Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

BEHIND THE VETO THREAT President Donald Trumps war against Big Tech turned into a game of chicken today: Congress is forging ahead with a must-pass defense policy bill while ignoring Trumps threat to veto it unless it repeals a 24-year old law that protects websites from lawsuits. The law Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 means that tech giants like Twitter and Facebook (and tech small fry, too) cant be sued for the user content on their platforms. Many credit it with giving rise to the internet we know and love to hate today.

Repealing it has become an obsession for Trump, one that has escalated in the twilight of his presidency, as Cristiano Lima details today. He mentions it frequently in his rallies without really explaining what it does. Yet President-elect Joe Biden also has said he supports repealing the law, telling The New York Times in January, Section 230 should be revoked, immediately. So theres at least the potential for bipartisan agreement for change when Congress is off deadline.

Nightly asked a group of experts and insiders whether they think Section 230 should be repealed or amended or whether it should be left alone. Heres what they said:

Section 230 is Big Techs sweetheart deal. No other companies get the kind of protections that internet giants enjoy. And over and over, weve seen them abuse those privileges by censoring and deplatforming anyone who contradicts whatever progressive agenda theyre trying to push on any given day. If Congress cant get its act together and revise Section 230 to allow Americans to fight back, the whole thing needs to go. Maybe a clean slate is exactly what we need at this point to ensure that real change happens. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)

It is long overdue to amend Section 230. The whole point of Section 230 was to enlist online service providers as Good Samaritans so that they would help reduce the amount of abusive online activity. Congress knew then, in 1996, that federal agencies needed help in curtailing and combating toxic and dangerous online activity and that online service providers were in the best position to help.

Yet Congress did not condition the legal shield for under-filtering on any behavior at all. This has led to sites enjoying the legal shield even though they encourage, solicit or make money from clear illegality. So revenge porn operators enjoy that immunity their business model is the destruction of peoples lives. They should not enjoy that immunity. Section 230(c)(1) should be amended to condition the immunity on reasonable content moderation practices in the face of clear illegality that causes serious harm. That would reset the statute to its original purpose rewarding online service providers that act as Good Samaritans. Danielle Keats Citron, a law professor at Boston University and a 2019 MacArthur fellow

Many recent proposals to change Section 230 would make it more difficult for platforms to curb misinformation and abuse, purportedly in the name of free speech. Of course, although Section 230 provides procedural protections, the First Amendment also allows private platforms to decide whether to carry user content. More generally, the interests of free expression are best served by competition policy that ensures there are multiple platforms including those with varying content policies, and by allowing platforms to take steps to ensure they are safe for all users. We support reforms that address platform business practices for example, to ensure that platforms are responsible for ads they carry, and oppose efforts to use Section 230 to avoid normal business regulation. Any reforms we may consider are part of ensuring that Section 230 continues to be a law that promotes speech online. John Bergmayer, legal director for Public Knowledge, a D.C.-based public interest group that promotes freedom of expression and open internet

We rely on Section 230-protected internet services literally multiple times an hour. Amending or repealing Section 230 likely solves none of the problems that would motivate such changes, while the changes would jeopardize the things we love the most about the internet while entrenching incumbents at the expense of new startups.

I wish our members of Congress would understand just how much Americans love the internet services that Section 230 enables; and it shows greatly disrespect towards their constituents when Congressmembers threaten to repeal or amend Section 230 as a bargaining chip, as a way of trying to punish Big Tech, or to send messages to their base. Eric Goldman, a law professor at Santa Clara University who has co-edited a new book about a key Section 230 case

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Austins mayor is the latest example of a political leader not necessarily following his own pandemic guidelines. Reach out at [emailprotected], or on Twitter at @renurayasam.

A message from AARP:

More than 94,000 residents and staff of nursing homes and long-term care facilities have died from COVID-19. With cases spiking across the country once again, desperate families demand that Congress take immediate action to save lives. aarp.org/nursinghomes

A man wearing full protective clothing and a gasmask walks through the decorated piazza of Covent Garden in London. | Getty Images

STILL MIGUK? In Korea, the U.S. is called miguk, which directly translates to beautiful country. It has always seemed like a fitting name, considering Koreas longstanding admiration of the U.S. But these days in Korea, TV broadcasters talk about the U.S. with grim faces, flashing to b-roll of lines of Americans wrapped around buildings waiting for Covid-19 testing or graphs depicting an exponential growth of pandemic deaths, writes Catherine Kim from Seoul.

