Hey Crowder fans! For those of you who didn't see it, here's the article that appeared in Oct. 18's IPT (3 Community) about David Crowder's upcoming concert in Eagle.

David Crowder brings "Church Music" to valley Tuesday

EAGLE ― Forget the organs and choir robes. "Church Music," as defined by popular Christian worship artist David Crowder, reflects the...read more

As an October baby, my curiosity was piqued when I read fellow editor Phil Bridges' blog about October observances. And indeed, according to the omniscient Internet, there are not only hundreds of these "[blank] of the month" observances, but there are several daily ones, too. Photographers, vegetarians, apples and church libraries get the whole month of October to be honored, but...read more

According to a study released this week, Americans without jobs are four times more likely to suffer from mental illnesses, like severe depression, than those who are employed. Workers whose hours have been rearranged or cut are twice as likely to suffer compared to people with full-time jobs.

Such results might lead one to believe that work keeps a person sane, or at least contributes to mental...read more

I won't cheer "Go Big Blue" or "Boise! State!" But neither will I assume my usual faux-dejected attitude if Boise State does well this season.

We're in a bleak time, for our state and in our nation. Our governor just announced Idaho's got a projected $150 million deficit to work out. Canyon County has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state at over 11 percent...read more

Hollywood, please listen to me: Enough with the crappy sequels. I know you're desperate to make money, but seriously, you're not doing anyone any favors.

Although filmmakers have learned some valuable lessons from sequels made in the '80s and early '90s – using a completely different cast of actors does not work out well – the mediocre-at-best sequel craze has run rampant...read more

Here's a Washington Post article with an update on Lubna Hussein, the woman from Sudan who faces 40 lashes for wearing pants, supposedly violating a national decency law. Apparently France's President Nicolas Sarkozy invited Lubna to visit Paris Friday, but her name has been blacklisted and she is not allowed to travel.

Lubna's attorney, according to the article, states that this...read more

As I sit at my computer and write this blog post, freely voicing my opinions and sharing my thoughts, a woman in Sudan stands trial and faces a punishment of 40 lashes. She's not a thief, an embezzler, a batterer or a child molester — she wore pants.

Lubna Hussein, a 43-year-old journalist, has decided to fight the Sudanese authorities' accusations that by wearing pants, she broke a...read more

In response to Phil Bridges' post "Jogging is a bore," I am publicly disclosing something only a few people knew about me up to this point: I like to run.

Yes, I said it. As of about a month ago, I officially like to run.

In disclosing this fact about myself, I am unfortunately also exposing myself as a hypocrite – running is the one exercise I vowed I'd never take up...read more

It took me a while to admit it, but really, it's the truth: I'm picky when it comes to movies. Pretty much anyone who has tried to watch or talk about movies with me will attest to the fact, and it's through others' persistent observations that I've eventually come to realize this fact about myself. I am indeed quite particular when it comes to the kind of movies I watch, and even...read more

I understand we're in a recession, but still, this girl's still gotta go clothes shopping. No, it's not a Rebecca Bloomwood-esque addiction. It's a natural byproduct of losing weight. And yes, I've lost more!

The weight has come off a bit slower these last two months — mostly due to the fact that I've been a bit of a slacker on my nutrition — but I've still...read more

In honor of their second anniversary, Nampa restaurant Brick 29 Bistro will donate all of their net earnings from today to three local charities: the Salvation Army, Treasure Valley Love INC and Nampa First Church Food Bank.

Take advantage of the opportunity today to eat some fabulous food and to give to these very worthy organizations! And props to Dustan Bristol and the Brick 29 staff...read more

If you use Google's search engine, operate an iGoogle homepage, have a Gmail account or depend on Google Analytics for your business ... in other words, if you were on the Internet between 9 and 10 a.m. today, you might have noticed that something had gone awry with Google.

According to The Associated Press (article posted below), Google had a glitch that left people without its services for...read more

Tomorrow (Friday, May 15) is National Bike-Walk to Work Day. Many cities across the nation have celebrated this green-friendly observance all week, including Nampa.

And what's not to celebrate? This time of year, with blooming flowers and trees and mild weather, what could be a better way to start the day than to take to the streets and get in some fresh air on the way to work? I have the good...read more

I saw a story from The Associated Press, "Tween-teen parents work to ward off summer boredom" (posted below). The story described the dilemma of how to keep young teens with working parents active and entertained during their summer vacations, particularly those kids too young to drive, get summer jobs, or whose families can't afford to put them in summer camps or day programs.

