Idaho
Idaho Supreme Court dismisses Idaho Transportation Department headquarters lawsuit • Idaho Capital Sun
The Idaho Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the would-be buyers that the Idaho Legislature blocked from purchasing the Idaho Transportation Department’s former Boise headquarters.
In a unanimous decision, the five Idaho Supreme Court justices dismissed the lawsuit, writing that the state did not sign a contract with the would-be buyers of the property. The buyers were the high-bidders for state surplus property, but did not have a legally enforceable contract, the Idaho Supreme Court found.
“Our decision is based solely on our conclusion that petitioners do not have a legally enforceable right to purchase the ITD campus and as a result, they do not have standing to file this action,” Idaho Supreme Court Justice Colleen D. Zahn wrote in the opinion.
In a written statement Tuesday, the would-be buyers expressed disappointment in the ruling. The buyers included Hawkins Companies, Pacific West Communities, INC. and FJ Management.
“We are shocked by the Idaho Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss this case, avoiding a decision to correct the unconstitutional legislative interference in our state’s budget process,” Hawkins Companies CEO Brian Huffaker said in a written statement. “We continue to believe any review of the unchecked actions of the Idaho Legislature would have found them to be illegal.”
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“Despite months of opportunities for all three branches of state government to participate in fair business dealings, none have chosen to do so,” Huffaker added. “Those choices, along with the actions of the Idaho Legislature, send a clear message: Don’t do business with Idaho. All of us – citizens and businesses alike – should be concerned.”
“We now hope the taxpayers hold legislators and state leaders accountable for lost revenue and opportunity stemming from their unprecedented interference with the free market,” Huffaker said.
The Idaho Supreme Court had originally scheduled oral arguments on the case Aug. 26, but Tuesday’s opinion dismissed the case and makes oral arguments unnecessary.
What led to the lawsuit over the Idaho Transportation Department’s former Boise headquarters?
The 45-acre property at the center of the case is the Idaho Transportation Department’s former Boise headquarters located at 3311 W. State St. in Boise.
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A series of events led to the lawsuit.
- In January 2022, the building flooded and was contaminated with asbestos, according to court documents.
- In August 2022, the Idaho Transportation Department’s board declared the property “surplus property,” paving the way for it to be put up for sale.
- In November 2023, state officials told the Idaho Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee that the state sold the State Street property to a joint venture including Hawkins Companies, Pacific West Communities and FJ Management for $51.7 million, the Sun previously reported.
- On March 1, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee approved budget language blocking the sale of the property. That day, some legislators on the committee told the Sun the contract had not been signed and money had not yet changed hands. They said they felt it was more financially responsible to keep the property and refurbish it.
- On April 25, the would-be buyers filed a lawsuit against the state asking the Idaho Supreme Court to throw out legislative budget language that blocked the state’s authority to sell the property, the Sun previously reported.
The would-be buyers said they followed all of the state’s purchasing requirements, made the high bid in a competitive bidding process and felt they had a deal. But the state argued that it had discretion in concluding the sale and was not obligated to sign a contract with the high bidder or even complete the sale at all.
In the end, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that the would-be buyers did not have standing to file the challenge, and did not not look at whether or not the Idaho Legislature overstepped its authority to block the sale.
“To be clear, our opinion today does not decide whether the legislature exceeded its
constitutional authority in passing the appropriations bills,” Zahn wrote in Tuesday’s opinion. “It also does not decide whether a party with standing would be entitled to the requested writs.”
Idaho Supreme Court ITD opinion
We’re lucky to live in a place as safe as the Treasure Valley. Despite our growth, one of the things that makes our area so special is the way that we look out for one another–for our neighbors! That’s a principle that seems to have held on as Boise has boomed.
Despite low crime rates, there seems to always be one incident or so that makes us scratch our heads.
A recent string of fraud incidents in the Treasure Valley area is one of those.
Nampa Police initially warned the public of this because cases of fraud began to ‘mushroom’. Then, it took an interesting turn–people that HAD their credit cards were being ‘taken to the bank’, so to speak.
In a statement originally released on April 30th by the Nampa Police Department, officials advised the following:
We are not sure how the suspects are gaining access to the victim’s credit cards. There is a growing fraud scheme, “ghost tapping”, that scammers are using to access victims’ credit cards. This is possibly occurring in these instances. “Ghost tapping” uses stolen credit card details in Apple Pay or Google Pay, then remotely relays the tap signal over the internet to a ‘mule’ at a store, allowing them to make high-value purchases that appear completely legitimate. (We’ll share more information on ghost tapping in a later public service announcement that will also suggest ways to protect yourself.) The app used by these criminals obscures the actual credit card number, making it harder for investigators to link a victim to a particular crime. Keep in mind that victims still have their physical credit cards while suspects use the stolen card information to make purchases, which also affects how victims are alerted. So far, local investigators have not been able to identify a common theme among the victims (e.g., a specific bank, a website they visited, a gas pump they used, etc.) in the fraud cases we are investigating.
The investigation spans far and wide.
Authorities say that some suspects are in custody, others are being contacted, and others are still at large.
Now, a week later, the police are back to reaching out to the public–this time, urging people to check their bank accounts.
Nampa Police say that they have caught onto a pattern– there are fraudulent charges at Albertson’s to purchase gift cards, at Costco to purchase Apple products, and at Best Buy, also for Apple products.
Check those bank statements!
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The USDA has issued a public health alert for various meat and poultry products containing FDA-regulated dairy that may have been contaminated with salmonella. The recall was originally issued on April 30th, but the contaminated product list could continue to grow as more products are identified.
The Food Safety and Inspection arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the public health alert and there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products listed below, consumers are still advised to dispose of the items or return them to the place of purchase. Great Value and Pork King Good products sold at Idaho Walmart stores are included in the alert and recall.
Public Health Alert and Food Recall Issued For Pizza and Pork Rinds Sold in Idaho
As of right now, the food list includes pork rinds, breakfast pizzas, and chicken bacon ranch pizzas. The list could grow and the USDA advises consumers to check the list frequently. We will also update the list here when possible. The contaminated products carry a variety of ‘Best By’ and ‘Produced On’ dates, so check the lists carefully to make sure you don’t consume a contaminated product.
The nationwide brands to look for are Mama Cozzi’s from Aldi stores, Pork King Good, and Great Value at Walmart Stores.
Photo Credit USDA – 1
Photo Credit USDA – 1
You can also look through these label photos to see if you have the product in your freezer.
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
If you feel sick and have consumed a contaminated product, the USDA advise you to contact your health care provider.
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Food Network just posted a compilation video of Guy at these spots!
Gallery Credit: Shannon Buccola
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