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City Cast Boise

We ask local movers and shakers the essential questions.

In 2020, Idaho passed House Bill 500, the nation’s first ban on transgender athletes (specifically women) competing in sports. Since then, dozens of states have followed in Idaho's footsteps.

Then the ACLU of Idaho brought Lindsay Hecox’s case against the state, saying the Boise State University student and athlete was being discriminated against for her transgender identity. The case was on its way to the U.S. Supreme Court — 

until she withdrew the lawsuit a couple weeks ago

. Boise State Public Radio reporter Jimmy Dawson joined City Cast Boise to talk about why, and what’s next.

What were the key arguments that Hecox and her legal team made when they were challenging this law?

“Essentially that gender identity is a protected class under Title IX and federal law, and this is discrimination based on sex. And this is something that has been ongoing in the courts for several years related to transgender rights. Pretty quickly, she filed this lawsuit with the help of several groups like the ACLU … [House Bill 500] has just had this injunction in place as the case has gone on.”

Lindsay [Hecox] said harassment led her to withdraw her lawsuit. What kind of impact do you think being the face of a lawsuit like this has?

“ I think it's massive. Lindsay did an interview, I believe with ESPN, maybe Sports Illustrated, like all of these national magazines when the lawsuit first came out. And obviously you're going to get some people agreeing with you and some people opposing you, right? You become a national figure. And if you're not ready for that backlash, then it's going to be pretty tough going forward. Her quote is: ‘thus after deep consideration and despite the positive role that women's team sports have played in my life, including at BSU, I've made the extremely difficult decision to cease playing women's sports in any context covered by HB 500 and want to dismiss my case … living a healthy and safe life is a priority of mine.’”

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a very similar case out of West Virginia. What are the stakes there?

“[The court is] trying to determine whether or not the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment applies to the state having a right to separate boys and girls sports based on biological sex. So depending on what kind of opinion might come down in this case, if it's a very declarative one, then it will apply across the country, including Idaho.”

Where Does Idaho's Trans Athlete Ban Go From Here?

What Boise celebrities, public figures and key citizens have to say about living here.

3 Questions With Boise Public Figures

3 Questions With

The boisterous, weird, and resilient Goathead Fest is gone (after replacing its predecessor Tour de Fat). But its engine, the Boise Bicycle Project, has replaced it with something even more local, inspiring, and radical. Now, instead of taking back pathways from an invasive weed, 

 is taking the space roadways consume and reincorporating it into the public consciousness.

Devin McComas, BBP’s executive director,

 to set the scene for the second Open Streets Boise festival, which will take place on Ustick Road on Sunday, Sept. 28.

What did it feel like to watch the first Open Streets on Latah Street succeed?

"We were kind of building what it was gonna be as we were getting there. The comparison I make sometimes is like juggling while you're running towards something. It really felt like that… We had seen this model successful in other cities, but at the same time we were really drastically changing one of our flagship community events and we were asking our community to come embrace it. [That morning] I was walking past White Rabbit when the first wave of bikes hit and a couple hundred bikes rolled up the street. And it became pretty apparent that it was happening. And that was an incredible feeling, I think for our whole staff."

Why is Ustick a good fit for the Open Streets mission?

“[The festival] is really about asking the community to come into the street, to come into a public space together and celebrate. And at the same time, there's also a conversation about ‘if we feel safe in the streets today, we could feel safe in the streets every single day, if we communicated that to our policy makers and to our lawmakers.’ And so for us, that's also an exciting conversation to be having because Ustick is an arterial road. Some of it doesn't have a sidewalk, and there's safety improvements that could be happening in that Ustick corridor.”

What should people expect from the festival on Sept. 28?

“The fun thing about this event and the challenging thing about this event is every single year we're going to have to adapt the footprint to a new place.”

The West Boise Neighborhood Association, Winstead Park Neighborhood Association, and — who else — the women of Common Ground Coffee and Market came together to apply and bring Open Streets to Ustick. Just like on Latah Street, there will be a main music stage all day, but everything else will be tailored to the community on the street.

Get Ready for Open Streets Boise, Now Coming to Ustick

The relationship between the City of Boise and the Idaho Legislature can be — let’s admit it — a little testy. Just last April, for example, lawmakers effectively killed three new renter protection ordinances after the city spent months to get them passed. So to help us check the city’s temperament going into the new legislative session, the 

city’s Director of Government Affairs Kathy Griesmyer joined the City Cast Boise podcast

Do you find that legislators are receptive to messaging about the city’s needs?

Irrespective of the politics at play, there's a recognition that government is here to serve people and provide a service. And working to really help lawmakers understand [that] we have a community that voted in particular leaders. We have a community that voted in a mayor. We have a community that voted in our council members. And they have been tasked with meeting the community's needs. And the legislature sometimes has a role to play in helping ensure that those programs and services can come to fruition [in Boise].

