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Happening in Pocatello keeps locals informed with a weekly rundown of the city’s biggest news, events, crime reports, sports highlights, school district updates, weather, traffic issues, and restaurant talk. Hosts Mark and Joline bring a raw, critical edge that cuts through the noise and makes staying informed unexpectedly fun.
MARK: Welcome back to 'Happening in Pocatello,' the only podcast that acknowledges the weird smell on the north side of town isn't just your imagination. I'm Mark, and as always, I'm contractually obligated to be here.
JOLEEN: And I'm Joleen. My new year's resolution was to care less, and I'm happy to report I'm already exceeding my goals. It's Monday, January 19th, 2026. If you have a complaint, a compliment, or a conspiracy theory you'd like to share, send it to pocatello@thehappeningnetwork.com. We probably won't read it, but the illusion of contact is important.
MARK: Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit that little bell icon so you can be notified every time we release another episode that chips away at your will to live. Or, you know, just tells you what's going on. Whatever. Let's start with the top headline, which, surprise, is another grim reminder of our collective mortality.
JOLEEN: That's my favorite kind. What fresh hell is it this week?
MARK: Idaho State Police are looking into a fatal crash that happened last Tuesday, January 13th, out on US-30. It happened before the sun was even up, around 3:54 a.m. A semi-truck's trailer just... disconnected from the truck. It was left stationary in the westbound lane.
JOLEEN: Oh, that's a special kind of fucked up. Like a scene from a movie you'd criticize for being unrealistic. So what happened?
MARK: Another driver, a 52-year-old man in a Mercury Grand Marquis, was heading westbound and slammed right into the abandoned trailer. He died at the scene. The semi was driven by a 20-year-old from Pocatello with a 24-year-old passenger. No word on what caused the trailer to just pop off, but it shut down the road for about six hours.
JOLEEN: Jesus. You're just driving to work in the dark, probably thinking about your shitty day ahead, and bam, there's a random semi-trailer parked in the middle of the highway. A reminder from the universe that it can always, always get worse.
MARK: It's the ultimate 'fuck you' from physics. The one small silver lining, if you can even call it that, is that the police report noted the man who died was wearing his seatbelt. Not that it helped, but it's a detail they always seem to include, like a sad, posthumous gold star for effort.
JOLEEN: It's a tragic story, and it certainly tops our usual crime beat, which has been disappointingly quiet. I was hoping for a meth-fueled squirrel heist or a turf war between rival quilting guilds, but no. Just... nothing.
MARK: It's almost as if all the local criminals decided to take a week off. Maybe they're all doing a group cleanse or attending a seminar on 'Effective Time Management in Petty Larceny.' The most excitement we got was that awful crash on US-30. When the cops are investigating faulty trailer hitches instead of back-alley brawls, you know it's a slow week for degenerates.
JOLEEN: Maybe the cold weather is finally getting to them. It's hard to be a successful porch pirate when your fingers are frozen to the Amazon package. Or maybe they all got jobs. Now that's a terrifying thought. The person who tried to steal your catalytic converter last month could be making your latte tomorrow.
MARK: Well, while the criminal underworld takes a brief vacation, the city's construction crews are back at it with a vengeance. Guess what's making a triumphant return to our lives?
JOLEEN: Don't say it. Please don't say it's the Center Street Underpass.
MARK: It's the Center Street Underpass! A news release from last week proudly announced that work is 'officially underway.' You know, as opposed to all that other work they were doing, which was, what, unofficially underway? A dress rehearsal?
JOLEEN: I swear to god, they're going to be working on that underpass until the sun burns out. What are they even doing now? Installing gold-plated handrails and a champagne fountain?
MARK: They're installing something called 'soldier pile shoring.' I have no idea what that is, but it sounds suitably expensive and disruptive. The important part for anyone who drives is that the road is expected to be fully closed for about six weeks. After that, it'll be down to one lane for a couple more months. So, the traffic apocalypse we've all come to know and love is back on schedule.
JOLEEN: Fantastic. It's my favorite local pastime: trying to navigate a downtown area that's been surgically bisected for my 'safety and convenience.' At least the north pedestrian tunnel is staying open, so we can all walk to see the glorious non-progress up close.
MARK: And if that's not enough fun for you, the Idaho Transportation Department is also busy rebuilding three I-15 structures down in the Inkom Corridor. So if you're trying to leave town to the south, don't worry, they've got you covered in cones and delays down there, too.
JOLEEN: It's a coordinated effort to make sure we can't easily get in, out, or through our own city. Bold strategy. Let's see how it plays out for them. Speaking of bold strategies and questionable decisions, let's talk about the school district.
MARK: Ah yes, School District 25. Fresh off their public hearing last week regarding potential school closures. I'm sure that was a calm and reasoned debate where everyone left happy and satisfied.
