C of I receives $500,000 gift for student scholarships

The College of Idaho has received a $512,043 gift from the estate of the late William J. Carter, a grandson of founding C of I President William Judson Boone. Carter, who passed away in 2011, left his estate to the John O. and Sara Boone Carter Family Scholarship, an endowed fund set up to honor his parents and support students who are in need of financial assistance to complete their educations. The gift makes the Carter Family Scholarship the largest endowed scholarship fund at The College of Idaho.

“We are delighted to assist in helping deserving young men and women afford the quality education for which The College of Idaho is justly known,” said William’s brother, James Carter. “The bequest is likewise a testament to how firmly we descendents of President William Judson Boone believe in the continuing mission derived from his founding vision.”

The Carter Family Scholarship is one of more than 200 endowed scholarships at The College of Idaho – funds that ensure virtually all C of I students receive financial assistance. The scholarship gift is in addition to decades of annual gifts made by Carter and a designated $150,000 donation from his estate to establish the endowed Carter-Chalker Lectureship Series on Faith and Contemporary Issues. The series, created last year by James Carter with the help of C of I President Marv Henberg, also is named after longtime C of I religion professor Dr. William Chalker. It is intended to bring lecturers to the College’s campus in Caldwell to speak about issues of faith as it relates to science, business, government, medicine, media and other contemporary fields.

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including six Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another 11 Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.

7 Tax Audit Red Flags

An unexpected letter from the Internal Revenue Service can make your stomach drop, but you can take steps to reduce your audit risk.

Taxpayers overall face a low audit risk: The IRS audited 1.1% of all individual tax returns filed in 2010, or 1.6 million returns of 141 million filed.

The vast majority of those audits — 1.2 million — were done by mail. Just 392,000 involved an in-person meeting with the IRS. That’s not necessarily good news. Taxpayers often are confused by IRS correspondence and with such audits don’t have the benefit of working with one single agent, the National TRaxpayer Advocate says.

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[Related: Best Ways to Cut Your Tax Bill]

BRAZILIAN RHYTHMS FILL UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY ONCE AGAIN

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LOGAN, UT – Utah State University hosts the jazz ensemble “Evening in Brazil” Friday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the USU Performance Hall at the Logan campus.

Professor of engineering at USU Christopher Neale and several others perform together as the jazz group “Evening in Brazil” and specialize in the music of Brazil’s bossa nova movement. Bossa nova is a style of jazz music which draws together diverse, syncopated rhythms and offers an alternative to the traditional samba rhythm.

Works performed in the concert include a number of classic works by Antônio Carlos Jobim and other contemporary Brazilian composers. Brazilian-style dancers from The Baianas de Logan will be a part of the program, dancing in the traditional apparel of Bahia.

The evening’s music explores different regional rhythms of Brazil. One of the themes of the performance is the regional rhythms from the Brazilian state Bahia, music that guest percussionist Marcus Santos specializes in.

Santos is a native of Salvador, the capital of Bahia. He has studied the Afro-Brazilian music and heritage of Bahia and works as the artistic director of drumming groups in six states in the United States. Santos has performed internationally, and the Brazilian Immigrant Center honored him with the “Outstanding Arts Performer” award in 2008.

Tickets are $15 for general admission, $8 for USU students with valid ID. Tickets can be purchased at the CCA Box Office located in room 139-B of the Chase Fine Arts Center, online at the Caine College of the Arts website (arts.usu.edu) or by calling 435-797-8022.

Beyond the Blue Podcast: Clay Morgan Explains ‘The Power of Story’

Written by Frank Zang |

We all love a good story. English teacher and author Clay Morgan explains the background, evolution and context of storytelling in this week’s Beyond the Blue podcast, “The Power of Story.” This presentation is an example of a Foundational Studies course that he is teaching this fall.

Listeners can access the website featuring a series of faculty podcasts at BeyondtheBlue.BoiseState.edu or go directly to Morgan’s presentation. Visitors can download all podcasts and subscribe to receive automatic downloads of new content whenever they open iTunes.

In this podcast, Morgan addresses questions about what story is. Are we born with story instincts, in the way we have instincts for language? Is story necessary for us to be truly human? Morgan proposes that story simulates human life, inside the human mind, by engaging the senses, triggering emotions and creating awareness of consequence and meaning. Story is shared, experiential, chronological thinking. It is the most primal, the most powerful and the most subtle system of logic, persuasion and communication. Story is how humans inhabit time, how cultures and individuals remember, and how we plan and dream.

Morgan is a charter member of the faculty in the Foundational Studies Program. He also coordinates Boise State’s Story Initiative and co-founded Story Story Night, the monthly storytelling evening in downtown Boise. Morgan has published seven books, including the novel “Santiago and the Drinking Party,” the young adult novel “The Boy Who Spoke Dog,” and written NASA’s official history of Shuttle-Mir, which earned him NASA’s Public Service Medal for exceptional contributions to the mission of NASA. He was the first writer to win the Idaho Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.

