Briefs is a daily SUMMARY of Windsor-Essex news, compiled here for your reading pleasure.

An auto parts supplier in Windsor has turned their attention from cars to shelters. Ground Effects Automotive has primarily been building car parts for the past 25 years, but last year president James Scott decided to expand the business into making portable shelters. Three weeks after the quake in Haiti, Ground Effects is being asked to send hundreds of their patented huts to the devastated country. Scott plans to hire 90 more employees ASAP, and current employees have been working midnights to meet the demand.

An increase in mature student enrollment may over-crowd St. Clair next year. Province-wide, 20% more mature students have enrolled, and overall enrollment has jumped 14%. The jobless rate in places like Windsor is likely the cause, says a rep from Ontario Colleges, and the provincial government has no contingency plan. More than $160 million in additional funding is needed to deal with the rush of students.

An Amherstburg man is facing upgraded charges for a snowmobile accident that caused the death of 19-year-old Corey Meloche. Trevor Skeates, also 19, is being charged for impaired driving causing death. Meloche wasn’t wearing a helmet, but she didn’t die from a head would; injuries she suffered when the snowmobile landed on top of her caused her death, after hours of treatment in both Canadian and American hospitals.

Another alternative energy project may be coming to Essex County. Korean company Youil Ensys Corp. is targeting Windsor because of our southern location, and to benefit from the Ontario Green Energy Act and feed-in tariffs. The $50 million project will create jobs in the area, and barring any transmission trouble, will feed 10 MWs of power into the grid.

Windsorites opposed to the recently announced day care centre closures are gathering for a public meeting to discuss what can be done to reverse the city’s decision. Parents, and friends of parents, are asked to meet at All Saints Church, 330 City Hall Square West next Wednesday, Feb 11th, at 7pm.