A house wrapped in black plastic, vehicles with expired tags or no tags sitting on local lots for months, and junk-cluttered front porches.

Butch Schmitz has had his fill of such scenes in the neighborhood that surrounds his home in the 500 block of Alston.

The Marysville resident came to City Council in late March and told members it was time to do something.

This isnt the first time that I have complained to local officials about this problem and it probably wont be the last, Schmitz told the council. Its high time that you do something about it other than just send out letters or issue citations. There are very few of you who would put up with this crap in your own neighborhoods for very long.

Were aware of them. Were working with the property owners, said City Administrator Rick Shain.

He said city inspector Dave Richardson has talked to the owners.

He tries to handle it on a personal basis and visit with them face to face before we take further action, Shain said.

Schmitz said earlier Monday that hed noted the plastic was removed from a nearby house. He hopes changes will continue.

I think one of those houses is coming down, Shain said of another nearby home that burned in a fire earlier this year and is now being cleared.

Shain said he would talk to the council about revising existing housing code to add new minimal standards for housing.

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Marysville resident discusses concerns about neighborhood

Good Morning America co-anchor Lara Spencer and her husband, David Haffenreffer (a former CNN anchor now in real estate), recall finding their unusual home. It was 2005, and they were searching in Connecticut. We happened upon this little part of Greenwich called Riverside, Spencer says, and we knew this was the place to raise a family.

The house, a basic 1920s New England farmhouse, had been reconfigured and added onto over the years until it became, Haffenreffer says, endearingly quirky.

Porches were converted into oddly shaped rooms. More porches were added and then more rooms, too. We loved the neighborhood, and we loved the feel of the house, Spencer says. From the minute we stepped inside, we knew it was right.

Elizabeth Lippman

THE GREAT OUTDOORS: Lara Spencer, husband David Haffenreffer, daughter Kate and son Duff enjoy hanging out on the front porch of their 4,200-square-foot Connecticut home.

In its 4,200 square feet are four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a dining room, a 20-by-40-foot kitchen, a playroom for the kids (son Duff, 10, and daughter Kate, 8), Spencers reading room (once another bedroom), Haffenreffers office (formerly a maids room) and a sun porch.

The kitchen is so large that, in addition to a marble cooking island and a table and chairs, theres a seating area with a couch, a steamer trunk for a coffee table, a working fireplace and a TV. Its so nice to be able to cook while the kids are sitting there watching TV or doing their homework, Spencer says. The kitchen is the hub of our house.

As for the homes decor, Spencer who does all her own decorating approaches it like an adventure. She believes in the three Rs: rescue, recycle and reinvent. She hits up flea market, auctions, yard sales and sometimes even dumpsters, mixing her finds with new designer pieces. To me, she says, its not about whether you can afford to shop at antique stores or order up entire rooms from a catalog. Its so much more fun to do it this way. If I wasnt doing what I do for my day job, Id certainly be trying to figure out a way to do this full-time.

Sometimes, what Spencer does comes close to treasure-hunting. There are two numbered Picasso lithographs from the 1960s that she discovered at a Salvation Army store. They were $35 for the pair, and theyre worth about $3,500, she says. Id thought they were posters, but when I took them in for framing, the framer recognized the paper and verified that they were the real thing.

I think that helped me get the job when I was hosting Antiques Roadshow in 2004. I told them that story, and they could see I was serious about finding antiques.

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Morning blend

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt warns people to beware of home-repair schemes that accompany every spring storm season.

"We know from past experience that this type of damage attracts criminals looking for ways to take advantage of Oklahomans," he said. "We're getting the message out now so people can be aware of such quick-fix schemes and spread the word to neighbors and family members before they become victims.

"Within days of storms, home and business owners will want to repair storm damage quickly, but we caution them to be patient and make sure they are using a reputable home-repair contractor," Pruitt said. "Investigators with our Public Protection Unit have prosecuted unscrupulous repair workers, commonly called 'travelers,' who follow storms across the country to profit from the misfortune of others."

Pruitt suggests the following before choosing contractors or repair services:

"Ask people you trust for referrals. Whenever possible, deal with local firms and check out repair services with the Attorney General's Public Protection Unit, accessible at tulsaworld.com/OKPubProtUnit, or by visiting visit the Attorney General's Facebook Page or calling the Public Protection Unit at 405-521-2029 or writing Public Protection Unit, Oklahoma Attorney General, 313 NE 21st St., Oklahoma City, OK 73105.

