U.S. Rep seeks federal support for neglected State property

The residents of Tinley Park are left to wonder yet again when enough will finally be enough, as a new evaluation report detailing a December inspection of the abandoned Tinley Park Mental Health Center has raised new and renewed concerns over the neglected site.

The report, which was obtained earlier this month through a Freedom of Information Act request, indicated the Mental Health Center site nearly 280 acres, located along 183rd Street and Harlem Avenue, and made up of around 45 structures is rife with hazardous materials, while evidence also suggests people have used a portion of the property for shelter despite its current state.

The Village has long contended, with documentation from a 2014 hazardous materials survey, that there are as many as 95 drums of hazardous materials on the site which includes underground tunnels, 10 underground fuel storage tanks, five above-ground storage tanks, three landfills, 22 state-owned transformers and a lime pit with hundreds more containers filled with hazardous materials and buildings filled with asbestos.

What was discovered

Nancy OConnor is the Tinley Park resident who submitted the FOIA request that yielded the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency report regarding the Dec. 17-18 inspection. She and many residents have been concerned about the site for years. For her, the report validates those concerns.

This is far worse than I think anybody realizes, OConnor said. I think our EPA knows: It has to be cleaned.

OConnor said the site is rife with asbestos, black mold, possible mercury leakage on the ground, along with other hazards.

There are 122 barrels of unknown, unmarked contaminants on the property, she said. Three dozen of them are outside. They are not secured inside the building and buildings are not that secure anyway.

According to the IEPA report, a multi-media site inspection was conducted. The report stated that the last inspection took place in November 2016.

The December evaluation involved not only representatives from the IEPA but also the chief engineer of the Mental Health Center and representatives from the Illinois Department of Public Health though the report noted that Department of Public Health officials did not participate on the second day.

The inspection was conducted pursuant to a special request from Springfield, following a citizens complaint, per the report. Several environmental areas of concern were observed and noted by the Agencys inspectors.

According to the report, the inspectors did not enter many of the buildings because of the presence of asbestos-containing material or in some instances because of visible black mold.

But one of the inspectors had a respirator and was able to enter and observe the state of several of the buildings. In one of these instances, in the Water Treatment Plant, the inspector observed three pallets of aluminum sulfate, broken bags of potash, four dozen cans of paint thinner and old fluorescent bulbs still installed in the ceiling.

In the Transportation Building and Garage, the inspectors found metal drums containing oil and a plastic drum containing waste antifreeze, as well as 10-20 scrap tires on the floor. Also found in the building were paint cans, about 25 used fluorescent light bulbs stored on the floor, and propane tanks. On the second floor, inspectors found eight plastic 55-gallon drums most of which were not labeled, but two were marked as containing lithium bromide.

In a tunnel between two of the buildings Oak Hall and Maple Hall inspectors reported finding rolled up comforters and other bedding in the tunnel that suggested the tunnel has been used as a shelter by vagrants.

In the summary of observed areas of concern, the inspectors noted most drums were unlabeled and not all were stored closed. It also stated that there was asbestos-containing material located throughout all of the buildings on site.

In an attachment to the report, one of the inspectors wrote, It should be noted that much of the [suspect asbestos-containing materials] across the property is in poor condition, including some usually non-friable materials, such as floor tile and mastic, due to age, lack of maintenance, and exposure to weathering/water.

There were also many below-grade sections of buildings and tunnels running under large sections of the property. These areas are nearly all submerged due to lack of running pumps and looting of rooftop drain-system copper.

This report comes five years after the Village commissioned a survey of the land that identified these environmental concerns and more.

In 2014, Tetra Tech a consulting and engineering firm examined the Mental Health Center and produced a wetland analysis, a hazardous materials survey and a cost estimate as to what it would take to remediate the site. Tetra Tech estimated it would cost approximately $12.39 million to clean the site.

The Hazardous Material Survey noted that the firm observed various types of oils, chemicals, paints and cleaning chemicals stored throughout many of the buildings, with missing labels in some cases. The report also stated that outside of the Cedar Hall building, a pile of broken fluorescent light bulbs was observed and that it was likely that these bulbs contained mercury vapor, which was released when broken.

Waiting for answers

In November 2019, the Village of Tinley Park sent a letter requesting the IEPA act at the site.

The State of Illinois walked away from this property, its structures and all its contents in 2012, according to the letter. The State of Illinois left the property unsecured with no fencing, and has allowed brush and weeds to become overgrown, providing a natural cover to unauthorized entrants to the site. Theft, vandalism and litter on the site and numerous videos loaded onto YouTube of the site are evidence of such entry. Furthermore, the State of Illinois has not reported the sites hazardous chemical inventory.

The letter stated that the failure to act upon these hazards has created a threat of imminent and substantial endangerment to health and the environment.

The Village asks you to act immediately to secure the site with fencing and a locked gate, remove the overgrowth, contain the friable asbestos, prevent migration of hazardous substances through stormwater and remove the hazardous materials, the letter requested of the State.

Reached by phone on Thursday, Feb. 6, Tinley Park Village Manager David Niemeyer said the IEPA notified the Village that it was sending surveyors out to the Mental Health Center site prior to the Dec. 17-18 inspection. But he said it was not until OConnor sent him the IEPA report that he was aware of what was noted during the inspection.

