IDAHO

Businesses seeking to tap the fund must first prove they can meet certain economic benchmarks.

"Essentially, you just always have to watch when you’ve got a very well-known trademark or you want to develop and protect the reputation your state or region might have,"

Idaho’s exports to China have risen from $700 million in 1987 — when $500 million of that was farm products — to more than $5 billion today across all sectors. But the opportunities are going to grow dramatically for Idaho businesses as the nation of 1.4 billion people matures.

Businesses have found out that using online software services can help them cut their technology costs, but many companies in Idaho are now discovering it can also increase their tax bills.

Governor Otter said. "The State of Idaho should take immediate and long-term steps to enhance the future of the nation’s lead nuclear research and development laboratory that is responsible for over 24,000 jobs and has an annual economic impact on Idaho of more than $3.5 billion."

A hefty reward: The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation will pay a school district or charter school operator to "create a new form of school somewhere in Idaho."

The Idaho State Independent Living Council along with the Idaho Employment for People with Disabilities Stakeholder Group, say the website will connect employers, people with disabilities and people who provide services to the disabled to help with employment.

Davis, 27, is competing against hundreds of other inventors in a Federal Trade Commission contest aimed at blocking illegal robocalls on both cellphones and land lines.

A business development fund would require companies to meet agreed-upon goals in capital expansion or job creation, said Jeffery Sayer, director of the Idaho Department of Commerce. Money would be paid out after a company meets its performance goals. Agreements and funds paid out would be public, according to a bill Sayer is preparing.

Three key principles received short shrift for much of the past decade, some local entrepreneurs say, but they’re being observed now.