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NAMPA, Idaho -- Nampa Police are investigating what they call a homicide/attempted suicide Saturday afternoon. 


Around 3:22 p.m., Nampa Dispatch received a 911 call from the 16000 block of Blue Spruce Drive in the Evergreen Mobile Home Park.


Officers responding to the call found a 35-year-old woman who had died from an apparent gunshot wound.

They also discovered a 35-year-old man in the same room who was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was unresponsive, but still alive. He was rushed to a local hospital where his condition is unknown.


Nampa Police are investigating this as a homicide/attempted suicide based on information they received from family members who were in the home at the time of the crime. The initial investigation indicates that this may be the result of an ongoing domestic dispute between the victim and suspect.


Charges could potentially be filed against the man in this case. 


"In a case like this, obviously there's a homicide," said Nampa Police...

MORES CREEK SUMMIT -- With the snow coming down, it's finally time for winter recreators to get up into the mountains and enjoy it. But that also means it's time for Search and Rescue to train to help those people in case they're in an avalanche.

Saturday, the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Team was training for something they're expecting to do this season - finding and pulling people out from under feet and feet of snow after an avalanche. They say avalanches normally happen after a big snowfall.

"People start getting that high where they want to get out, and they want to go skiing and snowboarding," said Delinda Castellon with Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue. "But they're not actually thinking about checking the avalanche conditions."


"We want to make sure that our members are prepared in case we need to do a search in avalanche conditions," said Winston Cheyney, also with Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue.

The team drilled on probing, digging and locating beacons. But Cheyney said no matter...

BOISE -- Community members came together Saturday to help a non-profit organization in need.


This week, Handy Hands Reflections found the building they rent flooded. Water came down through the ceiling, ran down the walls and got into the lights.

   

Handy Hands Reflections makes scrapbooks for families who have a loved one in hospice care or have had a loved one pass away.


Until 11 p.m., scrapbookers are paying rent for table space to work on their projects as a way to raise money for Handy Hands Reflections.


"I can't thank them enough for all the support," said Jacki Kelsch with Handy Hands Reflections. "We've had so many reach out to us for whatever they can do. And it's awesome."

  

Organizers started Handy Hands Reflections  three years ago.

 

MERIDIAN, Idaho -- Meridian Police are investigating a rash of car burglaries.


The eight car burglaries were discovered by Meridian Police on patrol Saturday morning. 

   

Sgt. Matt Parsons with the Meridian Police Department said it looks like the vehicles, which were unlocked, were broken into between 11 p.m. Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday. 


The burglaries targeted cars in the area between North Black Cat Road, North Ten Mile Road, West Cherry Lane and West Franklin Road.


Officers discovered the burglaries when they noticed opened car doors and glove boxes. Victims said they were not missing property from their cars, but a small amount of property was recovered in the 4200 block of Big Creek. Because of this, police suspect there may be more victims. 

So far, police do not have any suspects.


Meridian Police have increased patrols in the area. If you have any information, you are urged to call Meridian Police at 888-6678.


Parsons said to make sure to lock...

BOISE -- With all the snow we've had the last few days, the Boise WaterShed spent Saturday afternoon teaching kids about the importance of snow.


Kids were able to learn about avalanches and participate in activities that taught them about all the ways snow helps the environment.

    

They also taught a group of kids this afternoon just how fun snow can be by taking them snowshoeing up at Bogus Basin.


"We've got a great facility out here and it just helps to drive home the importance of our water resources and the importance of keeping and taking care of the resources we do have," said Dave Eiriksson, a Boise State graduate student.


The Boise WaterShed holds activities every third Saturday of the month.


Each activity is different, but they all have something to do with water.

 

BOISE -- One man was injured after a rollover crash on Interstate 84 Friday,


It happened around 6:30 p.m., between Gowen Road Exit 57 and Eisenman Road Exit 59.

Bernard Liss, 75, of Union City, Indiana, was traveling west on I-84 in a 2009 Ford F750 truck.


Liss drove the vehicle off the left shoulder, then overcorrected onto the right shoulder. The truck then slid and overturned at least once before coming to rest upside down in the right lane.

Liss was transported by ground ambulance to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.   


I-84 was partially blocked for over three hours while crews worked to clear the scene.

BOISE -- Boise Police are investigating after two people were found Saturday morning with what appeared to be stab wounds.

Officers were called to a home in area of W. Boise Ave. and Beacon Street around 5 a.m.


