HOPE stands for Hemp Offers People Everything.
The first Idaho HOPE Fest will be at Julia Davis Park, Boise, on Sunday, September 25. The event runs from 10:00 to 20:00, with live entertainment, food and vendors with products made from hemp.
Tag Archives: idaho
United Police States of America: East Idaho cops burn $70,000 worth of Marijuana
What Economic Recovery? Hoku, Idaho, finally to start polysilicon production, but ongoing delays will cost solar company money
“We are positioned to bring the first 2,500 metric tons of manufacturing capacity online in the coming weeks, and we continue commissioning key systems on site.”-Scott Paul, CEO of Hoku Corporation
After years of continued promises of local hiring and construction delays, due to financial problems, Hoku claims it will finally start polysilicon production within weeks.
However, Idaho Power insists that Hoku pay up front for its electricity, Hoku officials claim they’ve already paid $5.3 million to the utility. This is just part of a long list of financial problems the wannabe polysilicon maker has had.
It’s ironic that a solar power “products and services” company must rely on an old fashioned electric utility to provide power to run their new 2,500 metric tons of polysilicon factory.
Hoku Corporation has already lost $10.2 million during the second quarter of 2011. The solar power products company is based in Hawaii. Their polysilicon Hoku Materials plant is located in Pocatello, Idaho.
Hoku has been getting financial help from a Chinese company; Tianwei New Energy Holdings.
Hoku salesmen oversold their company’s product, and now they’re scrambling to issue refunds, and offer discounts on existing contracts for waiting so long for their product.
All current orders for polysilcon are delayed, no thanks to the financial problems that have delayed construction of the Pocatello plant for the past couple of years. Expect Hoku to continue reporting losses as a result.
2010: HOKU TURNING TO CHINA TO HELP FINISH POCATELLO PLANT
What Economic Recovery? Idaho New & Used car sales drop nearly 20%
A survey by Cross Sell, and the Idaho Statesman, revealed that new and used car sales, in southwest Idaho, plunged in July 2011.
Southwest Idaho is supposedly doing better economically than eastern Idaho, yet new and used car sales declined. When compared year to year, sales dropped 14%. When you compare July 2011, to June 2011, the drop is 19%.
What Economic Recovery? East Idaho Salvation Army declares “food crisis”, 20% of Idaho kids going hungry as Idaho politicians slash and burn social services
“We’ve had an increase in requests for that type of service, and so our food supply is dwindling rapidly.”-Brenda Ames, Pocatello Salvation Army
A recent survey by Feeding America revealed that the economic situation in Idaho is much worse than elected leaders claim. At least 20% of Idaho kids do not know where their next meal is coming from.
“Children are aware that the parents are struggling to feed them. They don’t know if there is enough in the house for breakfast, enough food for dinner.”-Joye Jones, Idaho Food Bank Pocatello Branch
The problem is made worse by the facts that because more people are making less money, donations to food banks are down, and, the state of Idaho has been cutting federally funded social programs.
The state with the least food insecurity is also the state with the best economy; North Dakota with less than 12% of kids going hungry.
Idaho Wells Fargo customers hit by scam
East Idahoans are being hit with a phone scam. Someone claiming to be with Wells Fargo is telling them their “card is locked” and they need to give their card info over the phone to unlock it.
Local Wells Fargo officials say it’s called a “fishing” scam, and that you should deal directly with your local bank if there’s a possible problem with your card.
What Economic Recovery? One Idaho city wants to give itself a raise, taxpayers say Bull Crap! City does it anyway, increases property taxes!
The city of Chubbuck gave city employees a raise in salary and benefits, at the expense of property owners. Property taxes were increased 2%.
Residents had told city officials no way! Not when so many taxpayers have seen their incomes go down, and many don’t have health insurance.
One resident even suggested an end of year performance bonus for city employees. But that fell on the deaf ears of the city council, they ended up voting to increase property taxes.
There are several abandoned homes in the area I live in, the city has taken over lawn care because everything was dying. There are even more homes with ‘for sale’ and ‘for rent’ signs. How can the city justify increasing the property tax?!?
What Economic Recovery? Idaho slashes and burns social programs, yet can fork up $2.4 million for college bowl name?
The Idaho Potato Commission, a state taxpayer funded agency, has signed a $2.4 million deal, to rename the college football Humanitarian Bowl game. It will now be known as the “Famous Idaho Potato” Bowl.
Commission officials say they need to spend that kind of money to promote Idaho grown potatoes: “The bottom line, is that we believe we have negotiated a very favorable contract when compared to other similar bowls with similar national media coverage.”-Frank Muir, IPC President
United Police States of America: Idaho man accuses Oregon cop with Road Rage, cop threatened him with a gun, cop gets reasigned to a more violent police position
Idaho State Police confirmed that an off duty Oregon cop threatened an Idaho man in a case of Road Rage. The Portland, Oregon, police captain threatened the Idaho man with his gun.
Here’s the thing, ISP let the Oregon cop go! The Portland police said they assigned the gun happy police captain to a new job; the drugs and vice division!
What Economic Recovery? S & P’s downgrades Nevada & New Jersey, Idaho gets upgrade, more to come in November
“In our opinion, the longer-term deficit reduction framework adopted as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) could undermine the already fragile economic recovery and complicate aspects of state and local government fiscal management.”-Gabriel Petek, S&P’s
Standard & Poor’s has already downgraded the credit rating of Nevada, New Jersey and several U.S. counties, for 2011.
Many counties and cities got super downgrades, meaning credit rankings of triple B, or less. S&P’s says many local governments are in very bad shape fiscally.
Six states were actually upgraded. They are Idaho, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oregon, South Dakota and Louisiana. But only Wyoming and Nebraska made the triple A rating.
In a statement issued by S&P’s on August 18, they indicate more downgrades for state and local governments are coming. It’s all based on state budget plans, and what happens with the Federal Debt Limit Deal (Budget Control Act of 2011).
S&P’s will make more credit rating decisions in November.