Idaho Briefs April 23, 2013

Mountain Home airman identified after death

MOUNTAIN HOME - Mountain Home Air Force Base officials have identified a 35-year-old man whose body was found on Sunday in his southwestern Idaho home.

Technical Sergeant Chris D. Carrier, 35, of Meridian, Idaho, is survived by his two daughters, Maiya and Jadyn.

A spokesman with the Air Force, Technical Sergeant Samuel Morse, said on Monday afternoon that the cause of Carrier's death remains under investigation.

In a press release, Col. Chris Short, the commander of the 366th Fighter Wing, called Carrier "a valued member of our team."

Short said the Air Force was reaching out to help Carrier's surviving family members.

Idaho geothermal company's top executive retiring

BOISE - A geothermal energy company with projects in Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and South America says its top executive is retiring.

U.S. Geothermal Inc. Chief Executive Officer Daniel Kunz announced Monday he's quitting after a decade at the helm of the Boise-based company.

Kunz will be replaced by Dennis Gilles, a former executive at Calpine Corp. who helped oversee that company's geothermal business.

Gilles retired from Calpine in 2011.

U.S. Geothermal now has three operating power plants, including its new Neal Hot Springs project in eastern Oregon, which in recent months began generating 28 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 25,000 to 28,000 homes.

It also has plants near Malta, Idaho, and Gerlach, Nev.

- Associated Press