Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING In accordance with Volume 3A, Title 15.2, Counties, Cities and Towns, of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, public necessity, convenience, general welfare and good zoning practices so requiring, and pursuant to 15.2-107, 15.2-2204, 15.2-2285, 15.2-2310, and 15.2-4307, the Nelson County Planning Commission hereby gives notice that a Public Hearing will start at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 27th at the General District Courtroom on the third floor of the Nelson County Courthouse located at 84 Courthouse Square, Lovingston, for the following: NOTICE: In alignment with current COVID-19 guidelines, and to guard the health and safety of all meeting attendees, social distancing and the wearing of face masks will be required in the courtroom. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided for you. Should current guidance change prior to the date of the meeting, the guidelines in place at the time will be adhered to. If you are not able to attend the meeting due to COVID-19 precautions or restrictions, comments may be submitted (1) electronically, or (2) in writing, and will be accepted until 12:00 pm on January 27th, 2021. (1) Electronically: ehjulstrom@nelsoncounty.org or dbishop@nelsoncounty .org (2) In Writing: Dept. of Planning & Zoning, P.O. Box 558, Lovingston, VA 22949 Public Hearings 1. Communication Tower #149 Class C Consideration of a Verizon Communication Tower application requesting County approval to allow a new 154' monopole on property zoned A-1. The subject properties are located at Tax Map Parcel #55-A-14 and 55-A-14A at 499 Jonesboro Rd. The subject properties are owned by Robert Brent, Myra Brent-McGarry, and Susanne Jamerson. 2. Amendment #2020-03 to Nelson County Zoning Ordinance, Article 11. Nonconforming Uses Consideration of proposed amendment to Zoning Ordinance Article 11. Nonconforming Uses, to rename as Article 11. Nonconforming Uses, Structures, & Lots, including a rewrite and restructuring. A summary of the amended ordinance follows: 11-1-1 contains a statement of intent that nonconformities are inconsistent with the character of the districts in which they occur. 11-1-2 Nonconforming Lots. Changes added addressing individual water supply or sewage disposal, or both, requiring approval by the Health Department. 11-1-3 Nonconforming Structures. Permits nonconforming structures' use only (i) so long as the then existing or a permitted more restricted use continues and such use is not discontinued for more than two years and (ii) so long as the buildings or structures are maintained in their then structural condition. If use is discontinued for more than two years, then the building or structure may be used only (i) so long as a permitted more restricted use continues and (ii) so long as the buildings or structures are maintained in their then structural condition. Enlargement which increases or extends its nonconformity prohibited. Nonconforming structures which are moved must conform to the regulations of the zoning district to which it is moved. Provision made for structures constructed in accordance with a building permit for which a certificate of occupancy or a use permit therefor issued, for when the owner of structure has paid taxes to the County for such building or structure for a period of more than the previous 15 years, and where certain County authorizations are obtained. Provision is also made for repair of nonconforming structures due to an act of God and for replacement of existing on-site sewage system and for replacement of certain manufactured homes in a mobile home park. A property owner shall have the right to seek a variance in order to bring a nonconforming structure or building into compliance. 11-1-4 Nonconforming Uses. Lawful use of land existing at the time of enactment of the Zoning Ordinance or any amendment permitted under the ordinance may continue, as long as it remains otherwise lawful, subject to the following provisions: Cannot be expanded or enlarged in any way that increases its nonconformity. If use ceases for a period of more than two years, any subsequent use shall conform in all respects to the zoning district in which the land is located. No additional structures not conforming to this ordinance shall be constructed in connection with such nonconforming use. Provision made for certain instances where a business license is issued by the County permitting the holder to apply for a rezoning or a special use permit without charge by the County. Provision made for an extension when a use is discontinued. Residential occupancy of a single-family dwelling is the most restrictive use when determining level of intensity. Provision made for changes in district boundaries. 3. New Ordinance #2020-04 to Nelson County Zoning Ordinance, Article 22A. Solar Energy Consideration of new ordinance addition to Zoning Ordinance Article 22A. Solar Energy, to establish procedures, regulations, and requirements for Small and Large Solar Energy Systems applying to locate within Nelson County. A summary of the proposed ordinance follows: Defines a small solar energy system as one occupying less than one acre of total land area and a large solar energy system as one occupying one acre or more of total land area. General provisions address safety and design, construction and installation, compliance with noise control ordinances and an ocular impact study when required by the FAA impact. Bonding required for costs to completely remove the entire solar energy system plus twenty-five percent (25%) of said estimated costs as a reasonable allowance for administrative costs, inflation, and potential damage to existing roads or utilities. A bond, irrevocable Letter of Credit, or other appropriate surety required secure the cost of removing the system and restoring the site to its original condition to the extent reasonably possible which must include a mechanism for a Cost of Living Adjustment after ten (10) and fifteen (15) years. A decommissioning plan is required. Provision made for notice to the County of the proposed date of abandonment or discontinuation of operations, time-frame for removal, standards for removal and restoration of the property and for abandonment. A zoning permit issued pursuant to this article shall expire if the solar energy system is not installed and functioning within 24 months from the date this permit is issued. Small solar energy system shall be permitted by-right in A-1, B-1, B-2, M-1, and M-2, and by Special Use Permit in C-1 subject to certain requirements. Provision made for setbacks, height restrictions, and compliance with applicable law. No signs or advertising of any type may be placed on the small solar energy system unless required by law. Building Code compliance certification required. Glare mitigation requirements established. Requirements and procedure for a zoning permit application. Large solar energy systems shall be permitted by a Special Use Permit in A-1, C-1, M-1, B-1, and B-2, and by-right in M-2, provided that the primary use of the system is electrical generation to be sold to the wholesale electricity markets and not used primarily for the onsite consumption of energy by a dwelling or commercial building. A Major Site Plan is required which must also include a project description and supporting information. Provision made for visual impacts, height restrictions, signage, setbacks, and vegetative buffering. Review by the Planning Commission to forward the applications to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation for approval; a recommendation for approval with recommended conditions; or a recommendation for denial for action by the Board. The full text of the proposed amendments is available for public inspection at the Planning & Zoning office, 80 Front Street, Lovingston, Virginia, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Telephone inquiries may also be directed to the Dept. of Planning & Zoning, (434) 263-7090, or toll free at 888-662-9400, selections 4 and 1. Nelson County does not discriminate on the basis of handicapped status in admission or access to its programs and activities. Accommodation will be made for handicapped persons upon advance request.