The report kind of speaks for itself, Niemeyer said. Its really disturbing I guess thats the nice way of saying it. Were obviously glad they did [the inspection]. Now, we want to hear what their plan for action is to clean it up.

Niemeyer said the Village is actively trying to set up a meeting with IEPA to learn those answers.

The site has been vacant for 10 years, and it is in the middle of our town, Niemeyer said. The fact that something like this has fallen into this level of environmental problems and disrepair is really horrible. We just want it cleaned up. The fact that it has taken this long just to get a report is not acceptable. We want them to take action right away.

He said it is frustrating to the Village, because a developer recently had plans for the site that included funds to completely remediate the site if the State agreed to sell the land. But after a Chicago Tribune article mentioned the developer as having possible ties to a reputed mobster, the Village received a letter from Central Management Services stating that the department did not intend to sell the land to the Village.

That was their call, but we had a plan to clean [the site] up, Niemeyer said.

Niemeyer said the Village was sent another letter from CMS earlier this year, reiterating that the department would not be selling the land at this time. CMS Chief Operating Officer Ayse Kalaycioglu confirmed this to The Tinley Junction on Friday, Feb. 7.

As the Villages attempts to clean up the property have been stymied at every level, Niemeyer said it is now time for the State to fix the site.

The problems are only going to get worse, he said. Its very clear what needs to happen. The report outlined where the problems are at. Those problems need to be addressed.

Niemeyer said he realizes not everything can be fixed right away, but he wants to see action now not in two or three years.

Lets start to clean up some of the worst areas, he said. Thats really the action we are going to be insisting upon.

Meanwhile, after receiving the IEPA report from OConnor, Tinley Park Trustee Michael Glotz sent a letter on Feb. 4 to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, State and federal legislators, CMS, and both the U.S. and Illinois Environmental Protection Agencies. In it, he requested help from the governmental entities to address the problems at the Mental Health Center.

The Village believes that the results detailed in the IEPA report create an immediate concern for the health, safety and welfare of the Village and its residents, Glotz wrote.

His letter further states that the Village has been actively working since 2012 to remediate the environmental concerns at the site and to revitalize the property into productive use for the Village and its residents.

Glotz stated that despite not receiving any help from previous State administrations to clean up the site, he thinks the Mental Health Center area can become an economic catalyst towards the revitalization of the Southland.

Reached by phone on Feb. 5, Glotz said one of his biggest concerns about the site for both the residents or any first responders who could potentially be dispatched there in an emergency is the number of unmarked barrels containing unknown chemicals and fluids.

We dont know what is on that site, Glotz said. So, for the safety of our first responders, Im concerned about all the stuff that is there if, God forbid, something happens. That would put our firemen in a very difficult position.

There is no water on site, and, in the event of a rescue, theres too many unknown conditions to attempt [one]. A lot of the roads are overgrown with weeds, and the roads are in bad shape. We dont know if the roofs are structurally sound. There are no material safety data sheets, and there are broken mercury bulbs all over the ground.

I would be scared for their safety to enter any of the buildings under those conditions.

An expert weighs in

Michael Greenberg, a distinguished professor and former dean at Rutgers University, said he has worked on some of the worst contaminated sites in the country. To him, security at the Mental Health Center site is paramount.

The longer you leave it unguarded and unsecured, the larger the probability increases that something really bad is going to happen, Greenberg said.

He suggested constructing a fence around the site and having security patrol the area on a regular basis to deter anyone from entering the property.

If nobody can gain access to it, its [just] an eye-sore which I know the neighbors dont like and the town doesnt want, Greenberg said. But the first thing is to protect human health and safety. And that means denying access.

Greenberg said the second step would be to systematically go through each of the structures to find out the exact amount of hazardous materials in every area in order to prioritize which buildings should be remediated first.

It has to be done very thoughtfully and carefully, Greenberg said.

While Greenberg said the situation at the Mental Health Center did not yet sound like an emergency, it could become one if people can easily gain access and if no action is taken to remediate the structures.

The longer you let it go, the bigger the economic cost of solving the problem, and the greater the chance of a fire and a major spill, he said.

Kalaycioglu issued a statement on behalf of the department in response to questions from The Tinley Junction regarding the security at the Mental Health Center, the possible hazards at the site, and uncertainty from residents and the Village regarding what was being done to fix the issues there.

The Department of Central Management Services takes all health and safety concerns very seriously, the statement reads. CMS issued a lock-down policy for the property in November 2019, limiting access for the health and safety of all. Only CMS staff or CMS-approved visitors are allowed on the property with personal protective equipment. The department contracts with a security company to patrol the property. In addition, CMS is working closely with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on an ongoing basis to assess the conditions on-site and properly address any findings.

In response to a follow-up question, Kalaycioglu said the security team performs daily monitoring of the site.

Requests for comment from IEPA officials were not returned as of press time.

U.S. Reps seeks federal involvement

The emotion OConnor said she most feels when thinking about the current state of the abandoned Mental Health Center is anger.

