Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Almost 10 million pound will be spent on replacing every street lamp in Swindon with LED bulbs.

The Swindon Borough Council revealed the 9.7m project to replace the current lights with light-emitting diodes.

The authority says it will mean a big saving in electricity and cut carbon emissions.

Here's what you said on Facebook and the Advertiser website:

Mark Walker: "Where did that 10 million appear from? It would be a better investment in our dilapidated and abandoned town centre.

"There is one happy LED seller out there."

Paul Conetta: "They can't even fix the potholes so what chance have we got with this idea?"

Jennie Wolfie: "Will the amount of electricity being used and pollution created really outweigh the costs of such a project?

"Are there other ways the exact same money can be spent to have a greater environmental impact?

"If going to such lengths and expenses, can they not be made solar panelled, then it wouldn't be a case of using less electricity, but none."

Dave Durston: "Just what we need, instead of soft mild light coming through the window at night, now we'll have a blinding white light instead.

"Top job Swindon Borough Council."

Julie Clark: "They could spend that on fixing the poor roads and the bodge jobs they do that don't last."

Dan Elliott: "Everybody: 'Swindon needs to spend money on looking more attractive and being more green'.

"Swindon Council: 'We're installing efficient LED streetlights'.

"Everyone: 'How dare you!'."

Paul Tubb: "Perhaps some of us who live in the countryside around Swindon are sick and tired of the orange glow that ruins out night skies.

"Given that we've had LED streetlights for a year, Swindon Borough Council are late to the party as ever."

Lee Hallett: "Surely there is a better thing to be spending that money on."

Michelle Forbes: "Ha, the one outside my house was fixed on Monday after not working for three years, and it still flashes every now and then."

Robin Phipps: "Council finds 10 million pounds after a 3.9 per cent council tax hike..."

Toby Robson: "Is orange light pollution somehow more harmful than LED white light pollution then?"

Lee Hardy: "Can't they make them solar powered while they are at it."

Sylvester King: "They can start by replacing the town centre."

Pat Tucker: "How about filling por holes instead."

Derek Wilson: "If they do this and they save sheds loads of money, I am sure our council tax bill will be reduced."

Bill Baggins: "This seems a good idea, it's a lot of money but I think it's well spent.

"I'm not used to saying that about Swindon Borough Council."

PaulD: "Great idea. I hope they recycle all the old lamps, fittings and circuitry being placed too."

Driver Stan: "East Wichel would just like some working lights."

Frank2020: "Well done Swindon Borough Council. For once, some actual long term sensible thinking."

Jeremiah Trimble: "Saving some money is great, but I'll be most pleased at the lower levels of light pollution.

"I wish more people and companies would see the benefits of cutting down on light pollution, but it's a good start at least."

See original here:
WHAT YOU SAID: 9.7m project to replace Swindon's orange streetlights - Swindon Advertiser

BI/20/00223/FU; Harbour House, 22 Greenacres.

Demolition of existing dwelling and construction of a new dwelling, detached garage with annexe accommodation, swimming pool, boat house and workshop - (variation of condition 2 of planning permission 19/01408/FUL - Variation to the house, boat house and garage / annexe.)

BI/20/00249/DOM: Homewater, 24 Greenacres. Proposed New Single Storey Detached Private Storage and Hobby Workshop, including permeable access drive.

BO/20/00198/ADV: 1, High Street. 2 no. externally illuminated fascia signs and 2 no. externally illuminated hanging signs.

CC/19/03175/FUL: Land Adjacent To Archery Range, College Lane. Modifications (addition of exterior cladding and paint green to match adjacent buildings) of existing temporary storage unit for perminant storage use.

CC/20/00251/TCA: 26, York Road. Notification of intention to fell 1 no. Norway Maple tree (marked on plan as T1).

CC/20/00280/TCA: Spread Eagle House, 5 North Pallant. Notification of intention to crown reduce by up to 2m (to previous cuts), crown thin by 15% and lift crown by up to 10% on 1 no. Copper Beech tree.

CC/20/00287/DOM: 47, St Pauls Road. 1 no. dormer window.

CC/20/00303/TCA: 19, Chapel Street. Notification of intention to crown reduce by up to 2m (all round) on 1 no. Pittosporum tree.

CC/20/00307/LBC: William M Mercer Limited, Westgate House, 52 Westgate. Repairs to existing window and door timber joinery including the removal of rotten sections of timber and replacement with matching timber on a like for like basis.

CC/20/00341/TPA: 33, Walnut Avenue. Crown reduce by 25% (all round) on 1 no. Oak tree (T1) subject to CC/59/00147/TPO.

CC/20/00321/TCA: 209, Whyke Road. Notification of intention to fell 6 no. Beech trees (marked on plan as T3, T5, T8, T13, T16 & T19), reduce height (back to previous points) and reduce widths by 2m (East and West Sectors) on 15 no. Beech trees (marked on plan as T1, T2, T4, T6, T7, T9, T10, T11, T12, T14, T15, T17, T18, T20 & T21).

D/20/00248/DOM: 10, Selsey Road. Two-storey side extension to replace existing single storey side extension.

East Wittering And Bracklesham

EWB/20/00152/FUL: The Croft, East Bracklesham Drive. Demolition and replacement bungalow and outbuildings.

EWB/20/00312/DOM: Waverney Cottage, 38 Coney Six. Replacement single storey rear extension with revised balcony over.

