by Joe Flanagan, 13News Now

WVEC.com

Posted on February 26, 2014 at 3:07 PM

Updated today at 3:56 PM

VIRGINIA BEACH -- Ever wonder who has the job of cleaning, restoring and refurbishing homes and buildings after fires or floods?

I trained with restoration professionals from Serv Pro in Virginia Beach. General Manager Justin Johnson and I worked at one house that sustained about $70,000 in damage from a frozen pipe.

"This used to be a full kitchen. We've had to remove the cabinets, remove the tile, we had to take up some of the floors so that way we can dry the sub-floors underneath. We had to remove some walls that were heavily saturated," said Project Supervisor Ryan Disler.

It takes a special person to walk in and do restoration work.

"It's not for everybody. We've had people that have come in and worked a couple days and just said, you know, this isn't for me," said Johnson.

Serv Pro helped clean up after an arson fire at Royster Presbyterian Church in Norfolk -- a project that lasted a year and a half and cost o$1.1 million.

See the original post:
Joe's Job: Home Restoration Professional

The Attorney General's office has filed a lawsuit against a restoration company that victims say took their money and didn't follow through.

Tony Lopez can look around his 45-year-old Montopolis home and see plenty of things that need repair.

"My cabinets need fixing for sure," Lopez said.

He says it was appealing when two people representing themselves as Castro Property Restoration told him free government money was available to restore his home. All he would need to do is sign a form and pay $99 dollars. They even offered to put him up in a hotel until the work was complete.

"I said that sounds good. That sounds real good," said Lopez.

Lopez gave them $49 dollars as a deposit, but did not sign any forms. Castro representatives gave him a receipt and flyer. Lopez then did some checking. He first called FOX 7. We advised him not to pay any more money and to call the Better Business Bureau.

"He told me don't do anything. Don't sign no paper. Don't fool with them no more," Lopez said.

Rosa Fabien did pay the $99 dollars and sign the forms. She even loaded all of the contents of her home into pods the company brought out for her. But she had a bad feeling about it and unloaded all those items. She still hasn't had a chance to put it all back inside.

Fabien says Castro employees threatened her when she backed out.

"They said if I break this contract that I could go to jail and they could go to jail too," she said. "You know, I got so scared."

Continue reading here:
AG's office files lawsuit against Austin restoration company

A government of technocrats is expected to be in place next week. Outgoing housing minister Ibrahim Mehleb, onetime member of president Hosni Mubaraks now dissolved National Democratic Party, was asked on Tuesday by interim President Adli Mansour to form a new government.

Mondays resignation by prime minister Hazem Al-Beblawi and his entire cabinet took analysts by surprise despite the recent flurry of stories promoting Mehleb as a possible replacement for Al-Beblawi.

Hani Mahmoud, the outgoing minister of administrative development, told reporters he had been summoned by phone on Monday morning to attend a rescheduled cabinet meeting. It began with prime minister Al-Beblawi briefly informing ministers that he had decided to resign to make room for the appointment of new blood. Most cabinet members were taken by surprise. We assumed the weekly cabinet meeting had been rescheduled so the prime minister could fly to Nigeria on the same day.

Al-Beblawi, said Mahmoud, informed his cabinet members that he had told Mansour on Sunday that his government had completed its job having worked to contain the violence that exploded after 30 June, improve security conditions and hold a referendum on the newly-drafted constitution. I think we can be proud of what we have achieved. Now it is the time for a new government to take charge, Mahmoud cited Al-Beblawi as saying.

According to cabinet spokesman Hani Salaheddin, the prime minister told the cabinet meeting that the coming stage in Egypts life is critical and that a new government was required to implement the second stage holding presidential and parliamentary elections of Egypts post-30 June political roadmap.

Speculation that a wave of industrial action in the last two weeks hastened Al-Beblawis departure is groundless, says Abdallah Al-Sinnawi, a former editor of Al-Arabi newspaper. These suggestions might furnish some kind of official excuse but the fact is the extent of strikes has been wildly exaggerated. They are limited and have caused little disruption to daily life.

It is far more likely, says Al-Sinnawi, that the government was forced to resign.

He points out that Al-Beblawi has been noticeably opaque about the reasons behind his decision. Al-Sinnawi does not rule out the possibility that the military, led by Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, orchestrated the cabinets removal.

