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POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – The Aslett Clean World Foundation in Pocatello formed to carry on the legacy of Don Aslett, founder of the beloved Museum of Clean. Following his passing, the foundation has plans to expand the museum building into a community center filled with all kinds of experiences for guests.

The foundation held an open house this afternoon at the Museum of Clean library for community leaders and guests to hear about the plans of the foundation. Their mission is to continue inspiring guests through the vibracy and uniqueness of the Museum of Clean while carrying forward the opportunities the building provides.

Samantha Stoddard, Executive Director for the Clean World Foundation, stated “What we’re trying to do as an organization with the foundation is to carry on that legacy that Don created, for future generations to come. We’re really trying to create spaces for families and children in our community, and be a place that is a mecca of good things.”

Currently, only three of the five floors of the Museum of Clean building are in use. The foundation hopes to partner with local businesses to fill the unused floors with fresh ideas and new experiences for guests. Idaho Coffee Company, through local business Glean Coffee, has already set up a mini market within the museum.

Leaders of the foundation spoke about large companies like Micron and the possibilities their technology may bring to the experiences of the building. Because of this expansion project, the building will be renamed within the next couple of months. Rather than simply the Museum of Clean and the Children’s Discovery Museum, the building will serve as a melting pot within the community for adults and youth alike.

The property contains a large event center, which the foundation plans to renovate and turn into a fully functional event space with a sound system, so that local businesses can rent the space. They compared the vision for the campus to that of JUMP in downtown Boise-a hotspot for every kind of event and a local place for children to go for educational, artistic and cultural enrichment.

“The purpose is so that we can invite other organizations and opportunities into the building and it can really have a lot of other aspects, not just one thing,” said Stoddard. “We are asking for the community’s help in the renaming of the space so that it can really be a little more conducive to the overall objective of the building.”

The foundation hosts the beloved “Touch-a-Truck” event for children in the community, which will be hosted this year on June 9th. They will also host their second annual Potato Festival on August 22nd.

If you’re interested in helping to rename the Museum of Clean building, you can visit museumofclean.com and navigate to the renaming survey.

BLACKFOOT, IDAHO(KIFI) – Tucked away at Blackfoot Animal Shelter 15 tiny Chihuahuas are waiting for their forever home. Only 15 remain from the oriignal 46 dogs, recently pulled from a severe hoarding situation, arrived at the facility completely unsocialized and paralyzed by fear.

For shelter technician Nigel Worley and his team, the mission isn’t just about finding them houses—it’s about undoing years of trauma.

“None of them are vicious. If anything, they’re terrified,” Worley said, while holding one of the dogs named Cosmo, who still trembles at the sight of a leash. “But once they learn that they can trust a human, then they’re full of love. And that’s all that they want”.

While a recent group of 17 puppies was adopted in just three days, these hoarding survivors require a much slower, more dedicated approach.

Every Saturday, volunteers arrive specifically to sit with the “scared ones,” providing the companionship necessary to build confidence.

Worley emphasizes that the shelter’s primary challenge isn’t just the animals, but the lack of education among owners.

“99% of dogs and cats are good animals. It’s the people that make the mistakes,” Worley said. “Adopting animals is a lifetime commitment… it’s not just a fad”.

Senior dogs also experience a lot of age discrimination according to Worley who has been at the shelter for over two years.

“So there’s age discrimination. People come in and say that dog’s too old, I want something young. We had them in here the other day. They wanted a dog that was eight months old or younger” Worley said

The shelter remains open for adoptions without appointments, encouraging families to bring their current pets for “meet and greets” to ensure a permanent fit. Adoption fees are $160 for dogs and $110 for cats, covering all essential medical care including spaying, neutering, and microchipping.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — In 1947, a new era of winter recreation began on the Snake River Plain. Born as an offshoot of the Idaho Falls Ski Club, the KIFI Ski School was the brainchild of two local visionaries: Dan Kelly, owner of the Pine Basin Ski Area, and Jim Brady, owner of KIFI Radio.

The archives at the Museum of Idaho capture the school’s beginnings. “Jim wanted to do something for the young people of Idaho Falls,” Kelly told the Post Register in the 1940s. “He said, ‘Let’s get ’em tired, so they can’t get in trouble at night.'”

For nearly 20 years, the school served as the region’s training ground. Volunteer instructors were led and certified by local legend Wes Deist, a member of the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame who dedicated his life to teaching a generation of Idahoans how to carve through the snow.

