By: Edan Schultz March 3, 2015

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- On the first day of the legislative session, North Florida lawmakers are looking ahead to some of the issues at stake.

Governor Rick Scott sounded familiar themes in his state of the state address, touting an improving economy and more jobs. He pushed the same agenda he's been following for five years, calling for added tax cuts and more money for schools.

Republican State Representative Halsey Beshears of Monticello calls the K-12 funding proposal "fantastic." In previous years, lawmakers have pulled back on education funding because of tight budgets. Beshears says that's hurt rural school districts especially hard.

"All our rural counties have problems with it. They struggle financially because they don't have the property tax base to support that funding. So anytime we can get this help for the state we're going to bring it home for our rural counties," said Beshears.

As for tax cuts, Beshears says any mention of those and you'll hear the Republican house give a hearty cheer. The governor has called for lowering the tax on cable television and cell phone bills, saving the average family about $40 a year. He also wants to eliminate the state sales tax on college textbooks and a sales tax on manufacturing equipment.

Meanwhile, GOP legislative leaders have suggested they will propose additional cuts. Beshears applauds the governor's proposal to touch a broad range of taxpayers, calling it a great approach.

"I can't speak for what the leadership is going to do but they're going to try to find some common ground there and we're going to try to find some way to put dollars back in the Florida people's pockets," said Beshears.

On the other side of the aisle, State Senator Bill Montford, a Tallahassee democrat, says any tax cuts should be considered carefully.

"I'm not opposed to seriously considering any tax cut. But also think we need to go to the next step and see what will it cost us. What services will we not receive if we continue to cut these taxes," said Montford.

More here:
North Florida Lawmakers Talk Legislative Agenda

Melissa May, a natural resource specialists with San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District, stands for a portrait on Monday at her office in Aztec. (Jon Austria The Daily Times)

From left, Warren Rider, a volunteer, and Geoffrey Smith, a New Mexico State University professor, test field equipment on the San Juan River in this undated photo. (Courtesy of San Juan Watershed Group)

FARMINGTON The final results from a study of contaminants in the San Juan and Animas rivers will be presented at San Juan College on Thursday. A preliminary analysis of study samples found high levels of bacteria associated with human waste in both rivers.

"We're definitely going to have some more sure conclusions than before," said Melissa May, a San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District natural resource specialist.

The conservation district and the San Juan Watershed Group, both local agencies, are partners in the study that is seeking to identify land-use practices contributing to river contamination.

Melissa May, a natural resource specialists with San Juan Soil and Water Conservation District, works on Monday at her office in Aztec. (Jon Austria The Daily Times)

May and New Mexico State University professor Geoffrey Smith will present the study's 2013 and 2014 results at 6 p.m. in room 9008 in the Henderson Fine Arts building. Only the 2013 results have been reported.

As part of the two-year study, scientists analyzed samples collected from five sites along the San Juan and Animas rivers to test for bacteria E. coli and Bacteroides that indicate the presence of human and animal waste. They determined both bacteria are being introduced in San Juan County, and most samples tested positive for human bacteria.

Officials involved in the study have said leaking septic tanks and illegal waste dumping could be the sources of the bacteria. But New Mexico Environment Department spokesman Jim Winchester has said he knows of no evidence to support that conclusion.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what they have to say," San Juan County Commission Chairman Keith Johns said.

Visit link:
Final results of river pollutant study to be presented

Best Caregivers Room & Board (COED)8513 Avery Ct Sac CA 95828 (916) 688 - 9694 (916) 628 - 8572

Home of Serenity10408 Autumn Breeze way Rancho Cordova, Ca 95670 916-716-8664

Jackson Room & BoardA Place Called Home 2621 Edinger Ave Sac, CA 95822 4 bedroom home with 2 rooms available Rent is $650 a month, $450 for 2 (No Deposit) Includes 3 meals per day, full house privileges, utilities washer/dryer - soap provided Located near Woodbine Park, Walgreens Store, and Light Rail Station Main TV provided with cable No drugs or alcohol. Smoking is allowed outside only in front or back or ?? No Pets To schedule an interview and view the home, please contact Vernon Jackson, 916.212.8624

4535 SAN SEBASTIAN SACRAMENTO, CA 95823 TELPHONE (916) 275-6554

4611 ROOSEVELT AVE SACRAMENTO, CA 94203-3870 TELEPHONE (916) 736-2478

27 HERBOSA VISTA COURT SACRAMENTO, CA 95824 TELPHONE (916) 381-3759

6784 RANCHO PLAZA DR. SACRAMENTO, CA 95824 TELEPHONE (916) 386-2953

5210 SUMMER BROOK WAY SACRAMENTO, CA 95823 TELEPHONE (916) 393-6276

8625 OLD WOODS WY. SACRAMENTO, CA 95828 TELEPHONE (916) 689-1816

7513 MCMULLEN WAY SACRAMENTO, CA 95828 TELPHONE (916) 682-2901

Read more from the original source:
FIND A ROOM & BOARD IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY - SACPROS

The Pittston Memorial Library will have a new childrens wing and community room by mid-June.

