Micron Technology continues to lay the groundwork to move into the manufacturing of high efficiency lighting.

Micron is advertising for a LED Product Development Engineer. LED stands for light emitting diode, which are semiconductors that illuminate when electrons move through them.

By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com

Former Boise State tailback Ian Johnson put together another impressive workout Tuesday for NFL scouts at the Broncos’ annual pro day.

Johnson, who has bulked up to 212 pounds, did not run the 40-yard dash because he posted a terrific time of 4.46 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine. He did do agility drills.

“He’s as big as he’s ever been and moving as well as he’s ever moved,” Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. “… He looked fast and he looked powerful.”

It's not a quick read — tying up the printer at a hefty 21 pages — but the good-government group The Common Interest has put together a very detailed report on the Idaho transportation funding debate.

It's typical of what I would expect from The Common Interest and its painstakingly nonpartisan director Keith Allred, a former Harvard professor. The report carefully lays out the state's transportation repair needs and discusses the various options for paying for the roadwork.

A few of the highlights:

By Chadd Cripe
ccripe@idahostatesman.com

Boise State and the Mid-American Conference are putting together a deal for the Broncos to play at Bowling Green this season instead of Toledo, Boise State athletic director Gene Bleymaier said. Bowling Green is just outside Toledo, so it's virtually the same trip.

The deal would move the Toledo game to 2011 in place of the Broncos' game at Bowling Green, but it hasn't been completed, Bleymaier said.

Toledo is scheduled to play in Boise in 2010. A Toledo spokesman confirmed the Rockets plan to play both games against the Broncos.

It appears as if the marriage of the Zappa Family Trust and the Lagunitas Brewing Co. is defunct.

The Ruben and the Jets Imperial Stout released by Lagunitas in December is the last of the Zappa themed beers to come out after Frank’s widow Gail decided she didn’t want the program to continue.

“It was just that the Zappa Trust pulled the plug on us,” said Don Chartier, a Lagunitas employee who answered the phone at the Pteluma-based brewery last week. “We had more beers lined up. We would have loved to keep it going. Gail just said no.”

There's been a string of victories lately for salmon and steelhead, from killing salmon-eating sea lions in the Columbia River to another court case that reconfirms wild fish must be protected.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled in favor of wild fish by declaring agencies could use hatchery fish from wild stocks to bolster populations, but hatchery fish would not be considered the same as wild fish regarding Endangered Species Act protection.

Brian Murphy
bmurphy@idahostatesman.com

Former Boise State wide receiver Jeremy Childs ran and caught passes for NFL scouts Tuesday at the Broncos’ pro day.

Childs also addressed his reasons for leaving school after his junior season. Childs said financial considerations, particularly caring for his 4-year-old daughter, Nya, and his mother, played a large part in his decision.

"I've got some personal issues with my daughter. I've got to take care of her. My mom, she doesn't really have a place to live," Childs said.

Here's a sampling...know of others? Post them here. 

Red Cross is looking for heroes

The American Red Cross of Greater Idaho is currently seeking nominations for an award to recognize people in the community who have taken action in time of crisis to help others and consistently show an “extraordinary gift for human compassion.”

Send your nominations soon...heroes will be recognized at an April 30 breakfast.

Legislators were treated to St. Patrick's Day bagpiping by a Senate page from North Idaho, who admitted to pining for the pubs of Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene.

Mallory Triplett's heart will be with St. Joseph's Pipe and Drum Corps tonight, though she'll be in her temporary quarters in Boise. "It's one of our best nights to make money, but I'll be home tonight. I have nowhere else to go."

The Bloomberg news service has posted an in-depth story about Credit Suisse's financing of luxury resorts. The story focuses heavily on Tamarack Resort and features an interview with developer Jean-Pierre Boespflug, who says the Swiss bank's loan offer in 2006 was so sweet it "like putting candy in front of a 4-year-old." Read Credit Suisse Resort Loans Default From Beverly Hills to Idaho.