To see the latest on this case, click here.

When Dennis Cantwell and Monica Wong decided to open a restaurant in San Francisco, their neighborhood of the Outer Sunset was their first and only choice. We didnt want to open anywhere else, Cantwell says. The Sunset is one of the only real communities left in the city.

The pair thought theyd found the perfect spot in a shuttered store at the corner of Irving Street and 42nd Avenue, and as Cantwell put it did everything right, confirming with San Franciscos Planning Commission, the district supervisor, and other local small business agencies that there were no barriers to their project before they signed a lease. The city issued building permits for the project, and construction began.

We were ahead of schedule, Cantwell says, when the unexpected occurred: a dispute over the meaning of a newish piece of legislation ironically, intended to help small businesses caused the city to revoke the businesss building permits after issuing them. Construction, legally, had to stop, and now its up to the citys Board of Appeals to decide if Cantwell and Wong can move forward, or if they need to start the entire process over again something that Cantwell says they might not be able to afford.

The building at 4055 Irving has been a market or a corner store since the 1940s (heres a photo), with many names over the years. In 2017, the stores current owners put it up for sale. Eventually, it shuttered completely. According to an email from the broker representing the store, at least four known quantities in San Franciscos nightlife world inquired about the space, with one confirming to Eater SF that expected costs for renovation dissuaded them from making an offer.

But to Cantwell and Wong, it was perfect. Between the two of them, the married couple have worked in spots including Zuni Cafe, A16, and Nopa (where Cantwell was wine director for seven years), and had long fantasized about opening their own place. Speaking with Eater SF, Cantwell said that the plan was to operate from noon to 9 p.m. on weeknights, maybe staying open until 10 p.m. on weekends. (Area laws would prohibit the business from operating later than that.)

Deciding on the name of Palm City Wines (Palm City was, for a brief time in the late 1800s, the nickname for the area, according to the Western Neighborhoods Project), Cantwell and Wong began to plot a menu he calls grandma food. Really simple, old-school braises, stews, and home-y dishes, Cantwell says. They hoped to transform the space into a neighborhood corner spot. But that was before they realized that some folks in the neighborhood might not want them.

When Cantwell and Wong started investigating the work it would take to transform a shuttered corner store into a restaurant, city officials told them about some legislation that the Board of Supervisors had recently passed. Introduced in 2018 by then-District 4 Supervisor Katy Tang and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, the two-year pilot program sought to shorten the permitting process for small businesses by eliminating the requirement to notify neighborhood residents if certain types of use changes were planned as Hoodline reported at the time, such as those for businesses seeking to convert a space...from a retail establishment to a restaurant.

Tangs office told Cantwell and Wong that the legislation applied to a business like theirs, and other than the neighborhood notification required by the states Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for a license to serve and sell beer and wine (a notification that Cantwell and Wong indeed sent), they were good to move forward. (Tang, who is no longer in office, confirmed that discussion with Eater SF.)

This is an important thing to note: The Planning Department agreed, approving a change of use for the space in June. Cantwell and Wong successfully applied for a Small Business Administration loan, spent over $7,000 on building permits for the space, and pooled our life savings to put down a deposit with a contractor well known for the renovation of restaurant spaces like Dear Inga. Wong cut back her hours at her teaching job, and Cantwell quit his job completely.

Cantwell and Wong began work as soon as the permits were issued on June 18. Then, an area resident sent a letter to city officials questioning the permits validity, and on October 15, the city suspended their permits, and construction ceased.

The original permits were issued in error, Planning said in a postcard sent to area residents. According to Planning, the new legislation which is known as the Small Business Attraction Ordinance Program doesnt apply to 4055 Irving Street after all. They are now saying that Cantwell and Wong need to go through the process of neighborhood notification, which could take an additional four to six months. After that, assuming the neighborhood approves, they have to start from the beginning, including paying for all-new building permits. The citys policy is not to refund revoked permits, so they wont regain their initial investment of around $7,000.

The issue is apparently the zoning on that stretch of Irving Street, which is considered by the city to be a residential district. Nearby residents argue that the legislation applies only to districts that are specifically designated as commercial, and the Planning Department agrees, admitting that the original approval was done in error. Tang, for her part, has said repeatedly that the law was intended for all businesses in her then-district, including the one at 4055 Irving Street. However, the citys lobbying laws prohibit Tang from intervening on Palm Citys behalf. In an email sent to Planning on November 4, Supervisor Safai said that Palm City is clearly a case that is meant to be impacted by our legislation. (Neither Safai nor Supervisor Gordon Mar, who currently represents D4, responded to Eater SFs request for comment.)

Thats why Cantwell and Wong are appealing Plannings decision, which they must do through the citys Board of Appeals, the agency that hears and decides appeals involving the granting, denial, suspension, or revocation of permits, licenses, and other use entitlements by various City commissions and department.

We never objected to doing a neighborhood notification, Cantwell says. We would have totally done that! We werent trying to hide anything, he says. But since the couple was told they didnt need to take that step by multiple city agencies, they didnt. The revocation of the building permits means that their SBA loan has been suspended, and weve spent all our working capital, Cantwell says. So convincing the Board of Appeals that the legislation does indeed apply to Palm City seems like their only way out.

Its worth reading this cases packet (Eater SF has placed it online here), which contains the statement from Planning, Cantwell and Wongs brief explanation of the situation, and comments of support for and opposition to Plannings revised decision that a neighborhood notification process is necessary, with many saying kind things about the pair and what the business could add to the area. We are so thrilled to hear about Dennis and Monicas vision for a family-friendly community gathering space, reads one comment from a six-year resident of the area. I strongly encourage the city to support their efforts.

There are also a number from area residents who express concerns over an alcohol business in the neighborhood, fears over drunk drivers leaving the spot, and worries that the quiet, family-oriented street will be disrupted. (Eater SF contacted a number of the opponents of Palm City Wines appeal with publicly available contact information, but none of those who responded agreed to speak on the record.)

While none of the complaints shared by the board mention things like gentrification, its hard not to imagine thats also on the minds of some folks. If you squint, the Sunset especially Irving Street can appear untouched by the wave of change thats hit the rest of the city (though the areas million-dollar teardowns suggest that the Sunset is growing more and more attractive to the citys newer residents). Both in person and on online platforms like NextDoor, locals frequently express frustration about new restaurants in which they feel unwelcome, or that they cant afford. Others complain about increased noise and activity as alcohol-focused businesses opening on neighboring streets. Theres something unmooring about living in an area for decades, then feeling it move beneath your feet, and its hard not to feel angry and powerless when it happens. Ask anyone whose lived in the Mission for more than a couple years. Theyll tell you.

According to Cantwell, however, thats exactly what Wong and he are trying to avoid. I want Palm City to be an extension of every Sunset residents living room, he tells Eater SF, noting that Wongs family is from the Sunset and that theyve lived in the area for the past five years. Its our goal to make sure that everyone who comes in here feels welcome and at home. There lies the rub, it seems, as now Cantwell and Wong have to in a certain sense go up against the very people they were hoping to serve. But its that, Cantwell says, or we lose everything.

San Franciscos Board of Appeals will meet to hear both sides at 5 p.m. on November 13, in San Francisco City Halls Room 416. The meeting is open to the public, and both sides arguments can be read here.

More:
These SF Restaurateurs Could Lose Everything Due to the Citys Mistake - Eater SF

Transportation

From imposing a tax on paid parking facilities to putting an end to distracted drivingBostonians dish on how to fix the city's relentless traffic.

Additional reporting by Spencer Buell, Jacqueline Cain, Brittany Jasnoff, and Alyssa Vaughn.

Photo by Michael Prince

John FishChairman and CEO, Suffolk Construction

When you think about ways to address the problem, to me congestion pricing is the lesser of multiple evils that are out there. Its least impactful to the public. The people who will be taxed for transporting during the high-peak hours are the ones who are actually using the roads and causing a lot of the challenges.

In London, people say that congestion is down by 15 percent with congestion pricing, and greenhouse gas emissions are down by 16 percent. In Stockholm, traffic congestion has decreased by 22 percent, and childhood asthma attacks have dropped 50 percent. New York just approved congestion pricing, and I believe the result will be equal to, if not better than, Stockholm or London.

In Boston, the impact will be substantially higher. I think data modeling will prove that this solution will have the biggest impact on congestion per dollar spent, or should I say per dollar invested. And I feel strongly that it will not have an impact on commerce. At the end of the day, its about being smart.

Ari OfsevitProgram and communication coordinator, Charles River Transportation Management Association

If you want to park your body at a hotel in Boston, you pay a state occupancy tax; if you park your car in a parking space, you dont. All the money goes to the garage, and none of it goes to the city. We can change that.

Boston is pretty much the only major city in the U.S. that doesnt tax paid parking facilities. New York, San Francisco, Chicago, DC, Miami, Pittsburgh, and other cities all tax parking at a rate of 15 to 25 percent, and, in the case of Chicago, up to 40 percent. That is money that can then be put toward additional transit, or biking and walking facilitiesthings that make it easier for people not to drive.

All thats required is a state home rule law that Boston has filed; if that were passed, cities and towns could pass commercial parking fees. I estimate that a 20 percent tax would generate more than $100 million a year. And in the long run, its a way of prompting larger developers who own surface parking lots and garages in the city to replace those empty holes with offices or housing.

Kenny YoungPersonal driver, Kennys Car

As a driver, you want to keep your speed down, naturally, for the safety of your clients, and you cant get into road rage.

I drive historian David McCullough all the time. He told me one time, Pal, you never get rattled. I see people pulling out in front of you, jaywalkers, this, that. You never do. But if youre out in traffic all the time like I am, you have to go out with that mindset. Dont get aggravated. Dont get frustrated. Turn that music on and start singing at the top of your lungs and just give it a good one. Make the best out of it! Call someone. Do books on tape. If Im really gridlocked, I pull out a little slideshow on my phone of my favorite place, Boothbay Harbor, and just kind of daydream.

Back when Michael Dukakis was governor, they used to have these bumper stickers: A little courtesy wont kill you. I want to tell Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, bring those back, and you know what, have a little smiley face and a little thumbs-up. Just as a reminder.

Photo courtesy of NECN

Sue OConnellPolitical commentator, NECN

We need to make it incredibly punitive to drive a gas car, both for our mobility and for our climate. We need to close parts of the city to regular car trafficparts of Boston, Cambridge, and elsewhere. We need to have higher fees for having cars, and a limit on how many cars a household or person can have. And we need to look at ways to automatically toll people for driving: If you drive a certain number of miles, you need to pay for that. That revenue can go into the cities, region, or state to make the roads more accessible to pedestrians, bicyclists, buses, and other public transport.

Obviously, the wealthier, more affluent, privileged folks have to shoulder more of the responsibility for this. So there would be tax breaks, or income-based qualifications, so that the people at the lowest rungs are not negatively affected in their ability to get to their jobs and take care of their kids. But we have to make pedestrians number one again. Then, any vehicle that is moving multiple people. If we put pedestrians first, make it harder to drive your car, and make mass transit free, well save the world.

Garrett HarkerRestaurateur

Eastern Standard is a late-night restaurant. So in the past, I paid for certain peoples cab rides to have a reliable workforce after public transportation stopped running. In June, we partnered with Lyft to launch the Lyft Service Worker Access Program, and my people have used the service more than 1,100 times. Its been hugely successful at three of my restaurants, and has since been expanded to five other venues in the city. For rides from the restaurant to their home between midnight and 5 a.m., Lyft pays a third, the employee pays a third, and I pay a third. Its pretty easy, and my people are getting home safely. Thats another problem you dont hear about in the restaurant business: Weve had multiple cooks over the past couple of years whove been jumped, mugged, or stabbed. Theyre traveling at that time of night when theres bad stuff happening.

At one point, Mayor Marty Walsh was going to activate certain MBTA routes for 24 hours. I havent heard whether or not that was considered a success. I guess not. It got shelved. If the city were more vibrant late at night, thered obviously be more economic pressure to figure out how to move people around or get them to work. But city regulations arent generally late-night-friendly. At the Hawthorne, I cant even have candles on the tables after 11 oclock.

Photo by Photobykim

Lee PeltonPresident, Emerson College

We know that there are a number of incentives that we can use to reduce congestion. One is through demand and congestion pricing; another is an increased tax on gasoline. We also know that the future of transportation is electrification and decarbonization. All cities should be moving toward an electric fleet and increasing charging stations within their jurisdiction.

We are moving in the direction of autonomous vehicles, and when we reach a critical mass, there wont be a need for us to own cars. We will subscribe to an autonomous driving service that will pick us up and take us where we need to go, and that will reduce congestion and redundancy in transportation. When theres a subscription service to autonomous driving, you wont even need parking garages, because those cars will be in service 24 hours a dayand those cars will be electric, so they will decarbonize our environment. Its three decades away, but were moving in that direction.

Chris DempseyDirector, Transportation for Massachusetts

Massachusetts should pilot smart tolling to reduce congestion on our existing toll roads, beginning by charging more to cross the Tobin Bridge during peak traffic hours and less at other times. Of the 10 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States, Greater Boston is the only one that does not have some version of variable pricing on at least some of its toll roads. Its long past time that we caught up with those other regions that are using this technique to better manage traffic congestion.

When Seattle put smarter tolling on the SR 520 bridge, which is very similar to the Tobin Bridge, traffic volume reduced by 34 percentand bus ridership on that bridge increased by 38 percent. They are moving people in fewer vehicles. Meanwhile, the Tobin Bridge gets jammed up for hours every day. Smarter tolling can get traffic moving more quickly, which benefits everyone who is using that road. Its different from the cordon pricing used by London and that New York is about to implement, where you draw a ring around an area of the city and charge to drive into that ring. That has long-term benefits, but would take a long time to implement; in Boston, we could pilot smart tolling in a matter of weeks, not years. All of the infrastructure and technology is in place. The ability to charge different amounts at different times was designed into the MassDOT tolling system. Weve just never turned it on. All we need to do is put up a couple of electronic signs along the highway telling people what theyre paying.

Ernie Boch Jr.CEO and president, Boch Enterprises

I would put a big effort into the physical roads; they could use a little help. I think we have too many potholes. Anybody with a really nice car, a car that drives low, has to really pick their lane or pick their route when they drive around, because you could crash those cars very easily. And its not just really nice carsyou could trash a Prius going from Boston to the suburbs if the roads are bad. Now, fixing potholes would not fix the crisis. It would just make for a more pleasant experience. But if youve got to be on the expressway, and its bumper to bumper, at least give me a smooth ride.

Courtesy Photo

Kristen EckTraffic reporter, WBZ NewsRadio

From 900 feet in the air, I marvel at how people are able to put up with the traffic day after day, especially going into Boston. Its amazing that more people dont lose their minds sitting in that.

One thing thats become very obvious in this day and age, with the skyrocketing cost and scarcity of real estate inside of Route 128, is were never going to see another major highway built in the city. Most cities have given up on that idea. So building our way out of the problem in terms of more roads is not really a viable solution. If you cant add roads, then you have to subtract cars somehow. Employers should be coming up with ways to either help their employees work from home or help them defray the cost of a monthly MBTA pass. Is there a way to create more incentives for businesses to say, You know, it would be really nice if we had our workers ready to work on time, and theyre not on the edge of a meltdown because they just sat in traffic for over two hours? I would think that has some kind of value to an employer, to have happy workers who are ready to do what theyre supposed to be doing on time.

Mary ConnaughtonDirector of government transparency, Pioneer Institute

The I-90 viaduct replacement project is a great opportunity to improve the movement of tens of thousands of people coming to Boston from the westbut it must be done in a way that minimizes disruption and makes good to those affected.

The current plan would sink the turnpike 6 feet or so, elevate Soldiers Field Road, create a new station for the Worcester commuter-rail line, and improve pedestrian and bicycle access. They say its an eight- to 10-year project, and it could take longer. During the construction, the turnpike will go from four lanes to three or even two. The commuter rail will go from two tracks to one at some points. That will slow down people coming into Boston every dayand have a negative impact on the surrounding neighborhoods in Allston and Brighton, as people get off the Pike to avoid this. Instead, the state should reconsider lowering the turnpike, because building at grade would be a faster production cycle than doing another elevated structure. And doing this project as quickly as possible will reduce this massive disruption.

The inconvenience of turnpike construction will be a huge opportunity for the MBTA and MassDOT to get people off the road and onto that Worcester line. But if it isnt providing better service, it will be an opportunity missed. They should expand commuter-rail service during construction, and never go down to a single track. Also, use public-private partnerships to increase parking near the rail stations. As part of mitigation, they should redesign spots such as Newton Corner, where cars trying to exit back up into travel lanes. People coming from the west should not endure 10 years of construction and then face the same bottlenecks.

Scott FersonPublic relations strategist, Liberty Square Group

In traffic management, there is a great focus on pavement: car lanes, bike lanes, merging lines. But there is seemingly almost no attention to signage. What signs there are tend to be governed by random geography, not useful directions or likely destinations. Hop onto 128, and signs direct you to Burlington. Why Burlington? Wheres Burlington in relation to where Im going? If you dont know, good luck.

The signage process clearly doesnt involve anybody who knows how to communicate with customers. Signs seem to be written by engineers, and thats not a good idea.

My pet peeve comes when getting onto a secondary road from the highway, trying to anticipate whether I have a right-hand or left-hand exit. I fight my way to the right, only to find that I need to move several lanes to the left instead. Im causing more delays for everybody, not to mention incurring their wrath. Give us a hint, please, before the last moment.

Ana Cristina FragosoGeotechnical civil engineer, WSP USA

We need to remove a lot of the commercial vehicles from the main roads. Not just the big freight trucks, but also the single-home-heating-unit trucks, the medical-waste trucks, and smaller delivery vehicles. Its really hard for them to get around: Restrictions on commercial traffic keep them out of tunnels and off bridges, and the geography of Bostons roads forces them onto even smaller streets. It becomes a big backup. We need alternative commercial corridors of some kind.

There are some dedicated lanes now, but they are few and far between, and they are not thoroughfares. We need more utility corridors; maybe ferry service specifically for commercial vehicles. You can also look at rail, which handled a lot of freight traffic in the old days. But thats more for economies of scaleits not likely today to work for a small-business owner who runs a heating business.

Moving commercial trucks onto alternative routes would ease traffic congestion and also be beneficial for business owners. Theyre paying that driver to sit in traffic, losing money on salary, fuel, and maintenance for the vehicle.

Reverend Laura EverettAuthor, Holy Spokes: The Search for Urban Spirituality on Two Wheels

As somebody who regularly travels around the city by bike, I have a front-row seat to the distracted driving of many Bostonians. Ive seen people texting, watching video, Snapchatting, and playing Pokemon Go! Its this wild competitiveness and productivity we feel here; if there is a down moment, you feel like you should respond to a text or check on a score. That distraction means you are not paying attention to the people around you, and that negligence can be deadly.

If were going to cut down on collisions that both endanger people and add to our massive backups, we need to look at the people who can do the most damage, and far and away that is when we are behind the wheel of a car.

Interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity. Additional reporting by Spencer Buell, Jacqueline Cain, Brittany Jasnoff, and Alyssa Vaughn.

Read the original post:
How to Save Transportation in Boston: Cars - Boston magazine

At 65 comments and growing, the community reacted to the project update. The City Council approved the project in 2017.

"This is a terrible idea from the start, and it's just gotten worse" Billy Bouchillon of Covington wrote.

"Great, more apartments to bring more crime," Melissa Roberts of Covington commented.

August 2016

Mayor Ronnie Johnston took the unanimous vote needed for the city to enter into an agreement with the Foxfield Co., of South Carolina, for the sale of 99.74 acres of land, located along Alcovy and City Pond roads. Foxfield sought to buy an additional 86-acre parcel for future development as demand expanded.

The vote came after the project was on and off for two years.

The resurrected mix-use development project called Project Phoenix because it grew out of the ashes of the earlier Project Kitchen Sink included a proposed 900-seat movie theater, 264,000 square feet in office space, 760,000 square feet in retail space, over 18,000 square feet in restaurants, an 840-room hotel plus green space and preserves.

January 2017

The city approved a zoning change and special zoning overlay district for the proposed Covington Town Center, previously called Project Phoenix.

The council unanimously approved the rezoning of the property from heavy industrial to corridor mixed-use and the proposed zoning overlay district. The property is broken into three separate parcels, totaling 179.53 acres of land.

The zoning overlay district makes isolated requirements for the property that are not typically required in a corridor mixed-use zone. The requirements can include signage height or style, landscaping or architectural design.

May 2017

The city unanimously approved a construction performance agreement for the Covington Town Center project, moving it forward another step.

October 2017

The city unanimously approved the rezoning of property on the corner of Alcovy Road and Highway 142 for a new retail center. The property, which had 5.486 acres of land, had sat development, and the developer had planned to bring commercial, retail and returns to the area. The project was to be a "sister site" to the Covington Town Center project, which was located across the street, according to Eric Johansen, of Universal Planning and Development and representative of Southpoint Land Co. in the rezoning.

February 2018

A stop-work order had been issued on the Covington Town Center project, after trees were removed beyond the approved areas, which allowed sediment into a state waterway.

Link:
Covington Town Center to begin construction by March - Covington News

Since opening its doors in 2011, Binghamton Hots has been catering to the food needs of Binghamton University students in Downtown Binghamton. Now, the restaurant is seeking to expand and establish a new location on campus.

BU has a history of bringing local restaurants onto campus, including two of the Marketplaces long-standing inhabitants: Tullys University and CopperTop Pizzeria. A meeting on Nov. 8 between Sodexo representatives and Binghamton Hots discussed the possibility of the restaurant coming to Vestal.

Binghamton Hots owner David Whalen, 05, said he believes a campus location is the next logical step in the business progression.

Binghamton Hots has been open Downtown going on nine years, Whalen said. Our business model was created to serve our students living Downtown. So when we kind of looked at how to expand the business, it makes a lot of sense for me, in terms of the evolution of the brand and business, to have a campus location up at BU.

In 2017, Binghamton Hots was ranked the second-most iconic college town restaurant across North America by Spoon University, only two years after being named one of the 10 best college town burger restaurants by College Magazine. The restaurant is known for its famous Hot Plate, a rendition of Rochesters famous Garbage Plate. It is comprised of a combination of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, home fries and macaroni salad, topped with a homemade hot sauce.

According to Whalen, Binghamton Hots has made previous attempts to open a location in the Marketplace but was unsuccessful because of a lack of available space. However, with the construction of the Hinman Dining Hall, a new opportunity opened for the restaurant to come to campus.

The conversation has kind of switched [from the Marketplace] to the new Hinman Dining Hall complex, which was supposed to be under construction already but has been delayed pretty significantly, unfortunately, Whalen said. But that being said, they are looking for a stand-alone concept to put into that space.

The process for deciding what restaurants come to campus starts with applications submitted through the Sodexo website. The application process for the new Hinman Dining Hall is currently underway, according to Jim Ruoff, resident district manager for BU Dining Services (BUDS).

[BUDS], along with the Student Culinary Council and other groups, are doing surveys and capturing other data to see what type of service would best fit in the facility, Ruoff wrote in an email. This is ongoing and will continue through next semester. Once a decision is made about restaurant type we will then have a collaborative discussion with stakeholder groups as to what brand is the best fit in our community.

Teresa Liu, a junior double-majoring in business administration and economics, said she believes that Binghamton Hots would be a great fit in the new Hinman Dining Hall.

I am excited to see how this venture plays out, Liu said. I think that it is a good idea to incorporate more local vendors on campus, especially one that is so popular [among] students. I hope that Bing[hamton] Hots is able to find a home on our campus, as it not only offers unique menu items but also provides a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan options.

Although no decision has been made yet, Whalen said his meeting with Sodexo was positive.

They were very receptive, Whalen said. We talked for probably an hour afterward answering their questions. It was a really good meeting. [What] I got from it was, we like this idea. Wed like to find a way to move forward, its just logistically difficult at the moment until things become more clear with the Hinman [Dining Hall] situation.

Read the original post:
Binghamton Hots seeks to expand with BU location - Binghamton University Pipe Dream

LINCOLN, Neb. In less than two weeks Buffalo Wings and Rings will close in the Railyard.

November 29th is the restaurants last day open downtown, after the Nebraska vs Iowa game theyll say goodbye to the space for a new one in south Lincoln.

Weve got a lot of regular customers before football games and so thats a little sad to see that go but we are incredibly excited from all the reception weve gotten from the south side of town, said Michael Barton one of the owners of the restaurant.

Their new location near 40th and Old Cheney is smaller than the Railyard one but the open concept and layout means they will be able to hire 50 more people.

Itll feel bigger, its a bigger open space which we like, said Barton. Itll be very comparable to our location thats on 68th and O Street.

They hit a snag in construction with a rainy April and Many, pushing the new locations opening back about a month.

Were really pushing to get open the first few weeks of December, said Barton. More than likely it will hit the first week of January.

Barton says hes had many regular share memories from the Railyard location in the past few months and hopes the new location will be a staple in the south side of town as well.

Wed like to see a lot of regular faces and any new faces that want to come see us until we close, said Barton.

Buffalo Wings and Rings was the first restaurant in the Railyard, its unclear what will be taking over the space in the future.

Original post:
Buffalo Wings and Rings set to close Railyard location Nov 29th - 1011now

Driving along the Carlisle Pike, you can see new buildings cropping up, along with bulldozers and for lease signs.

And theres more development slated for the Carlisle Pike, one of the most heavily traveled roads in the region.

From one end of the pike to the other, several shopping centers are sprouting up. At the Park Inn by Radisson Harrisburg West in Hampden Township, a 15-acre Beltway Towne Center is proposed with 11 stores.

On the western end of the road, Aldi is constructing a store due to open soon at site the former Fire Mountain Restaurant in Silver Spring Township. Nearby, a small shopping complex is planned for the area in front of Kohls with room for three retailers including Sleep Number and Supercuts.