Wes’s daughter, Holley DuPont, still remembers the height of the school’s growth. Meeting at the Konditorei Restaurant in the foothills of Sun Valley, she recalled the grassroots beginnings of the school. “They came out of the war, and they wanted it (skiing) to catch on,” Holley said. “They made their own skis, bought bear-trap bindings, and used bamboo poles.”

“Your dad taught me how to ski!”

What started with just 12 children soon exploded. By its peak, roughly 500 students were bused to Pine Basin in Swan Valley every weekend.

“It did start out with yellow school buses, and then went to Greyhound,” Holley explained. “The Greyhounds were run by Andy Anderson, my dad’s buddy. He got certified to teach and provided the buses for free. It was all volunteer.”

“Everybody in town went to the KIFI Ski School. I’ve heard it my whole life, your dad taught me how to ski!” says Kelley Deist.

One of those students was Susan Bills Moe. A local photograph from the late 60s shows a young Susan at about eight years old, looking tiny next to the Kelly’s great Dane. “It was completely staged!” Susan laughed. “I can’t remember how they got him to look down at the skis like he was feeling sorry for me.”

Beyond the School: The KIFI Ski Team

The school wasn’t just for recreation; it was soon the training ground for serious athletes. Wes’s children, Holley and Kelley, were skiing before they reached grade school and eventually joined the KIFI Ski Team to compete in the Intermountain Ski Association.

Wes had a keen eye for talent. He recruited Susan Bills Moe to the racing team after seeing her potential on the mountain. “My mother had just died,” Susan recalled. “I thought he was doing it, (because) maybe my father had put him up to it, or he was doing it because he felt sorry for me. It never occurred to me that he thought I was a good!”

While Susan eventually moved away from competition, her life remained rooted in the sport. She went on to marry Jake Moe, the founder of Powder Magazine. Today, at 76, she has traded downhill runs for the peace of cross-country skiing.

“It has everything that I love,” said Susan. “One thing I love about cross-country is it’s not. It’s not just zooming down a mountain. You know, you really take in your surroundings. And it’s just so beautiful.”

Holley DuPont took the skills she learned at Pine Basin to the professional freestyle circuit in the 70s and 80s, becoming one of the first women ever to land a backflip on skis.

As Holley puts it: “If you knew how to ski, you had access to another world.”

The End of an Era

As the 1960s drew to a close, the landscape of Idaho skiing shifted. With the rise of larger commercial resorts, the KIFI Ski School eventually folded. In the 1970s, School District 93 purchased the Pine Basin Ski Lodge for $15,000 (worth roughly $125,000 today).

By the time the school closed its doors in the late 1960s, Wes Deist estimated that 34,000 students had passed through the program. As Post Register writer Paul Menser noted in 1991: “Ask any baby boomer who grew up in eastern Idaho where he or she learned to ski, and the answer is likely to be KIFI Ski School.”

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI)– Unseasonably warm and dry conditions have led to a historic early opening at the Blackfoot Golf Course.

General Manager Preston Hafer announced that the course officially opened its back nine to the public on Tuesday, Feb. 3, marking the earliest opening in his memory.

“It’s been a weird winter here,” Hafer said. “We haven’t had any snow at all. We’ve been getting a lot of phone calls to see if we’re open… people are itching to get out and play”.

The course is currently operating on a limited schedule as staff monitors weather patterns:

Due to lingering moisture in the turf, the course is currently restricted to walking only. Motorized golf carts are not yet permitted on the grounds.

The early opening provides a rare winter revenue stream for the city-owned facility. In previous years, heavy snow often delayed the season until April.

Beyond the financial boost, the lack of snow cover has allowed the maintenance crew to begin course improvements much earlier than usual. Hafer, who served as the course superintendent for four years before becoming general manager, said the early start allows the team to get “ahead of the game” for upcoming summer tournaments.

Blackfoot is not alone in its early start. Several other regional courses, including Riverside in Pocatello, Sage Lakes and Pine Crest in Idaho Falls, and courses in Rexburg, have also opened or plan to open this week.

While the clubhouse is currently bustling with season pass sales and equipment audits, Hafer warned that the season remains at the mercy of Idaho weather.

“In the forecast, it looks like we’re supposed to get some snow,” Hafer said. “As long as the course is playable, we’ll allow people to come out”.