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The steel skeleton of the new federal courthouse in Harrisburg is going up, up and up this fall, taking the fortunes of several dozen construction contractors with it.

But when it comes to city-based, minority-owned businesses, nobodys been able to get inside the projects fenceline to date.

Not one, said the Rev. Franklin Allen, president of the Greater Harrisburg Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Not one.

Its exactly the result regional civil rights leaders warned about starting last winter, as construction contracts were starting to be let on what will become a $150 million public building on the corner of Sixth and Reily streets in Harrisburgs Midtown District.

But Allen and others are still battling, and still hopeful, that as more of those Tier One sub-contractors arrive on site next year and start hiring those who will actually do the work and receive the paychecks for it, the storyline will start to change in favor of city businesses and residents.

We are endeavoring to schedule a meeting with contractors that have yet to perform (work at the site), Allen said this week. "There has been a little movement. However.... we will need a real breakthrough to avoid a protest during the ribbon cutting. I expect God will deliver one.

On one level, Pittsburgh-based construction manager Mascaro Construction Co. contends construction firms in South Central Pennsylvania have been well served by the courthouse project. Work on project kicked off in late 2018 and the building is scheduled for opening by early 2022.

Mascaro has said about 67 percent of the dollar value of the contracts let to date have been signed with 23 firms in Dauphin, Lancaster and York counties. That number ticks just a little bit higher if you count single firms in both Cumberland and Perry counties that also made the list.

The value of individual contracts was not shared with The Patriot-News / PennLive, for proprietary reasons.

That equates to a cool $80 million-plus that is staying with regional employers like Kinsey Manufacturing of York; the Smucker Company in Smokestown, Lancaster County; or Hershocks, Inc. and Novingers Inc., both of Harrisburg.

Thats a much higher degree of local hiring... than we would typically expect on a project outside of a large construction market, said Will Powell, spokesman for the federal General Services Administration.

What can also work to the regional workforces advantage is that theres not always a straight line between what contractor has received a job and who is going to staff it.

For example, the main plumbing contract for the courthouse has been awarded to W.G. Tomko, a contracting firm based in Finleyville, Pa., in Washington County. But when Tomko fills out its workforce for the Harrisburg project, it will turn to Local 520 of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, which represents workers through south and north-central Pennsylvania.

Tomko spokesman Justin Hensberger said those workers might live in Harrisburg or an hour-and-a-half away; in the construction world both would be considered local, because theyre driving to and from the job site every day, as opposed to staying in hotels.

But theres local, as the construction industry defines it: Are the workers able to drive home at the end of their shift? And then theres local as community leaders see it: Is anybody who lives in the city where this building is rising - where nearly one in three residents live in poverty - seeing a paycheck from its construction?

Its the view through the second of those filters that still has the African-American leaders who last winter launched weekly protests at the courthouse - Jericho Marches, as they have come to be known - on the march.

To some degree, the tension is the inevitable result of a minority-owned contractor community in Harrisburg that is largely made up of smaller businesses who dont have the capital or resources to compete for major public works contracts.

Mascaro, whose representatives referred most questions for this story to the GSA but did supply information to PennLive on its business outreach efforts, had three major meet-and-greets to which scores of suppliers and contractors were invited in 2017 and 2018.

Invitations to bid, in addition to traditional trade publications, were distributed to 11 business and trade organizations, including the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Diversity Coalition.

In addition, Mascaro participated in a city government-sponsored event for minority and women-owned businesses in June 2018.

But in the end, only one minority-owned business has landed a contract thus far: Trihanson Development of Carlisle.

Trihansons owner, Carlisle resident Jameson Christopher, told PennLive hed been watching the courthouse project from Day One as a potential source of business, and hes worked over the last two years to build a relationship with Mascaro representatives.

In the end, Christopher, who is African-American, said his efforts paid off.

He didnt get the main painting contract for the building.

But Mascaro officials reached out to him directly and offered to split off painting of the courthouses interior stairwells to Christophers firm. I just thought it would be best to get something rather than nothing, and then start working with the company, he said in an interview.

Its called building a relationship, Christopher said. "Thats just something thats done in every aspect of our world."

Many other minority contractors especially those who told PennLive they didnt have the size or financial resources to bid on the tier one subcontracts are still hopeful about landing jobs as subs to the subs as the building takes shape.

One of those hoping to get the courthouse on his work calendar is Dwight Henry, owner of Goal Line Construction in Harrisburg.

