Watch out, cheeseheads, Idaho's coming • Time again for Twin Falls' diverse Western Days • Montana gubernatorial candidate says state lost out to Idaho • Kootenai Co. keeps one eye on growth • Spokane a hotspot for human trafficking? • N. Idaho power provider to catch the wind

Watch out, cheeseheads, Idaho's coming

Experts say predictions that California will soon overtake Wisconsin as the nation's top cheese producer are unlikely to come true.

An Associated Press article reports that more new cheese plants are opening in places like Idaho and the Texas panhandle, which have growing dairy farms and lower costs.

Idaho has a long way to go, though: About half of the 9.7 billion pounds of cheese made in the U.S. comes from California and Wisconsin.

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Time again for Twin Falls' diverse Western Days

The Times-News reports that the Twin Falls City Council at its meeting tonight is scheduled to consider a special events permit for the Western Days parade and festivities.

Last year's Western Days parade in Twin Falls drew attention when organizers denied the Southern Idaho Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Community Center from having a float in the parade.

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Montana gubernatorial candidate says state lost out to Idaho

The Missoulian reports that Helena Democrat Don Pogreba is running for governor of Montana because he doesn't think the state has lived up to its responsibility to fund quality schools.

Possibly a little jealous of Idaho, Pogreba also wants to cut taxes on businesses "in a targeted way" to bring tech jobs into the state.

"It feels like in the '90s, we really missed out when Idaho became a high-tech state," he said. "My hope would be to get that kind of job base here, a place for the graduates from our schools to get jobs here. I think our public universities do a great job of turning out job seekers for Seattle. It would be nice if we could keep them here."

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Kootenai Co. keeps one eye on growth

Kootenai County is looking at impact fees on future growth that would help fund area fire and highway district projects and county services.

The fees would be set aside specifically for capital improvement projects to keep up with growth, and affordable housing in the $130,000 to $160,000 range would be exempt from the fees.

The county will hold a public hearing on the proposed impact fees on May 22.

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Spokane a hotspot for human trafficking?

The Spokesman Review reports on a new study that shows human trafficking - from mail-order brides to forced teenage prostitution - is causing "considerable concern" in the Spokane region.

The study features all sorts of interesting Spokane factoids such as:

• There are an estimated 500 adult women in prostitution in Spokane.

• Spokane has a "significant teen prostitution problem and is considered an entry area for child prostitutes." Teen prostitutes "are initiated here and then moved into larger metro areas."

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N. Idaho power provider to catch the wind

Avista, which serves 352,000 electric customers in Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho and Western Montana, is looking at rural Lincoln County, Washington, as a spot to build its own wind turbines.

KXLY in Spokane reports the company has purchased wind power from others in the past.

If Spokane-based Avista makes the $120 million project a reality, the wind turbines near Reardan, Washington, would generate electricity by the end of 2011.