IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman declared Friday that the U.S. will win the second and third space race back to the moon, Mars and beyond.
“The outer solar system contains some of the most compelling destinations of exploration. The oceans beneath the ice of Enceladus, the complex environment of Uranus and its moons, the distant worlds and unexplored regions that may hold the answers to some of humanity’s oldest questions – like are we alone?” Isaacson shared. “These are not destinations we should visit once every generation, because planetary alignment is rare and transit times are so long and the missions are just extremely expensive. We should be building the capability to explore them routinely.”
The leader of NASA visited Idaho for the first time ever today to highlight INL’s role and growing partnership with the space agency.
“That requires fission-powered spacecraft – capable of traveling farther, operating longer and supporting more power-intensive instruments to help us uncover the secrets of the universe,” he said.
His speech was part of the “NASA Inspiration Tour: Going Nuclear with Idaho National Laboratory,” where Isaacman met with leaders of the Radiant, Antares, and Deployable Energy microreactors.
The visit concluded with a historic press conference at the Aero Mark general aviation hangar at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport with Isaacman, Gov. Brad Little, Rep. Mike Simpson and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly.
Local News 8’s livestream of the full event is included below.
The seeds of future space travel started here in the Idaho desert.
“For more than 70 years, Idaho has been the center of American innovation,” Gov. Little said. “Right here in INL, our nation proved what was possible by generating the first usable electricity from nuclear power.”
Rep. Simpson, who advocates for INL funding on the House Appropriations Committee, said the laboratory’s collaboration with NASA will continue to expand.
“The INL and NASA has long had a good partnership, working together on space batteries and other things. It’s going to become greater in the future as we look at reactors for the moon and other places. It’s going to be amazing what happens in here.”
The leaders embrace a future where creativity is encouraged, the impossible is made possible, and space travel expands deep into the galaxy.
“There was a time in which we had innovation that ran so quickly that in a single human lifespan, we went from a powered kite at Kitty Hawk to Tranquility Base in the course of one human lifespan. Just think about that,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly. “We are recapturing that spirit of innovation and that rate of innovation with the return to the moon, with the Artemis mission and the development of the reactors that are going to have to power yet another generation of NASA’s missions.”
Isaacman’s vision to reach the furthest expanses of space is powered by the radioisotope thermoelectric generators and advanced nuclear reactor development occurring at INL.
“The stars belong to everyone. Now, NASA, alongside our our partners in the Department of Energy and alongside American industry as well, must once again recalibrate, shift our resources away from what others are already capable of doing, and do what no other company, agency, or frankly, what other nation is capable of accomplishing.”
Isaacman said today’s kids and young people will be the new astronauts, engineers and scientists who will dare to dream, dare to achieve, and dare to join those propelling humankind deep into outer space.
“We must unleash more of the energy potential within matter and use it to overcome the tyranny of distance across our solar system, especially as we venture farther away from our star,” he said.
Sen. Jim Risch joined Neal Larson and Julie Mason from Washington as the Senate scrambled toward an overdue August recess, and the conversation quickly turned to Idaho politics and what’s shaping up to be a sharper general election. Risch reacted to Democrat David Roth dropping out and framed independent challenger Todd Achilles as effectively a Democrat with a long paper trail—donations, legislative votes, and alliances—arguing the label change is strategy, not substance. Risch also addressed Achilles’ age-focused attacks head-on, defending his record, workload, and seniority as a benefit to Idaho.
From there, the show broadened out into the other big issues driving the morning: Idaho wildfires and federal coordination, election integrity and the SAVE Act (citizenship verification, voter ID, and mail-in ballot controls), and ongoing efforts to tighten sanctions on Russia by targeting oil revenue. Back at home, Neal and Julie dug into what they see as a growing “clarity aversion” in politics—candidates who stay vague to widen their coalition—while listeners chimed in on license plate reader (“Flock”) cameras, accountability for misuse, and even the lighter side of the show’s “beta male” rant, which turned into an unexpected round of marital-listening confessions on the text line.
—
## 2. Highlights
– Sen. Jim Risch unloads on Todd Achilles’ “independent” branding, citing donations, Berkeley ties, and Idaho legislative votes as proof it’s a label swap—not a worldview change. – The SAVE Act breakdown: Risch emphasizes proof of citizenship at registration, voter ID at the polls, and tightening mail-in ballot practices. – Wildfire reality check: Risch talks federal agency overlap, forest “fuel” buildup, and why today’s fires are so much harder to contain. – Neal and Julie’s “clarity vs. vagueness” riff: praise for politicians who take clear stands—even when the hosts strongly disagree with them. – License plate reader debate: listeners cite the Jerome County misuse case; Neal and Julie argue for stricter guardrails and harsher penalties, not panic-driven policy. – The “beta male trigger warning” segment spirals into a funny, revealing listener thread: “Does your spouse know you listen—and do they hate it?”
Let’s talk advertising. When you want to advertise on the radio, you call the station, right? But what about Facebook, Instagram, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, and other streaming platforms?
