Boise Weekly back issues from April 2008:
LEAVE US KIDS ALONE
Apr 02, 2008; ... Why Clinton and Cope might lose the youth vote Dear Bill Cope: I have a high regard for your talents as a columnist, and it is indeed a pleasure that such an accomplished writer lives in Boise and gives us all a little perspective on the goings-on in this provincial part of the world ....
HUMORLESSESQUE
Apr 02, 2008; ... How conservatives try so hard be funny, but aren't Last week, my editor forwarded an email he had received from a Fort Worth fellow-an obvious conservative-who was making the case that his writing would be a stellar addition to this paper. His pitch: "My online opinion column has a ...
IS CHICAGO BURNING?
Apr 02, 2008; ... Hillary Clinton, superdelegates and playing with fire NEW YORK-Will there be race riots if Barack Obama is denied the Democratic nomination? Despite the continuing fallout over his association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the Illinois senator has won the most state primaries, ...
NOTE
Apr 02, 2008; ... Oh, you pondering water lawyers. Oh, you fretful ditch committee members. Ach, you fiery xenophobes. I recieved a lot of nervous, tetchy calls last week from various readers of last week's feature, "Filling In The Gaps." Many of you had a serious question about the nature of the valley's latest ...
NEWS SHORTS
Apr 02, 2008; ... CHARACTER ASSASSINATION? According to Kirkley Evans, the Idaho Statesman has destroyed his character and his chance for wealth, and he wants $10 million for it. Evans, currently an inmate at the Ada County Jail, has refiled a lawsuit against the daily paper claiming that it acted ...
THE NURSE IS OUT
Apr 02, 2008; ... Margaret Henbest looks back on 12 years in the Legislature The first time Rep. Margaret Henbest ran for public office, she had to decide which political party she belonged to. After some consideration, the Boise Democrat tackled her first campaign and won by seven votes after a ballot ...
DOG DIRT DELIBERATIONS
Apr 02, 2008; ... City looks for examples of bow to manage dogs on trails In the West, there are certain inalienable rights: the right to recreate just outside your back door; the right to wear jeans just about everywhere; and, apparently, the right to have a dog follow wherever you ...
VETO THIS
Apr 02, 2008; ... No computers for you, bad legislators, but have some more methadone Gov. C. L. "Butch" Otter says he struck out lines authorizing funding for community-based drug-treatment programs from two bills because the efficacy of the programs could not be proved. And because the money has ...
TRUE CRIME
Apr 02, 2008; ... This is the place, Boise, Idaho. We live here ... we're Boiseans. The stories you are about to read are true. WHO'S THERE? There's really no point in knocking on a door if you know the person on the other side isn't going to open it. Still, the conventions of ...
CURIOUS TIMES
Apr 02, 2008; ... LIFE ISN'T CHEAP If you'd like to start a new life in Australia, there's a guy in Perth who is planning to put his entire life up for auction starting on June 22. After a painful breakup with his wife, lan Usher, 44, re-evaluated his life and decided he had had enough. Now his entire ...
HOME FOR BOOKWORMS
Apr 02, 2008; ... Several weeks ago, a friend with whom I regularly trade book recommendations asked me, for the third time in as many weeks, if Pd purchased the book he'd most recently suggested. I hadn't. I said Fd just not had the fortitude to brave the mall-area traffic to get to the bookstores, and my last ...
DIY COMMUNITY
Apr 02, 2008; ... Decore hosts Idaho Indie Works Decore is a new breed of furniture store. It is airy and sunlit, with nary a "No Payment Until 2011" sign in sight. The walls are peppered with Oaxacan woven tree bark paintings and abstract triptychs and sleek wooden beds and handcrafted dressers form ...
DOWNTOWN NEWS
Apr 02, 2008; ... HEAVY METAL AUCTION AT R. GREY Generally, the city at large gets an opportunity every semester to support arts metal students at Boise State as the academic apprentices sell off their work. Last semester had 15 students from Boise State's metal arts club peddling their wares at Flying M ...
