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    Millions stuck at home with no plumbing, kitchen or space to stay safe – The Times

    - May 8, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    In 470,000 American homes spread across every state, washing hands to prevent COVID-19 may not be as easy as turning on a faucet. They don't have showers or toilets or, in some cases, even water piped into their homes. Nearly a million U.S. homes don't have complete kitchens and millions more are overcrowded, making it much tougher for people to shelter in place and avoid infection.

    In nearly half a million American homes, washing hands to prevent COVID-19 isnt as simple as soaping up and singing Happy Birthday twice while scrubbing.

    In many of those homes, people cant even turn on a faucet. Theres no running water.

    In 470,000 dwellings in the United States spread across every state and in most counties inadequate plumbing is a problem, the starkest of several challenges that make it tougher for people to avoid infection.

    Thats according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of data from the Census Bureau and the Housing Assistance Council in Washington, D.C. The analysis reveals other ways that inadequate housing in the United States puts people at risk during this pandemic. Nearly a million homes scattered across almost all counties dont have complete kitchens, raising the risk of hunger and vulnerability to illness, even as people have been expected to eat all meals there amid stay-at-home orders. And over 4 million homes are overcrowded, with more than a person per room, making it nearly impossible to isolate the sick.

    In fact, about 828,000 people have to deal with more than one of these housing problems.

    We assume this is happening in Third World places, said Greg Carter, an assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Nursing. But its happening here.

    Carters work takes him to southern Indianas Orange County, a community of just under 20,000 that, as of Thursday, had 107 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths. Its also one of 322 U.S. counties with rates of inadequate plumbing at least three times the national average of four homes in every 1,000.

    Phil Mininger, construction manager for Habitat for Humanity there, said he knows a man in his early 70s who lives in a dilapidated house without running water or electricity. The man walks to a Walmart about a half a mile away to use the bathroom and wash his hands.

    Conditions like these also occur in states such as Colorado, Alaska and New York wherever plumbing is absent or in disrepair or water has been shut off.

    Percentages are twice as high in rural areas overall, but similar conditions can be found in urban centers, too. Just under half a percent of dwellings in New York City have inadequate plumbing, for example, but thats still about 14,000 homes.

    Public health experts say substandard housing reflects vast socioeconomic inequities that make America a breeding ground for the coronavirus. Poverty, and the poor health that goes with it, fuel the spread and raise the likelihood of dying from COVID-19, both in places the disease already has hit hard and those its just reaching.

    The discrepancies between those with privilege and those without, they existed before our pandemic. What happens after? asked Jessica Hanson, an assistant professor of community and behavioral health at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. I hope when this is done, we as a community and as a society recognize there are people who dont have access to what they need. And that has to be addressed.

    Facing the virus without running water

    The federal government made huge public health gains in the early- to mid-20th century by spending heavily on water infrastructure. The result was healthier people who lived significantly longer. But that changed in the 1980s, according to a 2019 report by the US Water Alliance, Dig Deep and Michigan State University researchers. From 1977 to 2014, another report said, federal spending on water infrastructure dropped from $76 to $11 per person in inflation-adjusted dollars. Local and state spending rose, but didnt come close to meeting the need.

    Then the COVID pandemic struck.

    Nick Slim, tribal council administrator in the remote Yupik Eskimo village of Kipnuk, about 500 miles west of Anchorage, said people there have been doing the best we can to follow hand-washing advice, but it can be a struggle. They have no piped water; he and the other 650 residents depend on hauling ice and collecting rain.

    Were all concerned about the virus, Slim said.

    Just over a third of homes in the Bethel Census Area of Alaska have inadequate plumbing, the nations second-highest rate behind the adjacent Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area.

    According to state officials, most Alaska homes without running water and flush toilets are in Native Alaskan villages either not served by water utilities, or in places where water must be hauled or that have aging and deteriorating piped systems. Compared with the overall U.S. population, KHN found, Native Americans are eight times more likely to lack sufficient plumbing in their homes.

    In the absence of running water, respiratory illness festers. Rates of invasive pneumococcal disease in southwestern Alaska are among the highest in the world.

    Still, Alaska has had fewer confirmed cases of COVID-19 than many other states, with about 370 as of Thursday. But a University of Texas study said that if a county has just one case of COVID-19, there is a 51% chance that an outbreak is underway.

    Gunnison County, Colorado, has already been hit hard by the coronavirus, with 172 confirmed cases and six deaths among just over 17,000 people. That gives the county, known for the Crested Butte ski resort, one of the highest case rates in its state. It also has one of Colorados highest rates of inadequate plumbing about 1 in 45 homes. Its a place of housing extremes, with the median owner-occupied home costing $339,000, and some mobile homes going for a tenth of that.

