Planet Beach Contempo Spa plans Idaho Falls location

Tami,Walker, Planet Beach Contempo Spa area representative

Already in Boise and Twin Falls, Planet Beach Contempo Spa Area Representative Tami Walker is busy with a third location in Idaho Falls.

The spa will be in the old Domino's Pizza location at 2205 E. 17th Street, in the same shopping center as Work Wearhouse and Once Upon a Child. Remodeling plans have been submitted at the city of Idaho Falls Building Department. An opening has been tentatively scheduled for mid-January.

Walker was a Domino's franchisee for 17 years, then left the business to go into agricultural lending. She had belonged to the Planet Beach spa in Boise for three years when she decided to approach the company about becoming a franchisee herself. In December 2010 she signed a contract with the company.

She became the company's area representative in July, and is now responsible for training franchisees herself.

"I like that I have the chance to bring everyone together on common ground," she said. "Planet Beach is exciting because it’s a whole different approach to the day spa model. It brings a lot of good to people."

For some background on the company, follow this link: http://myplanetbeachfranchise.com/featured-posts/how-planet-beach-built-a-sustainable-brand/

Civitans elect new board

The Idaho Falls Civitans have elected new board members for the 2012-13 year. They are: Eve Wilson, president; Syd Morgan, president-elect; Bob Everhart, past-president; Michelle Williams, treasurer; and Meg Pence, secretary.

Board members include Sandy Boyle, Jeanie Brady, Dee Nelson, Tess Rhoads, Deb Dexter and Carole Walters.

Active in the community for 50 years, the service organization sponsors such fund-raisers as Alive After Five and participates in local charity projects. All the money made from Alive After Five stays in the area to help such projects as Civitan Park, where the club finished building a new playground two years ago, and Civitan Pocket Park, at Park Avenue and A Street.

This past summer, the club helped build the deck in the Sister Cities Park by the Broadway bridge.

The club meets at noon each Thursday at Hotel on the Falls. For information, call Wilson at 524-1347 or email mrsoz@onewest.net.

Halloween family fun this week

If you're an adult, you've probably celebrated Halloween already by dressing up over the weekend, but let's not forget that Halloween is actually Wednesday night. Nor let us forget who it is really for, our children.

If you've got kids trick or treating from door to door, we're sure you're taking all the proper precautions -- warm clothing, flashlights, adult supervision when necessary or appropriate.

At least two Halloween-related events will precede Wednesday. Today from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Snake River Landing and Riverbend Communications will be hosting the sixth annual Trick-or-Treat Street, offering a fun and safe environment where kids can snag treats and play games. More info: http://www.snakeriverlanding.com/event/trick-or-treat-street-2012.html

Tuesday night from 6 to 9, Eastern Idaho Technical College and Community Care will host Trunk or Treat, a community-wide event where families, businesses and organizations decorate trunks and hand out candy. Families are invited to dress up and participate. To find out more, here's a link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/286508491377292/

Idahoan due to receive state funds for training workers

Idahoan Foods, which in the past year opened new headquarters in downtown Idaho Falls, is due to receive up to $240,000 from the state's Workforce Development Training Fund to train 60 new workers.

The Idaho Department of Labor said its commitment, averaging $4,000 per new employee, will enable the maker of dehydrated mashed, au gratin, scalloped and hash-brown potatoes to expand its payroll to 109. The new jobs pay an average of $14.84 an hour.

Financed by employers through a 3 percent set-aside on unemployment insurance taxes, the fund reimburses companies for the costs of training employees for new jobs if the jobs pay at least $12 an hour and include employer-provided health care. Reimbursements can also be made for training workers who face being laid off from their current jobs if their skills are not upgraded.

Companies must produce a product or service that is marketed outside their region or be in the health care sector.

Since its inception in 1996, the fund has reimbursed 200 companies more than $38 million for training almost 20,000 workers. 

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/10/24/2321066/eastern-idaho-potato-processor.html#storylink=cpy

Snow, smartphones and social media add up to a new autumn ritual

What was my first instinct this morning when I looked out my window and saw snow on the ground? I grabbed my iPhone, snapped a picture and tweeted it. The tweet showed up on Facebook, where I noticed a number of friends were doing the exact same thing.

If anyone needs an example of how social media are changing the way we relate news to each other, I think this is about as basic as they come.

Here's an aggregation of photos from this morning, starting with my own. I'll bet at least six more have gone up in the time I've taken to post this.

Paul Menser

Kathy Balling Lisle

Kathy Duplessis

Stacey Francis

Tyler Ballou