Tag Archives: hoku

Idaho’s Bridge to Nowhere?

“…already aware that our property taxes are among the highest in Idaho, I am increasingly wary of the wisdom of Northgate.”

27 July 2019 (02:51 UTC-07 Tango 06) 05 Mordad 1398/24 Dhu l-Qa’da 1440/25 Xin-Wei 4717

Bannock County-City of Chubbuck-City of Pocatello, Idaho, are home to numerous taxpayer sapping ‘white elephant’ projects, from Hoku to the latest Siphon Road-Interstate 15 connector (bridge to nowhere)/Northgate District.

Realize that Siphon Road only exists in Chubbuck, and doesn’t extend to Interstate 15, which means Chubbuck tax-fee payers are paying for the road’s extension to I-15.  (Massive taxpayer funded development in Chubbuck involves construction of up to 1,200 homes)

(Chubbuck plans to create an additional three taxpayer funded parks)

The tax-fee payers of Pocatello are paying for the annexation of farmland to the north of the northeast side of the city, and will also be paying for the creation of a Northgate District, as well as a road that will connect to the Pocatello side of I-15.  (Pocatello imposes  Northgate Tax Incremental Financing district on cash strapped residents)

(Pocatello taxpayers extorted for $750-thousand for Northgate roads project)

(Pocatello councilman partnering with developer to build Northgate retirement community)

State tax-fee payers are funding the I-15 to Siphon Road connection bridge (to nowhere?).

(State investigators says Pocatello’s water plan for Northgate falls short)

The following pics were taken 14JUL2019:

“Hoku and now Northgate are ample evidence for the proposition that few elected local officials have any facility for investigation, professional planning or even seeing the future for what it is.”

Storm clouds forming over yet another White Elephant for taxpayers?

All that farmland going to be torn up to build homes for…nobody?

Looking south along I-15, from the Pocatello side of where the Siphon Road-I-15 connector bridge is being built.

Looking towards Chubbuck, the Sun is already setting on the Bridge to Nowhere.

Chubbuck spent tax dollars putting in an intersection where Siphon Road ended, it’s now overgrown with weeds and you can hear the pedestrian crossing signals beeping in the wind.

This is the new part of Siphon Road, in Chubbuck, which still doesn’t go anywhere. The Road Closed sign has been run-over numerous times.

“He’s as blind as he can be
Just sees what he wants to see….

…….Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody”-The Beatles, Nowhere Man

Bannock County scams: 609 hearings later, Bannock County is left with 2,188 unheard property assessment appeals on morning of deadline

State Attorney General’s Office investigating work of former Bannock County contracted property appraiser

Local appraiser files breach of contract lawsuit against Bannock County

Water-gate, 2019: The city of Pocatello has reached a $4.5 million settlement to a class-action lawsuit for assessing illegal fees on its water, sewer and sanitation services from 2005 into Fiscal Year 2014.

Chubbuck 2017: NO MORE XMAS LIGHTS? THE TRUTH ABOUT GENTRIFICATION

Bannock County, Chubbuck & Pocatello shenanigans, June 2016: Governor declares economy has “RISEN FROM THE ASHES”

School District 25 also screws over local taxpayers: Pocatello High renovations Raises Questions About Public Input from taxpayers

yet again school district embroiled in a controversy involving a hungry student seeking food

school cafeteria worker who says she was fired for giving a hungry student a free lunch was previously convicted of theft charges in 2013.

In March of 1969 Chris Murphy was called to the office of Mr. Evans, the vice-principal of Highland High School in Pocatello, and told to get his hair cut; Murphy refused and was suspended. The district was sued.

PaveGate 2015: POCATELLO TAXPAYERS ASKED TO CLEAN UP THEIR OWN STREETS, WHILE PAYING MORE TAXES!

Promises of jobs, July 2015:  Pocatello administrators have revealed their hyped up deal to bring a major employer to Pocatello Regional Airport is dead.

