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French bistro-inspired eatery Petite 4 opens on the Bench
It's marked only by a small sign, but French bistro-inspired Petite 4, which opened on the Boise Bench on April 11, is already a game-changer for the neighborhood. Its owners, David "DK" and Sarah Kelly, were the restaurateurs behind the popular Bleubird sandwich shop in downtown Boise. When they announced they planned to close Bleubird in late January, they also teased Petite 4, instantly making the new restaurant one of the most hotly anticipated in town. Though the experience of eating at Petite 4 on 4 Latah St. is, in many ways, a radical departure from its downtown predecessor, the two restaurants are branches of the same culinary and stylistic tree. Fans of Bleubird will find the food and atmosphere at Petite 4 every bit as enjoyable. Let's start with the starters. The country pate on the charcuterie menu ($15) is made from chicken, duck and pork, and comes with Maille stone-ground mustard and cornichons. Spread on slices of a sourdough demi baguette from Sable Baking, which operates out of Petite 4's kitchen, it's a smooth mix of elements: salty, fatty and bitter. The chorizo and manchego croquettes, served with romesco and oil-cured olives ($9), are the color of a sunset, particularly after a coat of romesco, and although the brittle crust and creamy filling are tasty on their own, biting into the occasional chewy hunk of chorizo releases a satisfying, salty splash. Enter the entrees: cassoulet ($19), featuring duck confit, pork belly, more chorizo, beans and tomato gratin; smoked salmon crepes ($17), with saffron aioli and baby mache; and black beluga lentils ($13), with julienned cabbage and kale, onions, coconut and saffron aioli. The cassoulet is a hearty dish with fatty pork belly and expertly prepared duck thigh on the bone, and the beluga lentils are piled in a ziggurat surrounded by an aioli moat painted on the bowl. The most satisfying of the three is the elegantly plated salmon crepes. The briney contents cut the smoothness of the sometimes soft, sometimes crispy pancakes and the herb-laced aioli. Lastly, it would be a mistake to skimp on dessert. The bitter chocolate mousse served in a brass pineapple with a dollop of whipped cream ($5), the lemon meringue pie ($9) and the sticky toffee pudding dusted with fragrant orange zest ($9) are all worthy candidates.Each comes with a card advertising paired wines, and the latter are big…
Knitting Factory, Thursday, April 19
Kids who grew up in the early 2000s likely have All Time Low's "Dear Maria, Count Me In" and "Damned If I Do Ya" imprinted in the backs of their minds. For its seventh and most recent album, Last Young Renegade (Fueled by Ramen, 2017), the Maryland-based rockers that produce what is already a nostalgic sound embrace a backward look at their own childhoods. "By returning to those warm feelings of wide-eyed wonder from childhood, bottling them up tight, and distilling them with years of wisdom, evolution becomes seamless," reads the All Time Low bio for Knitting Factory, where it will take the stage Thursday, April 19, in Boise. Last Young Renegade is something of a rebel's anthem, and listening through it is almost like watching a movie: Wide-angle tracks like "Drugs & Candy" easily rope the audience in to join the band on refrains, while tighter pieces like the title track are still-upbeat odes to lost relationships. Snag tickets to press play.
The Olympic, Wednesday, April 25
The title of the newest album from Texas funk trio Khruangbin, Con Todo El Mundo (LateNightTales, 2018), translates to "With All the World," an appropriate title for a band that claims to be "rooted in the deepest waters of world music" and inspired by tunes from South East Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Con Todo El Mudo is only the group's second album, but it has already carved its own niche in the American music scene—perhaps by attempting to draw on so many other niche styles worldwide, from Thailand-based funk to Iraqi soul. Instrumental-heavy tracks like "Maria Tambien," which is more or less one long, fluttering guitar solo overlaid by whispers and underscored by drum beats, recall slow-motion outdoor dance circles, everyone swaying to the music. To listen to the album in full is to travel the world while sitting still; no doubt the live performance will produce even more magic.
