Health agencies across the country are in planning mode with the COVID-19 virus.

At this point the World Health Organization has not declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic. It is still an epidemic, which means cases can be contained.

But numbers and the countries affected continue to grow, and the WHO says there is potential for this health issue to become a pandemic.

Any public health directive for our country would come from the Public Health Agency of Canada and filter down through each community's local health unit.

"All of us are working to look at how best to prepare should COVID-19 turn into more of a pandemic situation versus what we're facing right now, which is where we're in containment mode," says Dr Ariella Zbar, associate medical officer of health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts.

Public Health Sudbury & Districts is updating its pandemic plan, which involves working with other local health system partners, including Health Sciences North.

"If that were the case, what do we need to do as public health and what do we need to do with our health system partners to make sure that we are best prepared to limit the disruption to people's lives and to protect the health of the population," she said.

One of the key details in the pandemic plan is how the hospital in Sudbury would deal with the extra patients who may contract the virus and need medical care.

"Looking at reducing the burden on the health care system, so trying to divert more mild cases away from the emergency department so those with more severe acute health care needs get the care they need in a hospital setting," Zbar said.

Sudbury's pandemic plan contains guiding common principles.

"Those haven't really changed much," she said, adding that the document was last used during the H1NI epidemic in 2009.

"[COVID-19] is not an influenza virus, it's a different type of virus than that. We have different considerations that we do have to update given what our organization is able to do, the partnerships that we have and the guidance that is coming from the ministry and the federal agency."

Theupdates to the plan will also include details about COVID-19.

At this time there are 15confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Ontario, 24overall in Canada. There are no cases in the Sudbury area.

Zbar reiterates that it's important for people to get accurate information about COVID-19 from credible sources like the World Health Organization, the Public Health Agency of Canada and local health units.

Zbar says for the general public, basic emergency preparedness is always a good idea, like having an emergency kit that can support families for a minimum of three days.

"We know some people may not have looked into their cabinet lately to see if they have any non-perishables or either they're expiredso it's a good time to look," Zbar said, adding that other suggestions include making a list of important contacts, and having copies of crucial personal documents.

But when it comes to preparing for COVID-19 and the possibility of a pandemic, Zbar says there are a lot of healthy habits we all can incorporate in our lives. Those include washing hands, not touching your face, staying home when you feel sick, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, cleaning high touch surfaces areas.

"Hand sanitizer is a good thing to have on hand, it's where soap and water are not available."

However, Zbar says face masks are only necessary for those who are sick.

"If you are well it's not really recommended. If you are unwell on the other hand you have respiratory symptoms and you want to prevent other people from getting sick it is something that you can consider," she said.

Public Health Sudbury & Districts doesn't yet have any specific advice for organizations, clubs, churches or other groups that hold mass gatherings.

"Those are items that we expect to have more guidance on from provincial and federal resources and it's something that we at public health are actively considering as we start to ramp up our planning around pandemic preparedness," Zbar said.

"We will be planning and monitoring as the situation evolves, and please stay tuned."

More:
Sudbury health unit planning for possible pandemic of COVID-19 - CBC.ca

Two Christian men were shot in the head and one was attacked with an axe on 2 February, during a church building construction dispute between the Masih family and some Muslim neighbours, in Sahiwal, Punjab province.

The Muslim attackers shot both Azeem and Sajjadin the head, and injured Razaq with an axe. All three men were admitted to the Civil Hospital Sahiwal, where Azeem was put into intensive care.

Azeem was released from the hospital three weeks later, on 24 February. His younger brother stated, He is unable to communicate and is paralysed from the right shoulder down. One of my cousins is recovering from the wound of a bullet that slightly hit his skull. My uncle was also injured with an axe.

The Masih family wanted to provide a building for the local Christian community, numbering at least 120 in the Muslim-majority area. There is no church in our village. We gather in the house of a local pastor for weekly prayers. We wanted to facilitate the women and elderly who couldnt travel each Sunday to the nearby city, they said.

