FORT COLLINS, Colo. - A former Occupy Fort Collins protester convicted of burning down an upscale apartment building under construction must pay $7.5 million in restitution.

The Coloradoan reports that 37-year-old Benjamin Gilmore and prosecutors reached the restitution agreement before a Thursday court hearing. The money will go to victims and owners of both Mason Street Flats and nearby Penny Flats, which was already occupied at the time of the October 2011 fire.

It caused more than $10 million in damage.

Gilmore, a beekeeper, was sentenced in December to eight years in prison for criminal mischief and 6 years for burglary -- sentences to be served concurrently.

Gilmore has maintained his innocence. He claims that a transient man set the fire.

"I believe the truth will prevail and we will see justice some day -- maybe not in this court, but maybe in the court of appeals," Gilmore said at his sentencing in December.

The Gilmore case attracted national attention because he supported demonstrations at an Occupy Wall Street encampment a block away from where the fire was started. Occupy activists were protesting against economic inequality and government policies favoring the wealthy.

The 2011 fire caused an estimated $10 million damage to a four-story apartment complex that was under construction and the occupied Penny Flats condominium and retail building next door.

Gilmore's first trial ended in a hung jury in September 2012.

But a second jury convicted him of arson, burglary and criminal mischief.

Visit link:
Arsonist agrees to $7.5M in restitution

A four-story apartment building that was under construction in Vancouver was gutted by an early-morning fire Friday that will likely take another 12 to 24 hours to burn out, said Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli.

Once it cools down, she said, investigators will be able to get around the site to examine what might have sparked the two-alarm fire at the complex, at Southeast Tech Center Drive and Redwood Circle.

"It is a total loss," she said.

It is too early to say whether the circumstances are suspicious, she said.

The fire spread quickly through the wood-frame construction complex, which had drywall up in only a small area, she said.

About 40 firefighters from Vancouver and Camas responded to the fire, she said, which was reported around 3:15 a.m. Natural gas helped fuel the flames until a utility crew shut off the line.

No one was injured.

Investigators plan to review video footage from surveillance cameras around the site, she said.

Witnesses told KATU they heard an explosion and saw the sky turned orange.

-- Staff and wire reports

Read the rest here:
Vancouver apartment building under construction a 'total loss' after early-morning fire

VANCOUVER, Wash.

Fire destroyed an apartment building with about 90 units that was under construction in Vancouver.

The fire broke out about 3:30 a.m. Friday and went to two-alarms as it brought the four-story structure to the ground.

Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli told KOINflames forced firefighters to take a "defensive approach," pouring on water from outside.

Natural gas helped fuel the flames until a utility crew shut off the line.

There are no reported injuries.

Scarpelli says investigators looking for the cause of the fire will likely bring in a dog trained to detect any accelerants. She also says investigators may ask for assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Witnesses told KATUthey heard an explosion and saw the sky turned orange.

Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.

Original post:
Vancouver fire takes down 4-story apartment building

Published: Thursday, June 19, 2014, 12:01a.m.

Plans to build a 46-unit, low-income senior citizen apartment building have been put aside as Westmoreland County Housing Authority officials look to construct a $6 million headquarters in Hempfield.

The authority will seek to borrow cash to finance the office building, which will replace an aging, 30,000-square-foot structure that houses the agency's 60-member administration and staff.

We're excited to continue on with what we set out to do on our 55 acres of property, said authority Executive Director Michael Washowich.

The authority last year completed construction on an $11.5 million senior citizen apartment building on its grounds. All 45 units of South Greengate Commons are filled, prompting officials to plan for a companion building with as many as 40 apartments for low-income seniors.

Officials said the $11 million project would be funded through the sale of federal tax credits, but late last week the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency rejected the authority's plan.

Washowich said the authority will submit a second application to fund the project early next year. The delay will push construction back by at least a year and into 2016.

In the meantime, the authority will move ahead with construction of its headquarters building. The project was first proposed several years ago during initial plans to convert the agency's wooded acreage south of Route 30 in Hempfield.

Our existing building is in tremendous need of rehabilitation, Washowich said. By reducing the size of the building and making it energy-efficient, it makes much more sense to build it new.

The 24,000-square-foot structure will face the existing headquarters building.

Continued here:
Senior housing units on hold in Westmoreland County

........................................................................................................................................................................................

Several interesting items in this column: First, about 15 years ago, I wrote a column about how Ziploc baggies filled with water will deter flies. I read a piece about how it was tested at a Midwestern university. It really works. You fill the bags with water, and if you want, put a few pennies in the bag, although that isnt necessary but a lot of people do it. Then, tape the bag to a door, window or anywhere else you dont want flies. It has to be someplace where it gets sunlight, as the light in the water causes the flies, which have many eye facets, to see double a hundred times over and they get really confused and dont know where they are and leave the area.

There are a lot of restaurants that put these bags on poles in their outside dining areas. It also works in barns and other places where flies like to congregate.

So if you have flies and you want them somewhere else, hang some Ziploc bags with water in the area. If you want to catch the flies, put out a bowl of vinegar with some sugar in it and you will catch a bunch of them. Either way is much better than using pesticides that do more damage than good.

On a scary note, I was in a large, well-known restaurant recently talking to them about how they can do their own pest control. Oddly enough, their regular pest control company was there servicing the restaurant while I was there.

Richard Fagerlund.