Construction on the library expansion project is on schedule, library director Anne Hogya said.

Its doing very well, she said.

Hogya said construction should wrap up by June 15. She said the additions walls have already gone up and crews have started to install windows, getting closer every day to a new space for the librarys youngest patrons.

The 5,175-square-foot expansion will include a dedicated childrens wing and a community room featuring smart boards with video-conferencing capabilities.

The librarys current design lacks sufficient space for children to use, Hogya said, with only a small section dedicated on the main floor.

The new wing will encompass 2,500 square feet of the expansion and contain space for children to play, computers, a specific room for children and teen programming and educational murals depicting Pennsylvanias wildlife.

The new childrens wing will be outfitted with all sorts of interactive play toys for the kids, Hogya said. Well be planning more childrens programs.

The rest of the expansion will house a community room that local groups can rent and use for meetings and functions, Hogya said. It will include a main room, a small kitchenette, a coat room, wireless Internet access and a smart board, Anything you would need for any type of business or community function, Hogya said.

She added that theyll be taking reservations to rent the room within a month of so.

Read this article:
Pittston library renovations underway

Published February 18, 2015

George Clooney, left, and Amal Clooney arrive at the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif.(AP)

George Clooney and his new wife Amal are putting safety first.

Us Weekly reports the new power couple are renovating their Berkshire, England, mansion to include a panic room.

"They are having a panic room installed," a source told the mag. "It'll be fireproof, bombproof, and attack-resistant."

Why do the Clooneys feel the need for the high-security addition to their home?

"Amal has high-profile clients in controversial cases," the source revealed. "She needs to be secure."

Amal and George Clooney married in Sept. 2014 and spent their honeymoon in the 17th-century manor.

WATCH: Four4Four: Angie Harmons dress slip vs. Selena Gomezs Lolita cover

Follow this link:
George and Amal Clooney reportedly building panic room

Following stints living in New York and Los Angeles, Drybar co-founder Michael Landau and his wife, Sarah Hutnick, found themselves in a tiny condo in Corona del Mar.

Like so many Southern Californians, the couple craved more outdoor space for themselves and their Australian shepherd Samson and less time commuting to the Drybar offices in Irvine.

After searching for more than six months for a home with a backyard, they came across a 2,500-square-foot ranch house on nearly half an acre in Costa Mesa. The 1950 house was run-down, but it wasn't the house that made an impression. The couple fell in love with the land, which reportedly had been a working farm at one time.

Looking back, Landau described the architectural bones of the four-bedroom, two-bath house as "not that bad."

His contractor, however, refused to work on the house, saying Landau would never be happy with the results.

To update the property, the couple hired architect Josh Heitler, the designer and architect behind the Drybar chain of blow-dry bars. "It was one of those houses that had grown organically," Heitler said. "People kept adding rooms to the house without any real plan."

The architect agreed to the remodel, but when he traveled from his office in New York to Costa Mesa, he was dismayed to find disjointed ceiling heights, awkward roof lines and uneven floor levels. Even worse were the dark interiors lined with knotty pine wood paneling, ceramic tile flooring and dark tongue and groove ceiling planks.

From the beginning, the couple knew they wanted an open floor plan that extended to the backyard they cherished. And they wanted something timeless and modern as well as elegant and comfortable.

Over a two-year period, Heitler took the house down to the studs and reorganized the interiors. In an attempt to create a cohesive layout, he moved the kitchen, which now faces a new dining room and a living room that opens to the outdoors. The absence of walls gives the living space an informal feel and allows ease of movement from room to room.

In what proved to be a fairly straightforward update, Heitler painted the dark ceiling white and installed lights underneath the ceiling beams to brighten the interiors. Additionally, walls on either side of the fireplace were replaced with walls of glass that allow sun and fresh air inside as well as easy access to the exterior living areas. In lieu of conventional doors, Heitler hung barn doors on industrial sliders, which separate the master bedroom from the rest of the house. On the opposing wall, another set of sliders encases the television and windows, allowing them to appear or disappear as the mood strikes.

View original post here:
A Drybar founder finds room to roam in Costa Mesa home transformation

ITC is considered one of the highest bidder for Park Hyatt hotel in Goa at Rs515crore positive for ITCs hotel business as its room inventory will grow by another 250 rooms.

ITC Hotels, India's second largest hotel chain,gained over 1% to Rs395.35 on the BSE after it won the bid to acquire Park Hyatt Hotel property in Goa owned by Blue Coast Hotels that had been put up for public auction by IFCI.