This podcast is part of a series of presentations related to Boise State’s Foundational Studies Program. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Martin Schimpf provides an introduction to the new general education program that focuses on essential learning and shared experiences. The Foundational Studies Program begins in fall 2012 and features an interdisciplinary curriculum that focuses on problem solving, communication, innovation and teamwork, ethics and diversity, and disciplinary outcomes. Upcoming podcast topics will be from faculty members on sample Foundational Studies Program classes.

The Beyond the Blue website has been developed to showcase the expertise and innovative spirit that exists in many fields at Boise State. Known for its unique blue turf and nationally ranked football program, Boise State is demonstrating creativity beyond the blue in faculty podcasts intended to introduce a variety of topics to casual listeners.

New faculty podcasts are being added on a regular basis, including:

• Peter Mullner, Invention and Discovery
• Tony Roark, New Essentials in Higher Ed
• Juliette Tinker, Truth about Vaccines
• Greg Hill, Immigration
• Sarah Toevs, Aging in America
• Amy Moll, Living in a Materials World
• Jeff Wilhelm, Let Them Read Trash
• Hans-Peter Marshall, Researching Snow
• Nancy Napier, Creativity and Innovation
• Scott Yenor, Marriage and Modern Thought
• Heidi Reeder, Attraction in Male-Female Friendship
• Michelle Sabick, Joint Replacement
• Jonathan Brendefur, Mathematical Minds
• Troy Rohn, Alzheimer’s Disease
• Gary Moncrief, Congressional Redistricting
• Evelyn Johnson, Learning Disabilities
• Will Hughes, DNA Nanotechnology
• John Gardner, Energy Efficiency
• Cheryl Jorcyk, Breast Cancer
• Mitch Wieland, Creative Writing
• Cindy Clark, Civility in Nursing
• John Freemuth, Public Lands
• Greg Hampikian, DNA Forensics
• Shelton Woods, Rise of China
• Jill Gill, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Brian Greber, America’s Economic Policy

The website contains bonus video and editorial content about the university, including its growth, research initiatives and student life. A related collection of faculty interviews also is accessible from the Reader’s Corner radio show hosted by Boise State President Bob Kustra on Boise State Public Radio.

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C of I produces musical comedy ‘Spelling Bee’

The College of Idaho theatre and music departments invite Treasure Valley patrons to enjoy a night of interactive musical comedy as they present their spring production, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The play opens March 8 and features nightly 7:30 p.m. showings March 8-10 and 15-17, with 2 p.m. matinees on March 11 and March 17. All showings take place inside the Langroise Recital Hall on the C of I campus in Caldwell, and tickets cost $15 for adults or $10 for seniors and students. For tickets and information, call (208) 459-5426 or visit www.collegeofidaho.edu/theatre.

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Spelling Bee is an award-winning one-act musical comedy written by Rachel Sheinkin, with music and lyrics by William Fin. The show takes place as six school-aged characters compete in a spelling bee at fictional Putnam Valley Middle School. Four audience members will join the actors on stage during each show to interact with the characters and participate in the bee.

“I’m really excited about the interactive elements of this show, from the pre-show lobby to the audience participation to the Caldwell and C of I references we’ve added to the script,” said guest director Julia Bennett, of Studio Jul in Boise. “The audience members are going to be part of the environment of the bee as well as co-creators of the entire production.”

C of I sophomore Jordan Bowman stars as Olive Ostrovsky, one of the nerdy, quirky kids competing in the bee. She and her cast-mates look forward to giving audiences energetic, diverse performances – no two of which will be exactly the same.

“I think what I enjoy most about this show is being so active on stage,” said Bowman, a musical performance major from American Falls. “The singing and dancing, character interaction and audience participation make it a very lively show, and it’s going to be a different show every night.”

Spelling Bee stars an ensemble cast of C of I students with musical direction by Scott King, choreography by Leah Clark, scenic design by C of I theatre professor Michael Hartwell, costume design by Megan Richardson and lighting design by Deborah Penrod.

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including six Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another ten Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.

Boise City Reduces Curbside Glass Collection Rate

The city of Boise and Republic Services have worked together to reduce the fee for voluntary curbside glass collection by nearly half, to $5.50 a month, starting in March.

“The launch of curbside glass recycling last fall was highly anticipated, but many residents told us the price tag was out of reach for many families,” said Boise Mayor David Bieter. “So I’m thrilled the city of Boise and Republic Services have worked together to make the program more cost-effective and accessible, and it will make our city even more sustainable.”

Republic Services and city officials made lowering the price a priority during annual rate negotiations this winter. The hope is that a decreased cost for the voluntary service will increase the number of customers, driving costs down with the potential savings being used for future solid waste service enhancements.

“Whether it’s Compressed Natural Gas trucks, no-sort curbside recycling, and now voluntary glass collection, our goal is to work with the city to create programs and services that control costs and meet customers needs,” said Republic Services Idaho General Manager Dave Fisher.

