Photo gallery: San Elceario Catholic Church restoration

The doors of San Elceario Catholic Church are still open. Instead of pews, there are work ladders and construction materials all around.

In mid-January, parishioners at the church had to move services to the parish hall because of San Elceario's dangerous deterioration.

"I think it all started when we got some bad advice to remove the sidewalk about two years ago," said Lillian Trujillo, a member of the church's finance committee. "Within about a month of it being removed, little cracks started to expand and then there were humongous cracks on the outside and inside."

Trujillo said the church received three grants for several thousand dollars from the Catholic Diocese of El Paso to help with construction work.

"We've also received some donations during collections, so we can start fixing the church again," she said.

To make the money last, most of the work is being done by volunteers.

Tony Araujo of Organizacion Progresiva, and husband of the church's secretary, is leading the construction work.

Trujillo said that a new, wider sidewalk has been put in to stabilize the church and that volunteers are now working on the walls, reinforcing the adobes.

Besides being displaced,

Original post:
Preserving San Elizario's past: Services forced to move as church repaired

A bubble of new student housing could grow larger in the next few years if a request that would allow the construction of another central-city apartment building wins the Columbia City Council's approval tomorrow.

The rezoning request applies to two properties on Locust Street between Hitt and Waugh streets, just east of Salty's formerly the Athena nightclub and Club Memoir. It would convert the zoning from dense residential to planned commercial. The designation would allow the construction of a student apartment building with potential ground-level commercial space. The project is proposed by the Odle family as part of its Brookside brand.

Garrett Taylor, an attorney for the firm that represents the developers, said at most the building would feature 150 units and would be 80 feet tall, but he said an exact size had not been determined.

"We just don't want to hamstring ourselves right now," Taylor said at a Feb. 9 meeting of the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission. That panel recommended allowing the proposed rezoning in a 5-3 vote.

Before making the recommendation, P&Z commissioners expressed concerns about where tenants of the planned apartment complex would park. The request contains an exception for a parking requirement that usually goes with planned commercial zoning.

City planner Matthew Lepke said the planned commercial designation offers some protection for residential aspects of the neighborhood, and the waiver of the parking requirement was included to entice developers to bring projects to that area of downtown.

"That's sort of been the cookie that's been extended to the developers to get them to come to areas that the city felt were ripe for redevelopment," Lepke said.

The building would stand next to another student apartment complex planned at the current site of Salty's. That project has been proposed by St. Louis developer Jeff Pernikoff, who plans about 190 beds at the site. The Odles also are building student complexes on Elm Street and the intersection of College Avenue and Walnut Street, and local developer Travis McGee is working on a student apartment complex on Ninth Street across from the University of Missouri's Reynolds Journalism Institute.

P&Z Chairman Doug Wheeler, who voted against the recommendation, said he did not think the council had adequately addressed parking issues associated with the Odle's project at College and Walnut.

"Not all college students have cars, but a lot of them do," Wheeler said, according to meeting minutes. Andy Lee and Ray Puri also voted against the recommendation.

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New student housing site up for vote

CHARLIE'S getting a little old to plan a trip to Paris with.

Then there's the shots, the quarantine period, the learning to speak poodle.

Charlie's a dog, see, and we will not likely darken the doors of any French bistros together. Though as I recall you don't see a lot of border collies dining there, whether in bohemian Left Bank haunts or ritzy Right Bank Michelin-starred dining rooms.

Mostly, it's those little lap-sized things that the ladies who lunch bring with.

But we have often been glad to dine together in sidewalk situations in Pasadena. The city of course has its own Health Department and its own guidelines for dining, along with Long Beach and, uh, Vernon.

Imagine there are many outdoor dining areas in Vernon?

But now, thanks to a Los Angeles County Health Department decision last week, in cities that are not the above three, it's not only sidewalk dining avec chien that's allowed, but patio dining as well.

