Archive for November, 2005
Park Land Could Prove Costly
Marianne and Larry Williams have donated 70 acres of Boise river front land in the Harris Ranch subdivision to the city of Boise to be used as a park. On the face of it the deal looks good. It will extend the greenbelt, it is a nice gesture, it will preserve a mile of river […]
Corporate Welfare Proposal
We thought Rep. Jana Kemp’s silly bill to give Idaho tax breaks to Hollywood was over the top. Now Doc Kustra at Boise State and his richie pals have rivaled the Big Screen Folks. If our legislature has any backbone at all they will reject all new tax breaks during the upcoming session–including this scheme. […]
Houses Find Homes
Those three skinny houses that got parking tickets at Federal Way and Protest may be back in the news soon. GUARDIAN readers report that one has somehow rolled down the hill and ended up at Lincoln and Beacon…not far from where it originally sprouted up. A quick check with the Boise Building Department shows a […]
G-BAD Fails Again
Message for the Greater Boise Auditorium District: “Give it up. Three strikes, you’re out. Let it Go, Forget about it.” The citizens have twice voted down your plan to build a convention center and now your hand picked private sector developer has also shown disinterest and failed to meet an October 31 deadline. We don’t […]
Marketing Boise Schools
Education is difficult to understand. In Boise they have to build new schools when there are too many students and they have to build new schools when they don’t have enough students. We have a school bond election coming soon which is part of a plan to combine, close, and improve some school buildings. Bonds […]
Low Pay, Politics, Haunt City Workers
Another one of those dandy “we are doing it right” surveys from Boise City. Results vary depending on how you view them. GUARDIAN sees : –57% of workers say politics strongly factors into everyday decision making process –61% feel they are underpaid for their level of responsibility –65% are unsatisfied with their raises –77% say […]
Tarnished Heroes
Amazing how little cash it takes to get Twin Falls’ “Best” to abandon those they swore to serve and protect. Good men who would probably file charges against anyone offering them a bribe were characterized in court testimony as “not being able to be counted on to do their jobs,” after being smitten by $5,000 […]
Historic Commission Fails Again
Vacancies on the Boise Historic Preservation Commission and more history than they can handle led to approval of five construction projects without public input in Boise’s North End. Despite repeated assurances last June to the GUARDIAN from Mayor Dave Bieter’s office, one vacancy was not filled until November 1. The Commission simply failed to do […]
Many Cal Cities Safer Than Boise
In a recent survey of “America’s Safest Cities” no fewer than 26 California municipalities of 75,000 or more population were ranked safer than Boise. Even San Jose with nearly a million residents was ranked in the top 100 at 97th. Boise came in at 104th safest–down from 76th in the previous report by the Morgan […]
Commishes Legal Fees Climb
The Ada County Commissioners have spent $6, 480 in taxpayer funds so far to defend themselves against civil penalties of $150. They have been charged by the Attorney General with violating the Idaho open meeting law when they went into executive session last June and discussed the Emergency Medical Services program and what it would […]
Contractor Law Pressures Cities
An unintended effect of the new contractor registration law which goes into effect January 1, 2006 places cities throughout Idaho in the position of encouraging contractors to be dishonest or forget about building permits. While there are no provisions (or funding) for cities and counties to enforce the new law, these local governments issue building […]
No Winners in Bungled Inquest
The Ada County Coroner and law enforcement in general have their work cut out to restore public confidence following the bungled inquest into the police shooting of 16-year-old Matthew Jones. The case was a tragedy of errors and ineptitude almost from the beginning. Police responded last December to a call for help from a father […]
Contractor Registration Law
Looks like some Idaho building contractors stand a chance of being “hoisted by their own petard,” thanks to a contractor registration law the Associated General Contractors lobbied through the past legislative session. (For non library types: hoist with (or by) one’s own petard means to have one’s plans to cause trouble for others backfire on […]
Wayward Homes Get Ticketed
The “Mother of All Parking Tickets” have been issued by the Boise Code Enforcement Division and city officials are now looking for a tow truck big enough to handle the impound. Storage fees could amount to windfall profits for whomever gets the call. The parking violation is for three HOUSES that got dumped at the […]
Avimor Moves Closer
Avimor, the planned community which will eventually eat up 26,000 acres of Spring Valley Ranch in parts of three counties, obtained Ada County Planning and Zoning Commission approval last week. At the public hearing a lone supporter testified in favor of the subdivision which will include 685 houses and 75,000 square feet of commercial structures. […]
Another Idaho“Armed Camp”
We noticed a recent Associated Press Dispatch about yet another North Idaho “compound” bristling with firepower and para military types. The Aryan Nations and the infamous “Rev. Butler” were finally put out of business a couple years ago and the compound was flattened, but only after years of negative publicity in the Panhandle region. Connected […]
You Oughta Be in Movies
Idaho’s “film industry”–whatever that may be–could benefit from tax incentive bills which will be pushed in the upcoming legislative session. The GUARDIAN would find these selective tax breaks comical if it weren’t for the fact these folks are serious. One proposal would give the Hollywood types a 10% income tax rebate or tax credit–which is […]
And The Winners Are…
Boise Citizens and the local mainstream media can all pat themselves on their collective backs over the voter turnout for the City Council election. With 30% of city voters casting ballots, turnout was more than double the previous council race. Jim Tibbs’ solid 10% victory over incumbent councilor Jerome Mapp should lead to some spirited […]
Yet Another “Unique Mall”
While listening to the KBOI “eye in the sky” warn motorists of multi-mile traffic jams on I-84, the GUARDIAN editor was reading a newspaper story about a wonderful new shopping mall being built in Nampa. We wondered if the mall was a result of “Smart Growth, Blueprint for Growth, or just Greedy Growth.” Hard to […]
Yet Another “Unique Mall”
While listening to the KBOI “eye in the sky” warn motorists of multi-mile traffic jams on I-84, the GUARDIAN editor was reading a newspaper story about a wonderful new shopping mall being built in Nampa. We wondered if the mall was a result of “Smart Growth, Blueprint for Growth, or just Greedy Growth.” Hard to […]
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