It got...read more

And no, I'm not talking about my age. I'm talking about my weight loss.

In 14 weeks, I've lost 42 pounds and 24.75 inches. It's still hard to believe sometimes, even when I look in a mirror.

I've been overweight pretty much my whole life — I went on my first diet when I was 10 — but it's been the most out of control over the last two years. It's the classic...read more

"I'm gonna make that audience rock."

An unlikely promise from an unadorned 47-year-old woman, unemployed and living alone with her cat, Pebbles. But exactly 4 seconds into her audition for the popular reality show "Britain's Got Talent," a crowd of 4,000 rose to its feet in wild cheers, nearly drowning out Susan Boyle's powerful alto voice.

Hours after the audition...read more

At the IPT, and I'm sure in most other offices, there seems to be food within easy reach at all times. Cookies, donuts, chips and salsa and other fare magically appear on a pretty regular basis. Just this morning, cellophane bags of caramel corn were generously circulated around the newsroom.

The good news is that snacking between meals isn't a bad thing. In fact, regular consumption helps...read more

It made me take my first sick day in more than a year. Even my good stock and daily vitamin intake were no match against a brutal and vicious cold that set its sights on me last week.

And apparently I'm not the only one being attacked.

I felt the onslaught of cold-like symptoms – sore throat, runny nose, etc. Big deal, I thought, it's just a cold. What I didn't expect was for this...read more

It's a popular mixer question at group activities: If you could live in any time in history, when would it be? I used to reply "England during Queen Elizabeth's reign," or "The mid-1800s in America so I could travel the Oregon Trail." But when I really think about it, I have to say, it's no contest — I want to live right here, right now. The 21st century life...read more

I have literally lost count of how many weddings I've participated in during the course of my 25-year-old life. While I never made it as a flower girl, around age 10, my younger sister and I solemnly watched over the guest book at a family friend's wedding. As a pianist, I booked my first wedding around my freshman year of high school and have averaged musical participation in at least one...read more

On Tuesday, I posted a blog to test your texting fluency (if you didn't see it, click here before you keep reading.)

Here are the answers to the text phrases I posted:

"i dunno w/e" = I don't know. Whatever.

"ur funny. c&g" = You're funny. Chuckle and giggle.

"gg. cul" = Gotta go. See you later.

"aml xoxoxo" = All my love, hugs and kisses

"yg2bkm"...read more

Texting is a language unto itself. It perhaps started with e-mail and definitely popularized with instant messaging. But now that we're a generation of frequent texters, phrases like "r u," "gr8" and of course, "lol" are pretty much universally recognized and understood.

Nevertheless, like mastering any language, there's knowing enough to get by, and there's...read more

"Energy." It's not a shy word, especially when plastered in large print on the front of a box of Crystal Light.

I don't know how I missed it.

For about nine of my 25 years, I was a Dr. Pepper-aholic. It all started with my first job at a grocery store – free fountain drinks while I was on the clock. By the time college came around, I may as well have walked around with a...read more

According to an article through the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one in four people living in northern latitudes (i.e. Idaho), suffer from seasonal affective disorder. I know several of my friends are starting to feel the effects of it. Of course, you always hear the typical threats to skip the country for a warmer place when snowflakes fly, but between the everlasting inversion and lack of...read more

My family moved to McCall from southern California when I was 9 years old. It was a rather drastic change, going from no snow, at all, ever, to so much snow that some winters it didn't melt until May.

But we loved it. Winter in McCall is one of the best parts of living there. The pace of life is certainly slower, but it allows you to take in the wild and untamed beauty surrounding you.

One...read more

I'll be honest: My driver's side door handle broke more than a month ago, and I haven't gone to the dealership to get it fixed. It has just seemed like less of a hassle and expense to roll down my window every time I want to exit my vehicle rather than have a mechanic take apart my door, fix a broken piece of plastic and charge me money that I could have spent on so many other, more pressing...read more

Although the content produced by our newsroom has a local, Canyon County focus, that doesn't make it irrelevant to other parts of the state, or even the nation.

We regularly submit stories and photos to the Associated Press, a global network of journalists that supplies news content to media outlets all over the world. Once these stories are submitted — or "on the wire" —...read more

The Idaho Press-Tribune isn't the same paper it was 50 years ago, or even five years ago. And that's not a bad thing.

One of the ways the IPT has morphed with the times is through streamlined local stories, both in size and format. Certainly, space in the newspaper is a premium, too, so shorter stories mean more stories. In many cases, we're going to start posting additional material...read more