The stairs are still standing on the site along Broadway, but the hotel the steps once led to is gone.

In March, the First Baptist Church of San Antonio bought a two-story hotel at 405 Broadway. Members of the congregation, invited to "cover the property in prayer," spray paintedscripture on the walls of the empty inn.

The last of those walls came down on Saturday as crews finished demolishing the hotel. First Baptist has no immediate plans for redeveloping the lot, according to spokesperson Mikel Allen.

READ ALSO:Skyline: New coworking space coming to North San Antonio

"We are in a very serious posture of just listening to God and listening to our neighbors, asking the right questions instead of just jumping ahead into building something," Allen said. "If we do build something on there we want it to be a benefit to the congregation but also the downtown community."

The First Baptist Church of San Antonio bought and demolished a two-story hotel at 405 Broadway.

That downtown community has changed dramatically in recent years as new residential and office spaces rise along the Broadway corridor.

First Baptist's red brick sanctuary, adjacent to the former hotel lot, was surrounded by houses when it was built in 1926. Homes gave way to industry over the years, but now residents are returning to the city's core.

"It's nice to see some of these abandoned buildings be revitalized and people living in them," Allen said. "We now have actual neighbors where we didn't for decades. It's going to be really nice to be a neighborhood church again."

Wolfson House, the stately blue building First Baptist uses for small events, now stands alone on the inn's block. From there, a short stroll reveals more of the major changes taking place on either side of Broadway and the street itself.

Here are some of the projects reshaping the Broadway corridor, from south to north:

Broadway St.

Broadway is currently closed from Brooklyn to 9th Street as part of a $45 million overhaul of the street. The project, scheduled to finish in 2024, will reconstruct curbs, sidewalks, driveway approaches and lighting along the corridor.

San Antonio Light

GrayStreet Partners is renovating 420 Broadway for office and retail space. The San Antonio Express-News is moving out of its historic building a block away and moving in to the Light building.

618 Broadway

James Shaw, managing partner of personal injury law firm Carabin Shaw, plans to restore the 1930s building, according to the San Antonio Business Journal. The project received design approval from the San Antonio Historic and Design Review Commission in September.

The Soto

Local developer Hixon Properties and the Cavender auto family built a six-story office building on the site of the former Cavender Cadillac dealership at 711 Broadway. The first large-scale mass timber project in Texas will have roughly 140,600 square feet of tenant space and ground-floor retail.

Maverick Dog Park

An off-leash dog park with areas for small and large dogs is currently under construction. Plans also call for a public restroom and new sidewalks and seating at the park.

An off-leash dog park with areas for small and large dogs is currently under construction at Maverick Park.

Flats at River North

The luxury apartment complex at 1011 Broadway offers units ranging from $1,200 per month for a studio to $3,375 per month for a three-bedroom. NRP Group partnered with the nonprofit San Antonio Housing Trust on the 280-unit project.

1603 Broadway

GrayStreet Partners is planning to build a 20-story tower at 1803 Broadway with ground-floor retail and restaurants, office space and the boutique W Hotel.

Broadway East

GrayStreet Partners plans to transform 20 acres in Government Hill into a blend of multifamily housing, retail and hospitality space, offices and outdoor plazas. The project is slated to cost $560 million and take 10 years to complete.

Oxbow

Silver Ventures constructed an eight-story building that will include a mix of office, retail, and restaurant space. Bank of America is leasing 66,000 square feet in the building, which will use geothermal power for heating and cooling.

Credit Human

Next door to Oxbow, Silver Ventures built a 12-story headquarters for Credit Human.The two buildings will share a plaza, fountain and park area.

Jefferson Bank

The bank plans to build a 13-story headquarters at 1900 Broadway with about 15,000 square feet of retail and 190,000 square feet of offices. Still Golden, a popular bar making way for the construction, will move into the new building.

Magnolia Heights

The mixed-use project at 5500 Broadway in Alamo Heights has completed construction with upscale apartments above Pure Barre and Westlake Dermatology.

7600 Broadway

Embrey Partners is building a mixed-use development with 216 luxury apartments and 53,000 square feet of office space on a triangle-shaped property just north of Alamo Heights. The company plans to move its headquarters there when construction is complete.

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Map: Demolished inn the latest sign of sweeping change along the Broadway corridor - mySA

The new Wyze Plug Outdoor includes two outlets and energy monitoring.

Today, the Wyze Plug Outdoor joins Wyze's growing line of affordable smart home products. Preorder pricing for the Wyze Plug Outdoor is just $10, with the cost rising to $11 for general sale in 2021. It won't wow you with its looks, but this ultra-affordable outdoor smart plug comes with a surprisingly long list of smart features you won't often find in even pricier plugs, like energy monitoring, individual outlet control and multiple automation options.

