Happening in Pocatello: Bomb Scares, Budget Holes, and The Death of Math

Welcome to another episode of 'Happening in Pocatello,' your primary source for the high-altitude drama and municipal updates of the Gate City. This week, hosts Mark and Joleen dive into the national spotlight hitting Cesar Chavez Avenue and the city's 'measured' response to the renaming debate. We break down the upcoming 10-year vision for the ISU neighborhood--monorails likely not included--and discuss the bizarre local 'bomb' scare that turned out to be nothing more than cigarettes and bad timing. Between analyzing School District 25's math-cutting budget and the soul-crushing reality of local real estate prices, we find time to review Brick 243 Gastropub and check the pulse of ISU sports during 'Starch Madness.' From the 'fake spring' weather traps to the eternal construction at the Center Street Underpass, we're covering everything that makes living in Idaho an endurance sport. Subscribe for your weekly dose of Pocatello news, local grievances, and honest takes on the state of the city.

What is Happening in Pocatello?

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 'Happening in Pocatello', the podcast that serves as the official auditory record of our collective descent into the abyss of Idaho living. I'm Mark, and as always, I'm joined by the human equivalent of a double shot of espresso mixed with industrial-grade cynicism, Joleen.

JOLEEN: Thanks for that lovely introduction, you sarcastic prick. It's Monday, March 23, 2026, and if you haven't been blinded by the weirdly bright sun today, you're probably just staring at a 'Road Closed' sign in Old Town. We've got a lot of absolute shit to cover today, from fake bombs to the city actually admitting they might've messed up some street naming. It's a banner week for the Gate City, truly.

MARK: It really is. Before we get into the meat of this disaster, a quick reminder that you can reach us at [e-mail] if you want to complain about your neighbor's un-mowed lawn or just tell us we're assholes. Also, do the digital dance: like, subscribe, and leave a comment. Preferably one that doesn't involve our mothers, though I know that's asking a lot for the internet.

JOLEEN: Seriously, just hit the button. It's not like you're doing anything else while you're stuck in traffic on 5th. Now, let's talk about the renaming drama because nothing says Pocatello like a sudden realization that history is, in fact, complicated.

MARK: Right. So, the city's currently reviewing the name of Cesar Chavez Avenue. This isn't just a random whim; there was a big New York Times investigation that dropped recently about some of the less-than-stellar allegations surrounding Chavez. Mayor Mark Dahlquist says they're taking a 'thoughtful and measured' approach, which is government-speak for 'we're terrified of the PR fallout'.

JOLEEN: Oh, absolutely. They're basically hovering over the 'rename' button but they don't want to piss off any specific demographic too early in the year. It's funny how we've had that street name forever and suddenly everyone's like, 'Wait, should we have done that?' It's the most Pocatello thing ever to wait for a national newspaper to tell us what to think about our own damn roads.

MARK: Well, we're busy, Joleen. We've got University area plans to worry about. The city's actually hosting an open house on April 1st--no joke, apparently--to talk about a 10-year plan for the neighborhoods around ISU. They want to talk about 'affordable housing' and 'transportation options,' which I assume means more bike lanes that nobody uses and apartments that cost three times the median income.

JOLEEN: Don't be such a dick, Mark. Maybe they'll actually fix a sidewalk or two. But yeah, the 'shared vision' thing always sounds like they're trying to sell us a monorail. If you live near the university and don't want your street turned into a permanent construction zone for the next decade, you should probably take their online survey or show up at the Senior Activity Center next week.

MARK: I'll be there with my list of grievances, mostly regarding the lack of parking for people who actually pay taxes. Speaking of people who pay taxes, or in this case, people who ruin everyone's night, we had a bit of a bomb scare at the Burbon Barrel Bar recently. A lovely gentleman named Brent Vernon Kynaston decided to spice up a Saturday night by claiming he was packed with explosives.

