Hello Tuesday. Gretchen Parsons here with your roundup.
Good morning! Bogus Basin is anticipating opening for the season in a month, we have the details. Plus, Ada County plans to update its Animal Control Ordinance.
- Today: 53° Mostly sunny.
First Up Today
Bogus announces opening day and more upgrades
Ski season at Bogus Basin will be underway in a month.
Mountain officials announced a targeted opening date of November 24 this year.
Visitors can also look forward to a slew of upgrades, some of which we told readers about last week, including two new intermediate and advanced runs – Independence and Blackbird, as well as additional lighted trails for night skiing – Superior and Sunbeam off of the Superior Express lift.
This week, Bogus revealed additional improvements guests can enjoy during the upcoming season.
Parking will be more efficient on the mountain this winter. The main parking lot is now paved and striped all the way up to the Nordic Center, and near the top of Pioneer Road, 50 new paved parking spots have been added between the Silver Queen and Pioneer lots, which provide ski-in and ski-out access.
Trips up the mountain on the Morning Star and Superior Express chairlifts will also be quicker as more chairs have been added. Bogus says the uphill capacity on both lifts has been increased by 30%.
Top-to-bottom snowmaking has been added on Sunshine, a beginner run located off the Morning Star Express lift. Additionally, the water pumping capacity on Bogus’ snowmaking system has been doubled from 1,500 gallons to 3,000 gallons per minute.
The retail shop has also been relocated to the ground floor of Simplot Lodge, making for a much larger space. New non-slip flooring has also been installed in both Simplot and Pioneer lodges.
Radio-Frequency Identification ticketing technology, or RFID, has been added to season passes, lift tickets, and gates to allow hands-free access to the lifts.
Ada County to update Animal Control Ordinance
Ada County plans to update its Animal Control Ordinance.
The ordinance applies to people living within unincorporated Ada County, which is about 66,240 people, according to COMPASS. It defines animal cruelty and establishes penalties, lists what types of animals people cannot own, establishes animal licensing fees, and more.
Because the Idaho Humane Society handles much of the enforcement of the ordinance and houses impounded animals, it will be providing input on changes for the new code. Residents are also asked to review the current ordinance and let the county know what they would like to see removed or included.
Currently, residents in unincorporated Ada County are limited to four dogs, unless they have a special license for a kennel. The ordinance also prohibits people from owning penguins, komodo dragons, meerkats, and ostriches. It’s unclear which parts of the ordinance the county is looking to change.
The updated version of the Animal Control Ordinance will be discussed and accepted or rejected during the November 1, 2022 meeting.
Meridian also plans to update its animal ordinance, you can read more about that here.
Boise’s electric bike share program coming to an end
Valley Regional Transit’s electric bike share pilot program, Vall-eBike, is coming to an end.
The electric-assist bikes will be removed from Boise streets on Monday, October 31, as scheduled.
The pilot program launched back in July with 50 bikes in downtown Boise. Since then, VRT says the program attracted 2,400 riders who collectively took nearly 3,000 trips.
“Considering we operated the system with less than half the bikes of the previous Boise GreenBike system, we think the pilot was an overwhelming success!” said Dave Fotsch, Bikeshare Director. “It’s clear to us that people like and will use electric-assist shared bikes.”
VRT says it will now analyze the data from the pilot and develop a permanent plan for the future.
BoiseDev’s Don Day took one of the bikes out for a spin in August. You can read his detailed review here.
Happening Today
- City Council: Tonight, Boise City Council will discuss a new ordinance to address the downtown street cruise, the new property tax rebate program, and details on Micron’s Treasure Valley expansion.
- Mobile Voting: Ada County’s Mobile Voting Center will be at the Fred Meyer at Chinden and Linder today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- STEM: Governor Brad Little announced the appointment of Caty Solace as the executive director of the Idaho STEM Action Center. Solace has served as the chief communications and operations officer for the Idaho Workforce Development Council (WDC) since 2018.
- Road Closure: The intersection of Roosevelt and Alpine is closed for intersection improvements. This closure is expected to last for one month.
BoiseDev Reports
Albertsons stock sees big drop: deal to give cash to shareholders well before acquisition closes a cause
Albertsons’ stock dropped sharply on Friday just as the stock market opened. The cause appears to be a novel deal to pay shareholders a large dividend next month. Read more on BoiseDev.
