Idaho
Have a Nerf gun battle with friends, family at Rigby's Idaho Dart Arena – East Idaho News
Elizabeth Moore-Davila having a Nerf gun war at Idaho Dart Arena at 4024 East 461 North in Rigby. See what it’s like in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BUZZ
RIGBY
St. Anthony couple open indoor Nerf gun arena in Rigby
RIGBY – Long Idaho winters were a new experience for Andrew and Whitney Page when they moved to the Gem State in 2022. Being cooped up for months prompted them to open an entertainment venue called Idaho Dart Arena, which opened in Rigby in December.
The family fun center offers a space for customers to have Nerf gun wars in an obstacle course. It’s inside an industrial building off Yellowstone Highway at 4024 East 461 North. See what it’s like in the video above.
Whitney tells EastIdahoNews.com they’ve gotten multiple recurring customers in the last year and they’re hoping to attract more.
“For the people we’ve been able to reach, they’ve really loved it,” Whitney says. “There’s not a ton of entertainment options in Rigby, and I think people are happy to have it a little closer to home.”
Although the former Utah couple had no ties to eastern Idaho, Andrew frequently drove through the area for his job with Kimball Equipment Company. Their desire to give their kids “some space and freedom to grow up in” led them to St. Anthony.
Shortly after moving, they experienced an Idaho winter for the first time.
“It was a colder winter than we’d ever experienced,” Whitney recalls. “We have three busy boys … and we felt cooped up.”
Andrew has fond memories of going to a Nerf gun place in his hometown as a kid and being trapped inside for months motivated him to look into opening something similar.
The Pages discovered a similar venue had opened in Pocatello, and the only other indoor Nerf gun arena was in Boise. They liked the idea of opening their own arena in Rigby because it was a central location between Rexburg and Idaho Falls.
“We felt like it would be more successful in that location,” says Whitney. “It just didn’t make a ton of sense to open a family fun center in St. Anthony where there isn’t a huge population.”
The business is a little off the beaten path, and Whitney says many people aren’t aware it exists. They’re hoping to change that.
They’re grateful to their partners, Ross Churchill and Elizabeth Moore-Davila, both of whom are students at Brigham Young University-Idaho. Churchill wants to start selling homemade root beer and root beer floats at the venue soon.
Idaho Dart Arena is open Monday through Wednesday from 4 to 9 p.m. and noon to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
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Another quiet week for Idaho gas prices
Two retailers opening new locations in eastern Idaho
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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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