Newspaper headlines question the strength of U.S. democracy above pictures of demonstrators protesting mythical claims of voter fraud. One recent column in the Hankyoreh, a major center-left daily newspaper, was titled, Covid-19 and the downfall of the U.S. Another headline, in sisajournal, a popular weekly current events magazine, read: The surprising election system that make you wonder Is the U.S. actually a democratic country? And its not just in the news. In boardrooms, in classrooms and in casual dinner table conversations, youll hear the same sense of bewilderment: How did the U.S. lose its way?

Its a shocking development for a country that has, for decades, largely viewed the United States almost like an older sibling a model of success and progress that Koreans were proud to emulate. Now many Koreans see the U.S. as a failing country, deeply divided and unable to meet basic challenges.

The shift began after Trumps 2016 win, when many Koreans were shocked to see him claim the presidency after a string of scandals. But the clincher has been Americas bungled response to Covid-19, followed by Trumps and the GOPs recent efforts to contest the legitimate results of the 2020 U.S. election. For Koreans, the last year has exposed the deep problems within the American system, from hyper-partisanship and deep distrust in government to a poor healthcare system issues that have long been familiar to Americans, but not to Koreans, many of whom have maintained the idea of American exceptionalism far longer and livelier than many Americans.

YES, 2024S STARTING Even in defeat, Trumps hold on the Republican party remains strong. The president has teased running again in 2024 and while Trump was slow to win party support four years ago, plenty of Republican lawmakers are ready to support his next bid, write Burgess Everett and Melanie Zanona. In a series of interviews today, House and Senate Republicans made clear that the party has no intention of turning its back on Trumpism or Trump himself. Thats in part because Trump remains an exceedingly popular figure in his party, far more than most congressional Republicans.

The political calculus is also clear. While he will soon lose the Oval Office, hell still have his Twitter handle and is expected to still be in firm control of his base. Trump could play a central role in Senate and House primaries in 2022 and create trouble for incumbents who break with him. Future Republican presidential candidates will presumably be eager to court his supporters if he ultimately passes on another campaign.

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel is inviting roughly a dozen potential 2024 candidates to the committees January meeting in Amelia Island, Fla. the most explicit move shes made yet to show that the committee will be impartial going forward.

TEARS ON THE FLOOR Prior to Sen. Lamar Alexanders farewell address in the upper chamber, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave a tearful goodbye to the Tennessee Republican. I myself have leaned on Lamars wisdom for many years, but I think I leaned just as much on his optimism, his can-do spirit, his ability to look on the bright side and then discern how some more hard work could make it brighter still, McConnell said.

HART ATTACK A Democratic candidate who fell six votes short of holding an open battleground congressional district in Iowa is planning to challenge those results directly with the House, placing the chamber in the highly unusual position of potentially determining the outcome of the race, Sarah Ferris and Ally Mutnick write.

After what appears to be the tightest congressional election in decades, Rita Hart, a state senator, has decided to forgo a legal battle in her home state and will instead contest the election directly with the House Administration Committee. Iowa election officials certified Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks as the winner on Monday after a recount diminished her initial victory margin from 47 votes to only 6 votes.

LITTLE STATE IN THE GREAT MENTIONING Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo is now a top contender to be Bidens HHS secretary pick, according to two people close to the transition, Alice Miranda Ollstein, Adam Cancryn and Tyler Pager write. Raimondos rise comes as New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is no longer favored for the role, according to one of those sources and another familiar with the discussions.

FROM TRANSITION PLAYBOOK A former colleague of Heather Boushey, a top economic adviser to Biden, is publicly airing prior accusations that Boushey mismanaged the think tank she runs and verbally abused her and other subordinates, saying she wants to prevent future White House employees from enduring a similar experience, write Alex Thompson and Theodoric Meyer.

