Teton Volkswagen plans to open in early June

Teton Volkswagen will be opening on Sunnyside Road, next door to Teton Toyota, the first week of June. This was announced Saturday night at the Idaho Falls Symphony's "From Russia With Love" concert. Being active in the community, dealership owner Mario Hernandez is a strong supporter of the Symphony. The dealership moved at the end of February from its location on Outlet Boulevard to Anderson Avenue, not far from where the Toyota Dealership was before it moved in 2008.

Registration deadline is tomorrow for Mayors' Business Day

You have until tomorrow to register for the Fifth Annual Mayors' Business Day, scheduled for Tuesday at O'Callahan's Convention Center in the Shilo Inn. Click here to register online.

This is an event that began in 2008 under Idaho Falls Mayor Jared Fuhriman and has since expanded to encompass surrounding communities.

The event will start with breakfast at 8 a.m. with Mayors Rebecca Casper (Idaho Falls) and Dana Kirkham, welcoming guests. A panel discussion, "Maximizing Southeast Idaho's Business Development Resources," will follow, featuring Linda Martin, CEO of Grow Idaho Falls; Steve Albiston, president of Eastern Idaho Technical College; and Corey Smith, managing director of the Eastern Idaho Entrepreneurial Center. The discussion will be moderated by Tim Hopkins, longtime Idaho Falls attorney and a board member of the Idaho Falls City Club.

From 9 a.m. to noon and there will be breakout sessions, and all day there will be a business-to-business tradeshow. The keynote speaker at lunchtime will be Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, who will give his take on the state's economy. More breakout sessions will be held from 2 to 5 p.m., followed by a Business After Hours.

Cost for breakfast is $10 for members of the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, $12 for non-members. Lunch is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. A full schedule of events can be found here.

"Looking Back" preview; check out tomorrow's paper

Corey Feldman and Corey Haim in the '80s.

Some of you may be aware that I've begun writing the "Looking Back" column that runs in the Post Register every Thursday. It's a feature I did between 1996 and 2008, and one that gave me a lot of pleasure.

Because the Post Register is protective of its copy, I am not going to reprint the column on my blog. Once I file the story it's theirs, and I don't want to mess up the arrangement I have with them or engender any ill will.

Here's a preview of what's coming tomorrow. If you subscribe, cool. If not, maybe you should, or get an online subscription. Pick up a newsstand copy, at least. I still own stock in the company, but even if I didn't I am a big believer in newspapers and their importance to our democracy.

Here's the rundown:
1914: Downtown, especially Park Avenue, was looking forward to another busy building season.
1939: Did you know there used to be party tickets in city elections? Not Republican or Democratic, but "Peoples" and "Citizens."
1964: Despite everything you read and hear today, bullying in schools is nothing new.
1989: Corey Feldman and Corey Haim perform benefit at Bonneville High School.

I remember the Coreys' visit, and seem to recall the managers of the newly built Shilo Inn were not impressed with their behavior.

New Japanese restaurant planned for Woodruff Avenue

The sign for Ninja's Lunch Box, on Woodruff Avenue near Gandolfo's Deli.

A new Japanese restaurant, Ninja's Lunch Box, is going in at 1635 S. Woodruff Avenue. Annie McMurtrey of ROI Brokers, said the business owner, Micky Lin, still needs a building permit before remodeling work begins, but that the plan is for the restaurant to open sometime in July.

Lin was a chef at Evergreen China Buffet. Ninja's Lunchbox will offer sushi as well as teppanyaki, a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food.

Work on 17th Street Starbucks entering home stretch

I coming out of Jaker's Monday night when I noticed this sign on a trailer across the street. One can only assume it is for the new Starbucks being built at 17th Street and Jennie Lee Drive, which is scheduled to be open by the end of May. Stay tuned for more details.