Idaho
Hundreds of Catholics gather in Pocatello for 'once-in-a-lifetime experience' – East Idaho News
POCATELLO — Hundreds sang and prayed along the half-mile walk from St. John’s Catholic Student Center to Caldwell Park on Thursday. Residents stopped what they were doing — walking dogs, mowing grass, watering lawns — to look on as the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage passed through Pocatello en route to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis.
The Pilgrimage’s stop in Pocatello began with a visit to the St. John’s Catholic Student Center on the Idaho State University campus. More than 100 worshippers representing parishes from eastern Idaho and beyond filled the church and an overflow room.
But, as Bishop Peter Christensen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise said, Idaho was not on the original pilgrimage path. And, despite its late addition, the Gem State has seen the greatest number of people register to be involved of any state along the four routes, he said.
According to the pilgrimage’s website, four groups of pilgrims took to four separate preplanned routes, working their way through much of the Continental United States toward Indiana.
Christensen said the St. Junipero Serra Route, which began in San Francisco, was altered to add several stops in Idaho, including Fruitland, Emmett, Glenns Ferry and Pocatello, before continuing on to Salt Lake City.
Nancy Bevins, a resident of Hamilton, Montana, drove into town to be part of the pilgrimage.
“This is the closest it’s going to be to Hamilton,” she said. “I mean, I’m getting goosebumps just being here. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Following a brief stop inside St. John’s, the pilgrims, members of the St. John’s clergy and some 200 participants walked behind a cross-bearer and Christensen, who carried the Monstrance, a vessel used to carry the sacramental body of Christ during devotional ceremonies. They went about half a mile to Caldwell Park, where even more participants waited.
Lydia Noble, a Pocatello resident and former City Council candidate, was present at Caldwell Park. A member of the Catholic faith, Noble told EastIdahoNews.com how rare it is to see the Monstrance.
Noble also spoke about how important it is for people of the Catholic faith to take part in things like the Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
“It’s very important, that’s why I’m here,” she said. “It is a symbol of our faith, it is a special event, and the Monstrance is not usually displayed except for these events — that’s a big part of our faith.”
The Eucharistic Pilgrimage, according to its website, is “a beautiful fusion of the journey TO Jesus and the journey WITH Jesus.” Pilgrims began their separate journeys from California, Texas, Massachusetts and Minnesota and, as Bevins said, created a symbolic cross over the center of the nation with their routes.
Noble said she was momentarily surprised by the turnout, as she waited with what was around 50 people for the arrival of the procession.
“I’m very pleased (with the turnout),” she said. “When I first came — I was in Idaho Falls, so I didn’t make it at 4:30 — I cam straight here (to Caldwell Park), and there was hardly anybody here. But when the procession came around the corner there, it was a big relief.”
Bevins said she was not surprised by the turnout either, though she was surprised by how many people fit inside the St. John’s church.
“I didn’t know there were this many people inside,” she said. “I got here, and I was outside, I thought, ‘Oh, this isn’t many people.’”
The pilgrims prayed at Caldwell Park for blessings of love, grace and mercy, and both mental and spiritual direction on their journey.
Then, accompanied by their hosts from the Diocese of Boise and local churches, they continued to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church for a Holy Adoration, then to St. Joseph’s Chapel, where they worshipped until mass at 7 a.m. Friday.
Following Friday mass, the pilgrims were escorted to Preston, where they were joined by their hosts from the Salt Lake City Diocese.
According to the website, the Eucharistic Pilgrims will travel more than 6,500 miles — between the four routes — and be joined by more than 1,000 hosts and over 100,000 participants.
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BOISE, Idaho — Idaho lawmakers have introduced legislation that would phase out state funding for the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs while keeping the commission in place.
The proposal, introduced by Rep. Jeff Ehlers, would gradually eliminate general fund support for the commission by July 1, 2028. The commission would continue to operate but would need to rely on private funding.
Rep. Ehlers told the House Revenue and Taxation Committee on Thursday that the proposal came from recommendations by Idaho’s DOGE Task Force, which reviewed government programs and spending.