The Wyze Plug Outdoor includes two 15-amp outlets you can control independently. It's rated IP64 for protection against water and fine particles like dust. You can control the Plug Outdoor with physical buttons, voice control via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, or through the Wyze app for Android and iOS.

The Wyze Plug Outdoor tracks energy consumption in the Wyze app.

Get the best reviews, videos and comparisons in CNET's Smart Home and Appliances newsletter.

You can also set the plug to run on various automations like dusk-to-dawn sensing, vacation mode, custom schedules and triggers based on other devices. Unlike most smart plugs, the Wyze Plug Outdoor includes energy monitoring. You'll be able to receive alerts when energy thresholds are exceeded and view consumption history in the Wyze app.

That $11 MSRP is an impressively low price for an outdoor smart plug. Heck, even indoor smart plugs that don't need weatherproofing or extra tough construction don't often dip that low. Similarly capable, dual-outlet plugs we've tested include the $30 TP-Link Kasa Smart Outdoor Plug (without energy monitoring) and the $35 iDevices Outdoor Switch with energy monitoring and HomeKit compatibility.

If the Wyze Plug Outdoor is as good as the Wyze Cam, it will be a best bet for smartening up your outdoor spaces. You can find out more about the Wyze Plug Outdoor on the Wyzewebsite.

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New Wyze Plug Outdoor is the cheapest outdoor smart plug yet - CNET

KINGSTON, R.I. Rev. Jan Gregory-Charpentier finds her new post as Kingston Congregational Churchs spiritual leader as both a coming home to roots of her family in Rhode Island and a place to help a congregation strengthen roots in community outreach.

Active in social justice and social-concern ministries throughout her life, the minister said she looks forward to how we can partner together, and with other local organizations, to be a force for justice, peace and wellness.

I have been charged to help this community stretch itself into partnering with the community around it, including the University of Rhode Island, community common causes and other social justice organizations and become bigger influence in the community, said the 58-year-old minister.

She arrives as the church celebrates the 200th anniversary of the construction of its iconic old New-England style spired church in Kingston Village, across from the Route 138 entrance to URI. After a 15-month process of evaluating 20 candidates, she was the favorite of a search committee and the church members.

She has 30 years of experience as an associate pastor and pastor, including the United Parish of Upton, Mass. and most recently, the First Congregational Church of Westbrook, Conn. She grew up in Lincoln, Mass., while her husband, Ron, grew up in Lincoln, R.I.

In a recent interview with The Independent, she laughed at the coincidence and said that moving to Rhode Island, where she, her husband, and three children frequently spent summer vacations in Point Judith, was a welcoming treat in life.

This was icing on the cake coming here to Kingston Congregational Church, said this daughter whose father was a minister and now retired after 40 years in the pulpit.

It could have been love at first sight for Kingston Congregational Church and this minister given shared desires for their futures.

The church was initially attractive to me in a number of ways, Gregory-Charpentier said. They were clear they were looking for spiritual leader wanting to put a lot of emphasis on creativity and scale.

The priorities of the church include working together for justice and mercy, strengthening inter- and intra-personal assets, caring for all creation and engaging in sacred stories and traditions, according to church officials.

I really wanted a congregation that has a track record of being engaged in the community, along with social justice issues, added Gregory-Charpentier, a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School that awarded her a masters degree in divinity.

She also holds a doctorate in ministry from Drew University of Theology, where her dissertation was entitled Mother May I? Clergywomens Experience of Mother and Ministry.

Looking back on her life, religion and community engagement, including social justice matters, were always important.

I knew I wanted to do something in line with my faith. I have always been a fairly religious, spiritual person. Im one of those persons who didnt stop going to church in high school and college, she said.

Pastoral counseling appealed to her through her both church-related work, community projects and studies for her graduate degrees. At the same time, though, she realized that teaching or other work outside direct ministry left her feeling disconnected from a calling in her heart.

I wanted to be part of a community, baptizing babies, burying parents, being with people, being part of the fabric of the community, she said.

Her connection to Kingston Congregationals needs was apparent as well to the search committee that recommended her to church members who chose her as the new minister. She started work about a month ago and preaches each Sunday for the churchs live online service.

Connie Fitzelle, search committee member, remarked, As I read over (Jans) profile, I was again impressed by her compassion, her leadership skills, her spirituality. She seems a perfect fit for our congregation. In Jan, you see the right person to lead us in the search for what God is calling us to become.

Defining that stronger community engagement is part of the work immediately ahead, said Gregory-Charpentier.

What the church knows it wantsis a visioning effort with the broad goals of being vibrant, she said, offering a few suggestions she may bring to the membership for discussion.

The church recently upgraded its kitchen to commercial standards to create a food ministry and a gathering place to open up to the community.

At least for me, Im more interested in that then having a ham and bean supper and charge 10 bucks and make some money for the church, she said about feeding the South Kingstown and other area people who havent enough food for their daily meals.