Also check the company's track record with the Tulsa Better Business Bureau at tulsaworld.com/tulsaBBB or by keying its 10-digit phone number into the bureau's automated voice information system at 918-492-1266.

Pruitt recommends you ask for customer references; get written estimates from several companies; don't do business without a written contract; get guarantees, warranties and promises in writing; agree on start and completion dates; and agree to work only as outlined in written contracts.

He cautioned Oklahomans about repair services and contractors who solicit door-to-door, offer discounts for finding other customers, just happen to have materials left over from previous jobs, accept only cash payments, pressure you for an immediate decision or ask you to pay for the entire job up front.

Pruitt said storm victims also must be aware of identity theft from lost documents and charity fraud. Charity fraud can happen with local door-to-door solicitations or emails and phone calls from overseas con artists.

"Donating to an organization that is well-known and respected in the community is the best way to combat this type of fraud," Pruitt said.

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Opportunists can follow storms

Do you have a great front porch?

Remember when life was simpler and people sat out on their front porches in the evening?

They visited with neighbors, maybe shared a cold drink, listened to the radio, or played a game.

Do you have a great front porch where you hang out in the summer?

We'd like to hear your front porch tales.

Contact Sharon Roznik at the Reporter at 907-7936 or sroznik@fdlreporter.com.

Fond du Lac City Council has voted unanimously to allow digital billboards to be erected at three sites in Fond du Lac, including two locations on South Main Street and one on West Scott Street.

To install digital billboards, NextMedia Outdoor Inc., based in De Pere, must remove others that are located in residential neighborhoods or other inappropriate areas.

Ten existing billboards will come down as part of the agreement.

Installation of the new billboards would occur in six to eight weeks.

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Local Briefs

30-03-2012 10:02 In this video you will see a selection of front porch designs. We hope they will give you some inspiration. Visit our website to see more -

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A Selection of Front Porch Designs - Video

By Nara Schoenberg Print Article

(MCT)In theory, containers overflowing with flowers, herbs, grasses and vegetables can transform balconies and porches into green and leafy garden retreats.

In reality, the effect is often closer to Patio dotted with random plants.

We asked Fern Richardson, author of the new book, Small-Space Container Gardens: Transform Your Balcony, Porch or Patio With Fruits, Flowers, Foliage & Herbs (Timber Press), how to bridge the gap. Her book offers suggestions ranging from upcycling and plant repetitions to spray-painting mismatched containers.

It seems like it would be hard or it would look tacky, but spray paint and a stencil kit is a really cool way to add continuity, Richardson says.

Among your other options:

Try plant patterns. Add unity to your collection by putting the same plant in a series of pots.

It doesnt even have to be one of the main plants, Richardson says. It can just be one of the small annuals that you change out every season. Putting the same little violas through the whole grouping can make them look like they belong together and you planned it even if you didnt.

Zinnias would also work for this purpose, or marigolds.

Upcycle. Ransack the recycling bin, garage and kitchen for cool containers that will add interest and novelty to your collection. Richardsons book includes a charming mini-barbecue project, but she also sees potential in red wagons, colanders, birdbaths and soda cans especially if the barbecue has been used, you probably want to clean it pretty thoroughly. There could be charcoal glued on, she says. But you know, a lot of times metal is a pretty nonreactive material as far as leaching stuff into the soil. If youre worried about it, you can always put in a plastic nursery pot and hide it down in the soil and plant all your plants directly in the nursery pot, so that way you get the fun look of upcycling something without the concern of What the heck is in this thing?

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Container Gardens Done Right: Make Your Garden Look Polished and Planned

BERNARDSVILLE Plans to enclose two front porches and pursue interior renovations at The Station Pub & Grub at 45 Mine Brook Road received approval from the Planning Board on Thursday, March 22.

In response to complaints from two neighbors about noise, the board asked for an extra front enclosure that would put a second set of doors between the dining facilities and the outside.

The changes inside would expand the bar from a corner into more of a square, make the seating areas more open, add ceiling-to-floor windows, new lighting, and more sound-absorbent floor and ceiling materials, according to Harold J. Imperatore of Hampshire Destination Properties, which owns the site.

Hopefully it will be more inviting, he said.

Construction is planned for the summer and will probably close the establishment for a short period of time but nothing more than a few weeks, he added.

The Stations faade now features a vestibule in the middle and open porches on either side behind columns.

Project architect Philip Kennedy-Grant said the vestibule would be removed, with that area and the two front porches to be enclosed by a fundamentally glass wall that would stand behind the columns.