I've never understood why it wouldn't be. Or, for that matter, why you couldn't bring your well-behaved dog actually inside a restaurant, as the Frenchies do.

After all, you can take children into restaurants, and they're not well-behaved at all. What's a little giving the eye to the New York strip from a position on the floor compared with screaming and throwing of bowls filled with peas?

Sunday's random notes: Several years ago I went on my one and only adventure to Sushi Nozawa,

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Larry Wilson: In restaurant patios, the dogs have their day

Wanganui Mayor Annette Main today thanked all those involved in the response to Saturday's weather bomb.

"It has been a fantastic response from the emergency services and contractors who have worked with our Emergency Operations Centre over the weekend," Mayor Main said.

"Although the bad weather has now passed, there are still some significant issues to deal with in the coming days and weeks. The major concerns are restoration of power to the Kai Iwi bores and to people in our community. We know that there are some rural areas in our district which don't have power and that Powerco is working to restore power as soon as possible."

Infrastructure and Property Committee Chair Cr Ray Stevens said Wanganui District Council's infrastructure staff are working hard with Powerco and Tenix to restore power to No. 1 and No. 3 bores at Kai Iwi.

"We were relieved to have No. 2 bore back on line late Sunday morning but our supply is still under pressure without the other two Kai Iwi bores feeding the reservoirs," Cr Stevens said.

"We urge all city consumers to reduce their water use until we can get the reservoirs up to a good level. To help with this, we have reduced water pressure for the city supply which some consumers will notice. The water is likely to be discoloured but it is safe to use and drink. There is a total ban on hosing and sprinkling until further notice."

Sewage in waterways and at beaches will remain an issue for some days. No-one should swim in the Whanganui River and at beaches for the next few days. Sewage issues are likely to affect Mowhanau for the remainder of the week.

Civil Defence Controller Kevin Ross said the Emergency Operations Centre had worked well over the weekend, in association with the Fire Service, Police, contractors, Powerco and Tenix.

"To give people an idea of the huge scale of this event, the Fire Service in Wanganui dealt with 66 major property damage or 'life at risk' events between 6.00am and 2.00pm on Saturday," Mr Ross said.

"On top of that, there were 41 calls about trees and powerlines which the Fire Service passed on to other agencies.

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Wanganui water use remains a concern

Celebrated South African artist Jane Alexander first shot to international fame in the mid-1980s with Butcher Boys, a provocative installation exploring issues relating to apartheid through a trio of mouthless, muscular animal-human hybrid sculptures.

Over the years, Alexander has deepened her inquiry into complex issues relating to injustice, conformity, exploitation, identity and violence.

My field of reference and research has broadened, she explained, and I have engaged with more complex aspects of social life through opportunity and the accumulation of knowledge and experience over the last 26 years.

Jane Alexander: Surveys (From the Cape of Good Hope), currently on display at the SCAD Museum of Art, is the first major North American survey exhibition of site-specific tableaux, sculptures and photomontages by this powerful creative talent. Guest curated by Pep Subirs and organized by the Museum for African Art in New York, the exhibit is part of SCADs 2012 deFINE ART program, which celebrates contemporary art through a series of exhibitions, lectures and public events.

This mind-bending solo exhibit demonstrates the raw, visceral power of Alexanders hybrid human-animal figures as well as the rich, provocative socio-political subtext that enlivens her work. In person, her life-sized installations and monstrous sculptures have a grotesque, eerie quality. This survey reveals her ongoing fascination with complex sociological issues as well as her technical mastery of three-dimensional form.

Showcasing a motley cast of characters, Jane Alexander merges human bodies with heads of baboons, jackals, ibises and other creatures. Through this cross-species mash-up, Alexander forces the audience to re-think human behavior and to question how evolved we truly are.

Part of what I focus on is the pervasive presence of oppression, violence and hierarchies and the dominant roles they play in social life, Alexander said. I think these are aspects of my work, not the sum of it.

