AGP Executive Report

Idaho Art Spotlight: Idaho Art Gallery in Meridian dedicates September to John Killmaster, a Boise State-launched artist whose enamel work and decades of teaching are celebrated in “Now & Then, Idaho: A Living Exhibition by John Killmaster.” Local Sports & Community: Idaho State University’s Bengal Block Party returns Sept. 11 with free street-fair fun, ISU swag, music, food trucks, and $5 game-ticket vouchers. Inland Northwest Arts: Sandpoint’s Panida hosts “Carmina Burana,” featuring about 100 performers from the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint and North Idaho Philharmonia, plus summer academy musicians and regional soloists. Film Fest Fundraising: Sandpoint Idaho Film Fest sets a Sept. 21 fundraising party at Matchwood Brewing with live music, silent auction, raffle prizes, and a festival poster reveal. Science in Idaho: University of Idaho researchers announce a new spider species, Hexura vandal, named for the university mascot. Pop Culture Music: Swedish metalcore veterans Darkest Hour premiere the “Suffer Divine” title track ahead of the Oct. 30 album release.

Eastern Idaho State Fair: Blackfoot’s 124th Eastern Idaho State Fair kicks off Sept. 4–12 with the “Red, White and Blue Jeans” theme, promising 250,000+ visitors, 270+ vendors, and a big grandstand lineup starting with Flo Rida and including Gabriel Iglesias. Local Arts & Community: Blackfoot artist Trynity Kesler turns “messy painting” into a growing mixed-media business, from window art to commissions. Idaho Central Credit Union & Sports Venues: Tucson’s Mosaic Quarter lands naming rights with ICCU, rebranding the Iceplex and Field House and launching an annual community festival. Streaming Picks (Idaho Murders): A new Netflix true-crime roundup highlights “The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare,” alongside other September doc releases. Horror on the Way: Amazon MGM’s “Seasons” horror film adds Wes Studi and Dane DiLiegro to the cast. Idaho Events Calendar: Portneuf Valley Quilters’ Guild announces Quilt Fest 2026 for Oct. 2–3 in Pocatello, with demos, vendors, and a quilt raffle. Local Music & Live Shows: A guide lists upcoming concerts at the Ford Idaho Center for September and October. Sports (Boise State): Dante Moore’s return has Oregon ranked No. 2 in school history as the Ducks open against Boise State. Idaho Sports Tech: USA Cycling names Team USA’s roster for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal. Local Giving: Sneakers for Kids delivers 100 pairs of shoes to Emmett School District students.

Idaho Outdoors & Wildlife: Idaho’s Rocky Point Wildlife Underpass is nearing completion on US Highway 30, adding three underpasses and fencing to help deer migrate safely and cut deadly collisions. Wilderness Debate: Environmental groups, led by Earthjustice, are asking for a longer public comment period on the federal plan to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, arguing the decision affects 45 million acres and needs more public hearings. Idaho Arts & Community: The Pend Oreille Arts Council’s Artists’ Studio Tour returns Sept. 4-6 as a free, self-guided look into local artists’ studios across North Idaho. Local Sports Spotlight: Idaho high school action made headlines with Declo’s comeback win over undefeated Filer and Lighthouse Christian’s continued undefeated run. Entertainment & Culture: A new psychological thriller, Phantom Ranch, blends true-crime vibes with fiction after author Scott Wells drew inspiration from a chilling real-life encounter.

Idaho Sports Kickoff: Prep volleyball and high school football are in full swing, and college football ramps up this week with the U.S. Open underway and the NFL/NHL seasons looming. Boise State vs. Oregon: The Broncos open their College Football Playoff push against No. 2 Oregon in Eugene, with attention on quarterback Madduxx Madsen and coach Spencer Danielson’s redemption mission. Utah at Idaho (Thursday): No. 21 Utah begins its 2026 season at Idaho, with new head coach Morgan Scalley promising a familiar “recipe” but a different approach under offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven. Streaming & Pop Culture: Rebecca Ferguson’s Apple TV sci-fi hit “Silo” keeps climbing on streaming charts, while “The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare” is also dominating minutes watched. Tech & Consumer Impact: Washington and other states join an FTC lawsuit against Amazon over alleged “hidden surcharges” and misleading ad pricing. Local Arts/Community: Snake River BMX keeps growing with riders from toddlers to seniors, and Boise’s Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic returns for 2026. Big Idaho Money: Idaho could receive up to about $127.7M from a Meta settlement tied to alleged child social media addiction design choices. Sports Fraud Watch: Federal authorities arrested two men in a fake 49ers-player romance scam that targeted victims across Idaho and other states.

