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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, the podcast where we analyze the city's growth with the same enthusiasm a death row inmate has for his last meal. I'm Mark, and I'm currently staring at my property tax bill with the kind of intense, silent fury usually reserved for people who don't pull all the way into the intersection on a left turn. It's Monday, February 23rd, 2026, and if you're listening to this while stuck behind a Subaru with Colorado plates doing forty in a fifty-five, just know I'm right there with you in spirit. Today we're looking at a city that's somehow simultaneously the most livable place in America and a place where you have to sell a kidney just to afford a shed in Kuna. It's a beautiful, confusing mess, and frankly, I'm just here to watch the wheels fall off.
JOLEEN: And I'm Joleen, the person who actually enjoys the chaos because it gives me something to bitch about besides my dating life. Welcome to the show where we tell you everything that's going on in this valley while maintaining a healthy level of skepticism about whether any of it actually matters. We've got a lot of shit to get through today, from our beloved legislators playing with our money like it's Monopoly to the fact that people in Nampa apparently think police cars are target practice for their front bumpers. If you want to reach out and tell us how much you love or hate the show, or if you just want to send us tips on where to find a cocktail that costs less than a car payment, email us at boise@thehappeningnetwork.com. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and leave a comment telling Mark his haircut makes him look like a disappointed high school principal.
MARK: It's a classic look, Joleen, it commands respect. Or at least it commands people to ask me where the nearest bathroom is. Anyway, let's start with the statehouse, where our favorite group of professional toddlers, also known as the Idaho Legislature, is busy trying to balance the checkbook. The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, or JFAC for those of us who enjoy acronyms that sound like a mild respiratory illness, just voted to give the State Tax Commission an extra 3.3 million bucks. Apparently, we need more money to keep up with the federal tax changes in Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' Act. It's funny how 'One Big Beautiful Bill' always seems to end up with us writing one big ugly check to implement it. They're also slapping 1 and 2 percent cuts onto most state agency budgets because, hey, who needs fully funded public services when you've got tax conformity to worry about?
JOLEEN: It's a total dick move, honestly. Senator Scott Grow and Representative Josh Tanner are basically running the budget with a chainsaw while telling everyone it's just a light trim. They're shielding the 'big four' like schools and prisons, which is great, but everyone else is getting squeezed. And the best part is they just rejected tuition assistance for our National Guard members. We're talking about less than two hundred thousand dollars in a multi-billion dollar budget. They'll spend millions to make sure our tax forms match whatever's happening in D.C., but helping a soldier pay for a few classes at BSU is apparently where we draw the line on fiscal responsibility. It's that classic Idaho brand of 'we support the troops, but not if it costs us a dime of our surplus' logic.
MARK: It's all about priorities, Joleen. If we don't have a perfectly synchronized tax code, how will we properly extract every cent from the people moving here from California? Speaking of people who shouldn't be moving at all, let's talk about the situation in Nampa. Last Tuesday, another Nampa Police cruiser was hit by a suspected drunk driver on I-84. The officer was out of the car investigating a different crash, and luckily didn't get turned into a pancake, but the patrol car took one for the team. This is the second time in a goddamn month that a cop car has been hit by a DUI suspect in Nampa. At this point, I think the police should just start driving tanks, or maybe just brightly colored bouncy castles, because clearly, the flashing blue and red lights aren't enough of a hint for these assholes to steer clear.
JOLEEN: Seriously, what is in the water in Canyon County right now? It's like a real-life version of GTA but with more Dutch Bros and less charisma. The driver was arrested, of course, but the damage is done. The police department is out there on social media practically begging people to use Uber or Lyft, but apparently, the concept of 'not driving while hammered' is still a revolutionary idea for some. It makes you wonder why we're so obsessed with road construction and widening lanes when half the people on the road are treats for the local towing companies. I'm just glad the officer is okay, because dealing with I-84 traffic is already a death sentence for your sanity. Adding a three-thousand-pound missile driven by a drunk guy to the mix is just overkill.