FB/20/00219/LBC: The Old Thatched House, Mill Lane. Repairs and alterations (as necessary to restore the property to achieve a habitable status) to include minor repairs to thatched roof, repairs to chimney and external masonry and general consolidation of internal walls, ceiling and floors with the reinstatement of a kitchen and bathroom.

KD/20/00179/DOM: Ganders Gate Farmhouse, Glasshouse Lane. Increase in ridge height of existing northern single storey element. Provision of two new dormers. New site entrance.

NM/20/00206/FUL: Unit 4 Vinnetrow Business Centre,Vinnetrow Road. Retrospective application for change of use from B1 (office) to a flexible B1 (office) and D2 (gymnasium).

O/20/00236/FUL: Westbourne House School, Coach Road (South), Shopwhyke. Extension to the existing millennium hall and music department buildings to create a unified performing arts building.

SB/19/03138/DOM: 90, Stein Road. Replace flat roof of existing extension with new pitched roof.

SB/20/00122/FUL: Downings, Prinsted Lane. Demolition of existing dwelling house and replacement with 2 no. detached houses and associated works (resubmission of permitted 19/01225/FUL).

SI/20/00155/TCA: The Vicarage, Church Farm Lane. Notication of intention to fell 3 no. Leyland Cypress trees (marked on plan as T1, T2 & T3). Crown reduce height and widths by up to 2m and crown lift to 2.5m (above ground level) on 1 no. Yew tree (marked on plan as T4).

SI/20/00311/DOM: Holmwood, Selsey Road. Single storey rear extension.

TG/20/00195/DOM: 1, Caedwalla Drive. Two storey side extension with the addition of Dormer to rear roof face, internal alterations to create a family annexe. New Car port to rear garden.

TG/20/00252/TPA: 18, Middleton Gardens. Re-pollard (back to previous points) on 1 no Lime tree (marked on plan as T1, TPOd as T27) subject to TG/91/01021/TPO.

WR/20/00241/TCA: Stills, Billingshurst Road. Notification of intention to reduce height by 4m and width by up to 3m (all round) on 1 no. Sycamore tree (T1)

WR/20/00246/DOM: 1 Clock House, Billingshurst Road. Single storey side extension.

WR/20/00247/LBC: 1 Clock House, Billingshurst Road. Single storey side extension.

WW/20/00143/FUL: Merrow And Little Rawdon, East Strand. Installation of tennis court with 2.75 metre high fence.

WW/20/00149/TCA: Elmstead West Wing, Elms Lane.

Notification of intention to crown reduce by 1m (to old pruning point) on 1 no. Bay tree (Bay 1), crown reduce by approx. 1m (to old pruning point) on 1 no. Bay tree (Bay 2), prune back by up to 2m (to previous knuckles) on 1 no. Magnolia tree and reduce 1 no. limb by approx. 2m and 1 no. limb by up to 1m on south west sector on 1 no. Wisteria tree.

WW/20/00205/DOM: Taransay,18 Marine Close. Remodelling of chalet bungalow to include changing roof and fenestration. Existing flat roof to become balcony with access from garden.

SDNP/20/00225/FUL: Old Coach House, London Road, Hill Brow. Construction of a replacement dwellinghouse following the demolition of the existing dwellinghouse approved in accordance with planning reference SDNP/17/00659/FUL, rationalisation (demolition) of ancillary outbuildings and associated works

SDNP/20/00489/HOUS: Rose Cottage , Bignor Road. Rebuilding of single storey extension to west elevation on slightly enlarged footprint.Internal and external alterations. Installation of French window to garden and new front door.

SDNP/20/00490/LIS: Rose Cottage , Bignor Road. Rebuilding of single storey extension to west elevation on slightly enlarged footprint.Internal and external alterations. Installation of French window to garden and new front door.

SDNP/20/00404/TCA: Hatchets, West Burton Road. Notification of intention to reduce ascending stems and branches up to 2m on 1 no. Plum tree (marked on plan as 1) and fell 1 no. Indian Bean tree (marked on plan as 2).

SDNP/20/00360/HOUS: Corner House , The Street. Relocation of front entrance door in place of the front sash window. Single storey extension on the west elevation and two storey extension on the east elevation.

SDNP/20/00361/HOUS: Corner House , The Street. Relocation of front entrance door in place of front sash window. Single storey extension on west elevation and two storey extension on east elevation.

SDNP/20/00071/HOUS: Beech Cottage , Beechwood Lane. Single storey timber extension.

SDNP/20/00072/LIS: Beech Cottage , Beechwood Lane. Single storey timber extension.

SDNP/20/00275/LDP; 4, The Cylinders. Single storey rear extension, change of loft space to habitable accommodation with rooflights.

SDNP/19/05860/HOUS: The Orchard , Wakestone Lane. Erection of replacement lean-to addition to side elevation.

SDNP/19/05861/LIS: The Orchard , Wakestone Lane. Erection of replacement lean-to addition to side elevation.

SDNP/20/00295/TCA: Orchard House , Lower Street. Notification of intention to reduce crown by 1.4m (South, East and North sectors), reduce crown by 6m (West sector) and remove 2 no. lowest branches (West sector) on 1 no. Oak tree (T1). Fell 1 no. Beech tree (T2).

SDNP/20/00263/TCA: Christmas Cottage, Sandy Lane. Notification of intention to crown lift to 4m (above ground level) on 1 no. Beech tree (T1).

