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Government & Accountability

What Happens Next in the Frohlich Recall

May 26, 2026

Over 300 signatures filed on the Frohlich recall. The clerk has 15 business days to verify; certification triggers a 5-day resignation window for the mayor.

VICTOR — Organizers turned in more than 300 signatures Tuesday for the Frohlich recall, the Teton County Clerk's office said, above the roughly 230 needed to force a recall election.

The clerk's office has 15 business days to verify each signature against Victor's voter rolls. If the count holds, the Frohlich recall moves into a tight statutory sequence that ends with a council-appointed mayor and a few other choices for the city. If Frohlich ends up on a recall ballot, a simple majority of votes cast will decide whether he retains office.

The clerk's office has the petition. Under Idaho law, it has 15 business days from receipt to verify each signature against Victor's voter rolls and attach a certificate to the sheets. The threshold is 20% of the voters registered for Victor's last general city election. Teton County Clerk Kim Keeley put that electorate at 1,151 when the petition was filed in March, which puts the bar at roughly 230 signatures. Petition organizers submit a cushion to account for signers who turn out to be unregistered, registered outside Victor city limits, or signing more than once. Whether Tuesday's count holds will depend on verification.

VICTOR — Organizers turned in more than 300 signatures Tuesday for the Frohlich recall, the Teton County Clerk's office said, above the roughly 230 needed to force a recall election.

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The Week Ahead

The Two-Week Ahead: Back-to-Back BOCC, Centennial Estates Settlement, and a Venue Motion

May 26, 2026

DRIGGS — Memorial Day opens a two-week window anchored by the Centennial Estates Settlement and an agenda dense enough to fill two consecutive Teton County commissioners' meetings, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Item 4.2 on Tuesday's agenda, "Amend Regular Meeting Schedule," appears to formalize the spillover; any items the commissioners don't reach Tuesday roll to Wednesday morning. Victor City Council holds an annexation hearing Wednesday evening, and the Victor v. Driggs wastewater lawsuit returns Friday on a motion for change of venue.

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The Week Ahead

The Two-Week Ahead: Primary Day, the Tetonia Auction, and Memorial Day

May 18, 2026

DRIGGS — Primary day on Tuesday, May 19, is the busiest single day in the two-week ahead. Idaho's statewide primary, the Teton County Road & Bridge Levy, and the Driggs City Council hearing on the Alexandria Condos rezone all land on the same Tuesday. The Tetonia state-land auction follows Friday, May 22. Memorial Day on Monday, May 25, then rearranges the county's regular 4th-Monday meeting cycle.

DEQ FY2027 Clean Water SRF comment deadline, 5 p.m. MT. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality closes the public comment window on its FY2027 draft Intended Use Plan. Driggs ranks first on the draft list with a $25 million package: $6.34 million in principal forgiveness and an $18.66 million loan at 2.5 percent over 30 years. The final list publishes June 1.

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Health & Safety

Teton Valley Health Care Ahead of Budget Six Months Into Recovery Year

May 14, 2026

DRIGGS — Teton Valley Health Care CEO Leianne Everett told Teton County commissioners May 11 that the hospital is running ahead of budget six months into fiscal 2026, posting a $13,000 operating margin against a forecast loss of $478,000.

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Growth & Land Use

Commissioners Deny Sweetwater Reconsideration on Standing; Phase 1 Approval Stands

May 11, 2026

DRIGGS — Teton County commissioners voted 3-0 on Monday to deny the Sweetwater reconsideration petition on standing grounds, affirming the March 9 approval of the Sweetwater Subdivision Phase 1 preliminary plat amendment.

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Health & Safety

Yellowstone Grizzly Attack on Mystic Falls Trail; Two Brothers Airlifted to Idaho Falls

May 11, 2026

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — A grizzly attack on the Mystic Falls Trail near Old Faithful injured two brothers on Monday, May 4, the National Park Service said. The agency airlifted both men to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.

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The Week Ahead

The Two-Week Ahead: Five New Applications, the LDC Hearing, and Primary Day

May 11, 2026

DRIGGS — The week ahead in Teton Valley loads five development applications onto the joint Driggs and Teton County Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) docket for May 12, the centerpiece of a two-week stretch that also runs a full Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting on May 11, the county's Land Development Code (LDC) public hearing on May 18, and the Idaho primary on May 19. The county had not posted cover pages for the May 11 BOCC and May 12 P&Z hearings to the eScribe portal as of Sunday night, but staff reports and supporting documents for every item are on file.

