Rezoning of property at 100 E. 12th St. from commercial to residential is all right with the Rolla Planning and Zoning Commission.

Tuesday afternoon, the commission met and voted to recommend the Rolla City Council approve the rezoning requested by Roger and Nassreen Rome, who lives at 12601 Cardinal Point Rd., and want to construct an apartment house at the 12th Street site, which is near Missouri S&T.

There was no opposition to the proposal at the public hearing held during the commission meeting, and the Community Development department staff recommends the rezoning be approved without condition.

Community Development Director John Petersen told the commission the current zoning is C-1 (neighborhood business district), although the use of the property is residential, for a single-family, four-bedroom house sits on the 13,547-square-foot (.31 acre) lot.

Located on the south side of 12th Street between Oak and Elm streets, the property is in a neighborhood of apartments. S&T also owns property nearby and uses it for parking and storage.

The applicant submitted a rezoning petition and letter describing the proposed development which would permit the construction of a five-unit apartment building in addition to the existing single-family structure, Petersen told the commission in a memorandum. R-3 (multi-family district) zoning is required to allow the multi-family development as proposed and to permit multiple structures on a lot.

Petersen said the rezoning would not negatively affect the neighborhood, is consistent with the 2020 Comprehensive Plan Update and would not adversely affect traffic flow. Utilities are adequate and there is room for the 12 paved, off-street parking spaces that will be required.

Commissioners present for the meeting were Monte Shields, Russel Schmidt, Greg Sawyer, Robert Anderson and Dennis Bennett.

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Rezoning would allow apartment building

Anywhere. He could be anywhere.

Around the corner of the apartment building where they live. Across the street at the construction site where he works. At the nearby bar where he sometimes goes for a beer. She looks around, nervous. What if he sees her?

But she cant wait. Not anymore. She tightens her grip on the baby stroller and heads off into the night.

She has a plan: make it three blocks, to the shelter for women and children. Borrow someones cell phone, call 911. She tried to dial the number back at the apartment, but he yanked the phone out of her hands and broke it to pieces.

She zooms the stroller down the sidewalk of South Othello Street, heading west toward Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, a busy intersection in a diverse, yet gentrifying, south Seattle neighborhood. On her right, an abandoned lot and taco truck, on her left, an unfinished luxury apartment complex. By this time of evening, heading on midnight, hardly a car drives by; the light rail station sits empty. Shes all alone.

Except for her son. Their son. Tomorrow hell turn seven months old. About 90 minutes ago, shortly after the yelling and screaming drew her neighbors into the hallway, the child cried while she splashed water on her face in the bathroom of Apartment 21. Now he sits in his stroller, bundled up in a blue, fuzzy snowsuit.

In a rush, she forgot to grab her own coat. Not that she minds. She barely feels the chilly spring air rushing over the red mark on her throat.

But she can feel her right cheek throb. In the bathroom mirror, she saw the knot, the swelling, the purplish-maroon hematoma that formed under her eye. But its weird. Because when he hit her, she couldnt really feel it. It was like she lost consciousness Did she? Did she black out?

Outside, she hustles the stroller down the sidewalk. Streetlights cast an orange halogen glow, throw shadows that pile up under bushes, shadows large enough to hide a grown man. If only she knew where he went when he left the apartment.

Nearly 16 months ago when she met him, back in Idaho, she had wanted to change her life. Hed told her the same. They would do it, together. But things got in the way. The poverty, the drug use, the drinking, the yelling, the fighting, the fists, the fear all of it clouded their vision. All of it weighed on their lives.

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The Gravity of Abuse: On a south Seattle street, a tale of domestic violence unfolds

More downtown Winnipeg restaurateurs want to open outdoor patios this summer, according to a business organization that can help those restaurants cut through the red tape.

The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ says it usually gets just a few applications every year for its program to help restaurants build outdoor dining spaces.

"But for whatever reason, this year we have eight requests in," Stefano Grande, the organization's executive director, told CBC News.

"It's really nice to see our restaurant owners make a decision to move in that direction."

Grande said the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ accepts three applications every year. This year's recipients are:

The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ has the expertise to guide restaurants through the process of getting city licences for their proposed patios.

"We know the bylaws inside out, so we know what will or won't work even before we go to the city," he said.

"We'll work with that business owner; pretty much anything that we bring forward we know is going to be accepted."

