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Anybody can elope to Vegas.

But it takes true love to elope on a front porch in Delco.

And so it was Friday night as neighbors looked on in their quarantine finest, and loved ones watched from miles away on Facebook that Joy Karsner married Brian Barton at their Springfield, Delaware County, home in a ceremony they dubbed Eloping in Quarantine.

The people of Ballymore Road came out with their babies and their beers, their dogs and their dancing shoes to groove on the sidewalk to the tunes of DJ Neeek Nyce and to celebrate the couple, true love, and finally having something to do on a Friday night.

I think its awesome theyre still celebrating all of lifes moments, said neighbor Devon Pasha, 35, who came to the wedding in her best Christmas leggings.

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Karsner and her three daughters walked down the driveway to an instrumental version of Penny Lane as Barton and his best pooch Maxine Tiggermush the bulldog anxiously awaited them on the porch.

The officiant, a friend of Karsners who was ordained online in five minutes this week, appeared via iPad and performed the ceremony over Zoom from her home in Rochester, N.Y.

At this time, we would like to honor those who could not be with us today, which is basically everyone, she said.

It was a far cry from the summer wedding at the Shore the couple had imagined, before the coronavirus hit and made everything unimaginable.

When the stay-at-home order began, Barton, 44, moved in with Karsner, 39, and her daughters so they could all quarantine together. Living together made Karsner want to get married as soon as possible to make it official for the family," she said.

The fact that Barton has spent the last six weeks sleeping on the couch with Maxine Tiggermush played a role, too.

Thats the real reason were getting married," he said.

The couple met online in the fall and took a train together to New York City for their first date. The connection was immediate.

Weve both been married before, and weve dated other people and we knew this was it, Karsner said. We know what we like, and we like each other.

So when Barton, a political science grad student and graduate teaching assistant at Temple University, proposed to Karsner at the top of the Art Museum steps in January with her daughters by their side, she didnt hesitate to say yes.

They talked about a wedding in Ocean City, N.J., and planned a honeymoon in Prague, but as everything began shutting down amid the coronavirus and Karsner was laid off from her job in nonprofit communications and marketing planning a traditional wedding became impossible.

As the sofa got smaller by the day and their love grew larger, they decided instead on a very nontraditional quarantine elopement, one they planned in the span of just eight days.

Karsners youngest daughter, Eva Drager, 9, served as flower girl, and her oldest, Alison Drager, 14, was her maid of honor. Karsners 11-year-old child asked that it say starring Katelyn Drager, as herself" in the official e-program.

The bride wore a navy blue sequin dress she rented online. Sheets of chiffon and white lights hugged the poles of the porch, and baskets of flowers hung overhead.

As more than 100 of their closest friends and family watched on Facebook Live, two dozen of their closest neighbors watched from the sidewalk or the porches of their own homes, cheering them on and dancing at all the right times.

Neighbor Jacqui Dieterle, 39, wore a brown silk formal dress to the ceremony, which she paired with a gray hoodie and a can of White Claw.

I used to not drink, but then quarantine happened, she said while dancing in the street. This wedding is great. We needed this.

Under a tent in the front lawn, the couple set up a wedding reception to go with tiny bottles of champagne and boxes of cupcakes for their guests.

Karsners mom, Nancy, who cried on Facebook Live while watching the couples first dance to the Carpenters Weve Only Just Begun, offered the first toast over video.

Id like to thank everyone for not coming to the wedding, she said.

The newlyweds had no big plans for a dinner, no buffet set up in the kitchen, just the Chick-fil-A the Karsner girls had requested and the wedding cake they got from Traubs Bakery in Prospect Park.

It was unclear if theyd share either with Maxine Tiggermush, who for the first time in weeks would find herself sleeping alone on the couch Friday night.

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With neighbors in driveways and friends and family on Facebook, this Delco couple elope on their front porch - The Philadelphia Inquirer

By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff April 21, 2020 6:25 pm Updated: April 22, 2020 4:55 am

Friends were assessing how to fix a vent to Beth Parks Gouldsboro home on Sunday when they came across a surprise: baby raccoons huddled together beneath her deck.

A former wildlife biologist who now authors books, Parks said she immediately recognized the chirping and chittering sounds the four kits made. The tiny newborns they hadnt been born long enough for their eyes to open had no trouble at all being loud, she said.