Former subordinates and employees have alleged that Boushey was phenomenally incompetent as a manager and had frequent episodes of yelling and swearing. The complaints were serious enough that the think tank where she worked hired a management coach to work with her to improve her management style around 2015.

But Dinetta Parrott, who reported directly to Boushey as Washington Center for Equitable Growths director of development from 2017 to 2020 before leaving for the Brookings Institution, said the criticisms of Boushey dont match her experience. I just dont think its an accurate depiction, she told POLITICO.

BIDENS CARPENTRY You cant please everyone, especially when youre putting together a team to run the federal government. In the latest POLITICO Dispatch, Megan Cassella looks at why Bidens promise to build a Cabinet that looks like America hasnt turned out the way advocates had hoped and what sort of turbulence his nominees could face in the Senate.

Welcome to Bidenology, Nightlys look at the president-elect and what to expect in his administration. Tonight, Andy Blatchford writes from Ottawa about Bidens relationship with Canada:

The arrival of a Biden presidency is expected to warm up the chill between Ottawa and Washington under the Trump administration.

Trump drove a turbulent NAFTA renegotiation, an undertaking marked by U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, and counter-measures from the Trudeau government on American goods. There were even choice words at the executive level. (Trudeaus hot mic moment at a NATO conference led Trump to call him two-faced.)

While the Biden White House is destined to be more neighborly, some Canadians worry the president-elects agenda could hurt cross-border business. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Biden are aligned on a lot of things, like climate policies. But there are trouble spots such as Bidens pledge to kill the Keystone XL project and his Buy American vows.

Biden and Trudeau have shared very few public moments together. But back in December 2016, a few weeks after Trumps election win, Trudeau hosted then-Vice President Biden for a state dinner on a snowy night in Ottawa. The guest list included former Canadian prime ministers. Biden gave a speech that touched on his own ties to Canada and his personal connection in the 1970s with Trudeaus father, who was prime minister at the time.

The day after the dinner, Biden stuck around to attend a round table with Indigenous leaders and provincial premiers where they talked at length about climate change and clean energy the two places where Canada and the U.S. are expected to start rekindling their relationship. At the round table, Biden called climate change the most consequential issue of our generation and argued the countries could grow their economies while bringing down emissions. He also made the case that Canada and the U.S. could determine their own energy futures and help shape energy trends around the world.

Nightly asks you: Every December, the news media reflects on the lives we lost this year, and 2020 has been especially deadly. Tell us who youll miss the most a family member, a civic leader, a celebrity and how youll remember them. Send us your answers in our form, and well publish select responses next week.

PADILLA RISING? Sen. Dianne Feinstein publicly threw her weight behind California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Sen. Kamala Harris soon-to-be-vacant seat, signaling that Padilla remains a favorite of the Democratic establishment, Andrew Desiderio and Jeremy B. White write. Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint a replacement for Harris when she resigns to take on her vice presidential duties.

I have given him my support. I did that quite a while ago. He worked for me at one point, so I know him, Feinstein said in an interview. And my sense is that hes going to represent California very well.

BRITAIN GOES FIRST For once, the U.K. really was world-beating. Boris Johnson will be delighted that British regulators were first over the line in approving a Covid-19 vaccine, delivering global headlines and a welcome bit of good news after a bruising parliamentary rebellion against domestic coronavirus restrictions, Charlie Cooper and Emilio Casalicchio write.

Nearly 1 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be delivered to the U.K. for use from next week. By the end of the year, several hundred thousands more will have been sent to Britain, which has ordered 40 million doses of this vaccine, plus more than 300 million doses of other candidates that have not yet received regulatory approval, including 100 million of the Oxford-produced AstraZeneca vaccine.

For a country whose record on Covid-19 has been among the worst in the Western world, being at the forefront of the global rollout of vaccines has a welcome feel of redemption for Johnsons government. The prime minister himself was uncharacteristically muted in his celebrations, calling the regulatory approval unquestionably good news but by no means the end of the story and cautioning citizens, during his weekly question session in the House of Commons, not get their hopes up too soon over how quickly the two-dose vaccine could be rolled out.

