MARK: Welcome to 'Happening in Boise', the only podcast in the Treasure Valley that won't try to sell you a soul-crushing mortgage or a generic vinyl-sided house in Meridian. I'm Mark, and I've spent my morning wondering why we all live in a place where the air smells like onions and ambition, and usually, the onions are winning.

JOLEEN: And I'm Joleen, coming to you with the kind of forced cheerfulness that only comes from a third cup of cold brew and the knowledge that my rent is going up another twenty percent for absolutely no reason. It's Tuesday, June 16, 2026, and if you haven't already melted into the pavement, you're doing better than most of the people I saw on my commute. We're going to talk about the news, the absolute shitshow that is our local government, and maybe find a reason to like this city for at least five minutes.

MARK: Good luck with that last part. If you want to yell at us or tell us how much of a dickhead I'm being, you can email us at boise@thehappeningnetwork.com. We'd love to hear from you, especially if you're offering us a better job or some high-quality whiskey to numb the pain of reporting on property taxes. Make sure you like, subscribe, and leave a comment telling us how Boise was better back when the downtown was mostly just empty lots and regret.

JOLEEN: Let's kick things off with our top headlines because apparently, we're celebrating something that actually matters for once. The Wassmuth Center for Human Rights is hitting its thirtieth anniversary at the end of this month. It's been around since 1996, and they're planning a massive all-ages public event in downtown Boise to mark three decades of teaching people how not to be total assholes to each other. It's honestly a miracle they've stayed open this long given the current political climate, but I guess someone has to keep the light on for human decency.

MARK: It's a noble effort, Joleen, but three decades of human rights education and I still can't get people to use their turn signals on Eagle Road. Maybe they should add a module on basic road etiquette. In other news, the U.S. Department of Education just approved a waiver for Idaho that's supposed to 'streamline' federal school funding. Whenever the government uses the word 'streamline', it usually means they've found a new way to hide where the money's actually going while making the paperwork twice as annoying for the teachers who are already overworked and underpaid.

JOLEEN: Don't be such a cynical bitch, Mark, although you're probably right. The state's claiming this will help get resources to students faster, but I'll believe it when I see a classroom that isn't using textbooks from the nineties. Speaking of things that are falling apart, let's talk about the 35th annual Art and Roses event that just wrapped up at Julia Davis Park. It was actually a decent turnout, and for once, the scent of fresh blooms managed to overpower the smell of diesel from the idling trucks on Capitol Boulevard. It's the one weekend a year where Boise pretends to be a European garden city instead of a sprawling parking lot.

MARK: I missed it because I was busy watching a reckless driver turn the city into a real-life Grand Theft Auto session. On Saturday, June 13, some absolute dickhead led deputies on not one, but two separate pursuits through parts of Eagle and Ada County. Imagine having the audacity to escape the cops once and then thinking, 'You know what? I've got time for an encore.' That's the kind of main character energy that usually ends with a taser and a very embarrassing mugshot. The guy was driving like a total psycho, putting everyone in danger just because he didn't feel like following the rules of society.

JOLEEN: The cops were all over it, but it's just another reminder that driving in this valley has become a contact sport. If you're not dodging someone in a lifted truck who thinks they're in the Dakar Rally, you're dodging a guy in a sedan trying to outrun the sheriff. It's a miracle more people weren't hurt. And speaking of emergencies, there was an early morning house fire in South Boise on Saturday that left a family without a home. It's heartbreaking, especially with the temperatures starting to spike. It's a reminder that while we're complaining about traffic, some people are losing everything in a matter of minutes.

MARK: That's the heavy shit that makes my sarcasm feel a bit cheap, but we've got to keep moving. Let's pivot to something that'll make us feel better, or at least hungrier. We had a local win recently that's actually worth bragging about. A Boise chef just won a popular Food Network show after what they described as an 'insane day' of competition. They walked away with a massive check and the kind of national recognition that usually makes it impossible to get a reservation at their restaurant for the next six months. It's nice to see some talent coming out of our little corner of the world that doesn't involve potatoes.

JOLEEN: It's great for the chef, but I'm more interested in the new spot coming to Eagle's State Street. There's a new restaurant breaking ground in that popular corridor, and people are already losing their minds over it. It's funny how Eagle residents will complain about any new housing project but will absolutely lose their shit with excitement over a new place to get overpriced tacos and craft cocktails. We're becoming a city of people who have nowhere to live but plenty of places to eat thirty-dollar entrées. It's a weird flex, Boise, but okay.

MARK: Well, we need the food to distract us from the sports scores. If you're a fan of Athletic Club Boise, you might want to look away. On Saturday, June 13, they got absolutely dismantled by Forward Madison FC with a final score of five to one. It was a bloodbath. One goal for us, five for them. It's hard to call it a match when one team is essentially just a group of guys standing around watching the other team practice their shooting drills. They're sitting pretty low in the USL League One power rankings right now, and 'power' is a very generous word to use for their current performance.

