Fans of German beers and fun might want to check out the Front Door taphouse this Saturday and down a few liters of brew to celebrate Okotberfest.

Last year’s celebration at the Front Door (105 S. 6th St. in Downtown Boise) was a total blast, and this year’s version looks pretty fun too. C’mon — a holiday built around drinking beer? It’s irresistible.

The Front Door will have nine German beers on tap — most liters will cost between $6-to-$7 — and authentic dishes like bratwurst and sauerkraut on the menu between noon and 9 p.m. Saturday.

With all due respect to lipstick-wearing pigs everywhere, the Statesman's ill-fated candidate questionnaire chicken has become a distraction in its own right.

As I pointed out in my column today, we have deep-fried the "chicken." We have asked legislators and candidates yes-no questions on several high-profile bills — but we won't label candidates as "chicken" if they don't respond.

Yet the dead chicken has taken on life of its own.

By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com

Add the Boise State tight ends to the exploding list of Kellen Moore fans.

The group recorded 10 catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns last week against Oregon. They combined for 40 percent of the team’s catches, 32 percent of the receiving yards and two of the three receiving touchdowns.

The group also contributed plays that covered 34 and 21 yards.

Two Idaho real estate brokers are urging their colleagues to put their money where their financial interests are and help the economy by buying property.

One is John Knipe, a real estate broker with Boise's Knipe Land Co. and a former officer of the National Association of Realtors Land Institute in Chicago. The other is Meridian broker Douglas Ferguson, president of the institute's Idaho chapter.

The National Association of Realtors has more than 1.5 million members — enough purchasing power to help solve the national housing crisis, Knipe and Ferguson say.

The game may not feature two unbeaten teams like Friday's Eagle-Mountain View pairing, but fans voted Boise at Rocky Mountain as the high school football online Game of the Week by a 22-percent margin.

Boise, which was established in 1902, enters the 7 p.m. game 2-1. Rocky Mountain, which opened its doors last month, is 0-3. The Braves haven't won three or more games in a season since 1997 and the Grizzlies are still searching for their first victory in the program's history.

The public's antipathy toward the big Wall Street bailout has prompted even Idaho Republican members of Congress to criticize President Bush.

A bailout deal between Bush and congressional leaders of both parties is reported to be in the works, and its terms may well bring some critical Republicans around. You'll find the latest about that on the Statesman's home page.

Lately I've been pondering the first baseball postseason without the Yankees since 1993. The Yankees have qualified for the postseason 13 consecutive years. But they were eliminated Tuesday night.

In some ways, I'm not sure what I will do without them in the playoffs.

So what happens next with wolves in the Northern Rockies?

If U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy remands the case back the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as expected the federal agencies has several options. Wyoming is also weighing its options including suing the federal government for not delisting wolves.

The environmental groups who are the victors are waiting for the agency to make the next move and waiting for a new administration that might be supportive of their goals of placing a higher floor on the number of wolves that must be protected in the region.

We're really lucky to have a beautiful river teeming with wildlife in the middle of Idaho's largest population center. The river is there because of nature, but the wildlife is there because of more than luck.

A judge's decision that rules for continued winter flows confirms that. It's hard work and dedication by a lot of folks who care about a healthy river that gives us the opportunity to land a trophy brown trout within walking distance of the Statehouse.

When Ada County voters decide whether to double a local vehicle registration fee, state legislators will be watching closely.

Including lawmakers such as Eagle Republican Rep. Raul Labrador.