GOP roundup at Riverbend Ranch

Shaking hands with former presidential candidate Mitt Romney. (Photo by Melissa Bristol)

I typically steer clear of politics on BizMojo Idaho, but when I got an invitation to the Republican roundup Wednesday night at Frank and Belinda VanderSloot's Riverbend Ranch I figured, "Why not?"

This was a campaign event for U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, who is facing a primary challenge from Bryan Smith in nine weeks. Gov. Butch Otter, who also faces a primary challenge, was there, as was U.S. Sen. Jim Risch. But the real star of this GOP cattle call was 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, on hand to encourage the faithful to open their checkbooks.

"Dig deep," he said. "Vote, and get your friends to vote. I'm not elected these days, but I can sure fight hard."

Perhaps the most passionate words of the evening came from the host himself, Frank VanderSloot, making his introduction and seeking to refute any suggestion that Simpson might not be conservative enough to serve in Congress.

"I don't know what the litmus test is for a conservative anymore," he said. Simpson has A+ ratings from the National Rifle Association, Right to Life and the United States Chamber of Commerce (on whose board of directors VanderSloot sits). Were Simpson to lose the primary, it would mean at best a loss of clout in the House, because of Simpson's seniority, and at worst the loss of the seat altogether. "If Mike doesn't win, we're likely to have a Democrat in Congress," he said, casting a momentary chill over an otherwise upbeat program.

Romney was his affable self, giving liberals the benefit of being fine Americans, just misguided. "We're right and they're wrong," he said, quoting President Reagan's answer to a question about the difference between conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats.

Otter showed his usual reverence to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers, but could someone please tell him that George Washington's name has only one R in it?

During the meet and greet that followed I shook Governor Romney's hand, because I do agree that we're all American's and that we can be friends with each other. Having lost an election myself, I could relate to some of the things he said.

Ty Jenkins honored by Mortgage Banking magazine

Ty Jenkins

Ty Jenkins, founder and CEO of DocuTech Corp., a leading provider of compliance and documentation technology, has been named one of Mortgage Banking magazine’s 2014 Tech All-Stars. The Tech All-Stars is an annual list honoring mortgage industry professionals who continue to innovate in an adverse regulatory environment.

According to a press release announcing the honor, Jenkins was selected due to his ongoing mission to simplify the loan documentation process while achieving compliance through DocuTech’s concept of a dynamic documents platform; one of the first of its kind introduced in 1991.

DocuTech’s flagship software, ConformX®, transforms an Internet connection into a closing document office and incorporates all data from one system into the user’s loan origination software, reducing data re-entries and producing compliant closing documents.

Sunnyside Sweets offers Tuesday specials

Brittany Warnick, left, waits on (l to r) Jasmine Harris, Abigail Sanchez-Gibson, Brenna Gibson and Ashley Rydalch at Sunnyside Sweets mid-day Tuesday.

I went out Hitt Road today to see how the new Indian restaurant, Tandoori Oven is coming along. Located where Play and Trade used to be, it looks like there's still some work to be done.

Here's some news, though. Across the road at Sunnyside Sweets Candy Shoppe they were having a Tuesday special of 75 cents for a kids scoop ice cream cone (last week it was $1 Italian sodas). They have 22 flavors from which to choose, although the very popular Play-Doh blend probably won't be back until summer, said Brittany Warnick, a BYU-Idaho student who has been working behind the counter since the store opened in October.

Owners Tara and Jarom Christensen, who own the Sunnyside Plaza building in which Sunnyside Sweets sits, are going for a retro feel, with lots of old school candy varieties and sodas. A lot of them they buy through Amazon, Warnick said. I was pleased to find my favorite, Turkish Taffy, and a new flavor to boot (blue raspberry; it was OK, but I still think I'll stick with chocolate, vanilla, banana and strawberry.)

I did not find loose Bazooka gum, which I would really like. The last place to have that was Common Cents on South Boulevard, and I'm pretty sure it was during the first Bush administration.

The big screen TV on the wall is usually playing "The Wizard of Oz," "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" or "E.T.", although they have others they play around Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.

In parting, I would like to ask whether you think Idaho Falls has a sweet tooth. In addition to Sunnyside Sweets, we have Aunt Annie's Kitchen, Sarah's Candy Cottage, Candy Junction on West Broadway and Love at First Bite. Tell me what you think.

 

Plats filed for convenience store, new credit union branch

I wish I had more to share on this blustery, snowy Monday, but my survey of site plans, plats, etc., at the Idaho Falls City Hall Annex yields only two items:

A new Safari 66 convenience store at the southwest corner of Skyline Pancheri. This project has been platted by the Drs. Justin and Joshua Bell, partners in Riverwest Dental next door.

A new Idaho Central Credit Union branch near the intersection of First Street and Hitt Road. This is on that small section of Idaho Falls that protrudes east of Hitt, just north of the Arctic Circle.

Rest assured we will stay on top of these projects as they progress and keep you posted on new ones as the papers and plans are filed.

It was (almost) 20 years ago today ...

In honor of the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web, here is the first Internet story I ever wrote, published April 10, 1994. In print.

In unearthing this gem, my search term was "information superhighway." a term quite in vogue at the time. Other headlines that day included "Authorities say rapes often go unreported" and "Cobain's suicide perplexes local youth."

GROUP SELLS `ON RAMP' TO INTERNET

Remember that old encyclopedia you had when you were a kid? The one in which Eisenhower was still president and the Piltdown man was still regarded as a revolutionary archaeological find?

OK, you were brilliant and got straight A's in spite of it. But think of how much easier it would have been if you'd had the latest information at your fingertips.

It's the computer age now. Although there's still lots of work to be done on the much-hyped "information superhighway," eastern Idahoans will soon have an easier time of getting linked up to the Internet, the worldwide network on which it's possible to get the latest information on practically anything.

SRVnet, a new non-profit organization based in Idaho Falls, is offering low-cost access to the Internet, access that has been limited until now to universities and government research agencies.

"My children just get on it and cruise," said Nancy Peterson, who is seeking investors and subscribers to help raise the $40,000 the association needs.

There are significant differences between SRVnet and commercial services like Compuserve, Prodigy and America OnLine. The people who run commerical services limit a user's exposure to what they want the user to see -- usually things for which they've been paid. The offer hook-ups to the Internet, but that involves a surcharge on top of the base cost, Peterson said.

With SRVnet, a user pays a set amount for a straight pipeline to the Internet. A "gold membership" costs $240 for two years, giving a user four free hours every month. Silver members pay $120 for one year, involving three free hours a month. Bronze members pay $10 a month for two free hours a month. Extra use in all three cases is billed at $3 an hour.

"If we could get 120 gold members and 120 silver members to sign up, we could begin," Peterson said. "The necessary documents have been filed and the equipment is waiting to be ordered."
If the effort falls through, all money will be refunded, Peterson said.

There will be a one-time charge of $29.95 for software, or users may purchase their own.
It's also essential to get a basic computer setup that can process information fairly fast. Any IBM compatible PC should be at least a 386 with Windows software (the programs will also run on Macintosh.) A regular telephone line will work fine, but the modem's capacity should be 9600 bps or more.

A good modem will cost around $150 to $200, Peterson said. PC prices vary and are coming down all the time. "In the next few years, you're going to see more and more people coming online," she added.

Anyone with children should be particularly interested in getting online with SRVnet, since the service will be very similar to the Internet access public schools will be offering. For business people, the Internet offers a competitive edge, both in gathering and putting out information. It's possible to start a bulletin board on the Internet that allows you to get your message out to anyone who has an interest in what you have to offer, Peterson said.