Treasured Valley

Blocked Bingo blogging, west nile in the 2C, brandied horse apples, Kellerweis and Cheesecake Factory…

The Treasure Valley:

• Bingo Barnes: Blogger’s block.
• AnchorMommy: Baby book guilt.
• Two more West Nile cases found. Canyon County officials are reporting two more positive West Nile Virus tests. Both results came from one trap located at Caldwell Ponds.
• Boise Peace Quilters mix textile art and Braille in an effort to reach out to the blind. Boise Peace Quilters have given quilts to the likes of Pete Seeger, Mr. Rogers and Sen. Frank Church. The newest quilt, for the Idaho Commission for the Blind, will offer a uniquely sensory experience for the blind.
• Regional leaders meet in Boise to discuss alternative energy sources. Over 500 business and government leaders from across the Northwest and Canada are in Boise this week to talk about many issues facing the region, including energy and the economy.
• Capitol renovations about two weeks behind schedule. Project managers say adding more crews and working on Saturdays will put the project back on pace for a November completion deadline.
• Famefifteen’s  Bachelor and Bachelorette of the month.
• Boise Weekly: World’s greatest movie?
• Missing Nampa man found safe. Pearson’s wife, Connie, tells CBS 2 Eyewitness News the 58-year old left his south Nampa home and got lost while driving in the Owyhee Mountains.
• Livestock market diaries: Only two weeks to go until the fair. The Idaho Press-Tribune once again follows the projects of three young people as they prepare for the annual Market Livestock Sale this summer, the culmination of the hands-on educational program for 4-H and FFA through the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System. Amanda Hellums, 10, member of 4-H Club Destined to be a Kid, has been in 4-H for three years. She will show dairy goats, meat goats and chickens.
• Your kids’ shots could get scarcer and cost more. With a couple of severe blows to its immunization program for kids, health officials are worried that fewer will get shots and the state will be a sitting duck for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Boise Weekly: BAM is selling its stuff (don’t worry, they’re keeping the art).

Politics:

• 43rd State Blues: Brandied Horse Apples.
• Darrel Deide: Education system needs change.
• Fort Boise: The “scary memos”.
• Idaho Statesman: The wrong way to handle a tough H.R. issue.
• Senators Spar Over Sotomayor’s Impartiality at Confirmation Hearing. Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy opened Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearing Monday by calling her journey to Capitol Hill “a truly American story,” while Republicans blasted her rulings as “partial” and “prejudice”

Booze:

• Review: New Belgium “Skinny Dip” Beer.
• Beer Connoisseur: BC Foreign Exchange | Treasures for the Beer Cellar.
• Bottoms Up: That pesky three-tier system.
• Video Beer Reviews: Sierra Nevada Kellerweis.
• Pete Brown’s Beer Blog: Binge drinking horror – they’re at it again.

Grub:

• Michael Ruhlman: Cheesecake Factory: The Alexander Challenge.
• Slashfood: Growing Young Farmers – High School Kids Farm at School.
• So Good: Fast Food Goes Fancy.
• The 99 Cent Chef: Indian Corn with Pork.
• Recipe: Thai-Style Sweet and Tangy Noodles.