Opens Friday, April 27 at The Flicks
Corruption, violence and rescue: It's a disturbingly cruel cycle repeated often and with ever-heightening fervor in each revolution (and there are many) of You Were Never Really Here, a very dark dive starring Joaquin Phoenix. I take a bsvk seat to no one in my admiration for Phoenix, who won the 2017 Cannes Film Festival Best Actor prize for this performance. But here's a clarion warning: You Were Never Really Here is a very heady trip to the cinema. God only knows how potential clients get a hold of Joe (the character played by Phoenix, whose last name the audience never learns), and God only knows the trouble Joe has seen. He's a combat veteran suffering from increasingly intense spirals of PTSD. He spends his days caring for his mother, who is slowly slipping into extreme dementia, and he spends his nights punishing perpetrators of sexual slavery and rescuing their victims. His weapon of choice is a ball-peen hammer. To that end, Joe is the darkest of dark knights, but a fractured one nonetheless. His character is not unlike Denzel Washington's Bob McCall in The Equalizer (2011) or Robert DeNiro's Travis Bickle, the warped avenger in Taxi Driver (1976). In the film, Joe is hired by a high-profile politician to rescue the politician's teenage daughter, who has been lured into sex slavery. Along his tortuous path, he unearths cancerous political corruption leading all the way to the Governor's mansion. And as he attempts to rescue the girl, the corruption (and bodies) keep piling up. In addition to Phoenix's performance, one of his best, the film features a superb script, adapted from Jonathan Ames' 90-page novella by writer/director Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin), a master of lean visual storytelling. "I hear you can be brutal," the senator says to Joe. "I can be," says Joe, in a barely audible hush. "I want you to hurt them," says the senator. He has no idea.…
"I don't know if he's aware of how much influence he's had in my life."
Chelsea Gaona-Lincoln, 34, remembers the first time she met David Lincoln, the man who would become her stepfather. "I was four years old. I went on one of his first dates with mom," said Gaona-Lincoln. "I was even included in their vows when I was five. And when we got to move to dad's farm in Wilder, it was the best.""I became an instant dad," said Lincoln, now 62, beaming at his stepdaughter. "All of a sudden, I had this lovely, inquisitive, analytical girl as a daughter." Personality-wise, the two have plenty in common, but politically they have plenty of differences. She's a staunch Democrat and he's a longtime fixture in Canyon County Republican party politics. More importantly, they're both running for the Idaho Legislature this year—for opposing parties. Luckily, they're not running directly against one another. Lincoln is one of five Republicans in the Tuesday, May 15 GOP primary for Idaho House seat 11B. Gaona-Lincoln is running unopposed in the Democratic primary, but come November she'll face Rep. Greg Chaney (R-Caldwell) in the race for Idaho House seat 10B. Before this year, did you talk much politics at the dinner table? Lincoln: No, we really don't do that. My wife limits us. Gaona-Lincoln: But Mom talks politics with me. Lincoln: And then she tells me what they talked about. Just for the record, you're running in different districts, so Mr. Lincoln, there's no question that your wife will be be voting for you. Gaona-Lincoln: She supports Dad 110 percent. Mr. Lincoln, you've worked for the GOP in your district for many years, but this is your first time running for the legislature. Why wait? Lincoln: When Rep. Christy Perry (R-Nampa) decided to run for Congress and relinquish her seat in the Idaho House, I was overjoyed that people asked me to run for that seat. With my experience, I'm pretty certain that I could serve on any committee at the Legislature. I've got some pretty strong ties there. Ms. Gaona-Lincoln, you're no stranger at the Statehouse either. I've seen you testify there on a number of occasions. Gaona-Lincoln: But sometimes, a few Republicans walk in the other direction when they see me coming. How easy or difficult was your decision to run for office? Gaona-Lincoln: After graduating from the College of Idaho, I decided to stay in Caldwell with the intent of running for the legislature someday. I'm…
Los Angeles remains the U.S. city with the worst ozone pollution. In fact, eight of the top-10 most ozone-polluted cities were in California.
Residents in Southwest Idaho are well-familiar with yellow and orange air alerts issued by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. It was just last July when Boise saw no fewer than 20 days of yellow alerts, indicating moderate levels of pollution. By August, Boise was blanketed by smoke coming in from a half-dozen major wildfires in the region, triggering a string of orange alerts. And by September, the DEQ issued a statewide air quality advisory and the Treasure Valley edged up to the dreaded "purple" alert category, indicating "very unhealthy" conditions. As a result, the Boise and West Ada School districts canceled all outside activities and events September 6-8. In its newly released "State of the Air 2018" report, the American Lung Association gave a "D" grade to Ada County for its high level of ozone. Franklin, Benewah, Lemhi and Shoshone counties also received low marks for their multiple number of "high particle pollution days." Canyon County did not submit any ozone reports to be included in the analysis. According to the analysis, ozone pollution worsened significantly compared to the previous report, with the number of total Americans exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution increasing to more than 133 million people, higher than the 125 million estimated in the 2017 report. Los Angeles remains the U.S. city with the worst ozone pollution. In fact, eight of the top-10 most ozone-polluted cities were in California. Outside of California, a troubling number of other Western communities made the list of cities most affected by short-term particle pollution, including Salt Lake City (No. 8); Logan, Utah (No. 11); Missoula, Montana (No. 12); Seattle-Tacoma, Washington (No. 15); Yakima, Washington (No. 17); and Eugene, Oregon (No. 24). The good news for the west is that two cities—Bellingham, Washington, and Casper, Wyoming—were among some of the cleanest cities, with zero high ozone or high particle pollution days, according to the report. [pdf-1]…
