Idaho has the unwelcome distinction of having one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. Nearly 2,000 Idaho homeowners lose their homes each month, according to RealtyTrac’s count of foreclosure filings. But that’s not the whole story. Even as many homeowners work their way through foreclosure, low prices draw new buyers in. It’s a cycle of dreams lost and dreams gained.
Not long ago, Carmel Crock made a drive that she had avoided for much of the last year. She turned onto a steep road that winds into the hills above Boise, past homes she knows well. “This is Jenny and Ray’s house,” she said. “I watched Ian be born, and I’ve known Corey since he was teeny tiny. And this house, the second one on the corner, is my house. Was my house.”
Molly Messick / StateImpact Idaho
Carmel Crock, in the backyard of her new home. Since her move, she has been trying to make the new house feel like a home by planting flowers and a small vegetable garden.
It’s a simple 1960s ranch, white with green trim. Crock says it was the sunset views and the peacefulness of this spot above the city that made her and and her husband, Ken Harris, want to live here. At night they could hear foxes barking, and wild turkeys calling to one another. “And quail!” she said. She and Harris used to joke to one another, complaining about the noise. “That was our laughter lying in bed with the windows open! A cacophony of wildlife.” Continue Reading →
Remember the conversations with your parents or grandparents that began with, “When I was your age, I could buy a burger, a coke and a movie ticket for $5”?
And the typical response would go something like “I get it, Dad, (eye roll) things were cheaper back in the dark-ages.”
Bureau of Labor Statistics / U.S. Department of Labor
CPI Inflation Calculator
It all has to do with the value of the dollar and the changes in prices of all goods and services purchased. Here’s a fun tool from the U.S. Department of Labor that lets you see just how far $5, $100, $1000 could go back in the dark-ages (all the way back to 1913).
Idaho General Fund collections of $229.1 million in September 2011 were $0.1 million above the forecast amount.
Idaho’s Division of Financial Management released its latest revenue report today showing a slight uptick in individual income and corporate tax collections over what state economists had predicted.
“Idaho General Fund collections of $229.1 million in September 2011 were $0.1 million above the forecasted amount.” – Division of Financial Management
Still, Idaho sales tax collections were lower than expected.
“It was expected to contribute $93 million to the state’s General Fund in September. Instead, it added $91.6 million.” – Division of Financial Management
That $1.4 million gap is much smaller than August’s shortfall which came in at $6.8 million under what economists had forecast.
Governor Butch Otter speaking at the annual Buy Idaho conference, October 5, 2011
Buy Idaho launched in 1986, with support from then newly elected Lieutenant Governor Butch Otter, as a way to market Idaho-made products. The member driven marketing cooperative celebrated its 25th anniversary this week. Governor Otter calls the 1,100 member Buy Idaho effort a “great success”. Still, he told attendees at Buy Idaho’s annual conference the group needs to be more aggressive.
“We’re going to continue to go to those marketplaces, go to those buyers that are not only in the U.S. but around the world, and say, ‘Folks we have things we think you need, and we in Idaho would be more than happy to supply those for you.’ And you never know what these marketplaces are looking for until you start demonstrating your products and how it might be applicable to their operation,” said Otter.
The governor is also urging local companies to ramp up hiring. With about 70,000 Idahoans out of work, Governor Otter asked Buy Idaho members to look at the recently passed tax credit program known as the Hire One Act as an incentive to add new jobs. Continue Reading →
As many as 300 people showed up at the state capitol today for a protest march called Occupy Boise. The event was one of many across the country inspired by ongoing protests on Wall Street. Most demonstrators in Boise said they’re concerned about the economy and the distribution of wealth in the U.S.
Here is what a few of them had to say:
Nicholas Coutts is a 23-year-old retail clerk in Boise, ID “I’m frustrated. I don’t know what to do. I grew up in this country and I love it very much, but there’s some problems… I went to college for three years, couldn’t afford it. I’m halfway through a degree. I’m working at a retail store for minimum wage. Any chance to go back to college would just result in more debt, and from what I’ve been seeing people who’ve been graduating haven’t been getting jobs. I don’t know if it’s worth it.”
Lana Levy is a 64-year-old woman living in Boise, ID. “We need to unify as Americans, come together, work together, and not keep fighting each other… I grew up in the 60s, but I really wasn’t involved in that very much. I just lived my life and grew up. My perception is that it’s time for those of us who didn’t finish that job then to come back in and keep it going now, along with the young folks who are starting to get engaged.”
Kit Knox is a 55-year-old woman living in Boise, ID. “I would hope that by this movement spreading, politicians will begin to see that there are a lot of people who are feeling that they don’t have a voice. I have young grandchildren. I have elderly parents. I myself am aging. And I would like there to be some hope for us, and I don’t think people have any right now.”
Jerry Means is a 63-year-old retired plumber from Nampa, ID. “I’m not asking for any more than to help get our American families back to work. I personally am fortunate enough that I got to retire, but all my children – everybody in America – needs a job again. It’s very depressing to sit at home and not be able to provide for your family.”
Jennifer McCarter is a janitor in Boise, ID. “A couple of weeks ago, I heard what they were doing in New York, and I thought, “Finally.” Finally people are getting together, and saying, “Enough.” It’s like everybody’s waking up across the country.”
Similar protests and gatherings have already occurred across the northwest, and more are planned for communities in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
Dairy was Idaho's top commodity in 2009 according to Idaho's Department of Agriculture
The Idaho Business Review is reporting the President of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association Mike Roth said without reforming the dairy industry it’s headed “for a serious wreck”. The Dairy Security Act of 2011 is being sponsored by Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. Dairy is one of Idaho’s agricultural staples, the state is actually the third-largest dairy producing state in the country.
“Rep. Simpson has been a longtime advocate for business growth and Idaho’s livestock agriculture. He knows a new dairy policy is needed to address price volatility, create safety nets and to help move the industry future.” – Mike Roth
According to the Idaho Business Review, Idaho dairy producers have been working to change federal dairy policy for some time. Last March, producers voted to recommend the Foundation for the Future reform package, which served as the model for the Dairy Security Act of 2011.
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