Kiwi Loco plans summer opening for second Idaho Falls frozen yogurt shop

Kiwi Loco's frozen yogurt machines will require extra plumbing at the store it plans to open this summer on Houston Street, its second in Idaho Falls.

Kiwi Loco is planning to open a second frozen yogurt shop in Idaho Falls, at 163 Houston Street, near Wal-Mart and Olive Garden. Remodeling has begun and an opening date should be in late June or early July.

"We definitely needed something on that side of town," said owner Justin Turley, who opened the Kiwi Loco on Hitt Road in December 2012. "We got comments from people all the time saying you need to come to the west side."

Turley's parents, Gene and Carol Turley, and a partner, Doug Birch, started Kiwi Loco in April 2010. The new Idaho Falls store will be the eighth in the family-owned chain, which extends west to Ontario, Ore., and as far east as Palm Bay, Fla.

The new Idaho Falls store will be 1,200 square feet, smaller than the Hitt Road location. Some extra plumbing has to be done for Kiwi Loco's machines.

New cancer center being built in Idaho Falls

IFSC Partners, a company based in Portland, Ore., is remodeling the Surgical Center on 17th Street and buiding 12,850-square-foot cancer treatment center directly to the north.

According to the building permit records on file at the city of Idaho Falls Building Department, the remodel and new building will have an estimated value of $2.79 million. The contractor is Morgan Construction of Idaho Falls.

Doing business as Idaho Falls Oncology, the cancer center will have 4,271 square feet at the ground level and a 4,271-square-foot basement. The floor plan includes 10 clinical examination rooms and two infusion rooms.

Idaho Falls leads state in weekly wages, Pocatello in wage growth

Last week's numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed another decrease in Idaho unemployment, for the ninth straight month. But while trends in employment are the typical gauge of economic well being, earnings can provide a deeper measure of the value of economic change. All jobs are not equal and earnings are a measure of productivity and economic contribution.

Another set of BLS numbers, compiled in February, show earnings and jobs on the rise throughout the nation, with the Idaho Falls Metropolitan Statistic Area leading in Idaho. According to the data, the average weekly wage in Idaho Falls was $803, making it 64th in the nation. The weekly wage for Boise was $701 and Pocatello was $678.

Is there anyone who would dispute the effect the Idaho National Laboratory and the cleanup work at the Department of Energy site have on local wages? It would be interesting to see what average weekly earnings would be for the area absent the lab-related jobs.

On the six-month earnings growth front, Pocatello led the state, with at rate of 6.9 percent, 94th in the nation. Idaho Falls followed with 5.7 percent, while Boise posted a loss of -4.6 percent, ranking 326th.

Overall, 241 U.S. metros (64.7 percent) had experienced positive earnings growth over the year, but when inflation was factored in the number dropped to 179 metros (48.1 percent).

To eliminate single month abnormalities or disruptions, the average annual change in earnings over the previous six months was calculated. Before adjusting for inflation, 239 metros (64.2 percent) showed positive earnings growth. After inflation adjustment, the number of metros with real earnings growth dropped to 162 or 43.5 percent.

Alexandria, La., had the highest annual percentage growth in earnings, up 33 percent on average. Midland, Texas, was second at 27 percent. On the downside, Kokomo, Ind., experienced an average annual earnings decline of 24.8 percent, followed closely by El Centro, Calif., with a drop of 22.2 percent.

http://www.garnereconomics.com/pdf/Garner Economics Average Earnings in US Metros 0412.pdf

Bill's Bike Shop plans move to Snake River Landing

Bill's Bike Shop, which has served eastern Idaho and western Wyoming cycling enthusiasts since 1947, announced today it will start construction in July on a new store at Snake RiverLanding.

The store, which will be across the street from Bella Vita Bistro and Coffeehouse, is scheduled to open in spring 2013. Owner Gary Wight, who bought the business in 2010, is planning a state-of-the-art, location of more than 10,000 square feet. Customers can also look forward to virtual spin classes, large seminar and classroom space, and a larger service area.

In addition to retail and repairs, customers will be able to rent bicycles to ride the trails at Snake River Landing, a planned community of more than 400 acres between Pancheri Drive and Sunnyside Road.

"The planners of Snake River Landing had the foresight to lay the infrastructure for a bicycle, pedestrian and family-friendly community within Idaho Falls," Wight said. "We have a large biking community in this region, but not many roads allow for safe cycling. Snake River Landing is leading the way."

Presently on South Holmes Avenue, where it has been since the 1980s, Bill's Bike Shop is well known for the four major brands it carrries: Trek, Raleigh, Specialized and Giant. The shop also services or repairs roughly 600 bicycles per month. It is very active in community work, giving away restored bikes to underprivileged youth every year, helping programs like Shop With a Cop, the Salvation Army, St. Vincent’s De Paul, and Christmas for Families. Bill’s is also a major sponsor of the Heart of Idaho Century Ride, which happens in August each year at Snake River Landing, and the Criterion Series that runs every summer.

Wight purchased Bill’s Bike Shop in December 2010, after retiring from the automotive business, in which he ran three different dealerships over the course of 30 years.

EITC summer classes begin next week

Summer classes begin next week at Eastern Idaho Technical College, offering everything from fitness to first aid to social media do's and don'ts.

EITC's Community Education program is designed to be affordable and convenient while offering high quality courses in a variety of areas.

Creative arts classes in music, photography, and drawing.

Health and wellness classes in meditation, Zumba, yoga and Tai Chi.

Computers, digital arts and social media.

For convenience's sake, courses are being offered in the morning and evening at lunchtime and on weekends. Price start at 10 classes for $30 or 20 classes for $50. Get a punch card at EITC Student Services.

Whether you're building a business or defining yourself to the world, the social media class is covers the essentials: Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and blogging.

It will be Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. Cost is $15.

Other classes include: Computers for Seniors, Jewelery Making, Portrait Photography, First Aid, Belly Dancing, Yoga, Beginning Guitar, Landscape Ideas & Plants, and Introduction to Excel, Word and Photoshop.

For more information, call 208-524-3000 ext. 3344 or 3345. Or visit this link: