Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

John Kirkpatrick was appointed to carry out site inspections by the developer of a semi-detached house in Belfast.

Architects Certificates were signed in January 2015 and May 2017, and the final certificate confirmed Kirkpatrick had visited the site at appropriate intervals and would be liable for a period of six years from the date of the certificate.

It was alleged Kirkpatrick failed to adequately inspect the site in accordance with the Architects Certificate dated 22 May 2017 and that he acted inappropriately by attempting to enter into a financial settlement with the complainant on condition that she withdraw her complaint from ARB.

It was also alleged that Kirkpatrick failed to co-operate fully and promptly with ARB during its investigation into the complaint against him.

Kirkpatrick did not attend the hearing and was not legally represented. In his written submissions, he maintained that he had trusted the developer to resolve the issues, although that relationship had now broken down.

He also outlined his personal circumstances, which had prevented him from dealing with the matter fully and expressed some regret for the issues that had arisen.

The PCC found the allegations proven and agreed these failings were serious enough to amount to unacceptable professional conduct (UPC).

When determining the sanction, the PCC took into account that Kirkpatrick had no previous adverse regulatory history and his unblemished career spanning 45 years.

The PCC also recognised that he had experienced some personal difficulties, which had impacted on his ability to respond to these matters.

However, the PCC noted that Kirkpatricks failings represented a pattern of poor conduct over an extended period of time rather than an isolated incident, and those failings had resulted in a significant impact on his clients.

It found he also failed to provide any evidence of remorse or real insight into the seriousness of his failings or engage meaningfully with the disciplinary process.

It, therefore, decided a one-year suspension order should be imposed in order to uphold proper professional standards and the reputation of the profession.

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Architect suspended from register failed to inspect sites - Planning, BIM & Construction Today

Michael Smith gives us the inside scoop on his tenure with the Obamas.

When it comes to interior design, Michael Smith is no stranger to high-profile clients. His impressive rsum includes projects with Cindy Crawford, Steven Spielberg, and Shonda Rhimes, to name a few. Throughout the years, he learned they all require a certain level of privacy, discretion, and an insane attention to detail. Then, in 2009 he was commissioned by the Obamas to update none other than the White Houseprobably the most major interior design gig in existence.

Since WWII, it has become customary for each president to leave their mark on the White House in some way. Because there is so much history, so much beauty within the commemorated space, the interior design is a bit of a puzzle; how to modernize without fundamentally altering? A notion that Smith, a self-dubbed student of history, was extremely conscious of. Its still really surreal, explains Smith. Youre always aware of the weight of history. Always. Not to mention, a sitting president will only live there for four to eight years, so youre on a time constriction. Then layer on the added fact that it is the one of the most photographed, documented spaces in the whole country.

Smith not only understood all these factors, but also recognized that when the Obamas entered the White House, they were first and foremost a family with two young children. They needed to be able to not just live, but feel comfortable in the space they called their home. We caught up with Smith to discuss collaborating with the Obamas, working with history instead of against it, and *subtly* modernizing Americas house, which you can read more about in his new book,Designing History.

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So you are approached to design the White House. Where do you begin?

I think you start by doing a lot of research, which is what I did. I wanted to understand what had come before, who had done what, and to really understand context more than anything else. I think that was the most important thing for me, initially, was to kind of just do all the research so I would know whats happening.

Can you speak to the Obamas design sense?

Its sort of what you think it would be. Theyre super relaxed, super respectful of history and of what had come before. The whole mandate with Mrs. Obama wasHow will this work for our family? And then how will it work for the next family and the next family after that? I think that theres a tradition with presidential families, theres a spirit of stewardship and understanding that youre only going to be there for four years, hopefully eight years, and in that time you want to be comfortable. Its Americas house and everything you do hopefully makes it better for the next presidentthe way that the Bushes left the house in really beautiful shape for the Obamas.

With a place with so much history, what do you have to keep in mind when youre doing the design?

I think you want to be mindful of it, but it depends. I mean, certain rooms like the public rooms, youre more hyperaware of not upsetting whats happened, but kind of adding to it and maybe tailoring it a little bit. With the upstairs rooms, there was a lot more leeway. Theyre more personal for the president and for his family. But again, youre just conscious. Anyone who is a student of history, like I am, is obsessed with trying to stay in the lane of history. Then to do two little girls rooms when they moved into the White House, you have to make them cheerful and kid-like, but still keep them in context where they feel like theyre in the White House. That was the thing that I really wanted to achieve.

