Banning Drinks & Idaho Power Seeks Approval

Banning Drinks & Idaho Power Seeks Approval plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. The Washington State Liquor Control Board voted to ban the sale of alcoholic energy drinks. The ban goes into effect on Nov. 17 and comes after nine underage students became dangerously ill after consuming a caffeinated malt beverage called Four Loko at a party. Nine students went to the hospital and one ended up in the intensive care unit. Governor Gregoire says this is not an over-reaction. GREGOIRE: That's no different than the appeal of Joe Camel to young kids to get them engaged in smoking. The reason I wanted to make the point of what the president (Central Washington University) had to say is none of them were of age. This is a product that is appealing to those who are under age. And with the result as dramatic as what Jim saw or as Sharon puts it we could have something even worse which to me called for immediate action even before the legislature met. This is equivalent to downing 5 beers and 4 cans of Coke in a single can of alcohol energy drink. Idaho Power is asking the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to approve a $2.17 million agreement with Idaho Winds, which would allow the Sawtooth Wind Project to interconnect with Idaho Power's transmission system. The 21-megawatt wind project six miles northwest of Glenns Ferry will require substantial upgrades to its transmission network. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray. The next food to supposedly become a rare and pricey commodity and available only to the rich is none other than, drum roll please, chocolate. Surprised? I sure was when I read the report that cocoa production may drop dramatically over the next twenty years all due to a lack of agriculture and financial incentives for farmers who could very well find other crops much more financially appealing. Let's face it, we consume chocolate practically faster than cocoa farmers can produce it, and with cocoa being the labor intensive crop that it is, often taking up to five years to cultivate, it suddenly becomes a crop that offers a very small reward for an expansive amount of back breaking and time consuming work. It's being predicted that chocolate will become as rare and expensive as caviar and the average consumer will just not be able to afford it. But unlike caviar, a fondness for the taste of chocolate is not limited to the palates of the idle rich; chocolate is loved the world over, by young and old alike. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say life without chocolate is hard to imagine. A world chocolate crisis would be something that nightmares are made of! Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.