Category Archives: Idaho

Idaho, U.S.

East Idaho Wildfires 2012: More new fires on 11 July, fire near nuke reactor, Craters of the Moon

11 July 2012, yesterday’s Cox’s Well Fire, near Springfield (east of Craters of the Moon National Monument), is supposedly 100% contained, although the EIIFC website is still showing 70% containment. Lightning is blamed.

But now several other fires have sprung up, because of lightning. Reports said there was a fire southwest of Atomic City, and a fire near the EBR-1 nuclear reactor.

EBR-1, ancient nuclear reactor in the middle of nowhere eastern Idaho. Near Midway Fire, which started on 10 July.

New fires reported on 11 July, by the Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire Center (EIIFC), are;

Old Grade Fire: Near Arco, they expect to have it controlled by 20:00 hours.

Butte City #2 Fire: 186 acres, no estimate on containment.

Cedar Butte WSA Fire: 1,200 acres, no estimate on containment.

Knox Canyon Fire: 600 acres, no further info.

Smoke from Knox Canyon Fire. Pic taken about 8 miles south of Arimo, on the north side of the Malad Pass, facing west.

Rooster Rock Fire: Southwest of Pocatello, 2,500 acres, extra fire fighting help has been called in.

Power County Assist #2 Fire: Power County Fire Department on scene.

Massacre Fire: Southwest of American Falls, 475 acres, 3 buildings destroyed, now contained.

Air Tractor fire fighter takes off from Pocatello Airport, as Skycrane undergoes maintenance after a busy day, 11 July 2012.

There are still fires burning from days ago;

Midway Fire: Southeast of Experimental Breeder Reactor-1 (EBR-1). 5,000 acres, no estimation on containment.  Began 10 July.

Box Canyon Fire: 380 acres, 50% containment, northwest of EBR-1. Started 09 July.

 

 

 

Idaho, Technology

East Idaho Wildfires 2012: Sikorsky Skycrane leaves Pocatello Airport for Cox’s Well Fire

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Click on pics (by AAron B. Hutchins) to make them bigger:

Business/Economics, Idaho, International, Opinion, Technology, U.S.

Corporate & Government Incompetence: Hoku Corp “restructuring” code for going bust! Pocatello wasted hundreds of thousands on tax breaks! Hundreds of hoped for jobs down the drain! Who’s gonna buy those new homes now Mr Mayor?

On 05 July 2012, NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) ordered an end to trading of Hoku stock, pending “additional information”.

NASDAQ requires that companies traded in their exchange can not go below one U.S. dollar per share for a set period of time, or that company will be de-listed.  But Hoku Corp was guaranteed doom when, at the beginning of June, a “do not trade” warning was issued to investors!

Rumors are now rampant that Hoku will declare bankruptcy, but get a clue, when a company announces it’s “restructuring” it’s a real good chance that bankruptcy is close behind.

I’ve been following the slow motion Hoku Materials train wreck in Pocatello, Idaho, since day one.  This was because I learned that some of the board members of Hoku have a history of starting up corporations on paper, then folding them for technical reasons after selling off stock in the paper corps.

You can search my posts, but briefly; the city of Pocatello, and Bannock County, bent over backwards to get the company to settle in the area, including I believe a $200,000 property tax break on land which only cost $200,000.  This was unprecedented for Pocatello, because they had been actually running off businesses, and good paying jobs, because they (city officials) refused to make concessions (the big job loss that started the whole decline for the Pocatello/Chubbuck was refusing to give Union Pacific more land to make Pocatello UP’s new huge Pacific Northwest depot!) .

From day one of construction Hoku has failed to pay contractors on time, or at all! The big guy, JH Kelly, is now using legal action to seize the property!

Hoku was also consistently late paying their massive electric bills to Idaho Power.  At one point Tianwei New Energy Holdings announced at the end of 2011 that polysilicon production had begun, however, Idaho Power refused to provide the electricity because Hoku had not met its contractual obligations, so no production was ever started!

Hoku turned to Chinese companies to bail them out of their financial woes.  They became a subsidiary of Tianwei New Energy Holdings, which is an affiliate of China South Industries Group Corporation (CSGC).  All of Hoku Material’s contracts are with Chinese solar product companies hoping to increase their business in the United States.

