EUFAULA, Oklahoma -

Construction is well under way on a different style of lake living.

It's like what you would see in Seaside, Florida, and unlike what you'd normally see with most new neighborhoods under construction.

On a beautiful spot along Lake Eufaula, something unique is taking shape.

"Similar to what you've seen out of the best neighborhoods between 1890 and 1940," said Grant Humphreys, Carlton Landing.

Carlton Landing is under development on Eufaula, introducing what's called new urbanism to life on the lake.

"We haven't seen it done in this region, so we're bringing in world-class design talent, into Oklahoma to redefine the lake experience and provide people with a great quality resort option," Humphreys said.

All of the cottages, with their large front porches, are built close to the street or with access to boardwalks, with the intent of creating a pedestrian friendly and more neighborly environment.

"New urbanism is just a way of designing communities around people instead of just the automobile," Humphreys said.

"I love the fact that you park your car and you really don't have to get back in your car again until you have to go into town here," Jen Humpreys said.

Read more here:
Development On Lake Eufaula Puts Emphasis On The Past

Agencies/Abuja

Crowds of protesters took to the streets of the Nigerian city of Potiskum yesterday over a deadly market attack last week, with a church and classrooms burnt and police firing tear gas. More than a thousand protesters, including traders and clerics, took part in the demonstration in the northeastern city hit by a bomb-and-gun attack last Wednesday at a busy cattle market that killed at least 34 people. Bonfires were set amid the protests and a crowd of youths also vandalised military checkpoints while heckling soldiers manning them in anger over troops failure to foil the attack. At least one church and a number of classrooms were burnt by what police described as miscreants who took advantage of the protest. Police fired tear gas and shot into the air as demonstrators sought to march to the palace of the towns traditional ruler and moved closer to regional police headquarters, witnesses said. No one was reported wounded. Some miscreants took advantage of the peaceful demonstration to go on a rampage, said Moses Onireti, police commissioner for Yobe state, where Potiskum is located. They burnt a church and three blocks of classrooms in a primary school nearby. We have arrested three suspects in the attacks. The police have succeeded in restoring normalcy. Protesters expressed frustration with authorities inability to stop violence in the city. The government must as a matter of urgency fish out the perpetrators of this crime and ensure that they are appropriately punished. This is our demand, said one protester. Demonstrators also held prayers at the scene of the killings. We call on God to expose the criminals that attacked this market and killed people in cold blood and destroyed means of livelihood, said Muslim cleric Goni Yahuza, who led the prayers. Frustration has been growing over violence in Nigeria, hit by scores of deadly attacks blamed on Islamist group Boko Haram. Potiskum has been among the areas hard hit by attacks attributed to the group, and it was included in a state of emergency declaration by President Goodluck Jonathan on December 31. The attack on Wednesday night, said to be the work of armed robbers, was in reprisal for an incident earlier in the day, when a gang sought to rob the market but were fought off by traders who caught one of the attackers. The man who was caught was doused in petrol and a tyre was placed around his neck before he was burnt to death, according to police and residents. Gunmen armed with explosives returned later in the day, burning the market to the ground and killing at least 34 people, whose bodies were taken to a local hospital. Authorities have said the death toll is likely more than 50 because the families of some victims buried them without taking their bodies to the hospital, but firm numbers have not been established. Separately, gunmen yesterday attacked a vehicle carrying staff from a local construction company in northern Nigeria, killing a Nigerian and a Lebanese worker and kidnapping a second Lebanese man, police said. The attack occurred in a village called Kakeyi, in Kaduna state, where they were working on a water project. We suspect this incident was more about armed robbery than kidnapping, said Kaduna state police spokesman Aminu Lawal. Police have commenced investigation into the incident. Kidnapping is big business in Nigeria, mostly in the southeast oil-producing regions, and hostage-taking for ideological reasons is also a growing threat in the largely Muslim north. A British and an Italian hostage were killed by their captors in March during a rescue at tempt by British and Nigerian forces in northwest Nigeria. Islamist militants claiming to be Al Qaedas north African wing released a video in March claiming they were holding a German taken from the norths main city of Kano in January. Boko Haram has repeatedly denied being involved in those kidnappings.

Police estimate that 5% of those killings are acts of vigilante justice.

Read the original post:
Church burnt in Nigeria protest

The oldest church in Lehigh, one that several other churches started their ministries in before building their own churches, is in financial trouble and a spokeswoman for the church said the board of elders and the congregation have decided they have to put the church and the property up for sale.

