CITYDESK LANGHORST ON TAX COMMISH Word from the Guv’s office last week is that David Langhorst was named to the Idaho State Tax Commission. Langhorst, who has served in both houses of the state Legislature, made an unsuccessful run for Ada County commissioner last year against incumbent Rick Yzaguirre. Langhorst, a Democrat, replaces Colleen Grant on the bipartisan commission. Typically, news of tax commissioners is the kind of stuff that’s about as interesting to the public at large as ... well, anything to do with taxes. But the Langhorst appointment is noteworthy, given that the commission is still trying to shake off last year’s scandal, in which it was accused of favoring big business with excessive tax breaks. During his time in the Legislature, Langhorst cultivated a reputation for playing well on both sides of the partisan fence. Of his new job, Langhorst says he’s looking forward to working with the commissioners “to achieve and maintain a fair, predictable and stable tax system for the people of Idaho.” —Rachael Daigle
NEWS
NEW BIKE INFO IN IDAHO DRIVER’S ED MANUAL “HONKING—Never honk when close to a bicyclist, it is startling.” That’s one of the new recommendations that will appear in the new Idaho Driver’s Manual, to be published later this summer. Boise Sen. Elliot Werk and “statewide bike advocates” helped put together the info for new drivers about sharing the road with bikes. But the bike info will not be on driving tests. —Nathaniel Hoffman
war in Iraq U.S. CASUALTIES: As of Monday, July 6, 2009, 4,325 U.S. service members (including 31 Idahoans) have died since the war in Iraq began in March 2003: 3,460 in combat and 865 from non-combat-related incidents and accidents. Injured service members total 31,408. In the last week, five U.S. soldiers died. Since President Barack Obama was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 96 soldiers have died. Source: U.S. Dept. of Defense IRAQI CIVILIAN DEATHS: Estimated between 92,485 and 100,964. Source: iraqbodycount.net COST OF IRAQ WAR: $684,903,035,674 Source: costofwar.com
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| JULY 8–14, 2009 |
BOISEweekly
B Y MATHIAS MORACHE
IN A BRIGHT AND DIFFERENT LIGHT LEDs to take over downtown streetlights
the Downtown Business Association and Capital City Development Corporation to look. The comments came back as being acceptable. I’m sure it’s like anything else—it’s a change and some people may not like it,” said Tensen. If you want to see for yourself, a test light is located on the west side of Fifth Street between Main and Grove near Addie’s Restaurant. Another historic LED streetlight is nearby between Fourth and Fifth streets on the north side of Grove. Other oise is joining many cities across the LEDs, of a slightly different hue, are in Hyde Park. United States in retrofitting streetlights According to the Stranger, when Seattle went LED, the lights with energy-efficient LED bulbs to cut placed in residential areas affected sleep patterns. The light electricity and maintenance bills, and to save emitted from the LEDs takes on a blue tint, reminiscent of what energy. Stimulus money coming in to Idaho you’d expect on the set of a zombie flick. Recognizing the blue to also helps. However, with LED comes signify daytime, photoreceptors in the eyes went awry for snooza different light quality, one that has ing Seattle denizens and insomnia swept the neighborhoods. become an issue for some insomniacs “We’re going to use more white light than blue,” Tensen in Seattle, as reported in the Seattle said. “Other than the people that live downtown, who will be Stranger. With downtown Boise on well above the lighting, this will not be in residential areas.” deck to glow under some 725 LED Another city engineer said white light is better anyway. bulbs, at a cost of $420,000 to “From a safety, security standpoint, a whiter light is actually $500,000, city engineer John better, too,” said Rob Bousfield, assistant to the city engineer. Tensen explained the aesthetics There are still minor contractual details to be worked out, of public lighting. but the bulbs to be used will likely come from Inovus Solar, a City engineers took LED Boise-based manufacturer noted for designing solar powered for a test drive to gauge street lights. the effect on minds and “You can get LED in any variety of colors. There are bright eyeballs. blues but we use neutral white,” said Edam Lozano, director “We have looked of customer solutions for Inovus. from an aesthetic The advantages of going LED are numerous, as the engineers standpoint. We had will tell you. “It’s a national trend. We think we’re going to some test case save over half of the current power. We also think the bulbs will lights installed last longer than the standard high-pressure sodium bulb. These and we asked should last 10 to 15 years. Time will tell,” Tensen said.