JOLEEN: You'd lose that bet. The trustees went ahead and voted to close Washington Elementary School. It wasn't even a unanimous decision. It was a tight 3-to-2 vote. So a good chunk of the board thought this was a bad idea, but hey, democracy.
MARK: Of course. Why fix a problem when you can just eliminate a building? So what's the official, sanitized reason for shuttering a neighborhood school?
JOLEEN: The usual buzzwords. 'Fiscal responsibility' was thrown around. Apparently, the district is facing declining enrollment and a budget shortfall, so the solution is to cram the remaining kids into fewer buildings. They say it will give students more 'equitable access' to a shrinking staff.
MARK: That is some of the most impressive corporate bullshit-speak I've ever heard. 'Equitable access to a shrinking staff.' It's like saying you're giving everyone equitable access to a shrinking pizza by taking away half the plates. It doesn't change the fact that there's less pizza, you assholes.
JOLEEN: Exactly. So starting this fall, the kids from Washington will be shipped off to either Greenacres or Indian Hills Elementary. And the district was quick to promise that no staff will lose their jobs; they'll just be 'placed' at other schools. The whole thing was apparently very contentious, with a packed boardroom and parents holding up signs.
MARK: As they should be. Closing a neighborhood school is a big deal. It rips the heart out of a community. But I'm sure the spreadsheet says it's the right move, and that's all that really matters in the end. Spreadsheets and 'fiscal responsibility.' I'm sure the money they save will be put to excellent use, like buying more motivational posters for the district office.
JOLEEN: While we're on the topic of questionable numbers, let's look at the real estate market. Because if there's one thing that makes perfect sense in this town, it's the housing data.
MARK: Oh, is it time for our weekly game of 'Whose Statistics Are We Believing Today?' I love this game. What are the competing versions of reality this week?
JOLEEN: Alright, so according to Redfin's data for December, the median sale price in Pocatello was 310-thousand dollars, which is up... zero point zero percent from last year. Flat as a board. They also say homes are on the market for an average of 50 days.
MARK: Okay, so things are stagnant. That seems plausible. But I'm guessing that's not the whole story.
JOLEEN: Not even close. Because if you hop over to Movoto, they'll tell you the median list price in December was nearly 355-thousand dollars, a significant jump from 333-thousand the year before. They also claim it's a 'seller's market' where there are more buyers than homes.
MARK: So one site says prices are completely flat, and the other says they're up over 20 grand and it's a seller's market? How is that even possible? Are they looking at two different Pocatellos? Maybe there's a secret, much more expensive Pocatello hidden somewhere that only Movoto knows about.
JOLEEN: And to add a third layer of confusion, Zillow puts the 'average home value' at around 330-thousand, up a measly half a percent over the past year. They also say it takes about 51 days for a home to go pending. So we have flat, slightly up, and significantly up, all for the same damn month.
MARK: This is why I don't trust anyone. It's all just digital voodoo. My takeaway is that your house is worth somewhere between 300 grand and 'who the fuck knows.' And it'll sell sometime between next month and the next ice age. It's a market built on vibes and conflicting data sets.
JOLEEN: The only thing that's clear is that nothing is clear. Which I guess is a perfect summary of trying to buy a house anywhere. Let's move on to something we can actually verify. Food. You went out this week, right?
MARK: I did. I felt it was time to connect with the culinary soul of this city. So I went to one of the oldest, most legendary institutions in town: the Ross Park Drive-In.
JOLEEN: Oh, a classic. I respect that. It's not some trendy new place with exposed brick and Edison bulbs. It's a shack on a corner that's been there forever. What'd you get, the Big Boy burger?
MARK: I did get the Big Boy, and it's an absolute unit. But I also had to try their other signature dish. The one that legends are whispered about. The dish that defies all culinary logic: the taco spaghetti.
JOLEEN: Taco. Spaghetti. Two words that should never, ever be in the same sentence, let alone the same dish. Describe this abomination to me.
MARK: It's exactly what it sounds like. It's a bed of spaghetti noodles, but instead of marinara sauce, it's topped with taco-seasoned ground beef. It is a culinary car crash, and I have to admit... it's kind of brilliant in a really trashy way. It's the kind of thing a stoned college kid would invent at 2 a.m., but somehow it's been a bestseller here for decades.
JOLEEN: I'm both horrified and deeply intrigued. It sounds like something you'd eat on a dare, but then secretly crave for the rest of your life. How was the burger?
MARK: The Big Boy is a proper, old-school drive-in burger. No frills, no bullshit. Just a big, greasy, satisfying pile of meat and cheese that requires a whole roll of paper towels. The whole experience is a trip back in time. It's not trying to be anything other than what it is, which is more than you can say for most places these days. It's a piece of Pocatello history, serving up questionable but delicious pasta abominations.