"We can't continue like this with the finances the way they are," said Ada Thompson, the moderator of the First Community Congregational Church at 200 Leeland Heights Blvd. She speaks for the board and the members of the church. Pastor Deb Frysinger is the pastor.

Thompson said the church has a clear mortgage with no liens against it but that normal expenses and other unexpected expenses like problems with air conditioning and an unexpected problem with the septic system plus other bills have put them in a position of spending more money than the church is taking in.

If it continues, Thompson sees more serious financial problems ahead.

"We have to pay our bills," Thompson said.

Other churches in the area are facing some of the same problems. In fact, Thompson said a church closed a few weeks ago in the Buckingham area because of financial problems.

Thompson also noted that the congregation and those who attend are not able to give offerings to the church like they were before the 2007-08 dip in the economy.

"But most are giving what they can," said Pastor Frysinger.

The First Community Congregational Church was named "First" because, according to Thompson, it was the very first church constructed in Lehigh back in the late 1950s. Those who founded the church are deceased today.

"Those 30 or more people worked hard to build this church. After it had been constructed, there were other church groups in Lehigh who wanted to erect their own churches.

View post:
Money problems plague Lehigh’s first church

Staff Writer

A nearly century-old church and school on Laney-Walker Boulevard could fall victim to the wrecking ball this week, despite efforts by historic-preservation groups to save them.

Demolition of the former church and school buildings could begin as soon as today, despite preservation groups' efforts to save them.

MEG MIRSHAK/STAFF

The auditorium of the former Immaculate Conception School on 11th Street is set to be demolished, along with two classroom buildings and the former sanctuary. After its establishment in 1913, hundreds of children in the Laney-Walker neighborhood attended the school.

Preston Tutt, the vice president of Tutt Contracting Inc., said the demolition of the Immaculate Conception buildings is pending clearance that all asbestos has been removed.

A single-story classroom building facing 11th Street would be the first to go, possibly as soon as today, followed by a two-story classroom building, the former sanctuary and the auditorium.

After the concrete parking lots are removed, grass seed and mulch will be spread to cover the lot, Tutt said. Crews worked Monday to prepare for the demolition.

The church and school were established in 1913 by the African Missionary Fathers of the Catholic Church. Over the years, Laney-Walker neighborhood children of all faiths were educated by Franciscan sisters and lay people.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah moved the schools operations to Telfair Street in 2009. Since then, the diocese has been unable to sell the property, which was listed for close to $550,000, and the buildings continued to deteriorate.

Read the original:
Historic church, school set for demolition

EAST KNOXVILLE, Tenn (WVLT) -- Members at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Knoxville worship like those at many other churches in East Tennessee, but they do it in their fellowship hall instead of the church's sanctuary.

"It was a hard time, that December the 6th. You know, I've been a member since 1964. It was just something that we had to get over, but with the church family and everything we fought through this," said Warren Scott, a member of the church.

On Sunday, the church held a groundbreaking for its new sanctuary, which will be built where the old one stood. Seven Christian education classrooms will also be built.

"Modern, up-to-date, we'll be able to do radio, television. Anything that they're doing today,we'll be able to do," said Reverend Leroy Franklin.

Children participated in the groundbreaking too - dropping stones from the old church into a golden can.

"The can will be placed in the display and there will be some information about it. And when people ask what does it mean, then we'll be able to tell the story of how they helped to clear the ground and building for the future," said Franklin.

Reverend Franklin says the new sanctuary will be wider, offer more seating and have a taller cross. Members are excited for it, but say even so, it's not where they worship that counts.

"It doesn't matter to me where we have church at - as long as we get together and be together and praise the Lord," said Qiana Bennett, a church member.

Worship will continue in the fellowship hall until July 2013, when the new sanctuary is expected to open.

Reverend Franklin says construction will cost the church about $3.4 million, with insurance covering most of it.

Follow this link:
Church holds groundbreaking ceremony for new sanctuary

Members of Bethel Baptist Church watch the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a sanctuary on Sunday. Construction is expected to be completed by 2013.

TUSCALOOSA | It's been 10 years since the leadership of Bethel Baptist Church first started dreaming of a new, larger sanctuary next to its existing church on 30th Avenue in West End.

On Sunday, that dream took a big step toward fruition.