    Loren Ahonen, a program administrator with the Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority, recalled a mobile home with an unrepaired frozen water line. Water was restored about a week after county residents were told to stay home amid the pandemic, he said. But until then, he said, tenants relied on 5-gallon jugs of water from the grocery store, neighbors and good Samaritans.

    As in many other communities, Ahonen said, all utilities in Gunnison County have suspended shut-offs for nonpayment during the pandemic. But emergency water shut-offs are still happening when leaks arise, as he noticed recently when he drove through a mobile home park prone to water problems.

    Raising the risk of disease

    Such issues compound another perennial issue in mobile homes: overcrowding. Ahonen said hes seen up to six people squeeze into a small home. A social distancing index created by the Colorado Health Institute found that 1 in 20 homes in a Gunnison County census tract were overcrowded.

    Crowded housing is also a big issue in urban areas, and has been linked to higher rates of COVID-19. An analysis of New York City cases by the New York University Furman Center found that the ZIP codes with the highest rates of positive cases had more than twice the rate of renters living in overcrowded conditions as those with the lowest rates.

    Pascual Pea, 33, an aide to a New York City council member, said he and seven family members are packed into a small, four-bedroom apartment in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights.

    Recently, his parents and sister developed COVID-19 symptoms, he said, and it was difficult with so many people to separate each other. Pea said he spent most of his time in the kitchen, while his father stayed in a bedroom, his mother in the living room and his sister in her room. Everyone shares the bathroom, cleans constantly and hopes the virus wont spread further.

    Indiana Universitys Carter said people living in unhealthy housing conditions are often older or suffer from chronic disease, further raising their risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. Carter recalled a woman with diabetes who lived in an Orange County home buzzing with fruit flies, where meat rotted in a dilapidated refrigerator.

    While Carter and his team were able to help her, aid is harder to come by these days, with many outreach programs on pause. Arranging repairs has been complicated by social distancing rules.

    As the pandemic and its accompanying economic crisis continue, public health experts worry that people living in substandard housing may spiral further downward especially since housing is usually just one of their challenges. They may have lost low-wage jobs to COVID-19. Or they may lack medical care, steady food or other ingredients of a healthy life.

    Were going to see them experience a greater lack of access to these things. Carter said. People were already dying of poverty.

    Carter and other experts said policymakers, and society as a whole, must focus more on housing and health disparities. Pandemic or not, no one in America should live without the basics of indoor plumbing, said Lance George, research director for the nonprofit Housing Assistance Council, which helps build homes across rural America.

    This is 2020, George said. These are problems that shouldve been solved.

    KHN data reporter Hannah Recht contributed to this analysis.

    Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

    Methodology

    For estimates of households in the United States that do not have adequate plumbing or adequate kitchens or are overcrowded, KHN analyzed data from the American Community Survey (ACS) five-year estimates (2014-18), specifically the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) provided by the University of Minnesota. This data provides demographic data on individual members in each household. KHN excluded those living in group quarters.

    For race/ethnicity categories, whites, American Indians, blacks and Asians include non-Hispanics only; Asians include Pacific Islanders and American Indians include Alaska Natives; and Hispanics are of any race or combination of races. Non-Hispanics who responded as representing more than one race are included in the other category.

    Plumbing is considered inadequate if it lacks one or more of the following: piped hot and cold water; a bathtub or shower; or a toilet. A kitchen is considered inadequate if it lacks a refrigerator, a stove or range, or a sink with a faucet. A household is considered overcrowded if it has more than one person per room.

    To compare rural and non-rural areas, KHN used data from the Housing Assistance Council, which coded census tracts as rural, urban, or exurban/suburban and provided household estimates by census tract for inadequate plumbing and kitchens, based on ACS five-year estimates (2013-17).

    Read more from the original source:
    Millions stuck at home with no plumbing, kitchen or space to stay safe - The Times

    Plumbers, mechanics and caregivers need to get e-passes – The Hindu

    - May 8, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Plumbers, electricians, AC mechanics, carpenters, domestic help and caregivers can apply for work passes from the Greater Chennai Corporation online. These workers will have to apply through the website http:/tnepass.tnega.org, said Corporation Commissioner G. Prakash in a release on Sunday.

    Standalone and neighbourhood shops selling articles such as hardware, electrical items, mobile phones and computer peripherals, except salons and beauty parlours, will be permitted to stay open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, residents are apprehensive about the process of getting the passes.

    Santosh, a resident of Kilpauk who runs a shop in Broadway, said he had applied for an e-pass on the website and the application was pending. He is not sure if the police would allow him to travel to this shop. Shops selling essential commodities will operate from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hotels are permitted to supply food parcels from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

    But all restrictions pertaining to the lockdown will be in force in all containment zones until May 17, Mr. Prakash said. The restrictions would be relaxed in areas other than containment zones. As many as 68 of the 200 wards in the city have not yet delineated any containment zones so far.

