Region in brief: Wind farm gains initial approval
ODESSA, Wash. – A Houston company wants to build a 32-turbine wind farm about three miles southwest of Odessa.
Horizon Wind Energy has received a conditional use permit from Adams County for the wind farm but won’t start construction until a buyer is lined up for the electricity, said Elon Hasson, Horizon’s project manager in Portland.
The wind farm would produce about 57 megawatts of electricity – enough power for 17,000 homes.
Horizon Wind Energy also operates two wind farms near Arlington, Ore., and is building another wind farm in Kittitas County.
Haiti fundraiser will focus on kids
A Spokane woman is organizing a fundraiser for a Haitian orphanage on Feb. 2.
Called hArt for Haiti, the event will be held at Kid Sports, 416 N. Madelia St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Families with preschoolers and toddlers are invited to bring their children for music, dancing and jumping in the center’s playground. Art created by preschool students will be available for purchase. A $5-per-child donation is requested for entry.
All of the money collected will be sent to the God’s Littlest Angels orphanage outside Port-au-Prince, benefit organizer Stacey Conner said in a news release. Conner’s daughter spent the first year of her life in the orphanage, the release said.
For more information, contact Conner at (509) 847-3608.
CdA considers cell phone ban
Coeur d’Alene city leaders want people who text message or talk on hand-held cell phones while driving to pay a $100 fine.
The proposed ban is in its earliest stages. A City Council committee asked staff Monday to look into the feasibility of a ban before the entire council considers the issue.
Ken Harward is the executive director of the Association of Idaho Cities. He told the Coeur d’Alene Press that if the ban were adopted, it would be a first for Idaho municipalities.
Laws that regulate only texting while driving are more prevalent. AAA Idaho says at least 18 states and the District of Columbia have barred motorists from texting, and the Idaho Legislature is expected to consider a bill that bans texting while driving this week.