The Rev. Schmitt Moore, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, broke ground on the new sanctuary with other church leaders as church members celebrated the ministry's expansion. The new building, which will be built adjacent to the existing church, will be about 16,000 square feet and hold about 564 people in the new sanctuary. Construction will take about a year to complete. The church received a loan for construction through Capstone Bank.

This is a great milestone for us, and we are wonderfully blessed, Moore said.

The expanded church will help Bethel Baptist serve the community in a better way, he added, with more space for more members.

The expansion has been a long time coming, said Leon Brown, a deacon at the church.

This is what the building is about, the church's ministry to the community, Brown said. We are here thanking God for this opportunity.

The current church building was built in the 1960s and before that was located near DCH Regional Medical Center. Church member Lucille Owens has been going to Bethel Baptist her entire life and was part of the group that helped the church get built in its current location more than 40 years ago.

I'm very excited about the new building. It's going to be beautiful, Owens said. It's been a long time coming but it's a great day here.

Read the original here:
Bethel Baptist Church breaks ground on its new sanctuary

The Lofts at Farmers Market is fully constructed and occupied, but legal woes continue for the five-story, 58-unit luxury apartment building developed using city money.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has found "the appearance of both folly and favoritism" in the city's decision to allow a building contractor to withdraw its $7.33 million construction bid and then alter it upward it after the contract was already awarded.

The appeals court sided with Rochon Corp., a construction contractor that made a bid for the project, and against the city of St. Paul in a lawsuit. Rochon maintains the city violated its own bidding procedure when it awarded a construction contract to Shaw-Lundquist, the company that completed the $8 million building in February. Three appeals court judges have agreed.

The decision, filed Monday, May 7, effectively orders the city to sever its contract with Shaw-Lundquist, but it gives little to no indication of how to do that. The building is already complete.

"What effect this ruling has on the project is unclear," Jeffrey Wieland, an attorney with Fabyanske, Westra, Hart and Thomson P.A., the Minneapolis law firm representing Rochon, wrote in an email Monday. "Tenants have started moving into the building, but there may be progress payments and retainage still outstanding for Shaw- Lundquist and its subcontractors. That money cannot be paid on a void contract. More litigation on this project is possible."

Joe Campbell, a spokesman

In a later email, Campbell added: "Projects like the Lofts at Farmers Market are a key component to enhancing vibrancy in the city."

The ruling is the latest curveball for a project that has had its share of struggles. The city acted as developer of the Lofts project, which overlooks the Lowertown farmers market, after a previous developer and construction team parted ways and dropped the project.

The city put out a request for bids in November 2010. Shaw-Lundquist won the contract with a bid of $7.33 million. The contractor quickly realized it had underestimated costs by $619,000 and told the city it had to withdraw from the contract. Instead, the city invited Shaw-Lundquist to rejoin the project and allowed it to add $89,000 on top of the $619,000, for a total contract of $8.04 million.

The city attorney's office pointed out that after the revisions, Shaw-Lundquist's bid was still lower than those of its competitors. Doran Construction bid $8.29 million, the Sand Companies bid $8.39 million and the Rochon Corp. bid $8.72 million. Other bidders, Stahl Construction Co. and Morcon Construction Co., bid even higher sums.

See original here:
St. Paul: Appeals court rules against city in downtown lofts bid

Stage 2 watering restrictions begin Monday in San Marcos.

City leaders are tightening down on water use as a result of the quickly dropping Edwards Aquifer levels.

In the last month, officials say the aquifer has dropped nearly 20 feet.

We are seeing daily declines of over one foot in level. This requires we rigorously conserve our water to slow the decline and the resulting spring flow decreases, Executive Director of Public Services Tom Taggart said.

Under Stage 2 restrictions, residents can use sprinklers on one designated day each week before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m. It also limits watering at golf courses, new pools and power washing pavement.

Officials say San Marcos receives about 20 percent of its water supply from the Edwards Aquifer. The other 80 percent comes from Canyon Lake.

Waste of water is prohibited.

Irrigation with sprinklers and automatic sprinkler irrigation systems is allowed only one day per week on the designated weekday between the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight. The designated weekday is as follows:

Monday for addresses ending in 0 or 1 Tuesday for addresses ending in 2 or 3 Wednesday for addresses ending in 4 or 5 Thursday for addresses ending in 6 or 7 Friday for addresses ending in 8 or 9

Hand watering is allowed on any day and at any time.

Link:
San Marcos enforces Stage 2 water restrictions

McClatchy photo/courtesy Erica Berger

Pam Kueber, in her retro kitchen, shares resources and tips on great finds for home renovation.