The first officers on scene saw a car leaving the house. They soon discovered a person inside the car with what looked like stab wounds.

A second person with stab wound-like injuries was also found a short distance from the house.


Both people are currently receiving medical attention. The extent of their injuries is unknown.


Police said they don't know the exact relationship between the pair, but did say that the cases appear to be connected.


Stay with KTVB and KTVB.COM as more details about this case come to light.

HAILEY, Idaho -- The police chief in the central Idaho town of Hailey says officers will be cracking down on dog owners who let their pets run loose.


Chief Jeff Gunter tells the Idaho Mountain Express that loose dogs are causing problems and pet owners need to be reined in.

 

He says police are getting 10 to 12 calls a week about dogs chasing kids, chasing cars, causing traffic problems, and fighting.

 

He says the city ordinance requires dogs not on the owner's property to be either on a leash or within voice command.

 

He says violators face a $300 fine along with animal shelter impound fees.

 

REXBURG, Idaho -- A tiny fish fossil found by a Brigham Young University-Idaho biology instructor a decade ago has been recognized as a previously unknown fish species.

 

Dave Stricklan found the 3-centimeter specimen in the Manning Canyon Shale Formation near Lehi, Utah.

 

KIFI-TV reports the university announced Thursday that experts identified the fossil as a new species last month. 

 

The fossil is named Bourbonnella jocelynae in memory of Stricklan's daughter, Jocelyn.

 

Experts say the fossil is the earliest known representative of its kind from North America.

 

BOISE, Idaho -- Lawmakers in the Idaho House introduced legislation to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors. 

 

The so-called e-cigarettes allow the user to heat nicotine, herbs or other substances and ingest the active ingredients without actually burning the substance.

 

But Republican Rep. Bob Nonini, of Coeur d'Alene, says state health officials are increasingly concerned about sales of the devices to children. Nonini brought legislation to the House Health & Welfare Committee on Friday that would prohibit sales of e-cigarettes to minors.

 

The Spokesman-Review reports the panel voted to introduce the measure, which will now have a public hearing.

 

Advocates for banning sales of the devices to kids say it will send an important message about smoking in general.

  

BOISE -- Across the U.S., including here in Idaho, it has been a mild flu season.


The Centers for Disease Control shows minimal cases in Idaho, activity is even down this week from the past two weeks. But they are reporting indications that flu activity is going to pick up.


Idaho's Department of Health and Welfare confirms they have not seen many cases here yet , but the season could peak in late February.


With that in mind, they say it's not too late for a flu shot.

 

BOGUS BASIN --  Skiers and boarders have certainly rejoiced this week with all the snow coming down in the mountains.  Bogus Basin needed the snow desperately, opening just Thursday for a record late start.

"We had a good day yesterday, and a good day today.  We expect it to be even better tomorrow," Bogus Basin spokeswoman Gretchen Anderson said.

Paycuts still in effect and CEO, CFO still going unpaid 

With the late opening day, Bogus Basin's general manager told KTVB last week they've already lost over $2 million in revenue.  While getting the lifts going and seeing skiers coming down the mountain is a step toward a needed financial comeback, can they recoup the loss?

"I don't know.  I don't know.  We'll have to find out at the very end, Jamie. It's an interesting situation that we're facing because we've never faced this before.  A lot of us took pay cuts.  A lot of us were laid off for a while.  Then of course, our CEO and our CFO didn't take any...

TWIN FALLS -- Officials with the cheese manufacturer Glanbia Foods say the company is spending up to $15 million to build its corporate headquarters and innovation center in Twin Falls.


The expansion, announced Friday, is expected to add 100 jobs when the facility opens in March 2013, with plans to expand to 150.


Glanbia president and CEO Jeff Williams told The Times-News that city officials have been talking with the company about the expansion for the past five years. Williams said the company was excited to move forward with the project.


The plans call for a 35,000-square-foot office complex and a 14,000-square-foot research center. Williams said the center will give Glanbia employees and customers the chance to research new product ideas. Glanbia currently operates plants in Twin Falls, Gooding and Richfield.

MERIDIAN -- Many Idahoans are struggling to pay utility bills, but there is a government program that can help.

"Our members are telling us that their utility bills just keep going up, and up, and up. And their ability to afford to pay them, is going down, and down, and down," said Jim Wordelman, state director of the AARP.

Wordelman says energy rate hikes have put Idaho's elderly, most of which are on a fixed income, in a tough spot.