They are the loudest little things and the noise they have coming from their little throats is absolutely earsplitting, Parks said Tuesday. People hear these things and they have absolutely no idea what they are. I just find it fascinating because they are so loud.

Parks caught the mother raccoon and Parks friends moved her brood to their Gouldsboro farm abutting several hundred acres of woods. The mother went into the Havahart Trap used to capture her, and the babies were placed in a bait bucket.

We have moved a lot of raccoons, and so have they, Parks said of her farmer friends on Tuesday. They are very familiar with how to do this safely.

People who lack extensive experience raising newborn wildlife should not do what Parks and the farmers did. They should call local animal control officers or nearby animal shelters, and have them do the transplanting, Parks said.

You have to know what youre doing, Parks said. If you transport coons or any other animals, they dont have shelter against the weather and they dont have protection against predation.

The mother gobbled down a can of cat food at the farm and immediately began nursing her young a sign that the human intervention hadnt broken the bond between them before the raccoon family was placed in a vacant lamb birthing shed, where they will be warm and safe until they are ready to live in the wild, Parks said.

These critters were the sweetest raccoons Ive had yet, Parks said in her Facebook posting, calling the experience a success all the way around. Happy homeowner, happy farmer, happy raccoons, no deaths.

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A Gouldsboro woman found these raccoon babies under her porch. And wow, are they loud. - Bangor Daily News

Since schools were moved online by Gov. Doug Burgum, families have had to adjust to doing school work from home. In todays Positively North Dakota, were sharing the story of a teacher going the extra mile.

From breaking down compounds in science to writing the perfect introduction for an English paper, school can be challenging. But now that distance learning is the new norm, students arent getting the one-on-one interaction they were used to before.

Yesterday we were working on some new math concepts as math can get a little harder throughout the year, said Darlene Ruud, a fifth-grade teacher in Garrison.

She says she knows how difficult learning new information can be, especially over the computer.

I type a lot of messages back and forth and I try to go step by step with kids, but I saw they were struggling and I didnt want them to continue to be frustrated, Ruud said.

So since she couldnt help her students in the classroom, she decided to take the classroom to them.

Mrs. Ruud is very humble, and I can tell you from a parents perspective, it made us tear up literally, said parent Lisa Maki.

The Garrison teacher drove to the homes of her students, whiteboard in hand, and ready to practice social distancing.

He called me and said do you know that Rays teacher is outside, like seriously outside. So I went and grabbed a picture because she absolutely nailed it on the head because to her this is absolutely nothing but from a parents perspective, it is everything, said Maki.

As a teacher, Ruud says she has a duty to her children to make sure they have everything they need, even during a pandemic.

Its kind of who I am and It wasnt really different than what I would do if I was in the classroom with them and helping them. So I dont see it as I went the extra mile, added Ruud.

But for her students, it made all the difference.

I texted my mom on my phone and Im like help me with my math, and shes likeIm not good at math. So it was more challenging then, but when Mrs. Ruud came, I understood it more, said student Rylie Klingbeil.

I thought it was like a prank, I didnt think she was actually going to come to my doorstep, said another student Izabella Schwarz.

Not a prank, but a show of dedication by a great teacher, even in times of uncertainty.

Nothing is the same, everything is changing. and I know that these kids can rely on people that they are building relationships with, said Maki.

Mrs. Ruud has been going to see about five students a day.

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Garrison teacher shows up on porches of struggling math students to teach them from a distance - KX NEWS

Neesie Doss cant wait to return to the business of running her business, in part because the nature of her profession as a massage therapist is helping people feel better.

The coronavirus outbreak has temporarily shuttered Doss PDX Healing Massage, which has an office in Portland and Salem and employs seven licensed therapists. They have hundreds of clients, among them health care workers and seniors. Doss and her staff are on unemployment until Oregon gives the all-clear to open business again.

Im massaging my dog and cat a lot, Doss said.

One day while walking her dog in her Northeast Portland neighborhood, Doss saw a neighbor conversing with someone in their late 60s, asking how they were doing and do you need anything. The elderly person said they could use some hand sanitizer. One thing led to another, and hand sanitizer was delivered to the persons porch.

Doss felt confident the two didnt know each other. Just someone helping someone during a time of need.

Something Doss could do while waiting for business to resume. So Doss went to her database of clients and emailed all the people who might be considered high-risk for a coronavirus infection, such as seniors and those with health issues. Her offer was simple: need supplies, like groceries or toilet paper? I can deliver them to your porch.

Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter

Doss got responses. One person had a spouse who was about to go on chemotherapy and could use some toilet paper and towels. No problem. Others requested some standard pantry items.

I live a block from Fred Meyer, and its no problem, Doss said. Its not the money or time, its the interaction. If we all do this, it could make a big difference. The outreach gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Doss recently increased her offers. She has a couple dozen health care workers among her clients. When her business opens, theyre all entitled to one hour of massage on the house.

This type of generosity isnt out of Doss business character. During the 2018 Columbia Gorge fires, she offered firefighters a free 30-minute massage. Each year, PDX Healing Massage does an annual food and coat drive for those in need.

While those receiving such gifts as a bag of groceries or a free massage are in need, so is Doss.

This is probably helping me more, she said. People are so happy to see you.

--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel

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Portland massage therapist makes porch deliveries to seniors while coronavirus has temporarily closed her bus - oregonlive.com

Courtland hasnt changed much since the building Linda Peebles calls home was a commercial bank in 1899. Oh, shes made it into a showplace on the inside, complete with loft, but on the outside it is almost as if time has stood still. If you squint your eyes just a little bit, and if you have a good imagination, you can almost see horses and wagons rolling by, women dressed in crinolines and men in top hats escorting them along the streets after church on Sundays; kids playing hopscotch or kick the can, and people stopping to pass the time of day and maybe a train will go by, its whistle echoing through the little town were common in the days when cotton was king and Courtland was one of its kingdoms.

Linda often sits on the sidewalk outside her building/home, enjoying the peace and quiet, visiting with people who stop by to pass the time of day. Even with the new rules about keeping six feet of distance between folks, a little crowd gathers to stop and visit. Richard and Brandy Thompson, Lisa and Greg Pace and Stacy and Rhonda Hughes come along on their golf carts and Tim Sherrill stops his bike in front of the gathering to see whats going on. Its nice to see people gathering on lazy Sunday afternoons again, even if they are about six feet away from one another.

The view from Lindas porch on the sidewalk is spectacular this time of year. Linda and her impromptu guests are just across the street from the old-fashioned square complete with gazebo, which is set in between the store fronts and the railroad tracks. Spring has come to the valley and people are itching to get out and see its splendor, even from a distance.

Many is the time when Linda has listened to the local folks tell stories about this community, some are funny, some sad, and some, she says, just happened.

Back when Courtland was a busy, vibrant place, people talked about their crops and the war, now we talk about how it was back in the good old days when this place had just about anything anyone would want, and people came here to shop on Saturdays to get supplies for the week, and to visit with friends and neighbors after a long week of hard work, Linda reminisced. Those days are gone for good, but now, our town is coming together, people are getting out enjoying the sunshine, and speaking to their neighbors at a distance of six feet, of course. Hopefully, someday well be talking about this quarantine from our front porches, Linda sighed.

Greg and Lisa Pace have only lived in Courtland for a few years but they have become active forces for the advancement of the little town. In fact, Lisa organized and executed the wildly successful Wings Over Courtland which brings thousands of people to Courtland each spring.

From our time being in Courtland, owning the Warbird Diner and organizing the Wings Over Courtland event weve had several stories shared with us, said Greg. These stories are all from the 40s about the air base and its effects on this community. We have heard stories of the influx of men and women into the area to work on the air base during its time of construction, to the contributions of hard-working men and women who lived here.

Weve also heard the funny stories that were told about the different people who came here and the funny things that they did and had happened to them and weve also heard the sad things about how the planes would wreck and crash and cadets would lose their lives training to defend our nations freedoms.

The one story that always rings true for Greg is how this community came together to support that group while they were here. Cadets and officers frequently attended family picnics, invited by the local people. Anytime there were activities going on downtown the cadets would fly over in their airplanes to show out for the crowds, she laughed. Weve also heard stories of how some of the men came here and met the love of their life. Often they wounded up moving back here to set up permanent residence and become prosperous members of the community.

All these stories good and bad were told about real life experiences, they were told on the front and back porches of Courtland homes daily, Greg reminded us. Every day was a new wonder with people coming in and out, people coming into town, talk of the toll of deaths, and old friends getting together to talk about how things had changed with the war, both locally and overseas.

It was a tough time for the people of Courtland, Greg continued, But they all banded together and did what needed to be done to support our local troops and the troops overseas with rations and with hardships. They all held in there together to make Americas Greatest Generation, as it later became referred to.