Helping the community in various ways is more important that strictly focusing on membership, she said, adding, Its about living the Gospel in real and effective ways.

For instance, the church has space that can be transformed into an area to provide quality, affordable child care for those in the community who need it and cannot afford it elsewhere, said Gregory-Charpentier.

She also wants to engage community leaders in defining that expanded vision of the churchs outreach. Where might we fit, with the resources we have, in a network of good in the community? she asked rhetorically.

During the hour-long interview with The Independent, her spiritual view of religion in the 21st Century emerged alongside these practical tasks of being minister.

That discussion focused on matters, regardless of faith, most important when supporting and fostering faith in people today as the quarter-century mark nears in the 21st Century following Jesus Christs birth.

First, she said, clergy need to understand, and help communities understand, that old structures and means of promoting faith and sustaining a faith community are crumbling, maybe necessarily, as the U.S. culture and world go through change.

Gregory-Charpentier described it as a new reformation that includes widespread deinstitutionalization and distrust of former sources of authority. Shared governance, rather than top-down dictates, is the approach on the horizon, she said.

Faith communities are still relevant and vital, they just need to move in the direction of being relevant and vital in new ways. More and more people have no experience or interest in church and organized religion, the minister said.

Yet we in church and other faith traditions are still, in many ways operating on the premise that we are inherently interesting and attractive No need to reach out, people will find us if they want us, she said.

Gregory-Charpentier recalled a former parishioner, who had no previous background attending religious services, telling her how she would drive by the church and think to herself, How do you get in there? Finally, someone she knew invited her to attend.

We assume everyone knows you can just walk in any Sunday morning. Those assumptions dont bear up anymore. We are not peoples first answer to the question, What are you doing on Sunday? We need to stop scolding people for not attending something they have no interest in, she said.

Instead, church leaders and followers need to start getting out into the community to show our interest in being a good neighbor dedicated to the common good whether you come to our church or not, Gregory-Charpentier said.

In addition, she said clergy need to continue to help people connect to what is truly essential and unique in living a particular faith.

We are not just another nice social group to belong to. We follow the teaching and life of Jesus of Nazareth and have spiritual resources and practices that make our lives more free, joyful and generous, she said.

Spiritual community is different than other kinds of community in many ways. We are not bonded by our race, class, education, orientation, ethnicity or ability. We are united in deepening our connection to the Holy and our essential self and to our neighbor through love and service, the minister said.

And as these changes occur near the quarter mark of the 21st Century, clergy need to help people find the three things that every human being needs, she said.

They are: belonging to a community, becoming and living into each persons essential self, and understanding a connection to something bigger than the routine of everyday lives, Gregory-Charpentier said.

No matter your faith, or lack of it, every human needs those things. They are the essence of soul. Spiritual community and spiritual leaders exist to help people find those three things. Christian spiritual leaders pattern that faith journey on the way of Jesus, she said.

Looking to her own immediate future to bring meaning to these and other ideas, she said, Were at the very beginning of thinking about what our specific mission is in this time and place. Theres great potential here.

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Kingston Congregational Church finds its new leader | News - The Independent

This week in Mormon Land: Why Trumps loss may be a win for the global church

(Erin Schaff | The New York Times) President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, 2020.

| Dec. 3, 2020, 3:18 p.m.

| Updated: Dec. 4, 2020, 2:34 a.m.

Is Trumps loss good for the church?

Did Donald Trumps presidency harm missionary efforts in Europe? Not so much. Blame increasing secularization and other factors for that.

Will his failed bid for reelection, nonetheless, help proselytizing there? Maybe, but in a roundabout way. Namely, by boosting the morale of the members, who will be less reticent to proclaim themselves as members of an American church.

Europeans, van Beek writes, judge American presidents on their performance in the international scene, and the promised return to political decency will restore something of the status of the USA and thus be beneficial to the church at large.

Misrepresentations on LGBTQ issues

(Salt Lake Tribune file photo) Protesters march outside of Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City in 2008.

The authors outline seven of these misrepresentations, including supposed teachings that: There are no gays in the church; that the church denies same-sex attraction is real; and that Latter-day Saint scripture preaches that those with homosexual tendencies are broken, damaged, sick or evil.

One of the biggest such falsehoods, they say, is that the only choice for gay members is between celibacy within the church, marked by loneliness, and love outside the faith.

This is only true if you link sex and love, Hess and Bennion write. Those who remain faithful can find fellowship, friendship and companionship with other Latter-day Saints, while awaiting a future marital relationship in the eternities.

The piece also challenges the idea that prophets have vacillated on LGBTQ issues and have even issued jolting reversals.

Such assumptions are a substantial overreach, they write. Left to the side is the possibility that these presiding leaders have been right all along and that the confusion and grappling reflect more of the inability of the public to see the consistency in their teaching and the wisdom of what they are saying.

