A national recycling company is at the end stretch toward garnering the necessary Planning Board approval for developing a facility on Ridge Hill Road, according to Planning Board Vice Chairman Keven Desmarais.

Republic Recycling representatives met with the Planning Board on Tuesday, and the board still wants some more traffic design improvements to take place. Specifically, the company has been asked to widen the intersection of Ridge Hill Road and South Main Street to include a third lane. The company is working with adjacent property owners toward land-taking issues, according to Planning Technician Lauren Moreau.

Desmarais said that the improvements will allow some of the tractor trailers traveling north and south to more easily turn into Ridge Hill Road. Desmarais said the traffic mitigation will improve safety.

They didnt balk at it, Desmarais said. They recognized it is good for them and good for us.

Moreau and Desmarais added that the company will add some landscape buffering to the north of that intersection as well.

The hearing on the matter has been postponed until Jan. 7.

Jeff Burdick, the New England and New York company president, could not be reached this week for comment. Earlier this month, Burdick confirmed that the company plans to redevelop the former Weyerhaeuser building on Campanelli Drive. He said there will be infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the 85,000 square foot facilitys blueprint, including road and building upgrades. Burdick said the facility will also employee at least 50 people when it is operating at full capacity.

Burdick said there will be an uptick in truck traffic but it would be restricted to weekdays 6 a.m to 4 p.m. He noted that the facility would also be located next to Route 24, mitigating traffic on South Main Street.

The company takes single stream recycling from the bins of customers, dumps it into an area, feeds it to a hopper and then a conveyor, before people sort it out. It is then neatly transformed into a square bale and sent out for reuse.

Last month, Planning Board Chairman Robert Raymond indicated that the volume of truck traffic will be manageable.

Continued here:
Freetown close to approving recycling facility on Ridge Hill Road

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to lose Jordan Hill because they will not be able to afford him.

Hill has played well enough to earn himself a role as a sporadic starter. He has done the job on the boards and also given his teammates some relief defensively by occasionally covering up some of their mistakes.

His size and length make him an attractive prospect for most teams, and more importantly, he is actually productive. Big men have always been incredibly attractive commodities in the NBA because they change the landscape of the basket area.

They are the difference between scoring and allowing easy baskets at the rim via second-chance opportunities or simple scores at the rim. Granted, big people all come with their sets of strengths and weaknesses.

Scouting Jordan Hill

Hill is one of the best rebounders in basketball, and that makes him a valuable piece. Indeed, he is in the top 10 in rebounding rate and averages a solid 13.7 rebounds per 36 minutes.

He is limited offensively, but he still contributes on that end by finishing around the basket and making at least two-thirds of his free throws.

In order to get a better feel for his offensive repertoire, we will turn to Bleacher Reports Dan Favale, who provided a scouting report of the Lakers forward that detailed his strong suits:

Jordan Hill around the basket area

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Can LA Lakers Afford to Keep Jordan Hill Next Season?

By MICHAEL HAYES

ThisWeek Community News Wednesday December 18, 2013 10:38 AM

Since 2011, Keller Farms Landscape and Nursery has occupied prime road frontage on a 47-tract of land called The Good Property on the west side of Hill Road as one enters Olde Pickerington Village from the north, right before the railroad tracks.

Keller Farms sells plants, hanging baskets, annuals, perennials and seasonal items such as pumpkins.

Dec. 10, Pickerington's Planning and Zoning Commission heard a request from Keller Farms to continue to operate its garden store business at 201 Hill Road North for another four years, until Dec. 31, 2017.

The city's zoning staff, however, recommended Keller Farms' conditional-use permit be limited to one year, or until December 31, 2014.

Commission Chairman Dave Blake said the city's zoning staff wanted to keep the permit at one year because "staff is concerned if this becomes permanent there are blacktop requirements" for Keller Farms' parking lot.

Commission member Ted Hackworth expressed concerns about the site's ongoing temporary status.

"This has been going on for three years now," Hackworth.

"Any plans to put up a building or something more permanent?" he asked Scott Harris of Keller Farms.