A SETBACK FOR BABES FREQUENT FLYER MILES Your pet peacock may soon not be allowed to fly the friendly skies with you anymore, now that the Transportation Department is tightening rules on emotional support animals after a series of high-profile incidents on board airplanes, Stephanie Beasley and Evan Semones write.

Today, DOT said it will no longer consider animal companions used by travelers on commercial flights for emotional support as service animals, opening the door for airlines to ban them outright. Passengers who wish to bring their emotional support animals with them when they travel will likely now have to check them as baggage or leave them at home entirely.

The new rule, which updates the definition of a service animal to a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, was issued following a litany of complaints from airlines and flight attendants alike about people bringing unusual animals including pigs, gerbils, turtles and birds, among others on board that they said were for emotional support.

A message from AARP:

SENIORS DEMAND ACTION

It is an outrage that more than 94,000 residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have died from COVID-19, representing 40% of all COVID-19 deaths nationwide, even though nursing home residents make up less than one percent of the U.S. population. Cases are spiking across the country once again and Congress must act now to help save lives in these facilities.

Congress must ensure residents and staff have regular and prioritized testing and personal protective equipment (PPE), that facilities are adequately staffed and that residents have access to virtual visits with their loved ones. Additionally, Congress must make sure taxpayer dollars going to nursing homes are spent only on items directly related to resident care, COVID-19 prevention and treatment.

Tell Congress to act now to protect the residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. aarp.org/nursinghomes

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Something Trump and Biden agree on - POLITICO - Politico

03 December 2020

Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

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In November, the Federal Trade Commission closed twoinvestigations into whether marketers made deceptive claims thattheir products are made in the United States. Perhapsinspired by the fact that we're spending so much time at homeduring the pandemic, last month, the FTC focused its "made inUSA" enforcement activities on the bathroom and the kitchen.In order to make an unqualified claim that a product is madein the United States, the FTC requires a marketer to substantiate that theproduct is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.

The FTC looked into whether Dude Products overstated the extentto which its "Dude Wipes" and other hygienic products aremade in the United States. (As the company explains, Dude Wipes are "wet wipesspecifically for cleaning your butt and dude regions.")The FTC said that, all the company's wipes undergosignificant manufacturing or processing in the United States, insome instances they incorporate significant imported components.Although it's appropriate for a company to promote thefact that it supports other companies that perform manufacturingfunctions in the United States, in its letter closing the investigation, the FTC saidthat, "just because a supplier has a United States location,or conducts certain operations in the United States, does notnecessarily mean that the products it offers are 'all orvirtually all' made in the United States." The FTCcautioned that, "manufacturers and marketers would be wise toask the supplier for specific information about the percentage ofU.S. content before they make a U.S. origin claim."

The FTC also looked into whether Dal-Tile Corporation overstatedthe extent to which its "American Reserve" quartz slabproducts -- which can be used on floors, walls, and countertops,for example -- are made in the United States. The FTC saidthat, although the Company substantially transforms its AmericanReserve products into finished goods in the United States,"because quartz material has limited availability in the U.S.,the Company imports essential raw materials it incorporates intothese products." And, again, the FTC explained in itsclosing letter, that, although it's appropriatefor the company to promote the fact that it employs workers andperforms certain processes in the United States, the company'smarketing should not "overstate the extent to which productsare made in the United States." The FTC also cautionedthe marketer not to "make overly broad U.S.-origin claims onmarketing materials that refer to multipleproducts."

Both of these investigations highlight an area where marketersoften get tripped up when dealing with the FTC's "made inUSA" standard. Marketers often assume that, becausethey've got substantial manufacturing operations in the UnitedStates, it means that their products are made here. But, asboth of these closing letters explain, looking at where you makeyour products is not the end of the analysis. You've alsogot to look at a product's components and raw materials aswell, in order to determine whether they were foreign-sourced.If they were, then further analysis is required in order todetermine whether the foreign inputs are so negligible that theproduct can still be promoted as being made in the UnitedStates.

