Boise

A wildfire that started in a field of sagebrush and cheatgrass raced up a ridge and destroyed as many as 10 homes in Boise. Dozens of homes and residents were evacuated. "The wind is so strong we're literally just watching houses go up in flames," said resident Susan Hallamore, 42.

Boise State has backed out on a commitment to join the Big East Conference and will remain a member of the Mountain West. The school and the conference announced they had come to an agreement to keep the Broncos playing in the league they have been a part of the last two seasons. Boise State was scheduled to join the Big East next season for football only. It was going to put its other sports in the Big West. But more recent Big East defections made Boise State reconsider. Boise State says that as part of its agreement with the Mountain West, TV rights to its home football games will not be part of the conference's future media contracts.

An Idaho hockey team was suspended from a city ice rink after players engaged in a game of "strip hockey" -- shedding a piece of uniform every time a practice shot missed its mark. As redress for last Wednesday's incident, Boise banished the Idaho Junior Steelheads team from Idaho Ice World for four days. One 17-year-old player who shed his underwear was suspended until next week. Police are investigating whether public decency laws were violated, a spokeswoman said. An adult whose daughter was on an adjacent rink called a city hotline to complain.

A break-in at Zoo Boise in Idaho's biggest city has left a Patas monkey dead and police searching for suspects. Zoo security reported spotting two men in dark clothing at the zoo before dawn Saturday morning, with one man outside the zoo near the primate exhibit and one man inside zoo grounds ( map ), according to the Boise Police Department. Both men ran after seeing the security guard and eluded police. Later, while searching for evidence, police and zoo employees found an injured Patas monkey "next to the perimeter fence near the primate exhibit where the suspects were last seen," police said in a statement.

Boise Cascade Corp. has agreed in principle to sell most of the assets of its Specialty Paperboard division for an undisclosed price to a private investment group, but Boise will retain a 30% equity interest . . . Salomon Bros. Inc., the brokerage arm of Salomon Inc., said it and investor group Miller Tabak Hirsch & Co. will buy Grand Union Co., an Elmwood Park, N.J.-based supermarket chain, in a $1.2-billion deal . . . Aca Joe, a San Francisco-based chain of men's clothing stores that has been operating under bankruptcy court protection since last May, announced that its reorganization plan was approved by Federal Bankruptcy Judge Lloyd King.

Re "Hollywood shuffle," editorial, Aug. 25 I cannot believe that any elected member of a government would even consider giving a tax break to the entertainment industry, which confuses its investors about profit and loss. This hypocrisy on the part of the star-struck politicians gave me an idea: Why not refuse to let any movie not principally made in California use the term "Hollywood" in its promotional material? This may sound silly at first, but think about the long-term effect.

Just an hour north of Sun Valley, Idaho's celebrity hot spot, lies the Stanley Basin — an amazing region surrounded by snow-capped mountains, spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife, with the Salmon River — also known as the "River of No Return" — running right through the middle. Some 20 years ago, I spent serious time in this basin skiing and backpacking in the surrounding mountains, first with acclaimed Idaho mountaineering guide Joe Leonard and later alone or with various backpacking buddies.

Eleven-year-old Kendra Carpentier of Boise, Idaho, was telling me about her budding modeling career when I noticed a line forming behind her at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Several other children among the hundreds attending the "Hooray for Hollywood" convention, hosted by the International Modeling and Talent Assn., thought I was an agent or talent scout. Is that what I look like? Maybe I should hang a shingle. S. Lo's Hollywood Connection.

THE BEST WAY TO STANLEY, IDAHO From LAX, nonstop service to Boise is offered on United and Alaska, and connecting service (change of planes) is offered on United, Delta and Frontier. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $312. The drive time from Boise is a little more than two scenic hours. WHERE TO STAY Redfish Lake Lodge, Highway 75, Stanley; (208) 774-3536, http://www.redfishlake.com . Rates start at $70 for a room with shared bath. There are many campgrounds in the area for both RVs and tent campers.

Unbuckling the mailbag: Question: Why does Reggie Bush need to apologize? Many, many college athletes have committed eligibility violations and never apologized. Earl Answer: How many of those guys became the first guy ever to return his Heisman Trophy? And if you think it was an independent gesture and not related to the fact the Heisman Trust was going to strip Bush of the trophy if he didn't give it back, well I've got a condominium in San Diego I'd like to sell you -- if Bush's parents aren't still living there.