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OBAMA VOWS DON’T ASK POLICY SHIFT Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, the Mountain Home Air Force pilot who faces an honorable discharge for being gay, shook President Barack Obama’s hand at a recent Gay Pride event at the White House. Fehrenbach told KTVB Channel 7 in Boise: “I sort of made a beeline to him and introduced myself and he had that look on his face like he knew who I was. I think there were people who told him I would be there. I introduced myself, I said I’m being discharged under ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and the situation for me was urgent and I need your help. And, he looked me directly in the eye and said, ‘we’re going to get this done.’” Defense Secretary Robert Gates has indicated that soldiers like Fehrenbach may be allowed to continue to serve until the administration works out a new policy to replace don’t ask, don’t tell, according to the Air Force Times. Gates said there could be exceptions to enforcing the policy if whomever outed the soldier had a chip on his shoulder. “Do we need to be driven ... to take action on somebody, if we get that information from somebody who may have vengeance in mind or blackmail or somebody who has been jilted?” Gates said. Fehrenbach wore civvies to the White House Pride event, fearing disciplinary action for attending a “political” event with the commander in chief, AF Times reports.
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B Y NATHANIEL HOFFMAN
CLASSICAL CLASS New Nampa charter school walks
disease to the New World. “In reality, he didn’t do anything, it was a natural consequence of biology,” Moffett said. The academy borrows much of its curriculum from Hillsdale Academy, a private Christian prep school in Michigan, which is located on the campus of Hillsdale College, home of the William F. Buckley Jr. archives. But Moffett is modifying the curriculum to saac Moffett, founder and operations director at the Nampa make it appropriate for public schools. Classical Academy, a publicly funded charter school that “Some of the books are too devotional, if you will, so we’re opens in the fall, did not like school. While studying educanot going to use that particular one,” Moffett said of Hillsdale’s tion at several colleges, including the College of Southern Idaho reading list. and Boise State, Moffett revolted against the major educational Moffett recommends that teachers and parents read the book philosophies of the day. Classical Education: The Movement Sweeping America published “While there, I did not agree, or believe, what was being by Capital Research Center, a conservative think tank. taught to me as an education stuThe book was written by Gene dent,” Moffett said. “I did not agree Edward Veith, provost at Patrick with it, first as a parent, second as a Henry College and author of some human being.” 20 books on engaging society with Moffett bemoaned the works of Christianity, and Andrew Kern, who secular progressives and atheists like once worked at Boise’s Foundations John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lawrence Academy Christian School and now Kohlberg and Howard Gardner that runs the Circe Institute, a Christian are taught at teacher colleges. classical education consultancy based So he moved to Nampa and in North Carolina. started a public charter school to fit Kern was back in Boise last his worldview. month to train the Nampa Classical “We’re not a liberal school, we’re Academy staff. It was the first public not … liberal may be too strong of school that Circe, which identifies a word, we are a conservative school, and I think people confuse itself as a ministry, has been involved with. that with religious,” Moffett said. According to Moffett, the Christian classical school movement Nampa Classical will teach Latin and Western classics, includstarted in the 1980s in Moscow, Idaho, with the Christ Churching the Bible. The school will not teach “certain sex ed,” will esaffiliated Logos School. The Association of Classical and Christian chew anti-American rhetoric and troop bashing and will impart the Schools is also located in Moscow and Moffett has met with that “good of America, the good of Western civilization,” Moffett said. group, but Nampa Classical is not a member. Teachers will also discuss where America has failed to live up Moffett said his school is not of the Christian classical variety, to its principles, he allowed, without being “presentist,” or judging but a hybrid of the moral and democratic schools of classical earlier epochs with modern values. education. “In its proper context, the kids will learn about Native “There’s just things we can’t do because of being a public Americans,” said Moffett, who will teach American history and school,” Moffett said. “Let’s put it this way: you can still get geography. “If we’re talking about westward expansion ... you a spanking at that school [Logos], which I’m not opposed can’t understand why they were conquered so easily without unto one iota. They are Christ-centered. We take a little differderstanding their culture.” ent approach to that. Our version and their version is almost Christopher Columbus will not be judged for introducing incompatible because of the God issue.”
fine line between church, state
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“ ... we are a conservative school and I think people
confuse that with religious,”
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