A new wind farm that will supply power to Microsoft Corp. for the next 20 years broke ground Wednesday in Kankakee before a crowd of more than 100.

The 175-megawatt Pilot Hill Wind Project is being constructed 60 miles outside Chicago along the border of Kankakee and Iroquois counties. The farm joins a recent trend by corporations looking to supply their power needs with renewable energy.

The wind farm is 96 percent owned by EDF Renewable Energy, a U.S. subsidiary of French utility Electricite de France, and will supply power to the same electric grid that powers Microsofts Chicago-area data center. It is expected to begin operating in 2015. The project is expected to supply enough electricity to power 70,000 homes in Illinois.

The project is symbolic for Kankakee, which has been trying to retool its Rust Belt image and its economy since 1999, when it was rated the worst place to live in the U.S. and Canada by Places Rated Almanac. In the aftermath of the announcement, the city became the butt of one of David Lettermans top 10 lists and the recipient of two gazebos Letterman donated to make the city feel better about its woes.

In 2010, nearly 20 percent of the city was out of work, and the county also faced double-digit unemployment. The countys Economic Alliance decided to woo the renewable energy sector to the area to create jobs. Today, city unemployment has dropped by half, helped by those efforts.

Were not only breaking ground on an exciting, new wind energy facility, were leading the way to a clean energy economy, said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill.

Kankakee Community College began a renewable energy training program in 2008, helping it earn President Barack Obamas approval this year as one of the top community colleges in the country for training people for jobs in the solar industry. The college also received a $5 million state grant to build an advanced technology education center.

The project is expected to create about 150 jobs during peak construction and a handful of jobs in long-term operations and maintenance. Tens of millions of dollars will flow to the county through lease payment to landowners and property taxes.

We are thrilled to see it become a reality, said Mike Van Mill, president and chief executive of the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County. In addition to generating job growth and tax revenue, Pilot Hill further establishes Kankakee County as a renewable energy leader and green technology hub. Our doors are wide open for green business.

The 20-year agreement follows similar investments by corporations looking to offset their energy needs with power sources that dont release greenhouse gases. In November, the company announced it would buy power from a 110-megawatt wind farm in Texas. South of Chicago, in Vermilion County, IKEA is building a wind farm large enough to ensure that its stores will never have to buy power again.

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Microsoft wind farm breaks ground in Kankakee

The Percy Shelley sonnet "England in 1819" inspired the name for electro-wave group England in 1819. "Our expansive songs are reminiscent of a faraway place and time. It's not so much about the meaning of the poem as just the title and what it means to us," says the band's Dan Callaway.

England is closer to heart than just the group's name for Dan and his brother, Andrew. It's home. Growing up in Northampton, England, Dan gained an admiration for horns and orchestral music. "They used to have brass bands in the park at the gazebos," says French horn player and songwriter Dan. After attending these performances, the Callaways both pursued school band when they moved to the States Dan picked up violin and clarinet while Andrew learned piano. They both played trombone. The brothers' bevy of instrumental knowledge can be attributed to their father's role as band director.

When the Callaways moved to the States, they settled in Baltimore, Md., the birthplace of synth-pop and indie-rock inspirations Beach House, Future Islands, and Wye Oak. "Andy and I have different influences, but that's a set group that we both agree on," says Dan. However, while his brother has always been into electronic music like acid house Squarepusher, Dan was testing out the classical waters, later joining the New Orleans symphony. He occasionally rebelled with punk simply because it was the opposite of what was expected. The two eventually parted ways and reconvened in Baton Rouge, La.

The brothers don't just differ in music tastes but personalities as well. While Dan prefers the hustle and bustle of touring and meeting new people, Andrew is content with spending a summer in a remote cabin in the woods. And that's exactly what the band did when they recorded Fireball Electric Tomorrow in the mountains outside of Asheville, N.C. "We made friends with a girl whose parents had a cabin, and she gave us a key and said we could stay there if we wanted to get away and write music," says Dan. "I mean, it wasn't like The Shining or anything. We went to town if we wanted to, and it was a good time. Anytime you're isolated with something and the more distractions you can cut out, the better. I'm not dying to get back or anything though. If it was longer than a summer, it may have been detrimental."

Though they began in 2012 with seven additional musicians, England in 1819 has toned their set down quite a bit since then. "For touring, we had to strip it down a lot," says Dan. "One time, we took everyone to Austin, and that was a lot. Recently, it's been a two-piece thing Andy and I do with electronic drums." However, the duo has added live drummer Brian Bell to amp up the live set. "We've only done four shows with him, so it's super new and way more fun. He has an awesome band called Gardens, and we met him in a bar one night while we were playing a set. He liked our band and knew the songs already, so it clicked," he says.

