Boise Guardian

Bench Taxpayers Fund Boise’s Valley Projects

July 25, 2010 ⋅ 15 comments

When the proposed 30th Street Urban Renewal District came up at the Boise City Council meeting last week (a vote to create the district was postponed) it was noted by some that a total of nearly two square miles of Boise would be “off the tax rolls.” Hint: 640 acres to a square mile and [...]

CCDC Seeks Expansion Despite Statewide Opposition

July 11, 2010 ⋅ 11 comments

Boise’s Urban Renewal Agency–CCDC– seeks to double the acres where property taxes are diverted away from City, County, ACHD, and Schools with a new District in the 30th Street area. They will have to hustle to get ahead of growing opposition. The Daily Paper has a DETAILED REPORT. Urban Renewal agencies throughout the state have [...]

GUARDIAN Predicts “Rain Out” On Boise Ball Park

April 15, 2010 ⋅ 22 comments

The GUARDIAN and reader Dean Gunderson have teamed up to call the Hawks game between Boise and Meridian. Our preseason conclusion is while there may be just barely enough square feet for a park at the 2900 Fairview location on land owned by the city, it will take a ton of money to make it [...]

Meridian vs ACHD on Legislation

March 21, 2010 ⋅ 4 comments

While Boise’s urban renewal agency CCDC secretly wrote proposed legislation and denied the GUARDIAN access to the process, the Ada County Highway District was quietly doing the same thing and drawing the ire of Meridian officials. Seems ACHD wanted to “opt out” of having taxes diverted to urban renewal projects without their approval. Urban Renewal [...]

No Stopping a Runaway Train (Trolley) Enthusiast

February 21, 2010 ⋅ 9 comments

Team Dave is still pushing for a trolley, and can’t seem to understand the meaning of NO, despite public opinion and denial of U.S. Government funds. Last week the Feds turned down Boise’s request for about $40 million in “TIGER” funds for the Desire Named Street Car (also affectionately known as the “Trolley Folly”). The [...]

Attorney General Asked To Investigate Caldwell Urban Renewal

February 17, 2010 ⋅ 7 comments

Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak announced Today he will petition the office of Idaho Attorney General to investigate information revealed yesterday by the Boise and Caldwell GUARDIAN news blogs. “Based on the information presented and the check register of the agency, the case certainly merits further investigation,” said Bujak. He explained the case will start [...]

Audit Of Caldwell Urban Renewal Imperative

February 16, 2010 ⋅ 10 comments

Caldwell GUARDIAN editor Paul Alldredge has been working tirelessly to shed light on the excesses and deceptive activities of urban renewal agencies in Canyon County. In his latest effort he obtained the check register of the Caldwell Urban Renewal Agency which reveals a pattern of abuse and deception. This report will draw attention of law [...]

Update On Desire Named Street Car

February 15, 2010 ⋅ 19 comments

The DAILY PAPER has joined the long list of opponents to Team Dave’s “Desire Named Street Car” with a HUGE EDITORIAL in Sunday’s edition. They didn’t go soa as advocating a massive increase in the bus system, but it is clear (to us) the Statesman has come over to the GUARDIAN side. Reporter Cynthia Sewell [...]

Better Buses Buttress Baltimore Business

January 18, 2010 ⋅ 11 comments

Just in case you still hadn’t had enough on the Desire Named Street Car, a GUARDIAN reader sends us an interesting link about using–would you believe– BUSES to serve downtown Baltimore. Before any money is pumped into a Boise trolley, we think some buses would be much wiser. Apparently the folks in Baltimore, Bolivia, and [...]

Politicos Prefer Secrets Over Public Scrutiny

January 18, 2010 ⋅ 9 comments

Dan Popkey reports in the DAILY PAPER that Idaho Democratic legislators are taking the lead from their Republican opponents and holding secret caucus meetings for the first time in 9 years. They justify it, saying if the opposition knows what is planned, they could lose their chance to win on important issues. Unfortunately this is [...]

“Non-Partisan” Think Tank Issues Pork Report

January 8, 2010 ⋅ 29 comments

An outfit called the Idaho Freedom Foundation is gaining traction billing itself as a “think tank” and offering the public a variety of “reports” and op-ed pieces. While they call themselves non-partisan, it is fair to say there probably aren’t too many liberal Democrats within the ranks. Wayne Hoffman, an able journalist and former press [...]

Macy’s Departure Is Due To Inept Government

January 6, 2010 ⋅ 27 comments

Macy’s leaving downtown Boise comes as no surprise. For more than 40 years we have watched officials tout their “vision for the future” in downtown Boise. It changes with each new planner and consultant. The Bon Marche (Macy’s today), J.C. Penney’s, The Mode, Falk’s I.D. and many smaller merchants vanished, thanks to the far and [...]

CCDC, County Still At Odds Over Parking

January 1, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

This came in from a disgruntled worker along Front Street: “Taxpayers subsidize Ada County employee parking fees at the Courthouse. Wish someone would subsidize mine – I work in the same complex and CCDC is charging the highest in the downtown area and there is no 1st hour free.” Her complaint is only the tip [...]

GUARDIAN Top 2009 Stories By Month

December 26, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

As the legacy media does its annual TOP TEN stories to fill space between the holidays, the GUARDIAN has done the same thing based on what we have posted in the past year. In rereading some of the posts and comments, it appears we have an inordinate number of comments on police and fire stories. [...]

GUARDIAN Christmas Wish List

December 24, 2009 ⋅ 6 comments

For those who believe in Santa Clause, we have a Christmas wish list which has plenty of room for additional items. A toy train for Dave Bieter so he will stop trying to force a trolley and AMTRAK upon the kind, decent inhabitants of the City of Trees. A toy ambulance for the Boise FD [...]

Urban Renewal Agencies Plot State Law Revisions

December 5, 2009 ⋅ 9 comments

While most of us are planning for the holidays and trying to finance toys for the kids, urban renewal agencies around the state are plotting legislation that will give them unbridled control of spending public funds for projects that belong under city control–like sewers, transportation, and public buildings. Their plan to get the state law [...]

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 [...]

TJ Favors Vote Of People On Trolley

November 30, 2009 ⋅ 9 comments

Boise City Councilor-elect TJ Thomson told the GUARDIAN Monday he favors a vote of the citizens on Team Dave’s proposal to spend $60,000,000 on a downtown street car. When asked if he favored a vote, Thomson flat out said, “Yes, I support a public vote on the Street Car.” With regard to the petition drive [...]

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 [...]

Poll Supports GUARDIAN Transit Plan

November 22, 2009 ⋅ 22 comments

According to a poll commissioned by the Daily Paper, 63% of folks in the city of trees agree with the GUARDIAN position that we should upgrade the bus system and forget about the “Desire NAmed Street Car.” OK, they didn’t exactly say they supported the GUARDIAN position, but we have indeed advocated bus improvements over [...]

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