JOLEEN: It was embarrassing, Mark. I was watching the highlights and it looked like our defenders were playing with their shoelaces tied together. At least we have Boise State football to look forward to, even if we're still months away. The 2026 schedule is out, and they're gearing up for their first season in the Pac-12. There's a lot of hype around the quarterback situation, with people talking about Arch Manning and whether Boise State can actually rule this new league. It's the kind of optimism that only exists before the first kickoff when we haven't seen them blow a lead in the fourth quarter yet.

MARK: The Pac-12 is back, and Boise State is basically the big fish in a pond that's been drained and refilled with slightly more expensive water. But hey, we've got 18 players on the Phil Steele Preseason All-Pac-12 teams, so maybe we won't be a total disaster. Meanwhile, the Boise Hawks are trying to keep things respectable with manager Sean Persky back at the helm for 2026. They're currently navigating their June schedule, and after that AC Boise loss, I think we're all just looking for any local team that can actually win a game without making us want to drink bleach.

JOLEEN: The Idaho Steelheads are already done with their season, having been knocked out earlier, but they're already announcing their protected list for the 2026-27 season. It's that time of year where hockey fans just stare at the ice-less arena and wait for the cold to return. Speaking of things that make people angry, let's talk about the real estate market and the absolute joy of property taxes. Ada County is currently considering increasing property taxes 'just to keep the lights on'. That's their actual justification. I guess the millions they're raking in from the population boom isn't enough to buy a few lightbulbs for the courthouse.

MARK: It's the classic Boise trap. They lure you here with the promise of a 'lower' cost of living, then they hit you with property tax hikes because they didn't plan for the infrastructure needed for the fifty thousand people who moved here from California last week. It's a total shitshow. Home prices are still hovering around that insane mid-six-figure range, and now the county wants a bigger cut of the action. It's like being mugged by someone in a business suit who tells you it's for your own benefit while they're taking your wallet.

JOLEEN: And don't even get me started on the road construction. While they're asking for more money, the roads are still a mess. We've got the usual summer barrel season in full swing. State Street is still a disaster, and now with the heat, the workers are probably just as miserable as the drivers stuck in the lane shifts. It's a beautiful cycle of misery where we pay more to sit in traffic longer while the sun tries to bake us alive inside our cars. I'm honestly starting to think the city's secret plan is just to make it so annoying to live here that people start leaving voluntarily.

MARK: If that's the plan, it's working on me. But for those of you who are staying, we've got Juneteenth coming up this Friday, June 19. It's a day to celebrate freedom, and there are several events planned around the valley. It's a high of ninety-six degrees that day, though, so if you're heading to a park, you better bring some shade and a lot of water. It's going to be one of those days where the 'dry heat' argument starts to sound like a sick joke. Ninety-six degrees is ninety-six degrees, whether you're in a swamp or a desert.

JOLEEN: Let's look at the full weather forecast because it's basically a preview of hell. Today, Tuesday, June 16, we're hitting a high of ninety-six with sunny skies. Tonight it'll drop to fifty-nine with some gusty winds that might reach thirty-two miles per hour. Wednesday is slightly better with a high of eighty-eight, but don't get too comfortable. Thursday we're back up to ninety, and then Friday, for Juneteenth, we hit ninety-six again. It's the kind of weather that makes you want to live inside your refrigerator.

MARK: Saturday is ninety-one and partly sunny, and Sunday is eighty-nine. Next Monday we're back up to ninety-one. Basically, the nineties are back, and not in the cool, grunge-music kind of way. It's the 'my air conditioner is making a weird noise and I'm scared' kind of way. There are no active alerts from the National Weather Service yet, but common sense says stay hydrated and try not to do anything stupid in the middle of the afternoon. Like, I don't know, leading the cops on two separate car chases in a non-air-conditioned car.

JOLEEN: That guy was probably just trying to get some airflow through his window. If you're looking for something to do this weekend besides hiding from the sun, Richfield's Outlaw Day is celebrating its 70th year. It's a bit of a drive, but it's a huge community tradition with a rodeo and all that small-town fun. It's a nice break from the corporate gloss of downtown Boise. Or you could just stay home and contemplate why we live in a place where the dirt is currently hotter than the surface of the sun. The choice is yours.

MARK: I'll take the refrigerator option, thanks. That's all we've got for today's episode of 'Happening in Boise'. We've covered the crime, the sports failures, and the fact that the government wants more of your money to fix the roads they're currently blocking. If you've enjoyed our special brand of cynical realism, please do the thing: like, subscribe, and tell your friends. Or don't, and let us remain a hidden gem of bitterness in your podcast feed.

JOLEEN: Remember, you can contact us at boise@thehappeningnetwork.com if you have any tips or if you just want to vent about your property tax assessment. We're here for you, mostly because we're paid to be, but also because we're stuck in this valley with you. Have a great Tuesday, try not to get heatstroke, and if you're the guy who led the cops on those chases, maybe just take a nap next time. We'll be back later this week to talk about more things that'll probably annoy us.

MARK: Stay cool, Boise. Or at least try to stay hydrated enough that you don't hallucinate that the traffic on I-84 is actually moving. It's not. It never is. Good luck out there, you're going to need it with this ninety-six-degree bullshit. See you next time.