The James Castle House is a place of mystery and a stepping stone for the city of Boise
The gate to the slatted, whitewashed shed swung open, revealing a second miniscule, decrepit shed inside: the onetime home and studio of feted Boise artist James Castle. The awning of the workspace leaned precariously on one side, torsion exposing old nails. Inside, wallpaper peeled from the walls and a rickety cupboard was on its last legs. Rachel Reichert, cultural sites manager for the city of Boise, and architect Byron Folwell said they are determined to preserve the decaying structure. "This is no different in our opinion from a Castle jar of soot," Reichert said, referring to the ash the artist used in his work. Deciding what to save and how to save it at the James Castle House site in the Collister Neighborhood has been one of the most significant challenges Folwell and Reichert faced as they set about preserving, restoring and converting the property into a gallery space, artist-in-residence studio and general cultural center. Those kinds of decisions have not been made easier by the features of the house or the artist who lived there, but they have held a few surprises. Castle, who lived in and near the house from 1931 until his death in 1977, created thousands of individual artworks using found materials like ash, scrap paper and his own spit. Best known for his voluminous works depicting the area in and around the house, he was also drawn to repeating patterns like gingham and lettering, and produced occasional portraits, some of which hang in the house gallery. Many of his works are double-sided, and there are frequently dozens of versions of each of them. His attractions to repetition and pattern, combined with his deep relationship to the place where he lived, make learning about Castle and seeing his art where it was made a vivid experience. The James Castle House is what architects call a "vernacular house." Since its original construction, the house has undergone numerous phases of additions and modernizations, and Folwell said he had to do some "investigative demolition" to get it in working order. In the process, he uncovered its history. "We had this story of how buildings were built," he said. "What we found were about seven houses inside this one house." One of the clearest examples is the "materials collection." Formerly the location of the original front door, the tiny room was an addition to the original 12-by-26-foot house.…
French bistro-inspired eatery Petite 4 opens on the Bench
It's marked only by a small sign, but French bistro-inspired Petite 4, which opened on the Boise Bench on April 11, is already a game-changer for the neighborhood. Its owners, David "DK" and Sarah Kelly, were the restaurateurs behind the popular Bleubird sandwich shop in downtown Boise. When they announced they planned to close Bleubird in late January, they also teased Petite 4, instantly making the new restaurant one of the most hotly anticipated in town. Though the experience of eating at Petite 4 on 4 Latah St. is, in many ways, a radical departure from its downtown predecessor, the two restaurants are branches of the same culinary and stylistic tree. Fans of Bleubird will find the food and atmosphere at Petite 4 every bit as enjoyable. Let's start with the starters. The country pate on the charcuterie menu ($15) is made from chicken, duck and pork, and comes with Maille stone-ground mustard and cornichons. Spread on slices of a sourdough demi baguette from Sable Baking, which operates out of Petite 4's kitchen, it's a smooth mix of elements: salty, fatty and bitter. The chorizo and manchego croquettes, served with romesco and oil-cured olives ($9), are the color of a sunset, particularly after a coat of romesco, and although the brittle crust and creamy filling are tasty on their own, biting into the occasional chewy hunk of chorizo releases a satisfying, salty splash. Enter the entrees: cassoulet ($19), featuring duck confit, pork belly, more chorizo, beans and tomato gratin; smoked salmon crepes ($17), with saffron aioli and baby mache; and black beluga lentils ($13), with julienned cabbage and kale, onions, coconut and saffron aioli. The cassoulet is a hearty dish with fatty pork belly and expertly prepared duck thigh on the bone, and the beluga lentils are piled in a ziggurat surrounded by an aioli moat painted on the bowl. The most satisfying of the three is the elegantly plated salmon crepes. The briney contents cut the smoothness of the sometimes soft, sometimes crispy pancakes and the herb-laced aioli. Lastly, it would be a mistake to skimp on dessert. The bitter chocolate mousse served in a brass pineapple with a dollop of whipped cream ($5), the lemon meringue pie ($9) and the sticky toffee pudding dusted with fragrant orange zest ($9) are all worthy candidates.Each comes with a card advertising paired wines, and the latter are big…
"All of us really need to be focusing on the dangers of victim-blaming."