Closer to Camp Hill, one developer is eyeing luxury apartments and one-bedroom studio houses with retail and restaurants around the Hampden Terminal.

Yet the Carlisle Pike is merely a snapshot of whats happening in Cumberland County. The countys population growth is fueling an injection of new retail and redevelopment. And its driving concerns over traffic and whether the area is growing too rapidly.

Its definitely a time of exciting prospects and opportunities for growth, said Cumberland County Commissioner Gary Eichelberger.

But he warned, "When you have growth at this clip, what you have is a danger of impacting the attractiveness that was the original magnet for the people. It has the prospect of detracting from the community.

The former Bon Ton in Lower Allen Township is being torn down to make way for a hotel. Nov. 15, 2019. Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com

Among the projects underway is the redevelopment of the vacant Bon-Ton and Borders stores in Lower Allen Township which will bring in a Springhill Suites by Marriott hotel and possibly shops and more restaurants to the area. In East Pennsboro Township, new restaurants, including First Watch, Starbucks and Olive Oil Grille, have opened at the Camp Hill Commons off of Erford Road.

A new Penn State Health acute care hospital is under construction off of Wertzville Road in Hampden Township, and new restaurants are slated to open in Camp Hill and the Capital City Mall in Lower Allen Township.

The area near Wertzville Road and Technology Parkway has been booming with development in the last several years, including the UPMC Pinnacle West Shore hospital, as well as new Weis Markets and Giant Food stores. With those bigger projects, an assortment of smaller tenants from Burger King to Supercuts have arrived as well.

Not all of the projects have been met with overwhelming support.

In Camp Hill, residents have voiced concerns over the Chick-fil-A proposing to put a store at the last, major undeveloped commercial crossroads in the borough. The Lemoyne Borough Council rejected a change in zoning to allow convenience stores in a certain section of the borough, which ultimately blocked a new 7-Eleven from opening.

With so much redevelopment underway, many Cumberland County residents are asking: Has the area reached critical mass?

I think its a good problem to have and probably something which we should be thankful for, but we are pushing ourselves to the limit," said Jennifer Hoover, a Camp Hill resident and an opponent of the Chick-fil-A project. We cant necessarily sustain what we have and continue to build new upon new."

An Aldi is being constructed on the Carlisle Pike in Mechanicsburg. Nov. 16, 2019. Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com

Growth fuels interest

Kirk Stoner, director of planning for Cumberland County, said the spurt of development isnt surprising.

I think we are seeing an uptick recently in economic development and I would say its related to our population growth, Stoner said.

Last year, Lebanon County had the biggest population spike in the state but overall in the past decade Cumberland has been the fastest growing county in Pennsylvania. Its population jumped 6.8 percent from 2010 to 251,423 residents, according to U.S Census data.

By comparison, neighboring Dauphin County, which is growing faster than many Pennsylvania counties, has seen a 3.3 percent bump since 2010. Dauphin still has more residents (277,090) than Cumberland.

What attracts residents? Stoner cited amenities like good schools, low taxes and crime, as well as proximity to such urban areas as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York.

We are holding our own, and when you have more people in a county, the private sector starts to take advantage, Stoner said.

Naturally, population-dense areas, such as the West Shore and Carlisle, witnessed the most economic development. In fact, Carlisle has been one of the leaders in recent years, Stoner said.

Twenty-eight out of 59 commercial building permits issued in the county in 2018 were dedicated to Carlisle, according to county data. The county seat, home to Dickinson College and the Army War College, has witnessed several new restaurant, hotel and retail openings, including several breweries.

Meanwhile, Hampden Township has also undergone extreme growth and been a hub of development, with a mix of single-family homes, apartments and townhomes, Stoner said. Just when it appears Hampden is done growing, another section is developed, he said.

One of the most drastic and eye-opening redevelopment projects on the Carlisle Pike happened after a former Kmart closed. The owner of the building turned the space into a Hobby Lobby, Steinmart, Marshalls and Homegoods, and a Metro Diner opened nearby as well. The stores opened in 2017 and 2018.

Eichelberger said they are witnessing phenomenal growth, all of it different. Some is happening in towns such as Mechanicsburg, where new retail stores are opening while traditional shopping centers are thriving. In addition, he said planned communities such as Arcona in Lower Allen Townshp and Legacy Park in Mechanicsburg are attracting more residents.

Jim Koury, CEO of RSR Realtors in Lemoyne, said that when retailers want to come to the Harrisburg area, many times one place stands out.

If you have a national retailer thats coming and they do all their demographics clearly theyre going to identify the Carlisle Pike as where they want to be, he said.

He added major retailers study demographics and traffic patterns when considering areas. Other factors such as income level also comes into play.

According to Census data, Cumberland County has one of the highest median income levels in the region. From 2013 to 2017, the average median income was $65,544, compared to $61,142 in Lancaster County and $57,071 in Dauphin County.

A solid economy and low unemployment rate are also driving economic development, said Thomas J. Mallios, president of Commercial Realty Group in Lemoyne.

Right now, things are moving along. The market is good right now and I hope it stays that way, he said.

He recently signed tenants to a new four-unit retail complex on the Carlisle Pike in Hampden Township. The center, constructed at the former Evergreen Chinese Restaurant near TGI Fridays, has signed on Dental, Dentures, and Implants; La Bella Sicilia; and The Lash Lounge.

The 1,700 square-foot La Bella is targeted to open in December and will showcase authentic Italian pastries, gelato, pizza and coffee. Everything about the bakery, from the cannoli to the lava rock tables, will be imported from Italy.

Co-owner Giampiero Faraone said the areas demographics, including a diverse population and higher income level of residents, appealed to them. Originally, they had eyed Florida but were not impressed. In the end, they settled on Cumberland County.

This area has many ethnic and multi cultures. They have been transplanted from many parts of the world. We want to share our experiences and products from far away that doesnt exist here, he said.

A rendering of what luxury apartment units proposed to be built behind the Hampden Terminal would look like.

Room for more?

You hear it all the time: Just what we need, another strip mall.

One concern is whether the volume of new retail can be sustained by the region.

Camp Hill residents have adamantly complained a proposed Chick-fil-A will create more traffic and safety issues in an already heavily-congested part of the county. The boroughs planning commission is scheduled to vote on Consolidated Properties final plan at its November meeting.

Developer Jonathan Bowser, a managing partner with Integrated Development Partners, LLC, in Wormleysburg, said the county is under-served by restaurants and demand exists for affordable housing.

His company proposed the Hampden Terminal project, which will transform a corner of the Carlisle Pike at St. Johns Church Road in Hampden Township.

Plans for the first phase - 120 luxury apartments behind the existing Hampden Terminal in the 400 block of Carlisle Pike - were submitted to the township several months ago. Meanwhile across the street, the second phase will include a mixed-use building with one-bedroom studio apartments and a mix of retail.

Its a prime corner. I may be biased but I think its one of the more attractive corners in the county. Theres just a lot happening, theres a lot of rooftops nearby, said Bowser, a former chief executive officer of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation.

He emphasized the site isnt attracting the same retailers as other projects in the county.

Ours is more of a neighborhood site, Bowser said, adding some of the other sites are courting national retailers.

While no leases have been signed for his project, he said there has been interest among restaurants and specialty stores to bring new concepts. Many see the demographics and growth and are attracted by the fact independent businesses like Cork & Fork Osteria and Ever Grain Brewing Co. are doing well, Bowser said.

Mason McClellan, director of real estate development at the Cumberland County Area Economic Development Corporation, doesnt feel like Cumberland County is missing anything when it comes to retail.

"I would say we're really well served along the spectrum of goods and services," he said.

But he notes that it does vary in different parts of the county, especially in the western part where there are fewer retail choices.

Gary Nalbandian, a principal and real estate agent at Lee & Associates -- and a developer -- said even while the Carlisle Pike may seem overcrowded with retail, its not like bigger cities where roads are overwhelmed with businesses.

"I think there is still room for specialized uses on the Carlisle Pike," Nalbandian said.

While the Harrisburg region is home to plenty of Giant, Weis, Karns stores, one segment missing on both sides of the river is a premium grocery store such as a Whole Foods or Trader Joes, he said. A Whole Foods opened last year in Lancaster County.

He said that complexes like the new Camp Hill Commons in East Pennsboro Township, which has a number of restaurants, are more common in other suburban areas. And he thinks that we will start to see more complexes like it.

PENNLIVE.COM

Staples, at right next to PetSmart, closed on March, 2018 at 5850 Carlisle Pike. The changing face of Carlisle PikeApril 3, 2019. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Why so many vacancies?

Spaces that once housed Staples, Ollies Bargain Outlet, Just Cabinets, Dicks Sporting Goods, Dress Barn and Toys R Us all sit vacant on the West Shore.

