Fall is a great time to tackle projects around the house. The weather each fall allows homeowners to make improvements to their homes exteriors without worrying about extreme heat or cold, while interior projects like painting are made easier because homeowners can open the windows to allow for proper ventilation.

Fall also marks a great time to prepare for upcoming projects that can make winter work that much easier. For example, fall is a great time to take stock of your gutters so you can address any issues before leaves begin to fall or the first snowstorm touches down. Compromised gutters can contribute to water issues in basements and adversely affect a homes foundation if not addressed immediately, so it behooves homeowners to learn the signs that gutters are in need of repair or replacement.

Gutters hanging off the home: Gutters were once installed predominantly with spikes. However, many industry professionals now install gutters with hanger brackets. Why the change? Spikes loosen over time, leading to the gutters hanging off the home. That can contribute to serious issues if left untreated. Gutters hanging off the home need not necessarily be replaced, but rather secured to the home, ideally with hanger brackets instead of spikes. Brackets hook into the front of the gutter and are then screwed into the fascia of a home. A professional who specializes in gutter repair can perform this task relatively quickly, and its an inexpensive yet highly effective solution.

Gutter separation: Gutters that are no longer fastened together can leak and contribute to issues that affect the homes foundation, siding and appearance. Clogs and the accumulation of debris can cause gutters to separate because they are not designed to hold too much weight. Replacement of separated gutters may or may not be necessary depending on how big the problem is and the condition of the existing gutters. If replacement is not necessary, separated gutters may be remedied by securing the joints, another relatively simple and inexpensive fix.

Peeling exterior paint: Paint that appears to be peeling off of your home may indicate that water is seeping over the edge of the gutter closest to your home. When that happens, water is coming down the side of the house, causing the paint to peel. In such instances, replacing the gutters is often necessary.

Basement flooding: Not all signs of deteriorating gutters are outside a home. Many a homeowner has been flummoxed by flooding in their basements, and such flooding can be caused by aging, ineffective gutters. Thats because deteriorating gutters sometimes allow water to leak near the foundation of a home, contributing to basement flooding.

Fall is an ideal time to inspect gutters and have any issues fixed before leaves begin to fall or harsh winter weather arrives.

Story courtesy of Metro Creative Connection

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Signs your gutters are in need of repair - The Oakland Press

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The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,403 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and five additional deaths Sunday, as several regions saw a significant drop in positivity rate.

The state received the results of 46,496 COVID-19 tests in the 24 hours leading up to Sunday afternoon. The state's seven-day rolling positivity rate went down to 4.04%.

Illinois now has seen 249,580 total cases of the virus and 8,171 people have died. The state has conducted a total of 4,418,372 tests since the start of the pandemic.

As of late Saturday, Illinois had 1,504 COVID-19 patients in the hospital. Of those, 356 were in intensive care units, and 134 were on ventilators.

Regional update: According to aJuly 15 updateto Gov. JB Pritzker's COVID-19 response plan, the state will be tracking public health metrics in a slightly different way to monitor any potential resurgences of COVID-19. Additional restrictions can be placed on any of the state's 11 health regions if the region sustains an increase in its average positivity rate for seven days out of a 10-day period.

A region also may become more restrictive if there is a seven-day increase in hospital admissions for COVID-19-related illness or a reduction in hospital medical/surgical beds or ICU capacity below 20%. If a region reports three consecutive days with more than an 8% average positivity rate, additional infection mitigation will be considered through atiered system of restriction guidelinesoffered by the IDPH.

The North Suburban region (McHenry and Lake counties) has seen four days of positivity increases and three days of hospital admission increases. The region's positivity rate decreased to 5.4%, a decrease of 0.6 percentage points in one day. Currently, 41% and 57% of medical/surgical beds and ICU beds are available, respectively.

The West Suburban region (DuPage and Kane counties) has seen four days of positivity increases and two days of hospital admission increases. The region's positivity rate decreased to 5.3%, a single-day decrease of 0.6 percentage points. Currently, 32% of medical/surgical beds and 47% of ICU beds are available.

The South Suburban region (Will and Kankakee counties) has seen three days of positivity increases and four days of hospital admission increases.The region's positivity rate decreased to 7.6%, a decrease of 1.1 percentage points in a single day.

