Idaho
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.
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“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.
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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.
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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.
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