The weekend brought an onslaught of cooped-up, stressed-out folks to Southern California beaches, parks and trails.

But Sunday, the public found yellow caution tape draped off a popular basketball court in Laguna Beach; piers in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach blocked to visitors; volleyball courts stripped of their nets on the sand across Los Angeles County.

Some coastal towns were particularly hard hit with an unexpected number of beachgoers over the weekend, raising outrage that not everyone is taking seriously the admonition to stay home or apart to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Im disgusted. Im really disgusted with all the people who came to Laguna Beach yesterday and put all of our lives in jeopardy, Laguna Beach Councilman Peter Blake said Sunday.

This is not a sports place for you to enjoy yourself during a pandemic.

*****

From Malibu to San Clemente, Californians crowded beaches and other outdoor areas. So much so, that some residents are demanding beaches be shut down, and city officials are warning that could just happen if people do not practice social distancing, or maintaining at least six feet from one another.

To be clear, the city does not have the authority to unilaterally close the beaches, San Clemente Mayor Dan Bane wrote on Facebook. But if people do not self-quarantine, he wrote, and continue to congregate in public areas, particularly at beaches, my expectation is that the state will completely close the beaches at some point for everyone.

In Hermosa Beach, officials met Sunday afternoon to call for closing its city-owned beac

Still, city officials were concerned about the crowds.

If you must get outside, please avoid the beach and the Strand, City Manager Suja Lowenthal said. If the number of beachgoers doesnt decrease, she added, city officials will consider other actions, including closure.

The affluent South Bay beach towns shuttered all parks, fields, sports courts and exercise equipment ahead of the weekend.Even small play structures, such as a beloved single dolphin at Torrances Miramar Park was cordoned off with yellow tape and a COVID-19 warning sign.

The South Bays Redondo Beach issued strict safer at home orders to its residents, but did not close its pier or the International Boardwalk.

*****

How cities tackle the coronavirus threat is quickly changing.

On Sunday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettiannounced plansto close beaches and nearby parking lots at Venice Beach. Garcetti also said he is closing sports and recreation at parks, including public golf courses.

h and walkway to the public, but decided against it, according to a city spokeswoman.

Long Beach closed down allplaygrounds, dog parks, skate parks and other sports facilities in parks and beaches. Mayor Robert Garcia took to Twitter to admonish residents with this message: Seriously people, you need to practice social distancing. I am seeing tons of people out there acting like there is no crisis

In Laguna Beach, Mayor Bob Whalen issued a statement Sunday urging people who dont live in the city to stay away from the beaches. If social distancing is not observed, we will close the beaches.

Everyone can take a walk and exercise outdoors in their own communities. Please do this for the health of everyone in our county, our state and beyond.

Later Sunday, the Laguna Beach City Council met in an emergency closed session and voted to direct city staff to close trail access to the county wilderness parks Monday morning and to close city beaches by Monday evening.

The council also directedstaff to ask the County of Orange to close its beaches in the city or to grant the city permission to do so.The city beach closures would also include closure of adjacent parks, including Main Beach, Heisler and Treasure Island.

In Huntington Beach, the real challenge was thinning out groups on sidewalks and walkways in the downtown area. The city attracted about 5,000 beachgoers on Saturday a low number for a beautiful day, said City Manager Oliver Chi. Still, local police, lifeguards and others did outreach to encourage social distancing.

In the next day or so, officials will consider taking additional measures regarding downtown, the pier and other public spaces, like the citys golf course and the equestrian center, to encourage social distancing but still allow for public access, Chi said.

In Seal Beach, the pier was a big attraction on Saturday but the numbers appeared to wane on Sunday, as the weather changed.

Still, said Seal Beach Councilman Joe Kalmick, Its busier than usual.

But theres one part of town thats staying put. Residents in Seal Beachs Leisure World community, home to some 9,000 older residents, have seen all their club houses, sports courts and other amenities close down.

Theres hardly anyone out, Sandra Massa-Lavitt said. I walk out onto my sidewalk, and I take a couple of deep breaths and I walk in. People have to take personal responsibility. The government cant take care of everybody all the time.

*****

Some trails across Southern California also were overrun with people desperate to get a little fresh air days afterGov. Newsom issued a clampdown on the state.

Whittier residents Hector Castillo and Ashley Monterroso went out for a hike and some fresh air Sunday, enjoying the view from the Jerome C. Daniel Overlook above the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

I was feeling cabin fever, Monterroso said.

Altadena resident Amanda Freeman said she has lived in her home over 25 years and never seen as many cars in her neighborhood, with people looking to hike Eaton Canyon and Millard Canyon.

This is not sheltering in place. This is congregating. This is dangerous, Freeman said Sunday. Everyone is so careful when they go to the grocery store, staying away from each other, then they come here and are crowding and passing each other on crowded trails.