    Work on relaying roads, construction of public buildings and bridges will begin on Monday in areas which have not been classified as containment zones. The Corporation Commissioner will inspect units in SEZ, and export units before issuance of permits for operations. Units will be permitted with 25% workforce with a minimum of 20 workers.

    IT and ITeS units will operate with 10% workforce with a minimum of 20 workers. Micro, small and medium enterprises will be permitted with 33% workforce. Amma canteens, banks and ATMs will remain open.

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    See the original post here:
    Plumbers, mechanics and caregivers need to get e-passes - The Hindu

    Fogging out the coronavirus | News – Elk Grove Citizen

    - May 8, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Advanced Remediation Services (ARS), a subsidiary of Elk Grove Plumbing and Drain, is fighting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by disinfecting surfaces with thermal foggers.

    ARS, which focuses on fire, water damage, sewer and mold remediation, is certified to use thermal foggers, which fumigate the interiors of buildings with a light mist that the company says is effective in killing this coronavirus.

    Linda Fassett, remediation specialist with Advanced Remediation Services, spoke about her companys efforts to help keep the community safe through foggers.

    This is a great way to sanitize and disinfect, whether it be hard surfaces, soft goods, whether it be your home office, its an easy, quick and efficient way to go ahead and keep you safe, she said.

    Joe Stillwell, co-owner of Elk Grove Plumbing and Drain, told the Citizen that most customers who have called the company for their fogging service have done so as a preventative measure against COVID-19.

    So far, most of them have had us come to be proactive, he said. You never know, like property management companies, for instance, or even plumbers will go into somebodys house. They might be infected and dont even know or they find out after we left that they were exposed to somebody that was infected. Well, they would call us.

    Stillwell noted that the oil- or water-based solutions used with the foggers are 100% green and can kill viruses within four minutes.

    He added that in the case of the novel coronavirus, it can remain on paper products for 24 hours, most other surfaces for 96 hours, and some hard surfaces such as plastics and hardwoods for two to three days.

    Fassett, who recently gained further knowledge on COVID-19 through a symposium with the World Health Organization, said that it is important to eliminate the coronavirus from environments.

    Thats the ultimate goal is to stop the spread, to minimize it and get us to that level plain, so we can get back to some kind of normality, she said.

    Fassett added that disinfecting through smoggers is additionally beneficial due to its ability to reach hard-to-reach places.

    But she stressed that the use of foggers alone will not kill the virus, and her company wipes down the oil of surfaces, and fogs a buildings interior twice just to make sure.

    Its just extremely important to be detailed, to be efficient and to know your equipment and your products that you are using, she said.

    Because the solutions used by Advanced Remediation Services for their foggers are plant-based, customers can safely reenter their buildings an hour or less after their buildings are disinfected.

    Elk Grove Plumbing and Drain co-owner Mark Hutchason told the Citizen that his company strives to keep Elk Grove safe.

    Of course, were in business to make money, but our number one priority is to take care of our community, he said.

    For additional information about this service, call (916) 714-4357 or visit http://www.advancedremediationservices.com.

    Read the original post:
    Fogging out the coronavirus | News - Elk Grove Citizen

    Trump names GOP donor as postmaster general. Could that mean the return of local postmasters as congressional picks? – New Jersey Globe | New Jersey…

    - May 8, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    President Donald Trump named a top Republican contributor as the new Postmaster General, returning the post to a political appointee for the first time in 48 years.

    Post offices were once the ultimate patronage pits for political organizations, some of whom enjoyed the large amounts of cash transactions involved.

    Until 1971, local postmasters were political appointees who often got their jobs as patronage for Members of Congress. Postmasters of large post offices were named by the President, with U.S. Senate confirmation; the Postmaster General appointed postmasters of smaller post officers after receiving recommendations from local congressmen or influential members of the presidents political parties, like county chairs.

    Sometimes the job went to politically adept career postal workers who built relationships with local politicians. Over time, the job transitioned from pure political appointments to people who had post office experience.

    There is no indication that Trump plans to return to the old system, but his appointment of North Carolina businessman Louis LaJoy, who has contributed more than $2 billion to GOP campaigns over the last four year, flips control of the post from career postal employees back to the political arena.

    The Postmaster General post was a political appointment from the presidencies of George Washington to Richard Nixon. From 1829 to 1972, the Postmaster General was a member of the presidents cabinet.

    Trump has been a harsh critic of the U.S. Postal Service, calling the agency a joke and refusing requests for a $75 billion bailout with out an increase in postal rates.

    Local Postmasters

    When the Ramsey postmaster job opened up in 1957, Rep. William Widnall (R-Saddle River) asked President Dwight Eisenhower to appoint John Roosa, a community leader active in local politics.