Main stream news reports on the never ending taxpayer sucking White Elephant called Hoku;

East Idaho News, 2018: “There was no action taken on the Hoku property. They entered into an executive session where they discussed a number of different things and unfortunately as much as I wish I could, I cannot speak about or respond to anything, disclose anything that happened in the executive session.”-Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad

Idaho State Journal, 2018: Two years later, lease with Indian company amounts to nothing for abandoned Hoku 

New York Times, 2013: “So what if the company wanted breaks and concessions? The decision by the city [Pocatello] to buy the land and lease it back almost free seemed like a bargain at $1.4 million…”

Read the history of the Hoku saga starting with this report (the Blind Bat News reports go back to 2010):

 IDAHO’S FAILED HOKU LEADS TO 1ST CHINESE COMPANY TO DEFAULT ON LOAN PAYMENTS

In this report, which chronicles the destruction of iconic Green T, the mayor of Chubbuck boasts it’s “…the beginning of some real good things coming in.”: POPEYES QUIETLY SHUTS DOWN FOUR IDAHO RESTAURANTS!

IDAHO’S DOCUMENTED ECONOMIC DESTRUCTION FOR 2017: “CLOSED INDEFINITELY”

Hoku-Gate, PaveGate now Amy’s-Gate!  It’s been revealed that Bannock County administrators were under investigation by the Idaho Tax Commission over massive local tax breaks given to California based frozen veggie food maker Amy’s Kitchen.

MORE ECONOMIC DECLINE: EAST IDAHOANS OBLIVIOUS TO SHUTDOWN OF THEIR ONLY POSTAL PROCESSING CENTER!

MORE ECONOMIC DECLINE: IDAHO POLITICIANS GIVE AWAY MORE THAN $1-MILLION IN IDAHO TAXES, TO FRANCE!

EXCEPTIONAL FAILED STATE: IDAHO POLITICIANS GIVE AWAY TENS OF MILLIONS TO COMPANIES THAT SHUT DOWN!

Amy’s-Gate: Mormon leaders of Idaho keep screwing over taxpayers!

13 August 2015 (08:30 UTC-07 Tango 01)/22 Mordad 1394/27 Shawwal 1436/29 Jia-Shen 4713

Hoku-Gate, PaveGate now Amy’s-Gate!  It’s been revealed that the Mormon dominated Bannock County administrators were under investigation by the Idaho Tax Commission over massive local tax breaks given to California based frozen veggie food maker Amy’s Kitchen.

At the end of 2014 Amy’s Kitchen took over the abandoned Heinz frozen food factory in Pocatello, but it came at a price to individual taxpayers.

Amy’s Kitchen is already getting a big state tax break called the Tax Reimbursement Incentive, but the county of Bannock also threw in their own local tax incentives, which could have violated state Law 63-602NN.

According to the Idaho State Journal “All four Idaho Tax Commissioners were at the Bannock County Courthouse Tuesday to get answers about the county commissioners granting of a 5-year tax break to Amy’s Kitchen as an incentive to the company last year that cut its county tax liability by about 75 percent.”   Apparently the issue was settled between state administrators, Bannock County and the cities of Chubbuck and Pocatello behind closed doors, so all us happy taxpayers will never know what went down.

No wonder the family owners of Amy’s Kitchen were so happy to take over the old Heinz factory.  With all the massive taxpayer funded tax breaks our exalted leaders give away to foreign companies (both outside Idaho and outside the United States), they could have used that money to create programs to help unemployed Idahoans start their own Idaho based corporations!  Or how about a much needed medical university in Pocatello?  A study done years ago said the state university system could make money hand over fist if that happened, and Idaho State University’s enrollment would explode, but for some reason Mormon dominated state Department of Edumacation (Education) administrators put the kibosh on that real fast (for some unjustified reason).

Pokey Pavegate fallout: Taxpayers asked to clean up their own streets, while paying more taxes! 

Conservative Idaho jacks up taxes!

Idaho Falls to submit to Obama regime Courts! Under the False Flag of “saving taxes”! 

the unemployed are leaving the Gem State!

Idaho politicians give away more than $18-million in Idaho taxes, to out-o-state lawyers!

Idaho politicians give away more than $1-million in Idaho taxes, to France! 

One Idaho city wants to give itself a raise, taxpayers say Bull Crap! City does it anyway! 

Bannock County, Idaho, jacks up property taxes on farmers by 90%!

Related:  NSA paying Mormons big bucks to guard data centers!

Sears & Kmart closings: Catholics, Mormons & Jews conspiring or is it just about the money? 

Mormon security company Vivint is facing sanctions by 11 states, as well as a class action lawsuit, for fraudulent and deceptive practices! 

Utah militiamen spreading Mormonism in Afghanistan?