The Paces favorite story from Courtland Army Air Base is about a lady that grew up at the end of the airfield. She came into the diner and told us about how she used to watch the cadets as they would learn to fly when she was a child. Every day they would get a little better and a little better. She said you could always tell when they were entering the end of their training because their last couple of days they would fly over very low and slow. They would wiggle their wings at them as if to wave. Sometimes they would even throw out their goggles and flight helmets to the kids below. They knew that those pilots were moving on to the next phase of their training and then would soon be going off to war followed by the next class.

Lisa recalls another story that is told about Courtland and the air base times. It is said that if you had an empty room you either had a Rosie the Riveter working at the base living with you or you had a soldier living there. This was very true all over the community, but the McMahon House (where the Paces live now) at one time held up to forty soldiers while they were building the base. One of the favorite stories of that time is that one evening while horse playing some of the soldiers living in the house, broke Dr. Jack Shacklefords teester bed that was left in the house by the family.

Brenda Kay Owen Smith stands in the park looking around at the stores, and the familiar streets of Courtland, thinking back to a time when they were filled with shoppers, The whole town used to bustle with activity, she sighed. She can recall when Dinky Davis rode a bicycle to deliver for Gilchrists Grocery. Everybody knew him; he always had something new on his bicycle to show kids. That bicycle is in the Courtland Museum now.

She can picture other stores, and recalls that Carl Jenkins Drug Store on the corner had a soda fountain. There was a poolroom next door and they had a little place in the wall where they could hand in food, my grandmother thought that was the most awful place, Brenda laughed. There were two beauty shops, one was owned by Lois Kimbrell and the other by Abilene Smith, and there was a tractor place near them. Dr. Carraway had a dental practice here. The barber shop was owned by Guy Terry, there was a movie theatre across from the old hotel, and an ice house owned by Leland Hill. She recalls Delashaws Department Store, and Son Givens Service Station which was near where Courtland Baptist Church is now and there was a blacksmith shop in town. But one of her favorite memories is of riding the train to Decatur to visit her aunt. I dont remember much about what the train car looked like because there was so much else to see out the window, she said.

It was a simpler time. I remember when I was a small girl my daddy, Flavious Owen, would sometimes let me tag along with him to the gin. I loved these times because I had him all to myself.

She recalls long lines of wagons and pickup trucks, filled with soft, fluffy white cotton, waiting to be ginned. Daddy would register our wagon, get in line and then we were off to talk and visit with the towns people as well as people from all of Lawrence County.

These were exciting days for the little girl. I didnt get to go often, but when I did, I would get a rare treat of a hamburger and an Orange Crush. We would eat and talk in the park, then go up to Mr. Boots Gilchrists store where he would get me some of my favorite candy, banana kisses and coconut haystacks for a penny. He would stand there patiently letting me decide what I wanted then say, Okay, and smile, and how I loved that smile! Then he would take my hand as we started down the street. It made me feel so special, I was so proud of my Dad!

Ellen Hampton tells this humorous Courtland story which appears in Early Settlers of Alabama, about Dr. Jack Shackelfords practice of medicine.

He had the good sense to embrace the mild mannered practice of Bronssais, in an age when colonel, jalap, gamboge and the Lancet were heroically used. He cured his patients with gentle remedies, and topical applications, while his competitors killed them scientifically. He was especially successful in nervous disorders, but his remedies were not always laid down in medical books. In one case a lady of a local family, living in the neighborhood of Courtland, imagined that she had swallowed a frog. When she mentioned it to him, he first attempted to remove the impression from her mind, but finding it useless, he said sympathetically, But if it be as you suppose, I can kill the frog in your stomach, and then remove it by an emetic. She acquiesced joyfully. He colored red some effervescing powders, and directed her to take them at regular intervals, until he returned. He had much trouble securing a tree frog, but prize of a quarter offered to the boys, at length bought one, and he hastened to see his patient, who was in a state of anxious expectancy. The emetic was administered, and after the first spell of vomiting, she inquired, Doctor, has the frog come? He answered, No, madam. A second dose was given, and she had a severe spell of vomiting. He threw the frog into the bowl, saying joyfully, Here it is, madam. She wiped her eyes, and when she saw it exclaimed, I knew I could not be mistaken. Then she fell back on her pillows and was completely cured.

