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Design Matters

Fred Ochi Tribute in Idaho Falls

by Joe Vandal February 28, 2007

I propose we create a tribute to the recently departed Fred Ochi. He has been one of the most positive forces in Idaho Falls for decades, and Idaho Falls should honor that.
Would it be a statue of him on the greenbelt?

An outdoor studio scene?
A small park designed as Fred Ochi would have wanted, [...]

18 comments Read the full article →

Sandy Downs Master Plan Survey

by Joe Vandal February 4, 2007

This is for those who want to participate in the Sandy Downs Master Plan Survey
The PR said the survey was available at ifrec.org, which actually translates itself to the Parks and Recreation Department’s homepage at: http://ifrec.org/main/index2.asp?PageId=856
However, the Parks department does not conveniently link to the survey, but instead tells you: “To Access this survey see [...]

53 comments Read the full article →

What do you want to see 10 years from now in Idaho Falls?

by Joe Vandal January 21, 2007

This article is to generate ideas and discussion about Idaho Falls‘ future.

I think all suggestions are valid, from urban planning to city laws to businesses to parks to technology to education to even scenery.
This is meant to be a local brainstorm. No ideas are bad in this discussion thread. Dream away.
It would be nice [...]

46 comments Read the full article →

Should Idaho Falls require disguised cell phone towers?

by Joe Vandal December 21, 2006

Here is a four-minute report about communities that require cell phone towers to be disguised as other structures. According to CBS’ report, the cost is about four times greater than “naked” cell towers. I do not think those costs can be passed onto customers in the local areas, though.

So some communities have required better aesthetic [...]

4 comments Read the full article →

Idaho Falls Citizen Design Charettes Could Help Long Term Growth

by Joe Vandal December 7, 2006

Annual design charrettes would dramatically help guide Idaho Falls city improvements. The intensive design collaborations would also be a fun and smart new thing for residents to do every year.

I encourage you to read Wikipedia’s excellent explanation of charrettes to really get a sense of what I am proposing.
The point of the annual design [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

How To Shovel Snow

by segrue December 4, 2006

This may sound like a no-brainer but I every winter I see folks turn snow-shoveling into a hazardous sport. And make no mistake that snow removal can be a serious health risk. Just ask the hospitals how many extra patients they see for pulled muscles, back sprains, and heart attacks, after a good [...]

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Snow Plow is the Happy Balance of Snow Shovels

by Joe Vandal November 29, 2006

Oh what debates rage in eastern Idaho over snow removal techniques.
On one end is the traditional snow shovel, breaking your back and your body into a sweat, but much cheaper and more exercise than a snow blower.
On the other end is the snow blower, much more expensive to buy and operate, much more [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

Target Again Fails to Control Black Friday Crowds

by Joe Vandal November 24, 2006

I wrote last year about the responsibilities Black Friday retailers have to reduce bad shopper behaviors. That was an experience at Wal-Mart in which they badly handled the shopping experience of a super-discounted laptop computer. Was anyone at Wal-Mart this year who can relate their experience?

Last year, the local Target store was very effective in [...]

11 comments Read the full article →

Eight Ways to Improve Our City Website

by Joe Vandal November 20, 2006

This is the first installment of a new series I am publishing every Monday, called “IF Online”. Each article will examine an aspect of our Idaho Falls area that has an online presence. The series will run at least four weeks.
This week I will suggest improvements to our official city website. A previous article also [...]

20 comments Read the full article →

Broadway Railroad Crossing Gives Bad First Impression of Idaho Falls

by Joe Vandal November 16, 2006

Imagine pulling off the freeway of any random town you have never visited. While waiting at the exit ramp’s stoplight, you see a beautiful white stone with the town’s name and a pleasant natural scene carved into it. You turn right because you see gas stations, restaurants, and a trusty Wal-Mart in that [...]