See the article here:
Notice of Public Hearing | Legal Announcements | newsadvance.com - Lynchburg News and Advance

The City Commission will consider amendments to the Plantation Oaks development including a proposal to void the 55-and-older age restriction and allow single-family homes in the first phase of the community at its meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 19.

The three amendments, including two administrative zoning changes, were originally scheduled to be heard back in the summer, but the city postponed the hearings due to COVID-19, as the city manager wanted to be able to hold a meeting where interested people could voice their opinions on the matter while adhering to social distancing requirements.

On June 11, 2020, the Planning Board unanimously recommended approval of the amendments despite significant citizen opposition. Several individuals voiced concerns at that meeting over impact to the Loop. In response, a Change.org petition has been signed over 62,000 times to help save the Ormond Beach Loop.

Parker Mynchenberg, the developer of Plantation Oaks, was also involved in creation of neighboring Halifax Plantation. Plantation Oaks was first approved by the county in 2002, and included single family homes. In 2012, that requirement was scrapped to allow manufactured housing. Plantation Oaks was annexed into the city in 2019.

A local man was killed during a confrontation with a friend near Ormond Beach in unincorporated Volusia County on Friday, Jan. 8.

Volusia County Sheriffs Office reported that 34-year-old William Bay pointed a pitchfork at his friend in a threatening manner at their shared residence in the 1100 block of Avenue I. The friend, who was armed with a handgun, fired when Bay advanced toward him, citing fear for his and his wifes lives.

No charges have been filed. The investigation is ongoing.

The Planning Board will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, to discuss a preliminary plat request for an 18-acre property located at 1670 and 1662 N. U.S. 1.

The request comes on behalf of Destination Interchange LLC, which seeks to develop the property into a commercial subdivision.

The Florida Department of Transportation is holding a virtual public hearing regarding the current five-year work program, which includes the A1A pedestrian safety project.

The hearing is virtual and open 24 hours a day until Jan. 15. Visit d5wpph.com to submit comments.

See the original post here:
Plantation Oaks amendments to be heard next week - Ormond Beach Observer

The Guardian

Decision would mean US could assign blame for death on to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, left, with journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a scene from the recent documentary The Dissident. Photograph: AP The Biden administration will declassify an intelligence report into the murder by the Saudi government of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to Avril Haines, who has been nominated to serve as director of national intelligence. The decision means that the US is likely to officially assign blame for Khashoggis brutal murder to the kingdoms de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and US resident who wrote critical columns about the Saudi crown prince, was murdered by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October 2018. While media reports have said that the US intelligence community determined with a medium to high degree of confidence that Prince Mohammed ordered the killing, that assessment has never officially been stated. The crown prince has denied he ordered the murder. Since then, Khashoggis fiancee Hatice Cengiz and other human rights activists have called on Biden to release the classified report into the murder, saying that doing so was the first step towards seeking accountability. During Hainess confirmation hearing on Tuesday, the Oregon senator Ron Wyden said that, if confirmed as the new DNI, she would have the opportunity to immediately turn the page on the excessive secrecy and lawlessness of the Trump administration, and submit an unclassified report on who was responsible for Khashoggis murder, as required under a February 2020 law that the Trump administration in effect blocked. Asked whether she would release the report, Haines replied: Yes, senator, absolutely. We will follow the law. In a statement, Wyden praised the move, saying it was refreshing to hear a straightforward commitment to follow the law from Haines. Biden's Director of National Intelligence nominee Avril Haines says, if confirmed, she will provide Congress with an unclassified report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. pic.twitter.com/ocPUsJUeti NBC News (@NBCNews) January 19, 2021 Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and director at the Brookings Institution, said: It is a useful way to put the question of accountability for Khashoggis murder in the public domain early in the new administration. One of the most outspoken advocates for justice for the murder, Agns Callamard, also praised the move, saying the information would provide the one essential missing piece of the puzzle of the execution of Jamal Khashoggi. Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, said she hoped other information would also come to light, such as any new details about the whereabouts of Khashoggis remains, and whether a risk assessment had ever been done by the US about whether Khashoggi was in danger before his trip to Turkey. Callamard, who will be named the new head of Amnesty International later this year, also pointed to other threats that have reportedly been lodged against human rights defenders and former Saudi officials in Canada and Norway by Prince Mohammeds agents, who have been called a death squad in media reports. At some point, if the US intelligence has information about those operatives, then I think they should really make that information publicly available, Callamard said. The release of the Khashoggi report will also raise a host of new questions for both the US and Saudi Arabia. If the document fingers MBS as responsible for the murder it will raise the question what is Biden going to do to hold him accountable? said Riedel. During the 2020 election campaign, Biden issued scathing attacks against the crown prince, saying Saudi Arabia needed to be treated as a pariah. It is expected that the Biden administration would seek to curb weapon sales to Saudi Arabia, but it could also take more targeted actions against Prince Mohammed, including financial sanctions.

