Sometimes, for sanity's sake, you just have to laugh at what is happening in this crazy year of very serious debates over how our elections are going to be conducted.

Maybe these two related stories out of battleground Michigan in the last few days will help although, be forewarned, one's a bit more overtly humorous than the other.

Barb Byrum, the county clerk in Lansing, announced Friday that she had filed a criminal complaint with the local police and the Ingham County sheriff against John Pavlik of Mason, a town of about 8,500 souls about 15 miles south of the state capital.

His alleged crime: a potentially very unclean if minimal form of election fraud.

Pavlik is a retired plumber and has a lot of toilets around the house. Having followed the ongoing disputes over the propriety of voting absentee, he apparently decided to have a little fun.

So, a week ago Sunday, he placed one of his commodes in front of his house along with a large sign stating, "Place Mail in Ballots Here."

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Ingham County Clerk

"I thought it would be kind of cute, a little satire to put it out on my front lawn and put the sign on it," he told a local TV station.

Byrum did not appreciate the attempt at humor and contacted the police, who soon showed up at the house to take statements from Pavlik and his wife. By Friday, Byrum, a Democrat with responsibility for a slice of election administration in a tossup state, called for the plumber to be prosecuted.

"Elections in this country are to be taken seriously and there are many people who are voting by mail for the first time," she said. "We need to put out accurate, complete information about voting by mail, which is the safest way to vote during the pandemic. That starts at the top and I worry that the misinformation coming from President Trump is encouraging people to lose faith in the absentee voting process."

She pointed out that it is a felony to take illegal possession of an absentee ballot with a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $1,000 fine.

The county prosecutor's office has declined to pursue the case but there is no word from the Mason police department.

One little postscript: Byrum is more than prolific on social media, particularly Twitter, where she has posted more than 20,000 tweets, a good number of which highlight her frequent biking and running outings.

She posted this in a tweet on Saturday: "What did one fly say to the other? Is this stool taken?"

Speaking of jokes, remember that knee-slapper in which the president of the United States keeps undermining the integrity of the election calling the impending record use of mailed ballots a sure-fire path to fraud based on, well, no evidence whatsoever?

It's such a great one that he has tweeted more than 50 times about it since April.

Well, our president, never to be constrained by his previous statements, decided on Monday to change directions 180 degrees at least when it comes to a state where he's trailing but counting on voters to give him 16 electoral votes.

"Attention MICHIGAN! Early voting has started AND absentee ballots are being mailed out. Take advantage of the early voting and absentee calendar. Vote in person today or request an absentee ballot here."

He then provided a link just to be helpful. (Early voting in Michigan actually doesn't start until Thursday.)

It was Trump, you may recall, who threatened to withhold funding from Michigan after Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson mailed absentee ballot applications to every voter before the primary and promised to do it again before the general election.

"Mail-in ballots are very dangerous. There's tremendous fraud involved and tremendous illegality," he said then.

Last week the state's court of appeals ruled that Benson's actions were legal.

Maybe they were just joking.

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Michigan election jokes? One's about a stool pigeon and a plumber. The other involves Trump. - The Fulcrum

CALABASAS, CAReaching into the multi-platinum artists overflowing pipes and pulling out several feces-and-toilet-paper-covered trophies, exasperated local plumber Larry DeGroot explained to Kanye West Thursday why flushing large metal awards was bad for his toilet. Well, I think I found the problem, and that clanking metal noise youre hearing probably has something to do with all the Grammys, BET Awards, and Moonman you have clogging up the works, said DeGroot, who after using a snake to extract the dozens of honorary doctorates, certificates, and framed albums from the system, shook his head in disbelief when he found a full 6-feet long Teen Choice Award surfboard banging around in the septic tank. Look pal, Im not trying to shame you, but mashing these metal trophies around with a toilet brush or pouring down a ton of Drano is just going to cost you another 1,000 bucks. Trust me, I dealt with the same thing at John Williams house. The worst thing you can do is ignore the problem and keep relieving yourself on top of it until it builds up too much pressure and explodes. At press time, DeGroot added that it didnt seem to be all Kanyes fault, as there also seemed to be several red-carpet gowns, large diamonds, and designer leather pumps flushed down the toilet.

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Exasperated Plumber Explains To Kanye West Why Flushing Awards Bad For Toilet - The Onion

Billy Rogers got his start in the plumbing business working for various contractors, and later worked as a plumbing inspector for the city of Richmond and Henrico County. In 2003, he decided to go into business for himself.

