Appa is a happy, wiggly boy with a heart of gold. He is getting a little depressed at the shelter and really wishes his fur-ever family would come along.

This two-year-old boxer mix still has lots of puppy energy, so a home with older kids who won’t be overwhelmed by his playfulness would be best.

Sweet and easily trained, handsome Appa would be a paw-some addition to an active family who can commit to continuing his training so he can be the best boy.

Appa and lots of other animals are available for adoption at 3000 Lindsay Boulevard in Idaho Falls. You can see pictures and learn about the shelter on SRAS’s Facebook page

The post Amazing Appa is our Pet of the Week! appeared first on East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS — The EastIdahoNews.com crew will be highlighting different jobs in our area throughout 2024, and today we’re workin’ it with the Idaho Falls Spud Kings.

Since the launch of the Mountain America Center in Nov. 2022, the junior hockey team has become one of the venue’s most popular acts. MAC Marketing Director Kelsey Salsbery says tickets for every game are sold out.

She gave me a behind-the-scenes tour of the venue for the one-year anniversary and introduced me to Colin Fairfield, the team’s equipment manager.

RELATED | The Mountain America Center’s first year was a huge success. Here’s what’s coming in 2024

Colin showed me how to sharpen blades on skates, sew name plates on jerseys and organize the locker room. I enjoyed interacting with the team’s newest player and learned just how pivotal the equipment manager is in the team’s success.

See what it’s like and find out how I did in the video above.

PREVIOUS WORKIN’ IT STORIES

I worked as a soda jerk for a day and here’s what I learned

I spent the day training dogs. Here’s what they taught me.

What is it like to work as a mechanic? I decided to find out.

I flew with Air Idaho Rescue for a day. Here’s what I learned.

I agreed to be a school cafeteria lunch worker for a day. Here’s what I learned.

What is it like to work at the Idaho Falls Zoo? I decided to give it a try.

I went crawfishing for the first time with Crayster and here’s what I learned

The post I worked as the Spud Kings equipment manager for a day, and here’s what I learned appeared first on East Idaho News.

I’ve always liked the idea of producing my own maple syrup. However, sugar maples (Acer saccharum) don’t grow in our high-pH soils.

I was intrigued several years ago to discover a long-forgotten spile and collection jar by a native big-tooth or canyon maple (Acer grandidentatum) near my home. I was excited to find out that big-tooth maple, the same common native maple that gives our hills and canyons vibrant fall colors, is a close relative to sugar maple.

For nostalgic nuts like me, producing maple syrup isn’t about efficiency. It’s about the process and the distinction of being able to say, “I made this myself.”

I’ve learned in the years since my forgotten spile discovery that maple syrup production is possible in Idaho. You can produce maple syrup right in your own backyard with just a few simple supplies.

It’s not only big-tooth maple that can be used to make syrup. You can also use Norway maple (Acer platanoides), silver maple (Acer saccharinum) and even boxelder, otherwise known as Manitoba maple (Acer negundo). Any maple can be used to create syrup. You just need to collect the sap.

What you need to collect sap:

• Dormant maple tree(s) at least eight inches in diameter.
• Spiles (taps) and a collection bucket or bag. An online search is the easiest way to find supplies.
• Hammer, cordless drill and a 5/16 or 7/16 bit. The bit size depends on the size of the tap you buy.
• Temperatures that fluctuate below freezing at night to above freezing during the day — about 40 degrees to 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

The timing of sap collecting season will vary from one locale to another, around late February or March. My experience is that sap flow starts just before snow melts off where the trees are located.

When conditions are right, drill a hole in the tree, about one and a half to two inches deep. Insert the tap into the hole and seat it by tapping it with a hammer. The sap will flow out of the tap and into your collection bucket during the day, stopping when temperatures drop. The flow will begin the next day with a temperature rise. This will repeat each day/night cycle with the right swing in temperature.

Once leaf buds start breaking, the flavor of the sap becomes unpleasant and signals the end of sap collection. Simply remove the tap. The tree will seal off the hole during the summer growing season.

Once you collect sap, you must concentrate the sugar that naturally occurs in maple sap. While trees will vary, most sap starts with about 2 percent sugar content. Pure maple syrup needs to be 67 percent sugar. This equates to roughly 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup.

To concentrate the sugars, boil your sap on an outdoor cooker in a large pot. The sugars (and other minerals) are left behind as water evaporates. A shallow, fast boil while slowly adding more sap is better than trying to heat an entire pot. Try to maintain the sap boiling between two and four inches deep.

Once the liquid reaches seven degrees above the boiling point of water (as measured on a candy thermometer), your sap has reached about 67 percent sugar concentration. You now have pure maple syrup!

