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Happening in Boise is your weekly breakdown of what’s actually going on around the city—local news, community events, public safety updates, new restaurants, real estate, weather, schools, and everything Boise residents are talking about.
Hosted with humor, honesty, and a very Boise-specific point of view, this isn’t stiff broadcast news—it’s real local info with personality. If you live in Boise or just want to keep a pulse on the Treasure Valley, this is your weekly shortcut.
MARK: Welcome to Happening in Boise. It's Monday, November 9, 2026. I'm Mark.
JOLEEN: And I'm Joleen. Boise schools want input on a major schedule proposal, police have arrested a man after a teenager was shot, and College GameDay is headed to Boise.
MARK: The Boise School District is asking for feedback on a proposal to change school start and end times in the 2027-28 school year. Elementary schools would start earlier, junior highs and high schools later. No final decision has been made.
JOLEEN: And if you have kids at different schools, get a pencil. Possibly several pencils. High schools would move from 7:45 a.m. to 3:07 p.m. to 9 a.m. to 4:02 p.m.
MARK: Junior highs would move from 7:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The mornings get later, and so does the end of the day.
JOLEEN: Meanwhile, standard-start elementary schools would go from 8:45 to 3:15 to 8 a.m. to 2:30. Late-start elementary schools would shift from 9:15 to 3:45 to 8:15 to 2:45.
MARK: A teenager could start at nine while a younger sibling starts at eight. I'm sure the household negotiations would be perfectly cordial.
JOLEEN: Oh, absolutely. The teenager will voluntarily get up early and pack everybody's lunches. But seriously, the district says this recommendation follows two years of work by a 19-member committee representing school levels, families and staff.
MARK: The district cites research linking later secondary start times to better sleep, academic performance and well-being. The survey also says an earlier elementary schedule may line up better with parents' work schedules.
JOLEEN: And there are tradeoffs. The survey flags possible safety concerns for younger children waiting for buses, walking or biking in the dark; changes to after-school care; and later nights for secondary students. More sleep in the morning is appealing, but families have to fit the rest of the day around it too.
MARK: The online survey asks whether you support the proposal: yes, no or not sure. It closes December 4 at 5 p.m. Mountain time. Results will go to the school board to help inform its decision.
JOLEEN: That December date is the survey deadline, not a date when the board has promised to decide. Take a look at the full schedules, talk it over, and answer for the people who actually have to live with your alarm clocks.
MARK: Boise police say they arrested 45-year-old Darin Young on a felony aggravated battery charge after a 15-year-old boy was shot on November 7.
JOLEEN: According to police, a group of boys, including the teenager, had rung the doorbell and run away at the home of someone they knew. Police say that when the boys returned, Young, who lived at the home, chased them and fired a gun, striking the teenager.
MARK: The other boys took him to a hospital. In their November 8 release, police said his injuries were initially considered serious or critical but were not believed to be life-threatening.
JOLEEN: We're thinking of the teenager and his family. A child was shot, and we hope for his recovery.
MARK: In sports, Boise State football beat Colorado State 64-38 on the road on November 7. The win secured the Broncos' 29th consecutive winning season. Boise State says that's the longest active streak in the nation and the third-longest in FBS history.
JOLEEN: Twenty-nine straight winning seasons. At that point the streak should have its own parking space. And sixty-four points on the road is a hell of a way to keep it going.
MARK: The Broncos also climbed three spots to number 17 in the AP poll released Sunday. Next up is Oregon State at Albertsons Stadium on Saturday, November 14. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. Mountain time.
JOLEEN: And before kickoff, ESPN's College GameDay is scheduled to broadcast from the Boise State campus, seven to ten that morning. Seven! That's not a pregame show, that's an alarm clock with a panel of analysts.
MARK: A panel that will be considerably more prepared than my alarm clock. Boise State said it would announce more details, including the exact location of the GameDay desk.
JOLEEN: So make your sign now, stake out the exact spot later. I want a sign that can be read at seven in the morning by a person who has not yet met coffee.
MARK: May I suggest three very large letters: BED.
JOLEEN: You can stay home with your pillow. The rest of us can at least enjoy the idea of a campus full of people arguing about football before breakfast.
MARK: The basketball scoreboards have been busy too. Boise State's men beat Butler 100-81 at ExtraMile Arena on November 8, the Broncos' second consecutive game scoring 100.
JOLEEN: A hundred twice in a row? Give the person operating the scoreboard a snack and a wrist brace.
MARK: And the Boise State women host CSUN Tuesday, November 10, at 6:30 p.m. Mountain at ExtraMile Arena. It's scheduled to stream on Pac-12 YouTube and air on 670 KBOI AM.
JOLEEN: Now from the university teams to independent club AC Boise, which is headed to the USL League One final in its inaugural season. The club beat Chattanooga 1-0 in overtime on November 7.
MARK: Jesus Barea scored in the 114th minute, after a pass from captain Blake Bodily, who's from Eagle. More than 80 percent possession for Boise, 31 shots, and the goal arrives in the 114th minute. That is a long time to politely ask a ball to go somewhere.
JOLEEN: And when it finally listened! There were 8,003 fans there, which BoiseDev reports was a USL League One playoff attendance record. That's playoff attendance, not a claim about every game the league has ever played.
MARK: AC Boise will face Charlotte Independence in Charlotte on Saturday, November 14, at 5:30 p.m. Mountain. So it's an away final, and it starts after the Broncos kick off here.
JOLEEN: Two screens, two sports, one very difficult negotiation over who gets the larger one. And whatever the final result, AC Boise is moving up to the USL Championship next season, making this its last League One game.
MARK: I'd put the soccer on the larger screen. The football game already has an entire morning of television.