This weeks podcast: Vaccines in church history

(Courtesy of University of Maryland School of Medicine via AP, File) This May 4, 2020, file photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, shows the first patient enrolled in Pfizer's COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.

But besides the issue of who will get the vaccination first looms another question: Who will be willing to get it?

Debates about the value and efficacy of vaccines as well as the socioeconomics of those who will get them and those who wont have raged throughout the 20th century and into the 21st.

Such a debate took place in the early 1900s in Utah over the smallpox vaccine, dividing prominent community members, leaders and Latter-day Saints, including top church authorities and the editor of the church-owned Deseret News.

As Cater noted, in a quote often attributed to Mark Twain: History doesnt repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

From giving thanks to giving service

Church President Russell M. Nelson gave thanks this week for all those who, well, gave thanks.

Now, the 96-year-old church leader said, its time to give more than words.

As we enter the Christmas season and celebrate the living Christ, one of the most powerful ways we can show our gratitude is by serving his children, he added. Let us follow his example to Light the World by loving and serving others, one by one.

First Presidencys Yuletide message

(Photo courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Christus and the apostles in the Rome Italy Temple Visitors' Center.

The governing First Presidency harked to the true spirit of the season in its recently released Christmas message.

The true spirit of Christmas comes because of the Christ, wrote President Russell M. Nelson and his counselors, Dallin H. Oaks and Henry B. Eyring. ...The true spirit of Christmas is in the call of Jesus to love one another.

The trio closed by inviting all to share the true spirit of Christmas this season by hearing him Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and Light of the World.

(Francisco Kjolseth | Tribune file photo) Ardis E. Parshall, Mormon historian in Salt Lake City, surrounded by her books.

The Mormon History Association has established the Ardis E. Parshall Public History Award, a biennial honor that will bestow $1,000 on the producer of the best public history project in Mormon studies.

MHA members Heather and Kelly Stone suggested the idea and pledged a $5,000 matching grant toward a $10,000 endowment for the prize.

Walking and working against hunger

When it comes to raising awareness about world hunger, top female leaders in the church are walking the walk literally.

Sharon Eubank, first counselor in the Relief Societys general presidency joined by second counselor Reyna I. Aburto, Primary general President Joy D. Jones and her first counselor, Lisa L. Harkness recently took a hike, so to speak, in solidarity with the millions struggling across the globe to feed themselves and their families.

Those recipients were: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; International Rescue Committee; U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants; Church World Service; HIAS; Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service; Episcopal Migration Ministries; Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC); and World Relief.

The assistance proved especially helpful during COVID-19.

Thats where the churchs humanitarian arm stepped in, with grants that supplied food and financial support this year to more than 10,600 refugees and immigrants through 142 offices nationwide.

(Photo courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)Zynab Adam, a former refugee originally from Sudan, organizes cleaning supplies and food for Utah Refugee Connection on Feb. 20, 2020, in Salt Lake City. The charity incentivizes local refugees to participate in educational courses that help them transition into their new communities. Latter-day Saints in Utah donated over $124,000 to the entity during the #LightTheWorld campaign.

But when might other big church events take place in 2021?

With the COVID-19 pandemic, please continue to follow local and First Presidency guidelines regarding gathering to participate in these events, the church states. Information regarding whether an event will be virtual only, broadcast times, languages and viewing times will be sent to local leaders before each broadcast.

Lights, cameras, but not as much action

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Shea family from Salt Lake City, McKell, Mikey Sammy, Avielle, Betsy and Scott take a selfie overlooking the Christmas lights on Temple Square, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020.

Thousands of Christmas lights decked the trees, paths, planters and plaza on downtown Salt Lake Citys Temple Square.

But due to COVID-19, visitors encouraged to mask up and space out were prevented from strolling the glistening grounds themselves. They had to view them instead from the surrounding sidewalks and roads.

On debut night, those measures diminished the picture-snapping crowds but didnt dampen the holiday mood.

The phased reopening of temples during the pandemic continues to move forward, with the occasional step back.

But five temples all in Canada that were in Phase 2 will retreat to Phase 1, providing only marriage sealings. Another 14 temples have paused operations due to local COVID-19 restrictions.

By Monday, 29 temples will be in Phase 1.

No temples have begun Phase 3, which would make all living and limited proxy ordinances available by appointment.

(Photo courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)A rendering of the planned Antofagasta Chile Temple at the groundbreaking ceremony of the temple on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020.

A socially distanced groundbreaking launched construction of Chiles third Latter-day Saint temple.

Chile is home to more than 602,000 members.

(Photo courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)Elder Juan Pablo Villar speaks at the groundbreaking of the Antofagasta Chile Temple on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020

The church teaches that we have a Heavenly Mother and Father and, though we dont know all the specific ways they spend their energy, we are taught that they spend a lot of energy being available to us, always ready to listen. (This is taught explicitly about God the Father, implicitly about God the Mother.) I think thats significant. And I think it reflects godliness when we make concerted efforts in our own lives to listen to each other.