"Sometimes they have to decide whether they want to fill a prescription, or whether they want to turn the heat up," said Wordelman.

In a recent survey, 40 percent of Idaho's elderly say they're having a difficult time paying their utility bills. But there's help, and it's help that Wordelman says few people know about, "This has the potential of helping a lot more people."

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is a federal program, locally administered to help any person, not just the elderly, pay their utility bills. That program in Idaho just received an extra $5 million,...

IDAHO CITY -- Residents in Idaho City are bracing for round two of snow.

This comes after the small mountain town went from no snow just a few days ago to over three feet in some places.

All the snow has created problems for a lot of those who live in and around Idaho City. Power outages have been reported for the past couple days.

Idaho Power says they've had crews working around the clock trying to restore power Friday. The heavy snow caused trees to fall on lines all over the place leaving some residents there without power for hours, while others are still in the dark.

“When the lights started flickering I knew the power was going out last night, so I hurried dinner, made a really short dinner and got it eaten just in time for the power to go out,” said Rhonda Jameson, an Idaho City Resident.

At one of the local grocery stores, they have had to turn away customers because the frequent power outages have fried their computers leaving them without a way to ring up customers.

At Trudy's Cafe in Idaho City folks gather...

BOISE -- A group of Republican senators are looking to clarify their position on the senate's decision last week to allow Sen. John McGee to maintain his leadership role as Caucus Chairman.


In a joint statement released Friday, nine Republican senators said that while Sen. McGee is their friend and colleague, they would like to uphold the integrity of the institution. They also say the reason they issued the statement was because they felt that there was a perception that the voting to keep Senator McGee in his position was a unanimous one. These Senators spoke out to make it clear there was a descending vote.

The senators are Russ Fulcher of Meridian, Monty Pearce of New Plymouth, Chuck Winder of Boise, Dean Mortimer of Idaho Falls, Steve Vick of Dalton Gardens, Shirley McKague of Meridian, Lee Heider of Twin Falls, Mitch Toryanski of Boise, and Sheryl Nuxoll of Cottonwood.

Part of the statement reads, "Our constituents expect us to stand up for the convictions, principles and values we have said we represent and...

BOISE -- A former Boise State Bronco, who helped lead the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl win in 2010, is making a big donation to the BSU Athletic Department.


Daryn Colledge and his wife, Megan, announced they will donate $150,000 to the athletic department to help revamp the weight room and upgrade the equipment.


"We are extremely grateful for all that BSU and the city of Boise have done for us,” Colledge said in a written statement.  “We are excited for this opportunity to give back to our university, and we hope that with this gift and others like it, BSU will be able to continue to give so much to Boise.  We are grateful we can contribute to those who have supported us for so long."


Colledge earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors in 2004 and 2005 at Boise State.  He helped the Broncos win four consecutive WAC Championships.


Bronco head coach Chris Petersen said  it is always great when former athletes remain involved in the program.


“Daryn and Megan’s generosity towards...

BOISE -- First it was snow, then it was rain, and next came the flooding.


The Ada County Highway District crews had their hands full Thursday trying to get rid of water that had backed up onto the road.


By Friday, most of those areas were clear.


ACHD crews responded to more than 100 reports of flooding.  Thanks to some high powered vacuum trucks, crews were able to suck some of the water off the roads.


The first step for crews is clearing blocked storm drains.  Some drains became blocked by debris and ice.


In Eagle, near Floating Feather Road and Edgewood Lane, the drainage system was overwhelmed by water.  Crews brought in two vacuum trucks and they say those trucks made all the difference.


"If it wasn't for the vacuum trucks we'd still be there just baby sitting it and trying to get other pumps out there. Trying to pump water with a lot more hoses and it would just take a lot longer to get the water out of there.  I  mean these trucks that we have and the water trucks that were there were...

BOISE -- The Boise Police Department added some new suspects to the "Most Wanted" list this week.


Click through the photos (to the right) and if you recognize any of these suspects, you are asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 343-COPS.  Your tips can be provided to Crime Stoppers anonymously.  You can also help Boise Police by text messaging TIP236 to 274637, along with your tip.

Boise Police asks that you do not apprehend any of these suspects, and if you know the current location of a suspect, call non-emergency dispatch at 377-6790. 

BOISE -- Prosecutors say a homeless man who spray-painted the words "I'm not a terrorist" on a federal building in Boise now faces a misdemeanor.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says 42-year-old Charles Arthur Stark was charged Friday with willful injury to government property. According to authorities, Stark is from Washington state and has been living at a Boise shelter for the past several months.