    After Roosa retired ten years later, Widnall wanted to give the job to another Republican, Fred Warren. But with Democrat Lyndon Johnson in the White House, Democratic U.S. Senator Harrison Williams decided to make the appointment.

    That same year, Rep. Henry Helstoski (D-East Rutherford) picked Robert Nieradka as the East Paterson (now Elmwood Park) postmaster after a vote of the local Democratic county committee.

    Nieradka and another Democrat, John Mezian, both screened for postmaster. The county committee voted and Nieradka won. Democratic Municipal Chairman Sal Spinato then needed to get sign off from Bergen County Democratic Chairman Anthony Andorra before Helstoski made his recommendation to the White House.

    Postmasters were frequently allowed to squat in most cases, rather than switch them out as consequences of national elections.

    Republicans had pushed for the creation of a single Edison Post Office in the 1950s to replace what had been 11 separate post offices throughout the municipality. That allowed Edisons congressman, Peter H.B. Frelinghuysen (R-Harding), to name the new postmaster a move that upset Mayor Anthony Yelencsics, whose local Democratic organization still controlled the smaller post offices from the 20 years that Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman occupied the White House.

    In New Jersey, local postmaster was a relatively easy and lucrative position.

    Democrat William Fiedler, a former assemblyman and Newark mayor, was appointed Newark postmaster by President Grover Cleveland after losing re-election to his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Republican John Blair was one of the wealthiest men in the nation, but he also spent more than 25 years as the politically-appointed postmaster in Blairstown. He was also the unsuccessful Republican nominee for governor in 1868.

    With the loss of postmasters and congressional pages, House members are now limited to a small staff and military academy appointments.

    Postmaster Generals were party leaders

    The Postmaster General post was a political appointment from the presidencies of George Washington to Richard Nixon. From 1829 to 1972, the postmaster general was a member of the presidents cabinet.

    The legendary James Farley served simultaneously as postmaster general and Democratic National Chairman during Roosevelts first two terms. Trumans postmaster general was Robert Hannegan, one of the top party bosses in St. Louis. He was also DNC chairman while serving in the cabinet. Under Dwight Eisenhower, the postmaster general was Arthur Summerfield, the Republican National Chairman.

    John F. Kennedy named Edward Day, a former Illinois state insurance commissioner and ally of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, as postmaster general. His replacement in 1963 was John Gronouski, a former Wisconsin commissioner of taxation who had unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1952.

    In 1965, Johnson nominated Gronouski as the U.S. Ambassador to Poland and replaced him with Lawrence OBrien, one of the national Democratic Partys top political operatives. Marvin Watson, who was Johnsons White House Appointments Secretary and de facto Chief of Staff, was named Postmaster General in 1968.

    Nixons postmaster general was Winton Blount, a GOP insider who left the post in 1972 to become the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Alabama.

    View post:
    Trump names GOP donor as postmaster general. Could that mean the return of local postmasters as congressional picks? - New Jersey Globe | New Jersey...

    Searchlight on Mr. Presidents New Chief of Staff – THISDAY Newspapers

    - May 8, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Ahmad Sajoh, a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Adamawa State outlines the qualities the most valued staff of Mr. President must embody

    The death of Mallam Abba Kyari is a very big blow to His Excellency Mr. President, the government and indeed the country at large. He left a very big vacuum which will be hard to fill. While it is indeed wrong to speak ill of the dead, I find some of the testimonies bandied around by people who claim to have been too close to the late Chief of Staff as equally wrong. Where were all these people when the man was alive and so many unsavory things were said about him? Some of the testimonies do not even add up at all when juxtaposed with what transpired under the presidency when he was alive. Like I said earlier, we have all accepted this cultural norm that it is bad to talk ill of the dead. But It is equally wrong to say things not true about a man who passed away. In all honesty, we should have been more concerned with designing a template for the President to use in selecting a replacement rather than spending so much time and energy in portraying the late Chief of Staff as an irreplaceable super human.

    For me, the most important thing we all should be doing is to help the President identify a suitable replacement that will serve the best interest of the President as the leader of the country and the citizens who have a service contract with the President. According to the President, one of the qualities that stood Mallam Abba Kyari apart was his close relationship with Mr. President for over four decades. This means that whoever will replace the late Chief of Staff must have been close to the President for a long time, long enough to understand the Presidents person and temperament as well as to appreciate him both as a leader with all the burdens of the office and as a human with personal needs. Such a replacement must understand national politics very well while still remaining completely apolitical without pandering to the political whims of the different political tendencies in the polity. This way, the different roles of the office of the President cannot be compromised on the altar of political expediency or to satisfy a particular individual or group political interests.

