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House Painting Contractor-Learn why R J Rich Painting is the best! - Video
By Lisa Vorderbrueggen Contra Costa Times
OAKLAND -- In a quiet close to a tumultuous chapter, contractors on the new Bay Bridge on Wednesday completed the $25 million repair of those infamous broken bolts that nearly derailed the span's opening on Labor Day.
Just before noon, crews tightened the last of the 142 concrete-encased steel rope tendons inside the massive fabricated steel saddles. They replace the clamping force lost when anchor rods snapped in critical seismic stabilizers just east of the main tower.
After the tendons were adjusted to the proper tension using hydraulic jacks and their casings grouted and capped, contractors removed the temporary steel shims inserted into the stabilizers last summer to make the bridge safe enough to open during repairs.
Crews prepare to complete work on the new eastern section of the Bay Bridge Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013, tightening down the last 10 of the 142 concrete-encased steel tendons designed to replace the clamping force lost when giant anchor rods snapped in critical seismic stabilizers last March. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
While the embarrassing bolt repair chapter may be over, the book on the Bay Bridge is far from finished, with hearings scheduled in Sacramento early next year into why the span was a decade late and cost nearly fivefold what engineers estimated.
Wednesday's announcement comes three weeks after engineers originally estimated the work would be done but several weeks ahead of Caltrans' latest schedule.
Completion means the $6.4 billion span's structural protections against collapse or major damage in the next big earthquake are fully operational, said Caltrans field engineer Pamela Gagnier during a Tuesday boat trip out to the pier where the repairs were done.
Engineers designed the bridge to meet California's most stringent seismic standard: Remain open or reopen within hours following the strongest temblor engineers predict in the next 1,500 years.
But when contractors pulled out the shims, motorists didn't feel or see a thing.
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Broken Bay Bridge bolt repairs are finished
ETI #39;s Outdoor Lighting Solution
By: Ecolighting Solutions
MT. PLEASANT The city can move forward on fixing a mold problem at the towns fire station with the approval of a new lease agreement.
The city commission green-lighted an updated 50-year lease Tuesday with the Maury Regional Airport Authority and terminated a previous contract with Maury County. The lease comes with a renewal option after 50 years, and the airport retains ownership of the building.
The city fire hall, 1158 N. Main St., is on property the airport owns. The fire department and EMS personnel vacated the fire station in November because of growing mold problem. Operations were relocated to a facility at 1540 Trilogy Lane.
City Manager Michelle Williams said the county built the fire hall in the 1980s, and the airport owns the land. The county also used to run the EMS service, but now Maury Regional Medical Center does.
City officials wanted to make sure who owned the building before proceeding with the mold remediation.
We didnt want to put money into something that we were not sure who owned and how long we would lease, Williams said. We decided that we need to figure this out.
Williams previously estimated that fixing the mold problem would cost the city about $100,000. The city and MRMC will pay for correcting the mold problem with a 75-25 percent split, respectively. MRMC will also pay 25 percent of utility and other bills for both the temporary and currently vacant fire facilities, Williams said.
The city is seeking a USDA Rural Development Loan and Grant opportunity to help offset repair costs, but that pursuit is still in its beginning stages, Williams said.
City Attorney Tom Hardin said the Airport Board would have to approve the measure for it to be finalized. Upon approval, the lease will go into effect on Jan. 1, he said.
The Maury County Regional Airport Authority board will meet Thursday night and discuss the matter, Airport Manager Paul Turner said.
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City approves new lease for fire station
The Los Angeles Lakers are going to lose Jordan Hill because they will not be able to afford him.
Hill has played well enough to earn himself a role as a sporadic starter. He has done the job on the boards and also given his teammates some relief defensively by occasionally covering up some of their mistakes.
His size and length make him an attractive prospect for most teams, and more importantly, he is actually productive. Big men have always been incredibly attractive commodities in the NBA because they change the landscape of the basket area.
They are the difference between scoring and allowing easy baskets at the rim via second-chance opportunities or simple scores at the rim. Granted, big people all come with their sets of strengths and weaknesses.
Scouting Jordan Hill
Hill is one of the best rebounders in basketball, and that makes him a valuable piece. Indeed, he is in the top 10 in rebounding rate and averages a solid 13.7 rebounds per 36 minutes.
