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Idaho Falls, ID (KIFI) – While Memorial Day weekend may be over, Idaho’s summer travel season is only beginning — and so are concerns over rising gas prices and deadly crashes on the road. The holiday weekend marked the start of both an increase in gas prices and Idaho’s “100 Deadliest Days”—the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when the number of fatal crashes statewide significantly rises.

Drivers in Idaho Falls are continuing to crowd local gas stations this week as summer travel ramps up. In Idaho Falls, the cheapest spot to find low gas prices is the Costco Gas station, with unleaded gasoline at $4.39 per gallon.

Over the holiday weekend, Triple AAA reported that the state average gas price settled at $4.55 – nearly a quarter more than a month ago. This extra cost due to gas prices puts a dent in the usual summer-season festivities and extended travel plans for many residents.

“Obviously, there’s never a great time for skyrocketing gas prices, but the pain is significant with so much of our summer travel season still ahead,” says AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde. “For now, we believe that people will trim the budget in other ways and still hit the road or catch their flight.

But while more Idahoans are hitting the road for vacations and summer activities, law enforcement agencies say this time of year also brings a dangerous trend.

Idaho State Police says the state is now entering the “100 Deadliest Days” — the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when fatal crashes historically increase across Idaho.

Officials at Triple AAA and across law enforcement say distracted driving, speeding, impaired driving, and failure to wear seatbelts continue to be major factors in deadly crashes during the summer months.

As a result, agencies across the state are increasing patrols and seatbelt enforcement efforts throughout the summer travel season. In fact, over the holiday weekend, the Southeast Idaho Traffic Safety Task Force reported issuing 217 seatbelt citations and warnings in a single day through patrol efforts.

Transportation officials say one of the easiest and most effective ways drivers can protect themselves is to buckle up before every trip.

Sgt. Andrew Nakashima of the Idaho State Police said, “With the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer starting in Idaho, the Idaho State Police reminds everyone that motorcycle and roadway safety is something we all share…Let’s all do our part by being more patient and paying extra attention on the roads. Together, we can help save lives this summer. Put safety first.”

Idaho State Police are reminding drivers this summer: “Click It or Ticket.” Safe and simple procedures like this ensure a summer of great, responsible fun.

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Thunderstorms and severe wind gusts nearing 60 mph in some places have been knocking out power and delaying flights.

Early reports indicate that the roof was blown off the Alaska Air Cargo center building near the Boise Airport. CBS2 crews managed to get photos of roofing materials and debris in front of the building. We are working to get more information about what happened and the extent of the damage.

Multiple flights are now showing delayed for both arrivals and departures at the Boise Airport.

CASSIA COUNTY, Idaho – Crews from the Bureau of Land Management and the United States are fighting a fire that is now over 500 acres.

The Summit Creek Fire is burning in Cassia County, south of Burley, and started shortly after 2 p.m.

This is a developing story, and we will keep you up to date.

RIRIE, Idaho (KIFI) – It has been more than eighty years since U.S. Navy Corpsman Calvin Hairl Johnson left Ririe for the front lines of World War II.

In honor of Memorial Day, hundreds gathered at the Ririe-Shelton cemetery to pay tribute to a local hero — the cemetery’s most decorated veteran.

Johnson was one of more than 6,800 U.S. servicemen who gave their lives in the battle of Iwo Jima.

“These men were not fighting for a piece of volcanic rock. They weren’t just defending a hill or an island,” said Johnson’s granddaughter Kelsey Tucker. “They were standing in the breach between a brutal, expansionist empire and everything we hold dear – our families, our democracy, our freedom.”

He left behind a wife, Shirley, and a newborn daughter Cheryl.

On Monday, Cheryl and her daughter Kelsey shared the legacy they have painstakingly uncovered through hundreds of Johnson’s letters and interviews with fellow servicemen.

Twenty-nine days after his arrival on Iwo Jima, on March 20th, 1945, the 20-year-old medic ran into the line of fire to save another wounded Marine.

“Cal didn’t hesitate. He moved forward through mortar blasts and machine gun fire, determined to reach the wounded man,” Kelsey said. “Shrapnel tore into him, but he kept crawling. He reached the man and rendered first aid. Cal then exposed himself again to enemy fire, intending to get a litter team to evacuate his patient. Cal was hit a second time and killed.”

For his sacrifice, Johnson was awarded the Silver Star, the military’s third highest honor, by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

“If that trouble to keep this freedom of ours must go on and on and on, may God help you and me and all Americans to have the fortitude of Calvin Hairl Johnson and his World War II buddies,” Cheryl said.