Horse Race Slots Face Constitutional Challenge

The bid by a group to “preserve the horse racing industry” may be galloping toward a constitutional challenge that is anything but a sure bet. Despite legislation that says otherwise, there is a valid argument over the definition of what constitutes a SLOT MACHINE or CASINO GAMBLING–both specifically prohibited under the Idaho Constitution. Ada County […]

Boise Officials Adopt GUARDIAN Fire Training Plan

Kudos to Boise officials for joining the GUARDIAN in calling for a joint training facility for Boise, Meridian, and Eagle fire departments. We had questioned the need for a $17 bond–not the facility, but the funding–well before the election. On October 6, the GUARDIAN said: “Boise Fire Dept. recently entered into some “mutual aid” cooperative […]

What Does Kennedy Death Mean To You?

Things are slow here at the GUARDIAN world headquarters, so we decided to jump on the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination bandwagon. We would like to hear from both the youngsters under 50 and the seniors about how they perceive the loss of JFK and what it meant to them. By DAVID R. FRAZIER […]

Ada Commishes Need To Rein In Racing Slots

The latest euphemism for SLOT MACHINE GAMBLING is a proposal to install hundreds of slot machines at Les Bois Park’s Turf Club under the guise of “Historical Horse Racing.” It may be a “sure bet,” but not for the sucker who thinks he can outsmart a computer game based on a previously run horse race. […]

“NO” Means “We’re Coming At You Again And We Need To Change The Law To Make It Easier To Tax”

Mayor Dave Bieter spoke to the Chamber of Commerce “Leadership Boise” this week vowing to come back for another shot at the failed bonds and working to change the Idaho Constitution to make it easier to impose taxes on citizens, according to a Boise WEEKLY report. Bieter termed the results as “tyranny of the minority,” […]

Former Legislator Questions Land Board Action

Former Idaho Representative Bob Forrey has been an ardent opponent of recent Land Board actions regarding cottage leases, trades of state land for commercial property, and the Land Board going into commercial business operations like the storage unit venture in Boise. The following is a guest opinion from him. By BOB FORREY Despite a constitutional […]

Boise Coppers Give More Than Tickets To Bikers

Following up on a GUARDIAN post in October, Boise Police are now stopping bicyclists without lights. Rather than pass out expensive tickets, the officers will be offering a safety briefing and FREE lights to make the cyclists more visible. Coppers joined ranks with the Ada County Highway District to provide the temporary lights which are […]

Boise’s Top Copper Wants Your Opinion

Boise Police Chief Mike Masterson wants to hear from GUARDIAN readers regarding their thoughts about various technologies used in law enforcement today. By MIKE MASTERSON Boise Police Chief Technological gains over the last decade have allowed society and businesses to do their jobs more efficiently. Policing is no different where it often seems every new […]

Greedy Garden City Wants OUR Fair Grounds

This post first appeared in the GUARDIAN more than 6 years ago after Dave Frazier, GUARDIAN editor, communicated with then Ada Commishes over the ailing Les Bois Park race track–part of Expo Idaho. The issue remains the same: Garden City politicos want OUR land for business. This comes only 2 days after Boise voters were […]

Eagle Snow Park Faces Meltdown

Nearly a dozen residents of Eagle and the area near the proposed “Winter Terrain Park” off Old Horseshoe Bend Road have filed suit in 4th District Court charging the Eagle City Council with open meeting violations. The group is represented by lawyer Andrew Schoppe–who was active in the Dynamis trash-to-energy opposition last year. In his […]

Boise Voter Apathy Means 14% Is A Landslide

Each election we try to put things in perspective when it comes to the voting numbers game with the typical GUARDIAN SLANT. Boise incumbents retained their seats with only 11-15% of the possible votes. Just divide the number of votes by the 108,000 registered voters and you start to see the picture. Top vote getter […]

Explosives Site Not Likely A Foreign Terrorist Link

Officers from all sorts of copper agencies occupied the Vista Neighborhood south of Overland and Columbus Wednesday for about 12 hours as they investigated “substances” believed to be stashed in a house which could be used to make bombs. The cryptic language in police updates said little about the bomb making site, but the GUARDIAN […]

OSHA Required Sign?

Boise GUARDIAN Election Analysis

While there were no surprises with the incumbents keeping their Boise City Council seats, we were surprised to see Bill Jarocki come in third in the race against TJ Thomson who was also challenged by Jill G. Humble. The big news was the defeat of both bond debt proposals which would have cost taxpayers more […]

Explanation of Incomplete Vote Tally

The Ada elections office under the command of Phil McGrane got the votes tallied for the entire county prior to midnight Tuesday, but the official results were a few points shy of 100%. McGrane told the GUARDIAN the reason was a couple of precincts had no votes! Two were on the fringes of Meridian with […]

Boise Councilors Stay, Bond Debt Goes

At 11:30 p.m. Tuesday it looks like the Three Musketeers of the Boise City Council–TJ Thomson, Marryanne Jordan, and Ben Quintana–easily retained their seats. It also looks like both the Fire Safety and Parks Open Space bonds failed once the precinct results began coming in. The votes “bought” with direct mail absentee ballot request forms […]

Historic Image Recalls Past Incident

The 1971 historic image in the Monday STATESMAN of rioting inmates at the the Idaho State Penitentiary brought back memories of fearless and foolish youth for GUARDIAN editor David R. Frazier. By DAVID R. FRAZIER I was a 25-year-old police reporter for the STATESMAN, recently back from Army service in Vietnam with more interest in […]

Boise Candidate Public Forum

The GUARDIAN offers free space to all candidates who wish to post comments or statements. They will be posted in the order they are received. We do not endorse candidates and strive for objective treatment of all candidates. BOISE COUNCIL CANDIDATES: Seat 2: Ben Quintana (incumbent), Tyler Smith Seat 4: T.J. Thomson (incumbent), Jill G. […]