He is limited offensively, but he still contributes on that end by finishing around the basket and making at least two-thirds of his free throws.
In order to get a better feel for his offensive repertoire, we will turn to Bleacher Reports Dan Favale, who provided a scouting report of the Lakers forward that detailed his strong suits:
Jordan Hill around the basket area
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Can LA Lakers Afford to Keep Jordan Hill Next Season?
By MICHAEL HAYES
ThisWeek Community News Wednesday December 18, 2013 10:38 AM
Since 2011, Keller Farms Landscape and Nursery has occupied prime road frontage on a 47-tract of land called The Good Property on the west side of Hill Road as one enters Olde Pickerington Village from the north, right before the railroad tracks.
Keller Farms sells plants, hanging baskets, annuals, perennials and seasonal items such as pumpkins.
Dec. 10, Pickerington's Planning and Zoning Commission heard a request from Keller Farms to continue to operate its garden store business at 201 Hill Road North for another four years, until Dec. 31, 2017.
The city's zoning staff, however, recommended Keller Farms' conditional-use permit be limited to one year, or until December 31, 2014.
Commission Chairman Dave Blake said the city's zoning staff wanted to keep the permit at one year because "staff is concerned if this becomes permanent there are blacktop requirements" for Keller Farms' parking lot.
Commission member Ted Hackworth expressed concerns about the site's ongoing temporary status.
"This has been going on for three years now," Hackworth.
"Any plans to put up a building or something more permanent?" he asked Scott Harris of Keller Farms.
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Commission grants one-year permit for Keller Farms
Dec 18, 2013 4:08pm
Actress Glenn Close advocated for strengthening mental health legislation on Capitol Hill today and shared the story of her own familys mental health struggles.
Our family had no vocabulary for mental illness, Close said in a news conference in the U.S. Capitol. It took that crisis point for us to start waking up and learning about what she [her sister] had been through.
Closes sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 50 after contemplating suicide, and Closes nephew suffers from a schizoaffective disorder.
Close, who is the founder of Bring Change 2 Mind, an organization combating the stigma and discrimination faced by those who suffer from mental illness, was on Capitol Hill today to push for the Excellence in Mental Health Act. The bill, which is sponsored by Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., would create a 10-state demonstration program in which states would certify that their community mental health providers are meeting certain standards and offer specific services such as substance abuse programs and 24-hour crisis care.
Our passion is to make mental illness as easy to talk about as diabetes or cancer so that it is part of the human condition and its something that should unite us rather than something that we need to whisper about behind closed doors or feel fearful or ashamed. But the truth is the stigma is huge still, Close, 66, said.
There is a feeling that people are just waiting for permission to start the conversation and I think if they understand that their representatives in Washington actually hear them and care about what theyre going through on a daily basis and will help their communities, I think that is going to change the climate and the landscape of mental health in this country, she added.
David Russell, the director of Silver Linings Playbook, joined Stabenow and Blunt earlier this year to introduce the legislation. Actor Bradley Cooper, who played a man living with bipolar disorder in Silver Linings Playbook, has also teamed up with lawmakers to discuss the need to improve the mental health system.
Stabenow said she expects the legislation, which was crafted after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last year, to be considered on the Senate floor in February or March.
Close met privately with senators after the news conference to discuss the need to enact new mental health legislation.
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Glenn Close Promotes Mental Health on Capitol Hill With Personal Touch
FMT LETTER: From Upreshal Singh, via e-mail
Despite staunch protests, Malaysian palm oil giant Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK) has illegally forced its way forward to try develop almost 40,000 hectares of customary land in the Collingwood Bay region of Papua New Guinea. The indigenous communities of Collingwood Bay have made themselves clear, they do not want their lands to be cleared for palm oil or anything else, but instead want KLK out of their lands with immediate effect.
The locals of Collingwood Bay are wholly dependent on the lowland forests, mangroves, hunting grounds and coral reefs for subsistence and survival. If KLKs plans go ahead, the Malaysian plantation group will cause severe environmental degradation and long lasting conflict with local communities. Unlike in Malaysia, indigenous peoples are the actual owners of most land and marine territories in the country.