Al-Sisi is expected to run in the presidential polls and it could easily be that the generals concluded a new government, presided over by a younger and more energetic prime minister like Mehleb, would best serve Al-Sisis presidential agenda.

A team has already been assembled to run Al-Sisis campaign, says Al-Sinnawi. From what I hear it includes Mubarak-era foreign minister and Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa as political advisor and the outgoing minister of youth Khaled Abdel-Aziz as executive director.

The rest is here:
Cabinet vacancies

Construction is scheduled to start in March on a $131.5-million bridge over the Tennessee River in western Kentucky that will replace the aging Eggners Ferry Bridge.

The old bridge was shut down after a cargo ship struck it, taking out a 322-ft span in 2012.

Fort Worth, Texas-based Johnson Brothers Corp. won the bid for the new four-lane bridge that will carry U.S. 68/Ky. 80 traffic over Kentucky Lake at the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area.

Gov. Steve Beshear (D) in a Feb. 11 statement called the bridge and a companion replacement span over Lake Barkley "a priority of my administration."

With 2,800 daily vehicles, the bridge is the only Tennessee River crossing in Kentucky. During the four months it was closed, motorists had to take a 90-minute detour.

Designed by Michael Baker Inc., the basket-handle bridge, which will replace the narrow, two-lane structure built in 1932, will be 3,611 ft long, with a 550-ft main span.

It will include shoulders and a 10-ft pedestrian-bicycle lane. The total project length is 9,080 ft, with four approach spans totaling 1,409 ft on the west side, five approach spans totaling 1,653 ft on the east side, a 550-ft lagoon bridge and 2,400 ft of causeways.

It will have a vertical clearance of 67 ft and a 502-ft-wide navigational clearance span, says Keith Todd, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesman.

The schedule calls for traffic to be moved to the new bridge by December 2015, although six to 10 months of finish work will remain after that, he adds.

The lagoon bridge and causeway work is under way in a $25-million project awarded to Jim Smith Contracting, Grand Rivers, Ky. The contract includes about $7 million for load testing to aid the main crossing's pier design, Todd says.

Read more from the original source:
Bid Awarded For Replacement Of Struck Kentucky Bridge

26 Feb 2014 13:29

Fixed fire stations under threat as cabinet member admits they are not part of Surrey County Council's future ambitions

Fire engines operating "not from fixed fire stations" but dispatched while out doing community work is the ambition of Surrey County Council, it has emerged.

The vision came out as the council's cabinet member for community services, Helyn Clack, answered questions at a meeting on Tuesday (February 25) over the future fire coverage in east Surrey, but her answer applied to the rest of the county at a time when the authority is looking to cut fire stations.

Surrey currently has plans to shut depots in Staines, Sunbury, Walton and Esher, and replace them with two new stations, as well as moving fire engines from stations in Reigate and Epsom to new bases.

Mike Sawyer, vice chairman of the Banstead Village Residents Association, asked questions on studies that went into locating new sites and criticised Surrey's consultation into the matter.

Responding to the questions, Cllr Clack, outlined the work that had gone into Surrey Fire and Rescues forward plan, before adding: "Our ambition for the future is to operate not from fixed fire stations but use fire engines for community work and dispatch them when theyre out and about, so they can be mobilised from anywhere."

A spokesman for Surrey County Council later said that this was what the authority would like in an "ideal world" but that it did not necessarily mean it would come to pass.

Richard Jones, secretary of the Surrey Fire Brigade Union, said: "I can't think of what an alternative to fixed fire stations would be.

"You've got to have a base. You can't be on the road all day.

See the original post here:
Future of Surrey fire stations in doubt

Karl Strauss Brewerys Sorrento Valley site is undergoing a remodel, triggering the layoff of 67 employees last month.

The brewery plans to rehire the laid off employees once the remodel is finished in late April. Its also looking to add an additional 30 to 40 workers to bring the total at the site to about 100, says Melody Daversa.

To fill those spots, the brewery is holding a series of job fairs Feb. 27-28 and March 3-4 at the nearby San Diego Tech Center Tenant Conference Room, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

The $1.5 million project will leave the koi pond and gardens intact, and the new design will be similar to what the company has done at its newer locations in 4S Ranch, Temecula, and the tasting room at the main brewery in Pacific Beach, says a spokeswoman.