The Courtland Museum is an interesting place to spend an afternoon if you love history and want to learn more about the city and the county. According to former Mayor Rudy McCarley, parts of the history of Courtland is even associated with the Spanish American War and is still celebrated in Goliad, Texas, where in 1835 Courtlands Red Rover forces joined with Texans to engage in battle with the infamous General Santa Anna. Many Courtland men were killed, and according to Goliad history, more men lost their lives there than at the Alamo. Captain Jack Shackleford was one of the soldiers who survived the battles which ended in 1836. He died years later in bed at his daughters home, the McMahon House.

Under normal circumstances The Courtland Museum is open to the public on Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. For now it is closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 virus.

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Stories From the Front Porch In Courtland | Local News - Moulton Advertiser

CLEVELAND A 34-year-old man was shot to death on the east side of Cleveland on Monday evening, police announced. The man was found on the front porch of his second floor apartment.

Police were called to Woodside Avenue at 11:20 p.m.They found the man on the front porch and gave him first aid. EMS rushed the man to University Hospitals but he was later pronounced dead.

The Cleveland police homicide unit and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's office are taking part in the investigation.

On Tuesday morning, the medical examiner identified the 34-year-old as Ian Hampton, of Cleveland.

A police spokesperson said witnesses could not identify the shooter.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact investigators at 216-623-5464. Anonymous information can be provided via crimestoppers via 216-25-CRIME.

Without critical restaurant orders, farmers destroy crops while food banks see unprecedented demand from coronavirus-related unemployment.

By Beth Dalbey, Patch Staff

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34-Year-Old Shot To Death On Front Porch In Cleveland - Cleveland, OH Patch

Nez Perce County allowed four more septic systems in the Lewiston Area of City Impact on Wednesday, drawing the ire of Lewiston city officials who have been working to reduce septic impacts on groundwater quality.

County commissioners Don Beck, Douglas Havens and Douglas Zenner granted developer Joe Grecos request to waive a requirement for a dry sewer line that would eventually serve four out of the 16 lots in the preliminary plat for phase two of his Skyview Estates subdivision on Powers Avenue. The vote came after a public hearing Wednesday that was conducted electronically to comply with the coronavirus shelter-at-home order.

Greco said that at about $80,000, the line would not be practical to build. And since Public Health Idaho North Central District has already said the soil on the lots will support septic systems, he applied for the waiver.

But in her written comments objecting to the request, Lewiston Community Development Director Laura Von Tersch said the city gave up acreage in the impact zone in 2014 in exchange for the countys adoption of city development standards.

Unfortunately, many proposals have been approved without meeting standards such as one acre minimum on septics (when a sewer line is beyond 200 feet away), storm water, and more, Von Tersch wrote. Removing the requirement for the dry line on the four lots that can gravity flow to the sewer is a step in the wrong direction. It is only a matter of time before the situation demands a special assessment district or some other funding mechanism to bring sewer out to this area.

She added that the dry sewer line will make it easier for future homeowners to hook up to city sewer and avoid trenching through what will become landscaping, pavement and accessory buildings. In his response, Greco said it is unknown how much septic systems are contributing to nitrate pollution in nearby Lindsay Creek, noting the farmland that surrounds the drainage is also a likely contributor.

Greco also said the city sewer is more than 1,300 feet away from the most recent extension into the eastern Lewiston Orchards. A letter submitted by Michael Camin, a water quality engineering manager at the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, said a nutrient-pathogen study is needed to evaluate whether the line is reasonably accessible. The city has requested such a study.

Camin also said that DEQ offered guidance to Public Health that multiple new septic systems at Skyview can further degrade water quality in this designated ground water nitrate priority area. Wastewater systems are outside of the departments purview, Camin added, and the department only approved the construction plans because they included drinking water infrastructure that meets minimum state requirements.

DEQ approval of the construction plans should not be construed as a preference for the dry line to be removed, he wrote.

Private homes built in phase one of the subdivision already added about 10 septic systems to the area before the sewer trunk lines installation in 2018. The Lewiston Urban Renewal Agency partnered with the city on that $2.1 million project to bring sanitary sewer to the area, with a primary goal of reducing pollution by getting homeowners to abandon their septic systems. Dozens of homes have already switched, and others have pledged to join them in the future.

At Wednesdays meeting, Zenner said the commissioners should approve the waiver because it meets the three main county subdivision requirements for access to the subject properties, a viable drinking water supplier in the Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District (Greco still has to build a booster station) and a way to treat wastewater from the future homes. And Havens downplayed the citys concerns over septic systems in general.