SDNP/20/00354/CND: Empire Hall , The Street. Removal of 2 no. existing storage sheds and replace with 1 no. new single storey storage building to the north-east corner of the site. Amendment to existing side access track with grasscrete system along the southern boundary leading to new storage building for loading purposes - (Variation of condition 1 of planning permission SDNP/18/06390/FUL - Changes to the permitted development in accordance with the revised plans listed in the application and to regularise the alterations to the altered building form.)

SDNP/20/00416/LDP: Summer Cottage , The Street. Alteration of existing fenestration to south elevation ground and first floor level, and installation of Juliet balcony.

SDNP/20/00569/OHL: Land Off New Lane, South Harting. Erection of 2 no. poles and 1 no. stay for the purposes of distributing electricity.

SDNP/20/00093/LIS: The Old Cottage, North Lane. Replace tiles on rear section of roof. Additional 2 or 3 cut and pitch rafters to be installed close to one or either side of original.

SDNP/20/00200/TPO: Land North of Brightwells Cottage, North Lane. Re-pollard back to previous points on 1 no. Horse Chestnut tree (T1), subject to HT/80/00559/TPO.

SDNP/20/00070/FUL: Bensons Yard, Iron Hill Farm, Hollycombe Lane. Construction of storage building.

SDNP/20/00488/TCA: Greengate Farm, High Hamstead Lane. Notification of intention to fell 2 no. Horse Chestnut trees (T1 and T2).

SDNP/19/06132/HOUS: 45 Elmleigh, Midhurst. Rebuild garage in forward position. Single storey side and front extension. New roof design over existing structure .Widened driveway.

SDNP/20/00437/TCA: Flat 2 Garden House, North Street. Notification of intention to reduce height by up to 3m and widths by up to 2m on 1 no. Willow tree (marked on plan as T1). Fell 1 no. Laurel tree (marked on plan as T2).

SDNP/20/00438/TPO: 81 Poplar Way, Midhurst. Reduce height by upto 3m and widths by upto 1.5m on 1 no. Silver Birch tree (T1). Reduce height by 2m and widths by upto 1.5m on 1 no. Norway Maple tree (T2), both tree within Woodland, W1 subject to MI/ 82/01100/TPO.

SDNP/20/00039/HOUS: 9 Hampers Green. Two storey extension. Re-application for SDNP/19/02071/HOUS.

SDNP/20/00064/HOUS: Ricketts Cottage , High Street. Proposed 1 no. porch, 1 no. gate, replacement staircase to first floor and cellar. Brick up 1 no. door and 1 no. kitchen window. Internal alterations to kitchen and bedroom.

SDNP/20/00065/LIS: Ricketts Cottage , High Street. Proposed 1 no. porch, 1 no. gate, replacement staircase to first floor and cellar. Brick up 1 no. door and 1 no. kitchen window. Internal alterations to kitchen and bedroom.

SDNP/20/00048/FUL: The Oak Apple Trading Co , Golden Square. Repaint shop front. Proposed advertisement for 2 no. non-illuminated fascia sign and 1 no. non-illuminated projecting/hanging sign.

SDNP/20/00049/ADV: The Oak Apple Trading Co, Golden Square. 2 no. non-illuminated fascia sign and 1 no. non-illuminated projecting/hanging sign.

SDNP/20/00234/LDE: The Carriage House , Minsted Lane. Existing lawful development certificate for addition of first floor, insertion of first floor window and use of outbuilding for ancillary domestic purposes in breach of conditions 6 and 9 attached to planning permission SJ/07/02094/FUL.

SDNP/20/00358/HOUS: Bucks Cottage , Westlands Copse Lane. Proposed detached garage and stores.

SDNP/19/05503/HOUS: Droke Cottage East, 555B Droke Lane. Rear two storey extension, remove front dormer and add velux rooflight. Demolish rear flat roof extension. Remove front part of garage/outbuilding to improve parking in front of garage.

SDNP/19/05504/HOUS: Droke Cottage West, 555A Droke Lane. Rear two storey extension, remove front dormer and add velux rooflight. Demolish rear flat roof extension. Remove front part of garage/outbuilding to improve parking in front of garage.

Read more:
Planning applications submitted to Chichester District Council and the South Downs National Park Authority - Chichester Observer

The Edward Marks Building Advisory Committee at its February 5 meeting discussed lower-cost alternatives to the $160,000 variable refrigerant flow system proposed earlier by Trane, a heating and ventilation system manufacturer.

Selectman Douglas C. Brown and building committee member Christian Valle visited the former poorhouse to see if a cheaper system could be installed.

When we met over there, my HVAC guy said he is planning on going with a high-velocity AC from the attic, fed down into the basement, Mr. Brown said.

The cost of this system is to be determined. Mr. Valle presented a second alternative.

What my guy specked was a hydro-air system with the furnace and two air handlers in the basement, and running the duct work out and coming up to the first floor, he said. There would need to be some trenching and concrete cutting work, but wed basically be using the boiler for the heat and putting condensers outside.

The system costs an estimated $38,000. That figure does not include the cost of excavation or concrete cutting.

There would be some additional work we would need to figure out to add to that $38,000, Mr. Valle said. It is still going to be significantly less than what the mini-split system is.

Mr. Brown said the same is true of his proposal, as piping would run down from the attic. This would require the committee to make a decision about the second floor.

No one decided yet who is in charge of figuring out the use of the second floor, Mr. Brown said. I think wed have to come to a consensus as to what type of walls we want to use up there, whether it is minimal walls just to cover this, or whether we have some kind of layout. That is the snag with the proposal my guy has come up with. The advantage of Christians guys idea is it is all in the basement.