He really missed working in the field and decided to try things on his own in our community instead of the daily grind of commuting to Richmond, said Lisa Rogers, vice president of JSJ Plumbing.

In the nearly two decades since they opened, the Rogers have found success in many ways, most prominently in getting referrals from satisfied customers.

We consider ourselves to be a mom and pop family-oriented business, Lisa said. Weve enjoyed creating relationships within the community and the surrounding area with customers and contractors that have been with us since we started. We took pride in the fact that we are known for the quality of our workmanship.

Billy and Lisa are very involved with the Louisa County High School fishing team, helping them with fundraising and planning fishing tournaments and other events.

One of the biggest challenges facing JSJ Plumbing today, and indeed many trade professions, is a lack of interest from potential workers.

Sadly, society has encouraged our young people to only go to college in order to be successful, Lisa said. This has caused the construction industry to struggle in finding good, hard-working employees that want to make an honest living with a skilled trade.

The best advice Rogers can give to aspiring business owners is simple.

Work hard, be honest and set high standards for both your employees and your workmanship, she said. In todays world, integrity goes a long way.

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A 'mom and pop' plumbing business | Parade Of Honor - The Central Virginian

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Washington County, WI Neighbors across Washington County have had a brief taste of crisp temperatures ahead this fall and winter and the fellas at Albiero Plumbing & HVAC say now is the time to invest in a new furnace.

With some of the money youve been geting back from the federal government it makes for a good investment to help add value to your house, said Albiero owner Travis Roell.

Albiero Plumbing & Heating ordered 75 furnaces so they already have the items in stock ready to be installed.

Were running about two weeks out on installations; but because its not that cold it is a good time to get it done, Roell said.

Another bonus for the customer is the free wi-fi thermostat.

Because we bought a large quantity of furnaces we got a great deal on wi-fi theromstats and were passing that savings along to the customer, said Jon Bohn, a heating specialist with Albiero Plumbing & HVAC.

Albiero Plumbing, Inc. is a proud dealer of Armstrong air conditioners and furnaces. Armstrong is one of the most respected and recognized names in the heating and cooling industry, and we stand by their line of products. We are proud to supply our customers with a product line that is synonymous with industry leadership, dedicated customer service, and product integrity.

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VIDEO | Perfect time to get a new furnace | By Travis Roell and Jon Bohn from Albiero Plumbing & HVAC - washingtoncountyinsider.com

As in-person instruction began Monday at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, students were adapting well to the safety measures put in place and were happy to be back at school, Principal Leslie Weckesser said.

EASTON In the plumbing classroom at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, sophomore students were busy at work, measuring and cutting pipes guided by plumbing instructor Eric Hunt.

But in addition to their standard safety goggles, the students incorporated extra measures of protection, including face masks, gloves for some and sign-in sheets at every classroom for contact tracing purposes.

Monday marked the first day back to in-person instruction for Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School students after easing back into the new school year via remote learning for the last two weeks, Principal Leslie Weckesser said. Like other schools throughout the state, Southeastern was forced to shutter its doors in March after Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency and closed all schools and nonessential businesses.

Per school reopening procedures, the student body, consisting of a total of 1,500 students, were split into two cohorts, with one cohort attending in-person instruction for academics and vocational classrooms at a time. Southeastern Vocational Technical High School, with 20 vocational tracks serving nine local communities in the Brockton area, was faced with a more unique challenge of returning students to their studies, given the hands-on nature of the vocational fields theyre pursuing.

If youre marketing and entrepreneurship, you can still do your studies electronically, but you cant always frame a house if youre a carpentry student at home, Weckesser said.

But Southeastern Regional was uniquely ready for the challenge of remote learning,Weckesser said. The school implemented distance learning capabilities about three to four years ago to account for interruptions caused by snow days, she said, and all students have had individual Chromebooks for roughly the last decade.

We were already prepared for it and that helped to ease into the transition, Weckesser said. Even though they were out, they want to learn.

But as they were faced with the inability to learn hands-on techniques in the classroom with school buildings closed, they quickly adapted to shift the focus of student learning. Normally during trade weeks, lesson plans were interspersed with hands-on learning opportunities in the classroom and more written-based learning such as industry and safety codes for their trades and preparing for written certifications, Weckesser said. Instead, they front loaded the spring semesters workload with the written lessons and certifications so when students returned to campus in the fall, they could jump right into the hands-on learning, she said.