Christians are often met with opposition when building churches in certain parts of Pakistan, especially rural areas. Local Muslims in Muzaffarabad stole building materials and cut off Christians water supply to halt the construction of a church, despite permission granted by local authorities.

The rest is here:
Two Pakistani Christians shot and one attacked with axe over church construction dispute - Barnabas Fund

ST. PETERSBURG As millions of dollars in downtown development pushed west, Christ United Methodist Church, struggling financially, decided to capitalize on the voracious appetite for land.

The radical move to sell the congregations parking lot once considered for an urban garden has netted a multimillion-dollar fund to put the church on a path to stability. Church leaders hope to use the money for ministries, upgrade their sprawling campus to bring in operating revenue and invest for the future.

Were coming down from the mountain and the real hard work begins in pulling this together, said the Rev. Jacqueline JonesSmith in the wake of the euphoria that came from the sale. We have to keep pushing. ... The sale was not the panacea. We dont want to become victims of sudden wealth syndrome."

The congregation, at 467 First Ave. N, next to City Hall, celebrated the December sale two Sundays ago. The service also marked the culmination of the churchs 128th anniversary. Bishop Ken Carter, head of the Florida United Methodist Conference, accepted an invitation to attend. A bishop had not visited the church in years.

The DeNunzio Group, based in Palm Harbor and Cambridge, Mass., paid $5.3 million for the churchs .65-acre parking lot at First Avenue N and Fifth Street. The firms president, Dustin DeNunzio, said he is pursuing an aggressive permitting timeline for a 24- to 28-story tower that will include ground-level retail, offices, a hotel, residential rental units and parking. The church will get up to 120 free parking spaces on Sundays and a few permanent spaces they can use all of the time.

Beyond that, we are committed to working with the church to ensure that they have the availability of parking for special events, DeNunzio wrote via email. Our goal is to help them become as successful as possible, and a lot of that will come from having adequate parking when they host special events.

Until construction begins, the church will continue to use the lot on Sundays, he said.

JonesSmith arrived at Christ United Methodist in 2016 and quickly appointed a business development group as part of an urgent strategy to revive the church. The former lawyer, who served as chairman and commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from 1989 to 1994, is the congregations first African-American pastor.

The business development group included Bob Stewart, a former Pinellas County Commissioner and St. Petersburg City Council member, and Jones-Smiths husband, Joshua I. Smith, a businessman who served on boards that included FedEx Corp., Caterpillar, Allstate Insurance and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

She put together the most unique ad hoc group you can imagine, said another member of the group, the Rev. Tom Gregory, a CPA and pastor emeritus of Christ Church.

My original charge was to look for ways that we could leverage our assets, Jones-Smith said. This was a group that could think outside the box.

The group suggested selling the parking lot, and it will work with others in the congregation to tackle challenges like upgrading technology and communications at the sprawling Christ Church campus and finding ways to enhance the building for the broader community. Jones-Smith envisions livestreaming, podcasts and online Bible studies as a way of reaching beyond the 1,200-seat sanctuary, where only about 175 to 180 people worship on Sundays. She also would like to see the sanctuary rented as a small performance venue, for meetings and conferences, and unused rooms on the church property transformed into offices.

The opportunity with the money is that when the present sanctuary was built in the late 50s, the Americans with Disabilities Act had not been thought of," said Gregory, 82, a former chairman of the board of trustees at St. Petersburg College. "There were no such things as handicapped restrooms. Hopefully, it would be used to provide facilities to meet the needs of all folks.

Christ Churchs pastor said the congregation will use some of its windfall to create new ministries and expand and restore old ones such as its laundry ministry, which gives quarters and offers prayers and other assistance at coin laundries. Jones-Smith added that she also plans to restart the churchs afterschool arts program, JAM, or Jesus, the Arts and Me. She would like her downtown congregation to work with the Rev. Jana Hall-Perkins of McCabe United Methodist Church, 2800 26th Ave. S, to take the program to areas where it is needed.

McCabe and Christ Church have a sister church" relationship and have been worshiping together once a year during Black History Month. This year, McCabe traveled downtown to Christ Church.

