Enterprise The Idaho
Caribou County
Caribou County's Newspaper Since 2024
Caribou County, Idaho
February 5, 2026 | Vol. 3 No. 6
$1.50
NEWS IN BRIEF
Partial Reopening of Gaza’s Rafah Border Crossing
The Idan-ha Theatre was the site of Monday’s discussion and screening for Parent Night. The topic: raising kids in the social media age.
Time Well Spent—Raising kids in the digital age
On Monday, Bonnie Speas and Cohlee Winward—Community Coordinators for the Soda Springs School District— hosted a Parent Night as part of its “Time Well Spent” series. The event was designed as an informational session to provide parents with resources and material to help them navigate the ever-changing world of an “always-on” internet and social media culture. Speas and Winward plan to make the Parent Night event a recurring one. As a kickoff for the series, Monday’s presentation at the Idan-ha Theatre had a good turnout and gave the audience a chance to hear from professionals on one topic that all parents dread—social media and the effects it can have on their children. As a result of the accommodations at the Idan-ha theatre, the evening began with a screening of the opening segment of the documentary “Childhood 2.0”. The film explores different experiences and attitudes about social media and the internet from modern kids, as well as their parents. The film looks to explore the gap between how parents think their children interact with the internet, and the reality of that interaction from the kids’ perspective. Beyond the laugh lines about dial-up internet and playing outside “until the streetlights came on,” the film makes the clear point that a modern child does not have an experience with peers and the world around them that a parent can adequately understand. The point is to try. Detective Korey Payne from Bonneville County has considerable experience with the often harmful and even criminal actions that children can be exposed to, even in the county’s smallest communities. He spoke with the parents about the many issues that he encounters in his capacity as a detective with the ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) task force. As part of his work, Payne works on “cybertips” received by Idaho children and parents about situations that need law enforcement intervention. In addition to detection and apprehension, he also participates in operations where he and other officers pose as a child in order to identify groomers and others with pernicious motives in order to monitor and arrest them. Payne, who is a father himself, discussed some of the ruses he has seen perpetrators use to entice children into parasocial relationships that can sometimes turn much worse. It’s
Savannah Guthrie’s mother missing
Jeremy Banks, Camille Petersen, and Laurie Skinner made the venue for the meeting possible.
a well-known adage that you never know who you’re really interacting with online, but Payne has the firsthand experience to back up just how dangerous that can be. He outlined some of what he identified as the worst of the social media platforms for potential exploitation, which included the most well known (such as Snapchat and TikTok), as well as many that parents may have less familiarity with, like Discord. As Payne pointed out, new platform proliferate when old ones become heavily monitored, and the best tool is vigilance and parental involvement. Some platforms, for instance, are able to disguise problems with their unregulated or untracked user base by presenting themselves as anodyne children’s games. Roblox, what Payne calls “the absolute worst place for your children to be online,” is one site that he singled out specifically for being very unwilling to assist law enforcement in preventing predators from accessing young players. “They do nothing to help law enforcement,” he said. Payne told a story about arresting “a 70 year old guy online talking to kids recentDIGITAL AGE On Page 10
Soup Luncheon set for Feb 24 The annual Community Soup Luncheon at the Presbyterian Church in Soda Springs will be here Tuesday, February 24th from 11 A.M. To 1 P.M. for eating in. Take-outs for the day will begin at 10:45. The lunch will be held inside the Soda Springs Presbyterian Church at 109 S. 1st East, across from the City Park in Soda Springs. Those with questions are welcomed to call 208547-3771 for information or to order take-outs the day of the event. Organizers want to spread the word that everyone is welcome at the much anticipated community gathering. This year, there will be eight kinds of homemade soup, including chicken taco, chicken noodle, potato cheese, chili, ham and bean, clam chowder,
beef cabbage and Thai chicken curry. French bread, cake with cherries and whipped topping, coffee and water will round out the menu. Come enjoy a hot bowl of soup and a fine time with friends and neighbors. There are bound to be at least a few people that you already know, and many more that you’ll be happy
to meet. As much as anything, it’s a wonderful chance to take some time during the busy week and appreciate the simple but profound act of breaking bread with your neighbors. New this year, there is a “Sharing Table” with no longer needed items, which will be available for free. There is also no charge for the event itself, though donations will be gladly accepted. The luncheon is always a wonderful non-denominational time to gather with friends and enjoy a bit of warmth as the winter slowly makes its exit from the valley. Recent reports from the Groundhog in Pennsylvania predict six more weeks of winter, but at this point who can even say what that means?
IN THIS EDITION Neon Nights..........................................Pg. 2 Legislative Updates..............................Pg. 3 Puzzles.................................................Pg. 5
On February 2, 2026, Israel partially reopened the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt for the first time in nearly two years, allowing limited pedestrian movement under strict conditions as part of the ceasefire arrangements following the prolonged Israel-Hamas war. The crossing had been closed since mid-2024. During the pilot phase, up to roughly 150 people per day were expected to leave Gaza and 50 to return, with strict Israeli security screening and lists prepared in advance by Egyptian authorities and EU monitors coordinating the process. However, humanitarian aid trucks remain barred from entering through Rafah, a key concern for relief agencies given the ongoing food, medical and fuel shortages in the enclave after years of conflict and blockade. The limited reopening has drawn cautious international response — some governments and organizations welcomed the step as a humanitarian corridor, while others criticized the restrictions and warned that continued blocking of commercial aid undermines the ceasefire and exile options for civilians.
Looking Back.......................................Pg. 7 Obituaries............................................Pg. 9 Sports...........................................Pg. 10-12
As of the evening of Monday, February 2, 2026, Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, 84, is reported missing and the case remains active. Nancy, who lives in the Catalina Foothills area near Tucson, Arizona, was last seen on the evening of Saturday, January 31. Family members became concerned when she could not be reached and failed to attend church the following morning, prompting a missing-person report on Sunday, February 1. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is leading the investigation and has classified her as a vulnerable adult due to physical health issues and limited mobility, though authorities have said she is mentally alert. Investigators have emphasized that she requires daily medication, increasing concern for her safety. Law enforcement has treated her home as a potential crime scene after finding evidence suggesting she may not have left voluntarily, and homicide detectives have been brought in alongside searchand-rescue teams using dogs, drones, and ground searches. As of Monday evening, Nancy Guthrie had not been located. Savannah Guthrie was absent from the Today show and released a brief statement thanking the public for support and asking anyone with information to contact authorities, underscoring that the family’s focus is on Nancy’s safe return.
NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission Delay Due to Weather
In space exploration news, NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission to orbit the Moon, the first such flight with astronauts since the Apollo era, has experienced schedule delays due to unusually cold weather at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida that disrupted critical pre-launch testing (“wet dress rehearsal”). The launch, originally targeted for early February, is now expected no earlier than Sunday, February 8, pending completion of tests and favorable weather conditions. The mission will carry four astronauts — including historically significant milestones such as the first woman and first person of color to travel that far beyond Earth orbit — on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.