Politics
Eagle Candidates Cautioned On Use Of City Trademark
A concerned citizen in Eagle sent us the following message that was sent to candidates for city offices: Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 Candidates should be aware that the image of the eagle with the starburst behind it, that is used on the City of Eagle entry signage and the arch above Eagle Road is […]
Cunningham “Taken To Woodshed,” Educated By Bieter
Long time Boise Schools administrator and City Council candidate Mike Cunningham got a political education recently and the instructor was Mayor Dave Bieter. Bieter had stayed out of the race for the vacant city council seat, but when Cunningham opined at a neighborhood association meeting that Boise City should not have increased the budget 1.5% […]
Ada Commish Says “Good Ol’ Boys” Pervade County
We posted a little story earlier about alleged GENDER BIAS at the Boise Public Library to give folks to confirm or deny morale and personnel problems at the City. Some readers responded with comments, but the gangbuster was a damning comment from Ada Commish Sharon Ullman revealing what she claims is a county workplace that […]
Commish Ullman Talks Probation Issues
By Sharon Ullman. Ada County Commissioner Ada County is gearing up to take over the provision of misdemeanor probation services at the end of this contract term, which is September 30, 2012. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to call or write to my Board to express your concerns and frustrations with […]
Libya Has History In Idaho Politics
Moammar Gadhafi once had ties to Idaho when politicos stood in line to sign deals with the Libyan strongman who was in power during the Frank Church tenure as chairman of the U.S. Senate foreign relations committee. The GUARDIAN editor worked on assignment for the New York TIMES during the circus-like atmosphere when a delegation […]
Ada Commishes Approve Probation Contract On 2-1 Vote
Despite a class action lawsuit, legal questions about the constitutionality of county operated misdemeanor probation and numerous complaints, Ada County Commishes voted to approve a 12 month contract extension with the private for-profit Ada County Misdemeanor Probation Services, Inc. The outfit is run by Nancy Cladis and has been subject of numerous complaints and online […]
“Paper or Plastic?” Goes To Polls In Hailey
The question of “paper or plastic” will be answered by voters at the polls in Hailey November 8 when they cast their ballots on a proposed ordinance banning plastic bags. The issue got on the local ballot due to the efforts of the Wood River High school environmental club, W.A.T.E.R. (We Appreciate The Earth’s Resources). […]
More Questionable Spending By Politicos
The DAILY PAPER ran a good page one story Sunday detailing questionable spending by the Idaho Water Users on behalf of its director who is running for mayor of Eagle. The short version is the nonprofit group which represents water users (mostly irrigation customers) has acted as banker on behalf of the group’s executive director, […]
Gateway West Power Line Will Dominate Future News Of The West
GUARDIAN editor Dave Frazier toured the coal fields of Wyoming this summer as part of the day job at his DRFPHOTO.COM His observations in photos and words. ALL PHOTOS AND TEXT COPYRIGHT DAVID R. FRAZIER It falls under the name of “Gateway West, but the issue is electricity, who wants it, who can sell it, […]
Otter’s NY TIMES Spoof Could Generate Idaho Fame
NEW YORK TIMES columnist Gail Collins has named Idaho Guv Butch for the second time in two weeks as a man she would like to see as a presidential candidate. The Statesman’s political scribe, DAN POPKEY has piggy-backed on Collins’ piece and got an official spokesman statement that Butch is perfectly happy commuting from Star […]
Nancy Cladis Responds To Probation Concerns
Following a series of mostly negative comments posted by GUARDIAN readers, Nancy Cladis has responded in her own words. The most revealing statement is her intention to retire in a year and turn over the private, for-profit misdemeanor probation program to Ada County operation and control. Her statement: Wow, I had no idea there were […]
Private Probation Pressures Offenders
This disturbing comment was sent to the GUARDIAN Friday by an admitted lawbreaker who claims he is being pressured by his private probation officer to support the for profit program. “So I was asked by my probation officer today to fill out this card asking if I wanted supervised probation to be run by a […]
McGee, Other Legislators Pad Expenses
John Miller of Boise’s Associated Press bureau posted an interesting piece today about legislators who get paid for having a residence in Boise during the session, but live within 50 miles of the Capitol. Senator John McGee, famed for recently surviving a DUI crash, avoiding auto theft charges, and terrorist attack in Turkey apparently collects […]
Eagle Council Wants Greenbelt Open To Bikes In G.C.
In a move that may be a wave of the future, yet another local government has joined the will of the people. The Citizens for an Open Greenbelt (COG) made its case to the Eagle City Council on Tuesday, seeking to get the Greenbelt opened to bikes in the Garden City stretch currently blocked to […]
Idaho Legislative Turkey Trot Redux
We previously questioned the propriety of a visit to Turkey by no less than 10 Idaho legislators and their spouses recently–especially after finding it was funded mostly by the Pacifica Institute, an organization with a less than stellar reputation on Google. More thought prompts the following questions: #1–Would the legislature appropriate funds to send 10 […]
Labrador’s Humble Life Without Dishwasher
Idaho Congressman Raul LAbrador spoke to the City Club of Boise Tuesday, centering his speech on the economic woes of the USA. He was actually somewhat conciliatory in tone and refrained from much of the partisan bashing we have all come to expect in politics. He painted a picture of dire economic consequences if the […]
Debt, Economy, Just A credit Card Thing
A GUARDIAN reader sent us this economic “comparison” which may be a bit simplistic, but it certainly puts not only our economic woes in perspective, but illustrates why so many Americans don’t see a problem. • U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000 • Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000 • New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000 • National debt: $14,271,000,000,000 • Recent […]
Legislators Have No Business In Turkey
Whenever states enter into the international arena of business and diplomacy you can figure there is something wrong with the plan. The local news outlets played it pretty straight yesterday when news was received that a delegation of Idaho legislators and their spouses was safe following a terrorist blast in Ankara, Turkey. This was nothing […]
Chamber Wants YOU To Pay While Business Gets Tax Breaks
The Idaho Chamber Alliance met in Meridian this week to plan how to influence the legislature. The Chamber of Commerce is a private special interest lobbying group–not officially connected with government. The alliance consists of 21 chambers of commerce from across Idaho, including Boise Metro, Eagle, Garden City, Gem County, Kuna, Meridian and Nampa. Their […]
Jobless Woes Persist, Government Can’t Fix
By DAVID R. FRAZIER, editor BOISE GUARDIAN We visited a “job fair” recently, but rather than an arena full of employers recruiting workers, we found countless private and public educational institutions vying to take the last nickel from the pockets of the unemployed through assorted training offers. There were several charitable organizations seeking volunteers, verterans […]
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