Alexander first experimented with the human-animal hybrids, which have become signature subjects in her sculptural work, as a college student in the late 1970s.

Hybrid figures were and are interpretations of responses I have had to the social environments I find myself within at a time, she explained. By social environment, I include observations of aspects of social behavior and organization, the media, commerce, propaganda, chance as well as theoretical, historical and informal empirical research in various areas.

In her solo exhibit at the SCAD Museum of Art, Alexander presents dozens of strange, humanoid creatures engaged in enigmatic, often cryptic exchanges with seen and unseen forces. Several works hint at genocide and execution, with violence always strategically implied rather than explicitly depicted.

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Art & Soul: South African Jane Alexander's challenging sculptures haunt SCAD MOA

ThoughtLeaderGlobal.com, a dynamic multinational networking organization and producer of targeted business media and events, will host a corporate IT forum, Enterprise Cloud Computing on April 19-20.

Amsterdam, Netherlands (PRWEB) March 04, 2012

Savvy IT directors currently implementing cloud-computing technologies will present a broad range of practical corporate experiences and related topics separately discussed at the Forum, including business development and technology advancements.

Cloud computing provides computation, software applications, data access, and storage resources without requiring cloud users to know the location and other details of the computing infrastructure.

This type of data center environment allows enterprises to get their applications up and running faster, with easier manageability and less maintenance, and enables it to rapidly adjust IT resources (such as servers, storage, and networking) to meet fluctuating and unpredictable business demand.

Attendees will learn about moving their organization toward a more efficient business mobile-enabled architecture, said ThoughtLeaderGlobal.com Marketing Manager Scott Rogers.

Technology continues to make impressive strides and this years IT Forum, to be held in Amsterdam, is seeking to enlighten attendees with the most up-to-date information.

The Forum will address the concept of cloud within the business model as well as illustrate its diverse services and its IT infrastructure, said Rogers.

In the current economic environment, companies are constantly searching for ways to decrease costs while increasing revenue, and cloud is a key enabler of savings opportunities, Rogers said.

Among the topics and presenters at the two-day event, according to the ThoughtLeaderGlobal.com statement:

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ThoughtLeaderGlobal.com Architects Change in the Cloud

Two national retail chains, ROSS DRESS FOR LESS and FRANCESCAS COLLECTIONS, have started construction on Springfield stores, and a third, DSW SHOES, has filed for a construction permit.

Ross Dress for Less has begun conversion of the former Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts space in the Southwest Plaza shopping center at 3137 S. Veterans Parkway. Francescas is remodeling space in White Oaks Mall.

The lease already has been signed, said Connie Wong, corporate spokeswoman for Ross Dress For Less.

She said she could not yet discuss an opening date, but the store will have about 50 full- and part-time employees.

Springfield will become the southernmost market in Illinois for the California-based retailer. The company is opening two stores this weekend in the Chicago area, bringing its total in that market to 14. Ross Dress For Less has more than 1,000 stores in 29 states and $8.6 billion in annual revenues.

DSW Shoes also plans to move into Southwest Plaza, in a space next to PetSmart. The company has not announced a construction schedule, but it has filed for a renovation permit with the city Building and Zoning Department.

Francescas Collections is a womens clothing and accessories boutique targeted to 18-to-35-year-olds, according to the company website. The store is expected to open in April, mall representatives say.

HELZBERG DIAMONDS, meanwhile, has temporarily relocated within the mall while its existing space is remodeled and expanded. KIRLIN'S HALLMARK has also moved to a larger space at the mall. The projects are part of a major mall renovation scheduled for completion this spring.

***

Employees of TOWN AND COUNTRY BANK of Springfield have committed to more than 500 community-service hours as part of the banks 50th anniversary celebration.

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Tim Landis: New stores starting construction

VALPARAISO | Now celebrating more than 60 years in business, Chester Inc. has its roots firmly planted in corn and steel.