It can be puzzling why so many new stores are opening when there are a number of vacancies.

Some closings have more to do with how the business is operated, along with timing and location, experts say. A Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant that closed last year didnt fare well because it was set back off the Carlisle Pike, while the nearby Dukes Bar & Grill West, directly off the pike, is doing well, Bowser said.

A lot of the time you dont always understand the backdrop to why those storefronts are vacant. A lot of times there is a story behind it and the story isnt necessarily that the economy or community couldnt support it, Bowser said.

Directly across the Carlisle Pike from the proposed Beltway Towne Center is the Gateway Square shopping complex. Of its more than 25 storefronts, several are vacant, including a former GNC, Avenue store, Touch of Color Flooring and Grocery Outlet. Next year the number will climb to nine when Outback Steakhouse relocates to the Capital City Mall. And the number doesnt count the nearby Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant.

Gateway Square has always had a problem with vacancies because of how far back it sits off the Carlisle Pike, Nalbandian said. In addition, he said, it has never had a strong anchor store.

But with all the vacancies there is always a chance to bring in new tenants. He points to the Colonial Commons shopping center in Lower Paxton Township where they filled several vacant spots with new tenants including Hobby Lobby, HomeGoods and Tuesday Morning.

You always have a revolving door of restaurants and retailers reinventing themselves, Bowser said.

In some cases, retailers such as Ollies relocated to a more visible spot at the former Hhgregg along the Carlisle Pike.

Ashley Homestore, a 13,190-square-foot furniture store at 6484 Carlisle Pike in Silver Spring Township, is under contract, according to a real estate listing. The furniture store is planning to open in the old Dicks Sporting Goods.

Newer is better if they can get into a superior location, Koury said.

The future

Retailers will continue to eye Cumberland County. But the demographics dont suit all types of retail.

Some much-desired brands such as the Cheesecake Factory are looking for stronger demographics, close to 200,000 residents within a five-mile radius, Mallios said.

When it comes to growth, Nalbandian said Cumberland County might be on par with Dauphin County but the place where retailers show up first is Lancaster County. All of the retail starts in the big city, and Lancaster Countys close proximity to Philadelphia helps make it a popular place for retailers in central Pennsylvania, he said.

No matter what, planners like Stoner said municipalities have done a good job of maintaining a quality of life and not growing too rapidly.

He added Cumberland County is a tale of two counties, with the bulk of the growth happening on the eastern end while farmland preservation is a focus on the western side.

We recognize the impacts could last forever, so the onus is on us and our municipalities to mitigate those impacts the best we can, Eichelberger said.

He added the county has undergone significant growth for decades and it cant last forever. But he said the county and municipalities are looking to the future and managing the growth, including traffic.

We shouldnt be scared of growth, Bowser added.

In some parts of the state, he said school districts, municipalities and police are failing while drug issues plague towns. The reverse of development is stagnation, something Bowser said he views as undesirable.

I think when our communities grow it keeps us more solvent. Theres a lot of communities in Pennsylvania that would die for growth, Bowser said.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.

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As Cumberland County grows, a wave of restaurants, hotels and retail arrives - PennLive.com

Want to get a jump start on upcoming deals? Meet the major New York City players at one of our upcoming events!

While Asthma Alley may sound like a term for a dusty 18th-century corridor from a classic British novel, it is actually the nickname for a place that more than50,000 New Yorkers call home. The Bronx neighborhood of Mott Haven has some of theworst air pollution levels in the U.S., and its residents are hospitalized for asthma-related illnesses atfive times the national rate.

Along with cars, buses and other outdoor pollutants, poor indoor air quality is a major contributorto respiratory illnesses in the Bronx.

Nearly one out of every five children in the Bronx has asthma, said Keith Kinch, co-founder and general manager of BlocPower, a Brooklyn-based energy technology startup. We believe that installing modern air source heat pumps in the boroughs multifamily buildings could go a long way toward reducing that number.

BlocPower has teamed up with Con Edison to help Bronx building owners replace their oil heating systems withenergy-efficient heat pumps that can help improve indoor air quality. Through this partnership, BlocPower installs heat pumps in Bronx buildings for no upfront cost. Instead, owners make fixed monthly payments to BlocPower over time.

Bisnow spoke with Kinch to learn more about the benefits of heat pumps and why he believes they are a smart choice for multifamily buildings in the Bronx and beyond.

Bisnow: How do heat pumps work?

Kinch: Most people are likely familiar with heat pumps already. Refrigerators are heat pumps. Air conditioning units are heat pumps. They are a tried-and-true technology that uses electricity and refrigerant to move heat from one place to another. BlocPower offers a different technology cold-climate air source heat pumps. These systems can heat and cool buildings year-round in a more energy-efficient way than traditional systems.

In the winter, pumps will move heat from outside your building to inside the building and are two to three times more efficient than any boiler-based heating system. In the summer, they will pump heat out of a building and are 25% to 50% more efficient than conventional window units.

Bisnow: How can these systems help communities like the Bronx?

Kinch: For one, savings. Many Bronx building owners spend thousands of dollars on wasteful heating systems, and they lack the upfront capital to install energy-efficient alternatives. Heat pumps are efficient and low maintenance. They include smart monitoring systems to ensure they are operating efficiently all day, every day.

Secondly, health. The Bronx is well known for having one of the highest asthma rates of any area in the nation. This is due in part to pollution and housing conditions. Heat pumps are healthier than the boiler-based systems that are in many Bronx homes because they include filters that allow them to deliver purified indoor air into buildings. They are also a form of non-combustion heating; they run on electricity and avoid carbon emissions, unlike an oil heating system. This can mean cleaner air and lower asthma rates for the entire community.

Bisnow: Aside from the potential health benefits, are there other ways heat pumps impact building residents?

Kinch: Heat pumps can help improve tenant satisfaction. They act as an all-in-one heating and cooling system in each tenant's unit, allowing them to control the temperature and set it for their specific comfort level year-round. Also, their airflow is steady and quiet as a whisper, while oil heating can be very loud and come out in bursts.

Bisnow: How can underserved communities afford to make the switch to heat pumps?

Kinch: Through our partnership with Con Edison, BlocPower has made it possible for building owners to install these systems for no money down and start saving right away.

BlocPower finances and maintains these systems, allowing owners to make a predictable, low monthly payment to the company that is typically lower than their current oil heating and maintenance bills. These lower operating costs translate to a higher net operating income. Buildings that become more energy-efficient can see an increase in value of 44%.

We believe these systems can make a real difference. This is why BlocPower is gathering hundreds of millions of dollars from private financial partners to finance heat pump installations in the Bronx and throughout the country.

This feature was produced in collaboration between Bisnow Branded Content and BlocPower. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Go here to read the rest:
Asthma Rates Are Out Of Control. Are Outdated Heating Systems To Blame? - Bisnow

Smart thermostats do more than automate a fixed heating and cooling climate control schedule. These app-enabled smart home devices make it possible to adjust your thermostat from your smartphone whether you're on the couch, at the grocery store or on vacation -- anywhere your smartphone is connected to a cellular or a Wi-Fi network. Many of these devices also work with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri now too, giving you yet another way to adjust your thermostat settings with remote access.

Some smart thermostat systems also use smart features like a motion sensor to determine if you're home or away and automatically change the temperature -- both heating and cooling -- for you. Other systems rely on a geofencing radius -- once you get a certain distance from your home, they switch to away mode and then back to home mode when you return.

To accompany these modern features, a lot of connected heating and cooling systems boast innovative designs. From a rounded shape to a responsive touch screen, today's thermostats look different than they used to.

Let's explore the available options model-by-model. We'll highlight what makes each model stand out from the rest and ultimately pick an overall winner of the best smart thermostat from the pack. Here's a list of smart thermostats we've tested recently:

Read more:Amazon Echo, Google Nest and all the best smart home gifts of 2019

The Ecobee SmartThermostat is my favorite pick for best smart thermostat available today. Yes, it's expensive at $249, but it has the performance and features to back it up -- especially if you want to talk to Alexawithouthaving to buy an Amazon Echo. If you don't want or need an Alexa speaker, the $169 Ecobee3 Lite Wi-Fi thermostat is also a great option. Read our Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control review.

Now playing: Watch this: Ecobee's new thermostat is part Alexa speaker

1:21

The Honeywell Lyric T5 costs $150, making it our choice for the best smart thermostat pick for those on a budget. I know that isn't exactlyaffordable. But it's a solid price tag for a Wi-Fi thermostat. Many models, including the Nest Learning Thermostat and the Ecobee4, cost $249. This makes the T5 a great "budget" option that works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri (via Apple HomeKit). Read our Honeywell Lyric T5 Wi-Fi Thermostat review.