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This week in Mormon Land: Why Trump's loss may be a win for the global church - Salt Lake Tribune

FLORAL PARK, QUEENS A Floral Park homeowner could be fined as much as $25,000 for doing illegal construction, after workers in the basement punctured a gas main that serves more than two dozen homes.

Inspectors with the NYC Department of Buildings slapped the homeowner on 260th Street with a violation for doing work without a permit and ordered all construction to be halted on the site, according to city records and an agency spokesperson.

If an administrative judge upholds that violation, the homeowner faces a maximum civil penalty of $25,000, Department of Buildings spokesperson Andrew Rudansky told Patch.

The homeowner could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Department of Buildings' investigation unfolded Wednesday after residents of 260th Street between Hillside Avenue and East Williston Avenue reported smelling gas.

Workers had performed structural, electrical wiring and gas plumbing work as part of a gut renovation of the single-family home all without obtaining required work permits, according to the Department of Buildings spokesperson.

Under the law, New York City owners homeowners have a responsibility to ensure their property complies with building codes and that all construction work on their property has the proper permits, the spokesperson said.

The agency is still investigating and may take additional enforcement measures.

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Queens Homeowner Cited For Construction That Punctured Gas Line - Patch.com

The Womens Village at Clara Brown Commons is the second community of tiny homes built and managed by the Colorado Village Collaborative.

Updates with construction of permanent housing at the site expected to start in early 2022.

The first two residents one who slept the night before in a stairwell, the other in an abandoned warehouse are living in Denvers newest temporary tiny home village.

Cole Chandler, executive director of Colorado Village Collaborative, said the two moved Wednesday into the Womens Village at Clara Brown Commons in the Cole neighborhood.

Clara Brown Commons, on a lot bound by York and Gaylord streets and 37th and 38th avenues, will eventually be the site of 61 income-restricted apartments and 17 affordable for-sale town homes in a project led by Mile High Ministries. Mile High Ministries, which for decades has provided transitional housing and other community services in Denver, is working with affordable housing developer Habitat for Humanity on the Clara Brown project.

Colorado Village Collaboratives 14 tiny homes for women and transgender individuals experiencing homelessness are expected to occupy part of the block during much of the construction of the affordable housing. Jeff Johnsen, executive director of Mile High Ministries, said he anticipated breaking ground on a year-long construction project in early 2022. Chandler and Johnsen envision village residents one day moving into permanent housing at Clara Brown Commons.

Tiny home villages have been built elsewhere in the country. The model was first championed in Denver by people experiencing homeless and activists. The Womens Village is the second community of tiny homes built and managed by the Colorado Village Collaborative, a nonprofit that also will be managing one of Denvers first sanctioned campsites. Tiny home villages and sanctioned camp sites, the latter also known as safe outdoor spaces, are alternatives to shelters and bridges to permanent housing that aim to accommodate people experiencing homelessness who have been poorly served by traditional shelters. Women and transgender individuals and couples or people with pets often cant get a bed in the traditional shelter system. Others avoid shelters because they see them as chaotic, dangerous or failing to provide privacy.

The congregation at St. Andrews Episcopal Church had offered to host a tiny village for women in its parking lot at 2015 Glenarm Place in the Clements Historic District. But the citys Landmark Preservation Commission blocked that project in 2018 on the grounds that it had no historical precedent.

Colorado Village Collaborative piloted Denvers first tiny home village starting in 2017 on private land near the 38th & Blake RTD commuter rail station. That village, known as Beloved Community Village, moved last year to 4400 N. Pearl Street in Globeville. A below-market-rate apartment building now sits at the 38th & Blake site that the village once occupied. One of the residents of the apartment complex once lived in the Beloved Community Village.

In all, 11 people have moved from Beloved Community Village into permanent housing, according to the Colorado Village Collaborative.

The University of Denvers Center for Housing and Homelessness Research has been monitoring the Beloved Community Village since 2017. The researchers latest assessment compared village residents to a control group of people experiencing homelessness over a year that ended in October and included the pandemic. The researchers found that villagers were four times more likely to be working or in school and reported lower levels of anxiety, depression and hopelessness than people in the control group. But the researchers did not find improvements in other areas, such as average hourly pay, for village residents.

Chandler said Thursday that a third village was planned for next year, and more in subsequent years.

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A tiny home village opened Thursday in the Cole neighborhood - Denverite

November 28, 2020

North Surry baseball icon Tony Martin used to tease David Mabe about why he wasnt inducted into the Surry County Sports Hall of Fame yet.

Mabe laughed as he replied to the 2015 Hall of Fame inductee.

Because Im an umpire now and Ive made everybody mad, he joked.

