Young professionals to gather
Jigsaw Young Professionals, founded by valley resident Jima Rice, will meet from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the Roosevelt Tavern in Ketchum, for an educational and social gathering.
Erin Dunn, who ran for mayor of Hailey in November, will speak on "The Road Less Traveled." An Edge Wireless sales consultant, he will speak about his experiences on the campaign.
The group will also meet Friday, Jan. 11, from noon to 1:15 p.m. at Zion's Bank Conference Room at 291 Washington Ave. in Ketchum. The gathering will be for a lunch lecture on "Setting Your Business Goals."
The cost is free to members and $8 for non-members. For more information, contact Rice at jimasv@cox.net or www.jimarice.com.
Unemployment rate below average
The Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor reported that Blaine County's unemployment rate in November remained below the state average.
The department reported that 307 workers were without jobs out of a labor force of 14,671, which translates to an unemployment rate of 2.1 percent. The state average is 2.7 percent.
Summer brings surge of income
A strong farm sector combined with improved consumer activity more than offset a slowdown in home construction and associated sectors, and boosted Idaho's total personal income by more than 1.7 percent during the third quarter of 2007, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Wednesday.
On an annualized basis, personal income—the total of all wages, business-owner profits, investment earnings and transfer payments like Social Security—hit $47.7 billion during the July-September quarter. Idaho's percentage increase, sixth highest among the states, translated into more than $800 million in additional income.
The surge, which followed a sluggish spring quarter due to a decline in construction and weaker commodity prices, pushed Idaho's personal income growth over the year to more than 8.4 percent, second only to Utah's 9.1 percent increase.
AARP's Tax-Aide seeks volunteers
AARP is seeking volunteers to help with Tax-Aide, its free tax assistance service for individuals with low to moderate incomes, with special attention to those ages 60 and up.
Tax-Aide volunteers will receive free comprehensive training from IRS-certified and Idaho State Tax Commission instructors, and are reimbursed for program-related expenses, such as gas mileage.
In exchange, each volunteer is asked for a minimum of commitment of 40 hours over the 10-week tax season, which runs from Feb. 1 to April 15.
Classes will start soon after the holidays, so those interested should contact Mary Lou Brooks at (208) 934-5996 for more information or visit the Tax-Aide Web site, www.aarp.org/taxaide.
BBB warns of scams
Better Business Bureau President and CEO Dale Dixon issued a news release last week urging businesses to use caution when approached by unknown customers who want to place orders for large quantities of merchandise over the Internet.
Dixon stated that the buyer will typically want the merchandise shipped by the fastest possible method to an address either out of the country or state, paying by credit card.
This can indicate a scam in which the buyer is using a credit card that is either fraudulent or stolen, leading to a loss of both revenue and merchandise.
The bureau advises businesses to independently confirm the buyer's name, address and telephone number, as well as to refrain from accepting payment for more than the purchase price of the product and return any checks that attempt to do so.
Red meat production on the rise
Commercial red meat production at Idaho packing plants in November totaled 18.9 million pounds, up 378 percent from November 2006, numbers from the National Agricultural Statistics Service indicate. The statistics also show that November red meat production was up 2 percent from October production.
However, the accumulated Idaho red meat production for January through November totaled 162 million pounds, down 27 percent from the same period in 2006, statistics provided by the United States Department of Agriculture indicate.
Annual irrigation rebates delayed
Irrigators will have to wait another month to get their annual tax rebates from Idaho Power, the company announced in late December.
The rebates are normally paid in December, and Idaho Power attributed the delay to unavailable information from county taxing authorities.
An Idaho Power news release explained that the rebates are required by law because utility property used for generating and delivering power to irrigators is exempt from property taxes.
The company reported that it paid refunds last year to 5,900 irrigators in 24 counties. The average refund was $170.
