MARK: Welcome to Happening in Boise for Monday, October 12, 2026. I'm Mark. JOLEEN: And I'm Joleen. Today, we're tracking a series of disturbing incidents at Timberline High, the Broncos' big win in Fresno, and why you'll need to cover your plants tonight. MARK: Let's get into it. JOLEEN: We've gotta start with what's happening at Timberline High because it's honestly been a heavy week for students and parents. The school district actually canceled the homecoming football game against Kuna that was supposed to happen last week because of some really violent threats made toward a female student. MARK: It wasn't just threats, though. There was this whole digital side to it JOLEEN: yeah MARK: involving a group chat with members of the football team. It's gotten to the point where Boise Police had to get involved because the claims included video voyeurism and some pretty graphic intimidation. JOLEEN: The students aren't just sitting back, though. There was a massive walkout last Wednesday. These kids are demanding better training on consent and what bullying actually looks like in 2026. They're saying the 'boys will be boys' excuse doesn't fly when someone's safety is on the line. MARK: The district basically nuked all homecoming events except the dance. I guess the thinking is that you can't have a pep rally when the police are still combing through group chats. It's a mess, and a former teacher even came out saying this is part of a larger culture problem that isn't being addressed. JOLEEN: It makes you wonder how these things stay under the radar for so long. MARK: right JOLEEN: The police said the kids in the chat were already known to resource officers. If they're known, why's it getting to the point of a school-wide walkout before things change? MARK: Because bureaucracy moves at the speed of a glacier in August. It's always 'pending investigation' until the parents start screaming on social media. Speaking of investigations, BPD's been busy with another voyeurism case that's just as skin-crawling. They arrested a guy named Nathaniel Hearon. JOLEEN: Oh, this one is awful. He was working at a chiropractic clinic here in Boise. Police say they found recordings of adult women and, even worse, child sexual abuse material. He was actually picked up in Iowa and he's being extradited back here. MARK: Ten counts of sexual exploitation of a child. That's not a 'oops, I made a mistake' kind of charge. Detectives think there are way more victims out there because this was happening at his place of work. If you've been to a chiropractor lately and things felt off, the police really want you to call dispatch. JOLEEN: It's just a lot for one week. Between the high school and the clinic, it feels like everyone's privacy is being violated. And then you've got that heartbreaking story out of Meridian where a woman was charged with murder for the death of her two-month-old son. It's just been a dark few days for the local blotter. MARK: Yeah, the Meridian case is particularly grim. It happened earlier this month, and she's in jail now. It's one of those stories that makes you want to just turn off the news and stare at a wall. But we've got to pivot to something slightly less soul-crushing, even if it's just local politics. JOLEEN: Well, we do have a win for the schools! Amanda Holland from Washington Elementary was just named the 2027 Idaho Teacher of the Year. She's apparently a legend over there. It's nice to see some recognition for the people actually doing the work while the administration figures out where to move the ninth graders. MARK: Good for her. She gets a title and probably a gift card to a coffee shop that's already closed. But seriously, the district needs these wins. They're still staring down that massive enrollment drop and the plan to shuffle students around to fill those nine thousand empty seats. One great teacher isn't gonna fix the math, but it's a start. JOLEEN: You're such a buzzkill. Let her have her moment! The district says she's an 'extraordinary educator,' and God knows we need more of those if we're going to navigate this AI policy mess and the budget cuts. Maybe she can teach the school board how to balance a checkbook without closing half the schools on the Bench. MARK: I'll believe the 'long-range facilities plan' when I see it. Right now, it looks like a long-range plan to make parents drive further for soccer practice. But hey, let's talk about sports that actually happened. The Broncos went to Fresno and managed to keep the Milk Can. JOLEEN: They did! It was a nail-biter, 38 to 31. Maddux Madsen looked solid, and the defense stepped up when it mattered. That's five wins in a row for Spencer Danielson's crew. We're sitting at number twenty-three in the AP Poll and finally cracked the Coaches Poll at twenty-four. MARK: Fresno State always plays us tough. It's that Valley heat or maybe just the fact that they hate us. Either way, staying ranked is huge. If they can keep this momentum, that New Year's Day bowl talk is gonna get real loud, real fast. JOLEEN: yeah MARK: Though I'm still not used to these 8:30 p.m. kickoffs. I'm too old to be watching football at midnight. JOLEEN: The late starts are the worst, but winning makes it easier to stay awake. And did you see the basketball exhibition? The men's team took down Idaho 82 to 72 at Idaho Central Arena on Friday. It's just an exhibition, but beating the Vandals is always a good way to start the season. MARK: It's a nice tune-up. They've got that Elite Pack ticket deal going on now, too. I guess they're trying to make sure the Pavilion--or whatever we're calling it this week--is actually full. Basketball season is sneaking up on us while we're still arguing about the football playoffs. JOLEEN: And props to the volleyball team! They swept Fresno State on Saturday. That's their tenth sweep of the season. They're absolutely dominant right now. On the flip side, the women's soccer team finally saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end. They lost one-nil to Utah State on Sunday. MARK: All good things must end, Joleen. Nine games is a hell of a run, though. It's the longest in program history. Utah State is ranked seventeenth for a reason, so it's not like they lost to a bunch of scrubs. They're still three and one in the Pac-12, which sounds weird to say out loud. JOLEEN: It really does. Oh, and some big news in the Boise State front office--or the digital front office. Doc Haskell is