JOLEEN: This story is gold. It turns out Brent was just having a bad night. He got into an argument with some woman who apparently wanted to fight him because he didn't smoke weed, which is an oddly specific reason to start a brawl. He tells the cops he's just trying to find a place to piss and go home, but some patrons thought he showed them a bomb.

MARK: The best part? The 'bomb' was literally just a set of keys and a pack of cigarettes. I mean, sure, cigarettes'll kill you, but usually not in a sudden, fiery explosion outside a bar. He's 44 years old. You'd think by that age you'd know that telling people you have a bomb is generally a fast track to the Bannock County Jail, not a way to get out of a fight.

JOLEEN: Maybe he thought the keys looked dangerous in the right light? I don't know. The guy is lucky he didn't get tackled by some 'hero' in a camo hat before the cops got there. But hey, that's Pocatello nightlife for you. One minute you're complaining about the price of a draft beer, the next you're being searched for imaginary TNT.

MARK: It's the spice of life, Joleen. Speaking of things that aren't explosive but are definitely depressing, let's talk about School District 25. They just had to adjust their budget because apparently, we're running out of children. They're looking at a 1.3 million dollar decrease in state revenue because enrollment is dropping faster than my expectations for this city.

JOLEEN: It's wild. They've lost nearly 150 students since October. They're saying it's because family sizes are getting smaller, which I guess means people finally realized that raising a kid in this economy is a great way to go broke. So, the district's 'solution' is to put the brakes on a 1.2 million dollar math curriculum adoption. Because who needs math when you can't even count the students you don't have?

MARK: I love that math is the first thing to go. 'We don't have the money, so let's stop teaching the kids how to calculate why we don't have the money.' It's perfect. They're trying to say the timing is about 'instructional planning,' but we all know it's about the fact that the bank account is looking a little lean. No new textbooks for you, Timmy. Just use the ones from 1994 where Pluto is still a planet.

JOLEEN: At least Courtney Fisher wrote that heartwarming opinion piece about neighborhood schools. She's all about the 'friendships that last a lifetime' and the 'craggy dirt roads' of the 80s. It's a nice sentiment, but it doesn't really pay the bills when the state pulls funding because everyone's moved to Boise or is just homeschooling their kids in a bunker.

MARK: Bunkers are the new neighborhood schools, Joleen. Very trendy. And it's Spring Break this week, so the kids aren't even in the buildings anyway. They're probably all out trying to figure out if they can afford a house in this town, which brings me to the real estate market. If you want to buy a house in Pocatello right now, you basically need to be a tech mogul or have a very lucrative side-hustle in organ harvesting.

JOLEEN: It's disgusting. The median sale price is sitting around 344 grand. But the real kicker is that 'income premium.' You need to earn nearly 100 percent more to buy a home here than you do to rent one. It's the biggest gap in the state. Renting is like a thousand bucks on average, but to buy, you need an income of over 85,000 dollars. Who in Pocatello is making 85k? Besides the people at the university who keep losing students?

MARK: Not many people, I'll tell you that. It's a total shitshow for first-time buyers. You're basically choosing between a life of perpetual renting or a mortgage that'll ensure you're eating instant ramen until you're 80. But hey, it's a 'seller's market,' which is just a fancy way of saying 'good luck, you're fucked.'

JOLEEN: And yet, people keep coming back. Probably for the food. Speaking of, we checked out Brick 243 Gastropub recently. It's been around for a bit, but it's still holding its own. They're all about that 'made from scratch' vibe, which is great, except when I have to wait 45 minutes for a burger because the chef is back there hand-massaging the kale or whatever they do in gastropubs.

MARK: They actually do a decent job, Joleen. The local beer selection is solid, which helps with the waiting. It's funny how every new place in town has to be a 'gastropub' now. We can't just have a bar with food; it has to be an 'experience.' I don't want an experience; I want a sandwich that doesn't cost 20 dollars and a place to sit where I don't have to listen to a curated playlist of indie-folk covers of 90s rap.