It's as simple as throwing on a pair of jeans—literally. That said, advocates at the Women's and Children's Alliance say Denim Day, which this year will be Wednesday, April 25, is a perfect fit for their mission to raise awareness of the danger of sexual assault. The worldwide campaign started in 1992, when an 18-year-old Italian woman was picked up at her home by a middle-aged driving instructor her parents had hired. The male instructor drove the young woman away from her town, raped her and threatened to harm her family if she told anyone. The victim eventually told authorities, but the rapist's conviction was overturned by the Italian Supreme Court because the victim had worn tight jeans. Following the ruling and the freeing of the rapist, a number of women, all wearing jeans, staged a protest at the Italian Parliament. "It's one of the most 'good/horrible' stories I've ever heard," said Chris Davis, WCA Communications Manager. "A young woman was with someone in a position of trust, and he completely violated and threatened her. They let him go because of what she was wearing." The WCA began observing Denim Day in 2014. Since then, the nonprofit organization has designed several posters, stickers and ribbons—all available on its website—that promote the event, and it has received an influx of orders, many coming from outside Idaho, for the promotional items. Davis praised the amount of local support for the event, including from some high-profile Idahoans. "We've just heard that this year, a number of branches of the the National Guard are participating, so they'll get to wear jeans on [April] 25th, Davis said. "That takes a lot, for National Guard Adjutant General [Michael] Garshak and Governor [C.L. "Butch"] Otter to sign a formal memo saying to the Guard [that] they can leave their uniforms at home on that day." The WCA is encouraging the public to participate in Denim Day as a way to facilitate conversations surrounding sexual assault, harassment and victim-blaming. Davis said although sexual assault is still a topic people shy away from addressing, related issues have edged into the limelight in the wake of the #MeToo movement. "All of us really need to be focusing on the dangers of victim-blaming," she said. To keep the dialogue relevant, the WCA listed a few ways to spread awareness, including talking about Denim Day at work, at home and on social…
"We want women leaders to be armed with actionable strategies and skills fueled by meaningful and transformative insight."
Angela Hemingway, executive director of the Idaho STEM Action Center, had more than 60 slides of data at her disposal when she presented her argument for getting more girls into science, technology, engineering and mathematics to members of the Cosmos Coffee Club on April 2. Despite the jargon, the big takeaway was simple: To get more girls interested in STEM, there need to be more women in STEM they can look up to. "From what the young women themselves say, they really need female role models," said Hemingway. "They need to talk to a woman computer scientist and have her [answer questions like], 'What do you do? How are you influencing people? How are you changing lives?'" Although the two-year-old Action Center is a fairly new agency in the governor's office, it has pushed a host of new initiatives in an attempt to fill the gap in the Idaho economy created by unfilled STEM jobs. According to Hemingway, 6,000 jobs in STEM were left vacant in 2017 alone, leaving $355 million of personal income unclaimed. The solution, she said, is empowering young women to join STEM fields. According to survey-based Economics and Statistics Administration calculations, only 24 percent of STEM jobs are filled by women. "[Young women] want to know that their career, their job, is going to make a difference. And sometimes they don't always connect on that same level with a man in that profession. So we need to continue in our role to provide mentors, role models for these young women, and just bring about awareness as to what these opportunities are, Hemingway said." While the Action Center focuses on setting up virtual mentorship programs through its statewide virtual portal, the STEM Action Center Mentorship Portal, another local group is aiming to help women take charge of their personal power and leverage their skills to become leaders in all fields. The Next Level Women Leaders Conference, a two-day training program founded by a collaboration of four female professionals working to empower their peers, is their platform. One of the co-founders, Boise-based wardrobe stylist Laura Tully, focuses on image. Fashion is as much about current trends as it is about building wardrobes that help women meet their personal or professional objectives—at least, that's what Tully tells her clients. Tully started off in management at J.Crew, then left to pursue her own styling consultancy. As her day job, she…
"These areas do have avalanche danger. Avalanches do happen here,"
White, smoke-like plumes of powder puffed behind Santiago "Chago" Rodriguez at every turn as he cruised down a slope near Mores Creek Summit, an area deep in the mountains north of Idaho City. His whoops and hollers echoed around towering peaks and faded in narrow gullies. Rodriguez may know these mountains better than anyone else on the planet. Mores Creek Summit, as indicated by a sign at the side of Idaho State Highway 21, is a winter sports playground for snowmobilers, snowshoers and backcountry skiers. To Rodriguez, this place is much more. "That's where my kids grew up with me," he said. "To this day when we get together, we know that ... when they come to visit [we're] going to Mores Creek Summit." Rodriguez has a strong emotional attachment to the place, and feels a sense of personal responsibility for its well-being and that of the people who use it. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Rodriguez saw many of his favorite surfing destinations close to the public due to abuse by the very surfers who purportedly treasured them. For Mores Creek Summit and dozens of other Park-N'-Ski areas sprinkled across the state, access could be severely limited or lost entirely should misuse or abuse cause the Idaho Department of Transportation to simply opt out of plowing pull-outs along the highway. Since relocating to Boise in 1992 and being introduced to Mores Creek Summit shortly thereafter, Rodriguez knew he'd stumbled on a gem and was determined to protect it. "It was just love at first sight," he said. "I recognized it was a special place, similar to the beach in Puerto Rico. I could find my solitude. It was a place of comfort, a place of thought—a special place." Following years of backcountry skiing in total ignorance of avalanche danger, Rodriguez received a wakeup call during one of his first trips to Mores Creek Summit, when he and a friend triggered a series of dangerous slides. "It was terrifying," he said. "We never thought it could happen while we were there... I am alive today by luck." Since then, Rodriguez has dedicated his life to avalanche education, teaching field courses in Alaska, Colorado, Chile, Idaho and Spain, and has kept a blog for the last 10 years about Mores Creek Summit snowpack conditions. Five years ago, he began attending Boise State University to earn his PhD in…
Though plenty of the imagery was creepy—during the horoscope section, Leos were advised to lend a hand because "you already have plenty in your trunk, don't be selfish"—the laughter never stopped.
