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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 to another episode of Happening in Pocatello, where we pretend to be professionals while silently judging everyone who still thinks driving forty-five in a sixty zone is a personality trait. I'm Mark, your guide through the composed, sarcastic wasteland of local news. To my left, at least in spirit since she's currently trying to strangle a stapler, is Joleen.
JOLEEN: Don't you dare look at me, Mark. I'm in a great mood because it's officially June first, 2026, and that means I can finally stop pretending to like the snow. Welcome to the show, you assholes. If you're new here, we cover the shit that actually matters in this windy-as-hell valley, and we do it with the sharpest wit your pathetic ears can handle. We're positive about this city, really, but only because the alternatives are mostly just sagebrush and sadness.
MARK: It's true, we love this place, even if it feels like the city is actively trying to kill us with allergies and construction. If you want to yell at us or tell us how much you hate our voices, send an email to pocatello@thehappeningnetwork.com. We probably won't read it, but it'll make you feel better, you dickhead. Also, do the digital dance: like, subscribe, and leave a comment telling us your favorite spot to hide from the wind. Now, let's get into the headlines before Joleen starts throwing furniture.
JOLEEN: First up on the list of things that'll ruin your day: the annual burn ban is officially in effect today, June first. If you're planning on lighting a massive bonfire in your backyard to celebrate the death of spring, you're a goddamn idiot. The City of Pocatello and Bannock County have decided that because we have the moisture level of a saltine cracker right now, you're not allowed to burn shit in the wildland-urban interface areas. It's earlier than usual because our snowpack was basically a light dusting of powdered sugar this year, and the fire crews are already stressed enough.
MARK: Yeah, it's always fun when the city has to tell grown adults not to set the hills on fire. It's almost like they don't want the entire West Bench to turn into a charcoal briquette. Along with that, if you have a cat or a dog and you're an actual responsible person, today's the day your license expires. If you don't get a new one, the city might just come and tell you what a terrible parent you are. It's fifteen bucks for an altered dog, but twenty-five if you've left them, you know, intact. I'm sure there's a joke there about personal choices, but I'm too composed for that.
JOLEEN: I'm not. If you haven't fixed your dog, you're probably the same kind of person who doesn't use a turn signal on Yellowstone Avenue. Speaking of people making questionable choices, we've got some actual heavy news. The Bannock County Chief Deputy Coroner was arrested recently on multiple charges of child sexual abuse. It's a massive blow to the local trust in public officials, and quite frankly, it's the kind of thing that makes you want to wash your brain with bleach. He's being held in the county jail, and the investigation is still ongoing.
MARK: It's definitely a dark shadow over the courthouse right now. You expect the coroner's office to be grim, but not like this. In other justice-related news, a thirty-four-year-old Pocatello man, Kacey Franklin James, just got handed a sixteen-year sentence in federal prison. He was caught up in a massive trafficking operation for meth, LSD, and mushrooms, plus he had firearms because why not add more years to the clock? It's a reminder that even in a quiet mountain town, there's a whole lot of Walter White wannabes failing miserably at their life goals.
JOLEEN: Sixteen years is a long time to think about why you decided that selling acid in a town that already feels like a hallucination was a good idea. But hey, at least he's got a roof over his head for the next decade and a half. Let's move on to something that doesn't involve the police, or at least shouldn't. It's graduation week for School District 25. The Class of 2026 is finally escaping, starting with New Horizon on Thursday and then the big three--Pocatello, Highland, and Century--hitting the ICCU Dome on Friday.
MARK: The ICCU Dome, formerly known as Holt Arena for those of us who refuse to acknowledge corporate naming rights, is going to be packed with people trying to figure out which speck on the floor is their kid. The district is being super strict this year. No air horns, no cowbells, and definitely no silly string. They even said they'd pause the ceremony if people can't act like civilized human beings. It's a tall order for Pocatello, honestly. Asking a thousand people not to use a cowbell is like asking Joleen not to say 'bitch' for five minutes.
JOLEEN: Fuck you, Mark, I've gone at least three minutes. And seriously, who brings an air horn to a graduation? It's not a monster truck rally, you absolute dickheads. It's a celebration of survival. Once these kids are out, the younger ones get the joy of the Summer Food Service Program starting June eighth. They're serving lunch at basically every park in the city from eleven-thirty to twelve-thirty. It's a great program for kids who actually need a meal, but I'm mostly just impressed they managed to organize anything that involves seven different parks and a fleet of lunch bags.