Were there any great historical pieces that you were able to work around and build into the space?

Everything was essentially historical, so its all really good. I think the great thing is we used this bed from the White House collection which we re-curtained and updated for their bedroom. Every room had some amazing piece of furniture. There was a room that used to be President Kennedys bedroom that we made into a sitting room for the Obamas. It was a different plan for the room, but it had the same chest of drawers that had occupied the same wall when it was President Kennedys room. That kind of idea is really wonderful.

Working in a space with so much history, it can become museum-like so quickly. Was there any way that you tried to make the interiors a little more approachable?

I think the big thing was trying to figure out how to bring in contemporary art, because by bringing in modern art, it really made it feel personal to them and really, really interesting. Theres a huge list in the book about it. I think it was really interesting that we could borrow work from various museums, which was great. It was a huge resource to have because you could really quickly make it something that was personal. We just knew that by putting big contemporary paintings we could make it more colorful, make it brighter and just lighter and younger.

In a house with so many traditional elements, how much do you modernize it?

I think we pushed it. Again, the contemporary art was really pushing it, but that was the big gesture. They were huge paintings since the rooms are so tall. There were elements like 20th-century coffee tables and other things that add a sense of modernity to the space. I also think you want to keep it really simple. Again, four years or eight years is not so long, but its long enough that you want it to feel comfortable. You want rooms to be simple enough and flexible enough that it all worked with what was there.

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Were the Obamas super involved in the design process, or did they just hand it to you and let you go?

They were involved, but they were super busy. The business of government sort of took a lot of time, but they were very good communicators, as you can imagine about what was important to them. Again, like all my clients, I really tried to listen and be very mindful of what they were looking for and how they needed it to function for their family.

Obamas Oval Office is one of the most photographed places ever. What was the process like designing for it?

It was very much the same idea of just being really mindful of function and use and what had come before. Look, its a space that you can never win. Fifty percent of the people are going to think its too traditional. Fifty percent of the people are going to think its too modern. Its just always, always going to be challenging. Half the people are going to hate it, half the people are going to like it. I think you just go into it understanding that over time, peoples perception of the space becomes classic. Your eye kind of gets used to it. It was about doing something that was special for this president. It has to sit in the building in a way that is really comfortable and appropriate.

I know you had to be cognizant of budget, as the Obamas paid for most of the additions themselves, so where did you shop for furniture?

Over the years of having worked for all these different vendors and craftsmen, I have such a loyal group of people who would do stuff for me at a cost that I could afford but also were really discreet and mellow about avoiding the press. I think thats why I turned to the people that I really knew and trusted the most, who I had worked with for long periods of time on other projects.

Youve had such an extensive career. Was there anything you were able to learn from the process?

Oh my god, I learned stuff every dayjust the scale of everything, the complexity of it and what was needed, the history of things, and just to be thoughtful. I think that the number one thing that the Obamas inspire in everyone is to be thoughtful and mindful of every aspect. Who made it? How much does it cost? To have people who made things where you knew it was really going to be impactful. It was going to mean something that they had made something for the White House. I think that was a big part of the job and something that was so satisfying. People were really proud of what they had done for Americas house.

You talk about incorporating the Obamas more progressive view into the space. How do you do that through design?

Well, I just think this idea of trying to get as many different people who hadnt been in the White House beforecraftsmen and artists of color and LGBTQ artistsjust trying to bring voices and things that hadnt been in the building before because no one had really thought of it.

You also worked on the Obamas current home in Washington. How does it compare to the White House?

Well, its not white on the outside. Its a really lovely, fairly normal family house. I think that they are thrilled to be in a space that is just easier. Theres a difference between their public life and their private life. They get to have a home that is not above the store, so to speak. They dont have to live and work in the same space. I think, again, to not have such scrutiny and lack of privacy is probably a really wonderful thing for them to finally have.

Photos: Michael Mundy

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Michael Smith on What's It Like to Design the Interiors of the White House - Coveteur

We completely fell in love with it straight away, says Beata Heuman (above) of the Victorian house she has lived in for the past four years with her husband, John, and their two young daughters, Gurli and Alma. So many houses like this get picked apart and become open plan, but this was quite well designed to begin with and unspoilt.

