Category Archives: Idaho

Business/Economics, Idaho

New Pocatello School Builds Character with Baseball

A new business in Pocatello wants to help your kids become all they can be, using the sport of baseball.

Sandlot Baseball & Softball Academy, located in the Westwood Mall, in Pocatello, opened a week ago, and is taking new students now.

The Sandlot website states: “Our programs are designed to help parents create successful, dedicated and respectful children by reinforcing positive values in our unique baseball/softball setting.”

Sandlot Academy, Pocatello, Idaho.

According to the website, the academy’s training fields are indoors, so no weather worries (www.sandlotacademies.com).

Mike Wise, owner of the Pocatello Sandlot Academy, said they are closed during school hours, but are open 4:30pm-9:00pm (check with Mike), so “…swing on by.”.  Mike’s contact info is on the Sandlot website.

The Westwood Mall is off Garrett Way, in Pocatello.

Business/Economics, Idaho

Pocatello Big Lots! In time for Halloween.

Despite store closings in Pocatello, Idaho, a new store is opening just in time for Halloween.

Big Lots! Pocatello, Idaho.

Big Lots! is located where the Rite Aid used to be, on 1000 Pocatello Creek Road, in the Foothill Plaza Shopping Center, right next to the WINCO grocery store.

Pocatello, Idaho.

Big Lots! is one of the country’s largest closeout stores.  Because of the nature of their business their inventory changes a lot, but bargain hunters love it.  Big Lots! is set to open October 28th.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Lies, Lies and More Lies. Snidely the Illegal Forecloser Returns.

When the scandals of arbitrary home foreclosures were revealed, it was reported by some news sources to involve only people who missed payments (money.cnn.com).  Lies!

I have seen several reports where homes were foreclosed with no payments missed. In one example, a man paid cash for his home, no payments to make, and Bank of America foreclosed his home (www.sun-sentinel.com).  A foreclosure attorney admitted that mistakes “happen all the time”, and that they just aren’t reported.

Here’s some info to cause concern.  Those foreclosure fiasco cases are only being reported in states that require a court process to complete.  Almost half of the states do not require a court process, including Idaho (where I live) and California (where most of my relatives live).  The problem is, that the same financial Snidelys that are illegally foreclosing on people, in the states requiring Judicial Process, are also operating in the states with Non Judicial Process.  If you are getting unfairly foreclosed on you can do an internet search under ‘fighting foreclosure’.  You’ll probably have to hire an attorney anyway.

Here’s some data (updated October 12th, 2010) on the number of foreclosed homes for sale in selected Idaho counties.  Ada: 885.  Bonner: 342.  Bonneville: 85.  Twin Falls: 76.  Bannock: 38. (www.foreclosuredataonline.com)

Idaho’s foreclosure numbers may not seem like much, but compare Idaho’s  population of 1.5 million people, to California’s nearly 37 million (U.S. Census Bureau). According to a Bloomberg.com article, Idaho’s foreclosure rate increased 822% in the second quarter of 2010.  How many of those are bogus/illegal?  We’re seeing the return of the melodramatic bad guy, a Snidely who loves to foreclose the homes of little old ladies and ruin families.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Mental Health Decrease = Violent Crime Increase

A recent story in the Idaho State Journal showed that a random shooting, that took place at the end of September, may be linked to the state of Idaho ending health care coverage for people with certain mental disorders.

On September 27th, a man was shot outside a Pocatello, Idaho, coffee shop. He nearly died after losing 40% of his blood.  The shooter was a man who had not been on his mental health meds because the state cut off the funding.  The article showed there are other instances of violent behavior since the cuts took place.  One man, in court after assaulting his own house and car, was “suggested” by the local judge to get control of his mental problem (findarticles.com).  Hello? Isn’t that part of a ‘mental’ health problem?  They can’t control it without outside help, and many of them are not in a position pay for it.

This year Idaho lawmakers claim they saved taxpayers $9 million by cutting the mental health budget.  They also said, earlier in the year, that only people with private insurance would be dropped from state assistance.  Yet, I’ve read several recent articles that say, in actuality people without any insurance have been cut.  To give you an example of how insensitive lawmakers are; according to an article in the Idaho Statesman, State Representative Ken Andrus, a Republican from Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, said he considers the Pocatello shooting, by a man dropped from state help, to be an isolated case (www.idahostatesman.com).

Several mental health care professionals, here in Eastern Idaho, are warning that this is just the beginning of bad things to come.  The family of the shooting victim are outraged.

This reminds me of the Federal cuts for mental health care, pushed by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.  Instead of saving money, it cost more money in the long run, because of increased incarcerations, and lawsuits, due to resulting violent crime by people who were pushed onto the streets, and, went off their meds.  The difference between then and now is that then the government was trying to save money.  Now, there is no money.  The results will be the same.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Idaho’s New Privatized Medicaid. Patient Care Falls, Company Profits Up.

“…Americans will not stand for privatization of the nation’s most successful programs.” This is what a critic of President Bush Jr. said back in 2007, regarding the privatization of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. I think the critic is uninformed because many states have already privatized some or most of their Medicaid programs. And there is plenty of evidence that shows it is not successful, at least for the recipients.

