Idaho

Local teens can win prizes, learn CPR at annual party in downtown Idaho Falls – East Idaho News

Published

1 hour ago

October 1, 2024

Local teens can win prizes, learn CPR at annual party in downtown Idaho Falls – East Idaho News

IDAHO FALLS – Idaho Heart Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the education and awareness of cardiovascular health, is gearing up for its third annual youth event this Friday.

It’s hosting a 1980s-themed Youth Party Friday at the Downtown Event Center at 480 Park Avenue in Idaho Falls.

The youth-led event will include CPR and AED training and competitions, along with a live DJ, free food, games and raffle prizes.

Attendees are encouraged to dress up in their favorite 80s attire.

Jake Gilbert, the organization’s vice president, tells EastIdahoNews.com the purpose of it is to provide CPR training and demonstrate how to use an automated external defibrillator. It’s also a fundraiser for the organization.

“It’s geared to get the word out to the youth in our community how important and easy CPR training really is,” Gilbert says. “One of our slogans is ‘you’re never too old or too young to save a life,’ and we want to keep going with that.”

Leah Whitmer, a senior at Compass Academy who’s a member of the foundation, is helping to organize the event. She’s passionate about this subject and is encouraging people to attend.

She joined the foundation after meeting Dr. Blake Wachter, the organization’s president and founder, when she was 13.

RELATED | Cardiologist partners with local businesses to help save lives in eastern Idaho

“I was really inspired by her passion for teaching the public about CPR and AEDs and I wanted to be able to share that same passion with her,” Leah says.

Although she’s never had to perform CPR in real life, Leah’s interacted with a lot of people who’ve had heart issues and she’s grateful to have the knowledge and skills to help in a moment of crisis.

She started taking healthcare courses at College of Eastern Idaho as a high school student and is considering getting a Ph.D. in a healthcare-related field.

Gilbert had a heart transplant years ago while under the care of Dr. Wachter. After his surgery, he learned about Wachter’s nonprofit and wanted to be part of it.

RELATED | Idaho Heart Foundation gearing up for third annual Heart Ball

The Heart Ball and youth event are just two of the foundation’s fundraisers held every year. It’s thrilling for Gilbert to see the youth’s interest continue to increase.

“The youth really wanted to get involved, so we let them coordinate and set up their own event,” says Gilbert. “Youth learn better from … their peers. So we let them run with their ideas and train their peers.”

The youth event has been well-attended in year’s past, Gilbert says, and he’s hoping this year is the biggest one yet.

Leah hopes those who attend will feel inclined to join the organization.

“Being involved has a really positive impact on our community,” Leah says. “We want as many people as possible to come.”

The party starts at 7 p.m. and goes until 11 p.m. There will be adult supervision. Those who attend are encouraged to make a $5 donation.

Courtesy Idaho Heart Foundation

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Idaho

Moose Creek Reservoir drawdown to control Pondweed

Published

9 hours ago

September 30, 2024

Press Room

Moose Creek Reservoir drawdown to control Pondweed

Starting November 4th, 2024, Idaho Fish and Game will draw down Moose Creek Reservoir to control Pondweed. Pondweed has drastically limited fishing opportunities at the reservoir and drawing the water level down will help suppress this nuisance vegetation. Water levels will remain 8-10 feet below the full pool throughout the winter until spring runoff refills the reservoir. This technique was used at Moose Creek Reservoir in 2018 and was very successful.

The fishery will remain open with all fishing regulations still in effect. These efforts should provide better fishing opportunities for the next 5-7 years before Pondweed potentially becomes an issue again.

Fisheries biologists will be moving bass and bluegill to other fisheries to provide additional opportunities to anglers during the draw-down period. October’s trout stocking for Moose Creek Reservoir will be moved to Elk Creek Reservoir in anticipation of this effort. Idaho Fish and Game will resume stocking trout in Moose Creek Reservoir starting in the spring of 2025.

Please contact Joe Thiessen (Clearwater Regional Fisheries Biologist) at 208-750-4218 with any questions or comments about these efforts.

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Idaho

Name a Snowplow

Published

17 hours ago

September 30, 2024

Press Room

For the first time ever, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is naming snowplows! Name A Snowplow is a fun way to spread awareness about snowplow safety, foster a sense of ownership among the community, and teach future drivers how to be safe when driving near snowplows. We are partnering with the Idaho Department of Education to collect name ideas from Idaho 8th graders. This age group was selected because they are about to attend driver’s education.