Swedish-born Heuman started her design career working with the legendary decorator Nicky Haslam, and evidence of that training can be seen here, in the humour of her interiors, and her love of design history. Its so important to be informed by the past, she says.

She has created an interior that is joyful and unexpected, with echoes of her Swedish childhood. An example of her wit can be found on the walls of the dining room (below left), covered in a custom wallpaper by Tibor. I love the fact that it looks as though someone has just drawn on to the wall, she says.

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How the UK's top interior designers have decorated their own homes - Telegraph.co.uk

Foam mirrors

These recently burst onto the scene as the cute quarantine decor item everyone wanted. While its an affordable and creative craft project, the trend has been divisive on social media.

This is another iso-craft project that has been gaining traction on social media. So far the style has been adopted for kitchenware and decorative items.

Its safe to say thatindoor plants have been one of biggest trend of the decade, however its really been in the last 5 years that theyve become a household staple.

All you have to do is look at the cultural influence of Swedish brand Ikea to understand why Scandinavian interiors are such a big deal.

Modern kitchen designs are all about functionality and what better way to add more space than with an island bench.

These body-positive decorative vases were one of the top recommended gifts of 2019 and come in every shape and colour.

Bar carts have added a dose of glam to homes for many years, but if there ever was a time to buy one, wed say its been 2020.

Macrame has been in-and-out all decade but it turns out its here to stay. Not only is it easy to make but it's an affordable way to add boho style to any home.

Linen is the gift that keeps on giving. Its versatile, easy to clean, affordable and biodegradable. And it's especially handy throughout summer.

Home organisation has never been so cool with so many people sharing viral hacks and tips to social media.

This retro trend which made waves in the '70s has seen a recent revival with stores like Kmart, Big W and Bunnings releasing rattan collections and wicker chairs.

Painting with one thin black line doesnt seem easy but the trend has spawned so many tutorials and Instagram artwork.

This sophisticated styleis truly timeless and has long been giving homes an effortlessly chic feel.

This iconic artwork dates back to pre-Instagram days but the legacy has continued on with the help of social media. It's even made appearances on television shows like Gossip Girl and The Simpsons.

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These are Instagram's top 14 home trends of the decade - Better Homes and Gardens

Black walls, built-in raw concrete furniture and a fish pond in a lightwell define Lost House, a residential project designed by David Adjaye in London's King's Cross, which has recently come on the market.

Royal Gold Medal-winner Adjaye, the founder of Adjaye Associates, designed Lost House in 2004 for fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic and her husband Philip de Mesquita.

The house has come back on the market recently, granting an opportunity to see the interiors of one of the architect's early residential works in detail.

Original features have been preserved, including an all-green sunken cinema room and a water gardens in planted courtyards that double as lightwells.

Hidden behind an unassuming brick facade in an alleyway, Lost House was formerly a delivery yard complete with a loading platform.

Adjaye Associates turned the concrete loading platform into a plinth for an upper-level swimming pool with black-painted sides next to the pink-walled main bedroom.

On the ground floor, there is a large open plan living, dining and kitchen area with a double-height ceiling.

The sunken conversation pit with a cinema room-style projector, complete with zesty lime walls, built-in bookshelves and wide sofas, is off to one side.

Three tall, glass-walled lightwells stretch up to the black-painted timber eaves of the roof, bringing natural daylight down into the room instead of windows.

In the centre of the living area is a lightwell filled with a fishpond.

The square courtyards in the lightwells are planted with tropical greenery. At the back, next to the kitchen, the courtyard features wooden decking around clusters of circular concrete benches inset with the same grey pebbles that surround them.

The black chipboard walls, ceiling and exposed timber beams are reflected in the shiny black resin floor.

Adding to the industrial look are the thick concrete elements of the built-in kitchen, which forms a continuous countertop and splashback.

A concrete element continues from the kitchen to the living area, were it forms a low bench upholstered in black leather cushions.

Steps lead to the raised ground floor, where the old loading bay plinth supports the lap pool. Black stone tiles surround the pool, which is part of the master bathroom for the main bedroom.

Two stone sinks sit on a concrete shelf below mirrored cabinets. A wet-room style shower allows the residents to wash before and after swimming.

This bathroom connects directly to the back of the master suite, which has a separate toilet and a long corridor connecting to the stairs. The bedroom is decorated all pink to contrast with the ink-black interiors

A second bedroom is located on this floor, with a third bedroom located up on the first floor that is currently being used as a home office.

