Idaho Mountain Express

Update: Saturday, July 12, around 6:40 p.m. The Sawtooth National Forest stated in a Facebook post around 6 p.m. that the fire, named the Cabin Creek Fire, was estimated to have burned about 5 acres. The forest stated that the firefighting resources ordered to the blaze included a half-dozen air tankers, two helicopters, four engines and two "suppression modules," a specialized team of firefighters. Additional crews were expected to arrive Monday, the forest stated.

Update: Sunday, July 12, around 4:26 p.m. Back at Camp Perkins around 4 p.m., White said the camp was aware of the “ready” status. “We are always in a state of readiness to address safety concerns and we’re already communicating with the parents as they check in,” she said. “We will continue to communicate with them as we have more information.” Ballis, who stopped at Camp Perkins around 4:15 p.m. to speak to camp leadership, said the fire had grown to roughly 3.5-5 acres and was not moving much.

Since its inception, Sun Valley Opera and Broadway has brought an easy going mix of opera and musical theater to the valley. In honor of its 25th anniversary, which it celebrates this year, the organization will present a musical concert of excerpts from a musical that perfectly embodies its ethos—“The Phantom of the Opera.” Based on a Gothic novel written in 1910, Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical adaption opened on Broadway in 1988.

The Bellevue City Council will continue a public hearing on Monday at 5:30 p.m. to further consider an appeal by the Karl Malone Ford and Powersports dealership that would allow the company to use four shipping containers at the autoplex for storage. The autoplex is located at 811 N. Main St. in Bellevue. The Bellevue Planning and Zoning Commission denied a design review application on April 6 that would have allowed the containers to be used in a fenced-in area on the dealership lot.

The Trump administration warned Idaho’s top election official that local and state election officials could be criminally prosecuted if they don’t stop noncitizens from voting in the federal 2026 midterm elections. The letter—which is similar to ones that the U.S. Justice Department sent to all 50 states this week—raises the stakes of the Trump administration’s push to eradicate noncitizen voting, a crime that several experts say is rare, including in Idaho.

Update: 9:55 p.m. Saturday: The lockdown was lifted at 9:09 p.m., Prudek said. 9 p.m. Saturday: A lockdown at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center on Saturday evening was implemented "out of an abundance of caution," hospital spokesperson Joy Prudek said. "The hospital is secure. … Law enforcement has assisted," Prudek stated in a text message to the Express. She said she was unable to provide details.

A lockdown at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center on Saturday evening was implemented "out of an abundance of caution," hospital spokesperson Joy Prudek said. "The hospital is secure. … Law enforcement has assisted," Prudek stated in a text message to the Express. She said she was unable to provide details.

Update: Friday, July 10, around 8:30 p.m. The Martin Fire was 100% contained as of about 6:45 p.m. Update: Friday, July 10, around 4:45 p.m. The Martin Fire is 90% contained, according to the South Idaho Interagency Dispatch Center. It has burned 1,065 acres. Update: Friday, July 10, around 10:45 a.m. Residents in a Slaughterhouse Canyon zone established by the Blaine County Sheriff's Office are no longer under a "set" pre-evacuation order.

Update: Friday, July 10, around 4:45 p.m. The Martin Fire is 90% contained, according to the South Idaho Interagency Dispatch Center. It has burned 1,065 acres. Update: Friday, July 10, around 10:45 a.m. Residents in a Slaughterhouse Canyon zone established by the Blaine County Sheriff's Office are no longer under a "set" pre-evacuation order.

National Newspaper Association judges have again ranked the Idaho Mountain Express among the best newspapers in the country, with the Express bringing home seven awards in the Association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest. The Association received submissions from 93 newspapers in 23 states for the 2026 Better Newspaper Contest, according to its website. The Express earned first place in the General Excellence category competing against non-daily papers with a circulation of 10,000 or more.