Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree. Especially if that tree is in another state. It’s not unusual for governments to look for ways to tax people who aren’t state residents, because, for one reason, ...
Read More »Washington state proposes taxing Idahoans. It doesn’t end well
3D printers take up former locomotive manufacturing space 
A building that used to house locomotive manufacturing will now house 2,000 3D printers instead. Slant 3D, on its second expansion in two years, has taken over the Motive Power Inc. space in southeast Boise near Micron, and is moving ...
Read More »Broadband internet comes to Lincoln County 
It took being out on transmission towers on blizzards in December, but Lincoln County residents finally have high-speed broadband internet access. “3,000 of our 5,200 residents are severely underserved,” said Rebecca Wood, county commissioner and board chair. “This project was ...
Read More »‘Dig once’ bill moving forward 
A bill making its way through the Idaho Legislature would make it easier to provide high-speed broadband internet, but some stakeholders think it could be more flexible. House Bill 640 creates a “dig once” policy in Idaho. Such a policy, ...
Read More »2 state minimum wage bills stuck in legislative limbo 
Two Idaho legislators have introduced bills regarding the state minimum wage that are unlikely to progress this session. And at least one of the legislators is fine with that. “I think bills are like seeds,” said Sen. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise, ...
Read More »Say, whatever happened with that data center sales tax exemption? 
Remember the data center sales tax exemption? A bill the Idaho Legislature passed in 2020 was intended to exempt data center equipment from sales tax, thus drawing them to set up shop in Idaho. So where are they? The background ...
Read More »What’s happening with master planned communities in Idaho? 
Master planned communities in Idaho date back to the 19th century, but cities and counties today are grappling with their advantages and disadvantages. Here’s the current status of master planned communities in Idaho. What is a master planned community? Part ...
Read More »The long, strange trip to medical marijuana legalization in Idaho 
A bill to legalize a pharmaceutical derivative of marijuana is moving through the Legislature. House Bill (HB) 446, which legalizes nabiximols — medications treating neuropathic pain for multiple sclerosis sufferers — upon Federal Drug Administration approval, passed the House on Jan. ...
Read More »NNU receives grant to stimulate economics education 
Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) has been awarded a $1 million educational grant from the Smeed Memorial Foundation to create an education center dedicated to teaching the classical principles of free-market economics, with classes intended to start in the fall. The ...
Read More »Building a construction technology industry 
As with many other industries, residential construction is turning to technology and automation to deal with product demand coupled with a lack of skilled workers. Organizations such as the National Association of Home Builders have reported worker shortages in from ...
Read More »