David Adjaye founded Adjaye Associates in 2000 and began his career designing high-end residential projects in north London such as Lost House.Other notable all-black houses by the studio include Dirty House and Sunken House.

Photography is courtesy of The Modern House and United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty.

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Lost House by David Adjaye features black walls and bedroom with a pool - Dezeen

The Conversation

Dr. Mario Molina, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who died on Oct. 7 at age 77, did not become a scientist to change the world; he just loved chemistry. Born in Mexico City in 1943, Molina as a young boy conducted home experiments with contaminated water just for the fun of it. But Molina came to understand the political importance of his work on atmospheric chemistry and ozone layer depletion, which won him the Nobel in 1995, along with Paul J. Crutzen and F. Sherwood Rowland. Getting that surprise call from Sweden completely changed how he saw his role in the world, Molina said in 2016. He felt a responsibility to share his knowledge of clean energy, air quality and climate change broadly and to push decision-makers to use that information to protect the environment.As a Mexican, Dr. Molina was a point of pride for me. Though I am a social scientist, not a chemist, his career inspired me to follow my dreams and to trust science to show us all the right path. Clean air nowMario Molina thought climate change was the biggest problem in the world long before most people did. His research was instrumental in spurring negotiation of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, an international treaty that effectively banned fluorocarbons harmful chemical compounds that damage the ozone layer. The agreement is credited with helping the ozone layer heal. He understood that the environmental problem is global, and that what happens in China or the United States affects Mexico, too.After a long a career in academia, Molina and his wife, Luisa T. Molina also an an atmospheric scientist founded the Centro Mario Molina in 2005, a Mexican center dedicated to environmental research and public policy. Together, they co-directed the center, which conducts extensive work in Mexico City. The Molinas sounded the alarm in Latin America about air pollution and public health, which remains a challenge in the region. But they also understood the role of economics in environmental protection and, importantly, the centrality of fossil fuels to the Mexican economy so the Molinas worked with Mexican economists to address concerns that green energy would hurt prosperity. Through his organization, Molina also promoted cooperation between scientists, goverment, industry and civil society until 2013, when then-Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto appointed him to head the countrys National System for Climate Change.In 2018, when Mexicos government changed, Molina was not invited to serve in the new administration. Mexicos current president, Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador, came to power promising to build a new oil refinery in Mexico.Molina urged Mexico to transition to clean energy sources sooner rather than later, promising this policy change would promote public health, job creation and energy security for the country. In a May 2020 interview, Molina stressed clean energy is an investment that society makes and very profitable.Mexico is going back to the previous century or the one before it, at a time when all the experts on the planet fully agree that we are in a climate crisis, he said of Mexicos continued reliance on fossil fuels just months before his death. Molina criticized Lpez Obrador for limiting the use of clean energy sources and pushed for more wind energy in Mexico, a technology thats only just emerging there. Scientist until the endMolina defended the importance of science in policy-making until the very end. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, he was an early and adamant advocate for face masks and was aghast that the presidents of both Mexico and the United States refused to wear facial coverings. He said the government should force the use of face masksbecause only in this way do we know that the curve can be flattened.[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversations newsletter.]Mario Molina graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM, and completed his graduate studies at the University of Fribourg and the University of California, Berkeley. Though he taught at M.I.T., he remained loyal to UNAM, working with faculty and students til the end.The many Mexicans who, like me, were inspired by his lifes work mourn his passing.This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.Read more: * Nobel Prize for chemistry honors exquisitely precise gene-editing technique, CRISPR a gene engineer explains how itworks * Mexico is being held to ransom by oil thieves and systemiccorruptionElena Delavega does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Approving the FDA guidelines lays the seed that people can trust the vaccine that gets approved: senior fellow - Yahoo Money

Netflixor a very shrewd someone at Netflixhas wisely entered the holiday movie thunderdome, and honestly, its become a worthy rival to Lifetime, Hallmark, et al. with its wealth of extremely silly festive content. But will any of this years holiday titles be as memorable as 2019's Holiday In The Wild, aka the movie where Kristin Davis is abruptly dumped and heads off for a You Go Girl vacation where she falls for Rob Lowes pilot when they rescue baby elephants in ZAMBIA?! Lets find out!

