Hot on the heels of the startup of Nevada's first wind power project on public land, the forecast for the nation's wind industry is beginning to turn, well, not so swell. Sector layoffs and plant shutdowns this year are up and are expected to continue next year, which many industry players largely blame on the scheduled expiration of the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) by year-end. Photo Courtesy of Pattern Energy New Turns: Pattern Energy's new 151.8-MW Spring Valley wind farm is Nevada's first on public lands. Even so, this has been a strong year for U.S. wind-power capacity

Mayo Clinic is planning a major expansion to its Phoenix campus that will create a single-site, integrated Cancer Center. The $130 million new facility will add three additional floors and 217,200 sq ft of clinical and office space above the first level of Mayo Clinic's Proton Beam Therapy Building on Mayo Clinic’s Phoenix campus at 56th St. and Loop 101. Image courtesy Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic's $130-million consolidated cancer center facility will be built atop a portion of the underway $182-million Proton Beam Therapy Building, pictured here. Related Links: Mayo Clinic Begins Construction on Phoenix Proton Beam Facility [Dec. 2011] The

Intel Corp. plans to add one more facility to its growing crop of buildings in Chandler, Ariz. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based manufacturer announced that construction is already underway on a new $300-million research and development facility at the Chandler Blvd. campus. Photo by Patti Reznik Photography Intel's new $300-million R&D facility is in addition to the already underway $5-billion Fab 42 manufacturing facility in Chandler, seen here. Related Links: Top 25 Starts of 2011 Inject $10.4 Billion Into Southwest Economy Solar Project Heats Up Intel Site The new building will be used to expand Intel’s packaging operations. “The innovation set to take place within the

ALLREDChristian Allred was hired as a senior low voltage designer for the Phoenix office of Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm. Allred has more than 10 years of experience, predominately in upgrading systems at detention facilities. He will be responsible for expanding Dewberry's services to justice architecture clients in the Southwest on projects that include security electronics, telecommunications and detention equipment. Allred attended ITT Technical College, where he majored in computer-aided design. Related Links: ENR Southwest's People Page Southwest People Showcase Gallery  J.B. Henderson Construction Co. Inc., Albuquerque, added numerous personnel to its microelectronics, government and commercial construction sectors.

The heat wave afflicting much of the U.S. claimed a construction worker near Tucson—a stark reminder of the danger heat poses to those in the building trades. Mark Geise, 44, died of apparent heat-related illness on June 19 while constructing a propane filling station at a Costco store. A resident of Indiana, Geise was employed by Seese Construction, Monrovia, Ind., according to his obituary. Photo by Aileen Cho/ENR Workers should take refuge in a shady, relatively cool spot and rehydrate if heat-related illness symptoms occur. Related Links: Arizona Workers Are Old Pros At Sweating In The Southwest Hot or Cold,

Construction firms in several states are closely watching how Arizona will implement the provisions of its immigration law left standing after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidated three of the statute's sections. Photo Courtesy Office of the Arizona Governor: Jan Brewer Gov. Jan Brewer addresses the media following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the heart of SB 1070. Related Links: High Court Issues Split Ruling in Immigration Case Oral Arguments in Arizona Immigration Law Case The high court on June 25 struck down three key sections of Arizona S.B. 1070 but left intact one of its most controversial provisions,

A second school in the Green Schoolhouse Series of volunteer-built schools for low-income communities broke ground this morning in Phoenix. The new 6,000-sq-ft structure is being added to the existing Orangewood School campus near 19th and Glendale avenues, and will be built solely by volunteers with materials donated by a variety of industry companies. Related Links: Read about the first green schoolhouse here Designed to achieve LEED-Platinum certification upon completion, the new school for the Washington Elementary School District will be devoted to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, but will also be a teaching tool in itself to

The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona awarded an $82-million contract to Henderson, Nev.-based Tutor Perini Building Corp. to construct the new Vee Quiva Casino & Hotel. Located in Laveen—just outside of Phoenix—the project will include a new 70,000-sq-ft casino and a 90-room hotel. Construction is expected to start in June. Related Links: Read about Gila River's previous project, Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino The new casino will be built just to the south of the existing Vee Quiva Casino, which will remain operational until the new project opens in summer 2013.“Rebuilding Vee Quiva Casino is part of a

This week marked a major milestone on the $1.5-billion PHX Sky Train project, as Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton sent Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s new automated train on its first official—albiet short—journey on Monday.    Photo courtesy Sky Harbor The PHX Sky Train performed its first short test run on Monday on track running between the East Economy Station and the maintenance facility. Photo by Scott Blair Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton praised Sky Train as the key to future success at Sky Harbor Airport. “Built during the worst economy since the Great Depression, this project has put a lot of people to

Mel Lawson  LAWSONwas appointed mining principal at Stantec's Tempe, Ariz., office. Lawson's 40 years of industry experience include a concentration in underground/surface mining operations and project and construction management. He has 20 years of experience in senior operations and project management. Prior to joining Stantec, he served as the owner's engineering manager for a multibillion-dollar international mining project and most recently served as vice president for project development at a North American copper project. He is a graduate of Michigan Technological University and has a degree in mining engineering. Related Links: ENR Southwest Post Your Own People Announcements In the