Im angry that the State of Illinois not only allowed this to take place but [also] that theyve continued to ignore it, she said. They know it is an environmental hazard. They know it is a health risk.

She also suggested that the State is playing by a different set of rules.

If this were a private-owned property, the IEPA and the State of Illinois would have requirements that the private company would have to follow or there would be heavy fines against them, OConnor said. So, why isnt the State of Illinois held to that same standard? Why can they ignore the IEPA and a private company cant? Its wrong.

We shouldnt have to fight this hard to get hazardous property cleaned up in the very center of our town.

But help may soon be on the way, as a federal politician is getting involved.

On Friday, Feb. 7, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-1) sent a letter to the U.S. EPA asking for it to respond to the problems at the Mental Health Center site. In the letter, Rush criticized the IEPAs handling of the inspection.

Despite knowing the concerns that have been expressed by community members, the IEPA evaluation team did not undertake proper precautions and were, therefore, unable to conduct a thorough and legitimate evaluation, the letter stated. Nevertheless, even their limited evaluation found widespread asbestos and black mold contamination.

Rushs letter stated that the EPA has stepped in to oversee remediation efforts in the past, including an effort to clean up an area in Crestwood.

While it is unfortunate that EPA must once again step in to correct inaction at the State level, we must not let jurisdictional issues prevent us from doing what is right: protecting the American people from environmental hazards, no matter where they live, the statement reads.

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Report: Tinley Park Mental Health site rife with hazardous materials, may have been used as shelter - The Tinley Junction

Welcome to 319 Echandia, where you will find standing tall, this updated and full of charm, character home in the highly desirable Mount Pleasant tract of Boyle Heights.

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On top of all that... did someone say extra office space? she shed? man cave? yoga studio? the possibilities are endless for the detached, newly remodeled bonus room.

The property is located near: DTLA, Arts District, White Memorial, Dodger Stadium and all the restaurants the area has to offer. This is a must see.

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Remodeled character home in Boyle Heights | Calendar - The Eastsider LA

DES MOINES At a brief training the Sunday before the Iowa caucuses, Iowa Democratic Party officials told the volunteers tasked with staffing a telephone hotline system to arrive Monday morning with books, puzzles and games they were unlikely to be busy for hours.

But throughout the day and into the night, the phones rang almost constantly in the so-called boiler room, where about 50 phone stations had been set up in a security-encased call center at the downtown Des Moines Iowa Events Center.

On the other end of the phone lines were dozens of precinct leaders and county party chairs from across the state who could not download or log into a new cell phone app designed to allow easy tabulation and transmission of caucus night results.

The volunteers tasked with helping the local leaders said they had never seen the app, nor had they been trained to use it.

Iowa Democrats inside the room later described the chaos to the Des Moines Register, accounts that were bolstered by publicly available information from party officials, campaigns and candidates. But the clear problems did not trigger a change in strategy from the organizations tasked with ensuring the 2020 Iowa caucuses ran smoothly.

Instead, officials with the party tightened communication from their centralized location and forged ahead with a plan that relied almost entirely on the functionality of a cell phone app that, hours before most Iowans would caucus, was already showing signs of collapse.

Party officials would not publicly acknowledge any problems until hours later. A full tally of the caucus results would not be available for days. And the future of Iowas prized first-in-the-nation caucuses hangs in the balance as party leaders sort through the aftermath.

"The failures of this are larger than any one person," one Iowa Democrat said. "These failures were systemic."

11 a.m.

The set-up inside the Iowa Democratic Partys Caucus Day headquarters prevented easy communication among those involved. The boiler room sequestered those taking phone calls. Another room had been set up nearby for important political figures. And a strategy room acted as a command center.

Few people had access to more than one room.

So as calls piled up, it was unclear to those inside the boiler room whether party leaders located elsewhere were aware of the problems. The app, which was not complete until "pretty close to caucus time" and party chairman Troy Price had never tried to use, had not yet collapsed, but precinct leaders were having problems accessing it.

The app had been layered with security precautions, requiring both a PIN and precinct ID, that were among the features confusing many users.

Volunteers entered the day expecting to answer phone calls from Iowans looking for their caucus locations. They were armed only with an FAQ page related to the app.

Soon, a backlog of calls developed inside the boiler room as volunteers struggled to answer questions related to the app and as precinct leader after precinct leader said they would instead plan to call in results later that night, after their caucus.

The volunteers answering phones had no official directive for how to adjust their plans as a result of the meltdown.

The first caucus in Iowa a satellite location in Ottumwa kicked off at noon that day. Others were scattered throughout the afternoon.

Fifteen Wapello County-area Democrats came to satellite-caucus on Feb. 3, 2020 at the UFCW Local 230 Union in Ottumwa. Upon first alignment, 14 caucusgoers stood for Democratic presidential candidates U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and one for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.Buy Photo

Fifteen Wapello County-area Democrats came to satellite-caucus on Feb. 3, 2020 at the UFCW Local 230 Union in Ottumwa. Upon first alignment, 14 caucusgoers stood for Democratic presidential candidates U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and one for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. (Photo: Olivia Sun/The Register)

5 p.m.

About 40 people had arrived by 5 p.m. to staff the phones.