Idaho is one of the states leading the country in radical reforms to it’s Medicaid program. On June 7th, 2010, they contracted out the medical payment program of Medicaid to a California company called Molina. Payments were expected to restart July 1st. The Idaho Medical Association says some providers have been paid for only 1% of what they billed (yes, one percent). A small number of providers have been overpaid, to the sum of $1 million. Most health care providers get a message stating “pending hold”. At the same time, Molina is reporting a net income of $10.6 million for the 2nd quarter of this year. $5 million of that coming from their Medicaid unit, know as Molina Medicaid Solutions.

Idaho had another contractor running Medicaid payments, for 30 years. Then the state decided to get a new contractor, one that could provide more flexible technology. Is that new lingo for cutting services?

Molina initially blamed the payment issue on it’s computer program, but, then in August, said it was because they were understaffed. The state is also being blamed by some critics for intentionally holding back claims until the Molina takeover.

Some providers say they’re getting the “pending hold” message because Molina’s program is designed to take care of people with secondary insurance first. Patients with no secondary insurance seem to be stuck in limbo under Molina’s system.

The Idaho government shares some of the blame, of course. On top of hiring the new contractor, the state wants to cut Medicaid funding by $22 million. I can’t help think that the cuts have something to do with this Medicaid payment fiasco.

Now, Idaho has contracted out the dental care program of Medicaid. The contractor, DentaQuest, has been given the green light to cut 150-200 providers from the program (in Idaho that’s a lot). The changes go into affect on November 1st. Several East Idaho dentists said it could force people with serious dental problems into hospital emergency rooms. Also, according to Dr. Justin Bell of Idaho Falls, DentaQuest is reducing compensation to .30 cents for every dollar of care. Dr. Bell thinks this will force dentists to stop taking Medicaid.

Here’s a couple of questions: If Americans don’t want privatized Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security, where is the protest?

Also, what’s the use of the Federal Health Care Reforms if states are making up their own reforms?

Idaho, Opinion

Vote Local, Screw National!

Elections are coming up. Local, state and national. Which elections affect you the most? Local of course! Those City and County buffoo… officials affect your day to day life directly. Your State Legislature also has a direct impact on your life.

The Federal Congressional gang does impact us, but indirectly, by coming up with Federal domestic (national) laws, policies and regulations. Then there’s the  President of the United States. He can plead with the Congress, and then sign into law, or reject by veto, anything Congress sends his way. Meaning his impact is as indirect as the Congress. The President’s true authority is in Foreign Affairs, not in Domestic Policy.

So why do so many people in the U.S. vote during presidential elections, and so few vote during non-presidential elections?  Here’s some statistics from the most recent General Elections: 2008 presidential elections saw 56.8% voter turnout, compared to 2006 non-presidential elections of only 37.1% (www.infoplease.com). In fact, since 1970 voter turnout for non-presidential elections has remained stuck in the upper 30% range.

Those stats are the average for the whole country. How about locally? Here in Bannock County, Idaho, in the May 2010 Primary Elections only 22.97% of registered voters voted (www.co.bannock.id.us).  Hopefully many more people will vote in the up coming General Elections.

I hope it’s more than the 2006 non-presidential General Elections. In that year the state wide voter turnout in Idaho was in the 40% range (elections.gmu.edu). You might think that’s not bad, but compare that to the 50-60% range for the 2008 presidential elections (elections.gmu.edu). I’d like to see 60% turnout in general non-presidential, local elections.

Stop putting your hope into the Congress and the President of the United States! Send a big message to Washington D.C. by putting your voting power where it will have direct impact on your home state and your hometown. Lets see huge turnouts for local elections!

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Food Crisis: Idaho Hit by Crop Diseases


This afternoon, after a long awaited rain finally hit (possibly redeeming local weather forecasters), I discovered that my small plot of maize is suffering from an infestation of Smut. In researching this Smut I discovered that Idaho grain farmers are facing a new disease potentially more harmful, because it is attacking wheat & barely as well as corn.

Smut infected corn kernel. Some South Americans eat this.

Smut is a common corn fungus. It looks almost like the maize had been popped right in the husk. It’s nasty looking, the puffed corn kernels turning black as the fungus progresses. According to some sources, South Americans like to eat the young Smut galls as a delicacy.

I’ve grown maize for several years now, changing the location in my backyard field every year, but I’ve never had this problem. Turns out that weather plays a big role in the growth of Maize Smut. The weather factors are; cooler than normal temperatures, and dryer than normal conditions during the growing season (ipm.illinois.edu). That’s exactly what we’ve had this year in South East Idaho.

Maize Smut, Chubbuck, Idaho.

This is no problem, corn Smut shouldn’t cause a food crisis. But, in my research I discovered that, for the first time, the Pacific Northwest is being hit by a crop disease that attacks maize, wheat & barely. Earlier this year it was discovered in the Magic Valley of Idaho.

It is a type of Fusarium (not associated with Corn Smut), a fungus that is common in soil, but this particular version is dangerous to crops, and people. The Soviet Union actually developed a strain of Fusarium into a biological weapon during the Cold War (en.wikipedia.org).

