Still waiting to file your taxes? The post office closes at 6 p.m.

Last April 15, I was stopped for speeding on John Adams Parkway, trying to make it to the post office before 6 p.m., the deadline for putting my income tax returns in the mail. I won't make that mistake again, but how I long for the good old days when your envelope to the IRS could have an 11:59 p.m. postmark on it.

My point is, if you've been procrastinating on your taxes, today is the day. Here are some helpful reminders and links I've scrounged up for those of you who are on the spot today:

• People who need more time to finish their tax returns can use the Free File link to electronically request an automatic six-month tax-filing extension on Form 4868, extending the deadline to Oct. 15.
• If you meet certain financial requirements, the IRS may accept less than owed via a negotiated settlement called an "offer in compromise." You can see if you meet the eligibility requirements by filling out this prequalifying worksheet.
• The installment option is available for taxpayers who owe $50,000 or less. The minimum monthly payment for installment agreements is $25. If you owe more than that, you have to contact the IRS and fill out Form 433-F.
• The U.S. Postal Service has a tool that allows tax filers to find a post office that is open after 6 p.m.

And here are some links you procrastinators might find helpful or interesting, assuming 

IRS: Last-Minute Filers: Avoid Common Errors

IRS: Can't File By April 15? Use Free File to Get a Six-Month Extension; E-Pay and Payment Agreement Options Available to People Who Owe Tax


CBS News: Tax deadline: Common questions and tips for last-minute filers

New York Times: Options if You Can't Pay Your Income Taxes

Detroit Free Press: Last-minute tax tips for procrastinators and those who owe the IRS

U.S. News & World Report: 8 Tips to Help You Make the Nearby Tax Deadline and Save Money

Slutzker Center for International Services: Taxes

Buy Idaho director to speak at I.F. Ad Fed luncheon



Sandy Anderson

Sandy Anderson, executive director of Buy Idaho, will be the featured speaker at the next Idaho Falls Advertising Federation's next noon luncheon, April 18 at Dixie’s Diner on Channing Way. Sign-in is at 11:30 a.m., and the presentation will run from noon to 1 p.m. Cost is $12 for members and $15 for non-members. A wide selections of lunch items will be available. Please RSVP to lisa@mightymcs.com if you plan to attend.
Anderson will speak to the group about the functions of the Buy Idaho organization and the importance of doing business within the state.

“When we support Idaho businesses, it keeps dollars in the state," she said. "These dollars reinvest themselves in other Idaho businesses, services, and our state farm commodities. It improves job opportunities and increases state tax revenues that support public services."

A big aspect of what she does is branding the Buy Idaho name to build awareness for the association, a non-profit that has more than 1,100 members statewide. "Advertising agencies and the media have played a major role in helping us get the word out and promoting Buy Idaho to their local clients. I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to speak to these clubs and thank them for their support,” she said.

A past president of the Boise Advertising Federation, Anderson now sits on the board of the Idaho Advertising Federation.

EITC to host free Cyber Security Summit next week

The Eastern Idaho Technical College Foundation will hold its second Cyber Security Summit on the EITC campus April 18 from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Last year, more than 200 IT professionals from business, government and education attended this event. Once again, admission is free. To register, follow this link: http://eitccss2.eventbrite.com/

Here are brief biographies of the speakers:

Chris Roberts (keynote): “The Evolution of Hacking”
Roberts is founder, CISO and lead engineer for One World Labs, a consulting firm providing research, vulnerability assessment and remediation of IT Systems and physical structures. Globally recognized as one of the top experts in the field, Roberts has consulted on IT security, engineering, and architecture/design operations for many Fortune 500 companies in the finance, retail, energy and service sectors. He has also worked on, developed and implemented company-wide information security awareness programs and trains management and employees on IT security topics.

Here is a video of Roberts speaking last summer in Denver:

Tony Carothers: "Information Assurance and History: Learning from the past to secure the future.”

With over 25 years in the communications security industry, Carothers specializes in developing secure communications solutions for the government and private sector. Clients have included assignments the U.S. Air Force, Army and Secret Service. The private sector work has been more varied, with the highlight being the work he has done for the SANS Internet Storm Center over the past 15 years as a senior incident handler.

Eddie Mize: "Poking Holes in the Cloud"
Mize has 30 years in the computer industry, over 17 of them at InfoSec. He is an integration and security specialist with years of experience building information security programs and integrating multiple platforms and systems to provide comprehensive "best of class" secure solutions. He served on Cisco's Enterprise Advisory Board for Information Security, and has articles published in Network World, Pentest Magazine, and Hakin9 Magazine.

