Waste Management Inc. looks to generate energy from garbage - Chuck Schmidt, vice president of the West market area for Recycle America, a subsidiary of Waste Management, said expanding recycling efforts and pushing renewable energy is simply the right thing to do. Redding Record Searchlight article

Political winds buffet California ballot measures on energy -Two of the world's richest men bankroll alternative-energy initiatives on the November ballot. Each is opposed by some of the very champions of those alternatives. Adding to the confusion, both measures carry "renewable energy" in their titles. Sacramento Bee article

Incentives offered for old wood stoves - For those using older, space-heating appliances such as wood stoves to heat their homes, the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District has an incentive program to encourage a change-out to a new, EPA certified appliance. Woodland Daily Democrat article

Green Gadget: Drought fighter - The U.S. General Accounting Office estimates 36 states will face water shortages by 2010. With California experiencing an escalating drought, reducing water usage by almost 60 percent is exceptionally attractive. HydroPoint Data Systems Inc. of Sonoma County has an irrigation controller system that meets that challenge. Redding Record Searchlight article

State farm revenues reach $36.6 billion - "These figures from USDA certainly reflect the amazing ability of our farmers and ranchers to handle adversity," Mosebar said. "Farmers are facing immense challenges at every turn, whether it be water cutbacks or higher costs of the inputs needed to produce agricultural commodities year after year. Woodland Daily Democrat article

Vista gets grant for girls' program - A Red Bluff school was one of 25 chosen in the Central Valley to receive grant money from Citi Success Fund, according to a recent press release. Vista Middle School Principal Gordon Yates was excited about the grant money his school received, he said. The school will partner with Girls Incorporated to create a program for girls at the school. Red Bluff Daily News article

The Harvest: Valley almonds go round the world- An almond eaten anywhere on the planet likely comes from the Central Valley. After two decades of rapid growth, the state's almond farmers harvest more than 80 percent of the world's supply on 660,000 acres of orchards. This year's crop is projected at 1.5 billion pounds, the third straight record harvest. Sacramento Bee article

A.G. Kawamura: State's ag industry already water-wise - Over the last four decades, the amount of water used on California farms is relatively consistent while crop tonnage has increased more than 85 percent in the same period, according to the Ag Water Management Council, a group that champions farm water efficiency. This is not inexpensive. California farmers in the San Joaquin Valley invested more than $500 million in high-efficiency irrigation systems between 2004 and 2006. Sacramento Bee editorial

New 'hybrid' growth plan option for Chico demands further discussion - A "hybrid" version of a plan for how Chico should grow began developing Thursday night, with the city's Planning Commission fine-tuning a "middle-of-the-road" option for growth. Chico Enterprise Record article

To its backers, Kilarc's story is just starting - PG&E plans to breach the diversion dam on Old Cow Creek, demolish the flume and canal that feed Kilarc, and bulldoze the hillside pond. But that's not the end of the story for the century-old little lake where generations of Shasta County youngsters have caught their first trout. Redding Record Searchlight editorial