New restaurant opening in Captain’s Cove location

Josh Swain is planning a soft opening this Wednesday for his newest restaurant, Abracadabra’s. It will be at 2040 Channing Way, the former location of Captain’s Cove and, before that, Buddy’s and Fanatics.

Swain is a founder of Stockman’s, which moved a few years ago from County Line Road to Snake River Landing. He grew up in the business at Swain Brothers Restaurant in Vernal, Utah, and has a fundamentals approach to the business. “I let my food be the lead,” he said. “High quality ingredients at affordable prices.”

Abracadabra’s (“Where food is magic”) will have a breakfast-and-brunch bistro style menu, with entrees like breakfast reuben and chicken waffles.

The kitchen staff is in place, but Swain said they are still looking for servers. Anyone interested can call 208-881-9024, or email a resume to lysacall@gmail.com.

Breast cancer awareness benefit set Oct. 23

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Rex & Tiffany Redden Foundation is hosting its second Tapas for Tatas dinner Oct. 23 at the Keefer’s Island Convention Center in Idaho Falls. Last year’s event raised more than $10,000 to aid breast cancer research and to help raise awareness through education and screenings.

Survivors of all forms of cancer are invited to attend and be honored in the  survivor presentation. In addition to the presentation, there will be a raffle drawing, music and a raffle, music, a Survivor Presentation, and a talk from Tiffany Redden, who was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in November 2013. This aggressive form of cancer had advanced to stage 3 and metastasized to her lymph nodes.

The same time she started chemotherapy, she and her husband, Rex, formed their foundation with the purpose of educating other women and men about the necessity of breast self-exams. “If I had listened to my doctor and was performing the monthly self-exams as recommended, I may have caught my cancer earlier,” she said. “I could not let another day go by without doing my part to educate others about the benefits of early-detection.”

Pre-registration is required at http://www.thereddenfoundation.org/survivors. Photos and names of survivors to be honored at the event can be emailed to tiffanyredden@ymail.com.

Dixie's Diner to celebrate 10th anniversary

Dixie's Diner on Channing Way

Dixie’s Diner will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on Saturday with throwback pricing, including $5 hamburgers and $2 milkshakes. The waitresses will be dressing up '50s style, and of course the music will be what it always is, oldies from the jukebox.

Dixie’s, at 2150 Channing Way, started in 2005 as the 5 & Diner, with the tagline “Food, Fun and Fifties.” The arrangement with the franchising company in Arizona remained in effect until July 2008, when owner Dixie Murphy and her operating business partner Tom Hersh decided they could just as easily operate on their own.

While the food and themed atmosphere have obviously been a hit, Dixie’s has also been an example of corporate citizenship. The meeting room is available to groups as diverse as the East Side Rotary, Idaho Falls Advertising Federation and Alcoholics Anonymous. In the 10 years the diner has been open Dixie’s has donated through fund-raising nights more than $15,000 to local schools, athletic teams, churches and the Tautphaus Park Zoological Society. Hersh has served for more than 13 years on the Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation Commission and the golf advisory board.

“I am am proud of being a local owner of a successful restaurant,” he said.

Ammon convenience store offer post office services

Jarom Christensen at Hitt-the-Road, now a U.S. Postal Service contractor.

When you consider that Swan Valley and Irwin each have their own post offices but Ammon, a city of more than 14,500 doesn’t, it sort of makes you wonder how these decisions are made.

The good news, however, is that the Hitt-the-Road convenience store at the northeast corner of Sunnyside and Hitt roads is now an official U.S. Postal Service station where you can mail all your Christmas cards and holiday parcels. This fills a hole left by the closing of CD World, which had a very busy postal station.

In fact, once Jarom Christensen, who owns the store, learned he would getting the business he hired Rachel Barr and Anthony Chabis, the two people who used to take care of the USPS business at CD World. “They know exactly what they’re doing, so we were able to hit the ground running,” he said.

Christensen, whose company is called Voyager Enterprises, said the Postal Service approached him and other businesses in the area in 2014 after CD World closed. He had to submit his financials and undergo a security check, and the entire process took about nine months.

“We worked really hard to get it,” Christensen said. “I think we’re going to do a lot of volume here. They told us that CD World had the highest volume of any contractor in Utah or Idaho.”

The advantages to having a post office in the store are obvious. Convenience stores’ business depends not on gas sales but the sales of soda and snacks. If people are coming in to mail a letter or package, there’s a pretty good chance they might want a Slim Jim or a Pepsi.

“Everything here is an impulse purchase,” Christensen said.

I.F. attorney to speak to Advertising Federation

Sean Coletti

The guest speaker at this month’s Idaho Falls Advertising Federation “Lunch & Learn” will be Sean J. Coletti, from the Hopkins, Roden, Crockett, Hansen & Hoopes law firm.

"Keeping it legal - Make sure your advertising message doesn't get you in hot water," will focus on issues surrounding advertising and social media.

The event will be at Dixie’s Diner in the meeting room at noon. Cost (which includes lunch) is $12 for Ad Fed members, and $15 for non-members.

Coletti, is a native of Utah and Idaho and graduated from Rigby High School in 1995. He attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science, then earned his law degree in 2005 from the University of Connecticut School of Law. During law school, he served as executive editor of the Connecticut Law Review, where his article, “Taking Account of Partial Exemptors in Vaccination Law, Policy and Practice” was published in 2004.

He is currently serving his second four-year term on the Ammon City Council, a position to which he was first elected in 2009. He also volunteers as an attorney in the Court Appointed Special Advocate program and for the Idaho State Bar, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Idaho Health Facilities Authority.

Post Register to be sold to Minneapolis-based company

The Post Co. of Idaho Falls announced Wednesday that it is being bought by Adams Publishing Group, a media chain based in St. Louis Park, Minn., and owned by a billionaire investor with interests in billboards, wine, banks and recreational vehicles.

The sale will include the Post Register as well as three weekly newspapers: the Shelley Pioneer, Jefferson Star and Challis Messenger. It is expected to be finalized Nov. 1. A sale price was not disclosed.

Adams Publishing owns dozens of newspapers, shoppers and magazines in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maryland and Ohio. The acquisition of the Post Register represents a continuation of an expansion into the West, as the company recently bought four newspapers in Wyoming, in Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins and Rock Springs. The Adams family also owns radio stations, an outdoor advertising company and Camping World/Good Sam, which opened a location in Idaho Falls earlier this year.

For more information about the company's chairman, Stephen Adams, follow this link from the Stanford GSB Experience of Feb. 1, 2006: Stephen Adams Honored with 2006 Arbuckle Award.

The sale marks the end of 90-plus years of ownership by the Brady family. Company President Jerry Brady, 79, told employees this summer he felt he had nothing more to add to the company. Although the decision was difficult, he was convinced selling the company was the right thing to do, he said.

