Trouble for Tamarack

Is Tamarack closing its doors? That depends on who you ask. Late yesterday, the resort's spokesman said this would be the final weekend of activities at Tamarack because it had, essentially, run out of money. He said the resort would close down on March 5th indefinitely.But another source close to the situation tells KTVB that is not the case!

That source says the March 5th date is when lenders will meet with the judge to discuss the possibility of further funding. If no additional capital is procured, then the ski hill and only the ski hill would close.

Tamarack's high-profile financial problems have been no secret. After defaulting on a 250-million dollar loan last year -- Tamarack's CEO was replaced by a court-appointed manager out of California.

At that time, the resort was also given a ten-million dollar bridge loan to get its ski season underway and to protect its unfinished village.
That money is now running dry and Tamarack's closure may, indeed, be imminent.
But whether that date has been determined is still in question.

Tamarack to close March 5

This is the final weekend of activities at Tamarack Resort. Next week, it is shutting down indefinitely.

Late Friday, Fourth District Judge Patrick Owen issued a ruling to close the resort on Thursday, March 5.

Tamarack's high-profile financial problems have been no secret. After defaulting on a $250 million loan last year, Tamarack CEO Jean-Pierre Boespflug was replaced by Doug Wilson, a court-appointed manager out of California.

The resort was given a $10 million bridge loan to get its ski season underway and to protect its unfinished village.

That money is now gone, and Tamarack's spokesman told Newschannel 7 Friday night that the bank will no longer fund the resort. That bank, Credit Suisse, is trying to reclaim assets from the resort by forcing an involuntary closure of Tamarack.

Those still left at the Donnelly resort say they're trying to come to terms with this sudden closure.

The ski season was scheduled to last into April. It will now end next Thursday.

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Boise woman dies in crash with a snow plow

A Boise woman died in a collision with an ITD snow plow.

Idaho State Police say Amy Habets, 32 of Boise lost control of her car, crossed the centerline on US 93 in Butte County and hit the plow truck.

It happened around 7:30pm Monday night.

Her passenger, Kelly Woodall, 37 of Boise, is in critical condition at St. Al's.

The plow truck driver suffered minor injuries.

Pilot possibly missing

A pilot is overdue this morning. That's confirmed through the Northwest Regional Operations Center. They confirm that a pilot who took off from Twin Falls headed for Bountiful, Utah has yet to arrive.

The FAA says they lost track of the plane 40 miles outside of Twin Falls late last night. The FAA is using a radar tracking system to try and find the plane.

Crews in Jerome, Elmore County and Twin Falls are looking through multiple areas.

Police disrupt suspicious device on Hill Road

Boise Police bomb techicians "disrupted" a suspicious device at about 6:45 p.m. on Hill Road.

Hill Road is still closed between Gary Lane and Seamans Gulch because of this incident, but the device no longer poses a danger.

A Newschannel 7 crew is at the scene. Stay with KTVB.COM for updates as we receive more information.

Vice President's flight is delayed

The White House has just confirmed that Vice President Joe Biden will be delayed by two to three hours due to weather problems.

Vice President Biden was expected to land around 10 am Thursday morning. The plan was for him to spend four hours visiting with athletes and presenting medals.

Man stabbed while walking in Caldwell

A man told police he was walking in Caldwell when two men jumped out and stabbed him.
It happened around 3:30 am near 10th Avenue.
Canyon County Sergeant Jim Watson says the victim is a 52-year-old man.
After the stabbing the victim walked a mile to the Maverick gas station on 10th Avenue and Ustick.

Nampa Rec Center open after "scary moment"

The Nampa Rec Center evacuated at about 7 p.m. Tuesday because of an electrical problem. Director Cody Swander describes it as a "scary moment." He says the Rec Center evacuated as a precaution after some heat tape used to keep ice from forming on the roof began shooting sparks.

Swander says the Nampa Fire Department quickly identified the problem and shut off a breaker. The Nampa Rec Center is open again until its usual 10 p.m. closing time.

Mall "all clear" after suspicious device investigation

UPDATED 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10

BOISE -- Boise police investigators say operations at Boise Towne Square should be back to normal Tuesday morning, following an incident in which five suspicious-looking devices were found at the mall.

Police evacuated an estimated 2,000 employees and shoppers from the mall at about 7:30 p.m. Monday, after police, mall security and shoppers spotted several suspicious devices inside the mall. One was found just outside a mall entrance. Police called the bomb squad shortly after 7 p.m., when the first device was found in the center court area.

Police bomb technicians say they have investigated all five devices, and determined that all of them are hoaxes. They have not told us the exact nature of the devices, but say all were similar in appearance.

Boise Police detectives are inside the mall looking for evidence regarding who may be responsible for placing the devices. They are not aware of any threats made to the mall area.

Boise Police Department spokeswoman Lynn Hightower says this incident marks the first time in 20 years that Boise Towne Square had to be evacuated.

Anyone who may have information is urged to call Boise area Crimestoppers at 343-COPS (343-2677). You can remain anonymous. Callers with information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Highway 55 closed due to rollover

ISP is asking people to divert to highway 16 due to a rollover.

