Boise gets more direct flights, home values slow — what you may have missed
From a deadly Caldwell crash to new Frontier flights and shifting Ada County home values, this week’s top stories from the Idaho Statesman cover crime, business, restaurants and community changes across the Treasure Valley. Here’s a quick look at what made headlines.
- Frontier Airlines will launch nonstop service between Boise and Las Vegas starting Sept. 10, operating four times per week with introductory fares from $49. The route will compete directly with Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
- A 35-year-old Caldwell man, Miguel Vasquez, died Monday night after a pickup driver allegedly ran a stop sign and hit his sedan in Caldwell, and the other driver was arrested on a felony vehicular manslaughter charge. Three juveniles were also injured.
- A former bungalow-style house at 1220 W. Hays St. in Boise’s North End is on track to become a neighborhood cafe called The Crowded Table. The $262,000 project will reconfigure the interior, add kitchen equipment and build an outdoor dining patio.
- The Boise School District is undertaking major summer upgrades at Capital High School, including a redesigned parking lot with a separate bus loop, a boiler replacement and new bleachers.
- Great Harvest Bread Co. will be the anchor tenant of a new 6,125-square-foot building in Southeast Boise’s Barber Valley, with opening expected by late 2026 or early 2027. It will be the bakery chain’s fourth Treasure Valley location and will share the building with a full-service fitness center.
- Ada County median property values rose just 1.6% this year, down sharply from 5.3% growth in 2025, reaching nearly $471,000. A section of Garden City led the county with 5.6% growth, while Northwest Meridian and Kuna saw only 0.1% increases.
- Caldwell resident William Sweet was sentenced to three years fixed in prison for felony vehicular manslaughter after fatally striking 66-year-old Donald Priddy, who was walking along State Street. Sweet faces up to seven additional years and must pay a $5,000 fine to Priddy’s family.
- A federal bench trial is underway in Boise where Dr. Stacy Seyb is challenging Idaho’s strict abortion restrictions, arguing they interfere with his ability to provide medically necessary care to high-risk pregnancy patients. Expert witnesses have testified about pregnancy complications and mental health risks, while the state has defended the law as limiting “gruesome and barbaric medical procedures.”
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.