The West Quay parking lot in downtown Port Huron in spring 2018.(Photo: File photo.)

Whether to build a parking structure in downtown Port Huron is a discussion that goes back years.

Now, city officials are using reconstruction of public parking areas to touch on laying the necessary infrastructure for a second deck at the West Quay lot in case, its ever needed.

City Manager James Freed said officials briefly weighed if an underground parking deck was possible at the citys Majestic lot, where DTE Energy is currently wrapping up reconstruction as part of a soil excavation effort.

However, as talks are underway for a similar DTE project nearby at West Quay, he said theyre hashing out cost details with the energy company as that lots size may be a better fit.

The process with West Quay is even more preliminary than that. Meaning, we dont know what the design for West Quay is going to be, but its one of those conversations were having, Freed said. And so, the very 30,000-foot-level conversation was, We dont want to put a second deck on it right now, but can you put the pilings in place today for a possible second deck in the future? And thats something were looking at. Thats really as far as we got.

DTE is paying for reconstruction of the Majestic as part of an effort to clean up century-old contaminants in the area, which was home to one of the companys predecessors, Port Huron Gas and Electric Company.

It wasnt yet clear when the city would consider another access deal with DTE, as they did for the Majestic. In October, a company representative said they were in talks to move to West Quay, and city officials said they expect that phase sometime next year.

Several downtown parking lots in Port Huron are shown in May 2018.(Photo: File photo.)

The question about parking rarely escapes conversations among city officials, business owners and those looking to invest in new developments downtown.

Freed emphasized the West Quay was just an idea. But both he and Cynthia Cutright, director of Port Hurons Downtown Development Authority, acknowledged officials utilize projects in the central business district to address future parking needs overall.

Not just parking structures.

With new lofts going up, new projects like the grocery store and Wrigley Center on their way, parking is something we are definitely keeping our eye on, Cutright said in a statement last week. Having appropriate parking is key. We dont need just spaces. We are being mindful of where timed spaces need to be to turnover in front of businesses, permitted parking for lofts, and quick trip parking for grocery store pickups.

Among the more vocal figures about parking downtown has been developer Larry Jones, whos amid his third major loft project and has plans to redevelop the old Art Van building into a multi-use structure with lofts and commercial space as the Wrigley Center next year.

He approached Port Huron City Council members during public comment of an Oct. 12 meeting, calling the Majestic lot reconstruction a missed opportunity to address larger parking needs.

Freed later said the proximity to utility lines and the size of the lot itself wouldnt have added enough spaces to make the upgrade worth the cost. He told DDA members Nov. 5, We could maybe get four spots out of it.

Still, Jones said last week, he thought a site right on the Black River, where West Quay is located, may not be the best spot to add more parking and nothing else.

Rather, the developer said he thought city officials should be thinking more proactively about parking inland.

The East Quay lot reconstruction several years ago, Jones said, was an example of another missed opportunity. There was also one other a much older one that he still references in talking about the kinds of infrastructure that developers like him might look for long-term when deciding whether to invest in Port Huron.

When me and Brent first came to Port Huron here on 10 years ago, Bruce Brown,the very first time we met him, he has a board in his office, and he tries getting us to build a hotel in that parking lot where the transit bus station is and a parking structure, Jones said, referring to his development partner Brent Marsall and Brown, then-city manager.

So, as the need comes about for it, and now, with us doing the Wrigley Center everybody is very excited about the Wrigley center they know the amount of investors and other people that are going to be looking at Port Huron. Those things are going to come about in the future.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.

Read or Share this story: https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2020/11/16/heres-how-downtown-parking-deck-came-up-recent-talks-city-officials/6279620002/

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A parking structure in downtown Port Huron? Here's how it came up in recent talks for city officials. - The Times Herald

James Hough gave a charter guest a very special birthday present when he rocked a sparkly silver Speedo at the request of the primary in the November 9 episode of Below Deck. But it turns out the deckhand wasn't the only My Seanna crew member the charter guest was hoping to take part in this birthday surprise.

Deckhand Shane Coopersmith revealed that he, too, was asked to wear a Speedo that night during his appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on November 9 (clip above). "Oh, they asked me. They wanted to get me in a Speedo, too, but I didn't want to get in there," he explained. "And James kind of jumped in at the right time, too."

As for why Shane declined the offer, he said he was thinking about his family back home. "I said no right away because I know my grandma's gonna watch Below Deck, and I don't want her seeing me in a Speedo on national TV," he said, later adding on WWHL that it was one of the "wildest requests" from a guest he's ever turned down.