Duplex burns in North Boise

One side of a duplex went up in flames in North Boise last night. It happened just after 1:30 am on 19th Street between Brumback and Ridenbaugh.

One person was in the duplex at the time and was taken to the hospital due to trouble breathing. Boise Division Chief Bruce Rankin says it appears the fire started in the heat cables that run through the sheet rock in the ceiling. Only one side of the duplex was burned.

Two armed men rob family restaurant in Nampa

Police are searching for two men who robbed a Los Betos restaurant in Nampa around 10:30 last night while the store was full of employees and customers. Officers say the men walked into the restaurant with a gun, took an unknown amount of money and fled on foot. Between the two men there was one gun. Witnesses told police it was large gun and it looked like a rifle or shotgun.

Using dogs police tracked the suspects footprints until they couldn't see anything else.
Suspect descriptions are vague. Police say they were wearing dark hoodies and their faces were covered.

The first man is described as white, in his twenties, light colored flying eagle on the upper chest area, baggy jeans, wearing a ski mask. The second man is also white, in his twenties, with similar clothing, dark colored bennie hat, face covered by a bandana.

No one was hurt in the store but police say several items in the store where knocked over during the robbery. Officers also warn the public that these men are dangerous and if you spot them do not approach them.

Snowshoer found near Bogus Basin

Updated: 7:50a.m.

Footprints in the snow led searchers right to a missing snowshoer early Thursday morning.

The 61-year-old woman got lost while snowshoeing on a trail near Bogus Basin Road around 6:15 Wednesday night.

Searchers found her at 12:20a.m. and say she was in good spirits.

"It was getting dark. She found a place to hold up and gathered a bunch of pine needles together to provide some insulation. She then found a nice tree to lean up against and settle in for the night as she settled in for the night our people came by and disturbed her evening," said George Gunn of Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue

Her cell phone died, but not before she was able to call her husband who then called for help.

This is the fourth person to go missing near the resort in less than a week.

Downed power lines close westbound I-184

A crash that knocked out power to more than 500 Idaho Power customers in Boise also prompted police to shut down the outbound I-184 Connector at 13th and Front streets.
A vehicle hit a power pole in the area of 17th and Shoreline, and some lines came down across the Connector.
Traffic lights are reported out in the area of Fairview/Main Street and 27th.
The outage also disrupted operations at Newschannel 7.
Idaho Power tells us a total of 520 customers lost power. As of 6:45 p.m., service had been restored to all but 70 customers.

Garage Fire Spreads to Home

Flames burned through a garage, consumed a car and damaged a home in West Boise.
This happened about 4 am on North Brook Mist Place near Eagle Road and McMillan.
Firefighters say it appears the fire started in the back of the garage and then spread to a living space above. Crews called in five engines and two ladder trucks to put out the flames.
Firefighters are still on scene.

Car Chase, Foot Pursuit in Nampa

A man is in jail this morning after a short car chase, and foot pursuit in Nampa. Police arrested 29-year-old Daniel Chavez on multiple charges after they tried to pull him over for reckless driving around 10:20 last night.

Nampa Police say he sped off into a residential neighborhood, ran his car into a fence post and stopped. They also say another man, a woman and a 9-month old baby were in the car. The woman is the baby's mother.

Officers say they then chased him on foot through a field and school yard at Sherman Elementary before finding Chavez hiding in a yard on South Powerline. Chavez is in the Canyon County jail.

Car Crashes into School Bus

A car crashed into a school bus near Lake and Homedale roads this morning. The crash happened as the bus was stopping to pick-up grade school aged passengers. The car slid under the bus after a small SUV crashed into the back of it. There were no injuries to any of the approximately 15 children on the bus. There were minor injuries to those in the other vehicles.

Possible Grand Theft Arrest

A man is arrested and accused of breaking into a parked car last night.
Police arrested Steve Brown near 13th and Grove Street in downtown Boise around 6pm.

They say two officers on patrol saw a man sitting in the driver's seat of a car -- that appeared to be broken into. Brown was arrested for attempted grand theft.

Stabbing Suspect Caught

Timothy Lewis, 40, is accused of stabbing a 44-year-old near 15th and West Jefferson Street around at 7:25 last night. Police say Lewis knew his victim.

The investigation continues into what lead to the stabbing. The victim suffered several non-life threatening injuries and was treated at a local hospital and released.

Investigators: Gas leak caused explosion at Boise home

Boise police and fire investigators have determined that an accidental natural gas leak is the cause of the explosion that occurred shortly after 4 a.m. Monday at a home on 6th Street.

Boise Police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower tells KTVB that the leak happened when a valve came open on an unused gas line that had been capped.

Two men have been taken to the burn center in Salt Lake City.

Two injured in early morning Boise house explosion

Two people are being flown to a Salt Lake City Burn Center for treatment after they were injured in an early morning house explosion.
Police say their injuries do not appear to be life threatening.

It happened just after 4a.m. Monday morning on the 1600 block of North 6th Street in North Boise.

Four people were in the home at the time and say they smelled gas before the explosion.
When crews arrived they didn't find any flames but did say there was damage done on the inside and outside of the home.

Fire fighters are investigating if indeed it was a gas explosion.