MARK: Welcome back to 'Happening in Pocatello,' the only podcast brave enough to tell you what's actually going on in this weird, windy corner of Idaho. I'm Mark.

JOLEEN: And I'm Joleen. It's Monday, December 22nd, 2025. Three days until the magic happens. By which I mean, three days until I can stop pretending to like Christmas music.

MARK: I'm just looking forward to the quiet existential hum when all the stores are closed. But before we get to the forced merriment, we have to talk about the weather's pre-Christmas tantrum. It wasn't just windy last week, it was 'angry pagan god' windy.

JOLEEN: No kidding. The Idaho State Police were busy last Wednesday, December 17th. Apparently, the stretch of I-15 down in Bannock County decided to become a parking lot for sleepy semi-trucks. High winds, with gusts up to 65 miles per hour, just knocked them the fuck over.

MARK: Eleven. Eleven separate incidents of semis just giving up and taking a nap on the interstate. I'm not a physicist, but it takes a special kind of wind to bitch-slap an 80,000-pound vehicle onto its side. It's almost impressive, like nature's way of saying, 'Your Amazon Prime delivery is going to be late, asshole.'

JOLEEN: I drove through there the next day and you could still see the glitter of broken truck parts on the shoulder. It was festive. Road crews were working on it through the night, which must have been a miserable, cold job. So, props to them. But it does make you wonder about the structural integrity of, you know, everything else.

MARK: If the semis are tipping, my plastic flamingo lawn ornament doesn't stand a chance. And the wind wasn't the only thing causing a stir. There was a bit of drama over at Pocatello High School to close out the week last Friday.

JOLEEN: Oh yeah, the old 'unspecified threat' routine. Police got a tip Friday morning and descended on Poky High. They even sent some extra cars to the other high schools, just in case. Because nothing says 'last day before break' like a potential lockdown.

MARK: Of course, after they investigated, the threat was deemed 'not credible.' Which is a nice way of saying some little shit probably wanted to get out of a final exam. And it worked, in a way. I'm sure it disrupted the hell out of the day.

JOLEEN: The police chief, Roger Schei, basically said they have to take everything seriously, and it's better to be cautious. Which is true. But it also must be exhausting. Imagine being the guy who has to decide if a teenager's dumbass social media post is a legitimate threat or just a cry for attention.

MARK: It's a fine line between public safety and teenage angst. But the good news is, all the little darlings are now officially on winter break. As of today, School District 25 is on hiatus until January. A blessed silence falls over the city's school zones.

JOLEEN: Two glorious weeks without school traffic on Pole Line Road. It's the real Christmas miracle. The kids are free, the teachers are probably already drunk, and the parents are about to remember what it's like to have their children home. All. The. Time.

MARK: Thoughts and prayers to those parents. I hope they have a well-stocked liquor cabinet and a strong wifi signal. The break runs all the way through New Year's, so they have a long road ahead of them. Speaking of long roads, the city is about to make one of our most-traveled roads a complete nightmare.

JOLEEN: Oh, lovely. Just what I wanted for Christmas: more construction.

MARK: You've got it. They are finally moving ahead with the Center Street Underpass Project. And to prepare everyone for the impending doom, they're holding an open house. Tonight. From 4 to 6 p.m. at the Historic Downtown Pocatello offices. So, if you want to go gaze upon the blueprints of your future traffic jams, now's your chance.

JOLEEN: An open house for a construction project? Is there going to be, like, tiny sandwiches and cheap wine while they explain how our commutes are going to be fucked for the next two years? Construction is supposed to start in 'early January 2026.' That's next month.

MARK: They're just ripping the band-aid off. Happy New Year, here's a giant hole in the middle of town. But hey, in a rare twist, we can also report on a construction project that is... finished. Done. Complete.

JOLEEN: Get out. I don't believe you. 'Finished' isn't in a Pocatello road crew's vocabulary. It's always 'ongoing' or 'delayed.'

MARK: It's true! The Monte Vista to Pocatello Creek Road multi-use pathway is officially complete. They finished up the final phase of erosion control earlier this month. So now you can safely walk or bike along the interstate, breathing in all those delicious exhaust fumes without fear of being run over.

JOLEEN: Wow. One step forward, one giant, underpass-shaped step back. At least the weather for the next week doesn't seem to be plotting our demise. It's almost disappointingly mild.

MARK: Yeah, I checked the forecast, and Mother Nature is clearly hungover from her windy rage-binger. Today, a high of 52 degrees with some drizzle. Fifty-two. In late December. It's practically tropical. The rest of the week is just... damp. Overcast skies, highs in the high 40s and low 50s, and a decent chance of rain showers.

JOLEEN: So we're not getting a white Christmas. We're getting a 'soggy gray socks' Christmas. I guess I can live with that. It's better than black ice. I won't have to worry about sliding into a ditch, just developing seasonal affective disorder from the permanent grayness.

MARK: At least it's good weather for staying inside and eating. Which reminds me, we decided to brave the pre-holiday crowds and check out a restaurant that's been on the list for a while: The Yellowstone.

JOLEEN: Right, over on West Bonneville. It's in that gorgeous old historic hotel building. The place calls itself 'upscale casual,' which I think is code for 'you can wear jeans, but please don't be a complete dickhead.'

