All local lanes on Route 80 East approaching Exit 45 are closed because of an overturned dump truck. – 5:07 pm

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Work to replace bridge decks on Route 280 in Parsippany to begin this week

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Fitch Ratings has revised its 2012 price decks for both U.S. oil and natural gas, reflecting various market factors and underlying conditions.

Fitch has raised its 2012 base case oil price to $87.50/barrel for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and to $95/barrel for Brent to reflect near-term market factors. Long-term prices for WTI and Brent remain unchanged at $65/barrel and $70/barrel, respectively. These base cases incorporate the reliance by oil companies on emerging market growth, lingering geopolitical risks, and investor concerns with global inflation.

Current oil prices remain well above Fitch's long-term base case expectation. While prices could rise due to increased geopolitical tensions, Fitch believes downside risks to oil prices remain significant. Fitch also notes that oil and liquid prices continue to drive the majority of capex decision in the exploration and production sector.

Fitch has also lowered its U.S. natural gas price deck with 2012 base case Henry Hub (HH) prices at $3.25 per thousand cubic feet and long-term prices lowered to $5.00/mcf from $5.50/mcf. The drop reflects the combination of warm weather, continued weakness in the U.S. economy and the ongoing supply of unconventional natural gas from U.S. shale production.

Fitch's price deck intends to reflect a more conservative view of future price levels for modeling and rating purposes, and for evaluating future commodity price expectations from a bondholder perspective. Fitch's price deck will often remain below current spot and future markets as a result. The price deck also reflects just supply/demand fundamentals, particularly the long-term price deck, with the recognition that near-term events can result in significant deviations from fundamental levels.

The full report 'Updating Fitch's Oil & Gas Price Deck' is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'.

Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'.

Applicable Criteria and Related Research: Updating Fitch's Oil and Gas Price Deck

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ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE.

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Fitch Updates 2012 Oil and Gas Price Decks

A church operating without mandatory special use or occupancy permits for nearly one-and-a-half years will have to bring the building up to code, under a recommendation last week by the Skokie Plan Commission. Commissioners unanimously supported granting Williams Memorial Temple Church of God in Christ necessary permits to continue “religious assembly” at 5151 Church St., but only if it complies …

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Panel backs Skokie church permit after code compliance

Pearland Police investigators are looking for clues in the recent theft of more than $6,000 in construction equipment reported stolen by Shadycrest Baptist Church Thursday (Feb. 2).

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Burglars heist equipment from Shadycrest Baptist Church construction site

What will it take to get manufacturers to support their products instead of leaving consumers with disposable televisions and refrigerators or mobile phones (and digital music players) with irreplaceable batteries?

A Magnavox TV/DVD combo that cost Frank Lusk of Westbrook $300 at Target in August 2010 stopped working last September, just beyond the one-year warranty.

“A local TV repair shop returned it to me after about three weeks, saying they could not get repair parts,” says Lusk.

He checked with Magnavox, then brought the set to a licensed repair shop. Three days later, the shop said it, too, could not get repair parts. For that, Lusk paid a $40 estimate fee.

Lusk then called Magnavox again, which told him, 'tis true, no repair parts. Too bad it wasn't under warranty, Magnavox told him, because it could have been exchanged for a new television.

Lusk thought he was out $300 until he read a magazine story on buying an HDTV that suggested paying for the set with a credit card rather than buying an extended warranty. (Some credit cards double a manufacturer's warranty, up to a year.)

So Lusk checked with his credit-card company, which did offer extended-warranty coverage, and filed a claim in late December. Two weeks later, he received a check for $317, which included tax.

But he won't buy another Magnavox.

“The only recourse we have as consumers in a situation like this,” he says, “is to take our business elsewhere. I bought a new TV, but it was not a Magnavox and I did not buy it at Target.”

Let's call it the No-Buy List. Lusk's drawing one up: He's not buying whatever Magnavox is selling.

We've all got a candidate for the No-Buy List. Here's one from TBL, who bought a rechargeable Dirt Devil broom (model MBV2030) in October 2008 for quick-cleaning around a litter box. The broom worked fine until several months ago when the batteries drained almost immediately.

Finally, it was time for a replacement battery pack. A search online revealed none, either from Royal, which owns the Dirt Devil brand, or an aftermarket manufacturer.

What?

Last week, TBL contacted Royal's corporate office, which acknowledged the company does not make a replacement.

“They are manufactured as part of the machine,” says a Royal corporate representative. “We don't even have a part number for the batteries.”

A rechargeable broom with irreplaceable batteries?

I was dumbfounded. (My neat-freak cat, Chesty Morgan, was devastated.)

Royal's idea of customer service is to offer duped owners of the MBV2030 rechargeable broom a 30 percent discount on another vacuum at the company's website.

Then what? Call back in three years about another machine that doesn't work and can't be fixed?

No thanks.

You know what you deserve, Royal? A permanent spot on my No-Buy List.

Who belongs on your No-Buy List? Visit the TBL blog (www.courant.com/TBL) and tell your story under “Leave A Comment” on this column entry.

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Broken Appliance With No Available Parts? Add That Manufacturer To Your No-Buy List

20-09-2011 17:18 August 2011 Job of the Month Some of you may think the home in this project looks a lot like the one in the previous job of the month, and you would be completely right! Our Glen Rose, Tx homewoners loved what we did with their floors and wanted us to show them we knew how to make a countertop for them. Of course, concrete was the material of choice. They loved the neutral look of a natural gray countertop so after a little hiccup at the start (see below) we went right to work building a mold on the cabinets they had installed after we had finished acid staining their floors. The first day of our how to make a countertop out of concrete project started off on the wrong foot as we got a short spell of rain the day before we arrived. Usually no big deal but the only access to the house was over a long and narrow dirt trail. I tried to get my little station wagon up there but didn’t get too far, it went axle deep in the first four feet and almost didn’t come out (Thank goodness we had the Ford F350 around). Even that one was a nail bitter as it was loaded with two thousand pounds of cement. My guy pointed the nose down the trail, gunned it, and painted my car from bumper to bumper with a thick, smelly, goopy layer of mud. Ahh.., in the end it was worth it, he got all the way up the hill and saved us having to unload and hump a ton of cement about a quarter mile to the job site. After that, things went smoother and we got down to business. We started by creating a sturdy base …

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"Shades of Gray" – How to make a countertop out of concrete in Glen Rose, Tx – Video

03-10-2011 23:59 Step by step instructions on how to cast and polish concrete countertops.

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Concrete Countertop From Start to Finish – Video

09-10-2011 18:18 supremesurface.com — Granite Countertops and Tile backsplash ideas. Designer Tom Munro shows off beautiful kitchen and bath designs, kitchen countertops, worktops, tile backsplash ideas and more. Discover the difference using granite countertops in the kitchen with Supreme Surface, Inc.

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Granite Countertops – Supreme Surface Kitchen Countertops – Video

21-10-2011 16:57 End grain wood butcher block construction and design choices. Brooks Custom 15 Kensico Drive Mount Kisco, NY 10549 Phone: 914-666-2029 Toll Free: 800-244-5432 Fax: 914-244-9210 Quotes: quotes@brookscustom.com General Information: info@brookscustom.com Purchasing: purchasing@brookscustom.com

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End Grain Wood Butcher Blocks and Countertops – Video

06-11-2011 17:08

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MM 11-5-12: Installing a stove / countertops – Video