Additional mitigation measures from the IDPH have been placed on the region, and the region has gotten down below 8%. If it can hold below 8%, it will avoid additional mitigations. To return to the standard Phase 4 restrictions, the region will need to maintain an average positivity rate of less than or equal to 6.5% over a 14-day period. Currently, 31% of the region's medical/surgical beds and 30% of its ICU beds are available.

The North region (Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties) has seen six days of positivity increases and two days of hospital admission increases. The region's positivity rate decreased to 5.7%, a decrease of 0.9 percentage points in a single day. Currently, 42% of medical/surgical beds and 50% of ICU beds are available.

The North-Central region (Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Henderson, Henry, Kendall, Knox, La Salle, Livingston, Marshall, McDonough, McLean, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren and Woodford counties) has seen five days of positivity increases and three days of hospital admission increases. The region's positivity rate decreased to 7.5%. Currently, 41% of medical/surgical beds and 41% of ICU beds are available.

Chicago has seen two days of positivity increases and two days of hospital admission increases. The region's positivity rate decreased to 5.0%. Currently, 27% of medical/surgical beds and 40% of ICU beds are available.

Suburban Cook County has seen three days of positivity increases and four days of hospital admission increases. The region's positivity rate decreased to 5.9%, a single-day decrease of 0.8 percentage points. Currently, 30% of medical/surgical beds and 35% of ICU beds are available.

To see how other regions across the state are doing, see the full IDPH dashboard online.

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Here's where each health region in northern Illinois stands as of Sunday - The Herald-News

Expectations are always sky high at most Power 5 programs before the season.

Dreams of magical runs to a championship or an upper-tier bowl game dance in the heads of nearly every fan at every program, but the reality is the majority of the fans will be disappointed by these high expectations.

What should fans expect? What is a reasonable expectation for your team?

We are taking a look at every Power 5 program in the country and assigning a realistic win expectation for each team. These are not over-under betting odds you will find overseas or in Las Vegas. No, these are my personal expectations for each team and why I believe fans should keep these realistic expectations in mind as they try to provide a proper perspective on the upcoming season.

Today we end with the SEC, the only Power 5 conference siding with a conference-only schedule this fall. Alabama and Georgia are the favorites to meet in the SEC Championship Game, but upsets are bound to happen in an expanded conference season, right? The conference is also breaking in four new head coaches while replacing several star quarterbacks, including LSU's Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. Could chaos reign in the SEC?

More importantly, as a rabid fan, how can you put this season in perspective? How many wins should you realistically expect for your team? My win totals and explanations can be found in the space below.

Reasonable expectations for Big 12 teams

Reasonable expectations for ACC teams

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Assigning reasonable expectations for every SEC team in 2020 - 247Sports

During Cordovas early days (1908-1911), when it was a boisterous railroad boomtown, the religious and social needs of both construction workers and the more genteel town residents were served by an Episcopal social club called the Red Dragon. Built on land donated by the Copper River and Northwestern Railway and painted railroad red with paint provided by the railway, the Red Dragon was a 24-feet-by-36-feet wood-frame building perched atop a steep hill overlooking Odiak Slough (the oldest section of town).

The Red Dragon served as a social club six days a week, but on Sundays an altar was lowered from the rafters for services. This arrangement served the needs of Cordova during its early years before the railroad was completed, but by the mid 1910s, the now well-established parish needed a church building.

The priest in charge of the Cordova parish during the 1910s, Eustace Ziegler, was also an accomplished artist and draftsman. He drew up plans for a church building that shared the same dimensions as the Red Dragon. Although smaller in size, Cordovas Episcopal church is similarly-styled to Sewards St. Peters Episcopal Church (built in 1906), with steeply-pitched gable roof, arched windows, decorative buttresses and shingle siding.

It took several years to arrange adequate financing, but in the fall of 1918 construction of the Cordova church started at a site about 100 feet east of the Red Dragon, at the corner of Lake Avenue and Second Street. Construction was financed in part by a large contribution from the Kennecott Copper Corporation. According to Nicki Nielsens book, The Red Dragon and St. Georges, the churchs pulpit was even constructed in the railways shops.

By the spring of 1919 the church building was debt-free and sufficiently finished to be consecrated on Easter Sunday, April 20 as St. Georges Episcopal Church. The building was dedicated to the memory of Erastus Corning Hawkins (1860-1912), who was the chief engineer in charge of construction of the White Pass and Yukon Railway as well as the CR&NW. He was also an active member of the St. Georges parish.

