Registration for Fourth of July parade and festival starts Friday

Fireworks last year at the Melaleuca Freedom Celebration in Idaho Falls.

Given the weather, it's hard to believe that summer is not far away, but registration for the 4th of July Parade and Liberty Festival on the Falls will open this Friday. The deadline for entries in June 1.

Independence Day occurs on a Thursday this year, which makes for the best of all possible worlds: stick around town for fun and you still have the whole weekend for camping, golf, fishing, mountain biking or just hanging out.

The Military Affairs Committee will start the day with the Firecracker 5K fun run, 7:15 a.m. at Tautphaus Park. Click http://www.idahofallsmac.org/ for information and registration.

The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce will again organize Idaho's largest parade, through the city’s residential neighborhoods and ending at Tautphaus Park. Riverbend Communications, Idaho Falls Magazine and the Exchange Club will distribute Independence Day schedules and flags beginning at 8:15 a.m. The classic cars and Idaho Falls Police Department will once again start the parade at 9 a.m.

The Liberty Festival on the Falls bridges the gap between the parade in the morning and the fireworks display in the evening. Sponsored by Snake River Landing, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, and Apple Athletic Club, this year the celebration will be enhanced by the improvements done last fall on Memorial Drive between Broadway and E Street. More than 25 food vendors and 50 businesses will be there, and there fair-style games and activities like pie and watermelon eating contests for children and adults. There will be a full schedule of live music by local bands.

Once the sun goes down, the banks of the river will be jammed with thousands of people come to watch the 25-year-old Melaleuca Freedom Celebration, reputed to be one of the largest July 4 fireworks displays west of the Mississippi River.

For registration information, call the chamber office at 523-1010 or visit the Web site, http://www.idahofallschamber.com.

Idaho Falls Magazine to hold 'Drive and Drop' April 18

Idaho Falls Magazine is heading up a "Drive and Drop" community donation drive Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Staff will collect donations of canned goods and cleaning supplies on the B Street sidewalk between Park and Shoup, in front of Harris Publishing. There will be no need to get out of your vehicle, and every donor will receive a certificate for one free frozen yogurt from Orange Leaf.

Canned goods needed include tuna, chili, pork and beans, fruits, vegetables and cream soups. Cleaning supplies include laundry detergent, bleach, dish soap, bathroom cleaner, toilet paper and paper towels.

Donations will benefit these agencies:

City of Refuge Men's Shelter, 840 Park Ave.

The Haven 2480 S. Yellowstone Highway

Idaho Falls Community Food Bank 245 N. Placer Ave.

The Soup Kitchen, 301 South Boulevard

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.