UPDATED: THE collapse of Ri-Con Contractors this week a financial hole at least $540,000 deep in the region, a liquidator's report revealed.

Thirty businesses and individuals around the region were owed money when the Sunshine Coast-based builders moved into liquidation on Monday.

Brisbane Electrical Contractors and Engineering was the hardest hit, with the liquidator estimating the business was owed $236,000.

O'Brien Plumbing Gympie was also due $116,000, and owner Tim Bothams said this week the actual figure is actually $41,000 higher.

Tim Bothams says Ri-Cons debt to his business was almost $160,000.

Cooroy Engineering was due $36,000, Evans Painting Contractors was owed $33,000, CPM Engineering was owed $25,000 and Cardale Concrete Pumping was owed more than $25,000, the report revealed.

RELATED

* Gympie council says it was told subbies paid

* Gympie subbies in lurch as another builder goes bust

Campbells Truck and Bobcat and Landscaping, Nicks Readymix and Quarry Boys Gympie were owed between $5000-$17,000 each.

All Areas Rendering, CavSheds, CBD Corporation, Cooroy Sheet Metal and Tank Work, Evan's Painting, Fishy's Earthmoving, Gympie Blinds, Gympie Garage Doors, Gympie Landscape Supplies, Suncoast Roadmarking, Superior Skip Bins, The Water Man and Tim Spring Transport were also owed money.

Ri-Con worked on the Kilkivan Equestrian Centre.

The amount owed to 10 of the 30 businesses and individuals was still to be confirmed.

Liquidator Paul Nogueira said Ri-Con's director "has advised the company and its business began to experience financial difficulty about December 2019, following a failure to secure new projects for an extensive period of time".

"The reduction in projects severely affected the company's cash flow, resulting in its current insolvent position.

Inadequate working capital, continued trading losses and a downturn in the industry and economy were the given reasons for Ri-Con's insolvency, Mr Noguiera said.

Along with its Sunshine Coast office, Ri-Con had offices in Darwin and Broome.

More than 400 creditors were owed money by Ri-Con when it shut.

* The story has been updated to reflect an additional Gympie business on the list.

See the article here:
Hundreds of thousands, 30 businesses hit by company collapse - Noosa News

By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice on January 26, 2020

As Southern Shores continues to grapple with whether to move forward with a town-wide beach nourishment effort in 2022, Town Council has agreed to begin investigating how it might fund such a project which could carry a price tag of between $14 to $16 million.

While Southern Shores piggybacked on the north end of Kitty Hawks nourishment project in 2017 in order to pump sand onto about 1,500 feet of eroded beach to the east of Pelican Watch, such a town-wide project would be a first for the municipality.

During a Jan. 21 work session, the council directed town staff to coordinate with the Charlotte-based financial consultants DEC Associates to begin exploring options for creating Municipal Service Districts (MSDs) that would ultimately help the municipality foot the bill for widening town beaches.

Properties in the MSDs, likely those on and near the oceanfront, would be assessed a separate levy to help pay for the cost of the project. Town funds would not have to be raised until the 2021-22 fiscal year.

If we are contemplating [beach nourishment] options or no options, that funding source is as important as anything elsewhat we are going to ask people in the audience here to potentially pay, said Council Member Matthew Neal during the Jan. 21 session on beach nourishment options. I am a newly elected individual and raising taxes is not my key thing.

Newly elected Council Member Elizabeth Morey echoed Neals comment. In order for us to make an informed decision, we need to have the people who pay the property taxes know what amount of payment they are looking at, she said.

The town, if it moves forward with sand pumping efforts, is banking on Dare County to kick in at least $7.6 million from its Beach Nourishment Fund. That would leave Southern Shores needing to come up with $1,073,928 annually over the five years of the Special Obligation Bonds. That translates to 7.82 cents of the property tax equivalent, DECs Andrew Carter told the council.

This is your skin in the game, he said, adding that neighboring towns have made the same contribution. Carter also noted that all the towns have raised the funds for their projects differently. Some have multiple MSDs, some have taxed town wide or theyve had a hybrid of those two methods.

While Dare County Manager Bobby Outten acknowledged that the county does have between $7.5 and $8 million to contribute to a beach nourishment project somewhere in the county, he told the Voice that county commissioners havent yet to determine where that money will be earmarked.

Through its Beach Nourishment Fund, Dare County has helped to fund Southern Shores beach nourishment study. It also recently embarked on a similar study in Avon. The board [of commissioners] hasnt chosen where to spend the money yet, Outten said, adding that once the study is completed in Avon, the board would have to prioritize. We havent gotten that far yet.

At the Jan. 21 meeting, DECs Doug Carter explained that such a project involves a commitment to re-nourish every five years. Once you start it, it never ends, he added. You make your beach better, and in five years you replenish it again. Once you are in the business of beach nourishment, you are in the business of beach nourishment.

The Jan. 21 session also included a presentation by APTIM Coastal Planning and Engineerings Ken Wilson, whose firm has conducted the beach nourishment study for Southern Shores and assisted in the development of its Beach Management Plan.

In addition to two nourishment options it had previously presented that included pumping sand onto the beach from 3rd Street south to the town line, Wilson outlined two additional options that would include nourishing the entire stretch of towns shoreline.

If the town decides to proceed with one of those options, DECs Doug Carter encouraged council members to sell the county on the project, and that it provides the greatest benefit to the community from an economic perspective.