Christ Church is one of two Methodist congregations within blocks of each other in St. Petersburgs downtown. Gregory, who was baptized at Christ Church and whose parents married there, said he had been retired for five years when the district superintendent asked him to lead the declining congregation. It was an unpaid position. He recalls welcoming Jones-Smith when she and her husband walked through the doors to worship while visiting from Maryland. He felt God sent them to Christ Church.

I feel we are on our way, Jones-Smith said this week. God has really had a hand in this."

Its a new beginning rather than arriving, her husband said.

See original here:
From tiny downtown parking lot, St. Pete church blessed with millions - Tampa Bay Times

We will be an active, good neighbor.

Denvers Landmark Preservation Commission has unanimously approved changes a nonprofit that provides housing and other services for people experiencing homelessness needs to turn a historic Cheesman Park church building into housing for the working poor.

The commission hearing on Tuesday focused on the architectural details of the St. Francis Centers proposal for the Warren Church at 1630 E. 14th St. in the Wyman Historic District.

In comments to the board, St. Francis Executive Director Tom Luehrs offered a twist on the idea of preserving the character of the main sanctuary built in 1909 and fellowship hall added in 1952. He said his housing project safeguarded the churchs legacy of serving the community. The church is next door to Warren Village, a nonprofit unconnected to St. Francis that since 1974 has provided transitional housing and help with education and job training to single-parent families that have experienced homelessness. Warren Village was founded by Warren Church members.

We see the key way to help people get out of homelessness is to help them find housing, Luehrs said. Theres such a great need for people in our community who cant afford high rents to have something thats subsidized.

In an interview afterward, a church neighbor who had argued during the hearing against changes to the structure said he also had concerns about density and about who would be living in the 48-unit, dormitory-style housing that Luehrs is planning to build in the sanctuary and hall.

I care about the safety of the neighborhood, my own and my neighbors, Chris Mast told Denverite.

Luehrs said he had heard concerns that the new neighbors might pose a threat. In an interview, Luehrs said he expected Warren residents to be people whom St. Francis has already supported, including with an employment center that has been headquartered at Warren since the structure was closed as a church by the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2014. Luehrs said part of the inspiration for the project was watching people St. Francis had helped find employment struggle to keep the jobs because they did not have stable housing.

You might be scared of people, Luehrs said. But give them a chance and I think that they will prove that they will be invested in the neighborhood as well as in their own housing and jobs.

Luehrs said he has been working for months with people who live nearby on a good neighbor agreement that soon will be completed. He said it will ensure communications are open between the St. Francis housing, which will be staffed 24/7, and the neighborhood.

We will be people that are trying to make sure the neighborhood is well looked after, Luehrs said. We will be an active, good neighbor.

Ethan Hemming, president and CEO and Warren Village, said his transitional housing nonprofit was involved in the good neighbor agreement talks. He added that Warren Village was already treating St. Francis as a neighbor he has recommended his security company to Luehrs.

Were already working together positively, Hemming said. Were support of what St. Francis is doing and is trying to do in the neighborhood.

Mast, who spoke against the St. Franciss request to the landmark commission, said he has been following the good neighbor agreement process and hoped it would be constructive.

I hope it works out. I really do, Mast said of the housing project. I very, very much respect the need for affordable housing.

The church site is zoned for the use Luehrs has proposed, and he said he will start renovating and construction in May. Luehrs said he expected the first residents to move in next February.

Residents will have private bedrooms and share kitchens, bathrooms and other common areas. The employment center, which Luehrs said has about 30 visitors a day, will move to another location.

The landmark commission considered only design issues. The main changes approved are to the fellowship hall, where half the roof will be demolished and a new roof with dormers will be added.

Landmark commission member Kathy Corbett said the design team from Shopworks, a Denver architecture firm, had avoided major changes to the sanctuary out of respect for the historic nature of the church itself.

Fellow commission member Kelly Wemple said guidelines for the dormers, which create more living space, had been scrupulously followed.

