Its an A-bomination!

Most restaurants havent improved since the city instituted its letter-grade inspection system a sham that has fattened City Hall coffers but hasnt produced the public-health improvements touted by the city, a City Council analyst charged.

We have a government agency thats willing to blatantly lie to the public, Artyom Matusov told The Post. If we cant trust the Health Department to provide real scientific data ... then we cant trust any agency.

Matusov said some sanitary conditions at city restaurants have gotten worse, not better, since the new system began in 2010.

Performance in six violation categories flies, food not hot or cold enough, unsanitary equipment, improper food storage and improper food protection surfaces has plummeted, he found.

And food-poisoning complaints to the 311 hot line for restaurants, bars and delis surged from 2,066 in 2009 to 2,305 in 2013.

They are intentionally misleading the public about the success of the program, said Matusov, 29, a Harvard University Kennedy School of Government grad.

The city trumpeted data that showed more restaurants got an A grade on their initial inspection since the start of the program.

But that method overrepresents the number of A grades, since As will stick around longer up to a year before another inspection.

The citys restaurant grading system is completely arbitrary ... and most restaurants arent doing well on the test, which itself is convoluted and impossible to figure out, Matusov said.

See more here:
City restaurant health inspection grades a shame: expert

MASON CITY | A new hotel, restaurant and housing development is being planned for the Mason City property now occupied by the Clarion Inn.

Redevelopment of the 5.2-acre property at 2101 4th St. S.W. will include demolition of the existing Clarion Inn and construction of an83-room Hampton Inn and Suites, a 40-unit condominium and a separate 4,600-square-foot restaurant building.

The development is being proposed byKinseth Hospitality Companies, which owns the Clarion Inn and which would own the new property.

The Mason City Council is scheduled to consider a development agreement with Kinseth at the council meeting Tuesday night.

The total investment for the project is estimated at $15 million.

Bruce Kinseth, vice president of Kinseth Hospitalities, said the new structure will replace the 50-year-old two-story hotel facility with 132 rooms and three buildings adjacent to Spring Lake. It was formerly a Holiday Inn and prior to that a Madonna Inn.

Hampton Inn and Suites are one of the Hilton Worldwide brands.

Kinseth said construction of the hotel will beginin the fall with expectedopening in 2015.

"Were excited to get this project moving as it will be great use of the current site as a new multi-use development with the hotel, restaurant and residential development, he said.

The new hotel will feature an onsite fitness center, an indoor pool, acomplimentary hot breakfast andhigh speed wireless Internet access.

Read more here:
Hotel, condo, restaurant plan proposed

Colonie

The Village at New Loudon, a $50 million community that will include shops, offices, apartments and townhomes, is taking shape on a nearly 37-acre parcel along Route 9 in Latham.

Several businesses already have opened, and two apartment buildings are in final design stages. Design work is being done by Cotler Architecture of Latham.

"It will have a village feel, with sidewalks," said spokeswoman Deidre Emerle. Apartments will feature balconies and fireplaces, and "we're looking at underground parking," she added.

Several businesses already have opened, including a Dunkin' Donuts, Rumors Salon & Spa, Tala Bistro and Berkshire Bank.

The headquarters of Robert Marini Builders occupies second-floor office space in one of the buildings.

Bellini's restaurant is planning to open later this month, Emerle said.

Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches and Burger 21, two national chains that are new to the area, also will be opening.

Behind the buildings lining Route 9 will be two apartment buildings, one with retail on the first floor.

The development also will include the 72-unit Townhomes at Shaker Creek.

Go here to see the original:
It takes a village to construct one

Article updated: 4/9/2014 4:31 PM

Construction will begin this summer on a Granite City Food and Brewery restaurant and Hampton Inn and Suites hotel that will open side-by-side next year just west of Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg.

The paired-up developments will take over the former site of American Hardware, 801 Plaza Drive, which will be demolished soon.

The joint proposal by the Minneapolis-based restaurant chain and hotel developer is unusual, Schaumburg Economic Development Manager Matt Frank said. Granite City Food and Brewery is seeking a stronger presence in the Chicago area, and this particular partnership is not occurring everywhere, he added.

Frank described Granite City as a high-end restaurant that brews its own beer on-site. The company runs 30 restaurants in 13 states, with the only other Illinois locations being in Rockford, Orland Park and East Peoria.

The Schaumburg restaurant will be 10,802-square-feet and have a 1,195-square-foot patio at its southwest corner, surrounded by a 4-foot-tall fence to separate the patio from the drive aisle.