The two liked to poke fun at each other since both are legends in the sport of baseball. Martin knew Mabes inclusion in the Hall of Fame was more a matter of when than if, for one of this years inductees. Mabe carries a lore of his own as one of the greatest baseball players to ever compete in Surry County and North Carolina.

Mabes name is still plastered atop lists both state and nationwide more than 35 years after graduating from East Surry. In the case of his 640 career strikeouts, which holds the state record and is 10th in the nation, Mabe said it will likely never be touched.

Mabe stood out in every league he participated in, from Little League through high school and into college. Once his playing career ended, Mabe decided to give back and become an official for baseball, volleyball and basketball, among others.

His determination to be the best led Mabe to incredible success as a player and official, making him a high-quality selection for the Hall of Fame.

Im honored and humbled by my selection to the Surry County Sports Hall of Fame, Mabe said. Im not going to be able to meet the other recipients right now because of COVID, but hopefully things are back to normal next year. Im praying so.

A budding superstar

David Mabe had the tremendous advantage of having great role models in his life. First and foremost was his father, Russell.

My daddy loved me, Mabe said. He pushed me hard to play baseball. There were marks in the front of our house where I would throw and he would catch. I wouldnt be the pitcher I was without him pushing me.

Mabe holds his father in high regard. Russell supported David in all his ventures, baseball or otherwise, until his death in 1991.

In high school, Mabe had phenomenal coaches such as Barry Hall, Harry Downs and Jim Morgan. Specifically of Downs, Mabe said: Harry Downs means a lot to me. Hes a fine human being and I think a lot of Harry. He really meant a lot to us players.

Even before that, Mabe was a Westfield boy who credits much of his success to Richard Buzz Hauser.

I got a lot from his way of coaching, Mabe said. It was a lot of character building that wasnt easy. I owe Buzz a lot. Hes a tough man.

He attended Westfield Elementary through eighth grade and then made the leap to high school in 1980. Mabe said Hausers guidance made his transition a lot easier.

Cardinal legend Barry Hall had a lot of talented players and teams in his 41 years. Mabe was part of the first great team Hall had since he began coaching 1975.

The first few weeks, Barry pitched the seniors, Mabe said, referring to his freshman season in 1981. They struggled a bit and I got to throw more and more. I actually got to play a few games.

The 1981 season was the only season during Mabes career that East Surry missed the playoffs. Only one team per conference went to the postseason and Mabe said that South Stokes, coached by Barry Halls brother Bruce, usually won the conference.

When South won the conference by a game in 1981, Barry Hall took the team to watch the first-round playoff game to get a point across.

I remember walking up to the parking lot after the game and Coach said, This is the only time were going to do that. This is what it feels like when you dont win. And it was, Mabe said.

The next season, Mabe took on an increased role. He finished 17-2 on the mound and tossed 199 strikeouts, which only one other player in N.C. history had surpassed at that point.

Theres no telling how many games that Barry Hall pulled me out of after five innings and I had no-hitters or one-hitters, Mabe said. I never even thought about stuff like that back then. I was just glad I was out so Id rest and then start the next game.

East Surry won the Northwest Conferences spot in the Class AAA playoffs that year. After defeating Alexander Central, East Rowan and South Point, the Cardinals reached the State Championship series against East Bladen.

After pitching all seven innings in the first game in a double header, Mabe didnt start Game Two. Hall subbed him in after East Bladen put runners on base in the second. Mabe threw the next five innings just hours after pitching a full game.

East Surry won the game 2-1 to advance to the sudden death game. Mabe wasnt able to throw in Game Three after overworking in the first two. The Cardinals dropped the decisive game 6-0.

I really wish we couldve won one for Barry, Mabe said.

Breaking records

Mabes strikeout numbers decreased as a junior and he finished 14-4 on the mound. East Surry still managed to win the Northwest Conference, but lost to Salisbury in the AAA regional semifinals.

He didnt have much time to rest as American Legion Baseball soon took over his life that summer. A team in Mocksville, coached by Ron Morgan, saw the incredible talent from Surry and Yadkin counties and decided to recruit players from the area.

Ron Morgan owned a construction company, and he gave me his company credit card so that I could fill up with gas every day and drive to Mocksville, Mabe said.

Just like he did for East Surry, Mabe thrived on the mound for legion baseball.

He recalls driving to Kannapolis for a game in which he was originally slated to serve as a designated hitter. The starting pitcher gave up a few early hits so Morgan pulled him and subbed Mabe on the mound in the second inning.

Mabe set a new American Legion record for strikeouts thrown by a non-starting pitcher with 18 in eight innings.

It was just one of those weird nights where everything went right, Mabe said. I cant really explain it.

Mabes last season of high school baseball was next and his mindset was that he and teammate Robert Gordan, someone Mabe said should also be in the Hall of Fame, had to step up as leaders on the young team

Im a senior, he said. How can I expect my teammates to do all the work when Robert and I were starters all four years. I had to be the catalyst.