James immediately said he was "game" for putting on the Speedo when Eddie Lucas relayed the charter guest's request to him on Below Deck, and the bosun called the deckhand "a team player." "This could be a lot of fun," James said in an interview during the episode.

Even though James appeared to be at the center of some drama among the charter guests that night, the Speedo was ultimately a hit.

Want more Below Deck? New episodes air every Monday at 9/8c or catch up on this season through the Bravo app.

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Below Deck's James Hough Wasn't the Only Crew Member Asked to Wear a Speedo - Bravo

The Week

President Trump's campaign on Monday replaced its entire legal team arguing his key federal lawsuit in Pennsylvania, naming conservative Harrisburg talk show host Marc Scaringi the lead lawyer in the case. The two Texas lawyers Scaringi replaced had been appointed Friday, taking over for the law firm Porter, Wright Morris & Arthur, which bowed out.On Monday night, Scaringi asked U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann to move back Tuesday's make-or-break hearing in the case, and Brann said no, "Scarinigi is aware of the schedule set by the court in this matter" and "counsel for the parties are expected to be prepared for argument and questioning." The lawsuit in question Trump's main effort to overturn his loss in the state to President-elect Joe Biden was dramatically scaled back Sunday.Scaringi was already publicly skeptical of Trump's chances, telling his radio audience Nov. 7 that "in my view, the litigation will not work" to "reverse this election," and "there really are no bombshells that are about to drop that will derail a Biden presidency, including these lawsuits." A now-removed, unsigned blog post at Scaringi's law firm, Politico reports, said: "Joe Biden has successfully claimed the role of the 46th president of the United States."> Marc Scaringi is Trump's new lawyer in Pennsylvania https://t.co/xeKoMNdpzl> > On his radio show on Nov 7, Scaringi said that "there really are no bombshells that are about to drop that will derail a Biden presidency including these lawsuits" and "the litigation will not work" pic.twitter.com/5Zb8XMJlUO> > John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) November 17, 2020Trump placed his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in charge of his fading legal efforts over the weekend, following a contentious Oval Office meeting late last week in which Giuliani, attending by phone, chewed out Trump's campaign lawyers telling the president his odds of reversing his loss were thin and narrowing, and Trump deputy campaign manager Justin Clark shot back that Giuliani is a "f---ing a--hole," CNN reports. Trump's lawyers had just dropped a lawsuit in Arizona, to Trump's surprise. Four more pro-Trump cases brought by voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia were scrapped Monday.More stories from theweek.com 7 scathingly funny cartoons about Trump's refusal to concede Trump is reportedly 'very aware' he lost the election but is putting up a fight as 'theater' Texas senator suggests it's too soon to declare Biden the winner because Puerto Rico is still counting votes

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Salvation Army Deck the Kettle 2020 - Yahoo News

Cloud-based technology is having its moment, especially in the legal industry.

As attorneys have been propelled to work remotely amid the pandemic, data security and streamlined work processes are top-of-mind for law firms, leading them to adopt cloud technology. A recent Clio report found that nearly 80% of respondents use cloud storage and 96% plan on doing so moving forward.

Investors are taking note. Disco, a cloud-based ediscovery platform that uses artificial intelligence to streamline the litigation process, snapped up $60 million in equity financing this October.

Its Series F, led by Georgian Partners and also backed by VC titans like Bessemer Venture Partners and LiveOak Venture Partners, brings total investment to $195 million, valuing the company at $785 million.

Launched in Houston in 2012, Disco offers AI-fueled products geared towards helping lawyers review and analyze vast quantities of documents, allowing them to more efficiently determine which ones are relevant to a case.

"We're leveraging this basic idea that we want lawyers to spend their time working on the things that only they can do. And we want technology to automate away the boring, mundane, and repetitive tasks," explained Kiwi Camara, Disco's CEO and cofounder.

Read more: Meet 10 investors who are pouring money into legal-tech startups, from Silicon Valley VCs to Big Law firms

Camara walked Business Insider through the pitch deck the company used to attract its blockbuster funding from investors, as well as sign on clients, ranging from Fortune 1000 companies' legal departments to attorneys at 75 of the Am Law 200 firms.

Here's an exclusive look at Disco's deck.

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The CEO of Disco, a legal tech that sells cloud-based discovery software, walked us through a 20-page pitch deck the startup used to nab $60 million -...