You cant just automatically say theres something incorrect about every single drainfield, Havens said, noting that a properly designed and installed system can effectively treat wastewater.

Havens also repeated his claim that a section of the nearby city sewer system was not planned and built properly, and is too narrow to handle the number of future hookups in the area. But Joe Kaufman, the citys engineering project supervisor for wastewater and stormwater, said the original design report for the line shows the section has a capacity for 2,800 homes.

The report outlines the 450 existing homes on septic systems, the 367 anticipated at Skyview Estates and an additional 450 of infill development in the spaces in between, Kaufman said in an email to the Lewiston Tribune.

This can provide some context for the 2,800 capacity, Kaufman said.

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Developer's plan to use septic systems OK'd by NPC commission - Lewiston Morning Tribune

AMSTERDAM (JTA) Video calls werent really cutting it for Fiet Aussen, a 91-year-old widow who has spent the past six weeks in lockdown at this citys Jewish nursing home.

Nearly deaf, she isnt really able to use that technology to communicate with family members, who have been unable to visit her at Beth Shalom since it closed its doors in the middle of March because of the coronavirus. COVID-19 has killed 26 of its residents.

So her grandson, Timo Haaker, 26, decided to enlist a different kind of machinery.

He called Riwal, a Netherlands-based international company that specializes in crane machines, to inquire about renting one to lift Aussens relatives up to the window of her third-story apartment, the NIW Dutch-Jewish weekly reported Friday.

Riwal, which is owned by the Israeli-Dutch businessman Doron Livnat, lifted 12 of Aussens relatives up to her on April 15 for free and has offered to do the same for any family of residents at Beth Shalom who want to do the same.

Haaker told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he did not know about Riwals Jewish connections. The company has been targeted by anti-Israel groups for its activity there.

To be honest, she couldnt really hear us on the crane, but it made her super happy, it filled her with new energy, said Haaker, a co-founder of the We Are Amsterdam tourism company, which he runs with his Israel-born partner, Guy Kuttner.

To minimize the cranes footprint on the street outside Beth Shalom, Riwal sent out one of its smallest units, which can only lift one person at a time. Each member of the Aussen clan had a quick chat of about three minutes with Fiet before being lowered and replaced by the next visitor, as onlookers snapped pictures and took videos of the scene on their cellphones.

The sun was shining, there was a great atmosphere and it was just a perfect day, Haaker said.

His mother is one of four children raised by Fiet and her late husband, Hans. They took Haakers mother into the family as a foster child when she was a teenager.

Fiet, who is not Jewish, moved in to Beth Shalom with Hans about a year ago. Hans was Jewish and had survived the Holocaust in hiding. He died in November.

In mid-March, Beth Shalom went into lockdown for fear of the coronavirus, but it was too late for many. To date, 26 of its 120 residents have succumbed to the virus and some are quarantined to their rooms, NIW reported. This made Beth Shalom the worst-hit place in the Dutch Jewish community by COVID-19, according to Esther Voet, the papers editor in chief.

One of Fiets best friends, also a Beth Shalom resident, died on April 13, possibly from the virus.

The infection rate at Beth Shalom made the Aussens increasingly worried about losing Fiet without getting to say goodbye, her grandson said.

Even without the virus, theres a chance that each visit will be the last when youre talking about a person in their 90s, Haaker said. And my grandmother has had lung issues in the past. So this concern about not getting to say goodbye was one of the main reasons I decided to put this together.

Original post:
At this Dutch Jewish nursing home, family visitors can be lifted by cranes to see their loved ones safely - JTA News

A very mild winter apparently did not assist contractors trying to seal up the many broken windows at St. Pauls, as they proposed additional project costs to the village, which were quickly challenged.

The Village Board decided to table an agenda item for its April 15 meeting calling for a change order that would drive up costs of the current stabilization phase at the historic St. Pauls main building. The identification of new broken windows at St. Pauls, during a very mild winter and while the community and country is under quarantine orders wasnt considered an accurate assessment of conditions warranting the expense. Furthermore the St. Pauls School Window Protection project would be under the supervision of the hired construction manager consultants CNY Group, represented by village resident Walter Beal at multiple Board meetings last year.

Superintendent of Public Works Joseph DiFrancisco said three project change orders were submitted by Talty Construction, Inc. at a total cost of $35,776.83; amounts of $19,043.43, $3,600, and $13,133.40, including charges for additional labor and materials.