Brady and his brother, Jack, own about two-thirds of the company. The remaining is owned by employees (and ex-employees, including me) through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

“We think we’ve found the best deal out there,” Brady wrote in a July letter to employees. “It would provide enough money to retire all debts, allowing us to go forward debt-free and to make a distribution to (employee) owners.”

“We’re very excited to have the Post Register Company’s group of newspapers and digital products join our company going forward,” Stephen Adams said in a statement. “The Brady family has a long history of providing strong journalism in the state of Idaho. It’s our goal to continue their tradition of locally focused, community-driven editorial and reporting.”

New sales manager named for Home2Suites in Idaho Falls

Kiersten Landers

Home2Suites by Hilton, owned and operated by B&T Hospitality Management, has named Kiersten Sedlmayr Landers as the Idaho Falls hotel’s new sales manager.

With a degree in business management and entrepreneurship from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Landers has more than 10 years of corporate sales experience, six of them in Idaho Falls with such companies as Sand Hill Media and Signature Party Rental.

B&T General Manager Megan Dodd cited Landers’ reputation, experience, love of business and desire to build lasting relationships as the reasons why she was put in charge of sales for the extended-stay hotel at Snake River Landing, which opened in September. As sales manager, Landers will be responsible for revenue growth, marketing efforts and community outreach.

The new hotel offers easy access to technology and community spaces, as well as the trademark Home2 Suites amenities, such as a business center with free Internet; indoor saline swimming pool; combined laundry and fitness area; and complimentary continental breakfast. It also features outdoor living areas with grills and a fire pit for guests’ use. All Home2 Suites properties are also pet-friendly.

New gallery open in downtown Idaho Falls

Artist Marko Marino at his new gallery.

Idaho Falls’ downtown district has a new showcase for art, the Marko Marino Studio Gallery, across Park Avenue from the Celt Pub.

Artist Mark Marino, known as Marko to his friends, arrived in Idaho Falls in January 2014 and has been busy ever since. He has already had three one-man shows, the first at the Republic American Grill in November 2014, where he presented a large body of oil and watercolor wildlife and landscape works including a monumental commission piece that saw its only public display. The second was at Black Rock in May, where he unveiled a series of portrait and figurative works. The third was at the Villa Coffee House, where he showcased more than 40 field sketches, in pastel, charcoal, and watercolor, of his most recent Alaskan expedition depicting northern wildlife and landscapes.

The new gallery is located on the northwest corner of Broadway and Park Avenue, where the American Family Insurance office used to be (people who go back to the ‘80s will remember the location as Farmer’s Daughter).

“As soon as I saw this amazing storefront I realized that this is the location for my new business,” he said, adding that the building’s owner, the Downtown Development Association, Bank of Idaho and other downtown businesses have been very supportive.

Since opening in September, the gallery has showcased work by Peggy Judy, an acclaimed contemporary Western horse artist; Robert Moore, a landscape painter who works in thick impasto technique; David Mensing, another landscape painter; Kathy Burgraff, who specializes in oil and mixed media with a contemporary flavor; and Terry Crane, a painter of portraits and figures.

Papa Murphy's files plan for Ammon store

Knowing how hungry people here are for news about new restaurants, we’re always on the lookout for it during our weekly visits to the Idaho Falls and Ammon building department offices. It’s not every week we see names like Popeye’s or Panera on the white board (Ammon) or in the three-ring binder (Idaho Falls), but we do our best.

This week, we can report that Papa Murphy’s Take ’N’ Bake Pizza is moving into Ammon, at 1360 17th Street, roughly across the road from Kmart. The plans call for development of 2,434 square feet. Clayton Myers, the company’s local contact person, said they hope to have it open by December.

This will be the third Papa Murphy’s in the Idaho Falls-Ammon area. The chain also has stores in Rexburg, Blackfoot and Pocatello. Worldwide, with more than 1,425 stores in 38 states, Canada and United Arab Emirates, the 34-year-old company has established itself as the largest Take 'N' Bake pizza company in the world and the fifth-largest pizza company.

Napa Auto Parts building new store

NAPA Auto Parts has broken ground on a new store at 2517 North Holmes Avenue, to replace its longtime location on East Anderson near C-A-L Ranch Store.

The plans call for a 10,584-square foot building on 1.165 acres of land. The store on Anderson is owned by Jake Dyson. Valuation of the project, according to the Idaho Falls Building Department, is $750,000.

NAPA has nearly 6,000 stores and is a subsidiary of Genuine Auto Parts, a company founded in 1928 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For a would-be owner, the company requires at least $75,000 to $150,000 in liquid capital available. According to the Web page www.napaautoparts.biz, the average total new store investment is approximately $600,000, with the overall investment varying on the basis of market and store size. There are no franchise fees or royalties, but owners are asked to participate in the company’s national advertising program to maximize the true benefit of the NAPA system and drive traffic to their stores.

After tumultuous year, Double Down closes doors

Double Down's owners announced Monday it was closing.

Double Down, 3078 Outlet Boulevard, has closed its doors, its owners saying they can't stay in business now that an Idaho Supreme Court ruling has made historical racing machines illegal.

Melissa Bernard, who ran the establishment with her husband, Jim, told East Idaho News they’d invested more than $3 million dollars since opening in 2014, the year the Idaho Legislature made historical racing machines legal. “Unfortunately, when historical racing was pulled, it was no longer feasible to remain in operation,” she said.

Historical racing machines came front and center earlier this year in the Idaho Legislature after drawing the ire of anti-gambling forces and Native American tribes, the latter regarding the machines to be competition to what they offer at their reservation casinos.

A historical racing machine works like this: When a player makes a wager, a race is randomly selected from a video library of over 60,000 previous races. Identifying information such as the location and date of the race, and the names of the horses and jockeys, is not shown.

The player is able to view a "Skill Graph" chart from the Daily Racing Form, showing information such as jockeys' and trainers' winning percentages, and based on this handicapping information the player picks the projected top three runners in order of finish. Many players use a "handi helper" feature, which allows the machine to automatically make the selections.

While early versions of the terminals looked like self-serve wagering terminals, over time some began to mimic slot machines, with symbols on spinning reels showing the results of the player's wager and the video of the actual race consigned to a 2-inch square in the corner of the screen.

Once the similarity to slot machines became common knowledge, legislators began pushing for a repeal of 2014's House Bill 220, which had made the machines legal.  Senate Bill 1011 repealed the Legislature's prior approval of the devices, passing the House by a 49-21 vote and the Senate 25-9.

Otter vetoed the bill, and the Senate’s 19-16 subsequent vote to override him fell five votes short. While he then called for a moratorium on any new instant racing machines, Senate leaders took more direct action, entering statements into the official record that they had failed to receive the veto within the five days required by law.