For his part, Outten noted that there are a few factors that could create urgency when it comes to a county commitment. One is how quickly do they need it and how quickly are beaches eroding.

Another possible factor involves consolidating projects. The towns of Duck and Kitty Hawk are also expected to do re-nourishment projects, possibly in 2022, and conducting neighboring projects at the same time can save millions of dollars on the mobilization process, he said.

Still, as the county manager noted, there wont be any decisions on where the countys nourishment money will go until the Avon study is complete, which will likely be sometime this spring. That means Southern Shores may have a little wiggle room before it decides whether it wants to move forward with beach nourishment and make its pitch to the county.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDSDare County Animal Shelter

Sealed bids for completion of the Dare County Animal Shelter will be received on February 11, 2020, in the Dare County Administration Building, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo, NC, for 01-Fencing, 03- Concrete, 04-Masonry, 05-Metals/ Steel, 06-Casework, 07-Roofing, 07-Caulking, 08-Glass and Glazing, 08-Doors, Frames and Hardware, 08-Overhead Doors, 09-Drywall, 09-Flooring, 09-Painting, 10- Specialties, 12-Furnishings, 21-Fire Protection, 23-Mechanical & Plumbing, 26-Electrical, 31-Sitework and 32-Landscaping.

This project will be bid and awarded in accordance with North Carolina law. Sealed proposals from Contractors will be received until 1:00 p.m. All bidders must submit for prequalification by 2:00pm on 2/3/2020. Bids submitted by non-prequalified bidders will not be considered. All bids will be opened and read aloud starting at 2:00 p.m. of the bid day. Bids must be delivered in person and on the supplied Bid Form and include a bid deposit worth 5% of the total bid value. Electronic and faxed bids will NOT be accepted or reviewed. All times are local prevailing times.

Information requests concerning the project shall be submitted in writing to: Alex Palagyi of The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company via email (alex.palagyi@whiting-turner.com)

Bidding material, prequalification material, and complete plans and specifications may be obtained from the Whiting-Turner Building Connected site and will be available until the bid due date. All subcontractors are responsible for emailing Alex Palagyi (alex.palagyi@whiting-turner.com) for access to the Building Connected site.

The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and Dare County reserve the right to reject any and all bids, waive informalities and irregularities in bidding, and to accept bids which are considered to be in the best interest of the County. The Whiting Turner Contracting Company and Dare County also reserve the right to require any bidder to submit information needed to determine if said bidder is responsible within the meaning of N.C. Gen. Stat. 143-129.

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Southern Shores ponders town-wide beach project - The Outer Banks Voice

Thank you all for the overwhelming show of love and support for this event! The 35th Annual Stumpy Point Oyster Feast will be held from noon until 5 on Saturday, February 8 at the Stumpy Point Community Center. The menu includes all-you-can-eat oysters both in the shell to be shucked and fried. Fried fish,coleslaw, baked beans, potatoes, and hush puppies round out the menu.

Stumpy Point Civic Club met Friday and voted to continue the annual Oyster Feast which had been announced earlier as being cancelled. Money from the event will benefit the Civic Club and the Stumpy Point Volunteer Fire Department which is this years major sponsor.

Calls and emails flooded into the village after the earlier cancellation was announced. Callers said that they planned their trips to the Outer Banks based on the date of the feast. It had become a tradition with many families from both near and far.

Civic Club members decided the annual event not only served to bring people to the village tucked into the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, but also was a way to bring the village together by offering a way that both newcomers and generational residents could work together providing a peek at a unique commercial fishing village.

The cost of the feast is $30 for adults; $12 for children 12 and under. Bring plenty of cash! In addition to a fantastic meal there will be a bake sale, raffle, and sweatshirts for sale. Join us on February 8 and help us continue the tradition!

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDSDare County Animal Shelter

Sealed bids for completion of the Dare County Animal Shelter will be received on February 11, 2020, in the Dare County Administration Building, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo, NC, for 01-Fencing, 03- Concrete, 04-Masonry, 05-Metals/ Steel, 06-Casework, 07-Roofing, 07-Caulking, 08-Glass and Glazing, 08-Doors, Frames and Hardware, 08-Overhead Doors, 09-Drywall, 09-Flooring, 09-Painting, 10- Specialties, 12-Furnishings, 21-Fire Protection, 23-Mechanical & Plumbing, 26-Electrical, 31-Sitework and 32-Landscaping.

This project will be bid and awarded in accordance with North Carolina law. Sealed proposals from Contractors will be received until 1:00 p.m. All bidders must submit for prequalification by 2:00pm on 2/3/2020. Bids submitted by non-prequalified bidders will not be considered. All bids will be opened and read aloud starting at 2:00 p.m. of the bid day. Bids must be delivered in person and on the supplied Bid Form and include a bid deposit worth 5% of the total bid value. Electronic and faxed bids will NOT be accepted or reviewed. All times are local prevailing times.

Information requests concerning the project shall be submitted in writing to: Alex Palagyi of The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company via email (alex.palagyi@whiting-turner.com)

Bidding material, prequalification material, and complete plans and specifications may be obtained from the Whiting-Turner Building Connected site and will be available until the bid due date. All subcontractors are responsible for emailing Alex Palagyi (alex.palagyi@whiting-turner.com) for access to the Building Connected site.