National Park Service documents state that St. Georges, as constructed, was a 24 feet wide by 36 feet long single-story wood-frame structure, with an 8-feet-by-12-feet entrance vestibule at the buildings northern end. Both the sanctuary and the entrance had steeply pitched gable roofs. Atop the sanctuary roofs northern gable end sat a square, pyramid-shaped belfry with steeple, and a chimney occupied the sanctuarys southern gable end.

Decorative buttresses divided the sanctuarys east and west walls into four bays, and each bay had a tall arched multi-paned window centered in it. Smaller matching windows were located on the east and west walls of the entrance vestibule. The entire building roof, steeple, and walls was sheathed in wood shingles, with the shingled painted a dark brown and trim painted white.

The original structure had a concrete basement under half the sanctuary. In 1980 the concrete basement was extended under the entire structure.

The church has changed very little since it was constructed. In 1982 it, as well as the Red Dragon parish hall next door, were added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Red Dragon Historic District.

In 2013 St. Georges parish began restoration work on both the Red Dragon and St. Georges Church, including roof replacement, and foundation and electrical work. Most of the work on the Red Dragon has been finished, but work continues on the church building.

The National Park Service, through its Heritage Documentation Programs division, has produced a fascinating 2-minute fly-through of both the Red Dragon and St. Georges. The video can be viewed at bit.ly/3h0QFUb.

Sources:

Buildings of Alaska. Alison K. Hoagland. Oxford University Press. 1993

Cordovas Red Dragon Historic District website, https://reddragoncordova.org/. 2016

Red Dragon Historic District, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. Nicki J. Nielson & Michael S. Kennedy. National Park Service. 1982

The Red Dragon and St. Georges. Nicki J. Nielsen. Fathom Publishing Company. 1983

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Cordova's version of the Dragon and St. George's - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

A wildfire hazard property assessment class was held in Castle Valley Aug. 25 to train eight members of the Castle Valley Fire Department and several fire personnel from the State Division of Forest, Fire and State Lands.

The class was held to train students on assessing the fire risk by using several homes in Castle Valley as examples and used a point system to determine how likely they were to catch fire during a wildland blaze. The class was conducted by Grand County Fire Warden Bruce Jenkins and FFSL Wildland/Urban Interface Coordinator Duncan Fuchise.

When determining the assessment for each property, the evaluator looks at the road leading to the property to determine if the road and bridges are adequate for fire engines to enter. The roads in the town are mostly adequate, but some are steep with inadequate cul-de-sac space at the end of the road. The evaluator also looks at the driveway leading to the structure and whether access is restricted by gates, low overhanging limbs, inadequate culverts or bridges, or narrow passage with no turnarounds. There should also be a reflective noncombustible address sign that can be seen from the road.

The construction of the structure is also considered in the assessment. The chimney should be screened, the gutters should be made of noncombustible material and are clean, fences that are attached to the house should be of fire-resistant material, windows should be double or triple paned or tempered glass. The eaves of a house, the vents, roofing material, exterior siding, and decks and balconies are also considerations, not to mention the defensible space around the house.

Anyone can ask for a free assessment of their house and property by calling the fire department and leaving a message at 435-259-3655. One or two of the evaluators will visit your property to determine how firewise it is and make possible suggestions.

It is sad to report the death of our longtime neighbor, Hank Freeman, who died at home during the early morning hours of Friday, Aug. 28. Born Harris Brown Freeman on Dec. 12, 1938, he lived in Castle Valley for many years and worked at various occupations, including as surveyor and satellite television technician.

He was an avid ham radio operator, having many friends, and was in contact with fellow ham operators around the world. He was very intelligent and had a technical mind with interests in many technical fields and he was always friendly with a keen sense of humor.

Hank was proud of his service in the United States Air Force. As an airman first class, he served six years in the Strategic Air Command during the turbulent Cold War years after the Korean War. He spent time at a SAC base in Wichita, Kansas, serving in an armament and electronics squadron and traveled on many missions to SAC bases across the country.

He spent a lot of time in the air in those historic B-52 Stratofortress bombers. During those years of high alert, he told me once, SAC kept a third of their fleet in the air at all times.