Some legislators have been very open about their disdain for Boise and have painted it as this liberal enemy in a red state. Do you think that colors how the legislature views the city?

I would say that's more of a fringe perspective. I think that myself and the contract lobbyists that the city utilizes to be at the statehouse to represent our really diverse set of issues we're working on, we really spend the time to help [lawmakers] understand, do some myth-busting, [and] provide more information.

Probably the biggest one early on was that we had a huge pile of money the city was just stockpiling, and in some part that was a lot of education about previous administrations, budgets, and funds. A lot of that was related to the previous library project and how that money was getting redirected to deferred maintenance or other programs. So some myth-busting about the amount of money the city had, how we were utilizing it, and what were our plans moving forward.

🎧 Building Bridges to the Capitol

How the City of Boise Manages Conflict With Idaho Lawmakers

“Preparing” for the holiday season means different things to everyone. For some, it’s brining turkey 

 ham (godspeed), and for some, it’s an emotional rollercoaster of missing family but knowing that staying home for the holidays is the best choice for you. City Cast Boise podcast host Lindsay Van Allen falls into the latter camp, so executive producer Frankie Barnhill interviewed her about what that experience is like.

What do you think is making holiday estrangement more common?

“ I think a lot of it goes back to the polarization in our society, and there's a lot of causes for that, and I'm not going to morally say if it's right or if it's wrong, I just think it's the reality. [P]olitics are personal, and so there was estrangement that happened [after the 2016 election], there was separation among families. We saw that even more with the pandemic in 2020, where people felt like their health was being put at risk by family members who didn't want to follow precautions or get vaccinated. And then now with this election in 2024, I think we're seeing that again.”

When you made this decision for yourself, how did you deal with those feelings?

“In those first few years, the things that were most helpful were making space for me to feel those feelings, and realizing that I was mourning what I thought the holidays should look like. [I was mourning] what I thought the holidays meant and what I wanted the holidays to look like for my children and realizing that that might not be a reality.”

How do you create that new reality of what you want the holidays to look like?

“ I decided that we were going to focus on one or two dishes per holiday that really make the holiday feel special, make it feel like home. We're going to do a couple activities that we all really like, that the kids really look forward to and that I was going to focus more on us being together. And enjoying our time together, even if it's just doing something simple, doing a puzzle or just having some cookies and watching a Christmas show, as opposed to just curating this very perfect experience, but I'm not enjoying it.”

Managing Holiday Loneliness While Estranged From Family

President-elect Donald Trump has made a lot of promises on the campaign trail, but which are likely to come to fruition and how would they affect Idaho? We asked Boise State University political scientist Charlie Hunt how he thinks Trump’s second term will look like for our state.

How seriously should we take President-elect Trump’s campaign promises?

“All these sort of promises that he has made over the past couple years when he's been campaigning, one thing I can sort of guarantee is that not all of these things are going to come true. Some of them will, some of them won't, and [it will] depend on the politics of whatever individual situation we're talking about. For those who are, let's say, concerned about [a national abortion ban], that's one legislative area where I think that's not impossible, but unlikely to happen.”

How would trade and tariff policies impact Idaho agriculture?

“[Agriculture] is another area where you see more monoculture farming… that are really changing the agricultural economy and that are having way more effects on Idaho farmers than any one tariff. But if you have these tariffs, coupled with this sort of mass deportation [campaign promise], then you're not going to have the workforce able to meet the new demand for new agricultural industries that Idaho farmers would be looking to get into if they were helped along by tariffs making them more competitive.”

Are you worried that Trump’s rhetoric will change higher education?

“This isn’t one I’m particularly worried about. I think, whatever the terminology is, ‘Marxist, lunatics, and communist,’ that's a tough thing to write into federal code that gets into some thorny issues around free speech and the right of educators to teach their expertise. From my perspective that has not changed anything about the way I teach. I think the most likely outcome for something like this would be something in the vein of what Idaho did, which was a set of laws that didn't necessarily have a ton of teeth that was more symbolic. It's not something that I think is likely to change the way folks in higher ed teach.”

How Trump’s Campaign Policies Would Affect Idaho

Boise State University political scientist Charlie Hunt shares how he thinks Trump’s second term will look like for Idaho.

How Trump's Second Presidential Term Will Affect Idaho

How Trump's Second Term Will Affect Idaho

Bonnie Violet Quintana is tired of hearing about how terrible it is to be trans in Idaho. She knows it can be — she grew up in southern Idaho and had to move away to bring her trans identity into full focus. But she also knows what can happen when there’s space to feel joy, which is exactly what she hopes to accomplish with 

, which will unofficially kick off Pride weekend at 5:30 p.m. at 8th and Jefferson Streets.