Committee member Thomas H. Renshaw said the three-inch tubes needed to run heating from the attic to the first floor could be enclosed within a column rather than a wall, preventing the need to fully lay out the second floor.

Both alternatives avoid the need to inatall exterior piping running down the building.

Committee chairwoman Barbara M. Weyand said, We have serious concerns about anything going on on the exterior.

Mr. Brown said the group will determine the cost of these various alternative options.

It seems like either one will be $100,000 less than the original proposal, he said.

Ms. Weyand said she will invite Town Manager Julian M. Suso and Assistant Town Manager Peter Johnson-Staub to a future meeting of the committee to discuss these options. She said the options demonstrate there is a more cost-effective way to heat and cool the building that respects the historic nature of the structure.

Weve shown there are other ways to get heating and cooling there that is cheaper, Mr. Valle said. Once we know what the duct runs will be, we will know what we need to get that excavated and fully completed.

Mr. Renshaw said the committee should also consider the existing radiator system within the building.

There is gas service, he said. There is a perfectly good, functional boiler that feeds the radiators. My overwhelming opinion is we should not mess with the heat.

Though the existing radiator system works, he said, they would need to install an air conditioning system. Noting the changing floor plan for the first floor, Mr. Valle asked if the existing radiator system could serve all future office space.

Wed need to add baseboard radiation in a few areas not served by the existing radiators, Mr. Renshaw said. Most of that floor plan is covered by the radiators as they exist where they are. I dont believe they should be touched.

Read the original:
Cheaper Alternatives Sought To Heat And Cool Marks Building - CapeNews.net

AMD has released some intuitive features for their Radeon graphics cards in the more recent releases of the Adrenalin software suites but despite its best effort, there are many underlying issues associated with the drivers that have yet to be fixed and are swaying users away from Radeon RX series graphics cards.

The AMD Radeon RX 5000 series lineup, specifically based on the Navi GPU architecture, launched in July last year. It has been at least 7 months since the Navi architecture-based cards have been shipping in the retail channel giving AMD enough time to fine-tune and optimize drivers around them but it looks like that has not been the case.

NVIDIA Will Announce Earnings Results Tomorrow And Heres What To Expect (NASDAQ: NVDA)

From AMD's own subreddit, there are multiple reports from users who are experiencing various issues with their Radeon RX 5000 series 'Navi' graphics cards. The Navi lineup currently includes the following graphics cards which are all but based on the same architecture:

Now coming to the issues, the first and most prominent bug which users have been experiencing since August 2019 is the black screen issue. AMD has yet to isolate the issue since it's known to occur randomly. Most users have reported a black screen to occur while playing gamers or during driver installation. The first issue could arise due to a driver crash which doesn't reboot the PC but to fix it, you'd have to do it regardless. The second issue occurs due to a buggy driver installation which means that users have to clean all existing entries of the driver install using a utility such as DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller), try to reinstall the drivers again and hope that this time it doesn't lead to a black screen.

There are also some fixes mentioned by the community such as disabling hardware acceleration or disabling/uninstalling background 3rd party applications and while they have worked for some, there are many users who still haven't gone past the black screen issues despite following the fixes mentioned above.

In its recent blog post, AMD stated that they are currently investigating the black screen issues along with a handful of other bugs and fixes which would be added in upcoming releases of the Radeon Software.

XIGMATEK Announces The WindpowerPRO CPU Cooler

"The stability of our drivers is a key priority for our software team. They are monitoring forum discussions closely, including the black screen and other issues users are reporting, and we are actively identifying and working on fixes. As soon as we have more information to share, we will let you know."

Note -If you have a Radeon RX graphics card and facing black screen issues recently, then make sure to fill up this survey in accordance with your issue.

You can also head over to AMD's own bug reporting page directly to report and issues you are facing.

Radeon Driver Issues User Report

AMD also claimed to have fixed the black screen issue very recently but it looks like that is not the case as many users are still affected by it and it's not just specific to Navi based graphics cards but also their older Polaris and Vega cards as many Reddit posts point out:

An intermittent black screen or loss of display may occur when performing parallel actions such as web browsing, gaming or watching video.

An intermittent black screen or loss of display may occur when the system is left idle at desktop.

- AMD

If black screen issues are bugging you out, then other users are also reporting pink & green screen issues which sound even more concerning. A pink and green screen may be due to various reason but the most common reason would be a memory heating problem. This might be specific to some AIB variants where we have seen the memory cooling is very inadequate and revised variants had to be released to sort out the heating problems. Despite the memory running at temperatures under the maximum threshold, it still manages to cross 100C on some variants which are not ideal for GDDR6 when playing games for a longer duration.

But if you're facing this issue while installing, you're lucky as that's just a minor installation bug which can be fixed by rebooting the PC and a clean install of the drivers as mentioned above. There have also been reports of hard locks while doing nothing at all which requires a PC reboot too. The reports of buggy fan profiles, downclocking, GPU throttle and the flickering is also not unheard of as many tech reporters such as Steve from GamersNexus and Steven from HardwareUboxed have reported these issues in their respective videos which are provided below:

Now it should be stated that NVIDIA has also had its fair share of issues with Turing based GeForce RTX and GTX cards but they have since ironed out the more teething issues and we don't hear major black screen bugs with their lineup. This is important to mention because AMD's Radeon RX Navi lineup positioned against Turing is entirely under the $500 US range with graphics cards such as the RX 5500 XT, RX 5600 XT and the RX 5700 only holding up in sales figures due to their better value proposition.