The hopes of Chinese solar companies, and indirectly Hoku, were finally dashed because the Obama Administration imposed high tariffs on any Chinese made solar power product!

At least 120 of the 150 Hoku Materials employees were laid off, but the massive 50 football fields long polysilicon factory (built at the end of a dead end residential road, those people are not happy) was to employ several hundreds of people once it got up and running.  One year, I remember, in one of the monthly city of Chubbuck newsletters the incompetent mayor excitedly reminding people of the boom in home sales when the factory was finished. It was in response to residents questioning the allowing of new home developments, when the housing market was so bad.

So who’s gonna buy those new homes now Mr Mayor?

 SOLAR COMPANY HOKU CORPORATION STOCK now WORTHLESS 

Business/Economics, Idaho, International, Technology, U.S.

Economic Recovery? Japan’s Elpida gets owned by Idaho’s Micron! Take over of Taiwan’s Rexchip in the works. Expect higher prices for your gadgets!

“Under the proposed arrangement with Powerchip, if Micron entered into an agreement to acquire Elpida, Micron would have the right to purchase the Rexchip shares held by Powerchip.”-Dan Francisco, Micron Technology

03 July 2012, failed Japanese microchip maker, Elpida Memory, has agreed to become a subsidiary of Idaho’s Micron Technology.  Of course, the U.S. main stream media says it’ll be good for the U.S. economy.

Elpida was a major supplier to Apple.

The major move makes Idaho’s Micron one of three chip makers who’ll dominate 90% of the World’s memory chip market!  The other two are Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

In recent years the memory chip market got flooded with so many chips that the bottom fell out, and even Micron was adversely affected (once the biggest employer in the Boise, Idaho, not anymore).

The result was a dog eat dog situation between international chip makers.  In 2007, Pocatello, Idaho’s AMI Semiconductor (not necessarily memory chips, but the same thing happened with this industry) was taken over by Arizona based ON Semiconductor.  Following that ON went on to take over dozens of other companies right on up to February 2011.

“The DRAM industry is heading towards an oligopolistic market. The emergence of three major DRAM players will help DRAM chip prices gradually stabilize, bidding farewell to the price-slashing competition of the past.”-Trendforce, Taiwanese technology research company

So when market prices drop too low, when there are just too many chip makers out there, the only recourse is for companies to merge or be taken over. The result will reduce the amount of competition, and soon memory chip prices will rise making our high tech gadgets more expensive (of course people will lose their jobs as well).

Micron is also in the final stages of taking over Taiwan based Rexchip Electronics. The approval of the sale is conditional upon Micron’s take over of Elpida.  A company called Powerchip is selling its controling shares of Rexchip to Micron.  Already the price of Rexchip stocks has jumped 58% since 29 June!

“The deal will reduce price volatility as Micron will have tighter control over capacity expansion and investment plans as it needs to integrate Elpida and Rexchip.”-Song Myung-sub, HI Investment & Securities

The amazing thing about Micron’s take overs is that Micron has lost billions of dollars in the past couple of years. So where’d they get the money to initiate these take over moves?

 

Idaho, U.S.

Pocatello Charlotte Fire update: 100% contained, fireworks for 4th of July, seed for rebuilding community!

02 July 2012, the Charlotte Fire was declared 100% contained.  The Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire Center will turn control over to the city of Pocatello Fire Department at about 22:00 hours Monday night.

Pocatello city officials also lifted the fireworks ban, but only for 04 July 2012, and only from 12:00 hours to 00:00 hours.  Also, not every part of Pocatello is cleared for fireworks so check with police.  The city of next door Chubbuck has also lifted their fireworks ban for the 4th of July, from noon ’till midnight.

Bannock county has purchased $2,500 worth of grass and wildflower seed, to help affected residents start rebuilding their properties. Because the fire hit hilly areas, the seed will be needed to prevent mudslides and flash floods.  Contact Pocatello fire officials for details.

fire fighters call Pocatello a War Zone!

Idaho, U.S.

Boise, Idaho, fire fighters call Pocatello a War Zone! Charlotte and 10 Mile Pass fires still listed as active. New Marsing Fire. Fire agencies not reporting all fires!