That wasnt on purpose, simply just coincidence. I watched this fellow as he was spraying pesticide with an aerosol can along baseboards, around tables and even in areas where women were working. It was totally unreal and this is a very well-known large company. After he left, we looked in closets and there were sticky traps full of roaches that this fellow never checked. It may have been one of the worst pest services I have seen in a long time.

There were lots of German roaches in areas the fellow never looked or sprayed. I showed the folks how to spray the roaches with a mixture of alcohol, water and soap, and the roaches were dropping all over the place. I showed them several other things they can do to solve their problem, such as pheromone traps and they will do so. First, they are going to cancel the service of the company that was there.

On another occasion, I was called downtown to give someone an opinion on a termite inspection he had. It was an apartment complex with four buildings that had crawl spaces.

The company gave him a bid of over $4,000 to treat all the buildings. When I went out there, it was clear the company never even went under the buildings, as most of the crawl-space openings were either blocked or just not accessible. The fellow said that when he mentioned that the bid was too high, the company offered to reduce it to $2,500 and just treat under the building and not around the perimeter. This is, of course, totally illegal.

Excerpt from:
RICHARD FAGERLUND: Bagged water creates double-vision-plus havoc for flies

V Patios Inundados de Pestilencia
V Patios Inundados de Pestilencia.

By: Sal Martnez LLanes

The rest is here:
V Patios Inundados de Pestilencia - Video

Carports and Patios
Contact Us 0418 881 489 0422 661 550 info@carportsandpatios.net.au.

By: Ronei Daselva

Read the original here:
Carports and Patios - Video

A Pro Pressure Washing Houses, Driveways, Patios etc YouTube1

By: APro Pressure Washing

See more here:
A Pro Pressure Washing Houses, Driveways, Patios etc YouTube1 - Video

IN THE CLUBS FOR for 6/20/2014

ROCK

Around the Corner. 18616 Detroit Ave., Lakewood; 216-521-4413 or atccafe.com. 6/20 Friday: Jacob Plazer and the Good People. 10 p.m. 6/21 Saturday: Big in Japan. 10 p.m.

Barking Spider Tavern. 11310 Juniper Road, Cleveland; 216-421-2863 or barkingspidertavern.com. 6/25 Wednesday: Marcus Whitemire. 8 p.m.

The Foundry Concert Club. 11729 Detroit Ave, Lakewood; hificleveland.com. 6/26 Thursday: Sworn Enemy.

Murphy's Ale House. 7503 Granger Road, Valley View; 216-524-2077. Music starts at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 6/20 Friday: Teaser. 8 p.m.

Parkview Nite Club. 1261 West 58th St., Cleveland; 216-961-1341 or parkviewniteclub.com. Shows: 9:30 p.m. (unless otherwise noted).Talk about creaky-floor classics. A back-street Cleveland original with live music and a kitchen that lives deliciously within its means. 6/21 Saturday: Madison Crawl. 9:30 p.m.

Vosh. 1414 Riverside Drive, Lakewood; 216-767-5202 or voshclub.com. Music at 9 p.m. unless noted. 6/20 Friday: Ed Klaehn. 9:30 p.m. 6/20 Friday: Velvet Shake. 9:30 p.m.

BLUES

Blue Rock Cafe. 5827 Darrow Road, Hudson; 330-650-2222 or bluerockcafe.com. 6/20 Friday: Scott Stuewe. 6 p.m. 6/22 Sunday: Tri-Tones. 5:30 p.m. 6/25 Wednesday: John Perrota. 6 p.m.

Here is the original post:
Patios are open at many clubs around Northeast Ohio so grad a seat and drink up

In a New Yorker magazine cartoon, a man smoking a pipe and reading a newspaper sits in an easy chair. His wife stands in the kitchen doorway. Between them, their dog stands on hind legs, dressed smartly with a top hat, bow tie, tuxedo, boutonniere and cane.

Howard, the wife says, I think the dog wants to go out.

Lately, it seems there isnt any place in public you wont see dogs tagging along with their human companions. So much so, you almost expect to see them in formal attire.

Once, a dogs place was in the home. Today, its place is almost everywhere. Outdoor festivals. Bar patios. Ice cream stands. The workplace. The National Pet Owners Survey claims more than 1 million dogs are brought to work daily, including this Friday on Take Your Dog to Work Day.

Its past the time to concede that the world has become one big dog park.

Now more than ever, people are traveling with their pets, says Jenn Fadal, owner of Wag Natural Pet Market on Davis Islands, which promotes itself as a place for Tampas pet parents. In addition to natural pet food, Fadal sells leashes and collars and accessories that help dog owners take their pups along with them wherever they go.

Theyre treating their pets like a child, like a member of the family, Fadal says. Theyre taking vacations with their dogs. And when the dogs cant go, sometimes they dont take the vacation.

Dog encounters happen almost everywhere now. Fadal remembers a day recently when she was shopping at the DSW shoe store on Dale Mabry Highway. Suddenly and unexpectedly, a French bulldog came along for a nuzzle. The owner was roaming the aisles, casually shoe shopping with le petit chien francais on a leash.

Of course, the bulldog was loving me, the pet store owner says. [To them] I smell like 500 dogs all the time.

Fadal writes about dogs-in-public issues for a blog called The Pack Mom (thepackmom.com). Along with operating the store, its a topic she knows well. Most mornings, she and her husband, Cristan, and their 3-year-old son Sebastian go for a 2.5-mile power-walk with their dogs Abe and Chico, a Labrador mix and a Chihuahua. They do the same almost every evening as well.

Read more from the original source:
Tampa area pet owners taking dogs more places than ever