Hi, friends!
A news-heavy week lands us in October — a month during which, tragically, Boise will lose an hour and a half of sunlight. Still, we’ll have temperatures in the 80s for the forecastable future, and possibly hit 90° on Sunday. Now’s the time to soak up our time outdoors.
Today’s Weekend Countdown in a snapshot:
- 3 pieces of election news, with 32 days left in campaign season
- 2 national headlines: An anti-abuse coalition judicial win; Micron’s earnings
- 1 hope-inspiring housing project, from COVID-era federal funding
3 pieces of election news, as Nov. 3 nears
The voting checklist
You can check your voter registration, polling place, sample ballot, and absentee ballot at your Voter Profile. But there are always dates to keep in mind:
- You can register to vote online or change your registration online until Friday, Oct. 23.
- You can, of course, change your voter registration in person at your polling place on Nov. 3.
- You can request an absentee ballot online until Friday, Oct. 23.
- Early voting in Ada County opens Monday, Oct. 19, and runs through Oct. 30 on weekdays. You can do that at most city halls, some libraries, and at the Ada County Elections Office — check the list of locations here.
Vice President Vance rallies support for Sen. Jim Risch against Todd Achilles
In 2010, Raúl Labrador won Idaho’s District 1 seat for the U.S. House of Representatives with 51% of the vote. That was the last time a Republican candidate for an Idaho congressional seat won less than 60% of the vote.
Before Labrador’s narrow win, Sen. Jim Risch dipped below the 60% mark in 2008 in his first win (he was taking over the seat of scandal-ridden Sen. Larry Craig). But now, as Republicans across the nation are trying to shore up congressional seats for the remainder of President Trump’s second term, even Idaho is getting a Republican rallying cry for the midterms.
ice President JD Vance is sending letters to Idahoans, encouraging them to donate to Sen. Jim Risch’s fourth senatorial re-election campaign. In the letter, Vance warns of impending Democratic investment in challenger and independent candidate Todd Achilles.
Federal elected officials filed their most recent contributions report on July 1, with the next coming on Oct. 15, so it’s not clear yet how well-founded the anxiety is. But as of July, Achilles had pulled in less than $700,000, while Sen. Risch was sitting on more than $4.4 million.
Polls funded by Risch’s and Achilles’ campaigns have differed greatly, but a Boise State political science professor told the Idaho Statesman that might just be the nature of political polling.
Berch fundraising
An Idaho Capital Sun analysis shows a pack-leading fundraising effort by Rep. Steve Berch, who represents west Boise’s District 15. As of Tuesday afternoon, he had raised $212,581, making him the only legislative candidate to top $200,000 in contributions this year. In fact, only six candidates statewide have raised more than $100,000.
District 15 is a rare purple district in the Idaho Legislature, but if contributions are any indication, Berch’s chances of keeping it in Democrat’s hands looks strong heading into the midterms.
2 headlines with national impact
Micron’s latest earnings report
While the future of the AI industry seems uncertain, the need for memory doesn’t seem to be slowing. Micron reported $54.23 billion in revenue last quarter, almost $3 billion better than expected.
Ruling shields coalitions from grant funding impositions
As the Cornell sexual assault case has gripped the nation, a quiet ruling out of Rhode Island benefitted coalitions against sexual and domestic violence.
Last year, 25 non-profit organizations including the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence sued the U.S. Department of Justice for imposing conditions on grant funding that served immigrants and transgender people, supported “DEI” initiatives, and otherwise provided services outside of the administration’s favored scope. The judge said the DOJ used arbitrary and capricious measures to hinder the coalitions, who are free to continue their work.
1 thing giving me hope
It’s been all over the local news so I’ll keep this brief, but I am feeling hopeful about the New Path II housing project just opened by the city. It’s an entirely new 95-unit apartment building on Fairview Ave. that will provide permanent housing to people exiting homelessness. The first iteration of New Path came in the form of 41 homes in 2018. That the second wave of housing through this project more than doubled its capacity to house people is exciting, and gives me hope for how our communities can continue responding to housing insecurity.
That’s it for this week! Remember all these fun events:
Friday, October 2
✍🏻 Write Club | Noon | Oldspeak Bar | Co-work time!
🍺 Bluebird Oktoberfest | 2 - 10 p.m. | Bluebird Social | $10
⚙️ FEM Night | 6 p.m. | Boise Bicycle Project | free
🎸 The Rasmus | 6:30 p.m. | Shrine Ballroom | $46
🥃 Museum After Dark | 6:30 - 9 p.m. | Idaho State Museum | $30
🎸 Johnny Cash Tribute | 7 p.m. | Egyptian Theatre | $25+
🎸 Bit Brigade | 7 p.m. | Neurolux | $26
💬 Rick Riordan and Annabelle Oh Author Talk | 7 p.m. | Boise High Auditorium | $35
🎸 Die Shiny | 7 p.m. | Shrine Basement | $20
🖼️ First Friday Art & Studio Stroll | in the evening | in Garden City | free
Saturday, October 3
🏃🏻 Outside With Pride 5K | 8 a.m. | Ann Morrison Park | $30
🗝️ Bluebird Market | 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Bluebird Social | free entry
🥕 Boise Farmers Market | 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. | 1500 Shoreline Rd.
🥒 Meridian Main Street Market | 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Meridian Rd. & Broadway Ave.
🛍️ Capital City Public Market | 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Grove Plaza
🦮 See Spot Walk | 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Julia Davis Park | $35
🪵 PNW Woodworking & Maker Expo | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Expo Idaho | $5+
🍺 Meridian Oktoberfest | 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. | downtown Meridian | free entry
🍺 Bluebird Oktoberfest | 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. | Bluebird Social | $10
🎃 Pumpkins & Pints | 11:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. | Western Collective | free entry
🧙🏻♀️ Witches on the Water | 12 - 3 p.m. | Barber Park | free
🍎 Idaho Cider Fest | 12 - 6 p.m. | Bannock Street | free entry
🏐 Boise State Volleyball Home Match | 12 p.m. | Bronco Gym | $10 | vs. Texas State
🐕 Dogtoberfest | 3 - 7 p.m. | Dogtopia | free
🏈 Boise State Home Football Game | 5:30 p.m. | Albertsons Stadium | $236+ | vs. Utah State
⚽ Athletic Club Boise | 7 p.m. | AC Boise Stadium | $35+ | vs. Greenville Triumph SC (second to last home game)
🌺 Masters of Hawaiian Music | 7:30 p.m. | Egyptian Theatre | $30 - $72
Sunday, October 4
🪵 PNW Woodworking & Maker Expo | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Expo Idaho | $5+
🏃🏻 SueB 5K | 12 p.m. | Julia Davis Park | $35
🏃🏻 YMCA Harrison Classic Kids Run | 3 p.m. | Harrison Blvd. | $30
💬 Couch Surfer Series | 6 p.m. | Rediscovered Books | $10
🎸 Michigander | 7 p.m. | Shrine Ballroom | $25
🎸 Bumpin Uglies | 7 p.m. | Treefort Music Hall | $33
See you on Monday!
— Blake Hunter
