Idaho
Nampa's first Downtown Wine Festival
NAMPA, Idaho — Nampa had its inaugural Downtown Wine Fest in 2024. I met with people in the wine community to learn how the art is growing in Idaho.
- Local wine lounge owner Andrew Medina told us, “I’m starting to see, the last two years, more people popping their heads in, more people walking the streets in Downtown Nampa on 13th Street, on 1st Street.”
- Local winery Veer Wine Project opened in 2016 and has grown quickly, opening two locations since the founding of the label in 2016.
- “People moving here that know wine because of the industry of the states that they came from.”
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Yet another sign of Nampa’s growth. 2024 marks the city of Nampa’s inaugural Downtown Wine Festival. Just around the corner from Lloyd Square Park is Swirl Wine Shop & Lounge. Andrew Medina opened Swirl nearly three years ago.
“What has the change and growth look like in the patronage look like for you in that time?” I asked.
Medina responded, “I’ve already had a nice following working out at the wineries for the last 10 years. Now I’m starting to see, the last two years, more people popping their heads in, more people walking the streets in Downtown Nampa on 13th Street, on 1st Street. With more businesses opening up you’re just seeing more traffic down here.”
It’s not just small business doing well in Nampa. Idaho wineries are beginning to make it big. Idaho Wine Commission data shows the number of wineries in the Gem State have grown 25% since 2017 to 65 total wineries. The workforce nearly doubling, and they expect it to continue.
The IWC sent me a message saying, “Most people don’t know that Idaho settlers first planted wine grapes and produced wine here in the 1860s, and today we have more than 65 wineries. The Idaho Wine Commission envisions significant growth in both the number of wineries and the quality of Idaho wines over the next 5 to 10 years. The state’s unique climate, with its high desert conditions and distinct terroir positions Idaho wines to continue standing out in the local and national market.”
Notoriety has been bolstered by consistent awards at local and national wine competitions, positive reviews in prominent wine publications and word-of-mouth from tourists and locals discovering Idaho’s wine industry. The growth of wine tourism in Idaho has further helped elevate the state’s reputation. As more wine lovers visit the state and share their experiences, Idaho wine has steadily built its presence in the market, and its reputation as an emerging wine region continues to gain momentum.”
“This is amazing for a town the size of Nampa to be able to sponsor a prestigious kind of event,” said wine festival guest Kathy Lacina.
Idaho is beginning to put itself on the map with vintners.
Lacina adds on, “It’s actually starting to make a name for itself. We have begun to have some really outstanding wineries and wine selections.”
And Idaho has the data to back that up. Local winery Veer Wine Project opened in 2016 and has grown quickly.
“It’s been a lot of growth very quickly and then [we] opened the Caldwell tasting room in 2021 and expanded to Garden City just this spring in March we opened there so lots of rapid growth,” Veer Operations Manager Cheyenne Zumstein explained.
“It’s totally changed with the population growth. People moving here that know wine because of the industry of the states that they came from,” Medina concluded.
We’re lucky to live in a place as safe as the Treasure Valley. Despite our growth, one of the things that makes our area so special is the way that we look out for one another–for our neighbors! That’s a principle that seems to have held on as Boise has boomed.
Despite low crime rates, there seems to always be one incident or so that makes us scratch our heads.
A recent string of fraud incidents in the Treasure Valley area is one of those.
Nampa Police initially warned the public of this because cases of fraud began to ‘mushroom’. Then, it took an interesting turn–people that HAD their credit cards were being ‘taken to the bank’, so to speak.
In a statement originally released on April 30th by the Nampa Police Department, officials advised the following:
We are not sure how the suspects are gaining access to the victim’s credit cards. There is a growing fraud scheme, “ghost tapping”, that scammers are using to access victims’ credit cards. This is possibly occurring in these instances. “Ghost tapping” uses stolen credit card details in Apple Pay or Google Pay, then remotely relays the tap signal over the internet to a ‘mule’ at a store, allowing them to make high-value purchases that appear completely legitimate. (We’ll share more information on ghost tapping in a later public service announcement that will also suggest ways to protect yourself.) The app used by these criminals obscures the actual credit card number, making it harder for investigators to link a victim to a particular crime. Keep in mind that victims still have their physical credit cards while suspects use the stolen card information to make purchases, which also affects how victims are alerted. So far, local investigators have not been able to identify a common theme among the victims (e.g., a specific bank, a website they visited, a gas pump they used, etc.) in the fraud cases we are investigating.
The investigation spans far and wide.
Authorities say that some suspects are in custody, others are being contacted, and others are still at large.
Now, a week later, the police are back to reaching out to the public–this time, urging people to check their bank accounts.
Nampa Police say that they have caught onto a pattern– there are fraudulent charges at Albertson’s to purchase gift cards, at Costco to purchase Apple products, and at Best Buy, also for Apple products.
Check those bank statements!
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The USDA has issued a public health alert for various meat and poultry products containing FDA-regulated dairy that may have been contaminated with salmonella. The recall was originally issued on April 30th, but the contaminated product list could continue to grow as more products are identified.
The Food Safety and Inspection arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the public health alert and there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products listed below, consumers are still advised to dispose of the items or return them to the place of purchase. Great Value and Pork King Good products sold at Idaho Walmart stores are included in the alert and recall.
Public Health Alert and Food Recall Issued For Pizza and Pork Rinds Sold in Idaho
As of right now, the food list includes pork rinds, breakfast pizzas, and chicken bacon ranch pizzas. The list could grow and the USDA advises consumers to check the list frequently. We will also update the list here when possible. The contaminated products carry a variety of ‘Best By’ and ‘Produced On’ dates, so check the lists carefully to make sure you don’t consume a contaminated product.
The nationwide brands to look for are Mama Cozzi’s from Aldi stores, Pork King Good, and Great Value at Walmart Stores.
Photo Credit USDA – 1
Photo Credit USDA – 1
You can also look through these label photos to see if you have the product in your freezer.
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
If you feel sick and have consumed a contaminated product, the USDA advise you to contact your health care provider.
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