Halloween Trees have become a thing and everything else in this year is so stupid anyway, so why not start Christmas in fucking OCTOBER with Holidate, which premieres on October 28 and stars Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey, and actually seems fine:

Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) hate the holidays. They constantly find themselves single, sitting at the kids table, or stuck with awkward dates. But when these two strangers meet one particularly bad Christmas, they make a pact to be each others holidate for every festive occasion throughout the next year. With a mutual disdain for the holidays, and assuring themselves that they have no romantic interest in the other, they make the perfect team. However, as a year of absurd celebrations come to an end, Sloane and Jackson find that sharing everything they hate may just prove to be something they unexpectedly love.

See, thats how Netflix gets you, though. It just eases you into these shenanigans with a vanilla-ass rom-com. The true terror begins on November 5 with Operation Christmas Drop, which sounds like Operation Dumbo Drop but with more blatant military propaganda:

Chasing a promotion, congressional aide Erica Miller forgoes family Christmas to travel across the Pacific at her bosss behest. Upon landing at a beachside Air Force base, she clashes with her guide, Captain Andrew Jantz, who knows her assignment is finding reasons to defund the facility. The pilots pet project Operation: Christmas Drop, a genuine, decades-old tradition where gifts and supplies are parachuted to residents of remote neighboring islands has lawmakers wondering if his unit has too much spare energy. Despite their initial opposing goals, Erica softens once she experiences the customs and communal spirit of Andrews adopted home.

Holiday Home Makeover With Mr. Christmas is not an original film but a reality series with a description that sounds like Actual Hell. The short version: this guy is an interior decorator obsessed with Christmas and hes about to fuck some living rooms UP.

Benjamin Bradley, best known as Mr. Christmas, is a veteran in the interior design industry with a healthy obsession with the holiday season. For Mr. Christmas, the holidays are all about celebrating love, life, family and friends through meaningful traditions. In the new Netflix series Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas, Bradley takes you behind the scenes as he puts his design expertise and vast Christmas collection to good use. Equipped with lights, garlands, and enough tinsel to blanket the North Pole, he and his team of elves work around the clock to bring holiday cheer to families and communities deserving of a home makeover for the most joyous time of year. Mr. Christmas invites viewers along for the ride to kick off the holiday season and get inspired to take their own home decorating and traditions to the next level.

Maybe the only thing you need to know about Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (dear lord) is that Forest Whitaker plays a legendary toymaker named JERONICUS JANGLE. Honestly, this one could go either waymeaning it could be awesomely bad or genuinely kind of fun, and Keegan-Michael Keys involvement tips the scales in the favor of the latter. This one premieres on November 13:

A musical adventure and a visual spectacle for the ages, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a wholly fresh and spirited family holiday event. Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker) whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice (Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, its up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) and a long-forgotten invention to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within. From the imagination of writer-director David E. Talbert and featuring original songs by John Legend, Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan, and This Day performed by Usher and Kiana Led, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey reminds us of the strength of family and the power of possibility.

The Princess Switch: Switched Again premieres on November 19, and you can probably figure out what that is based on the title. Royals! Switching shenanigans! The heavy-handed suggestion that this is a sequel! Will you watch the first Princess Switch? Probably not! What if we tell you Vanessa Hudgens has signed on for The Princess Switch 3???

When Duchess Margaret unexpectedly inherits the throne to Montenaro and hits a rough patch with boyfriend Kevin, its up to her double Princess Stacy of Belgravia to get these star-crossed lovers back together... but the course of true love is complicated by the appearance of a handsome royal whos intent on stealing Margarets heart. Throw in the unexpected arrival of Margarets outrageous party girl cousin Fiona, a third look-alike who has ambitions of her own, and you have the recipe for Christmas triple trouble!

Finally, something good: Dolly Partons Christmas On The Square. Premiering on November 22, this exquisite gift from one of our most valuable national treasures stars Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis, and Queen Dolly herselfwho provides 14 (!!!) original songs for the soundtrack.

A rich and nasty woman, Regina Fuller, returns to her small hometown after her fathers death to evict everyone and sell the land to a mall developer - right before Christmas. However, after listening to stories of the local townsfolk, reconnecting with an old love, and accepting the guidance of an actual angel, Regina starts to have a change of heart. This is the story about family, love and how a small towns Christmas spirit can warm the coldest of hearts. Featuring 14 original songs with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton.