Though the live performance of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast didn't start until 8 p.m., by 6:45 p.m. a line already extended down Main Street from the doors of The Egyptian Theatre, curling back on itself to accommodate the chattering crowd. The arrival of the spooky sci-fi podcast had been highly anticipated for weeks by the Millennials and Gen Zers (age 23 and under) who made up the majority of waiting mass, some dressed in character with third eyes painted on their foreheads, dark velvet hoods pulled up around their faces, dresses glowing psychedelic colors and white lab coats brushing the ground. The bi-monthly podcast, which began airing in 2012, is delivered in the form of a radio show for the small, fictional desert town of Night Vale—a spot accosted by the paranormal, from a mind-controlling glow cloud that drops dead animals to a cohort of flesh-eating librarians. Cecil Gershwin Palmer (voiced by Cecil Baldwin) hosts the show, delivering a series of scheduled programs and conducting interviews with both human and non-human guests. Corbett Rubert, who attended the performance with friends, said it was the mystery of the production that got him hooked on the podcast and kept him listening. He pointed to characters like Khoshekh, the floating cat that lives in the men's bathroom of the fictional radio station, as example of the show's warped reality. "[Cecil] starts talking about toxic ridges and chemicals, and you're like—wait, do I know what a cat is?" Rubert said. The show at The Egyptian on April 17 kicked off with announcements from Meg Bashwiner, who voices the proverbs and announcements for the program. She took the stage in a leopard print dress, with a red flower tucked into her blonde bouffant—her theatricality, personality and dry humor set the tone for the rest of the night. "No vaping in the theater. Not because it's not allowed, but because it's not 2014," she said. When the crowd burst into laughter, she added, "Just like a millennial podcast audience to throw shade on something that happened four years ago." Soon, New York-based singer-songwriter Mal Blum replaced her on stage, cracking jokes about being openly transgender and performing original songs alongside a a passive-agressive, self-deprecating poem about Ghost Adventures host Zak Bagans. "We're gonna die and it's gonna be alone," they sang, "and maybe no one will find the things we left behind / because we…
Long before Donald Trump’s attorney paid Stormy Daniels or had his office raided by the FBI, a pattern was established: The associates of Michael Cohen have often been disciplined, disbarred, accused or convicted of crimes.
If you’ve seen video or images of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, they’ve probably been set in locations that exude power and importance: Cohen berating a CNN anchor in a TV studio, for example, or striding across the sleek marbled interior of Trump Tower, or more recently, smoking cigars in front of Cohen’s temporary residence, the Loews Regency Hotel on Manhattan’s Park Avenue.But to understand how Michael Cohen arrived in those precincts, you need to venture across New York City’s East River. There, in a Queens warehouse district in the shadows of an elevated No. 7 subway line, is a taxi garage that used to house his law practice. The office area in the front is painted a garish taxicab-yellow, with posters of hockey players on the wall and a framed photo of the late Hasidic rabbi Menachem Schneerson. Cohen practiced law there and invested in the once-lucrative medallions that grant New York cabs the right to operate.Or you could drive 45 minutes deep into Brooklyn, near where Gravesend turns into Brighton Beach. There, in a desolate stretch near a shuttered podiatrist’s office, you’d find a medical office. According to previously unexamined records, Cohen incorporated a business there in 2002 that was involved in large quantities of medical claims. Separately, he represented more than 100 plaintiffs who claimed they were injured in auto collisions.At the same time, in Brooklyn and Long Island, New York prosecutors were investigating what Fortune magazine called possibly “the largest organized insurance-fraud ring in U.S. history.” That fraud resulted in hundreds of criminal prosecutions for staging car accidents to collect insurance payments. Cohen was not implicated in the fraud.A distinctive pattern emerged early in Cohen’s career, according to an examination by WNYC and ProPublica for the “Trump, Inc.” podcast: Many of the people who crossed paths with Cohen when he worked in Queens and Brooklyn were disciplined, disbarred, accused or convicted of crimes.Cohen, 51, has always emerged unscathed — until now. Last week, his Rockefeller Center office was raided by federal agents, as were his home, hotel room, safety deposit box and two cellphones. Cohen is under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. According to court papers, investigators are examining whether he committed fraud and showed a “lack of truthfulness.”He and his attorneys did not respond to a lengthy set of questions emailed to them. Cohen’s lawyers have…
A huge fire at a Sun Valley landmark, tuition hikes at Idaho's four-year universities, narrowing down the finalists for Boise State President and Saturday Night Live heads for the homestretch.