MARK: It's the twenty-sixth year they've done it, so they've got the logistics down to a science. It's free for anyone eighteen and under, and adults can jump in for five bucks. Honestly, five dollars for a school lunch sounds like a gamble, but in this economy, it might be the best deal in town. Speaking of food that doesn't come in a brown paper bag, we actually went out to eat somewhere nice for once. We hit up The Yellowstone Restaurant downtown. You know, the place that looks like it belongs in a movie about a wealthy rancher who hides a dark secret?
JOLEEN: That building is gorgeous, though. It's got that historic vibe that almost makes me forget I'm in Idaho. We started with the Dynamite Shrimp, and let's just say the name isn't an exaggeration. It's spicy, it's creamy, and it's the only thing that's ever made me feel alive in this zip code. I had the seafood-stuffed pork chop, which sounds like something a crazy person would invent, but it was surprisingly great. It's like the ocean and the farm had a beautiful, delicious baby that I then ate.
MARK: I went with the Yellowstone Filet because I'm a man of simple, expensive tastes. It was cooked to perfection, which is rare for a place that tries to be 'upscale casual'. Usually, that just means you can wear your nice jeans while they overcook your steak. But the service was actually attentive, and they have this whiskey bar attached called the 313 where you can go to drink away the memory of your mortgage payment. It's definitely the spot if you want to impress someone who doesn't think a date at Arctic Circle is high romance.
JOLEEN: They also have live jazz nights, which is the most 'I have a college degree and a leather-bound book collection' thing you can do in Pocatello. It's a nice change of pace from the usual bar scene where the playlist is just ninety percent country music and 'Sweet Home Alabama'. If you're looking for a hidden gem that isn't really hidden but is definitely a gem, go to The Yellowstone. Just make a reservation, or you'll be standing on the sidewalk like a loser while the rest of us eat our fancy bread pudding.
MARK: Let's pivot to sports, because apparently, people still enjoy running in circles for fun. Idaho State's track and field team is sending four athletes to the NCAA West Regionals in Fayetteville. We've got Seth Babbel in the ten-thousand-meter, which sounds like a form of torture rather than a sport. He broke his own school record this year with a time of twenty-eight minutes and fifty seconds. I can't even drive ten kilometers in twenty-eight minutes if the lights on Fourth Street are against me.
JOLEEN: Right? Running for nearly half an hour at that pace is insane. Then you've got Chris Lupkes in the hammer throw. He's a sophomore who decided to just start breaking records for fun. He won the Big Sky Championship and is now heading to the first round of the NCAAs. I like the hammer throw because it involves spinning around until you're dizzy and then throwing a heavy metal ball as far away from you as possible. It's basically my philosophy for dealing with my ex.
MARK: And don't forget Axel Tirado-Sanchez. He's ranked fourteenth in the country for the discus. He actually qualified for shot put too, but he's focusing on the discus to maximize his chances. That's the kind of strategic thinking I appreciate. Then there's Ashley Reeck in the three-thousand-meter steeplechase. Steeplechase is the one with the hurdles and the water pit, right? It's basically an obstacle course for people who find regular running too boring. It's good to see the Bengals making noise on a national level while the rest of us are struggling to walk up the stairs at the mall.
JOLEEN: The mall? Who goes to the mall anymore? That place is a ghost town with more kiosks than customers. But hey, if you want to see actual crowds, the Revive at Five summer concert series starts this Wednesday, June third. It's at Lookout Point, which is that little park downtown that they've finally turned into something useful. The Bannock Civitans are hosting, and it's basically the weekly ritual where everyone in town drinks a beer and listens to a local band while pretending the wind isn't blowing their napkins into the next county.
MARK: It's a staple. They've got food trucks, ice cream, and the Wednesday farmers market is right there too. It's free admission, which is the magic word in this town. If you want to see the local hierarchy in action, just look at who gets the best spots for their lawn chairs. It's a competitive sport. Then on Friday, the fifth, we've got the First Friday Art Walk. It's from five to eight, and it's your chance to look at art and pretend you understand it while sipping a drink. It's a great way to support local artists who are actually trying to make this city look like something other than a brown rectangle.