From England in 1819's first album to the most recent EP Summer Lightning, which is set to be released on Oct. 21, the sound has transformed from an overwhelming cosmic soundtrack feel to a more intimately involved and dance-able ambiance. The inspiration for the new project comes in part from Dan's summer reading list. The track "Himmel" is influenced by the book of the same name he re-read last summer, while the "Lights" was written after reading a newer novel, The Golem and the Jinni. But the projects don't stop this year with Summer Lightning.

After England in 1819's current tour ends at the Red River Revel festival in Louisiana, Dan is off for an orchestral trip to China where he'll be playing film music in various cities.

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England in 1819 creates electric-orchestral sounds influenced by books and travel

Chad Smith, with Erosion Solutions, taps in posts while working on erosion control Monday off of Riverfront Parkway on Monday near M.L. King Boulevard. The Tennessee Riverwalk will be extended in the area.

A crew works on erosion control Monday near the planned extension of the Riverwalk trail off Riverfront Parkway near M.L. King Boulevard.

Tennessee Riverwalk Extension

After months of delay, crews began Monday to clear away trees and dig ditches to stop erosion along Riverfront Parkway for the 3-mile Tennessee Riverwalk extension.

Planners said the project will take 18 months and offer a path for bikers and joggers along the Tennessee River behind Riverfront Parkway's multiple industrial parks to cut through the U.S. Pipe and Wheland Foundry site and connect to St. Elmo Avenue.

The extension will give St. Elmo residents a direct path to downtown and eventually connect the Riverwalk to the Incline Railway.

"The restaurants, the shops, the business district, the neighborhood and St. Elmo as a whole I think will greatly benefit from this riverwalk," said Commissioner Joe Graham, who represents St. Elmo and downtown in District 6.

The $11.6 million construction project -- $6.8 million from state and federal grants, $3.1 million from private donations and $1.7 million from city and county taxpayers -- was expected to start in the spring but was delayed because of engineering issues and property acquisition. About 10 corporate easements or agreements had to be acquired to construct the path.

Construction will include clearing trees, erecting proper lighting, pouring 12-feet-wide concrete sidewalks, landscaping and installing benches, restrooms and several gazebos, said Todd Leamon, Hamilton County Public Works administrator. The project also will include three new parking areas near Chestnut Street, at the foundry site and near St. Elmo Avenue where the current project ends at Middle Street, he said.

Meanwhile, planners will use about $550,000 set aside for the next phase to design the long-talked-about project to connect to the Incline Railway. Graham said his hope is when the Riverwalk is complete to St. Elmo Avenue in February 2016 that crews will immediately began construction on the next phase.

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Tennessee Riverwalk extension work begins

There are new sidewalk additions in Kakaako and they may be showing up elsewhere in downtown. Its a feature that has shown up in a number of urban settings on the mainland.

These gazebos are cute cute enough to be called parklets. Its the citys first venture into reclaiming more space for pedestrians in downtown Honolulu.

These two parklets happen to be in front of Hanks Haute Dogs on Coral Street in Kakaako.

What parklets do is that, essentially, it extends the people zone into the street, and thats an important thing, and it does that to activate the street, said George Atta, director of the citys Department of Planning and Permitting.

Its all part of an overall urban plan to make downtown more livable for residents.

With the rail coming through, they are part of our transit-oriented development, Atta said.

The parklets are a cooperative effort among Kamehameha Schools, Honolulu and private merchants.

This was a long conversation both with our merchants here, with government, and within our own organization, said Kekoa Paulson of Kamehameha Schools. This is new as far as the kinds of things Kamehameha Schools does, so partnership is key. Its important that whoever is being touched by it has a voice in it.

The idea is not novel it has been used successfully in San Francisco and Chicago.

The idea is to have these structures be a part of the community and the sidewalk and enhance the overall pedestrian experience throughout Kakaako, said architect Scott Harada.

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Parklets are the new thing in downtown Honolulu

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Also featuring a British synth-pop group on the rise, a country superstar at the Gorge and two very different guitar-and-drums duos.

6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at The Paramount, 911 Pine St., Seattle; $28.75 (360-467-5520 or http://www.stgpresents.org). With Broods

For Americans, there have been two main entry points into British singer Sam Smiths music thus far, and they could hardly sound more different. Syrupy adult-contemporary ballad Stay With Me and garage-house banger Latch (a Disclosure song he sings on) were both top-10 hits this summer, and all they have in common is his silky-smooth voice.