Grande estimates that there are more than 30 patios in all of downtown Winnipeg.

Continue reading here:
Demand for patios in downtown Winnipeg warms up

Prices rise, profits beat goals and service levels decline. Photo: Louie Douvis

So who's having a lend of whom? Victoria's electricity distributors are earning much higher profits than anticipated, as customer service levels have, for the most part, declined.

Part of their gains was good management, with tight cost control.

But a large part came from higher-than-expected revenues which enabled them to post much higher-than-anticipated returns for the fifth straight year. That in turn, signals the way spending is approved - which impacts prices paid by households and businesses - is out of whack.

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In its annual review, the Australian Energy Regulator, an arm of the Australian Competition and Commission, found returns on regulated assets of the five distributors is as high as 10 per cent. In these present difficult economic times, that is the sort of return many businesses would love to achieve, especially in a regulated sector.

The review covered the performance of electricity distributors such as CitiPower and Powercor in 2010.

It also disclosed an improvement in power supply, which was largely thanks to less extreme weather than in the previous year.

Singaporean-owned Jemena was easily the most profitable of the five, earning a 10 per cent pre-tax return on its distribution sector assets, followed by Powercor with 9.9 per cent, CitiPower's 8.8 per cent and United Energy with 8.5 per cent.

The laggard was SP AusNet with 6.9 per cent.

The rest is here:
Prices out of whack as profits beat goals

A group of local students is once again offering its services around town this spring and summer.

Last year, South Delta Secondary grads Mitch Lepore and Brennan Phillips started their own business - Local Student Labour - after deciding they didn't want to spend their last summer before university flipping burgers or waiting tables.

The pair teamed up with a group of friends and local contractors, spending the summer doing everything from house painting and staining to yard work and power washing.

Phillips and Lepore recently returned to South Delta after completing their first year at the University of Calgary, where both are studying business, with the aim of resurrecting Local Student Labour.

"It was really good last summer," Phillips said, adding the business was well received in the community.

Both Lepore and Phillips said the success of Local Student Labour last summer enabled them to save up enough money so they did not have to work throughout the school year and were able to fully concentrate on their studies.

Lepore said they are trying to be more independent this summer and rely less on established contractors to get jobs. He added they plan to focus more on house painting but will take on any job.

For more information, call 778-987-0587 or 604764-7078, or email lsl. painting@gmail.com.

Copyright (c) Delta Optimist

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Entrepreneurial students at it again this summer

LETTERS

"Only suspicious at this stage?" ... Craig Thomson joins the crossbench. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

''People want to hang Craig Thomson just on the suspicion,'' says Tony Windsor ('''Bugger the numbers', says angry Oakeshott on Thomson saga'', smh.com.au, May 10).

The tabled report of Fair Work Australia does not say Craig Thomson is suspected of using union funds illegally but reportedly says: ''Craig Thomson repeatedly provided false and misleading information during the course of a long investigation into the national office of the Health Services Union'' and Thomson was ''found to have lied when he denied using his union credit card to procure prostitutes''.

How can Mr Windsor infer that Thomson's actions are only suspicious at this stage? Surely the public and HSU members are entitled to believe the facts in the FWA investigators' report, which are certainly not ''suspicions''.

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Cartoon: Cathy Wilcox

John Munro Toowoomba (Qld)

Wouldn't a byelection in Dobell increase by an astronomical amount the cost of those escort services allegedly obtained by Craig Thomson on his HSU credit card?

Zehra George Warilla

Excerpt from:
We've got the facts - abuse of power must end

NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

For the fifth consecutive year, more than 20 volunteers from Artesian (NASDAQ: ARTNA - News), a leading provider of water, wastewater and engineering services on the Delmarva Peninsula, came together for Christmas in April Cecil County to rehabilitate the home of a Cecil County neighbor.

It was gratifying to see so many Artesian volunteers working together to help this family, said Dian Taylor, chair, president and CEO of Artesian. Christmas in April is intended to be a one-day event, but Artesian volunteers always do prep work in advance to make sure we can accomplish what we set out to do give the family in need a safe, warm and dry home.

House captains Jimmy Snyder, Rick Straub and Joanne Rufft led the effort. They were instrumental in obtaining a front door and lumber donation from Home Depot and a 15% discount on garden items from Lowes. By the end of the day, the volunteers had accomplished the following:

Christmas in April Cecil County is the largest home rehabilitation organization in America. Its mission is to build partnerships to rehabilitate homes and community facilities of low-income, elderly and/or disabled homeowners so they can live in warmth, safety and independence and all at no financial cost to the homeowners.