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Growth & Land Use

YMCA Pitch to Teton 401: An Early Idea, Not a Plan

April 29, 2026

DRIGGS — Advocates for a Teton Valley YMCA presented an exploratory discussion to the Teton 401 school board on April 13, asking trustees to consider whether about 18 acres of district-owned land along Ski Hill Road, near Teton High School, Teton Middle School, and Driggs Elementary, might host a future YMCA campus. The item carried no motion or vote.

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The Week Ahead

The Two-Week Ahead: Sweetwater Returns as the LDC Window Closes May 11

May 1, 2026

The week ahead in Teton Valley packs three of the spring's biggest civic items into a single Monday. On May 11, Teton County commissioners are scheduled to rule on whether neighbors have standing to reopen the Sweetwater Subdivision approval, the written-comment window on the county Land Development Code rewrite closes at 5 p.m., and Idaho DEQ holds a virtual info meeting on the $25 million wastewater funding package that ranks Driggs first on the state's draft list. The following Tuesday, Driggs Planning and Zoning takes up the 171-lot Corona Valley Subdivision. The window closes Sunday, May 17, a quiet day before May 19, the heaviest civic day on the spring calendar.

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Health & Safety

An Active Fire Season Is Coming to Teton Valley

April 29, 2026

DRIGGS — Federal forecasters expect an above-normal fire season across southern Idaho this July. Snowpack across most of the West is at or near record lows after a record-warm mid-March. Spring snow and rain since have driven a fast green-up that's complicating the prescribed burns the Caribou-Targhee National Forest planned to run this spring.

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The Week Ahead

Week Ahead: April 27 – May 10

April 25, 2026

The week ahead in Teton County puts three separate hearings in the courthouse on Monday: a Board of County Commissioners business meeting, a reconsideration of the Sweetwater Ranch Subdivision after a resident petition, and the first town hall on the new Teton River recreation ordinance. Idaho organizers face a Thursday deadline to turn in signatures for the reproductive rights ballot initiative. Wildfire Awareness Day lands Saturday, May 2. The following week opens with a Driggs City Council meeting on May 5 and goes quiet through the weekend of May 9–10.

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Government & Accountability

Driggs Wastewater Funding Tops State List at $25 Million

April 24, 2026

DRIGGS — Idaho DEQ placed Driggs wastewater funding at the top of its draft Clean Water State Revolving Fund priority list for fiscal year 2027, making the city eligible for up to $25 million to rebuild its treatment plant.

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The Week Ahead

Week Ahead: Targhee Open House, Victor P&Z Hearings, and the Evans Property Vote

April 15, 2026

Victor P&Z commissioners will hear two continued applications Wednesday night, the council faces a critical vote on the Evans property closing April 22, and the Grand Targhee expansion open house anchors a week packed with public input sessions across Teton Valley.

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Government & Accountability

Victor Wastewater Hearing Pushed to September

April 8, 2026

DRIGGS — The judicial confirmation hearing for the Victor wastewater borrowing plan has been rescheduled to September 11-13, expanding from a single-day hearing originally set for April 7 to a three-day proceeding, according to Teton County Court records.

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Growth & Land Use

Teton Valley Housing: Idaho Spends $51 Per Resident on Housing While Neighbors Spend Hundreds

April 8, 2026

DRIGGS — Idaho spends $51 per resident on state and federal housing programs, compared with $107 in Montana, $217 in Wyoming, and $1,150 in Colorado, Teton Valley Housing executive director Jared Pfeiffer told the Driggs City Council on Tuesday.

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Government & Accountability

Driggs City Council Approves Park-and-Ride Contract, Trail Easement, White Antler Plat

April 8, 2026

DRIGGS — The Driggs City Council approved a $428,211 park-and-ride construction contract, a trail easement across school district property, the first-phase final plat for the White Antler subdivision, and new parliamentary rules at its Tuesday meeting.

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Events

Music on Main 2026: Built to Spill Headlines 21st Season

April 7, 2026

VICTOR — The Teton Valley Foundation announced the Music on Main 2026 lineup on April 6, opening its 21st season with Boise indie rock band Built to Spill on June 18 at Victor City Park.

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The Week Ahead

Week Ahead: Wastewater Hearing Delayed as Driggs, Victor Councils Meet

April 6, 2026

DEVELOPING: The judicial confirmation hearing on Victor's petition to borrow $35 million for an independent wastewater treatment facility, scheduled for April 7 before Judge Steven Boyce, has been delayed. The Valley Signal is requesting details on the reason and rescheduled date. Updates will follow.