LISTEN HERE
Apr 02, 2008; ... LISTEN HERE TWO LOONS FOR TEA, APRIL 4, NEUROLUX Seattle-based Jonathan Kochmer and Sarah Scott began their musical career together under the band name Loon. Discovering that another band already performed under that moniker, Kochmer and Scott still wanted to incorporate the loon ...
SOUND BITES
Apr 02, 2008; ... How Alberto Moreno makes noise for the small screen In his 14 years at Idaho Public Television, Alberto Moreno has honed the skill of using sound and music editing to enhance the programs he directs. In an endless struggle to innovate, Moreno has become, in the opinion of his colleagues, ...
ARTS NEWS
Apr 02, 2008; ... KIDS LIT FESTIVAL Rediscovered Bookshop is hosting its inaugural Children's Literature Festival this weekend. Readers of all ages are invited to spend the weekend meeting young adult and children's book writers and illustrators during the two-day festival featuring readings, book ...
DREAMWEAVERS
Apr 02, 2008; ... DREAMWEAVERS The substance of textile arts A few textile artists might groan politely under their breath when it's pointed out by the art world that their work falls more under the category of "crafts" than art. But there are textile artists who wouldn't dream of sitting idly by ...
NOISE NEWS
Apr 02, 2008; ... WYSIWYG Judging a book by may lead you down a path in which the result is unexpected or unwelcomed. Judging a musician by his or her moniker, however, Isn't always such a risky venture, especially with a name like Kid Idaho. If you're thinking Americana, Wild West, hint of country, ...
WILD DOCS
Apr 02, 2008; ... Wild and Scenic Film Festival should keep your attention Only an environmental film festival could gather everything from water-loving dogs to fish-loving ranchers under the same banner. But this week's upcoming Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival, organized by the Land Trust of ...
THE KITE RUNNER
Apr 02, 2008; ... THE KITE RUNNER Before 9/11, most Americans probably didn't have any Idea what Afghanistan was like. The Kite Runner is here to help them by providing both a recent history lesson and a brilliantly sad story in one shot. Amir and Hassan are best pals. Hassan's family acts as ...
AN ORDINARY-LOOKING HAND
Apr 02, 2008; ... Why Would I put this ordinary-looking hand in a column? Almost everyone who played it north-south bid three no-trump; and almost all of them made an easy six by way of three clubs, three hearts, two or three spades-depending on the lead-and three or four diamonds. When we defended it in the ...
HOME SWEET HOME
Apr 02, 2008; ... 401-409 BROAD STREET BUILT: 1913 4-HOUSES, 6,600 SQ. FT., 3-4 BED, 2 BATH $549,900 SWOPE INVESTMENTS, LISTING AGENT: MIKE SWOPE 208-331.3531 These four colorful little houses are part of the Central Addition Neighborhood, an area sandwiched between ...
WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY
Apr 02, 2008; ... WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY I was just saying how there aren't nearly enough offbeat romantic comedies that begin with a suicide, and, lo and behold, what do I find in the new release bin but this indie gem? Zia (Patrick Fugit, Atmost Famous) is a 20-something who up and decides ...
REC AROUND THE CLOCK
Apr 02, 2008; ... Packing everything in when the weather is nice When Bob Greenwood told BW a few months ago that the beauty of living in Boise is a round of golf after a morning on the ski hill, he didn't say anything we didn't already know. He simply confirmed the vainest of our athletic suspicions ....
FOOD NEWS
Apr 02, 2008; ... THE GAME CALLED MUSICAL RESTAURANTS Unless your kids are grown. The Office ain't your new favorite family restaurant. Twenty-one and up, full bar, full menu, plasmas all over the place and-get this-smoking. Thanks to its 21-andover designation, the new restaurant Is one of but a few that ...
BEER GUZZLER
Apr 02, 2008; ... SPRING BREWS? Is it me, or does spring seem a little reluctant this year? The sun, mostly hidden behind clouds, doesn't offer much warmth when it does show. The nastily persistent winds are blowing from the northwest and are layered with an arctic chill. Most mornings, my car windows ...