For more information, go to http://www.karlstrauss.com/aboutus/jobs/SMHF14.html.

Read the original here:
Karl Strauss Holding Job Fairs as Remodeling Changes Staffing Needs

Houston, TX (PRWEB) February 25, 2014

OMI-Plus is excited to announce that they are currently in the process of remodeling their OfficeMakers location. Because of this, they will be having a huge sale to celebrate.

OfficeMakers is located at 1455 W. Sam Houston Parkway, Houston, TX 77043. This location is in the process of being remodeled. Excess inventory has been moved to OMI-Plus to make room for the remodel. OMI-Plus is located at 6605 Roxburgh Drive, Ste. 300, Houston TX 77041.

To celebrate this new remodel, OMI-Plus will be having a huge sale. For more details, call 713-983-6122. In addition, the excess inventory being held at OMI-Plus during the remodel will be on clearance. Customers do not want to miss out on this chance to find quality office furniture at discounted prices.

OMI-Plus is looking forward to the completion of the remodeling of their OfficeMakers location. Once it is finished, they will be inviting all their customers to come down and check out their new and improved showroom. To learn more about OMI-Plus and their ongoing remodeling, give them a call or visit their website.

About the company: OMI-Plus is a family-owned and operated business providing customers with quality, affordable new office furniture, used office furniture and home office furniture. OMI-Plus is committed to providing their customers with high quality products and superior service. With a combined 118 years of experience in the office furniture business, OMI-Plus is the premier choice for any office furniture need. They have a huge selection of furniture to suit any style or taste. Stop by and visit their impressive showroom in Houston featuring the best in new and used office furniture. From new cubicles to bookshelves, OMI-Plus is perfect for any home or business. OMI-Plus is located at 1455 W. Sam Houston Parkway N. Houston, TX 77043. Call them at 713-983-6122 or visit their website for more information.

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OMI-Plus Makes Way for Remodeling

Washington - Washington Community High School's Babcook Field will be covered in turf, not grass come next fall.

Five out of seven District 308 board member approved the installation of artificial turf and a new long-jump runway.

Proposals to construct new tennis courts, a new wrestling and physical education room and an air-conditioning system also passed.

The total cost of the renovations will be $2.8 million with $2.5 million coming from a bond.

Dr. James Dunnan says the additions are a step in the right direction.

Our bonding rate is really good which meanswe were able to borrow the money at a really good rate for our taxpayers. We are just excited to get this going and move forward."

Construction of these projects will begin near the end of the school year. The football fields, tennis courts and air conditioning system are expected to be finished by fall.

Original post:
Washington Community High School Remodeling

Friday, February 21, 2014 2:14 am Friday, October 23, 1998 12:00 am

Locker room theft continues Editor's note : This is the third story in a weekly series about personal property crimes in the area. Last week: Valuables stolen from cars

When students use locker rooms in an athletic facility, the belongings left in the locker might not be there when they come back. They can be victims of theft from locker rooms because the rooms are often empty and clothing and valuables left behind are good bait for thieves.

"With all of the (belongings) left behind in locker rooms, it's like walking into a candy store for a thief," said Rich Lorenzo, building coordinator for Rec Hall.

A Macbook Pro laptop and a necklace worth $1,650 combined were stolen from a locker Tuesday at the YMCA, 677 W. Whitehall Rd., the State College Police Department said.

While the temperature outside may be getting warmer, students using Rec Hall's gym facilities may find themselves out in the cold.

Personal possessions, including coats and gloves, are being stolen from both locked and unlocked lockers in Rec Hall on a weekly basis, said Karl Stine, athletic equipment and facility worker at Rec Hall.

Lockers at Rec Hall are provided free of charge in the locker rooms. Students, however, must provide a lock.

Some accounts have Bo Schembechler distributing stacks of newspapers with instructions for his assistants to cover the walls of Iowa's visiting team locker room.

Others attest Schembechler used butcher's paper to shield his players from the walls, slathered in a color dubbed "innocence pink." Either way, the legendary Michigan coach hated the locker room and the psychological effects it had on his players.

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Friday, October 23, 1998 12:00 am

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