“It’s always sad to come into an area that looks like a war zone, with so many homes that have been devastated.”-J.D. Ellis, Battalion Chief for Boise Fire Department

01 July 2012,  fire fighters from Boise, Idaho, commented on the Charlotte Fire in Pocatello (in southeastern Idaho), saying the geography and vegetation are quite different from what they’re used to in their area of the Gem State.

“It’s been kind of…a learning experience to evaluate the structures and see which ones survived and which ones didn’t survive and try to identify factors between the two.”-J.D. Ellis, Battalion Chief for Boise Fire Department

As of 01 July 2012, the Eastern Idaho Interagency fire map still shows three active fires in southeastern Idaho: Charlotte, Stockton and 10 Mile Fire.

Faint smoke from the 10 Mile Pass Fire, east of McCammon, Idaho, 29 June 2012, about 17:00 hours.

Charlotte Fire reported as burned 1,038 acres (420 hectares) contrary to what national agency reports say.  Stockton Fire is at 1,210 acres (489.6 hectares) and the 10 Mile Fire (aka Ten Mile Pass Fire) is at 1,188 acres (480.7 hectares).

28 June 2012, early stages of Stockton Fire, which actually started north of Banida, Idaho, despite what the media reports say. Farm equipment is blamed.

The 10 Mile Fire reportedly was caused by a agricultural controlled burn that got out-a-control.

28 June 2012, Charlotte Fire as viewed from south of McCammon, Idaho.

Near Boise, in western Idaho, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is fighting a fire that’s burned 1,500 acres (607 hectares) so far.  It started 30 June 2012, it’s southwest of Marsing, near Jump Creek Road.  Like the majority of fires in Idaho, officials believe it’s human caused.

I could not find the Marsing Fire listed on any interagency maps. The USDA Forest Service Active Fire Mapping Program lists only the Charlotte and Ten Mile Pass fires.

The National Interagency Fire Center is also days behind updating their fire reports.

On 01 July 2012, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned of “critical” fire conditions throughout the Pacific Northwest, due to extremely dry air and windy conditions. Humidity levels expected to be as low as 8%!

Idaho’s history includes some intense fire fighting years, starting with the 1910 Great Fire (aka Big Blowup or Big Burn), and then most recently the fires of 2007.  Some fire fighting ‘experts’ are already calling 2012 a record year for the numbers of fires in Idaho.

BLM officials are blaming the decades long drought. Lynn Ballard, southeastern Idaho USDA Forest Service official, says a lot of autumn vegetation (they like to call them “fuels”, which also applies to anything that burns) dried out during the dry winter.  With the snow melt and few rain storms during spring came more vegetation growth, but that dried out quickly.  The result is lots of tinder dry brush, and now we’ve got hot and extremely dry weather.

While the mainstream U.S. news media has been reporting lightning as the main causes of wildfires around the country, not so in Idaho.  The overwhelming majority of Idaho wildfires have been human caused, by accident or on purpose.

Federal officials say prior to 2003 most Idaho wildfires were caused by lightning, the increase of human causes they blame on ignorance: “There’s a multitude of things that can lead to a human caused fire, so people just need to be cognizant of the things that they’re doing, of things that have heat that…could start a fire.”– Lynn Ballard, USDA Forest Service

Charlotte Fire 80% contained. Vulture/desperate contractors already descending. 

 

Idaho, U.S.

Some examples of how hot & dry it is in southeastern Idaho

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Some people might think local officials are being a little too cautious with their control over who has access to the Charlotte Fire burn area, at the south end of  Pocatello.  But, it really is so dry out their that I wouldn’t be surprised if the cause of the fire was spontaneous combustion of tinder dry field grasses (I’ve seen it happen in hay stacks).

I recently got my city of Chubbuck, Idaho, water bill for 08 May 2012 to 05 June 2012.  It shows you what you used the previous year.  For the same time in 2011 I used 4,000 gallons (15,141.6 liters). Yet, for 2012 I used 13,000 gallons (49,210.35 liters), a 9,000 gallon increase!  And I was really trying to conserve, but I have a large yard with a victory garden and the amount of water I used in May was just barely enough to keep most plants from dying.

I have a pear tree and several plum trees, and for the first time in more than a decade they have no fruit!  My Golden Delicious apple tree has not even half the amount of fruit it normally does.