Laguna Beach appeared to be one of the favorite spots this weekend, especially popular Thousand Steps.

The city used an outdoor loudspeaker, a system that went online in March, to remind people to keep a six-foot distance. Laguna Beach police also used drones to keep tabs on people from the sky.

It didnt stop there. Alarmed city officials ordered the beachs basketball hoops taken down, the volleyball net removed and the playground declared off-limits.

Beau Brower, an Orange resident who went for a drive down the coast with his family on Saturday, said he couldnt believe the scene in Laguna Beach.

Laguna was insane. Nobody there is following the CDC recommendations, Brower said.

It was just like any other day.

Staff writers and photographers Erika Ritchie, Leonard Ortiz, Ed Crisostomo, Mike Sprague, Laylan Connelly and David Rosenfeld contributed to this story.

Originally posted here:
Southern Californians who fail to heed coronavirus warnings run into new restrictions especially at the beach - Palos Verdes Peninsula News

FormerTai Tokerau (Northland) MP Hone Harawira is planning to block tourists from entering the Far North to protect locals from the spread of coronavirus.

Harawira saidthe steps to protect thevulnerable by raising New Zealand to Covid-19 alert level four from 11.59pm on Wednesdayhave come"too little too late".

It's a call many other iwiare making in a bid to protect their people, and their resources,before the country heads into a month-long shut down on Thursday.

With support from iwi leaders and Far North MayorJohn Carter, checkpoints will be put in place onSH1 Whakapara and SH12 Waipoua from 12pm on Wednesday, with further checkpoints to be organised for the Kerikeri area.

READ MORE:* Coronavirus: Full coverage*Isolated East Cape community takes matters into its own hands*Coronavirus: Government shuts borders to all but citizens and residents*Hone Harawira gets clear Te Tai Tokerau run for Mana not running against Maori Party in other seats

"Tai Tokerau will suffer from government allowing tens of thousands of tourists into the country beforeclosing the borderlast week," Harawirasaid.

"Thousands of them [have been] roaming freely across the north without being tested, without self-isolating for 14 days, and without giving a damn for us."

The plan is to turn back tourists heading north andask those already in the area to head south, he said.

Arrangements would be made for locals coming home to be tested, while ensuring a "free flow" to those who provided emergency services, food and medical supplies.

123RF

The Waikaremoana Great Walk in Te Urewera is popular among tourists.

He was also planning to distribute a flyer at checkpoints,with an explanation onthe blockades, medical tips and advice for tourists and locals.

Dr Lance O'Sullivan, who was named New Zealander of the Year in 2014 for makingbasic healthcare more accessible for people in the Far North, had agreed to support the checkpoints by organising test kits, protective gear and caravans.

"We've received hundreds of messages of thanks and offers of support over the last 24 hours, and we have talked to Whnau-a-Apanui, police, the mayor, iwi, and health authorities," Harawira said.

He admitted that by setting up the checkpoints the group were putting themselves at risk of contracting coronavirus, but said "we have no choice".

"The country is moving to a war footing and we aim to ensure Tai Tokerau is ready to defend its territory and its people from Covid-19."

The blockades would continue until he's "convincedgovernment is throwing the necessary resources into turning this threat around".

CAMERON BURNELL/STUFF

Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira will set up a blockade for tourists heading to the Far North (file photo).

"We ask whnau to be safe, take care of your kaumatua and kuia, and find ways to keep your kids active and happy in these times of crisis."

And it's not only healthcare iwi are concerned about.

In a small Mori community in Taup, a rhui has been placed on the local foreshore and river.

Waitahanui, which has a population of about 500, has banned fishing, hunting, gathering, swimming, and overnight camping in their area, including all waterways and reserves.

"We are encouraging everyone who does not live in this village to remain home and self-isolate," Ngti Twharetoa member Janice Wall said.

"Do your part to stop the spread. This is also to encourage self-isolation.

Our mokopuna (grandchildren) are at the forefront of all our decisions in our village."

In Te Urewera, in the Bay of Plenty, all huts, campgrounds and walks, including the popular Waikaremoana Great Walk, will be closed to the publicin preparation for the country moving to level four alert for Covid-19.

Ngi Thoe members will also be manning the area to ensure the guidelines are adhered to, which is what they've been doing for the past few days, Te Urewera Board chairman Tmati Kruger said.

"The entirepopulation of the country is now in self-isolation.

"We must emphasise thatTe Urewera is not suitable for self-isolation... we see Te Urewera as a single living system, and tangata whenua and manuhiri have a special place in it.

"Our role as kaitiaki in this case means keeping people safe and ensuring this closure is respected."