The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and Dare County reserve the right to reject any and all bids, waive informalities and irregularities in bidding, and to accept bids which are considered to be in the best interest of the County. The Whiting Turner Contracting Company and Dare County also reserve the right to require any bidder to submit information needed to determine if said bidder is responsible within the meaning of N.C. Gen. Stat. 143-129.

Continue reading here:
Feb. 8: The 35th Annual Stumpy Point Oyster Feast is back on! - The Outer Banks Voice

By Michelle Wagner | Outer Banks Voice on January 25, 2020

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, North Carolina ranked eighth in the nation in the number of human trafficking cases in 2019, with 92 of the 132 cases reported involving sex trafficking. This year, perhaps in response to growing concern over its prevalence, the N.C. General Assembly mandated that all employees in North Carolina schools be trained in reporting and preventing child sex trafficking.

And while local experts say they dont have definitive numbers when it comes to trafficking in Dare and Currituck counties, one thing is certain. It is happening. Tina Pennington has seen this firsthand since opening the doors of the Currituck-based anti-trafficking organization, Beloved Haven, five years ago.

The majority of the girls we have worked with in the last five years have been out of either Dare County, Currituck County, or Elizabeth City, so its really close to home, she said during a Jan. 18 Trafficking in my Backyard training session sponsored by her organization, Outer Banks Hotline and the Currituck County Sheriffs Office.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Pennington and other experts at the Jan. 18 training said predators often use social media as a tool for grooming individuals, often middle-school and high school-aged children, as victims.

The Jan. 18 training session came a few weeks after a 13-year-old Currituck County girl went missing, triggering extensive law enforcement efforts that located her several days later in Georgia. That proved not to be a trafficking case, but the local girl had been lured away from home by another teen girl she met online.

The age of the missing girl in that case should not come as a surprise, experts say. Pennington noted that when it comes to online exchanges between a child and predator, the average age for victims both girls and boys being lured into such a situation is 13.

Pennington, whose organization recently opened a drop-in center for sex trafficking victims in Elizabeth City, said that the crime in Dare and Currituck counties looks different than in Elizabeth City, where street prostitution isnt uncommon.

Here, we find that it is all done online and runs under an escort on sites such as Skip the Games, she told the group of about 30 participants. Every day, you will go on and see about ten or fifteen listings and you will see where that girl is located, and you will be floored when you find out it is here.

Dont take my word for it, asserted Pennington. You can actually research it and find out it is happening here in our communities.

Pennington said that traffickers connect with young people online and pretend to be the one who understands them, who is going to make it alright during a volatile time of childhood. She said the men, or their recruiters who are sometimes other girls, often groom victims online to build a relationship and make them believe they care about them.

She added that Beloved Haven is often contacted by parents who have discovered concerning content on their daughters phones.

Weve had to go to the sheriffs department on several [occasions] on just textingyoung girls texting with guys they think are sixteen-years old and we find out its a forty-five-year-old man in Missouri whos just about go her to agree to meet him. Its just really important to know what your kids are doing on social media, and who theyre talking to. Its hard, I know, to monitor and to also allow that privacy.

She added: We dont want to scare kids to death or make them afraid to even go outside because a white van might drive by and throw them in the back. Please dont think thats what trafficking looks like, because it doesnt.

For his part, Currituck Sheriff Matthew Beickert asserted that there is always the possibility of a trafficking situation. A lot of times, these things are similarly going on and they dont turn out bad someone will meet someone who they believe is their own age and they turn out they are. But its just a matter of time before someone is fooled.

Beickert noted that his department has a task force assigned to internet crimes against children and officers are trained annually on trafficking, adding that his staff works closely with the SBI and FBI on potential trafficking cases. He also said that he hopes to incorporate education regarding healthy relationships into the high school freshman orientation.

Outer Banks Hotline Executive Director Michael Lewis said that while the N.C. General Assembly mandated training in schools, it didnt say how that training should look. Lewis said his group, along with Beloved Haven and Albemarle Hopeline, are going to partner to develop a program on what human trafficking looks like not only for staff, but also for students and parents.

Lewis said that while the General Assembly didnt indicate how much training the employees had to have, he hoped Outer Banks Hotline would be in the schools on a monthly or quarterly basis.

In response to a question about the vulnerability of foreign students coming to work on the Outer Banks, Lewis said: Weve had some information that some of your foreign students have been victims of trafficking. We havent had any come forward to say that theyre victims.

Pennington said that Beloved Havens drop-in center in Elizabeth City, which opened in July, provides victims with a safe place to go. Its mission is to make connections with trafficking victims to help them begin to take the next steps to leave that situation.

The drop-in center allows us to prepare them to be ready to leave, and hopefully have a plan, she said. We knew there was this huge gap between rescue and success.

Recalling a victim in Ocracoke who reached out to the National Human Trafficking Hotline for help, was transported to the Outer Banks Hospital and then to a medical center in Greenville only to leave again, Lewis said the task of helping these victims is complex and involves many agencies.