One night earlier this month Hank was out in the yard after dark getting a photo of the comet NEOWISE that was visible at that time. He tripped in the tall grass and damaged the bone around the area of an earlier hip replacement. After an operation in Salt Lake City and a period of recuperation at Moab Regional Hospital, he returned home but a reoccurring lung illness finally took its toll and he died. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

It was also tragic to learn of the untimely death of one of our former Castle Valley young women. Deone Ehlers Rhorer, 54, died unexpectedly from heart failure Saturday, Aug. 22 in Ogden. Even though Deone, the daughter of the late Jerry Ehlers and JoAnna Stoddard of Castle Valley, hasnt lived in the valley for a long time, she will be remembered by people in Castle Valley and Moab as a beautiful, bright and happy young woman.

Her family moved to the valley when she was 10 years old and she attended elementary and high school in Moab along with her nine sisters and a brother. Deone was a sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and a 30-year real estate professional who left this world as a successful contributor to society during her short life.

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Local firefighters trained in wildfire hazard lot assessment - The Times-Independent

You can't always get what you want something Brie Larson has discovered the hard way and on a lot of occasions.

The Oscar-winning actress posted a video to YouTube on Sept. 3 in which she lists off a battery of films that she auditioned for and didn't get, and the list is stunning.

From just 2008 to 2009, she said she missed out on"Sucker Punch," "Gulliver's Travels," "It's Kind of a Funny Story," "Mars Needs Moms," "Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief," "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," "The Book of Eli," "Get Him to the Greek," "The Descendants," "Jennifer's Body," "Legion," "The House on the Left," "Drive Angry" and "Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen."

After listing "Untitled Nancy Meyers Project," Brie said, "Not sure what that one was but I didn't get it!"

Similarly, she missed out on the "Untitled Wayans Brothers Project."

"Not sure what that is, but it didn't happen for me," she said.

She didn't get "Avatar" either, but she doesn't even remember auditioning for the film.

Ironically, Brie who went on to star in the blockbuster "Captain Marvel" didn't get cast in Marvel movies "Iron Man 2 or "Thor."

Taking the long list of rejections in stride, the actress said was nearly cast in "Juno," "Thirteen," "Brink," "Smart House," "Tomorrowland," "Pitch Perfect," "Into the Woods," "Youth in Revolt" and "Peter Pan." Brie also made it to the final round of "Halt and Catch Fire" and "The Big Bang Theory" castings. Ultimately, she got none of them.

"It's a lot of heartbreak, folks," Brie said. "Here I am, still standing."

Brie noted that networks and studios actually passed on her for several projects, only to later offer her work. That's how she booked her gig on "United States of Tara."

In July, Brie said she also auditioned for "The Hunger Games," "Star Wars" and a "Terminator" film all of which she didn't get.

Brie's getting the last laugh now.

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Erin Andrews thinks Tyra Banks will 'nail' DWTS hosting gig - Wonderwall

He says there are thicker vinyl products, which alsocost more, butbelieves Hardie board would have stood up.

Its a double up-front cost now, but over the course of 10, 20 or 30 years, it will look the same as it does now. No fading, no melting it with the barbecue. It also has resale value, Roberts says.

As an example of pricing, the average two-storey home is 2,600 square feet of exterior wall. To replace damaged siding with new vinyl siding including tearing off the damaged vinyl, repapering, and installing the new vinyl the cost is about $15,000 to $16,000. The same scope of work with Hardie as a replacement would be about $26,000 to $27,000. Another way to look at it is it costs about $6 per square foot for vinyl, and $10 per square foot for Hardie cement board.

But Danny Ritchie of Ultimate Renovations, who launched his company based on the large volume of work he picked up after the notorious hail event of Sept. 7, 1991, thinks this storm would have wrecked anything short of brick or stone.

If this storm was breaking windows, it would have chipped stucco and cracked Hardie board. At that pace, nothing would have stopped it except maybe stone and thats very expensive. If someone has vinyl now, I could just go back to vinyl siding, Ritchie says.

The rest is here:
What sidings will withstand a hail storm like the one that ripped across Calgary's northeast? - Calgary Herald

Once upon a time there was a little white boathouse. For years and years, it was my special place at the cottage, my refuge.

In 1958, when I was 15, my dad was ready to build our long-awaited boathouse. He'd had a windfall on the stock market and finally had the wherewithal to buy the lumber. The boathouse would go in a shallow, protected spot behind the huge rock we still call the elephant hump.