A trial has been scheduled for March 5.

Prosecutors say Stark caused about $750 in damage Monday when he painted the windows of the James A. McClure Federal Building and Courthouse.

The video attached to this story is a clip from YouTube of the incident.

BOISE – An Idaho Falls man is rejoicing after winning $200,000 on the Powerball game.

Idaho Lottery officials say Donny Jones nearly threw his winning ticket away. However, his wife Connie encouraged him to check the remaining numbers on his ticket, and that’s when he learned all five matched.

Jones bought his $1 ticket for the December 17, 2011 Powerball draw.

“I just don’t believe I’m the big winner!” exclaimed Jones “I’m still stunned.”

He picked up his winning at the Idaho Lottery headquarters in Boise Thursday afternoon.

Jones works as a cook for the Hometown Kitchen Restaurant in Idaho Falls.

“Winning made for a good Christmas,” said Jones.

After paying off some bills, Jones says he plans to do something nice for his wife.

The winning ticket was sold at the Common Cents store located at 520 E. 17th Street in Idaho Falls.  For their part in selling the winning ticket, Common Cents receives a $20,000 bonus from the Idaho Lottery.

BOISE -- A 65-year-old Las Vegas man has been sentenced to just over five years in prison for his role in an Idaho bank robbery last spring.

The U.S. attorney's office says Melvin Glen Lantis was sentenced Friday to five years and three months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for the April 22 robbery of a Key Bank branch in Boise.

Lantis pleaded guilty to casing the bank the day before the robbery and driving the getaway car after Bryan Mark Johnson robbed the bank of just over $13,000.

U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered Lantis to pay $23,033 in restitution.

Johnson, who also pleaded guilty to robbing another Boise bank, is scheduled to be sentenced in March. He has a 2002 bank robbery conviction in Nevada.

MERIDIAN -- Meridian Police say they now have a suspect in custody after a five-in-a-half hour standoff Friday afternoon.

Police say the man came to the front door after they gassed the basement of the home.

Meridian Police believe they have solved at least five recent robberies in the Treasure Valley as the standoff took place at a Meridian home.

Dozens of officers surrounded the home on Idaho Street near Meridian Road. Several rounds of tear gas and pepper spray were fired into the house around 4 p.m.

The man in custody is believed to be a suspect in two armed robberies at Subway restaurants in Meridian, a robbery at a Jacksons store in Nampa, and two attempted robberies at Subways in Boise.

A bomb robot went from room to room in the house.  It has a camera mounted on it that allows police to see inside the home. At the time the robot went thru the house there was no sign of the suspect, but the police chief said it appears furniture was moved to act as a barricade.

Police say they got two citizen tips...

NAMPA -- The Idaho Supreme Court has sided with a Nampa man fighting to get the contract of a former county prosecutor declared public.

Newly elected city council member Bob Henry told the Idaho Press-Tribune the ruling Thursday was a significant victory. Henry has long sought access to financial records and other documents related to Canyon County's contract with former prosecutor John Bujak.

A district court judge previously ruled the records were private and not subject to Idaho's public records law.

But the Idaho Supreme Court disagreed, saying the documents were public records.

Bujak resigned amid a dispute involving nearly $300,000 the county says he owes. He was arrested last month on theft charges related to his handling of money from the contract with the county to prosecute misdemeanors in Nampa.

BOISE -- Bogus Basin has officially broken its record for the latest opening date -- Jan. 6, 1990.

"We are not proud of that by the way," said Bogus Basin's General Manager Mike Shirley.

Unfortunately, this season will have the latest opening date in Bogus Basin's history.

On Friday, there was barely enough snow to cover the base of the mountain and grass was poking through the snow.  But Shirley is optimistic Mother Nature will turn things around soon.

"We think it is going to snow, and we think we've got a lot of good winter left, and we are going to provide a season here before long," said Shirley.

The current forecast doesn't show a chance of snow until Thursday, but workers at Bogus Basin know that weather patterns can change overnight.

"It could turn around very quickly, and we could be up there, have the mountain open, have 10,000 people up there," said Alan Moore, Vice President of Finance at Bogus Basin.

Moore says if Bogus Basin got a good storm, they could be open in a couple of days.

Until that storm...

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- A tax-protesting state lawmaker from northern Idaho has filed a legal response to a federal lawsuit that aims to foreclose on his log home in Athol to satisfy unpaid taxes and penalties totaling nearly $550,000.

