retreat Lodge
Idaho
Gov. Little signs bill ending license plate registration stickers in Idaho
Gov. Brad Little has signed House Bill 533, which would remove the need for license plate stickers on Idaho vehicles.
The legislation, introduced earlier this session by Rep. Jon Weber (R) of Boise, eliminates the requirement for registration stickers on Idaho license plates. Weber stated during the bills intorduction that officers can verify the status of license plates without the stickers, potentially saving the state around $300,000.
During the bill’s introduction, some lawmakers argued that it could increase the workload for law enforcement.
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The new law is set to take effect in July.
Idaho
Idaho resolution opposing same-sex marriage advances
For the second year in a row, House lawmakers will consider urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
The nonbinding resolution, which carries no legal weight, says the decision in Obergefel v. Hodges violates the longstanding religious definition of marriage between one man and one woman.
“The current definition of marriage that allows for same-sex marriages is a defilement of the word marriage,” said Rep. Tony Wisniewski (R-Post Falls), who sponsors the measure.
The resolution further states that the Obergefel decision “arbitrarily and unjustly” rejects the historical definition of marriage.
Idaho voters passed a constitution amendment in 2006 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, which was invalidated by the Obergefel ruling.
Wisniewski said regulating marriages should be a power left to the states.
Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa) agrees.
“If you want to get things … closer to the people with respect to some of these more complex social issues, I think the best place for those things to happen is in the states,” Crane said.
Doing so is a risk, he said.
“You may have states that choose to acknowledge [polyamorous relationships]. You may have states that choose to have relationships between adults and younger children,” Crane said.
Cities in neighboring Oregon and Washington, for example, are considering giving those in polyamorous relationships legal recognition.
But he said that risk is worth it to allow other states that choose to only recognize traditional marriages.
Four lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee opposed the resolution.
Rep. Erin Bingham (R-Idaho Falls) said she’s tried to balance her own religious beliefs with those of others while considering the measure.
“I do feel like that it is important for us to work together, to find ways to compromise and to live together in peace and mutual respect,” Bingham said.
The resolution now goes to the House floor for consideration.
House lawmakers last year passed a similar measure, but it never received a hearing in a Senate committee.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
Idaho
University of Idaho professor awarded $10M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders
A University of Idaho professor won a $10 million judgment after a tarot TikTok influencer publicly pushed false claims that she was behind the savage quadruple slayings of four college students.
A Boise jury in US District Court ordered fortune-telling Texas TikToker Ashley Guillard on Friday to pay $10 million after concluding she falsely accused professor Rebecca Scofield of having a secret romance with one of the four victims and orchestrating their killings, the Idaho Statesman reported.
Following the verdict, Scofield thanked the jury and said she hopes the case sends a clear warning that making “false statements online have consequences in the real world.”
“The murders of the four students on November 13, 2022, were the darkest chapter in our university’s history,” Scofield told Fox News.
“Today’s decision shows that respect and care should always be granted to victims during these tragedies. I am hopeful that this difficult chapter in my life is over, and I can return to a more normal life with my family and the wonderful Moscow community.”
Scofield, the university’s history department chair, filed the lawsuit in December 2022 — just weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were brutally stabbed to death at an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.
Guillard began uploading videos to her more than 100,000 TikTok followers in late November 2022, accusing Scofield of a secret relationship with one of the students and claiming she had “ordered” the killings, garnering millions of views across the social media platform.
The complaint states that Scofield had never met the victims and was out of state when the murders occurred.
Even after being served with cease-and-desist letters and after police publicly confirmed Scofield had no connection to the murders, the Houston-based tarot reader continued posting videos, the history professor’s legal team argued.
Guillard doubled down on her accusations against Scofield after being sued, posting a defiant video saying, “I am not stopping,” and challenging why Scofield needed three lawyers to sue her “if she’s so innocent.”
The professor’s legal team argued the defamatory accusations painted her as a criminal and accused her of professional misconduct that could derail her career.
Bryan Kohberger, then studying criminology at Washington State University, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the quadruple murders in a deal that took the death penalty off the table. He is currently serving four consecutive life sentences in Idaho.
In June 2024, Chief US Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco found Guillard’s statements legally defamatory, leaving damages to be decided by a jury.
During the damages trial, Scofield described the anguish of seeing her name tied to the murders online, the Idaho Statesman reported.
However, Guillard, acting as her own attorney, insisted her comments were simply beliefs based on tarot card readings.
She claimed to have psychic powers and testified that she relied on tarot cards to try to solve the shocking homicides that shook the rural college town and sparked global attention.
It took jurors less than two hours to return their verdict, the outlet reported.
The jury awarded Scofield $7.5 million in punitive damages in addition to $2.5 million in compensatory damages.
With Post wires
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