May 16, 2012 - Northwoods League (Northwoods) Mankato MoonDogs MANKATO, Minn.--The Mankato MoonDogs Baseball Club, a member of the Northwoods League, is pleased to announce the commitment of infielders Trey Nielson, Drew Stankiewicz and catcher, Zach Luevanos to play for the MoonDogs in the 2012 season.

Nielson, a six-foot-two-inch, 195-pound, sophomore of The University of Utah, was drafted out of high school in the 2010 MLB draft during the 42nd round by the Chicago Cubs. In his freshman season with the Ute's Nielson was second on the team in homeruns with nine. He was named the 2011 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American recipient. In 2012, Nielson is currently hitting .232.

"Trey holds a big frame for third base which will be an advantage for him to solidify his position," said Field Manager Mike Orchard.

In the 2011 MLB draft, Stankiewicz, a five-foot-10-inch, 185-pound Freshman of Arizona State University was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 4oth round. Known to have "quick field hands" and a "flashy glove," Stankiewicz completed his high school career boasting a .672 slugging percentage with seven homeruns. In his first season with the Sun Devils, Stankiewicz is hitting .269.

"Drew is an exceptional player that can play multiple skilled positions," said Orchard. "He has a lot of potential to do well for us."

Luevanos, a five-foot-nine-inch, 208-pound junior of Lamar University is currently hitting .214 in his first season with the Cardinals. Before attending LU, the Corpus Christi, Texas native led Seminole State College (Okla.) in RBIs with 52 and held a .343 batting average.

"Zach moves well behind the plate, he is a hard-nosed catcher that will get the job done," said Orchard.

The MoonDogs home opener is scheduled for Friday, June 1 at 7:05 p.m. against the St. Cloud Rox at Franklin Rogers Park. Season and single game tickets are now on sale at the MoonDogs office located at 1221 Caledonia Street. For more information, visit our website http://www.mankatomoondogs.com or call the MoonDogs office at 507-625-7047.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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MoonDogs Secure Final Additions to Roster

Yesterday at 12:00 AM

By Ben McCanna bmccanna@centralmaine.com Staff Writer

WINSLOW -- Town councilors faced a variety of significant issues during their Monday meeting, some of them contentious.

INOTHERBUSINESS

The council approved, 61, a second reading of the 20122013 budget for $20,654,249 which will hold the current property tax rate at $15.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Councilor Jerry Quirion was opposed. Tax due dates were also set for Oct. 12, Dec. 14, March 8, 2013, and June 14, 2013, which is a departure from the towns usual two payment-per-year system.

Town Manager Mike Heavener announced that the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development accepted a letter of intent regarding a $400,000 community development block grant and has invited the town to apply for the grant. It will help Orion Ropeworks upgrade equipment and hire about 25 additional employees, Heavener said.

The council approved, 70, an increase in the sewer rate. Residents will now be charged $2.60 per 100 cubic feet of sewage, an increase of 50 cents per 100 cubic feet. It is the first rate increase since 2009.

Councilor Raymond Caron announced he would not run for re-election this year, leaving an open seat for District 4.

In addition to approving a second reading of next year's $20 million budget and raising the sewer rate for the first time since 2009, the council hosted an open discussion on the future of the Winslow Municipal Track; debated options for a proposed expansion of the police station; and approved a nonbinding resolution that calls for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Track reconstruction considered

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Winslow councilors tackle variety of items

16-05-2012 13:18 Broken or damaged windshields can be very hazardous to the driver and passengers in the vehicle. Cracks in the glass or mirrors can distort or block the view while driving and cause serious problems. Georgia Auto Glass repairs and replaces your broken auto glass before you have any further issues. Call or click today! (404) 396-7068

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Windshield Replacement Georgia | Car Window Repair - Video

Common problems like leaky windows, drafty doors and power-hogging appliances can waste energy in your home and lead to unnecessarily-high utility bills. Thankfully, there are a slew of gadgets on the market that can identify energy drainers and lead to significant savings when it comes to heating and cooling your home.

The amount of energy products promise to save varies, but every little bit adds up to protect your wallet and keep your home cool this summer.

Programmable Thermostats

Experts say having thermostats that cant be programmed is a surefire way to waste money as forgetting to lower the heat or air conditioning while not home quickly runs up your bill.

According to Energy Star, the process of heating and cooling accounts for nearly 50% of energy use in a home. The program also estimates homeowners can save around $180 a year by properly programming their thermostats and maintaining those settings.