69 comments Read the full article →

New State Prison in Idaho Falls

by Joe Vandal November 14, 2006

I hope someone builds a privately-run state prison in the Idaho Falls area. A new prison in our area would provide many local jobs, it would be a shot in the arm for local growth, and Idaho is overdue for a new prison anyways.
It makes sense for Idaho to locate the next major detention facility [...]

35 comments Read the full article →

Idaho Electronic Voting Considerations

by Joe Vandal November 7, 2006

I’ve read many stories the last couple years about electronic voting technology. HBO’s Special Hacking Democracy on aired Sunday and is available to watch for free on Google Video. It is a great expose of the problems with this early technology, and how the electronic voting machine companies are covering up the shortfalls.

I recently saw [...]

4 comments Read the full article →

How Idaho Falls can foster a Silicon Valley economy

by Joe Vandal November 6, 2006

I recently read an article about how your town could make itself into a Silicon Valley. The emphasis was on fostering a technology-startup economy that generates lots of cash and tourists. Wouldn’t it be nice if Idaho Falls could cultivate an environment that generated lots of startup companies, with the cash and tourist boom following?

The [...]

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Four-day school weeks in Idaho Falls?

by Joe Vandal September 16, 2006

The Post Register reported Boundary County is reaping great rewards since switching to a four-day week. Fridays are off, and are a time many students engage in positive extracurricular activities.
Many corporations have allowed four-day work weeks. Some Idaho Falls businesses offer four-hour workweeks.
Should Idaho Falls and/or Bonneville School Districts switch to four-day weeks? What [...]

11 comments Read the full article →

“Welcome to Idaho Falls” Monument Unveiled

by Joe Vandal September 14, 2006

I have been eagerly anticipating the erection of a new welcome sign next to the Kicks66 gas station on Broadway. This is the Broadway entrance to Idaho Falls from the freeway.
The area used to be an eyesore with a chain link fence and rusty old metal sheds. The fence and buildings were razed [...]

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Taylor Crossing Unveils Largest Bronze Eagles

by Joe Vandal August 27, 2006

I enjoyed the (hopefully first annual?) Taylor Crossing Summer Days yesterday.
It was nice that they not only did an public art enveiling, they also had a full day’s free festivities for the public. My kid really enjoyed the blow-up castles and activity centers.
The girl that sang the star-spangled banner was one of the [...]

57 comments Read the full article →

1% Public Art Mandate

by Joe Vandal August 24, 2006

I propose Idaho Falls acknowledge’s Rexburg’s wisdom and enact a requirement that all new commercial and residential subdivisions either dedicate 1% of their cost to public art on their property or contribute the same 1% to a fund which would then commission larger public art works in parks and greenbelt areas.

The reason I suggest [...]

33 comments Read the full article →

Quarter Design Poll Results Emailed to Governor’s Office

by Joe Vandal August 9, 2006

The IdahoFallz.com poll asking what state quarter design we liked best was small but clearly indicated the peregrine falcon version was the least favorite. Poll respondents clearly favored the mountains design where the river flows out into the Idaho state outline.
The poll has changed now, but in a last-ditch effort to save Idaho pride for [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

Electronic Sign Strategies in Idaho Falls

by Joe Vandal August 8, 2006

Idaho Falls must be in the grip of an uber-sign salesman lately. I’m seeing more of these electronic signs cropping up around Idaho Falls and hope our local business community will listen to consumer advice about them.
The electronic signs I refer to range from simple scrolling text like on the Mason’s Lodge to the [...]

9 comments Read the full article →

Suggested Billboard Change at Public Library

by Joe Vandal August 8, 2006

I suggest that our local Idaho Falls Public Library change the location of the community events billboard that is currently at the bottom of the ramp going up to the second level.
The reason is the billboard always holds great local event information, but the location in a traffic zone keeps many people from stopping to [...]

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Fork in the IdahoFallz.com road

by Joe Vandal August 6, 2006

To quote Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
One prominent question asked about IdahoFallz.com is our future direction. What do we want it to become? What role does it play [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Expand Saturday Morning Markets

by Joe Vandal August 5, 2006

I like the Idaho Falls Farmer’s Market, and am excited about the new Artisan’s Market located just across the pedestrian bridge. The two cultures seem be symbiotic rather than competitive. It’s a little strange they hold different hours, they should sync it up.

