Chesbro Music, approaching century mark, adapts to change 

Meridian Middle School band and orchestra teacher Gabe Sandvik in the past two years has been doing more fundraisers and seeking more grants to buy school instruments than ever before.
More students are giving up music because they can’t afford instruments, he said, so it’s become his position to come up with creative financing.
Sandvik is not [...]

Idaho contractors uncertain about future 

The only way to track Pat McEntee down is by cell phone. As the vice president of Boise-based Central Paving Co., he’s the first to admit that he’s all over the Treasure Valley these days - and constantly on the move.
Central Paving is currently working on three of the valley’s larger road projects. The company [...]

Otter: Attracting, keeping small business key to Idaho’s growth

State officials want to recruit businesses to Idaho, but they don’t want to forget about those operating here already.
 
“We’re looking for a good mix,” Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said in an interview after speaking at a July 28 event hosted by the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce.
 
The best thing Idaho can do, other than attracting [...]

A bleaker outlook predicted for economy into 2011

The U.S. economic recovery will remain slow deep into next year, held back by shoppers reluctant to spend and employers hesitant to hire, according to an Associated Press survey of leading economists.
The latest quarterly AP Economy Survey shows economists have turned gloomier in the past three months. They foresee weaker growth and higher unemployment than [...]

Grace commercial project to start in west Boise

Construction of the Grace commercial development is slated to start in the first week of August on the east side of Eagle Road between McMillan and Ustick roads in west Boise.
 

Boise-based builder and developer Dave Evans said the first phase of the 7-plus-acre project includes 4,500-square-foot buildings for Moon Creek Dental and All About [...]

Judge dismisses Syringa’s broadband bid lawsuit

A state judge has dismissed a large portion of a lawsuit between a consortium of Idaho telephone companies and the Idaho Department of Administration, saying the consortium didn’t fully try to resolve a multimillion-dollar contract dispute before it sued the state.
The consortium Syringa sued the state in December, claiming the department illegally handed Qwest Communications [...]

Nominations sought for 2010 Idaho BetterBricks Awards

It’s that time of the year once more to recognize excellence in Idaho’s green building scene.
Nominations are being sought for the 2010 Idaho BetterBricks Awards. The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance program is an annual recognition of the state’s champions in high-performance building. Nominations are due Sept. 10 and can be made by clicking here. Self-nominations [...]

Brookings report disparages cities’ ‘desperate corporate recruitment’ 

A new Brookings Institution report derides the kind of business recruitment campaigns that have dominated the time and money of a lot of Idaho business and political leaders in recent years.
The report outlines a new job creation approach focused on boosting exports in place of the “desperate corporate recruitment bids and California cherry-picking that Western [...]

Idaho celebrates all things Basque during Jaialdi

As one of the largest Basque communities in the United States prepares for the traditional Jaialdi festival in southwestern Idaho, a not-so traditional Basque president is expected to be among the visitors.
Patxi Lopez was elected last year, ending nearly 30 years of rule by the Basque Nationalist Party, which governed - to varying degrees - [...]

Specialty grocery store planned for downtown Boise 

A new specialty grocery store, the first of its kind in the state, has selected a downtown Boise location.
 
While a formal application hasn’t been filed yet with the city’s planning and zoning department, the property owner confirmed that a 25,000-square-foot store is planned for the area between 15th and 16th and Idaho and [...]