Boise Guardian | Business

Hyped Development Now Pathetic Footnote

December 18, 2009 ⋅ 20 comments

Interesting note for GROWTHOPHOBES out Eagle way. When the developers offered all the hype for a golf course community, the city fathers and mothers of Eagle jumped aboard and all crowed about pumping millions upon millions of dollars into the Treasure Valley annually. It never happened because the developers didn’t have the money–as with Avimor, [...]

City, Simplot Can’t Agree On New Building

December 4, 2009 ⋅ 8 comments

A proposal for an agricultural museum and new offices for the J. R. Simplot Company to be built by the family foundation for about $100 million in downtown Boise is apparently on hold. Simplot and City officials have been meeting to hash out designs issues after the city declared the initial Simplot idea was not [...]

More On “Desire Named Street Car” (sorry)

November 29, 2009 ⋅ 20 comments

EDITOR NOTE–We hate to keep beating this Trolley Horse, but the politicos and press just won’t let it die. Team Dave Just won’t quit Pushing this streetcar bit There is no way they can Cover this crazy plan They’ll just put a LID on it! –Poet Paul Both the DAILY PAPER and the BOISE WEEKLY [...]

Internet Pricing Lesson Please

November 17, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

The day job has taken the GUARDIAN editor to Mexico, suck up smog, sun, and more images for the Photolibrary. It isn’t as cheery as a couple years ago–economy is bad, swine flu scare lingers with hand washing fluid everywhere, heavy police presence, drugs. As a result, you can get some pretty good hotel deals, [...]

Items Of Little Interest, But Important To Pols

September 25, 2009 ⋅ 8 comments

Here is a list of current news topics with a typically cynical GUARDIAN SLANT. –The Park Center Bridge that Harris Ranch Developers stuck taxpayers to build so they would benefit is about to open with great fanfare from Ada County Highway District. –Micron is still slurping at the public trough. This time they got $5 [...]

Team Dave Tries Brainwashing Public

September 15, 2009 ⋅ 16 comments

We have long been unhappy with the efforts of Team Dave to shape public opinion on the “Trolley Folly.” Now it looks like the mayor and staff are following in the mold of the infamous Brent Coles Coles spent public funds to influence the outcome of the Foothills Tax Levy election, but it was only [...]

Is Fred Meyer Breaking The Law?

July 13, 2009 ⋅ 12 comments

A reader contacted the GUARDIAN noting the Fred Meyer store on Federal Way is having a big “Sidewalk Sale” in front of the store….BLOCKING HANDICAP PARKING STALLS AND VIOLATING FIRE LANE RESTRICTIONS. If memory serves us, motorists can get tickets for using handicap parking spaces without proper credentials. We also think the fire marshall can [...]

PUC Policy Pleases Persistant GROWTHOPHOBES

July 7, 2009 ⋅ 5 comments

While many Idaho bureaucrats and developers claim “growth is inevitable,” the Idaho Public Utilities Commission has approved a measure that will force developers to pay their fair share of providing power to homeowners. With only minor modifications, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission has adopted an Idaho Power Co. request to require developers and builders to [...]

More Join GUARDIAN With Trolley Concerns

June 14, 2009 ⋅ 11 comments

Looks like at least some of Boise’s business folks–even those appointed by Team Dave to promote a trolley–are leaning just a little toward the GUARDIAN point of view that a trolley is a surefire folly as it stands today. We continue the mantra: LET THE PEOPLE VOTE ON THE FINANCING! If they vote to tax [...]

We’re #4! We’re #4! YEA!

June 9, 2009 ⋅ 19 comments

We love Boise. You have to love it to stay here for 41 years with the kind of politicos and CEOs we have. We have witnessed the rise and fall of MK, Boise Cascade, Ore-Ida, Albertson, and now H-P and Micron. These once great companies were a source of pride before the big guys took [...]

Team Dave Continues “Live Aid” For Chamber

May 31, 2009 ⋅ 6 comments

Boise’s Chamber of Commerce continues to benefit from Team Dave’s annual fund raiser “State of the City” breakfast event. Cost to attend the speech where Mayor Dave Bieter lists his accomplishments range from $35 to $55 per head. Past attendance has been about 1,000 mostly business people. We estimate the Chamber grosses about $40,000 from [...]

Commishes Called Out On Discount Drug Card

May 29, 2009 ⋅ 13 comments

Ada Commishes have endorsed a “discount drug card” scheme put forth by pharmacy giant CVS which can cost residents nearly twice what they would pay for the same medicine at COSTCO. The GUARDIAN did “apples for apples” test shopping on three of the most commonly prescribed drugs. Here is what we found: LIPITOR (cholesterol) 40mg [...]

A Street Car Named Dumbo (White Elephant)

May 28, 2009 ⋅ 43 comments

GUEST POST BY TIM RHODES Boise Mayor Dave Bieter’s plan to have streetcars rolling in Downtown Boise by summer 2012 may be receiving some help from Sen. Mike Crapo to push it to the next level if Congress springs for the pork. Team Dave’s plan is to have the first phase of a downtown streetcar [...]

Ada County Markets Drugs For CVS

May 27, 2009 ⋅ 7 comments

In what can only be described as one of the most brilliant marketing schemes in recent memory, CVS Caremark has convinced county government to distribute prescription discount cards on its behalf. At first blush it sounds great: Ada County Residents “qualify” for an average 22% savings on prescription drugs. Truth is, residents of ANY county [...]

Simplot Dream Project Has Potential

May 23, 2009 ⋅ 14 comments

We’ve seen it all before–the Daily Paper features a huge color architect rendering on the front page with a gushing story about extravagant plans. The plans seldom work out because the hype is just the first phase of what is really a financing scheme. Things like a convention center, hotel, high rise tower, Tamarack, “European” [...]

Straight Poop On Saturday Market

May 7, 2009 ⋅ 18 comments

GUARDIAN reader Hillary got our attention when she wrote about the overflow demand for “services” at the Saturday Market on 8th street. Never one to suffer in silence, Hillary wrote to the CCDC about increased fees for vendors at the market to cover the cost of those plastic phone booth style restrooms known as Porta [...]

Team Dave Sees The Light–FINALLY!

April 26, 2009 ⋅ 7 comments

After years of lame excuses and spending thousands of taxpayer dollars in Sun Valley to discuss local problems, Team Dave has finally written the Chamber of Commerce suggesting that just MAYBE it would be a good idea to hold the annual indoctrination of local “leaders” in Treasure Valley. KTVB CHannel 7 had a GOOD STORY [...]

High Foreclosure Rates In Boise

April 22, 2009 ⋅ 12 comments

Boise made another list today when the Associated Press noted the city of trees ranked #27 in the nation when it comes to home foreclosure rates. Much of that reason is thanks to inept government at tall levels and greedy developers. Local politicos worked hard to accommodate developers and builders with one stop shopping at [...]

Farmers Market Unlikely Despite Citizen Pleas

April 20, 2009 ⋅ 16 comments

Even with the qualifier of being a “Northender,” we doubt the people who want fresh veggies during the growing season under the politically correct greenie label of “sustainable,” will be able to overcome the powerful CCDC urban renewal agency (Capital City Development Corp.) or the Downtown Business Association. Those outfits control the popular Saturday market. [...]

Boise Considers “Trade War” Ordinance

April 14, 2009 ⋅ 32 comments

While perhaps well intended, Boise City Councilors are set to consider an ordinance that very possibly is contrary to State bidding laws and the United States Constitution. Calling it a “local preference ordinance,” Boise Councilors will hold a first reading of an ordinance revision that would deny EQUAL PROTECTION under the city bid law to [...]

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