You could try clicking around, reading books, or taking online courses to figure it out—or you can let us handle it. At Sandhill Media Group, we’re your local experts in both radio and digital marketing.
DOWNEY, Idaho (KIFI) – For the last two years, local farmers in Downey have been voicing their opinions on the potential for solar farms in south Bannock County. It’s a hot topic again as commissioners move to rewrite a 2024 ordinance that banned solar farms in Bannock County.
Public hearings, held before the ordinance passed, allowed Bannock County residents to share their concerns about large solar farms in their backyards. Other locals supported the development, saying they were excited over the potential financial gain from a proposed solar farm.
In the end, a 2-1 vote by Bannock County Commissioners banned industrial solar panel farms. The one opposing vote was County Commissioner Chairman Jeff Hough.
Former County Commissioner John Crowder, who voted to ban solar farms in 2024, said it boils down to a political battle in Bannock County that leaves taxpayers nervous about what large-scale projects they should support.
“The solar energy stuff is a scam. It’s not efficient. And they wouldn’t do this without tax subsidies going towards them,” Crowder said. “This is what you see with these types of projects. The guys that are going to profit from them are going to be in favor of them. No regular citizens who stand to absorb the risks, whether it’s environmental risks or aesthetic risks or whatever – they’re going to be opposed.”
A moratorium was placed on solar farms in 2024 while commissioners deliberated on the outright ban passed in March 2024. A similar strategy was used just last month by Bannock County when they placed a moritorium on AI data center permit proposals, to allow 180 days to deliberate new ordinance.
At the beginning of August 2026, Pocatello for Accountable Government Agencies put in a public records request for the new draft ordinance. Originally, Heather Disselkoen– co-founder of the agency– was denied because the document was protected under client-attorney privilege. Through more requests, Disselkoan discovered a third party interest had been given access to the ordinance five weeks prior to the public.
“It was information we felt the public needed to know. This was an elected commissioner, commissioner Hough, who had released it to a third party interest,” Disselkoen explained. “Who happens to be Dustin Manwaring, the attorney for Balanced Rock [Power] and in my opinion, he was giving them preferential treatment over members of the public.”
Disselkoen took to Facebook with her discovery and the post garnered serious traction online, skyrocketing to Pocatello for Accountable Government Agencies’ top post. With Commissioner Hough in communication with Manwaring prior to the new ordinance becoming public, he released this statement regarding the situation:
Email statement from Commissioner Jeff Hough, courtesy of Heather Disselkoen
Locals in Downey echoed Disselkoen’s sentiment that this was a breach of trust and a favoritism to outside parties rather than Bannock County constituents. While nothing about Commissioner Hough’s actions were unlawful, residents say it’s a breach of their trust.
“Draft ordinances were supposed to be a protected document,” said Des Hauser, a business and land owner in Downey. “To find out they’re leaked to Dustin Manwaring, by Commissioner Hough, like, that breaks a really big sense of trust.”
Local homemaker Rebecca Falcon said that elected officials should advocate for the people of their county, and that current commissioners aren’t listening to the people of Downey when it comes to a potential solar farm.
“They’re forcing it on us,” Falcon said. “I think they’re supposed to represent us. Our commissioners are not representing the people of this area.”
For Downey ranchers and farmers, the rural landscape is a way of life and where they’ve raised families for generations. Many of them can’t imagine life with thousands of acres of solar panels surrounding their properties, which the Balanced Rock Solar Farm Project promises.
“It would be in my backyard. I’d be surrounded by three sides. Our way of life, the enjoyment of our property, the reason why we bought it, where we live, all would be changed forever,” Hauser said. “Not to mention the value of the property is going to depreciate.”
Business owners in South Bannock County are looking for growth to the small towns like Downey. Joel Mcquivey is the owner of All American Roofing and Gutters, a business that relies on growth to the Marsh Valley.
“It will really affect the resale value of my properties. What I struggle with is that I want to be able to do what I want with my property, I feel my neighbors should be able to do the same,” Mcquivey said. “But I also feel that what I do on my property should help boost the value of theirs, not take away from them.”
Residents who support the solar farm project believe the financial gain outweighs the devastation of the land. Mcquivey said he has friends who would be crazy not to at least try and lease their land to install solar panels.
“Who’s looking to buy when you’ve got a solar farm 150 feet from your fence? Nobody. It kills the resale value of your home.”
-Joel Mcquivey
The entire project aligns with Gateway West, a power energy project designed to reliably deliver energy from eastern Wyoming to western Idaho. The area just west of Downey is already home to a large substation, making the land valuable to all energy developers. Mcquivey said simply, “look elsewhere.”
Falcon said she was offered the money for a solar farm on her property near the substation, however, she declined. It’s not about the money, it’s about the rural lifestyle and protecting the history of generations of families in Downey.
“This is our home. In my mind, I can’t reconcile any value on my life and my history,” Falcon stated.
