Constitution
Proposed Brew Pub In State-Owned Building Illegal As Planned
Looks like the Oregon based brew pub set to go into a state-owned Boise commercial building has been cut off, at least temporarily. BOISE WEEKLY‘s Andrew Crisp has a good explanation. The short version is existing state laws preclude brewers from owning retail outlets that import beer from other states and also selling retail. The […]
90% Of Priest Lake Cottage Leases Held By Non-Residents, 90% of Payette Sites Are Held By Idahoans
We got this note recently from a North Idaho reader following the Idaho Supreme Court decision which calls for open bidding on state owned cottage sites around North Idaho’s Priest Lake and Payette Lake near McCall. The Statesman and other media have reported frequently and rather sympathetically about lease rates being raised to a level closer […]
Thoughts On Movie Mass Murder Mania
Early reports of the tragedy in Aurora point to a deranged madman entering a theater during a Batman movie and opening fire on the audience. No indication of foreign terrorist involvement. –Sadly, one of the risks–and benefits–of living in a free society is people have access to guns and you can’t make every theater, retail […]
More On Supreme’s Cottage Lease Decision
A long history of protecting old Idaho families and ranchers from having to make competitive bids for state leases has been threatened by the recent Supreme Court decision over cottage leases on state land. The Idaho Land Board–comprised of statewide elected officers–administers state land through the Idaho Dept. of Lands as well as the endowment […]
Supremes Say Cottage Lease Law Unconstitutional
In a ruling released Friday the Idaho Supreme Court eliminated the “home field advantage” for cottage leaseholders on state land at Payette and Priest Lakes. We have to hand it to Attorney General Lawrence Wasden for suing his fellow land board members over the issue–a 1990 law giving current lessees priority for lease renewals. He […]
Should State Be In Business of Business?
Here is another opinion piece being presented at the Repub Convention at Twin Falls this week. Disclaimer: The GUARDIAN will gladly post rebuttals, comments, or other topical items from any other party or individual. By Bob Forrey The Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter, Sec. Of State Ben Ysursa, Supt. of […]
Early Voting Starts Monday In Ada
Rather than try to interpret the rules, we are posting the entire contents of a press release from Ada County Chief Election Officer Chris Rich. Early voting in Ada County will begin: · Monday, April 30, 2012 and will continue through Friday, May 11, 2012 · Hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm · Monday […]
Bad Legal Advice Leads To Bad Gov’t
A rash of bad legal advice and lack of transparency at the local level is taking its toll on local government budgets and preventing the “system” from having a chance to prove itself–leading some to question the democratic process. A few examples: –Boise county got bad advice about zoning a halfway house for troubled youth […]
House Panel Votes To Keep State Out Of Commercial Ventures
On a 15-1 vote The House Resources and Conservation Committee approved a measure Wednesday to prevent the state endowment fund from purchasing and running businesses. This is a practice the GUARDIAN revealed in 2010 when the Dept. of Lands went into the private storage business with the purchase of Affordable Storage in Boise. With an […]
U.S. Judge Rules Occupy Protest Is Legal, Tents Are Symbolic Statement
U.S. District Judge U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill ruled Monday the Occupy Boise tent city is a “political protest of income inequality.” Since it is a preliminary injunction, the decision is not final. The final hearing for decision will be made on March 2nd. The decision appears to block the state from removing tents on […]
Ball Park Bad Idea, Bieter Still Pitches It
Team Dave’s captain, Mayor Dave Bieter used the City Club of Boise Thursday as a forum to pitch a new public baseball park for private gain. We see it as another swing and a miss. At the same event, Bieter recruited the audience to seek petitions asking for a referendum to allow the city authority […]
PEACE OFFICER Trumps LAW ENFORCEMENT
(Disclaimder: GUARDIAN is in Thailand working on erratic WIFI, so this may be old news) When the legislature proposed a draconian law to clear the old courthouse lawn of Occupy Boise protesters, they included a clause that would classify their property as “litter” and destroy it. Both Boise’s Top Copper, Mike Masterson and Super Trooper […]
Supremes Refuse Republican Speaker Case
In a terse four sentence decision, the Idaho Supreme Court Wednesday dismissed a law suit filed by Idaho House Speaker Lawrence Denney and Republican party chair Norm Semanko over their attempt to fire members of the redistricting commission. Chief Justice Roger Burdick signed the order which said, in a nutshell, the parties seeking relief failed […]
Idaho Speaker’s Actions Open Him To Humiliation
The following is a lay opinion from the GUARDIAN. Idaho House Speaker Lawrence Denney’s decision to file legal action in the Idaho Supreme Court against Secretary of State Ben Ysursa will probably lead to political and personal humiliation. The speaker has overstepped his bounds in an effort to rid the redistricting commission of a member […]
Idaho Legislative Control May Be Worse Than Most Realize
Our sister blog, the CALDWELL GUARDIAN, has posted an interesting initiative from the neighboring state of Montana. Folks there are tired of the behavior of their legislators and seek to change the constitution to prevent legislators from changing or repealing laws passed by voters. We Idahoans have passed both term limits and a 1% property […]
Coppers Cope With Public Puffing
We haven’t weighed in on the anti-smoking fiasco within Boise bars and parks until the City Councilors passed a set of ordinances that will become law January 1. Now that it illegal to puff in public we wanted to hear from the coppers who will have to enforce the law. The GUARDIAN made an official […]
Meridian Sexting Ban Better Suited For Coppers
While well intentioned, a proposed “sexting policy” for the Meridian School District may be better suited for law enforcement. As written, the policy is constitutionally intrusive with potentially illegal searches into student telephones and communication devices. Rather than the following proposed policy, the District may be better served to have a simple policy stating, “If […]
Idaho Supremes Put Damper On Storm Drain “Fee,”Affirm GUARDIAN Assertion
Idaho’s Supreme Court ruled Monday that Lewiston overstepped its constitutional authority when the city levied a mandatory “fee” which is really a tax. The GUARDIANS (both Boise and Caldwell) were on the scam April 17 when we posted a sarcastic ANALYSIS of the attempt by Nampa’s Team Tom (Mayor Tom Dale) to slip a tax […]
Execution Will Put Idaho In National Spotlight
It would appear convicted Idaho death row inmate Paul Ezra Rhoades won’t be having Thanksgiving Dinner behind bars or anywhere else. He is scheduled to be executed November 18 following the issuance of two death warrants Wednesday by Seventh District Judge Jon J. Shindurling. Rhoades has exhausted all appeals and every court in the land […]
County Probation System May Be Unconstitutional
While the GUARDIAN has been concerned with allegations of fee overcharges and other irregularities in the Ada County Misdemeanor Probation system, we question why the county is even in the business of offering probation services–private or public. We have been advised of constitutional issues which should stop the practice in its tracks. In a nutshell […]
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