View post:
Grandmother Speaks After Being Carjacked At Knifepoint In Chicago Lawn - Yahoo News

Donald Trump did not think he was going to win the election against Hillary Clinton back in 2016.

Many around him acknowledged his candidacy was a brand-building marketing ploy, further moving up the stock value of his celebrity status, helping him to build another level on to his debt-laced real estate house of cards.

Trump had gone bankrupt a number of times but had always worked out deals that largely kept him whole, giving him lavish spending allowances, as long as he continued to be the flamboyant, attention-drawing, playboy mogul that is Donald Trump.

He had become the human punctuation point of too big to fail. To his financiers, the real estate became peripheral they were backstopping a brand, and that brand his family name is what Trump thought he was elevating even if he lost to what he characterised as the corrupt and cheating Clinton political machine.

But then he won.

Maybe it was Russian interference that moved at least 73,000 votes in the right places to tilt the electoral college Trumps way. Or perhaps it was Cambridge Analytica interfering with Facebook.

Maybe it was Clinton not realising how damaging her image as a maven of the super-rich Southampton set was compared with her early days as a struggling social justice advocate in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Maybe it was then-FBI Director James Comeys comments days before an election that Clinton was back under investigation for her email bungling and then, just as quickly, not. But the damage by Comey was done and could not be undone.

Some argue Bill Clinton on the campaign trail had harmed her with certain groups, that there was a grating air of entitlement, of the arrogant presumption that the presidency and the White House was their family domain. Folks I talked to in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and Dubuque, Iowa and Van Horn, Texas saw her as a queen wanting to return to her castle.

And then there was the unfortunate timing of the much-despised Queen Cersei murdering her way to the top in Game of Thrones that may have planted unflattering images in the minds of many HBO-binging voters. And maybe too many men were intimidated by a hugely accomplished, experienced and smart woman. Misogyny runs deep in the United States.

Then presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump face off at the third and final debate of the 2016 election in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 19, 2016 [David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images]In 2016, then-Vice President and (from tomorrow) President Joe Biden, who, having decided not to run, gave me an interview in his office in the White House West Wing.

It is an interesting fact that vice presidents through most of US history had no office inside the White House itself. Walter Mondale, vice president during President Jimmy Carters term, was the first to insist on and receive an office in the White House.

Sitting in that office, Bidens face grew tight, his brow furrowed, and he told me: Steve, the Democratic Party has become a party of snobs. He said people were in pain and did not feel heard. My guess is that is the primary reason Hillary Clinton lost and Donald Trump won.

Victims of the 2008-2009 economic crisis, people whose savings disappeared, whose home values collapsed, who lost jobs; these people felt the New York Wall Street financial markets crowd had destroyed their economic foundation, and these folks were the friends of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Billionaire Trump, a reality TV star who scored huge ratings nationwide in his show, The Apprentice, seemed like he was regularly wrestling against the finance crowd who were always trying to shut him down, forcing him into a series of bankruptcies. But, each time, The Donald, as Trump is called in New York, had emerged victorious, bigger and better than others, bigger than anyone in his situation in history.

Americans voted in greater numbers for Hillary Clinton. She received about three million more votes than The Donald, but not in the places that would have locked in her win. Trump seduced the angry American, the demeaned American, the white working-class American who was tired of being sold out in trade deals to other nations.

Then Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump delivers his nomination acceptance speech on the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio in July 2016 [David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images]These Americans wanted a wrecking ball to move to Washington and start tearing up things. The substance of what Trump did, did not matter as much as the cries of pain and anguish from Americas political class.

Americans were angry that Wall Street seemed to be doing better than real Americans. They were upset that their jobs were being off-shored to India and the Philippines and that immigrants into the US seemed to be getting the high-paying, high-tech jobs while Americans, particularly white working-class Americans, were being laid off.

Many of these Americans, like my own large extended family, were military families where brothers and sisters and dads had served over many generations in the USs wars. They believed they had fought the Cold War against the Soviets and against global communism, and that China had somehow won. A forever war in Afghanistan that rhymed with the humiliations of the USs involvement in Vietnam rubbed hot jalapeo peppers into pulsating raw nerves and anxieties of the USs white underclass.

Trump, a TV star who watched TV endlessly where his rivals read thousand-page biographies of the USs previous presidents, knew how to connect with these Americans. Their grievances were readable and he had always actually been the rich kid with a chip on his shoulder, aggrieved at never being taken seriously by New Yorks power set. For him, pugnacious nationalism was just another shade of himself and his views that he could effortlessly champion. And he did.

But here is the challenge in understanding why Trump became the biggest headline of our times. To many who felt betrayed by an America that seemed to be more concerned with illegal immigrants healthcare and rights than the living standards of its own citizens, Trumps celebrity status and his colourful muscularity and, yes, his vulgarity, his misogyny, his bullying and name-calling, his constant fabrication of stories that were untrue, his dismissive treatment of allies like Germanys Angela Merkel and Canadas Justin Trudeau and his bro-to-bro pal-ships with Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Salman, Kim Jong Un, Viktor Orban, Jair Bolsonaro and other democracy-dishing bad boy leaders all of this made Trump seem like the one who would deliver a better life and nation and, if not that, then at least would be the terminator of what Washington had become.

But the other side of the Trump coin is the narcissistic, self-serving side, the part of him obsessed with power and riches his riches. Former Trump Deputy Campaign Manager Rick Gates wrote a Trump-friendly treatment of his time working with the candidate and then-president.

One of the consistent themes is the way Trump viewed party fundraising for the Republicans, or fundraising hundreds of millions for his inauguration, or raising other money to fund transition staff, planning that was headed by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who was later ignominiously shoved off the team by Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Trump saw all this money, dollars donated for big causes and the public interest, as his own bank account. He rarely saw the demarcation between where his personal financial interests were and what the government did.