In a unanimous decision Sept. 10, the Supreme Court ruled that Otter had essentially botched the veto. Otter told the Idaho Statesman he was “disappointed” in the ruling and maintained that his actions were legal. “While I disagree with (the) ruling, I will continue working toward a solution that ensures a viable live horse racing industry in Idaho,” he said.

All this will be too late for Double Down and its 70 employees. Any thoughts?

DOE cleanup contractors receive six-month extensions

A scene from inside the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project, where transuranic legacy waste is characterized and readied for disposal.

The two contractors taking care of waste cleanup at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho site got six-month extensions this week, amounting to $179 million in work.

Idaho Treatment Group (ITG), which is running the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project, and CH2M-WG Idaho (CWI), which is running the Idaho Cleanup Project, will both remain on the job while DOE moves toward awarding and transitioning to a new ICP Core contract. Both of their contracts had been scheduled to end today. The extension will allow cleanup to continue without interruption as DOE evaluates bid packages for a new cleanup contract.

The CWI contract extension is valued at approximately $114 million, while the ITG extension is valued at approximately $65 million. CWI was first awarded the ICP contract in March 2005, while ITG received the Mixed Waste contract in October 2011.

Under its contract, CWI is responsible for:

• Treatment and disposal of radioactive waste
• Retrieval, disposal and other remediation related to buried waste
• Safe management of spent nuclear fuel
• Disposition of nuclear materials
• Environmental remediation activities
• Sodium bearing waste processing activities

ITG’s contract dictates that it will safely and compliantly:

• Characterize, certify, package and store transuranic waste offsite disposal
• Disposition mixed low-level waste at an appropriate treatment and/or disposal facility
• Retrieve stored waste from the Transuranic Storage Area-Retrieval Enclosure.
• Complete upgrades to the Waste Treatment Facility

DOE offers help to small businesses developing clean energy products

Small businesses developing clean energy technologies are now able to compete for funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is offering $20 million in vouchers to help clean-energy entrepreneurs and small businesses get their products to market.

Idaho National Laboratory has partnered with Ames and Oak Ridge national laboratories to assist with outreach, merit reviews and selection of proposals. The INL-Ames-Oak Ridge team was recently selected as one of five pilot teams implementing the Small Business Voucher Pilot Program, which is part of EERE's Lab Impact Initiative. The team has jointly received the largest of the five awards, which together total $20 million.

The vouchers are intended to help U.S.-based and U.S.-owned small businesses that are developing clean-energy technologies in advanced manufacturing, buildings, vehicles, wind, water, bio-energy, fuel cells, geothermal and solar.

EERE released the first call for small business requests for assistance today. More information – including how to submit applications online – is at www.sbv.org.

Vouchers of $50,000 to $300,000 per small business will be awarded to initiate collaborative research projects, provide technical assistance and facilitate third-party validation. INL can provide unique materials, prototyping, technology testing and validation, engineering designs, and scale-up of samples. The selected businesses must provide 20 percent matching funds or in-kind services.

Three cycles of competitions will be offered to small businesses through 2016, and DOE estimates more than 100 businesses will receive funds.

Other labs participating in the pilot program are National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Idaho Falls council names new municipal services director

Pamela Alexander

The Idaho Falls City Council has named a new municipal services director, Pamela Alexander of Mesa, Ariz., who will take the job Nov. 2.

Alexander succeeds Craig Rockwood, who is retiring after working for the city  29 years. The appointment was made at Thursday night’s City Council meeting and follows a search process that involved five finalists.

Alexander’s annual salary in her new position will be $110,000.

Alexander is a certified public manager who received her certificate from Arizona State University in 2006. She currently works as a senior fiscal analyst for the city of Mesa’s Development and Sustainability Department, a position she has held since 2013. Prior to that, she worked as budget coordinator for the city of Mesa Police Dept., where she managed a $150 million budget, coordinated capital improvement programs, managed purchasing functions and developed financial analysis and forecasting of operational funds. From 2007 to 2010, she worked as a budget coordinator for the city of Mesa, and was charged with coordinating the city’s five-year capital
improvement program of over $1 billion.

Idaho Falls’ selection committee consisted of city staff, department directors and council members, as well as a finance executive from a local business and a finance director from a neighboring city.

Salon h.Davis holding annual charity cut-a-thon

Salon h.davis, 2450 E. 25th St., Suite B, is holding its annual charity cut-a-thon Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The fund-raiser will feature $10 haircuts and the opportunity to receive a blow dry and style for an additional $5. All payments for services will be donated directly to the Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen.

“Individuals and families of all backgrounds rely on the hot meal that the Soup Kitchen provides year-round,” salon owner Niki Young said. “I love how the organization treats those they help with dignity, and we want to do our part to make sure that this valuable organization has the food and supplies to help those in need.”

Anyone interest in participating but unable to attend the event can make a donation during regular business hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, call 523-1208 or visit www.salonhdavis.com.

DB's getting makeover, new name

Here's the scene at DB's one night in 2014. With the remodel, the wood paneling is gone, the stage is bigger and the drum riser is higher.

A fixture on First Street for more than 30 years, DB's Steakhouse is getting a makeover and a new name.

Shawn Barry, who is leasing the property, said he plans to rename the establishment The Falls and give it more of a nightclub atmosphere. The stage has been expanded and remodeled, with a taller drum riser. The walls have been painted black, and there will be less of a rustic feel overall.

Barry won't be presenting acts himself, but working instead with outfits like Metal Shield Promotions, which is putting on a show Oct. 3. The bill features Doyle, the guitarist from the horror punk band The Misfits, as well as The Family Run, Hatchet and Gutter and the Onslaught. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, and available in Idaho Falls at Shadow Domain. Online, they can be bought at www.metalshieldpromotions.com.

Old-timers know DB's was originally called Debbie's Brother, and owned by Wes and Roxanne Smith (who now run, respectively, The Blue Wave and the North Hi-Way Cafe). These were the legendary days of "Power Hour." An expansion took place in the '90, with a stage and dance floor added.

Although the grill will remain front-and-center at the bar, Barry said he is unsure what he wants to do about food at the new establishment. To check on events that are coming up, follow this link: DB's events.

Rush's Kitchen Supply has new manager

Ashley Hargrove

Going from a corporate atmosphere to small business has required Ashley Hargrove to make some adjustments, but the new manager of 105-year-old Rush’s Kitchen Supply is coming around — and learning a lot about cooking in the bargain.

A merchandising manager for Old Navy in Seattle for six years, Hargrove moved to Idaho Falls in May to manage the Lindsay Boulevard business. At Old Navy, any observation or comment went up the chain of command. At Rush’s, she answers directly to the owner, Alex Constantino, who is married to her aunt Mary Constantino.