There are some successes and some failures, explained Lewis. You are going to have more failures, but if we can just save one, thats what we are here for.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDSDare County Animal Shelter

Sealed bids for completion of the Dare County Animal Shelter will be received on February 11, 2020, in the Dare County Administration Building, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo, NC, for 01-Fencing, 03- Concrete, 04-Masonry, 05-Metals/ Steel, 06-Casework, 07-Roofing, 07-Caulking, 08-Glass and Glazing, 08-Doors, Frames and Hardware, 08-Overhead Doors, 09-Drywall, 09-Flooring, 09-Painting, 10- Specialties, 12-Furnishings, 21-Fire Protection, 23-Mechanical & Plumbing, 26-Electrical, 31-Sitework and 32-Landscaping.

This project will be bid and awarded in accordance with North Carolina law. Sealed proposals from Contractors will be received until 1:00 p.m. All bidders must submit for prequalification by 2:00pm on 2/3/2020. Bids submitted by non-prequalified bidders will not be considered. All bids will be opened and read aloud starting at 2:00 p.m. of the bid day. Bids must be delivered in person and on the supplied Bid Form and include a bid deposit worth 5% of the total bid value. Electronic and faxed bids will NOT be accepted or reviewed. All times are local prevailing times.

Information requests concerning the project shall be submitted in writing to: Alex Palagyi of The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company via email (alex.palagyi@whiting-turner.com)

Bidding material, prequalification material, and complete plans and specifications may be obtained from the Whiting-Turner Building Connected site and will be available until the bid due date. All subcontractors are responsible for emailing Alex Palagyi (alex.palagyi@whiting-turner.com) for access to the Building Connected site.

The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and Dare County reserve the right to reject any and all bids, waive informalities and irregularities in bidding, and to accept bids which are considered to be in the best interest of the County. The Whiting Turner Contracting Company and Dare County also reserve the right to require any bidder to submit information needed to determine if said bidder is responsible within the meaning of N.C. Gen. Stat. 143-129.

See the article here:
'It's really close to home' - The Outer Banks Voice

The Allied Construction Employers Association, a federation of 10 individual groups and associations each representing different segments of the union construction industry in southeast Wisconsin, has announced its officers and directors for 2020:

OFFICERS

PresidentMike Henke, EVPConstruction Supply & Erection Inc.

Vice PresidentSteve Beres, VPJohn Beres Builders

Secretary/TreasurerJim Macejkovic, EVP/CIO/Safety DirectorBuilding Service Inc.

Immediate Past PresidentPeter Sprinkmann, VPSprinkmann & Sons

DIRECTORS

Acoustical Contractors AssociationJim Macejkovic, EVP/CIO/Safety DirectorBuilding Service Inc.

Eastern Wisconsin Erectors AssociationMike Henke, EVPConstruction Supply & Erection Inc.

Floor Coverers Association of SE WisconsinLes Lippert, PresidentLippert Tile Co.

Mason Contractors Association of MilwaukeeTom DuFour, Vice PresidentJ.H. Hassinger

Master Builders Association of WisconsinJoel Dahlman, VPDahlman Construction

Residential Carpenter Contractors AssociationSteve Beres, VPJohn Beres Builders

SE Wisconsin Drywall & Plasterers AssociationKeith McNamee, Chief EstimatorCommon Links Construction

Wisconsin Insulation Contractors AssociationPeter Sprinkmann, VPSprinkmann & Sons

Wisconsin Painting Contractors AssociationKevin Chmielewski, PresidentState Painting Co.

Wisconsin Transportation Employers CouncilMatt Grove, Director of ConstructionWisconsin Transportation Builders Association

See the original post here:
ACEA names officers, directors The Daily Reporter WI Construction News & Bids - Daily Reporter

For commuters like Brady Yurkiewick who drive daily beyond Allentown the reopening of the Route 222 on and off ramps in Wyomissing is a godsend.

Yurkiewick, 22, of Mohnton drives more than an hour each way to work at the Dundore & Heister butcher shop in Easton, on Routes 222 and 22 and Interstate 78. He typically stops at the Wyomissing branch of the butcher store on the way home.

Its been taking me out of my way for 10 or 15 minutes every day, Yurkiewick said. Youre sitting in traffic on the detours around the Berkshire Mall. It seems like its been closed for a long time.

Yurkiewick was elated Tuesday to hear that the ramps are reopening Wednesday night.

Yurkiewick is one of more than 30,036 motorists driving daily on Route 222 south and 31,087 driving daily on Route 222 north in that area, according to PennDOT.

The $2.2 million PennDOT upgrade of the Route 222 bridge over Business Route 422 and a Norfolk Southern line includes structural steel repairs, concrete deck repairs, paving and painting. Kinsley Construction Inc. of York is the contractor.

The work began in spring 2019 with posted detours taking motorists on Route 724 and State Hill Road.

During the spring, contractors will return to perform additional paving work when the temperature is consistently warmer, said Ron L. Young, spokesman for the Allentown office of PennDOT.

He said the work will be performed at night and will not interfere with traffic.

Alan D. Piper, Berks County transportation planner, said the project planning began in May 2018.

He said the ramps are typically traveled by locals.

Having the ramps closed is an annoyance if you are the one who is using it regularly, he said.

Lisa Banco, 55, of Wyomissing said she uses the Route 222 ramps on a regular basis for shopping, errands, travel and work.

Its been aggravating, Banco said. It was also frustrating not knowing when the end was in sight. Many people will be happy to hear that its opening.

Not everyone was fazed by the ramp opening.

Stephanie Stricker, 34, of West Lawn said the detours do not bother her daily commute to work at Reading Hospital.

I drive on the back roads, Stricker said.