HAGEN HOPKINS/GETTY IMAGES

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced New Zealand was at Covid-19 alert level three on Monday, and would progress to level four at 11.59pm on Wednesday.

The iwi is also planning to limit areas available to visiting hunters in what is called the "roar season" as its where many iwi members gather food.

The roar season iswhere stag are hunted, runningfor about four weeks from the end of March.

All hut and camp bookings to June 30 will also be cancelled.

Inthe East Cape, road blocksandcheckpoints have also been planned.

Residents of Wharekahika will be stationed at Te Araroa Road between 8am and 6pm, from Wednesday 25 March to Wednesday 8 April.

Longtime Hicks Bay community member AniPahiruHuriwai, of Te Puna Manaaki aRuataupare,said volunteers were planning to set up checkpoints tostop campervans and other unfamiliar vehicles at Te Araroa and Wharekahika (Hicks Bay).

"We're a long way from anywhere. We're 180km away from our nearest hospital. We have no GPs here," Huriwai said.

"A high percentage of our community would be immunocompromised, a high number of our people have diabetes, respiratory problems, or are cancer patients.

"We really don't want visitors coming to our area, who may have come from overseas, we don't know, or who may not have been abiding by the 14-day self-isolation."

Volunteers for the checkpointwill attend a five-hour training session on Tuesday.

"We will be going through protocols for the checkpoint and for keeping ourselves safe from Covid-19."

Dozens of marae across the country have also closed their doors, even for tangihanga, including several from Te Arawa, around the Rotorua/Bay of Plenty area, and even further south including Te Toke Marae, 23km from Taup.

Aotearoa Fisheries Limited, the largest Mori-owned seafood company in New Zealand, has long supplied fish for tangihanga at Te Arawa marae.

Because of the closures, they decided to allocate 10kg of fish to tangi not held at the marae, a spokesman said.

Go here to see the original:
Coronavirus: Iwi across NZ step up tourist blockades, close huts and walkways - Stuff.co.nz

Overnight, the normally bustling streets of cities like Milan and Venice were deserted, their sprawling piazzas and picturesque walkways silent and devoid of people.

Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.

But this tranquility betrayed a very different reality for Italians at the front lines of the pandemic.

"It seems relaxed because everyone is staying inside and people are cooking and looking at old photos and doing work at home," said Francesco Longo, director of the Centre for Research on Health and Social Care Management at Bocconi University in Milan. "But in the hospitals, it's like a war."

D'Antiga said that at his hospital, almost half of the 1,000 beds are dedicated to treating patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Most other operations at the hospital have scaled back significantly or ground to a halt.

Download the NBC News app for full coverage and alerts about the coronavirus outbreak

"In the gastroenterology ward, internal medicine and other wards, they have to send away patients and only admit those with COVID-19 even in the neurology ward," D'Antiga said. "We have 20 to 30 patients coming in every day requiring admission, but we've run out of beds. It's a really difficult situation."

What makes the situation even worse is that some of the beds are being used to treat medical personnel themselves.

"Here, probably 20 to 30 percent of health care professionals got infected," D'Antiga said. "In my department, I have 25 pediatricians, and currently 10 are off sick. This is the same in other departments, and it's a major challenge."

Although the majority of those who have tested positive so far have experienced mild symptoms, the most serious cases can result in respiratory failure. Nearly 13,000 of Italy's coronavirus patients are hospitalized with symptoms, and of those, more than 2,000 are under intensive medical care, straining hospitals' resources.

D'Antiga said 80 of the 100 beds in his hospital's intensive care unit are occupied by coronavirus patients hooked up to ventilators, but hospitals are rapidly running out of beds and the equipment needed to keep patients alive.

The limited resources are forcing doctors to make excruciating decisions about whom to treat and who may be beyond help.

Although cases vary, doctors typically take into account a patient's age and condition, which is standard practice even without being in the midst of a pandemic, according to D'Antiga. So far, he said, doctors are mostly heeding the same criteria when they do have to make tough choices.

"Outside of an epidemic, if a 90-year-old person comes in with severe pneumonia, we likely wouldn't admit the patient into intensive care and intubate them," D'Antiga said. "We do have to select, unfortunately, but at the moment, at least we don't have to select among those who would have been treated in normal times."

But that could change, he added. And as the virus spreads, the heart-wrenching situation in Lombardy could be intensified in other regions of Italy and in other countries.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

"What we're seeing in Italy is what we're likely to start seeing in hospitals around the world in the coming weeks and months," said Yascha Mounk, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "One of the characteristics of this disease is it has a very long incubation period. It takes a long time for it to start overburdening the health care system, but once it starts, the increase is very rapid."

