Treasured Valley

Honoring a fallen vet, Egyptian Theatre, poop, Bandy, bag thefts, mercury and tax scams…

• Marines converge to honor fallen vet. A group of former Marines from across the country will gather in Nampa this week to honor the memory of a young local veteran who served alongside them in Iraq.
• Organ Sounds Once Again Fill Boise’s Egyptian Theatre. An organ rich in history. Idaho history that is. On Thursday night, it will be filling the Egyptian Theatre with sound once again.
• The dog poop count continues in Boise Foothills. For the past three years, city officials have flagged dog poop at three Foothills trailheads in February.
• Why Did Eagle’s Mayor Quit? The city of Eagle received a shock this week when they learned they would have to start shopping for new leadership. Boise State Radio’s Adam Cotterell has the story.
• Detained Idaho missionary: ‘I’d come back to Haiti’. Laura Silsby told The Associated Press from her jail cell Wednesday that she and nanny Charisa Coulter expect to be released soon, but would both readily come back despite their troubles here.
• Kuna school district defends $130,000 in salary raises: State’s numbers deeply flawed. The Kuna school district is defending about $130,000 in raises that were given to 41 teachers and six administrators this school year.
• Police arrest 2 suspects in bag thefts. Police have arrested two suspects while investigating the theft of a cargo trailer filled with several dozen custom-made bags valued at $41,000.
• Beware Tax Preparation Scams. We’re in the middle of tax season and scammers are already hard at work to get your refund.
• Mercury spill forces evacuation at Borah High. Several hundred students had to be evacuated at Borah High School Wednesday after something as simple as a girl’s bracelet turned dangerous.
• Nampa chamber hosts roundtable. The Nampa Chamber of Commerce invites local business owners to “find the bacon in your business” at a free roundtable open to the public next Thursday.
• The Farmstead corn maze is moving from Kuna to Meridian. The Farmstead, Idaho’s Original Corn MAiZE, is returning to its roots, according to an exclusive story in this week’s Kuna Melba News.
• Teen Moms Worry About School Closing. As the Joint Finance Committee takes a red pen to the education budgets and slashing millions from school budgets one Boise high school fears it’ll mean they will have to close their doors forever.
• Tour Diaries on BW.com. We miss our local musicians when they’re out on the road, so we’re going to set up a place where they can check in. Finn Riggins’ Eric Gilbert sent a communique to Boise Weekly the other day asking/suggesting/encouraging that we make a spot on the bright and shiny boiseweekly.com for tour diaries.
• Peace Corps Turns 49; know your Idaho numbers. Peace Corps week continues until March 7. It’s a good time to note the organization’s nearly five decades of work, and its connections to many Idahoans.
• Flex-spending has few safeguards. The collapse Monday of a Boise company that administered flexible-spending accounts for about 100 companies drives home a vital point for employees who choose the tax-free programs to help defray medical and child-care bills: There is no guarantee your money is secure.
• From overweight to beauty queen, Nampa woman tells her story to Dr. Oz.

• Chillin’ at Bogus. With no athletic facilities of its own, Black Canyon High School offers alternative physical education experiences through its Lifetime Sports program. In the winter, students take to the slopes at Bogus Basin with funding from the Gem County Juvenile Probation Office.
• Northwest at risk of megaquake like one in Chile. Just 50 miles off the Pacific Northwest coast is an earthquake hotspot that threatens to unleash on Seattle, Portland and Vancouver the kind of damage that has shattered Chile.
• Forums to provide tips, resources for Idaho rural economies. Six rural forums will be held around Idaho to provide tips and resources for stabilizing and growing those communities’ economies.
• State seeks civil penalties and return of investor funds. The Idaho Department of Finance has filed a civil complaint in Fourth District Court in Boise against Idaho insurance agent Jerry Ward and his business, Med-Life, which operates from various locations in the state, including southwestern and northern Idaho.
• Renewable energy experts coming to Idaho for renewable rendezvous. POWER Engineers Inc. a leading consulting engineering firm in the design of renewable energy projects worldwide, will host the Renewable Rendezvous Conference, March 23-24, at the Grove Hotel in Boise, Idaho.