Austin Report – Bursting Bubbles Posted 11/17/11(Img: Austin Rare Coins)
Hello to All and welcome to the mid fall through mid spring bull markets in gold and silver. Historically this time of the year has been best for precious metals. The 4th and 1st quarters of the year have produced handsome gains nearly every year since 2006.
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BOISE POSTS Q3 $3.7 MIL LOSS POSTED 11-15-11
Boise, U.S.A., Nov 03, 2011 (Thomson Reuters ONE via COMTEX) -- For Immediate Release: November 3, 2011
BOISE, Idaho - Boise Cascade Holdings, L.L.C. (BC Holdings or Company) announced a $3.7million net loss for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. Third quarter 2011 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) were $10.6million, up $2.9million, or 37%, compared to reported EBITDA of $7.7 million in third quarter 2010. Third quarter 2010 results included $4.6 million of income related to the settlement of class action litigation. The Company reported EBITDA of $3.9 million in second quarter 2011. Read more...
Go West, Young Man (To North Dakota) Posted 9/30/11(Img: The Economic Collapse Blog)
Are you unemployed and out of options? Well, if you live in most areas of the country there is not much hope for you. But there is one state where hiring is really hot right now.
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KWP Repair
Wildfire update: Winds may reduce stagnant valley smoke, create flare-ups
POSTED 9 /14/11 It took just one word out of the National Weather Service forecast to conjure up the old "good news-bad news" scenario.
Wind.
"About Thursday evening we should start to see a little more influence coming in off the Pacific Ocean," meteorologist Dan Zumpfe said. "It's a storm system that should bring cooler temperatures, and provide wind to ventilate the valleys."
That's good news for residents in the Bitterroot and Missoula valleys who have been hardest hit by lingering smoke from area wildfires.
But, Zumpfe cautioned, "it's a double-edged sword because while it'll kick out the smoke, it'll kick up the fires, and we'll probably see a pretty good flare-up."
And where there's fire, of course, there's more smoke - although the winds should help keep it from forming what Zumpfe called another "stagnant soup."
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14 Conspiracy Theories That The Media Now Admits Are Conspiracy Facts Posted 8/24/11(Img: The American Dream)
How many times have you heard the mainstream media dismiss certain points of view as "conspiracy theories"? It seems as though one of the easiest ways to brush something off is to label it as something that only "conspiracy theorists" would believe.
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Keiser Report: Myotonic Markets (E176)
Austerity Measures Are Killing The American Dream Posted 8/23/11(Img: Activist Post)
I remember when I was a child, I would stare into the sky at the clouds and dream of the wonders that life had in store for me. Once, while I was watching an airplane pass over the top of our modest cabin in the woods, my father sat down next to me and asked what I was doing.
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The FBI Labels Antiwar.com a "Threat to National Security" Posted 8/22/11(Img: Activist Post)
The phone kept ringing. I picked it up with annoyance: it was our webmaster, Eric Garris, telling me about this – FBI documents recovered through the Freedom of Information Act that detail surveillance of Antiwar.com, the staff, and specifically yours truly.
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Bad News Posted 8/19/11(Img: The Economic Collapse Blog)
The bad news about the economy just keeps rolling in. If this is an economic recovery, what in the world is the next "recession" going to look like?
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12 Signs That We Are Getting Dangerously Close To War With Syria Posted 8/19/11(Img: The American Dream)
Are you ready for another war? Now that Barack Obama and most of the other major leaders of the western world are publicly calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, we are getting dangerously close to war with Syria.
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Taxed Into Oblivion posted 8/17/11
In the United States today, we are being taxed into oblivion, yet it is being done so stealthily that most Americans don't even realize what is happening. Most people are fixated on federal income tax rates, but the federal income tax is only one of the dozens of different taxes that each of us pay each year. The politicians have learned that people get really upset when income tax rates are raised, so they have found hundreds of other ways to raise taxes on us.
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Obama to Lay Out Plan to Cut Spending and Boost Jobs posted 8/17/11
Seeking a jolt for the economy, President Barack Obama will lay out new ideas for speeding up job growth and helping the struggling poor and middle class in a major speech in early September, a senior administration official told The Associated Press.
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CONSUMER COMF PLUNGES POSTED 8/12/11 Confidence among U.S. consumers plunged in August to the lowest level since May 1980, adding to concern that weak employment gains and volatility in the stock market will prompt households to retrench.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment slumped to 54.9 from 63.7 the prior month.
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Washington sawmill to cut production POSTED 8/12/11 Hampton Affiliates' sawmill in Randle, Wash., has announced plans to reduce production from 80 hours per week to 50 hours starting this fall, and that about 80 employees are being laid off.
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Rehberg votes "no" on debt package; Tester, Baucus will support it
POSTED 8 /2/11 HELENA — Montana’s only U.S. House member, Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg, voted “no” Monday on the brokered debt-reduction deal that is poised to pass Congress, saying it is “little more than business as usual for Washington.”
