Idaho
Pocatello’s first Neon Fest brings history to light – East Idaho News
POCATELLO — The Gate City will shine a little brighter this summer as it celebrates its first annual Neon Fest on July 11 and 12, spotlighting the legacy of neon and historic preservation in the heart of downtown.
Organized by Relight the Night, a volunteer committee under Historic Downtown Pocatello Inc., the two-day festival will feature a series of neon-themed events, culminating in the relighting of the restored Idaho Motel sign, a vintage gem that once welcomed travelers along South Fifth Avenue.
For several decades, the historic Idaho Motel provided a warm bed to visitors in Pocatello. Located between the 1100 blocks of South Fifth and South Fourth avenues across from Idaho State University, the motel’s roots trace back to 1938, and a portion of it still exists today as an apartment complex next to Taco Bell.
According to Randy Dixon, chairman of Relight the Night, the Law family started the Idaho Motel in 1938 and installed the neon sign in the early 1950s, an era when people with the USO (United Service Organizations) were visiting during World War II. They were a very predominant family who kept the motel going until 1976.
This information, along with more details, will be shared on a permanent plaque accompanying the sign’s installation, which will be officially unveiled during the relighting ceremony at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday at Lookout Point in the heart of Historic Downtown Pocatello.
Group hosting weekend event to help restore historic neon signs in downtown Pocatello
“The Idaho Motel sign is beautiful. Just wait until you see it all lit up. There are few signs in existence that feature the name of the state in the shape of the state,” said Dixon. “We’re fortunate to have people in our community, like the team at Blaze Sign Company, who make this possible. We know how to make classic neon signs happen—it’s what we do.”
Friday, July 11 — Art, Neon, and a Walking Tour
The Neon Fest kicks off on Friday evening with a neon-themed Art Walk from 5 to 8 p.m., where downtown galleries, boutiques, and restaurants will feature special exhibits, music, food, and glowing surprises.
“Our success is based on what we know about historic preservation,” said Dixon. “This 1.6-mile walking tour is a great example of our tenacity and vision.”
At 8:30 p.m., attendees can take part in a guided Neon Sign Walking Tour, beginning at the iconic Chief Theater sign. The free tour highlights the growing collection of restored neon signage that has been brought back to life since the committee began its work in 2013.
Saturday, July 12 — Farmers Market, Live Music, and the Big Reveal
Saturday starts with a visit to the Portneuf Valley Farmers Market in Lookout Point, followed by shopping and exploring downtown businesses. However, the main event takes place that evening, when the community gathers for an electrifying night of festivities.
Starting at 5 p.m., Lookout Point will come alive with food trucks, neon drinks, kids’ activities, and more. From 6 to 7:30 p.m., local music legend Steve Eaton will perform live. Then at 8:30 p.m., all eyes will turn to the Idaho Motel sign as it lights up for the first time in decades.
What started with the relighting of the Chief Theater sign in 2013, the Idaho Motel sign marks the 22nd sign restored through Relight the Night’s efforts, supported by local businesses and volunteers. The restoration of sign is being funded in part by a grant from the Idaho Heritage Trust, with community donations covering the remainder.
While Relight the Night has had several substantial donations, but we still have a way to go. Donations can be made online or mailed to Relight the Night, PO Box 222, Pocatello, ID 83204.
“This is about historical preservation,” said Dixon. “As long as these signs shine brightly, the history that surrounds them will never be forgotten.”
Movie Under the Stars
Following the relighting, families are invited to stay for a special screening of Disney’s Cars — a fitting tribute to America’s roadside neon culture. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs for a nostalgic evening complete with popcorn, glow lights, and a sense of community spirit.
The inspiration behind Cars — the fictional town of Radiator Springs — was modeled after real-life destinations along historic Route 66, a stretch of highway known for its dazzling neon. In fact, Dixon recently presented Relight the Night’s work in Arcadia, Oklahoma, home to one of the largest private neon collections in the United States, helping to put Pocatello on the national map for neon restoration.
Dixon encourages everyone to mark Neon Fest on their calendar and to bring their entire family for this premier community event.
For more information, follow Pocatello’s 1st Annual Neon Fest on Facebook.
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Idaho
Idaho resolution opposing same-sex marriage advances
For the second year in a row, House lawmakers will consider urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
The nonbinding resolution, which carries no legal weight, says the decision in Obergefel v. Hodges violates the longstanding religious definition of marriage between one man and one woman.
“The current definition of marriage that allows for same-sex marriages is a defilement of the word marriage,” said Rep. Tony Wisniewski (R-Post Falls), who sponsors the measure.
The resolution further states that the Obergefel decision “arbitrarily and unjustly” rejects the historical definition of marriage.
Idaho voters passed a constitution amendment in 2006 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, which was invalidated by the Obergefel ruling.
Wisniewski said regulating marriages should be a power left to the states.
Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa) agrees.
“If you want to get things … closer to the people with respect to some of these more complex social issues, I think the best place for those things to happen is in the states,” Crane said.
Doing so is a risk, he said.
“You may have states that choose to acknowledge [polyamorous relationships]. You may have states that choose to have relationships between adults and younger children,” Crane said.
Cities in neighboring Oregon and Washington, for example, are considering giving those in polyamorous relationships legal recognition.
But he said that risk is worth it to allow other states that choose to only recognize traditional marriages.
Four lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee opposed the resolution.
Rep. Erin Bingham (R-Idaho Falls) said she’s tried to balance her own religious beliefs with those of others while considering the measure.
“I do feel like that it is important for us to work together, to find ways to compromise and to live together in peace and mutual respect,” Bingham said.
The resolution now goes to the House floor for consideration.
House lawmakers last year passed a similar measure, but it never received a hearing in a Senate committee.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
Idaho
University of Idaho professor awarded $10M 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.”
“The murders of the four students on November 13, 2022, were the darkest chapter in our university’s history,” Scofield told Fox News.
“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.
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.
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, 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.
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
Idaho
Gas prices expected to exceed $3 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.
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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