The move would enclose 14 dining seats but total seating would remain at 119. The Station, which presently has 89 seats inside and 30 outside, would instead have 103 inside and 16 outside.

An initial request to add 20 extra seats was dropped.

Imperatore, who also runs The Bernards Inn, told the board he did not like The Stations interior look. He characterized the lighting as horrible and the acoustics as poor, and saw a need for a full bar, which would be enlarged from 12 seats now to 29.

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Historic Station Pub in Bernardsville gets green light for upgrades

The fence around Highlands' softball field has had little significance to the home team in recent years.

In fact, there probably were games when the Golden Rams forgot the barrier was even in the outfield.

"When I coached here for the first 10 or 12 years, we hardly ever saw a home run go over the fence," Highlands coach Mike Zendarski said. "Now, they're going out all over the place."

Could be the moved-back mound, spring-effect bats or wind-aided fly balls over short porches. Whatever the case, home runs have been plentiful early in the Alle-Kiski softball season.

Highlands homered three times in its season opener and twice in its second game. Sophomore shortstop Cassidy Runyan has two homers, including a grand slam. And she's the leadoff hitter.

"There have been balls hitting fences, too," Zendarski said. "There have been a lot close to going out, too. It's nice to see more offense back in the game. I mean, we had four (homers) in two games. I think we had three all of last year."

On Opening Day alone, local teams hit seven homers including two each by Valley and Knoch. Both of Valley's came from Katrina George. Knoch's were by Karson Simpson and Mikayla Moretti.

Knoch added two more homers Wednesday by two different hitters: Bethany Hay and Codi Reed. Burrell and Freeport each hit two homers against each other yesterday.

"Perennial home run hitters are hitting the ball again," Knoch coach Tim Knappenberger said. "They work on batting the whole year. They play travel ball, and the proof is in the pudding.

"After we ended the season last year, they played summer ball, then fall ball as an entire team, then at least hit once a week all winter. They are more prepared at the beginning of the season than when you're just getting into the gym after basketball season."

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Homers are up early in area softball season

Submitted March 29, 2012 1:24PM

With warm temperatures, container gardening can start, too. Clean them up first before replacing soil and planting. | Submitted by Heather Prince

storyidforme: 28134088 tmspicid: 10172426 fileheaderid: 4686488

Updated: March 29, 2012 6:06PM

Spring flowers are bursting into bloom with the recent warm temperatures.

Its time to plant containers and decorate porches and patios.

Take a few minutes to prepare your containers for another season before planting colorful spring flowers.

Container designers at The Growing Place recommend that, if your container has been outside, empty it and compost the used potting soil to minimize the chances for disease and insect problems. Inspect each container for damage, including cracks and chips. Using a mild bleach solution, about one part bleach to 10 parts water, and a firm brush, to thoroughly scrub pots inside and out to clean and disinfect.

Place your pot in the desired spot before refilling with new potting soil so you dont have to try to move a heavy container. Make sure it is raised off the ground for drainage, using pot lifters, bricks or caddies. Think about adding new pots and rearranging your containers to freshen your look. When choosing flowers to plant, look for those with lots of buds, rather than lots of blossoms. You might not have instant color, but youll be rewarded with a longer stretch of bloom time.

Garden Tip is courtesy of Heather Prince, The Growing Place, 630-355-4000, http://www.thegrowingplace.com

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Garden Tip: Clean up containers this spring

CARLSBAD (CNS) - A pair of men suspected in a series of thefts from front porches, residences and vehicles throughout Carlsbad were behind bars Thursday.

Police said there could be as many as 19 cases in the series that spanned the first three months of the year.

Two suspects, 28-year-old James Dorman and parolee Victor Alaniz, 34, were arrested Tuesday after a resident called police just before noon to report suspicious activity at a neighbor's vacant house on Calle San Blas, according to Carlsbad police spokeswoman Jodee Sasway. The two suspects allegedly rang the bell then proceeded through the yard's side gate and entered the residence from the back, she said.

Officers arrived and arrested the two men, Sasway said.

Police also received a previous report that the same two men were allegedly taking property from the bed of a truck parked at a hotel on Grand Avenue, Sasway said.

Detectives on Jan. 11 arrested nine suspects though to be involved with the series at Dorman's residence on Phillips Way in Vista, Sasway said.

Oceanside police on Monday arrested Saul Tellez, 41, on suspicion of similar crimes, Sasway said.

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Police arrest two suspects in Carlsbad burglary series