The suggested total with change orders for the project awarded on January 9, 2020 and begun in early March would increase from $39,400 to $75,176.83.

The first change order ($3,600) submitted would be for aggregate material that was needed on the ground as there was an area where Taltys lift was sinking into the ground surrounding St. Pauls this was due to a building on that site that was removed (Ellis Hall, demolished by the village in 2014). They needed to secure the ground in order for their equipment to operate in that area, DiFrancisco said.

Trustee Stephen Makrinos immediately said it should not be the villages responsibility if the on-site equipment contractors are using and bringing in would sink into the ground. If they needed to prep a job site for work should this have not been in their bid price already? If they didnt price it then, shouldnt that be the contractors problem? Makrinos said.

The other change orders for Window Protection were also lambasted by board members.

The additional changer orders, respectively $13,133.40 and $19,043.43 were for additional windows that have broken since the job has started (less than eight weeks ago) and/or had been missed when the initial evaluation of the scope of Window Protection was done last year. The total amount of Change Orders submitted comes to $35,776 increasing the cost of the Window Protection to $75,176.83, DiFrancisco told the Board.

Members of the Board took exception that the new total amount could exceed the CNY budgeted amount of $69,000 by $6,176.83.

Trustee Mark Hyer was shocked that 29 additional broken windows have resulted over the last month, with no snow or harsh weather damage recorded in the coastal Northeast. He says there was poor oversight if these windows were missed upon initial inspections of St. Pauls.

I think we need to bring in Walter Beal of CNY Group in front of the Board to explain why this was miscalculated, Hyer said. DiFrancisco told the trustees he spoke with CNY the morning of the Board meeting, and they said there were at least 15 to 20 windows, a significant number that have broken since the beginning of March, when the job started. DiFrancisco says that would account for at least half the change orders in front of the Board now.

During a special Board of Trustees work session on St. Pauls, held September 12, 2019 with a lineup of consultants from Beyer Blinder Belle and CNY Group presenting on the initial Stabilization and Abatement stages, Beal commented that 60 broken windows of St. Pauls were to be addressed. The windows were either to be sealed with winter coming, or at least during temporary protection. The work as outlined was going to be handled by two separate crews, Beal explained, with one on the ground to cut the cracked or missing glass and another to install replacement material (either plexiglass or plywood boards).

Last September Beal told the Board the cost would be approximately $750 per window, including equipment, materials and caulking. The overall cost for the Stabilization phase including Window Protection and ivy removal was to run just under a million dollars, at $984,000.

At the same meeting back on January 9 that the Board awarded the Window Protection bid for St. Pauls it had rejected the sole bid for building stabilization from Westar Construction

Group, Inc. of Syosset as it came in $356,500 over the budgeted amount (as reported in The Garden City News January 17, 2020).

Deputy Mayor Robert Bolebruch said it was ludicrous to believe that CNY has an accurate picture to suggest that within a month, one window per day has broken at St. Pauls. Trustee Hyer said the historic property has been fenced in for most of the past one year.

We dont have 27 kids standing in front of St. Pauls and throwing rocks at the building. I would like to have a better explanation from CNY than that, Bolebruch commented.

Trustee Louis Minuto said when change orders this big could drive up project costs, nearly double the amount, Beal will need to present justification and an explanation of the issues to the Board. The other trustees concurred and the village will request his participation in the next Board of Trustees meeting.

If you look at the original project bids, the contractors price now is coming close to the other bids when Taltys was significantly under those (when the bid was awarded). You start to wonder. The broken window count is just arithmetic its just math. I would like Walter showing us the information and talking through these change orders, so that there is not just a blind approval, Minuto said.

Bolebruch added, lets just make sure we arent getting lowballed and then all of a sudden we ended up where the project is far over budget due to change orders.

Trustee Hyer noted that such surprises with contractors on the St. Pauls job suggesting higher prices could be the tip of the iceberg as we move forward with this.

We have to take another look at costs of stabilization and ivy (vine) removal and see if CNY is correct with what they presented. If all the estimates were lowballed, the price could end up three times what were expecting it to be, he said.

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Board balks at St. Paul's window protection change orders - Garden City News

BEREA, Ohio -- I live a hop, skip and a jump from one of the five city-owned houses, all of which will undergo top-to-bottom renovation before they are put on the market.