Its busy and its hard and its not a lot of fun, but its not chaos, one volunteer said.

Still, most calls focused on the app, as precinct chairs tried to log in and download it. Paper signs hung from the wall of the room listing categories of phone calls. They included things like, chairperson not present, delegate misallocation, and where is my caucus location? Each had a handful of tally marks beneath the corresponding heading.

But volunteers said there were between 75 and 100 tally marks noted under the headline, the app isnt working.

Our initial instructions were if someone was having problems with the app to tell them to just call in their results, another volunteer said.

7 p.m.

The vast majority of precincts convened their caucuses at 7 p.m. in Iowa nearly 1,700 precincts across the state. Each precinct would need to report results back to the state party.

With county party chairs already publicly critiquing the app, many precinct leaders said they planned to report their results through the hotline no matter what.

Sean Bagniewski is Democratic chair in Polk County, home to Des Moines and surrounding suburbs, which make up roughly 20% of the state's caucus precincts. He said he told his precinct leaders to abandon the app and use the phones.

"At that point, it should have been clear to every person we were going to be taking almost all of these 1,700 reports over the phone," one volunteer said.

As the calls came in, volunteers had begun taking down results on paper forms and passing them into the strategy room, which had morphed into a makeshift data entry center. One person who was in the room said the "system they created involved taking the data and compiling it through Google Docs.

People sat in clusters with their laptops papers piling up around them. Boxes were labeled new results for those that needed to be added, and another still f---ed for those that had problems with the math, the person said.

8:30 p.m.

Around 8:30 p.m., a few results had begun to flow into the public reporting system. Some of the larger precincts across the state were still wrapping up. Yet on cable television stations, which had hyped the caucus results live from Iowa for days, pundits already had started to speculate forcefully that something had gone wrong behind the scenes.

"I just think the idea of the caucus has failed to reach the viability threshold," Van Jones said on CNN. "This is starting to feel like a real debacle."

Those inside the boiler room knew something had gone wrong. About 60 people were staffing phones, but the incoming calls had reached an avalanche by 9 p.m. It didn't subside until hours later.

It was hell, said one volunteer.

The volunteers were getting complaints and pranks, including some from supporters of Republican President Donald Trump. Other callers tried to report fake results after the ID and PIN numbers from some precincts were posted in photos on Twitter. Many more callers were journalists seeking information.

"On Caucus Day, the Iowa Democratic Party experienced an unusually high volume of inbound phone calls to its caucus hotline, including supporters of President Trump," Mandy McClure, communications director for the party, said in a statement to the Des Moines Register later. "The unexplained, and at times hostile, calls contributed to the delay in the Iowa Democratic Partys collection of results, but in no way affected the integrity of information gathered or the accuracy of data sets reported."

Iowa state auditor Rob Sand was among those answering phone calls in the boiler room.

"It just became very clear that members of the public in general had started calling," he said.

"One call would be someone screaming at me that CNN was screaming about the results," said a different volunteer. "And then the next call would be somebody actually calling in the results. Or journalists were phone banking the phone bank. So we couldnt talk to precinct captains because CNN was having their entire staff f---ing phone bank us."

Some were friendly Iowans seeking to give the call center volunteers a boost.

"We had, every so often, the sweet calls from someone asking, Hows it going? Im thinking of you guys," said one volunteer. "But it was like, Get off the phone!"

When precinct leaders did get through, some were hung up upon. Shawn Sebastian, a Story County precinct leader, was live on CNN with Wolf Blitzer as he waited on hold with the call center. He was still live when someone from the call center connected to him and, apparently impatient while waiting for him to transfer over, hung up.

Others reported results with numbers that didnt add up properly, volunteers said. The non-working app was designed to ensure the caucus math was correct and awarded the correct number of delegates.

10 p.m.

Just before 10 p.m., McClure, the Iowa Democratic Party spokeswoman, issued the partys first public statement of the night.

"The integrity of the results is paramount," she said. "We have experienced a delay in the results due to quality checks and the fact that the IDP is reporting out three data sets for the first time. What we know right now is that around 25% of precincts have reported, and early data indicates turnout is on pace for 2016."

The statement did not indicate how severe the delay was likely to be. But about 20 minutes later, a call went out to Iowa Democrats frantically seeking extra volunteers for the boiler room, said one volunteer who got the call.

As the incoming calls began to slow, volunteers were put to work making outgoing calls to try to track down missing data from precincts that had not yet reported their results.

Though the process was chaotic, it mirrored what happens in most presidential caucus years, those involved said. An Iowa Democratic Party statement early Thursday also confirmed that practice.

Democrats in the room divvied up assignments based on where they had personal connections and began calling local elected officials, friends and county chairs, asking for the results data. Other times, they asked those friends to knock on the doors of precinct leaders who still owed the party data.

Meanwhile, McClure had issued a second public statement about 10:30 p.m. acknowledging a depth of problems that had not yet been conveyed to those in the boiler room.

"We found inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results," she said in a statement. "In addition to the tech systems being used to tabulate results, we are also using photos of results and a paper trail to validate that all results match and ensure that we have confidence and accuracy in the numbers we report. This is simply a reporting issue, the app did not go down and this is not a hack or an intrusion. The underlying data and paper trail is sound and will simply take time to further report the results."