JOLEEN: That's surprisingly generous of you. Now let's talk about another important local contest: fries versus dessert.
MARK: Fork is at 199 North Eighth Street in Boise. Customer reviewer sb lee praised the asparagus fries and said the butter cake--if that was its name--was very good. The same reviewer said the restaurant's popularity affected service and noise.
JOLEEN: Asparagus fries and a cake with a slightly mysterious name? I'm listening. Although I appreciate that sb lee remembered the cake fondly enough to praise it and not quite enough to swear under oath about its name.
MARK: Another customer, Ashley Crouch, praised the outdoor patio atmosphere and the Parmesan truffle fries cooked in tallow. She also called the gluten-free brownie bowl exquisite and liked the Brussels sprouts and short ribs.
JOLEEN: That's a strong ballot for the patio and a very thorough campaign on behalf of dinner. But we should let the noise and service observation sit alongside the praise. A beautiful brownie does not automatically make a loud room quieter.
MARK: It may make you less interested in the conversation.
JOLEEN: Depends on the conversation. If you're explaining why dessert should be shared equally, I might suddenly become very interested.
MARK: A road update: in its November 6 notice on State Street and Pierce Park Lane, ACHD said curb, gutter and sidewalk concrete work was complete, as were concrete paving and mainline asphalt paving. Permanent striping and concrete island construction were nearly complete.
JOLEEN: The new target in that update: substantial completion by November 13. ACHD also said the speed limit would be restored to 40 miles per hour by that date.
MARK: Substantial completion is not quite the same as every last thing being finished. The notice also said minor work, including swale construction and landscape repair, would bring daytime lane closures into November.
JOLEEN: So watch the signs and give workers room. A posted speed limit is not a personal challenge from the road, Mark.
MARK: I've never found a road that could afford to insult me. It can, however, produce another cone when you thought the conversation was over.
JOLEEN: At least this update gives people a target to plan around, even if a little work can follow. Now, how much would it cost to buy the patch of ground under that cone?
MARK: Let's not give it ideas. Build Idaho's September 2026 report counted 1,431 homes sold across the Treasure Valley, up 4.9 percent from September 2025. The median sale price was $514,000, up 3.7 percent.
JOLEEN: Those are two different numbers doing two different jobs: more homes sold, and a higher median sale price. The report also put the valley's median time on market at about 18 days, down from about 25 a year earlier.
MARK: In the city of Boise, September's median sale price was $519,000, down 2.1 percent year over year. But the reported price per square foot rose 6.4 percent to $316.88.
JOLEEN: Wait. The middle sale price went down, but the price per square foot went up? That sounds like a real estate riddle someone puts on a throw pillow.
MARK: The report says the median home sold in Boise was about 1,700 square feet, compared with roughly 1,900 the previous September. A different mix of sizes can move the median price. It doesn't mean comparable space suddenly got cheaper.
JOLEEN: So the throw pillow costs less because it's smaller, but each individual feather has hired a lawyer. Got it.
MARK: For a broader comparison, September's median sale price was $555,000 in Ada County and $439,000 in Canyon County. Different places and different homes sold--not two price tags on the same house.
JOLEEN: And that distinction matters if you're trying to make a decision, rather than just shouting a number at your kitchen table. Though at these prices, the kitchen table may have opinions of its own.
MARK: If the table needs a change of scenery, what's on the calendar?
JOLEEN: The Capital City Public Market is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Grove Plaza, 827 West Main Street. The listing includes artists, makers, performers, nonprofits and a food court.
MARK: A food court at a market is clever. You can stop shopping to eat, then return to shopping with the confidence of someone holding a snack.
JOLEEN: And support local makers while you're there! You don't have to turn every public gathering into a tactical operation.
MARK: I was suggesting a snack, not a perimeter.
JOLEEN: Fair. Before the weekend, Boise School District junior high and high school orchestra students have a free concert Tuesday, November 10, at 7 p.m. at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts. The district's free band concert is there Tuesday, November 17, also at 7 p.m.
MARK: Orchestra this Tuesday, band the following Tuesday. Two separate evenings, so please don't show up expecting the trumpets to arrive a week early on principle.
JOLEEN: Go cheer on the students. And if you're planning the market or the game, let's talk about what the sky might be doing.
MARK: For today, Monday, November 9, the National Weather Service forecast calls for a mostly cloudy afternoon, a high near 65 falling toward 60, and a west-northwest wind around five miles per hour. Tonight should be partly cloudy, low around 41, with an east-southeast wind around two.
JOLEEN: Tuesday is forecast sunny, with a high near 66, falling toward 62 in the afternoon. Wednesday, Veterans Day, and Thursday look mostly sunny, both with highs near 71. That is a pretty inviting middle of the week.
MARK: A tempting opportunity to put the jacket somewhere safe and then spend the weekend remembering where safe was.
JOLEEN: Keep it handy. Friday's high is near 69, with a 40 percent chance of showers after 5 p.m. Friday night, showers are likely, with a 60 percent chance.
MARK: Saturday has a 40 percent chance of showers and a high near 62. Saturday night's chance is 30 percent. Sunday, showers are likely, with a 60 percent chance and a high near 61.
JOLEEN: So Saturday's market and football plans come with a chance of showers, not a guaranteed soaking. Bring a layer or an umbrella if that makes your day easier, and check the forecast again as the weekend gets closer.
MARK: And if the GameDay sign needs an umbrella, make the letters waterproof. BED deserves proper presentation.
JOLEEN: That's Happening in Boise. Follow or subscribe, and send us a note at boise@thehappeningnetwork.com. We'll be back next week.
MARK: Take care of each other, Boise.