Bikes for Boise refugees

I loved this story in the Idaho Statesman last month, and I'm glad to see it's still online for blogging.

Working with the International Rescue Committee, three Boise High School students collected bicycles all fall, made sure they were all in good repair, then distributed them to local refugees.

Boise has a surprisingly high refugee population. Alas, our public transit system is so poor that for many people, bikes are their best bet for getting around - even in winter.

Anyway, it's wonderful to see students taking the initiative to meet the needs of our newest neighbors.

New Library! cards

The Boise Public Library is offering seven new library card designs for new patrons or as trade-ins. The only problem will be choosing which one you like best.

It also sounds like our first neighborhood branch libraries are on track to open soon - Collister in late January and Hillcrest by late February. Boise has been the largest metro area in the country without a branch library network. It's good to see that turning around.