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Market News POSTED 8 /2/11 Framing lumber trading was cautious, but steady to active at times. Buyers continued to purchase as inventory holes developed, but little more. Thinning supplies in the field fed a flow of one-for-one replacement buying that kept the market liquid, but volume limited. Traders sensed at least some of their customers were cautious and underbought. Southern Pine sales set a faster pace, although it diminished as the week progressed. The Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price edged up another $2, led by gains in SYP.
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85 Montana post offices in closure crosshairs POSTED 7 /27/11 The possibility of 85 post offices closing in Montana, including 28 in the northcentral part of the state, has rural residents concerned about losing their mail service.
Perhaps even more worrisome is the loss of one of the last gathering places in these small, isolated towns, residents said.
"We're celebrating our centennial next year," Highwood resident Nan Granger said Tuesday. "We certainly would like to have a post office for that."
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Montana unemployment rate edges up POSTED 7 /25/11
HELENA- The number of folks looking for work in Montana edged up by 0.2% in June, bringing the Treasure State's unemployment rate to 7.5%.
State labor officials attribute the rise to the struggles of the national economy as well as slowing federal investments in recovery projects.
Despite the uptick in the unemployment rate for the month, state numbers show the state has added about 3,000 jobs in the last quarter. National figures also indicate slower job growth in June, with the U.S. unemployment rate increasing by 0.1% to 9.2% for the month.
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For economy to grow, construction must rebound POSTED 7 /25/11
When is economic growth in the wake of a painful recession not good news? The answer is when it is less growth than people expect.
Even though the Montana economy at year's midpoint is shaping up about as we at the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research predicted in December when we prepared our annual forecast, the restrained pace of growth has not been fast enough to ease the apprehension shared by many that the recession is truly over.
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The Only Thing You Can Count On Posted 7/18/11(Img: USA Watchdog)
Last week, in testimony on Capitol Hill, Fed Chief Ben Bernanke said, “The pace of the economic recovery will pick up.” Read more...
Too Big To Fail?: 10 Banks Own 77 Percent Of All U.S. Banking Assets Posted 7/18/11(Img: USA Watchdog)
Back during the financial crisis of 2008, the American people were told that the largest banks in the United States were "too big to fail" and that was why it was necessary for the federal government to step in and bail them out.
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YELLOWSTONE OIL SPILL
South Dakota - Housing Market Turning Around in Several Rural States POSTED 7 /5/11 The housing market is hurting nationally, but it appears to be marching toward recovery in a handful of mostly rural states, economic forecasters say.
The states — including North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Alaska — have economies more dependent on the energy, industrial or agricultural sectors, stronger parts of the U.S. economy. Their home prices, in general, didn't rise as much as in other states in the boom years, so they've fared better in the wake of the crash. Their unemployment rates tend to best the national average.
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MONTANA- Exxon cleaning up Yellowstone River POSTED 7 /5/11 LAUREL, Mont. - An oil pipeline that spewed tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into Montana’s Yellowstone River was temporarily shut down in May because of concerns over rising waters, and regulators twice in the last year warned Exxon Mobil of several safety violations along the line.
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MONTANA- Pipeline would boost Eastern Montana economy POSTED 6 /21/11 Eastern Montana's economy will receive a much-needed boost from the building of and ramping up to the Keystone XL pipeline. The approval process is currently being held up by concerns from the federal government agencies with concerns expressed by environmental groups about the effects on air quality standards by greenhouse gas emissions.
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MONTANA- US builders’ outlook falls amid weakening home sales
POSTED 6 /16/11 Montana’s building industry has generally been slow to react to the rest of the country’s woes, but local builders seem to be in step with the results of the National Association of Home Builders index on builders’ sentiment released Monday.
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Economy grows stronger, according to experts POSTED 6 /16/11 State and local leaders met early Monday morning to discuss the economic outlook for Wyoming and Uinta County.
Hosted by the Wyoming Business Alliance/Wyoming Heritage Foundation, the economic forum touched on several key factors of Wyoming economic growth as well as projections for Uinta County.
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MONTANA-
Forest Service Weighs In On Revised Forestry Bill
POSTED 6 /14/11 The U.S. Forest Service has weighed in on Sen. Jon Tester’s revised wilderness bill, telling the Senate subcommittee that stalled it two years ago that significant changes have been made since Montana’s junior senator first introduced it in 2009.
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MONTANA-
Money allocated for Montana forest work
POSTED 6 /14/11 Over $3 million is on the way to Montana for forest restoration projects in the Lolo, Helena and Flathead National forests.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack confirmed that $3.5 million will be spent on upgrading roads and trails, reducing noxious weeds and protecting private property from public land wildfire hazards.
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Arizona wildfire threatens communities POSTED 6 /07/11 Residents in several communities in Arizona's White Mountains awaited evacuation orders as a 287-square-mile blaze burned out of control.