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This alert provides general coverage of its subject area. Weprovide it with the understanding that Frankfurt Kurnit Klein &Selz is not engaged herein in rendering legal advice, and shall notbe liable for any damages resulting from any error, inaccuracy, oromission. Our attorneys practice law only in jurisdictions in whichthey are properly authorized to do so. We do not seek to representclients in other jurisdictions.

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FTC's November "Made In USA" Enforcement: Butt Wipes And Countertops - Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment - United States - Mondaq News...

Ty Pennington, the Emmy-winning host behind Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, is offering up a house of his own. His remodeled spot in Venice just came to market for $2.8 million.

He stands to make a big profit if he gets his price. Records show he bought the property for $1.11 million in 2004.

Pennington, a longtime carpenter who found fame on the home improvement show Trading Spaces, put plenty of work into the house during his 16-year stay. Once a drab shade of tan both inside and out, the two-story home now boasts a bright blue exterior and crisp white interiors.

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The two-story home. (Anthony Barcelo)

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The living room. (Anthony Barcelo)

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The dining area. (Anthony Barcelo)

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The kitchen. (Anthony Barcelo)

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The staircase. (Anthony Barcelo)

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The bedroom. (Anthony Barcelo)

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The bathroom. (Anthony Barcelo)

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The family room. (Anthony Barcelo)

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The sun room. (Anthony Barcelo)

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The backyard. (Anthony Barcelo)

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The exterior. (Anthony Barcelo)

Inside, he added bamboo floors in the living spaces, concrete countertops in the kitchen and a wraparound porch lined with porcelain tile. In the primary suite one of three bedrooms theres an antique cast-iron tub.

Billed as a contemporary Craftsman, the 2,100-square-foot floor plan also features a living room with a decorative fireplace and a sunken family room overlooking the backyard a landscaped space complete with a dining patio and koi pond.

Pennington, 56, won two Primetime Emmys for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which ran from 2003 to 2012. In the years since, his other hosting gigs have included The Revolution, On the Menu and American Diner Revival.

Patrice Meepos of Compass holds the listing.

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TVs Ty Pennington flips Venice charmer onto the market - Los Angeles Times

For this vail spa unit, an update was a couple years in the making. After a design and permitting period extending from November 2018 to April 2019, the actual construction took place in under 8 months. Kyle Webb, the architect of the project, explains the transformation that was completed last year for Equity Estates.

This Vail Spa unit sits in the heart of Lionshead and is surrounded by various types of architectural elements, shares Webb. Knowing this and that this unit was going to be inhabited by numerous people with various tastes the members of Equity Estates we knew we needed our design to be timeless and admired by many.

The existing unit had massive windows that begged to be highlighted. This was a key element that the team wanted to accentuate: natural light.

Webb adds that mixing modern steel and glass elements with warmer, softer woods and organic textures captured the essence of the units surroundings.

Maintaining a neutral fixed palette allows for any future flexibility in dcor, explains Webb. The current dcor was inspired by the mountain on which the site sits. We pulled warmer blue and tan earth tones to bring the outside in. The floor-to-ceiling windows at the living room and stair were also left intentionally unobstructed to make the user feel this connection to nature.

Some other details include Bavarian walnut floors, custom millwork and Italian interior doors. Also, a shou sugi-ban fireplace (described as the ancient Japanese technique of preserving wood by charring it with fire), a steel and glass staircase, quartz countertops, a flexible dining/living floorplan, leather upholstery, Thermador appliances, and designer finishes imported from around the world.

Timeless and appealing to many are often terms we hear clients desire, says Webb. Not only was this accomplished, but we were able to also incorporate a couple feature elements like metal-like cabinets, custom live-edge wood slab dining table on casters, and a feature fireplace wall made of traditional Japanese sugi-ban charred wood to make this unit different and stand out from any other.

When we noticed the per square foot value of a nearby new build product we realized we had plenty of room to invest in this home, adds Philip Mekelburg, CEO of Equity Estates. It has absolutely paid off and our members love it.

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Before & After: Vail Spa unit in Lionshead gets an update - Vail Daily News

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Photo: Anglia Homes

New single-family homes are now available in one of Texas fastest growing communities.