JOLEEN: The Art Walk is great because it makes downtown feel alive. Plus, the shops stay open late, and you can find some weird shit you didn't know you needed. This weekend is also the Idaho High School Rodeo State Finals. If you haven't been to a high school rodeo, you're missing out on seeing teenagers with more athletic ability than most professionals, mostly because they haven't realized that falling off a horse really fucking hurts yet. It's going to be at the events center, so expect a lot of trucks and cowboy hats.
MARK: It's a huge event for the region. These kids are competing for spots in the national finals, so the stakes are actually high. If you prefer your sports on foot and in the mountains, the Scout Mountain Ultras are also happening this Friday and Saturday. These people run fifty miles through the mud and the trees. Why? I have no idea. I get tired just thinking about the drive up to the trailhead. But if you want to feel inadequate about your physical fitness, go cheer them on as they finish their hundredth mile or whatever ridiculous distance they're doing.
JOLEEN: Fifty miles? I wouldn't even do that in a golf cart. But hey, to each their own. Let's talk weather, because it's the only thing people in Pocatello talk about besides construction. Today, Monday, we're starting off cool with some lingering showers and highs only in the mid-sixties. It's that classic Idaho June where you need a jacket in the morning and short sleeves by noon. But don't worry, the sun is coming back. We're going to see a gradual warm-up all week, hitting the low eighties by Wednesday.
MARK: Yeah, Wednesday through Friday looks perfect for those outdoor concerts we mentioned. Highs in the mid-seventies to low eighties, and mostly clear skies. It's the sweet spot before the heat really kicks in and turns the valley into an oven. The nights are still going to be chilly, dropping into the mid-forties, so if you're out at Revive at Five, bring a sweater unless you want to spend the whole evening shivering like a chihuahua. Saturday might see some clouds return, but overall, it's a solid start to the month.
JOLEEN: It's about time. I was starting to think winter was never going to end. Now, speaking of things that never end: road construction. If you're a commuter, you probably already noticed the massive clusterfuck on I-15. Last night, they shifted all the southbound traffic between Northgate and Fort Hall into new median lanes. That means the southbound on-ramp at Fort Hall and the off-ramp at Northgate are closed for the next two weeks. If you missed your exit, congratulations, you're now going to Blackfoot.
MARK: The 'Flying Y' interchange project is technically supposed to be winding down, but let's be real, ITD will find a way to keep those cones out there until the heat death of the universe. The new lanes are part of the plan to make I-15 three lanes in both directions, which sounds great in theory. In practice, it just means three lanes of people camping in the left lane while doing fifty-five. They're also still working on the Center Street underpass, which is basically a permanent geological feature at this point. Just avoid the area if you value your sanity.
JOLEEN: Sanity is a luxury we don't have in this town, Mark. And if you're trying to escape the traffic by buying a house somewhere else, good luck. The real estate market in Pocatello is currently in 'neutral territory', which is realtor-speak for 'nobody knows what's going on'. The median list price is sitting around three-hundred and seventy thousand dollars. Homes are staying on the market for about thirty-four days, which is actually faster than last year. It's a buyer's market technically, but with interest rates where they are, it's more like a 'wait and see if you're actually going to go broke' market.
MARK: I love how three-hundred and seventy thousand is considered 'affordable' compared to the rest of the country. It's a bargain if you don't mind the fact that your yard is fifty percent lava rock and fifty percent weeds. The West Bench area is seeing the most movement, mostly because people want to get away from the noise of the trains downtown. But inventory is slightly up, so if you've been looking to move, you might actually have more than three options that don't look like a haunted dollhouse. Just be prepared to negotiate like your life depends on it.
JOLEEN: Negotiating for a house in Pocatello is mostly just asking if the seller can leave their snowblower behind. But hey, it's better than living in a box. That's the news for the week, you dickheads. We've covered the fires, the graduates, and the people running through the mountains for no reason. It's June, the sun is out, and for a few fleeting moments, this city almost looks beautiful. Don't let it fool you, it'll be windy again by tomorrow afternoon.
MARK: It's already windy, Joleen. You just haven't looked out the window yet. Thanks for listening to Happening in Pocatello. Remember, if you liked what you heard--or even if you didn't--hit those buttons to like, subscribe, and comment. It helps us keep the lights on and keeps Joleen in coffee and cynicism. Check out the links in the show notes for details on the Art Walk and the rodeo, and try not to set anything on fire this week. We'll be back next Monday to do it all over again.
JOLEEN: Yeah, stay classy, Pocatello. Or just stay out of the construction zones. Peace out, dicks.