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Industry News POSTED 6 /07/11 U.S. lumber production totaled 6.630 billion board feet through March, up 11.4% compared to the first three months of 2010, according to the Western Wood Products Association.
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REGIONAL Curtailment Watch
POSTED 5/26/11
Hampton Affiliates has announced that Darrington Lumber Co., Darrington, Wash., will be down the week of May 23.
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REGIONAL Market News
Random Lengths
POSTED 5/26/11
Framing lumber in U.S. and Canadian markets remained stuck in a rut. More inquiries circulated, but order placement overall was sparse. Phones were mildly more active Wednesday for some traders
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Think prices are high? Just wait ’til summer
POSTED 5/19/11
Prepare yourself for a summertime inflation shock.
An expert who helps put together the government's Consumer Price Index (CPI) says that the closely-watch inflation gauge could rise abnormally "after June."
In a phone conversation I had soon after a 0.4 percent increase in consumer prices for April was announced last week, this expert -- who I can't name -- confirmed that the CPI is again understating energy prices.
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Construction starts on new assisted living center POSTED 5/19/11
May 18, 2011 --
ROCK SPRINGS - Groundbreaking for the new Deer Trail Assisted Living Center took place on May 3 at 2360 Reagan Ave.
Ron Vaughn, one of the principals of the developer, The Encore Partners LLC, welcomed the group of state and local officials, senior advocates, chamber of commerce members, lenders and future residents.
"Deer Trail Assisted Living will begin a new era of growth in Rock Springs, not only in senior services and housing, but for others looking to develop in the area," former Rock Springs Mayor Tim Kaumo said.
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Is Another Major Mortgage Investigation Really Necessary?
POSTED 5/18/11
Another day, another bank investigation.
New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has launched an investigation into the way Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley packaged and sold mortgages to investors.
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Industry News POSTED 5/18/11
U.S. housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 523,000 units in April
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WYOMING - State of Wyoming Economy Looking Up POSTED 5/12/11
This year's Wyoming Economic Indicators series kicked off with stops in Laramie and Cheyenne on Wednesday.
Wednesday's Economic Outlook forums were the first of nine that the Wyoming Business Alliance will be conducting throughout the state.
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WEEKLY UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS POSTED 5/12/11
In the week ending May 7, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 434,000, a decrease of 44,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 478,000. The 4-week moving average was 436,750, an increase of 4,500 from the previous week's revised average of 432,250.
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MONTANA - Gov. says business eminent domain bill to be law POSTED 5/11/11
Gov. Brian Schweitzer said he will allow a business-backed eminent domain measure to become law Monday, ensuring private utilities can continue major projects but dealing a blow to landowners fighting business developments.
The bill allows utilities involved in negotiations with landowners to take private property for a public good if they cannot reach an agreement over compensation.
The Montana Alberta Tie Line and the Mountain States Transmission Intertie utility lines -- and other business developments throughout the state that have been tied up by landowner lawsuits and negotiations -- now have the power to resolve negotiations and continue their projects.
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Regional - Financial Results POSTED 5/9/11
Clearwater Paper posts results
Clearwater Paper Corp. reported first-quarter net earnings of $5.6 million, or 47 cents per diluted share, compared to net earnings of $0.5 million, or 4 cents per share, for the first quarter of 2010. -
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Regional - Industry News POSTED 5/9/11 Slumping new home construction raises the question of whether the economy is headed for a double-dip recession
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Regional - High Cascade extends sawmill downtime POSTED 5/6/11
High Cascade's sawmills in Mt. Hood, Ore., and Carson, Wash., will remain down the week of May 9. The mills have been down since mid-April due to a log shortage. - 5/5/2011
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MONTANA - Montana Towns Could Struggle To Keep Up With Projected Oil Boom POSTED 5/6/11
EASTERN Mont. -- Many say Montana is on the verge of an oil boom. That could mean jobs and millions of dollars for the state, but for towns in the boom area, many aren't ready to handle the people and the traffic oil brings with it.
NBC Montana went to Williston, North Dakota, to see firsthand the struggles towns face when the boom hits. It turns out Montana towns could learn a few lessons from their neighbors to the east who are already experiencing growing pains from the resurgence of oil.
Clint Perkins is thankful the oil boom hit North Dakota. It has helped keep his auto business running. Perkins says, "Fact is, there's several weeks through the winter that if there wasn't work on the oil trucks it would've been disastrous. So this is a great thing for the local economy."
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WYOMING The Lowest Foreclosure Rates In America POSTED 5/5/11
Before the recession set in, property values were at or near all-time highs throughout most of the country. Over the past two years, however, homeowners and real estate investors have seen prices fall dramatically, largely due to the increase in foreclosures that followed the housing bubble burst and the sub-prime lending fiasco. As we try to rid the economy of toxic mortgages and dig our way out of excessively high unemployment numbers, all homeowners are suffering the consequences as real estate markets throughout the United States are reporting steep declines in value.
