Business
Lots of Green on Black Friday
Many shoppers heading to the Boise Town Square Mall on Black Friday will end up in the red on their finances, but the Ada County Highway District is offering the green light coming and going. Thanks to their video control center in Garden City, traffic signal timing will be altered by “congestion management staff” to […]
The Bottom Line Is the Bottom Line
With the gobbling up of the Washington Group, Inc. (WGI) construction firm last week we thought it an odd disconnect that local media was bemoaning the “loss” of yet another local corporate headquarters in Boise. The disconnect comes when our city is constantly on the cutting edge of “business friendly” communities or states –especially when […]
Motivation For Special Olympics?
With the President of the United States (and enough congressmen to prevent a veto override) against putting up Federal money for the 2009 Winter Special Olympics in Idaho, the future looks anything but bright. The event has been touted as a “profit center” for Idaho and that doesn’t sit well with the GUARDIAN. If memory […]
Derail Amtrak In Idaho
What is it with politicos and trains? Seems they are all fascinated with the “concept” of having passenger trains…like the people riding the “Pumpkin Express” from Horseshoe Bend to Montour. Europe and Japan have trains, why can’t Americans have trains? One reason they have trains in other places is because they have massive amounts of […]
Taxes To Increase Eagle Rd. Traffic
Meridian politicos are aiming to deprive the citizens of Idaho of at least $15 million in sales taxes to help a commercial developer create more traffic on Eagle Road at Fairview where he wants to build another retail mall. A new law passed by the Idaho legislature to subsidize a Cabela’s in North Idaho will […]
Wanna Pay For 200 Jobs?
We admit it isn’t real sexy, but the GUARDIAN is not comfortable with the way Team Dave is managing the City land holdings and real estate speculation. The latest cause for concern evolves around a political announcement by Team Dave that WinCo would build a 700,000 square foot “distribution center” adjacent to a big block […]
WinCo Insider Trades At City Hall
Gotta Hand it to Team Dave. When it comes to manipulating the media and public they do a darn good job. We groused (among other things) about spending money on the city owned railroad to nowhere in a CAMPAIGN ISSUES posting June 25 which turned into a defense of a kayak park. Turns out any […]
Micron Conspiracy Theory And More
The GUARDIAN has finally been forced to enter the Micron debate. Here are a couple of pieces from readers. We welcome comments–especially from Micron refugees. As usual, names are protected to protect the victims. By BOB BLURTON Micron has been pretty mum to the media on the layoffs issue, prompting speculation among many of […]
Highway Money Goes To Consultants
–Ada County Highway District paid $115,000 for a consultation by the Urban Land Institute to tell them what they wanted to hear. Namely that 6 cities within the county have to stick to their comprehensive master plans and ACHD should work with them. In short, everyone should play nice. The GUARDIAN would have told them […]
Where Has All The Money Gone?
THIS PLEA COMES FROM A YOUNG BOISE BANKER I think you should post an article on how the generation that currently runs the state (30+ years old) has all but wiped out any chance for the younger generations to live in Idaho. Housing is ridiculously expensive, and is continuing to rise rapidly. Most new construction […]
De’Ja Vu’ University Land Deal
This is a story of how a $2 million land sale will obtain the $8 million East Jr. High from the Boise School District and finance part of a BSU athletic track complex for almost 45 years. As it sits now, we don’t like the look or the smell of the deal involving Boise Schools, […]
De’Ja Vu’ University Land Deal
This is a story of how a $2 million land sale will obtain the $8 million East Jr. High from the Boise School District and finance part of a BSU athletic track complex for almost 45 years. As it sits now, we don’t like the look or the smell of the deal involving Boise Schools, […]
Juice Demand High, Water Low
What’s up with Idaho Power wanting to raise rates to pay for growth? They claim to be spending $800 million to meet increased demand. They were trying to “soften up” customers to the impending price hike back in March with bill inserts. Not to short circuit their profitable power plans, but if more people get […]
Publisher Could Take $700,000 From Valley
We can’t tell if the Daily Paper got enticed by the Chamber of Commerce or if they are consenting adults, but a recent business page story was a bit off the mark in our opinion. United Airlines in-flight magazine publisher, Pace Communications, stands to take about $700,000 from Treasure Valley businesses if they sell 36 […]
Housing Inventory at 8,000
Recent reports from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) show about 8,000 unsold homes on the market in the Valley and many in the real estate industry say the backlog will translate into lower sales prices. That inventory increased from about 1,700 in January. Houses simply are not selling. The Daily Paper did a business piece […]
Report From Sun Valley Growth Meet
A GUARDIAN EXCLUSIVE In their zeal to control the hearts and minds of Valley politicos, the Chamber of Commerce offset a chance to do good with its annual Sun Valley leadership conference. Not only did they sequester the politicos, most were subjected to party line pro-growth presentations. Our correspondent reports that only two of the […]
First Rounds Fired In Mayor Race
City Councilor and mayor candidate Jim Tibbs is learning a poker lesson in the early days of the mayoral campaign–DON’T SHOW YOUR CARDS UNTIL YOU PLAY ‘EM. The GUARDIAN on April 12 called for an audit and eventual dissolution of the CCDC (Capital City Development Corp.) following a news story published in the Statesman and […]
C. College Vote Means Windfall For CCDC
Unless someone can prove differently, the GUARDIAN is of the opinion that approval of the Community College ballot measure will mean yet another windfall profit for Boise’s urban renewal agency, CCDC (Capital City Development Corp). Here’s how it works. Under the tax increment financing scheme that funds the CCDC (and urban renewal agencies around the […]
Taxes Fund Chamber Business Programs
The GUARDIAN has discovered Boise and Ada County are SPENDING at least $150,000 of YOUR TAX MONEY to CREATE GROWTH. Then they turn around and PAY $300 a head to attend a seminar in Sun Valley to figure out how to handle the massive growth problems they paid to create! This year’s retreat at Sun […]
GUARDIAN Overwhelmed, Seeking Help
The GUARDIAN has been overwhelmed with information on stories the local media has either missed or refuses to research and publish or air. We have actual e-mail texts below or summaries. I simply cannot do the research and writing on these with no staff and continue to make a living with my photo business. If […]
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