9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., Seattle; $25 (206-709-9442 or http://www.neumos.com). With Kim Ann Foxman, Little Daylight, Kevin Kauer

Expectations are high for electronic-pop quartet Clean Bandit on the heels of Rather Be, a No. 1 hit in the bands native United Kingdom. With its folksy violin motif and vaguely populist uplift, the song plays into EDM trends these days. Fortunately, the groups debut album New Eyes has plenty of more-interesting moments indebted to house and UK garage.

6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., Seattle; $29.50 (360-652-0444 or http://www.showboxpresents.com).

Taking Back Sunday and The Used, who co-headline this show, reached the apex of their popularity and saw the majority of their Warped Tour appearances in the mid-2000s. Both bands have put out albums this year, maintaining a rock sound inspired by post-hardcore punk but with a prominent pop backbone.

9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at The Showbox, 1426 First Ave., Seattle; $26.50 (206-628-3151 or http://www.showboxpresents.com). With Yppah, Blue Hawaii, Vox Mod

El Ten Elevenis a guitar-and-drums two-piece, but unlike many bands with that configuration, its music is highly technical. The rare rock act booked for Decibel Festival, Kristian Dunn loops a double-necked guitar/bass through a litany of effects pedals while drummer Tim Fogarty metronomically keepspace.

9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at the Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., Seattle; $10 (206-784-4880 or http://www.sunsettavern.com). With Gazebos, Legendary Oaks

Continued here:
Your week in Seattle music: Sam Smith, Elton John and more

PITTSBURGH, PA (PRWEB) September 21, 2014

Many people know what its like to be outside grilling, and that sun gets hotter and hotter, or those first drops of rain start to fall. Their minds race while they look for some type of shelter under which to finish cooking. Big umbrellas or gazebos would do the trick, but they take up a lot of space, and many yards havent the room for such things.

"In order to allow for convenient temporary shelter in yards, I conceived of my design," said an inventor from Hauppauge, N.Y.

The patent-pending FENCE INN allows for temporary shelter in a yard. It eliminates the need for a big umbrella or gazebo, which saves space. Overall, it promotes convenience, comfort and enjoyment. Easy to use and ideal for use while grilling, relaxing, sleeping, tending a lemonade stand, doing curb sales, etc., it's suitable for both homes and businesses.

The original design was submitted to the Long Island office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 13-LGI-1809, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com - https://www.youtube.com/user/inventhelp

# # #

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Temporary Shelter Makes Yard Activities More Convenient - Designed by InventHelp Client (LGI-1809)

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) What once was a field of grass is now a field of dreams.

The former empty space behind the Norfolk Veterans Home has been transformed into Heroes Park, where veterans and their families and friends can enjoy the outdoors.

The 8-acre park has received high marks from veterans and their families, said Jenny Last of Norfolk. She serves on the Heroes Park Foundation board, which raised the $2.8 million needed to construct park.

"I love to read those thank-you notes," she said "It means so much."

The effort began more than six years ago. It was sparked by Duane Hodge, former administrator of the home, who suggested it might be nice to have a memory garden.

The foundation board expanded on that idea to help fulfill the need for a larger space for events at the home. Up until recently, gatherings were held in the activity room, which can't accommodate many people.

Now those events can be held under the park's pavilion, where between 400 and 500 people can be seated in chairs, said Deb Becker, a veterans home employee who has worked with the project since it began.

The park and the pavilion were the site, for example, of the opening ceremonies for the Nebraska Vietnam Veterans reunion in August, which was attended by around 450 people.

The park also was used for the home's Fourth of July celebration, Becker said.

At that event, children played on the playground equipment, shot baskets on the basketball court and entertained themselves while waiting for the fireworks show to begin, she added.

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Empty field behind veterans home now a park

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TRANSFORMING a four-acre blank canvas into a garden paradise has been a labour of love for Les and Coral McCoy, and one that has earned them five Country Grand Champion titles.

The McCoys' Vale View property has been synonymous with garden grandiosity since 2008 when they won their first Chronicle Garden Competition Country category title.

Their secret is simple - by staying true to the country landscape and taking advantage of planting opportunities not possible in city gardens.

"In the back part of the garden, we've tried to keep it a bit more Asian looking and there are three lovely black gazebos there, as well as a waterfall," Mrs McCoy said.

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"It's a very peaceful place and people love coming out here."

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Country champion garden a labour of love