Archive for June, 2006

Sneak Parking Preview

GUARDIAN reader “Bikeboy” offers a preview of the parking spot at 509 (507) Main which is designated for scooters and cycles. Wouldn’t you know it, an SUV driver who can’t read took up the space. Interesting to see if the SUV folks take up the spot on Wednesday at 1 p.m. when Team Dave has […]

Firefighters-City Approve Contract

In an agreement lauded by Mayor Dave Bieter and his “Team Dave”, Boise City and the firefighters union have come to terms over labor negotiations. Bieter has not taken a raise since he was elected two and a half years ago. His salary is $91,229 a year. If he wants to make big bucks he […]

Trashing Our Desert

Ada Commishes Wednesday trashed a proposed private landfill plan in the desert southeast of Boise along Kuna-Mora Road , subsequently making it more attractive to developers eager to cover our open spaces with houses. Allied Waste Systems, the parent of trash collector BFI, had applied to build a 500 acre landfill facility, but the Ada […]

Ada To Battle Insurgents

Weeds have taken on the status of “insurgents” in the eyes of the government. Grants of taxpayer money–$44,000 to Ada County–have been made available at all levels and you can expect to see how it is spent in the next couple of days. We have professional government people to study, identify, and control weeds. Not […]

Ada Commishes Ban Fireworks

In an unusual move–and a sensible one at that–the Ada County Commishes have banned fireworks from over half of the county. The emergency ordinance covers all “unincorporated areas” of the county which means outside any city or fire district. It will remain in effect until Halloween. It is a wise move with tinder dry grasses […]

Well Duh!

We figured Mr. Logic would like this sign. During a recent photo shoot in Arkansas the GUARDIAN was driving along a river and ran across this sign. We figured the sign was pointless. If the road was under water it would obviously be unsafe and anyone stupid enough to try to find the road while […]

Boise To Offer Free Scooter Parking

Hillary Haymond’s May 2 suggestion to create scooter and cycle parking spots downtown drew a rapid response by government standards. After only two months of study, planning and action they have adopted her idea. Wednesday July 5 Team Dave and the Councilors have scheduled a photo op to unveil new signs and FREE parking for […]

MAYOR HOTLINE June 19- June 23

Lots of good stuff. Is “Lori” looking for a man or just a cheap wedding? Will the Califoria developer succeed with cold calls? Has the city done anything to sell excess property they unwisely purchased? Why the ugly billboard on the connector? Who monitors United Water testing? A Ferris Wheel in JD Park? Jump in […]

City Vows To Enforce Fireworks Laws

Last year Boise officialdom sort of threw in the towel when it came to enforcing fireworks law over the July Fourth holiday. Police Chief Mike Masterson said it is nearly impossible to enforce city laws when they differ from state law. In 2005 he said the answer was to complain to the legislature–not the Boise […]

Mayor Hotline June 10-17

6/9/06 Code Enforcement: On December 9, 2005, I reported a junk car to code enforcement located on the vacant lot next to 1900 W. Main St. It’s a black Mitsubishi Gallant with no license plate. On January 27, 2006, after nearly two months without the car being moved, I contacted code enforcement again about the […]

Whaddya Want In A State PArk

Idaho Parks is looking for opinions from GUARDIAN readers about a new park in Eastern Idaho. You can offer your opinions here and they will read them. Feel free to be pithy, but don’t waste our space or their time with outlandish suggestions. GUARDIAN likes the living history idea. We offered it to Ada County […]

As Simple As Breathing

Talk about a positive approach and “good news!” Three headlines in the printed paper Thursday demonstrate a certain “dope reporter “ mentality. They detail a problem with vehicle air pollution in one story and even acknowledge growth as a cause. The story below crows about 14% growth in Meridian and describes Boise’s .2% growth as […]

Another Dope Reporter Award

The GUARDIAN was out of town and missed the severe weather–which was nice. But we also missed what was apparently a classic DOPE REPORTER situation. Here is the nomination: You probably missed Alyson Outen on the roof at the KTVB studios, right after we had a tornado warning in Ada County and a Severe Thunderstorm […]

County Recognizes Guardian

After refusing to put the GUARDIAN on the county “media spam list” to offer tips about press releases posted to the county web site, Ada County has done a flip flop–thanks to a letter from Idaho Press Club president Betsy Russell. Both Boise City and Ada County refused to recognize the GUARDIAN as a viable […]

Guardian European Report

Our profound apologies to those who need a GUARDIAN FIX. We have been in Europe for the past couple of weeks and will share some thoughts and impressions. –Universal dislike of George Bush and nearly the same universal appreciation of American people. Lots of people are afraid of the Iraq mess harming the Europe Union […]

Scorched Images For Fire Depts.

Looks like the area fire departments could use some better public relations spin doctors. First Eagle botched the override election by having a single polling place for the fire district while voters at other precincts in the city–not the same boundaries as the fire district–didn’t realize they had to vote twice if they wanted to […]

Bulls Have Just One Teet

UPDATED VERSION KBCI-TV anchor Steve Liebenthal is the latest winner of a GUARDIAN Dope Reporter Award. (At first we had identfied the winner as reporter Art Swift) Congratulations to the Idaho Native who will no doubt always remember the following lesson from reader Razzbar on the subject of “Bovine Anatomy 101:” “Tonight on channel 2, […]

Assessor’s Tax Jumps Too

Guest Opinion By Robert McQuade, Ada County Assessor Last Friday I received a message left on the Boise Mayor’s hotline. The caller said, “The tax assessor must be smiling all the way to the bank thinking we were going to get any [property tax] relief.” If the caller only knew that my assessed property value […]

Assessor’s Tax Jumps Too

Guest Opinion By Robert McQuade, Ada County Assessor Last Friday I received a message left on the Boise Mayor’s hotline. The caller said, “The tax assessor must be smiling all the way to the bank thinking we were going to get any [property tax] relief.” If the caller only knew that my assessed property value […]

Assessor’s Tax Jumps Too

Guest Opinion By Robert McQuade, Ada County Assessor Last Friday I received a message left on the Boise Mayor’s hotline. The caller said, “The tax assessor must be smiling all the way to the bank thinking we were going to get any [property tax] relief.” If the caller only knew that my assessed property value […]

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