Stories

From the Idaho Secretary of State's website, here are the most recent numbers from yesterday's primaries and rodeo grounds bond election:

Also see attachment for an overview of the Hailey Rodeo Grounds Master Plan.

Blaine County

With 15 of 15 precincts reporting (includes absentee precincts where applicable).

Last updated May 26 2010 1:31AM

Hailey Rodeo Grounds Bond Election
  YES                    1,115
  NO                      449

The bond in Hailey to fund a covered ice arena and more passed. Michelle Stennett wins her primary and Judge Elgee retains his judgeship. See attachment for a presentation on the plans for the Rodeo grounds.

Check back for more details

Bald Mountain Lodge Waivers are Stimulus for Quick Construction Start

City Council members have voted to approve a major hotel project for downtown Ketchum, and have granted its developers $6.6 million in concessions to help jump start construction.  

To receive the incentives, Bald Mountain Lodge developers must apply for a building permit in 2011, start construction by June 2012 and open for business by January 1, 2015.  If those deadlines are met, developers will not be required to pay $2.67 million in employee-housing fees, $2.36 million for community housing, or $1.5 million for adjacent infrastructure improvements.

High Mark Investment, LLC, developers for the proposed Bald Mountain Lodge, asked officials to waive required community commitments claiming they created a financing burden.  After much consideration, City Council members agreed to the compromise, but stressed that the financial help disappears the longer developers wait to build.

If Bald Mountain applies for permits and... (more)

“Employment Enterprise Zone” Would Allow Expanded Uses With Larger Employee Base

(Ketchum, ID) -- The City wants to create an “Employment Enterprise Zone” for the Light Industrial Area of north Ketchum that would allow a variety of  businesses to locate there as long as they employ at least 25 fulltime workers and operate year round.  The new zone would also require that companies there be under single ownership, and meet community housing obligations within the City,

“We support this amendment to our Zoning Code because it will allow for more job opportunities within Ketchum,” according to Mayor Randy Hall.  “Importantly, it also keeps smaller businesses and professional offices within our downtown retail core which is important to the life of the City.”

The change would also support the economic strategy prepared in 2009 for all Blaine County cities via the organization Sustain Blaine.  Consultants challenged each city to identify areas  for potential business expansion beyond current... (more)

Have you received and filled out your 2010 Census questionnaire? If you receive your mail via a P.O. Box then probably not. The U.S. government, in it's infinite wisdom, did not send census questionnaires to any P.O. Boxes (see the following link for an explanation:  http://blogs.census.gov/2010census/ ). So, if you have not received a 2010 Census Questionnaire on the door of your abode and being counted is important to you - and you being counted is important to your community even if you do not feel that it is personally important - then you need to go over to one of the Atkinson's Markets, pick up and fill out the questionnaire and get it in the mail before April 12, 2010 so that you can have the satisfaction of not having to deal with the survey takers that will be knocking on doors after that date. For additional information please see the official U.S. Government link: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/

Blaine County Commissioners Monday Meeting

By Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter

Update: Embedded below is the Seattle radio interview the head of the Idaho Dept of Commerce did today. The interview starts around 4:15 into the audio. Among other items, he highlights that the state of Washington spends four times more per capita than Idaho.

It's true that a rising tide lifts all boats. But how those boats are handled makes a big difference when the tide is out and the waters get rough.

State governments across the country are dealing with the continuing national recession in different ways. In Idaho, our focus is on stability. Predictable tax and regulatory policies are what our employers need in order to maintain their operations through this rough patch, and it's what employers elsewhere are looking for when they consider expanding or relocating.

Other states, however, have chosen some interesting and in my view counterproductive approaches. Last month, for example, Oregon voters approved their legislature's decision to raise taxes on the wealthy and on many... (more)

Legislative Update
Week 7
February 22 – February 26

Today the Senate took up Senate Bill 1353, the Freedom of Conscience for Health Care Professionals Act.  This bill allows any licensed health care provider to exempt themselves from services they find morally or religiously objectionable.  While physicians already retain this ability to withhold treatment, Idaho law does not extend this power to some health care professionals.  Proponents of the legislation argued that the conscience of pharmacists and nurses must be respected regarding the use of emergency contraception and similar divisive issues.  Senate Bill 1353 goes well beyond contraceptives; the overly broad language of this legislation allows for health care professionals to recuse themselves from any procedure they find objectionable.  Additionally, practitioners are not required to inform their patients about the existence of those medications or procedures – infringing on the rights of patients to make informed decisions about... (more)

One of the nation's best-known Western leaders will be in Boise next month to address the annual banquet named in honor of the Idaho's greatest U.S. Senator.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) will be the featured speaker at the 2010 Frank Church Banquet, the annual gala hosted by the Idaho Democratic Party. This year's event is February 27 at the Boise Centre.