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Northern Idaho's high-end homes facing long wait on the market POSTED 5/4/11
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Real estate agents in northern Idaho say a slowdown in the region's market for high-priced homes has created a six-year supply in properties valued at more than $1 million.
In 2002, when the region began attracting attention and praise as a retirement and recreational mecca, there were just four homes listed for sale at more than $1 million.
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Impact of growth on Helena housing POSTED 5/4/11
There are signs all over town that Helena is a growing city and one area where that's evident is the housing market.
In the first of a three part series looking at the growth of Helena, those in the housing industry say whether you're a buyer or seller, times are good.
"The housing market is solid and we're expecting it to remain so," says Ryan Swinney, President-Elect, Helena Association of Realtors.
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Construction of new homes slows in Montana POSTED 5/4/11
Patrick Barkey hears stories that he doesn’t want to.
Construction companies taking jobs that don’t turn a profit simply in an effort to hold onto their best employees during difficult times. More and more Montana construction workers are leaving to seek jobs in the oil fields of North Dakota.
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Remodeling market index reaches highest level in four years POSTED 5/3/11
The remodeling market is heading into recovery, according to the National Association of Home Builders' Remodeling Market Index. The index increased to a reading of 46.5 in the first quarter, from 41.5 in the fourth quarter of 2010.
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Industry News POSTED 5/3/11
Construction spending gains slightly in March
Construction spending during March was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $768.9 billion, 1.4% higher than the revised February estimate of $758.6 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The March figure is 6.7% below the March 2010 estimate. During the first three months of 2011, construction spending lagged the year-ago pace by 7.8%. Spending on private construction reached a seasonally adjusted rate of $476.1 billion, 2.2% above the revised February estimate. Public construction spending rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $292.8 billion, slightly higher than the revised February estimate of $292.6 billion. - 5/2/2011
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Housing Starts Up
Introduction to Green Building
RANDOM LENGTHS- Industry News Housing POSTED 4/28/11
Mortgage applications decline
The Mortgage Bankers Association's Index of Mortgage Applications for the week ending April 22 decreased 5.6% from the previous week. The refinance component of the index fell 0.6% from the previous week, while the purchase component fell 13.6%, driven by a 26.6% decline in government purchase applications. The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 61.6% of total applications, up from 58.5% the previous week. - 4/27/2011
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RANDOM LENGHTS- Midweek Market Report POSTED 4/28/11
The long weekend taken by many traders, coupled with continued wet and stormy weather in many parts of the U.S., left producers unable to move any significant volume. Caution reigned throughout the distribution system. Some mills stuck to quotes, reasoning that lower prices would attract little additional business. Others reflected a month-end urgency to load cars, however, and most commodities were susceptible to counters.
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RANDOM LENGTH- Curtailment Watch POSTED 4/28/11
Seneca to be down next week
Seneca Sawmill Co., Eugene, Ore., will take its dimension and stud production facilities down the week of May 2. Market conditions were cited. - 4/27/2011
Boise to curtail Idaho lam beam plant
Boise Cascade has announced plans to close its laminated beam plant in Emmett, Idaho, for an indefinite duration. Market conditions were cited. The plant had been operating on a limited basis for the past year. It has 35 hourly and five salaried employees. - 4/22/2011
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IDAHO- AEHI's Proposed Idaho Nuclear Site Begins Final Hearings POSTED 4/26/11
BOISE, Idaho, April 26, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:AEHI) (www.aehipower.com) today announced Payette County Commissioners scheduled June 6, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. MDT as the hearing date for AEHI and the company's plan to build a nuclear power plant in rural Payette County, Idaho. The hearing will determine whether Commissioners approve of a requested rezone of a proposed site from agricultural to industrial. An affirmative decision would also be the final approval required by the state of Idaho to build such a plant on this site.
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REGIONAL- Potlatch Reports First Quarter 2011 Results POSTED 4/26/11
SPOKANE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Potlatch Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH) today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011.
“The year is off to a good start in each of our business segments,” said Michael Covey, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Potlatch Corporation. “Favorable logging conditions in Idaho allowed our Resource segment to roll forward some of our planned harvest for the year, in order to capture better than anticipated pricing. Our Wood Products segment benefitted from relatively strong lumber prices in January and February, though prices have recently softened. Our Real Estate segment had another solid quarter, completing the first of three phases of a non-strategic and rural real estate land sales transaction in Idaho along with a continued steady flow of other HBU and rural recreational land sales,” concluded Mr. Covey.
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MONTANA- 100 bills remain as Montana Legislature winds down POSTED 4/26/11
HELENA, Mont. -- Republican legislative leaders have yet to send more than 100 bills to Gov. Brian Schweitzer as the session enters its final days, likely reducing the Democratic governor's ability to request changes to the measures already passed by lawmakers.
GOP leaders called a five-day break last week while they and Schweitzer negotiated a compromise on their highest priority, the state budget.