"Nobody was communicating theres this massive math issue from the other room that will take days to resolve," said one volunteer.

For the first time, the Iowa Democratic Party released not only state delegate results but also the number of supporters each candidate had in first and second alignments. The three figures meant more reporting required from volunteer precinct officials and more ways for the public to check the calculations.

Inside the strategy room, data entry continued as the hour grew later.

"At that point, were already tired and miserable," said a person in the room. "I am certain that between the 15 people that were entering results between 11 p.m. caucus night and noon the next day when we did not go to bed that there are human errors that happened in the reporting of those results. Because of course there were. Do I think that (the results) are greatly affected? No. But I dont think they are 100% accurate, and they will never be."

1 a.m. Tuesday

Multiple Iowa Democrats inside and outside the boiler room complained the party did not disseminate talking points or respond to offers of assistance on a communications front.

"They let the national media say for 12 hours straight that this is the end of the Iowa caucuses," said one Iowa Democratic operative. "They didnt allow us to even have a response."

Price, the Iowa party chair, had yet to weigh in on the unfolding situation.

A news release was issued at 12:52 a.m. that Price would address the media on a phone call eight minutes later.

"At this point, the IDP is manually verifying all precinct results, he said. We expect to have numbers to report later today. We are validating every piece of data we have within that paper trail and it is taking longer than expected to ensure we are eventually able to report results with full confidence."

The statement took Price fewer than two minutes to read.

"Well be in touch soon," he said, quickly hanging up the phone without taking questions.

Epilogue

Soon would translate into 15 hours. Price did not address the public again until just after 4 p.m. Tuesday, when he said the first batch of results would flow shortly. It took until late Thursday for the party to declare it had released a full tally from Monday's caucuses.

Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg held a two-delegate lead over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a finish the Associated Press declared too close to call.

Originally posted here:
Inside the Iowa Democratic Partys boiler room, where hell preceded the results catastrophe - Burlington Hawk Eye

The Grafton Middle and High School complex. (WYDaily file/Courtesy York County School Division)

York County School Division has announced plans to alternate school days for students impacted by the Grafton fire last week.

Administrators informed parents Friday that students who attend Grafton High School and Grafton Middle School would be returning to school starting Tuesday, but with a new schedule.

This following an electrical fire Monday which caused the Grafton School Complex to be evacuated late that afternoon.

The new schedule requires students at the two schools and at York High School and Tabb Middle School to alternate school days, according to the letter sent to parents from Victor Shandor, the divisions superintendent.

All Grafton complex students will attend school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in addition to 10 Saturdays. York High and Tabb Middle students will attend school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The alternating schedule has been adopted through May 22. With the new schedule, students will still have holidays for Presidents Day weekend, spring break and Memorial Day weekend.

In addition to the alternating days, the bell schedule throughout the school day has been altered to fit the change. This means the schools will change from the current A/B block rotation to a seven or eight-period day depending on the school level.

In regards to transportation, Shandor said information on a new system will be updated as soon as possible. This includes information for students in special education programs at the Grafton Complex, students at the Governors School, New Horizons, York County School of Arts, and the Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp

Shandor said the division recognized the change might cause a significant impact on students and families.

We have been in constant communication with state education officials regarding this plan and it is likely we will have to make some adjustments, he wrote.

In addition, the school division will host two public forums on Saturday to hear from the schools communities. The first will be at 1 p.m. at York High School and the second will be at 4 p.m. at Tabb High School.

Over the course of the next week, the division will continue to develop plans for blended learning opportunities and instructional support for students when they are not in school.

These potential blended learning opportunities might also reduce the number of Saturdays students have to spend in school. (Story contnues below the video)

While we recognize that this plan may not be ideal for all families, this option best aligns with the divisions criteria for meeting the needs of all students with the resources available, Shandor said in the letter.

He said further details regarding the plan will be shared during the public forums on Saturday.

Mondays fire, though contained to the electrical room, resulted in a total loss of the main electrical distribution panel for the complex leaving the building without power, Katherine Goff, division spokeswoman, wrote in an email Thursday night. While smoke spread through the entire complex, the only sprinkler heads activated were those in the electrical room. The greatest impact of the smoke damage is on the middle school side of the complex.

Goff said division officials are working withwith the York County Department of Fire & Life Safety, Dominion Energy, county officials, insurance companies, engineers and electrical contractors and they determined that restoring even temporary power to the complex will take months.

The fire happenedin electrical switch gear/equipment located in the Grafton School Complex electrical equipment room. This room serves the entire complex, according to the fire department.

The cause of the fire remains unknown and fire officials said is very complicated to determine.

Majority of the fire damage was in the equipment room, but the entire complex sustained smoke damagewith the worse area appearing to have been the middle school portion of the complex, fire officials said.

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Here's what the York County School Division decided to do about the Grafton High, Middle schools schedules - Williamsburg Yorktown Daily

Workday (WDAY) - Get Report shares were working hard and rising after a Goldman Sachs analyst added the shares of the financial-management and human-capital-management software vendor to the firm's Conviction List.

