Bechtel awarded contract extensions for Naval Reactors work.

Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp., one of the Bechtel group of companies, has been awarded contract extensions projected to be valued at approximately $13 billion by the U.S. Department of Energy  and the U.S. Navy to continue providing management and operations services at the Bettis and Knolls Atomic Power Laboratories.

Under the two five-year extensions, carried out concurrently, Bechtel will continue its work in support of the U.S. Naval Reactors Program through Sept. 30, 2018. Bechtel has provided management and operation services for the labs since 2009 and provided management and operation services at the Bettis Laboratory for the previous 10 years, between 1999 and 2009.

"The work being done at the Bettis and Knolls Atomic Power Laboratories is critical to our national defense," said Craig Albert, president of Bechtel's government services business unit. "The dedicated men and women of Bechtel Marine Propulsion join me in thanking the Department of Energy and the U.S. Navy for their continued confidence in our capabilities and commitment to the Naval Reactors Program."

Bechtel colleagues carry out three primary missions at the two labs. They conduct research and development in the design and operation of nuclear propulsion plants for U.S. submarines and surface ships. They provide technical support to ensure the safety and reliability of U.S. naval nuclear reactors. And they train and certify the sailors who operate those reactors for the U.S. Navy. Bechtel is also charged with the receipt and management of the U.S. Navy's spent nuclear fuel.

All of the work is carried out by approximately 7,000 employees at five primary locations in the United States: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Schenectady and West Milton, New York; Charleston, South Carolina; and, of course, Idaho Falls.

Developers plan indoor gun range near Snake River Landing

Shane and Dixie Murphy and Ryan Later have filed a site plan with the city of Idaho Falls for Guns and Gear, at Class 5 indoor gun range they are planning to build on Crane Road just south of Pancheri Drive.

Crews tore down an old warehouse earlier this month in preparation for the 15,420-square-foot project. Shane Murphy said they plan to apply for a building permit in February, with construction to follow as soon as weather allows.

He said it will feature a 15-station shooting range and 5,000 square feet of retail space. There will be a patio in the back, overlooking Snake River Landing.

The project required a variance allowing the developers to go with a 10-foot-wide landscaping strip instead of the 15-foot-wide strip in the annexation agreement. "It's a narrow parcel of land with the canal in the back, so we needed this to make parking easier," Murphy said.

When open, he said they plan to offer classes and training to the public and law enforcement agencies.

Produce marketing expert to speak Thursday to I.F. Advertising Federation

Nate Klingler director of marketing at Eagle Eye Produce in Idaho Falls will speak Thursday at the Idaho Falls Advertising Federation's monthly "Lunch and Learn."

Klingler is a graduate of Bonneville High School and attended Idaho State University, majoring in mass communications. He worked for 7 years in the sign and print industry,  moving up through the ranks at each company he worked at, holding such positions as sales manager, art director and general manager. Since moving to Eagle Eye, he has created a marketing department from the ground up and helped the company grow at a record pace.

He is also an independent marketing and design consultant, focusing on the marketing needs of dedicated clients in the healthcare industry and political marketing.

The program is at Dixie's Diner, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow this link to RSVP.

Brenda Haan to open Edward Jones office in Snake River Landing

Brenda Haan announced today that she will open an Edward Jones office in Idaho Falls at 970 Pier View Drive – Suite A in Snake River Landing. Brenda has been partnering with financial advisers Joe Haan, Brian Haney, and Kevin King to serve investors throughout the Idaho Falls area.

In a press release, Haan, Haney and King said, “When Brenda joined Edward Jones, she agreed to help us provide the level of service investors have come to expect from the firm while extending our services to additional investors. Brenda has proved herself more than capable of doing so. We’re going to enjoy watching her build a successful business of her own.”

"Thor: The Dark World" improves on original

It's been a while since I've done a complete review of a movie. Where did all the time go? Oh yeah, of course, I went to college! Anyway, this week let's take a look at Thor's return.

All in all, "Thor: The Dark World" is an entertaining addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that manages to be better than "Iron Man 3." It offers enough rousing adventure to satiate the comic book nerd's appetite until "Avengers 2" (or at least Captain America's next flick).

Picking up from where "The Avengers" left off, Loki is in Asgardian jail for his heinous crimes while Thor is striving to bring balance back to the Nine Realms. Even though he has done that, he still feels a sense of emptiness in his life. He sets off for Earth to find his lover, Jane Foster, who is back on the job and has found an anomaly that has led to a close encounter with another possibility for epic

There are many good things about this sequel, which improves on the original. There's much more action here, prevalent in the numerous rousing set pieces. And what a creative climax! The comedy here is unexpectedly more abundant. With self-aware and wry humor to go along with some of the slapstick, it helps the film feel more fun. Look out for a hilarious cameo that will certainly make your viewing experience more enjoyable if it already wasn't.

All that creates for a nice balance with the emotional side, elevated here by deeper relationships between the characters, the most notable one being Thor and Loki's love/hate bromance. It's all in due part to the great acting by the ensemble -- the bold Chris Hemsworth, gleeful scenestealer Tom Hiddleston, a fine Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba lending a strong, authoritative support, and even the sadly underused Christopher Eccleston.

Alan Taylor's direction here may seem like it's made out of compromise, but it's fresh and assured enough to keep the ball rolling. And of course, the visual effects made the whole shebang look cool, even enhancing upon the original look of Asgard.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in "Thor: The Dark World"

However, the film suffers from quite a few flaws. The storyline isn't all that enthralling, mostly because it's yet another superhero movie in where things go wrong (again) and the superhero must save the day (again). Still, who goes to a Marvel movie not expecting this? The loose, quick writing helps the film overcome that hurdle, but the sci-fi/fantasy vibe was a bit uneven for me. I felt this sequel went a little overboard on this aspect, which really threw me off because the first one had such a good balance of the two genres. The first film was also better in terms of character development, notably with the Asgardian warriors and the external subplot mortals. For a "central villian", Malekith didn't have that much substance to him, appear for only a few minutes of screen time each time onscreen. It came off as sillier and more over-the-top, now that I think about it, at times looking nearly like a parody of itself. The first film leaned towards a more theatrical tone.

It takes time for TTDW to pick up momentum, which was also the case with the first film (and "The Avengers," and "Captain America," and all the other ones, now that I think about it), but once the train is rolling everything is just fine.

Lightning has struck twice for Thor after all. The same can be said for Marvel, whose Phase Two movies are shaping up so-far, so-good. The second "Thor" improves slightly over its predecessor in being a dazzling, engaging fantasy that's only a touch darker yet much more amusing. Now I'm curious about how "Guardians of the Galaxy" will build up to the second "Avengers."

Nathan Cook is a graduate of Skyline High School now attending Boise State University.