Mabe beat his previous tally of 199 strikeouts by setting a new NCHSAA record with 209 strikeouts that season. That currently sits at fifth all-time.

The regular season ended with a three-way tie for first in the conference between East, Starmount and Surry Central. Because 1984 was the first year that more than just the conference champions could make the state playoffs, the tournament would determine which two advanced to the postseason.

The bracket ended up pitting East Surry and Mount Airy against one another in one semifinal, and Surry Central and Starmount in the other. All East needed to do to make the playoffs was beat Mount Airy, then the championship result would only determine seeding.

East reached the championship game, qualifying for playoffs, but fell to Starmount in the finals. A win in the first round of state playoffs set up a rematch. This time, East Surry defeated the Rams 7-5.

I didnt have an extraordinary game pitching, but I did have a home run down the right-field line, Mabe said.

His high school career ended soon after as East fell to Salisbury once again in the regional semifinals.

Mabe graduated high school with the following accomplishments in baseball:

Three-time All-State selection, four-time All-Conference selection, 658 career strikeouts still stands as an NCHSAA record and is 10th in the nation, NCHSAA second-most career wins (48), NCHSAA first and third in single-season strikeouts (209 in 1984, 199 in 1982), 380.2 innings pitched, .425 batting average, one perfect game, two no-hitters, 12 1-hitters, eight 2-hitters, seven 3-hitters.

Transition to officiating

Mabe attended various colleges and universities after graduating from East in 1984.

He started out at East Carolina, but got hurt in the fall season and was redshirted. He then transferred to Walter State Community College in Tennessee.

Mabe caught the attention of Division-I scouts at Walter State and earned a scholarship to Wake Forest. He was only at Wake Forest for a year due to a coaching change, but Mabe said he did pitch a no-hitter against UNC-Asheville and remembers having good games against the likes of N.C. State and Clemson.

Still thinking he may get drafted, Mabe finished out his college career at Elon.

By then my arm was exhausted, Mabe said.

When his baseball career ended, Mabe transitioned into officiating high school and small college events. This is something he had his eye on even before his playing career ended.

I feel, personally, just as proud of my 30 years of officiating in the county as any of my baseball accomplishments, Mabe said. All the experiences I had as a player built me to be such a fair umpire myself. Its all about being square and calling it down the middle. No matter their age, kids need to learn about fairness.

Mabe has umpired more than 2,000 college baseball games alone and has no plans to stop anytime soon. Hes also officiated high school baseball, high school football, high school and college volleyball and high school and college basketball.

Just like when he played baseball, Mabe strives to be the absolute best official he can be and take on bigger and bigger jobs. In baseball, Mabe served as Crew Chief Umpire 2005 4A Baseball Championships.

He is already a nationally ranked volleyball referee and wants to keep climbing the ladder. He belongs to the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO), was a referee in the 2008 NCHSAA 4A Volleyball Championship and was head official for the NCAA Div II 2009-2010 Southeast Regional Volleyball Championship.

Mabe was set to officiate for the Missouri Valley Association this fall, but COVID-19 cancelled fall sports. He said hes interested to see how things work in the spring when there are a lot of sports that usually play in different seasons competing simultaneously.

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An aerial map shows the portion of West Vineyard Street that will close for construction work starting Dec. 14. MAUI COUNTY graphic

The Maui News

West Vineyard Street between Market and Church streets will be closed starting Dec. 14 through January as construction work continues in the area, the county announced Wednesday.

The closure will reduce the amount of time needed to complete this portion of Vineyard Street as part of the Wailuku Town Improvements Project, the county said.

Crews from MIRA Image Construction will be improving roads, sidewalks, water and sewer lines and drainage systems in the area, as well as putting existing overhead electrical and communication lines underground.

Drivers traveling on West Vineyard Street from High Street will be detoured around the construction area back to West Vineyard via Church, Main and Market streets.

Portions of the municipal parking lot will remain open during construction. However, the only entrance will be from Market Street, and the only exits will be at Market and Church streets. The entrance and exit to the parking lot from West Vineyard will be closed permanently.

Detour signs will be posted. Pedestrian access to businesses and apartments along Vineyard Street will be provided, and passenger drop-off and loading areas will be designated along Market Street for those residences.

Special duty officers will also be on site to direct traffic.

For questions or concerns, contact MIRA Image Construction Superintendent David Perez at (808) 306-5206.

For the latest updates on the Wailuku Town Improvement projects, visit http://www.WailukuLIVE.com.

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Portion of West Vineyard to close for upgrades - Maui News

Residents of Nairobi's upmarket estate, Lavington have moved to court to stop the construction of a church in the area.

In a case filed through lawyer Wilfred Mutubwa, the locals claim that the construction of Lavington United Church is causing pollution through noise and effluent discharge.

This, they say, is creating disturbance at a time when most residents are schooling and working from home following the government's directive to contain the spread of Covid-19.