The Coeur d'Alene Press reports Republican Rep. Phil Hart filed court documents Thursday claiming the Internal Revenue Service is wrong in asking him to pay eight years' worth of business deductions.

Hart believes the deductions were denied because he refused to give the IRS information about individuals who purchased his self-published book called "Constitutional Income," which disputes the legality of income taxes.

Hart has been fighting federal and state governments for years over his income taxes, which he argues are unconstitutional.

BOISE -- Idaho Power Co. continues to amass lobbying might from within the halls of government, as another outgoing chief of staff for Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter is set to work as a paid advocate for the state's biggest utility.

Jason Kreizenbeck registered as a lobbyist for the utility Thursday, indicating he'll be representing its interests with legislators and members of Otter's administration.

Kreizenbeck's predecessor, former chief of staff Jeff Malmen, is also an Idaho Power lobbyist.

Unlike some states, Idaho has no "revolving door" restrictions.

Minority Democrats said Thursday they'd push for such limits, to boost faith that public officials focus on the common good and not personal gain.

Republicans who control the House and Senate have been reluctant to support cooling-off periods for officials when they leave public service.

MOSCOW, Idaho -- The Idaho State Police are asking the driver in a September hit-and-run crash to come forward so they can finish the investigation into the death of Joshwa Merriken.

The ISP believes the 36-year-old was struck and killed on Sept. 30 as he walked along U.S. Highway 95 near Moscow. His body was found Oct. 15.

Trooper Chad Montgomery says Merriken had been warned numerous times by family and law enforcement officers about walking along the fog line on highways while wearing dark clothing. Due to the circumstances, the ISP says it was not likely any charges would have been filed.

The state police say the suspect vehicle is a 1986 through 1992 Ford F-series pickup or Bronco which was likely either towing or hauling a camper.

MARSING, Idaho -- People at the Bureau of Land Management are asking for your help in finding the person or persons responsible for shooting two wild horses. It happened about 15 miles southeast of Marsing, likely last weekend.

Many people take a lot of pride in the wild horse herds of Idaho, and those we talked to were saddened about the news, and also worried about the safety of everyone who recreates in that area.

"Hard to miss the beauty of the high desert," said Anthony Bunt, who loves to run the trails in the Hardtrigger Wild Horse Herd Management Area between Marsing and Murphy.

"The wild horse herds are always a pleasant surprise," said Bunt.

But the sight of some of the 170 wild horses that call the area home will be a little more rare now.

On Tuesday, the BLM received a call from someone who found two wild horses dead in the Hardtrigger Management Area. Investigators later found they had been shot.

"It's just a bit unnerving," said Bunt, who's worried for the horses and all recreators in the area. "If they'...

KALISPELL, Mont. -- A 36-year-old man who was arrested after a six-hour standoff at a Kalispell hotel in which he barricaded himself in a bathroom with a 17-year-old Idaho boy has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The Daily Inter Lake reports District Judge Stewart Stadler sentenced Thomas Mulligan on Thursday.

Mulligan previously entered an Alford plea to charge of kidnapping, not admitting guilt but acknowledging there was enough evidence to convict him.

Authorities say Mulligan, who was arrested Dec. 31, 2010, after a SWAT team stormed the hotel room, met the teen on the Internet. They say the two were traveling in a vehicle that was stolen from the boy's grandmother in Filer, Idaho.

Mulligan, who has previous convictions of theft, burglary and kidnapping, was initially being pursued because of an alleged parole violation in Oregon.

MINIDOKA COUNTY, Idaho -- A Rupert man and his young daughter who got stranded in the south-central desert have been found safe.

Dispatchers with the Minidoka County Sheriff's Office say 29-year-old Matthew Williams called his wife around 4 p.m. Thursday to say his pickup truck had a flat tire and that he and his 4-year-old daughter Taylor were going to start walking out of the desert. The pair did not have any provisions. The family contacted the sheriff's office around 8 p.m. after failing to hear from them again.

The pair were found just after 4 p.m. Friday near Kimama Butte in northern Minidoka County.  They were rescued by helicopter.  Authorities say both appeared to be in good condition but were taken to a hospital to be checked out.

The two spend Thursday night in a cave and walked about a dozen miles to a place where Williams could get cell phone service and call 911.  That's how searchers came to find him.

Officers and search and rescue teams from Minidoka, Blaine, Lincoln, and Jerome counties...