Cypress Village is a collection of one- and two-story detached homes located just a few minutes from the core of Pearland. Developed by Houston-based Anglia Homes, Cypress Village is a short commute to all of the sought-after suburban neighborhood amenities.

Ranging from 1,603 to 2,653 square feet in size, prospective homebuyers have nine floorplans to choose from on 50-foot lots which offer three- to five-bedroom layouts and attached two-car garages. Study and flex spaces are optional in most layouts for extra room, coupled with standard home features like ceiling fans, granite kitchen countertops and a full landscaping package.

Photo: Anglia Homes

Moen plumbing fixtures, maple wall cabinets and Whirlpool appliances help to create functional kitchens, while glass door showers and the buyers choice of tile flooring are included in the ensuite bathroom.

Currently, one home is available for move-in at Cypress Village the The Canterbury floorplan, which provides three bedrooms and two bathrooms across 1,603 square feet of living space.

Photo: Anglia Homes

Situated on Patton Lane, Cypress Village is a few minutes drive from Centennial Park and Pearland Area Dads Club, where you can find baseball diamonds, an off-leash dog park and playgrounds to enjoy the fresh air. Whenever its time for the weekly grocery shop, theres plenty of retailers to choose from off of East Broadway Street in downtown Pearland, like H-E-B, Kroger and ALDI. The Center at Pearland Parkway and Pearland Plaza also provide a range of restaurants and retailers to try out.

Cypress Village is a 30-minute drive south from downtown Houston via Highway 288.

According to the latest data from BuzzBuzzHome, prices for Cypress Village start from $261,990.

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Anglia Homes brings collection of single-family residences to Pearland - Livabl

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Every time it rains continuously in the city, the damaged flood-retaining wall along the Adyar river gives sleepless nights to residents nearby.Over 2,000 families living in Amma Kannammal and Punniakodi streets, and parts of Sarathy Nagar and other areas in West Saidapet and Jafferkhanpet have been demanding reconstruction of the retaining wall for around ten years now.

The already damaged wall took a heavy beating during the 2015 floods. Some parts of the wall was later patched up with iron sheets to prevent children from falling into the river and other mishaps. The sheets are flimsy and wont withstand a flood. We have raised the issue several times with the authorities but no action has been taken, says Sarathy Nagar resident Gokul V.

Vasu A, of Punniakodi Street which lies very near to the river, recalls the ruins of 2015 floods. All who had grocery shops on ground floors here suffered huge losses. There was water for up to 10-15 feet. We cannot afford to handle such a situation again, he said.One cyclone has just left and we hear that another one is coming. Any news like this keeps us on our toes. We keep checking the water levels, and lose sleep at nights, he added.

Whenever heavy rain is forecast, the residents here begin the arduous exercise of lifting all expensive and valuable items to the first or second floors. People who live in single-storey houses pack their valuables and request their neighbours to safe-keep them until the clouds pass.

Legal advisor to the residents welfare association at Sarathy Nagar, Shanmugaraj A, recalls that the struggle began in 2010. We have taken our issue to the local political leaders belonging to both Dravidian majors, and the Public Works Department officers.

Still, the wall remains damaged and the residents here live ill at ease, Shanmugaraj said. When contacted, a PWD official said that about 500 metres of the damaged retaining wall was repaired in 2019. Works for a 4-km wall stretch remain. We will take up the works soon, the official added.

Will take up works soon, says PWD officialThe already damaged wall took a heavy beating during the 2015 floods. A PWD official said that about 500 metres of the damaged retaining wall was repaired in 2019. Works for a 4-km wall stretch remain.We will take up the works soon, the official added.

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Damaged retaining wall gives sleepless nights to residents - The New Indian Express

Further detailed ground investigations are to be undertaken shortly to confirm the cause of the collapse to the retaining wall at Belgrave Road in Ventnor.

The findings will help engineers design and implement a scheme to repair the wall and re-open the road. It is envisaged that repair work could begin in early summer 2021 and be completed by the end of October.