Read the rest here:
Route 222 ramps in Wyomissing set to open Wednesday night - Reading Eagle

Posted: Jan. 14, 2020 2:31 pm

HANNIBAL | A Hannibal husband and wife team has helped preserve the legacy of Laura Hawkins Frazer Samuel Clemens' childhood sweetheart and the inspiration for his literary character, Becky Thatcher through more than a decade of research and restoration work at the two-story home at 210 North Fifth Street which was her final residence.

By the time Nora Creason and Don Metcalf began restoration efforts in 2008, the home's entire interior had been gutted; water, termites and other neglect also took their toll. But the husband and wife team spent more than a decade researching the architecture and stories surrounding the home built in 1895, bringing together Victorian artwork, fixtures, historic reproductions like hand-pressed wallpaper and restoring details to bring the home as close as possible to its state when Frazier lived there. Throughout the process, the couple discovered rare insights into Frazer's life and a friendship with Clemens that endured for decades.

Creason remembered the beginning of the restoration when 20 fellow members from Friends of Historic Hannibal came out for a barn raising to remove the asbestos tile that covered the exterior walls. ShecommendedBobYapp for getting everyone together for the project, and Metcalf said members of the Marion County Historical Society and local contractors helped to expose the original exterior during the barn-raising.

Creason and Metcalf searched for photographs of the home, but few existed to guide their way. But they did have a video account of the interior's contents from 1999 by local auctioneer Dale DeLa-Porte, and Metcalf found several architectural clueslike paint lines and a thin strip of tin atop a square area originally thought to be a window. During her travels to antique shows across the country, Creason found a tin facade the right size with an opening for an oval stained glass window.

Creason and Metcalf recalled the condition of the home before the years of restoration work brought the first floor and exterior back to a period-correct appearance.

Everything was stripped off out of this house, Creason said.

There were big holes in the hallway, and the mantles were gone, Metcalf said. We had to do a lot.

Metcalffoundstampings in the gutter pipes and the last name Garner behind intricately-designed wallpaper Larry Garner installed Metcalf marveled at the pride in craftsmanship the names exhibited, and Creason said it reflected the generations of Hannibal residents who lived and worked in the historic home.

As the physical restoration of the home progressed, Creason and Metcalf discovered plenty of stories through photographs, letters and postcards shared by Frazer'sdescendant, Boxwell Hawkins. She reached out to Hawkins, who provided copies of historic artifacts that weren't seen anywhere else.He even gave me a copy of his years' work of genealogy and family archives, which was very, very helpful, Creason said. In the family archives, several family members have letters between Laura and (Samuel) in their own personal possessions. They were copied for posterity in the family archives, and he gave me a copy of all of that.

In 1902, Clemens accepted an invitation by Mrs. John Garth to speak at Garth Mansion. He later spoke at Rockcliffe (Cruikshank) Mansion,and Frazer was in attendance at both events.

Rhonda Hall remembered a story told to her by her grandmother, Daisy Myrtle Lankford Brown, about Clemens meeting Joe Douglas following the event at Rockcliffe Mansion. But Clemens' portrayal of Douglas as the villian Injun Joe had caused some local residents to believe the fictitious details painting him in a negative light. She said Douglas started the bustling African-American neighborhood known as Douglasville, by purchasing tracts of land near his home behind Rockcliffe Mansion with his earnings.

On his way from home from his engagement at Rockcliffe Mansion, he stopped and he spoke with Injun Joe. They chitchatted and they talked for a while and they visited with each other, Hall said. And (Douglas) asked (Clemens), 'why have you done this to me?' And he jokingly and half-heartedly asked the question why. And (Clemens) said, 'I'm so sorry, but you made for a good story.' Douglas told Clemens that some people in town thought he was like his character, pointing out look how much I've accomplished. Hall said after their discussion, Clemens stopped using Injun Joe's name in many of his writings.

After those speeches in Hannibal, Clemens ties to Hannibal and to Frazier remained strong, evidenced in one of the letters in Hawkins' genealogy.

He gave her a list of nameschildhood friends and some schoolmasters and asked her if she would cross out the names of those who were no longer living, Creason said. Because what he was planning, he wanted a reunion of all of his old friends, Laura and the people who were composite characters in his books. And unfortunately, he died in 1910, and that didn't happen.

Frazer served as Matron at the Home of the Friendless a local orphanage for 28 years, before the former Helm mansion was demolished. W.B. Pettibone commissioned the home in memory of his wife, Laura Jones Pettibone. But for reasons that are not entirely clear today, Frazer was not retained as matron after the orphanage was relocated to North Levering Avenue.

She died the day after Christmas in 1928, and she was buried with her husband, James Frazier. The inscription on her gravestone reads Becky Thatcher under Laura H.

As Metcalf and Creason move forward with restoration work upstairs, they are enthusiastic for the chance to open the home for events and share it as both a museum about Frazier's life and artwork from the Victorian era. The couple plans to have the home fully restored this year.

Read the original here:
Becky Thatcher home preserved - Hannibal.net

Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County staff and contractors are added the finishing touches to the Mackenzie Family Boys and Girls Club facility located in Sun Prairie ahead of tomorrows Grand Opening event.

The new facility, over 20,000 square feet, will offer residents access to licensed after-school programming that includes transportation, and a full-time day care facility. The building features a new gym, performance spaces, playrooms, classrooms, a technology zone, art room, several preschool classrooms, additional offices for staff and areas for students to learn about the trades.

