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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – With travel picking up and Spring Break right around the corner, Idaho State Police is reminding the public to obey the law when they see flashing lights along the side of the road.

When cars are whizzing by at 70 or 80 miles per hour, the job of an Idaho State Police patrol officer can be very dangerous – during the day and especially at night. 

“We’re looking for vehicles that are failing to move over for emergency vehicles,” said Sergeant Justin Ward. “So any time, law enforcement has a vehicle pulled over on the side of the road or other emergency vehicles – fire, EMS, tow trucks – have their emergency lights on, drivers are required to slow down below the posted speed limit.

“If there’s two or more lanes going in the same direction, they’re required to move over when they’re able, so they’re in a non-adjacent lane,” he continued.

Failure to slow down or move over is one of the most common violations officers witness.

“We see it every day. You know, a lot of times people are not aware that they are required to move over,” Ward said. “This isn’t just for law enforcement. So … any emergency vehicles that are on the roadway, if they’re stopped on the shoulder and they have their emergency lights on, drivers are required to move over.”

Idaho State Police is actively enforcing the law as well. Consequences vary from a verbal warning to a $90 citation.

“While we’re doing our paperwork, and the initial car that we’ve stopped has moved away, we might have cars still going by,” Ward said. “When we’re doing emphasis patrols, there might be multiple troopers out on the roadway that are watching specifically for this.”

At the end of the day, the law is about ensuring safety of drivers, officers and emergency personnel as well.

“A lot of times we’re working outside of our vehicles, so we’re out and about around the traffic. Cars going by right now are going 70 miles an hour or so,” Ward said. “Slowing down gives them more of a reactionary time. You know, if something was to happen where we or the person that we have stopped gets out into the lane of traffic, they have time to react and slow down.”

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Every year since 2019, The Comedy Project – a local non-profit improv group in Pocatello – has gathered performers together for a three day marathon of improv shows. They call it “Improvathon” and it’s running this weekend Thursday – Saturday at the Westside Players.

The improv group plans and prepares months in advance for the grueling weekend. On Friday, March 20th, some members are teaching and performing until 2 a.m.

Daniel Sheldon, President of The Comedy Project (TCP), says the goal is to “bring as much improv as we possibly can cram into a single weekend.”

This means having over 26 hours of improv showcases ranging from TCP shows, to high school improv sessions performed by local high schoolers, workshops taught by local and national performers, and guest performances. Sixty-five improv actors travel to Pocatello for “Improvathon.”

“We want to do as much improv as we can with as many friends as we can,” Sheldon said. The Comedy Project gathers performers from neighboring states for the event.

“Our outside troops are coming from California, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Washington and Montana,” said Jacob Andrysiak, TCP member and “Improvathon” Committee Chairman. Andrysiak fell in love with improv comedy when he went to his first workshop. He now lives out of town, but travels back to Pocatello every year for this event.

“I just love the growth of comedy. I love what it can do for people’s lives from an education standpoint,” Andrysiak said. “Year after year, I want to see kind of who’s showing up and supporting them and watching some of those improvisers grow in their craft.”

Some of the showcases involve audience participation. Sheldon said to be prepared to answer questions, offer storyline ideas, or even be pulled up on stage.

“You get to engage with the performers. You give us suggestions, you’re the ones who really shape the stories that emerge on stage,” said Andrysiak. “That’s something fun and unique about improvathon.”

TCP members take “shifts” during “Improvathon,” but they’ve taken care to ensure that whether audience members show up at 10 am or midnight, they’ll have an excellent experience and laugh a lot.

“We’re going to be on stage for hopefully quite a while over the course of the weekend, and we try to keep that energy up, making sure that if somebody comes in at midnight or somebody comes in at 10 a.m. it’s still going to be a good show either way,” said Sheldon.

Sheldon said there is nothing quite like “Improvathon” in this area.

“If you are one, if you’re a fan of comedy of any sort, we’re going to have troops that perform absolutely insane, wacky, weird things,” Sheldon said. “We’re going to have troops that are going to be very similar to what you might expect from other improv networks. We’re going to have just a absolutely massive collection of some of the most talented people that we’ve come across when we’ve been traveling across states. It’s just a one of a kind event.”

Andrysiak pointed out that each performer is doing something unique and brave, which is exciting to witness as an audience member. “It’s a good way to just laugh and kind of just chill out, relax, and have a good time, especially heading into your spring break,” he said.

Improvathon continues until 2 a.m. on Friday, and runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Westside Players Saturday, March 21st. For showtimes, details and tickets, check The Comedy Project’s Facebook and Instagram pages as well as their website at tcpimprov.org/improvathon.