Moscow hosts one of Idahoâ€™s best farmer’s markets, and is a good [...]

26 comments Read the full article →

Famous Artist Tags Idaho Falls Bridge?

by Joe Vandal August 4, 2006

I recently discovered something in Idaho Falls that not many would recognize but is hidden in plain sight.
There is graffiti on the Taylor pedestrian bridge (like the rest of Idaho Falls lately), but one stands out because it is obviously painted by stencil. I instantly recognized it from an article I read in Wired magazine [...]

16 comments Read the full article →

KIDK website could use archive function

by Joe Vandal July 30, 2006

I don’t mean to keep making our local KIDK channel 3 television network my punching bag, but this keeps happening online and it’s hurting their own reputation.
I’m talking about archiving. I keep seeing websites that link to a KIDK news story, but when you get to the KIDK website, it’s an error 404 ‘page not [...]

6 comments Read the full article →

Idaho Falls should annex north and east

by dnix0112 July 26, 2006

I drive to work from the foothills to the westside every workday, I mainly use Lincoln Road or Iona Road. There is alot of residential growth in that area, and the use of these roads reflects that. These roads are rundown, and are in need of repair. I understand that these areas are in Bonneville [...]

10 comments Read the full article →

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Idaho Falls Live Chat
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6 guests are online. Google is crawling the site.
- veles2003 :
- Guest_3070 : I wish the local news websites would update their news stories more often. 6 is terrible, 3 and 8 better. I hate logging in an noon and only seeing the same stories from last night!
- Nikola Tesla : The site should otherwise work normally
- Nikola Tesla : Trying to add some new "social" functions when logged in. NONE of it is working yet. It might be a couple days so thanks for tolerating
- Nikola Tesla : thanks
- Guest_4172 : Thanks Nikola. The 'Cool Funny Jokes' and 'Good Child Photographers' ones still have some spam.
- Nikola Tesla : Hello Gals and Fellas...I cleaned out a bunch of crap in the forum...let me know if I missed anything. Sorry about that
- Bundy. : Mr. Eagle, I have an article pending publishing "What's Wrong With The Wood Project?" Please check it out and release it if you find it acceptable!
- Guest_3070 : Linda 33 you must be one lonely gal...yeah, either clean up the QA or can it, spammers took over. Heck, give me the password and I'll keep it cleaned.
- Guest_913 : Yes, it definitely needs cleaned up, if not deleted. Too bad, it had nice potential.
- Guest_1111 : The Q & A section never panned out they way it was intended anyway. It ended up turning into a big spam magnet. Time to put the Q&A out of its misery and pull the plug.
- Guest_913 : I think it's past time to allow certain combinations of letters in the alphabet to be used in the Q & A forum posts that allow regular words to be used. For example: A person should be able to write the word 'assistance' without having the first 3 letters chopped off.
- Guest_84 : I'm trying to find an old friend of mine named Brook Smith. I think her family lives there now
- Guest_84 : Hi are you in Idaho Falls?
- Guest_2517 : Geeze...New Poll Please, please, please!!!
- discount erectile : I added your blog to bookmarks. And i'll read your articles more often!
- Guest_2857 : h
- Guest_3070 : Hey don't post links unless you say what they're about!
- Guest_333 : I am not fat, I am healthy. I know some people that are heavy in weight. A couple of them are healthy, and it's up to them so far, to live the life they want to live. So until something changes, they have the right to respect, and to do what they will. You are no better then they are, and correct me if I am wrong, #5013...but it sounds quite bigoted of you to write such, maybe even a little self conscience. And yes I agree that the number is minuscule.
- Guest_1111 : papas gotta brand new bag booyaaah!
- Guest_1111 : oh yes its ladies night, and I'm feelin right, oh yes its ladies night oh what a oooh whaddahh niight...
- Guest_9520 : badonkadonk
- Guest_9520 : Jose Cuervo
- Guest_1080 : bill Mckeever