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Commission grants one-year permit for Keller Farms

Dec 18, 2013 4:08pm

Actress Glenn Close advocated for strengthening mental health legislation on Capitol Hill today and shared the story of her own familys mental health struggles.

Our family had no vocabulary for mental illness, Close said in a news conference in the U.S. Capitol. It took that crisis point for us to start waking up and learning about what she [her sister] had been through.

Closes sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 50 after contemplating suicide, and Closes nephew suffers from a schizoaffective disorder.

Close, who is the founder of Bring Change 2 Mind, an organization combating the stigma and discrimination faced by those who suffer from mental illness, was on Capitol Hill today to push for the Excellence in Mental Health Act. The bill, which is sponsored by Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., would create a 10-state demonstration program in which states would certify that their community mental health providers are meeting certain standards and offer specific services such as substance abuse programs and 24-hour crisis care.

Our passion is to make mental illness as easy to talk about as diabetes or cancer so that it is part of the human condition and its something that should unite us rather than something that we need to whisper about behind closed doors or feel fearful or ashamed. But the truth is the stigma is huge still, Close, 66, said.

There is a feeling that people are just waiting for permission to start the conversation and I think if they understand that their representatives in Washington actually hear them and care about what theyre going through on a daily basis and will help their communities, I think that is going to change the climate and the landscape of mental health in this country, she added.

David Russell, the director of Silver Linings Playbook, joined Stabenow and Blunt earlier this year to introduce the legislation. Actor Bradley Cooper, who played a man living with bipolar disorder in Silver Linings Playbook, has also teamed up with lawmakers to discuss the need to improve the mental health system.

Stabenow said she expects the legislation, which was crafted after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last year, to be considered on the Senate floor in February or March.

Close met privately with senators after the news conference to discuss the need to enact new mental health legislation.

Go here to see the original:
Glenn Close Promotes Mental Health on Capitol Hill With Personal Touch

Jay Hill speaks with reporters at a press conference where he was introduced as the new head NCAA college football coach at Weber State University Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013, in Ogden, Utah.

Benjamin Zack, AP

OGDEN Jay Hill enthusiastically took charge of the Weber State football program Thursday at Stewart Stadium. The former Utah assistant was officially introduced as head coach of the Wildcats at a late morning press conference.

I am so excited to be here, Hill said. And Im excited to get out in the community, get our players out in the community and just serve create a good product that people want to come to on Saturdays.

Hill is the 11th head coach in team history. The 38-year-old makes the move to the Big Sky Conference school after nine seasons as a full-time assistant on Kyle Whittinghams staff at Utah.

Jay has done a great job for our program for a number of years in many capacities and we will miss him, Whittingham said. He is one of the top special teams coaches in the country and he is ready to become a head coach. We wish him all the best as he takes the next step in his coaching career.

During his tenure with the Utes, Hill served as special teams coordinator and position coach for tight ends, running backs and cornerbacks. He was a graduate and administrative assistant from 2001-04.

In his playing days, Hill was a star defensive back at Ricks College and Utah. He played briefly with the XFLs Orlando Rage and signed free agent contracts with the NFLS Buffalo Bills and New York Giants.

Hell make a great head coach, said Utah safeties coach Morgan Scalley. Jay is a guy with a ton of experience on both sides of the football, really in all three phases of the game offense, defense and special teams.

Scalley also praised Hill for being a great recruiter who has done a great job in the state of Utah and knows the landscape well. He also considers him a guy with a lot of energy and a ton of great ideas.

See the original post:
Weber State hires Jay Hill as new football coach

Jay Hill speaks with reporters at a press conference where he was introduced as the new head NCAA college football coach at Weber State University Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013, in Ogden, Utah.

Benjamin Zack, AP

OGDEN Jay Hill enthusiastically took charge of the Weber State football program Thursday at Stewart Stadium. The former Utah assistant was officially introduced as head coach of the Wildcats at a late morning press conference.

I am so excited to be here, Hill said. And Im excited to get out in the community, get our players out in the community and just serve create a good product that people want to come to on Saturdays.