JOLEEN: God bless the Ross Park Drive-In. May their taco spaghetti outlive us all. Alright, let's shift gears from one local institution to another. How did our beloved ISU Bengals do on the basketball court?
MARK: It was a week of emotional whiplash for the Bengals. A real rollercoaster of highs and soul-crushing lows. It started out great on Thursday night. It was the big rivalry game, the 'Battle for King Spud' against the Idaho Vandals.
JOLEEN: King Spud. We really have the most intimidating rivalry names in all of college sports. So, did we defend the honor of the potato?
MARK: We sure did. The Bengals pulled out a win at home, 76 to 68. Jamison Guerra had a hell of a game, dropping 21 points. It was a good, solid conference win against our sworn potato enemies. Everyone was feeling good. The vibes were immaculate.
JOLEEN: I'm sensing a 'but' coming. A big, sad 'but'.
MARK: But then Saturday happened. Eastern Washington came to town, and they just systematically dismantled us. We lost 84 to 66. It was our most lopsided, embarrassing defeat of the entire season. The team had its worst shooting performance of the year. It was a total fucking train wreck from start to finish.
JOLEEN: So we go from the high of beating our rivals to getting absolutely pantsed on our own court two days later. That's Bengals basketball, baby. Never a dull moment.
MARK: And it doesn't get any easier. Now they head out on a brutal four-game road trip. It kicks off this Thursday, January 22nd, at Montana State, and then they're at Montana on Saturday the 24th. Going into Big Sky country for back-to-back road games after a loss like that... it's gonna be tough. I'd say they need our support, but I'm not sure we have enough to give.
JOLEEN: Well, if you're not traveling to Montana to watch a potential slaughter, there are plenty of other ways to occupy your time this coming weekend in Pocatello. It's a surprisingly eclectic mix of activities.
MARK: Let's hear it. What level of desperation are we at for local entertainment?
JOLEEN: On Friday the 23rd, for the more sophisticated among us, the Pocatello Rotary Club is hosting 'A Chocolate Lover's Affair' at the Stephens Performing Arts Center. I assume it's just a room full of people stress-eating chocolate, which honestly sounds fantastic.
MARK: I'm in. What's on tap for Saturday?
JOLEEN: Saturday is packed. You can catch the ISU Women's basketball team taking on Montana at Reed Gym. Or, if you're feeling artsy, there's a 'Gate City Coffee Paint Night.' So you can get jacked up on caffeine and then try to paint a sunset. What could possibly go wrong?
MARK: That sounds like a recipe for some truly chaotic art. What else?
JOLEEN: This is my favorite one. On Saturday afternoon, there is a 'Shamanic Drum Making Class' at a place called Solefully Enlightened. For a nominal fee, you too can learn to annoy your neighbors with the authentic sounds of your spiritual journey.
MARK: A shamanic drum making class. In Pocatello. We really do have it all. Just when you think you've seen the limits of this town's hobbies, it finds a new way to surprise you. Is there anything... less spiritual?
JOLEEN: Yes. Also on Saturday is Poke Fest at Zoo Idaho. I'm not entirely sure what that entails, but I'm picturing animals and some kind of raw fish bowl. It's a wild card. So, your weekend options are chocolate, painting, spiritual drumming, or the zoo. Choose your own adventure.
MARK: I think I'll choose staying home. But first, let's tell these poor people what to expect from the weather, so they can properly plan their weekend of chocolate-fueled drum making.
JOLEEN: Alright, let's look at the official forecast. Tonight, Monday, you can expect partly cloudy skies with a low around 18. So, you know, cold as a bitch.
MARK: And for the rest of the work week?
JOLEEN: Tuesday will be sunny with a high near 36, then partly cloudy Tuesday night with a low around 21. Wednesday looks pretty much the same. Sunny, high near 39. Thursday gets a little warmer, mostly sunny with a high near 43.
MARK: So a fairly standard, chilly January week. Are we getting any snow? Any precipitation to make things even more miserable?
JOLEEN: It looks like our luck might run out for the weekend. Friday has a slight chance of rain and snow showers, with a high near 42. Saturday, the day of all the events, also has a chance of rain and snow, high near 41. Sunday looks mostly cloudy with a high around 39. So, basically, it's gonna be cold and maybe a little wet.
MARK: Perfect weather for staying inside and questioning all your life choices. That's all the news we have the energy to cover this week. Thanks for tuning in to 'Happening in Pocatello.'
JOLEEN: Yeah, thanks. Remember to email us your pointless thoughts at pocatello@thehappeningnetwork.com. Like, subscribe, comment, do all the things that feed the algorithm. Or don't. We get paid either way. Bye.