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My Page: J. Gelband

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What I did over my thanksgiving break

To some, the Yale vs. Harvard Football Game is an historic 125-year-old academic and sport rivalry. To the Gelbands, the Game is a tradition of a different sort.

I traveled back to New Haven last week – in part for Thanksgiving but also, and conveniently, for the Game, which is held every other year at Yale. My grandmother’s house, an early 1900s home, is adjacent to the Yale Bowl, and Gelbands have been parking cars in her back yard on Game day for nearly fifty years. A family business for which Gelbands return to New Haven from as far away as Boise, Idaho. A family business almost as old as the game itself. [more]

How does Boise look from space?

Admit it, you want to know what it feels like to float around in zero gravity. Now you have the chance to ask someone who has actually been weightless in space. Idaho teacher and astronaut Barbara Morgan, who flew on the Space Shuttle Endeavor last summer, will speak at a free public lecture at Boise State University Dec. 10.

I’m sure “what’s it like?” will be the first question asked, so if you plan to attend the Q-and-A session, think up some more stirring and specific questions about back pain relief or drinking beer in space. Or even something physics related.
[more]

Drug Testing

A new test could help determine if someone has been using drugs by checking reactions in their eyes. An Associated Press article being picked up all over the state is reporting that the Idaho Department of Correction is considering this new type of drug test that flashes beams of light into someone’s eyes and checks eye reaction time.

The test is called Passpoint, and Corrections would like to use it on parolees specifically. Passpoint can identify drug use in past days because the eye reaction is typically slower for people using drugs or alcohol. [more]

Breathing in Boise

If you’re in Boise, maybe you’ve noticed the city’s declining air quality. The sky over the Valley has been looking like sludge lately, blocking the view of foothills that crown the city, making for burn bans and creating difficulties for many to simply breathe well.

This year, the Treasure Valley is experiencing one of the worst air quality years on record with 131 air quality alerts, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.

It’s not just a sign of the winter inversion - air quality really is declining, according to the Boise City Council, which is hosting an air quality discussion on Tuesday at 7 p.m. [more]

Working in Idaho

Idaho has ranked well nationally with unemployment over the last few years with very low numbers of unemployed residents. So it seems fitting that Idaho has just become the first state in the nation to sign an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service to share unemployment insurance information in a campaign to improve compliance with unemployment tax laws.

The IRS developed the Questionable Employment Tax Practices agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, the Federation of Tax Administrators. Signed Nov. 6, it allows state and federal agents to exchange information of employment tax accounts through a centralized and uniform process. [more]

the research university of distinction

What would you do with $940,000? If you are one of the Boise State University researchers who just received $940,000 in federal funding, you are going to use it for researching the West Nile virus vaccine.

On Tuesday, President George Bush signed legislation to authorize the research. In fact, it was U.S. Rep. Bill Sali and U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo who spearheaded the legislation, in part because Idaho was particularly affected by the virus. Last year, 38 Idaho counties reported cases and 23 people died from the virus. [more]

Twin Falls News

The Associated Press is reporting a sting operation in Twin Falls that led to U.S. Border Patrol agents arresting about 100 people.

According to the article, the Magic Valley appears to be a hub for human smuggling and the city was targeted after commercial bus employees told law-enforcement officials that they suspected illegal immigrants were buying large numbers of bus tickets. [more]

High Fiving in Idaho

Hailey residents voted on Tuesday to legalize medical marijuana.

Voters had four marijuana-related initiatives on the ballot, three of which passed, including the initiative to allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to sick and dying patients without fear of arrest or prosecution. Votes were in favor of the measure 687 to 581. [more]

Boise Politics: Election

Boise's Tuesday election resulted in a win for all the running incumbents, including the race for mayor.

The results:

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter beat candidate Jim Tibbs with 64 percent of the votes.

More winners: [more]

idaho jobs

There’s good news and bad news for Idaho’s unemployed. First the bad news: The state’s jobless rate increased in October to 2.5 percent. That’s mostly due to the traditional seasonal autumn slowdown in harvest, tourism and construction jobs. October was the highest one-month increase in 30 years.

On the national scale, unemployment remained unchanged at 4.7 percent, which makes this the 73rd month that Idaho’s unemployment rate has been below the nation’s.

That brings us to the good news: The state posted the lowest unemployment rates in the country in May, July, August, and September. And, even more good news, especially if you are part of the 2.5 percent unemployed: Idaho has the best unemployment insurance in the country. [more]

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