Mountain View
Stuart Gustafson
How Many Speed Limits Are There in Boise?
Quick…how many different speed limits do you think there are in Boise? Before you come up with your answer, keep in mind that there are at most 5 different speed limits in most European countries? Those five are 30, 50, 70, 90, and 110 kilometers per hours (KMH). Now keep in mind that a kilometer is about 0.62 (or close to 5/8) mile. So that 110 KMH is about 68 miles per hour (MPH).
Opening Games of BSU Football Seasons Set the Tone
The Boise State (BSU) Football program has never been one to back away from a tough game. Such was the case this past week as the Broncos took on a perennial powerhouse Power 5 school, the University of Central Florida. UCF was favored to win the game by 6½ points, but spreads have never concerned BSU. Boise State fans felt that BSU should have won the game, a game lost with a 36-31 score, and there are plenty of excuses and blames to go around.
Some Boise Retailers with “Labor Day Specials”
It can’t be a holiday weekend in Boise without almost every retailer having a “Special Sale.” It would be one thing if that sale were actually only for that weekend, but I’m fairly certain that at least half of these specials will be “Held Over” for another week or so. Too many retailers have conditioned the buying public into waiting for a sale because the retailers have shown that there will always be a sale.
County Commissioner Resigns to Protest Health Board Pick
Paul Hilding, a Boise attorney and a volunteer member of the Ada County Planning & Zoning (P&Z) Commission, has resigned from the P&Z Commission in protest of the vote to appoint Dr. Ryan Cole to the vacant position on the board of Central District Health (CDH). The 2-1 vote by the Ada County Commissioners to appoint Dr. Cole last week was deemed controversial by some because of his statements about Covid-19 and some inaccurate statements he made about the vaccines for the disease. My initial article on August 18 about Dr. Cole’s selection can be read by clicking here.
There Must Be Hundreds of NOW HIRING signs in Boise
There are plenty of businesses in Boise who have put out the NOW HIRING sign. I drove down Fairview Avenue this Friday afternoon, the 27th, and in the 1.1 miles from the Burger King (8515 West Fairview) to the Chicago Connection (7070 West Fairview), I saw at least six businesses with posted “Now Hiring” signs. If we extrapolate those sign signs and the 1.1 miles to all of the main business roads in Boise, I would say there are indeed hundreds and hundreds of businesses that are looking for employees.
Some Getaways from Boise for Labor Day
It feels a little odd to some of us in that school has already started—two weeks ago for some districts—and we are still a week and a half away from Labor Day. But that “official end of summer” is coming soon; what are your plans? Are you getting out of town, or are you avoiding the rush and enjoying a “staycation”?
Are the Smoke and Haze Leaving Boise Any Time Soon?
Are you as tired of the smoke and haze as I am, as well as all my friends and neighbors? I mean, there is something a bit interesting seeing a bright orange-red sun, not that you should ever look directly at it. But the color is worthy of a photograph. The same with the moon; that orange ball in the sky at night looks nice, but you know it means that the air quality is not very good.
Idaho Leads the Nation in Percentage Housing Price Increases
Anyone who has thought about buying a home, or even selling their current home in Boise, or almost anywhere in Idaho, knows that prices have been going in one direction—up! And this trend has been nationwide with the exception of just a few states. According to corelogic.com, home prices nationally increased 17.2% from June 2020 to June 2021. While that double-digit increase is already high, the housing price increase for the state of Idaho for the same period was almost exactly DOUBLE at 34.2%.
Boise Schools Are Back in Session, and In-Person Learning is Back!
Monday, August 16, was the first day of the 2021-2022 school year in the Boise School District (BSD). After a previous school year that saw virtual learning being extensively used, students and educators alike were excited to start the year with in-person classes. While all grades and ages are important, the students in high school were greatly impacted last year as they were preparing for college, vo-tech, and life in general.
Doctor Picked for Central District Health Board in Boise Called "Controversial" by Some
Central District Health (CDH) in Boise is one of the seven public health boards in the Great State of Idaho. With a statewide population of about 1.86 million people, one might think that CDH is responsible for the health of about 266,000 -- or one-seventh of the state’s population. And when you find out that CDH covers only four of the state’s forty-four counties, you might start thinking even smaller than 266,000.
Grow Your Favorite Flowers Year After Year From Your Own Seeds in Boise
Flowers from seeds I saved last year.Stuart Gustafson. One of the best parts of Spring and Summer in Boise is seeing all the flowers in bloom. The flower bed above is in my backyard, and it contains orange marigolds, yellow zinnias, and yellow marigolds—all grown from seeds that I saved from the flowers last year. There are three main benefits to saving your own seeds and planting them the following year:
Driving in Boise is So Much Easier than in San Diego
I recently went on my FIRST and ONLY trip for 2021. I know that is not terribly unusual given the way the covid-19 virus keeps flaring up over and over and over again. But it is unusual for me as a frequent traveler and a cruise ship speaker with the U.S. Registered Trademark America’s International Travel Expert®. That is how things are happening these days, but one trip between March of 2020 and all of 2021 says things are really wack-o.
What Popular Boise Activities Are Cancelled; What’s Still On?
As summer is winding down and people are planning on activities to do near home, some of the “normal” things we used to do in Boise, as well as throughout Idaho, are just not happening this year. But some are. Of course, the word “normal” is taking on a new meaning as well. Since it doesn’t look as if Covid-19 is going away anytime soon (see my recent article on the subject), activity planners have had to make adjustments to their schedules, even cancelling some activities altogether.
The Covid-19 Problem in Boise and Surrounding Areas Is Not Going Away
As schools are getting ready to re-open after the summer off, there are many concerns about the continuing threat of the covid-19 pandemic. Many areas, including Boise and most of the state of Idaho, had made progress in battling the potentially deadly disease, but a resurgence is underway.
Life’s Kitchen — “Serving Second Chances” in Boise, Idaho
Long-time residents of Boise easily remember the tall sign out front of the Marie Callender’s Restaurant on the north side of the 8500 block of Fairview Avenue. The place that was famous for its pies, especially their in-season berry pies closed its doors for good in January 2018, over three and one-half years ago.
A Fun Time at the College of Western Idaho Night at the Boise Hawks Baseball Game
Thursday evening, July 29, was CWI (College of Western Idaho) night at the Boise Hawks baseball game in Boise, Idaho. Cutting right to the final score, Boise beat Idaho Falls by a score of 13-11. While the win looks convincing, it wasn’t really that easy. The box score above shows that the Hawks were behind right away, not getting even until the bottom of the fifth inning, with a score of 6-6. Each team scored four runs in the sixth, and then Boise pulled away with a three-run eighth inning for 13-10.
The Impact in Boise of This Prolonged Hot Weather
Sure, we can all take a few days of hot weather and it doesn’t really affect us that much. Same thing for winter a few days of near-zero windy, icy days aren’t all that bad. But when those weather spells turn into long-term trends, that is when the impact of that weather starts to occur.
Floating the Boise River — Keeping Cool the Idaho Way
It certainly is no surprise that it is HOT in most of Idaho. The temperature in Boise has been hovering right around the 100° mark for many weeks now. Even when it “cools down,” it is still in the mid- to high-90s. The calendar below from weather.com shows how it has been so far this month in Idaho’s capital city.
Stuart Gustafson
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Articles on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday about travel, relevant local/regional items, some finance. Always with a slant to ask you to think.
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