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New York-Style Pizza Making A Name For Itself In An Idaho College Town

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New York-Style Pizza Making A Name For Itself In An Idaho College Town


When Bill Crawford, a graduate of Harvard Business School and a business professor at Brigham Young University-Idaho, started exploring opening a pizza parlor in Rexburg, Idaho, a city of 40,000 people, most of his colleagues were skeptical or discouraging. “What a bad idea to start a food business,” they advised him, it’s risky, uncertain, and you won’t make a healthy profit.

But Crawford persisted, and while remaining as a full-time business professor, fittingly enough teaching Small Business Management, in 2018, he opened Righteous Slice. Since then, he has never looked back and is having the time of his life. “Pizza is a product that gives me total freedom to be creative, but it also gives me an opportunity to push myself to learn and improve every day,” he says, spoken like a true entrepreneur.

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To open Righteous Slice, he and his wife Cindy took out a bank loan, covering about half their up-front capital and then assembled equity partners, mostly from friends. Though he was warned not to rely on friends, Crawford says that that has been one of the highlights and “I wouldn’t want to do without their support and encouragement.”

The pizza shop seats 100 people, and a slice and beverage cost $7. Righteous Slice blends into the prevailing community since it’s closed on Sunday and doesn’t serve alcohol. Indeed about 95% of Rexburg’s population consists of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or Mormons, according to a quick AI search. As is Crawford himself.

It’s a Family Affair

Because Crawford is a full-time business professor, running the business has become a family affair. Cheryl Crawford oversees HR and finance, and his son Andrew was recently named full-time manager. And it has a vigorous training program to bring new staffers into its culture, a topic very important to a business professor.

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Indeed, reporter Ed Levine used Righteous Slice in a New York Times Food article to epitomize how the New York City-style slice pizza is now permeating the nation, even in out-of-the-way locales like Idaho.

Being Near a College Campus Helps Draw a Crowd

The shop is located about a block from Brigham Young University-Idaho’s campus, and Crawford estimates that about half of its regulars are connected to the university including students, faculty and administrators. But he tries to keep his professorial duties separate from his business and doesn’t do anything special to lure them in.

It’s located on the ground floor of an apartment complex, in a mixed commercial and residential area, and for a smaller city, is extremely urban, with a lot of foot traffic.

When Crawford was growing up in Phoenix (among other places), Grandma’s Pizza, which served slices, became one of his role models. But when he first opened Righteous Slice, he served Neapolitan pizza (and still does), after attending Tony Gemignani’s International School of Pizza in San Francisco.

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But the demand for Neapolitan pizza seemed limited in Rexburg, and Crawford, looking for other options, developed NY-slice pizza. He was also influenced by attending the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, where independent pizzerias demonstrated their slice pizza. It offers a full menu, beyond pizza, including salads, a couple of appetizers, shakes and desserts.

What Makes NY-Style Slice Pizza Special

He says New York City slice pizza is special because “every detail of it has been thought out including the crust, the baking and fermentation, which all come together.”

He’s made several trips to the New York metropolitan area tasting pizza at Razza in Jersey City, Paulie Gee’s in Brooklyn, L&B Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn.

What do people on a diet choose at Righteous Slice? Crawford admits there are few if any options, but he says “a lot of people on a diet still come to Righteous Slice and eat anything they want.”

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Unlike most pizza parlors, it doesn’t do much delivery and hasn’t forged a positive relationship with third-party deliverers. Crawford says they move too slowly and “We want every guest to experience the pizza as soon as possible after it comes out of the oven.” They’re exploring developing their own delivery service to solve the problem.

Customers on Yelp seemed pleased with the pizza at Righteous Slice. Marc from Rexburg wrote “really good pizza, served piping hot, by cheerful, clean, well-dressed young people with impeccable manners.” And Peter from Atlanta noted that “When you think of Idaho, pizza likely doesn’t come to mind, but Righteous Slice offers up noteworthy pizza that would do well in any major city.”

Its name Righteous Slice has no religious affiliation but is a slogan people on the West Coast use, meaning it blows them away, Crawford suggests.

Asked the keys to its success, Crawford replies: 1) Stay hyper-focused on providing the best guest experience, 2) There is no number 2.

It’s spending $75,000 remodeling the pizza shop, but, once that’s completed, opening a second pizza shop is on his radar screen. Why has it been successful? “There was a gap in the market. People wanted a different kind of pizza and we nailed it, though not on our first try,” Crawford admits.

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Idaho

University of Idaho professor awarded $10M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders

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University of Idaho professor awarded M after TikTok tarot influencer claimed she ‘ordered’ quadruple murders


A University of Idaho professor won a $10 million judgment after a tarot TikTok influencer publicly pushed false claims that she was behind the savage quadruple slayings of four college students.

A Boise jury in US District Court ordered fortune-telling Texas TikToker Ashley Guillard on Friday to pay $10 million after concluding she falsely accused professor Rebecca Scofield of having a secret romance with one of the four victims and orchestrating their killings, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Following the verdict, Scofield thanked the jury and said she hopes the case sends a clear warning that making “false statements online have consequences in the real world.”