Presidents are, in a way, contracted temporary monarchs with a lot of power. There are checks on their power, as we are seeing now in the second impeachment of this president, but the monarch part the king part was captivating and intoxicating for President Trump.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he walks to Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland on January 12, 2021 [Alex Brandon/AP Photo]Where most presidents, like Obama and the two Bushes, Clinton, Carter and more, at least pretend to be humble amid such enormous power, Trump was audacious and wielded his power like a mad king. And his base supporters loved it; his enemies fled, cowered and made an industry out of using the words disbelief and unprecedented.

As The Atlantics David Frum wrote in early 2017 in a prescient piece titled How to Build an Autocracy: The United States may be a nation of laws, but the proper functioning of the law depends upon the competence and integrity of those charged with executing it. A president determined to thwart the law in order to protect himself and those in his circle has many means to do so. Frums observation of the early part of the Trump term became the primary scaffolding of a rules-be-damned four years of Trumpism in the White House.

Frum offers another delicious insight into Trumps core character and interest in being president that seemed not to irritate his base at all. They loved his crassness, his posturing comedically as a boss with a network of thugs and allies who could take on anyone who resisted him.

Frum writes: Donald Trump will not set out to build an authoritarian state. His immediate priority seems likely to be to use the presidency to enrich himself. But as he does so, he will need to protect himself from legal risk. Being Trump, he will also inevitably wish to inflict payback on his critics. Construction of an apparatus of impunity and revenge will begin haphazardly and opportunistically. But it will accelerate. It will have to.

Again, Frum nails early on what we saw when countries like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia tried to curry favour by renting out expensive rooms at Washingtons Trump Hotel, or when Trump tried to host a G7 meeting at his Trump National Doral Resort and Golf Course, or when he worked hard to get Ukraines president to do a personal favour for him and dig up dirt on Joe Biden and his son Hunter in exchange for releasing national security aid to Ukraine that had already been put into legal appropriations.

President Donald Trump golfs at Trump National Golf Club on November 27, 2020 in Sterling, Virginia [Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images]Trump golfed more than any other president, costing tax-payers tens of millions of dollars in security, logistics and lodging expenses for his entourage. Trumps base saw Washingtons political and policy crowd, its media titans, steaming over Trumps constant vacationing, his disregard for an inelastic truth, and they swooned over how angry official DC was becoming.

Trumps spell did not last with all conservatives, of course. His national security adviser, John Bolton, a genuine architect of and believer in America First policies, told me in an Al Jazeera English interview on my show The Bottom Line, that Trump was essentially a Trump-First president, and that disqualified him.

Former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis described Trump as a true threat to the security of the nation. Since the Trump-inspired attack on the US Capitol amid his post-election denial of losing to Biden in November 2020, the secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, and secretary of transportation, Elaine Chao, resigned their jobs. So, too, Melania Trumps chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, and we know that other leading officials came close to resigning including Trumps latest national security adviser, Robert OBrien.

Trump, unfiltered and raw is what the nation is seeing as he departs his office, but certainly not the political scene. The powerful in both parties are yet again dismayed and alarmed by Trump having instigated the first assault on the US Capitol in two centuries and his overt attempt to overturn an election that he, in an Orwellian twist, had convinced his followers was being stolen from him.

Trump is a master at the Big Lie, yelling fire when he himself started it; calling out fraud in the 2020 election when he was the one trying to get many leading Republicans in Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania and even his own vice president, Mike Pence, to commit election fraud on his behalf. He accused the Democrats of propagating a swamp of swindlers and cheats in Washington, whereas the criminal indictments, prosecutions and convictions of his campaign team and his White House staff are unmatched by any US president in 150 years.

President Donald Trump speaks at the Stop the Steal rally on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC; a mob of supporters would later storm the US Capitol building [Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images]But it is too easy, and also incorrect, to suggest his followers were blind to these elements of Trumps character. It is too much of a short cut to write an epitaph for his presidency that Trump lied, distorted, self-dealt, kowtowed to Russia, alienated allies, created a huge jump in national debt, made the rich richer and, perhaps most defining, completely bungled a credible response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite all of these behaviours, which would normally sink the credibility of a leader, Trump drew 74.2 million votes to Bidens 81.2 million. Yes, there is a seven million vote difference between victor and loser, but 74 million Trump believers despite Lysol Day when Trump said that perhaps people could inject disinfectant into their veins to rid them of COVID-19; despite his near love affair and failed nuclear diplomacy with North Koreas Kim Jong Un; despite a stream of verifiable mistruths that he regularly spewed and passed on through Twitter 74 million people still supported the Trump political franchise.

Historians and psychoanalysts will be deconstructing and studying these four years of populist convulsions for decades and, perhaps, centuries. Trump and this moment in time are an inflexion point, a moment of discontinuity in the past that perhaps the US needed.

Trump supporters storm the US Capitol building during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results by Congress on January 6, 2021 [Shannon Stapleton/Reuters]The US was playing the role of global security guarantor in many parts of the world that were not cored to its interests. Even President Barack Obama lamented how nations like Israel, but also others, were able to develop domestic constituencies to essentially hijack parts of the USs sprawling empire of military bases to serve their own ends, even if remote from its priority list of key threats in the world.

Trump strongly rejected the US intervening endlessly in foreign problems. He withdrew troops from Syria. He pounded on NATO allies to do more and carry a bigger part of the burden. He drew down US forces and was working to negotiate a full withdrawal in Afghanistan but did not achieve that before his term ended.

I think it is fair to say Americas tendency to easily and quickly militarily intervene in foreign security problems was disrupted by Trump, and this is something I think is healthy.