It's hard to punch a timecard when you're Rapture ready. Salvation can't come fast enough in “A Bright New Boise,” Samuel D. Hunter's anxious, funny look at the messianic and the mundane in America, now receiving a solid West Coast premiere by Rogue Machine Theatre. After fleeing a scandal at his evangelical church, mild-mannered Will (Matthew Elkins) takes a minimum-wage job at Hobby Lobby, a big-box craft store managed by Pauline (Betsy Zajko). In the break room, Will's co-workers Alex (Erik Odom)

No. 24 Boise State 32, at New Mexico 29: Joe Southwick passed for 311 yards and three touchdowns and Timmy Smith knocked down a fourth-down pass with two minutes to go as the Broncos hung on. Boise State (3-1, 1-0 Mountain West) led by 25 points at half time after turning three fumbles by the Lobos (2-3, 0-1) into 18 points. New Mexico did not throw a pass in the second half until its final play, but baffled the Broncos with a triple-option offense. at Air Force 42, Colorado State 21: Cody Getz had 222 of Air Force's 459 yards rushing to lead the Falcons over their in-state rivals.

BOISE, Idaho - Nose tackle Mike Atkinson returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown and No. 24 Boise State held off Brigham Young, 7-6, on Thursday night in a game dominated by defense. Boise State (2-1) forced five turnovers and held the Cougars (2-2) to 200 total yards. The Boise State offense wasn't that much better, managing 261 total yards. Atkinson's big play came early in the third quarter when he dropped back into coverage, picked of Riley Nelson's short pass and rumbled into the end zone.

The star quarterback is long gone, and by long we mean a deep route to the Detroit Lions. Boise State had a four-year record of 50-3 with Kellen Moore at quarterback passing for 14,667 yards and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 142 to 28. He'll be missed like Old Yeller. The NCAA bed-check police took some of Boise State's scholarships away because recruits were sleeping on players' couches - justice never rests - and the Broncos' defense needs a massive makeover. So this should be it for Boise State, the finally-gotcha-moment after years of uncanny success under blue skies over a bluer field.

No. 31 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: RB Doug Martin, Boise State - - Compact and powerful at 5-9, 223 pounds, Martin rushed for 43 touchdowns in three college seasons, gaining a combined 2,559 yards rushing the past two years. He said he's frequently compared to Baltimore's Ray Rice. Comment: The Buccanners were too one-dimensional at running back, and if they couldn't get Richardson, Martin is a good alternative. MORE Photos: 2012 NFL draft picks First round of draft is a rush to judgment NFL considers suspending Pro Bowl after 2013     NFL draft: Buccaneers take Boise State RB Doug Martin at No. 31

No. 19 Chicago Bears: DE Shea McClellin, Boise State - - McClellin is a farm boy from Marsing, Idaho, who has been taking care of at-risk animals since he was a child, including nursing baby skunks back to health. He's a talented and relentless football player, too, collecting a combined 16 1/2 sacks over the past two seasons. He ran a 4.63 in the 40 at the combine, second-best among defensive linemen. Comment: McClellin isn't huge, but he's relentless and would be a solid bookend to Julius Peppers.

Justin and Brandy Besemer were newly married and trying to pay off their wedding debt when they decided their family needed a dog -- an American Bulldog named Kaila. Thus started one of their first arguments. Brandy, who had never had a dog before, wanted to spend a little over $300 a year to buy pet insurance. Justin, who had always had dogs, thought it was a waste of money. "His parents told me this horror story that made me insist we get it," explained Brandy, 28.

For a clue to why California is losing its allure as a place to settle down, just ask Jennifer McCluer, who moved out of California in 2007 after she obtained her license in skin care. Unable to afford Orange County's sky-high rents, she opted for Portland, Ore. "A big motivator was that I lived with roommate after roommate after roommate," said McCluer, 30. "Friends said you could probably live on your own up here. The rent was a huge deal for me. " McCluer would like to move back, but it's still too expensive.

Momma, don't let your babies grow up to be … kickers. If you do, buy earplugs and a crate of antacids. There is no more wrenching sight in sports than seeing some mother's son shank a field goal or extra point on national, regional or local television. What a helpless, heartless feeling. Sort of like watching a kitten stuck in a tree. It's different than witnessing an NFL kicker miss. Those guys are paid professionals who don't have to face classmates in school Monday.

Reporting from San Francisco — There was an unofficial homework assignment for members of the UCLA football team's offense during their holiday break: Watch the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl. Whether Arizona State could defeat Boise State was irrelevant. What was of interest was studying Sun Devils offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone , who is sliding over to UCLA. "I wanted to see what our new offense coordinator was like," running back Johnathan Franklin said. "What offense he was running, how he was coaching his players after they came off the field, stuff like that.