Twice weekly inspectionsVisual site inspections continue to take place at both Belgrave Road and Esplanade Road twice weekly to monitor any wall movement and cracking at the top of the terrace and the middle and lower sections. Additional inspections are also held after periods of bad weather.

These inspections have shown no further significant movement, cracking or deterioration in recent weeks.

Island Roads Service Director Steve Ashman, said,

Until now, more detailed investigations have been hampered by the Covid-19 restrictions and while there has been no significant movement, remedial works remain a priority.

We are now in a position to step up the investigations and the forthcoming survey work will help us to plan a way forward with the Isle of Wight Council.

House surveysAs a prelude to the investigation, a survey of six homes on Belgrave Road is to be undertaken so their condition during both investigation and construction works at what remains a sensitive site can be monitored.

An indicative timetable has been communicated to residents and local stakeholders as part of the commitment of Island Roads and the Isle of Wight Council to keep the local community informed of developments.

Ward: We are now working to a scheduleIsle of Wight Council portfolio holder, Cllr Ian Ward, said,

It is important that the next steps are decided based on sound evidence and the forthcoming survey work should give us the information needed to design and implement the best possible solution.

While, for reasons stated, it has not been possible to undertake these investigations before now, we hope residents and the Ventnor community are assured that we are now working to a schedule, albeit at this stage, an indicative one.

It goes without saying that we will do all we can to complete the work in as short a timeframe as possible, though we must also ensure that at all times we maintain the safety of residents, local people and our workforce.

We would like to thank residents for their ongoing co-operation and understanding and we will ensure both they and the wider local community are kept up to date with the latest developments.

BackgroundIt was at the end of January this year that part of the retaining wall at Belgrave Road failed.

Subsequently the site has been enclosed with wire netting to protect residents from any potential dislodged debris.

Sandbags are also in place to reduce the risk of surface water entering the failed area.

News shared by Claire on behalf of Island Roads. Ed

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Repair to collapsed retaining wall could begin next summer, say Island Roads - On The Wight

Ronnell Laberth, 26, died on November 28, 2020 around 2 a.m. in a fatal single-motor vehicle collision which occurred on West Rocky River Road Charlotte, NC.

The preliminary investigation indicates Ronnell was driving a Acura and entered a curve at a high rate of speed, traveled off the roadway, down an embankment and struck a dirt retaining wall.

After striking the retaining wall the Acura was forced back into the roadway and overturned onto its roof where it came to a final resting position.No other motor vehicles were involved in the crash, and there were no other occupants inside the Acura.

Medic arrived at the site of Ronnell inside the up side down vehicle. The Charlotte Fire Department and medics removed Ronnell from the Acura to provide medical aid; however, Ronnell was pronounced deceased on scene.

Ronnell was wearing a seat belt and was not ejected from the Acura. A toxicology test is pending to determine if impairment is a contributing factor.

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MAN KILLED AFTER VEHICLE RUNS OFF ROAD AND INTO RETAINING WALL - News Maven

The Kerala High Court on Friday issued notice to the State government and the Kumbalam panchayat on a writ petition challenging the ongoing construction of a multi-storey market and shopping complex on a reclaimed land at Kumbalam, in violation of the CRZ norms.

The petition was filed byT.P. Stanly of Kaloor. According to him, the construction of a multi-storey shopping complex and market building under the Kumbalam bridge on the northern side of the backwaters by filling around one acre was illegal.

It was being undertaken without getting any sanction from the Coastal Zone Regulation Authority. The Kumbalam panchayat had constructed a new retaining wall in the backwaters, around 50 metres away from the old retaining wall earlier constructed.

The construction was being carried out in reclaimed areas, he alleged.

The petitioner said that the action of the Kumbalam panchayat was a clear violation of the CRZ norms and Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act and Environment (Protection) Act. The derbis from the demolished flats bear Maradu was being used to reclaim the backwaters. Despite serious protests from the public and demand for the stoppage of illegal construction and encroachment in the Kumbalam backwaters, the panchayat was going ahead with the work, the petitioner alleged.

More:
HC admits plea against construction on reclaimed land - The Hindu