What makes this march the first of its kind?

“Obviously this is not the first time that there’s been a march for trans people in Idaho. But this is the first time that we’re doing an Idaho Trans March on Pride weekend, and it’s going to be annual, and it’s not a political march. So that’s what makes it the first. I’ve been trying to figure out … how to own that, but also not alienate others who have been doing the work for years. [O]ur hope is that the march is just the beginning. We really want the trans march to be more of a trans pride, so that we begin to focus more about the trans community at Pride, where there’s a lot of work that still needs to happen with the rest of [the LGBTQ+] community being able to understand us and create space for us.”

What’s one element of the planned march you’re especially excited about?

“All of the marchers will receive carnations as they enter the Anne Frank Memorial, and they’ll also have a blank card where they can write a message to the trans community, and then tie the message onto the carnation. We’re going to attach all the flowers onto a metal sculpture [being made for this event] … and folks who are trans or nonbinary can receive a carnation with a message on it. The structure will then be moved to our booth for the weekend, so as people come to the booth they can still write a message and we’ll add that to the structure.”

You want trans people to simply enjoy this march. How do you hope cisgender allies will be affected?

“I think it's an opportunity for our allies to be with us in our joy and our celebration, not just in our struggle. It doesn't change the fact that we do have difficulties living in Idaho as trans people … But we can't let it rob us of our joy. And the truth is, just to get all spiritual, they can't take our joy. They can f— with our happiness. They can create containers and a world in which it's hard for us to let our joy out. But the truth is we have the power to experience joy and we deserve to experience it beyond our living rooms and our bedrooms and our little pockets and community. We deserve to have joy wherever we go.”

“I think it's an opportunity for our allies to be with us in our joy and our celebration, not just in our struggle."

3 Questions With Bonnie Violet, Organizer of Idaho’s First Trans March

The Boise Goathead Fest has a long and joyful history, but it’s time for a fresh start. Organizers with the Boise Bicycle Project (BBP) are hoping that 

 can build off the festival’s momentum by shutting down car access to Latah Street on Sept. 22 for a new festival. To learn more about how the “pie-in-the-sky idea” became reality, Hey Boise sat down with BBP Communications Manager Whitney Schrader and Director of Bicycle Advocacy Nina Pienaar.

What motivated the transition from the Goathead Fest into a new event concept?

“One thing we noticed with [Boise Goathead Fest] is the event didn’t always attract the people that we serve in our programs or in our shop, and it was a lot of lift for our team. Once the idea of Open Streets Boise came, it just made sense to merge the two together and to evolve the Boise Goathead Fest.”

“Yeah, it’s super exciting because Goathead Fest [was] a celebration of the bicycle community in Boise, and [Open Streets Boise] is reclaiming what is rightfully everyone’s. But it’s more than a bicycling event, it’s a community event.”

Will Depot Bench be the only home for Open Streets Boise?

“We plan on moving this event to a new location every year. So it’s highlighting different neighborhoods in Boise … and within that location, we give first priority to businesses and community groups, and a big stake to the neighborhood association to pick who they want there and what they want to do with that space. [...] So it’s really empowering those businesses and those groups to take the space and connect with the residents in their area.”

Are you concerned about state legislation or local elections interfering in the future of this event?

“That’s something we think about all the time. [...] I really strongly think that if we are scared of the state Legislature and we’re going to be turning down great opportunities like [the newly approved pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure on] State Street, like 8th Street improvements, then there’s something wrong with the system. We’re going to take those massive big wins, we’re going to improve on them, and if the Legislature doesn’t like it, we’ll deal with that too. But I don’t think we can live in a city where we have an ACHD commission that’s approving fantastic projects to make our city safer only for us to turn those opportunities down.”

The new one-day festival on Latah Street will close the street to car traffic.

3 Questions About Open Streets Boise

Sarah Keck and Laurie Pearman describe their meeting as fate. The pair grew up seven miles away from each other in Bakersfield, Calif. and both lived in Caldwell in the 1990s, but didn’t meet until 2022, when they’d both lived in the Ustick neighborhood for four years. But their parallel paths had led them both to the same conclusion: Ustick needed not only a coffee shop, but a place to gather. Earlier this year, they opened 

It would seem you found your footing with each other and the spirit of Common Ground pretty quickly. How did that happen?

“We have this very similar sense of humor and weirdness about us, so it feels like we're naturally sisters or something out of the gate. But I think it was really the shared want for this in the neighborhood. Our goal was so eerily similar, and then as we dug into, like, our histories, that had a lot of similarity too.”

“It’s been magical. A lot of people are like, ‘oh, don't get into business with your friends.’ But for us, I think the goal is so rock solid. And then we just add fun to it and stability."