She has had to learn about a whole new line of products, including hand-held juicers in three sizes: orange, lemon and lime. “Anything you might need to do in the kitchen, there’s a gadget for it,” she said. “I never realized there was something you could use to pit a jalapeño instead of using a knife.”

Rush’s carries such well-known brands as Kitchenaid, Le Creuset and All Clad, and in many cases there is a difference between commercial grade cookware and what is found in retail stores. While the store’s customer base has been more tilted toward commercial customers, Hargrove said they hope to see more of a 50-50 split between that and everyday cooks.

Then there are the classes. “Think Like a Chef 1,” focusing on sautéing, knife skills and stovetop sauces, began Sept. 12. Part 2, , which covers making chicken stock (“We will teach you to debone a chicken …”) begins Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. For more information, call 523-4818 or visit the Web page, rushskitchen.com.

A “military brat” before she settled in Seattle, Hargrove said she has been getting used to Idaho Falls. “I’m enjoying the weather, and the people are very nice,” she said.

Distinguished Under 40 luncheon set Sept. 29

Jeanette Bennett of Salt Lake City will be the keynote speaker at the Distinguished Under 40 luncheon Sept. 29 at the Residence Inn.

The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Network is holding its 2015 Distinguished Under 40 luncheon Sept. 29.

Ten recipients will be presented with awards. The keynote speaker will be Jeanette Bennett, an Idaho Falls native and owner of Bennett Communications of Salt Lake City.

The event will begin at noon at the Residence Inn.

Individual tickets ($20 for chamber members, $25 for non-members) and full table registrations are available for purchase under the events tab at idahofallschamber.com. The registration deadline is Sept. 25.

This year’s honorees include:

Andy Crossman, program director, Royal Journeys LLC
Eric Liester, loan officer, Bank of Idaho
Brandi Newton, executive director, Idaho Falls Arts Council
Brian D. Turville, counselor, Free Spirit Counseling and Consulting, LLC
Jared Duncan, branch manager, Idaho Falls/BMG Rentals
Nick Burrows, senior services director, EICAP and Hospice of Eastern Idaho
Shawn William Allred, mechanical engineer, Idaho National Laboratory
Aaron D. Wilson, research scientist, Idaho National Laboratory
Dakri Bernard-Gilstrap, owner/realtor, Dakri Bernard Realty Group
Travis Snowder, president/CEO, Qal-Tek Associates

The event is sponsored by East Idaho Business, Willowtree Gallery, Residence Inn, and IF Signature Party Rental.

Utah Avenue being extended to Pioneer Road

Here's a map to explain what's going on south of Pancheri Drive.

You may have noticed a lot of road construction south of Pancheri Drive on Utah Avenue. That is because the city of Idaho Falls is building a road connecting Utah Avenue to Pioneer Road and “T” intersection that will connect those two roads to Snake River Parkway.

The intersection will be right where Utah Avenue (formerly Crane Drive, which is no more) jogs left to become Snake River Parkway. City Planner Brad Cramer said they plan to have the asphalt laid before the hot mix plants shut down for the winter. Curb and gutter work will go on during the winter and landscaping will take place in the spring.

All this work is taking place on land in urban renewal districts, which means the money collected from taxes on new building can be put back into the local infrastructure. The city established the 55-acre Eagle Ridge Urban Renewal District last December after the $3.5 million Guns and Gear opened its doors. Owners Dixie and Shane Murphy and their partner, Ryan Later, spent $2.8 million on the two-story, 15,000-square-foot building, which overlooks the Snake River Landing development, and this provided the impetus for the city to establish a district that allows is tax increment financing through the Idaho Falls Redevelopment Agency.

Put simply, while taxes are collected on the land the way they always have been, money collected on improvements to the land goes to the Redevelopment Agency to be spent on roads, water, sewer and power lines in the district. Most of the development we’ve seen along the river since the Shilo Inn was built in 1988 — Snake River Landing, Taylor Crossing on the River, Candlewood Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, etc. — has been made possible by tax increment financing. The land would be too expensive to improve otherwise.

Hart’s Tux and Gown moving to West Broadway

That's me on the left, next to Local News 8's Karole Honas, at the Symphony concert Saturday evening. 

I would like to thank Hart’s Tux and Gown for the use of a white dinner jacket Saturday night, when I was the narrator for the Idaho Falls Symphony’s concert in Freeman Park. This was an IF 150 event and fun for everyone involved — City Councilman Ed Marohn, who played the triangle during the “William Tell Overture” and KIFI’s Karole Honas, who guest-conducted John Phillip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Maestro Thomas Heuser wrote the narration based on my book, “Legendary Locals of Idaho Falls.” It was both a pleasure and honor to be involved.

I actually own a tuxedo, inherited from my late father, David Menser, and my paisley suspenders came courtesy of my late grandfather Henry Evans. But a white dinner jacket is still something lack, and Hart’s was gracious enough to let me have one for the evening at no charge. How civic-minded is that?

Speaking of Hart’s Tux and Gown, once the September rush of rentals is over, the shop will be moving to 630 W. Broadway, where the Candy Junction store was. Some remodeling needs to be done and this would not have been a good month to move anyway, said store manager Diane Chiles. Skyline and Hillcrest had their homecoming dances this past weekend, Shelley and Firth’s are next weekend and Idaho Falls and Bonneville’s are at the end of the month, so Chiles and her crew have their hands full.

Once October comes, they will be moving to a location with a lot more space and better parking. “We’re very excited about this and want to get the word out,” Chiles said.

Opera Elect to perform Saturday night at The Cellar

Zach Buker and Jordan Michelle Bowman, Opera Elect, will be performing at The Cellar on Saturday night. Showtime is a 7 p.m. There is no cover charge.

Opera Elect, a pair of youngsters from the Treasure Valley, will be performing Saturday night at The Cellar, at Ammon Road and 17th Street.

Jordan Michelle Bowman and Zach Buker say they paired up out of necessity. "We want to perform, but the opportunities to do so are limited, especially for people as young as we are," said Bowman. "So we thought, well, let’s create our own opportunities."

The two aim to make classical music accessible and fresh for everyone, help other young artists and commission works by young local artists while singing works from the classical repertoire as well. They have done opera parties throughout the Northwest.

Their performance at The Cellar will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m. There is no cover charge.

Bowman studied music at The College of Idaho under Mari Jo Tynon and Brent Wells. In those four years she starred as Olympia in “The Tales of Hoffmann,” Semele in “Semele,” Lucy in “The Telephone” and The Queen of the Night in “The Magic Flute.” She sang in the college’s choirs and also gave many solo performances with the college’s orchestra, Sinfonia, and The Sawtooth Cello Choir. Buker also studied vocal performance at The College of Idaho and is now pursuing a graduate degree in opera studies at the University of Washington.

