Willow Davidson’s two brothers are taking chickens and pigeons to show at the Western Idaho Fair. At 2 years old, Willow is too small to participate in competition, but she’s not too young to help gentle the poultry or collect eggs — nor take a cute photo at her request.

A woman takes shelter from the heat of the sun under an umbrella Sunday after arriving early for 8-year-old Robert Manwill's funeral in Boise.

It's that time of year again when for some the world is seen only in shades of blue and orange. Boise State's football practices are in full swing and the season opener with Oregon at Bronco Stadium is fast approaching Sept. 3.

“The sound of basketballs bouncing in the streets — it’s a wonderful sound,” says BAM Jam volunteer coordinator Jeff Matsushita. It's the second annual BAM Jam 3-on-3, featuring 220 teams in 27 brackets — plus 100 volunteers — for a couple of days of basketball in downtown Boise.

Thunderstorms and lightning strikes hit downtown Boise and the valley Thursday morning. National Weather Service officials say Boiseans should expect clouds, rain, and cooler temperatures for the next few days - a break from the past month's typical blazing summer weather.

Rain and more rain wandered into the Treasure Valley Thursday providing a refreshing midsummer splash.

The shovels and hard-hats were all in place for the obligatory dignitaries-and-officials-shoveling-sand photo-op for the I-84/Vista Ave. interchange Groundbreaking Ceremony on Wednesday morning. The Idaho Department of Transportation expects the project to be completed in the summer or fall of 2010. We'll have a story in Sunday's paper with more on the current state of the IDT.

Although they have declined to speak publicly, family members of 8-year-old Robert Manwill have consistently supported Boise police at press briefings. On Wednesday, they came hand-in-hand in T-shirts donated by a T-shirt company. “We are a united family,” said Robert’s aunt and the family’s spokesperson, Trish Burrill.