Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

By John W. Davis, Reporter Last Updated: Tuesday, December 31, 2013, 7:48 AM LAKE MARY --

A bear is caught on video breaking into a home in Seminole County for the second time in less than a week.

According to homeowner Tramaine Gaines, the bear break-in took place on his back patio at his home in the Magnolia Plantation subdivision of Markham Woods Road in Lake Mary.

In the cell phone video, the black bear looks confident and comfortable on Gaines' back patio.

I was just more dumbfounded this time and now Im really trying to prepare and figure out how to avoid it happening again," explained Lake Mary homeowner Tramaine Gaines.

The first time Gaines admits it washis fault when the bear broke into his back patio on Christmas night. He remembers leaving some cooking oil out.

But Gaines quickly learned his lesson, making sure to not leave anything that would attract the bear on his back patio.

However, it appears the same bear came back for a second helping Sunday night.

"He looked at me, walked in, he pretty much just smelled the entire porch. He went down to the other end, came back down. Once he realized theres no food, he kinda just strolled right back out like passing through," Gaines recalled.

Gaines said one idea he has to keep the bear out is replacing his screened-in patio with glass doors.

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VIDEO: Bear caught on Lake Mary back porch

I've seen fox, coon possum, squirrel, chipmunk, coyote and deer in the woods and verges that surround the water treatment plant at Ozark Point near my house. Now comes word of a feline visitor and it's apparently no tabby cat. From neighborhood messages: Sunday morning . spotted something interesting loping across the Water Works lawn: a very large cat mountain lion, cougar, panther, "painter" golden in color, about the size of Winnie (our dog), long back legs and thick but not fluffy very long tail. It ran from the south side of the WW property (across the top and into the woods by the ballast on the north side.) ...

Have there been other sightings of wild cats in LR Parks? Blytheville news reported sightings on their golf course, but that's a long way off. Wonder if the habitants of the "tent" above WalMart Neighborhood Market have had interactions...or if their cans are attracting such?

UPDATE: Big cat sighting also reported by reader from Rockwood Road area, where woods overlook the Arkansas River. Easy gallop for a big cat from there to HIilcrest, with plenty of wilderness to work through.

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Big cat on the prowl in Hillcrest

MARTIN KAY

Martin Kay, who lived in Key West for nearly 20 years, died peacefully at home on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013. He was surrounded by friends and family including husband Jon Allen of Key West and brother Roger Kay of Chelmsford, England. A designer, real estate developer and landscape architect, Martin was a well-known and beloved wit and friend in his adopted hometown.

Martin, 60, was born in London and earned a diploma from the prestigious Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. Gifted with a love of flowers, people and design, Kay opened Arcadia Flowers in West London. The successful shop grew into the stylish boutique VASE Flowers in central London. Adding stationery and gift packaging to his sought-after floral arrangements, the company eventually opened five shops in London.

Working with partner Jon Allen, Martin later helped create Jouralle, a fashion footwear brand for women. Martin developed marketing concepts, branding and designed lines of shoes for the company. Jouralle was sold to British Shoe Corporation, the U. K's largest maker of women's footwear which distributed Martin's designs worldwide.

Martin's heart and his flair for people and design found their truest home in Key West. Martin and Jon bought the languishing Island House guest house in 1999. The couple's combined talents for retailing, marketing, management and design transformed the property into a sophisticated and popular resort for gay men which OUT Traveler, along with a score of other gay publications and websites, call the best gay men's resort in the world. Jon Allen credits Martin's charm and style for much of the resort's early success.

Tangible accomplishments aside, Martin's innate kindness and humor won the hearts of many in Key West. Friends said he made them laugh and made them think. He loved to bring friends together and made visitors lifelong enthusiasts for Key West. "People choose Key West as their home for lots of reasons," said Jon. "One of the top reasons has to be the amazing people who live here: creative, quirky, warm, charismatic. Martin was surely one of those people."

Plans for a memorial for Martin will be announced in the coming weeks.

Editor's Note: A portion of the obituary was deleted from Sunday's newspaper. This is the corrected version.

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Obituaries

Peyton Manning. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

(CBS)When the dust settled in the NFL landscape on Sunday, Peyton Manning appeared to have eclipsed Drew Brees 2011 passing record.

Manning completed 25-of-28 passes for 266 yards, good for 5,477 yards on the season one more than Brees record.But the NFL is now reviewing a 7-yard completion to Eric Decker with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter.

According to a report from ESPN, one camera angle implies the pass to Decker is a lateral, which would make it a running play. Another angle, however, shows Decker catching the ball at the Broncos 48-yard line, with Manning slightly deeper than that.

If the play stands, Manning keeps his record. If the NFL determines the play was in fact a lateral, Manning would finish with 5,470 yards, which would be the second-highest season total in league history.

Manning already broke Tom Bradys single-season touchdown record with 55 touchdowns this season.

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NFL Reviewing Peyton Manning’s Passing Record

Slide Show

Photo by Dave DiCello

Point State Park Renovation, Phase 4

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Due to long-term deterioration from severe flooding and other harsh weather, Pittsburgh's Point State Parka National Historic Landmarkwas in great need of renovation. The $35-million renovation of the 36-acre park included lawn and woodland restoration, wharf reconstruction, updating utilities and construction of a cafe.

The project's fourth and final phase focused on the Point Park fountain. A main goal was to upgrade the fountain's central water column system so that it could regain its peak height of 150 ft. Crews also installed a new 154-ft-dia inner basin ring that achieves an infinity-edge appearance between the fountain's pool and the nearby river.

Point State Park is surrounded on three sides by water and, on the fourth side, borders the city's business district. Interstate 279 also crosses overhead, further constraining access.

The park is the pre-Revolutionary War site of Fort Duquesne and Fort Pitt. Because of the park's landmark designation, crews had to take special precautions to protect historical artifacts.

The park, which hosts an average of three million visitors a year, had to remain open to the public throughout construction, even though nearly every surface was being renovated.

The renovation was the largest park project ever undertaken by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

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Landscape Hardscape Urban Development: Award of Merit

RIFLE flagship store by David Rossi Design, Milan, Italy
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BAKERIES! Potenza Bakery and Winestore by Core Architecture, Washington, DC
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Broadway and Fraser, Vancouver (Dec 31/13)

(Jesse Johnston, News1130 Photo)

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) Crews are still dealing with a stubborn fire that has gutted a Vancouver home and sent four people to the hospital.

The fire broke out early this morning at Broadway and Fraser Street.

One woman is unaccounted for, but its not yet clear if she was home at the time. Fire Chief John McKearney says she lives in the attic of the building and crews are looking into whether she could have been staying somewhere else overnight. Were absolutely hopeful nobody is there.

Paul lives in the basement suite at the home; he says he was woken up early this morning by screaming neighbours who were yelling at him to get out of his home. I went to open the door [and saw] a big fire. It was spread everywhere. So, we basically just went out the door. I felt kind of half-asleep and realized its everything weve got there.

He says the building is old and hes been concerned about the wiring for some time now, but theres still no word as to what caused the fire. But McKearney says appears the fire started in a carport area behind the home.

A couple of people who live in the house had to crawl onto the roof of a neighbouring house, until crews could come rescue them.

A firefighter has a dislocated shoulder, while the conditions of the other three people taken to hospital are unknown.

Broadway remains closed at Fraser Street.

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Four people taken to hospital after fire at Vancouver home