In my own review, I mentioned that the Adrenaline 2020 software suite and the feature set is one reason alone for getting a Radeon card but NVIDIA also has their own share of features which are hardware-accelerated such as the likes of DLSS and RTX. NVIDIA has recently started a price war with AMD, bringing out the likes of the $230 US GTX 1660 SUPER, the $159 US GTX 1650 SUPER and the $299 US RTX 2060. Even the Radeon RX 5600 XT didn't have the most flawless launch with the whole BIOS-shenanigans pushing users to flash their cards with the correct 'free-performance update' BIOS, despite it being one great performer in the sub $300 US segment.

This and the aforementioned driver bugs put a lot of pressure on AMD as it would push more users away from Radeon RX graphics cards. Even AMD's mobility lineup of GPUs (Integrated & discrete) is affected by driver issues and major inconsistency between the mobility drivers and desktop drivers. If these driver issues remain unfixed and un-checked by AMD, they could result in a major market share loss for team red which they really need right now.

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Despite All The Efforts, AMD Radeon GPU Drivers Reportedly Still A Mess Black Screens, Stuttering, Flickering, Inconsistent Clocks & More Issues...

EAST WINDSOR The Beautification Committee and town officials have collaborated on a video that was submitted to the HGTV television network in a bid to be part of a series that renovates entire towns.

The show, Home Town Takeover, is a spin off of the original series Home Town, which first aired in January 2016. The series is a home restoration program hosted by Ben and Erin Napier of Laurel, Mississippi.

After 34 episodes of the original series, HGTV green-lighted the spin-off series in which the couple travel around the country and renovate entire towns in need of a fix up, according to HGTV.

Jillian Hubbard, who heads the Beautification Committee, says she found out about opportunity through fellow committee member Fawn Bowidas and resident Beth King.

Applicants had to submit a series of photographs or a video depicting areas of town that needs attention, according to HGTV. Qualifications for a town to be considered for the show include a population of less than 40,000 people, homes with great architecture longing to be revealed, and a main street that needs a facelift.

Residents of the selected town can expect to witness the rehab of multiple individual family homes as well as the revitalization of public spaces parks, local diners or restaurants, and outdoor recreation areas, HGTV says.

With the help of First Selectman Jason E. Bowsza; selectmen Sarah Muska, Charlie Nordell and his wife, Kristina; Nancy Masters; and Warehouse Point Fire Department Chief James P. Barton, the Beautification Committee successfully submitted its video application on the deadline of Feb. 7.

The video is just under a minute and a half long and features an array of photographs in an attempt to display the towns small town charm, historic value, and unique location.

Hubbard said the group managed to finish the project in just three days.

We all contributed something, Hubbard said. Me and the other Beautification members went out and took pictures, Chief Barton helped us by using a fire truck to get aerial shots, Selectman Bowsza gave us an on-camera statement, and Kristina Nordell edited the video and made the final product.

Bowidas says the video took teamwork.

The video came out great and it was a community effort from a lot of different people. There is nothing better than when community members come together for something positive. Good things come when people work together, Bowidas said.

If chosen by the network, the town will be part of a six-episode special event slated to air in 2021.

Go here to read the rest:
East Windsor bids for shot on HGTV restoration show - Journal Inquirer

With dueling budgets set for votes in the House and Senate, a host of big-ticket spending issues still need to be resolved.

TALLAHASSEE The Florida House and Senate are set Thursday to approve dueling state budget plans meaning the real work of the session is just about to begin.

Settling scores of differences between spending proposals that span 425 pages will dominate the two-month sessions closing weeks. Here are five key areas that negotiators must decide.

Bottom line

With its budget weighing in at $92.8 billion, the Senate spends $1.4 billion more than the House. The gap will begin shrinking once the two sides start exchanging spending offers on specific programs. But the House has touted its plan as costing taxpayers less per-capita than last years budget, and may be intent on keeping the bottom line below a thrifty $92 billion.

State pay raises

Floridas ruling Republicans rarely hand out pay raises for public workers. But this year, salary hikes for teachers and state workers are central to budget talks. Gov. Ron DeSantis created the buzz with a $900 million pay raise and bonus package for the lowest-paid teachers and principals when he unveiled his budget recommendation last fall.

But the House has countered DeSantis with $650 million for teachers and the Senate $500 million. Neither has a bonus plan yet both sides have thrown a curve at the former college baseball-playing governor.

Along with teacher pay, the Senate is seeking a 3 percent pay raise for all state workers; and the House $1,800 for those earning $50,000 or less.

RELATED: House committee votes to abolish New College as independent entity, merge school with FSU

A big ticket fight over public salaries is unexplored territory for Florida Republicans. But finalizing a pay plan for teachers and state workers will go a long way toward reaching a budget compromise.

Florida Forever

The states environmental land-buying program always turns into a budget piata in Tallahassee, and 2020 looks no different.

While the House and Senate budgets both give DeSantis more than the $625 million he wants for Everglades restoration and water quality projects, his call for $100 million to preserve endangered land is met only by the Senate.

The House comes in with $20 million for Florida Forever while the Senate pours $125 million into the program.

Land-buying has taken a back seat with Republican leaders in recent years. DeSantis had to settle for only one-third of the $100 million he sought last year for Florida Forever, one of the few setbacks dealt by the Legislature to the first-year governor.