MERIDIAN -- A student was hit by a car in front of Meridian High School Friday morning.

The accident happened at about 7:16 a.m. and the 16-year-old boy was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.  He is expected to be treated and released quickly.

Sergeant Matt Parsons with Meridian Police says the teen was not using a crosswalk and he was wearing dark clothing when he was hit. It was before daylight when the accident occurred.

"The Meridian Police Department is hoping that when people are out, drivers need to just be aware of students in school areas.  And students, or any pedestrians, need to use the nearest crosswalks.  Safety first," said Sgt. Parsons.

The driver will not be cited.

BOISE -- Republican and Democratic leaders in Idaho's Legislature say they'd support creating an independent commission to review alleged ethics violations by members.

House Speaker Lawerence Denney said Thursday at The Associated Press' 2012 Legislative Preview that such a panel would bolster public confidence that allegations of impropriety are handled impartially.

The House and Senate now call their members to review complaints.

In 2010, House ethics panels tackled complaints against northern Idaho Republican Rep. Phil Hart, whose fight over unpaid taxes won him peer scrutiny.

And the 2005 Senate convened an ethics panel against now-former Sen. Jack Noble when the Kuna Republican introduced legislation to benefit himself.

Sen. Edgar Malepeai told reporters Democrats would also call for financial disclosure for lawmakers, a measure that's been blocked in previous years by House leaders.

 

MERIDIAN – Police are still searching for the suspect who robbed the Subway on Linder Road and Franklin Road at 7:45 a.m. Thursday.


The Meridian Police Department said they now believe this could be the same person who robbed a Subway on Fairview Avenue Wednesday around 10:00 p.m. Wednesday.


Meridian Police officers will be doing extra patrols around businesses looking for any signs of suspicious behavior.


Early Thursday morning Chris Gonzales was the only person working at the Subway on Linder and Franklin


“It’s just another normal day,” said Gonzales.


But at 7:45 that morning, one customer in particular walked into the store and caught him off guard.


“When he came in he was kind of covering his face a little and I personally thought he had like a bloody nose or he got hurt,” said Gonzales. He quickly realized what was going on, an armed robbery was taking place.


“When he leaned over the counter and pulled out the weapon that is when I knew something was wrong,” said Gonzales. “He had said don't do anything, give...

BOISE -- The Boys& Girls Club of Ada County announced Ada County's brand new "Youth of the Year" on Thursday night.


Five teens from the Garden City and Meridian Boys and Girls Club competed for top honors tonight, and the winner was 16-year-old, Wes Pettit.

Pettit won a $1,000 scholarship from the Micron Technology Foundation and will now go to compete for the title of Idaho youth of the year next month.


This comes on the heels of last year's Ada County winner,  Darnisha Victorain, who was a national contender and got to meet President Obama in the White House.

BOISE -- The Boise Police Department has a suspect in custody after they say he robbed a Jacksons convenience store on West State Street on Wednesday.

Police say detectives arrested the 17-year-old suspect Thursday in Kamiah, Idaho, on an Ada County robbery warrant.

The arrest was helped by several citizen tips and the assistance of Kamiah Police Department.

Because the suspect is a juvenile, his name is not being released by Boise Police at this time. He is in custody in Kamiah and is expected to be extradited to Ada County on the felony robbery charge.

"Our officers were able to act very quickly thanks to the quick response we received from both citizens and other law enforcement agencies. That cooperation really made this arrest and is greatly appreciated," said Sgt. Mark Barnett of the Boise Police Department Criminal Investigations Division.

PITTSBURGH -- Police say a woman charged with staying at a western Pennsylvania shelter for battered women under false pretenses used a cell phone and computer to try to scam an Idaho couple into adopting her baby -- even though she wasn't pregnant.

The Leader-Times of Kittanning first reported Thursday that 32-year-old Amy Slanina has been jailed since Dec. 30 on charges she had drug paraphernalia and stayed at the shelter after falsely claiming to have been abused.

But now police tell The Associated Press that Slanina will also be charged next week with contacting the Idaho couple from the shelter so they'd meet her at a western Pennsylvania hospital, where they were allegedly led to believe they'd pay Slanina to adopt her fictitious"baby."

Slanina is also wanted on an unrelated Ohio parole violation.

CASCADE -- Police have arrested 16-year-old Jeffrey Wright who is suspected of starting a fire at Cascade High School.