The Hampton Inn and Suites will be a four-story, 64,294-square-foot building with 101 rooms, an indoor pool and meeting space. Schaumburg trustees this week approved a height variance allowing the 54.5-foot-tall hotel to exceed the normal 50-foot maximum building height in its zoning district.

Both the hotel and restaurant will occupy their own subdivided lots on the site formerly used exclusively by American Hardware. A separate third lot will contain a detention basin for water runoff from both businesses.

Though some other previously approved hotel developments in Schaumburg have been stalled since the recession, Frank said developers of the Hampton Inn and Suites have all their funding secured and are ready to start.

Read more:
Granite City Brewery, hotel to neighbor Woodfield

After a temporary halt in work, construction has resumed at a downtown site where a worker was crushed by an elevator on Wednesday.

It was the second injury reported since late March at the construction site at 303 Colorado St. where the 29-story Colorado Tower is being built. Work stopped after the incident and resumed Thursday.

The injured man, who is in his 30s, suffered trauma to his upper body, EMS officials said. He remained Thursday at University Medical Center Brackenridge.

He was working inside the elevator shaft on the eighth floor when the elevator car was activated.

The man had been freed by the time rescue crews arrived, said EMS Cmdr. Mike Benavides.

Officials said the man was conscious and had a 6-inch wide injury on his upper body when he was transported to the hospital.

A statement from the contractor, DPR Construction, said the man was a subcontractor who was working near the exterior of the building. The company has declined to release the mans name.

We are working with (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and the Austin Police Department to fully investigate the cause of this incident, said Gary Nauert, general manager forDPR Construction, in a statement.

This is the second injury reported at the construction site of the Colorado Tower in just over two weeks.

On March 26, a man who was sitting at a nearby restaurant was hit by liquid cement.

See the article here:
Construction resumes at Colorado Tower downtown after workers injury

Go directly to: News & Views | Join our Networks | Resort Events | Refurbishments and Attraction Closures | Discounts and Promotions | Comments News and Views Disney Parks facing lawsuit over Disability Access Service | Disney hints at Fastpass+ changes | Disney's Polynesian Resort construction changes | New Disney Springs restaurant announced | Disney worker attacked at Art of Animation Resort | Construction Update | This week at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival | Quick takes | Crowd update Disney Parks facing lawsuit over Disability Access Service by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix and first published in yesterday's Disneyland Park Update

Parents of 16 children with developmental disorders and cognitive impairments filed a lawsuit last Thursday (April 3, 2014) against the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Inc. regarding the Disability Access Service. The lawsuit was filed in California, and alleges that the policy, implemented in October 2013 at both the California and Florida resorts, violates the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act and California's Unruh Civil Rights Act. The individual plaintiffs have filed additional counts, including breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts today issued the following statement:

"Disney Parks have an unwavering commitment to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all our guests. We fully comply with all ADA requirements and believe that the legal claims are without merit."

The company also denies claims that the theme parks refuse to vary their policy to meet individual guest needs:

"Our Disability Access Service is designed for guests who, due to certain disabilities, cannot tolerate extended wait times at attractions. In circumstances where the service might not meet guests needs, we work individually with guests to ensure we are able to accommodate them."

The lawsuit acknowledges that people with developmental disorders and cognitive impairments can have a wide range of abilities and impairments, but note that the disabled plaintiffs, "like other persons with cognitive impairments are mentally and physically incapable" of:

According to the lawsuit, both of these factors "will induce meltdowns in the large majority of persons with cognitive impairments, including the disabled Plaintiffs."

Along with these general issues, the lawsuit details the specific needs of some of the plaintiffs in an effort to show how DAS fails to meet their needs. For example:

The 176-page lawsuit details the differences between Disney's former Guest Assistance Card (GAC) policy and the new Disability Access Service (DAS), and contends the new policy fails to meet the needs of visitors with developmental disorders and cognitive impairments.