Excerpt from:
St. Francis gets go-ahead from Landmark for a project to house the poor in Cheesman Park - Denverite

Several school districts and one city in the Des Moines metro are holding special elections on Tuesday in hopes of funding anumber of new construction projects.

The North Polk, Norwalk and Indianola school districts hope to secure funding sources for new construction and renovation projects. The city of Carlisle wants to expand offices for the city hall and police department.

Catch up on what thespecial elections mean, and where and when to vote.

North Polk Community School District: The North Polk school districtwants to issue $15 million in general obligationbonds to build a new elementary school and an addition to the high school.

The construction aims to accommodate a growing number of students, the district'swebsite reads. The district's projections show that enrollment will keep increasing and could top functional capacity in the coming years.

The following polling locationswill be open from7 a.m. to 8 p.m:

Norwalk Community School District: Norwalk voters can weigh in on a proposed physical education and competition center at Norwalk High School. The district wants approvalofa $24 million general obligation bond for the project, which would add about 78,000 square feet to the school including two gymnasiums, a track,wrestling room, fitness center, meeting rooms and offices.

Norwalk's new physical education and competition center will contain a gym that will be able to seat 1,800 visitors.(Photo: FRK Architects and Engineers)

The district would also renovate the existing gym foryouth activities and community events, Superintendent Duane Magee said in December. Citing increasing enrollment, he said some students are "using hallways and vestibule entry areas for physical education class because of lack of space."

The school board's special election will be heldat St.John the Apostle Catholic Church,720 Orchard Hills Drive, from7 a.m. to 8p.m.

More: Norwalk schools seeking $24 million for new gymnasiums, athletic facilities

Indianola Community School District:Indianola voters will consider two measures Tuesday, including funding for playgrounds.

The school district wants voters to approve a new levy of 13.5 cents per$1,000 of taxable valuationto fundpublic playgrounds and other community education and recreation projects, known as thePublic Educational and Recreational Levy.

Residents can also vote on whether to renew the district's "sales tax revenue purpose statement," which if passed would allow it touse that revenue for all purposes allowed by Iowa law.The measure would not increase taxes.

The Indianola special election will be held atthe Warren County Administration Building, 301 NBuxton St.,from7a.m. to 8p.m.

City of Carlisle:Carlisle city officials have a plan to createa new home for city hall and make more space for the police department. They'reare asking voters to approve for the money to pay for the work.

Renovating the former Great Western Bank building at 100 N First St., making it the new city hall, is expected to cost $1.6 million. Remodeling the current city hall building for the expanded police department is expected to cost $2.4 million.The moves would roughly double the space available for city hall and the police department.

Exterior of proposed new Carlisle City Hall.(Photo: Submitted)

The city's special election will be held atthe Family Life Center, 405 School St., from7 a.m. to 8p.m.

More: Carlisle city officials look for voter approval for city hall plan

Michael Rolands contributed to this report.

Shelby Fleig covers Des Moines' western suburbs for the Register. Reach her at shelbyfleig@dmreg.com or 515-214-8933.

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Read or Share this story: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2020/03/02/des-moines-metro-special-elections-march-3-indianola-carlisle-north-polk-norwalk/4929564002/

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See what's on the ballot for Tuesday's special elections in Warren and Polk counties - Des Moines Register

The first Tuvaluan Christian congregation was established in New Zealand 28 years ago. Many of the founding members of the church arent even alive now. And the first pastor of the church is also no more.

The initiative of their church construction started in 2016, and the fundraising for church began in 2018. Australian-based Tuvaluan architect, Fakalulu Ben Kofe is the architect of the church. The total cost of building the church was $3.3 million. And the capacity of the church is 220 people.

When there was the opening ceremony of the church Nuseta Alefaio-Hope couldnt hold back her tears. Hopes Grandmother was one of the first members of the Tuvaluan Church Congregation in Auckland. Her mother was alps a devout member of the church. She is also no more.

Reverend Tomasi Iopu, who is the pastor of the congregation, now said that the church was also the dream of the first pastor of the congregation. It was a bittersweet moment for all the church members. As they had this church planned many years ago, and it finally came to fruition with the help of church fundraising.