If recent history is a guide, its likely the Senates more robust spending figure will shrink when budget wheeling-and-dealing begins.

Affordable Housing

Florida lawmakers have long drained dollars from the states affordable housing trust funds to patch holes in other budget areas. The result: $2.3 billion has been diverted from housing over the past two decades.

The House is at it again this year, siphoning off $240 million for use elsewhere in the budget, while the Senate would spend the full $387 million on housing.

The clash comes at a time when data shows that rising home prices in Florida have driven the demand for affordable housing to levels not seen since before the Great Recession. A report by the Florida Housing Coalition shows more than 1 million Floridians spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing.

The steady diversion of housing dollars has prompted legislation in both the House and Senate that would bar the practice. While the bill has cleared a Senate committee, it has not moved in the House suggesting that chamber may be looking to maintain the lower level of spending on housing as budget talks advance.

Visit Florida

The premier marketing agency for Florida tourism has been kept on a short and tightening leash by state lawmakers the past two years.

The House wants to abolish the agency at the end of the budget year on June 30, saying it is an unnecessary use of state dollars. DeSantis, though, disagrees recommending $50 million to keep Visit Florida alive at its current, shrunken level.

The agency lost a quarter of its budget last year and one-third of its 135 employees. But the governor has an ally in the Senate, which tucked $50 million into its budget for Visit Florida and is considering separate legislation that would delay its expiration until 2028.

House Speaker Jose Oliva, R-Miami, is in his final year as speaker. And after forcing the big reduction on Visit Florida last year, he may be eager to erase it completely now.

More here:
Florida House and Senate budgets set for votes, but real work about to begin - The Florida Times-Union

This past winter break, nine students and an adviser packed their bags for a seven-hour flight to Puerto Rico on Jan. 25 and came home Jan. 31.

These students got some free time to enjoy the beautiful beaches and relax; it was a service-based trip as well as an educational one. Nicole BellCorelli, the program adviser and the group adviser for the trip, said that they really tried to focus on service work and opportunities to learn more about Puerto Rico both before and after Hurricane Maria.

Courtesy of UWO Alternative Break BlogspotStudents volunteered during a service-based trip to Puerto Rico over winter break. They left on Jan. 25 and returned Jan. 31.

The students helped to rebuild homes that were destroyed during the hurricane with the St. Bernard Project that helps areas impacted by hurricanes. The group split into two and drove to where the hurricane touched down.

They helped Angel Mora and Martin Velez Rio to restore and rebuild their homes. The group also participated in ecological restoration projects like sea turtle monitoring, sea turtle nesting area restoration and dune restoration.

On Jan. 30, the group traveled to Camuy to move trees, prepare tools and signs, plant and prune plants and finished with a beach clean up. This was all to help restore the natural hurricane and storm barrier to the shoreline.

The coordinator said that the group got more done than a larger group there before who worked double the time they did; they did a weeks worth of work in one day.

On the final day of the trip, students got to help endangered manatees by working in the rehab center, cleaning the pools and cages, preparing the manatees food and filling up the fridge with it. After helping the manatees, the students went to a neighborhood to hear about the efforts to improve residents homes after the hurricane.

Courtesy of UWO Alternative Break Blogspot

A blog posted during the trip said It was good to know that we have not just been exposed to the tourist version of the island.

This was similar to the students thoughts after each activity when they had discussion and reflection. BellCorelli said that during these, the groups look[ed] back at the service work we did that day or what we learned about Puerto Rico.

We talked a lot about how, as a group of 10, we were able to accomplish a lot of work that would have taken longer had we not been there.

This trip to Puerto Rico was only the first of four service trips that Alternative Break has planned. There will be a service and leadership trip to Black Mountain, North Carolina, a diversity and inclusion trip to Atlanta Georgia and an education and privilege trip to Honduras all over spring break.

If Alternative Break interests you, check out https://uwosh.edu/altbreak/ for more information.

Read more from the original source:
Alternative break offers adventure - Advance Titan

CLEAN UP. >> JEREMY FLOYD OF SERVICE MASTER FIRE AND WATER SAYS THURSDAY'S RAIN HAS LEFT HIM AND HIS TEAM WITH A STREAM OF SERVICE CALLS. >> THERE WAS CARPET AND PAD. WE ARE T REMOVE THE MATERIALS AND. >> THIS BASEMENT IS FLOODED AND WATER NEEDED TO BE TAKEN OUT AND SO DID THE CARPET. AND CALL FOR A DIFFERENT RESPONSE. >> WE CAN DRY CARPET AND PADS BUT HAD THIS SITUATION THAT NOT AB OPTION. >> IT CAUSED TREES TO TOPPLE AND OTHER WATER DAMAGE INSIDE HOMES AND BUSINESSES. >> AND WE HIT EVERY AREA THIS THREE DAYS. >> IT'S COMMERCIAL, HE SAYS TO CALL AFTER FLOODING AND HE RECOMMENDS CALLING INSURANCE FIRST SO HE AND OTHERS WHO DO THIS WORK CAN GET IN TO GET THAT WATER OUT. >> YOU'VE GOT SOMEONE INTO THEY'RE POSITION HAD YOU GOT THERE. >> HE SAYS ONE WATER IS OUT OF THE HOME IT MIGHT BE A ABOUT TIME TO TALK ABOUT MEASURES YOU CAN PUT INTO PLACE