Charley has nothing but love for the Below Deck Season 8 crew. Pic credit: @OlympicChaz/Twitter

Below Deck charter guest Charley Walters dished about his third time on the Bravo show, including why he left the Season 8 crew such a large tip.

The third time was not a charm for Charley, who also appeared on Season 5 and 6 of Below Deck. Charley and his friends have been dubbed the worst charter guests in franchise history.

Fans have shared their dislike of the group on social media. The outrage prompted Charley to defend his behavior claiming producers wanted him to be over-demanding to the crew.

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Charley, who insists he is nothing like what viewers see onscreen, talked about the reality of being on Below Deck in an interview with Decider.

One thing Charley did not know until right before boarding the My Seanna was the crew except for Captain Lee Rosbach and Eddie Lucas, were brand new to the Bravo show. Charley wasnt even aware beloved chief stew, Kate Chastain was not on board.

The lack of experience and Kate being gone are two reasons Charley believes his demands seemed so sky-high. Charley and Kate had a system, especially for his outlandish theme parties. New chief stew Francesca Rubi loved Charleys two party ideas but wasnt prepared for them.

Charley praised chef Rachel Hargrove as a person and for her really good food. He was unaware of what was going on in the galley and felt terrible watching her cry during the second episode.

I wasnt there for the omelet orders, so I didnt know how crazy they were. I actually found that funny when I was watching how much my guests were getting so picky about this. But when I saw, I felt so bad because we didnt know she didnt have the right pans, he explained to the website.

He also revealed one reason he jumped in to help out so much was that Charley had been on the yacht previously. Plus, Charley wanted to ensure his group had a good time, even if that meant him lending a hand.

Despite the rocky experience, Charley shared the crew got it together by the end of the charter. Charley legitimately felt terrible for the crew, especially after learning some of the crews challenges during the trip.

Once having all the details regarding how the season started, Charley realized his group would look like total jerks.

I realized we were going to look really bad because we were so hard on them, and so I was like, you know what, we gotta give them a big tip, Charley expressed before sharing the crew was grateful for the tip.

Charley made it clear his life is not all about the rich and famous. He lives a modest lifestyle full of philanthropy, and his love of the Olympics. The only reason he gets to vacation on a superyacht is because of Below Deck.

This is a lucky experience for me, and so Im like, I dont have as much money as you think! he exclaimed.

Charley knows what to expect from Below Deck, and also knows he has to have tough skin. The latter took a while for Charley to learn, but with the good of being on reality TV comes the bad. He simply wants to remind viewers to learn more about him before judging what occurs on television.

Below Deck airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.

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Below Deck charter guest Charley Walters dishes third time on Bravo show, talks large crew tip - Monsters and Critics

https://www.facebook.com/BYUNewsline/posts/1756753681151262

Although the weather is still warm and Christmas is still two months away, many people are already decking the halls, including Megan Larson. She said, I actually started decorating the day after Halloween because I think the sooner the better.

Megan is one of many Utah residents who is excited to kick off the 2020 holiday season, as she believes it will bring joy and peace to a rather chaotic and stressful year. So usually I decorate earlier than a lot of people, but this year in particular because its just been such a crazy year, 2020, and I know Christmas brings joy, the Christmas spirit, and I think we all need that right now, Megan said.

Retail stores like Target and Walmart are full of artificial trees, wreaths, stockings, ornaments and even ugly sweaters.

Shoppers are getting an early start this year as they hunt down the perfect decorations, matching family pajamas, and the most creative stocking stuffers.

Candy Cane Christmas Lights is a local Christmas light company who sets themselves apart by dressing up as Santa and his elves while theyre on the job.

Brenton Southard says they started hanging lights as early as October 1st this year. This year has been kinda different; I think everyone is a little more excited this year to start celebrating Christmas, and so a lot of people have been doing it earlier just cause I think theyre more eager to start something new, especially since everyone is cooped up at home, said Southard.

While there are many who are looking forward to Christmas, there are also some, like Jack Taylor, who think celebrating this early is too early.

Jack said, I think that you dont want it to get over-saturated. And when Christmas is something so wonderful, if you spend too much time and you start too early celebrating Christmas and putting up lights and everything, then by the time that its actually Christmas, the time that youre supposed to be enjoying that the most, youre already burned out because youve been seeing the same lights, the same decorations, and celebrating Christmas for two months.

Whether youre kicking off your Christmas celebrations now, or after Thanksgiving, we hope you enjoy every moment of this special time of year.