We want this club to be known as a country club for kids, said Michael Johnson, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County.

The organization began construction on the facility on the 2.69 acre site, formerly a church, about a year ago. The organization partnered with Operation Fresh Start for the demolition.

At 10:00 am Wednesday, the McKenzie Family Boys & Girls Club in Sun Prairie will open its doors to the public for the first time.

Well give a couple of keys to key donors that were very instrumental in pulling this off, Johnson said.

One of those key donors is the McKenzie family, who gave $1 million in support of the new facility and its operations. Boys and Girls Club named the facility after the for their generous contribution. Visitors to the new facility will see a painting of the family, known for their development of multi-family homes, above a plaque dedicated in their honor in the main hall in addition to other pieces of artwork created by local students throughout the building.

After remarks from stakeholders and local community leaders, residents will have an opportunity to tour the new facility and enter some of the play areas and preschool classroom.

This is ten years in the making that the city of Sun Prairie has been asking for us to build a facility, and now its coming to fruition, Johnson said.

He also said the organization has raised over $2 million dollars in about a year for this $3 million dollar project. The McKenzie Family Boys & Girls Club will have the capacity to serve up to 200 kids in Sun Prairie.

We still are looking for donors to sponsor rooms so the building will be completely debt free, Johnson said.

The process has been quite an exciting adventure for the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. Johnson said the organization held town hall meetings and individual tours, as pastors, businesses and community leaders offered their support toward the project.

It will be the largest dedicated space for after school programming and preschool programming for kids in Sun Prairie, he said.

The McKenzie Family Boys & Girls Club in Sun Prairie will serve as a licensed preschool facility with certified teachers to work with kids. Children who participate in programming will also receive tutoring and other academic resources in addition to full course meals each day.

We want kids to come in here. We want it to be bright. We want it to be clean. We want them to take care of it. We want them to know that this community cares about them and loves them. Thats why weve invested so many resources into the facility, Johnson said.

The community will also have access to use the space on certain days and throughout the weekend. Johnson said the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County will continue to serve as a model for community involvement.

I think we do it better than anybody. We have the largest public/ private partnership in the school district in Madison and in Verona. We put over a thousand kids in college. We have over 40 tutors that we pay thats in the classroom helping low-income kids graduate and go to college. Were the only organization that has staff at Madison College, Edgewood College and UW-Madison helping kids persist and go through high school, he said.

Johnson said the organization plans to build a strong board at the Mackenzie family facility and increase access to these programs in Sun Prairie. Community members will be able to begin enrolling their children in programs that will start Feb. 1.

Original post:
McKenzie Family Boys and Girls Club Set to Open Wednesday - madison365.com

Health

Many parts of Oregon remain at risk of high radon an odorless, tasteless and invisible gas. It is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes up from the ground and is drawn into buildings, where it can build up to dangerous levels.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon is responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after cigarette smoking, and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

"Every homeowner should test their home for radon every two to five years," says Curtis Cude, Radon Awareness Program manager at the Oregon Health Authority. "The best time to test is during the heating season, when the windows and doors are closed up tight."

Many test kits are priced between $15 and $25 and can be found in most hardware stores. Radon problems can be fixed by qualified contractors for a cost similar to that of common home repairs, such as painting or having a new water heater installed.

The Radon Awareness Program collects radon test data from test kit manufacturers in an effort to understand which areas of the state have the potential for high radon levels and to identify areas where educational outreach efforts need to be focused. The program is offering a free radon test kit to residents whose homes are inZIP codeswith fewer than 20 radon test results. Residents can send an email toradon.program@dhsoha.state.or.usto receive instructions on how to get a free test kit, which will be provided while supplies last.

There will be an opportunity to attend a free educational event to learn about radon, areas of concern, health effects and community resources. For details about the eventvisit the Northwest Radon Coalition website.

For more information on which areas of the state are at moderate to high risk of having elevated radon levels, radon testing and mitigation, or to order a test kit online, contact the Radon Awareness Program at radon.program@dhsoha.state.or.usor visithttp://www.healthoregon.org/radon.

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Winter is the best time to test homes for radon gas - KTVZ

Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 19912011: A significant exhibition at Museum of Modern Arts contemporary arts center By Clare Hurley 13 January 2020

Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 19912011: An exhibition at MoMA PS1, in Queens, New York, November 3, 2019March 1, 2020

A major exhibition at MoMA PS1, the Museum of Modern Arts contemporary art center in Queens, New York, examines more than 20 years of US military operations in the Middle East. Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 19912011 shows the potential of artists to deepen our understanding of significant events through their work.

Important aspects of the onslaught against Iraq are addressed: that the war was launched on the basis of lies about weapons of mass destruction resulting in the death, injury and displacement of millions of Iraqis, as well as tens of thousands of US troops and the decimation of the country as part of American imperialisms drive to establish control of the oil-rich region.

Organized by MoMA PS1s chief curator Peter Eleey, and curator Ruba Katrib, the large-scale group exhibition of 250 works by over 80 artists/collectives fills MoMA PS1, a nearly 125,000-square-foot facility.

The show features many works by Iraqi artists who are less well-known to audiences outside of the region, as well as by Kuwaiti artists, Iraqi-American and artists of Iraqi descent living in various countries, American and other internationally recognized artists who responded to the Gulf Wars in their work at the time or in the years since. Much of the work, particularly by the Iraqi artists, is of interest and represents an advance in terms of a serious artistic approach to world historical events.

