Don Day/KTVB.COM

A view of Tamarack Resorts' base area from West Mountain. Though a construction crane stands in the middle of a picturesque Idaho scene, very little construction activity is going on at the Central Idaho resort once visited by President George W. Bush.

BOISE - Trouble at Idaho’s Tamarack Resort continues to be a major concern for locals in the Donnelly area, and now one of the most influential publications in America is shining its bright spotlight on the problems.

The Wall Street Journal dedicated nearly 1,000 words to the all season resort’s woes in a story that appeared on page A3 Monday.

The Journal story details the resort’s swift downfall, and parallels with the end of the Timber era in Valley County nearly two decades ago.

A recent visit to the resort by NewsChannel 7 revealed most – if not all – construction activity has stopped. A sign on the half-finished main village read “opening Summer 2008,” however the buildings are still wrapped in insulation and some lacked windows. Several homesites on West Mountain also sit unfinished, looking more like a ghost town than a bustling new neighborhood.

The organizations that own Tamarack filed bankruptcy in February – but resort CEO tried to strike a positive tone in an interview with NewsChannel 7.

"We fully anticipate everything will be okay,” Jean-Pierre Boespflug said at the time.

(Related: Majority owners of Tamarack file for bankruptcy)

Tamarack went into default on a large payment to Credit Suise, and now the bank is suing, seeking to take over ownership of Tamarack.

The owner of the Long Valley Motel – which sits at the turnoff to Tamarack from Idaho 55 says the downturn at Tamarack and rising gas prices are turning out to be a powerful one-two punch, with occupancy falling 65%

"All I'm catering to now is the weary traveler, and there's not a whole lot of them with gas prices," motel owner Lani Anderson told the Journal.

Several businesses in Donnelly have closed in recent months - including the Moxie Java Bistro and others. Unemployment in Valley County, which includes Tamarack, Donnelly and McCall has doubled in just a year - to 6.1%.

Home sales at the resort have fallen dramatically. A 1,250 square foot cottage that sold for $900,000 in 2006 recently brought in just $650,000.

Resort officials told the Journal that they will continue to keep things up and running this summer – and “expect” to be open for the winter ski season.

Read the WSJ story