A fatal accident aboard a Southwest Airline jet on Monday is renewing scrutiny on engine inspections across the U.S. today. NBC News reports that there were no problems uncovered when Southwest Flight 1380 was checked two days before the engine exploded in midair. One passenger died after nearly being sucked out of the plane. Captain Tammie Jo Shults is being heralded as a hero for miraculously landing the damaged aircraft. A Sun Valley landmark erupted into flames overnight. A spokeswoman at the Sun Valley Resort says the fire began at about 11:20 p.m. at the Sun Valley Resort Warm Springs Lodge at the base of Mount Baldy. The lodge had been closed for the season. The Idaho Mountain Express reports that crews from multiple fire departments battled the blaze throughout the night and into the morning. The Idaho State Board of Education voted Wednesday to increase tuition and fees at each of Idaho's four-year public institutions, effective this fall. Board members agreed to raise tuition and fees at Boise State by 5 percent for both resident and nonresident undergraduate students. At University of Idaho, they were increased by 5 percent for residents and 8 percent for nonresidents. Meanwhile, five finalists have emerged in the search for who will replace soon-to-retire Boise State President Dr. Bob Kustra. The finalists are Dr. James Lentini, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Oakland University; Dr. Kevin Reynolds, Vice President for Finance and Administration at Portland State; Dr. Jack Thomas, President of Western Illinois University; Dr. Robbyn Wacker, Senior Campaign Advisor for Development and Alumni Relations at the University of Northern Colorado; and Dr. Daniel Weeks, President and Vice Chancellor at the University of Northern British Columbia. The finalists are expected to visit the Boise State campus in the coming weeks. The New York Times has a fascinating story today on a Frenchman who is the first in the world to receive two full-face transplants. Jerome Hamon has neurofibromatosis and In June 2010, Dr. Laurent Lantieri of the Georges Pompidou European Hospital in Park removed Hamon's entire face, including his eyelids and lachrymal system. But in 2015, Hamon caught a cold and took an antibiotic that was incompatible with his body's healing system. Doctors decided to perform a second face transplant and were once again, successful. Only eighteen games into a new baseball season, the Cincinnati Reds have fired manager Bryan Price. ESPN reports that Price skippered…
“It gives you a real appreciation for just how fortunate we are to live in a country with a fair election process that is widely-respected."
Ada County Elections Director David Levine has returned to the Treasure Valley following an assignment from the Organization for Security & Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR) to help monitor the April 11 president election In Azerbaijan. It was Levine's seventh OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission. Previous assignments included election monitoring in Albania, Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Republic of Macedonia. “It gives you a real appreciation for just how fortunate we are to live in a country with a fair election process that is widely-respected,” Levine told Boise Weekly before leaving for his Azerbaijan assignment. Upon his return, Levine said, "It was a great experience. It's fascinating to observe and see how elections are conducted in other parts of the world." Levine joined Ada County as its new Elections Director in September of 2017 after previously helping to manage elections in Richmond, Virginia and Washington, D.C. His next major task will be the Tuesday, May 15, Idaho primary when high-profile statewide elections will be on the ballot, including the hotly-contested race to see who will be Idaho's next governor.…
Trump's Twitter tirade, an early morning fire at a Boise apartment complex, the local gap between the haves and the have-nots gets wider, getting set for the Race to Robie Creek and things get a bit emotional between Fallon and Fey.