For more information, visit their Web site, operaelect.org.  In the meantime,  here is a video from earlier this summer of them singing Mozart atop the Big Idaho Potato.

An open letter from the 'Gig Economy'

"What am I taking home today, $50 or $65?"

As a musician, I know what it’s like to land a gig. I also know what most gigs pay, which is why when I hear about the “gig economy” I feel no small amount of trepidation.

If this is the first time you’ve seen the term, rest assured that it won’t be the last. Go ahead and Google it. In the gig economy, your time is your own.

Remember the days when people found jobs that paid a fixed salary every month, allowed them to take paid holidays and formed the basis for planning a stable future?

How quaint! How 20th century!

My late father worked for the state of Delaware as a social studies teacher from 1956 to 1988. My late father-in-law worked for Westinghouse from 1948 to 1990. Both enjoyed working for employers that valued them, paid them steady if not lavish wages, offered solid retirement programs and medical benefits that would keep them from the poorhouse if they or members of their families got hurt or sick. Between the two of them, they put seven kids through college. My dad thought it would be good for me to take out a student loan my senior year. It would teach me responsibility and help me build credit. It was for $1,000.

I entered the work force in January 1979 with a baby boomer set of assumptions, i.e. that my career would follow a trajectory similar to my father’s. Instead of teaching, I chose newspapers. I liked to write, and what could be more solid than the newspaper industry?

Today, I have a gig writing my blog, BizMojo Idaho. I have a gig as a freelance writer. I have a gig as a substitute teacher. I peddle my book, “Legendary Locals of Idaho Falls.” I dabble in guitar lessons and play in a band called Happyville.

There are some real advantages to the gig economy. I get to work when I want and I don’t have to deal with a boss I never can seem to please for more than a couple of days in a row.

“I really enjoy what I’m doing,” I told a friend last spring. I love the connection with the community that my writing affords me. I enjoy getting to know young people through substitute teaching, a job I would recommend to anyone who wants a better understanding of the challenges that teachers face (especially Idaho state legislators, who ought to be required to do it for a week before they vote on any education bills.)

Last of all there’s music. Playing in my band I’m living the dream I had as a kid. My mom and dad told me I’d never make a living at it. But it’s part of my living now. We actually made a four-song CD three years ago and it's on iTunes. The only money I have seen is the cash people have handed me for copies I have burned on my computer. The iTunes money, negligible as I'm sure it is, might as well be with old, dead Steve Jobs.

And that's the gig economy for you -- a little bit here and a little bit there, but not a lot from any one source. After I tell people how much I’m enjoying myself, I add, “I’m lucky to have a wife with a full-time job.”

Are we returning to the economy like the one Adam Smith described more than 200 years ago in his book An Inquiry Into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations? Smith wrote about a genuine market economy of individuals engaging in commerce with one another. Plenty of Americans swear by it, especially in this neck of the woods.

The thing is, the ink was hardly dry on Smith’s pages before mass production and distribution gave us modern corporations. The tradesmen of Smith’s day and age gave way to the salaried employees of the 20th century.

Ah, but we’ve been told corporations are people, too, haven’t we?

On a good day, being your own boss is empowering. You can achieve a work-life balance that allows you to take your kids to soccer practice or piano lessons without having to apologize to a scowling overseer.

On the other hand, there’s something reassuring about a steady paycheck, fixed work hours and company-provided benefits. It’s harder to plan your life long term when you don’t know how much money you’re going to be making next year.

Which reminds me. I’ve got to tell YourHealthIdaho how much I anticipate making in 2016. I’ll do it right after I tune my guitar. And bill my BizMojo advertisers. And check SubFinder to see if there’s a teaching job open.

Bonneville County home sales up dramatically so far this year

In the four years since I started BizMojo Idaho (my first post was Sept. 5, 2011)  I have routinely asked my friends in real estate how the market is. The answer has almost been "good" or "better." And while there has always been a temptation to dismiss this as what one might expect -- a positive attitude is essential for sales, after all -- looking at the numbers tells a compelling story.

As far as homes sales in Bonneville County go, numbers on the Snake River Multiple Listing Service Web page show the first seven months of this year were the best we have seen since 2007, the year before everything went in the tank. The number of homes sold, 993 is the best since '07, when 1,043 homes were sold between Jan. 1 and July 31. Homes were selling as fast this year as they were in 2007, which was, I hasten to remind you, a year in which anyone with a pulse could get a home loan, and probably more than they could afford, since that was the game. The easy credit of eight or nine years ago would be one explanation for the higher median prices we see as we crunch the numbers.

As for the chorus of "It's getting better all the time," it's pretty obvious that in 2011 things couldn't have been much worse. Home sales were down nearly 46 percent, prices were bottoming out and the average sale was taking close to four months. The first half of 2012 wasn't much better more homes sold, albeit at the same slow pace.

In all, if agents were happy last year with the way things were trending, they ought to be ecstatic now. Sales in the first seven months of 2015 were up 37 percent over 2014 and homes were selling on average a month faster.

Great Clips moving into Sandcreek Commons retail center

An artist's rendering of the retail center at Sandcreek Commons.

After last week’s big news about Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen coming to Sandcreek Commons, I’ve been eager to check in with the city of Ammon to find out what else may be shaking.

After all, they have a retail center with spaces for 15 businesses that is coming along very quickly. So far, there is one business committed to the center, Great Clips.

I realize this is hardly Popeyes or Panera Bread-level excitement, but there you have it. By way of consolation, let me tantalize you with the conversation I had with Greg McBride, Ammon’s plumbing and mechanical inspector, who said he has been getting a number of calls about ventilation hoods and grease interceptors. “They never say who they are, but from the questions they’re asking I’m thinking they’re small restaurants,” he said.

If you’re interested, Kohl’s and Texas Roadhouse have both filed plans for remodeling. Otherwise, on to Idaho Falls, where Java Express is planning a new building at the corner of St. Clair and Woodruff. Java has had a small drive-thru presence in this location for years. The plans at the Idaho Falls Building Department office show a 40.5-by-13.5-foot building with drive-thru lane, landscaping, parking and a patio.

Java Espress is owned by Shane Murphy, who has been in the coffee-serving business for 23 years. Murphy opened Kool Beanz in Snake River Landing in May, and told me then he toyed with the idea of naming it Java Express but then thought that might be confusing to people.

Flowers Power -- Idaho Falls utility chief to speak Thursday

Jackie Flowers

The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce is featuring Idaho Falls Power Director Jackie Flowers as its speaker Thursday afternoon as part of its CEO Speaker series.

The free program will be from 3 to 4 p.m. at the ARTitorium on Broadway.

Flowers was hired to head the utility in 2006.

At 115 years, Idaho Falls Power is one of the oldest public power generators in the United States, and it is Idaho’s largest publicly held utility. Idaho Falls Power boasts some of the lowest utility rates in the country — less than half the national average for residential power. It is also unique in that more than 95 percent of its energy comes from carbon-free energy sources, predominantly hydroelectric power.

