Your Daily Briefing – 01/07/2026

🚨 TRAFFIC & INCIDENTS

🚗 U.S. 30 Crash Near Kimberly
Early this morning, crews were called to the scene of a crash on U.S. 30 near Hankins Road by Kimberly at milepost 222. Drivers are urged to use an alternate route and expect delays.

🚆 Train vs. Vehicle Near Buhl
A family escaped injury after their car was hit by a train near Buhl just after 12:30 yesterday afternoon. The crash shut down the area for about an hour, and the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating.

🏛️ STATE POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

💰 Child Care Funding Freeze Proposed
Two Idaho Republican lawmakers want the state to temporarily freeze 14-million dollars in federal child care funding until stronger fraud safeguards are added. The request follows a major fraud case in Minnesota. Idaho officials say no fraud has been found here, but oversight is being tightened.

📊 Budget Leadership Change
Rep. Josh Tanner of Eagle will now co-chair the Legislature’s powerful budget committee. Tanner becomes the House co-chair of JFAC as Idaho faces a forty-million-dollar shortfall this year and a projected five-hundred-fifty-five-million-dollar gap for the next budget cycle. Tanner says lower-priority programs may be cut to balance the budget.

🚘 New DMV Tow Portal
Idaho drivers now have a way to track certain towed vehicles online. A new DMV portal sends email or text alerts when law enforcement tows or reports a vehicle as abandoned. The system is designed to speed up notifications, improve fee transparency, and help owners retrieve vehicles faster.

🏥 HEALTH

🤒 Flu Activity Very High
Flu activity in Southern Idaho is currently very high, public health reports show, with a surge in positive influenza tests and rising hospital visits as the season intensifies. Health officials urge residents to get vaccinated, watch for fever, cough, and body aches, and stay home if sick.

🦠 Measles Case in Madison County
Health officials say a child in Madison County has measles after traveling out of state to an outbreak area. Officials say there’s no evidence of local spread.

💔 Twin Falls County Family Recovery
The French family in Twin Falls County is still recovering after a tree fell on two of their children last month. Eleven-year-old Porter remains hospitalized in Boise, while his sister Viviana has been released.

🏗️ BUSINESS & DEVELOPMENT

🏬 Boise Factory Outlets Could Be Demolished
The Boise Factory Outlets mall south of Boise could soon be demolished after a proposal was filed to remove the mostly vacant site. The land is planned for a new Kenworth truck facility, pending city approval.

🏀 SPORTS — HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL RESULTS

🏀 Boys

Burley fell at Preston, 67–32. The Bobcats host Century tomorrow.
Raft River stayed hot with a 67–51 win at Sun Valley Community School.
Highland (Pocatello) won at Canyon Ridge, 63–58.
Carey beat Dietrich, 59–41.
Hansen edged Camas County, 40–38.
Kimberly defeated Jerome, 61–42 in non-conference play.

🏀 Girls

Carey rolled at Dietrich, 51–25.
Hansen won at home over Camas County, 49–35.
Castleford beat Richfield, 48–41.
Filer topped Wendell, 46–35.
Murtaugh edged Glenns Ferry, 38–34.
Raft River cruised past Shoshone, 56–12.
Oakley won at Valley, 47–21.

🏀 SPORTS — TONIGHT’S HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS

🏀 Boys (Conference & Non-Conference)

6:30 PM — Sun Valley Community School (6–1) at Hagerman (4–4)
7:30 PM
- Richfield (3–4) at Castleford (2–6)
- Raft River (3–3) at Murtaugh (5–2)
- Oakley (2–4) at Shoshone (3–4)
- Non-Conference: Buhl (5–3) at Wendell (7–1)

🏀 Girls (All Tip at 7:30 PM)

Canyon Ridge (2–10) at Buhl (0–13)
Twin Falls (4–9) at Burley (7–3)
Malad (11–2) at Declo (5–7)
Minico (1–10) at Jerome (8–5)
Kimberly (3–10) at Wood River (7–2)

🏀 COLLEGE SPORTS

⭐ CSI Honors
CSI sophomore Jalen Lyn was named Scenic West Player of the Week after scoring 31 points in a win over North Idaho. The Golden Eagles are on the road this weekend at Colorado Northwestern and Salt Lake.

🏈 University of Idaho Football
The University of Idaho introduced its new football coordinators Monday in Moscow. Defensive coordinator Lee Stalker arrives from Iowa State, emphasizing speed, fundamentals, and teamwork. Offensive coordinator Ian Shoemaker returns to the Northwest from Eastern and Central Washington, bringing a balanced, physical, run-first approach. Both are actively recruiting as the Vandals prepare for next season.

🏆 Coaching Recognition
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. Idaho State associate head coach Joe White was also honored for the fifth time.

📚 Academic All-District
Boise State tied a program record with eight players earning CSC Academic All-District honors, including quarterback Maddux Madsen, linebacker Marco Notarainni, receiver Chase Penry, tight end Matt Wagner, and safety Zion Washington. A minimum 3.5 GPA is required.

🏟️ Tonight’s College Games

Boise State men host Grand Canyon tonight at Extra Mile Arena, tip-off at 9 p.m.
Boise State women visit Air Force tonight, tip-off at 6:30 p.m. The Broncos lead the Mountain West in three-point shooting and assists.

🏟️ Upcoming

Idaho hosts Montana tomorrow night at ICCU Arena at 6 p.m. The Vandals are 5-0 at home.
Idaho State plays at Northern Colorado tomorrow and Northern Arizona Saturday. The Bengals lead the Big Sky in NET ranking and bench scoring.

🌦️ WEATHER

🌧️ Today
Rain likely before 11 a.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 11 a.m. Mostly cloudy, high near 44. West wind 8 to 14 mph with gusts up to 23 mph. Chance of precipitation: 70%.

🌧️🌨️ Tonight
Rain showers before 11 p.m., then a chance of snow. Some thunder possible. Low around 27. Winds gusting up to 24 mph. Chance of precipitation: 80%. New snow accumulation less than a half inch possible.

🌤️ Thursday
20% chance of snow before 11 a.m., then sunny. High near 36. Breezy with gusts up to 36 mph.

🌙 Thursday Night
Partly cloudy, low around 24.

☀️ Friday
Mostly sunny, high near 38. Low Friday night near 22.

☀️ Saturday
Mostly sunny, high near 40. Low near 22.

⛅ Sunday
Partly sunny, high near 40. Low near 23.

☀️ Monday
Mostly sunny, high near 41. Low near 25.

☀️ Tuesday
Mostly sunny, high near 42.

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Benjamin Reed