Prices of programmable thermostats run the gambit: they can be as little as $25 to more than $400 for high-tech models. Thermostats are available in seven day models that allow you to set air times each day, 5-2 models that use the same schedule every weekday and another for weekends, and the 5-1-1 models that keep the same schedule during the week and different schedules on each day of the weekend.

Ecobees smart thermostat is garnering a lot of interest because it has built in Wi-Fi that enables you to monitor and manage your thermostat online or from your iPhone, iPad or Android-based smartphone.

Ecobee claims customers save 26% on their energy consumption or about $500 a year using its programmable thermostat. Prothermostats.com sells the smart thermostat for $369.

Energy Monitors

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Gadgets that Zap Energy Wasters in Your Home

ALPHARETTA, Ga., May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2012 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS),held April 24 - 26, 2012, drew thousands ofprofessionalsto Chicago's McCormick Place, the site of the largest event in the industry. The National Kitchen & Bath Association's annual show and conference brought together 550 exhibiting companies with 16,091 industry buyers and specifiers, a ten percent increase from 2011. This included independent kitchen and bath designers, custom builders, remodelers, architects, dealers and retailers.Three hundred media outlets converged on the convention centerto see the latest products and hottest technology and trends, anda bustling press room was clear indication of the high level of media activity surrounding the Show.With 32,078 confirmed registrations, this year's event felt a surge of energy and revitalization, delivering on the promise to provide a new experience and opportunity to touch the future.

"KBIS provides the unique opportunity to network and gain critical insights into a changing market, and this year's show had an array of innovative and inspirational products and designs from our exhibitor partners. KBIS 2012 showed that our industry is reinventing itself and utilizing insights from the marketplace to develop new products and designs that change how we interact in both the kitchen and bath," said Jim Scott, managing director of KBIS.

With an exceptional schedule of events, expert speakers and premiere exhibits, industry trends emerged throughout KBIS. Renowned kitchen and bath design bloggers, including Caitlin Grogan, digital content director of Kitchens.com and iBaths.com, Leslie Clagett of KBCulture.com, Susan Serra of The Kitchen Designer, Brandon A. Smith, LEED AP, Principal, d.coop and Marilyn Russell, President/Principal Designer of Design Magnifique, participated in a KBIS panel exploring trend spotting in the design world and cited the following top industry trends based on their experience at KBIS 2012.

Finish Frenzy With the economy improving, homeowners are more likely to spend on products that add to the beauty of their home, including a shift in color palettes throughout a variety of design mediums. Sinks and tiles were draped in color, while black faucets and other earthly hues experienced a resurgence in both the kitchen and bath. Exhibitors also embraced the exploration of lighter shades. White and grey were popular in natural stone tile and quartz surfaces, as well as appliances, and attendees embraced the unique movement and light color incorporated into the new products. Serra notes, "We're also seeing what I like to call 'smart texture' which includes products that are outside of today's clear trends, yet easy to adopt into any kitchen design for a more personal design alternative. For example, updated granite-like countertops with pops of color in the pattern or a fresh take on the use of stained glass or retro tile for the backsplash

speak to today's aesthetic and are offered by both small and large manufacturers."

Colliding Generations KBIS 2012 strongly emphasized the impact of colliding generations in the marketplace through the unveiling of its UNcontained exhibit. Products at the show reflected the unique desires and characteristics of each generation, including exhibitors striving to make aging in place easier for the Zoomer (ages 45-65) and Prime Timer (ages 66-plus) generations. Designs included

cabinets that opened at the touch of a button, shades controlled by a hand-held remote, walk-in tubs with digital technology and hardware in extended sizes. These products also fit right in with the younger generations, who appreciate technology and products that make their busy lives easier. According to Grogan, "Hand-in-hand with the aging-in-place trend, are products designed to last. More products encourage the homeowner to design with taste, rather than resale value, in mind. Black matte finishes, for instance, offer the homeowner an opportunity to showcase their personal style."

The Age of Fashion This year's show presented a unique shift toward a fashion aesthetic. Many exhibitors debuted fashion-forward styles and partnerships with designers reflecting society's fascination with the cutting-edge. From ovens with fire-engine red exteriors to bathroom mirrors that function as works of art, many areas of KBIS reflected the feel a fashion runway.

Integrated Solutions As consumers try to do more with less space, exhibitors took storage to the next level in 2012 by integrating products seamlessly into the home. From refrigerators that blend right into cabinetry to drawer inserts that provide quick access to hard to reach spots, these new storage solutions generated new, unexpected openings for work spaces. Concealed kitchen shelving and extra wide sinks boasting functional colanders and cutting boards within were also heavily featured, as storage possibilities spread from not only closets and the garage but to the kitchen and bath as well.

