Idaho
Museum of Idaho opens new exhibit featuring mummies from around the world – East Idaho News
IDAHO FALLS — Mummies have returned to the Museum of Idaho as hundreds of community members gathered on opening day to learn more about those who came before and how they were preserved.
The Mummies of the World exhibit will run until Jan. 6, providing community members with ample time to view the mummies and learn about their history. The Museum of Idaho is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Camille Thomas, director of marketing for the museum, told EastIdahoNews.com the exhibit features one of the largest collections of human and animal mummies, along with related artifacts. The mummies come from Europe, ancient Egypt, South America and here in the United States.
One of the most unique parts of the exhibit is Mumab, a project conducted in the 1990s by the University of Maryland, using a cadaver donated to science to create a mummy, Thomas said.
“His body is wrapped and is on display at the exhibit. There are canopic jars that contain his organs, and the original tools that they use to do that practice are also on display,” Thomas said.
Museum Executive Director Jeff Carr said they’ve been looking forward to this exhibit for a long time and that it’s a big deal.
He said the mission of the Museum of Idaho is to ensure Idahoans in eastern Idaho have access to these exhibits and education about cultures from around the world.
“It’s just one of those sorts of things that you don’t normally get in a city of our size,” Carr said. “This is just a testament to what makes Idaho Falls and east Idaho such a wonderful place to live.”
Looking at the exhibits, Thomas said one of the interesting interactive exhibits is a wall that demonstrates what it feels like to touch a mummy.
Carr said one of the intriguing exhibits for him is the mummy bundles from the Inca Empire, dating back to the 15th century.
He said these mummies were buried in the fetal position and placed into baskets that allowed family members to bring their passed loved ones with them.
“It’s a really interesting look into how different cultures look at life and death… in some ways very different from ours. There’s a lot that is also relatable to,” Carr said.
A community member visiting the exhibit, Laron Johnson, told EastIdahoNews.com that it’s interesting how real people, like those depicted in these mummies, can become souvenirs.
“Yet we see the ones that were painstakingly preserved in love and memory,” Johnson said.
Still teaching at Rigby High School and a former history teacher, Johnson said he’s always been a supporter of the museum and was there to scout for other history teachers.
He said what was interesting to him was the salt mummy of a blowfish, which sparked his interest in learning more about the use of salt in mummification.
“This is an excellent tool for education,” Johnson said. “Who doesn’t want to see a mummy.”
For more information or to purchase tickets for Mummies of the World exhibit, visit museumofidaho.org/mummies.
=htmlentities(get_the_title())?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=get_permalink()?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=htmlentities(‘For more stories like this one, be sure to visit https://www.eastidahonews.com/ for all of the latest news, community events and more.’)?>&subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20EastIdahoNews” class=”fa-stack jDialog”>
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.
-
Oklahoma1 minute agoFarmers, environmental group react to Oklahoma poultry litter settlement
-
Oregon7 minutes ago
Oregon Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 4 results for July 14
-
Pennsylvania13 minutes ago12-year-old boy on e-bike killed in crash with pickup truck in Pennsylvania
-
Rhode Island19 minutes ago
RI Lottery Mega Millions, Numbers Midday winning numbers for July 14, 2026
-
South-Carolina25 minutes agoLindsey Graham’s sister sworn in as the South Carolina senator’s successor
-
South Dakota31 minutes ago
SD Lottery Mega Millions, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for July 14, 2026
-
Tennessee37 minutes agoDouble rainbows spotted over Middle Tennessee — what causes them
-
Texas43 minutes agoTexas Makes Announcement Featuring Arch Manning