Many fundraising ideas for church were floated while building it, and members took a loan from Christian Savings, and they also sold a property nearby to the church. However, the church paid back the loan soon and is now debt-free.

The congregation started with few families, and now there are 50 families in the congregation. Pastor Tomasi was pleased with the achievement of the church. Now the congregation has a place to gather at and worship. He said he is happy not only about the new building but also about the growing belief of the church members.

See more here:
The First Tuvaluan Christian Congregation Church Completed in New Zealand - Business Deccan

Improvements on the North Lake corridor are scheduled to begin in the Town of Lexington. The project, funded by the Hospitality Tax, will be completed in phases beginning this summer. Safety and operations along the corridor are the main focuses of the project as it serves more than 40,000 vehicles daily.

The project will begin with the widening of North Lake Drive from the one-way pair split at Church Street to the existing Dreher Street.

Phase two will include the extension of Harmon Street and relocation of Dreher Street to North Lake Drive and Azalea Drive.

Improvements from the existing Dreher Street to North Lake Drive at Sunset Boulevard will be the final phase of the project.

Changes to entrances and student drop-off locations at Lexington Elementary and Lexington Middle schools will be managed by Lexington County School District One officials.

More information about the project is available at lexsc.com.

Originally posted here:
North Lake corridor in Lexington to undergo construction this summer - ColaDaily.com

1995

Construction of a roomier Jackson Middle School is two months from completion, and a whole teaching philosophy will change when students walk through the doors for the 1995-96 school year; Jackson Middle School on Route D will house sixth and seventh grades; sixth-graders currently attend West Lane, North or Burfordville elementary schools; all seventh-graders are at Jackson High School.

It's time for Scott City-area musicians to limber up their lips and fingers; the parks department is seeking musicians to form a community band; high school band director Jim Arnold and piano teacher Gloria Schumer are helping organize the new group.

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The Delta Town Board votes to offer at $100 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of vandals who have been turning valves on city fire hydrants the past two nights, posing a threat to the city's water supply; Mayor Henry McNeely said two hydrants were turned on Monday night and three Tuesday night.

A Kelso, Missouri, building contractor has been named to a statewide board of directors for the Missouri Association for Non-Public Schools, composed of 13 citizens from across the state who will represent various elements of non-public education; the appointment of Charles Drury, an associate of Drury enterprises in Cape Girardeau, was announced recently by James J. Powers, interim chairman of the organization.

A "Day of Compassion" is observed throughout Methodism; at Centenary Methodist Church, the Rev. John L. Taylor preaches on "Methodism Meeting Its Responsibility"; special music is provided by the choir, under the direction of Mrs. J.A. Waller.

The Foursquare Church congregation plans to move into its new building at the northeast corner of Bloomfield Road and Park Avenue tomorrow; special services will be held Wednesday night to commemorate the event, as well as the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the church here; Foursquare Church has been holding services at 815a Broadway.

Lightning struck the home of T.J. Clark, 316 N. Frederick St., yesterday afternoon, setting the cupola of the building on fire; the lightning ran down the house and is said to have worked havoc with the plumbing fixtures.

More than 50 representative men and women assemble in the circuit court auditorium at Jackson to discuss ways to raise the necessary funds to complete the high school auditorium and gymnasium; those in attendance voice support of the school board's plan, which involves the citizens guaranteeing a loan of $12,000 until such time as a bond issue sufficient to cover this loan can be passed, which will be in October 1921; the facility will be large enough to seat 750 and will be erected on the site of the present high school building, which formerly was the Jackson Military Academy.

-- Sharon K. Sanders

Read the rest here:
Out of the Past: Out of the past: March 4 (3/4/20) - Southeast Missourian

The State government has accorded administrative sanction of up to 5 lakh each for 76 churches and church-run-institutions across the State for grant-in-aid towards construction and repairs under a Minorities Welfare Department scheme against proposals received by the district Collectors between 2016 and early 2019.

Principal Secretary to Govt. Md. Ilyas Rizvi issued a Government Order to this effect on Monday.