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MONTANA- Bozeman City Commission to take up South Eighth, deteriorating streets POSTED 4/26/11
How to pay to rebuild Bozeman's deteriorating streets - South Eighth Avenue specifically - is on the Bozeman City Commission's docket tonight.
City officials will both consider how to cover the estimated $1.5 million cost for South Eighth and how the city might start charging taxpayers to catch up on city streets that badly need work and prepare for future needs.
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MONTANA- Construction on Great Falls apartment complex for seniors to start this fall POSTED 4/25/11
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — A $5.5 million, 40-unit low-income senior citizen apartment complex will be built starting this fall following a recent decision by the Montana Board of Housing to approve housing tax credits for the project, officials say.
Cascade Ridge Senior Living will be built in Great Falls on three acres owned by Benefis Health System, which is partnering with Billings-based Mountain Plains Equity Group.
"We've wanted to include housing for low-income seniors when creating the master plan for Benefis' senior campus," said Frank Soltys, executive director of Benefis Senior Services.
Officials tell the Great Falls Tribune that it is only the third time in the last 15 years the tax credits have been approved for a Great Falls project.
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IDAHO- Housing market collapse blamed in Emmett mill idling POSTED 4/22/11
Boise Cascade’s decision to curtail operations at the plant will knock out some of the community’s higher paying jobs, said Emmett Mayor Bill Butticci.
The employees, who earned between $16 and $28 dollars an hour, will be out of jobs by early June, and company officials don’t expect to reopen the plant in the forseeable future.
“That’s kind of devastating news to us,” Butticci said. “It’s going to be very disturbing to the economy of our town.”
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WYOMING- Wyoming realtors warn of rent scam POSTED 4/22/11
Consumers are being warned to take precautions to protect themselves against a Craigslist house rental scam.
Guyla Greenly, executive officer of the Wyoming Association of Realtors, said people in communities including Douglas, Buffalo and Carbon County have responded to rental listings on Craigslist only to discover they were bogus.
She said while the property listings were authentic, the person posing as the property owner or agent was a scam artist.
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WYOMING- Wyoming sawmill may reopen POSTED 4/22/11
CHEYENNE -- The sawmill at Encampment has been sold and may reopen, according to State Forester Bill Crapser.
Thompson Logging of Kamas, Utah, is the new owner. The Encampment mill closed in the mid 1990s, reopened in 2003 and ran for a few years before closing again, Crapser said Tuesday.
If the mill reopens, as expected, it will be the third active sawmill in Wyoming. The others are at Hulett and Evanston.
Plans for the sawmill at Saratoga still are "up in the air," Crapser said.
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WYOMING- Encore Gets Funding for $9 Million Assisted Living Community in Wyoming POSTED 4/22/11
WIth funding from Jonah Bank of Wyoming, Encore Partners will soon begin constructing a new 57 apartment, $9 million dollar assisted living community in Rock Springs, WY.
Located on 4.5 acres adjacent to the Young at Heart Senior Center and will offer services to people 62 years and older and will be licensed to provide Alzheimer’s care.
Participant lenders include three regional banks, Rock Springs National, 1st Bank of Rock Springs, and Commerce Bank of Rawlins. Kiewit Building Group, LLC, the general contractor for the project, will break ground in mid-April on the single story 43,000 square foot building; Kephart of Denver, Colorado is the architect of record. The building will be comprised of two residential neighborhoods – forty four (44) assisted living and thirteen (13) memory care apartments.
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MONTANA- Resort founder wants bankruptcy petition tossed POSTED 4/22/11
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Attorneys for Yellowstone Club founder Tim Blixseth have asked a federal judge to dismiss a forced bankruptcy petition that was based on the real estate baron's unpaid tax bills in three states.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Nevada.
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MONTANA-Fire Sprinkler Systems in New Homes Spark Debate POSTED 4/22/11
House Bill 307 was crafted to override a building code that would make fire sprinkler systems mandatory in new homes.
Those for the bill say that the systems cost too much money, and could damage a housing market that is already hurting. Now the bill faces a tough battle to beat the Governor's veto.
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MONTANA- Montana probes killing of Yellowstone buffalo POSTED 4/22/11
(Reuters) - Montana authorities are examining the remains of a bison from Yellowstone National Park found dead from suspicious circumstances on Thursday after at least two other buffalo were illegally shot to death in the area.
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Midweek Market Report POSTED 4/21/11
Most traders at the mill and secondary levels were resigned to tough trading. "I don't believe I've ever seen the industry seize up like this," one wholesaler said. Most prices were vulnerable, with producers quoting shipments for next week or sooner. Tuesday's U.S. housing starts report was viewed as stabilization at a historically low level following February's weather-related shutdown.
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MONTANA- Senate passes eminent domain bill POSTED 4/21/11
HELENA — Gov. Brian Schweitzer said he plans to issue an amendatory veto to the controversial eminent domain bill the Legislature passed Wednesday, causing the legislation to expire in two years, but there is no guarantee he will get the chance to do it.