The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two arrives on November 25. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn are Santa and Mrs. Claus. This gets a pass:

Its been two years since siblings Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy Pierce (Judah Lewis) saved Christmas, and a lot has changed. Kate, now a cynical teenager, is reluctantly spending Christmas in Cancun with her moms new boyfriend and his son Jack (Jahzir Bruno). Unwilling to accept this new version of her family, Kate decides to run away. But when a mysterious, magical troublemaker named Belsnickel threatens to destroy the North Pole and end Christmas for good, Kate and Jack are unexpectedly pulled into a new adventure with Santa Claus (Kurt Russell). Written and directed by Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Harry Potter) and co-starring Goldie Hawn, THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES 2 is an action-packed adventure for the whole family thats full of heart, humor, and holiday spirit.

FINALLY, Christmas gets the Groundhog Day treatment. Thats how you know Christmas has truly made it. Coming December 3: Just Another Christmas (Tudo Bem No Natal Que Vem), which is really just begging for an Adam Sandler remake based on this synopsis.

After taking a very nasty fall on Christmas Eve, grinchy Jorge blacks out and wakes up one year later, with no memory of the year that has passed. He soon realizes that hes doomed to keep waking up on Christmas Eve after Christmas Eve, having to deal with the aftermath of what his other self has done the other 364 days of the year.

And one last horrid treasure from this years festive pile of holiday programming: A Trash Truck Christmas, featuring the one true mascot of 2020a giant truck filled with trash. This animated insta-classic debuts on December 11 and should be fun for the whole family.

When Hank finds out that Trash Truck doesnt know what Christmas is, he sets out to show him and their friends what the magical holiday is all about. And luckily for Santa, the friends are up to speed just in time to help save Christmas.

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Netflix has unveiled this year's unholy holiday movie lineup - The A.V. Club

Do you have a bagworm infection in your trees? The bags they inhabit are easy to spot but often confused for cones or seed-bearing structures.

According to the University of Illinois Extension of Kankakee County and The Morton Arboretum, they take up homestead in conifer, arborvitae, spruce, eastern red cedar, other junipers or white pine trees.

The bags are usually 1.5- to 2-inches long and will look different depending on the host plant, the Morton Arboretum says. For example, the bag on a maple will look different from a bag on an arborvitae. Because bagworms add plant materials to the top of the bag, the freshest and greenest material is on the top of the bag. Inside the bag is, or was, a worm. A few of them and your trees would be OK, but a whole lot of them could eat down your tree or bush.

The dark brown bagworm caterpillars are 1/8- to 1/4-inch long when they first hatch, eventually reaching 1-inch long. As the insect feeds, it creates a silken case covered with the leaves made from the host plant, binding the bag together and attaching it to the plant with a silken thread.

Once a plant is infested, populations can grow quickly.

Life cycle

Bagworm young hatch in the overwintering bag and emerge in June to begin feeding, the extension says. They are blown to other plants easily. As they feed, female worms construct their case (bag) for about three months; sometimes during this stage, it is possible to see the bags moving as the worms move. In late summer the mature worms pupate for seven to 10 days; winged males emerge and exit the bag, and wingless females stay and mate while still in the bag. One female lays up to 1,000 eggs in the bag, where they will stay until the next year. Meanwhile, the female dies.

You will find bagworms feeding during the summer, but they are much easier to kill when they are small. These caterpillars remain susceptible to chemical treatment into early July. Heavy infestations can be unsightly with all the eaten foliage and can kill branches or whole plants.

By the time August comes, when bagworms are most likely to be noticed, these caterpillars already have formed their bags, it is too late for chemical control. Hand picking is an option.

So, now is the time to get outside and remove the bags. They can be handpicked and destroyed from fall through spring, thus removing the eggs and helping to eliminate the threat next year.

Damage being done

Bagworms usually begin feeding at the top of the tree, according to the extension office. When small, the worms feed in the layers of the leaf tissue, creating light patches on leaves. As they age, they consume entire needles or leaves.

A severe infestation could defoliate plants, which can kill branches or entire plants. A healthy deciduous tree or shrub that has been defoliated usually produces a new flush of leaves and survives. However, a defoliated evergreen cannot push out an additional set of leaves and might die.

Sources: University of Illinois Extension of Kankakee County and The Morton Arboretum

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Homeowners, beware: 'Bag' worms are infesting trees and shrubs - Kankakee Daily Journal

POINT PLEASANT The Mason County Board of Education met on Tuesday evening to continue discussion of the Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan (CEFP).