Led by President and CEO Pete Peuquet, Chester Inc. serves customers with the manufacture, sales and service of products in agriculture, industry, commerce and retail markets. These products and services are organized into three divisions.

Construction services include architectural services and commercial and industrial construction. Information technologies offers computer and network services and agricultural systems include grain and irrigation systems and The Popcorn Store.

But the company's beginnings go back to George F. Chester, a Northwest Indiana man who was as much scientist as he was a farmer. In the midst of the Great Depression, Chester developed new seed corn by studying its genetic characteristics for better growth, insect resistance and better crop yields.

From 1936 to 1951, the George F. Chester & Sons Seed Co. operated in Boone Grove. When the company's founder decided to retire, Charles F. Bowman and Orville Redenbacher of Purdue University saw an opportunity to buy and expand the business.

Bowman and Redenbacher developed Chester Inc. into a national seed corn, but when Redenbacher focused on popcorn, "things started to pop," said Richard K. Shields, Chester Inc. business development manager.

Shields calls Chester Inc. "an incubator" for growing businesses that spin off with other companies.

A division of Wesson Oil Co. bought the popcorn business, and the national marketing made Orville Redenbacher Popcorn a household name.

In the meantime, the Chester Inc. agricultural business concentrated on other products the farming industry needed, Shields said. After talking with farmers, company officials branched off into producing fertilizer. The Chester Inc. suspended liquid fertilizer became a soughtafter agricultural product.

"We supplied it to grain elevator and dealers and it became a very popular product," Shields said. "Another national firm bought that."

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Rooted in corn, steel

Today's most viewed articles EnviroVantage team grows

EXETER EnviroVantage of Epping, a fully licensed, full-service commercial and residential environmental and specialty services contractor, has announced the addition of two new team members..

Vincent Marcisso has been brought on board as the new vice president of sales.

Marcisso brings a wealth of experience to the position, having formerly held the position of owner and president of Portland Diversified Service.

A Maine native, Marcisso, whose background includes abatement, architectural drafting, industrial construction, nuclear power plants, off-shore oil drilling and professional diving, owned and operated PDS since 1988.

Chris Prior has joined EnviroVantage to develop the "small cap markets" division of the company. Before joining EnviroVantage, he held positions with other construction firms and was director of operations for a start-up company in Boston. He held a N.H. real estate license for 10 years and owned a commercial laundry facility.

For more information, visit http://www.envirovantage.com.

PORTSMOUTH The Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its Business of the Year awards banquet Friday, March 16, at the Sheraton Harborside Portsmouth.

Networking is from 5:30 to 6 p.m. and the awards ceremony will run from 6 to 8 p.m.

The cost is $35 per person. A table of eight can be reserved for $240.

Continue reading here:
Exeter area business briefs

Governor-General Quentin Bryce will this morning swear in members of the new look federal ministry during a ceremony at Government House in Canberra.

Under the changes announced on Friday, Brendan O'Connor will enter Cabinet as the Minister for Small Business, Housing and Homelessness.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has also promoted new faces into the outer ministry - Senator Kate Lundy will be sworn in as the Minister for Sport and Multicultural Affairs, and David Bradbury as the Assistant Treasurer.

The incoming Foreign Affairs Minister, Bob Carr, will not be sworn in as a member of Cabinet until the New South Wales Parliament officially endorses him as Mark Arbib's replacement in the Senate.

The endorsement is expected early this week.

The reshuffle was prompted by the resignation of Kevin Rudd and Senator Arbib's decision to quit politics.

One who missed out in Ms Gillard's Cabinet reshuffle was former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon.

Mr Fitzgibbon was defence minister until 2009 but stood down after admitting to a breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

Reports emerged on Sunday that Mr Fitzgibbon and the Prime Minister shared an angry phone call during the week when she rang to offer him the role of parliamentary secretary.

It is believed Mr Fitzgibbon threatened to resign over the offer of the junior portfolio.

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New federal ministry set to be sworn in