Henry has been in contact with Smucker, the Lancaster County drywall contractor, about getting his crew hired on once the work moves to the interior of the rising building. Theres been open interest in having some kind of sit down, without any guarantees, Henry said. I guess thats hope.

Smucker officials did not return messages left for this story.

Same deal for Shariah Brown, owner of Personal Touch Cleaning Services, who hopes to get involved in final clean-up after construction, but before the building is turned over to the government.

Its in your hometown, and its a nice project, and of course, its federally-funded, Brown said, noting shes been told the package for the kind of finishing services her crews provide wont be awarded until 2021, and that she is on the list. So whatever they send us, we plan to bid on it.

Landing such work is not only important for the bottom line now, Henry noted, but also in helping businesses like his build their capabilities so more can compete directly for future contracts, and help more families share in the cycle of investment that follows.

The answers for these and other contractors is is still perhaps a year away.

According to the GSAs Powell, the courthouse project is about 25 percent complete now, with most of the work centering around the erection of its steel frame.

Construction activity should hit its peak next summer, when Powell expects daily average employment at the site to hit about 150 workers.

Allen and other African-American leaders say that is the immediate focus of the Jericho Marchers. If you have to be a sub (contractor) of a sub of a sub, Allen said, thats OK as long as youre getting in the door.

Mascaros proposed project cost, as schemed out in 2017 bid documents, is $158.4 million.

The aggregate value of all sub-contracts awarded through September is $124.9 million. GSA would not release the individual value of each sub-contract, which it holds as proprietary information. So its impossible to know the dollar value of the contracts with these firms.

But in its bid package PennLive obtained redacted copies of the package hrough a Freedom of Information Act request to GSA Mascaro had established a goal of awarding $35.7 million in contracts to all small business categories, including:

Of the 65 total sub-contract packages awarded to date, 21 have gone to 15 firms that are in categories that the federal government has classified as small or disadvantaged. By classification, they are:

Small Business Enterprises: E&E Contracting, McConnellsburg; Macri Concrete, Harrisburg; Tyndal Flag Service, Harrisburg; Goodwin, New Castle, Del.; Bailey Landscaping, Harrisburg; Port Elevator, Williamsport; Miller Church Interiors, New Holland; Gibble Construction, Elizabethtown; and TuboTek, Shermans Dale.

Women Business Enterprises: E&E Contracting, McConnellsburg; Fisco Flooring, Dauphin; Franco Associates, Pittsburgh; Reed Building Systems, Hummelstown; VO George, Pittsburgh.

Minority Business Enterprise: Trihanson Painting, Carlisle.

Service-disabled veteran-owned Small Business: Harnden Group, of Harrisburg.

Mascaro noted that its large business sub-contractors and suppliers are also encouraged to use additional small and disadvantaged enterprises where possible and applicable to the scope of work they were providing.

Allen said even as his Jericho Marchers fight for more Harrisburg resident and African-American employment at the courthouse, he hopes their work will have an impact far beyond this project.

His long-term goal is to put the concerns of city residents front-and-center to the developers of Harrisburgs next set of office towers: a new academic / lab building for Harrisburg University; a replacement for the current state Archives, and a new state office building.

Were not getting our due share, the NAACP president said. But our protests are not over. They will continue until the blue ribbon is cut for this building, and the next building, and the next building.

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As new federal courthouse goes up, Harrisburg-based firms struggle to get a share of the work - PennLive

The team at Superchief Gallery was working late into the night building a giant, bloody severed penis. The art gallerys edgy sensibility had always generated hype, but over the preceding few years, its hard-partying brand had spread its wings, as it set up permanent warehouse spaces in New York and Los Angeles, held massive parties in Miami, and cultivated lasting relationships with established media companies like Juxtapoz and Vice. The next day, on April 27, 2018, Superchiefs New York location, a cavernous 7,000-square-foot warehouse space in Ridgewood, Queens, was opening a solo show for Mike Diana, the first artist ever to be convicted of criminal obscenity in the United States. In honor of the gleeful debasement that defines Dianas work, Superchief was installing a towering, dismembered human figure in the gallery, and as carpenters built its splayed, marionette-like wooden arms, a small crew knelt on the gallerys black concrete floors, cutting strips of fabric and tackling the dick problem.

Part of the piece was this guy had a dick that wrapped around the gallery. It was like 80 feet long, said Jeanne Hurd, an artist who was then an unpaid volunteer at Superchief. They were trying to fill this dick with balloons to make it hold up, and I suggested filling it with inflated garbage bags instead, she added.

