Idaho
Head golf pro for the city of Idaho Falls stepping down after 46 years – East Idaho News
IDAHO FALLS – Although Tim Reinke says he’s never had a bad day in his 46-year career, he’s calling it quits.
The 65-year-old Idaho Falls man has been the manager of all golf operations at Pinecrest, Sand Creek and Sage Lakes Golf Courses. He was also promoted to Head Golf Pro of Pinecrest in 1984.
In a conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Reinke says the reason for his retirement isn’t tied to anything in particular. He just feels now is a good time to step down.
“I love it (my job). I could easily do it another 10 years, but I decided, as long as I’m healthy, I might as well go and do some other things I haven’t had a chance to do,” Reinke says.
Reinke didn’t mention anything specific he plans to do in retirement, but he says he’s spent a lot of time away from home on weekends through the years and would like to spend more quality time with his wife.
Reinke’s last day with the city will be on April 30. A retirement celebration will be held at Pinecrest Golf Course on April 25.
Replacing him in the role is Sean Thomsen, who previously worked as the city’s assistant golf professional.
Coming to Idaho Falls
Reinke started working for the city of Idaho Falls in 1979. He was 18 then, but had been working around golf courses since age 9. Reinke and his family moved to Billings, Montana around that time. It was here that his dad joined a golf club.
“I thought he was crazy when he did it. I thought, What are you doing, dad? That just sounds so dumb,” he says.
It wasn’t long before Reinke picked up a club and fell in love with the sport. He eventually started working at the same golf club where his father played.
Mike Taylor was the club’s PGA professional. Taylor started working as the professional golfer for the city of Idaho Falls in 1975. That’s how Reinke ended up here.
“I’d worked with him in Laurel (near Billings),” Reinke explains. “When I turned 18, my mother told me I had to get a summer job so I came out to Idaho Falls.”
There were only two golf courses in town back then. The courses were consistently packed and Reinke remembers turning about 400 people away on a daily basis during his second year of employment.
Sage Lakes Golf Course was built several years later.
Reinke enrolled in the Professional Golfers Association early on so he could start teaching golf. He remembers scoring 98 out of 100 on the test — the highest score in the nation at the time.
“I got a national award,” says Reinke. “I think there were about 34,000 applicants for the test. It was quite a nice honor, but I laugh about it now because … most of the applicants hadn’t even opened the textbook (after a weeklong course). The test is about what’s in those books.”
Four years after moving to Idaho Falls, Reinke became the head golf pro at age 23 when Taylor took a job in Arizona. More than four decades later, Reinke is thrilled with how things turned out and to call Idaho Falls home.
‘I’ve enjoyed every minute’
Reinke has received multiple awards during his tenure. He was named the Golf Professional of the Year in the Rocky Mountain region three times. Golf Digest named him one of the top golf instructors in Idaho twice.
“Reinke … has been the low scoring professional many times in pro-am events, as well as winning the Senior Division of the Idaho Open in 2012,” according to a news release from the city.
Reinke was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2021.
Although Reinke is honored with all the awards, he says it’s the people that have made it a worthwhile career. It’s those interactions he’s going to miss most.
Even in retirement, Reinke says he isn’t going anywhere and is still planning to stick around as a golf instructor.
“I’m going to continue teaching. I’ve got thousands of students that I’ve given lessons to throughout the years. Retiring will give me more time to give lessons without worrying about the shop every day,” he says.
He has nothing but good things to say about his successor and wishes him the best in his new role.
“I truly have had zero bad days here,” says Reinke. “It’s been a seven-day-a-week job. I probably average 16 hours a day … and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
In a news release, Mayor Rebecca Casper praises Reinke for his contributions to the city’s golf courses over the years and wishes him well in his retirement.
“Tim has been a huge driving force in making Idaho Falls golf courses the success they are today,” Casper says. “More importantly, Tim has helped teach and share his love of the game with countless generations over the years. He’s been a true steward of the sport — not just in our City, but in golf communities nationwide. He will be greatly missed, and we wish him well in his retirement.”
The public is invited to Reinke’s retirement celebration on April 25. It’s happening from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Pinecrest Golf Course.
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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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