Ashley Guillard posted TikTok videos falsely linking a University of Idaho professor to the Idaho college murders, leading to a defamation lawsuit. TikTok/ashleyisinthebookoflife4

“The murders of the four students on November 13, 2022, were the darkest chapter in our university’s history,” Scofield told Fox News.

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“Today’s decision shows that respect and care should always be granted to victims during these tragedies. I am hopeful that this difficult chapter in my life is over, and I can return to a more normal life with my family and the wonderful Moscow community.”

Scofield, the university’s history department chair, filed the lawsuit in December 2022 — just weeks after Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were brutally stabbed to death at an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.

Guillard began uploading videos to her more than 100,000 TikTok followers in late November 2022, accusing Scofield of a secret relationship with one of the students and claiming she had “ordered” the killings, garnering millions of views across the social media platform.

The complaint states that Scofield had never met the victims and was out of state when the murders occurred.

Idaho murder victims Madison Mogen, 21, top left, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, bottom left, Ethan Chapin, 20, center, and Xana Kernodle, 20, right, and their two surviving roommates.

Even after being served with cease-and-desist letters and after police publicly confirmed Scofield had no connection to the murders, the Houston-based tarot reader continued posting videos, the history professor’s legal team argued.

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Guillard doubled down on her accusations against Scofield after being sued, posting a defiant video saying, “I am not stopping,” and challenging why Scofield needed three lawyers to sue her “if she’s so innocent.”

The professor’s legal team argued the defamatory accusations painted her as a criminal and accused her of professional misconduct that could derail her career.

Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty to the savage slayings in July 2025 in a plea deal that took the death penalty off the table. AP

Bryan Kohberger, then studying criminology at Washington State University, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to the quadruple murders in a deal that took the death penalty off the table. He is currently serving four consecutive life sentences in Idaho.

In June 2024, Chief US Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco found Guillard’s statements legally defamatory, leaving damages to be decided by a jury.

During the damages trial, Scofield described the anguish of seeing her name tied to the murders online, the Idaho Statesman reported.

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The off-campus home where four University of Idaho students were stabbed to death on Nov. 17, 2022, in Moscow, Idaho. James Keivom

However, Guillard, acting as her own attorney, insisted her comments were simply beliefs based on tarot card readings.

She claimed to have psychic powers and testified that she relied on tarot cards to try to solve the shocking homicides that shook the rural college town and sparked global attention.

It took jurors less than two hours to return their verdict, the outlet reported.

The jury awarded Scofield $7.5 million in punitive damages in addition to $2.5 million in compensatory damages.

With Post wires

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Gas prices expected to exceed $3 as the Iran conflict prompts supply shortages

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Gas prices expected to exceed  as the Iran conflict prompts supply shortages


BOISE, Idaho — AAA is warning Idaho gas consumers that pump prices will likely rise as the conflict in Iran disrupts oil and gas supply chains worldwide.

The ongoing turmoil in the Middle East will likely push the price for a gallon of regular gasoline past the $3 mark over the coming days.

“On one hand, the crude oil market had time to account for some financial risk in the Middle East as forces mobilized, but a supply shortage somewhere affects the global picture,” says AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde. “If tankers can’t move products through the region, there could be ripple effects.”

On Monday, March 2, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.97, reports AAA, which is 12 cents more expensive than it was a month ago but 20 cents less than this time last year.

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State / Price: 1 gallon of regular gasoline

  • Washington / $4.37
  • Oregon / $3.92
  • Nevada / $3.70
  • Idaho / $2.97
  • Colorado / $2.89
  • Montana / $2.82
  • Utah / $2.74
  • Wyoming / $2.73

In terms of the most expensive fuel in the nation, Idaho currently ranks #14. However, buying a gallon of regular gas in neighboring states such as Oregon and Washington could cost a whole dollar more. In contrast, gas prices in Utah, Montana, and Wyoming are anywhere between 15 to 24 cents cheaper than fuel in the Gem State.





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Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Pick 3, Pick 4 on March 1, 2026

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The results are in for the Idaho Lottery’s draw games on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

Here’s a look at winning numbers for each game on March 1.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 1 drawing

Day: 7-2-3

Night: 2-7-6

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Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 1 drawing

Day: 4-7-9-3

Night: 8-7-7-3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Idaho Cash numbers from March 1 drawing

03-06-07-33-41

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Check Idaho Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 1 drawing

10-11-12-35-56, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Idaho Lottery drawings held ?

  • Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3: 1:59 p.m. (Day) and 7:59 p.m. (Night) MT daily.
  • Pick 4: 1:59 p.m. (Day) and 7:59 p.m. (Night) MT daily.
  • Lucky For Life: 8:35 p.m. MT Monday and Thursday.
  • Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • 5 Star Draw: 8 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Idaho Cash: 8 p.m. MT daily.
  • Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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