Tourism
Kiddie Drag Show Killed
Organizers of this weekend’s Gay Pride Festival have dropped the drag show for 11-18 year-olds from the schedule after seven sponsors, including the Idaho Health and Welfare, dropped their support. Controversy erupted after conservative groups, the Republican Party, and others complained about “the sexualization of children” in the planned kiddie drag show. “While the vast […]
Inflation Is Issue At Barber Park
Officials at Boise and Ada County are at odds over inflation at Barber Park. Not financial or taxes, but air pressure. Several Boise Councilors have had informal meets with Ada Commishes and County Park board members regarding the plug being pulled on free compressors three years ago at Barber Park. Boise contends tubers and rafters […]
Ada Parks: “Boise River Never Safe”
Ada County Parks Director Scott Koberg said in an internal e-mail to the County Commissioners Wednesday, “The Boise River is never ‘safe’,” after the commishes questioned news from the Boise Fire Department claiming 14 rescues–including four “life-saving events” in about five hours. Koberg noted the river float is always a, “float-at-your-own-risk” endeavor. Common sense prompted […]
Tired of Pandemic And Legislature? Try Eagles
We simply cannot join the throngs who report daily on the legislature and the pandemic repeating and repeating the same speculation. Better to soar with eagles… We took our annual drive Saturday to the “EAGLE TREE,” 120 miles east of Boise at WENDELL. The magnificent birds come every Christmas for about 40 days and roost […]
And The Survey Says…
About 6,000 Ada County residents responded to a survey from the county commishes regarding what to do with the Fair Grounds (EXPO Idaho). A whopping 84% wanted to leave the venue in its current location at Chinden and Glenwood. The survey offered three choices of suggested use of the 247 acres of public land. Respondents […]
Ada Commishes Nix Jail Plan
The GUARDIAN offers kudos to Ada Commishes Ryan Davidson and Rod Beck for not endorsing a plan by previous commissioners to subvert the Idaho Constitutional mandate to seek voter approval for debt to build a jail expansion. Margaret Carmel at BOISEDEV has a detailed account. Under former Commish Dianna Lachiondo, a plan was hatched to […]
Tourists Come See The Rusty Iron Trees
A pair of Idaho legislators have spawned a letter campaign by Boise City’s arts department to seek support for a move to kill House Bill 311. Introduced by Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger and Sen. Regina Bayer, HB 311 would require public art costing $25,000 or less be approved by a simple two-thirds majority vote from […]
GBAD To Hold Onto Cash, Ahlquist Asks City To Make “The Sky The Limit”
The Greater Boise Auditorium District held a special board meeting Tuesday in which they decided to hang onto their cash reserves until the COVID-19 and slow hotel and convention business did a “pivot.” This came in the wake of an attempt by Tommy Ahlquist and his Ball Ventures Ahlquist development firm to recruit GBAD to […]
GBAD Has Illegal Meet With Developer
Whether inadvertent or intentional, the Greater Boise Auditorium District met last week in executive session (citizens excluded) to hear a pitch from Tommy Ahlquist and Greenstone Properties for yet another attempt to get public money for a private development. This time they want to take the Expo Idaho (Fairgrounds) for condos and commercial development. Don […]
Idaho’s Well Trained Wildlife
The GUARDIAN took advantage of the sunny day Tuesday and made a wildlife viewing journey to Garden Valley. It has been a while since we visited the area in spring and we were surprised at the way the deer and elk have been trained by Idaho Fish and Game biologists. The two big game species […]
Ada Seeks Ideas For Fairgrounds Rebirth
Ada County Commishes met Wednesday and decided that “horse racing is out” at the fairgrounds. Details at IDAHOPRESS. The GUARDIAN has long advocated creating an agricultural-based historical park on the site which could serve as an educational destination venue. We will roll out our plan which so far has received no reception from past or […]
Horse Racing Reined In, Ag Park Potential Opens Up
The long touted GUARDIAN plans for an Idaho Agricultural HERITAGE PARK have new potential following the recent announcement by horse racing proponents opting out of their lease of Les Bois race track. Here is the official press release from Ada County:The Board of Ada County Commissioners (BOCC) received notice from Treasure Valley Racing on Friday, […]
Boise Preys On Auditorium Cash Reserves
The Greater Boise Auditorium District (GBAD) is awash in cash from the local hotel room tax and Boise City’s Team Dave is trying to get their hands on it. The City Council will discuss a scheme at Tuesday’s meeting that would allow them to sell the Grove Plaza and fountain for $8 to 10 million […]
Wildlife Conflicts Mount As Population Soars
Recent issues with wolves developing a taste for mutton and at least one grizzly bear in Eastern Idaho seems to like veal (he killed a calf), have Idaho wildlife managers caught in a bind. Historically, ranchers and settlers spent many years and bullets wiping out the predators to insure the safety of their flocks and […]
The GUARDIAN is Baaaack
The GUARDIAN has returned to duty and unfortunately we don’t have a lot of cheery news to report after covering 1300 miles of Idaho, Yellowstone, and vicinity. Great time spent with 14-year-old grandson and a chance to learn the addictive qualities of those “smart” phones. Amazing how fast and readily available information can be obtained. […]
Fast And Low Gowen Thunder
We haven’t heard anything official yet, but the dire predictions of massive crowds and potential traffic jams could easily have been similar to the eclipse hoopla…or just good planning. Even so, the Canadian Snowbirds and the USAF Thunderbirds roared around Boise Saturday drawing white hearts in the blue sky as they performed aerobatic feats over […]
NFL Rules Demand Honoring Anthem (Maybe)
Football is a game of rules. For instance if a ball carrier’s knee touches the ground, play stops at that point. Well…the GUARDIAN’s chief legal counsel examined the NFL Football League rules and came up with a rule on pages A62-63 of the official NFL rule book: “the National Anthem must be played prior to […]
Ratings Plummet For BSU TV Production
By DAVE FRAZIER, editor Blue turf and a dog chasing the kick-off tee only go so far when it comes to Boise State football. The GUARDIAN freely admits to a certain degree of apathy when it comes to being a citizen of the so-called “Bronco Nation.” It is nice when they win and the country […]
Free Life Vests At Cleaned Up Esther Pond
In a double dose of good news from Boise Parks, the water at Esther Simplot Park is safe for swimming at both ponds as of this morning AND a cooperative private-public effort has made life vests available. The GUARDIAN had called for lifeguards at Quinn’s Pond following the tragic drowning death of a young refugee […]
Boise’s Official F-35 Rhetoric Toned Down
Far from pulling the plug on F-35 support, we detected a “decreased volume” in the official City of Boise rhetoric following a visit by Mayor Dave Bieter and two city councilors to Hill Air Force Base in Utah this week. Morgan Boydston at KTVB interviewed Mike Journee, Team Dave’s mouthpiece who used phrases like, “…a […]
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