Hill is the 11th head coach in team history. The 38-year-old makes the move to the Big Sky Conference school after nine seasons as a full-time assistant on Kyle Whittinghams staff at Utah.

Jay has done a great job for our program for a number of years in many capacities and we will miss him, Whittingham said. He is one of the top special teams coaches in the country and he is ready to become a head coach. We wish him all the best as he takes the next step in his coaching career.

During his tenure with the Utes, Hill served as special teams coordinator and position coach for tight ends, running backs and cornerbacks. He was a graduate and administrative assistant from 2001-04.

In his playing days, Hill was a star defensive back at Ricks College and Utah. He played briefly with the XFLs Orlando Rage and signed free agent contracts with the NFLS Buffalo Bills and New York Giants.

Hell make a great head coach, said Utah safeties coach Morgan Scalley. Jay is a guy with a ton of experience on both sides of the football, really in all three phases of the game offense, defense and special teams.

Scalley also praised Hill for being a great recruiter who has done a great job in the state of Utah and knows the landscape well. He also considers him a guy with a lot of energy and a ton of great ideas.

Link:
Weber State hires Jay Hill

07 December 2013| last updated at 09:13PM

All these have long made the place a popular tourist destination, where nature lovers can feast their senses.

A recent draft version of the Special Area Plan (SAP), currently on display for public feedback, suggests that a coming change may or may not significantly alter the hill's landscape.

Chief among the SAP is the proposed cable car link which, as Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng reportedly said, will be from the Penang Municipal Park to the hill and possibly onwards to Teluk Bahang.

Penang Hill residents and vendors are a tad apprehensive and cautious over the plan which, in the words of one vendor, may end up being more of a hindrance than a benefit, with issues of traffic and over-population.

Several environmental interest groups, like the Malaysian Nature Society Penang chapter and the vocal Citizen Awareness Chant Group, have also expressed their concerns and objections over the proposed plan.

Even those in favour of the plan are cautious towards it, and are calling on the authorities to minimise the damage to the environment should the plan take off.

Such a call is not at all premature, as the hill's main attraction is nature, and losing that means pretty much nothing left for the hill.

While the plan may be well intended to boost tourism, perhaps it would be best for the relevant authorities to properly assess the need for such a facility, since there is already an existing train ride up and down the hill, in addition to the access road via the Botanic Gardens.

The authorities would also have to be mindful of the fact that a similar proposal was scrapped in the early 1990s. That said, it would also be imperative to note that these are, indeed, early days, and things are not yet set in stone.

Read more:
Boon may be a threat as well

- Multiple industry firsts advances direct manufacturing landscape - Brings functional, vibrant, precision full-color plastic 3D printer - Delivers simultaneous multi-materials composite 3D printer - Enables high volume manufacturing with compact SLS printer - Redefines Fab-grade Performance with ProX 950 SLA 3D printer

ROCK HILL, S.C. and FRANKFURT, Germany - 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) today announced 3DPRINTING 2.0 anchored by multiple groundbreaking new 3D printing and scanning products that it is showcasing at EuroMold 2013 in Frankfurt, Germany, December 3 - 6, 2013 at the Frankfurt Messe. 3DS is exhibiting its new lineup of professional products at stand E68 and its extensive consumer products at stand B79, both located in hall 11.

Throughout this week the company is revealing a dozen new products that catapult its entire portfolio of design-to-manufacturing solutions forward, substantially advancing the 3D printing landscape.

"The cutting edge products we are launching today provide enormous value to our design and manufacturing customers, leapfrogs competitors and extends our first mover advantage in certain key verticals," said Avi Reichental, President and CEO of 3D Systems. "The exponential speed, size and capacity gains we are delivering together with advanced material options and new scan-to-design and inspection tools, defines the very essence of 3DPRINTING 2.0 and accelerates our customers' ability to manufacture the future "

3DS is showcasing 3DPRINTING 2.0, represented by its entire next generation 3D printing and scanning products and services at stand E68:

First and only full-color plastic 3D printer -- Immediate availability of the ProJet 4500 3D printer, the first and only continuous tone full-color plastic 3D printer available today. This category-defining 3D printer delivers ready-to-use vibrant, full-color durable plastic parts straight out of the printer for a wide range of modeling, functional prototyping and real-use products. The ProJet 4500 builds with a new class of sustainable VisiJet C4 Spectrum materials. This revolutionary printer delivers both flexible and strong parts, pixel by pixel, straight out of the printer, in high resolution CMY (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) color with a superior surface finish.