Flowers said she saw several challenges when she came to Idaho Falls from Sheridan, Wyo. Although she was a licensed civil engineer with infra-
structure experience in dams and municipal public works, she had never managed an electrical utility.

Her first day on the job, as she prepared to meet her staff, then Mayor Jared Fuhriman handed her the massive set of keys to all the facilities and said, “You know you are going to have to earn their respect. How are you going to walk in there and introduce yourself?” Flower replied, “Doughnuts will be involved.”

Since then, she has distinguished herself in her industry, serving on the board of directors for Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), which is made up of utilities from eight western states, as well as on several other industry organizations. She regularly speaks on energy issues and has been asked numerous times to speak about her position as one of few female utility executives in the country.

Asked about the challenges she may have faced being a female in such a male dominated industry, she said, “It isn’t really something that I have given much thought to in the past. In engineering school the ratio was about 4 to 1 male to female. There have only been a couple of times in my career where the fact that I am a woman has really stood out.”

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen coming to Sandcreek Commons

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen will be coming to Ammon, most likely by December.

As part of a six-restaurant expansion into Idaho, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen will be coming to the Sandcreek Commons Shopping Center.

The plan is for the restaurant to be open by December, said Sandy Mann of Norcal Cajun Foods, the company in Concord, Calif., that has the rights to franchise Popeyes in Idaho. The restaurant will face Sunnyside Road, between Zions Bank and D.L. Evans Bank.

Norcal has opened Popeyes in Nampa and Caldwell and is preparing to open one in Boise. In addition to Ammon, it also has plans for Pocatello and Twin Falls. The company has 17 Popeyes in Northern California.

Popeyes dates back to 1972, when Alvin C. Copeland, Sr. opened a restaurant called Chicken on the Run in the New Orleans suburb of Arabi, serving traditional Southern fried chicken. After several months of mediocre sales, he changed the menu to spicy, New Orleans-style chicken and renamed the restaurant Popeyes, after the character Popeye Doyle in the movie “The French Connection.”

The menu features Cajun-style fried chicken and seafood that is typically served with buttermilk biscuits and a variety of sides, including Cajun rice, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, or french fries.

Today, there are more than 2,000 Popeyes in the United States and 25 foreign countries. Only 40 Popeyes locations are company-owned, according to the business profile on Hoovers.com.

Popeyes reported coming to area, the question is where?

Here's a box of Popeye's Wicked Chicken. It looks scrumptious!

I’ve always had fun playing detective, but this is a story in which you may have to draw your own conclusions — at least for now.

Making my rounds at the city of Ammon office Thursday, I asked City Planner Ron Folsom, whether there was anything new, especially at Sandcreek Commons, a widespread spot of interest. He told me about the site plan for “Pad E,” the lot on Sunnyside Road between two banks, D.L. Evans and Zions.

No business has been designated for the pad, but judging by the shape of the building and the fact that there is a drive-thru lane going around it, one might deduce that it is going to be a fast-food establishment.

I know better than to ask the developers, Ball Ventures and Woodbury Corp., what is being planned for the ground. It’s their policy to let the business owners make announcements.

Early Thursday evening, I got an e-mail from one of my most reliable news sniffers, Gary Mills, who runs the testing center at Eastern Idaho Technical College. Attached was a link to a TV story out of Twin Falls about Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen coming there.

This is the link: Famous fried chicken restaurant making its way to the Magic Valley.

“The television story says that Pocatello and Idaho Falls are next.  Where?” he asked.

If I were a Magic 8 Ball, I might answer, “Signs point to Sandcreek Commons.” As it stands, I am waiting for an answer from Norcal Cajun Foods, the Bay Area company quoted in the story, which has already opened Popeyes in Boise and Nampa.

EITC Foundation nominated for nonprofit award

The Eastern Idaho Technical College Foundation has been nominated for the Idaho Nonprofit Center’s Excellence Award.  

“We know that nonprofits make a difference in communities across Idaho every day and these awards recognize the contribution of the nonprofit sector.” said Janice Fulkerson, the center’s executive director.

EITC Foundation is one of nearly 100 organizations nominated. Six of the organizations will be honored at the Nonprofit Excellence Awards Dinner on Sept. 15 during the center’s annual conference at Boise State University.

The EITC Foundation was established in 1992 to develop positive community relationships, provide scholarship opportunities and support college initiatives.  Earlier this year the awarded nearly $200,000 in scholarships at its annual scholarship ceremony. Its most recent fund-raiser, The Great Race for Education, raised over $45,000 for scholarships.

“This community is the only reason we are successful.” said Natalie Hebard, the foundation’s executive director. “We are also extremely fortunate to have 19 wonderful volunteer board directors with a passion for education and helping student achieve their academic goals.”

Majestic Auto Body receives certification

Majestic Auto Body and Glass, 1456 N. 25th East, has been officially certified by Assured Performance, a non-profit consumer advocacy organization specializing in the automotive collision repair market.

Assured Performance works with top automakers to identify, audit and promote collision repair providers that meet best-in-class business standards — maintaining the right tools, equipment, training, and facility necessary to repair Automaker brand vehicles according to the manufacturer's specifications.

In achieving this certification, Majestic becomes part of a worldwide network. According to a press release, less than 5 percent of body shops across the nation are able to meet the stringent requirements to become officially certified and recognized. In Idaho Falls, Dan’s Collision Repair is the only other body shop with the certification.

Majestic is also officially recognized by GM, FCA, Ford, and Nissan.

Advertising Federation plans summer mixer

The Idaho Falls Advertising Federation club mixer will be held on Thursday from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Keefer's Island Patio, at the Shilo Inn.

Club members, sales managers, art directors and marketing directors are invited. There will be free appetizers and door prizes.  A drawing for several Eastern Idaho State Fair concert tickets will be held at 6 pm.

Discounted club memberships will be available. Call 569-9468 for more information.

Cellar plans celebration this weekend

At the corner of 17th Street and Ammon Road, The Cellar has been under new management since the beginning of this year.

Under new management since the beginning of the year, The Cellar, 3520 E. 17th St., will be having a celebration Friday and Saturday featuring small plate specials, live music, wine tasting, free desserts and appetizers. Doors open at 5 p.m. each evening.

“I am very excited to have both old and new customers alike come in and try out our new menu, new specials and get reacquainted with some of their old favorites,” said Bryan Hewett, the new owner. “I would like to see The Cellar become the locals’ favorite place to go for all occasions, from just a night out to celebrating new marriages, birthdays and more.”

Scott Hinschberger’s vision for The Cellar dates back to the late 1980s, but it wasn’t until 2004 that he opened it with his son, Bryan Hinschberger.