President Donald Trump returned to Twitter this morning to complain about the publicity surrounding former FBI Director James Comey's book tour and its contrast to national security adviser Michael Flynn's "totally destroyed" life. The biggest difference between the two, though Trump neglected to point it out, is that Flynn faces criminal charges including lying to the FBI. Boise firefighters battled a blaze which broke out in the Aberdeen Apartments complex on the 6600 block of W. Irving Street near Fairview Avenue early this morning. Two families were displaced when their apartments were destroyed by the fire. There is no word yet on a cause. The Boise Burnout Fund is assisting the displaced families. Bloomberg News is out with a new analysis on U.S. cities with the fastest-growing wealth gap, and Boise is near the top of the list. The so-called "rich versus poor" gap compared households in the top 20 percent to those in the bottom 20 percent. According to Bloomberg, the Boise metro gap widened by $44,000 between 2011 and 2016 to $170,000, pushing Boise from No. 76 on the list to No. 7. According to the analysis, the average income among Boise households in the top 20 percent soared to almost $182,000, while incomes in the bottom 20 percent hover near $12,000. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is recommending approval of a cannabis-based drug in the treatment for epilepsy. The New York Times reports that the full FDA could grant its approval to Epidliolex by this summer. If approved, it would be the first cannabis-derived prescription medicine available in the U.S. The weather in Boise should be perfect for Saturday's 41st annual Race to Robie Creek run. The 13.1-mile half-marathon steps off at noon at Fort Boise and finishes at the Robie Creek campgrounds. It's usually a hilarious outing when former Saturday Night Live alums Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon get together. But things got a bit emotional Thursday night. Following a stunt on Fallon's late night show where Fey and Fallon surprised some unsuspecting fans, one woman told Fey, "You are extremely special to me. You're such a strong, empowering woman, who really shows me and all the other young women and men that you can truly achieve anything that you want to do." Things got a bit more teary-eyed when Fallon later told Fey, "If you're lucky throughout your life, you get…
Idaho non-farm payrolls grew by 3.3 percent in March for a total of 23,300 jobs.
Idaho's unemployment rate dipped to 2.9 percent in March, remaining at a low last seen in 2007 and 2008. The Idaho Department of Labor reported Friday morning that the state's labor force increased by 1,646 in the month of February to a record high of 848,097. Total non-farm jobs increased by 1,400 in March. Several sectors, including construction; leisure and hospitality; natural resources; and transportation, all exceeded seasonal expectations, according to analysts. Idaho non-farm payrolls grew by 3.3 percent for a total of 23,300 jobs—the fastest growth rate in the nation for the second consecutive month. Per the Washington, D.C.-based Conference Board, 4,608 online Idaho job openings were classified as hard-to-fill in March, including physicians; surgeons; and physical and occupational therapists. Hard-to-find jobs are positions that are continuously posted for 90 days or more. In contrast to the statewide low, six Idaho counties experienced unemployment rates at or above 5 percent in March, including Clearwater (7 percent), Shoshone (5.7), Lewis (5.3) and Adams (5.3). Madison County had Idaho's lowest unemployment rate at 1.8 percent.…
Jesus Garcia was also found guilty of aggravated battery, use of a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance.
In February 2017, Boise Weekly sat down to talk with Ted Challenger, owner of China Blue and a number of other nightclubs and taverns at Sixth and Main streets in Boise, known as the "Barmuda Triangle." A fatal stabbing that occurred January 14 at China Blue was still fresh in Challenger's memory. "I was home asleep, and I had turned the ringer off on my phone," said Challenger. "Someone had to drive to my home to wake me up. Half awake, I thought I was having a nightmare. I got down to China Blue as fast as I could." Surveillance footage inside the club revealed that two patrons, Daviel Ruiz-Gomez and Luis Rosales, were attacked by a male suspect with a knife. Rosales, stabbed in the chest and torso, survived; but Ruiz-Gomez died a short time later of multiple stab wounds. "Ten seconds. That's how fast it happened," said Challenger. "My doormen moved in and cops were here in a heartbeat. I think it took Boise police one minute to be on the scene. We applied first aid and paramedics were here in four minutes. The suspect? To the best of our knowledge, he was in the bar for about eight minutes." Prosecutors later said the suspect, then-24-year-old Jesus Garcia of Nampa, had gotten into an altercation with the two victims, pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed the men repeatedly. Garcia was taken into custody, and today was convicted by an Ada County Jury of second-degree murder. Garcia was also found guilty of aggravated battery, use of a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance. Garcia will be sentenced on Friday, June 15.…
The pattern goes beyond Stormy Daniels.