Technology Takeover Twitter dominated the show floor at KBIS this year with multiple tweet-ups, in-person meetings for members of Twitter, and the quick spread of constant online chatter surrounding must-see products and trends. Many exhibitors also debuted advanced technology in their booths, from products that include smart phone applications to designs that mix light and sound in the bathroom. Toilets can now determine how long you've been sitting, or open the lid as one walks towards it and even wall sockets are built smarter to now incorporate direct USBs plug-ins for consumers using laptops and charging their phones in the hub of their home, the kitchen.

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Top Kitchen and Bath Industry Trends Revealed At KBIS 2012

Are you thinking about remodeling your drab kitchen? Be warned: Remodeling projects will not always fill your pockets with cash when your home sells. In fact, you might not recoup the entire cost of the project.

Experts warn against dumping thousands of dollars into a renovation before researching the project.

Know what other homes in your neighborhood are selling for, said Michelle Jennings Wiebe, founder and president of Studio M Interior Design in Tampa, Fla. You want your home to be in a similar range. If you spend $100,000 on a kitchen remodel, and other similar comparable homes have $20,000 kitchens, then you will not recoup your investment.

Prepare for problems

While the Great Recession forced many homeowners to delay selling their homes, kitchen remodels jumped 36 percent in the third quarter of 2011, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

The biggest issues that homeowners face with renovations are the problems that arise during demolition. Budgets should include money for unexpected expenses.

I would recommend adding at least a 20 percent contingency to any budget, Wiebe said.

She offered these recommendations when tackling renovations:

Hire a highly recommended general contractor with at least three references with past jobs comparable to your remodel job.

If you are doing the work yourself, make sure you know what you are doing. Its common for homeowners to hire designers and contractors after attempting a renovation.

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The downside of upgrades

NEW YORK, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --McGraw-Hill Construction today launched the Dodge Momentum Index, a 12-month leading indicator of construction spending for nonresidential building. Based on a 91% correlation between construction planning reports, as reported by Dodge, and the Commerce Department's Put in Place spending over the past 10 years, the index is an early and accurate leading indicator of future construction spending. It will prove useful to building product manufacturers, AEC firms, construction industry professionals, economists and Wall Street analysts. The index will be issued monthly.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120517/NY08795-INFO)

The predictive accuracy of the index is derived from the source of data that feeds it: the proprietary Dodge database of first-issued construction planning reports. Dodge is the sole private provider of construction starts and project data analysis to the U.S. Census Bureau, supporting the federal government's monthly estimate of construction spending, a key input for the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). One-third of projects in the Dodge database are in the planning stage-the projects that feed the new Dodge Momentum Index.

"The strength of the new Dodge Momentum Index is that it's based on proprietary planning data from Dodge's national network of reporters. These are individual, real-life projects, many of which will become construction starts down the road and generate construction spending dollars," said Kate Cassino, Vice President of Product Development for McGraw-Hill Construction. "We have the benefit of using our world-renowned Dodge project information to create a highly accurate index, rather than relying on survey-based data."

In designing the new Dodge Momentum Index, McGraw-Hill examined more than a decade of monthly planning data (from January 2002 to February 2012) which produced an exceptionally strong correlation of 91% with the Commerce Department's nonresidential building construction put in place spending. Importantly, the analysis shows that changes in the Dodge nonresidential new planning data leads changes in Commerce spending put in place by twelve months.

Since reaching bottom in July 2011 at a level of 77.1 (2000=100), the index has trended up in all but two months. In April 2012, the Dodge Momentum Index climbed 1.0 points from the previous month to reach a level of 94.7. According to Robert Murray, Vice President of Economic Affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction, "The relatively steady movement upward since the middle of last year suggests that construction spending put in place for nonresidential buildings should begin to move in a more consistently positive direction during the second half of 2012. This is good news for an industry that has been strongly hit by declines since the 2009 recession."

The strong relationship established between the Dodge Momentum Index and construction spending, with its full year of lead time, means that the index is likely to prove extremely valuable to construction industry professionals, as well as economists and Wall Street analysts. For McGraw-Hill Construction's customers, the index serves as an excellent full year leading indicator of future construction spending and demand for construction products and services. For economists, it's an accurate leading indicator of construction spending when assessing longer term outlooks and the health of the construction industry against the broader economy. For Wall Street analysts, the index provides directional information that acts as a variable to help underscore their predictive models, and health of the sector.