Mormon takeover attempt and federal investigation causing newspaper layoffs? 

Mormon Mitt Romney co-founded Bain Capital destroying jobs since 1984! Destroyed jobs in Idaho! 

More Economic Decline: Idaho’s failed Hoku leads to 1st Chinese company to default on loan payments? Evidence of economic warfare by United States?

22 April 2015 (10:19 UTC-07 Tango 01)/02 Ordibehesht 1394/03 Rajab 1436/04 Geng Chen (3rd month) 4713

“Our company suffered huge losses in 2014…..Our company has lost financing ability and suffered from a capital shortage. We can’t raise enough money to repay interest, despite all the efforts we have made.”-Baoding Tianwei

For the first time a government controlled Chinese company has defaulted on a massive loan.  Tianwei says it can’t even make the interest payment of 85.5-million yuan ($13.8-million USD)!

If you’ve followed my reports on the failed polysilicon factory in Pocatello, Idaho, then you’d know that Tianwei became the default owner of the troubled Hoku Materials plant, by becoming the only financier of the operation.

Hoku Materials (originally owned by Hoku of Hawaii) was to produce polysilicon for use in solar power products.  The Chinese solar power industry was happy to get involved, but in 2013 market prices for polysilicon hit record lows, then “…the Obama administration jacked up tariffs so high on Chinese polysilicon companies that it wasn’t worth it to do business in the U.S.”

Was the increase in tariffs by the Obama regime, which finally killed the Hoku Materials factory in Idaho, nothing more than economic warfare against China?

Tianwei operates a group of companies known as China South Industries Group, Tianwei Group, Tianwei USA, Tianwei Solution and Baoding Tianwei Solar Firms.

More Economic Decline: New owner of Pocatello’s Polysilicon factory gives up

More Economic Decline: New owner of Pocatello’s Polysilicon factory gives up, starts chopping up the former Hoku Materials factory!

17 April 2015 (15:57 UTC-07 Tango 01)/27 Farvardin 1394/28 Jumada t-Tania 1436/29 Geng Chen 4713

“We did a worldwide marketing effort to sell the plant. We obviously wanted to find a user.  It’s a damn shame!”-Mark Fleischauer,  JH Kelly senior vice president, Idaho State Journal interview

After a little more than a year, the winning bidder for the failed Hoku Polysilicon Materials factory has given up trying to find an operator, and is now chopping up and selling off the factory bit by bit.

JH Kelly is the contractor hired by Hoku to build the factory in Pocatello, Idaho.  Hawaii based Hoku failed to pay JH Kelly about $25-million USD for the work, and then JH Kelly spent their own $8.3-million buying the failed factory (which was valued at $700-million).

The entire Hoku Materials story is an example of optimistic thinking run wild, involving local and state administrators basically giving away the land for the factory, to company administrators failing to understand the polysilicon market and becoming financially dependent on Chinese sources of money, which was finally ended when the president of the United States imposed heavy tariffs on products tied to Chinese solar power companies.

Read More about the Hoku Materials saga, beginning with: Unpaid contractor is winning bidder for abandoned Hoku….again! 

More Economic Decline: Idaho politicians give away more than $1-million in Idaho taxes, to France!

12 February 2014 (14:43 UTC-07 Tango)/11 Rabi ‘ath-Thani 1435/23 Bahman 1392/13 Bing-Yin (1st month) 4712

Time and time again, Idaho’s ‘elected’ officials (the same ones who keep getting re-elected for more than a decade now) give away the taxes paid by struggling Idahoan’s in the hopes of creating jobs.  Most of the time the efforts fail, big.

This time, at least $1-million USD in tax breaks and straight up cash in their pockets is being given to a company called Materne North America.  Materne North America is controlled by Materne, a fruit products company based in France.  (it’s known for its GoGoSqueeze products in the U.S.)

Politicians are hoping Materne will operate a $85-million apple sauce factory in Nampa.

The Idaho Department of Commerce revealed they are giving Materne $350-thousand to help with renovations of the abandoned Micron computer chip factory.

The Idaho Department of Labor is giving Materne $500-thousand to train up the new employees.

Canyon County is giving Materne a five year exemption from paying local property taxes.

An unnamed city official admitted that the city of Nampa is waving more than $100-thousand in permit fees.