Two of my three grape vines returned to dormancy two months ago, and have only now started to come back, after tons of water was flooded onto them.  One of my two blackberry vines died.  My normally over productive raspberry vines are now struggling, with only two raspberries visible.

My huge decades old pine tree stopped dropping pine cones a month ago.  This is normal when you get into dry summer months, but since my pine tree is located in the middle of my back lawn it usually drops cones throughout summer because it gets enough water when I water the lawn.  This year I’ve been flooding sections of the lawn, including around the pine tree, due to how dry the grass is getting, and yet no pine cones.

By the way, lawn grass is the most inefficient plant on the planet, and yet our incompetent municipality leaders create laws forcing us to maintain a grass lawn, for the sake of property values!  And then they jack up our water/sewer/trash rates!!!

For example: In 1998 I swear I was paying a basic water/sewer/trash rate of $38.00 USD per month (not counting the per thousand gallon water charge). In 2010 it was more than $77.00.  Now, in 2012 the basic water/sewer/trash rate is more than $92.00!!!

Between 1998 and 2002 water conservation actually helped keep my water bill down, but at this point none of my water saving efforts are paying off, because the city has jacked up the basic services rate so high!  And you can’t conserve too much because then the city hits you with violation of beautification codes!

The city of Chubbuck actually has employees driving around neighborhoods in “code enforcement” vehicles, giving out warnings.  If warnings are not heeded the city brings in landscapers and sends you the bill.

Another sign of how hot and dry it is: Laundry.  I hang my laundry to dry outside in summer, it so hot/dry that a full load is dry within 20 minutes or less.  That’s much less time than if I used the dryer in the house.

How about southeast Idaho reservoir levels?

Devil Creek reservoir, north of Malad City, Idaho, off Interstate Highway 15, 29 June 2012. Two months ago it was full.

Deep Creek reservoir, east of Malad City, on Idaho State Highway 36, 29 June 2012. Two months ago it was full.

Idaho, U.S.

Pocatello Charlotte Fire update: 80% contained. Vulture/desperate contractors already descending. 19 fireworks cases despite ban! Respect for dead pets found in fire.

“Today is the day we are really going to attack this fire.”-Lorin Nielsen, Bannock County Sheriff

01 July 2012, Sunday morning press conference reporting 80% containment of Charlotte Fire, in Pocatello, Idaho.

Today is a critical weather day, a red flag warning is in place until 21:00 hours.  About 40 fire fighting trucks and 150 personnel are hoping to fully contain the fire by Monday morning.

The city of Pocatello, and Bannock County, banned fireworks, yet there were 19 fireworks case calls over night.  Police stated no tolerance was applied to those caught.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Pocatello residents with gas BBQs with lids can continue to use them.

Hot spots and flares up still occurring within the center of the burn area. There were problems in the Mink Creek area, but law enforcement has resumed escorting residents into that area.

State and local officials expressed concern over the number of looky loos trying to get into the burn area.  Also, construction contractors, who’re either vultures or just desperate for work, have already been pestering those people who’ve suffered lost or damaged property.  County officials are warning people of fraudulent contractors.

Fire fighters are reporting finding dead pets in the burn area, they are leaving them in place and covering them with towels.

Bannock County Humane society is giving away food for dogs and cats to victims of the fire.

Charlotte Fire 50% contained. No return home

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, International, Technology, U.S.

Global Class War: Hungary taxes potato chips last year, now adds cell phone calls! Nebraska already suffering with highest cell phone tax rate in United States!

In September 2011, Hungary joined several countries placing extra taxes on snacks like potato chips.  Full of crap western news media said it was an effort to fight obesity, but a recent Japanese report straight up said it was a way for the Hungarian government to raise more money to pay its out of control debts!

In May 2012, Hungary also passed an extra tax on cell phones calls!  It’s called the voice-traffic levy.  The Hungarian government hopes the new phone tax will create at least $133.6 million USD this year.

NHK (nippon housou kyoukai/Japan Broadcasting Corporation) reporting that Hungary was forced to create the extra tax under demands from the European Union.  But some people have switched to using smartphones which can make calls through the internet.  Hungarian officials did not tax internet based calls.