As part of the scheme, 66 churches and church-run-institutions would be given 5 lakh each and 10 others would be given less than 5 lakh for carrying out construction or repairs, renovations, construction of compound walls and others by the A.P. State Christian (Minorities) Corporation, the order states. The total grand-in-aid amounts to about 3.6 crore.

The Mandal Parishad Development Officers or Municipal Commissioners concerned would have to verify and ensure that the institution doesnt violate any rules and works are completed in three months.

The churches recommended by the Collectors are from Krishna, Kurnool, Prakasam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Anantapur and Kadapa districts.

The scheme of supporting churches in carrying out repairs, maintenance, new construction and others was first introduced in 2002 and a sum of 30, 000 towards repairs and 1 lakh as a maximum permissible amount towards new constructions was announced.

Later the maximum permissible amount was enhanced to 3 lakh in 2016 and 5 lakh in 2018 by the then government.

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Grant-in-aid sanctioned for infrastructure at churches - The Hindu

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Statement from Rockland County Executive Ed Day on the Passing of Rev. Louis Sanders:

Reverend Louis Sanders was a fixture of Rockland County serving on numerous boards and organizations and making his presence felt. Rev. Sanders well deserving of the recognition he received having been presented with the Rockland County Buffalo Soldiers Award in 2014 and being inducted into the Rockland County Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2009. His leadership, as Senior Pastor of the St. Charles A.M.E. Zion Church in Sparkill, was noted for how he raised up those around him and saw the potential of each and every person. I ask that we all keep Rev. Sanders in our thoughts and prayers and work as he did, serving his community with respect and empathy.

Statement By Rockland County Legislator Toney L. Earl on the Passing of Rev. Dr. Louis Sanders:

For the second time this week, I am devastated to learn of the passing of a true stalwart of Rockland County the Rev. Louis Sanders. I knew Rev. Sanders since the 1970s, when our wives were at nursing school together.

I am humbled by his impressive resume because everything Rev. Sanders did was to help others. He not only served the people of Rockland County, but hurricane victims in Mississippi and struggling poor families in Africa.

Rev. Sanders also served our country as a U.S. Air Force chaplain. He fought against racial segregation and he fought for human and civil rights. He did so much for so many and its a deep loss for all he knew.

Legislator Earl recognized Rev. Sanders for his many contributions and achievements in 2017, when he presented the reverend with a Distinguished Service Award, the Legislatures highest honor. Rev. Sanders was inducted into the Rockland County Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2009, and his portrait is on permanent display in the Allison-Parris County Office Building in New City.

Rev. Sanders served as pastor of the St. Charles African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Sparkill for nearly four decades. He was a retired Social Studies teacher and championship basketball coach. At St. Charles, he increased the churchs membership, renovated the sanctuary and steered the construction of a $1 million fellowship hall. He was ordained in 1975 after studying at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

Under Rev. Sanders direction, St. Charles became a place of community, with an SAT tutoring program, a homeless youth program, a cultural awareness program for children of color, and an on-site HIV and AIDS testing and education program.

Rev. Sanders service extended to the military and as a U.S. Air Force chaplain, he helped train other military chaplains for service in Desert Storm. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2003. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Rev. Sanders worked to collect truckloads of supplies for families in hard-hit Jackson, Mississippi. Under his leadership, St. Charles also helped many of the impacted families to find housing and to pay their rent for a year.

His international mission work included building churches in the Republic of Ghana. He also helped provide scholarships to enable poor youth in Ghana to attend school. Rev. Sanders grew up during the days of segregation and fought against racial discrimination as part of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and for the remainder of his life. Rev. Louis and Connie Sanders were married for more than 50 years. They have three children and several grandchildren and had retired to Virginia.

Reverend Sanders photo is on display at the Rockland County Civil Rights Hall of Fame in the Allison-Parris Office Building, 11 New Hempstead Road, New City, NY.

ed day, Louis Sanders

See the original post:
County leaders react to the assing of Rev. Louis Sanders - Rockland County Times