    In addition, the replacement must appreciate working 24/7 all year round without let or rest within the Presidents demands. This must have been cultivated over the years dating to periods long before Muhammadu Buhari became the President. This is why such an appointee should be the choice of the President this time around not one supposedly imposed on the President as was speculated with the late Chief of Staff. And it is easy for the President to find such a person within his inner circular. Most importantly such a persons appointment should erase all the speculations about the office serving as the extension of a supposed cabal manipulating the governance process. This is necessary for confidence building.

    My understanding of the functions of the Chief of Staff to the President Federal Republic is one that performs a gate keeping function for the President. This is not in the sense of one who blocks people and issues from getting to the President but one that sieves through the many schedules of the President and the many issues requiring his attention. For the President, this is a very crucial role. Only someone strategic and close enough who understands Mr. President, understands his temperament and thinking can be an effective gate keeper, determining what goes in and out of the Presidents presence and office. Every individual or document going into the Presidents office should be appropriately evaluated for content and in keeping with the mood of the President. This must be done in an honest and timely manner without conflict of interest especially one induced by external forces.

    It must also be noted that the Chief of Staff is the coordinator of all the personal staff of Mr. President as well as all the Staff of the Presidential Villa. As the name implies, he is the Chief of all the staff directly serving Mr. President. Everyone serving the President or working within the Presidential Villa looks up to him for general direction and coordination.

    Supporting the political process including configuring effective relationship between the President and the political class and political office holders is also another major function of the Chief of Staff. The President as the leader of the country must relate everyday with his political party, other strata of the political class including those in opposition parties, and political office holders. The Chief of Staff liaises with all of these levels of political activity in a manner that is neither partisan nor myopic. He must understand the needs of the political class, help to evaluate certain concepts and contents in order to guide the President on the correct political decisions to make that are appropriate to existing situations.

    One of key functions of the Chief of Staff is effective liaison with other levels of the Presidents functions. The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as the Officer Commanding all other security outfits in the country. It is the duty of the Chief of Staff to liaise with all of them and keep Mr. President abreast of happenings in the security sector and also avail him information on public perceptions and demands. This, the Chief of Staff must do without undermining the functions of all offices responsible for coordinating security strategies and activities. It is a function that must be used with caution and only someone who is apolitical and level headed can perform this function effectively.

    The President is the head of his cabinet and must be able to guide, promote and protect the effective functioning of the cabinet as a constitutional requirement of the governance process. The Chief of Staff must provide support to the cabinet secretariat, ensuring that the President understand all memos and issues to be discussed to enable him guide the process effectively. In doing so the Chief of Staff must have sufficient institutional memories of the functioning of the cabinet from inception of the Buhari presidency. Such a person should have been with the President from the beginning of his Presidency.

    The new Chief of Staff should possess a lot of Institutional memory with respect to Diplomatic relationships established overtime and what needs to be done at what level. Therefore the office requires a persons who had been close enough to have been with the President throughout his tenure. He or she must be a close ally and confidant of the President. The new Chief of Staff must be able to appreciate the President as a person, his temperament and family responsibilities. He must be absolutely loyal to the President and such loyalty must have been proven over time,must have the capacity to take as many verbal and written bullets as possible without buckling or even over reacting. A person who has the technical ability to analyze documents and provide advisories for Mr. President, must assemble a crack team and work as a team player with the temperament to moderate the various tendencies that will compete for the Presidents attention

    In trying to be all of the above and much more, the Chief of Staff must avoid engulfing the office or the person occupying the office in unnecessary controversies. The whole Nation awaits what a replacement will do in mitigating some of these controversies. It is imperative that the President appoints a relatively less visible person to enable him draw more attention to the functions of the office rather than the personality of the occupant of the office. A person without much political visibility or adverse political baggage will surely bring in credibility and respect to the Office.

    It is therefore safe to summarize that the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President is an important coordinating centre for the effective governance of the country under the leadership of the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the federation. One of the requirements of the office is to simplify complex operations for Mr. President to enable him understand issues and operational modalities in a manner that aids effective decision making.

    Here is the original post:
    Searchlight on Mr. Presidents New Chief of Staff - THISDAY Newspapers