READ MORE | Idaho DOGE Task Force recommends defunding Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs
The bill would also eliminate the commission from a list of organizations eligible for a state income tax charitable contribution credit.
Rep. Steve Berch questioned why the legislation would remove both state funding and the tax credit option, saying it could make it more difficult for the commission to raise money.
“I hate to use this word, but I’m really offended by this specific effort to make it that much more difficult for private citizens to be able to contribute to the Hispanic commission,” Rep. Berch said in committee. “I don’t think this can be justified from a financial point of view, and quite frankly, I don’t think it can be justified from a moral point of view.”
In response, Rep. Jason Monks said that it would be more “offensive” to not allow further discussion of the bill before a final decision is made.
The proposal comes after an earlier attempt this session to eliminate the commission entirely. In January, Rep. Heather Scott presented a draft bill that would have removed all references to the commission from Idaho law and dissolved it by July 1, but that measure failed to advance out of committee.
The committee ultimately voted on Thursday to introduce the legislation, allowing it to be printed and advanced for further debate.
This story has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Shanea Fulks is the owner of Seven Sisters Closet Revival, a new consignment store at 260 South Woodruff in Idaho Falls. Take a look inside 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
IDAHO FALLS
New consignment shop in Idaho Falls offers vintage clothes for customers and booth space for sellers
IDAHO FALLS – Curating vintage clothing is Shanea Fulks’s passion, and she’s sharing it with the community through a new business venture.
Seven Sisters Closet Revival opens Saturday at 260 South Woodruff inside Parkwood Plaza in Idaho Falls. It offers racks of vintage clothes for customers and booth space for others to sell their items.
“You get a rack with shelves, and you can come in throughout the week and sell things,” Fulks tells EastIdahoNews.com. “The things you’ll see in the middle of the store are pieces that I have curated. I hand-pick all the things I bring to the store.”
See some of the items in the video above.
Fulks says she’s had multiple people walk in already who are excited about the shop.
The store will have a grand opening this weekend. Fulks is partnering with the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon-cutting and open house at noon on Friday. A local band will be performing during the event.
Then on Saturday, a grand opening celebration will begin at 2 p.m. Several vendors and live entertainment will be available. Fulks says she’s looking forward to interacting with the community.
Fulks has been selling items from her personal collection online for years. After helping a mother and daughter find a formal dress during an interaction at another shop in town several years ago, Fulks says she realized there was a need for a store like this.
After about a year of working with real estate agents, Fulks says the Parkwood Plaza space formerly occupied by a beauty salon called Blush became available, and it was an ideal fit.
“It’s just been a whirlwind and we’re just trying to get it going,” says Fulks.
Fulks’ interest in fashion stems back to childhood. She lost her dad and stepdad to suicide at a young age and grew up in a household that struggled to make ends meet. As a result, she says they bought clothes at Goodwill and other secondhand stores.
She remembers being made fun of because of the clothes she wore. In time, she learned to embrace her uniqueness and developed an interest in vintage clothes.
“I’ve just always been attracted to old sweaters, military jackets (her dad served in Vietnam),” Fulks says. “I like to help people feel confident wearing something unique, even if it’s not trendy. Be bold and wear whatever you want.”
The idea of making the most of your circumstances and embracing who you are is inspired by her experience with suicide, and it’s reflected in the art that’s on display in her store.
“Part of the theme in my store is ‘Stay. We need you,’” she says.
The business name refers to her family. She comes from a blended family of six girls and four boys. When she and her husband were married, they had a daughter — the seventh sister.
Fulks says she’s looking forward to offering great deals to customers. She has two sons with autism who love art, and she wants to host art-themed events for people with special needs. She’d also like to host tea parties and other events in the future.
“I want people to come and feel like they belong,” she says. “I’m going to allow people to do karaoke. When you’re here, I want you to feel like you can have fun.”
Seven Sisters Closet Revival will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
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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.
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