Following downpours, restoration expert weighs in on water damage, cleaning up

While severe weather is not expected, more rain forecasted for late week

Updated: 5:41 PM EST Feb 11, 2020

Following last week's flooding, restoration crews have been hard at work helping Triad families remove water from flooded basements, toppled trees from property and with other restoration efforts. Jeremy Floyd, operations manager for ServiceMaster Fire & Water Restoration, said floodwater must be treated differently than water that comes from within the home. "Anything that the (outside) water touches basically has to be removed because it's considered contaminated," he said from a Winston-Salem basement being treated for water damage from Thursday's storm. "A lot of the time, we can dry carpet, pad and drywall, but in a situation like this, that's not an option." Floyd said crews have been working across the region since Thursday's drenching rains, bringing them to Winston-Salem, Greensboro, even as far as Pittsboro and Danville, Virginia. He said when homeowners identify an issue, they should call their insurance immediately. He said it's crucial to get the water out as soon as possible to stop mold from developing. He said it's satisfying to assist families during what can be a stressful ordeal. "Every job is different," he said. "You get a good satisfaction, whether you do the entire rebuild or just this part, getting it good and dry. You've got somebody in a better position than they were when you got there."More rain is expected in the Triad this week.

Following last week's flooding, restoration crews have been hard at work helping Triad families remove water from flooded basements, toppled trees from property and with other restoration efforts.

Jeremy Floyd, operations manager for ServiceMaster Fire & Water Restoration, said floodwater must be treated differently than water that comes from within the home.

"Anything that the (outside) water touches basically has to be removed because it's considered contaminated," he said from a Winston-Salem basement being treated for water damage from Thursday's storm. "A lot of the time, we can dry carpet, pad and drywall, but in a situation like this, that's not an option."

Floyd said crews have been working across the region since Thursday's drenching rains, bringing them to Winston-Salem, Greensboro, even as far as Pittsboro and Danville, Virginia. He said when homeowners identify an issue, they should call their insurance immediately.

He said it's crucial to get the water out as soon as possible to stop mold from developing. He said it's satisfying to assist families during what can be a stressful ordeal.

"Every job is different," he said. "You get a good satisfaction, whether you do the entire rebuild or just this part, getting it good and dry. You've got somebody in a better position than they were when you got there."

More rain is expected in the Triad this week.

Original post:
Following downpours, restoration expert weighs in on water damage, cleaning up - WXII12 Winston-Salem

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that will extend the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for another five years and increase its funding.

The program gives federal funds to the eight-state Great Lakes region for projects that have removed toxic wastes from industrial harbors, fought invasive species such as Asian carp, restored wildlife habitat and supported efforts to prevent harmful algal blooms.

The current program is set to expire in 2021. The bill that passed the House extends the life of the program until 2026. The bill also increases the current funding level from $300 million to $375 million in 2022 and increases funding by $25 million per year until it reaches $475 million in 2026.

The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.

The bill's passage was applauded by members of the House Great Lakes Task Force, whose co-chairs include Reps. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, and Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative meets an enormous unmet need for our region and the millions of people who depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, work and leisure, Kaptur said in a statement. The Great Lakes are among our planets greatest gifts. They provide our nation with 90% of our fresh surface water, are home to thousands of plants and animals, and generate over $60 billion in wages every year. Put simply, our Great Lakes cannot be replaced they must be protected and deserve robust federal investment. The GLRI has brought to bear resources, expertise, and stakeholders from across the local, state, and federal governments to advance restoration activities.

Joyce thanked those who worked across party lines to ensure its passage this evening so that we can protect the invaluable natural resource and economic powerhouse that is the Great Lakes system.

This legislation is a great example of the progress we can make when we work together to address the issues facing our communities, he said in a statement.

Kaptur added that the increased investment provided in the bills passage offers an opportunity to get the GLRI back to the funding levels originally envisioned when the program was funded in (2010).

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who serves on the Senate Great Lakes Taskforce, said the GLRI has been a successful public-private partnership thats helping to address the greatest threats to the lakes.

Despite the programs success, there is more work to be done, Portman said in a statement. Lake Erie supports fishing and tourism industries totaling over $10 billion and is a top tourist destination in Ohio. With more than 10 million people depending on Lake Erie for their drinking water and hundreds of thousands of Ohioans depending upon the lake for jobs, we must continue to protect our Great Lakes for the economic and environmental well-being of our region.

View original post here:
U.S. House bill extends, increases funding for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - News-Herald.com

*This post is brought to you by Cynch, the new propane home delivery service. They deliver your grill tank right to your doorstep and take away your old tank for just $10 with the Crossing Broad promo code ItsLit5. Just enter your address, leave the tank on your porch/driveway, and Cynch will do the rest.*

Great basketball game.

High-level plays, high-level players, good effort from both sides, and a much-needed, morale-boosting win heading into the All-Star break. The Sixers really needed that one to preserve the sanity of the fans, team, coaching staff, media, and anybody who has anything to do with a franchise thats hit some ridiculously high highs and low lows this season.

Theyll enter the break at 34-21, which isnt super ideal, but they were able to win three in a row after losing four in a row, a streak that had fans ready to trade away the entire team and burn their shirseys in a fire pit. It was pretty rough, the past two weeks, but here the Sixers are, sitting in 5th place, two games back from Miami and four back from Boston, whom they hold a tiebreaker over. After eight days off, theyll reconvene to play a schedule that looks like this:

Theyll be favored in four of those games and have a reasonable chance to get to 38-22 as we head into the west coast road trip that includes the Clippers and Lakers. If they can manage 16-11 over the remainder of the season, theyll hit the 50-win mark for the third straight year. That seems doable, but might not be enough for the three-seed this time around unless the Celtics and Heat both fall out.