And with the return to school Monday, his plumbing students were eager to get right back into lessons, Hunt confirmed.

They want to be here, he said. You can feel that more than anything. They couldnt wait to get started.

Outside of the hands-on vocational shop lessons, students in other classrooms sat at desks spaced apart, with tape markers on the floor to make sure spacing was adequate.

To mitigate students packing hallways as they move between classes, Weckesser explained that theyve disabled the bells, allowing teachers to dismiss students on their own schedules. Students also eat lunches in their classrooms, with prepackaged lunches distributed in bins to each classroom for students.

Teachers also have the option to eat lunch with their students in the classroom, Weckesser said, and many have taken up the option, putting on a TED Talk or the news to discuss as the group took a break from lessons.

The return to school took a lot of coordination with staff and faculty, planning and lots of sleepless nights, Weckesser said. The biggest concerns listed by parents included mask breaks, cleaning procedures, changing classes and lunches, she said. In response, school officials filmed the planned safety procedures, posting it on the districts YouTube channels for parents to see.

We tried our best to really film the procedures so people could get a visual, she said. I think parents were a lot better about it, a lot more comfortable.

All students and teachers wore masks throughout the day, though mask breaks were incorporated into teachers' schedules, and along with the sign-in sheets, faculty and staff were placed throughout the building as hall monitors to keep an eye on students and keep track of student movement. Bathrooms were also limited to two students, with each bathroom being color coded for certain vocational tracks and grade-levels to keep students isolated in their wing of the building, she said.

Not to say there arent challenges to come. With the colder winter months, they will need to address extra clothing like jackets, since they are no longer allowing use of the lockers students would normally have to share with a partner, Weckesser said. They are also still in the process of addressing extracurricular activities such as clubs and sports, she said.

But so far, as of late Monday morning, the day was going rather seamlessly, she said. Throughout the first day, Weckesser said her goal was to make her way around the school to see how things were going and to make herself visible, keeping an eye out for any issues that may need to be addressed, and said shes happy to have the students back.

I am elated, she said. I have a smile ear to ear. Its all about the kids, having them safe in school today.

Staff writer Corlyn Voorhees can be reached at cvoorhees@enterprisenews.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @corlyn_ENT.

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Its all about the kids: Southeastern Regional students jump back into hands-on learning in Easton amid COVID - Wicked Local Sharon

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Plumbing & Water Management Systems Market Report by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application Forecast 2019 2025 - The Daily Chronicle

Jennifer Cookson, left, is an Applewood employee who nominated Kenzis Causes for the companys all award. Jessica Bachus, right, is the founder and executive director of Kenzis Causes.

Applewood Plumbing Heating &Electric named Kenzis Causes as the $5,000 fall Caring Community Giveawaywinner.

As the start of the school year began drawing nearer, we wanted to focus on organizations geared towards helping kids, especially since COVID-19 created a greater need than ever, said Josh Ward, owner of Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric.

The majority of funds from this Giveaway went to Kenzis Causes Packz 4 Kidz program which, provides back packs and school supplies for children in need. This organization was able to exceed their program goal and help more than 3,800 kids, according to Jessica Bachus, founder and executive director of Kenzis Causes.

Applewood employees nominated thewinner along with the other two finalists, A Precious Child and Packs of Hope, whoalso provide necessary school supplies and hygiene products to childrenthroughout Colorado communities.

While Kenzis Causes won the $5,000grand prize by collecting the most votes from our community, Applewood alsoawarded the runner-up organizations $500 each.

The Giveaway has supported small,local community charities for more than 15 years totaling in more than $190,000donations to local nonprofits.

The next Giveaway will take placein October and will focus on organizations helping our environment.

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Kenzi's Causes Wins the Applewood Plumbing Caring Community Giveaway - The Know

AN IRISH plumber, who happens to be a relative of US Presidential candidate Joe Biden, has come up with a brilliant way to help both his cousin's election chances and his own plumbing business.

Joe Blewitt from Knockmore, Co. Mayo, has written on his van the slogan: "Joe Biden for the White House, Joe Blewitt for your house".

He's also emblazoned his vehicle with a photograph of the former Vice President, who happens to be his third-cousin.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Blewitt explained why he decided to give his van a little makeover.