High performance simultaneous multi-materials composite printing -- Immediate availability of the ProJet 5500X, a ground breaking multi-material 3D printer that delivers the highest quality, most accurate and toughest multi-material composites. The ProJet 5500X simultaneously prints and fuses together flexible and rigid material composites layer by layer at the pixel level in a variety of colors and shades including opaque, clear, black or white and numerous shades of gray. 3DS' printed multi-material composites result in stunningly realistic, functional, large and small prototypes and products for a wide range of manufacturers, designers and engineers.

Largest format production platform -- Immediate availability of the ProX 950 SLA 3D printer, the largest-format, highest-speed, greatest accuracy and greenest 3D printer available today. Utilizing 3D Systems' stereolithography technology, the ProX 950 is equipped with 3DS' newest PolyRay print head technology that can manufacture real parts at up to 10 times the speed of other 3D printers, drawing on the widest choice of proven high-performance engineered materials that are qualified for the most demanding aerospace, medical device and industrial use-cases.

High-volume functional parts manufacturing -- Immediate availability of the ProX 500 SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) 3D printer that delivers superior parts with greater precision, durability and quality in a compact production-grade system that is easy to own and economical to use. Designed for the manufacturing floor, the ProX 500 produces ready-to-use functional parts and complete assemblies for a variety of aerospace, automotive, patient specific medical devices, fashion products and mobile devices use cases. The ProX 500 is productive, reliably delivering parts with exceptional mechanical properties at production rates that are 7 times faster than comparable technologies. The compact ProX printer was developed in tandem with the revolutionary new DuraForm ProX material to produce smoother wall surfaces and injection molding-like part quality.

Industrial-grade direct metal printing -- Immediate availability of the ProX 300 direct metal printer, the only industrial grade direct metal platform that was specifically designed for the most demand manufacturing floor conditions, delivering high density, metal printed parts from a large choice of materials and to very accurate precision. The ProX 300 is the first Phenix system to be rebranded as part of 3DS' rapidly expanding DDMS 3D printers family. The company is also immediately beginning to ship its rebranded ProX 100 and ProX 200 DMS 3D printers at EuroMold.

More:
3D Systems Ushers in 3DPRINTING 2.0 with a Dozen New Products at EuroMold 2013

Lucid Stead

Imagine for a moment, a serene destination encased in and exuding light from every surface; a house that blends into the landscape seamlessly. The visuals of the house transform with the changing light of day and night, and this place seems to grow and modify with every new breath of air, with every new phase of the sun and moon. The quiet desert winds are the only soundtrack to this otherworldy experience . . . this is not just a place in your imagination, a getaway for your psyche, this is real, this is here in our beloved Inland Empire. This is Lucid Stead.

Artist Phillip K. Smith III is a desert native who hails from the Palm Springs area and still resides there today. However, with Lucid Steads nine-year journey into existence, Smith has been maintaining a residence just down the road and over the hill from Lucid Stead in Joshua Tree, to manage a hub for it, as well as spend as much close time with the project as possible. Phillip K. Smith III received his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design, a notorious and highly regarded institution. He often draws inspiration from the Californias Light and Space movement, as well as minimalist design and deconstructivism. Smiths innovation and exploration of new technologies keeps these ideologies current. He was honored as the 2010 Artist in Residence at the Palm Springs Art Museum and was included in the exhibition, Smooth Operations: Substance and Surface in Southern California Art, alongside Peter Alexander, Larry Bell, DeWain Valentine and Craig Kauffman at the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, where he will have a solo show in January 2014.