"The Dodge data provides daily opportunity for discovery and inspiration for new ideas and new offerings to help our customers plan ahead smartly and succeed," said Keith Fox, President, McGraw-Hill Construction. "The Dodge Momentum Index joins the ranks of Dodge BuildShare and Dodge SpecShare, our latest intelligence offerings that provide building product manufacturers and AEC professionals with trends, forecasts, competitive intelligence, and deep relationship building tools. The Dodge Momentum Index is also a new source of credible analysis for economists and analysts who need to measure markets."

Additional details are available for the overall commercial and institutional sectors, and the sub-sectors of office buildings, retail and warehouse buildings, and education buildings.

For more information, download the Dodge Momentum Index white paper at http://construction.com/download/Dodge_Momentum_Index_WhitePaper.pdf.

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McGraw-Hill Construction Debuts the Dodge Momentum Index

OKLAHOMA CITY On a sun-soaked morning in Oklahoma City, construction workers were busy working on a new six-story office building for Boeing as the company expands its presence into a second building.

While crews worked, planes took off from the sprawling Tinker Air Force Base just across the street.

Boeings expansion in Oklahoma will make room for the Boeing B-1 Lancer and C-130 Hercules programs moving from Long Beach, Calif.

Its also needed as Boeing closes its historic Wichita facilities and moves engineering and program management work to the site. The move will bring 800 to 900 jobs to Oklahoma City and boost employment to 2,000.

Wichitas military maintenance and modification work will move to San Antonio.

And work on Boeings Air Force tanker program slated for Wichita will now go to Puget Sound in Washington state instead.

Boeing announced in January that it will close its Wichita facilities in 2013. It cited high overhead costs, waning work and, facing looming defense budget cuts, little hope of bringing more work in, officials said.

This wasnt about labor costs, said Boeing spokesman Forrest Gossett. This was about this massive structure we have (in Wichita).

The transfer of work to Oklahoma City is scheduled to begin this fall.

It will be the end of 2013 before the Wichita site, which employs 2,160 people, will close completely.

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Wichita’s Boeing loss is Oklahoma City’s gain

A model of the new 45-story River Point office tower, to be built at Lake and Canal streets, at the head of the Chicago River. (Credit: CBS)

CHICAGO (CBS) On his first anniversary as Chicagos Mayor, Rahm Emanuel and developers have announced a new office building to be built in the West Loop, the first in several years.

Chicagos economic recovery is the reason I want to emphasize it the reason we are here today, said Kevin Shannahan, CEO of Hines Interests LP, the developer of the new skyscraper.

WBBM Newsradio Political editor Craig Dellimore reports Hines and Ivanhoe Cambridge will build a new sleek 45-story office tower at Lake and Canal Streets, where the Chicago River splits into its north and south branches.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports

The mayor said the new River Point tower will create 1,000 construction jobs, followed by 3,400 permanent jobs inside the skyscraper once its completed.

While its on my one-year anniversary, I think its actually an anniversary for the city, in a sense of the vote of confidence, and the jobs that will be created, the economic opportunity that will be created, and I think the growth that will become from this investment, the mayor said.

The city is providing a $29 million tax subsidy to assist in construction of a 1.5 acre riverfront sculpture park that Emanuel said will be open to the public, and built over the Metra tracks just east of the tower.

This is just for the park, and the riverfront property. The building is separate. Thats their investment, Emanuel said. This property will pay, over 15 years, $175 million in taxes.

Kevin Shannahan, CEO of Hines Interests LP, said the citys economic recovery under Emanuel is the reason this long-planned project is going forward now.

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Mayor Announces New Riverfront Office Tower

GUNTERSVILLE The Marshall County Commission agreed to add a sunroom porch at the rear of the new Douglas Senior Center, currently under construction.

The addition adds an estimated $66,600 to the project and pushes the total cost to nearly $335,000.

The original budget for the project was $372,500, which included $250,000 of community development block grant funding from the state and $122,500 in matching funds from the county.

Even with the addition of the sunroom, were still under budget, said County Engineer Bob Pirando.

The center is under budget because of three factors, outlined in a project summary distributed at a public hearing Monday.

No. 1, officials anticipated higher construction bids when they started the grant application in 2009.

Secondly, the original application included the cost of the buildings concrete pad, but the county ended up doing the work.

Finally, the original project design included a sunroom porch, but officials inadvertently left it off the 2011 bid drawings.

The new center on Stadium Circle is four times larger than the old facility and should be completed later this year.

The Commission had to hold a public hearing on the proposed amendment Monday because the state requires one if the change costs more than 10 percent of the projects budget.

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Douglas Senior Center gets sunroom