It's Worth Mentioning

Note: This episode was originally published on Oct. 19, 2025. Thomas Sutton’s main goal weeks into his inauguration as mayor of Idaho Falls was to ensure Idaho Falls became the headquarters for the Atomic Energy Commission, the agency that managed the predecessor to Idaho National Laboratory. A great deal of schmoozing and lobbying by Sutton and others paved the way for the city’s future growth an...

Note: This episode was originally published on Oct. 12, 2025. Two cabins in Jackson, Wyoming are what’s left of a set for a Hollywood western filmed in the area during the 1950s. One of them is five miles north of Jackson in Kelly and the other is under the ownership of History Jackson Hole, a museum in town. This week on “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Rett Nelson speaks with local researcher Samantha F...

Editor’s note: This is part two of a previous conversation. Part one was published on Dec. 14 and is available here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/it-s-been-25-years-since-release-of-film-that-made-richard-dutcher-the-father-of-mormon-cinema--68984469 Richard Dutcher was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at age 8. In 2000, the release of his film, “God’s Army,” creat...

As Christmas approaches, many await the arrival of Santa. The man who's responsible for millions of Christmas mysteries every year has been around for more than 200 years in America, but his origins date back much farther around the world. This week on "It's Worth Mentioning," Rett Nelson speaks with Gerry Bowler, author of "Santa Claus: A Biography." They discuss Santa's origin story, including h...

On March 10, 2000, a small, independent film premiered in theaters across Utah. "God’s Army" told the story of a rookie missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrestling with his own conversion. Aside from numerous films produced during the silent era and a Hollywood production called "Brigham Young," released in 1940, it was the first commercially produced film about Latter...

Gold had been discovered in the Sawtooth Mountains. It was 1879, thirty years after the California Gold Rush, and dozens of people from the southern United States, had come to central Idaho seeking their fortune. Samuel Holman was an attorney who filed one of the first gold claims in the area. He laid out the plots for a community to establish a mine. Soon after, the townsite of Custer -- named fo...

A desert site about 65 miles north of Las Vegas had been selected for nuclear weapons testing. It was 1953 and 11 atomic bomb detonations took place here between March and June as part of Operation Upshot-Knothole. The largest of these detonations, a warhead known as Harry, yielded 32 kilotonnes of radioactive energy — more than double the amount produced from the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshim...

Jim Bridger was an early mountaineer and explorer of the Pacific Northwest. He explored areas that now include Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. Throughout his life, he had friendly associations with many groups, including members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He settled the Salt Lake Valley before they arrived and expressed concerns to Brigham Young about their ability to pl...

Stewart Petersen has no regrets living out of the spotlight. The 64-year-old Cokeville, Wyoming man was cast as Billy Coleman in the 1974 film, “Where the Red Fern Grows.” He was only 13 at the time and went on to appear in half a dozen family-friendly films over the next six years. He left the film industry for good at that point. In an interview with Rett Nelson on “It’s Worth Mentioning,” the f...

Monica Church is nearly a year into her first term as a state legislator. The Boise Democrat is the granddaughter of two former beloved politicians from Idaho. Frank Church, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1957-1981 and is the namesake for the Frank Church Wilderness Area, is her grandfather on her mother’s side. Her paternal grandfather is Cecil Andrus, the state’s only four-term governor who...

Daylight Saving Time has officially ended … again. Although most of us probably appreciated the extra hour of sleep, this twice-yearly ritual of adjusting the time leaves many people asking, “Why do we do this?” There have been numerous efforts over the years to eliminate the practice. Earlier this year, Congress introduced the  Sunshine Protection Act . It aims to make daylight saving time — the...

Ronnie Kerbs is one of many who believe spirits roam the old Virginia Theater in Shelley. She and her husband, Devon, own Bacon and Bleu Family Restaurant at 688 North Holmes Avenue in Idaho Falls, but the couple once owned the old theater, which is now  a haunted attraction . During her time as the owner, Kerbs says she had numerous encounters with spirits. Although she never saw anything, she’s...

Thomas Sutton’s main goal weeks into his inauguration as the mayor of Idaho Falls was to ensure Idaho Falls became the headquarters for the Atomic Energy Commission, the agency that managed the predecessor to Idaho National Laboratory. A great deal of schmoozing and lobbying by Sutton and others paved the way for the city’s future growth and the INL campus becoming the largest employer in the regi...

Two cabins in Jackson, Wyoming are what’s left of a set for a Hollywood western filmed in the area during the 1950s. One of them is five miles north of Jackson in Kelly and the other is under the ownership of  History Jackson Hole , a museum in town. This week on “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Rett Nelson speaks with local researcher Samantha Ford and dives into the history of these cabins, the film in...

Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away on Sept. 27 at age 101. The Salt Lake City man was the church’s oldest leader in its history. His funeral is happening Tuesday, Oct. 7 at noon. Nelson’s passing fell one week before the church’s semi-annual general conference. Following the faith’s historic event, “It’s Worth Mentioning” hosted by Rett Nel...

It’s Worth Mentioning, a podcast about local history and pop culture, is back for another episode about black history in eastern Idaho. This week, Rett Nelson speaks with Delphia Bradley. She moved to Idaho Falls in 2023 to escape harassment and racism. After operating a meal delivery service, Bradley now has a traveling art exhibit about African-American culture. The exhibit will be coming to Ida...

A new podcast for trivia buffs is premiering on EastIdahoNews.com. It’s Worth Mentioning is a show about local history and pop culture and will showcase a variety of stories through interviews and narrative reporting. This week, host Rett Nelson takes a deep dive into political violence following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. In this episode, we look back at the assassin...