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MONTANA- Montana Senate revives eminent domain bill POSTED 4/20/11
HELENA — The Senate on Tuesday pulled the Legislature's sole remaining eminent domain reform effort back from the brink of death.
Earlier this month, the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee voted 8-4 to table House Bill 198, by Rep. Ken Peterson, R-Billings, throwing the future of the 214-mile international Montana Alberta Tie Line in doubt.
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MONTANA - Montana probing Greg Mortenson charity POSTED 4/20/11
Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock said Tuesday that he had begun an investigation into the charity run by Greg Mortenson, author of the best-selling inspirational memoir Three Cups of Tea.
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MONTANA - National Affordable Housing Network launching home building initiative in SW MT POSTED 4/19/11
It's time to build in Southwest Montana. That's the message from the National Affordable Housing Network.
Barbara Miller, President of the National Affordable Housing Network, says the organization is launching a region-wide construction effort to provide new home ownership opportunities in Butte, Boulder, Dillon and Whitehall.
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IDAHO - Rexburg Sees Housing Boom
New Complexes Built For The Masses POSTED 4/19/11
REXBURG, Idaho -- BYU-Idaho is growing, and more students means more housing, but the university and city of Rexburg want to limit the growing number of cars on the road.
Rexburg is seeing no shortage in construction projects. Huge apartment complexes seem to be shooting up around the BYU-Idaho campus, and the trend is expected to continue.
The Pedestrian Emphasis Zone also known as “the PEZ” by city officials consists of the city blocks surrounding the BYU-Idaho campus, allowing higher density housing and requiring less parking per tenant.
The city wants to encourage developers to revamp these areas closer to campus instead of building west.
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WYOMING - Wyoming’s Boom Poses Challenges For Obama POSTED 4/19/11
Montana’s senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus is leading a bipartisan effort to urge the U.S. Forest Service to end a practice that hurts Montana forestry jobs by discriminating against American grown wood.
“This policy is wrong for Montana and hurts our timber industry jobs. Well over a million acres of Montana forests are unfairly left out of Forest Service construction projects because of this rule. We have a wealth of environmentally sustainable building materials in Montana and I’m going to push the Forest Service use our home grown products first. Montana jobs depend on it,” said Baucus.
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SOUTH DAKOTA - Housing Cost Data POSTED 4/19/11
One-fourth of all South Dakota homeowners spend at least 30 percent of their incomes on housing costs. Government officials say that's an excessive amount to shell out for housing.
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SOUTH DAKOTA Wait for subsidized housing more than two years in Rapid City POSTED 4/19/11
Charity Brings Plenty is one of 2,000 people on a waiting list for subsidized housing assistance through the Pennington County Housing and Redevelopment Commission.
Brings Plenty and her two children have been on the list since 2009. They have risen to number 921 on the list.
The 36-year-old has been lucky enough to rent an apartment from Cornerstone Apartments, an apartment complex affiliated with the Cornerstone Rescue Mission.
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MONTANA
Smurfit-Stone plant closure hitting Frenchtown School District revenues POSTED 4/18/11 FRENCHTOWN - The whole town knew that when the mill shut down, the aftershocks would rumble long after the last whistle blew.
And that it would be the kids who suffered the most.
Some of them have already left, their families forced to tear themselves from their Frenchtown roots when the hundreds of good-paying jobs at Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.'s linerboard plant vanished in January 2010.
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Random Lengths Lumber Market Report POSTED 4/18/11
The framing lumber market showed no sign of pulling out of the doldrums. Prices continued to erode, and producers battled for available orders amid plentiful supplies at both the mill and secondary levels. Many traders took their cues from the futures market. The week's most active trading day was Wednesday, when the May futures contract snapped a string of losses. Sales were back to quiet on Thursday, although the board finished the day with a modest gain.
Structural panel markets eroded amid weak demand. Sales didn't come any easier for OSB mills than they have over the past several weeks. A few mills took a more aggressive approach to pricing toward bolstering their order files. Pricing in Southern Pine rated sheathing got messy after Tuesday, as some producers scrambled to fill next week's order files. One western Fir plywood trader described the market as "foul," and others used similar adjectives. Suppliers reported few incoming calls and even fewer orders.
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RANDOM LENGHTS POSTED 4/15/11
Universal Forest Products posts loss
Universal Forest Products reported a first-quarter net loss of $3.7 million, or 19 cents per share, compared to a profit of $1.7 million, or 5 cents per share, in the year-ago period.
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Curtailment Watch
Lumber Mills-West POSTED 4/15/11
Two more sawmills to take downtime
High Cascade Forest has announced that effective today, its sawmill in Carson, Wash., and Mt. Hood Forest Products in Hood River, Ore., will cease operations for a minimum of two weeks.