Chamber Leadership class plans fund-raiser for schools

The Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class is doing a fund-raiser Friday called  Helping Those Who Help Our Kids. It is in support of the Idaho Falls School District 91 Education Foundation and the Bonneville School District 93 Education Foundation.

The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at Teton Toyota, 2252 West Sunnyside Road  There will be a silent auction, appetizers and prizes.

For more information, call Robb Chiles at 523-1010 or Doug Swanson at 403-8806.

Dumpster alert: Old downtown Inkley's store being gutted

The owners of the Farmers and Merchants Bank building in downtown Idaho Falls are gutting the innards in hopes that it might present more possibilities to prospective buyers.

Any time there's a dumpster filling up with trash outside a commercial building, our natural inclination is to find out what's up.

While there is no buyer yet, the owners of the old Farmers and Merchants Bank building at Park Avenue and A Street are finally stripping the old carpet, furniture and junk left over from when it was Inkley's. (Is it too much to ask for the ugly, rusting Inkley's canopy on the building's exterior to be taken away as well? Also, can anyone tell us exactly how long Inkley's has been gone?)

Kevin Cutler of Sperry Van Ness Commerical said the brick building, originally built around 1910, has about 11,000 square feet on three floors (including the stone basement). The upstairs could be used for office or residential, the main floor for retail or office.

The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Idaho earns straight A's for business friendliness

In a nationwide survey of employers, Idaho got straight A's for business friendliness, and the majority were A-pluses.

Thousands of employers from across the country recently evaluated their state and local governments in a survey for Thumbtack.com, an online local services marketplace, and Kauffman Foundation, an entrepreneurship research group. The criteria were things that matter most to small firms: tax rates, ease of hiring, and regulations.

The researchers surveyed 7,766 small business owners and used the data to arrive at grades for each state. Check out the link to see which states received the highest and lowest marks: http://www.thumbtack.com/survey#2013/states

One caveat: In stories like this, Idaho is often conflated with Boise, a bone in the throat for a lot of people on this side of the state. Four Idaho employers were quoted on the interactive map, all of them in Ada or Canyon counties. Nevertheless, they had some interesting things to say:

“Very easy, just fairly unregulated and biased towards larger businesses. Many oversights in health regulation.”

— Fitness company owner, Boise

“Idaho is pro-business and a great state to have a small business. There are not a ton of rules and regulations and it is a growing area of the country. There is plenty of opportunity and the economy is improving and bouncing back faster than in other areas of the country.”

— Musician, Middleton

“It's pretty easy to start a business in Idaho, and you could have a legally operating business in a matter of a few hours here.”

— Marketing consultant, Boise

“I think Idaho is generally a very easy place to do business. However, the government seems to bend over backward for the big corporations in town. The little guys usually need to fend for themselves. The State does do a pretty good job of offering networking and training opportunities. Overall, Idaho makes it pretty easy.”

— Educator, Boise

Idaho Falls company, partner interested in operating DOE Paducah site

The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant is located three miles south of the Ohio River and 12 miles west of Paducah, Ky. The plant began enriching uranium in 1952, first for the nation's nuclear weapons program, then for nuclear fuel for commercial power plants. Paducah remains the only operating gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment plant in the United States. 

Idaho Falls-based International Isotopes Inc. has teamed up with Advanced Process Technology Systems to tell the U.S. Department of Energy they are interested in operating the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky.

As a new joint venture, the two companies responded to the DOE's Feb. 7 issuance of a request for an expression of interest. The two companies are proposing to operate a significant portion of the Paducah facilities, utilizing some of the existing inventories of depleted uranium material. The plan would involve retaining 600 to 700 employees for the operation of the plant and supporting facilities. In a press release, they said they believe they would be able to operate the facility for at least five years and maybe more, depending on economic and market conditions.

DOE acceptance and funding will have to be obtained, International Isotopes President and CEO Steve T. Laflin said.

"(There) have been indications that information on the proposal has been disclosed by unknown sources and INIS wishes to make certain that all its investors have access to the same information.  INIS and APTS are both very aware and sensitive to uranium market factors related to this opportunity and are confident those factors can be taken into consideration under the proposed business plan and production scenario for the PGDP," Laflin said.
 
Pursuing this proposal does not alter the company's plans for the construction and operation of a depleted uranium de-conversion and fluorine extraction processing facility near Hobbs, N.M. "In fact, there is clearly a synergistic relationship between the PGDP opportunity and the plans for that facility," he said.

International Isotopes Inc. manufactures a full range of nuclear medicine calibration and reference standards, high purity fluoride gases, and a variety of cobalt-60 products such as teletherapy sources.  The company also provides radioisotopes and radiochemicals for medical devices, calibration, clinical research, life sciences, and industrial applications and provides a host of analytical, measurement, recycling, and processing services on a contract basis to clients.