- Guest_2311 : but its probably the same with dnc tactics
- Guest_2311 : leaked RNC fundraiser strategy slideshow reveals they are playing off small donors "fear" and big donors "ego" «link»
- Guest_Cornfritter : last year we had a discussion about this issue and somebody wrote the exact same thing. I don't remember the name of the post but I remember somebody saying something very similar to what 1471 wrote.
- Guest_3070 : 1471- was that part of another discussion I missed???
- Guest_5013 : the way I see it is: loose the weight feel better & live longer and stop making excuses for your weight problem.
- Guest_5013 : sounds like somebody is trying to justify their obesity. The fact is, the amount of people you're talking about is so miniscule its not even worth arguing.
- Guest_1471 : After all, there are examples of obese people who somehow stay metabolically fit — no high blood pressure or high blood sugar or high cholesterol. "If fat cells functioned perfectly, you could be as obese as you want and not have heart disease," says Dr. Carey Lumeng of the University of Michigan
- Guest_1471 : After all, there are examples of obese people who somehow stay metabolically fit — no high blood pressure or high blood sugar or high cholesterol. "If fat cells functioned perfectly, you could be as obese as you want and not have heart disease," says Dr. Carey Lumeng of the University of Michigan
- Guest_3070 : Q&A forum has gone to the spammers again. Ugh - how can they be blocked for good?
- Guest_3070 : Too funny, guy swallows his flash drive after raid and they wait days for him to ...ahem .... purge it out. «link»
- Guest_2854 : I heard the other day, that the NFL is changing the way overtime is played. Does anyone know more about this?
- Guest_3070 : Ah, we read your material with much interest too.....
- buy cheap generic : I liked it. So much useful material. I read with great interest.
- Guest_4393 : But all the players are in the NHL, so a lot of the guys i like played for Canada...So the way i see it, we all won by watching a great game for hockey fans on both sides of the border.
- Guest_4172 : I bite my nails anyway. But sure, I'll attribute it to the game. And now, Obama has to pony up some Molson.
- Guest_13 : What a awesome way to end the games with that nail biter of a hockey game last night. Just incredible! (even though we lost.)
- Guest_13 : A big Thank You to our Canadian neighbors for doing such a great job hosting the Winter Olympics.
- Guest_4172 : oops, I spoke too soon...just saw that he did. ha ha! gotcha!
- Guest_4172 : Dang, he didn't take the bait. It WAS all he had to say about it!
- Guest_1527 : New poll please.
- Guest_Chickenhawk : we all know scientific studies dont mean squat except to liberals and atheists.
- Guest_2311 : but we all guessed that already right?
- Guest_2311 : «link»
- Guest_2311 : waddya know scientific study proves liberals and atheists have higher IQs
- Guest_2486 : Olympic medal count: USA-32, Germany-26, Norway-20
- Guest_2486 : live by the volcano, die by the volcano.
- Guest_3432 : As the ols saying goes "visit Yellowstone before it visits you"
- Guest_Chickenhawk : There is no Chick-fil-A in town. As for Hotels it all depends on how much you want to spend. If you're coming up north on I-15 take the Broadway exit and there are a number of hotels there along the river.
- Guest_2296 : Traveling to IF in a couple of weeks. Is there a Chick-fil-A in town and what hotel would you recommend near the interstate?
- Guest_Chickenhawk : It does sit on top of the worlds largest super volcano. It may not blow today or tomorrow but it will blow eventually. I doubt it'll happen in our lifetime but as Mr.Coates can tell you, you can't predict what'll happen with mother nature.
- Guest_1218 : are we going to die soon from yellowstone?
- Guest_1 : :@:)
- Guest_1 : hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hihihihihi
- Guest_1 : hi
- Guest_2486 : Yes I know them! Every grade school kid in the country knows the words to our national anthem! At least they did when I was in school, it's probably different in this day and age.
- Michael Coats : lol thanks for the hot news tip, I thought I felt the earth shake last night