Analyst Heather Bellini wrote in a note to investors that she was including the Pleasanton, Calif., company's shares "as we continue to see a path towards outperformance over the course of the year, especially as we see a path for subscription revenue growth to accelerate in the back half of fiscal 2021 (calendar year 2020) as comparisons get easier."

The Conviction List is a group of stocks that Goldman's research team expects to outperform.

"Furthermore, while not modeled at this time," Bellini said, "we see the potential for subscription revenue growth to accelerate in fiscal 2022 (calendar 2021) as migration to cloud financials starts penetrating the F500 and as add-on products such as planning and analytics increase their penetration into the installed base."

Bellini said that investor concerns about the pace of deceleration in human capital management, Workday's cloud-based HR-management software, and a weaker-than-expected fiscal 2021 subscription revenue guide have weighed on recent performance.

"[But] our initial thesis remains intact and we think recent underperformance creates an even more attractive entry point for the stock," she wrote.

With the fiscal 2021 subscription guide out of the way, Bellini said, "we see room for outperformance over the course of the year and note Workday has historically raised subscription revenue guidance over the course of the year."

"While we believe the market has been overly optimistic about the pace of financials adoption in the past, our field work highlights accelerating momentum in this multiyear cycle of migrating financials to the cloud, while investors confidence level about adoption has become more muted," she said.

At last check Workday shares were 2.8% higher at $192.82. They're up 24% from their 52-week low around $151 in mid-October.

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Workday Shares Added to Goldman Conviction List - TheStreet

MOUNT PLEASANT, MI A new building addition to help students in the health field at Central Michigan University learn and adapt collaboratively is complete.

The $26 million Integrated Health Studies building adds 50,000-square-feet to the universitys Health Professions Building on Preston Street. The project was funded in part by a $19.5 million investment from the state, according to Central Michigan University officials.

Construction of the project began in April and wrapped up late fall. Students began classes in the new facility the week of Jan. 13.

The building features upgraded labs and equipment focused on physician assistant and physical therapist training, according to the universitys website.

In todays world, health care professionals need to be trained in real-life environments. That includes learning and working alongside colleagues with different clinical training and using high-definition mannequins and students role-playing as patients, said Tom Masterson, dean of The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions.

The Interprofessional Education and Practice Center is one of the spaces where students will get the chance to practice and learn.

The center features a two-room simulation suite equipped for use with a variety of high-tech clinical mannequins, eight patient rooms for role-playing medical scenarios, and all rooms monitored for observation and feedback.

The health professions building has programs such as athletic training, audiology, communication sciences and disorders, environmental health and safety, exercise science, kinesiology, health administration, nutrition and dietetics, physician assistant, physical therapy, public health, physical education and sport management.

Related:

$26 million Integrated Health Studies building coming to CMU

CMUs new $95 million Biosciences Building focuses on research, learning

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Central Michigan finishes $26 million addition to health studies building in Mount Pleasant - mlive.com

Above the Sunset Strip, a hillside home once owned by actress-singer Judy Garland and her husband, film and stage director Vincente Minnelli, has come up for sale at $6.129 million.

Garland and Minnelli lived at the house in the mid-1940s with daughter Liza Minnelli. It was later owned by television actor and comedian Wally Cox, who sold it in 1955 to Rat Pack entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. During Davis stay, musical acts such as the Band lived and recorded on the property.

What was once Liza Minnellis bedrooms sits off the downstairs living room. The bedroom features a hidden door that leads to the so-called Judy Garland suite, or what was the original master suite.

(Todd Goodman)

The main house, designed and built in 1941 by architect-to-the-stars John Elgin Woolf, has been updated but still contains relics from its Hollywood residents. The downstairs living room is next to what was once Liza Minnellis bedroom. The room has a hidden door behind the bookcases that leads to the original master bedroom, which has a dressing area and walk-in closet. The dressing room, untouched through the decades, retains its original mirrors.

Other spaces include a living room with a fireplace, a step-up dining room and an office. The kitchen, accessed from both the living and dining rooms, has been remodeled.

Outside, grounds designed by Davis himself feature a swimming pool, a pool house with two bathrooms, fruit trees and tropical landscaping. A fire pit is a more recent addition to the property.

Alexandra Pfeifer of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties holds the listing.

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Hollywood Hills home where Judy Garland and Sammy Davis Jr. once lived seeks $6.129 million - Los Angeles Times

Premier Inn says it will add 735 rooms to its Scottish portfolio this year, with five new openings and additional room capacity at three other properties.

The five new hotels include a 60-room property in Aviemore, a 136-room hotel on Edinburghs Princes Street, and an 85-room hotel in Thurso.

The Glasgow area will welcome two new Premier Inn properties a 96-room hotel in Hamilton (located around 12 miles southeast of Glasgow), and a 249-room property on the citys St Enoch Square.

In addition the group says it will add room capacity at its Edinburgh East, Fort William and Inverness West hotels.

The five new properties are part of plans to add 37 hotels UK-wide this year, totalling around 4,000 rooms.

Commenting on the news Premier Inns managing director Simon Ewins said:

Were gearing up for an exciting year in Scotland with a variety of new hotels ranging from a 249-bed mega-hotel in one of Glasgows most iconic central locations to our most Northerly site in the UK in Thurso.

