El Ranchero Restaurant to open in Post Falls

A standard Mexican food menu is available at El Ranchero Restaurant that opens Monday in Mullan Plaza at 780 Cecil Road, Post Falls. The family restaurant previously was the Fresh Mexican Grill and before that La Cocina.

The large two-room place seats about 80 at tables, booth and a bar with a TV in each room. Owner Juan Hernandez originally was a dishwasher at La Cocina 15 years ago. Genaro Pacheco is head chef.

Hours begin at 11:30 a.m. daily and close in late evening with Happy Hour 3-6 p.m. Phone 208-262-9301.

Idaho Youth Ranch opens new store in Post Falls

The ribbon-cutting is Friday and the grand opening is 8 a.m. Saturday at the new Idaho Youth Ranch store at 1600 E. Seltice in Post Falls.

The inventory includes clothing, shoes, accessories, home goods, decor, books, kitchen items and outdoor and media items. The convenience store in front offers snacks and beverages.

“We have amazing donations from the community at amazing prices,” said Leah Toland, director of retail operations. All of the proceeds fund the youth program of family services. The theme is “Change your look. Change a life!”

Idaho Youth Ranch is a nonprofit organization whose statewide network of 24 thrift stores help fund therapeutic programs for vulnerable young people ages 9 to 24. It offers a range of proven trauma-focused therapies including equine-assisted, cognitive-behavioral and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Coeur d’Alene has a program specializing in open adoption and home studies. A shelter for homeless and runaway youth is in the Treasure Valley.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 to 6 Sunday. Tiffany Fleming is store manager, and Ryan Peterson is area manager. Phone 208-981-0162. Check www.youthranch.org.

STCU Rathdrum branch opens Monday

The 24th branch of STCU will open Monday at 15573 Vera St. in Rathdrum.

Founded by educators in 1934, STCU has more than 190,000 members (15 percent in Idaho) and $2.9 billion in assets. Directly across from Lakeland Junior High School, the new branch has a drive-through with teller and ATM access.

Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for the drive-through, weekdays. Suzanne Spencer is manager, and Katie Scardina is assistant manager. STCU’s membership has more than doubled since the opening of the Post Falls and Silver Lake branches in 2007.

Phone 208-619-4000. Check www.stcu.org.

St. Joseph Clinic opens in Riverstone

Offering a full spectrum of medical and surgical treatments in a friendly personal and professional environment, St. Joseph Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy Clinic has opened its second North Idaho location in Suite 100 at 2288 N. Merritt Creek Loop in Riverstone. The Post Falls place in Suite 100 at 323 N. Spokane St. has been open since 1996.

Services are chronic sinusitis treatment, allergy testing and immunotherapy, chronic ear infections, hearing loss and hearing aids, plastic and reconstructive surgery, sleep apnea and snoring, thyroid-parathyroid disorders and surgery, ultrasound and FNA of thyroid nodules and head and neck tumors and cancer.

Providers are Thomas deTar, M. Erik Gilbert, Chad McCormick, Christine Hanson, Andrew Yenish and Issac Cho. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays.

Phone 208-215-2284 in Coeur d’Alene and 208-777-1320 in Post Falls. Check www.stjosephsent.com.

And now the Tidbits

- Griffitts Facial & Oral Surgery is building a new place on the southeast corner of Wayne and Honeysuckle in Hayden.

- Axis Spine Center will move in March from Post Falls to Mineral Drive in Coeur d’Alene.

- Something new is going into 413 Sherman beside the Art Spirit Gallery.

- The Midtown Station will offer combinations of offices at 1034 N. Third St.

- The unrelated businesses of Trails End Brewery and Extensions Beauty Mafia will be at 350 W. Bosanko.

- A new Maverik store is being built at Highway 41 and Mullan in Post Falls.

- Alpine Animal Hospital (now on Best Avenue) is building a new place on Kathleen, west of Mango Tree.

- A Union Coffee Roasters, Stretch Lab, Pokeworks and Mangia Wood-Fired Pizza will be in The Northern complex northwest of the Ramsey Road-Hanley Avenue. intersection.

- Shiki Sushi Bar & Japanese Grill will be at 221 Sherman soon.

- Press Start To Play from Riverstone will join Virtual Reality downtown.

- Union Gospel Mission is planning a thrift store on the west side of Government Way (almost to Prairie Avenue) between Pawn 1 and First Interstate Bank.

- The new Bakery by the Lake will be on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive.

- Lean Kitchen will be at 2632 Government Way.

- AutoZone is building a new place at Highway 54 and Sylvan Lane in Athol.

- A Burger King is under construction at 3827 N. Ramsey (just south of Kathleen).

- A new building for Idaho Central Credit Union is under construction at 1327 W. Appleway.

- Bi-Mart will open a new store in the former Stein’s Family Foods building at 16102 N. Highway 41 in Rathdrum.

- The new Hardwick Hardware is under construction at 3820 E. Mullan in Post Falls.

- A new place in the northeast corner of U.S. 95 and Lancaster will be a Golden Glo Coffee Shop.

- Phirst Technologies will be on Schreiber Way.

- The 10 most valuable brand names in order are Apple, Coca Cola, Google, IBM, Microsoft, GE, McDonald’s, Samsung, Intel and Toyota.

- Anyone know who the appraiser from Coeur d’Alene was on Antiques Roadshow this past week?

- Today is Groundhog Day. Depending which TV weatherperson you watch, one says the animal will see his shadow and one says it won’t. Hmmm.

- Contact Nils Rosdahl at nrosdahl@cdapress.com.