Idaho
Idaho Falls veteran fears losing home, asks for compassion – Local News 8
IDAHO FALLS (KIFI) – An elderly veteran in danger of losing his house is asking for compassion as Memorial Day approaches.
There’s an idyllic neighborhood called Gem Lake Harbor on the south side of Idaho Falls. It has waterfront views, plenty of birds, and Bob Reinisch.
Reinisch spent seven years in the U.S. Navy as an officer aboard a nuclear submarine. He moved to the Gem State after working in a naval yard for 30 years. Now he’s a bugler.
“We provide full military honors for veterans’ funerals,” he said. “I even did two today.”
Reinisch is heavily involved in Idaho’s veteran community, founding non-profits and leading others. He’s lived in Gem Lake Harbor for over 23 years.
“Wouldn’t give it up for the world,” he asserted. “But I may have to.”
When Reinisch purchased his lot and built his house, he was told his homeowner’s association wouldn’t start up until the neighborhood’s second phase of construction began. That happened last year.
“Right off the bat, we get an [annual] homeowner’s fee of $500,” Reinisch said.
Reinisch provided Local News 8 with the minutes from his latest HOA meeting, dated May 18th. The HOA approved a special assessment of $3,000. The fee is due July 1st.
“I’ve lived close to poverty level most of my adult life,” he said. “Fifty years. And we can’t afford that kind of assessment.”
“During that meeting, I got so upset that I started having chest pains,” he continued.
Those chest pains were so severe that Reinisch was about to call an ambulance when they finally subsided. But in a sense, he was lucky.
“One of the homeowners that sat next to me – he went home and died,” Reinisch said.
“I made a proposal to ‘em to exempt veterans over 70 years of age,” he continued.
However, the HOA’s lawyer, Mark Fuller, claimed that clashes with its covenant.
“The CCRs do not allow for any assessment exemptions for homes owned by older members or veterans,” Fuller said in an email Reinisch provided to Local News 8. “Special treatment would be unfair to younger members, those physically prohibited from military service such as non-citizens, etc.”
“But he’s a lawyer – what do you expect?” Reinisch said with a laugh.
“What he failed to include is that there are provisions within the covenants to do it anyhow,” he continued. “It’s called an ‘amendment to the covenants’ – which requires a two-thirds majority vote, but it can be done.”
Local News 8 asked Reinisch how he felt about the current situation.
“Heartbroken,” he admitted.
“I’ve done over 2,000 veterans’ funerals, and it’s a true blessing for me,” he continued. “I’d have to give that up and move to somewhere else.”
“I love this house!” Reinisch added. “I want to stay here. I’m 80 years old. I want to die here.”
Local News 8 reached out to the homeowner’s association for comment, but did not receive a reply.
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.
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — A simmering dispute between Idaho’s top elections official and the U.S. Department of Justice escalated this month after federal officials warned Secretary of State Phil McGrane about possible prosecution tied to non-citizens voting in Idaho.
The Justice Department sent a letter earlier this month threatening McGrane with prosecution. The warning came amid a broader conflict between the Trump administration and McGrane, whom the administration has sued over his refusal to provide unredacted voter rolls to the federal government.
Idaho’s chief of civil litigation, James Craig, responded on July 10. In a letter first reported by the Idaho Statesman, Craig pushed back on the federal warning, writing, “Insinuations of criminal violations of the federal election laws are not well taken,” and asking the department to “stop threatening your friends in Idaho.”
Craig also requested that the lawsuit against McGrane be dismissed and criticized the Justice Department for sending its letter directly to McGrane rather than to the Idaho attorney general’s office.
The attorney general’s office said the state has already referred 15 cases of possible non-citizen election violations to the Justice Department but is not aware of any of them being prosecuted. Craig’s letter ends by asking the department to do so.
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