Wednesday, January 7, 2009 00:05 MST
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Idaho Business News

IBRBad weather cancels PUC workshops on PacifiCorp rate hike in E. Idaho
(by IBR Staff @ 12:35 MST on 01/06)
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has cancelled a round of workshops on PacifiCorp’s application for an average 4 percent rate increase in eastern Idaho, citing bad and potentially worsening weather conditions.
Click to read more | Comments

IBRSen. Little named as lieutenant governor
(by Simon Shifrin @ 12:34 MST on 01/06)
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter named state Sen. Brad Little of Emmett as his pick for lieutenant governor this morning.
Click to read more | Comments

IBRM2E Power hires CEO
(by IBR Staff @ 11:26 MST on 01/06)
Boise-based renewable energy and design company M2E Power announced Jan. 5 that Eric Apfelbach has joined the company as president and CEO. Apfelbach, former president and CEO of Virent Energy Systems, Inc., will be responsible for leading M2E through future development, including the commercialization of its products.
Click to read more | Comments

IBRBoise to sweep away illegal signs
(by IBR Staff @ 11:00 MST on 01/06)
Next week Boise officials will begin cracking down on illegal signs. Illegal signs generally include unpermitted portable signs and banners attached to buildings or poles.
Click to read more | Comments (4)

IBRYear-end reports predict commercial R.E. market to stay tough
(by Brad Carlson @ 17:08 MST on 01/05)
Recently higher vacancy in commercial property is expected to persist in the Boise area, according to two new reports.
Click to read more | Comments (1)

IBRNIC offers streamlining workshops for biz owners in tough times
(by IBR Staff @ 12:58 MST on 01/05)
Coeur d’Alene-based North Idaho College will begin a nearly yearlong series of monthly business leadership workshops Jan. 6, 2009, focused on business owners who want to re-align or fine tune their firms.
Click to read more | Comments

IBRWells Fargo puts Idaho in different region
(by Brad Carlson @ 12:50 MST on 01/05)
Wells Fargo’s merger with Wachovia Corp. on Dec. 31 should be seamless for Idaho banking customers, but it realigns Wells Fargo’s Idaho operation into a different region.
Click to read more | Comments

IBRHagerman property owner receives EPA compliance order
(by IBR Staff @ 12:37 MST on 01/05)
Hagerman property owner John Shaw received a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act Compliance Order for unauthorized dredging and filling of the Snake River near his home, EPA said in a release last week.  
Click to read more | Comments (4)

IBRFernwood garnet mine to close temporarily
(by IBR Staff @ 17:31 MST on 01/02)
WGI Heavy Minerals has temporarily closed its Emerald Creek Garnet mine in Fernwood.
Click to read more | Comments

IBRPower outage hits parts of Boise
(by Brad Carlson @ 17:23 MST on 01/02)
A power outage Jan. 2 left more than 6,100 Idaho Power customers in Boise without power, published and broadcast reports said.
Click to read more | Comments (1)

National Business News

IBRNew Palm handset and OS coming on Thursday?
01/05 08:38 MST (www.pcworld.com)

IBRBorders Group reshuffles management, names new CEO
01/05 08:37 MST (CNNMoney.com)

IBRConstruction spending in the U.S. decreased 0.6% in November
01/05 08:35 MST (bloomberg.com)

IBRObama to replace Bill Richardson at Commerce Department
01/05 08:32 MST (www.bizjournals.com)

IBRPresident-elect Barack Obama eyes a $300 billion tax cut
01/05 08:30 MST (nydailynews.com)

IBRNow Apple's credibility really is in the balance
01/05 08:28 MST (news.cnet.com)

This Week's Edition
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For home or office delivery, click here

January 5th Edition...

After rate reduction, Idaho’s economy in wait-and-see mode
The Idaho economy stands to benefit from a recent drop in residential mortgage interest rates to record lows, market participants in the Boise area said.

MPC closes doors: Financing options failed for computer manufacturer
MPC Corp. announced last week it would permanently shut down and immediately lay off 147 employees.

MPC’s Yeros: Gateway acquisition was correct decision in spite of failure
MPC Corp. CEO John Yeros said he and other executives are not second guessing the company’s acquisition of Gateway’s professional computing division in October 2007, a move that in large part forced the company to shut down.

Click to read more from this week's paper

Biz Blog
01/05 10:18 MST

by Michael Tomlin

It is by all accounts 2009, the year of change we can believe in. The year of reaching across the aisle, and of bi-partisanship. This seems like a good year for bloggers to hone their efforts and post like adults.