The CEFP was presented to the Board last week by the committee. The plan is unfinished, but the committee wanted to seek the Boards comments and get a direction to move forward with the completion of the plan. The CEFP is a 10-year plan for 2020-2030 to focus on priority and secondary projects for the school district.

The Board discussed the proposed plan for nearly three hours in an executive session on Tuesday. The Board entered executive session due to having documents regarding the buildings ratings that were not to be released to the public at the time of the meeting. Board President Dale Shobe said the school board signed a release to obtain the documents.

After returning to the open meeting, the Board voted to make several changes to the proposed CEFP. Among the changes, the Board categorized sections of the plan into projects.

In Project 1, the Board changed the objective of moving sixth grade students to the secondary buildings to the secondary projects, rather than primary.

In Project 2, the Board voted to amend the objective regarding closing Leon Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary. The new project was written as Bring Roosevelt and Leon Elementary up to code individually. This project remains as as priority project.

Project 3 dealt with the School for Success renovations at the Point Pleasant Intermediate School (PPIS) campus. The new project states that the Board will replace the School for Success buildings at all current locations.

The HVAC projects were grouped into Project 4 and were given no changes from the Board.

In the proposed CEFP, PPIS was given renovations to construct an auxiliary gym and additional classrooms to accept students from the Point Pleasant Primary School (PPPS). PPPS was proposed to be closed. The Board voted to delete this project from the CEFP.

Project 6 includes the construction of auxiliary gymnasiums at Hannan Jr/Sr High and Beale Elementary. The Board voted to keep the Hannan project as a priority project and move the Beale project to the secondary projects.

Project 7 includes mantraps at Ashton, Beale, Hannan, Career Center and Wahama. The project was not changed by the Board and will remain in the priority list.

No changes were made to Project 8, which includes the water infiltration issues at Wahama.

Project 9 includes athletic upgrades at all three secondary schools. The following projects were all moved to the secondary list from the priority. At Wahama, the Board made no changes to the projects, which includes field turf installation, bleacher renovation and a locker room addition. At Point Pleasant Jr/Sr High, the Board voted to keep the proposed projects to re-turf the existing field and tract. The Board removed the fieldhouse and locker room projects at Point Pleasant. At Hannan Jr/Sr High, the Board kept the new field turn project.

Project 10 was a secondary project for roof replacements at PPIS, Beale Elementary, New Haven Elementary and Point Pleasant Jr/Sr High, but the Board voted to move those projects to the priority list.

In Project 11, the Board grouped all the parking lot re-surfacing projects, which will remain on the secondary project list.

The Board sent their amendments to the CEFP committee to make the changes. After the amendments are added, the county board will have a final approval before sending the CEFP to the state. The state department of education must approve the plan by Oct. 30.

Supt. Jack Cullen told the Register after the meeting, the Board will add mantrap installation, roof replacement and HVAC updates to PPPS, and HVAC updates and parking lot re-surfacing to Leon Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary during the next meeting.

All board members Dale Shobe, Rhonda Tennant, Jared Billings, Ashley Cossin and Meagan Bonecutter were present during the meeting.

2020 Ohio Valley Publishing, all rights reserved.

Kayla (Hawthorne) Dunham is a staff writer for Ohio Valley Publishing. Reach her at (304) 675-1333, ext. 1992.

Original post:
Board of Ed. amends 10-year plan - Point Pleasant Register

On National Energy Efficiency Day today, ComEd announced that customers have saved more than $5 billion on their energy bills as a result of the company's energy efficiency program, the equivalent of removing 5.2 million cars off the road, reducing over 53 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emitted into the air and powering 5.2 million homes for a year.

The ComEd Energy Efficiency Program, launched in 2008, is one of the largest programs in the nation offering residential, business and public sector customers a variety of options that can help them cut back on their energy usage, which saves money and helps the environment.

"The average monthly household bill is lower than it was a decade ago," said ComEd CEO, Joe Dominguez. "Thanks to the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program, the average customer has saved about $1,250 by participating in the offerings that's enough to cover the cost of an average residential energy bill for 15 months. We want customers to know there are options available to help them reduce their energy use and save money, especially as people spend more time at home."

The ComEd Energy Efficiency Program has more than 35 different offerings to save money and energy. Residential offerings include:

This press release was produced by the Commonwealth Edison Company (Electric). The views expressed here are the author's own.

Continued here:
ComEd Customers Save $5 Billion Through Energy-Saving Programs - Patch.com