In addition, he focused a bright spotlight on China and its mercantilist trade and intellectual property practices. Perhaps he should have been more worried about Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing than steel and soybeans, but still, Trump and his team raised the DEFCON (defence and readiness condition) level and branded Huawei Communications a global national security threat. Perhaps Trump was unfair to Huawei time will tell. But what is key is that no US president has had the fortitude to challenge China so relentlessly because it had so many allies in the domestic political scene in Washington.

Trumps base of supporters identified with these steps on trade and China, and with his efforts to diminish American vulnerability to overseas military escapades. While he may have been interested in his own self-interests, Trumps policies were also clearly a shift away from the international order and its obligations and constraints and more to a place where the US could do whatever it damned well wanted to do.

Some political analysts see the anger of the Trump voter, and the roar of Trump himself, culminating in the attack on Congress as well as the rise of white nationalist, neo-Nazi, and other strident, right-wing groups and conspiracy cabals like that of the QAnon crowd, as the last gasp of a white, male-dominated political order that is being forced by demographic realities to cede to a more inclusive, multi-ethnic political order. That may be the case, but the drivers of the USs divides are not just racial.

Technology is disrupting the workforce, creating zero-sum games between the highly educated and power-networked versus those without those links and degrees. Public policy and tax frameworks are helping the rich amass more wealth while the rest of society competes for a smaller part of the economic pie.

The American dream of education and training yielding at minimum a track into the middle class is more true in China than in the US today. Manic, neoliberal trade and economic policies helped Wall Street go fast, stunted Main Street and gut-punched many hard-working Americans who lost jobs and had little help transitioning to something else.

Financial industry corruption showed that governance in Washington was also self-serving and corrupt and needed to be changed; Joe the Plumber did not get bailed out like Goldman Sachs and AIG did after the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

A man wrapped in US flags paces back and forth past Ohio State Patrol officers standing guard during an armed protest at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, on January 17, 2021 [Jason Whitman/NurPhoto via Getty Images]Trump for all his warts, his lies, his courtship with dangerous fringe groups, his adoration of foreign autocrats and disdain for democratic leaders abroad, his self-dealing all of it still made the case for and connected to a part of the American working-class that has seen its condition erode for decades.

The spark of Trump coming onto the political scene when he did, mixed with the anger of these Americans, has meant that trade deals in the future will be negotiated differently, that Main Street will receive support in COVID-19 relief bills, not just Wall Street, and a Biden-led Democratic Party will get a makeover and suspend what Biden called the partys snobbery.

There is no magic wand that will heal the deep divisions in the US today over class and race, and racial anxiety is a very large part of the problem. But for too long, Democrats and Republicans alike ignored the pressures that working-class families were experiencing. This cauldron was created and now it must be undone if the violence is to subside.

Trump did not create this cauldron, but he did exploit it and he certainly fed it. Biden actually could do the thing Trump could not and could be the one to dismantle the drivers of fear and hate inside the US and restore civic empathy and trust.

More:
Analysis: The causes and chaos of Donald Trump - Al Jazeera English

NEW-WES-VALLEY, NL, Jan. 15, 2021 /CNW/ - The health and well-being of Canadians are the top priorities of the governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador . But the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than our personal health; it is having a profound effect on the economy.

That is why governments have been taking decisive action to support families, businesses and communities, and continue to look ahead to see what more can be done.

Strategic investments in safe and modern water and wastewater infrastructure will play a key role in ensuring Eastern Newfoundland residents have access to reliable services to support a healthy community.

Today, Churence Rogers , Member of Parliament for BonavistaBurinTrinity, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; and the Honourable Derrick Bragg, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, announced more than $15.2 million in joint funding for 26 projects to safeguard public health and the environment in communities in Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador.

In New-Wes-Valley, the installation of 1800 meters of a waterman extension from Little Northwest Pond to Newtown and Templeman streets will increase resident's access to potable water, and reduce maintenance costs at the town's current sole water source, Carter's Pond.

The Government of Canada is investing more than $6 million , with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador providing over $7.4 million for these projects through the Green Infrastructure Stream (GIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan. The municipalities are contributing more than $3.3 million in total towards their respective projects.

Quotes

"Investing in high-quality water infrastructure is an essential part of building greener and healthier communities. We are proud to invest in better water and wastewater services for these 26 communities in Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador , supporting future community growth and protecting the environment. Canada's infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds cleaner, more inclusive communities."

Churence Rogers , Member of Parliament for BonavistaBurinTrinity, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"Managing municipal infrastructure is a priority for all communities because lift stations, sewer mains and the ability to manage stormwater is something all residents rely on. Like all infrastructure, they require maintenance. These investments help these communities make sure they can continue to provide these services without any disruptions and provide employment in each of the communities."

The Honourable Derrick Bragg, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure for Newfoundland and Labrador

Quick facts

Related product

Backgrounder

Residents in Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador communities to benefit from improved water and wastewater infrastructure

Joint federal, provincial, and municipal funding through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan will support 26 infrastructure projects in communities in Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador .

The Government of Canada is investing more than $6 million and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is providing over $7.4 million to these projects through the Green Infrastructure Stream (GIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan. The municipalities are contributing more than $3.3 million total toward their respective projects.

Project Information:

Location

Project Name

Project Details

Federal Funding

Provincial Funding

Municipal Funding

Arnold's Cove, Municipality of

Water and Sewer Upgrading - Merasheen Crescent - Phase 2

Work includes replacing 250m of watermain, installing new fire hydrants, replacing 250m of sewer main, and 250m of storm sewer, and improvements to roads, sidewalks and drains. Residents will benefit from increased access to potable water, while the Town's improves its capacity to manage wastewater and stormwater.

