Boise Briefing: Powerball End; Rental Scams; Flu Cases Down

In today's Boise Briefing, the president of a group opposing gambling calls for the end of the state's popular Powerball lottery game. An applicant for a high profile Boise job removed himself from consideration after meeting the mayor and local renters are loosing money to scams. Flu cases are down considerably while Boise tourism looks to rebound from the pandemic.

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1. Calling Powerball a shell game, a Boise State University professor and president of Stop Predatory Gambling, Idaho pens an editorial to the Idaho Statesman arguing the lottery provides minimal money to education in the state and targets low-income and minority citizens.

2. As the City of Boise was searching for a new fire chief, one of the two final candidates removed himself from the process according to a report by BoiseDev. Phoenix Fire Department Assistant Chief Scott Walker asked his name be removed from consideration after meeting Mayor Lauren McLean and her Chief of Staff Courtney Washburn.

3. Those looking for a rental in Boise face scammers and the loss of thousands of dollars according to Idaho News-TV. Technology and COVID-19 have made those looking to find a place to live easy for person posting fake rental properties.

4. The year of staying home and wearing masks resulted in an unintended consequence according the the Idaho Press-recorded cases of influenza and Respiratory Syntactical Virus are down for the 2020-2021 season.

5. As the summer approaches, the tourism industry in Boise is optimistic Boise motels and restaurants will swell according to a report by KTVB-TV.

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