When Stormy Daniels spoke to “60 Minutes” last month, the porn actress described a threat she received years ago after speaking to a journalist about her alleged affair with Donald Trump. A stranger approached her in a parking lot in Las Vegas. Daniels was there with her baby daughter. “Leave Trump alone,” Daniels recalled the man warning her. “That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.”Daniels did not report the threat to the police. On Wednesday, Donald Trump tweeted that Daniels’ account of events was “a total con job” about a “non-existent man.”As it happens, other people in disputes with Trump have also found themselves the targets of threats — and sometimes they’ve reported it to authorities.We asked both the Trump Organization and White House about each of the incidents. They did not respond.Thirty-six years ago, a New York City housing commissioner in a dispute with Trump says he received a death threat.In 1982, New York City Housing Commissioner Anthony Gliedman received what he described as an “abusive and profane” call from someone angry that Gliedman had opposed Trump’s request for a $20 million tax abatement. Gliedman reported the call to the FBI, saying the caller was “threatening his life.” The documents, obtained by BuzzFeed reporter Jason Leopold through a Freedom of Information Act request, show the FBI decided not to pursue the case.The next day, Trump called the FBI, saying he had also received a call with threats to both himself and Gliedman. According to the FBI notes, Trump explained he was “merely passing on this information not only for his own safety but for the safety of Commissioner GLIEDMAN.” In 1982, a NYC housing comissioner received a call. The caller was angry the commissioner opposed Donald Trump's request for a $20M tax abatement for Trump Tower. The caller threatened to kill the commisoner. From FBI docs obtained via #FOIA by @_rshapiro and me. pic.twitter.com/33kJCuesCb— Jason Leopold (@JasonLeopold) April 12, 2018 A former police officer says he “deterred” Trump’s opponents in Atlantic City.Former NYPD detective turned private investigator Bo Dietl, (who appeared in Martin Scorsese’s mob film, “Goodfellas,”) told the Daily Beast in 2016 that Trump used him to “deter” opponents. He says he once confronted an unnamed Atlantic City attorney who was making trouble for Trump. “He hired me to get the guy,” Dietl said, “So I went to visit the…
Police say the suspect is described as having short dark hair, tattoos on both arms and a nose ring. He was wearing a black leather vest and had slight facial hair.
Boise Police are looking for the public's assistance in their investigation into a report of possible attempted child enticement. The incident reportedly occurred April 18 at approximately 5 p.m. in the area of 29th and Heron streets in Boise's North End. Reports indicate that a tan minivan driven by a male adult approached a child and the driver reportedly offered the child a ride, indicating that he had candy in the vehicle. The child said "no" and ran home, notifying adults and law enforcement. Police say the suspect is described as having short dark hair, tattoos on both arms and a nose ring. He was wearing a black leather vest and had slight facial hair. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 208-343-COPS. Meanwhile, police say they've identified a juvenile suspect, wanted in connection with a package theft from the porch of a home on the 6300 block of Poplar Street. A home surveillance camera captured a photo of the suspect. And shortly after the photo was distributed across Treasure Valley media, the suspect was identified. Police said the juvenile is cooperating with the investigation.…
How Jerry Falwell Jr. transformed Liberty University, one of the religious right's most powerful institutions, into a wildly lucrative online empire.
This story was co-published with The New York Times Magazine. It was the start of the 2017 Fall Family Weekend at Liberty University, the school founded by Jerry Falwell Sr. 47 years ago in Lynchburg, Virginia, and the lines were especially long to get into the basketball arena for the mandatory thrice-weekly student convocation. There was a festive feel in the air — as usual, a live band kicked things off with some Christian rock.Penny Nance, a newly named Liberty trustee who is the head of the socially conservative group Concerned Women for America, took the stage to say that with Donald Trump in the White House, the country was much closer to overturning Roe v. Wade and putting “true limits on the abortionist’s hand.” Tim Lee, a Texas preacher and evangelist who lost his legs in the Vietnam War, gave a sermon bemoaning “homosexuals and pornographers,” declaring that one problem with “pulpits today is that they’ve got a lot of girlie men in them.” A young man in front of me in a Nautica T-shirt clapped and shouted, “That’s right!”Liberty is spread out on more than 7,000 acres overlooking Lynchburg, a former railroad-and-tobacco town on the James River below the Blue Ridge Mountains. The student body on campus is 15,500 strong, and the university employs more than 7,500 people locally. Throughout the university grounds, there is evidence of a billion-dollar capital expansion: mountains of dirt and clusters of construction equipment marking the site of the new business school; the $40 million football stadium upgrade, to accommodate Liberty’s move into the highest level of N.C.A.A. competition; and the Freedom Tower, which at 275 feet will be the tallest structure in Lynchburg, capped by a replica of the Liberty Bell.Jerry Falwell Jr., who has led the university since 2007, lacks the charisma and high profile of his father, who helped lead the rise of the religious right within the Republican Party. Yet what the soft-spoken Falwell, 55, lacks in personal aura, he has more than made up for in institutional ambition. As Liberty has expanded over the past two decades, it has become a powerful force in the conservative movement. The Liberty campus is now a requisite stop for Republican candidates for president — with George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney all making the pilgrimage — and many of Liberty graduates end up working in Republican congressional offices and…