Often, late winter could be termed a recreational doldrum. There’s much more involved in making quality maple syrup, but the basics described here will get you started. A good resource providing a little more detail is South Dakota State Extension.

Give maple tapping a try. Who knows, you may find yourself starting a new family tradition.

The post Idaho maple syrup: Yes, you can make it and here’s how appeared first on East Idaho News.

POCATELLO — Kaybree Ozburn is a senior at Century High School in Pocatello. She is a member of her school government and dreams of one day being a member of the U.S. Government.

Ozburn told EastIdahoNews.com that she is “leaning toward” an education in criminology — and a, perhaps short, career as a criminal attorney.

“I’ve been interested in learning about crime my whole entire life,” she said.

During a college sociology class, Ozburn enjoyed learning about “deviance theories” — what causes people to commit crimes. Add that to the fact that she enjoys taking on leadership roles — including positions in student government since she was eligible as a sixth grader — and a run at the United States Senate is something of a calling for Ozburn.

The sociology class she took at Century was just one of many college courses she has taken in high school. In fact, when she graduates this spring she will do so having already earned an Associates Degree.

As a junior, Ozburn took just one non-dual-credit class the entire year — a ceramics class, because she is also a bit of an artists.

She draws, writes (she’s currently working on a novel), acts in the theater and drama club and plays two instruments — piano and guitar.

“I try to be very well-rounded, which gets you a lot of points with scholarships and stuff like that,” Ozburn said.

Asked where the wide range of passions comes from, Ozburn credited the love for reading she developed as a small child.

After graduation, Ozburn plans to attend the University of Utah, both for her undergrad studies and her law degree. It will be the first time she has lived outside of southeastern Idaho — something that excites her in and of itself.

Asked how far she would like to take her political endeavors, Ozburn said the dream ends at the top.

Like many other children, Ozburn had dreams of being U.S. President while on the playground. She would tell her friends, “Guys, I’m going to be the first female President.”

But the White House would be the dream either way, she said.

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Six inches of snow last Sunday doubled the number of Northern flickers at my feeders from the usual eight to 16 on Monday. That number stayed consistent through the snowstorms and blizzards this week, with the highest numbers before 8 a.m. each morning.

Monday morning, while photographing the feeding frenzy at the six suet cakes hanging in my trees, I noticed one female with bright yellow tail feathers – all of them! A lifer for me, a Yellow-shafter Northern flicker. I had photographed and observed crosses of the Yellow- and Red-shafted flickers with a mixture of yellow and red feathers in their tails and wings, but never a full-blooded yellow one.

As I was spending most of my time tracking the yellow-colored female, I saw another one with yellow wings flush off another suet cake. Suddenly, I had two of them. I noticed they liked a certain suet cake set away from the others, so I moved it closer to my hiding place to get better pictures.

Once they were forced to feed with most of the other flickers, I found female Red-shafted flickers would chase the yellow ones off the feeders. As they were pushed off the feeders, they would show the color on the bottoms of their feathers.

Typically, Yellow-shafted flickers winter along the Pacific Coast, summer from Alaska through Canada, and in the northern United States from the Dakota to Maine. The Mountain States from Canada to Mexico hold the Red-shafted flickers. They were classified as two different species at one time, but now they are two of 11 subspecies in the Northern Flicker species.

Both females look very similar, but I find the Yellow-shafted females are lighter in color than the Red-shafted females. Males differ, with the Red-shafted having a “red mustache” instead of a black one on the yellow ones. Yellow ones have a red “chevron” on the back of their neck, while the red ones do not have one at all. A male cross between the two subspecies has a faint chevron and a light red or gray mustache. I am hoping for a male Yellow-shafted to show up so I can get some pictures of him.

During a snowstorm Thursday morning, most of the Red-shafted flickers moved to larger trees and hugged the trunks to get out of the blinding flying snow; a Yellow-shafted found an unoccupied food station. Due to the strong winds, it found it challenging to stay on the suet but was determined to get breakfast while the Red-shafted tried to protect themselves from the storm. By the time I had to leave, the Yellow-shafted had flown to a distant hybrid poplar to protect itself from the blowing snow.

I will not be surprised if the numbers continue to rise during this bitter-cold weekend. They certainly know how to let their buddies know where the food is.

It is also time for the Bald eagles to start gathering at Camas National Wildlife Refuge, and the bitter cold will encourage them to gather for the evenings out there. I will keep you informed. We are also expecting Ririe Reservoir to freeze over. Hopefully, we will find a few kokanee and trout there soon. We are hungry for some fish.

I would like to thank everyone who notified me where they have been seeing Pine grosbeaks and other strange birds. These birds appear in most communities in the Upper Snake River Valley. As this blizzard subsides, we may see a lot of changes during the predicted bitter cold. Keeping the feeders full will be critical for them if you are feeding birds.

