Tough night: Red Devil basketball teams fall to Barton.
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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
Thursday, December 1, 2016
www.iolaregister.com
Wind farm producer promises jobs By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
In terms of economic development, permitting a wind farm in Allen County is an exciting prospect. Tuesday night county planners spent nearly two hours reviewing and making changes to a document, which when recommended to county commissioners and approved, would make possible a special use permit for a wind farm north and east of LaHarpe, or anywhere else in the county. Of the 15 people listening, only two had objections. Several asked questions that clarified concerns. EDP Renewables, a Houston-based company with an office in Kansas City, Kan., proposed the project and has lease options on 13,000 acres and is negotiating options on another 7,000, Chris Morris, of EDP project development, told the Register. Rorik Peterson, associate director of development for EDP, said if and when the wind farm wound its way to completion, landowners would receive payments for acreage leased for turbines, as well as for each turbine.
The number of turbines, Peterson explained, would depend on rapidly-expanding technology. The project is predicated on producing 200 megawatts. Generation of commercial turbines today ranges up to 3 1/2 megawatts, meaning the farm could contain between 60 and 100, he said. When wind farms first surfaced, one turbine was rated at about half a megawatt. In a short time that has multiplied to the point that one can do what five or six did then, and it’s likely to become more pro-
nounced, Peterson predicted. If 200-megawatt output were realized here, it would be enough to meet electrical needs of 60,000 homes, or far more than are in Allen and adjoining counties. The outcome is electricity from the EDP project transported to nearby high-voltage lines along the east side of the county would be mixed with other power within that regional portion of the nationwide grid. Consequently, whether power generated locally would stay local is a moot
point. How soon would the Allen County project start and when would it be operational, Peterson was asked. His estimate, provided Allen County planners and commissioners give their approval, is sometime within the next year. Construction would take the better part of a year and entail 250 to 350 workers. Another 15 full-time employees would patrol the wind farm, doing maintenance and making adjustments to the towering turbines — 400 feet
or more including 100-plusfoot blades. County commissioners met with Peterson months ago when the idea of an Allen County wind farm first was broached. Tuesday’s was the third for planning commissioners to discuss the topic. JERRY DANIELS, county commission chairman, characterized the project as “a viable economic project we can’t turn out backs on. It will bring (permanent) jobs and See WIND FARM | Page A5
ACC troupe shows how to ‘Deal With It’ By RICHARD LUKEN The Associated Press
Looking at life through the prism of a college student offers Allen Community College students this week a chance to “Deal With It.” That’s the name given to the newest ACC Theatre Department production, an eclectic series of scenes with no script, plot or scenery (aside from a couch and stools.) “ D e a l With It,” Tonight through which runs Saturday tonight ACC Theatre through Saturday at 7:30 at the ACC Theatre, consists of a group of college kids sharing stories through a collection of monologues, that may change from night to night. The “devised theatre” piece — essentially controlled improvisation — is separated into segments, such as “Who I Am Or, Who Am I,” others on family, relationships and friendships, and at one point a massive group therapy session. The students aren’t necessarily talking about themselves, but the offering gives a refreshing, occasionally silly, perspective on how they cope with stress. That the ensemble cast can sparkle without a script proves the reservoir of acting talent continues to run deep in the halls at Allen. In no particular order Chloe Bedell, Ashley Holloran, Aaron Huskey, Ria Koch, Angelique Kyles, Ian Malcom, Angel Spencer, Tori Whalen and Judd Wiltse take turns at center stage, offering non-sequiturs aplenty, some thought-provoking and profound, some humorous. Koch draws chuckles in a
‘Deal With It’
Rehearsing scenes for the Allen Community College production “Deal With It” are, at left, Judd Wiltse and Ian Malcolm, foreground, and Chloe Bedell and Tori Whalen; above, Ashley Holloran, and below, Ria Koch, Angelique Kyles and Aaron Huskey. The three-night production begins this evening at 7:30 at the ACC Theatre. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Study: U.S. likely won’t feel oil price hit (yet) By DAVID KOENIG The Associated Press
group therapy scene as the obnoxious — but not always incorrect — therapist who bluntly dismisses her fellow cast members as they rant about life. Wiltse, meanwhile, wonders aloud about “The Fast and The Furious” film sequels, and how it’d be impossible to sort them in order based solely on their titles. Malcom and Holloran share a memorable scene about a young couple planning to marry, but are struggling with adapting to each other’s religion. (Malcolm considers Shrek a God.) Still another starts with Holloran and and Whalen
DALLAS (AP) — OPEC’s decision to cut production gave an immediate boost to oil prices, but the impact on consumers and the U.S. economy is likely to be more modest and gradual. The cartel agreed Wednesday to cut output by 1.2 million barrels a day, reversing a strategy that produced lower oil prices and pain for U.S. drillers but saved money for consumers. Even if OPEC members carry through on their promises, global oil production would only fall by about 1 percent. There is still more supply than demand — the reason oil prices collapsed beginning in mid-2014. The agreement has sparked a two-day rally in oil of about 11 percent to above $50. If the price
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Quote of the day Vol. 119, No. 26
“If we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure.” — Dan Quayle 75 Cents
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