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.
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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.
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.
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