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[aRoUnd ToWn ] Reaching out to Tokai Fund created for Sister City relief On Feb. 20, the most pressing issue on the Tokai-I.F. Sister City Facebook page was how delegates could round up some additional photos from last summer’s exchange in Idaho Falls (captured here at the Independence Day parade). The next activity on that website came at 1:19 a.m. On March 11, when I.F. del- egate Jerry Sehlke posted, “There was an 8.8 earthquake an hour ago in Japan; a large tsunami is flowing inland right now. Everyone may want to check in with their friends to make sure they are OK.” (The quake has since been recalculated as a 9.0 event on the Richter scale.) Soon afterwards, Facebook page admin Russell Cawley put out the call to program supporters in Idaho Falls and elsewhere for “a tax deductible donation for our Sister City relief.” By various accounts thus far, no deaths or serious harm has come to any of the delegates or their families in Tokai-Mura. Drinking water was declared safe by city officials as of early April, although the city and the surrounding area has plenty of structural damage and road closures to deal with. As of press time, recovery efforts were still ongoing for those less fortunate in the region. If you’re inclined to donate for the relief effort in Tokai-Mura, here are the particu- lars: Pay to the Order of: EIEDC Foundation, Inc FBO Tokai-Mura Relief Effort Send to: Sister City, P.O. Box 51132, Idaho Falls, ID 83405 A donation page has also been set up at www.idahofallssistercities.org. For more updates on the whereabouts and well-being of delegates and their families, stay tuned to the program’s page on Facebook. Started in 1981, the Idaho Falls-Tokai- Snapshot Snafu We really loved the charming photo submitted by Doug Halford for the Nature & Wildlife divi- sion of the Idaho Falls magazine community photo contest. Unfortunately, we failed to give credit to him as an “Editor’s Pick” when we published the winning images in our March 2011 issue (Page 48). Mr. Halford’s capture of a small family of Western Grebes was erroneously credited to contestant Justin Schwabedissen, who won second place and an honorable men- tion in that same division. Our apologies for the mix-up! (And for those of you who have been inquiring about submissions for the 2012 contest, stay tuned. We’ll have an announcement soon at www.idahofallsmagazine.com.) 32 Idaho Falls MagazIne MaY/JUne 2011 Mura Sister City partnership’s purpose is to exchange fellowship and friendship between the two cities. On even years a delegation from Tokai comes to Idaho Falls, and vice-versa for odd years. Delegates offer the availability of home- stays with families in both locations to gain a better insight to different traditions and living styles. In addition, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and the Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) exchange scientists and engineers on an ongoing basis for the benefit and enrichment of both facilities.