Dad had a three-weekholiday that summer and I worked with him every day. It was a special time indeed, to be old enough to be a real help to my father. We constructed a 16-by-20-foot platform, assembled the framing and put on the clapboard siding. There was many a dint in the studs where I missed many a nail. For the flat roof, he used pine floor boards under tar paper and shingles as he planned to add a second storey the following year. Sadly, that was not to be, as he died unexpectedly that fall at the age of 55.

After that, I had summer jobs elsewhere, but when I had cottage time, I made the boathouse my bedroom. As a teenager, I wanted time to myself and my boathouse gave me that. Never much interested in decor, I managed with an iron cot and the occasional visit from mice. An old oak dresser, bequeathed by cousins, was a place to stow clothes, although anything left in its drawers over the winter was nicely nibbled.

We recycled the tiny front porch from the cottage and moved it to a spot behind the boathouse. I was married by then and we savoured our mornings there, as the sun found its way to that deck before it warmed the rest of the property. We were sheltered from the prevailing westerly breeze and it became my favourite place to swim.

One of the best things was to sleep in the boathouse, having the time to listen to the water gently lapping against the cribs, a peaceful, nurturing sound that never failed to put me to sleep.

Nesting time comes to us all, and little by little, we added domestic comforts to that 320-square-foot space: a retired linoleum dance floor became flooring. We installed indoor-outdoor carpet, acquired a second dresser, night tables, a coffee table, curtains, a refrigerator, a toaster, a kettle, a coffee maker and an electric frying pan. There was no plumbing, but the clean water of the lake was right there and the biffy was near by too.

At the end of our holiday, we had to put away the boathouse, stacking everything in preparation for its off-season use as a storage building.

We had to make time for the endless maintenance. Every summer for years I painted one of the boathouse walls, working my way around the building in a four-year cycle. The flat roof leaked early on and was replaced with a slightly peaked roof, which also leaked and was replaced at least twice.

I do not fully understand why I became so foolishly fond of a building built to store boats. It was decidedly rustic, but for me, that was part of its appeal. Certainly, when things got too busy in the main cottage as they did with teenage daughters, I found time for peace and quiet in my boathouse home.

Continued here:
Finding refuge in a small Muskoka boathouse - muskokaregion.com

READY NOW!! New Luxury 2 Story 4 bedroom 4 bathroom, finished lower level home offered by Kirkwood's premier builder Kelly Development Group! This custom home features an open floor plan, Job Finished Hardwood Flooring, 2nd Floor Laundry. Master Bath offers a Free Standing Tub, Huge walk in custom Master Shower floor to ceiling tile, and Ceramic Tile Flooring. Kitchen features Painted Cabinets, Large Island, Quartz Counter Tops, Tile Backsplash, and Stainless Steel Appliances. This home also includes an high level of fit and finish, Moen Faucets, Kohler Elongated Toilets, 2 Panel Doors with satin Nickel Interior Doors Handsets, Custom Stained Front Entry Door, Direct Vent Fireplace with Marble Surround, 3 Door and Window Casing, 5 Base Molding, Crown Molding, Long Panel Garage Doors with Glass, Custom Lighting Package, and Recessed Lighting. Ideally located for a quick commute and all the amenities!

View Listing

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30 of the Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the Park Hills Area - WiscNews

Dear Inter-Parliamentary Union,

I am a concerned citizen of Zimbabwe who is worried bout the corrupt collusion between the Parliament, Senate and Government Zimbabwe and a faction of the opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (Tsvangirai) (MDC-T) following a mooted Supreme Court Judgement passed on 31 March which encouraged the warring factions of the MDC-T to organise a special Extra Ordinary Congress to elect a leader who will replace the founding President of the Party who passed away on 14 February 2018. I hope that my letter will find its way to the appropriate offices for consideration.

To give a bit of background, the Supreme Court Judgement came about as a result of a court appeal by a member of the MDC-T who felt he had not been accorded an opportunity to elect a President of his choice following the death of the late founding MDC-T President. In its wisdom, following the death of the founding President, the National Council of the MDC-T, chaired by Senator Morgan Komichi, who was the Acting Chairman in the absence of the 2014 elected Chairman Hon Lovemore Moyo, had decided to elevate one of the three Vice-Presidents of the Party, Advocate Nelson Chamisa, to the position of Acting President. Of the three Presidents, one Dr. Thokozani Khupe, was the only one who had been elected at the Partys last Congress held in 2014, while Advocate and Senator Engineer Elias Mudzuri had been appointed to Vice President positions which had been found essential to strengthen the Party in readiness for the 2018 elections. Senator Morgan Komichi was assigned by the late MDC-T President to lead the consultation which resulted in those appointments, which were endorsed by the National Council of the Party.

