The turbine which caught fire had been suffering from an oil leak and had been undergoing repairs earlier in the day. Engineers thought they had fixed the problem, but when they tested the turbine it caught fire.

In yet another congressional maneuver that could kill a wind farm proposed off Cape Cod, a conference committee is considering language that would prohibit wind turbines within 1.5 miles of shipping and ferry lanes.

BEAR CREEK TWP. – Hiking trails around Crystal Lake could be ideal for snowmobiling and cross country skiing now that Luzerne County owns the property, purchased with public money for the purpose of preservation and recreation.

Two electrical workers were treated and released at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center last week after they were rescued following a fire at one of the MidAmerican Energy turbines just south of Schaller.

Planning Commission Chairman Brian Keefe had his hands full keeping the overflow audience from drifting away from the siting issue. Many wanted to discuss questions of aesthetics or the merits of wind power. Keefe explained that there would be at least two or three meetings to discuss those other issues.

The idea has been brought up in just about every county in the Stateline. Wednesday night in Ogle County members of the public were invited to come up and voice their opinions to the zoning board of appeals. The room was packed with concerned citizens, so much so that some were forced to listen to testimony from the hallway. Every person that stood up to talk was against the proposed wind farm.

The proposed Cape Cod wind farm may face another hurdle because of a defense bill passed by the Senate yesterday that calls for government to study whether the windmills interfere with military radar. The proposed 130-turbine park, to be built in Nantucket Sound, is near a missile defense surveillance system.

BEDFORD - Wind turbines tentatively in the works for Brumbaugh Mountain could be directly in the flight path of the Bedford County Airport, officials said Tuesday.

LINDSBORG -- Rose Bacon, member of the Governor's Energy Task Force and a rancher who owns property in the Flint Hills, spoke about the vulnerability of communities facing proposals from international companies that want to build commercial wind farms in rural areas. She pointed to the lack of “teeth” in regulations, and the attractive tax write-offs granted to wind energy companies, and the inexperience of local officials in dealing with such monstrous deals, depicting a state-wide scenario akin to the “wildcatter days in the oil business.”