City Government
Depot To Host Steam Engine Sunday
Historic Union Pacific steam engine 844 will visit Boise Saturday night and Sunday. The GUARDIAN joined some old-time steam engine buffs to make these photos near Glens Ferry Saturday. It was built in 1944, before diesel replaced steam power. The locomotive never officially retired and has been part of the Union Pacific inventory for 73 […]
Artistic License Approaches To F-35
Gotta hand it to the creative folks who have used their talents to protest the F-35 noise in Boise. Here are three artistic items not likely to be approved by the Arts and History dept., Each is from a different source, sent to the GUARDIAN today.
War Of Words Over F-35 Revealed In Documents
GUARDIAN ANALYSIS By DAVID R. FRAZIER, editor Using money donated by concerned citizens, the GUARDIAN paid to obtain three months worth of public documents from the City of Boise regarding the F-35 which paint a vivid picture of a single-minded battle plan with little regard for “collateral damage” to the home-owning citizens of the Boise […]
Anti F-35 Noise Group Launches Website
In a subtle maneuver that would have any fighter pilot pulling extra G’s, a group organized to fight the noisy F-35 jet has co-opted Mayor Dave Bieter’s favorite line about making Boise the “Most livable city in America.” “CITIZENS FOR A LIVABLE BOISE” now has a central “meeting place” on-line. They even qualified for the […]
Guess What? Another Boise Survey!
Seems that City Hall in Boise is awash in cash the past few weeks. First it was stainless steel “cottonwood trees,” in the plaza redo, then hefty raises for the mayor and council, a request to spend $100,000 for a “consultant” to attract the F-35, a clean up of lead at the ill-conceived police shooting […]
Boise Trains Not Tracking Well In Boston
Back in 2008 Boise’s Mayor Dave Bieter and U.S. Senator Mike Crapo were “allll aboard” using their political clout to force the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to purchase commuter locomotives from Motive Power. Turns out it is difficult to get the trains to leave the station with the faulty Boise-built engines. Here in-part is […]
Boise City Salaries Very Healthy
For the wealthy, it is “no big deal,” for the masses who either benefit or fall victim to the decisions of Boise’s mayor and council it is another example of the cost of living beyond their control. Sven Berg posted a revealing piece at the STATESMAN today detailing proposed pay hikes working their way through […]
Opponents Organize To Fight F-35
A standing-room-only crowd of about 80 citizens met Thursday night at Whitney School for a “discussion” about the proposed basing of the noisy F-35 fighter jet at Boise’s Gowen Field. With representatives from at least four neighborhood associations and a state legislator in attendance, the attendees voiced their concerns over the noise of the jets […]
Citizen Meet For F-35 Discussion Set
Henry Wiebe has once again called for a citizen meeting to discuss the F-35 noise issue. Thursday, Mar 30, 7:00 PM Whitney School 1609 S Owyhee St, Boise, ID 83705 (Owyhee and Nez Perce south of Overland) In case you don’t remember, Wiebe is the guy who brought a battery-powered drill to his last call […]
Council Defers $100K For F-35 PR Deal
Boise’s City Council deferred action on funding a PR campaign toy get the F-35 fighter jet based in Boise. Prior to the 6 p.m. Tuesday meeting the GUARDIAN learned the proposed resolution to spend up to $100,000 with a Washington, D.C. firm to attract the F-35 fighter to Boise had been put off until April […]
Boise City Ignores Citizens, Seeks $100,000 For F-35 Media Campaign
Ignoring the purchasing rules, Boise’s Team Dave has proposed an immediate approval of a $100,000 expenditure for a Washington, D.C. Public Relations firm to manipulate public sentiment in favor of the F-35 being based in Boise. The resolution, to be voted upon at Tuesday’s council meeting, says in part: “Section 2. That the Purchasing Regulations […]
Ada Taxpayers Could Take Hit In HP Deal
While it makes sense to consolidate State of Idaho offices in a single campus, Ada and Boise taxpayers will take a hit of at least $1.5 million per year in lost tax revenue currently paid by Hewlett Packard. HP built the 92-acre HP campus at 11311 W. Chinden Boulevard beginning in 1980. Current state code […]
Not Just Noise, F-35 Health Is In The Air
By Denise Seigart PhD, MS, RN, Wharton Fellow Resident of East Boise I believe the current debate regarding the placement of F35s here in Boise is focused on the wrong issue. The noise created by these jets will indeed be intolerable and damaging to physical and mental health, but I believe this is the least […]
City Railroads Trolley Plans
It’s like trying to stop a speeding train. Here is a letter from a Boise City engineer that went out to numerous local officials. Seems like after thousands of $$$ in surveys, promotional campaigns, and meetings the selected players ran out of objections to the “Trolley Folly” also known as “Desire Named Street Car.” Dear […]
F-35 Noise Issues Fall On Deaf ears
Gov. Butch Otter, with Boise Mayor Dave Bieter standing alongside, signed a bill Tuesday that will authorize expenditure of $100,000 in taxpayer funds to lobby on behalf of basing the admittedly noisy F-35 fighter in Boise. Stars & Stripes, the military newspaper in Japan, recently reported a Japanese court has awarded residents near Kadena AF […]
New Try At Community Journalism
We started the BOISE GUARDIAN as a news blog back in May of 2005. One of the motivating factors was the decline of newspapers nationwide and the drastic increase in government flaks, spokespersons, spin doctors, or other titled “information specialists.” We wanted to give readers a forum to air their opinions and provide “the other […]
Schools Suffer, Taxpayers Forced To Subsidize Developers
Recent events in Ada County serve to illustrate the plight of Idaho school districts and taxpayers who are forced to subsidize developers who suck money from the community, thanks to politicos who are blinded by promises of growth and jobs. PROGRESS! West Ada Schools, like all school districts, are prohibited by law from charging “impact […]
City Staff Real Estate Developer
Realizing there are potential pitfalls in reading internet sites, we offer the following info on the guy who claims on a LINKEDIN page to be one of the driving forces behind the recent proposal for a downtown baseball stadium, six hotels, and was recruited to use $500 million in city real estate to achieve city […]
Developer Seeks Welfare From Boise Citizens
Used to be developers planned their subdivisions around golf courses. These days, thanks to urban renewal, tax increment financing, special taxes like Auditorium Districts, and planning associations the developers have a virtual buffet of taxpayer-funded financing options surrounding sports stadiums. Such is the case with the plans revealed today in the STATESMAN by Sven Berg. […]
Local Schools, Governments Orchestrate Money Grab From Citizens
We feel like a tourist in a Paris subway full of pickpockets as we observe all the politicos in Boise after our cash. The local “community planning association,” (COMPASS) has been running paid commercials on radio claiming there is an annual $150,000,000 shortfall in transportation funding in Southwest Idaho. Probably more than a coincidence the […]
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