Read more: The best smart home devices of 2019

The Ecobee SmartThermostat has a built-in Alexa speaker. Ask the speaker for the temperature, current weather forecast, to tell you a joke -- and to adjust the air conditioning of your smart thermostat, all without needing a separate Alexa speaker. This Wi-Fi programmable thermostat also offers mobile app integration with Google Assistant and Siri, so if you have a Google-Assistant-enabled smart speaker or a HomePod, you can control it with Google Assistant and Siri commands. Read our Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control review.

Read more:12 smart thermostats to make your home the right temperature

Read more: Nest Thermostat, Amazon Echo, Philips Hue: The best smart home tech of the decade

The Ecobee mobile app setup is straightforward and easy to install and navigate. That sounds simple enough, but so many apps make it tough to find the specific setting or feature you're looking for. Not so with Ecobee's smartphone app. And that's important because the mobile app is one of the main ways to interact with your Wi-Fi thermostat when you aren't standing directly in front of it (aside from using a voice command). Read our Ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control review.

Let's talk about testing. Smart thermostats start with the installation. Installations can vary widely from thermostat to thermostat and HVAC system to HVAC system, but there are some basic steps required for installing these devices. As always, consult a professional installer if you have any questions about the setup process. Here are the general steps:

Was the thermostat setup especially difficult to install? If so, why? Certain models require a C-wire, for example, which can complicate the installation if you don't have one. Not sure what a C-wire is? Start here.

From there, I move on to the app. Every smart thermostat has one. I download the app and create an account if I don't already have one. Then I configure the thermostat following the steps in the app. This usually means connecting to the local Wi-Fi network, giving your thermostat a name like "Hallway" or "Bedroom" and then you can start using your thermostat.

How well does the app work? Is it easy to navigate to the thermostat settings you need? Is it simple to create a schedule or enable geofencing? This factors into the thermostat's usability score, along with how simple the thermostat hardware itself is to control manually.

I also test smart home integration, especially voice-enabled systems you can access through voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri. Most connected thermostats have compatibility with at least one voice assistant and some, like the Ecobee3 Lite and Ecobee SmartThermostat, work with all three. Do the voice commands flow naturally, like they would in an actual conversation? Did the thermostat actually adjust the temperature -- heating and cooling -- according to your commands?

All of these things determine a smart thermostat's overall score and how likely I am to recommend it.

Read more:

Originally published earlier this year.

View original post here:
The best smart thermostats of 2019 - CNET

A Big Storm The Day Before Thanksgiving?

Mother Nature is a drama queen. Yes, it's been a cold November, and where are we living when 40s feel like sweet relief? In spite of a few feeble clippers, November has been storm-free and snowfall amounts are running below average, to date.

Cue the trumpets and drum roll please. Models spin up an impressive southern storm one day before Thanksgiving. It's way too early for specifics - the storm track and forecast will change over the next week. Count on it. But one of the biggest travel days of the year may be complicated by heavy wet snow close to home.

Why should any of this be easy?

In the meantime skies dry out and brighten up a little today. 50F is possible tomorrow (be still my heart) before the next storm drags cooler air into town Thursday. The atmosphere should be mild enough aloft for rain in the metro with a couple slushy inches north

The mercury flirts with 40F next weekend before cooling off Monday, setting the stage for a potential slush-fest next Wednesday.

May I please be excused?

Dueling Models. Temperature forecasts for MSP (GFS up top, ECMWF bottom). Graphics courtesy of WeatherBell.

Why You Shouldnt Heat Up Your Cars Engine in Cold Weather. A post at Mental Floss explains"...In older car models that relied on carburetors to run, frigid weather did pose a threat to engine performance. Gasoline is less likely to evaporate in colder temperatures, which would have led to carburetors failing to get the right mixture of air and fuel into the engine. This sometimes caused cars to stall out, and that's likely what led to the practice of heating up our vehicles in our driveways in the winter. But if youre driving a car that was made in the past few decades, this is no longer something to stress over..."

Near-Historical Cold During First 2 Weeks of November. Dr. Mark Seeley has interesting context in Minnesota WeatherTalk: "...As a result of the unusual cold, agricultural soils are beginning to freeze up for the winter season with frost depths in some areas already down to 6-12 inches. Lake ice cover has begun to form as well. But is still quite unsafe for human traffic. You can keep track of lake ice-in dates at the DNR Climate Office web site. One further note: the compilation of seven colder than normal months across Minnesota during 2019 (Jan-May, as well as Oct, Nov) has produced a mean statewide temperature for the year that ranks among the 15 coldest in history, a real aberration in the context of our multi-decade long warming trend in the state..."

"Dreariest Place in America?" Amazingly, it's not Minnesota! The Pacific Northwest gets top honors but parts of Appalachia come in a close second. Here's an excerpt from CityLab: "...Using a formula that takes into account annual precipitation, number of days with precipitation, and cloudiness, Brettschneider has determined that the "dreariest" place in the United States to live is ... Seattle. At least it has company. Seattle shares the dishonor of Nation's Gloomiest Suck-Pit with Buffalo, according to this index, with each city logging high dreary scores of 27. Coming in second are Pittsburgh and Portland, Oregon, followed by Cleveland, Cincinnati, Lexington, and Bostonensuring Brettschneider will now be hated on both coasts..."

Map credit: Brian Brettschneider

IBM Launches New Weather Model. Does ECMWF (European model) have a worthy new competitor? Here's a clip from CNBC.com: "In a potentially historic marriage of supercomputing and big data, IBM goes live Thursday with a global weather model that it says can provide far more accurate forecasts for the entire world. Called GRAF Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting the new model offers high resolution weather forecasts globally with a detail for areas as small as 2 miles wide, compared with 6 to 9 miles for weather models covering parts of the world outside such advanced regions as Europe, the U.S. and Japan. IBM says its new supercomputer, DYEUS, built just to run the model, will issue 12 trillion pieces of weather data every day and process forecasts every hour, while many global weather models update only every six to 12 hours..."

When the U.S. Tried to Control Hurricanes. The Wall Street Journal (paywall) had a fascinating article over the weekend that caught my eye; here's an excerpt: "...It was decided to attempt to modify hurricanes only in a safe zone far enough from coastal regions that inadvertent landfall would be avoided. In 1963, the Stormfury team decided to carry out two modification attempts on Hurricane Beulah, even though the storm was relatively weak and had an indistinct eye. On the first attempt, the seeding material missed the giant clouds, and the storm remained unchanged. On the second, the seeding was on target and maximum winds declined by 20%. A lack of suitable hurricanes for seeding frustrated further attempts to refine or ratify the hypothesis until 1969, by which time researchers had revised their understanding of the storms. Rather than trying to cause instability in the inner eyewall, they focused on injecting a massive amount of silver iodide to stimulate the formation of a second, outer rainwall that would weaken the original eyewall by cutting off its supply of heat and moisture..."

Who Is Winning the Thermostat War? CNN.com has an interesting story; here's an excerpt: "According to a 2015 paper, temperatures in office buildings appear to be based on the heat needs of a 40-year-old, 154-pound man. That gender bias actually has an effect on worker productivity. Prior studies have shown that women perform at higher levels on mental tasks when they are warmer, while men tend to function better at a cooler temperature. One study tested verbal and math skills of Berlin college students and found that increasing the temperature from the 60s to the 70s Fahrenheit improved female math scores by 15%. Men's scores dropped by 3% with the same temperature variation. Clothing didn't explain the differences -- both sexes wore T-shirts and shorts during the exams..."

Introducing the Mustang Mach-E. A story at Fortune has details: "...Enter the Mustang Mach-E, a gamble so great for the worlds sixth-largest automaker that the galloping horse on the vehicles grille is one of the few things in common with its predecessor. The Mustangs slinky silhouettelong hood, short rear deckhas been altered to accommodate the bulbous curves of a four-door, albeit still rear-wheel-drive, utility vehicle. Its signature snarl, courtesy of the internal combustion engine, has been replaced by the subtle whine of a battery-powered electric motor. (Ford will add an artificial sound for the benefit of unwary pedestrians and U.S. regulators.) Its expected to retail in the $40,000 range with a $7,500 federal rebate, a substantial premium over the $27,000 gasoline-powered base Mustang but competitive with electric-auto maker Teslas popular Model3 sedan. Its range is approximately 300 miles, also on par with the Model3..."

Photo credit: "The lines shaping the nose of Fords new Mustang MachE reserve the family likeness but drop the usual honeycomb grilleafter all, theres no internal combustion engine to cool." Photograph by Marvin Shaouni.

Wired.com (paywall) has more information on the Mustang Mach-E.