MESA TAQUERIA
Apr 02, 2008; ... MESA TAQUERIA MESA TAQUERIA 215 N. 8th St., 208-336-0987 Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-7 p.m. On one plate then the other ... BW sends two critics to one restaurant. The month of March ushers in spring and the NCAA basketball ...
NEWS SHORTS
Apr 09, 2008; ... A CON FOR AMERICA What are the characteristics that set one presidential candidate apart from the others? Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain ain't got nothing on Keith Russell Judd: He's the only candidate locked up in federal prison. But you, lucky Idaho, can vote for ...
NOTE
Apr 09, 2008; ... I've been dying to ask the ACLU's Jack Van Valkenburgh what he thought about his group's defense of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig. Now we ...
SFMPB NEWSLETTER
Apr 09, 2008; ... The Society For Making People Better-committed to enriching, empowering and ennobling the human condition, even if it means we have to acknowledge that about three-quarters of all human beings are hopeless dopes. -Grand Marshal Cope Ave, compadre SFMPBers. We here at SFMPB ...
DON'T MOVE ON, START OVER
Apr 09, 2008; ... Next prez must make Bush an unperson "No one owes obedience to a usurper government or to anyone who assumes public office in violation of the Constitution and the law. The civil population has the right to rise up in defense of the constitutional order. The acts of those who usurp ...
WAY OUT THERE
Apr 09, 2008; ... Timothy Egan, The New York Times's eye on the West Timothy Egan is happy to admit that he and a myriad of other marquee-name thinkers about the West were wrong about their home turf. That lack of hubris may be one of the reasons that Egan is still one of the more compelling members of ...
WHAT'S THE POINT?
Apr 09, 2008; ... A lackluster Legislature and its wheel-spinning committee system It's not a monument to the effectiveness of democracy the now-adjourned Idaho Legislature is leaving in its wake, but a puddle of mixed opinions and mixed results after what most are calling an unimpressive and ineffective ...
CURIOUS TIMES
Apr 09, 2008; ... I'LL TAKE HAWKING'S BRAIN AND THE LIVER OF A COLLEGE STUDENT A woman in England who had a kidney transplant last May claims that she has taken on many of the personality traits of the donor. After the surgery, Cheryl Johnson, 37, found herself becoming more irritable and belligerent, ...
TRUE CRIME
Apr 09, 2008; ... This is the place, Boise, Idaho. We live here ... we're Boiseans. The stories you are about to read are true. AREA MEN REACH NEW LEVEL The three men who attempted to rob a home on Orchard Street last Thursday probably imagined their operation would go down like ...
LOVING AND LEAVING THE ACLU
Apr 09, 2008; ... Jack Van Valkenburg looks back on 18 years of fighting for Idahoans' rights A few years ago, the American Civil Liberties Union gathered in San Francisco. After the official meetings were over, Jack Van Valkenburgh, the founding executive director of the ACLU of Idaho, took off ...
ARTS NEWS
Apr 09, 2008; ... AT BAM THIS WEEK How about a martini to sip while you wander Boise Art Museum? This Wednesday, BAM hosts Martinis and Marsden with a no-host bar, snacks and jazz as art lovers enjoy its newest exhibit, "Marsden Hartley: American Modern." Wednesday, April 9, 6:30-9:30 p.m., FREE ...
MATT HOPPER, APRIL 11, BOUQUET
Apr 09, 2008; ... Matt Hopper is an intelligent, well-spoken guy who doesn't like to talk on the phone (except to call his mother once a week back home in Alaska). The 28-year-old says because he's made so many friends in the cities he plays, he's usually busy the minute he hits town. When asked if he gets lonely ...
TAKE A BOW
Apr 09, 2008; ... Conductor James Ogle leaves Boise Philharmonic with a bang When BW called James Ogle a few weeks ago, he was studying the score for his final performance with Boise Philharmonic. He was memorizing each and every instrument's part, internalizing the piece in its entirely so that, in his ...
