STAF F P I C KS/P U B LI C EYE LAU R IE PEAR M AN
DUANE QUINTANA: Keeping the public aware.
BEST GIANT BRASS BALLS DUANE QUINTANA Duane Quintana, founder of Allies Linked for the Prevention of HIV and AIDS, is HIV positive. And in late summer of 2010 he printed up fliers with his picture that boldly proclaimed: “I am Duane and I have HIV. But don’t worry, you can’t get it from this flier.” As part of a campaign to remove stigmatization of the disease and help spread awareness of the facts, he handed them out all over Idaho. Brave doesn’t begin to describe Quintana.
BEST WAY NOT TO FIND THE PROMISED LAND BE THE IDAHO GOP GOLDEN BOY THEN GET TANKED, STEAL A TRUCK AND TRAILER, GET IT STUCK IN SOMEONE ELSE’S DRIVEWAY, RUN AROUND THE HOUSE, TALK ABOUT FINDING THE PROMISED LAND, THEN PASS OUT IN THE BACK OF THE STOLEN TRUCK Sen. John McGee tried it, but it didn’t work out so well for him. Or did it ...
BEST HAIRY KERFUFFLE WOLVES VS. THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST Last year in BW’s Spuds and Duds, we threw up the white flag when it came to the status of wolves in Idaho: They were on the Endangered Species List, they were off the list, wait, they were back on and then off again, then on and, hell, we give up. Between the court cases and the scientific studies, keeping track of what’s going on is more challenging that figuring out the appeal of reality television. Then, just as Idaho was gearing up for its second wolf hunting season, some members of Congress took it upon themselves to push to have wolves taken off the endangered list once and for all. Of course, Congress, trying to strong-arm a decision process that’s already so muddled it’s hard to tell just what’s going on, has only made things murkier. Thanks Congress, we’re glad you didn’t have anything more pressing on your agendas.
14 | BEST OF BOISE: STAFF PICKS | SEPTEMBER 21–27, 2011 | BOISEweekly
BEST INVESTMENT TIP BUY LAND IN PAYETTE COUNTY, SELL IT TO THOSE WHO THINK A NUCLEAR REACTOR WILL DRAW THOUSANDS OF JOBS, THEN GET OUT OF TOWN, QUICK Nothing smells more like money than nuclear jobs. But in the case of tiny Eagle startup Alternate Energy Holdings Inc., the result ended up smelling more like a nuked gas station burrito. Bursting onto the Southern Idaho scene in 2006 with hefty promises to build the nation’s first commercial reactor plant in decades (and create “thousands” of jobs), AEHI squabbled with enviro foes like the Snake River Alliance, pulled up stakes in Owyhee County, then moved to Elmore County, then moved to Payette County. All the while, CEO Don Gillispie (a smooth talker from ol’ Virginny) was pumping stock with a deluge of Prozac-inspired press releases—at least according to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which accused the owners of fraud and barred them from selling stock. Long story short, AEHI was back in business after a court hearing but new SEC charges are pending.
SECOND BEST INVESTMENT TIP BUY LAND IN ONTARIO, ORE. Apparently more than 500 Idaho “clients” have bought property just across the border so they can have ready access to the region’s first marijuana dispensary thanks to Oregon’s medical marijuana laws. Looks like a growth industry to us.
BEST REASON TO BUY A BUS PASS STATE STREET POPULATION TO GROW 93 PERCENT BY 2035 Planners are working on a design that will widen State Street to seven lanes between 23rd Street and Eagle Road, introducing highoccupancy lanes. So sure, you could continue to sit in unending traffic, making deals with various deities to get the light to stay green for just a little longer, or you could use that energy to pray for a good public transportation option that will help you skip the line. WWW. B O I S E WE E KLY. C O M