MARK: Well, if you're looking for a safe place to hide from the I-84 demolition derby, you're probably looking at the real estate market, but that's its own kind of wreck. The latest data for February shows the Boise market is entering what the experts call a 'strategic normalization' phase. That's real estate speak for 'prices aren't going up like crazy anymore, but they're still too high for you to afford.' The median list price is sitting around five hundred seventeen thousand dollars. Inventory is actually up 23 percent compared to last year, which sounds like good news until you realize that 60 percent of that inventory is controlled by builders. So, unless you want a brand-new house in a neighborhood that looks like a scene from 'The Truman Show' way out in South Meridian, you're still fighting over the same three bungalows in the North End.
JOLEEN: I love how they call it 'normalization.' It's like telling someone their house isn't on fire anymore, it's just 'smoldering at a stable temperature.' The average home is sitting on the market for about 55 days now, which is a lifetime compared to two years ago when you had to put in an offer before the sign even hit the dirt. It's a weird window where buyers actually have a tiny bit of leverage to negotiate, but with mortgage rates hovering around 6 percent, that leverage feels a lot like choosing which arm you'd rather have broken. If you're looking for an established neighborhood like the Bench or Harris Ranch, you're better off waiting for a miracle or a rich relative to kick the bucket, because those spots aren't budging on price.
MARK: Speaking of things that aren't budging, the Boise School District board had a meeting on the 9th to discuss their legislative platform. They're basically bracing for impact. They're worried about the state budget pressures and the fact that we're in an election year, which means every politician is going to try to use public schools as a punching bag to prove how conservative they are. On a lighter note, they did take a moment to celebrate Sammy Smith, the Boise High grad who's been crushing it at the Winter Olympics in Cortina. It's nice to know someone from here is winning something, even if the rest of us are just losing our minds trying to navigate the school drop-off lines.
JOLEEN: God, the drop-off lines are a circle of hell Dante forgot to write about. But yeah, the board is basically trying to play defense right now. They're pushing for bipartisan support to protect public education, which in this state is like asking a cat to help you do the dishes. It's just not in their nature. They also had some cute student reports from Horizon Elementary about chemical reactions and ASB activities. It's a nice reminder that while the adults are fighting over tax conformity and budget holdbacks, the kids are just happy to be making volcanoes out of baking soda. Though, at the rate we're cutting budgets, that baking soda might have to be shared between three different classrooms by next year.
MARK: Let's pivot to something we can all agree on: eating our feelings. If you're looking for a new spot, Raibu Sushi Bar just opened up on West Fort Street. It's getting some pretty decent buzz, which is a nice change of pace since usually 'new sushi in Boise' just means another place to get a California roll with too much mayo. There's also Pig Latin over in Eagle if you want some Latin American food that isn't just a generic taco truck. It's got a 4.5-star rating on OpenTable and apparently, they're really leaning into the whole 'margaritas and tacos' vibe. Which, let's be honest, is the only way to survive living in Eagle.
JOLEEN: Eagle is basically just a very expensive gated community with better landscaping than the rest of us. Pig Latin sounds like a place where people go to talk about their crypto portfolios while eating a forty-dollar plate of carnitas. But hey, if the food is good, I'll put up with the pretentious atmosphere. I'm actually more interested in Acero Boards and Bottles down on Grove Plaza. They're doing upscale flatbreads and sharable plates. It's the perfect spot for a date night where you both pretend you're not going to check your phones for the entire meal. Just be prepared to spend about thirty or forty bucks a person. In this economy, that's practically a bargain.
MARK: It's a bargain until you factor in the ten dollars you'll spend on parking and the twenty dollars you'll lose in your soul after circling the block for twenty minutes. Now, for the sports fans who haven't yet succumbed to the winter blues, the Boise State Broncos are taking on the Wyoming Cowboys tomorrow night at ExtraMile Arena. It's a 7 p.m. tip-off, and the Broncos really need this win to keep their 20-win season streak alive. They're currently 16 and 11, so the pressure is on Coach Leon Rice to find some magic. Wyoming is coming in as a tough road team, and their leading scorer Leland Walker is no joke. If we lose this one, I'm officially switching my allegiance to the BSU quidditch team, or whatever they call it now.