In Venice, a doctor in the region's main hospital who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that she and her colleagues are already treating 92 coronavirus patients but that they are anticipating an onslaught still to come.

"We are struggling, but we know we are not in the worst moment of the outbreak," she said. "To work in these conditions is really exhausting. Everyone is feeling mentally exhausted."

Her hospital has already created improvised ICUs, and doctors and nurses across the northeast are being deployed to vulnerable areas. Resources in and around Venice, which has had even more time to prepare than Lombardy, are already becoming strained.

Read the original:
Italy has a world-class health system. The coronavirus has pushed it to the breaking point. - NBC News

Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks closed to all visitors Tuesday due to the coronavirus pandemic/NPS file, Jacob W. Frank

Editor's note: This updates with road closures at Mount Rainier National Park.

Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks announced Tuesday afternoon that they would close to all visitors. The announcement came hours after Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials, unable to discourage visitors from coming into the park, announced that they would close most of the park to the public in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus. That was followed by news that the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway would close, and Mount Rainier National Park officials said they were closing all roads into their park.

The National Park Service listened to the concerns from our local partners and, based on current health guidance, temporarily closed the parks, said Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly and Grand Teton Acting Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail in a joint statement. We are committed to continued close coordination with our state and local partners as we progress through this closure period and are prepared when the timing is right to reopen as quickly and safely as possible.

Sholly had said Monday night that the park staff had received "a substantial number requests to temporarily close, from state and local partners, including the governors of Montana and Wyoming, health officials from all surrounding counties, and local government leadership."

Under the parks' closures, there will be no visitor access permitted to either park. State highways and/or roads that transcend park/state boundaries and facilities that support life safety and commerce will remain open. Both parks will cooperate on the implementation of the closures.

Across the country at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, officials said their decision to close most of the park stemmed from daily crowds averaging roughly 30,000 people that resulted "in congested conditions at popular locations, such as Laurel Falls, Newfound Gap, and Cades Cove. Visitors from across the country have flocked to the area due to spring break, wildflowers, and warm weather conditions."

Just after 9 a.m. local time Tuesday a park release said that "all park areas, except the Foothills Parkway and the Spur, will close at noon on Tuesday, March 24, through Monday, April 6."

"The park will continue to assess changing conditions in our region and work with local communities to extend or terminate closures, as appropriate to ensure the health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, partners, and local residents," the statement said.

Late Tuesday morning officials at Blue Ridge Parkway announced that "the southernmost 14 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, from Milepost 455 to 469, will close effective immediately in a continuing effort to support federal, state, and local efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and in coordination with travel restrictions in place from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Great Smoky Mountains Park."

At Mount Rainier,all park roads to public vehicle access closed at 1:30 p.m. local time. "This closure will prohibit all vehicles, including cars, buses, motorcycles and nonmotorized vehicles such as bicycles from entering the park," a park release said. "The parks main gate near Ashford will also be closed."

At Shenandoah National Park, staff announced that all huts and cabins along the roughly 100 miles of Appalachian Trail in the park were closed.

Sandra "Sandi" Marra, president and CEO of theAppalachian Trail Conservancy, made a personal plea that hikers stay off the A.T.

"In a time when social distancing is necessary to minimize the spread and contraction of a dangerous virus, many have escaped to nature seeking isolation and unpopulated spaces. On the A.T., however, what theyve found are trailhead parking lots exceeding their maximum capacities, shelters full of overnight hikers, day hikers using picnic tables and privies, and group trips continuing as planned," she said. "Popular spots along the Trail like Blood Mountain in Georgia, the McAfee Knob area in Virginia, and Annapolis Rocks in Maryland have seen day use reach record-breaking levels. Cars line the highways leading to popular day-hiking spots on the Trail. Hiking the A.T. has become, in other words, the opposite of social distancing.

"These same crowds accessing the A.T. may not know how a simple half-day hike can spread COVID-19. While hiking, they may have eaten lunch at a picnic table, taken a break in a shelter, used a privy, or shared a map or food with someone unknowingly infected with COVID-19 and carried this highly contagious virus back to their communities at the end of the day," she went on. "They may not have realized that ATC staff and trail volunteers have been recalled from the A.T. and cannot maintain the footpath, trailheads, shelters and privies that may be heavily (or permanently) impacted by increased visitor use. And, they may not be aware of the rural communities adjacent to the trail that may not have the healthcare resources to help a sick hiker or volunteer or manage a COVID-19 outbreak should a hiker transport the virus in from the trail.

"There is an unfortunate truth about this virus: unless everyone is safe, no one is safe. So, take a walk around the block. Spend time with your loved ones. And, please, stay home."

Also on Tuesday, officials at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia and the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River in Pennsylvania announced only essential personnel were being kept on the job.