Residents and commercial customers can sign-up for curbside glass collection service at www.curbitboise.org or call 384-3735. The service is $5.50 per month for one extra 65-gallon glass-only gray cart (NO GLASS allowed in blue no-sort recycling carts.) Service begins the following month after a customer signs up.

The glass is crushed locally by Environmental Abrasives. The Boise-based company reuses the material for industrial products such as blasting medium. The company has been crushing glass since the middle of last summer (2011). Crushing glass locally avoids out of state shipping costs, reduces the use of fuel and our carbon footprint and saves landfill space.

Along with voluntary curbside collection, the City still maintains the 17 drop-off collection sites located throughout Boise.

Idaho’s Greek System Welcomes Back Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity

By Emily Frank

MOSCOW, Idaho – After a five-year absence, the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity is recruiting men to restart their chapter at the University of Idaho.

“This fraternity is not new to campus, but is part of Idaho’s Greek history,” says Matt Kurz, Greek life advisor. “We are happy to have them back and the Phi Tau alum’s are excited to have them here.”

The Beta Gamma Chapter of Phi Kappa Tau was first established on campus Dec. 9, 1948 but left in 2007. Now, recruiters are seeking new members who exemplify the same values as their national organization. New members should be willing to lead, hard workers, positive forces, embrace once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and committed to forming a brotherhood.

Recruiters are on campus for nine weeks. In that time, they aim to train the chapter’s officers so they’ll be able to recruit on their own by fall semester, 2012. Recruitment is ongoing.

The chapter will be moving into what is now Steelhouse. Alumni are contributing to some renovations on the house. The house is smaller than those of many fraternities.

“It will have its own niche,” said Kurz. “The house holds 30, making it unique on campus.”

The Phi Kappa Tau philanthropy cause supports Hole in the Wall camps, which brighten the lives of children suffering from serious medical conditions and life-threatening illnesses. The fraternity will raise money for the camps and members may apply for summer positions at the camps.

“We look forward to contributing to each organization in some way and living the values all Greek’s stand for,” says Matt Marone, Phi Kappa Tau recruiter

Nampa Idaho’s Boulevard Storage Sets the Standard for Customer Service

See: http://www.topix.com/business/2012/03/nampas-boulevard-storage-and-u-haul-sets-the-standard-for-customer-service

Elmore County car thieves identified, possibly still in Nampa area

Vernon Ray Johnson, Jr.

 

Elmore County authorities have identified the suspect as Vernon Ray Johnson, Jr., of Walla Walla, Wash. He is believed to be traveling with Myranda Raeann York, also of Walla Walla. Both are wanted fugitives in the state of Washington. They are also wanted in Milton Freewater, Ore., in connection with a high-speed chase and several vehicle thefts.

 

Myranda Raeann York

 

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Distinguished Lecture Series Presents Nobel Prize-Winning Scientist Susan Solomon

By Kathleen Tuck |  

The Honors College Distinguished Lecture Series at Boise State University presents climate scientist and Nobel Laureate Susan Solomon at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom. The lecture is free and no tickets are required. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Free parking is available in the Lincoln Avenue Garage at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and University Drive.

Solomon’s remarks, titled “A Tale for Our Times: Something for Everyone about Climate Change and the Reasons for Climate Gridlock,” will provide scientific information to help people better understand the dual challenges of science and climate change. She also will address why international agreement on climate change policy has proven particularly difficult.

Solomon is internationally recognized as a leader in atmospheric science, particularly for her insights in explaining the cause of the Antarctic ozone “hole” and for her leadership of the 2007 science report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In 2007 she won the Nobel Prize along with Al Gore and other IPCC members. She currently focuses on issues relating to both atmospheric chemistry and climate change.

Solomon’s research has helped institute a global ban on the chemicals that destroy atmospheric ozone and threaten human health. Her work connecting volcanic chlorofluorocarbons to increased damage to the ozone layer formed the basis of the U.S. Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to protect the ozone layer by regulating damaging chemicals.

Solomon was a scientist at NOAA for 20 years and is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The author of a popular book on Antarctic history titled “The Coldest March,” she has won the Volvo Environment Prize (2009), Great Medal of the Academy of Sciences of France (2008), William Bowie Medal (2007), Blue Planet Prize (2004), Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal (2000) and National Medal of Science (1999), among other awards, and has an Antarctic glacier named in her honor. In 2008, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

The Distinguished Lecture Series features speakers who have had major impacts in politics, the arts, science, business or other realms of contemporary significance. Former speakers in the series include environmental architect William McDonough, National Book Award winner Jonathan Kozol, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, Nobel laureate in Economics Joseph Stiglitz, biologist E.O. Wilson and Nobel Peace Prize recipient and former president of Poland Lech Walesa, among others. Learn more at boisestate.edu/distinguishedlectures.