$306,510

$383,138

$155,352

Bonavista

Lift Station Upgrades - Bonavista

Upgrades to the lift station. This will increase the Town's capacity to treat and manage wastewater and stormwater.

$272,050

$272,050

$205,899

Centreville- Wareham- Trinity

Lift Station Upgrades - Silver Island Point

Rehabilitation of one lift station located in Wareham (Silver Point). This project will increase the town's capacity to manage wastewater, better serving the surrounding community.

$66,142

$82,677

$33,523

Clarenville

Random Crescent Road and Water/Sewer Upgrades

Rehabilitation to the water main, sewer main and road on Random Crescent Road, increasing access to potable water and the community's capacity to manage wastewater and stormwater, while also improving road infrastructure.

$371,185

$371,185

$280,928

Eastport

Main Street Water and Sewer Phase II

Upgrades to the water distribution and sanitary sewage systems. This will increase the reliability of the water system and fire protection measures.

$236,756

$295,946

$119,998

Fortune

Dixon Femme Water and Sewer Upgrades

Project work includes replacing 104m of sanitary sewer line, 212m of water main line, the replacement of eight sewer services and 11 water services, as well as repaving roads. This project will increase the town's capacity to manage wastewater, and provide residents with reliable potable water.

$205,195

$256,494

$104,002

Gambo

Gambo WWTP Upgrades and Outfall Extensions

Upgrades and extensions to the Middle Brook Wastewater Treatment Plant. This will extend the service life of the plant and increase the town's capacity to treat and manage wastewater.

$240,370

$300,462

$121,830

Garnish

Pardy's Point Water and Sewer Upgrades

Upgrading the current sanitary sewer and water services for Pardy's Point. This will eliminate water loss and provide better sewer and water services. Access to potable water will also be improved.

$278,186

$347,732

$140,996

George's Brook-Milton

Water Infrastructure Upgrades

Installation of a new pump control system in the George's Brook Pumphouse will make the system more energy efficient and reliable.

$419,061

$523,826

$212,397

Greenspond

Chlorination System Replacement

Replacement of the existing chlorination system. This will improve the quality of drinking water in the town and will increase access to potable water.

$79,424

$99,280

$40,256

Happy Adventure

Watermain Replacement and Septic Tank Installation

Replacing the main waterline and installing a septic holding tank. This will provide residents with safe, clean drinking water and increase the town's capacity to treat and manage wastewater.

$207,124

$258,905

$104,979

Hare Bay

Replace Water Services

Replacement of outdated service pipes with new infrastructure, benefiting the community by increasing access to potable water.

$301,249

$376,562

$152,686

Heart's Content, Municipality of

Sewage Pumping Station Upgrading

Upgrading the lift station, including mechanical and electrical equipment. The project will provide better waste water services to town residents.

$67,251

Continue reading here:
Residents in Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador communities to benefit from improved water and wastewater infrastructure - Stockhouse

By Barbara Allen, Contributing Writer

Lancaster Over 50 years of experience in the flooring business, combined with a reputation for quality, honesty, and excellence in customer service, has rewarded Creighton Floor Covering with a customer base built mostly by word of mouth. The family-owned-and-operated business, located at 417 Bolton Road in Lancaster, was founded in 1970 by Jack Creighton. Creighton Floor Covering offers the sale and installation of high-quality tile, carpet, vinyl planking and wood flooring to both residential and commercial customers.

We do very little actual advertising, noted General Manager Kelsey (Creighton) Marriott, who is also Jack Creightons granddaughter. Her father, Dan Creighton, assumed ownership of the business about a year and a half ago; brother, Daron, also works for the company as an installer.

We have a very high majority of customers who are repeat customers, Marriott continued. They may have had carpeting or flooring put in by us 15-20 years ago and are now ready for an update. Or, she added, they may be a new customer looking to have flooring installed, referred by someone who had worked with Creighton Floor Covering in the past.

She estimated that about 80% of their business is by referral, which means that much of their work tends to come from Lancaster and surrounding towns, as well as the greater Worcester County. But Marriott noted that the company is not limited geographically to those locations and has served cities and towns outside of the local area.

When asked what flooring products were trending currently, Marriott reported that traditional hardwood is still going strong, with red oak probably being the most popular. She added that vinyl plank flooring floating floors, click together flooring has become another popular option as it can be installed in virtually any area of the home: basement, bathroom, bedrooms. Durable and resistant, it comes in many different styles and colors which can coordinate with every dcor.

A lot of people are going for its versatility and durability, Marriott explained.

If carpet is the customers choice of floor covering, she noted that new advances in technology have improved stain and moisture resistance. And while not waterproof, current antibacterial and moisture resistant barriers help keep mold, moisture, and pet-related problems at bay.

But no matter what their flooring preference, customers of Creighton Floor Covering know that they can count on a personal, professional experience and have confidence in a job well done.

Weve always been known for our attention to detail, our dedication, said Marriott. We put everything we can into making sure our customers are 100% satisfied.

Creighton Floor Covering is located at 417 Bolton Road, Lancaster. For business hours or additional information, contact them at 978-365-5426, or by email at creightonfloor@comcast.net. The company is also preparing to launch their new website: creightonflooring.com.

Read this article:
Creighton Floor Covering: Lancaster business is committed to customer satisfaction - Community Advocate

(Photo licensed through Unsplash)

When you work with clients, you know that you need to respond to their specific needs. Whether You are a remodeler or builder, you know that choosing the right flooring will make a huge difference. Many factors will determine the final choice, such as budget, style preference, and quality. Add the clients wishes to this, and you have a challenging task balancing each. You need to be aware of the different types of flooring available and their pros and cons. In this article, we share the most popular choices for renovation and building.