Have a wonderful and safe week. Be kind and considerate to others, please.

The post Yellow-shafted flickers show up in Rexburg appeared first on East Idaho News.

Question:

Dear Savvy Senior,

My siblings and I don’t know much about our elderly parent’s financial situation or their wishes if and when something happens to them. They are both in their mid-eighties. What’s the best way to handle this and what all should we know?

Apprehensive Daughter

Answer:

Dear Apprehensive,

Many adult children don’t know much about their elderly parent’s financial situation or end-of-life plans, but they need to. Getting up to speed on their finances, insurance policies, long-term care plans and other information is important because some day you might have to help them handle their financial affairs or care, or execute their estate plan after they die. Without this information, your job becomes much more difficult. Here are some tips that can help.

Have the Conversation

If you’re uncomfortable talking to your parents about this, use this column as a prompt or see TheConversationProject.org, which offers free guides that can help you kick-start these discussions.

It’s also a good idea to get all your siblings involved too. This can help you head off any possible hard feelings, plus, with others involved, your parents will know everyone is concerned.

When you talk with your parents, you’ll need to collect some information, find out where they keep key documents and how they want certain things handled when they die or if they become incapacitated. Here’s a checklist of areas to focus on.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

• Contacts: Make a list of names and phone numbers of your parent’s doctors, lawyer, accountant, broker, tax preparer, insurance agent, etc.
• Medical information: Make a copy of their medical history and a list of medications they take.
• Personal documents: Find out where they keep their Social Security card, marriage license, military discharge papers, etc.
• Secured places: Make a list of places they keep under lock and key such as safe deposit boxes, safe combination, security alarms, etc.
• Digital assets: Make a list of their digital assets – everything from social media accounts to online banking. It should include usernames and passwords.
• Pets: If they have a pet, what are their instructions for the animal’s care?
• End of life: What are their wishes for organ or body donation, and their funeral instructions? If they’ve made pre-arrangements with a funeral home, get a copy of the agreement.

LEGAL DOCUMENTS

• Will: Do they have an updated will or trust, and where is it located?
• Power of attorney: Do they have a power of attorney document that names someone to handle their financial matters if they become incapacitated?
• Advance directives: Do they have a living will and a medical power of attorney that spells out their wishes regarding their end-of-life medical treatment? If they don’t have these documents prepared, now’s the time to make them.

FINANCIAL RECORDS

• Financial accounts: Make a list of their bank accounts, brokerage and mutual fund accounts, and any other financial assets they have.
• Debts and liabilities: Make a list of any loans, leases or debts they have – mortgages owed, car loans, student loans, medical bills, credit card debts. Also, make a list of all credit and charge cards, including the card numbers and contact information.
• Company benefits: Make a list of any retirement plans, pensions or benefits from their former employers including the contact information of the benefits administrator.
• Insurance: Make a list of the insurance policies they have (life, long-term care, home, auto, Medicare, etc.) including the policy numbers, agents and phone numbers.
• Property: Make a list of the real estate, vehicles or other properties they own, rent or lease and where they keep the deeds, titles and loan or lease agreements.
• Taxes: Find out where they keep copies of past year’s tax returns.

You’re probably not going to get all this figured out in one gathering, so it’s important to keep the conversation going to ensure your parent’s wishes will be accurately executed.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

The post Essential topics adult children need to discuss with aging parents appeared first on East Idaho News.

REXBURG – Customers are addicted to the lighter, healthier menu at Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

At least, that’s what restaurant manager Alex Plummer says after eight months in business at 113 South 2nd West in Rexburg.

The Rexburg eatery offers a variety of smoothies, bowls, sandwiches, wraps, flatbreads, salads and more. Plummer tells EastIdahoNews.com the most popular item is the Bahama Mama, a smoothie with strawberry, pineapple, coconut and white chocolate. EastIdahoNews.com sampled this and other items, which you can watch in the video above.

Plummer’s parents, Kelly and Nepal, are the restaurant’s owners and it’s rewarding for him to be a part of the family business.

“Having something that I can call my own and take ownership of (is fulfilling),” he says. “It’s something I take a lot of pride in.”

RELATED | National franchise opening first restaurant in eastern Idaho

Tropical Smoothie Cafe first launched in Destin, Florida in 1999. It started spreading across the United States several years ago. The Rexburg store is the sixth location in Idaho.

Alex first heard about the franchise while serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arkansas years ago and he grew to love it.

He and his family moved to Rexburg from California in 2016 so he could attend Brigham Young University-Idaho. Kelly and Nepal were eager to open a business together and Alex’s experience at Tropical Smoothie Cafe inspired them to bring it to Rexburg.

“They sent a letter (to the company) saying they were interested in franchising. An opening came up and so they snagged it,” says Alex.