However, the exhibition overall demonstrates the still limited ability of artists, despite their sincere intentions, to respond to events such as the Gulf Wars in a way that deepens our understanding in an affecting and aesthetically compelling manner. This weakness derives from several interrelated causes, not least of which has been the art worlds decades-long lack of support for artists seeking to address issues other than their personal identities in their work.

No less important is an underdeveloped historical and political consciousness, not unique to artists, that has hindered them from understanding the reasons behind the reasons for the eruption of American imperialism in the Middle East that began in 1990. Coupled with the prevailing practices of conceptual art, the result is too often superficial or one-sided artwork that is not up to the challenge of a topic of such magnitude.

There is a wide variety of media included: paintings, works on paper, handmade books, sculpture, photography, video and multimedia installations. They touch on many aspects of the Gulf Wars in both direct and indirect ways. The apocalyptic images of the burning Kuwaiti oil fields are among the more immediately recognizable. Set on fire in August 1991 by the retreating Iraqi military in the face of advancing US coalition forces, the 10 month-long firestorm caused enormous economic and environmental damage.

The firestorms appear in several pieces. The video Behind the Sun by Monira Al Qadiris (Kuwaiti, born 1983) projects them at a huge scale on a gallery wall; Susan Criles (American, born 1942) Field of Fire (1991) is a semi-abstract work of thickly applied black and orange paint-stick on paper; while Tarek Al-Ghousseins (Kuwaiti and Palestinian, born 1962) GW series includes multiple images of the flame geysers in the distinctive, small square format of Polaroids.

Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 came in response to the Gulf emirates sabotage of the oil-dependent Iraqi economy in the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88 with a likely green light from the US. But one learns relatively little of the significance of the oil fields set on fire by the retreating Baathist forces from the work. Whatever the immediate circumstances, the source of the destruction and mayhem in the Middle East is Western imperialism, led by the United States.

President George H.W. Bushs administrations launched Operation Desert Storm in January 1991. In the course of six weeks the savage aerial bombardment virtually destroyed Iraqs military, killing or wounding hundreds of thousands of soldiers, as well as laying waste to the countrys infrastructure. Al Qadiris video footage, on the other hand, is overlaid with a soundtrack of Arabic religious poetry that describes scenes from nature sourced from old television programs.

Other aspects of the conflict are dealt with obliquely. The Embargo sculptures by Nuha Al-Radi (Iraqi, 19412004) at first just seem whimsical, made from painted rocks, bits of wood and rusted metal canisters fashioned to resemble people. However, they reflect the impact of the decade of UN Security Councils sanctions under the Clinton administration that further crippled the Iraqi economy, restricting access to the most commonplace materials, even pencils. More importantly, the sanctions resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, many of them children, due to malnutrition, lack of medical supplies and diseases from lack of clean water.

So too, the many instances of Dafatir (artist notebooks) reflect the embargo in that without access to art supplies, many artists chronicled their experiences in pen/ink on paper or cardboard. Dia al-Azzawis (Iraqi-British, born 1939) War Diary No. 1. (1991) and Rafa Nasiris (Iraqi, 19402013) War Diary (No 2, Its a Dirty War, 1991) and Seven Days in Baghdad (2007) are haunting, the latter in particular with red and black handprints urgently demanding our attention.

Other work such as that by Himat M. Ali (Iraqi, born 1960) addresses the destruction of Baghdads famed book-market, Al Mutanabbi Street (2003). Al-Azzawi s Book of Shame: Destruction of the Iraq Museum (2003) reflects the despoiling of what was once the most advanced cultural centers in the Middle East.

Another compelling piece is a wall-sized array of small portraits by Hanaa Malallah (Iraqi and British, born 1958) She/He Has No Picture (2019). The haunting faces of mostly women and children initially appear to be painted, but on closer inspection turn out to be collaged out of burnt canvas. They commemorate the victims of the Al Amiriyah bombing on February 13, 1991, in which 408 civilians were killed by a US precision smart bomb strike on a shelter. The title refers to the brass plaques that stand in for those victims who remained unidentified.

These are among the more successful works in the exhibition. However, they hardly come close, or even attempt to encompass the full scope of the Gulf Wars. Objectively, making art about any war is a challengedoes the artist depict wars brutality by showing the intensity of human suffering or the magnitude of physical destruction? Does one focus on the callousness, criminality or stupidity of those responsible for launching the war or show the everyday life of those subjected to occupation? What of the troops tasked with carrying out these missions, some of whom do so with sadistic impunity while others are economic conscripts who may have little ideological commitment to the mission? And then there are aspects particular to these wars, which were sold to the public by an unprecedented level of propaganda disseminated through a relentless media blitz by the imperialist powers.

Unfortunately, most of the work in the Theater of Operations exhibition takes up one or the other of these topics, but without adding much scope or insight. The media campaign was the subject of several artworks. Thomas Hirschhorns (Swiss, born 1957) Necklace CNN (2002) is an oversized bling sculpture of the CNN logo hung on a wall, telling us nothing beyond the obvious.