The house Im mentioning today is at 115 Seminary St. (corner of Seminary and East Grand Street). Its two stories are clad in green shake shingles, and theres a plaque next to the front door designating its construction year as 1871.

Ive walked past the place many times and have long wondered what this vintage home looks like on the inside.

I was lucky enough to get a recent tour of the place, conducted by Jim Brown, Bereas administrator of operations, and Matt Madzy, the citys director of planning, engineering and development.

Renovation by Wallmack Properties LLC took several months and included the replacement of all electrical systems, all plumbing and repair or replacement of interior walls.

We salvaged as much (original) plaster as we could, Madzy said.

Thirty windows in the house also have been replaced, as have six exterior doors and all interior doors. I can tell you that many of the windows in this home are spectacularly large, offering expansive views both up and down nearby streets.

The 2,500-square-foot house has a first-floor in-law or master bedroom suite, three bedrooms on the second floor and two full baths. The fully renovated kitchen boasts granite countertops, hickory cabinets and vinyl plank flooring.

New appliances include a General Electric stainless steel dishwasher and stainless gas range with center griddle and broiler.

The roof was replaced around 2012, along with the furnace and hot water tank, Madzy said, adding that the houses 30 oversize windows have been replaced, as have door trim and baseboards -- all in what he describes as more the old-style scale size than what you would see in a new home.

All of that is impressive enough, but whats harder to describe is a certain grandeur that many of these 19th century houses have -- and this place certainly has it.

A few finishing touches are still needed before the house is ready to sell, Madzy said, explaining that Berea City Council recently passed legislation approving its sale.

Proceeds from the sale of this home will be used to renovate the next house -- all of them former rentals. The Seminary Street home "will be on the market very soon, Madzy said.

And the price? No firm amount has been set yet, Madzy said, adding that it will probably be in the mid-two-hundred-thousands.

Hmm. Now, if I can just come up with a winning lottery ticket.

Pantrys new rules: Now that spring has arrived, St. Thomas Church, 50 E. Bagley Road in Berea, will host its first mobile food pantry in the parking lot behind the church.

Since a lot more people will be showing up because of this virus (COVID-19), the church pantry operation will be following the State of Ohios cautionary directions, said Beverly Smith, St. Thomas mobile pantry coordinator.

She said clients will not be permitted to pick their own items, but will remain in their cars. Produce and other food items contributed by the Cleveland FoodBank will be placed directly into the vehicles trunks.

We will be unable to sign people in to the Pantry Track system, so all clients will receive the same amount of fruits and vegetables, Smith said.

Teenagers who are not attending school due to school closures will gather the food on carts and deliver it to a driveway exit from the church on Seminary Street.

No one on foot will be permitted on the premises. Customers must also wear face masks when approaching the pickup spot in accordance with suggestions from the State of Ohio.

Volunteers over the age of 65 years will not be permitted on the premises of the church parking lot. The St. Thomas church building will not be open and all transactions will take place as outlined above.

Deans Award: Berea-Midpark High School graduate Brenelly Diaz Soto has earned the Deans Award at Colgate University.

Soto, a member of the Colgate class of 2022, earned the fall 2019 Deans Award for Academic Excellence. Students who qualify for the Deans Award must receive a grade point average of 3.3 or higher while completing at least three courses.

Aid for seniors: The City of Middleburg Heights has partnered with local faith-based organizations to aid seniors and those in need to obtain supplies during the coronavirus pandemic.

If a resident is unable on his or her own, or with the help of family and friends, to get food or other necessities, please call 440-234-2255.

The citys call center staff will be ready to answer the phone from 9 a.m. to 4 pm. Monday through Friday.

The city, at its website, has also provided a list of Middleburg Heights restaurants currently providing carryout and delivery options, along with a list of Middleburg Heights businesses currently hiring.

Gammella goes online: Brook Park residents can view Mayor Mike Gamellas COVID-19 address, Our Nation and City are Facing Critical Times, online here.

Metroparks safety: Residents of Berea, Brook Park and Middleburg Heights are finding the nearby Cleveland Metroparks, which have been designated an essential service, to be an outdoor respite during these days of sequestering at home and social distancing.

As such, Brian Zimmerman, Cleveland Metroparks CEO, is online to address proper use of the Metroparks to ensure everyones safety during their Metroparks visit.

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Berea house offers oodles of 19th century charm: Around The Town - cleveland.com