The Supreme Court ruled that the appointments of the Vice-Presidents was unconstitutional according to the Party constitution, even though the Constitution gave the power to the National Council to make decisions in between congresses, and it also allowed the President to appoint deputies to officers of Congress from a pool of National Executive members elected from provinces and other office bearers where such is provided for in the Constitution. Officers of Congress are the officials who are elected at Congress, and the President is one of such officers. The Party had then thought that there was nothing sinister in the Vice-President appointments, so the Supreme Court Judgement really came as a surprise, and many believe that the Judgement was influenced by Government of Zimbabwe which likes to divide the opposition by siding with the weaker faction in the main opposition party.

Regardless of whether the Supreme Court judgement was influenced by Government or not, following its opinion that the Vie-President positions appointed in 2016 were not constitutional, the Court ruled that all decisions made after the death of Dr. Morgan Tsvangirai were null and void, and assigned the elected Vice-President, Dr. Khupe to organise an Extra Ordinary Congress to elect a replacement for the late leader (The Court ruling is attached with this letter for your perusal), and she was given 90 days to do so. Failure by Dr. Khupe to discharge the assignment within the time-frame, Senator Morgan Komichi, who the Court mistook to have been the Chairman of the Party at the time of death of Dr. Tsvangirai, if not influenced by the Government of Zimbabwe to declare Senator Komichi as the Chairman at the time of Dr. Tsvangirai. Let me clarify that assertion by saying that the Supreme Court said all decisions made by the MDC between the time of Dr. Tsvangirais death and the 31 March 2020 when the judgement was passed were null and void. At the time of Dr. Tsvangirais death, the Chairman of the MDC-T was Honorable Lovemore Moyo, Senator Komichi was a Deputy Chairman. Honorable Moyo only tendered his resignation on 23 March 2018 to an Acting President who the Court said could not make binding decisions. The resignation of Hon Lovemore Moyo is, therefore not recognized by the Supreme Court. However, the Court mistook Senator Komichi to be the legitimate Chairman as the judges were not aware who was the Chairman of the Party at the time of Dr. Tsvangirais death, especially as Senator Komichi, who was third appellant in the court case had declared himself as the National Chairman of the first appellant. The Judges did not ask whether he became Chairman before or after the death of Dr. Tsvangirai, and this is something that should be raised with the Court. the legality of Senator Komichis Chairmanship aside, the Court mandated Senator Komichi to try to organise the suggested Extra Ordinary Congress in thirty days, failure which the issue becomes water under the bridge.

According to Section6.2.6 the Party Constitution that was presented before the Supreme Court a notice convening an Extra-Ordinary Congress shall be sent to all members entitled to attend and to each branch by the National Council at least one month before the date of the meeting. However, a bogus Council meeting to which eligible membersknown to be supporting Advocate Chamisa were not invited was held through whatsapp as reported by local media. The meeting came up with a list of members of Parliament of the MDC Alliance who had to be recalled from Parliament and also unconstitutionally deliberated on the planning of the Extra Ordinary Congress. The meeting was unconstitutional in that it did not have a quorum, and eligible members had been left out.

It should be put on record that following the death of Dr. Tsvangirai, due to leadership differences, Dr. Khupe and Advocate Chamisa registered for elections as two different parties, Dr. Khupes party using the name MDC-T while Advocate Chamisas team registered their party for the elections as MDC Alliance, a fact confirmed by Senator Mwonzora in media interviews at the time of the registration for elections. Now because of the Supreme Court ruling which never instructed Dr. Khupe to recall MDC Alliance Parliamentarians, who were elected under the MDC Alliance ticket. The Parliament and Senate have all their records showing that the number of seats and the names of the legislators won by MDC-T, and the Supreme Court judgement which Speaker of Parliament and President of the Senate say they based their decisions to expel MDC legislators from Parliament and Senate respectively does not instruct Dr. Khupe to recall any legislators. If anything, Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, who is a lawyer, should have read the Supreme Judgement carefully and understood that the mooted judgement, described as such by the Court, only gives a time frame for which Dr. Khupe and Senator Komichi should organise an Extra Ordinary Congress, failure which the parties which he Court was encouraging to unite will revert to their post Tsvangirai ventures. What then would happen if the warring parties do not get back together as suggested by the Supreme Court?