"These are extraordinary times. The unprecedented steps our society and community are taking in the name of public health will inevitably entail some unwanted physical impacts on the park itself. Grass will not be mowed. The National Cemetery may soon be in a state that at any other time would be unacceptable," said John Hennessy at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania. "If nature intervenes with storms or floods, we may have to close trails, scenic roads, or significant areas of the park. While unpleasant, all of these things are temporarythey can be remedied once the crisis passes. In the meantime, they constitute some of the burden we will all have to shoulder as we work our way, together, through this emergency."

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Georgia announced Tuesday that all parking lots, buildings, facilities, and trails in the park were closed. Virgin Islands National Park on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, announced expansion of previously announced closures:

*The Cruz Bay Visitor Center is closed. Information and services will not be available.

* The park dock and bulkhead at the Cruz Bay Visitor Center is closed to commercial activity.

* No more than two individuals may occupy a dinghy when travelling to or from the NPS dock.

* All restrooms and porta johns in the park are closed.

* Guided hikes and other on-site public or educational programs are cancelled.

* Food service and watersports rentals at Trunk Bay will not be available.

* The park will not issue special visitor use or business permits.

* Trash will not be collected. When visiting the park bring garbage bags so you can take your trash with you. Pack it in, pack it out!

* Trash receptacles will not be available for boater trash. Boaters must make other arrangements for trash disposal. Do not leave trash on shore.

* The pavilions at Trunk, Maho, and Hawksnest Bays are closed, as are changing rooms and showers.

* The park will not operate or provide restrooms, maintain roads or walkways.

Read the original here:
UPDATE 3 | Around The Parks: Coping With Coronavirus, March 24 - National Parks Traveler

TAMPA, Fla. Two men are facing federal charges in Florida for using small explosions to rob ATMs in the Tampa Bay area, authorities said Monday.

The U.S. Attorneys Office in Tampa has charged Mawdo Malick Sallah, 33, of Clearwater, Florida, and Kirk Douglas Johnson, 34, of Anderson, South Carolina, with conspiring to commit arson. They each face up to 20 years in prison.

Sallah and Johnson took nearly $70,000 from several Florida ATMs between November and January and vandalized others without taking any cash, according to a criminal complaint. Investigators believe the men injected some type of flammable fuel into the machines and used a spark to ignite it. The men were arrested Sunday after setting off an explosion at an ATM in Watkinsville, Georgia, prosecutors said. That ATM was damaged, but Sallah and Johnson were unable to retrieve any cash, authorities said.

Online court records didnt list attorneys for Sallah or Johnson.

The Associated Press

See the article here:
Men accused of creating explosions to rob ATMs in 2 states - mymcmurray.com

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Many businesses across the country are closing their doors amid the COVID-19 outbreak. And now many workers are losing their jobs. However, in West Michigan, there are opportunities available for people to find both temporary and full-time work.

13 ON YOUR SIDE spoke to local and national businesses with offices in West Michigan that are looking to hire employees as inventory and cleaning services are needed.

13 ON YOUR SIDE spoke to Kevin Belk, Senior Vice President of DK Security based in Grand Rapids. He says there are a lot of positionsthat their company is looking to fill, no experience required.

"Weve had a lot of our existing clients ask for additional security officers and then weve had another of other people that have contacted us, business, the healthcare industry has asked for help on a temporary basis," Belk said.

"Applicants need to be 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED and they need to clear a drug test and a background screen. Then we provide the training here at DK Security, all the training they need to become an efficient officer and we do that all in house in Grand Rapids," he said.

DK Security is looking to hire for both temporary and full-time positions.

Amazon tells 13 ON YOUR SIDE that they are looking to fill 3,300 available jobs in Michigan.

United Commercial Services, a Grand Rapids based cleaning company, tells 13 ON YOUR SIDE that they are still hiring.

The Grand Rapids-based grocery store says they are actively looking to hire as many as 30 to 40 people per store.

Shipt, the grocery shopping delivery service used by Meijer and Target, is looking to add 2,000 shoppers in the Grand Rapids area because of increase demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting Tuesday, March 24 Shipt will be recruiting shoppers. According to the company, shoppers must be at least 18 years old, have reliable transportation and a current drivers license.

For more information on Shipt and visit Shipt.com.

The Vice President of Sales for Enviro-clean Matt Koster told 13 ON YOUR SIDE the company has jobs available that have some advantages at a time like this that don't require being close to others.

"Much of our cleaning/disinfecting is done after hours. You do not come in contact with the general public. We have flexibility to work with people's desired shifts. Weekly pay is something else we just implemented which our employees enjoy. Jobs are located across the viewing area," Koster said.

Samaritas tells 13 ON YOUR SIDE:

Kevin Belk, the Senior Vice President of DK Securities said everyone has to do their part to get through this.