SWEENEY TODD
Apr 09, 2008; ... SWEENEY TODD If there's one musical Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas) is perfectly qualified to direct, it's this one: a dark, gory tale about a murderous London barber. I often argue that translating musicals-and even plays without music-into films ...
DARK DAYS
Apr 09, 2008; ... DARK DAYS Looking at the lives of women in a Romanian dictatorship FOUR MONTHS, THREE WEEKS AND TWO DAYS (NR) Directed by Cristian Mungiu Starring Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu Opens Friday at the Ricks Nicolae Ceausescu ruled Romania from 1965 ...
THE SNOW WON'T GO
Apr 09, 2008; ... So we'll keep on skiing. Sun Valley has announced they won't close their doors until April 20 this year. Backcountry skiers are still hitting it hard in the Highway 21 area, and Tamarack is, well, still open for now. Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area is set to end its season this ...
JOKERS TO THE RIGHT ...
Apr 09, 2008; ... Jokers is a racetrack game, popular wjth the recreational-vehicle crowd. But, hey, why let the retirees have all the fun? Children catch on more quickly than adults. Many who play Jokers compare it to Sorry! or Aggravation. The game board consists of a track of 18 play spaces, home for ...
FOOD NEWS
Apr 09, 2008; ... COFFEE TO YOUR DOOR, PART II Occasionally, a reader politely points out that I don't know everything. (It's true, I merely I project the illusion of omniscience, and sometimes I get called out.) Last week, I pined in print for coffee delivery and cited the Carry-out Cab as the solution ...
BACQUET'S
Apr 09, 2008; ... BACQUET'S On one plate then the other ... BW sends two critics to one restaurant. Putting a French wine bar in a mall might seem an odd combination of genius and lunacy. On one hand, a wine bar is a completely welcome haven beckoning to weary shoppers. On the other hand, it's in ...
WINE SIPPER
Apr 09, 2008; ... THE WORLD OF SAUVIGNON BLANC I'm not sure whether sauvignon blanc put New Zealand on the world wine map, or whether New Zealand brought sauvignon blanc to the attention of the world. Whichever it is, the Kiwi version of this grape is uniquely, some would say excessively, varietal. That ...
LOVES EVERY NOOK AND RILL
Apr 09, 2008; ... Composer Jim Cockey's new composition for Idaho Jim Cockey is not your typical textbook composer. His North End bungalow, much like his appearance, is haphazardly pieced together, with wooden floors, drooping unlit candles and well-worn couches. He settles into an old armchair and his ...
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS
Apr 09, 2008; ... ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS I feel obligated to begin by saying children will probably enjoy this film. They'll be blissfully Ignorant of the fact the chipmunks have been around for 50 years and that both of the generations immediately before them enjoyed a slew of albums, an animated TV ...
HOME SWEET HOME
Apr 09, 2008; ... What was once a one-acre horse property on the northwestern edge of Boise is now a tidy infill project comprised of six townhouse units that are located about a mile away from one of Boise's busiest retail hubs. Of the six units that were constructed in 2006 by the Chambers Construction company, ...
HOW GREEN IS YOUR GEAR?
Apr 09, 2008; ... Clothing companies and the hike toward greener pastures Synthetic standbys such as polyester and nylon have been "go-to" materials for decades in outdoor adventuring and foul-weather gear, thanks to their moisture-wicking, quick drying and warmth retention properties. But they're quickly ...
BREK ORTON
Apr 09, 2008; ... Brek Orton of the Boise Police Department was recently nominated by the National Association of Police Organizations as one of America's 10 "Top Cops." Orton, 34, was nominated for rescuing a drowning woman on the Boise River last August, and will accept the award at a ceremony in ...
CORRECTION
Apr 16, 2008; ... We really wish we had spelled Huston Republican Sen. Parti Ahne ...