Several of the videos merely perpetuate the mind-numbing effect that they purport to critique. Dara Birnbaums (US, born 1946) Transmission Tower: Sentinel (1992) and Michel Auders (US, born France 1945) Gulf War TV War, 1991 (edited 2017) crosscut news footage of politicians and news anchors explaining events in such a way as to make them even less comprehensible than the original barrage of propaganda.

Deep Dish TVs Shocking and Awful: A Grassroots Response to War and Occupation (2004) includes a lot of valuable video footage, particularly of day-to-day interactions between US troops and ordinary Iraqis under the occupation, and of the international mass demonstrations before the war which were the largest anti-war protests in history. But the videos are displayed on 12 continuously playing monitors, again making them nearly impossible to absorb.

And while informational overkill is the subject of Rachel Khedooris (Australian, Iraqi-Jewish, born 1964) Untitled (Iraq Book Project, 2008-2010), an installation of 70 volumes reproducing every article that included the words Iraq, Iraqi or Baghdad in any news source from 2003 to 2009in order to suggest the indigestible magnitude of information about the war, raising questions about the representation of violencewhat comes across is that the artists themselves cannot make sense of what they perceive, so they merely reproduce it uncut, unedited, raw.

The pieces by artists experiencing the war at a distancewhether American, European or Iraqis in exiletended to be less interesting. These artists fall into two groups. One includes artists like British-American printmaker Sue Coe (born 1951), whose work has always taken the form of cartoons protesting an assortment of progressive causes: cruelty to animals, industrial food production, apartheid, AIDS and numerous others. Included in this show, her prints lampoon Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and George W Bush, as well as point to the connection of the war to the oil and gas industry in MOBILize/the Gulf and Shells Exxon (both 1990). Although Coes work is often compared to the prints of Kthe Kollwitz (1867-1945) who created searing images of the impact of World War I, particularly on women and children, Coes work is far less profound in both form and content.

Other well-established artists like the American minimalist sculptor Richard Serra (American, born 1938) and Fernando Botero (Colombian, born 1932) registered their outrage, shared by many around the world, at the exposure of the torture at Abu Ghraib. Luc Tuymans (Belgian, born 1958) painted a close-up of Condoleezza Rice emphasizing her mouth, and by implication, her lies to justify the invasion of Iraq on the assertion that Hussein had acquired nuclear weapons. As Secretary of State, Rice declared famously that we dont want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud. These artists, not necessarily considered political, responded to particular events each in his own distinctive style.

The situation of these artists, who did not witness the Gulf Wars or events in the region first-hand, has by necessity meant that they drew on news images for their sources. Often these have become recognizable images in their own right, such as the hooded prisoner at Abu Ghraib; many have appeared in ways to manipulate public perceptions.

However, seeing something with ones own eyes does not in and of itself lead to an unbiased or valuable interpretation. This is particularly evident in the work of painter Steve Mumford (American, born 1960). A master of realistic oil painting, as well as watercolor, Mumfords monumentally scaled Dying Soldier (2009), shows a team of medics working valiantly to save an oversized soldier on the operating table who looks dead. The unmistakable message is that the US military occupation is, most likely, a lost cause.

Mumford is one of the few American artists to have consistently made the Iraq War a central subject of his work. While claiming to be neutral, Mumford continues to solidarize himself with the occupiers more than the occupiedit is noticeable that he rarely depicts Iraqis other than as abject, humiliated prisoners. Mumford says, I wanted to distill something essential about the drama of war, beyond right and wrong. These arent anti-war paintings. They arent political. Im not trying to address the morality of the war or George Bushs foreign policy agenda. I went to Iraq because I wanted to know what being in a war zone was like, and paint about it from my own subjective experience.

We have previously reviewed Mumfords work, and have little to add. US soldiers have been fighting wars for decades in the Middle East and Central Asia in the interests of the oil companies, defense contractors and Wall Street financial institutions. The vast number of American troops who have been killed, wounded or left suffering with PTSD or other disabilities, with incalculable effects on their families and communities, are also victims of imperialisms insatiable greed and ruthlessness.

But Mumfords non-political approach only encourages those who claim that support for Americas heroes does not mean support for Americas wars. In fact, the two go hand in hand. The US military has been carrying out a criminal, murderous occupation of Iraq, or attempting to, since March 2003. It is responsible for massive war crimes, including the barbarism in Abu Ghraib and the decimation of Fallujah and other centers of opposition. American operations in Iraq, as the WSWS has noted, amount to sociocidethe deliberate and systematic murder of an entire society.

The photographs by Judith Jay Ross (American, born 1946), on the other hand, communicate the impact of the war on the soldiers without serving as an apology for US imperialism. Taken in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the 1990s, these modest, informal portraits reflect the increasing enlistment of working class families in the military, as well as another series taken of the variety of people who took part in anti-war protests in 2003.

Although the work in Theater of Operations often falls short of the greatest artwork about warsuch as Francisco de Goyas etchings Disasters of War (1810-20); Eugne Delacroixs Massacre at Chios (1824); Kthe Kollwitzs many prints like The Widow II (1922); Otto Dixs 1932 triptych The War; and Pablo Picassos Guernica (1937)it is a step forward. Events are impelling the artists toward treating the neo-colonial Gulf Wars with the complexity and emotional immediacy that art can offer, while suggesting the need for a political perspective to put an end to war altogether.

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Link:
Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 19912011: A significant exhibition at Museum of Modern Art's contemporary arts center - World Socialist Web Site