"...we need to be patient, we need to be kind to one another and certainly part of our job is to try to figure out how we can help. How we can get people to work so that the healthcare industry can operate more efficiently. And we just want to be a good part of that," he said.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Grand Rapids South is still hiring amidst the chaos. We will help supplement the income in any way that we can. Part-time, full-time, and seasonal. Hiring immediately! Applying is easy, just click the link: https://jobapply.page.link/WTEX Get paid for your hard work! This is a general labor position, applicants must be:

*Willing to submit a pre-employment background check and drug screen* At least 21 years of age to qualify to be a driver and have a valid driver's license

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK offers:

- Pay range of $13 - $18 per hour, including tips, bonuses, and raises- 100% Drug Free- Health insurance, paid time off, and 401k available- Full-time, part-time, seasonal work available- Work hard and get a raise twice per year- Opportunities to earn cash tips from customers.

SpartanNash is looking to hire 2000 employees companywide. Find more information on their website.

Hope Network, the healthcare and life services provider, is hiring entry level direct care and packaging staff in Grand Rapids. Direct care team members assist in the personal care and development of people affected by mental illness or developmental disabilities, and Hope Network Industries the organizations packaging division offers on-the-job training to all individuals, including refugees, ex-offenders, and those with employment barriers. Temporary, part-time, and full-time opportunities are available with no previous experience required. Find more informationon their website.

Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in-patient hospital is open and accepting patients seeking treatment for behavioral health and substance use issues. The position with the most openings is psychiatric technicians who work directly with our hospital patients and residents.

To see all job opening at Pine Rest go to the website.

Wedgwoods Residential Program is exempt from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay at home order and remains open. Wedgwood is hiring for direct care positions part-time and full-time roles, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shifts. To see all open positions and apply, visit http://www.wedgwood.org/join-our-team. All interviews will be conducted virtually.

Company offers year-round stable employment for individuals who have experience working in the great outdoors. We are currently looking for tree trimmers for our MI Commercial Construction, Residential, and our Tree & Shrub Care work crews to work in the West Michigan area as well as openings on our traveling work teams who support the utilities. We offer excellent pay, 100% company paid medical, disability, and life insurance and profit sharing bonuses. The best part about Integrity Tree Services is our culture- we offer work sites free of smoking, alcohol, drugs, profanity, and gossip.

To learn more about us and our openings, please visit IntegrityTree.Careers

Related Video:

More stories on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:

Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this.Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.

Have a news tip? Emailnews@13onyourside.com, visit ourFacebook pageorTwitter. Subscribe to ourYouTube channel.

Continued here:
Here is a list of West Michigan businesses hiring amid COVID-19 outbreak - WZZM13.com

Consider Light and Sound

To make sure you can be easily heard, Mr. Mendelson advised using a room with carpeting and window treatments to absorb sound. (He was speaking by phone from his childrens bedroom, which he described as having an area rug, two upholstered headboards, Roman shades and stuffed monkeys.) His home office is all wood and glass and a beautiful place to work, he said, but too echo-y for conversations.

And to look your best, Ms. Rottet warned never to sit directly under a light source; it will throw under-eye and next-to-nose shadows. A lamp or window positioned two feet directly opposite to you that lights you evenly will be most flattering and will not cast glare on your screen. (People adept at videoconferences also swear by ring lights: circular fluorescent or LED lamps that reduce facial shadows and the appearance of imperfections.)

To avoid glare and unwanted reflection, Ms. Rottet said you should not let a light source, either from a light or window, be seen directly in the camera. Have the light source in front of you or beside you, but not in camera view, she said.

But how much fun is neutrality? Some homebound workers are finding in videoconferencing setups a chance to project an upbeat attitude or convey a hopeful message.

Ms. Minervini, for example, prefers her own surroundings to be vibrant. I love having video chats from my kitchen its new, modern and bright, even on a cloudy day, she said. For a background, she recently hung a mixed-media work by an artist friend, showing swirling waves, battleships, a rustic house and what looks like the profile of George Washington. She described the piece as energetic.

Mr. Hart said he chose to sit in front of a Whats Up? South! map while teaching remotely because it is attractive and makes a humanistic point: North and South are relative to each other, he said. Depending on your perspective the world may appear upside down, and yet there is no absolute up or down. He also wears school swag. The message to his dispersed students, he said, is that we are all still at Amherst regardless of where we are currently.

Excerpt from:
How to Look Your Best on a Webcam - The New York Times

Trace features many color options with an IP67 water resistant rating, making it suitable for any indoor or outdoor applications

With more than 50 years of innovation and linear lighting leadership, Tivoli Lighting introduces Trace, a flexible surface mounted device (SMD) LED strip with zero voltage drop offering precise color uniformity for interior and exterior horizontal and vertical lighting applications.