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MT,WY,SD U.S. Federal Reserve Beige Book: Minneapolis District POSTED 4/14/11
The following is the text of the Federal Reserve Board’s Ninth District-- Minneapolis.
The Ninth District economy expanded moderately since the last report. Increased activity was noted in consumer spending, tourism, commercial construction and real estate, manufacturing, energy and mining, and agriculture. The services sector was mixed, and residential construction and real estate activity decreased. Labor markets continued to show signs of strengthening, while wage increases remained subdued. Retail price increases were modest, but price pressures for inputs continued.
Consumer Spending and Tourism
Consumer spending increased. A major Minneapolis-based retailer reported that same-store sales in February were up almost 2 percent compared with a year earlier. A mall manager in North Dakota reported that recent sales were up slightly from a year ago. A representative of a retailers association expects restaurant growth during 2011 in Sioux Falls, S.D. However, retailers noted that March sales may finish lower than March 2010 sales due to the late Easter holiday. A representative of a Montana auto dealers association reported improving sales; gas prices were not yet a factor in buying decisions. Recent North Dakota vehicle sales were healthy, and dealers were optimistic about 2011, according to an auto dealers association. A domestic auto dealer in Minnesota said that March sales were ―excellent
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WYOMING Workers question double standard in unemployment vote POSTED 4/14/11
CODY, Wyo. — Before Wyoming felt the cumulative effects of the 2007 credit crunch, the 2008 real estate collapse and a punishing national recession, homebuilder Nick Randol had 15 people working for his construction company. Today, he employs four.
"A two-year drought of work hasn't been real prosperous, or even profitable," said Randol, a general contractor in Cody who has seen some of his former employees file for unemployment, while others found work in the agricultural sector.
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MONTANA GOP tax cut plans advance in Montana Legislature POSTED 4/14/11
HELENA - Republican legislators are on the verge of asking voters next year if they want some state budget surplus money returned to them as income tax credits, and also close to passing a separate major property tax cut on business equipment.
The House on Tuesday gave preliminary approval, 67-33, to Senate Bill 426, by Sen. Joe Balyeat, R-Bozeman, to put what he calls the Treasure State Taxpayer Dividend on the 2012 ballot. It faces a final House vote before going back to the Senate to vote on amendments.
As a referendum, it will go directly on the ballot if passed without going to Gov. Brian Schweitzer to sign or veto.
If approved, Balyeat's bill would provide income-tax credits - dollar-for-dollar reductions of tax liabilities - to Montanans if a certain trigger is met.
If the state's ending fund balance, or surplus, is 125 percent more than what was estimated the previous fall, then half the money would be returned to taxpayers, with the state retaining the other half. Money would go back to individual income and property taxpayers the next year by a formula through income tax credits.
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UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT POSTED 4/14/11 In the week ending April 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 412,000, an increase of 27,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 385,000. The 4-week moving average was 395,750, an increase of 5,500 from the previous week's revised average of 390,250.
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MONTANA Senate OKs bonding POSTED 4/12/11
HELENA — The Senate on Monday gave final approval to a bill authorizing the state to sell nearly $100 million in bonds to finance construction of new state buildings and repair others across the state.
The vote was 36-14 on House Bill 439, by Rep. Galen Hollenbaugh, D-Helena. The 36 votes were two more than needed because it takes a two-thirds majority, or 34 votes in the Senate, for the state to go into debt.
The bill will now return to the House, which is expected to reject a Senate amendment and send HB439 to a joint House-Senate conference committee to resolve the differences.
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WYOMING Energy powers robust Wyoming recovery POSTED 4/12/11
CASPER, Wyo. — The state’s energy industry is powering the Wyoming economy’s bounce back from the Great Recession.
The industry has opened a slew of new mining jobs and fueled a big boost in the state’s taxable sales from energy industry purchases, according to state economic analysts.
“After a short but severe recession, Wyoming’s economy has turned around since the beginning of 2010, thanks to the robust rebound of the energy industries,” the Wyoming Economic Analysis Division reported in an economic summary issued last week.
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Market News
Random Lengths POSTED 4/11/11
Demand in U.S. markets for framing lumber was mired in a slump. Muted demand throughout the country filtered back through all levels of the distribution system. Sharp downward pressure on the futures market helped to set the tone for a weak start to the second quarter. Tight log supplies in the Coast region and bullish reports from export markets were largely shrugged off amid lean domestic consumption. The Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price fell for a fourth straight week, declining $6.
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MONTANA Yellowstone Club Founder Blixseth Faces Involuntary Bankruptcy POSTED 4/11/11
First it was the luxury resort club he founded, then his ex-wife, and now it’s Timothy Blixseth who’s facing bankruptcy.
California, Idaho and Montana taxing authorities claiming to be owed $2.3 million in unpaid taxes filed an involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition against the ex-billionaire and former owner of the Yellowstone Club on Tuesday, court papers show. Blixseth told the Associated Press that he would contest the “bogus” and politically motivated filing.