According to the University of Idaho, Idaho is getting hit with this strain because of increased corn production (thank you ethanol). After the maize is harvested, Fusarium hangs around in the soil, attacking any wheat or barley planted in the same field. The U of I recommends not planting other grain crops in the same field that corn was grown. Also, plow under the field and spray with fungicides. As with Smut, cooler than normal temperatures promote Fusarium growth. (www.capitalpress.com)

Just one more concern over the coming food crisis.

Idaho, Opinion

Red Cross Hummers. Why?

Brand new Red Cross Hummer seen in the Fred Meyer parking lot in Pocatello, Idaho.

General Motors has been donating Hummers to the American Red Cross since 2004, along with a lot of cash ($100,000 in 2004). GM claims the vehicles help with disaster response. I can see the Hummer H1 as practical for this, but the H2 & H3 are among the most impractical  SUVs out there.

Why not deck out one of GMs big four door 4×4 pickups with all kinds of rescue gear, that would be more practical. Are the H2s & H3s meant for rescuing the upper class in style?

This is just another example of the lack of wisdom in our corporate leadership. Oh, but wait, I bet GM got a huge tax write off for doing this. A tax write off for an expensive vehicle that was seeing declining domestic sales (a little more than 9,000 in 2009 compared to almost 56,000 in 2007). Oh, isn’t General Motors the company that got bailed out by U.S. taxpayers (yes, they did pay it back, at least on paper).

Here’s better news; the Hummers aren’t even made anymore. The Chinese government rejected plans to buy Hummer, and GM officially ceased production this year (apparently the last Hummer H3 left the production plant in May 2010).

So the question now is; is GM going to continue to donate vehicles to the American Red Cross, or was it just a way to write off their unsold Hummers? If they do give the ARC more vehicles I hope they choose a more practical truck.

Idaho, Technology

Plastic Grocery Bags, Recycle Them!

Ok, I was watching a local East Idaho TV news program. They ran a national story about getting sick from reusable grocery bags. What got me was in their intro to the story they said that plastic grocery bags just ended up in the landfill. Well not if you recycle them!

When plastic grocery bags first went into use one of the main selling points is that they are recyclable, and therefore will not fill up landfills. The reason they end up in your local dump is because shoppers are not bringing them back to the stores to be recycled.

The Walmart in Chubbuck has bins for dropping off your old plastic grocery bags. So does the Fred Meyer in Pocatello. I believe you can recycle them at your local WINCO. If you’re not sure go ask someone at the Customer Service counter at your favorite store. Just make sure your bags aren’t covered in schmutz.

Why spend money on reusable grocery bags, that they now say may be germ factories, when you can use free plastic grocery bags THAT ARE 100% RECYCLABLE? Please don’t throw them in the trash!

And guess what, it’s not just plastic grocery bags you can recycle. Bread bags, cereal box liner bags & more. Here’s a website for more info on plastic bag recycling: www.plasticbagrecycling.org

Idaho, Technology

No Glass or Styrofoam Recycling in SE Idaho?

Today I was dropping off my recyclables at the dumpsters next to Pocatello City Hall, when a city employee told me I was wasting my time dropping off the glass and styrofoam. He said the glass and styrofoam dumpster went straight to the landfill.

This is not the first time I’ve heard this. Many years ago the folks at the local Pacific Steel & Recycling told me the same thing. Well, I’ve had lots of arguments over the years with residents (and even my kids argued with some of their grade school teachers) who believe that you can recycle glass and styrofoam locally. After the City of Pocatello labeled a small dumpster for glass and styrofoam I thought, maybe I was wrong. Nope, the city employee confirmed that the glass and styrofoam is not recycled. His reason was the same reason Pacific Steel & Recycling gave me years ago; no local south eastern Idaho glass or styrofoam recyclers/manufacturers, and it is too expensive to ship out of the area. It’s just thrown in the local landfill.

I decided to double check this, and sure enough, looking at the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality website (www.deq.idaho.gov), there are no glass or styrofoam recyclers in south eastern Idaho. The nearest Eastern Idaho recycler taking glass is in the City of Driggs, in Teton County, which is about 125 miles northwest of where I live. There are glass recyclers in North Central Idaho, Central Idaho, Western Idaho, Southern Idaho and Northern Idaho, but not in the south eastern part of Eastern Idaho (and only the one in all of Eastern Idaho). Most recycled glass, in the areas of Idaho that do recycle it, end up being used in road projects.

The DEQ website lists Adams County (on the west side of Idaho) as a styrofoam recycler, but, when I checked their web site I couldn’t find any mention of styrofoam recycling (www.co.adams.id.us). It looks like there’s no styrofoam recycling anywhere in Idaho.

So why did the City of Pocatello label a recycling dumpster for glass and styrofoam? The city employee said they got tired of people throwing glass and styrofoam into the dumpsters labeled for cardboard, plastic or aluminum & tin (even though there’s numerous signage asking people not to). So they simply grabbed a small dumpster and labeled it for glass and styrofoam, and haul it to the dump when it’s full.