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Growth & Land Use

HB 583: What Changes for Short-Term Rentals in Teton Valley

March 30, 2026

HB 583 rewrites Idaho Code § 67-6539 to limit the authority of cities and counties to regulate short-term rentals. The bill prohibits local governments from requiring licenses, permits, fees, inspections, or registrations to operate an STR, while preserving basic fire-safety provisions and existing tax collection authority. It passed the Idaho Senate 23-12 on March 10. Gov. Little signed it March 16, and it takes effect July 1, 2026. The legislature tried twice before, with failed measures in 2024 and 2025, to settle the tension between local regulation and property-owner rights in Idaho's growing STR market.

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The Week Ahead

The Two-Week Ahead: Judicial Confirmation Hearing Leads April Calendar

March 30, 2026

VICTOR — Spring break empties the valley this week, with no government meetings scheduled. The week of April 6 brings Victor's judicial confirmation hearing for a $35 million wastewater plant and packed city council agendas.

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The Week Ahead

The Week Ahead: March 23–29

March 22, 2026

In the week ahead, five things to watch in Teton Valley: a county commission meeting, a land-use workshop on subdivision rules, and two public hearings in Victor.

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Deep Dive

Victor v. Driggs: Inside Teton Valley's $65 Million Wastewater Breakdown

March 20, 2026

For more than 25 years, the cities of Victor and Driggs have shared the Driggs wastewater treatment system. That partnership is now the subject of a major lawsuit, a mayoral recall effort, and more than $65 million in proposed infrastructure spending between the two cities. This is how it happened, what the lawsuit says, and what comes next.

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Health & Safety

Rexburg Man Killed in Highway 33 Rollover After Hitting Elk

March 19, 2026

TETONIA — A 35-year-old Rexburg man died Monday morning after his truck struck a dead elk on State Highway 33 and rolled off the road.

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Growth & Land Use

Corona Valley Subdivision Proposed Adjacent to Teton High School

March 19, 2026

DRIGGS — The Corona Valley subdivision, a proposed 180-unit residential development, is moving through the Driggs planning process, with the development site located directly east of Teton High School.

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Growth & Land Use

Forest Service Pushes Grand Targhee Expansion Timeline Again

March 19, 2026

ALTA — The U.S. Forest Service has delayed the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Grand Targhee Resort's proposed expansion, pushing the timeline back by four months.

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Health & Safety

Teton Valley Hospital Secures Emergency Funding, Weighs Long-Term Options

March 19, 2026

DRIGGS — Teton Valley Hospital has secured enough philanthropic support to keep its doors open while leadership evaluates the hospital's long-term future, according to a public FAQ the hospital posted on March 6.

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Government & Accountability

Judge to Decide Victor Wastewater Borrowing April 7

March 19, 2026

Update: The Victor Wastewater Hearing was Pushed to September as of April 7, 2026.

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Growth & Land Use

Birch Crossing: Victor Commission Balks at 172-Unit Rental Project as Developer Regroups

April 2, 2026

VICTOR — The Planning and Zoning Commission rejected the proposed density for Birch Crossing, a 172-unit rental housing development on 10 acres near Birch Street and Baseline Road, at the March 19 hearing. Commissioners voted unanimously to continue the application and directed the developer to return with lower-density zoning, a requirement that would force a redesign from apartments to duplexes.

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Health & Safety

Boil Water Advisory Issued for North Driggs Residents

March 23, 2026

Driggs, Idaho — March 23, 2026

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Government & Accountability

County Commission Unanimously Adopts Revised Juvenile Ordinances After Backlash

March 23, 2026

DRIGGS — The Teton County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 on Monday to adopt revised juvenile ordinances covering runaways and minors "beyond control of parents." The revisions follow a sharp community backlash after the commission first adopted the ordinances in December.

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Government & Accountability

Teton County Road Levy Returns to May Ballot as State Cuts Raise the Stakes

March 23, 2026

DRIGGS — Teton County voters will decide on May 19 whether to renew the Special Road & Bridge Levy, a two-year funding measure that has appeared on primary ballots every cycle since 2010. This year's request: $1.5 million per year, up from the $1.4 million approved in 2024.

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Government & Accountability

Juvenile Ordinance Revisions Up for Review at March 23 Commission Meeting

March 19, 2026

DRIGGS — Teton County commissioners will review proposed revisions to the controversial juvenile ordinance provisions on runaway and "beyond parental control" cases at their meeting this Sunday, March 23.

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Government & Accountability

Recall Petition Filed Against Victor Mayor Over Wastewater Fight

March 19, 2026

VICTOR — A group of Victor residents is attempting to remove Mayor Will Frohlich from office, filing a recall petition with the Teton County Clerk on March 10.

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