Cabins available for guests at Xhale Resort and Spa at 1421 1st Street in Idaho Falls. Take a look at the amenities in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BUZZ

IDAHO FALLS

Owners of new local resort want to help you relax

IDAHO FALLS – People have enjoyed getting massages, facials, pedicures and other services at Xhale Spa for years, and the owners recently added a resort to go with it.

Xhale Resort & Spa at 1421 1st Street in Idaho Falls includes two businesses under one roof. Rachael and Brock Merrill started taking bookings for the resort on Aug. 1.

It’s open to adults only and includes seven cabins for an overnight stay, hot pools, waterfalls, fire pits, pickleball courts, cornhole, seating areas for couples to relax and other amenities. Take a look inside in the video above.

Rachael tells EastIdahoNews.com the resort’s purpose is to give couples a place to get away and relax.

“We do a lot of couples massages and facials (at the spa) and most of the time they’re celebrating an anniversary or a birthday. A lot of events are celebrated here, so we wanted to (offer more amenities for them to celebrate),” Rachael says.

Xhale Spa was previously near 17th Street in Ammon but recently moved to 1st Street after the Merrills, who also own Orange Leaf, bought the property.

The building on 1st Street used to be the home of Dr. Hatch, a well-known physician in town during the 1930s. Rachael doesn’t remember his first name but says he had a farm and owned land in Falls Valley where Falls Valley Elementary now sits.

“The Hatches lived here, and their daughter-in-law, who used to come here when it was their home, brought us some of the old deeds for the property. A judge had claimed the land back then. He built the house and then the Hatches purchased it from him in the ’30s,” Rachael says.

Rachael thought the property was an ideal location for a spa and resort.

She’s excited to be up and running and invites the community to come for a getaway.

To schedule a stay or learn more, visit the website or call (208) 227-3529.

BIZ BITS

SnakeBite Restaurant in Idaho Falls will be featured on ‘America’s Best Restaurants’

IDAHO FALLS – The SnakeBite Restaurant in Idaho Falls will be hosting a visit from “America’s Best Restaurants” in early September.

America’s Best Restaurants, a national media and marketing company focusing on bringing attention to local, independently-owned restaurants, will bring its ABR Roadshow to the restaurant on Sept. 9. Popular dishes will be highlighted, along with an extensive on-camera interview with key staff about the restaurant’s special place in the community. The episode will be aired extensively on social media channels at a later date.

Now operated under the 100 Proof Hospitality hospitality group, SnakeBite has been in operation since 1994. The downtown building dates back to 1907.

Popular menu items that may be featured on the episode include the fan favorite Grand Teton burger, topped with Swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms and onions, lettuce and avocado; the “famous” waffle fries with homemade fry sauce; fish tacos; and the Hoback Chicken Sandwich, a house seasoned grilled chicken breast with fresh sprouts, avocado, tomato and red onion.

The restaurant’s finished episode premiere date will be announced on its Facebook page and will be featured on its website.

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Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed an executive order Wednesday aimed to oppose changes to the Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX.

Much-attacked final Title IX rule goes into effect while still blocked in 26 states

The final rule took effect this month, but Idaho is one of 26 states where state officials sued the Biden administration over the Title IX changes, and have thus blocked it from taking effect. 

Title IX is federal civil rights law enacted 1972 that prevented sex-based discrimination on any educational program that received federal funding. In April, the U.S. Department of Education added protections for LGBTQ+ students from discrimination in schools.

The final rule seeks to protect against discrimination “based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”

At a press conference at the Idaho State Capitol steps in Boise, Little said the executive order directs the Idaho State Board of Education to: 

• Work with the State Department of Education to ensure Idaho public schools are following all of Idaho’s laws related to fairness in women’s sports and continue to update all public schools as the legal challenges to the new Title IX rules unfold.
• Guarantee every female student in Idaho is provided equal opportunity in sports and school to the fullest extent, as guaranteed to them under the original Title IX rules and Idaho law.

Idaho officials, former collegiate athlete speak out against Title IX changes

Idaho was the first state to pass legislation defending women’s sports, Little said.

“These girls and women, and their families, dedicate their time, passion, and money to improve their skills and compete to win,” Little said. “They deserve a level playing field. That is why it is so important for us as a state to do all we can to protect and defend women’s sports.”

In 2020, Little signed House Bill 500 into law, which restricts transgender women from competing in women’s sports in Idaho. The bill was cosponsored by Rep. Barbara Edhart, R-Idaho Falls, and former Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, both of whom were in attendance at the press conference. 

“Title IX changed my life,” Edhart said to the crowd. “In 1972, I was 8 years old. Life was very different from women back then. People would ask me, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ I literally would tell people that I wanted to play sports, and I was told that’s not what girls do.”

Despite those comments, Edhart said she held onto her dreams, eventually playing Division I basketball through a scholarship, and coaching college basketball for 15 years.

“We made the world better for those female athletes,” Edhart said. “We are going to stand up for the rights of girls and women, not just in sports, but in all things related to Title IX rewrites.”

Riley Gaines, a former swimmer for the University of Kentucky, also spoke at the press conference. She tied for fifth place in the 200 freestyle final at the 2022 NCAA Women’s Championships against University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who is transgender. 

Gaines said she experienced discomfort in the locker room preparing to race against Thomas. 

“I can wholeheartedly attest to the unfair composition, to the tears that I saw from not just the moms in the stands watching as their daughter be obliterated in the sport that they once loved, but the tears from the girls the place ninth and 17th and missed out on being named all Americans by one place,” Gaines said. “… I am thrilled to be here today with these legislators, with Governor Little to say that Idaho will not comply.”

eo-2024-08

Cattle producers impacted by wildfires this summer have until Oct. 24 to apply to the Idaho Cattle Association’s Wildfire Relief Fund.

The fund was established in 2022, and it is aimed at helping cattle producers impacted by wildfires. 

‘No agency can do this alone’: Idaho officials address goals to mitigate wildfires

Qualifying groups or individuals include Idaho cattle producers, rangeland fire protection associations, volunteer fire departments or organizations, and individuals or others that provided assistance or resources to fight wildfires this summer that caused losses or threatened cattle producer’s livestock, property or resources, according to a press release from the cattle association. Examples of an incurred expense might include emergency feed, transport or pasturing or fencing loss.

The beef industry is responsible for about $2 billion annually into Idaho’s economy, and it is a vital part of Idaho’s history and culture, Idaho Cattle Association president Jerry Wroten said in the press release.  

“The impact of these fires on cattle producers will be felt for many years and some producers may not ever financially recover if they don’t have access to relief funding assistance,” Wroten said. “The Idaho Cattle Association is here to support producers in a variety of ways and this is just one of the most relevant during this fire season.”

In addition to accepting applications, the Idaho Cattle Association is accepting donations to the fund. The fund receives annual contributions from AgWest Farm Credit and Idaho Cattle Association funds, according to a press release from the association. All funding is privately-sourced.

To donate to the fund or receive an application, contact the Idaho Cattle Association’s office at 208-343-1615 or visit its website.

According to the website, the Idaho Cattle Association works on behalf of the more than 8,000 cattle producing families in the state of Idaho and has a membership of over 1,000 members. It is the only organization in the state that deals exclusively with the needs and interests of Idaho’s cattle industry.