Idaho Arts & Entertainment: Boise Balloon Week: Hot-air balloons take over Boise this week, with the Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic returning to Ann Morrison Park for a family-friendly run of flights and pilot Q&As. Local Sports & Community: Eastern Idaho State Fair: The 124th Eastern Idaho State Fair kicks off Sept. 4–12 in Blackfoot with big-name entertainment including Flo Rida, Gabriel Iglesias and Nate Smith. Rexburg Spotlight: Chukars broadcaster retires: John Balginy signs off after 41 years calling Chukars games from the same booth seat. Wildlife & Public Works: Rocky Point underpass: Crews near completion on a southeast Idaho wildlife crossing along U.S. 30 to protect migrating deer and reduce deadly collisions. STEM for kids: 4-H STEM bus: A new portable STEM classroom is rolling out in North Idaho thanks to a $20,000 sponsorship. Music on the road: The Used tour: The Used announce a West Coast fall run that includes a Boise stop at Revolution Concert House on Oct. 5. Entertainment & Culture: Pocatello Greek Festival: The annual Greek Festival returns to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, bringing food, dance and community traditions back to town.

Eastern Idaho State Fair: The 124th annual Eastern Idaho State Fair kicks off Sept. 4-12 in Blackfoot with a patriotic theme, “Red, White and Blue Jeans,” and a lineup headlined by Flo Rida (Sept. 4), Gabriel Iglesias (Sept. 10) and Nate Smith (Sept. 11). Idaho Arts & Community: Rexburg Children’s Choir is recruiting singers ages 9-17 for a December Christmas concert featuring Adassa (Encanto’s Dolores), with rehearsals starting Sept. 14. Local Sports (Idaho): Idaho State opened its season in Pocatello with a 38-10 win over VMI, led by QB Jordan Cooke’s 325 yards and four TDs. Latino Fest: Twin Falls’ annual Latino Fest returned to City Park with food, music, bounce houses and an Aztec dance performance. Major Crime (Idaho-linked): Federal prosecutors say Daejon Love posed as a 49ers player to scam 26 women out of about $1.3M, and are urging a judge to keep him detained as the case unfolds. Road Safety: Authorities identified two men killed in separate Bear Lake County crashes, including an ATV rollover and a motorcycle head-on collision.

Idaho Sports Spotlight: Idaho State opened its season with a 38-10 win over VMI, led by QB Jordan Cooke’s four TD passes and a defense that shut down VMI’s passing while piling up stops in Pocatello. College Football Watch: Week 0 is already shaping the national picture, with postseason rules and early “winners and losers” talk setting up what to expect as the 2026 season ramps. Local Arts & Community: Twin Falls’ Latino Fest returned to City Park with food, music, bounce houses, and Aztec dance—plus a big networking push from the South Central Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Idaho Events: Pocatello’s Greek Festival also drew thousands to Assumption Greek Orthodox Church for tours, folk dancing, and classic favorites like baklava. Music for a Cause: The Panhandle Patriot Music Festival hits Sept. 11 at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds to raise funds for veterans. Pop Culture (Idaho connection): Post Malone’s Idaho ranch proposal to Christy Lee is getting major fashion-mag attention as the “most special moment” of her life. Scam Case (national, with Idaho ties): The Daejon Love fake-49ers romance-and-investment scheme continues to dominate headlines after arrests in Boise and fresh video claims online.

Broncos Radio Shake-Up: Boise State announced Pete Cavender will retire as the Bronco Radio Network color analyst in September, with former defensive lineman Michael Callahan stepping in alongside Bob Behler—Callahan’s first broadcast is Sept. 19. Idaho Fire Response: The Idaho National Guard shared an update on the Big Grass Fire in the Owyhee Mountain Complex, including aviation support with Black Hawk crews releasing nearly 300,000 gallons of water. 49ers Romance Scam Fallout (Idaho in the mix): Federal prosecutors say Daejon Love posed as a San Francisco 49ers player to scam 26 women out of about $1.3 million, with arrests in Boise on Aug. 24; new reporting includes claims of a staged contract-signing moment and ongoing “last victim” accounts. Community & Culture: Twin Falls’ “All Parties Party” aims to bridge political divides with music, games, food trucks, and a focus on friendship over voting. Local Sports Spotlight: Cabrillo College opened its season with a 1-1 showing at the Siskiyous Tri, including a win over Contra Costa.

