“Buck Stops Here,” But Only Briefly

We obtained a “body cam” segment from Idaho Fish and Game’s John McLain, a conservation officer in Idaho County. It didn’t take an official public records request for this law enforcement video. It had a happy ending after McLain encountered a deer entangled in baling twine in August. Upon seeing McLain, the buck panicked, but […]

Foothills Levy Nothing But A Slush Fund

Question: Shall the City of Boise City, Idaho protect clean water and drinking water, wildlife habitat, critical open space, and native plant species, and enhance recreation opportunities and trails through the establishment of a fund from a temporary override levy enabling the purchase of property and improvement projects in areas such as the Boise Foothills […]

Vista Neighbors And Noisy Jet Fighters

Sentiments over the Air Guard mission at Gowen field are heating up and it looks like officialdom has pretty much made up its mind. Here is a letter from the Vista Neighborhood Pres. He asked the GUARDIAN to share it. The Boise airport has been engaged in a Airport Noise Study since early summer. Few […]

More Chatter On Airport Noise

The meeting of mostly irate homeowners last week over the Boise Airport Noise Survey has caused the city to offer another chance for residents to sound off. The GUARDIAN has followed the issue, both from a practical and political standpoint. It appears the Air Guard and City leaders are in favor of basing high performance […]

Eclipse Leaves Moon In The Dark

Sunday was a perfect night for getting out and howling at the moon. We didn’t hear much howling, but there were plenty of folks watching the so-called “super moon” lunar eclipse. The GUARDIAN made the obligatory image and shared binoculars and telescope views with folks along one of the Federal Way turnouts. The atmosphere was […]

NW Smoke Settles In Boise

Epic Soda Fire Facts

The biggest wildfire in the continental USA is raging out of control in Owyhee County along a 40 mile wide line of flames visible at night from more than 50 miles away. Based on the size of the area burned–219,000 acres–the fire would be equivalent of a charred area from Detroit to Chicago a mile […]

“Scorched Earth” Policy Could Raise BOI Dust Cloud

A pilot contacted the GUARDIAN today, claiming last night’s dust storm at the airport was probably caused by recent removal of grass and vegetation along the runways. Seems that in an effort to eliminate gophers, ground squirrels and the birds that prey upon the little critters officials at BOI scraped the area along the runways […]

Shift In Winds Could Mean Smoke In Boise

GUARDIAN reader John Kangas sent us these photos of the 30,000 acre Soda fire burning in Owyhee County Tuesday evening at sunset. Kangas said if there is any shift in the wind, it could mean massive smoke settling into the Boise Valley. He noted the winds are currently out of the south, but a shift […]

World Social Media Ablaze Over ISU Staffer “Huntress”

Social media is ablaze with comments over a series of posts and tweets featuring an Idaho “huntress” who is shown posing with a series of dead African game animals, in the wake of the controversy ignited by the death of “Cecil the lion.” While we don’t know if the images are really of Sabrina Corgatelli, […]

How Do You Get Help At City Hall?

The following is a message we receive all too often from GUARDIAN readers who are at wit’s end when it comes to help from City Hall where the standard line is “You have to file a written complaint.” What ever happened to enforcing the law? DEAR GUARDIAN– Please direct me to someone I can talk […]

Circus vs Zoo Debate Sparks Passion

When we posted the previous story (scroll down) we were intrigued that Boise City Councilor TJ Thomson opposed the exhibition of animals in the circus, so we asked about his position on the captive critters at Zoo Boise. Thomson offered an explanation of his feelings about the circus vs the zoo. A careful read shows […]

“No Circus Animals,” What About Zoo Boise?

In a Boise WEEKLY story, Boise City Councilor TJ Thomson and Meridian Councilor Genesis Milam were said to add their voices to the “loud call to end the public exhibition of exotic animals in Idaho.” The politicos jumped on the anti-circus animal band wagon during the recent run of the Shrine Circus at the Century […]

City-Wide Conservation Areas Worth The Price

It is gratifying to see Mayor Dave Bieter and his “Team Dave” field a proposal based on a GUARDIAN suggestion. We join other conservation groups with our tentative support of his new plan for a two year “conservation” serial levy. Protecting open spaces throughout the city for wildlife and recreation is a worthy cause. We […]

Health Inspections For Racing Cows, Pigs, Goats, Sheep, and Deer

We got an urgent press release Tuesday from the Idaho (horse) Racing Commission warning of a virus in the racing industry. In light of the “instant racing, historic gambling, video slot machines,” which the legislature repealed and the Guv vetoed we immediately concluded there was a computer problem. Not so. In a document worthy of […]

Bike Nazi Endorses Bieter Bikes

Guest Opinion by BIKEBOY GUARDIAN bike Nazi A bike share – just like in the Big City! – is on the horizon, here in li’l ol’ Boise! The honchos are predicting that by the end of April, 114 shareable bikes will be available at 15 stations, scattered around the city center, north end, and BSU […]

EPA: “Neptune, Gateway Parks Violate EPA Asbestos Rules”

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has found Ryan Neptune and his Gateway Parks LLC in violation of the “National Emission Standard For Asbestos.” The EPA has issued a compliance order for demolition of the old Lazy J Tavern site owned by Neptune on Old Highway 55 adjacent to the Eagle Gateway Park. The order […]

Tough Sledding At Eagle Snow Park

The operator of Eagle’s Snow Park on Old Highway 55 is facing a meltdown of sorts. Ryan Neptune is facing a lawsuit claiming he has not repaid loans from Scott and Amelia Carter amounting to $226,000 in principal and interest. Neptune also purchased the old Lazy J tavern property next to the Gateway Park (snow […]

Plenty of Wolves Says Idaho F&G Director

BY VIRGIL MOORE Director Idaho Fish and Game It’s important for state agencies to understand and respect differing points of view. But when a few advocacy groups try to grab headlines by skewing Idaho Fish and Game scientific wolf monitoring data in ways that simply aren’t true, it’s also important to set the record straight. […]

Rotary Club of East Boise Adopts Table Rock

After eight years of the GUARDIAN promoting improvements at Table Rock, it looks like a group of Rotarians is about to succeed where we failed. The Rotary Club of East Boise has “adopted” the icon of Boise as a clean up project beginning with an anti-grafitti effort on the huge concrete bench which provides spectacular […]