The fire was set October 18th in a virtual classroom, where students go to attend classes taught by teachers from other school districts via video conferencing. About 300 students and staff had to be evacuated due to the fire.


Police say an accelerant was poured over paper and a plastic binder before the materials were intentionally ignited in a corner of the classroom.

Wright is being charged with first degree arson.

"First degree arson is an adult charge and does not fall under the Juvenile Corrections Act. Even though Jeffrey Wright is a juvenile, the charge itself is an adult charge and must be brought as an adult matter in District Court," Valley County Prosecuting Attorney Matthew C. Williams said in a prepared statement.

Wright is expected to be arraigned in a Valley County court Thursday.

BOISE -- Two brothers from Nampa could find themselves on the national stage with a commercial they produced for Doritos. The commercial is just one of over 5,000 solicited by Doritos as part of their "Crash the Super Bowl" contest.


Michael and Jonathan Monasterio believe they have a commercial on their hands that could win them the competition. Their commercial got over 6,000 views on the contest webpage in its first two days.


Now they have the 17th most views -- hoping to become a finalist and a chance at a lot of money and fame.


The brothers graduated from Skyview High School in Nampa. They are now going to school at the University of Utah.


It was there he became friends with Chris Le, an aspiring film director.


"He brought the competition to my attention, said 'Hey, let's go for it,'" said Monasterio.


With Le's background with computer generated images (CGI) they decided early on they wanted to have some sort of a robot in their 30 second Doritos commercial.  Monasterio was in charge of developing his character...

BOISE -- Idaho is one of 24 states supporting the Food and Drug Admnistration's effort to regulate new warning labels for cigarettes.

The FDA announced in June that tobacco companies would be required to include the new labels on all cigarette packs beginning in September 2012.  The labels include graphic images of rotting teeth and gums, diseased lungs, and a sewn-up corpse of a smoker.  There are nine images in all and tobacco companies would be required to run them on a rotating basis -- even in their advertisements.  Also, the labels would cover the entire top half of all cigarette packs.

Major tobacco companies challenged the rules, and last month U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled in their favor.  The ruling blocked the new warning labels while courts decide whether or not they violate the First Amendment rights of cigarette companies, which could take years.

The FDA is now challenging the lower court ruling.

On December 23, the Idaho Attorney General's office filed a friend of the court...

NAMPA -- Police are searching for a woman who entered an assisted living facility, then stole jewelry and an elderly resident's purse.


The suspect took off with two diamond bracelets valued at $8,000.  She also took the victim's purse and used a credit card to charge more than $1,000 to it.


The woman police are searching for is in her 40s, about 5'2" to 5'5" tall.  She has dark brown hair and weighs between 170 and 200 pounds.  The suspect was driving an older blue hatchback-style car, which looked like a Geo Metro or Chevrolet Sprint.


If you know anything about the woman police are searching for, you are asked to contact Corporal Terry Hodges with Meridian Police at 208-888-6678.

BOISE -- An icy parking lot appears to be a contributing factor when a truck crashed into a Boise business Tuesday afternoon.

According to witnesses, a man was pulling into a parking space near the Birdhouse & Habitat store at 12598 W. Fairview Avenue when he lost control of his truck and slammed into the front of the building.

Boise Police Officer Adam Nielsen says it appears the pavement was in the shade and still covered in ice.  He says this incident should serve as a warning to others that they need to slow down in these type of conditions.

The driver was not hurt in the accident.  No citations have been issued.  The accident remains under investigation.

FRUITLAND -- A 37-year-old Fruitland man shot by a police officer last Thursday remains in critical condition at a Boise hospital.

Fruitland Police Officer Bill Copeland shot Jamee Lee Wade outside a Fruitland home after receiving a 911 call from threatened family members.

Copeland, who is now on paid administrative leave, has been with the Fruitland Police Department for approximately 8 months.

Wade is still hospitalized at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.

Idaho State Police is investigating the incident. Charges are pending.

BOISE -- Idaho has delivered arguments to the Idaho Supreme Court on why justices should reject a lawsuit filed by Twin Falls County aiming to have the state's new legislative boundaries thrown out.

Twin Falls argues the county-splitting map approved Oct. 14 disadvantages its voters.

Idaho counters the plan meets the one-person, one-vote requirement, splits counties only where necessary and joins similar communities.

According to the filing, redistricters crafted a plan that's legally defensible and meets Idaho's best interests.

Secretary of State Ben Ysursa said Tuesday he's hopeful justices will rule soon after a scheduled Jan. 5 hearing, to give Idaho election officials time to prepare for the May 15 primary.

