| Wine Guy: Explore a new world of wine at the Basque Market
When you think of wine shops around the Treasure Valley, the Basque Market does not immediately spring to mind. That's too bad, because I was pleasantly surprised at the wide selection of exceptional Spanish wines they have.The Basque Market, 608 W. Grove St., Downtown Boise, carries wines from a number of well-known districts in Spain. You'll find both red and white varieties that have unfamiliar names but are oh-so-good.Growing grapes in Spain always has been a challenge because of high altitudes, dry climate, cold winters and extremely hot summers. Vines are usually grown farther apart than they are in other countries, and they are pruned and trained into low bushes because of the scarcity of rainfall.Recently, legal restrictions against irrigation have been relaxed in some cases, so the industry may be undergoing a fundamental change.
Texas rattlesnake rancher arrested for selling snake vodka marketed as 'ancient Asian elixir'
SANTO, Texas - A rattlesnake rancher who calls himself Bayou Bob found a new way to make money: Stick a rattler inside a bottle of vodka and market the concoction as an "ancient Asian elixir." But Bayou Bob Popplewell's bright idea appears to have landed him on the wrong side of the law, because he has no liquor license. Popplewell, who has raised rattlesnakes and turtles at Bayou Bob's Brazos River Rattlesnake Ranch for more than two decades, surrendered to authorities Monday. He spent about 10 minutes in jail after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission obtained arrest warrants on misdemeanor charges of selling alcohol without a license and possessing alcohol with intent to sell. If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines. Popplewell said he will fight the charges.
ECB: To Offer Supplementary 6-Mo, 3-Mo Funds To Ease Strain
FRANKFURT -(Dow Jones)- The European Central Bank will offer supplementary three-month and six-month long-term refinancing operations, or LTROs, to ease tension in the euro-zone interbank money market, the bank said in an ad-hoc announcement Friday. The move is "aimed at supporting the normalization of the functioning of the euro money market," the ECB said. It will allot EUR25 billion in six-month funds Wednesday. The deal will settle Thursday and mature Oct. 9. Another supplementary EUR25 billion six-month LTRO will be allotted July 9, with settlement July 10. The transaction matures Jan. 8. The ECB will also launch two new supplementary three-month LTROs, each to the tune of EUR50 billion. They will replace the two currently outstanding supplementary three-month LTROs of EUR60 billion each, the ECB said.
District cautioned on plan to borrow
With debt costs doubling and tripling for school districts and towns across the country because of an unstable bond market, this probably isn't the best time for government bodies to borrow money. That's the concern district resident Mark Hoover raised at this month's meeting of the Camp Hill School Board, which has plans for a bond sale later this year to help pay for the renovation and expansion of Eisenhower Elementary School. The board could be borrowing under unfavorable terms that could result in significantly higher taxes or reduced programs, Hoover said. The market looked better last fall when the board sold about $9.8 million in general obligation bonds, also for the $14.69 million building project. The district expects to pay an average interest rate of 4.21 percent on that 20-year debt.
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