Click to read more | Comments (7)

12/31 12:37 MST

by Michael Boss

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine forwarded a link to a report published by the Brookings Institution entitled Mountain Megas: America's Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper.

Click to read more | Comments (4)

12/30 07:12 MST

by Michael Tomlin

Idaho’s newest community college was created with great hope and enthusiasm by Treasure Valley voters. So far the return on investment has been pre-launch cuts, underperforming enrollment, thousands of dollars in wasted and just awful advertising, and a non-functioning embarrassment of a Web site.

Click to read more | Comments (60)

12/27 12:36 MST

by Robb Hicken

If you received a new computer, laptop or printer for Christmas, Computers for Kids and University of Phoenix Idaho Campus are making it easy to recycle your old one.

Click to read more | Comments

12/22 10:53 MST

by Michael Tomlin

President Elect Barack Obama’s pick of the Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration has already sparked controversy.

Click to read more | Comments (7)

12/18 11:09 MST

by Michael Boss

My first thought when I awoke on Monday morning was one that would surely please the editorial staff at Idaho Business Review: what the heck am I going to blog about this week?

Click to read more | Comments (22)

12/16 11:57 MST

by Michael Tomlin

I don’t like that our President was attacked, especially on foreign soil, by foreigners. But to the shoe thrower’s lament, his action demonstrates the difference between the culture of peaceful protest we pride ourselves in throughout the civilized West, and the car bombing, street shooting, suicide mass-killing, terrorist training, Molotov cocktail wielding, and now shoe throwing uncivilized tribal culture of Iraq, and frankly many very similar nations.

Click to read more | Comments (22)

12/11 16:05 MST

by Michael Boss

Back in my days as a semiconductor industry analyst, I developed a penchant for naming newsletters after rock songs. It was a harmless idiosyncrasy that actually began as a bet with another analyst (I won, by the way).

Click to read more | Comments (10)

12/08 10:01 MST

by Michael Tomlin

I know I am contributing to the problem and not the solution, but I’ve quit spending. In defiance of Barney Frank’s (Dem. MA) telling us to start spending to jump start the economy and re-create jobs, I’m cutting my losses and closing my wallet. And I am actually enjoying it.

Click to read more | Comments (20)

12/04 07:11 MST

by Michael Boss

In case you missed last Sunday’s Idaho Statesman, I heartily encourage you to go online and check out Anna Webb’s excellent story on Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity’s “green team.” 

Click to read more | Comments (4)

12/03 14:31 MST

by Simon Shifrin

Add two more restaurants to the list of downtown Boise eateries that have closed in recent months. City Grill and Tacabi Asian Grill and Sushi Bar, both on Eighth Street, each shut down this week.

Click to read more | Comments (20)

12/01 16:25 MST

by Michael Boss

Three times a year I have the great pleasure of writing the quarterly newsletter for one of my favorite local restaurants, the Brick Oven Bistro. I’ll give you a moment to reread the previous sentence just in case you missed the joke. Get it? Moving right along …

Click to read more | Comments (4)

11/30 21:27 MST

by Michael Tomlin

It is difficult to finesse in writing the difference between good business badly done, and bad business expertly performed. Lost still is the goal – good business, well done. Such are the options in discussing NCAA Division I Football and its quest for a national champion.

Click to read more | Comments

11/21 08:52 MST

by Michael Tomlin

It was not my first flight nor my first e-ticket purchase but United Airlines had me feeling like I was in that twilight zone of rookie travelers with no clue.

Click to read more | Comments (10)

11/20 10:20 MST

by Brad Carlson

Ed Morrison, keynote speaker at the Governor’s Workforce Summit Nov. 19-21 at Boise Centre on the Grove, opened his presentation by taking a break. He encouraged attendees to meet one new person, set up a longer meeting, and subsequently “close the triangle” by e-mailing an introduction and short bio.

Click to read more | Comments

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Idaho Business Events
     Current & upcoming events

Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Member Orientation
Jan. 7, 2009 - Chamber Offices - Lower Level, 250 S. 5th St., Boise - Wed. 07:30 AM

Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Boise Young Professionals Monthly Luncheon
Jan. 7, 2009 - Boise Chamber Offices (lower level), 250 S. 5th St., Boise - Wed. 11:30 AM

THE ABC’s of SBA LOANS
Jan. 7, 2009 - The U.S. Small Business Administration, 380 East Parkcenter Blvd., Suite 330, in Boise - Wed. 11:45 AM

View current & upcoming events in the Idaho community.

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