Continued here:
Is it too early to deck the halls? - Universe.byu.edu

In M:TG's Commander Legends, mono-white aggro is taking shape, with various cards vying for the crown. Plus, there are new legends to meet.

The upcoming Magic: The Gathering set,Commander Legends, is borrowing a bit of everything from the game. For the first time, the rules of the Commander format are being used inbooster draft Limited. That means plenty of exciting legendary creatures and chaotic spells will be included in this huge set.

Commander Legends might lack the high-dollar reprints of Double Masters from earlier this year, but on the other hand, the ultra-popular Commander format is getting a huge boost. And by now in spoiler season, the draft archetypes are starting to emerge. White mana, in particular, is really carving out a niche for itself, which it sometimes shares with black mana. It's time to get political.

RELATED:Magic: The Gathering - Commander Legends Incites Chaos With Cascade & Aggressive Creatures

Flashy new legendary creatures have been revealed recently, and they come in all five colors. A returning face is Zur the Enchanter, an Esper-colored Wizard who first appeared in the Coldsnap set. It's a 1/4 flier that can tutor for cheap enchantments anytime it attacks, then put those enchantments onto the battlefield. Zur isn't the strongest legend in its colors, but with the right Voltron build, it can be quite fearsome, and might even enable combos.

Red mana, meanwhile, brings a legendary Planeswalker that can serve as a commander and has Partner. Jeska, Thrice Reborn is a cheap 2Rthat can greatly amplify how much damage a targeted creature can deal, or it can deal damage to three targets at once. Interestingly enough, this aggressive red Planeswalker wants its commander to be cast many times, adding to its "reborn" theme if it's the commander itself.

Meanwhile, Blue mana brings in a Sphinx named Eligeth, a hefty 5/6 flier that can turn scry into a card-drawing engine. By now, scry is an evergreen mechanic, and it's all over the place. With Eligeth, cheap scry becomes ultra-efficient card draw, such as Omenspeaker or the ten scrylands from the Theros block. Colfenor, the Last Yew appears as a creature at last in Abzan colors, a fascinating addition to the Treefolk tribe. This 3/7 is highly defensive with reach and vigilance that can bring back dead creatures from the graveyard to the hand whenever it or a friendly creature dies, an example of this color combination's famed endurance.

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Magic: The Gathering - Monarchs & White Aggro Decks Have a Place in Commander Legends - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Voters have done their part, and now it falls to the Ashtabula County Board of Elections to certify the results of Tuesdays election.

There were 1,030 provisional ballots cast in the election, and Board of Elections Deputy Director John Mead hopes the counting of those ballots will be finished by Friday, he said.

There are also 1,122 absentee ballots that have not been returned to the Board of Elections, Mead said. If the ballots were mailed on Nov. 2 or earlier, they have until Friday to arrive at the BOE office in Jefferson to be counted.

We are aiming to certify this election on the ... 18th of November, Mead said. From what I understand, thats a lot easier said than done, but we can do it. We got a great team here. All hands on deck is what we do when we have deadlines like this imposed by the Secretary of State.

Ashtabula County had 71-percent voter turnout in Tuesdays election, according to preliminary results. That is about two percent better than turnout for the 2016 presidential election, according to Board of Elections records.

Preliminary results show43,669 people voted in Ashtabula County in the election.

Mead said that,for the most part, counting the votes went pretty well on Tuesday night.

There was a little unplanned excitement on election night, Mead said.

This one is going to go in the textbooks, he said.

Avoter turned off one of the machines in a Lenox Township polling place because he was the last voter there, Mead said.

Similar to spiking a football when you make a touchdown, Mead said.

Mead said that spiking a ball is harmless, but powering off the machine was not. Mead said Board of Elections Director Charlie Frye visited the polling location and was able to solve the issue.

The moral of this story, people: dont touch those machines, Mead said. Leave them to the professionals. This isnt a football, this isnt a toy.

The staff is well-trained enough to be able to solve the problem, Mead said.

Election results were a little slower in coming from Ashtabula County than the surrounding counties due to the countys size, Mead said. Ashtabula County is the largest county in the state of Ohio.