We are asking 8th grade classrooms to come up with names and submit them by October 31, 2024. Instructions for how to submit names will be distributed to teachers through the Idaho Department of Education. ITD will also distribute educational materials about snowplow safety.

Contest Rules:

Eligibility

Open to 8th grade classrooms.
Classrooms must be located in Idaho.

Submission Guidelines

One name per classroom.
Names must be appropriate | MAX 15 characters (including spaces).
Submit name via Microsoft Form. The submission link is only being provided to eighth grade teachers through the Idaho Department of Education.

*If the same name is submitted by multiple classrooms, only the first entry received will be considered.

Selection Process

Names must be submitted by October 31.
ITD employees will vote on submissions in November.
12 winning names will be selected—two from each of Idaho’s six regions—and winners announced by early January. Names will be featured on the plows’ blades.
Winning classrooms will receive recognition and a special visit from the snowplow bearing its chosen name. Media will be invited to cover the event.

Additional Information

Classrooms are free to conduct their own internal voting to select their submission.
Submissions that do not meet the criteria will be disqualified.
By submitting a snowplow name, you grant ITD all rights to use, display and publish the name for promotional purposes.

Timeline

Classrooms submit names October 1 to 31, 2024.
ITD Employees vote on names in November 2024.
Winners announced December 2024.
Plow visits with winning classrooms/schools December 2024 through January 2025.

Interested in participating?

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Idaho

Idaho teacher sentenced to prison for sexual battery, rape of teen adopted by a local family days prior

Published

1 day ago

September 30, 2024

Press Room

Idaho teacher sentenced to prison for sexual battery, rape of teen adopted by a local family days prior

A former Idaho schoolteacher was sentenced to prison time for sexual battery and rape of a minor who was adopted out of the foster system by a local family just days before she assaulted him.

Jessica Lawson, 36, accepted a plea deal for felony sexual battery and charges of felony rape of a minor. She previously faced charges of felony delivery of a controlled substance and misdemeanor dispensing alcohol to a minor for allegedly giving the 16-year-old boy marijuana and alcohol, but those were dropped as part of the deal.

Jessica Lawson, 36, was sentenced to two to 20 years for sexual battery and rape of a minor. Saint Anthony Police Department

Lawson — who taught at South Fremont High School from August 2021 through June 2023 — will face two to 20 years in prison and will have to register as a sex offender, along with attending sex offender treatment. There will also be a no-contact order in place against the victim for 20 years.

An officer from the Saint Anthony Police Department pulled over Lawson’s car on the morning of Nov. 6, 2023 because her vehicle had no visible taillights. The cop found the teen boy driving, having been given the keys by Lawson who was too “drunk to drive,” authorities said.

The boy admitted to having used marijuana, which was given to him by Lawson, and was driven home by the officer. Lawson was arrested later that week after the boy told his parents that she had picked him up that night and described how they had smoked and drank alcohol before having sex.

Lawson called the teen’s parents and admitted to having given him alcohol and picking him up, but denied that “anything else had occurred,” including the alleged sexual acts and substance use.

The teen’s parents, who had adopted him just days before he was assaulted, said that while their son may have had no real idea about what was happening, he will still be dealing with the fallout of Lawson’s violation for years to come.

“It takes a village to raise a young man, especially a young man that has been in and out of foster care, that has never known what it’s like to have a mom and a dad,” the father told the court, according to East Idaho News.

South Fremont High School
Public school in St. Anthony, Idaho — South Fremont High School, a public school in St. Anthony, Idaho where Lawson used to teach. Google Maps

“My son is going to take a long time to heal and he doesn’t even know the wounds that he has yet. He’s not going to understand those wounds until he’s a parent and he’s sending his daughter or son…to the house of a parent that he trusts.”

The teen’s mother also attested that he struggles to differentiate between safe and unsafe situations as a result of his time in the foster care system.

“We brought [my son] in because he needed somebody, and he didn’t have anybody…It was pretty quick that we realized this is a really great kid, and he’s wonderful and he should be in our family,” the mother told the court.

“He’s got a lot of problems because he didn’t have a mom and dad that taught him how to recognize safe people. And you took advantage of that…she knew she could get something from him.”

The victim’s parents believe that Lawson would’ve gotten a harsher sentence if she were a male perpetrator or if their son were a girl, but Senior District Judge Stephen Dunn, who was in charge of sentencing, denied this.

If you have been sexually assaulted and live in New York, you can call 1-800-942-6906 for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the state, you can dial the 24/7 National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

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