"Range Anxiety". As Electric Vehicle Use Grows, Charging Areas Lag Outside Metro. A story at Star Tribune resonated (with my own personal experience driving an electric vehicle). Here's an excerpt: "...Encouraging electric vehicle use and building the ancillary charging infrastructure is one way, they say, to combat climate change. The number of electric vehicles registered in Minnesota was 9,401 last year, more than double the number in 2017. Some 10,495 have been registered this year, although the overall number registered statewide is still under 2% of all vehicles, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. To support them, more than 300 charging stations of varying capacity are located throughout the state, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Most places to plug in are clustered in the Twin Cities metro area. Drivers outside the cities just have to try a little harder to find their electrical boost..."

Photo credit: Alex Kormann Star Tribune. "George Host charged his Tesla at the ChargePoint e-vehicle station near Canal Park Lodge in Duluth."

In 2029, the Internet Will Make Us Act Like Peasants. Oh really? Intelligencer has an eye-opening prediction: "...The structure of the internet is headed toward an arrangement the cybersecurity expert Bruce Schneier calls digital feudalism, through which the great landlords, platforms like Google and Facebook, are becoming our feudal lords, and we are becoming their vassals. We will provide them with the data-fruits of our browsing, in a nominal exchange for vague assurances of their protection from data-breach marauders. The sense of powerlessness you might already feel in the face of a megaplatforms opaque algorithmic justice and the sense of mystery such workings might engender would not have seemed so strange to a medieval peasant. (Once you explained, you know, what an algorithm is.)..."

Talking Dog. Big Think had a post that blew me away. Stella appears to have a better vocabulary than I do: "A speech language pathologist (SLP) has taught her puppy Stella to use 29 words.Stella "speaks" by stepping on large buttons programmed with recordings of words. The dog expresses her desires, comments on household events, and offers opinions. SLP Christina Hunger remarked: "If Jake and I were distracted, Stella began saying 'play' repeatedly until we threw her toy or engaged in tug of war. Stella would walk to her water bowl, notice it was empty and say 'water.' If we had finished dinner and didn't mention going for a walk yet, Stella would say 'walk' multiple times while staring at us. If her toy was stuck under the couch, she would say 'help' and stand right where she needed Jake or I to look. When our friends were putting their jackets on or were standing by the door, she would say 'bye' to them. Jake and I were simply amazed."

Image credit: Hunger4Words.

One Way to Protest a Losing Season. A story at The Washington Post (paywall) caught my eye - I guess we can all feel this guy's pain. Here are a few excerpts: "...After watching the Pittsburgh Steelers dominate the Cincinnati Bengals for the umpteenth time, all Bengals season ticket holder Jeff Lanham wanted was a little attention from his wife. Instead of grabbing her attention through conventional means, Lanham winked at a friend, who had joined him at his sports bar in Milan, Ind., about 40 miles from Cincinnati. Then he jokingly proclaimed he would live on the roof of the restaurant if the Bengals lost to the Arizona Cardinals the following week Since Oct. 7, the day after Cincinnatis loss to the Cardinals, the 42-year-old father of two adult children has only taken half a day off, to honor a previously arranged cooking agreement to help a family friends sick child..."

Photo credit: "Jeff Lanham and Dennis Walker, who previously waited out Bengals misery." (Lanham family).

37 F. high yesterday in the Twin Cities.

40 F. average high on November 18.

27 F. high on November 18, 2018.

November 19, 1981: Heavy snow with near blizzard conditions is observed over parts of the state. A two day total of 10.4 inches of snow was received at Minneapolis, which caused the inflated fabric of the Metrodome to collapse and rip.

November 19, 1957: Snowstorm in Southeast Minnesota. A foot is dumped at Winona. Heavy crop losses.

TUESDAY: Early shower. Cloudy skies. Winds: NW 8-13. High: 42

WEDNESDAY: Milder. Rain arrives Wednesday night. Winds: SE 8-13. Wake-up: 34. High: 48

THURSDAY: Metro rain tapers. Slushy north. Winds: NW 15-25. Wake-up: 36. High: 40

FRIDAY: Mix of clouds and sunshine. Winds: W 5-10. Wake-up: 25. High: 35

SATURDAY: Intervals of sun, a little milder. Winds: NW 7-12. Wake-up: 26. High: near 40

SUNDAY: Gray, few rain showers possible. Winds: SW 7-12. Wake-up: 29. High: 42

MONDAY: Mostly cloudy, few flurries. Winds: NW 10-15. Wake-up: 31. High: 38

Climate Stories....

Conversations, Opinions are Core to Curbing Climate Change. Check out this post at The Minnesota Daily: "...I think society has had this assumption that if you are trying to convince people of something, all you need are facts, Blumenfeld said. Its much harder than just standing at a lecture and yelling facts to an audience, then hoping that ... everyone goes home and changes their lightbulb. Scientists and educators at the University of Minnesota are finding ways to connect Minnesotans to the global conversation about climate change. This is part of an effort to explain its local impacts. University Extension, whose mission is to share research knowledge across the state, is trying to make climate change data more relatable. According to a 2019 Yale University study on climate opinion across the United States, 66 percent of adults in Minnesota think global warming is happening. At the same time, 64 percent say they rarely or never discuss it as a topic..."

Image credit: Hailee Schievelbein.

What's Driving Antarctica's Meltdown? InsideClimate News highlights sobering new research: "...Now, new research is highlighting another threat: Since 2000, moist and warm tendrils of air known as atmospheric rivers have been swirling toward the coast more frequently, bringing more rain and surface melting. Antarctica has been losing about 250 billion tons of ice annuallyin recent years, and research shows the rate has increased sixfold since 1979. At this pace, researchershavesuggested, West Antarctica's ice shelves may reach climate tipping points and crumble, sending sea level rise surging well beyond current projections. The floating ice shelves, partly frozen to the sea floor or to fjord walls, hold back vast quantities of land-based ice that could raise sea level more than currently projected if the ice's flow to the sea speeds up, said Penn State climate researcher Richard Alley..."

Arctic Outbreak May Have Toppled 400 Records, But Over the Long Term Warm Records Rule. Long-term global perspective is required, according to Capital Weather Gang: "...In Chicago, the period from 2010 to Nov. 14 of this year also shows way more record daily highs compared with record lows, when viewed as raw numbers or as a percentage basis. Percentage-wise, the disparity is 74 percent for record daily highs and 26 percent for record lows. Interestingly, the 1990 to 2000 period in Chicago had more daily record lows compared with record highs. In Minneapolis, which is often significantly affected by Arctic outbreaks, record highs are beating out record lows by 92 percent to 8 percent since 2010, the NOAA/Climate Central data shows. And in Houston, which was also affected by the current cold snap, the current decade has a 89 percent to 11 percent split between daily record highs and record lows, through Thursday..."

Climate Crisis Will Profoundly Affect Health of Every Child Alive Today, Report Says. Here's an excerpt from CNN.com: "...A warmer world means more disease, famine, early death from natural disasters such as fire and heat waves, and more major mental health problems. Everyone will be affected, but the most vulnerable will be disproportionately threatened: children, the elderly, people with underlying health conditions and the poor. "The public doesn't fully see this as a human health crisis. Maybe polar bears were our early indicator -- the proverbial canary in the coal mine. But when you talk about this crisis, the bear images should be replaced with pictures of children," said Dr. Jonathan Patz, a professor and director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved with the new report. "Children are suffering from the climate crisis. They are suffering with asthma, diarrheal disease, dengue fever. It is so important for the public to understand the climate crisis is absolutely a human health crisis..."

New Crop of Pests Invades. If you missed it, Jennifer Bjorhus's story at Star Tribune, deserves a read. Here's an excerpt: "...The spotted wing drosophila is just one of several destructive invasive insects, weeds and diseases moving in on Minnesota as climate change brings warming winters, longer growing seasons and increased rainfall. To the general public, these invasive insects may be most obvious in their destruction of trees: Eastern larch beetles have decimated stands of tamaracks, and the emerald ash borer has ravaged city canopies. But the damage to agriculture could turn out to be just as serious. The drosophila cost growers $2.4 million in crop losses and spraying costs in just one year and quickly forced some Minnesota fruit orchards out of business, according to a recent study. Some produce operations might be forced to install elaborate netting and other costly techniques to protect their crops. And farmers are on alert for another invader, the brown marmorated stink bug, which caused catastrophic damage to the produce harvest in several mid-Atlantic states in 2010, according to the University of Massachusetts Amherst..."

Photo credit: "Ryan Femling of Afton Apple Orchard is battling the spotted wing drosophila, an invasive fruit fly that destroys his raspberry crop." Photo by Mark Vancleave Star Tribune.