They further argue that development violates the zoning requirements for the upscale neighborhood and want the court to revoke the environmental impact assessment (EIA) license issued by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) on October 24th, 2019.

The proposed development exceeds the permissible densities and heights which will irreversibly impact the local environment without any possible mitigation, court documents read.

The residents also want the court to order the church to halt construction works pending the hearing and determination of their application.

They further note that the construction has led to an increase in traffic snarl-up along Ndoto and Margaret Kenyatta roads as a result of inadequate access and exit of the proposed project, which they also claim is risking their safety.

The residents allege that the project report relied on to issue the church with an EIA license is false and intended to mislead Nema.

The church is required to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment study report in order to acquire the EIA license as opposed to an EIA project report which is not sufficient to acquire the license in the circumstance, they say.

The plot numbers in the EIA license issued by Nema are not the same as the plot number of the project site in the change of user approval issued by the Nairobi city county.

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Residents of Lavington in Court to Stop Construction of Church in the Area - Mwakilishi.com

Basalts building boom remained on a torrid pace in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic and it is expected to be even busier next year.

The town government anticipates that it will collect $488,000 through building permits in 2020. While that is down from $517,753 collected in 2019, it is significantly more than budgeted for this year.

Aspen Skiing Co.s workforce housing project is taking shape in Willits. It will be completed in 2021. (Scott Condon/The Aspen Times)

Workers progress on the exterior of The Arts Campus At Willits building on Wednesday. (Scott Condon/The Aspen Times)

The Stotts Mill property in Southside has been cleaned up and infrastructure work is expected to start this month. Construction on the first phase of the project will start in 2021. (Scott Condon/The Aspen Times)

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Several big projects ignited in 2020 and pumped up the towns coffers. They included Aspen Skiing Co.s 38-unit work force housing project in Willits Town Center, which obtained permits for nearly $14 million worth of work; The Arts Campus at Willits, with a $4.25 million performing arts center; and the first phase of the Steadman orthopedic clinic at $4.8 million with much more to come in 2021.

The top five building permit fees in 2020, by dollar amount, were Aspen Skiing Co. at $171,873; East Valley LLC for the Block 11 project in Willits Town Center at $89,723; Basalt Medical Properties LLC for the Steadman project foundation, $69,685; The Arts Center At Willits at $60,498; and Willits Town Center Block 11 North at $44,015.

Tim Belinski is the head of a development group that is finishing a mixed residential and commercial project in Willits and preparing to start a different mixed use project at the former Pan and Fork property downtown.

He said in a recent interview that 2020 looked bleak for construction in March and April when the coronavirus pandemic forced an economic shutdown. However, the interest of people to relocate or spend more time in the Roaring Fork Valley helped reignite residential construction once stay-at-home orders were lifted, he said.

Next year is shaping up to be even busier in Basalt. The towns draft budget for 2021 is projecting $626,000 from building permits.

A graph prepared by the Basalt planning department for the Planning and Zoning Commission last month showed all the prospective constructive activity for 2021. Here is a rundown of those projects:

Belinskis Basalt River Park LLC will break ground on the first phase of a project at the former Pan and Fork property. The first phase is 24 residential units, including four employee-housing units.

Basalt Mini-Storage is expected to pursue its second building of 20,000 square feet in Southside.

Habitat For Humanity Roaring Fork will start the last phase of Basalt Vista, a 27-unit affordable housing project near Basalt High School.

Stotts Mill is expected to start on infrastructure this month and advance next year on its project with 113 residences and a 4,000-square-foot daycare.

The Steadman Clinic will advance to the next stage on a 50,000-square-foot clinic with an underground parking garage.

Park Modern is expected to advance on an eight-unit residential building, the last in its cluster along Willits Lane.

St. Vincent Catholic Church plans to expand its parish hall in downtown Basalt.

A 5,000-square-foot automated car wash is expected to start construction at 115 Southside Drive.

Other development proposals are anticipated to go through the review process in 2021, according to the planning department. A bank will pursue construction of a 3,840-square-foot building in a vacant lot adjacent to Element Hotel in Willits.

A 12-unit apartment building is being contemplated on Emma Road, next to Harry Teague Architects.

The town staff is in preliminary discussions with a development team eyeing a multi-family development project near the Basalt Post Office.

The town government also has two major projects on its plate with the $3.3 million upgrade to the Arbaney Pool and a $750,000, first-phase development of the Basalt River Park near downtown.

Another major project in the midvalley but outside of Basalt is Ace Lanes Tree Farm project. After a year of working on infrastructure, buildings in the mixed-use commercial and residential village will start going vertical in 2021.

Building permits, special improvement fees, business licenses and liquor licenses are expected to generate about $795,000 next year or about 10% of Basalts general fund revenue.

scondon@aspentimes.com

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2021 shaping up to be busy construction season in Basalt - Aspen Times