Carpet is a versatile version that offers warmth. There are many colors, patterns, and textures available so that anyone can find the right fit. The installation process is straightforward and quick. Homeowners love carpets because they absorb sounds and feel warm. This is why a carpet is a go-to option for upper-level rooms.

However, you are limited to using the carpet only in living rooms and bedrooms. Carpets are vulnerable to stains and moisture, so you cant place them in bathrooms and kitchens. Also, they need professional cleaning to stay in good shape.

When we say tiles, we think of ceramic and porcelain tiles. The classic tile flooring isnt only meant to complete the bathrooms and kitchens. Nowadays, there are tile choices for living rooms and bedrooms too. Whether you prefer mosaic or wood imitations, keep in mind that there are many tile designs to choose from. There are so many versatile options that will fit your particular style.

Tip: Use a floor planning tool for business to measure the area and estimate the material price. This will help you get an idea of the final cost.

Hardwood is a versatile and luxurious option, which is preferred by homeowners. It brings a warm and cozy vibe to the space, making it perfect for living rooms and bedrooms.

Besides, there are some limitations that you should consider. Avoid placing hardwood flooring in humid and moist areas such as bathrooms, basements and mudrooms. The high costs and maintenance can turn some people away from the idea of installing a hardwood floor. The wood needs to be finished with a clear coat, which wont offer full protection. The floor can still be scratched if you dont clean it properly. If you are renovating property for renting, it is better to avoid this type of flooring.

Laminate is a cheaper alternative to hardwood flooring. It is made of resin and wood pulp and can meet any type of hardwood flooring. The process of installation is straightforward, as the laminate is available in click-together pieces. Use it for rooms that arent exposed to moisture, as the humidity can make the material swell and chip. However, keep in mind that the material cant be replaced or repaired. The low price and easy installation process can make it up for the other downsides.

Although these are two different flooring types, we can place them in the same category as they offer the same benefits. The only variation is that they are made of different materials. Vinyl is made of polymers, while linoleum is made of natural materials such as cork and jute. Hence, linoleum is a preferred option for the ones that use environment-friendly materials.

They are easy to handle and install because they are available in the form of sheets and tiles. These materials are durable, which means that they are an excellent option for high-traffic areas. Vinyl comes in a wide range of colors and prices, while linoleum doesnt offer low price options.

ICYMI: Different types of employees on a construction site

Read the original:
Different Types of Flooring Commonly Used in Renovation and Building - The Zebra

RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumber Liquidators, now LL Flooring(NYSE: LL), one of the nation's largest specialty retailers of high-quality, hard-surface flooring that is dedicated to providing the best customer experience, ended 2020 by thanking several first responder organizations that helped their communities last year by gifting them with hand-crafted wooden American flags. The Company also kicked off the new year by announcing the 2021 Floor of the Year, Gold Coast Acacia Hardwood Flooring.

Honoring 2020's Heroes by Gifting Wooden, Hand-Made American FlagsIn a salute to first responders and organizations who supported their communities throughout the challenging year of 2020, LL Flooring teamed up with its partner Pennwood Products to create five artfully crafted American flags, handmade from Pennwood's heritage 50-year-old pine. To celebrate first responder and relief groups, LL Flooring and Pennwood gifted flags to these organizations:

Read more about the making of the flags and view a video about the donations: https://www.llflooring.com/inspiration/s/content/a0W3i000000j4PPEAY/lasting-legacies.

"We are grateful for these amazing first responders and the critical services they provided throughout 2020," said Charles Tyson, President and CEO, LL Flooring. "These hand-crafted flags are our way of thanking them for being there for our communities."

Pennwood, based in East Berlin, Pennsylvania, is a family-run business founded in 1942, and maker of high-quality hardwood moldings, stair treads and risers, and more.

2021 Floor of the Year: Gold Coast Acacia HardwoodLL Flooring looked to carry the positive momentum from 2020 into the New Year through the culmination of the Floor of the Year contest, with the winner being decided by an online public vote in December among 12 top-trending floor styles. The 12 finalists were selected through LL Flooring's ongoing monitoring of the latest home dcor trends, as well as input from designers and home-industry professionals to ensure they represent trend-right styles.

The winner, Gold Coast Acacia Hardwood, iscrafted from solid, natural acacia that is ideal for warming up a home. The copper tones highlight the distinct knots and grains in this exotic species, making it a dramatic and beautiful flooring choice that complements any style.

Rounding out the top three Floor of the Year finalists are Manhattan Chevron Engineered Hardwoodand Urban Loft AshEngineered Vinyl Plank. Read more about the Floor of the Year online: https://www.llflooring.com/inspiration/s/content/a0W3i000000j4fyEAA/celebrating-the-2021-floor-of-the-year.

"It's exciting to see which floors resonate with our customers and this contest gives homeowners an opportunity to view and vote on some of our best and most beautiful trending floors," said Charles Tyson, President and CEO of LL Flooring. "We're proud to offer a wonderful selection of great flooring that can suit any home design, and the Floor of the Year contest showcases just a snapshot of our vast flooring styles."

LL Flooring offers more than 400 varieties of floors in the latest styles including solid and engineered hardwood, laminate, waterproof vinyl plank, porcelain tile, bamboo and cork, all available to view online atLLFlooring.com.

Digital Shopping Solutions for Homebound ConsumersAdding on to the 2021 Floor of the Year announcement, LL Flooring is continuing to help customers achieve their flooring dreams for the New Year and beyond with a full suite of digital tools to help homeowners select the right floor for their vision, from the comfort of their own homes.

With the online visualizer tool, Picture It, customers can upload a photo of any room to easily preview how various floor styles will look in their homes. Once a homeowner is interested in flooring options, they can order free samples of the floorsthat LL Flooring will ship directly to their homes.