    Homes Recently Listed in the Carlisle Area | Home & Garden – Carlisle Sentinel

    - May 8, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Don't miss this delightful 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home in desirable Walnut Point! This home exudes curb appeal with its mature landscaping, detailed stone-work and maintenance-free vinyl siding. Situated on one of the largest lots in the community, this neutral, newly painted, open floor plan home is perfect for staying home with family or hosting large gatherings of friends. The grand, two-story foyer welcomes you into this classically elegant home with custom millwork. Whether you are a gourmet cook, or a GrubHub queen, you'll adore your generous, eat-in kitchen which boasts on-trend hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, lighter colored custom cabinets, built-in microwave, new dishwasher, counter-depth refrigerator and a large, walk-in pantry! Your oversized breakfast bar makes meal prep and serving a breeze! Just off the kitchen, sits your comfy, casual family room with great views of your outdoor entertaining space. On cold winter nights, warm up by the fire and get cozy in front of your gas fireplace. Your spacious family room also showcases custom built-ins. Perhaps you~d prefer lounging in your 4-seasons room, with ample windows that bathe you in natural light. If you love to entertain, take the party outdoors onto your expansive, Trex deck with retractable awning or head down to your custom paver patio and cook s'mores at your built-in fire pit. The level, nearly half acre lot offers you plenty of space to throw a football or even add a pool! Head upstairs to your massive master retreat featuring a deep tray ceiling, double closets and even an additional shoe closet. Need to relax and unwind at the end of the day? Your spa-like bath features dual sinks, a jetted tub and a separate shower. Three additional generous bedrooms all boast walk-in closets. Washer and dryer in your upstairs laundry room included in the sale. Massive unfinished basement with plenty of storage awaits your designer touches! 3+car garage has a durable, low maintenance epoxy floor. Just minutes from the Carlisle Pike and in Cumberland Valley School District, this home offers something for everyone! Schedule your private tour today!

    View Listing

    Original post:
    Homes Recently Listed in the Carlisle Area | Home & Garden - Carlisle Sentinel

    NGOs urges govt to accept draft bill The Mast Online – themastonline.com

    - May 8, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    THE Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (CNGOs) in Zambia has appealed to the government to accept the draft NGO Bill without alterations as citizens stand to benefit greatly from a robust NGO regime.

    Chairperson McDonald Chipenzi said, in a statement, that CNGOs whose mandate include to develop, adopt and administer the Code of Conduct for NGOs and facilitate and coordinate the work of NGOs operating in Zambia, expressed its gratitude at the favourable gesture by the Cabinet of approving in principle the Repeal and Replacement of the NGO Act No. 16 of 2009.

    Chipenzi said as a statutory body created by an Act of Parliament the NGO Act No. 16 of 2009, the Council of NGOs in Zambia appreciated the levels of engagement and cooperation between itself with individual NGOs on one hand and the government through the department of NGOs Registration at the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services on the other hand in the process of repeal and replacement of the NGO Act No.16 of 2009.

    Since the launch of the National Policy on the NGOs in Zambia and the election of the new CNGOs in October 2018 with the subsequent appointment of the 20 member diversely selected and Civil Society led Technical Working Group (TWG), a lot of ground (though not at a pace the Council would have loved) towards reaching the goal of having a repealed and replaced NGO Law, he said. The CNGOs understands too well the healthy but also critical collaboration amongst the members of the TWG and commends the strides made this far that include Drafting of the Laymans NGO Bill through one of its members the Zambia Law Development Commission (ZLDC) and the national wide consultations for comments and input from stakeholders.

    Chipenzi noted that the CNGOs also conducted in 2019, a comprehensive NGO Policy sensitisation through its NGO provincial forums across the country, an activity that was inevitable to precede the consultations on the Draft Bill.

    Whereas the CNGOs in Zambia applauds the approval to go ahead with the repeal and replacement of the NGO Act No. 16 of 2009 by government, it would further like to make a passionate appeal to government through Cabinet should accept the Draft NGO Bill as would be from the NGOs and stakeholders themselves without alterations as the document would not only be a reflection of the aspirations of the sector but that the Government generally and the citizens particularly stand to benefit greatly from a robust NGO regime, he said. The CNGOs is grateful to the cooperating partners that include the Germany Technical Corporation (GIZ), the European Union (EU), SIDA and Action Aid Zambia among many for coming on board in these endeavours. Furthermore, the CNGOs would like to make an earnest appeal and a clarion call on all NGOs (local and international) to take this process as golden and factor some activities, in their programming, to make submissions/input to the Draft NGO Bill, 2019. The CNGOs would endeavour to ensure and see that NGO(s) singularly or collectively is left behind and/or out.

    Chipenzi said it was the CNGOs considered view that the final product would be owned by all stakeholders and will be a beacon of admiration and best practice in the region, the continent and the world as a whole.

    Originally posted here:
    NGOs urges govt to accept draft bill The Mast Online - themastonline.com

    Coronavirus: Cabinet approves new legislation to fast-track resource consents and boost economy as it emerges from lockdown – Stuff.co.nz

    - May 8, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Asthe country braces for a one-in-100-year recession, Cabinet has agreed to a law change that will block thepublicfrom the resource consent processin order to fast track projects that create jobsand stimulatethe economy.

    Environment Minister David Parker saidnew legislation was expected to be passed in June to allow for fasterResource Management Act(RMA) consenting ofdevelopment and infrastructureprojects, in response to the damage the coronaviruspandemic was having on the economy.

    Created in 1991, the RMAallows communities to make decisions on how their own environment is managed through regional and district resource management plans.

    Parker said theRMA providedfor local decision-making generally by local councils with the publichaving a right of participation and appeal.