You knew Ustick needed a gathering space — has the community response met your expectations?

 “Completely exceeded our expectations. We have had time to do zero things since we opened because we've been so busy. What did we liken it to? Oh, a baby giraffe. It’s like the business was the mama giraffe and we were the baby giraffe, and then we were like stumbling around.”

“I’m still surprised, we’re almost a month in and people are still thanking us for opening, for taking a chance on the neighborhood, for investing in the community, because this place is so ready.”

Why the name “Common Ground,” and how does the American flag fit into that?

 “[Points at the large flag on the wall] The flag is actually my dad’s. He passed away in October 2022. He was a Vietnam vet, so this is his dedication flag that me and my brothers got from the Veterans Cemetery when he passed away. [We] received a surprise inheritance from him, and I essentially took that inheritance to start the coffee shop. So it only felt right to have the flag from him up in the coffee shop, you know? I think for the ‘common ground’ portion, we also just want to take back the flag. The flag shouldn’t just be for any specific subset of Americans. We want to show that we are safe people and that our space is a safe space where we can kind of reimagine what the flag can mean.”

 “I’ll just add, above all else, it’s about being a good neighbor. This isn’t about politics, or being polarized, or anything. It's just about a space where we can all come together, get a cup of coffee, and a ritual, and go back to our lives. Like, a positive interaction for everybody, and everybody's welcome.”

3 Questions With the Owners of Common Ground in Boise

3 Questions With the Owners of Common Ground

The day Mayor Lauren McLean announced her pick for the new police chief, she sat down with City Cast Boise podcast host Lindsay Van Allen to explain why she chose Tucson’s Chris Dennison, and what’s next.

The Boise Police Department has been through a lot of turmoil in the last two years. In your role, how are you ensuring that doesn’t repeat?

“We’ve all been through it in the last couple of years. […] Dennison pointed out to me that while there have been issues tied to this department — there are issues tied to policing around the country — we are a city that is fundamentally safe. And because we’re a safe city, it gives room for the new chief, with a stellar director of the Office of Police Accountability, to truly lead in this space.”

Will Dennison follow the city’s guidance to deprioritize investigations into abortions?

“These are policies that the council has passed. Some people say, ‘The city shouldn’t be wading into this.’ This is an issue, unfortunately, the city must weigh into given the impact it has on people. It’s a policy of the City of Boise, and it’s a budget issue. […] There’s clarity from council and an expectation that policies set by council are followed by a department.”

Can you guarantee for the rest of your term that you will not order sweeps or support criminalization of outdoor camping when there’s no shelter space?

“I will say this: If the conditions that we have remain, where we’re working on shelter and we have shelters, you will not see me criminalizing sleeping. There’s a place for accountability. There are many ways to hold folks accountable. But when it comes to sleeping, I’ve always said, ‘Everybody’s got to sleep.’ That said, we also have rules that will be enforced, so I don’t want to see people taking advantage of the fact that in Boise we put people first, we’re going to lead with compassion, we’re creating solutions for folks to use.”

🎧 Why McLean Picked Dennison

After several years of chaos at the police department, McLean is bringing the Tucson Police Department’s Chris Dennison department.

3 Questions With Mayor McLean About Her Pick for Police Chief

The Treasure Valley is fizzing with new chain dirty soda shops, thanks to the dirty soda mecca of Utah. Both our large Mormon 

 are into the bubbles, but as Meg Walter of Deseret News explains, dirty soda is just plain having a moment, regardless of religious affiliation.

What do you think it is about dirty sodas that has made them so popular?

“They taste wonderful. They are so delicious. There is nothing better on a July afternoon than a 32 ounce Diet Coke with some zesty lime and a hit of coconut. Like, it's so refreshing, it's the perfect pick me up. And then, of course, a lot of people in our culture who are Latter-day Saints don't drink coffee, so they prefer their caffeine cold, and that's where they're going. They're getting sodas instead.”

What is the most unusual thing that you've seen as an option to put in these sodas?

“One time my husband came home and he had a Mountain Dew, like a full sugar Mountain Dew, which already by itself is insane to me because it was 44 ounces, and then had these — I don't know how to describe them, but you know how there's boba, but boba is just tapioca — these are crunchy candy balls that he had added in. And then he added cranberry as well, which sounds so gross to me. But he said it was so good and I'm so happy for him that he has a place to live his best life in that way because, I'm not buying sweet tarts for you to pop in your soda, but good for you.”

As more sodas come out with flavor variations, do you think that the soda shops are recreating it equally, or making it better?

“Oh, it's always better from the soda shop. Like the can is good, it's really good, but there's something about the soda on ice in a styrofoam cup with the shot of the flavor that just makes it superior.”