Idaho
UND blasts Idaho State with 38 first-half points in 52-28 win
GRAND FORKS — UND killed the negative narratives Saturday at the Potato Bowl.
Could UND stop a trend of slow starts? Could it put together a passing game? Could it avoid struggling against Idaho State? Could it stop fumbling program momentum after big wins?
How’s 38-zip for an answer?
The No. 10 Fighting Hawks scored the game’s first 38 points and blasted Idaho State 52-28 in the Potato Bowl on Saturday in the Alerus Center in front of 10,685.
Last Saturday, UND upset then-No. 4 Montana thanks to 20 unanswered second-half points. But last season, when UND beat North Dakota State, the Hawks turned around and were shutout the following week in a blowout loss at Northern Iowa.
“I thought we handled it really well,” UND wide receiver Bo Belquist said of avoiding a Montana game hangover. “We flushed the game early in the week and didn’t even talk about it. I felt like our preparation was a lot better.”
UND finished with more points than the program has ever scored against a Big Sky Conference opponent.
Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald
On UND’s second offensive drive, the Hawks went on what’s becoming a 2024 staple. UND went 80 yards on 16 plays across more than six minutes, punching in a Gaven Ziebarth 1-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0.
As Idaho State marched down the field to answer, UND’s defense struck at the perfect time.
Playing with backup quarterback Jackson Sharman after starter Kobe Tracy was shaken up following a roughing the passer call two plays earlier on UND linebacker Wyatt Pedigo, Sharman threw a wobbly out route toward the sideline. Hawks corner Devin Hembry jumped the route and returned the interception 92 yards for a 14-0 lead.
“The quarterback pulled the pin and my eyes snapped to the receiver,” Hembry said. “We prepared well throughout the week. We took what we did in practice and applied it to the game.”
Hembry’s return for a touchdown was UND’s first of the season and first since Ted Mullin had a pick-six last season.
“I’m really proud of (Hembry),” UND coach Bubba Schweigert said. “He’s really worked hard in practice to become a better player each and every day. I’m really pleased with his effort.”
UND continued to turn defensive efforts into offense in the first half. Outside linebackers Lance Rucker and Riley Gerhardt both had strip sacks of Tracy deep in ISU territory to give the Hawks short fields on offense.
The Hawks led 38-7 at halftime as Tracy was just 6-for-18 passing for 72 yards.
UND’s offense was forced to move through the air, a stark change from the first two weeks of the season. The Hawks had just 45 rushing yards at halftime and 175 passing yards.
With the Bengals’ defense crowding the line of scrimmage, UND was dared to throw. Simon Romfo, in his third career start, finished 25-for-38 for 287 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Romfo, a junior from Calvin, N.D., rode the short passing game, powered by Bo Belquist’s career-high 165 yards on eight catches.
“I kind of anticipated the receivers having a bigger role today,” Belquist said. “Especially after the last two weeks after we ran the ball really well, we figured they would load the box up.”
UND’s run game found more room in the second half, finishing with 38 carries for 155 yards. Four running backs (Ziebarth, Isaiah Smith, Sawyer Seidl and Donovan Hunt) scored on touchdown runs.
The Hawks improved to 27-3 in the Alerus Center in the last 30 games.
“I think you have to take what the defense is going to give you,” Schweigert said. “They made it tough to run. After our first two weeks, you have to be able to counter that. We got a couple deep (passes) to Bo and that got us rolling and gave us a lot of confidence.”
The Hawks continue their four-game homestand next weekend against San Diego at the Alerus Center.
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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