Continue reading here:
Walt Disney World Update

STEERS

Joelle Foster, Grand Champion Steer and Senior Showmanship, $8,000

Buyers: First National Bank, Texas Grill Restaurant, William Jenkins, Smith Supply, Bastrop Stone, Boyd Maxwell Insurance, Gonzales Livestock Market, Inc., Lockhart Auction Inc., Smittys Market, Tex Propane, Gaeke Construction, Juan & Leticia Esparza, James & Janet Rathmann, Anonymous In Memory of Adlinie Rathman, Tim & Gayle Foster

Kaylee Berdoll, Reserve Champion Steer, $6,500

Buyers: Coufal-Prater Equipment Ltd.-Tom Ezzell, Lone Star Cattleman, Direct Propane, Turner Land and Hay Company-Travis Turner, Callahan General Store, First National Bank, Benny Boyd - Bastrop

Kendall Hudson, 3rd Place, $3,500

Buyers: Gloria Hamilton, Dale & Julie Hudspeth, Duke & Mary Ducharme, Jeanne Cole, Amanda & Katie Frerich, Don & Sylvia Hudson, Adolph & Sharon Junek, George Cameron, Les & Dawn Hudson, Caleb Hudson, First National Bank, Deborah & Kevin Cole, Awesome Landscapes & More-Michael & Betty Wyatt, Katy Meuth, Carl & Lola Cole, Tyler & Lindsy Saunders, Texas Aggregates -Matt Arthur, C W & Stacey Schneider, Frontier Bank, AJ & Deena Zimmerhanzel, Robert & Rose Henderson, Elgin Breeding Service-Brenda Cardwell, James & Darlene McLaughlin, Wayne & Brenda Meuth, Adam Meuth Construction

Claire Byrd, 4th Place, $2,250

Buyers: Wheer Ransom Bros Cattle, Larry & Janet Hendrix, Lost Pines Toyota, L & L Ranch-Robert Long, Allen Stewart, David & Leigh Ann Lewis, Jane H. Wright, Gerard & Audrey Goertz, Clarence & Betty Vinklarek, Sandy Wright Kibby, Callahan General Store, Direct Propane

Bryce Wyatt, 5th Place, $2,500

Continue reading here:
2014 Bastrop County Junior Livestock Show Results

After several months of waiting, construction is finally underway on the new imax theatre in blacksburg. Construction workers are building the new I-MAX Theatre bowling alley and restaurant... Businesses in Blacksburg's First and Main shopping plaza say they can't wait to see it complete.

"We're very excited for the theatre to come in we need an anchor in this shopping center in order for it to become successful," Blue Ridge Mountain Sports Manager Wyatt Lifsey said. Lifsey says the Imax Theatre will help create more foot traffic, which could attract more businesses to First and Main.

Personal trainer Amy Simmons says having that extra traffic could jump start more people signing up for Anytime Fitness memberships. "For us it would get our name out there people would see that we're here for them for their fitness needs if they're not familiar that we're even here in the area," Simmons said.

Contractors expect the Imax Theatre to wrap up in about a year.

Originally posted here:
Construction Starts in Blacksburg for New Imax Theatre

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) Work on a major thoroughfare in Jackson will improve its appearance, but it's providing a headache for area businesses.

Chuck Odom, of The Elite Restaurant on Capitol Street, says business at the landmark eatery has sharply declined since the Capital Street reconstruction project began.

The Clarion-Ledger reports (http://on.thec-l.com/1hT2ycP ) construction on Capitol Street in front of The Elite has reduced customer parking and made the front entrance of the restaurant a labyrinth of cones, dirt and uneven footing.

The Elite has been in Jackson since 1947 when Odom's wife's family opened it.

Ben Allen, president of Downtown Jackson Partners, continues to talk up the road project, which includes making busy Capitol Street a two-way road. He says the project is designed to make the Capitol Street area clean and safe, while making room for sidewalk cafes and pedestrian-friendly retail outlets.

But some business owners say they may not make it until the project's end.

Sam and Lamia Dabit own two retail stores Lamia's Boutique and Fashion Corner on Capitol Street and say the end is near for their businesses.

"I've been in downtown Jackson for 50 years, but this project has ruined our business," Sam Dabit says.

The Dabits say all their customers have vanished.

"We just don't see anyone anywhere around here these days," Lamia Dabit laments.

Read the original post:
Jackson street project: future help, present pain

Time is running out to stop a ritzy restaurant from opening in Union Square Park, but Mayor de Blasio wont bite.

Activists visited City Hall on Friday to deliver petitions against the controversial eatery, which is being built in the parks pavilion after a long battle with neighbors.

If we keep waiting, theres going to be a restaurant there before we know it, said Bill Borock, a member of the Union Square Community Coalition who dropped off a package of 500 signatures.

We thought things would be different [under de Blasio], he said. People are feeling a little betrayed.

Simon Oren, founder of 5Napkin Burger and owner of Nice Matin, will operate the 200-seat restaurant.

Construction began shortly after the states highest court ruled in February that the eatery is a valid use of public parkland.

Read the original post:
Opponents want last chance to block Union Square restaurant