About Artesian Resources

Artesian Resources Corporation operates as the holding company of eight wholly-owned subsidiaries offering water, wastewater and engineering services on the Delmarva Peninsula. Artesian Water Company, the principal subsidiary, is the oldest and largest investor-owned public water utility on the Delmarva Peninsula and has been providing water service since 1905.

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Christmas Comes Twice For Neighbors in Need; Artesian Volunteers Renovate Local Home

Prices rise, profits beat goals and service levels decline. Photo: Louie Douvis

So who's having a lend of whom? Victoria's electricity distributors are earning much higher profits than anticipated, as customer service levels have, for the most part, declined.

Part of their gains was good management, with tight cost control.

But a large part came from higher-than-expected revenues which enabled them to post much higher-than-anticipated returns for the fifth straight year. That in turn, signals the way spending is approved - which impacts prices paid by households and businesses - is out of whack.

Advertisement: Story continues below

In its annual review, the Australian Energy Regulator, an arm of the Australian Competition and Commission, found returns on regulated assets of the five distributors is as high as 10 per cent. In these present difficult economic times, that is the sort of return many businesses would love to achieve, especially in a regulated sector.

The review covered the performance of electricity distributors such as CitiPower and Powercor in 2010.

It also disclosed an improvement in power supply, which was largely thanks to less extreme weather than in the previous year.

Singaporean-owned Jemena was easily the most profitable of the five, earning a 10 per cent pre-tax return on its distribution sector assets, followed by Powercor with 9.9 per cent, CitiPower's 8.8 per cent and United Energy with 8.5 per cent.

The laggard was SP AusNet with 6.9 per cent.

Read the original here:
Power prices out of whack as profits beat targets

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions of Charlotte, NC (www.vrcharlotte.com) has just completed the business sale of Elite Maintenance Services (www.elitemaint.com), a facility maintenance company providing professional sweeping, cleaning, power washing and related outdoor maintenance services throughout the Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA services areas.

The seller, Rodger Blake-Ward, who VR represented in the transaction, stated, "VR Charlotte made the process seamless and worry-free. They had a handle on the entire process from the day we listed the business through screening buyers and finally through the offer and closing procedure."

Jay Offerdahl, Vice President at VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions in Charlotte, represented Blake-Ward throughout the transaction. VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte facilitated all phases of the transaction, from the initial analysis through closing. Details were not disclosed.

About VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions CharlotteVR Charlotte's only business is representing business owners in the sale of their business; confidentially, professionally and with proven results. Since 1996, VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions of Charlotte has sold more businesses for more dollars than any of the other 130 VR offices worldwide. Information about VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte can be found on their website at http://www.vrcharlotte.com and on their blog at http://www.howtosella.biz. VR Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte is located at 17250 Lancaster Hwy., Suite 601, Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information, please call 704-676-0940.

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VR Mergers & Acquisitions Charlotte Facilitates Sale of Elite Maintenance Services

The Caso Hand Held Vacuum Sealer doesn't take up a lot of room and features cordless operation. The kitchen gadget can be used for food storage as well as for preserving wine.

Wine and dine with the Caso Hand Held Vacuum Sealer.

Cluttered kitchen countertops don't exactly scream out for new gadgetry. Even when the learning curve is small, space may simply be an issue. So when an interesting appliance comes along, sometimes it can fall upon deaf ears. Change it up and make it into a form factor that can be held in the hand and suddenly people might start to listen.

For many, the concept of a vacuum sealer is sound, but the space the large, blocky appliance normally requires makes it a no-go. The Caso Hand Held Vacuum Sealer features a rechargeable battery and cordless operation. Docking into a base station in order to recharge, the unit also features a slim design that allows it to stand by at the ready without taking up a lot of counter space.

Included with the unit are specialized, reusable zip bags that can be used in the microwave, the freezer or even for sous-vide cooking. Not only is food storage (and food preparation) improved with the countertop gadget, but the device also includes nozzles that allow it to be used to vacate air out of open wine bottles. With its ability to make food and wine last longer, the handy gadget might not take up a lot of space on the countertop, but refrigerator and freezer shelves are another matter entirely.

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With space, vacuum sealer makes some noise