From its world-class cities to jaw-dropping Highlands, Scotlands tourist offer is hard-to-beat and were pleased to help make it even easier for both leisure and business travellers to enjoy the country affordably.

Premier Inns owner Whitbread recently launched its Force for Good sustainability programme which it says will eliminate the use of unnecessary single-use plastics by the middle of the next decade.

premierinn.com

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Premier Inn to open five Scottish properties in 2020 - Business Traveller

Boston College quarterback Phil Jurkovec transferred to from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this offseason. The 6-4, 230-pounder and former high school All-American quarterback never got the chance to be the starting quarterback in South Bend, but that is expected to change with the Eagles, potentially right away, under new head coach Jeff Hafley.

On Wednesday, the head coach of the Eagles spoke during his conference call about the addition of Jurkovec.

We set out and wanted to find a quarterback to make that room more competitive," said Hafley of Jurkovec hitting the transfer portal. "I think we know we need that. So when he entered the portal, it was very clear to us that we were going to go full speed after Phil, and we did. I watched the high school film. I'm obviously familiar with the area, being at Pitt, so I knew Pine-Richland really, and I knew his coach."

Hafey loved what he saw from Jurkovec, as did the dozens of schools that offered the Pennsylvania native out of high school.

When we watched the high school film, it's one you've got to smile on when you watch it, said Hafley. He's big. He's athletic. He can run. He's strong. He can throw the ball. He's the type of guy that, when he walks in the room, he looks like a quarterback and he has the presence of a quarterback.

Both on and off the field, there are a lot of positives about Jurkovec. He has leadership qualities, he won a ton of games in high school, put up ridiculous numbers, and could be very successful at Boston College if given an opportunity.

Then when we got to know his family, which is going to be so important to us. Just great people, great values, Hafley said. They fit us. In talking to him, it became pretty clear early on in the visit that I think we both felt the same way. We felt he was the right guy for us, and I think he felt we were the right people for him, and he shortly committed. He obviously just entered class, and he's been working out, and it's been awesome to see. I think you guys will really enjoy him. Just try not to ask him too many questions about Notre Dame. But he's a great kid. I think all those guys are really good people. We're excited about him.

So, will Jurkovec be eligible to play right away or will he have to sit out for a season? That remains up in the air, but the transfer waiver is in the works at this time.

I know the waiver will be submitted, and at that point, my hands are kind of tied, and I'll wait, just like you will, to see what happens, and I hope we'll find out sooner than later, said Hafley on Wednesday. Yeah, we'll have a plan. If it works, we'll have a plan, and if it doesn't work, we'll have a plan. We're always going to try to think ahead, and we'll just have to see what happens on that. As soon as we do know anything and we can let you know, I promise we will let you know.

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Hafley on the addition of former Notre Dame QB Phil Jurkovec - 247Sports

LINCOLN On a signing day when Nebraska inked no more scholarship players, coach Scott Frost focused on a pair of recent additions that he believes will make a quick impact his new assistant coaches.

Of course, Frost said during a nine-minute radio interview on Sports Nightly, part of the reason for the fast start of offensive coordinator/receivers coach Matt Lubick and outside linebackers coach Mike Dawson is their familiarity with what Nebraska wants to do.

Both coaches take over in spots that Frost said he considered NUs biggest offseason priorities. The team needed to add offensive weapons at the skill positions and find edge defenders to rush the passer.

Dawson, who was on Frosts staff from 2016-18 as defensive line coach and spent last season with the NFLs New York Giants, will coach the outside linebackers.

We needed to be better at outside linebacker, Frost said. Quite a few of the big plays we gave up last year because we werent in the right places or creating the plays at that spot, I feel great about the guys we have at that position right now. I think having Daws working with those guys will make us better.

With Lubick, Frost said his friend and former colleague at Oregon already knows most of the offense that Nebraska wants to run. Lubick is helping NU become a little bit more organized and a little bit more efficient, Frost said, which can make a difference considering all of the Huskers close games last season. He will probably communicate better on game day and be an asset to quarterback Adrian Martinez and the entire Husker attack.

Hes going to get our guys blocking better, running better routes, I think being more disciplined, Frost said. And hes certainly going to have more talent to work with now with the guys that we brought in.

That includes junior college transfer Omar Manning and Bellevue West product Zavier Betts, both of whom Frost said have NFL bodies. Frost said Betts still has academic work to finish but will be an impact piece moving forward.

I think one of the big things we were missing last year were playmakers on the perimeter, Frost said. With our offense, thats a necessity to make it go the way that we want it to. Its great when, in our opinion, one of the best guys that I saw all year at that position was right down the road from us.

Other quick hits from the interview:

The running back room is relatively thin, Frost said, but the incoming 2020 talent should help behind returning starter Dedrick Mills and redshirt freshman Rahmir Johnson. That includes rushers Sevion Morrison and Marvin Scott, but also receiver/running back types including Will Nixon and Alante Brown. Sophomore WanDale Robinson also showed he could handle carries.

On quarterback signee Logan Smothers: I think were going to get him in here and turn him into a fabulous player.