Industrial Metal Spotlight: Fear Factory kicked off a new era with “Roboticist,” its latest single featuring Milo Silvestro, plus a cinematic video and a run of upcoming European dates. Idaho Sports Buzz: Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium is gearing up for a Sept. 12 home game with beer-and-fandom energy, including local pours from Bert’s Brewing and Proletariat Wine. Local High School Football: Eagle pulled away in the second half to beat Timberline 32-14 in a SIC championship rematch, while Skyline held off Bonneville 18-14 in a rainy season opener. College Football Week 0: The season starts with a packed slate, including Idaho’s opener that ended in a late heartbreak at Cal Poly. Community & Events: Box Elder County Fair and Golden Spike Rodeo delivered classic fair thrills, from hypnotist shows to big crowds. Public Safety/Crime: Federal authorities say a man posed as a 49ers player in a dating-app scam that netted about $1.3 million from 26 women, with arrests in Boise.

Community Bridge: Twin Falls’ Mormon Women for Ethical Government is hosting “All Parties Party” (5-7 p.m. Sat., Aug. 29) at Cascade Park, mixing singing, dancing, games, food trucks, and live music to push back against political division. Local Business: Café Rivera opened in downtown Caldwell, bringing Mexican-inspired coffee and jarros de barro mugs; a Sept. 12 grand opening ribbon cutting is planned. Idaho Sports Spotlight: Boise State’s North End Zone expansion is now a finished, year-round event space with premium seating, new food/merch points, and student-athlete resources. Big-Time College Football: Pac-12 football returns with Oregon State’s conference schedule and Boise State among the new faces; the league also plans flexible late-season matchups. Arts & Music: Improvement Movement released its new album and is rolling out video-driven visuals and a fall tour. Public Safety: A 71-year-old man died in an ATV crash near Ovid; investigators say he wasn’t wearing a helmet. National Legal/Scam Watch: Federal authorities charged a man who allegedly posed as a San Francisco 49ers player in a romance-and-investment scheme that targeted women across Idaho and other states.

Idaho Education & Tech: The University of Idaho opened a Hiroshima campus with Hiroshima University, launching a four-year semiconductor-focused bachelor’s program that starts in Japan and moves to Idaho for the final two years. Wildfire & Climate Resilience: A Teton County fundraising push aims to hire a wildfire mitigation coordinator, while new research links heatwaves to nearly half of wildfire burned area in the western U.S., including two-thirds in the Idaho-Oregon-Nevada region. Public Safety on Idaho Roads: Rocky Point wildlife underpasses near completion on US-30 are expected to cut wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve safety for drivers. Local Sports: Boise High beat district rival Capital 42-27 in a statement win, and CSI’s Emerson Heatwole earned SWAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after a season-opening defensive surge. Community Events: Coeur d’Alene Resort’s Whiskey Barrel Weekend returns Sept. 18–20 with whiskey, food, live entertainment, and lakeside experiences. Road Tragedies: Idaho State Police reported fatal crashes including a semi-truck rollover near Challis and an ATV crash in Bear Lake County.

Back-to-School Public Health: In the latest Osterholm Update podcast, Dr. Michael Osterholm tackles what parents should know about measles, flu shots, and other school-season health questions. Idaho Arts & Community: Mountain Home’s Hacker Middle School is crafting 600 hand-decorated wooden ornaments for the U.S. National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., turning a children’s book into a big community art project. Local Arts & Entertainment: Boise’s First Thursday returns as a downtown art crawl tradition, with September’s theme tied to the Boise Art Museum’s Art in the Park and a live painting session in Grove Plaza. Outdoor Arts: The Evergreen Fine Arts Festival wrapped up with juried booths, live music, and hands-on creativity across media from ceramics to reverse-painted plexiglass landscapes. Music Scene: DJ Pauly D is set to play Boise tonight at Treefort Music Hall, adding to the city’s fast-growing DJ and EDM buzz. Sports & Culture: Starlight Mountain Theatre in Garden Valley continues its summer-stock run, bringing musicals like “Frozen” and “Legally Blonde” to the stage. Tech & Jobs: President Trump and Gov. Brad Little react to Micron’s $10B Boise investment, framing it as a major boost for AI and advanced computing jobs. Wildfire Mitigation: Teton Valley’s TVFACT raises funds to hire a local wildfire mitigation coordinator, aiming to reduce fuels on private land and support public-land efforts. Idaho Outdoors: Idaho Fish & Game reports a record-breaking 2026 fishing run, with multiple new state records across species and ages.