In January this year, Hinschberger sold the restaurant to Hewett, a Treasure Valley native who discovered a passion for food at a young age. He attended Boise State University where he obtained his degree in culinary arts.

The Cellar seats over 100 people, and can provide banquet and catering services for weddings, receptions, parties, and nearly any celebration of life. Hewett and his staff can cater any event within a 200 mile radius.

New Idaho National Laboratory director named

Mark Peters, formerly Argonne National Laboratory's associate director for energy and global security, has been named the next director of the Idaho National Laboratory, officially taking over Oct. 1.

Mark Peters

He will be succeeding John Grossenbacher, who announced in November 2014 that this would be his last year as INL director. Grossenbacher coordinated the Battelle Energy Alliance bid that resulted in BEA being awarded the INL contract in February 2005.

“Mark’s recognized leadership in all fields of energy research — including energy storage, renewable energy, energy efficiency  and nuclear energy — and national security makes him an ideal choice as the next lab director of INL,” said Ron Townsend, chairman of BEA’s board of managers and also its executive vice president of global laboratory operations. “As the leading research institution for nuclear energy solutions, other clean energy options and critical infrastructure, INL will benefit from the strong leadership and passionate commitment that Mark has demonstrated throughout his career.”

Peters is called upon frequently to provide expert testimony to Congress and to advise in formulation of policies for nuclear fuel cycles, nonproliferation and nuclear waste disposal. He is active in leadership positions with the American Nuclear Society and was recently named an ANS Fellow, the highest honor bestowed by the Society.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Mark on globally significant nuclear energy matters and am pleased to welcome him to Idaho,” said John Kotek, the U.S. Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for nuclear energy. “I look forward to our continued collaboration when he is in his new role as director of INL.”

Peters earned his doctorate in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago and his bachelor's degree in geology from Auburn University. He has also received extensive management and leadership education and training, including completion of the Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His full biography is available online at https://www.inl.gov/mark-peters-bio.

Sandy Downs racing season opens Saturday

The racing season at Sandy Downs will be five days this year,

Aug. 22, 23, 29 and 30 and Sept. 13.

Although the legality of historical racing machines is likely to be an issue again at the 2016 Idaho Legislature, they money they have brought in at the Double Down sports bar on Outlet Boulevard has led to a doubling of purse money during the five-day racing season at Sandy Downs, which starts Saturday.

Racing will be conducted Saturday and Sunday this weekend and next, and on Sept. 13. Gates open Saturdays at 4 p.m. with post time for the first race at 5 p.m.  Sunday’s first race will be at 1 p.m., with gates opening at noon.

The opening day card is highlighted by the Hawthorne Futurity trials for 2-year-old quarter horses.  The race series carries a prize estimated at $45,000, the largest seen in Ida Racing’s six years at Sandy Downs.

Saturday’s co-feature will be the trials for the $30,000 (est.) Double Down Derby for 3-year-old quarter horses with its final also on Sept.  For novice fans, the Nationally acclaimed Q-Aces team of handicappers and racing experts will be on hand with free seminars on both days of the opening weekend.

The leading horses, owners, trainers and jockeys in the Northwest are expected to be in action at Sandy Downs. “The effects of historical racing are even allowing us to become a national player in our sport,” said Ida Racing President Jim Bernard. Fans across the country can watch and wager on our races via the IdaBet.com racing site, he said.

Entertainment between races will include mechanical bull rides, a free photo booth, live music and games and prizes from the daily live Colt Whitmore Show.  Kids can enjoy the fun bounce and sprinkler party, and a country barbecue and fair-style food will be available from Lucky’s Grill.

A salute to Armed Forces and Veterans will open each racing day.  Business sponsors and supporters this year include Bingham Memorial Hospital, Coors Light and TEC Distributors, Double Down Betting Bar, IdaBet.com, Sand Hill Radio, The Post Register, Giltner Trucking and Hawthorne Animal Hospital.

Sandy Downs is located at 6855 S. 15 East.  For more information and updates, visit www.IdaRacing.com.

Double Down, 3078 Outlet Blvd., will also offer live coverage of the races and wagering, at  in Idaho Falls.  Visit IdahoFallsSportsBar.com or call (208) 521-4729 for more details.

Some background on historical racing machines in Idaho

Pari-mutuel betting on horses in Idaho has been legal since 1963, and the Legislature authorized simulcasting in 1990. Before July 2011, however, simulcasting was only allowed at live horse racing facilities such as Sandy Downs in Bonneville County. In 2011, however, the Legislature passed a bill allowing simulcast horse betting from other venues, supporters arguing that off-track locations could provide a better atmosphere, food and other incentives to attract paying customers. The 2011 bill did not allow new simulcast betting venues to be set up, but instead allowed existing operations like the one at Sandy Downs to move.

In 2014 the Legislature approved HB220, allowing pari-mutuel betting on historical horse races, which is done on machines. When a player makes a wager on the machine, a race is randomly selected from a video library of over 60,000 previous races. Identifying information such as the location and date of the race, and the names of the horses and jockeys, is not shown.

The player is able to view a "Skill Graph" chart from the Daily Racing Form, showing information such as jockeys' and trainers' winning percentages, and based on this handicapping information the player picks the projected top three runners in order of finish. Many players use a “Handi Helper" feature, which allows the machine to automatically make the selections.

Early versions of the terminals looked like self-serve wagering terminals, but over time some began to mimic slot machines, with symbols on spinning reels showing the results of a player's wager and the video of the actual race relegated to a 2-inch square in the corner of the screen.

In Idaho, this has drawn the ire of anti-gambling forces and also Native American tribes who consider the machines competition to what they offer on their reservation casinos. Earlier this year, Senate Bill 1011 repealed the Legislature's prior approval of the devices, passing the House by a 49-21 vote and the Senate 25-9.

Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter vetoed the bill in April, and the Senate’s 19-16 subsequent vote to override the veto fell five votes short. Otter has called for a moratorium on any new instant racing machines and indicated that he wants a special investigative team to look into whether the machines violate the Idaho Constitution, which prohibits slot machines.

Idaho Falls Camping World grand opening set for Friday

Camping World, the nation’s largest RV and outdoor retailer, and Good Sam, the world’s largest RV owners organization, have set Friday and Saturday as the date for the grand opening of their Idaho Falls SuperCenter at 1355 Tara Street, on the west side of the Pancheri overpass.

The location is part of a dealer network with more than 100 U.S. locations, including Boise and Salt Lake City. In the case of Camping World of Idaho Falls, the facility is a relocation of the OK Trailer RV dealership in Shelley, which Camping World bought in the fall of 2014.

“The Idaho Falls market is an ideal area for us to expand our business offering,” said Marcus Lemonis, CEO and chairman of Camping World and Good Sam, also the host of CNBC’s The Profit. The grand opening celebration will feature a ribbon cutting Friday at 11 a.m. There will be price specials, door prizes and a live radio remote Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. with KLCE 97.3 FM.