Falcon and Hauser have fought for their land in the past when solar farms were originally brought to the commission table in 2024. The commissioners at the time heard the concerns of locals and set the ban in place. Now, these same residents are prepared to fight again for their community.
“We all bought ag land, so to find out that they would turn our ag land into an industrial complex is just mind blowing. If you don’t want to be a farmer or a rancher out here, sell it and go somewhere where you can buy industrial property.”
-Rebecca Falcon
Hauser said when the ban went into place two years ago, it felt like a temporary fix. They knew the fight wasn’t over because Manwaring and other attorneys could continue trying to get the ban overturned. During the public hearing process for the ban ordinance, Hauser and Falcon did grunt work in Downey getting the community to rally behind them– knocking on doors, hosting open houses at the library, and gathering people to attend public hearings.
“With this particular project, nobody was talking about it, nobody knew. They didn’t knock on our doors and tell us our own neighbors were involved in this potential project,” Falcon said. “It was about getting out and talking the neighbors in the community and letting them know because majority of people had no idea what was coming our way.”
The local farmers worry for the newcomers to Downey, unaware their backyard may soon be filled with blinding solar panels. Their main concern is the destruction of the land, because once it’s done, Hauser says the damage is irreversable.
“It’s not like the town would feel the benefit of the power. It’s going to get shipped out of here. So we have to give up all of our landscape, our way of life,” Hauser said. “People live in these communities because they embrace their rural lifestyle. None of us signed up to say we want to live in an industrial solar complex.”
Falcon says the project fronted by Balanced Rock would total almost 15,000 acres of land near Downey.
“We will definitely keep fighting,” Hauser said. “We’re not going to stop. We just have to keep a watchful eye on what goes on and be willing to stand up and be advocates for the people who might not feel they can.”
Residents in Downey have utilized the public records requesting system and will continue showing up in every possible way to stop the solar farm ban from being reversed.
Local News 8 will continue following this story as it develops and more information becomes available.
RIRIE, Idaho (KIFI) – Firefighters continue making steady progress on the Big Rock Fire, with containment increasing to 54% as crews work to secure fire lines and eliminate remaining hot spots.
The lightning-caused wildfire, which started one week ago on July 31, is now mapped at 2,142 acres. Fire officials say the slight decrease in acreage is the result of more accurate mapping, not a reduction in the burned area.
Image courtesy of the US Wildfire Services Idaho Great-Basin
More than 305 personnel remain assigned to the incident, where an aggressive full-suppression strategy continues to protect nearby communities, homes, critical local businesses and other resources at risk.
According to fire managers with the US Wildfire Services, the fire remained within its existing perimeter Thursday and overnight. Crews made additional containment gains on the northern flank above Cress Creek while continuing work east toward state endowment lands.
Although overall fire activity has diminished, firefighters say significant heat remains beneath the surface throughout the burned area. Smoldering root systems, burning snags and occasional torching juniper trees continue to pose challenges as crews transition into the mop-up phase of the incident.
Firefighters are now working deeper inside the fire perimeter, locating and extinguishing hidden hot spots while reinforcing containment lines north of Kelly Canyon and near state endowment lands. Additional engines have also arrived to assist crews as they focus on securing Heise Road, Kelly Canyon Road and South Snake River Road in hopes of eventually restoring public access.
Crews are also removing hazardous burned trees and expanding defensible space around homes where smoldering vegetation continues to threaten structures. Officials say the southern portion of the fire near the road corridors remains uncontained.
Image courtesy of the US Wildfire Services Idaho Great-Basin
Despite the ongoing firefighting efforts, officials report no firefighter or public injuries and no residences have been lost since the fire began.
Hot, dry weather remains a concern
Friday’s forecast calls for sunny skies with temperatures climbing into the low to mid-90s, relative humidity between 12% and 16%, and light winds shifting from the southeast in the morning to the west during the afternoon.
Fire managers say with no rain expected, and even hotter temperatures forecast for the weekend, extinguishing lingering hot spots could be more difficult.
Closures remain in effect
Officials continue to urge the public to stay away from the fire area while suppression efforts continue.
The following areas remain closed:
Cress Creek
Heise
Kelly Canyon
Stinking Springs
Wolf Flats
Table Rock
Several public land and recreation closures also remain in effect across the area.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has lifted its temporary closure for river camping at designated campsites along the South Fork Snake River Canyon between the Conant and Byington boat accesses. However, camping remains closed at Kelly Island Campground, Wolf Flats, Warm Springs and dispersed campsites along River Road.
Trail closures also remain in effect, including the Cress Creek Nature Trail, Stinking Springs Trail and other hiking and biking trails in the Kelly Canyon and Heise areas.
Fire officials ask residents and visitors to continue following evacuation notices, obey road closures and avoid entering the fire area while crews work to fully contain the wildfire.
The Big Rock Fire is being managed through a multi-agency response that includes the U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Department of Lands, local fire departments, sheriff’s offices, emergency management agencies and numerous local partners. Fire managers also thanked the community for its continued patience and support as crews work to strengthen containment in the coming days.