Well see. Either way, the Sixers really needed this one, and they got it.

I thought last night was a good Brett Brown game.

Bolstered by the additions of Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III, he decided to bench Al Horford, start Furkan Korkmaz, and adjust his rotations to play to the strengths of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

You saw how much of a difference it made by replacing Horford with another shooter in the starting lineup, which opened up the floor offensively. You do sacrifice a bit of defense by forcing Tobias Harris down to power forward, where he guarded Marcus Morris for most of the night. Some nights hell have tough matchups against bigger fours, while last night he did fine against a team that typically plays a little smaller.

But the spacing was evident on plays like this one, a little spread pick and roll with Embiid and Josh Richardson, where youve got a 39% three point shooter in Korkmaz in the near side corner and a 36% three point shooter in Harris playing above the break on the other side:

Simmons will just skirt the baseline there and float towards the dunker spot, ready to get the dish off from Richardson if necessary or grab an offensive rebound. This isnt dissimilar from how they played with JJ Redick, Robert Covington, and Dario Saric, but youd basically just swap out the pick and roll for a little two-man DHO action instead and Ben would sit on the weak side near the basket as a way to give everybody else room to operate.

It looked like this:

And the nice thing about all of this was that it worked well for Al Horford too, who came out on his first possession playing center and hit a pick and pop three pointer that looked like the Horford we saw with the Celtics. He scored nine points on 3-4 shooting and still played 28 minutes, even coming off the bench. There really wasnt much drop off from the 31 minutes he was playing as a starter, and he got some run with the starting group in the fourth quarter when the Sixers were trying to close the game, before Doc Rivers went small and Brett Brown decided to match.

Heres Brown on that:

It was originated out of the fact that I thought that they were going to go small. I think that, in general, not to use that as the reason, I spoke to Al Horford about it and we are trying to find ways to help him and help the team. I felt, disregarding the lineup defensive adjustment, that the time was appropriate to do it and see if we could get that second unit going with Al. We did it with (Manu) Ginobili a long time ago and Al is obviously a quality player. How I end games, to me, will be the judgement. Tonight, we rode out those big guys for a while. They went small, so did I and the decision to rotate him was driven because of that.

You see the flexibility that comes with having a more robust roster. Embiid only had to play 28 minutes last night. They were able to stagger minutes to match Simmons and Horford and surround those two with shooters. And when it came down to it, they didnt lose a ton defensively, even against a Clippers team that has elite twos and threes. They can score the ball well but lack a bit on the interior, which is why I think the Sixers are a good matchup for them (and for the Lakers, too).

He called the players-only meeting last week, before he had even recovered from his hamstring issue.

Then he goes out last night and scores 17 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Its an underrated storyline, the maturity weve seen some Richardson this season. Its hard to come into a new team as a third or fourth wheel and assert yourself, and while his per-36 numbers are down just slightly from a year ago, his two-way play really fits very nicely on this team.

Look at some of the clutch shots he was hitting last night:

In the fourth quarter, I kind of started attacking a little bit more, Richardson said. I was kind of just reading the defense. Coach put the ball in my hands and gave me the freedom to read it and attack and take what I saw.

Big threes, smart off-ball cuts, and strong drives to the rack. Hes just a very steady player and the Sixers are better when hes on the floor.

26 points and nine rebounds, 13 trips to the foul line.

I laughed after his very first bucket, the tough offensive rebound and putback, because he immediately went to the crowd and threw his hands in the air as if to say, I hear you, look at me in the paint, playing bully ball.

After the game, he confirmed what we already knew, that he was just clapping back and doing a bit of trolling, playing to the crowd and getting back to being the good asshole of years past.

Said Embiid:

Its all love. I understand where theyre coming from, but I do know that they got my back. Through the injuries and what weve been through, Im still here. This is still my city, this is still our city, so were just going to keep pushing and try to win that championship.

Its all good. Were just riding the emotional rollercoaster that is Joel Embiid.

26 points + 12 rebounds + 10 assists = a $48 free bet if you took the Ben Simmons Draftkings Scoring Special promo last night.

He was stellar. Absolutely fantastic, driving to the rack, playing ferocious defense on Kawhi Leonard, and just finding that locked in mentality that hes spoken about so many times this season.

One thing I noticed was that he didnt get jack shit in the way of calls last night. There were at least 3-4 sequences where I was sitting there and thinking, surely thats a whistle.

Nah. No call from the refs.

I also noticed they used a couple of those interior pick and rolls with Embiid, the plays that look a bit like a short brush cut closer to the rim. Ben got that ridiculous turnaround no-look shot to go on that kind of sequence, and there was one earlier in the game where the floor spacing looked like this:

These actions are interesting, because Embiid is big enough to basically seal guys off entirely, so Simmons gets a run at a guy like Zubac instead. Hes oftentimes quick enough to just turn that corner and attack, or try the floater, but with three shooters fanned out on the weak side, he also has multiple drive and kick options if those defenders try to collapse on him.

Enjoy the All Star break everybody. We all need it.

Originally posted here:
A Restoration of Sanity Observations from Sixers 110, Clippers 103 - Crossing Broad