Idaho Arts & Entertainment Spotlight: Boise River Festival hot-air balloons are getting a look back in a new feature on how the tradition started in 1991 and why it still feels like “Boise.” Local Visual Arts: The Artist’s Studio in the Foothills (ASiF) hosts the opening reception for EMBODIED, a multi-medium show of sculpture, painting, photography and poetry, running through Sept. 26. North Idaho Arts Volunteering: Pend Oreille Arts Council’s Kaleidoscope program is seeking more volunteers to teach hands-on art to 3rd–6th graders across Bonner County. Idaho Sports Meets Art: At Idaho, a senior artist is painting oil-canvases that turn football matchups into artwork—then the pieces are photographed for game-week graphics and auctioned. Idaho Fair Fun: The Western Idaho Fair leans hard into spectacle with BMX backflips, springboard diving and a longtime sword-swallowing performer. Tech & Youth Safety (Idaho angle): Meta’s massive settlement is driving new rules for Instagram and Facebook teen use, with Idaho named among states affected.

Big Tech & Youth Safety: Idaho is set to receive up to $127.7 million from Meta as part of a sweeping $17.1 billion multistate settlement over Instagram and Facebook child-safety claims, with Meta also required to roll out major protections for teens and younger users. Outdoors & Wildfire Policy: A new study finds heatwaves are tied to nearly half of wildfire burned area in the western U.S. over the past 25 years—especially in the Idaho-Oregon-Nevada region—adding urgency to climate and fire-management action. Northern Lights Watch: NOAA issued a geomagnetic storm watch for Thursday through Saturday, with a chance the aurora could be visible as far south as Idaho. Idaho Arts & Community: Edson Fichter Nature Talks returns to Pocatello in September with free weekly evening lectures, including sketching and paleontology. Local Sports & Events: The Mountain America Center in Idaho Falls will host the inaugural Snake River Invitational, a four-team NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament featuring Boise State, Drake, North Dakota State and North Texas. Music & Local Scene: Bluebird Social’s first Songwriters Showcase spotlighted Treasure Valley writers and performers, building momentum for Boise’s live-music community. Tech & Defense: The U.S. Army selected five firms to develop microreactors for military bases, including Radiant’s up to $750 million deal tied to the Janus program. Idaho Pride Moment: A GoFundMe effort aims to buy Eagle’s Old State Saloon—known for anti-LGBTQ politics—and transform it into a gay bar.

Outdoor Recreation & Policy: The Trump administration is floating a major shift for national forests—moving toward “open unless designated closed,” which could expand where e-bikes and ATVs are allowed, with Idaho’s USDA undersecretary Mike Boren backing the change. Water & Regional Impact: A final Colorado River plan sets mandatory cuts for Arizona, California and Nevada, while Utah and other Upper Basin states rely on voluntary conservation—prompting Nevada’s lawsuit. Music: Chicago post-metal trio Russian Circles released “Seventh Seal,” the final single from upcoming album “Nine,” and announced a Boise stop at Treefort Music Hall. Idaho Arts/Education: Murrow College in Pullman is offering a new true-crime podcasting and content creation class aimed at teaching more respectful storytelling. Community & Local Sports: Idaho’s state media football poll updates top rankings after Week 1, while Southern Idaho prep action includes Buhl’s sweep over Jerome and Jerome’s 3-2 win over Canyon Ridge. Events: A community calendar roundup highlights local happenings, from pool schedule extensions to library STEM programs.

Idaho Sports Spotlight: Rigby’s Giada Bertagnolli powered the Trojans to a 7-0 start, finishing the Peg Peterson tournament with 59 kills and earning an Air Force commitment. Community & Civic Education: Blackfoot superintendent Debbie Critchfield is hosting a free “Young Washington” screening (“Popcorn and Patriots”) at the Movie Mill to spark conversations about civic participation. Youth & Fair Season: University of Idaho Extension published full results from the 2026 Gem/Boise County Fair, while 4-H families gear up for the Eastern Idaho State Fair. Women’s Soccer for All Ages: The Legendary Women’s Cup made its Idaho debut in Pocatello, bringing 18 teams from across the West and featuring trailblazer Ruth Harker. Local Government & Leadership: Gov. Brad Little appointed Pocatello native Judge Jason Scott to the Idaho Supreme Court. Arts & Entertainment: Boise concert-goers get a big week with Gigi Perez at the Knitting Factory. Outdoor Access Policy: The Trump administration is pushing changes to Forest Service travel rules that could expand where motorized vehicles and e-bikes are allowed.