Local News 2/16/24

Authorities in Idaho Falls continue to investigate a shooting that killed one person and injured two others in the parking lot of one of the city’s high school.  Officers responded to Compass Academy around 1 a.m. Monday after a nearby deputy and residents reported hearing gunshots.  None of the people involved attended the high school or had any connection to the school. Both the high school and a nearby elementary school were closed Monday.

In a resolution lawmakers are threatening a lawsuit opposing the University of Idaho’s proposed University of Phoenix purchase.  The bipartisan resolution, in the works for weeks, comes as the U of I and Phoenix hope to close the controversial $685 million deal. It also sets up a high-stakes political showdown pitting lawmakers against Gov. Brad Little and the State Board of Education, who support the Phoenix purchase.

The United States Department of Agriculture's Census of Agriculture says Idaho is losing more farms than the national average.  Over the past five years, almost one in 10 Idaho farms has shut down, according to the department's numbers.  The USDA says Idaho has lost more than 2,000 farms in five years, but the average farm has grown 8% in size.

A crucial element of Idaho's water supply, snowpack, is trending down. A Dartmouth study said since the 80's, the Northwest lost 5% to 10% of snowpack, each decade. They attribute the decrease to a changing climate.

40 year old Angelica Martinez who faces two first degree murder charges in the shooting at the Tint Shop 5 was in court yesterday.  She has admitted to driving two men to the shop, waiting for them and then driving off.  The three traveled to Mexico where she was told she was no longer needed. 

In Pocatello, The preliminary hearing in a case involving a man accused of raping a 15-year-old, recording pictures and videos of the acts, then kidnapping her, has been waived with charges bound over to District Court.  18 year old Kadyn Leo Swainston will now appear before a district judge for arraignment on felony charges of rape, second-degree kidnapping and three counts of producing child porn.