Full Post Style

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — This year, our country will be turning 250 years old. Idaho Falls is well known for celebrating the Fourth of July, and this year, they are going even bigger.

More floats, more vibrance, and more fun. In a partnership with Melaleuca, the city is working to make this year’s parade special and educational. The city is launching an emerging leadership program for high school students. Stundts will be traveling to D.C. to meet with Idaho’s representatives and learn about the civic process.

Middle schoolers will have a chance to participate in a national civic speech competition. The program intends to help young people identify problems in their communities and identify potential solutions.

“Such a unique opportunity for 250 years, it is such a unique opportunity. It’s really important as well that as a country, we recognize how unique and special this country is. Still very young and in terms of our age compared to other countries around the world. But it is a country that was formed as a result of great ideas, creating something new for people to move to. And like, what does it mean to be an American,” said Paul Baker CEO Chamber of Commerce

For more information about the parade, visit here.

On the topic of anniversaries, Local News 8 will be celebrating its 65th anniversary on January 23. We are having a special ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the station and will be featuring stories about KIFI through the years.  

The following is a news release from the Idaho Department of Education:

BOSIE, Idaho (KIFI) — Students at 158 schools across Idaho will have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetable options at no cost to the student or school with federal, state-administered grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).

The FFVP provides participating elementary schools with a wide selection of fresh fruit and vegetables during the school day, many of which they might not encounter in their regular diets. FFVP service takes place outside of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program mealtimes, meaning they’re served in addition to those programs’ fruit and vegetable offerings, helping to spotlight healthy foods as a standalone snack to explore and enjoy. 

Under the National School Lunch Act, schools with the highest enrollment of students identified for free and reduced-cost meals are given priority for participation. This ensures that the program benefits children who may have fewer chances to integrate fresh fruits and vegetables into their everyday diets.

Schools were awarded grants through a competitive application process. The grant period ran from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, and all grant awards were contingent on available USDA funds.

These Idaho elementary schools received Fresh Fruit and Vegetable grants for the 2025-2026 school year:

For more information about Child Nutrition Programs at the Idaho State Department of Education, visit www.sde.idaho.gov. To learn more about the FFVP, visit https://www.sde.idaho.gov/about-us/departments/child-nutrition-programs/school-meal-programs/fresh-fruit-vegetable-program/.

TETON COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — A 42-year-old snowmobiler is recovering this week following a high-stakes backcountry rescue on Friday, Jan. 2.

At 11:40 a.m., Teton County Dispatch received a Garmin SOS alert from a snowmobiling party. The group reported that a member of their party had crashed, injuring his leg. The injured man’s current condition has not been released.

Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) immediately mobilized a helicopter crew to the rugged pass. While the flight team arrived and airlifted him to an awaiting Jackson Hole Fire/EMS ambulance near Togwotee Mountain Lodge, three TCSAR volunteers remained behind in the field.

However, the weather took a turn for the worse, grounding the helicopter, leaving the three volunteers stranded in the field. To bring their teammates home, TCSAR’s snowmobile team launched a secondary mission, navigating a grueling 22-mile round trip through the backcountry to extract the remaining volunteers. All teams were out of the field by 6 p.m., completing the mission in 6 hours and 20 minutes, says TCSAR.