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IDAHO Is Wood A Green Building Material? POSTED 4/11/11
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack chose an unusual way to celebrate the International Year of the Forest – unusual, at least, if you’re a tree.
Vilsack announced plans by the Agriculture Department and the Forest Service to use more wood in its buildings – part of a three-year plan to step up the department’s green building practices
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WYOMING Wyoming's unemployment rate declines POSTED 4/11/11
Wyoming’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate continued to decline slowly in February, hitting its lowest level since May 2009.
The February rate stood at 6.2 percent, down from 6.3 percent in January.
When compared to February 2010, Wyoming added a total of 2,000 nonfarm jobs, or an increase of 0.7 percent.
Natural resources and mining, including oil and gas, led the way, adding 1,900 jobs. Transportation and utilities gained 600 jobs, while professional and business services added 500.
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MONTANA With MetraPark's doors open, Billings see an uptick in business POSTED 4/11/11
BILLINGS - The Magic City has been a destination for visitors across the region. However when the tornado wiped out the state's premier concert venue, local businesses took what some said was a multi-million dollar hit.
But now, the arena is coming back to life, which means more business for local retailers.
"It'll be really nice boost the Metra going back again," said Jamie Eldridge.
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MONTANA House Passes Rehberg Bill to Rein in EPA Overreach
POSTED 4/8/11
(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Treasury has released a final statement for the month of March that demonstrates that financial madness has gripped the federal government.
During the month, according to the Treasury, the federal government grossed $194 billion in tax revenue and paid out $65.898 billion in tax refunds (including $62.011 to individuals and $3.887 to businesses) thus netting $128.179 billion in tax revenue for March.
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MONTANA Republicans deliver 10 bills to governor they say will help economy, advance business tax cut POSTED 4/8/11
HELENA, Mont. (AP) - GOP legislative leaders said they are sending 10 pieces of legislation to the governor on Thursday that help deliver on their promise to create jobs — and at the same time borrowed a shtick from Gov. Brian Schweitzer and rolled out branding irons of their own.
The Republicans used a Helena gravel pit as a backdrop to talk about a package of bills that includes looser mining and coal laws, a proposal to require the use of Montana wood products in road construction, and a plan to make medical malpractice claims more difficult.
Republican leaders now have a branding iron that reads "JOBS" to challenge Gov. Brian Schweitzer's "VETO" brand that he has used as a prop to threaten legislation he calls "kooky."
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SOUTH DAKOTA SD Dems seek to derail GOP governor's tax refund Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/06/2011 12:13 -0500
South Dakota Democrats started a petition effort Thursday aimed at forcing a statewide public vote on Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard's program to continue giving refunds on construction taxes to large industrial projects.
Petitions filed with the secretary of state's office on behalf of State Democratic Party Chairman Ben Nesselhuf seek to refer a law passed at Daugaard's urging by this year's Legislature.
Democrats must gather 15,855 signatures, equal to 5 percent of total votes cast in last year's gubernatorial election, by June 27 to put the measure on the November 2012 ballot, Secretary of State Jason Gant said.Read more...
MONTANA 31st Annual Great Falls Home and Garden Show POSTED 4/4/11
This weekend the Montana ExpoPark hosts the 31st Great Falls Home and Garden Show and Sale. The show is produced by the Home Builders Association of Great Falls. The show features hundreds of products from saunas, pet beds, construction, windows and doors, to gardening and home decor. Organizers say this is one of their biggest events ever.Read more...
WYOMING Wyoming changes building permit fees to draw larger construction projects POSTED 4/4/11
WYOMING -- Looking to entice larger construction projects, the city will change its fee schedule for building permits.
The City Council will replace its straight-multiplier calculation with one that reduces the cost for buildings in excess of $15 million.
Wyoming will charge a $60 base fee to issue a building permit, plus $7 for every $1,000 of value, up to $15 million. The fee will decrease to $5 for every $1,000 of value beyond $15 million.
Jim DeLange, chief building official, said the change has been on his radar and came to the forefront with a Gordon Food Service plan to build a new headquarters on Gezon Parkway SW this year. Wyoming also expects large construction projects at the site of an old General Motors plant that will be razed this year, he said.Read more...
IDAHO Industry officials say real estate market ripe with various deals POSTED 4/4/11
In some markets, median home prices have tumbled more than 25 percent.
Add in affordable interest rates on home loans and motivated sellers and you’ve got a recipe for a strong home buyer’s market, said Laura Fitzgerald, broker and owner of Idaho American Dream Realty.
“We’ve all heard the bad news about real estate markets but this actually a very good time to buy a home,” said Fitzgerald. “We’re seeing discounted prices compared to several years ago and sellers are more motivated to negotiate the price.”
Although the number of homes on the market is down from three years ago Fitzgerald said there is still a variety of homes and features on the market.
Kevin Dane, Bank of Idaho loan originator, said many people believe that banks aren’t lending but that isn’t true. Read more...
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