JOLEEN: Is it still called Quadball? Whatever, it's all just nerd-tag with brooms. But seriously, BSU basketball has been a roller coaster this year. One minute they're looking like contenders, and the next they're throwing bricks like they're trying to help with that new construction in Meridian. And the Idaho Steelheads are back at home this Wednesday to face the Wichita Thunder. They had a bit of a rough patch lately, including some brawls on the ice that made it look more like an MMA fight with skates. It's fun to watch, but it'd be even more fun if they'd actually put the puck in the net more often than they put their gloves on the ice.
MARK: I don't know, Joleen, a good hockey fight is the only thing that keeps me warm in that arena. Speaking of cold, the weather forecast for the next few days is looking remarkably clear but absolutely freezing. Today and tomorrow we're looking at highs in the twenties and thirties with lows dipping down into the negatives. If you're planning on leaving the house, maybe just don't. Or at least wear enough layers that you look like the Michelin Man's depressed cousin. The real trouble starts on Thursday, when a 'volatile late-winter pattern' is supposed to bring strong winds and mountain snow. So, get your bread and milk now before the panicked masses descend on Albertsons like it's the end of days.
JOLEEN: The 'volatile pattern' is basically the weather's way of saying it's not done making us miserable yet. It's that time of year where you get one day of sunshine and think 'maybe I won't move to Arizona after all,' and then the next day the wind is blowing forty miles an hour and freezing the snot in your nose. The ACHD is already warning everyone to take it slow, especially on the roads heading up to Bogus Basin. Apparently, some people still think their all-wheel-drive SUV makes them invincible to physics. Spoiler alert: it doesn't. You'll just end up in a ditch with a very expensive repair bill and a lot of time to think about your life choices.
MARK: Physics is a bitch, and she doesn't care about your trim level. If you're looking for something to do that doesn't involve sliding off a mountain, the 32nd annual Buy Idaho Capitol Show is happening this Wednesday at the State Capitol Rotunda. It's free, it's open to the public, and it features about a hundred different local businesses. It's a great chance to see the people who actually make this city run while standing in the very building where our legislators are busy making sure it's as difficult as possible for them to succeed. The irony is delicious, and hopefully, some of the food samples will be too.
JOLEEN: I'm just going for the free samples and to see if I can catch a glimpse of a lawmaker looking confused by the concept of a small business that isn't a massive corporation. And for the nerds--I mean, the STEM enthusiasts--the 19th annual Engineering and Science Festival is happening at Boise State this Saturday, February 28th. It's free, it's for all ages, and there's going to be robotics, 3D printing, and virtual reality stuff. It's actually a pretty cool event if you want to pretend your kids are going to grow up and invent something that'll pay for your retirement instead of just becoming TikTok influencers.
MARK: Hey, if they can make millions doing a dance in a parking lot, I'm not going to complain as long as they pay for the nursing home. That's about all we've got for you today. Remember to drive sober, because the Nampa PD has enough paperwork as it is, and for the love of God, pull all the way into the intersection when you're turning left. It's not that hard, you dickheads. If you want more of this nonsense, make sure to hit that subscribe button, leave us a review, and tell your friends. Or don't, I'm not your boss. But it would be nice. We'll be back next week to tell you more about why Boise is the best place to live while we simultaneously look for houses in cheaper states.
JOLEEN: Yeah, what he said. Check us out on all the social platforms, and if you've got a story we should cover, send it to boise@thehappeningnetwork.com. Stay warm, stay cynical, and try not to get hit by a drunk driver on your way to get overpriced tacos. We'll catch you next time on Happening in Boise, where the news is real and the optimism is purely for theatrical effect. Peace out, assholes.