stepping down as the head coach for Esports. He's been the only coach they've ever had. Seven national championships and over sixteen hundred wins. He's going back to the classroom. MARK: Seven national titles in video games is probably more than the football team's gonna get in the next decade. No offense to Danielson. It's an end of an era for the kids who get paid to play Overwatch in the basement of the library. Seriously though, Haskell built that program from nothing. JOLEEN: He really did. It's a huge loss for the program. But let's talk about our own 'playing games'--specifically, trying to eat out in this town without a reservation. I saw some reviews for The Brickyard downtown. Have you been back there lately? MARK: I'm not a 'reservation two weeks in advance' kind of guy, Joleen. But people are still raving about their Beef Wellington. And apparently, the lobster bisque is the gold standard for Boise. It's pricey, though. You're paying for the atmosphere and the fact that you're not eating a potato out of a paper bag. JOLEEN: Hey, don't knock the potato in a bag! Boise Fry Company is still a classic. But if you want something different, Romios for Greek and Italian is getting a lot of love again. People say the service is actually personal, which is rare these days. The owner actually comes around to the tables. MARK: I like Romios because it doesn't feel like a corporate chain. It feels like a place where they'd know your name if you went twice. Unlike some of these new spots in Harris Ranch where you feel like you need a credit score of eight hundred just to look at the appetizers. JOLEEN: You're just cranky because the real estate market is still a nightmare. Did you see the latest? Mortgage rates are hovering around seven-point-three percent. It's making people do weird things like 'liability swaps' just to get into a house on the Bench. MARK: A liability swap sounds like something you do right before you file for bankruptcy. The inventory is actually rising, though. People are finally putting their houses on the market because they've realized the 'eight percent interest rate' isn't going away by Christmas. It's a buyer's market if the buyer has a suitcase full of cash. JOLEEN: Which is nobody. But even with the rates, people are still moving here. I saw a report that luxury homes in the Treasure Valley have grown more than almost anywhere else in the Northwest over the last ten years. We're becoming a playground for people who think Eagle is 'affordable.' MARK: Eagle is where you go when you want to live in a house that looks like a Tuscan villa but you want to be able to see a Taco Bell from your balcony. Speaking of driving to Eagle, have you seen the mess on Fairview? JOLEEN: Ugh, the construction! They're starting more work on Fairview and Resseguie. It's like ACHD has a map of the city and they just throw darts at it to decide where to put the orange cones next. And the Eighth Street repairs are delayed again. Surprise, surprise. MARK: The Eighth Street thing is classic Boise. We want a 'vibrant downtown' but we also want to make sure no one can actually get to it. Between that and the 10th Street closure near State, you're better off just walking. Or riding one of those electric scooters that someone inevitably threw into the river. JOLEEN: Don't even get me started on the scooters. But if you're walking, you better have a jacket tonight. The National Weather Service put out a Frost Advisory. We're looking at a low of thirty-five tonight and thirty-six tomorrow night. My poor hibiscus is gonna hate me. MARK: It's October 12th, Joleen. The hibiscus should've known what was coming. It's fifty-six degrees for the high today. We've officially entered the 'I need a parka in the morning and a t-shirt by lunch' phase of the year. JOLEEN: yeah MARK: At least it's sunny. JOLEEN: The high tomorrow is sixty-three, and then we're climbing. By Friday and Saturday, we're back up to seventy-five! That's perfect for the weekend events. It's like a final gift from summer before we all have to start shoveling our driveways. MARK: The weekend looks busy, too. The Boise Pride Parade is happening--it's finally been rescheduled or moved to this slot. It's always a big draw. And the Boise Comic Arts Festival is taking over the library and Zoo Boise. If you want to see a guy in a Batman suit eating a corn dog while looking at a giraffe, that's your chance. JOLEEN: I love the Comic Arts Festival! It's so much more low-key than the big conventions. And for the people who like pain, the Nampa Farmers Market is doing a hot pepper eating challenge on Saturday. I'll stick to the Batman and the giraffes, thanks. MARK: I don't understand the appeal of the pepper challenge. Why would you pay money to feel like you're swallowing a lit firework? But hey, it's Nampa. They do things differently over there. It's the same place that's still doing the 'Dog-Tober' festival in Caldwell, too. JOLEEN: Dog-Tober is great! It's just a bunch of dogs in costumes. How can you be skeptical about a Golden Retriever dressed as a pirate? It's wholesome, Mark. We need wholesome after the news we started with. MARK: I'm not skeptical of the dogs. I'm skeptical of the owners who think the dog enjoys being a pirate. But you're right, the weekend guide is actually looking pretty solid. We've got the Fall Flights raptor demonstrations still going on at the World Center for Birds of Prey, too. That's always worth the drive. JOLEEN: And Art in the Park might be over, but there's a smaller Fall Arts and Crafts Festival this weekend. It's a good chance to start your holiday shopping before the malls become a war zone. I'm already eyeing some local pottery. MARK: Pottery. The official gift of 'I didn't know what to get you, so here's a heavy bowl.' Anyway, we've covered the crime, the construction, and the costumes. It's a typical week in the Treasure Valley. Stay safe out there, especially if you're driving through those Fairview work zones. JOLEEN: And cover your plants! Seriously, thirty-five degrees is no joke for the garden. We'll be back next week to see if the Broncos can keep the streak alive and if ACHD managed to finish a single project. MARK: Don't hold your breath on the roadwork. If you've got a story we missed or just want to tell us how much you love your pottery, email us at boise@thehappeningnetwork.com. JOLEEN: Make sure to follow or subscribe so you don't miss an episode. We'll see you next Monday.