Rodeo gets fancy • No more teepees in Bellevue • Unemployment up in N. Idaho • INL nanotechnology research could be key for energy efficiency • Breaking ground for the byway

Rodeo gets fancy

Idaho's most famous rodeo rider, Wiley Petersen, is quoted in a USA Today story about designer chaps worn by bull riders.

The story says when these tough guys compete, they wear the "fanciest pants in sports."

"They are leather, but it's a very minimal amount of protection," says Petersen of the new style of chaps. "It's more of a look. It's more of a dress-up type thing."

The Pocatello rider’s chaps, made by B Bar B Leather of Blackfoot, are black with bright green and gold fringe. His chaps bear the logos of his sponsors, Rocky Boots and BowTech (hunting bows).

He also sports a green cross on each thigh.

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No more teepees in Bellevue

The Bellevue City Council passed an ordinance change last week that prohibits the use of canvas, vinyl and similar materials in the building of walls for permanent residences in the city.

In other words, pack up that teepee, hippie.

"I received calls recently from three people asking if they can live in the city limits off the radar of Idaho Power Co. and without city sanitation services," Bellevue Planning and Zoning Administrator Craig Eckles told the Mtn. Express.

"There are a number of reasons why we shouldn't allow off-the-grid living in the city limits," said Councilman Steve Fairbrother at a recent City Council meeting.

"It is unsanitary. It also will make nearby property values plummet. It might make sense on a 50-acre lot somewhere, but not on a 6,000-square-foot lot in the city," he said.

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Unemployment up in N. Idaho

According to the Idaho Department of Labor, Bonner County's unemployment numbers almost doubled from 3 percent in September 2007 to 5.8 percent in September 2008.

The Bonner County Daily Bee says the 2.8-percent increase equates to 1,101 lost jobs in the county.

"It's a substantial increase in the unemployment rate. Of course it was at a very low level last September, and at this point and time it's still lower than it was much of the 1980s and 1990s, but it is of concern to see that it has jumped up like that," Kathryn Tacke, regional economist with the department of labor, said.

In recent years, Bonner County has outperformed the state in terms of unemployment, but current numbers show the county dipping slightly behind the state's 5 percent unemployment.

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INL nanotechnology research could be key for energy efficiency

Idaho National Laboratory researcher Steven Novack tells news magazine Mother Jones about a future in which "solar antennae are as easy to use as Saran Wrap — and almost as cheap."

The solar antennae would be a major step in the direction of better energy efficiency for certain devices.

Novack says of the energy traditional solar cells are attempting to collect, they get 12 to 20 percent of that light energy converted to electrical energy.

Prototypes of silicone antennae of these sizes Novack and fellow researchers have developed capture 80 percent.

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Breaking ground for the byway

Thursday marked the groundbreaking for the "long-awaited and much-protested" Sand Creek Byway, a 2.1-mile, $98 million highway that will provide a direct traffic route around downtown Sandpoint.

"They ought to name this project perseverance," said Gov. Butch Otter during his keynote address. "This is an economic artery for the state of Idaho and it had some serious blockage."

The Spokesman Review says the Byway was first proposed in 1953. Concerns about potential damage to the waterfront have stalled the project in recent years.

Also, the estimated price of the project has nearly quadrupled in recent years.