Additionally, free lunch will be offered Saturday and Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about Camping World of Idaho Falls, visit www.campingworldofidahofalls.com.

Alaskan power company joins INL-based geothermal consortium

The Idaho National Laboratory announced today that Chena Power, an Alaska-based company, has officially joined the Snake River Geothermal Consortium team. The company is the first technical partner from outside the Lower 48 and joins 17 other national laboratories, universities and industry partners.

The consortium is one of five teams that received funding in April from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy  to pursue the development of geothermal energy. It is led by Robert Podgorney, who has had a longtime fascination with geothermal and heads INL’s Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy, or FORGE.

What he is hoping to see by 2018 is deep drilling on the Snake River Plain southwest of Howe. The consortium is proposing to locate the nation’s first Enhanced Geothermal System test site on the western edge of the INL, in a renowned “hot spot” that is already home to the lab’s 40-square-mile Geothermal Resource Research Area.

The idea is to have one well pumping water into the crust of the Earth 8,000 to 12,000 feet deep, then push it horizontally through fractures in the subsurface rock, heating it to around 175 degrees Celsius, then bringing the hot water back to the surface to produce energy. Podgorney said he believes FORGE has the potential to generate large amounts of carbon-free baseload power, perhaps revolutionizing energy production worldwide.

The money awarded in April — $400,000 to Podgorney’s consortium — is for Phase 1. Two teams will be eliminated before $27 million is awarded in Phase 2. Podgorney is optimistic that the consortium he has assembled will make the cut, which will be announced in June 2016.

“The practical experience that Chena brings to the team will be instrumental if our team is selected to move into Phase 2,” he said. “We need the kind of ingenuity that has gone into developing the power plant in Alaska, especially when it comes to demonstrating power generation at the later stages of FORGE.”

Chena Power’s announcement came at the Tenth Annual Renewable Energy Fair. Among those at the announcement were Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.

Other participants in the consortium include the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; the Center for Advanced Energy Studies, which incorporates people from Idaho State University, Boise State University, the University of Idaho and the University of Wyoming; the University of Oklahoma and University of Utah; Mink GeoHydro and Baker Hughes.

An advisory panel has also been established to keep in touch with regulatory agencies and non-governmental organizations like the Idaho Conservation League and Snake River Alliance.

On social media, you can follow the FORGE team by searching #SnakeRiverFORGE and #FORGE. Follow @INL and @CAESEnergy on Twitter or visit our Facebook pages at www.facebook.com/IdahoNationalLaboratory and www.facebook.com/CenterforAdvancedEnergyStudies.

Hospice of Eastern Idaho opening in-patient home in Ammon

Hospice of Eastern Idaho is having a ribbon cutting and open house Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2  p.m. at its new six-bed in-patient hospice home at 1087 Curlew Drive.

The home, only one of two in Idaho, will be opening its doors to patients around the second week of September.

Hospice of Eastern Idaho, the only non-profit hospice agency in the area, has been providing care to the terminally ill and their families since 2000. The organization is Medicare and Medicaid Certified and belongs to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, it provides care regardless of ability to pay. It serves a five-county area providing care anywhere the patient resides: home, assisted living or skilled nursing facility.

For more information, contact Executive Director Celeste Eld at 529-0342.

Home2 by Hilton owners shooting for Sept. 8 opening

I

Work on the pool at the Home2 by Hilton at Snake River Landing. 

The Home2 by Hilton hotel at Snake River Landing is scheduled to open Sept. 8, according to Rusty Townsend, president and CEO of B&T Hospitality Management, the company that also owns Hilton Garden Inn.

Headwaters Construction, the contractor on the 91-room hotel, has met all its deadlines, he said. Work on the pool is being finished, said Larry Wolf, another B&T officer.

The pool is unique to the Home2 by Hilton chain in that the purification system is saline-based instead of chlorine-based. “It’s a much greener alternative,” Wolf said.

The four-story, 94,425-square-foot hotel is located at the corner of Snake River Parkway and Whitewater Drive. There is parking for 112 vehicles.

Townsend said B&T’s original plan was to build the hotel next door to Hilton Garden Inn, but as Snake River Landing began to take shape they opted for the location. Since his partner in B&T is Ball Ventures, Snake River Landing’s developer, it wasn’t hard to change.

“We like it here with all the walking and all the restaurants,” Townsend said.

He said he is very optimistic about the business prospects for Idaho Falls hotels. Tour buses on their way to Yellowstone National Park have been pulling in to the Hilton Garden Inn every night. "We have had the best three consecutive months we've ever had," he said.

Launched in 2009, Home2 is the first new brand introduced by Hilton Worldwide in 20 years. The focus is for customers who are planning for an extended stay, so the suites include kitchenettes  and flexible working space between the living room and bedroom areas. The patio area adjacent to the pool features three gas barbecue grills. If you burn your steak, Stockman’s restaurant is next door.

Townsend said they are planning on a ribbon cutting and grand opening in October.

The kitchenette in one of the rooms.

Business basics workshop set Aug. 27

Irene Gonzalez

The Small Business Development Center and SCORE are sponsoring a free Business Basics Workshop Aug. 27, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Idaho Innovation Center, 2300 North Yellowstone Highway in Idaho Falls.

The workshop will feature a presentation by Irene Gonzalez of the Boise office of the Small Business Administration, who will talk about how to use your research to build your business plan and the importance of starting your business with a sturdy foundation.

Topics she covers include self-evaluation, available resources, choosing a legal structure, building a business plan, preparing for a lender, and marketing.

Anyone interested in attending needs to RSVP Gary Johnsen at gwjohnsen@gmail.com.

Warner Truck Centers building $8 million dealership south of Idaho Falls

 

Warner Truck Centers of Salt Lake City, is moving forward on an $8 million Freightliner Truck dealership in Bonneville County, on 12.73 acres of land near Interstate 15 Exit 113.
The plans, filed in late July, call for a 55,106-square-foot truck sales and repair area, with a 10,000-square-foot mezzanine. It project is located at the corner of 65th South and Doug Andrus Drive. The contractor on the project is Zwick Construction of Midvale, Utah.

The company has been in operation since 1983. The Idaho Falls dealership will be its fifth. Its other Idaho dealership is in Jerome and another is planned for Caldwell. In Utah, the company is in Salt Lake, Salina and Hurricane. Overall, it employs close to 480 people.

As a certified Freightliner, Western Star, and Sterling dealership the company provides parts and service for both heavy and light duty vehicles, body and paint work and fleet management.

For more about the company, follow this link to a 2013 story that ran in the Salt Lake Tribune: Utah's Warner Truck Center keeps the big rigs moving.