Watch out! Entrepreneur Week gets a jump start with dodgeball tourney
Before it officially started, Boise Entrepreneur Week kicked off with a fun event on Saturday where teams competed against each other in dodgeball. As Steve Dent with Idaho News 6 reports, the dodgeball tournament raises money to help pay for lodging and travel for college students throughout the region.
Longtime Arizona State Trooper challenges Sheriff Matt Clifford in November election
In November, Ada County residents will get to pick between current Sheriff Matt Clifford, the Republican nominee, and Democratic candidate Victor McCraw to lead the state’s largest law enforcement agency. Margaret Carmel interviewed both candidates to help voters make an informed choice.
It’s Boise Entrepreneur Week! Here are a few highlights for today. Get details and more in our event guide.
- Does Anyone Really Want to Work in Home Construction Anymore?
- 11am-noon, JUMP – 5th-floor JUMP room
- The pitch: Young people preparing to enter the workforce today have more career options than possibly ever before. How can the home construction industry collaborate with educators to engage with the emerging workforce to help them be better prepared for or more interested in the jobs that are critical to constructing homes?
- Successfully Raising Funds in Boise – A Founder’s Perspective
- 1pm-2pm, Trailhead (8th and Front)
- The pitch: Travis Hawkes, cofounder and managing partner of Capital Eleven, will host a fireside chat with two local founders. Landon Cooley, cofounder of PestShare, and Jonathon Fishman, founder of LeanLaw, will share their stories about building a startup in Idaho.
- Past Pitch Competition Winner’s Panel
- 2-2:30pm, JUMP, 4th floor Inspire room
- The pitch: The proudest moment BEW over the last 7 years is awarding prizes to our pitch competition winners. Learn from the trials and tribulations of pitching at BEW and then going on to start and run your company from previous pitch competition winners. Moderated by BoiseDev’s Don Day.
- Local Solutions to Global Challenges for Entrepreneurs Today
- 3:15pm-4:15pm JUMP, The TENT
- The pitch: A Fireside Chat with Dilawar Syed and Mayor Lauren McLean.
- Women in Power Networking Event – Hosted by Idaho Women in Technology (iWIT), Women Innovators (W.IN) and Idaho Women’s Business Center
- 5:30pm-7:15pm, JUMP, The Deck (5th floor)
- The pitch: Join BEW and your favorite female-powered Boise organizations for “A Celebration of Women in Leadership: A Networking Symposium”. Dress for the weather at this unique reception on the rooftop terrace at JUMP
Link-worthy
- Teen Killed: A teenage boy riding his bike in Eagle was hit by a semi-truck Friday afternoon near the Idaho 55 and Beacon Light Road intersection, and died shortly after being transported to a local hospital. Read more from the Idaho Statesman.
- Patient Increase: CBS2 reports that St. Luke’s Children’s has been experiencing an increase in patients for this time of year.Patient Increase: CBS2 reports that St. Luke’s Children’s has been experiencing an increase in patients for this time of year.
- Record-low Scores: Idaho students did better on what’s called The Nation’s Report Card than did many others across the country, performing above the national average in all aspects of the test except for fourth-grade reading. But before celebrations ensue, a reality check: all of Idaho’s scores were lower than they’ve been in more than a decade. Read the full article from Idaho Education News.
- Vaccine Clinic: The Mexican Consulate in Boise is hosting a bilingual drive-thru vaccination clinic this Saturday to provide equitable access to care in underserved communities. Read more from Boise State Public Radio.
Things To Do
- Spooky Stories: Swing by Meriwether Cider House in downtown Boise tonight from 7-9 p.m. for spooky stories told in the candlelight!
- Paint Night: Barbarian Brewing in downtown Boise is hosting a DIY paint class with a spooky-themed picture at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Cost is $35.
- Cider Party: This past summer, Meriwether Cider House collected yard apples from the community to make a special batch of local cider. That cider is now ready to drink and people can enjoy it at the Community Crush Drinking Party on Thursday from 5-9 p.m. at the downtown tap house.
- Halloween Party: Payette Brewing is hosting a Halloween party on Friday from 4-10 p.m.
Pet of the Day
Look at that face! This is Ben. Robin Kawczynski says Ben is her daughter’s mobility service dog in training. A dog with a job!
Submit your pet’s photo here, and we may feature it Monday-Thursday! Plus, our friends at Zamzows will send along a prize to the winning pet (owners)!