TRAFFIC & CRASHES
Two Crashes Snarl Kimberly Road
Two crashes within hours shut down parts of Kimberly Road in Twin Falls County. Early yesterday, a pickup ran a stop sign and hit a semi, causing it to jackknife and block lanes for about five hours. Three people were taken to the hospital. Then around 7 a.m., a second crash near the same area sent a woman to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after she failed to yield and hit a utility truck.
Injury Crash Near Heyburn Under Investigation
Idaho State Police are investigating a two-vehicle injury crash near Heyburn yesterday afternoon. A pickup failed to yield at 200 West and 500 South and hit an SUV carrying four juveniles. Five people were taken to the hospital, with several serious injuries. The intersection was closed about two hours.
CONSUMER & ECONOMY
Gas Prices Continue to Drop
The weather’s cooling down, but gas prices in Idaho are warming up drivers’ wallets. AAA says the average price is now two-eighty a gallon — down four cents from last week and more than thirty cents from a month ago. The national average sits at two-eighty-two.
STATE GOVERNMENT
Attorney General’s Office Cuts Parental Leave
The Idaho Attorney General’s Office will cut paid parental leave for new parents from eight weeks to two, starting July first. The change was announced to staff as a cost-saving move ahead of expected budget shortfalls. The policy sets the office apart from most state agencies, which offer eight weeks under a governor’s order. Employees may still use sick time or unpaid federal family leave if they qualify.
Aviation Company Expands into Magic Valley
A Boise-based aviation company is expanding into the Magic Valley. Jackson Jet Center has acquired Reeder Jet Center at Twin Falls’ Magic Valley Regional Airport — making it the company’s third location, alongside Boise and Phoenix. Jackson says all Reeder staff will be retained, and the operation will see upgrades in technology, facilities, and aviation services as the region continues to grow.
Critchfield Running for Re-Election
Idaho Superintendent Debbie Critchfield announced she’s running for a second term. She’s highlighting gains in graduation rates, literacy, and career readiness, and says she wants to keep education focused on “the basics.” So far, no challengers to Critchfield have stepped forward.
Jerome City Council Vacancy
The new mayor of Jerome is looking to fill a vacancy on the city council. Mayor Chris Barber is accepting letters of interest through January twenty-first from registered voters who live in the city and are at least eighteen. The appointment will fill the seat through the end of twenty-twenty-seven.
SPORTS
High School Basketball: Scores & Highlights
The high school basketball season is turning the corner this week as teams wrap up non-conference play and start looking toward the stretch run. In girls’ action, Twin Falls edged Burley in a tight one, 42 to 38. Canyon Ridge beat Buhl 45-29, Malad topped Declo 58-32, Jerome rolled past Minico 65-34, and Kimberly stayed hot with a 65-35 win over Wood River.
On the boys’ side, Sun Valley survived Hagerman 40-39, Richfield outlasted Castleford 64-57, Murtaugh beat Raft River 54-36, and Oakley held off Shoshone 47-41. In a marquee matchup yesterday, Buhl got a look at its future conference competition, taking on reigning 3A state champion Wendell. The Trojans jumped out to a 9-nothing start and cruised to a 57-33 win.
High School Bowling Results
High school bowling teams from Filer, Gooding, and Wendell competed Wednesday at the Jerome Tiger Zone. Filer swept all three divisions — boys varsity, girls varsity, and JV — with Wendell finishing second in both varsity races. Individually, Wendell’s Gloria Resendiz had the top girls series at 429, while Shane Rackham rolled the high boys series at 592 with a 234 game.
Tonight’s High School Basketball Schedule
It’s a busy night on the high school basketball schedule around the Magic Valley and southern Idaho today, with a full slate of boys’ and girls’ varsity games tipping off.
On the boy’s side, all of the games get underway at 7:30. Century is on the road at Burley in a non-conference matchup, while Castleford travels to Camas County and Richfield heads to Carey for conference play. Wendell, one of the top teams in the area at seven and one, is on the road at Declo, and Filer visits Gooding in another conference matchup. Canyon Ridge takes its six and five record to Madison, Preston brings a nine and two mark into Minico in non-conference action, Wood River visits Mountain Home, and Pocatello is on the road at Twin Falls.
On the girl’s side, Castleford plays at Camas County and Richfield visits Carey in early six o’clock conference games. The rest of the girls’ games tip at 7:30, with Raft River on the road at Glenns Ferry, Dietrich visiting Hansen, Hagerman traveling to Murtaugh, Shoshone at Oakley, and Buhl on the road at Valley.
Boise State Football Moves On
Boise State is leaving the Mountain West with a historic legacy — even after a 38–10 loss to Washington in the L.A. Bowl. Over 15 seasons, the Broncos won six league championships — and now, they’ll begin a new chapter in the Pac-12.
Boise State Men Fall at Home
Boise State men dropped their second straight, falling to Grand Canyon 75-58 last night at ExtraMile Arena. Javan Buchanan led the Broncos with 18 points, and Drew Fielder added 10, but the Lopes pulled away late behind 22 from Jaden Henley.
Boise State Women Bounce Back
On the women’s side, Boise State bounced back with a 70-59 road win over Air Force. Natalie Pasco scored 24 points with six threes, and Mya Hansen added 15 as the Broncos snapped an 11-game road losing streak.
Vandals & Bengals Update
The Vandals are back home tonight, hosting Montana at ICCU Arena at 6 p.m. Idaho is 5-0 at home and looking for its first win over the Griz since 2022.
Idaho State is on the road this week, playing at Northern Colorado tonight and Northern Arizona Saturday. The Bengals lead the Big Sky in NET ranking and bench scoring.
Idaho Women on the Road
The Idaho Vandal women are on the road today at Montana in a Big Sky rivalry game. Tipoff is six o’clock in Missoula, with Idaho bringing one of the league’s top offenses and rebounding teams into the matchup.
Academic & Coaching Honors
Boise State matched a program record with eight players earning CSC Academic All-District honors for excellence on and off the field. The list includes quarterback Maddux Madsen, linebacker Marco Notarainni, receiver Chase Penry, tight end Matt Wagner, and safety Zion Washington. The award requires at least a 3.5 GPA.
On Monday, Idaho associate head coach Brandon Laird was named to Silver Waves Media’s Top 100 Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistants for the seventh straight year of the list. Also honored — Idaho State associate head coach Joe White, named to the list for the fifth time in his career.
WEATHER
Extended Forecast
Mostly sunny today with a high near thirty-three — but it’ll be breezy, with west-northwest winds gusting up to forty miles an hour. Tonight stays mostly clear with a low around twenty-five. Friday is mostly sunny and a little warmer near thirty-eight. The weekend looks nice — sunny Saturday near forty, partly sunny Sunday at forty-one — and we warm into the mid- to upper-forties by the middle of next week.
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 33. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 23 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 25. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. West southwest wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 40.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.
Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 41.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 46.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 47.
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