COPE'S COPPED OUT
Apr 16, 2008; ... Badger Bob covers Looks like I'm going to be doing Cope's column for a week or two. At least a week or two. Last night, he comes running out to my camper, prancing from one foot to the other like he had to pee in the worst way. "Bob, Bob, Badger Bob ... you gotta take over my column! ...
BIGOTRY, APOLOGY, REPEAT AS NECESSARY
Apr 16, 2008; ... The rise of John McCain NEW YORK-In the 1993 film noir Romeo is Bleeding, the late Roy Scheider plays a mob boss. "You know right from wrong," he tells a hopelessly corrupt cop portrayed by Gary Oldman. "You just don't care." It's a perfect summary of John McCain's political ...
NOTE
Apr 16, 2008; ... Ah, spring. When a young reporter's heart turns to thoughts of ... leaving. Start at the Idaho Statesman, which Continues to hemorrhage talent. Ken Dey, the business desk reporter who led that paper's coverage of Micron's financial troubles, has taken a post at St. Luke's Health System, ...
FOR THE BIRDS
Apr 16, 2008; ... How Idaho's mishmash of exotic animal regulations opens the gates to problems It seemed like a scene out of a movie. After mauling their owner, a pride of ligers escaped their enclosure, leaving a small-town police force to track and eventually kill the big cats. They may have ...
LAWSUIT, ROUND II
Apr 16, 2008; ... May primary elections unlikely to be affected by suit The lawsuit's filed, but will it matter? The Idaho Republican Party filed suit in U.S. District Court against Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa last week in a second effort to force closed primary elections, but the ...
NEWS SHORTS
Apr 16, 2008; ... PIE FOR RIVERS Capital City Development Corp., Boise's urban renewal agency, has agreed to buy a $200,000 piece of property for developer Mark Rivers to use for the building he plans to construct on CCDC land at Ninth and River streets. The intersection isn't a right angle, and ...
NOT JUST ONCE
Apr 16, 2008; ... Idaho meth use among nation's highest The new Idaho anti-meth ad campaign launched earlier this year apparently has a growing target audience. Meth use in the state has outpaced both alcohol and marijuana, according to a nationwide study recently released by the Substance Abuse ...
DR. GEOFF WILLIAMS
Apr 16, 2008; ... Dr. Geoff Williams, 52, doesn't meet the stereotype of a plastic surgeon. He worries about money, doesn't really have a permanent home and his patients pay him in mangoes and chickens. As the founder of the International Children's Surgical Foundation, Williams spends most of his time ...
TRUE CRIME
Apr 16, 2008; ... This is the place, Boise, Idaho. We live here ... we're Boiseans. The stories you are about to read are true. SMOOTH CRIMINALS Ada County Sheriff's Department deputies rounded up four Los Angeles transplants two weekends back for making a "California Stop" at the ...
CURIOUS TIMES
Apr 16, 2008; ... PAIN IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD It's strange that placebos work at all, but a new study found that the psychological self-deception goes even deeper. New experiments have shown that placebos perceived to be expensive are more effective than "cheaper" placebos, even when the fake pills are ...
IT CAME FROM CANYON COUNTY
Apr 16, 2008; ... The Invasion emerges with tales of anxiety and apocalypse On Father's Day 2006, The Invasion began working on what would eventually become their debut full-length CD, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Madness, which was produced by local Grammy recipient, Art Hodge. Over the ...
NOISE NEWS
Apr 16, 2008; ... NATIONAL RECORD DAY April 19 is National Record Store Day, and Boise's own locally owned Independent music purveyor, The Record Exchange will celebrate accordingly with cool giveaways, exclusive Record Day indie releases, live music and a handful of musical and media locals (yours truly ...
SHURMAN, APRIL 22, THE BOUQUET
Apr 16, 2008; ... When Aaron Beavers heard Al Perkins was in the audience during one of Shurman's shows, the L.A.-based band's frontman was flattered. He went from flattered to floored when Perkins-the man credited for introducing Gram Parsons to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards-came backstage and said he'd be ...