"I was doing a job in Ballina one day, and I couldn't find parking. So I went around to this man, who used to do sign-writing for me before.

He said he spoke with the writer, Barry Williams, about getting some new work done on the van.

"He said, 'I have something for you, come into me now during the week'. And it was him who came up with the signage idea.

"I only got it done over the weekend and it has been mad. The phone hasnt stopped hopping all morning. I can't get any of my bloody work done," he said.

The father of three explained how he and his American cousin had been to visit each other, and were now well equated.

"We were over in the White House, visiting him before he finished up (as vice president). When Obama gave Joe the Medal of Freedom. He brought us over for that,"Blewitt said.

"We met him previously when he was home in Ireland. He came to Ballina and joined us for a meal in a local restaurant. It was lovely. He came back then again, without all the security and that was nicer. We had a bit of time to sit and chat with him.

"He is a lovely fella, a down to earth man, a family man."

As you might expect, Mr Blewitt went on to encourage American voter to vote for his kin, stressing that he chose to design the van the way he did because he knows Biden is the best man for the job, and not simply as a publicity stunt.

"He's a good politician, he knows what hes doing. He's not just starting up like some of them if you get what I am saying," the plumber said.

"I did for the craic more so than the business side. Business is booming so I don't really need the extra work. It's jam-packed at the moment, so I can't complain."

Originally posted here:
Irish plumber, and cousin of Joe Biden, promotes US presidential race with clever slogan - Irish Post

The Plumber Tape Market research report added by Market Study Report, LLC, provides a succinct analysis on the recent market trends. In addition, the report offers a thorough abstract on the statistics, market estimates and revenue forecasts, which further highlights its position in the industry, in tandem with the growth strategies adopted by leading industry players.

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The Plumber Tape market report Elucidated with regards to the regional landscape of the industry:

The geographical reach of the Plumber Tape market has been meticulously segmented into United States, China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia & India, according to the report.

The research enumerates the consumption market share of every region in minute detail, in conjunction with the production market share and revenue.

Also, the report is inclusive of the growth rate that each region is projected to register over the estimated period.

The Plumber Tape market report Elucidated with regards to the competitive landscape of the industry:

The competitive expanse of this business has been flawlessly categorized into companies such as

Market Segment AnalysisThe research report includes specific segments by Type and by Application. This study provides information about the sales and revenue during the historic and forecasted period of 2015 to 2026. Understanding the segments helps in identifying the importance of different factors that aid the market growth.Segment by Type, the Plumber Tape market is segmented intoLow DensityStandard DensityMedium DensityHigh Density

Segment by ApplicationAerospaceApplianceAutomotiveChemicalElectronic and ElectricalPlumbing and PipeOthers

Global Plumber Tape Market: Regional AnalysisThe Plumber Tape market is analysed and market size information is provided by regions (countries). The report includes country-wise and region-wise market size for the period 2015-2026. It also includes market size and forecast by Type and by Application segment in terms of sales and revenue for the period 2015-2026.The key regions covered in the Plumber Tape market report are:North AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyFranceU.K.ItalyRussiaAsia-PacificChinaJapanSouth KoreaIndiaAustraliaTaiwanIndonesiaThailandMalaysiaPhilippinesVietnamLatin AmericaMexicoBrazilArgentinaMiddle East & AfricaTurkeySaudi ArabiaU.A.EGlobal Plumber Tape Market: Competitive AnalysisThis section of the report identifies various key manufacturers of the market. It helps the reader understand the strategies and collaborations that players are focusing on combat competition in the market. The comprehensive report provides a significant microscopic look at the market. The reader can identify the footprints of the manufacturers by knowing about the global revenue of manufacturers, the global price of manufacturers, and sales by manufacturers during the forecast period of 2015 to 2019.The major players in global Plumber Tape market include:3MSaint-GobainHenkelBerryNittoTechnetics GroupA. W. Chesterton CompanyDixon ValveOateyDeWAL Industries (Rogers)RectorSealSSP CorporationGasoila ChemicalsJC Whitlam ManufacturingElectro Tape

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Exclusive details pertaining to the contribution that every firm has made to the industry have been outlined in the study. Not to mention, a brief gist of the company description has been provided as well.

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The valuation that each company holds, in tandem with the description as well as substantial specifications of the manufactured products have been enumerated in the study as well.

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Plumber Tape Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth Through 2019-2025 - Scientect