Besides, the the outcome of the Supreme Court implementation process, the MDC-T and MDC Alliance satisfied the requirement of the Zimbabwe Elections Act and registered with the Zimbabwe Elections Act as political parties for purposes of the elections, and each is entitled to enjoy the benefits of what they achieved in the elections. After all, the MDC-T as left by Dr. Tsvangirai was not operational at the time of the elections, so there is no way Dr. Khupe can claim parliamentarians who are a product of a process that took when it could not make decisions.

Instead of calling the appropriate structures that were in place as at the time of the death of Dr. Tsvangirai to organise the suggested Extra Ordinary Congress, Dr. Khupe is busy appointing people into positions which had officials who are supporting Advocate Chamisa, which are not the 2014 structures that should plan the Extra Ordinary Congress, and then go about telling the world that she is implementing the Supreme Court Judgement. Where in the Supreme Court Judgement is Dr. Khupe asked to replace officials from the 2014 structures, the very ones that should plan the Extra Ordinary Congress. There is no harm in Dr. Khupe filling gaps in the Party that she led into the 2018 elections, because that should be her fall back party should the Extra Ordinary Congress not happen, and already 9 days before the period she was given to organise it, no Constitutionally constituted council meeting has met to start planning for the Congress when the Partys Constitution specifically states that the Communication for an Extra Ordinary Congress can only be made by Council, yet Dr. Khupe and her team are already telling the world that the Extra Ordinary Congress will take place on 31 July 2020. They should stop dreaming and face the reality that despite claiming to be implementing the Supreme Court ruling and upholding constitutionalism, they are doing the opposite. What they are calling an Extra Ordinary Congress does not meet the requirements of the Supreme Court Judgement and the Constitution of the Party combined, and therefore not binding.

The firing of officials of the MDC 2014 structures, despite being unconstitutionally carried out, is also not part of the Supreme Court Judgement. The Supreme Court Judgement does not mandate Dr. Khupe to fire officials of the party in place at the time of Dr. Tsvangrais death, but mandates her to unite them and is she successfully does so, organise the Extra-Ordinary Congress with them. Furthermore, there are processes laid down in the Constitution regarding the expulsion of officials from the Party, which Dr. Khupe did not follow. So, Dr. Khupe and Senator Mwonzora who wrote the expulsion letters are even worse that the hideous Zanu PF which follows procedures when expelling its officials. Recently, Zanu PF Politburo expelled Chivi South legislator, Mr Killer Zivhu following a recommendation by the partys National Disciplinary Committee (NDC). Zanu PF folowed a process there in expelling Mr. Zivhu, and ask the so-called Champions of Constitutionalism Dr. Khupe and Senator Mwonzora what process they followed in expelling Advocate Chamisa. Honorable Charlton Hwende, Senator Lilian Timveous and Honourable Thabhita Khumalo?

Interestingly, despite breaking the Supreme Court Judgement and the Party Constitution, Dr. Khupe and her team are getting support from Government, with the Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi stating that that the government would disburse the $7,5 million due to the MDC under the Political Parties (Finance) Act to the Thokozani Khupe led group that is temporarily in charge of the party following the recent court rulings. As leader of Government in Parliament, Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi should know better that the MDC-T and MDC Alliance are registered as different political parties, hence non should enjoy the others benefits.

What is evident from what has been happening is that the holding of an Extra Ordinary Congress of the MDC-T as prescribed by the Supreme Court has failed , and therefore that judgement is water under the bridge, unless if Dr. Khupe reflects on the numerous blunders she has made to date and quickly calls for a National Council meeting as required by the DC Constitution to get the Extra Ordinary Congress back on track, but that will also be an uphill task with numerous court cases pending before the courts arising from her own blunders.

Government of Zimbabwe, Parliament and Senate should stop supporting a faction of the warring MDC, and are in contempt of the Supreme Court Judgement for their unethical interference to date.

By Kennedy Kaitano

Read more from the original source:
Parliament of Zimbabwe in shoddy deals with a weaker faction of the opposition - The Zimbabwe Mail