When it seemed like everyone was outfitting their kitchens with granite countertops and Sub-Zero refrigerators, Pam Kueber was on the hunt for steel cabinets.

Ten years ago, Kueber and her husband bought a 1951 ranch house in Lenox, Mass., with ugly plastic tiles in the bathroom and a 1970s kitchen that was showing its age. But rather than bringing the house up to date, she wanted to take it back to its mid-20th-century character.

A communications professional with a degree in journalism, she put her reporting skills to work on ferreting out sources of vintage materials to renovate her mid-century home. Five years into her search, she struck gold: a set of aquamarine Geneva steel cabinets in what was once a cooking school run by nuns in New York City.

Her experience prompted her to start a blog to share her research with like-minded souls. Today her Retro Renovation blog, retrorenovation.com, attracts about 220,000 readers a month and is the go-to site for homeowners with a passion for restoring mid-century homes.

Kueber shares resources and tips on great finds, like the stash of 1960s tile a guy in Mansfield, Ohio, found recently when he was cleaning out a contractors house. Its like Whac-A-Mole, she said of the constant chase of the latest bonanza.

The blog celebrates what Kueber calls mid-century modest homes, houses like hers that sprang up across the United States in the wake of World War II. Unlike the chic, glass-walled atomic ranches that are revered as the epitome of mid-century modern style, these are the simpler Colonials, ranches and split levels that housed a much larger segment of the postwar population. Now many of them are housing young homeowners, who can afford their modest prices and appreciate their vintage style.

Her blog sometimes addresses high-style mid-century homes, but I write about pink bathrooms and knotty pine kitchens more, she said in a recent phone conversation. And more than write about them, she touts their appeal.

Visit link:
‘Mid-century modest’ homes see a resurgence

By Philip Chua

YES, billion microorganisms! Thats not a typo. Thats how many unwanted and potentially dangerous bugs there are on average in almost any kitchen. So, it is not the bathroom that is the germiest in any home; it is the kitchen!

The germs are everywhere in the kitchen, from sink sponges countertops, cutting boards, kitchen utensils, refrigerators to sinks, towels, and even stove tops.

The cleaning sequence is obvious, even before learning about this scientific fact in the intro above: do the kitchen first before doing the bathroom. And of course, proper hygiene is observed by washings hands well, or by taking a shower, if desired, after cleaning the bathroom, especially the toilet bowl.

Significantly minimizing the bacteria in the kitchen, if not eliminating them, can be achieved with meticulous washing with soap and water. Using chemicals, like lysol or other kitchen toxic cleaning solutions sold in the market today, is not safe. Long term use of these household chemicals has been suspected to be hazardous to health, possibly linked to some metabolic illnesses and cancers afflicting people, including non-smokers.

A safer chemical alternative is Acetic Acid (regular, common vinegar), which could help minimize bacteria after the areas are washed with soap and water. Vinegar also dissolves some of the mineral deposits (from water) on pots and pans and sink, bath tubes and shower areas. One part vinegar and nine parts water (10 percent solution) is an effective mixture.

Sponges used for cleaning dishes are the items where the greatest number of bacteria are found, especially when they are stored wet in a dark place. A sunlit area is better for hygiene. They must also be washed thoroughly after each use. The washed sponges could then be sterilized some more by microwaving non-metal sponges in a microwaveable container with water for a couple of minutes once a week. They could also be soaked in vinegar solution for about 20 minutes every week, rinsed and dried. Sponges should be replaced at least once a month, or sooner depending on use. Wash cloths should be washed daily. Putting sponges in dish washer is not enough, thats why vinegar soak is helpful.

Remember that when you use sponges or towels on the countertops, dishes or pots and pans, you could be merely transferring the germs from the sponges and towels to those items. Therefore, make sure that your hands, the sponges, and towels are clean before using them on washed utensils, etc.

This germ-transfer practice is obvious among those food handlers at restaurants, who are gloved but use their hands to touch countertops, tongs, their body parts, and then the bare food items, like sandwiches, etc. Unless these individuals are as conscious and aware that the clean gloves are strictly for touching the food items, like surgeons gloved hands are limited to touch the sterile (germ-free) operating drapes and body

organs, the food will be contaminated, in spite of the gloves, when improperly used. Also, if the same pair of gloves are used for more than a couple of hours, they too, like bare hands that are not washed within an hour, accumulate bacteria. Water is a super solvent and cleaner.

View original post here:
Billion germs in your kitchen