Lucid Stead is truly a collaboration with the desert, and with the history of the area. Smith lives and breathes the desert, and that sense is truly felt in this contemporary, experimental homestead-art-piece. Driving around the Joshua Tree area, its not uncommon to stumble upon the sights of these tiny little abandoned shacks known as Jackrabbit Homesteads, strewn across the quiet landscape. Many artists find solace and inspiration in these homesteads, including Smith. After nine years of sitting with this land and this one shack of a house, Smith let the land and house speak to him and dictate the creativity of the property.

When people drive up to the house, the first thing they noticethat changes the whole experienceis the silence. The land out in Joshua Tree just has a different pulse than other places. It operates on a different timeline and a different world view. Out here at Lucid Stead, light and shadows interact with the sun. The house has become a part of the desert, a part of the land as it interacts with the light, the reflection, the landscape.

A lot of my work is about merging these highly precise developments, Smith says, like these rectangles, next to something thats highly organic, you know, something that falls through the fingers of your hands, you cant necessarily hold onto it. So I love that theres these very crisp visions pushed right up against the dry wood. The whole shack is an existing homestead shack, its been here for probably 70 years.

The house exists as it always had, the same wood, the same door frame, window frames and rooftop. Smith did not replace anything in the project, he only pulled away material and added light and reflection. It is covered in panels of mirrorin the daylight, the house seems to merge into the land, both reflecting itself and the desert it so generously adores. At night, though, its a whole different experience.

At night, its about projected light. The four windows and the doorway turn into fields of color, Smith explains. White light emanates from the inside out . . . and ultimately that last element was change. You know, this desert up here moves at an entirely different pace of change.

The nighttime lighting is almost like a psychedelic experience to say the least, a kind of performance. The moon and stars light up the ground, theyre so bright in this unpolluted sky, while the homestead performs its own little ritualistic celebratory dance of light. The colors move and shift around the house in a cyclical manner, but at a slow and steady pace thats hard to even notice. Its beautiful and peacefully satisfying to stand in its presence. With the quiet surrounding of Joshua Trees outer limits, with the peaceful slow-moving colors of Lucid Stead, night becomes the time for Lucid Stead to sing its quiet light song, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but extremely vocal in its own way. The more time you spend with it, the more things reveal themselves, Smith says.

Smiths past work touches on similar styles, concepts and issues. His intense perfectionism is a gorgeous gift in his art practice. Giant, bright and mind-melding installations and sculptural experiences transform spaces, collections, whole buildings even. His love for the Light and Space movement is very apparent, but he takes that style to another level. Often working with light and experience, it seems his real passion is the pure experienceno words, no figures, no suggestions. Abstraction and creation based on the momentary whole body experience of art is a clear achievement for Smiths worktruly masterful.

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Reimagining the Desert

Response to Print of Feeding Frenzy, Santa Cruz, 2012. Response to Print of Kudzu, Texas, 2010. Response to Print of Egret Rookery, Louisiana, 2010. Response to Print of Green Hill, Washington, 2010. Response #1 to Print of Thicket, 2006. Response to Print of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz (No. 2), 2013. Response to Print of Trumpet Vine, Hawaii, 2011. Response to Print of Shrub with Doves, Florida, 2006. Response to Print of Vulture Roost, Texas, 2010. Response to Print of River Bend, Texas, 2011 (part 1 of diptych) Response to Print of River Bend, Texas, 2011 (part 2 of diptych) Response to Print of Inspiration Point, California, 2011. Response to Print of Trees and Fog, California, 2011. Response to Print of Cowell's, Santa Cruz, 2013.

Response to Print of Feeding Frenzy, Santa Cruz, 2012.

Response to Print of Kudzu, Texas, 2010.

Response to Print of Egret Rookery, Louisiana, 2010.

Response to Print of Green Hill, Washington, 2010.

Response #1 to Print of Thicket, 2006.

Response to Print of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz (No. 2), 2013.

Response to Print of Trumpet Vine, Hawaii, 2011.

Response to Print of Shrub with Doves, Florida, 2006.

Response to Print of Vulture Roost, Texas, 2010.

The rest is here:
When a Photo Isn't Behaving, Bend It to Your Will