Frost said hes seen the camaraderie and leadership that Nebraska coaches have been seeking in the weight room during player conditioning. Finally feel like the pervading attitude on our team is what we want, Frost said.

In securing consecutive top 25 recruiting classes without qualifying for a bowl, Frost credited fan support for making an enormous difference. It should improve even more when the talent translates to the field, he said.

We dont want to be about winning signing day, Frost said. We want to be about winning games. Were starting to get the right type of players in the program that hopefully will be able to do that.

On beginning spring practices next month: I hope the teams as anxious as I am, and I think they are.

Frost said Nebraska will continue to look at the transfer portal for a player or two, but wants to avoid building a team that way.

Regarding the one-time transfer rule proposed by the Big Ten, Frost said he sees it as an attempt to start a dialogue for such change across all sports. But, he added, the goal should be to preserve the dynamics of college sports and amateurism.

Sooner or later were going to have to make those decisions, Frost said.

Signee Spotlights: Learn more about each member of the Huskers' 2020 recruiting class

Perhaps 25 years ago, Alante Brown is an option quarterback. Today, hes running option routes in a spread offense. Brown didnt get much hype in the cycle, but he could be a signing day steal. Click here to read more.

Alex Conn is a strong guy who can maul and throw smaller defensive linemen, and he has learned how to play the game at a high level. Click here to read more.

Blaise Gunnerson could do a lot of things at Nebraska.The physical tools size, speed, quickness, natural strength are all there. Click here to read more.

Eteva Mauga-Clements fits Nebraskas no fear of failure mantra quite well. He plays at full speed, takes aggressive angles and this is important has the speed to make up ground on quarterbacks or running backs who bounce a play outside. Click here to read more.

Henry Gray comes to Nebraska a seasoned defensive back. Multi-year starter potential with Gray, with a chance to play early on special teams. Click here to read more.

Jaiden Francois comes up and hits people, he has ball skills like a receiver, and he can help almost immediately on special teams. NUs secondary is stuffed with talent now, and Francois is part of it. Click here to read more.

Jimari Butler's first step and big frame make him a project worth undertaking. When raw-but-talented players from the Southeast figure things out, the results can be difference-making for a defense. Click here to read more.

The Huskers defensive coaches clearly wanted immediate help along the defensive line, and they'll get that with Jordon Riley. He certainly looks the part. Click here to read more.

An 11th-hour add the caliber of Keyshawn Greene is a major boost to a linebacker corps that continues to be remade under coach Scott Frost. Click here to read more.

Nebraska got everything it could ask for in Logan Smothers. He has the physical traits an accurate arm, toughness to absorb big hits and is elusive and explosive as a runner. He's also a coach's son with good grades and leadership qualities. Click here to read more.

Marcus Fleming hits the highest gear really, really quickly and can extend that speed for the duration of a route. He seems to understand that speed is his primary asset, too, because he doesnt spend much time getting fancy after the catch. Click here to read more.

The intangibles are there for Black. He's the longtime vocal leader of a dominant defense. That pairs well with an explosiveness off the line and a versatility that has Nebraska projecting him as a three-down player anywhere across its three-man front. Click here to read more.

Freshman running backs emerge annually on the college scene, and Marvin Scott could be the next one at a position where Nebraska has been craving depth. He's already more physically developed than many of his peers. Click here to read more.

Nash Hutmachers skills as a wrestler will come in handy as a Husker. The sport teaches leverage and positioning, and if Hutmacher hangs in there at nose tackle, hell need that and another thing brute strength. Hutmacher has that, too. Click here to read more.

Niko Cooper will be given a chance to play early and may fit next season into a rotational situation. Click here to read more.

Omar Manning represents one of the most important commits of the Scott Frost era, a sorely-needed, big-bodied wideout who can run go and post routes, commanding doubles and catching the ball over them anyway. Click here to read more.

Pheldarius Payne is a keeper, a quick-twitch, smart defensive lineman who gets into the opposing backfield with intention and haste. He tackles to inflict pain, has quick feet and runs through contact instead of getting grabby with his arms. Click here to read more.

If theres one thing Nebraska needs, it's depth, and depth at safety can go a long way. Ronald Delancy, who fell in love with Nebraska after a visit in the fall, can provide depth right away. Click here to read more.

Sevion Morrison is a big-play back, a long-striding, pretty runner who can go cross country or hit the alley outside the numbers and take it to the house. Click here to read more.

A corner/safety hybrid whos good in press coverage and equally good at getting off receiver blocks to make tackles in the run game. Tamon Lynum is a good tackler, too. Click here to read more.

The barrel-chested Kansan has the strength and agility to thrive in a fast-paced scheme, andhe already has the frame and physical mindset of a quality "Pipeline" producer. Click here to read more.

William Nixon grew up around the game during his father's coaching stops in the NFL. That experience should help him quickly at Nebraska. Click here to read more.

In Zavier Betts, Nebraska will have on day one a receiver who can run those deep go and post routes with long strides and seemingly minimal effort. He couldbe the most naturally gifted receiver Nebraska has had in many, many years. Click here to read more.

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Scott Frost says addition of assistants Matt Lubick and Mike Dawson will help Huskers get better - Omaha World-Herald