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — As March Madness tips off on the court, Bannock County is launching a bracket of its own.

The Mosquito Abatement District has a new high‑tech recruit—a pesticide drone—and they need help naming it.

By reaching marshy areas trucks can’t access, the drone stops mosquitoes at the source, helping prevent illnesses like West Nile virus.

“We wanted a fun way to introduce the public to this new technology,” Dana Evans, Mosquito Abatement Supervisor, said.

Residents can submit name ideas now, with a bracket‑style vote starting March 24 on social media.

Contest Details

The naming contest is open to all Bannock County residents. A review panel will select the top submissions to face off in a “bracket-style” tournament on Bannock County’s Facebook and Instagram. The bracket tournament begins Tuesday, March 24. The final championship round will be held on Monday, April 6, with the winner announced the following day.

Entry Rules

1. One entry per person
2. All entries must be received by Sunday, March 22, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
3. All names must be family-friendly. Offensive language and political statements will be disqualified.
4. Names should be 25 characters or fewer.
5. Be Creative! We encourage names that relate to Idaho, Bannock County, mosquito control, or aviation.

To submit a name idea, use our provided submission form or visit the Bannock County Facebook or Instagram pages.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — As winter gives way to spring, millions of people around the world are marking Nowruz, the Persian New Year, a tradition that dates back thousands of years.

Observed at the exact moment of the spring equinox, Nowruz — which means “new day” in Persian — is celebrated not at midnight like the Gregorian New Year, but when day and night are equal. This year, that moment falls at approximately 8:46 a.m. Mountain Time on March 20, marking the precise beginning of spring.

The holiday originated in ancient Persia, modern-day Iran, and is now observed across Central Asia, the Middle East, and parts of South Asia. Despite centuries of political and religious change, the celebration has endured.

“It is a very old tradition … it survived Alexander the Great, Arabs, Mongols,” said Dr. Esmaeil Fallahi, a professor emeritus at the University of Idaho. “People resisted to keep it alive.”

At the center of Nowruz is the Haft-Seen table, a display of seven symbolic items that each begin with the Persian letter “S.” Items like sabzeh, or sprouted greens, represent rebirth, while seeb, or apples, symbolize health, and serkeh, or vinegar, reflects patience and wisdom.

Before the new year begins, many also take part in Chaharshanbe Suri, a fire festival where participants jump over flames. The act symbolizes leaving behind illness and hardship from the past year and embracing energy and renewal.

While Nowruz is a cultural celebration, it also carries religious significance for some communities. For members of the Baha’i Faith, the holiday marks the end of a 19-day fast and the beginning of a new year in their calendar. The faith’s founder, Baha’u’llah, was Persian, and many of its teachings emphasize unity, renewal, and connection to nature.

“It’s a renewal of the year … renewal of the planet,” said Bobby Picker, a member of the Baha’i community in eastern Idaho.

Jennifer Duarte, another member of the Idaho Falls Baha’i community, noted that the holiday’s emphasis on humanity and peace allows it to cross religious and ethnic lines, even for those without direct Persian ancestry.

Even in Idaho, where the Persian community is small, families continue to observe the holiday by gathering around the Haft-Seen table, sharing meals, and inviting friends and neighbors to join in the celebration.

“Nowruz is in the soul of every Iranian,” Fallahi said. “Why? Because they know that there is every symbol in Nowruz means peaceful, celebrating with nature, celebrating your life with the birds, with the flowers, with the sky. And it is amazing how thousands of years ago they calculated to know that the time that exactly the length of day and night is.”

For many Iranian Americans, Nowruz is also a time of reflection. For many Iranians living in Idaho, this year’s celebration is shadowed by the ongoing political unrest in their homeland. Many look back at the era of the Shah as a time of religious pluralism.

“During the Shah’s time, we would not know if you were Baha’i, Christian, or Jewish,” Fallahi recalled. “We were all Iranians.”

As the Islamic Republic faces internal pressure and calls for change, some in the diaspora look toward Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah, as a potential catalyst for a secular, democratic future.

“I personally believe he is the only solution for Iran because he believes in a referendum,” Fallahi said. “People can decide what kind of government they want.”

Still, at its core, Nowruz remains a celebration of renewal — a moment to repair relationships, reflect on the past, and look ahead to the future.

Despite the distance from Tehran to Idaho Falls, the message of Nowruz—rebirth and the end of winter- serves as a metaphor for a community waiting for a “New Day” in their ancestral home.