How to Cut U.S. Carbon Pollution by Nearly 40% in 10 Years. The Atlantic has the story; here's a clip: "...The research is promising. Last week, a study from economists at Columbia University found that the tax plan with the most support in Congress would slash American carbon pollution by almost 40 percent within a decade. It would outperform any Obama-era climate policy and go well beyond the United States 2015 commitment under the Paris Agreement. Theres only one hitch: the politics. There is a popular, revenue-neutral carbon-tax bill in Congress, but it is only bipartisan on a technicality. Dozens of Democrats support the plan. Its sole GOP backer is planning to leave politics..."

Photo credit: Jonathan Ernst / Reuters.

How Climate Change Will Change Kids' Reality: Climate Nexus has headlines and links: "Babies born today will face unprecedented health risks and life-long health consequences from rising temperatures, according to new research published Wednesday from The Lancet. The 2019 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, a comprehensive yearly analysis tracking the impact of climate change on human health across 41 indicators, finds that under a business-as-usual scenario, a child born today will face a world on average 4C warmer by their 71st birthday. They will face life-altering consequences including food shortages, spread of disease, lack of safe drinking water, increasingly deadly fires and floods, and increasing numbers of days across expanding regions where temperatures and air pollution make it unsafe to go outside."Without immediate action from all countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions, gains in well being and life expectancy will be compromised, and climate change will come to define the health of an entire generation, Lancet executive director Nick Watts told CNBC." (AP, New York Times $, USA Today,The Guardian, Vox, Wired, NPR, CNN, CBS, Reuters, Gizmodo, Fast Company, CNBC)

Flood, Fire and Plague: Climate Change Blamed for Disasters. Reuters connects the dots: "...In China, health officials have reported a rare outbreak of pneumonic plague after two cases were confirmed this week in Beijing. The two were infected in the province of Inner Mongolia, where rodent populations have expanded dramatically after persistent droughts, worsened by climate change, state media said. An area the size of the Netherlands was hit by a rat plague last summer. The wider implications for health are sobering. The Lancet medical journal published a study this week saying climate change was already harming peoples health by increasing the number of extreme weather events and exacerbating air pollution. A warmer world brings risks of food shortages, infectious diseases, floods and extreme heat..."

File image: NOAA.

Excerpt from:
Mostly Rain This Week - Storm (and Snow) Potential Increases Next Week - Minneapolis Star Tribune

At the same time that Rudy Giuliani and his now-indicted pals were pushing for President Donald Trump to remove Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch from her post in Ukraine, Trump administration officials were eyeing potential contenders to take over her job.

One of the people in the mix, according to three sources familiar with the discussions, was Pete Sessions, a former congressman who called for Yovanovitchs firing. He is also a longtime ally of the former New York Mayor, and is believed to have been the beneficiary of approximately $3 million in independent expenditures from a PAC funded in part by Giulianis indicted cronies, according to a federal indictment.

Yovanovitch is set to testify to the congressional impeachment inquiry on Nov. 15. The circumstances of her removal from Kyiv are of keen interest to investigators, and she has said the whisper campaign against her left her blindsided. Witnesses in the inquiry have said they believed the people who successfully pushed for her ouster wanted to replace her with someone more pliableand maybe even more friendly to their business interests.

Conversations about Sessionsand another possible pick for the job, Raul Mas Canosa, a South Florida businessman with deep ties to the Cuban expat communitycirculated inside and outside the administration from late 2018 through the early months of 2019, according to the sources. Lev Parnas, a Giuliani associate arrested last month for alleged campaign finance violations, was part of discussions about Mas Canosa with associates in Kyiv, according to multiple people familiar with the conversations. One former State Department official said U.S. diplomats in Kyiv learned Mas Canosa was in contention after a rumor about him circulated in Ukrainian political circles.

A spokesperson for Sessions told The Daily Beast he was not offered the ambassadorship or vetted for it. Mas Canosa confirmed that he was approached about taking the position.

Trump recalled Yovanovitch on April 29 after Giuliani and his allies launched a vociferous campaign against her. Yovanovitch has said she believed the people calling for her ouster wanted to replace her with a new ambassador who would help advance their business interests. Her recall generated rancor from congressional Democrats, who suspected something strange was going on. But instead of replacing her with a political ally, the Trump administration dispatched veteran diplomat Bill Taylor to the embassy there as charg daffaires.

Taylor told Congress he also sensed something was afoot, and came to believe the Trump administration was withholding military aid to pressure the country to investigate former Vice President Joe Bidens son. Democrats are investigating the scheme as part of their impeachment inquiry into Trump. Taylor testified publicly before the inquiry on Nov. 13. Yovanovitch is scheduled to testify on Nov. 15.

Sessions and Giuliani have been allies for more than 15 years, and Sessions has called the former New York mayor a friend. The New York mayor held a $1,000-per-person fundraiser for the Texas Republican in 2002, per New York magazine. And he cut a TV ad for Sessions in the final weeks of his hard-fought 2004 campaign. When theres so much at stake for our country, we need people in Congress with the character to lead, Giuliani said in the ad, according to a story from The Hills archives. Sessions, in turn, endorsed Giulianis unsuccessful 2008 Republican presidential bid and urged social conservatives to back him despite his support of abortion rights.

Ten years later, Sessions wrote a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in May 2018 citing concrete evidence from close companions that Yovanovitch had spoken privately and repeatedly about her disdain for the current Administration in a way that might call for the expulsion of her from office.

In an October indictment, federal prosecutors charged Parnas and his business partner, Igor Fruman, with campaign finance violations. Prosecutors allege that the two men acted as straw donors for a foreign government official and gave money to a political action committee that has given up to $3 million to re-elect Congressman-1, widely reported to be Sessions.A Sessions spokesman, however, believes that the committee never used that money to help reelect the Texas Republican. We have found no evidence it was spent, a Sessions spokesman told The Daily Beast.

The indictment alleges that Parnas and Fruman sought Congressman-1s assistance in causing the US. Government to remove or recall the then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. The two allegedly sought Yovanovitchs removal at the request of one or more Ukrainian government officials.

Since-deleted Facebook posts show Sessions met with Parnas and Fruman on Capitol Hill on May 9, 2018. He sent the letter calling for the State Department to fire Yovanovitch on the same day.

Since the Ukraine scandal broke, a federal grand jury in New York has subpoenaed Sessions for documents related to his interactions with Giuliani, Parnas, and Fruman, including the effort to have Yovanovitch recalled.

Mas Canosa confirmed to The Daily Beast that he had been approached earlier this year to serve as ambassador to Ukraine but declined to say by whom. He said he has never met Giuliani, Parnas, or Fruman.

I really didnt feel I was a good fit, he said. While I certainly was probably not a top choice, if I had been asked to serve I would have done so out of love of country, period, end of story.

Mas Canosa indicated he had concerns about Yovanovitch.

She was not serving the president well, from what I was told, he said of Yovanovitch.

Mas Canosa, a former Wall Street investment adviser who now runs a firm called Gladius Consulting, would have been an unorthodox pick to replace Yovanovitch. Hes never served as a diplomat, and most of his commentary has focused on Latin American and Cuban politics. His late brother, Jorge Mas Canosa, was a towering figure in Floridas Cuban exile community and anti-Castro politics who founded the Cuban American National Foundation. There appears to be scant public evidence that Mas Canosa has any Ukraine connections.

The campaign to install him didnt get traction, according to one Trump administration official. It was nixed early, the official said.

Despite that, conversations about Mas Canosa spread on Russian-language social media. On May 12, one obscure commentator who goes by the handle @prokhozhij on the Telegram messaging platform wrote that The new US ambassador to Ukraine may be an American businessman of Cuban origin, Raul Mas Canosa.

A little over a week later, the news had spread to more mainstream political commentators, including Taras Berezovets, a television host in Kyiv, Ukraine. On his Telegram channel, he posted that Mas Canosa, who often appears as a commentator on Trumps favorite Fox news channel, was in line to be the next ambassador.

Berezovets told The Daily Beast he first learned about Raul Mas Canosa from my friends in Washington in May.

Mas Canosas nephew Jorge Mas Santos contributed to Giulianis 2008 presidential campaign. And after Trumps election, Mas Canosa told the Spanish-language publication Diario Las Americas that Giuliani deserved a spot in Trumps Cabinet.

During her appearance before the House impeachment inquiry, the Trump National Security Councils former top Russia staffer, Fiona Hill, testified that she was told that these gentlemen, Mr. Parnas, Mr. Fruman, and Mr. [Harry] Sargeant had all been in business with Mr. Giuliani, and that the impression that a number of Ukrainian officials and others had had was that they were interested in seeking business deals in Ukraine. Hill didnt detail what those interests might be. But she said she believed that the reason Yovanovitch had been the target of smear campaign seemed to be business dealings of individuals who wanted to improve their investment positions inside of Ukraine itself.

with additional reporting by Anna Nemtsova

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Exclusive: Rudy Ally Pete Sessions Was Eyed for Top Slot in Ukraine - The Daily Beast