The following is a news release from the College of Eastern Idaho.

IDAHO FALLS — The College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lori Barber as the second president of CEI. She is expected to assume the office on August 1, 2024.

The Board of Trustees thanks the entire College community for participating in the presidential finalist forums. All feedback was reviewed and greatly valued by the Board. This collaborative and concerted work truly enriched the search process. Board Chair Park Price stated — “I would like to express appreciation to the Presidential Search Committee for their time, dedication, and thoughtful work on behalf of CEI. President Rick Aman has built a strong leadership team at CEI and Dr. Barber has been a key member of that team. The trustees are confident that Dr. Barber will build upon the success that CEI has enjoyed thus far.”

Dr. Barber has served as Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at College of Eastern Idaho since 2019. Previously, Dr. Barber served as the Dean of General Education at CEI. Dr. Barber earned a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University; a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies in History and Anthropology from Idaho State University; and a Bachelor of Arts and Letters in History from Idaho State University. She recently spearheaded the development and state approval of two applied baccalaureate degrees, making CEI the only community college in the state to offer two such programs. Under her leadership, CEI’s Academic and Student Affairs achieved a successful year-7 accreditation reaffirmation. Additionally, Dr. Barber has been a member of the Idaho Launch Initiative Policy Committee, contributing to the creation of guidelines for distributing $75 million to Idaho high school seniors.

“I am honored to have been selected as the second President of College of Eastern Idaho.” Said Dr. Barber. “As CEI moves into this new phase, I am thrilled to lead the College to the next level of excellence. I am excited to work with business and industry leaders to ensure they have the exceptionally trained workforce they need. I am equally excited to work with our four-year university partners to transfer academically strong learners to their institutions. I have a clear vision for how we can continue to grow as a cutting-edge institution. With our talented faculty and staff, I am ready to lead CEI in its continued success, building on the best that already exists and creating new possibilities of excellence.”

SOUTH BOISE, Idaho — 90 degree weather paired with dry brush and grass has led to an increase in vegetation fires across Idaho. Some areas of the state are seeing increased fire restrictions and burn bans in an effort to prevent wildfires this summer.

(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

“I would see fire restrictions as a serious consideration this year,” says Robbie Johnson, with the Idaho Department of Lands.

She says fire restrictions and burn bans are put into place when fire danger is considered extreme.

“We had a wet spring so that allowed these grasses and fine fuels, as we called them in wildfire, to really grow big and strong and in large amounts,” says Johnson.

That build-up of fine fuels prompted portions of Idaho to put restrictions in place.

“And so when you see a fire restriction, you won’t see that in the whole state they’ll just be zones of sorts and portions,” added Johnson.

Those zones can either be stage one or stage two of fire restrictions, though local agencies can issue other requirements.

“Stage one fire restrictions are the lower level and that mostly has to be with smoking outside…and also campfires, so there’s different ways you can have campfires still but not in all ways,” says Johnson.

Stage two comes with elevated concerns, increasing restrictions to include where you can use motorized vehicles while recreating.

Burn permits offer another way to check if it is safe to burn at your location.

“In May through October, we call that closed fire season, and basically if you just want to go out and burn some stuff, like out here you have to have a permit first,” says Johnson.

Johnson tells me issuing formal fire restrictions is not something they take lightly.

“Fire restrictions are really something that we don’t wanna have to do, but if we’re seeing those human-caused fires, it’s so dry, it’s windy, it’s extreme conditions. We have a lot of fires out there that are tasking our resources, that’s where it’s time to deeply consider them, and they are very much thoughtfully considered,” added Johnson.

NAMPA (Idaho Statesman) — A Nampa teen died in a single-vehicle accident west of Boise after hitting a power pole Sunday afternoon, according to police.

The 17-year-old boy was driving near Ustick Road and North Treeline Avenue north of Nampa when he hit a power pole, causing his vehicle to overturn, the Nampa Police Department said in a news release. Nampa Dispatch was notified of the incident shortly after 3 p.m.

Police said power lines fell down, creating a brush fire. The Nampa Fire Department extinguished the fire but found that the teen had died, according to police.

The department said it was investigating the incident.