To add further flexibility, LL also offers avirtual store shopping experiencefor customers to meet with a live, in-store LL Flooring associate via a computer or tablet.Accessed via appointment, the LL Flooring expert will walk the customer through the store to showcase flooring styles, answer the customer's questions and arrange for professional installation.

About LL FlooringLL Flooring is one ofnation'sleading specialty retailers of hard-surface flooring with more than 400 stores across the country. The Company seeks to offer the best customer experience online and in stores, with more than 400 varieties of hard-surface floors featuring a range of quality styles and on-trend designs.LL's online tools also help empower customers to find the right solution for the space they've envisioned.LL Flooring's extensive selection includes waterproof vinyl plank, solid and engineered hardwood, laminate, bamboo, porcelain tile, and cork, with a wide range of flooring enhancements and accessories to complement, install and maintain new floors.With more than 25 years of experience, stores are staffed with flooring experts who provide advice, pro partnership services and installation options for all of LL Flooring's products, the majority of which is in stock and ready for curbside pick up or delivery.

Learn More about LL Flooring

###

CONTACT: Nathan Bowie, Nathan.Bowie@onesimpleplan.com, 612-677-2250

Follow this link:
LL Flooring Celebrates the Start of 2021 by Honoring Heroes with Hand-Crafted Wooden American Flags and Announcing the Floor of the Year - The Central...

Tubelite provided its T24650 series thermal storefront and its 400SS screw spline thermal curtainwall for the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority headquarters in Fort Defiance, N.M., which was designed by Dyron Murphy Architects. Photo: Patrick Coulie Architectural Photography, courtesy of Tubelite Inc.

Window wall and curtainwall have structural differences that affect the applications for which they are suited. With these differences come several installation and design considerations that are important for glazing contractors to understand, especially upfront in the design-assist phase when they can steer system decisions.

Structural Definition

Different companies have different definitions of curtainwall and window wall (also known as ribbon windows). Spencer Culhane, senior building envelope specialist at Schco USA of Newington, Conn., offers his companys definitions: A curtainwall is any faade assembly that is suspended in front of the superstructure of the building and a window wall is any assembly that is load-bearing or deadloaded to each level of the structure.

For curtainwall, think of a continuous wrapping applied to the skeleton of a buildings structure. Its unbroken and continues along the rise and width of the whole building, uninterrupted by the structure It hangs like a curtain, he says. Window wall systems are very common in concrete slab construction. On the edge of the floor, youre resting and erecting continuous windows horizontally, but they only span floor-to-floor with the slab dividing the system.

Culhane points out that the system includes the framing, glass and operables. Faades with window wall systems may include slab edge covers, faade paneling or spandrel glass, but the structural part of the system is what matters.

Tom Mifflin, director of marketing for Tubelite of Walker, Mich., says the optimal and most economical system largely depends on where the project is located and who is available to install it.

Marty Trainor, senior vice president at Chicago-based Ventana, says his company uses four-sided structural glazing for both product categories, which makes their performances similar.

For some, window wall [when compared to curtainwall] is inferior and less of a high performance product, he explains. Thats not the case [for us] and a few other companies on the market.

Trainor adds that many people believe window wall is also a cheaper product, but that depends on the project. Curtainwall is good for projects with steel structures or high spans between floors while window wall is better for concrete structures and small spans, according to Trainor. This is why window wall often is used for hotel and residential projects while curtainwall is used in large office projects where an HVAC system needs to be hidden.

He points out that trying to use a window wall when theres 14 feet between floors could result in a cost higher or equal to using curtainwall, which is already designed to accommodate that distance.

Earl Patrick, executive designer for Enclos of Eagan, Minn., says that if the two system types are designed correctly, there should be no difference in performance. He says it can be difficult to achieve the same air infiltration values with window wall as with curtainwall.

Though you could make the argument that window wall doesnt perform as well seismically, he says, adding that curtainwall isnt pinned between two slabs like window wall.

Mifflin offers a further explanation.

Another important performance consideration is the inter-story movement, which is determined by loads from the building structure, occupants, walls, equipment, column foreshortening, creep, and thermal expansion and contraction. When inter-story movement requirements exceed +/- inch, window wall systems should be carefully reviewed, or curtainwall systems should be considered, he says.

Installation Differences

Installation also plays an important role in the system selection process. Trainor says that at Ventana, theres one major difference between curtainwall and window wall: curtainwall is installed outside of the slab and window wall is installed inside the slab. Culhane echoes Trainors statement, saying those are the predominate installation methods for each system.

Curtainwall can have panels that start inside but are then swung into the exterior, craned into position and then hung, says Culhane. Curtainwall installation requires a hoist mechanism on the outside of the building to hang the panels on the exterior. Window wall systems dont have the same requirement and are installed on the inside from each floor level, though a glazier may need to go to the exterior for slab edge covers.

He explains that logistics and the structural condition of a building often drive the product decision. If cladding a tower or high-rise where theres rigging access on the exterior, it can be faster to clad using a curtainwall system. If cladding a long, low-rise building with a long, horizontal orientation where a crane would have to be brought onsite for the purpose of setting a faade, it might be better to go with a window wall system.

The information is excerpted from the feature titled, Putting on a Faade. To read the full article in the December 2020 issue of USGlass magazine, click here. To sign up to receive USGlass magazine free of charge, click here.

Read more:
Putting on a Faade: Installation Differences Between Curtainwall and Window Wall Systems - USGlass Metal & Glazing

Dont Tuck Duct Issues Into the Install | 2021-01-17 | ACHR News This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more. This Website Uses CookiesBy closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn MoreThis website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.

See the rest here:
Don't Tuck Duct Issues Into the Install - ACHR NEWS