The Plummers are looking to open another location in Idaho Falls in the near future. They hope to eventually have four or five locations in the area.

“We’re poking around everywhere. They’re developing new places out by Costco on that side of town. We’d love to get our foot in the door over there somewhere,” Alex says.

Until then, he’s encouraging people to stop by the Rexburg location and give the food a try.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday with an 8 a.m. opening on Saturday. Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The post Customers are ‘addicted’ to the delicious menu at Tropical Smoothie Cafe appeared first on East Idaho News.

REXBURG (Homestead Senior Living) — Homestead Senior Living recently introduced an exhilarating activity that had their residents cheering like they were 21 again — Indoor Tube Sledding.

In a creative effort to bring the joy of winter activities to residents who may not have the opportunity to venture outdoors, The Homestead Senior Living transformed the dining room and hallway into a winter wonderland.

The innovative activity was inspired by the desire to offer a fun and invigorating experience. The indoor tube sledding consisted of a large water tube strapped to the top of a dolly, and then pulled around the building by a staff member.

Residents eagerly waited for their turn to hop onto the tube and take a thrilling ride around the building. Laughter and cheers filled the air as participants navigated twists and turns, experiencing the joy of a winter pastime in the cozy confines of their home.

Residents have expressed their delight at the opportunity to engage in such a unique and stimulating activity. Many have shared stories of fond memories from their youth spent sledding with family and friends, and the indoor tube sledding experience has allowed them to relive those cherished moments.

The post Local seniors get thrill of winter sledding while indoors! appeared first on East Idaho News.

Dear Dave,

My wife and I have started teaching our five-year-old son about money. Do you feel we should step in and fix things when he makes mistakes, or let him experience the consequences of his actions? It’s so hard on my wife, especially, to see him disappointed when he makes a mistake, and his plans don’t work out.

Lane

Dear Lane,

I know this might sound mean to some folks, but sometimes a good financial disappointment when you’re young is the best thing that can happen to you. They’re hard to watch happen, or to experience, but often they’ll teach life-long lessons. No decent parent wants to see their child sad or hurt, but reality is a pretty good teacher when it comes to learning how the world really works.

One of the jobs of a parent is to look for teachable moments with their kids. Of course, when it comes to teaching there’s always a chance the student won’t learn the lesson well enough the first time around. I’m not sure how you’re doing things, but if I were in your shoes, I’d follow these steps. First, give him a chance to earn some money. In my book, that means work. No allowances! There’s a lot of self-esteem and value to be found in accomplishing a given task successfully.

Then, once you pay him for the work he does, you have another perfect chance for teachable moments, because you can help him learn about saving, spending and giving, and how to do all three wisely.

It’s always hard on parents when they see their kids unhappy. I know we went through it with ours. As a parent and protector, you want to jump in and make everything okay. But the hard truth is that fixing or doing everything for them is the easy way out. And in the process of doing that, a child will begin to develop a sort of learned helplessness.

Sometimes, Lane, you need to love kids enough to not do things for them. Let them make some mistakes, experience the consequences and fix things themselves. And it’s better for them to do all this while they’re still under your guidance and protection.

—Dave

The post We are teaching our five-year-old about money. Do you feel we should step in and fix things when he makes mistakes? appeared first on East Idaho News.

A LETTER FROM THE PAST — It’s not uncommon for mail to get lost or delivered later than expected, but one family is grateful to have recently received a letter that was lost for 80 years.

The letter, addressed to an Illinois couple, Lavena and Louis George, was postmarked June 23, 1943, but never made it to its intended recipients. The letter randomly turned up at a post office in DeKalb, Illinois, on Dec. 18, 2023.

Since re-appearing, the letter and the story behind the letter has gotten attention from news outlets and people across the world.

“A message from the past seemingly showing up out of nowhere, that’s pretty incredible,” Jeannette George, daughter of Lavena and Louis George, told 23 WIFR. “Everybody was Gobsmacked like what is this?”

A DeKalb postal worker who came across the letter went the extra mile and tracked down surviving members of the George family. The worker found an obituary online for Lavena from 2012 and then got in touch with the family by using social media.

The letter was delivered to Grace Salazar, Jeannette’s sister. Grace and Jeannette are the only two surviving children.

As they read the letter, they discovered it was sent from Louis’s first cousin. She was sending her condolences to the couple who’s daughter died from cystic fibrosis.

“It put me in touch with my parents grief and the losses my family went through before I was even born,” Jeannette explained.

The post office employee said the most likely reason why the letter wasn’t delivered in the first place was because it was missing a house number on the envelope.

RELATED | Letter from 1943 resurfaces; daughter says it reconnects her to family

The post You have to see this! Lost letter from 1943 appears at Illinois post office, employee tracks down family appeared first on East Idaho News.