Here in the U.S. state of Idaho, groceries are already taxed.  It’s fun to watch people from out of state go into shock when they find out they have to pay tax on groceries.

Idahoans are not happy about the decades old grocery tax.  Political leaders have tried to throw us a bone by allowing a grocery credit on the end of year tax filings.  But woe to them that try to add extra taxes on snacky foods in the name of forcing us to be healthy, when in reality they just want to steal more of our increasingly limited money.

But wait, there’s more!  According to a 2011 Money article, Nebraska leads the U.S. with the highest cell phone tax rates!  Combined federal, state and local cell phone tax rates amounted to 23.69% in 2011!!!

Idaho’s state and local tax rate was 2.2% (not counting federal taxes).

“Cellphone users are overtaxed relative to consumers of other goods, and at risk of double taxation. Additionally, the wide number of taxing authorities and the wide variety in rates makes tracking problematic and burdensome.” -Joseph Henchman, Tax Foundation Director of State Projects

The reason this is class warfare is that these kinds of taxes do not affect the elitist wealthy, they target the overwhelming majority of citizens who are not rich!

Idaho, U.S.

Pocatello Charlotte Fire update: 50% contained. BBQ outlawed! No return home until Monday! Sunday critical weather day

“I’m still in shock from what happened. My home just seemed to vaporize.”-Suzanne Bielinski

Saturday morning, 30 June 2012, officials reported the Charlotte Fire 50% contained, with hopes for full containment by Sunday.  At least one building re-ignited overnight.

Officials think homes in the Johnny Creek area escaped damage.

Pocatello Police and Bannock County Sheriff’s deputies are escorting some residents back to their homes, however there’s been an increase of looky loos trying to sneak in by car, or even trying to hike in: “Please don’t make us start arresting people.”-Lorin Nielsen, Bannock County Sheriff

Not only are fireworks banned, in Pocatello, but so are outdoor BBQs.

People are reporting lost pets, but officials said it will be at least Monday before pet owners can check with Pocatello Animal Shelter.

 “I’m sorry that people lost their houses but we did the best we could. Every agency worked their guts out trying to save those houses, but we couldn’t save them all.”-Steve Hadley, Bannock County Commissioner

Friday, 29 June 2012, evacuees from the Charlotte Fire at the south end of Pocatello, Idaho, were told Monday would be the soonest they could enter the burn area.

Buildings the Charlotte Fire missed. Near Mink Creek, Johnny Creek and Gibson Jack areas Pocatello, Idaho, 29 June 2012.

Many people are wondering why such a delay in allowing residents back in, especially when it looks like the fire is out? Local officials insist there are still hot spots, and many downed power lines.  They are also concerned about weather conditions, as air temperatures are expected to be even hotter on Saturday and Sunday. Weather forecasts are calling for near record high temps.

Smoke still rising from Mink Creek, Johnny Creek and Gibson Jack areas, 29 June 2012.

The wind is also an unpredictable factor, as anyone who lives here can tell you.  Forecasts are calling for single digit wind speeds, but as temps rise so does the wind speed.  The winds are also finicky as to which way they like to blow, wait five minutes and wind’ll change direction.

Another reason is that more than a dozen investigators are trying to find out why the fire started.  They say they’ve determined the ignition point, but are still trying to figure out how it started.

At this point 66 homes were lost, along with 29 outbuildings (sheds, detached garages, barns, etc).  A rough estimate on the cost of damage to homes is $7.6 million USD.  There is still conflicting acreage reports.  Eastern Idaho Interagency Fire Center claims an estimated 1,038 acres burned, however, state and federal fire agencies say only 450 acres burned.

More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the Mink Creek, Johnny Creek and Gibson Jack areas.  Some roads around the burn area are open to residents only, who must prove they live there using identification such as Idaho drivers license.

Little Bird (Air Tractor 802F) water dropper ready for another run, Pocatello (Pokey) airport, 29 June 2012.

So far the cost to fight the Charlotte Fire has exceeded $1 million USD.  Despite some evacuees being a little upset about not being allowed back home ’till Monday, they applauded efforts to fight the fire.

Ex USN PV2 Neptune, now a water bomber operated by Neptune Aviation Service of Montana.

Charlotte Fire, 66 homes now destroyed