It takes time forprecinctsin Ashtabula and Conneaut to consolidate and bring their results to the board office in Jefferson, Mead said. Both Geauga and Trumbull counties released their preliminary vote counts before 10 p.m. on election night, according to their websites, while Ashtabula Countys results were not released until 10:40 p.m.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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Few glitches on election night, all hands on deck to certify results - The Star Beacon

Shilpa Shetty sticks to her classic silk saree as she celebrates Karwa Chauth in style. Check it out

Its that time of the year when festivals are lined up like nothing else. We just got done with Navratri and today we have Karwa Chauth followed by Diwali next weekend. Whether you celebrate these festivals or not, its always fun to see other people making the most of their festive wardrobes. Today, its Karwa Chauth and like every year, we have Shilpa Shetty looking her best self in her gorgeous red attire.

The actress who was spotted out in the city along with her sargi looked her traditional best. Mrs Kundra opted for a gorgeous red drape for the auspicious festival. She styled the gold-foil worked saree with a simple red blouse that bore a knotted detail at the back. The actress then decked up the look in a fully traditional way with a red chooda paired with a traditional pearl necklace and diamond earrings.

For the day, she kept her makeup subtle yet elegant with a flawless base layered with blushed tones, brushed eyebrows and a bit of definition around the eyes. She stuck to her mauvy nudes for the shade of her lipstick and completed her glam with a hint of sindoor. She then left her hair down in blow-dried waves and completed her look!

What are your thoughts about her classic Karwa Chauth outfit? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more Fashion & Beauty updates: Follow @pinkvillafashion

Also Read:Karva Chauth 2020: Deepika Padukone shows you 3 easy ways to reuse your old wedding lehenga in style

Also Read:Alia Bhatt to Deepika Padukone: ALL the last minute Karva Chauth outfit inspiration you need

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Shilpa Shetty decks up for Karwa Chauth in a gorgeous red silk saree and its perfect for the occasion - PINKVILLA

With temperatures cooling and leaves changing from golden yellow to deep auburn, theres no denying that its the season of all things cozy and comfy. And as you begin to hunker down and bundle up indoors, the thought of embarking on a deck building project might not be top of mind.

While home improvement retailers position transitional months as off-season for outdoor projects, industry insiders know there are advantages to beginning deck construction once temperate weather days arrive. From scoring a deal on building materials to booking the most in-demand builder, here are three ways you can build your dream deck under budget and in record time this off-season.

Since spring and summer are the busiest times of year for contractors and building professionals, youll have a better chance of booking the most in-demand deck builder in your community during transitional months. With summer projects wrapped up, workloads are naturally lighter. As a result, deck contractors have more flexibility in their schedules and can see a project through from start to finish much quicker than when theyre juggling multiple builds. Theyll also have a better chance of securing necessary building permits on a quick turnaround. With fewer permit applications in the queue for local government officials review, there should be fewer delays in the permitting process.

Contractors and decking brands alike offer homeowners plenty of incentives to take advantage of during transitional seasons. For example, building professionals may offer reduced rates to fill gaps in their schedules. Home improvement and decking brands, like most retailers, offer competitively priced products around the holiday season to reduce inventory and make room for new products. Taking advantage of these savings opportunities can substantially lower upfront costs associated with building a deck. The best part? Now you can splurge on stylish accessories like railing post caps or LED lights ... and still stay within budget.

Deck construction can take a toll on landscaping, particularly during prime building season. In the spring, lawns tend to hold more moisture as the ground beneath begins to thaw. As a result, the ground can become increasingly soggy and is primed to muddy up shoes and retain unsightly footprints. Whats more, grass and flowers are just beginning to reemerge after winter. With increased foot traffic from builders coming and going, theres also the risk of accidentally damaging budding flora. Rather than disrupt spring and summers bloom, schedule deck construction when your yard is already gearing up for its annual hibernation. Since many plants go dormant as the air cools and the ground freezes, its one of the best times to build a deck without significantly impacting landscaping. By the time warm weather rolls back around, youll be ready to tackle landscaping projects surrounding your beautiful new deck.

To create an outdoor space you can start enjoying now, consider building materials that will help extend your decks open-air season. For example, bamboo composite deck boards and light-gauge steel frames are resilient, durable and generally low maintenance.

When composite decking is coupled with steel framing, it forms a durable deck system thats well-equipped to host year-round and designed to last decades longer than lumber, said Toby Bostwick, VP of Product and Brand, Fortress Building Products. Composite deck boards provide benefits like slip- and moisture-resistance to not only keep deck systems looking great year-round, but also make them safer to enjoy during any season.

If youre feeling inspired to deck out your backyard and savor more days spent outdoors, take note of the time and money-saving ways to tackle deck construction during the off-season.

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3 unexpected ways to save time and money by building a deck during the off-season - Longview News-Journal