Ideal for outlining structures and other applications where glass neon is typically used, Trace Horizontal and Vertical units provide a high CRI greater than 80 and are available in high, standard and low output lumen intensities in 2400K, 2700K, 3000K, 4000K, 5000K, green, blue, red and amber.

The high output Trace Horizontal and Vertical units deliver 261 and 144 lumens, while consuming only 4.5 watts per foot. The flexible light strip has a 115.8 horizontal and 124.4 vertical beam angle and operates on a low voltage 24-volt DC power, while dimming is controlled by TRIAC, ELV, MLV, DMX and 0 - 10 volts.

For long lasting performance, Trace has an impact-, solvent- and saltwater-resistant, UV stabilized silicone body that will not yellow or crack. The flexible LED can cut to 2-inch increments with a 2-inch bending diameter enabling precise field installation for customized lighting applications. Tivoli Lighting also offers a variety of locking mounting channels to cleanly and discretely install Trace into a variety of applications for indirect, direct view, and surface-mount.

Trace is UL certified and IP67-rated for water resistance. The flexible LED will perform in temperatures of -13 to 140F and comes with a three-year limited warranty. For more information about Trace, visit http://www.tivolilighting.com/trace-horizontal.html and http://www.tivolilighting.com/trace-vertical.html or call Tivoli Lighting at 714-957-6101.

About TivoliWith more than 50 years of innovation and experience, Tivoli continues to lead the linear lighting industry with its award-winning architectural and theater LED-based products that offer improved appearance, quality, performance and energy saving advantages. Tivolis team continues to strive to incorporate innovation, color quality, and longevity of life into every product it manufactures and engineers for high quality performance and extended service life.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200325005506/en/

Contacts

Brian BloomFallsbbloom@wearefalls.com 216-696-0229

Originally posted here:
Tivoli Lighting Introduces Trace Flexible SMD LED Strip for Customized Horizontal and Vertical Color LED Lighting Applications - Yahoo Finance

In the age of coronavirus, many of us have transformed overnight from office workers into telecommuters. And we are increasingly relying on videoconferencing apps like Zoom and FaceTime to correspond with our peers.

But inevitably, with our homes and workplaces merging into one, the boundaries between our personal and professional lives are beginning to erode and awkward situations have ensued.

By now, you may have had a few video calls with colleagues who took meetings in odd places, like their bathroom or closet, to avoid their children. Then there are the colleagues who surrender their boundaries entirely and let their children and pets be a part of the meeting.

Its cute and heartwarming. But it can also prolong a meeting or derail it altogether.

Theres the technical issues and the discomfort of it all people arent used to being onscreen, said Elaine Quinn, a Chicago entrepreneur who wrote the book Theres No Place Like Working From Home. They dont think to look behind them and see what it is people will see.

We all get it: No one was really prepared for this transition, and there are limitations to what we can all do. But now feels like an opportunity to bring up how to be kinder to your co-workers in workplace video calls, since theyre the ones the calls are really for in the end.

The bottom line: A bit of preparation goes a long way to making video calls more tolerable for you and your colleagues.

The No. 1 culprit of a painful videoconference is the quality of the call itself. If you cant see or hear a colleague, whats the point of a video call?

So before we video-chat with a colleague, the least we can do is a test run to ensure the call looks and sounds good, with minimal tech snafus. A few steps:

Preview your webcam. Mac users can launch the Photo Booth app, and Windows users can click the Start button, then Camera. Here, you can check your picture. Adjust your indoor lighting and camera angle to make your face look properly lit. And most important, be mindful of whats in the background: Anything you wouldnt want your colleagues to normally see, like your liquor collection or dirty laundry, should be out of the frame.

Test the microphone. Make sure you wear a headset with a built-in microphone or use an external microphone the microphone included on laptops can sound very poor. The easiest way to make sure you sound good is to do a video call with a friend and ask how you sound, then adjust accordingly.

Check your internet speeds. Because so many people are staying home and using the internet at the same time, our bandwidth and service are slowing down in many neighborhoods. Visit speedtest.net to gauge your internet speeds. If your speeds are below 20 megabits per second, theres a high likelihood your video is going to look pixelated and have audio delays. (My last column on the tech headaches of working from home goes over some solutions for slow internet.)

This may seem obvious, but plenty of people forget to mute their microphones before joining a call with multiple people.

That can lead to sounds like barking dogs and screaming children interfering in the call. On video-chatting services like Zoom and Google Hangouts, you have the option to turn off the microphone before joining a meeting, and everyone but the person leading the meeting should do it. Unmute only when it is your turn to speak.

