Business
Bungling Bureaucrats Botch Boise Buses
In a refreshing bit of local journalism, Cynthia Sewell of the Daily Paper detailed a pattern of BUNGLING BUREAUCRATS either unwilling or unable to put together a plan to spend federal funds for a downtown transit center. The fed money was earmarked for Boise in 2005, but Boise City, the Urban Renewal Agency (CCDC), Ada […]
Mayor Hotline January 10 to 16
PRETTY MUCH “SIGNS OF THE TIMES” THIS WEEK. LIKE THE SNOW ON THE SIDEWALKS, CITY NEEDS TO EITHER ENFORCE OR RECIND THE LAW…THREATS ONLY OFFEND. NOTE: We apparentlyhave a Boise version of the “lady from Sacramento” and out of courtesy we won’t post, but the city does properly provide the public document for the GUARDIAN’s […]
Idaho Records More Moves OUT than IN
Idaho and Missouri are the only states west of the Mississippi River to have more people moving OUT than moving IN, according to records of the highly credible and scientifically astute Atlas Van Line MIGRATION REPORT. The moving company keeps records of all their moves and came up with the data indicating the GROWTHOPHOBE movement […]
Avimor Sales May Total 6 Units
Avimor has been beaten up in recent comments–especially on the Dry Creek “Planned Community” story. We got the following from an obvious insider and frankly what they apparently see as a positive sign is pretty weak. “Avimor has had residents since October. There are three homes closed, two with families living therein. One home is […]
New Voice Sounding Like A GROWTHOPHOBE
Here is a nicely written piece BY JEAN McNEIL, a Boise Freelancer, which also appeared in the Daily Paper. It is published with her permission. When I moved to Boise 30 years ago, I called it a 10-minute town – you could get from almost anywhere to almost anywhere else in 10 minutes or less. […]
CWI Joins Long List of Faltering Ventures
The new College of Western Idaho, set to open January 20, joins a long list of ventures that glibly blame “the soft economy” for failing to meet predictions. It looks like the long awaited opening will fall two-thirds short of predicted enrollment. We fear the bill of goods sold to voters was overly optimistic and […]
The Real Dirt On Clean Air
For growthophobes there may be a silver lining in that yellow cloud of pollution hanging over the Treasure Valley. Without reductions in current levels of existing pollution, new businesses won’t be able to locate here and dump their vile concoctions into the air. During a recent speech, the Idaho DEQ air quality czar said if […]
Fame, Greed Behind Special Winter Olympics
PREFACE I have lived in Boise all my adult life–38 of those 40 years in the first and only home I ever owned. There is no other place on earth I care to live. My roots go deep and I am on a first name basis with most of the movers and shakers, having known […]
Friday Parking Holiday Downtown
Team Dave is doing its part to provide an economic stimulus without using a taxpayer bailout. Mayor Dave Bieter has declared Friday to be a parking holiday with no enforcement of parking meters to help out both consumers and merchants in the downtown area. Motorists are being advised to obey safety areas such as crosswalks […]
Politicos Continue Puppet Act For Chamber
In the spirit of Christmas, local politcos continue to act as puppets of the Chamber of Commerce–often at the expense of commoners unable to buy the access to power the Chamber controls. For a mere $40 you can drink and munch with politicians who don’t even understand they are being used like Willy Nelson at […]
Politicos Stop Competition For Motive Power
Boise choo choo train maker Motive Power will have the bid for locomotives in Boston all to itself thanks to a ruling by the Federal Transit Authority Friday. Apparently the agency bowed to political pressure from Idaho politicos if a press release is accurate. The FTA has agreed to reject the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority […]
Note The Kiosks With Notices
The Veterans had trouble getting publicity for the November 11 parade without getting crosswise of an ordinance that prohibits posting flyers in the downtown area. Not only is it illegal to post on signal boxes and lamp posts, merchants were reluctant to place the signs in their windows. Doug Foote, a retired Idaho Air National […]
Boise Seeks Trash Fee Increase
The legal notices in the Daily Paper Monday were full of information tidbits including an across the board increase in fees for Boise trash pick up. Boise City Council is off Tuesday for Veteran’s Day, but there is a public hearing set for November 18 since the proposed increases exceed 5%. In fact, the proposed […]
Trucks Ride Free On ACHD Roads
After receiving several comments about the ballot language on the Ada County Highway District fee hike for auto registrations, we revisited the issue and learned some disturbing, but not surprising facts. About 16,500 trucks weighing over 8,000 pounds get a FREE RIDE on county roads. Meanwhile owners of 279, 454 passenger car owners have to […]
Simplot Housing Not Welcomed By All
We got a message from some folks in Eagle who complained about the low cost houses being “Touted in the Daily Paper.” They said the landscaping was nice, but claimed the units on tiny lots didn’t meet city design standards. A check with Eagle’s planning department indicates the concerns of locals may be well founded. […]
G-BAD Losing Streak Intact
The G-Bad Boys at the Greater Boise Auditorium District got hold of a new reporter at the Daily Paper and were able to lull him into publishing “disinformation,” about the need for a new convention center. District Manager Pat Rice was quoted saying there is a great demand for an expanded convention center. He claimed […]
Taking Stock Of Ourselves And Economy
Rather than pontificate on a specific issue, the GUARDIAN offers here some observations that range from profound to inflammatory, but they should serve to stimulate lively discussion of issues facing the city, state, and nation. With the likes of Micron laying off 1,500, MPC a couple hundred, the demise of nearly a dozen Boise Restaurants, […]
Monkey Business On Wall Street
The following is one of those e-mails that gets forwarded all over the place, but somehow it makes sense in these troubled times. So, because we don’t have much else to offer, we chance this bit of economics. The GUARDIAN just happened to be outside the NYSE as congress was passing the the bailout bill. […]
Boise Land Deal Probably Illegal
UPDATED 9/22/08 Looks like Boise City officials are playing fast and loose with the law. Public hearings and legal notices are required with details of proposed sales and exchanges of land to trade Citizen owned parcels at 25th and Fairview for a police shooting range.. The city followed the rules FOUR YEARS AGO! IT wasn’t […]
Will Boise Market Misery For Profit?
It looks like the squabble over who will run–and profit–from ambulance service in Boise is alive and well. Boise firefighters have been quietly adding trained paramedics to their ranks for a couple years. On the face of it, a way to save lives and generally improve the level of emergency service to citizens. Meanwhile, during […]
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