On Monday, October 10, we will be recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day— a newer holiday here in the United States that honors Native Americans. What has once been a day to recognize Christopher Columbus is now turning into a day of celebration for Native American culture and history, as well as recognition for the communities’ achievements.

With October right around the corner, the season full of spooks and frights is almost here! Celebrations for Halloween have already begun, and there is definitely no shortage of activities here in Idaho. For those of us in Pocatello, we have a plethora of attractions in town and in the surrounding areas to keep us entertained during October. 

For anyone looking for some fun this Halloween season, here is a list of local Halloween attractions to keep you on your toes this season.

As we go further into the fall semester here at Idaho State University, it is safe to say that many students are beginning to feel the stress that comes with college. With school work, jobs, and personal issues, it is no surprise that students would be feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities that take precedence over their lives while in college.

Stress is something we all experience, yet it can be a huge roadblock from being able to live healthy and productive lives. However, despite stress being inevitable, it definitely is manageable.

Fire season has begun here in Idaho, which has impacted those who are unfortunate enough to be close to the fires. To those of us in the Pocatello area, fires have sprung up all around us, surrounding us in thick smoke and the prominent odor left from the fires. 

The fires surrounding Pocatello, and parts of the Eastern side of the state, have caused mayhem on the land of the affected areas. Despite no injuries or damage to buildings being reported amidst the burning so far, damage to the land as well as traffic delays have been the biggest impacts we have seen yet.

Join us for this free event and hear professionals speak on mental health issues in our community. Get informed about local mental health resources. Register: cetrain.isu.edu/mha/

Labor Day was established in 1894 to recognize the American Labor Movement. Celebrated on the first Monday in September, it creates a 3-day weekend for many Americans. Labor Day is celebrated with BBQs, picnics, camping trips, and many other activities. For those of us in Southeast Idaho, Labor Day activities may include a trip to the Eastern Idaho State Fair. For those of you who may not have a weekend full of activities planned, a list of Labor Day activities in S.E Idaho is below.

The POW/MIA flag serves as a remembrance of US missing and captive service members. The flag has become synonymous with American missing service members from conflicts and wars, especially the Vietnam War. While many of us may know the symbol, we may not know the history of the flag.

This is CEWT’s third post and second blog post in our Games Series. Our last blog post focused on the history of games. This week’s blog will focus on the ‘why’ of playing games. But first, I want to give our readers a bit of context on our ‘why’. Why is a continuing education and workforce training program writing about games? This answer is simple…and maybe a bit complicated. 

The simple part is much easier to explain so let's start there. We are writing about games because of the people who work here, and because it does relate to our work but we’ll visit that later on in this article. For now, let’s focus on CEWT’s employees.

Games have been around for over a millennium. This issue of the CEWT blog will focus on the evolution of games.

The oldest playable board game in the world, The Royal Game of Ur, dates back 4,600 years. Its gameplay rules were found written on a cuneiform tablet (dating to 177 BC) and deciphered by curator Irving Finkel. While The Royal Game of Ur is the oldest playable board game known to man, it is not the oldest game in existence. The gameplay rules of many ancient games are lost to history. We know the games exist, we just don’t know how to play them. Senet, a game dating back to 3,100 B.C is one of the earliest known games1. A favorite of King Tut and Queen Nefertari, Senet rules do exist for modern play, but the rules are reconstructed and many variations exist2. It should be noted that royalty’s love of games was not limited to the Egyptians.

Fall semester is coming up! While the leaves are yet to turn–and the weather is still hot–school is starting up for millions across the country. Even if you aren’t attending school there is still room to learn. Spend a little time this season learning a new skill, increasing your knowledge, and bettering yourself.

CEWT has a variety of classes and offerings this Fall. There is sure to be something for everyone. While a full list of courses can be found in our catalog, here are a few courses and events you might be interested in.