Essential StateImpact: 5 Most Viewed Stories of the Week

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These are the stories that got the most views, comments and shares this week.  In case you missed one, we put them all in the same place for your reading pleasure! As always, we want to hear from you — comment on the stories and share them with your friends.

1. Labor Director Opposes Extending Unemployment Benefits: Idaho’s Department of Labor Director Roger Madsen said this week he’s against any further extension of federal unemployment insurance benefits, and encouraged Congress and Idaho’s legislature to vote against an extension.  “Ending extended benefits will encourage many to re-enter the workforce where they will have a better chance of finding long-term employment.”
2. Simplot Will Cut Hundreds of Jobs by Opening New Plant:  J.R. Simplot Company announced this week it will close three of its Idaho processing plants and replace them with a new state-of-the-art facility.  The small town of Aberdeen, Idaho will lose its plant and the mayor there is concerned about the future of his community, “If something doesn’t come into the plant, we lose all those people.”
3. Jobless in Idaho: This week we launched our series to tell the stories of Idaho’s unemployed.  With nearly 70,000 Idahoans officially out of work, and thousands more underemployed or not searching anymore, we thought it was time to follow a few people through the process.  There will be lots more to come in the next few months.
4. Jobless in Idaho: College Grad Starts from Scratch: Justy Thomas lost her job in the mortgage industry four years ago when the housing market started crumbling.  She decided to enroll in college and is now about to graduate.  “I wonder if I had gone back to work these last four years, and just pulled up my bootstraps and started at that ground floor again, and worked my way up, would I be satisfied, would I be more satisfied?” says Thomas.   “I certainly would be in less debt, certainly.”
5. Career Counselor Embraces New Technology: Network, Network, Network: The director of Boise State University’s Career Center says she’s having to teach graduates and alumni how to search for jobs differently than a couple of years ago.  “It’s not a matter of sending out 50 resumes to 50 different companies and hoping you get a call. You’re not going to get a call typically.”