ITC has been declared as the highest bidder for Park Hyatt Hotel located at 263-C Arossim, Cansaulim, Goa at Rs515crore. The property has total room inventory of 250 rooms.

The deal valuation stands at Rs2.1 EV/Room, which are decent valuations considering the premium five star hotel in one of the favorite tourist destination in India.

The occupancies and room rentals in Goa have almost remained unchanged for past few years in Goa. For ITC it will good addition to its overall room inventory of hotel business.

Read more here:
ITC rises on being highest bidder for Park Hyatt hotel in Goa

By JESSICA DAMICO

Staff Writer

Above: Ed Wetzel works on Metuchen Home, a pen/ink, watercolor rendering of a house in the borough, at his studio. Right: Will, an oil study on canvas by Wetzel. As an artist whose creative roots were fostered in the borough during his youth, Ed Wetzel is now sowing seeds to cultivate the aesthetic skills of others of his ilk.

A lifelong Metuchen resident and owner of The Drawing Room, a gallery and classroom space along Main Street, Wetzels passion for art has bloomed where it was planted.

It has come full circle in a sense, he said. Im very fortunate.

Acknowledging his good fortune seems to be a mantra for Wetzel, perhaps drawing students to him as much as his finely honed art skills.

One of nine children growing up in Metuchen in the 1960s, Wetzel was able to pursue his passion through a barter deal that had him cleaning the pool of neighbor and celebrated artist Joan Arbeiter in return for lessons in portraiture. The well-known feminist artist, who became Wetzels mentor, would later get him a job teaching at duCret School of Art in Plainfield, where he still instructs.

And despite the uncertainty that comes with trying to make a livelihood in the arts, Wetzels parents stood behind him 100 percent, he said.

I think with that many kids, whatever you were interested in and whatever kept you occupied, they would foster, he said.

After high school, he attended the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, also studying at duCret and the Art Students League of New York. In his travels west during his 20s, Wetzel attended the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver and the Academy of Arts in San Francisco.

Read the original:
Drawing Room owner enjoys role in Metuchens artsy mosaic

DJ Roofing Solar examples of Solar Panel and Roofing work..
DJ Roofing Solar examples of Solar Panel and Roofing work..with thanks to http://www.invictadynamix.co.uk/video/business-introduction-videos/ for the intro...

By: Estelle Gillett

Read this article:
DJ Roofing & Solar examples of Solar Panel and Roofing work.. - Video

The construction of a new McDonalds Restaurant at its current location of 815 N. I-27, a project projected to cost $1 million, has boosted local building activity to almost triple last years pace.

According to the February building permit report, issued this week by the City of Plainview Building and Zoning Department, local construction during the first two months of 2015 stands at $1,207,500. That compares to just $329,291 for the same period in 2014.

For the month, total permitted construction stands at $1,160,885 with 48 permits of various types issued. At 34, the bulk of those projects are for signs. The remainder includes four demolitions, three commercial accessory structures, one commercial remodel, one garage/carport, two residential accessory building, a residential addition and one small new residential structure.

Although a spokesman for the local McDonalds Restaurant franchise was not available on Tuesday, Kelly Carpenter, Plainviews new community development manager, offered a few details about that project.

They will be constructing a new structure at the existing site, she said Tuesday. And I expect it to be a quick turnaround.

She did not have a timetable for the project. According to city records, contractor for the project is Claymoore. McDonalds Restaurant also secured permits for 25 signs for the same location.

The remaining sign permits were issued to AJA Properties LLC, for two signs at 2608 Olton Rd for Jan Alford; Hazel Hestand for Honey Bee Hair Salon at 504 S. Broadway; AAA Signs of Amarillo for 1408 S. I-27; Burns Family Trust for 1001 N. I-27 #830; and four signs at 1220 S. I-27 for Reagor-Dykes.

Commercial demolition permits were issued to Methodist Hospital Plainview (Covenant Health Plainview) for 2404 Yonkers, Gary Oliver for 2408 W. Fifth and Margaret Speck Lowe for 930 Broadway. A residential demolition permit was taken out by Wells Fargo Bank for 317 Milwee.

Emilio Arzabala received a residential addition permit for 1311 Joliet; Clifton Jernigan, residential accessory building, 1612 S. Cedar; Juana A. Garcia, garage/carport, 1110 W. 29th St.; Carl Smiley, new residential building, 411 W. 17th St.;Plainview ISD, commercial portable buildings and accessory buildings, 2600 W. 20th St. and 2501 Joliet; and Apex Collision Center, commercial remodel, demolition and fence, 2601 Olton Rd.

Excerpt from:
New McDonalds Restaurant boosts construction tally