Talk to the people of Pocatello and Chubbuck (in Bannock County) about what happened when their ‘elected’ officials threw away millions to help a now defunct company called Hoku Materials.   Here’s an idea; if the government of the state of Idaho is so willing to spend big taxpayer bucks on attracting foreign companies to set up shop in the Gem State, then why not create state run enterprises instead?

More pleas for help from Idaho company that wants to save Pocatello’s Hoku polysilicon factory! 1-thousand new jobs to be created?

23 November 2013 (18:09 UTC-07 Tango 22 November 2013)/19 Muharram 1435/02 Azar 1392/21 Gui-Hai (10th month) 4711

The following was sent by Francis W Kreais III of JCF Funding:

Gordon Jenkins has been working closely with Francis Kreais who is the founder and CEO of JCF Funding-who has been the front man for Arco Hills Silica Company making this deal work.

Gordon Jenkins is the president of Arco Hills Silica Company. This company owns some very large and very pure silica located in Butte County, Idaho. (About 20 Billion tons) When we heard of the bankruptcy auction of Hoku, we became extremely interested in acquiring that polysilicon plant because it fits in so well with what we are trying to do with our silica mine located near Arco Idaho.

We plan to purchase the entire plant at this upcoming auction because it would make it possible for us to go into operation without having to build our own processing plant. We also would benefit the local community because we would not only bring back the some 160 jobs related to the shutting down of the Hoku plant, but at least another 500 to 1000 jobs related to the development of our silica mine and related to the companies that are willing to move their plants out here to Idaho just so they can decrease the transportation costs of hauling the silica back to where they are already located.

Contact Francis W Kreais III at [email protected] to express your support!

Read More about the Hoku Materials saga:

JH Kelley blocked by federal court

Economic Decline: JH Kelley blocked by federal court, Hoku auction done in violation of court order! Proof the property will be broken up, into more than 1-thousand lots!

19 November 2013 (13:24 UTC-07 Tango)/15 Muharram 1435/28 Aban 1392/17 Gui-Hai (10th month) 4711

When it rains…..

The auction of Pocatello, Idaho’s White Elephant, Hoku Materials factory was ruled in violation of federal court rules.   JH Kelley made a high bid after the piecemeal and bulk auctions ended.

Judge Jim Pappas also pointed out that the massive property was split up into 1364 lots, and that all but 300 lots were bid on.   That’s interesting because after the auction JH Kelley stated they would help Pocatello “…attract a new user to the property…”

The judge will set a date for a new auction.

Idaho politicians give away tens of millions to companies that shut down! 

Hoku factory bought by construction contractor

What Economic Recovery? 700 million+ dollar white elephant for sale in Idaho! I’ve been warning you!

11 October 2013 (16:48 UTC-07 Tango)/06 Dhu’l-Hijja 1434/19 Mehr 1391/07 Ren-Xu (9th month) 4711

It’s now official; Idaho’s Hoku Materials polysilicon factory is now up for auction, in whole or in part, without ever making one production run.

The “bulk or piecemeal” auction runs for 24 hours, beginning on 23 October 2013.  Visit www.hgpauction.com for more info (under In Progress and Upcoming Sales) .

I’ve been following this disaster for years, here’s more on the demise of Hoku Materials:

Idaho Falls company needs your support…

Idaho Electric rates going up, blame the demise of Pocatello’s Hoku silicone factory!

Capitalist Commodity Markets to blame for Pocatello’s Hoku Polysilicon near abandonment!

Idaho Falls company needs your support to bring Pocatello’s Hoku polysilicon factory back from the dead!

07 August 2013/30 Ramadan 1434/16 Mordad 1391/01 Geng-Shen (7th month) 4711

The following was sent to me by the President of Arco Hills Silica Company:

I am a participant in a company that is considering strongly to purchase the Hoku Property and Plant for the purpose of continuing the operation of the plant (with some major improvements-the real problem with this plant is that because of poor management the plant was not competitive ($40.00 plus per kilo). This plant can be modified and placed into production where it would be making a profit at $20.00 per kilo. There are major changes that need to be done, but with the completion of our funding, those changes can and will be done, thereby saving 200 jobs in the Pocatello area and by additional features and similar industries that are willing to come to Idaho to gain access to the Silica and Silica-related products that would add several hundred other new jobs to the community. This will also bring back some major manufacturing that in the past was shipped to China an other third-world nations because of cheap labor. The real problem was that the United State Business Leaders forgot how important it is for this country to maintain a “manufacturing base” here in the United States by being creative and competitive by using technology to compete. Instead to earn the “quick buck” from the benefit of cheap labor, the majority of companies sold their souls (and all their technology secrets) to China and other countries that offered cheap labor. I am convinced we can be friends with China and can still be competitive. That is why our company, Arco Hills Silica Company (an Idaho Mining Company that owns deposits of over 20 billion tons of some of the purest silica in the world) is joining with Francis Kreais of JCF Funding from Henderson, Nevada (702) 994-1102 to attempt to prevent the Hoku factory from being sold to be dismantled and scrapped by it prior operating company. We know what has to be done to decrease the costs to make Hoku competitive and are presently seeking to make an offer to the Bankruptcy Court to pursue that opportunity. IF THERE ARE OTHERS OUT THERE WHO BELIEVE THAT THE UNITED STATES NEEDS TO RETURN TO BEING A MANUFACTURING COUNTRY WHO USES TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT CHEAP THIRD WORLD COMPANY’S CHEAP LABOR, AND IS WILL[ing] TO SUPPORT AND ASSIST IN THIS CAUSE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME OR FRANCIS KREAIS OF JCF FUNDING ([email protected]) AND LET’S GET OUR HEADS OUT OF OUR ” ***** ” AND START MAKING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WHAT IS SHOULD AND COULD BE WITH A STRONG TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED COMPETITIVE MANUFACTURING BASE.[!]

‘THANKS FOR LETTING ME “SPEAK MY PIECE” AND AT LEAST MAKE A RALLYING CRY TO ATTEMPT TO SAVE A NATION THAT OUR CONGRESS AND PRESIDENT HAVE GIVEN UP ON.”

SINCERELY,
GORDON W. JENKINS, PRESIDENT
ARCO HILLS SILICA COMPANY
TELEPHONE; (208) 589-6503
Email: [email protected]

World War 3, U.S. Economic Front: Idaho Electric rates going up, blame the demise of Pocatello’s Hoku silicone factory!

11 June 2013 (15:02 UTC-07 Tango)/02 Sha’ban 1434/21 Khordad 1392/04 Wu-Wu (5th month) 4711

It’s been revealed that in May, Hoku Materials laid off its last engineer at the failed $700 million USD polysilicone factory in Pocatello, Idaho.  There are now only eight security guards working at the 50 football fields long factory.

Pocatello based news media interviewed the engineer who told them they were trying to work on a way to save the factory from bankruptcy sale.

Hoku Materials ghost town factory, Pocatello, Idaho.  Now estimated to have cost $700 million.

Hoku Materials ghost town factory, Pocatello, Idaho. Now estimated to have cost $700 million.

Today, the factory is considered officially shut down, and will likely be parted out in bankruptcy liquidation sales (who wants to buy a 50 football fields long, never been used, polysilicone factory?).

The project was started five years ago, but right away ran into trouble because Hoku Corporation didn’t really have the money to build their Hoku Materials factory.  Pocatello even gave the company a huge tax break equivalent to the value of the land the factory was being built on.

Construction was delayed several times because Hoku couldn’t pay the construction contractor on time.  Eventually Hoku sold out to a Chinese company (Tianwei).  Then commodity market prices for polysilicone crashed.  The coup de gras was given by President Obama when he imposed high tariffs on Chinese solar power companies.

Another issue was that Idaho Power, the main supplier of electricity in Idaho, cut off power several times because Hoku didn’t pay their electric bill.  Now Idaho Power is jacking up electric rates for Idahoans, partially blaming it on the failed solar power polysilicone provider.

Most of Idaho Power’s electricity comes from dams on the Snake River, but water levels are so low they must rely more on wind and gas fired plants to generate electricity this year.  Regarding Hoku, Idaho Power is trying to regain the $23 million they invested.  In other words, Idaho Power company officials made a bad investment and they’re going to make their captive customers pay for it!

Electric rates for Idahoans trapped on the Idaho Power grid will see a 12% increase, the fourth largest increase in Idaho’s history.

I’ve been following this disaster for years, here’s more on the demise of Hoku Materials:

Capitalist Commodity Markets to blame for Pocatello’s Hoku Polysilicon near abandonment!