More than 22 percent of the homes sold in Idaho in the first four months of the year were in some stage of foreclosure. That might sound like a lot, but it’s actually a sign of improvement in the state’s housing market.
Courtesy Idaho Nonprofit Center | Adam Cotterell (BSPR)
Idaho Conservation League, Ride For Joy, Idaho Dance Theatre and Step Up are four Idaho nonprofits.
Nearly 50,000 people are directly employed by charitable nonprofits in Idaho, earning on average $43,350 per year. Those positions equal about 8 percent of all Idaho jobs. That’s all according to a recent report by University of Idaho economist Steven Peterson, and commissioned by the Idaho Nonprofit Center.
The ten-page report looks at the economic impact nonprofits have on the state. What Peterson found, surprised him. “Any way you slice these numbers up, if you take a look at the impact on Idaho’s economy, they’re huge,” says Peterson. Continue Reading →
Transform Solar makes Photovoltaic solar cells. The Nampa manufacturer has about 250 employees.
This story has been updated, you can read the updated version right here.
A Nampa-based solar company partly owned by Micron Technology will close its doors and lay-off about 250 people over the next three months.
Transform Solar was a joint venture between Boise-based Micron Technology and Australian energy company “Origin.” The company launched in 2009, making high-tech solar cells.
Micron spokesman Dan Francisco says Transform Solar hasn’t been able to withstand the ongoing challenges in the solar industry. He says it’s an industry that’s been hard hit by the down economy.  “The solar industry continues to be a very challenging environment,” Francisco says, “with a really unfavorable worldwide supply and demand situation.” Continue Reading →
In mid-May, high winds and the lack of rain had left some Power County fields dry and dusty.
Last year, farmers and ranchers in southeast Idaho had a hard time getting crops in the ground because of persistent wet weather. This year they’re facing the opposite problem, as weeks have passed without substantial rainfall. Continue Reading →
Memorial Day weekend means the unofficial start to summer. Teens across Idaho will soon graduate or head out on summer break. Some of those teens, undoubtedly, are looking for a summer job.
The Employment Policies Institute took a closer look at U.S. Census Bureau data that shows the average teen jobless rate among states is almost 25 percent. In Idaho, April’s teen jobless rate was more like 28.4 percent. Only six states, plus the District of Columbia, have a higher percentage of teens out of work.
So, what does that mean for teens who want to make a little cash and get some job experience during June, July and August? EPI says competition for jobs is tougher and there are fewer options for this generation of teens. Continue Reading →
Stateline, a news service from Pew Center on the States, recently posted this colorful look at jobs across all 50 states.
According to Stateline, the U.S. has 4.8 million fewer jobs today than it did back in 2008. The interactive data chart shows Idaho lost the bulk of its jobs in 2009 and 2010.
Jesse Guyett, 32, works part time at Boise State Public Radio as an operator technician.
Jesse Guyett fits unwillingly into a crumby statistic. He is one of about 20,000 Idahoans laid off from a construction job since the economy tanked after 2007. Idaho Department of Labor data show about 45 percent of the state’s construction jobs have been cut since 2007.
Guyett is a journeyman electrician. He went to school for four years, then apprenticed for five to get that certification. “I became a journeyman electrician in the fall of 2008 and in the spring of 2009, in March, I ended up getting laid off from my job,” Guyett says. He was making good money, about $16.75 an hour plus benefits. “Unfortunately, we specialized in specialty homes, multimillion dollar homes,” Guyett says, “and those were the first to go when the economy tanked.” Continue Reading →
Rockland, Idaho is surrounded by grazing and cropland.
The people of Rockland, Idaho pay a lot to support their school. As StateImpactreported yesterday, they pay the highest levy rate in the state, despite having some of Idaho’s lowest property values.
Let’s unpack that a little more. What exactly does that mean?
Relying on the most recent statewide data, from 2010, taxpayers in the Rockland district pay a levy that amounts to $696.50 per $100,000 of property value. In other words, for every $100,000 worth of property in the district, nearly $700 goes to Rockland School. Continue Reading →
Superindendent Jim Woodworth was born in Rockland, and has spent 22 years at the helm of Rockland School.
The high school band rehearses for its end-of-year concert.
Music teacher William Lower says local people are “fundraisered out” by the constant job of raising money for the school.
The school sign reminded the town that it was election week.
A mile from Rockland School, there’s open ranchland.
Sharee Petersen heads the Rockland School Foundation, and ranches with her dad and brother.
Sharee Petersen herds cows into a waiting trailer.
While voter turnout was low across much of Idaho, more than 40 percent of Rockland voters went to the polls. Eighty percent supported the school levy.
You might not guess it, if you happened to pass through, but tiny Rockland, Idaho, population 318, is a place of distinction. The town has no grocery store. Its gas station is just a couple of unmanned pumps where you pay by credit card. But what this town does have is a school, and local people stand behind it.
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