"It's an honor to speak with fellow Democrats about the values important to the West," Tester said.  "We have a lot to be proud of, and we have a lot of work to do together.  I look forward to visiting Idaho and talking about the challenges and opportunities we face as westerners--from job creation to renewable energy development to bringing common sense back to Washington, D.C."

Tester agreed to attend the event at the request of Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick, a fellow Western Democrat who has also championed the renewal of agriculture as a core issue within the Democratic Party.

"I grew up on a dryland farm, so I have a lot of respect... (more)

Legislative Update
Week 2
January 18 – January 22

Greetings from Idaho’s Statehouse!  The Legislature has spent two weeks in the newly restored people’s house and the dust is finally starting to settle.  With the expansion of the Capitol, there is room for large public participation in committee hearings, access to the Senate and House Chambers, and added space for legislators and their staff.  Earlier this week five strikingly diverse groups utilized the renovations and rallied all on the same day, without incident.  The beginnings of this year’s session look like we will be using every new space to its fullest as we balance the state budget, while providing the quality services Idahoans expect.

Every Idaho citizen has felt the effects of these economic difficulties and the Legislature, along with the Governor, continues to grapple with the financial situation the state finds itself in.  At the beginning of the session the Governor presented his State of the State... (more)

Legislative Update
Week 3
January 25 – January 29

Work at the Statehouse has started to become as normalized as law-making can be.  A rhythm has developed as the renovated Capitol has grown more familiar to its residents.  As Idahoans are focused the happenings in this building, and especially on the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee (the budget writing committee), many are wondering when budget decisions will begin to be made for schools, social services and programs like Idaho Public Television.  By law, JFAC must first hear the budget presentations of the various departments and agencies of the state.  The target date to finish these hearings is Friday, February 19.  For those of you interested in when specific presentations will be made, JFAC’s tentative agenda can be viewed at http://legislature.idaho.gov/budget/JFAC/BudgetHearing.pdf .  If you are waiting to see what cuts will be made where, you’ll have some time to contact your legislators and members... (more)

How funny.  The Blaine County Commissioners have recently decided that residents can’t possibly be subjected to looking at small residential wind turbines producing clean energy at the same time Idaho Power is requesting to build distribution transmission lines in the same view corridor.  Unfortunately those transmission lines, unlike the wind turbines, can’t produce any more power than is available at the substation. 

 What Blaine County should really be focusing on is the very real possibility of rolling blackouts coming up in the next few years irregardless of a redundant distribution line.  One only has to look at Idaho Power’s own 2009 Integrated Resource Planning document on their website www.idahopower.com to see what a pickle Idaho Power is in. “ 8. Planning Criteria and Portfolio Selection Peak Hour Planning  Figure 8.4 illustrates considerable peak-hour deficits reaching in excess of 500 MW by 2012, and continuing to grow through the remainder of... (more)

On January 11, 2010, Governor Butch Otter delivered his State of the State address to the newly convened legislative session.  His news was not good for the students who represent the future of our state and the future of our country.  In the face of lagging revenues the Governor made the first ever mid-year cut to public education in Idaho.  This cut was on top of approximately a 5% holdback to education last year (the first cut to an annual education budget in memory) and a predicted holdback of approximately 8-10% for the upcoming 2010/2011 budget.  These numbers leave most school districts in Idaho wondering how to pay the bills.

The Governor’s answer?  Let school districts borrow against their next year’s budgets.  Yes, if districts do not have the money to get through the third dramatic cut to education in less than two years they may simply borrow the money from the government and pay it back... (more)

PRESS RELEASE   DECEMBER 22, 2009

New Group Will Advise County Commission on Replacement Airport

(Hailey) - Five experienced Blaine County residents with diverse business and management backgrounds have been selected by the Board of Blaine County Commissioners to advise on the financing, design and construction of a replacement airport for Friedman Memorial Airport located in Hailey Idaho.  

The members of The Blaine County Airport Advisory Committee (BCAAC) were chosen from among 17 applicants and the new board members were selected following two different rounds of interviews by different panels.

“We are very pleased with this group of highly talented people and appreciate the widespread interest shown in serving on this important panel,” said Blaine County Commissioner Tom Bowman, who also serves as Chairman of the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority Board.  “This group is anxious to get started and we anticipate they will be quick studies.  The mission of this... (more)