Idaho Business Review IBR

Unemployment rates rose in more than half of U.S. states last month, the latest evidence that hiring remains tepid across the country. The U.S. Department of Labor said Sept. 21 that unemployment rates increased in 26 states. They fell in ...

Idaho Power’s long-term purchase agreement with wind farms requires the utility to buy electricity from the farms even when demand for power is low, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Sept. 20. Idaho Power officials have contended that the Public ...

Nearly 6 million Americans — significantly more than first estimated— will face a tax penalty under President Barack Obama’s health overhaul for not getting insurance, congressional analysts said Sept. 19. Most would be in the middle class. The new estimate ...

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders rose this month to its highest level in six years and many expect the housing recovery will strengthen in the next six months. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index released Sept. 18 ...

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter and the rest of the state land board approved an exclusive mineral lease for a Grangeville man who wants to suction dredge a half-mile section of the Salmon River for gold and garnets. The board unanimously ...

The impulse to pay off your mortgage more quickly than you need to is understandable, especially these days. Interest rates are near historic lows, so it’s possible to replace a 30-year mortgage with a 15-year loan and still afford the ...

Small business owners’ concerns about government policies that affect their businesses have intensified after the deep recession and a recovery that doesn’t feel much better. Karen Kerrigan serves the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council as president and Raymond Keating is the group’s ...

The state Supreme Court has upheld a 2006 shoot-to-kill order that authorized state game wardens to pursue a herd of domestic elk that escaped from an eastern Idaho hunting farm. The unanimous decision Sept. 14 likely marks the end of ...

Idaho’s first big solar electricity plant will likely soon begin construction, a rare bright spot for renewables in a state littered with canceled wind farms, regulatory uncertainty and low natural gas prices that have soured alternative power’s financial appeal. Solar ...

When Rick Kimsey decided to start a business, a franchise seemed like the best way to go. Buying a franchise – in his case, a Doctors Express urgent care facility – meant he didn’t have to start from square one. ...