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    However, under the new powers resource consent decisionsfor large projects would not go tocouncil and public input would not happen. Instead,a panel of experts chaired by an Environment Court judge would determine whether a project could be given the green light, he said.

    "Most people realise that the world is entering into the worst recession in 100 years as a result of Covid-19," Parker told Stuff.

    Tom Lee/Stuff

    Attorney-General David Parker says National Leader Simon Bridges, as chair of the Epidemic Response Select Committee, has made an "unprincipled" move in trying to summons high-ranking Government officials to hand over Crown Law advice.

    "We think it's justified to put aside those normal rights of participation and have a narrower group of people make these decisions centrally."

    As Minister for the Environment Parker would be the "gatekeeper" determiningwhich projects would be fast-trackedand go before the expert panel.

    Traditional consentingprocessesused in normal circumstances did notprovide the speed needed in response to the economic fallout from Covid-19, he said.

    "The new processes will get projects started sooner and people into jobs faster."

    Both private and public projects would be eligiblefor the fast-tracked process such asroading, walking and cycling, rail, housing, sediment removal from silted rivers and estuaries, new wetland construction, flood management works, and projects to prevent landfill erosion.

    Ross Giblin/Stuff

    Roading projects will benefit from a proposed fast-tracked consenting process.

    Projects that helped alleviate housing challenges, encouraged active transport and enhanced the environment would be prioritised, Parker said.

    The projects had to be "significant" in size and create a large number of jobs, he said.

    "We're not going to be taking over every little resource consent that people have to apply for because that would just choke up this panel and defeat its purpose."

    Chris Skelton/Stuff

    In 2019 a flood ripped open the Fox Glacier landfill causing large amounts of rubbish to spill into the ocean. Projects to prevent landfill erosion could be fast-tracked under the new law.

    Once a project was referred to the panel there was a high level of certainty the resource consent would be granted, he said.

    He expected the new legislation to free up resources at a local council level, which should speed up the processing ofotherconsent applications.

    Parker said the fast-track process was designed as a short-term intervention to help with economic recovery from Covid-19 and the legislation would be repealed in two years.

    Part 2 of the RMA, which contained the core principles of environment protection, would still be applied, he said.

    Alden Williams/Stuff

    National MP Judith Collins says the changes approved by Cabinet shows the RMA makes it difficult to get anything to get done quickly.

    The Opposition's RMA spokeswoman Judith Collins said the changes sounded similar to changesproposed by the National Party.

    "They should therefore support the repeal and replacement of the RMA, which is what we are proposing," Collins said.

    "Even this government has worked out that the RMA is almostimpossible for anything to get done quickly under it."

    Parker said while projects were being fast-tracked environmental safeguards remained.

    New Zealand's health response to Covid-19 had given the country a head-start on the world to get the economy moving again, he said.

    "This fast-tracking process will allow our economic recovery to accelerate."

    Ideas from district and regional councils as well as non-government organisations and the private sector would be considered.

    Excerpt from:
    Coronavirus: Cabinet approves new legislation to fast-track resource consents and boost economy as it emerges from lockdown - Stuff.co.nz

    Red Cliff breaks ground on fish-processing facility – Ashland Daily Press

    - May 7, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has broken ground on a 3,500-square-foot commercial fish processing facility for Red Cliff Fish Co. that will process commercial fish and provide packaged products to distributors and local markets.

    This groundbreaking today for the Red Cliff Fish Co. is an historic milestone in furthering our community and food sovereignty goals, Tribal Chairman Rick Peterson said in a news release. The need to be able to feed our own community with our own resources has really been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our people have been fishing the waters of Lake Superior for many generations and this new facility will also allow our tribal fishermen to have a more direct role in selling their catch.

    Chad Abel, the director of Red Cliff Treaty Natural Resources, said with this new business the tribe can achieve local food control, maximize fisheries economic potential and preserve commercial fishing traditions.

    The tribe has been planning the processing facility for nearly a decade and hopes to complete it in September for a Labor Day weekend opening.

    Once operations begin, Red Cliff Fish Co. will buy catch from independent tribal commercial license holders, and the facility will process, package and sell different fish products to distributors, markets and restaurants. The facility also will have a 400-square-foot retail space to sell products such as fresh and frozen filets, smoked fish, fish spreads and caviar.

    Fish waste will be composted for use at the Mino Bimaadiziiwin Tribal Farm.

    The tribe has 33 commercial fish license holders who bring in more than 600,000 pounds per year, the news release said.

    Despite contributing 10.61% of all Great Lakes lake trout harvest, 17.26% of all Great Lakes herring harvest and 5.51% of all Great Lakes whitefish harvest, there is not a means to process the tribal catch on-reservation or through a tribal-owned business, Abel said. As a result, nearly all tribal catch is sold at wholesale prices to off-reservation processors.