Despite court orders prohibiting KLK from entering the villagers land, the company in November proceeded to land two barges with nursery material and land clearing machinery. In yet another illegal move, the company attempted to offload yet another barge on Dec 12 in Collingwood Bay, the day after the PNG court issued yet another injunction to stop the company from trespassing.
According to local contacts, KLK and its business partners have been forcing villagers to sign consent forms for the company to develop palm oil plantations.
The businesses leases that KLK claims to have legally obtained were cancelled by the courts in 2010, only to be illegally reissued on June 2012. At that time, the PNG government had in place a Moratorium on the issuance of such permits, pending an investigation into widespread irregularities, fraud and corruption associated with such permits.
During a Parliamentary session last September, PNGs Prime Minister Peter ONeil said: We will no longer watch on as foreign owned companies come in and con our landowners, chop down our forests and then take the proceeds offshore.
In Indonesia, child labour issues in KLKs estates attracted global media attention in 2010. This controversy may still not be resolved as of 2013. While PT Adei Plantation in Riau, a subsidiary of KLK is still under police investigation over illegal burning this year, though KLK has denied such allegations based on RSPOs investigations.
Elsewhere in Liberia KLK also faces scrutiny over violence, harassment and intimidation towards local communities through its majority shareholder, Equatorial Palm Oil. This does no favour to the reputation of the Malaysian palm oil industry, as KLK is Malaysian.
KLK recently had the opportunity to prove that it is sincerely committed to No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation, by signing a manifesto that Wilmar International launched on Dec 5 with the support of Unilever. Instead, KLK is soliciting to become the next target of affected local communities and environmental campaigners worldwide, who have demonstrated their capacity to systemically take apart the markets and capital sources of Big Oil Palm.
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KL Kepong, withdraw from Collingwood Bay
"Ask the Realtor" is a weekly column from the 3,000+ member RealSource Association of Realtors.
Q: With the holidays upon us, are there ways to keep my home safe from potential lighting and fireplace accidents?
Jim F.
Cliffside Park
A: Great question Jim. Each year, tens of thousands of families and individuals incur property loss or injure themselves during the holiday season. Unfortunately, despite increased awareness and safer products, the number of injuries and accidents are increasing. Christmas tree fires, candles left lit, and the installation of wiring for outdoor and indoor holiday lights are the main culprits. That said; here are a few tips: 1) Make certain live trees are still alive and water them frequently. A fresh tree has resin at its bottom and needles that not only do not come off when a hand runs through them but are hard to tear off their branches. Artificial trees, on the other hand, should be flame retardant and kept far away from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves. 2) Lighting should be Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approved. Plus, be reasonable how they are hung on the home or holiday decorations. Dont over-exert or over-reach boundaries. Eliminate the risk of falling and serious injury. 3) Fireplaces can be warm and a great place to gather the family. To ensure their safekeeping, do not use "fire salts" to turn the flame colors as the chemicals inside them, if ingested, can be harmful. Do not burn newspapers or gift wrapping either. These burn quickly and with intensity.
Q: What does location, location, location really mean?
Kathy B.
Fair Lawn
A: Kathy, whether it is financial, social or economical, the reasons are many but most center on the community in which the home is located. According to a new survey from the National Association of Realtors, choosing a community is one of the most important factors for consumers as they consider buying home. The 2013 Community Preference Survey also noted that Americans prefer walk-able, mixed-use neighborhoods and shorter commutes rather than neighborhoods that require more driving between home, work and recreation. The survey findings indicate that while the size of the property does matter to consumers, they are willing to compromise size for a preferred neighborhood and less commuting. For example, although 52 percent of those surveyed prefer a single-family detached house with a large yard, 78 percent responded that the neighborhood is more important to them than the size of the house. Fifty-seven percent would forego a home with a larger yard if it meant a shorter commute to work, and 55 percent of respondents were willing to forego a home with a larger yard if it meant they could live within walking distance of schools, stores and restaurants as opposed to having a larger yard and needing to drive to get to schools, stores and restaurants.
Q: Is it true that the government is considering a drop in the amount of mortgagee money it will guarantee through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
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How can I avoid fire hazards associated with the holidays?
Home Security Alarm Promotion Video Enterpreneur Project 2013
By: Ungu Lavender
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Home Security Alarm Promotion Video Enterpreneur Project 2013 - Video
