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Happy Friday, Meridian! The weekend's here — and so is the heat, which came roaring back after Wednesday's little tease of a cool-down. We're knocking on triple digits by afternoon, so plan the outdoor stuff early. In today's issue: the public safety levy gets a date with the ballot, a water-themed art show floats into City Hall, and Idaho's first El Pollo Loco cuts its ribbon. Let's get into it.

🧠 Trivia: Meridian didn't pull its name out of thin air — it's named for a surveyor's line that runs right through town. What's that line called? (Answer at the bottom.)

Six fresh Meridian outings to fill the week — camo and horsepower on Friday, a market morning, a movie under the stars, and free live music two ways. 🎉

🌤️ Friday, July 24 — Meridian

Overnight low ~69°F · Sunny and hot · patchy morning smoke

Well, that cool-down was fun. The heat's roaring back to around 101 today and climbing toward the mid-100s over the weekend, so the National Weather Service has a Heat Advisory up through Saturday evening. Look for full sun, a little lingering wildfire haze early, and a light northwest breeze in the afternoon that won't do much to help. Hydrate, find some shade, and check on older neighbors and pets who feel this stuff hardest. Full forecast at the National Weather Service.

Meridian's next big-ticket question is officially headed for a decision — just not quite yet. City Council punted its vote on Mayor Robert Simison's proposed $5 million public safety levy Tuesday night, and set a special meeting for July 29 to decide whether it lands on the November ballot. The permanent override levy would bump police pay, keep up to 13 grant-funded firefighters on the payroll, and stand up a city prosecutor's office (Meridian currently borrows Boise's for misdemeanors). If it makes the ballot it'll need 60% to pass and would run about $20.11 a year per $100,000 of taxable home value. Council members say most constituents are on board — you can weigh in by emailing [email protected] before the 29th. Read more →

Craving a little culture with your air conditioning? City Hall's Initial Point Gallery has a new show on the way: "With Water," opening Tuesday, Aug. 4 and running through Aug. 28. Seven local artists — plus a poet — riff on the one thing every Treasure Valley resident is thinking about in July, exploring how water shapes the landscape, our lives and our imaginations through everything from realism to abstraction. There's a free artist reception Aug. 4 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. if you want to meet the makers and talk shop. Read more →

File under "good news for your lunch break": El Pollo Loco — the flame-grilled chicken chain making its Idaho debut at Chinden and Ten Mile — holds its official ribbon-cutting with the Meridian Chamber today, Friday, July 24. The store quietly opened June 29, but Friday's the party: free food, and anyone 18-plus can spin a prize wheel for merch, more free eats and other deals. Go hungry. Read more →

Brought to you by Meridian Local Scoop. When it's 101° and the Heat Advisory's up, this good boy has the whole strategy figured out: claim the fan, deploy the belly, let the popsicle melt at its own pace. Want your business flopped in this spot in front of the whole town? The open slot's up top. 🐾

Trivia answer: The Boise Meridian. It's the principal north-south survey line for Idaho, set back in 1867, and the town that grew up alongside it took the name Meridian when it incorporated in 1903. Bonus round: before that, the little railroad settlement out here went by the name "Hunter." Aren't you glad it stuck the landing.

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