JOLEEN: You're just an old man yelling at a cloud. The food is actually good. The chef, Rebecca, seems like she actually gives a shit, which is more than I can say for most of the service industry in this town. It's a nice spot if you want to feel like you're in a real city for an hour before you step back out onto the cracked pavement of Main Street.

MARK: Fair enough. Let's pivot to sports, or as I like to call it, 'The only reason anyone still watches local news.' ISU is deep in 'Starch Madness.' The women's basketball team finished fourth in the Big Sky, which isn't terrible, but they had a rough loss to Sac State to end the season. Now they've gotta face them again in the tournament. It's like a bad relationship you just can't escape.

JOLEEN: And the men's team is in ninth place, battling Northern Arizona in the play-in round. If they win, they get the prize of being absolutely destroyed by Portland State. It's the circle of life, Mark. At least the softball team is doing okay, and the esports Rocket League guys are heading to Nationals. I'd rather watch people play car-soccer than watch our basketball teams struggle through another rebuilding year.

MARK: Hey, Cody Hawkins is out there for Spring Ball right now with the football team. He's talking about 'integration' and 'technique.' It's his fourth year, so maybe this is the year they actually win more than a handful of games. They're practicing in the dome because apparently the grass is too scary for the new guys.

JOLEEN: Or it's just too damn windy outside. Have you felt those gusts? It's enough to blow a freshman straight to Blackfoot. Hawkins is saying the turf in the dome is 'home,' which is a nice way of saying 'it's the only place we have where the weather doesn't actively try to kill us.'

MARK: Speaking of weather, it's actually been suspiciously nice. We're looking at highs in the 70s today and tomorrow. It's that classic Idaho 'fake spring' that tricks all the idiots into planting their gardens early just so a frost can murder everything in April. Don't be that dickhead who buys a whole nursery's worth of flowers this week.

JOLEEN: Exactly. Enjoy the 70 degrees today, because by Thursday, we're dipping back down to a high of 55 and a low of 30. It's the weather's way of reminding you that you live in a high-altitude desert and your happiness is strictly temporary. But hey, the library is opening their seed library on the 26th, so you can go get some free seeds to watch die next month.

MARK: I'll stick to the fake plants. They're more my speed. Now, if you're planning on driving anywhere this week--which, let's be honest, you are--be prepared for the absolute clusterfuck that is the Center Street Underpass. It's officially a disaster zone now. They've got the road closed, they're digging holes, and there's a crane that's being moved to the east side of the site as we speak.

JOLEEN: It's been closed for what feels like a decade already, but this is 'the big phase.' They're doing concrete work for the footings and walls. They say pedestrian access is still open through the north tunnel, but who the hell wants to walk through a construction site in 70-degree heat? It's making the downtown businesses lose their minds, too. Quint over at Vintage Vinyl is basically begging people to remember that he still exists even if they have to take a three-mile detour to buy a record.

MARK: It's tough. You've got detour signs everywhere, but half the drivers in this town can't read a 'Yield' sign, so a detour map might as well be written in ancient Sumerian. Just be patient, or better yet, stay home. There's literally nothing worth seeing that requires driving through that mess.

JOLEEN: Well, the Crafters Market is at Station Square this Saturday. You could go buy a hand-knitted beer cozy or something. And there's a flintknapping class on Sunday if you want to learn how to make stone tools for when the economy finally collapses and we're all hunting pigeons for food. It's a useful skill for the modern Pocatellan.

MARK: I'll stick to my flintknapped sarcasm, thanks. It's sharper and requires less physical labor. That's about all the misery we have time for today. If you're out and about, try not to get arrested for imaginary bombs, and maybe try to do a little math since the school district is apparently giving up on it.

JOLEEN: And don't forget to email us if you've got a lead on some actual good news, though we'll probably just make fun of that too. [e-mail]. Like, subscribe, and tell your friends. Or don't. We'll still be here, unfortunately.

MARK: Stay cynical, Pocatello. We'll see you next week, assuming the underpass hasn't swallowed the entire city by then.