- Guest_342 : exciting Sarah Palin speech at idaho falls civic auditorium last night, made national news: «link»
- Michael Coats : chance of fog Friday AM with "fog snow"
- Michael Coats : the snow hit a little later in Idaho Falls than we thought it would, but this morning expect some light snow showers, just the leftovers from yesterday.
- Guest_4172 : Maybe you should offer to teach them the words. Do you know them?
- Guest_4172 : I can't believe that.
- Guest_2486 : & thats all I have to say about that.
- Guest_2486 : I noticed the same last year during the main olympics. I think it should be a requirement. If you want to represent our country, take 5 minutes out of your training schedule to learn the words!
- Guest_2486 : What bothers me about the Olympics is that none of our athletes know the words to our national anthem! The other athletes from every other country either sing or at least mouth the words to their anthem during the medal ceremony but not the US and it's pretty dissapointing to see.
- Guest_2486 : it'll snow tomorrow because they forcasted "no snow for Thursday".
- Guest_3774 : «link» cooked cat ewwww supposedly a delicacy.
- Guest_3774 : robbed again
- Guest_3774 : wheres all the snow mr micheal coates?
- Guest_4262 : the city said back a while ago a parking structure would cost too much, so they want their pie, but don't want to pay the pipper
- Guest_1074 : I love the city's plans for Memorial Drive. I don't like driving through that parking lot. It's about time the city moved the parking and pushed ahead with its greenbelt expansion.
- Guest_3770 : Anyone have any ideas on getting the city to give up their ridiculous plans to convert Memorial Drive?
- Guest_470 : seems to be if you are 13 or over that's what you do here....i say that because of all the teen moms out with their trendy strollers with baby Arishatelle llyyynnda or baby ritchee arizoana
- Guest_470 : guest 446 i think the teenagers in idaho falls are getting in the sack with each other.
- Nikola Tesla : Deal!!!
- Guest_6177 : I can pay you with a 50lb bag of potatoes, hows that? I'll even throw in 2 ears of corn.
- Nikola Tesla : Sure! but it will cost ya
- Guest_6177 : I need my engine overhauled in my 67 Ford pickup....can anyone recommend a mechanic that will do it for free?
- Guest_938 : who does free dental work in my area?
- Guest_4466 : Hey, i have a question, what the teenagers do in idaho falls?
- Guest_396 : What a coincidence! I went to the movie today and walked right into the lobby looking for my friend. She hadn't yet arrived and when she did we realized I got in without paying! Stupid is as stupid does.
- Guest_252 : Greetings from the middle of the ocean!
- Guest_Chickenhawk : cluck cluck
- Guest_1007 : the greenbelt project is another example of wasteful spending by our local government. come election time we need to remember those responsible & replace them.
- guest : The greenbelt isn't the problem, read the last 2 posts, they pretty much spell out why the schools don't have enough money
- Guest_630 : Why are we so intent on spending more money on the Greenbelt when we don't have enough money for our schools and other higher priorities in our community?
- Guest_6177 : Afterall, this is a small town and they have a hard enough time coming up with newsworthy storys
- Guest_6177 : agreed
- guest : agreed
- Guest_3124 : Oh my hell we all need to get a life. Seriously....ser iously anyone angry about getting held up by the president is just down right pathetic.
- Guest_1022 : If I was a passenger I would probably be upset about the delay too. But the smarmy reporter on 8 made it sound like Obama was somehow responsible for people in Idaho Falls getting mad and that was his whole angle. I've been held up before when Cheney visits this area but I never saw it as the lead story on the news.
- Guest_4784 : If i was a passenger i would be pi**d off. I don't care who the president is
- Guest_4784 : Really, I thought it was interesting to show how messed up our ar traffic control is that air force one can delay me in idaho by 4 hours
- Guest_1022 : I saw that on the news last night too and it was a pathetic example of reporting. Just an excuse to slam Obama. I'm not watching 8 anymore.
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