Interfaith review, $1m fines for immigrants, big storm — what you may have missed
.jpg "A storm Thursday knocked down a tree along the Boise River Greenbelt between Kristin Armstrong Park and Warm Springs Avenue on the north side of the river.")
From a shelter decision heading back to the Boise City Council to a fierce thunderstorm that knocked out power across the Boise area, here’s a roundup of recent top stories from the Idaho Statesman.
- Boise’s City Council will once again consider its approval of Interfaith Sanctuary’s move to State Street on June 9, after a judge ruled hundreds of pages of opposition materials from the Veterans Park Neighborhood Association weren’t provided to city officials, prompting a third review of the low-barrier shelter decision.
- Idaho immigrants are receiving fines exceeding $1 million for staying in the U.S. after deportation orders, with ICE issuing more than 65,000 fines totaling over $36 billion nationwide between President Trump’s inauguration and mid-March 2026, in an enforcement tactic local lawyers say they’ve never seen before.
- A powerful thunderstorm with wind gusts reaching 72 mph swept through the Treasure Valley just before 4 p.m. Thursday, knocking out power to more than 21,000 Idaho Power customers and sparking vegetation fires across the region.
- A brush fire in Mountain Home grew to about 250 acres Tuesday night, destroying structures near Southwest Smith Road and injuring six law enforcement officers during evacuation efforts, with one female deputy hospitalized after high winds trapped her.
- Sweet Sensations, a Boise doughnut and boba shop with a 4.9-star Google rating, closed its Vista Avenue location and will be replaced by Clayful Creations LLC, a pottery-related business. Clayful Creations hopes to open in July.
- Culinary Dropout, an upscale gastropub chain based in Arizona and known for live music and an energetic atmosphere, plans to open a 7,000-square-foot restaurant with two covered patios at The Village at Meridian, marking the chain’s first Idaho location.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.