With constrained internet bandwidth, you could even take the extra step and turn off your camera by default until you want to speak to the group. Theres no practical value in people watching you silently look at your camera.

Our families are more important than anyone, but that doesnt mean our colleagues want to see our partners in their bathrobes, our cats sitting on keyboards or our children throwing toys.

Thats why its important to take a video call in a place where you can draw boundaries, if possible. The simplest physical boundary is a room with a door, which can be shut when you are on a video call.

Many of us who are now being required to work from home never had much physical space to begin with. But there are workarounds.

I lack a home office and work on my dining table. On video calls, I have made it a habit to point my web camera at a blank wall, away from common areas like the kitchen and hallway, and my earbuds are a visual cue for being on a video call.

The onus is on managers to make virtual meetings concise and engaging. That was already true for in-person meetings, but for virtual meetings, setting an agenda is even more crucial, said Ms. Quinn, who managed remote employees at pharmaceutical companies before starting the Solopreneur Specialist, a website for remote workers.

Youre in private, and its easy to drift off, she said.

Managers can take a number of approaches to make videoconferences more organized. For one, they can ask each employee ahead of the meeting to plan to talk about something specific, so that everyone has something to do and can stay engaged.

Conversely, if you have something better to do than be on a video call, its more polite to excuse yourself than it is to remain on the call and obviously stop paying attention.

If you do drift off and switch to a different app, like Twitter or Facebook, be aware that people may know. The Zoom app, for example, has a setting that lets hosts see if you have switched away from the Zoom app for more than 30 seconds a dead giveaway that you arent paying attention.

In offices, businesses may feel tempted to rope people into conference rooms for back-to-back meetings. But with remote work, we dont need to replicate all those meetings into videoconferences, said Jason Fried, a founder of Basecamp, a software company in Chicago that makes remote-working tools.

Thats not what remote work is about, said Mr. Fried, who co-wrote the book Remote: Office Not Required. Its about respecting peoples time and attention and space and giving people room.

Thats partly because asking your colleagues to join a video call involves more than you might think. Not only do they have to test their tech setups before joining the call, but they have to make other arrangements, like getting a caretaker to take their children on a walk outside.

A good rule of thumb is to book video meetings sparingly. Ideally, reserve them for discussions that require visual aids, like presentations and documents.

There is no universal rule requiring you to use video chat to work from home. The old-fashioned telephone is just as good.

Last year when Mr. Frieds team used videoconferencing to vet candidates for a marketing position for Basecamp, which is composed of remote workers, their final interviewee joined the call with his camera off. The candidate explained that he had his best conversations when he was walking around instead of sitting stiffly in front of a camera.

He was like, I want to be looking my best right now, and Im better moving around, Mr. Fried said. I really appreciated that, because he was just being himself.

The company ended up hiring him.

More here:
The Dos and Donts of Online Video Meetings - The New York Times

High demand for cost-effective and energy-saving LED lighting, increased need for replacement of old, traditional lighting, and government campaign toward LED adoption are the major drivers of the global industrial and commercial LED lighting Market. However, voltage sensitivity & temperature dependence of LED lighting hampers market growth. On the contrary, increase in adoption of smart lighting is expected to create lucrative opportunities in the near future.

The global industrial and commercial LED lighting marketwas pegged at $9.06 billion in 2017 and is projected to garner$39.39 billionby 2025, registering aCAGR of 19.9%during the period 20182025.

Based on application, the market is divided into indoor lighting and outdoor lighting. In 2017, the segment accounted for the largest share, contributing about three-fourths of the total market, owing to benefits such as less power consumption and enhanced light versatility.

However, the outdoor lighting segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 21.4% during the study period, owing to rise in need for longer service life of light panel/bulbs along with brighter light in outdoor applications.

Report: http://www.alliedmarketresearch.co/462

On the basis of end user, the market is bifurcated into industrial and commercial. The industrial segment held the largest share in 2017, accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total market.

However, the industrial segment is estimated to portray the fastest CAGR of 20.7% during the forecast period.

Based on geography, the market is divided into North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and LAMEA.

The market in the Asia-Pacific region held the largest share in 2017, contributing more than one-third of the total market, owing to increased adoption of smart devices in the region. However, the LAMEA region is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 21.5% during the forecast period, owing to high adoption rate of advanced systems and solutions in various industry verticals.

Report:www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/462

The report includes an analysis on the major market players in the region such as Cree Inc., Eaton Corporation, Dialight PLC, Deco Enterprises, Inc., General Electric Company, Osram Licht AG, Toshiba Corporation, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Syska, and Zumtobel Group AG.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

See the original post here:
Global Industrial and Commercial LED Lighting Market to grow $39.39 billion by 2025 according to a new research report - WhaTech