A second, separate lawsuit, filed by northern Idaho counties, is due for oral arguments in state Supreme Court on Jan. 19.

BOISE -- An appellate court has upheld the conviction of a southern Idaho woman serving seven years in prison for stealing cattle.

The Idaho Court of Appeals issued a ruling Tuesday in the case of Traci Hadden, who says her trial should have been moved from Lincoln County due to the publicity surrounding her in a separate case, where she was charged with plotting to kill her former father-in-law.

The appellate court rejected that argument and affirmed a jury's finding that Hadden was guilty of stealing 20 head of cattle from a ranch near Shoshone in 2008. She'll serve at least another 10 years

for aiding and abetting in the attempted murder of then-60-year-old Craig Hadden.

He was shot four times with a rifle outside his home on April 1, 2009.

 

POCATELLO, Idaho -- Don Aslett has been in a fight with dirt and clutter for more than a half century.

As a child, he would cringe at the site of spilled coffee grounds and in high school, found it strange his classmates didn't like to clean their rooms. Now at the age of 76, he still can't take a stroll without picking up litter from the sidewalk.

And now, he has a six-story shrine dedicated to his craft with the Museum of Clean, which recently opened to the public in southeastern Idaho.

Among the exhibits: A horse-drawn vacuum dating back to 1902; a collection of several hundred pre-electric vacuum cleaners; a Civil War-era operating table; a 1,600-year-old bronze pick that was used to clean teeth; and an antique Amish foot bath.

BOISE -- The woman, who police say abandoned her child at a friend’s house earlier this month, made her first appearance in court Tuesday.

23-year-old Corynn Hower is being charged with a felony for non-support of a child after prosecutors say she left her 2-year-old daughter with a friend and never returned to pick her up.

“The defendant said she would be back in one hour and that never happened.  The defendant didn't make contact with the friend two days later,” said Prosecutor Kathryn McNulty.

 

Prosectors say Hower left her daughter without shoes, a jacket, or a change of clothes at her friend’s house on December 18th.  When Hower called her friend two days later, she told the friend she was using drugs and asked if the friend if she would be willing to take temporary custody of the child. 

That's when law enforcement was notified and the 2-year-old little girl was placed in the custody of the state.

During the arraignment Tuesday, the judge set Hower's bond at $5,000 dollars.

 

Hower's temporary...

PAVILLION, Wyo. -- An 11-year-old Wyoming girl who was hit by a pickup truck after getting off a school bus is being remembered in her hometown.

Funeral services were held Tuesday for Makayla Strahle in Idaho Falls, the city where she was born. Strahle moved to Wyoming two years ago and was a sixth grader at Wind River School in Pavillion, Wyo. Memorial services are also planned there later.

Strahle was hit Dec. 20 on U.S. Highway 26, about 34 miles southeast of Dubois. There was heavy fog in the area at the time.

Authorities say 52-year-old William D. Barnes of Lander failed to stop his pickup for the flashing signals on the bus and hit Strahle as she was crossing the road.

The Fremont County Attorney's Office is reviewing the case.

TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- A southern Idaho company that manufactures bean harvesting equipment hopes to do business in Latin America following a state-led trade mission to the region.

Lt. Gov. Brad Little led more than a dozen Idaho businesses, including Pickett Equipment Co., on the trade trip in early December. The Times-News reports Pickett Equipment is now making a strong push to expand its sales into Mexico.

Jonathan Price manages international sales for the Burley-based company and says he doesn't think they would have seriously considered trying to tap into the Mexican market had they not participated in the early December trade mission.

The lieutenant governor has estimated Idaho businesses have the potential to reap more than $30 million in sales from trade mission, which included meetings in Brazil and Mexico.

ST. MARIES, Idaho-- The victim of a Christmas day shooting has been identified.


Stefanie Comack reportedly suffered a gunshot wound to the head around 11:43 a.m. in St. Maries at a home near 14th and Jefferson.

 

She was transported to Benewah Community Hospital, and then airlifted to Kootenai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

 

While many residents didn’t know Stefanie personally, her death is having quite an impact on the tight-knit community.


Joseph Herrera was arrested for the crime.  He is being held at the Benewah County Jail.  Sources say he’s shaken up and he claims the shooting was an accident.


KREM2 spoke to residents who said they were unsure if Herrera and Comack were dating, but knew they were friends.

 

An autopsy is scheduled.