Transportation Management Centers (TMCs) are an essential part of the federal government’s plan for a futuristic way of using SMART infrastructure and autonomous vehicles to manage regional transportation. Yet some KMPO officials seem surprised at the vehemence of public resistance to the proposal. Although many public transportation officials see benefits to a regional TMC, to most North Idaho residents, the promised advantages of high-tech “Intelligent Transportation” systems (ITS) are meager…

"Smart traffic lights are traffic control systems that combines traditional traffic lights with an array of sensors and artificial intelligence to intelligently route vehicle and pedestrian traffic". —Wikipedia One of the false promises that advocates of “Intelligent Transportation Systems” (ITS) use to justify adding unwanted complexity to our traffic systems is that SMART traffic signal controllers that use Artificial Intelligence and real-time surveillance data to control traffic flow, will …

The "Nondisclosure" Agreement There is so much wrong with the inexplicable bailout of the University of Phoenix by the University of Idaho that it is difficult to know where to begin. The deal obviously makes no sense for the University of Idaho (UI). Everyone knows the University of Phoenix (UP) has a bad reputation, legal problems and has been in decline for over a decade. Its current owner, Apollo Global Management, has been trying to unload it for two years. Then suddenly, with no war…

KMPO's Plans for a North Idaho Spy Center Most Kootenai residents are already aware that hundreds of new traffic cameras have been installed over the last few years that are capable to tracking their every move. But they may not know that local planning agencies believe that even more surveillance is necessary. The KMPO board (Kootenai Metro Planning Organization) is now actively considering approving a "Traffic Management Center," for the region. The 26 million dollar data center,—paid for…

Our Lost Literary Legacy "The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth." —George Orwell, 1984 Almost thirty years ago we decided to homeschool and began collecting traditional children's books. At that time high quality children's literature could easily be found at used book stores, thrift shops, and yard sales so we were able to amass an impressive collection of juvenile classics, composed mainly of library discards. Many other homeschool families did the same. …

The Broken Mirror In Hans Christian Anderson’s tale The Snow Queen an evil troll creates a mirror that distorts everything it reflects. The good and beautiful are seen as bad and ugly, and what is corrupt and perverse is seen as desirable. As the troll attempts to lift the mirror into the heavens to bring the whole world under its spell, the mirror shatters into thousands of pieces, each shard having the same corrupting power. This was a disaster for mankind, because when even the tiniest spli…

This article features a guest column by a Post Falls author who has done extensive research on Coeur Terre over-development. He makes the excellent point that the 440 acres proposed development east of Huetter Road, which has already generated enormous controversy, is less than half of the anticipated development of the area. Lakeside Companies also owns over 600 acres to the West of Huetter, and the development of that portion involves many unknown and undisclosed factors. So all the unre…

There are many serious problems with the Coeur Terre Development. In previous articles NISGR has pointed out the entirely dysfunctional traffic grid surrounding Coeur Terre, caused by shortsighted Central Planners. We have also investigated suspicious changes to Idaho's Tax Code that appear to benefit Coeur Terre property owners. And finally, we are critics of the entire planning process, which almost certainly violated Open Meeting Laws. But the worst problem with Coeur Terre is that the …

You have probably heard of the accreditation problems at NIC and of the hysterical outrage directed against the new board of Trustees. But what is behind all the drama? How can a college lose "accreditation" just because someone doesn't like the new trustees? What is really at stake? Much of the story remains hidden. The mainstream media contantly vilifies the current NIC leadership, but what you will never learn from official sources is: How a corrupt cabal of crony capitalists has bee…

The Case of the Missing Traffic Grid After hours of testimony from concerned residents, it finally seems to have dawned on the CDA City Council that traffic problems involving the Coeur Terre development are serious and that there are no easy solutions. For years city leaders have been promoting the interests of developers while ignoring public concerns. Coeur d'Alene has even gone so far as to outsource its planning responsibilities to a privately controlled non-profit in order to avoid acco…