Idaho
The Idaho Falls Duck Race winners are in! – East Idaho News
IDAHO FALLS – Onlookers quacked with delight at the 33rd annual Great Snake River Greenbelt Duck Race on Saturday.
Every year, the Idaho Falls Rotary Club hosts the Duck Race to raise funds for local projects.
During the race, each rubber duck has a number. Community members could pay to “adopt” a duck to race for a chance to win big prizes, including a 2024 KIA Sportage this year.
The Duck Race proceeds go towards Heritage Park. Kevin Call, spokesman for the Idaho Falls Rotary Club Duck Race Committee, says they laid five acres of sod at Heritage Park this year.
“It’s all used for the Greenbelt. It doesn’t go out of town. This is the place,” Call said.
The Rotary Club participates in international and local service projects. The club donates all of the proceeds from the Duck Race to the city of Idaho Falls, who matches the funds. Over the course of 33 years, the Rotary Club has raised $6.5 million dollars.
“We have just the most incredible community,” Call said.
In fact, the duck race has been growing every year. This year, 25,000 rubber ducks “swam” to the finish line, which is the most the Duck Race has ever had.
A man who introduced himself to EastIdahoNews.com as Logan Quack Pickens bought a “six-quack,” and could not wait to see how they would do in the race.
“Scoring a car would be cool, but I’m really just excited to see how good my kids do,” Pickens said. “I adopted some, so I’m going to see how well my kids do and I’m going to cheer them on.”
Before the ducks jumped in the water, the Rotary Club presented dedicated member, Ida Hardcastle, the Top Duck Warrior Award.
Top Duck Warrior Award | Isabella Sosa-Salazar, EastIdahoNews.com
Hardcastle has been involved in the Rotary Club for 13 years. She also served on the Idaho Falls City Council for 20 years, retiring in 2013.
“Ida has worked diligently with the duck race for many, many years,” said Elaine Gray, the Director Public Image for the Rotary Club of Idaho Falls. “We just wanted to recognize her for all she does for us.”
A crane lifted up a yellow dumpster full of rubber ducks above the river. Hardcastle pulled the rope to release the ducks, and off they went.
Here is a full list of winners from the Duck Race:
- Grand Prize, KIA Sportage: Justin Henderson
- First Prize, Outlander: Rylan Ricks
- Second Prize, Tikka T3X Super Varmint gun: Tiffany Jones
Other winners:
- Gloria Miller Allen watercolor painting: Chris Albert
- Two 2022 Season Golf Passes: Brad Weeks
- Weber Grill: Elizabeth Parker-Quiafe
- Downtown Voucher Package: Peggy Dale
- $1250 Dining Package #1: Garn Herrick
- Two tickets to every Eastern Idaho State Fair Grandstand Event:Regina Stauffer
- $1,000 Sam’s Club Gift Card: Kim Michelle
- Rubber Ducky Car Wash & Thirst Burst: Jennifer Liberty
- $1000 Dining Package #2: Christie Wilson
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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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