    But once the fish processing facility starts up, it will provide more competitive prices, help create or maintain 105 jobs and allow the Red Cliff community to reap the economic benefits.

    The construction and operation of the processing facility was made possible by a series of grants, including a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Native Americans.

    Funding sources also included a $543,140 HUD Indian and Community Development Block Grant for dock expansion and improvements to Dock Road, and $595,000 for building construction and equipment.

    The Red Cliff Band has invested more than $271,000 in the development and success of the Red Cliff Fish Co. as well.

    Excerpt from:
    Red Cliff breaks ground on fish-processing facility - Ashland Daily Press

    How will Utah’s construction industry rebuild in the coronavirus era? Slowly. – Salt Lake Tribune

    - May 7, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Utahs construction industry has felt the initial sting of the coronavirus pandemic, which has fundamentally altered job sites. But the bigger challenge looms, as experts predict a lengthy downturn in demand for new buildings as the states economy sags.

    Nearly a quarter of all Utah jobs are tied somehow to construction, real estate or retail three sectors closely intertwined in any recovery from effects of the health emergency.

    Home prices along the Wasatch Front have stayed relatively level so far, according to Dejan Eskic, research associate at the University of Utahs Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. But home sales dipped nearly 24%, Eskic said, and this is a big deal, especially as April is usually the start of the home-buying season.

    Construction activity is down 45% compared to last year, Eskic said, and tens of thousands of job losses among Utahs renters could well slow future demand for nearly 5,500 new apartments that were under construction when the crisis hit.

    The Beehive State had the benefit of going into the outbreak with both its residential and commercial real estate markets thriving, according to David Layton, president and CEO of Sandy-based Layton Construction though its unclear how long that cushion will last, even as the economy starts to reopen.

    We entered this with strength and that momentum has really tempered the impact so far, Layton said Tuesday, as part of an online business conference sponsored by the University of Utahs Eccles School of Business.

    But I foresee the next seven and a half months being very telling of where our industry ends up going into 2021 and 2022, he said.

    Construction, Layton and others noted, has been deemed an essential business in state and county health orders. Thats meant work has continued but it has required changes at building sites including daily employee questionnaires, segregated chemical toilets and new hand-washing stations, the CEO said.

    Layton Construction and other firms have also seen their access to supplies of key building materials interrupted in the crisis, he said, forcing some slowdowns.

    In hopes of keeping its workers healthy, Layton said, the company has treated each of its 175 job sites across the U.S. as its own village. And as a member of the village, he said, employees have responsibilities to follow the protocols, both at the job site and certainly away, because irresponsible behavior outside of work could put co-workers in jeopardy.

    Adequate social distancing isnt always possible at a work site, Layton said, but his employees use protective gear and are interviewed when reporting to work on their risk for exposure the night or weekend before, Layton said.

    Thats been proven very beneficial in keeping the virus from entering our job sites, he said. They have embraced this because they know we're kind of all in this together.

    But as businesses from a variety of industries are now getting squeezed by effects of an abrupt decline of commercial activity, many are postponing work or modifying construction plans with the absolute requirement to save money, Layton said.

    Retail outlets have seen some of the greatest damage from the health-related closures, in a trend that is likely to dampen demand for new construction of stores, shopping centers and strip malls. And a further shift to online shopping as more Utah residents work from home is likely to make some of those changes permanent.

    Some retailers were really in a difficult position before COVID-19, said Linda Wardell, general manager at City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City. And now they're in an even tougher position now.

    City Creek Center, which reopens Wednesday after closing March 20 due to the pandemic, will see a gradual return to full business over several weeks, Wardell said. Many of the upscale malls tenants are behind on rent, she said, and others continue to see supply chain disruptions and cant get unique goods that define their brands.

    So were all going to need to be patient, she said, while customers may need to embrace new realities on hygiene, face masks and other precautions while visiting the mall.

    Its really too soon to say if our customer is going to come back into our environment to shop, Wardell said. So in some ways, this is an exciting but also a very nerve-wracking time for us.

    Social distancing is transforming the prospect of building new office spaces, too. With more office employees working from home and those going to work needing more space, its unclear just how those trends will change construction plans.

    We're going to see office users taking a very close look at densities and their workspace environments as we move forward with this new world, said Brandon Fugal, chairman of Colliers International, a commercial real estate brokerage with offices in Salt Lake City.

    Along with other real estate firms, Colliers International has produced detailed guidelines for returning to work for office tenants, investors and landlords with a goal of instilling confidence to boost economic activity, Fugal said.

    Its important that we get the machinery back in full swing here and in full operation, the real estate executive said. But with that comes great responsibility.

    Read the original here:
    How will Utah's construction industry rebuild in the coronavirus era? Slowly. - Salt Lake Tribune

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