MARK: The atmosphere is definitely a step up. It feels historic, with all the dark wood and cool architecture. We didn't go for a full, bankrupting dinner, but we tried a few things. I was tempted by the Sho-Ban Bison Meatloaf, which sounds both incredibly local and slightly sacrilegious. But I ended up trying the Bison Ravioli instead.

JOLEEN: How was it? Did it taste like... victory?

MARK: It was rich, savory, and actually really well balanced. You could tell it wasn't just ground beef they were passing off as something exotic. I was genuinely impressed. What did you get?

JOLEEN: I went with the Fish & Chips because I'm a simple creature at heart. But even that was elevated. The fish was beer-battered, super crispy, and not greasy at all. And the portion was huge. It's definitely not cheap, but you're paying for the atmosphere and the quality. It's a 'special occasion' place, unless you're one of the lucky few in town with a trust fund.

MARK: It's a solid choice for a date night where you want to pretend you're more sophisticated than you actually are. Good food, good service, and a building that feels like it might be haunted by a ghost in a top hat. What more could you want?

JOLEEN: Maybe a win for the home team? Because that did not happen this weekend. The ISU men's basketball team had their final non-conference game yesterday at home.

MARK: Yeah, they hosted UC Davis and it was... not great. They fell into a 15-point hole by halftime and just couldn't dig their way out. They made a run in the second half, pulled within two points, but ultimately lost 93-83.

JOLEEN: It's a tough way to go into the conference schedule. The final score makes it look closer than it felt for a lot of that game. They just had a painfully slow start. They're 7-and-6 on the season now, which is the dictionary definition of 'perfectly average.'

MARK: There was a bright spot, though. A freshman, Louis Bond, had a hell of a game. The starters got into foul trouble, so he played for 18 minutes and ended up being the leading scorer for ISU with 19 points. The kid stepped up, which is promising.

JOLEEN: We need that. Some new blood to get things exciting. The high school kids were also busy this weekend with the Holiday Classic basketball tournament. I saw a bunch of out-of-town school buses, so it must have been a pretty big event.

MARK: It's always fun to see the high school gyms packed. It feels like a real community event, unlike the real estate market, which feels completely dead right now. Is anyone even thinking about buying or selling a house this week?

JOLEEN: God no. People are too busy trying to find a parking spot at Fred Meyer. The market always goes into hibernation this time of year. No one wants to deal with showings when they have relatives sleeping on their couch and a tree shedding needles all over the living room.

MARK: Plus, with interest rates being what they are, the motivation just isn't there. I'm still waiting to see what our new mayor, Mark Dahlquist, is going to do about his big promise of a 'full ladder of housing.' It's a great slogan, but what does it actually mean? Are we getting luxury treehouses? Affordable basement dungeons?

JOLEEN: Who knows. It's probably just another way of saying 'we'll approve some more apartment complexes that no one can afford.' The zoning reform he talked about is the real key. But that's a political hornet's nest. I'll believe it when I see it. For now, the only houses people are focused on are made of gingerbread.

MARK: Fair enough. So, let's look ahead. This is always a weird week, the twilight zone between Christmas and New Year's. Is there anything to even do besides return shitty gifts and eat leftovers?

JOLEEN: There are a few things stirring. If you didn't get enough of a craft fix before Christmas, there's a Crafters Market at Station Square this Saturday, the 27th. A perfect opportunity to spend that gift money from grandma on some handmade soap or a macrame plant holder.

MARK: Or, if you're feeling more... spiritual... there's something on Sunday the 28th called a 'Pinecone Ritual Sound Bath.' I have so many questions. Do you get hit with pinecones? Do you bathe in pinecones? Is it a metaphor for releasing the prickly parts of your soul?

JOLEEN: It sounds both incredibly uncomfortable and deeply Pocatello. It's for 'Releasing & New Wishes.' I might go, just for the story. I'll report back on the pinecone-to-bath ratio.

MARK: Please do. Then, of course, there's the big night: New Year's Eve. And Pocatello is... not exactly a party hub. It looks like the biggest event is happening in Idaho Falls, where the Colonial Theater is hosting 'Arrival from Sweden: The Music of ABBA.' So you can ring in the new year with a bunch of Swedes pretending to be other Swedes.

JOLEEN: It's either that or a dart tournament. Ringo's Tavern is having a 'New Year, Same Bull Fun Dart Tournament' on January 3rd. Which feels a lot more honest about the whole 'new year, new me' thing. It's more like 'new year, same shitty aim.'

MARK: I appreciate the realism. So your options are ABBA, sound baths, or darts. Choose your own adventure, Pocatello. That about wraps it up for us. Thanks for tuning into another episode of 'Happening in Pocatello.'

JOLEEN: We do this for you. And for the free food, occasionally. If you have a tip, a complaint, or a rave review about a pinecone bath, you can email us at pocatello@thehappeningnetwork.com.

MARK: Yeah, shoot us an email. And do us a favor: like, subscribe, comment, leave a five-star review, tell your mom about us. It feeds our fragile egos. Otherwise, have a hell of a week and a decent Christmas.

JOLEEN: Try not to get blown over. We'll talk to you next week.