Ed Zipco, one of Superchiefs owners, had been standing nearby and took notice of her time-saving innovation. He was like, Jeanne youre a genius, you can have any job you want here, she said. At first, she was elated, though she wasnt sure if Zipco was serious. As was often the case, Hurd alleged, he was tripping on acid. The next afternoon, Zipco was still interested in hiring Hurd, but she was disappointed to find out the gig only paid $100 a week for four shifts, each between six and 10 hours. It wasnt enough to pay bills, though Hurd also worked at a coffee shop and figured the experience and exposure would be worth draining her bank account. (Hurd was, according to her, unfairly, fired for lateness in 2018.) Besides, as Zipco always reminded his crew, he doesnt think of Superchief as a business: its a family.

Founded in 2012 by Zipco and partner Bill Dunleavy, Superchiefs tastes favored body horror and creative oddities, drawing on street art, comics, digital works, and LGBTQ cultural communities to build broad rebel aesthetic. Superchief New York was, as one former employee puts it, a blob that in addition to showing art, housed artists studios, a cyclorama photo studio, and a film screening area. It evolved into less of a classic art gallery and into a sort of event space, a hangout where skaters, graffiti kids, and art nerds congregated, and a nightlife scene, inviting packed-out dance parties like Fight Club, and WWE-style drag-wrestling extravaganza Choke Hole.

Dunleavy, a photographer and grown-up punk-rock guy described by former employees as chill and kind of quiet, ran West Coast operations, while Zipco controlled New York and a number of other projects and events under the Superchief name. (Zipco and Dunleavy did not respond to interview requests for this story.) Broad-shouldered, with a red-blonde beard and slicked-back hair, Zipco had a reputation for being a provocateur with an edgy sense of humor. In 2015, for example, he was criticized for using a fatal beating that took place across the street from one of his galleries to promote an event, telling Gothamist that the death was nice, in a weird way, and a bit of Old Brooklyn. He added that he wasnt trying to disrespect somebody deads family. Zipcos twisted take mirrored the curation at Superchief, where the art often channeled the same morbid fascination and thirst for authenticity.

Art exhibitions, which often traveled between Superchief locations, included group shows and solo shows for emerging artists, like muralists The Yok and Sheryo, as well as sculptor Sarah Sitkin, whose well-received Bodysuits exhibition featured wearable suits fashioned from silicon and latex meant to realistically mimic the human body. Zipco reportedly built his talent pool from a core group of artists he knew from his tenure as a photographer for Vice in the late 2000sthat era looms large at Superchief, through talent like international street-art star Swoon, or UFO 907, whose spray-paint alien octopi were once a load-bearing piece of the Williamsburg-area landscape.

Despite that legacy, Superchief has stayed relevant, surrounded by a virtual colony of young volunteers and art students. Zipco and Dunleavy have a knack for connecting with artists that are speaking to a lot of younger people, said Caitlin Crews who volunteered for Superchief in 2016. Former Superchiefer workers in their early 20s say they were drawn in by minimal psychedelic artists like Lilkool and Yung Bachelor, the magical, animal worlds of Boy Kong and muralist Lauren YS, and photographers like Parker Day, whose freaky, super-saturated portraits ooze joy and dread, connecting like a gentle slap in the face. From a curation standpoint [Superchief is] so good, Crews argued. But in terms of execution and the people management part? Horrible.

According to the dozen former or current Superchief crew members interviewed for this article, the gallerys hyped reputation has only been made possible through labor practices that they allege are illegal, unethical, and unsafe. More than a simple dispute over wages, or even just the latest example of the unfortunate-yet-unsurprising prevalence of unpaid labor in the arts, numerous former Superchief crew members allege that Zipco fosters unhealthy relationships with his employees and relies on emotional coercion and drugs to manipulate people. Zipco did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but according to former employees and volunteers, he regularly evaded conversations about payment, pleading poverty or allegedly demanding that they be grateful for the opportunity.

Its like a cult, Hurd said. Recently, anger from Superchief alumni has bubbled out onto social media with former gallery associates decrying a work atmosphere they describe as pure chaos, an ongoing abuse of power andmaybe most devastating to the gallerys brandsuper wack.

Ed Zipco grew up in Florida and became a photographer for Vice when the magazine was still a countercultural phenom, before the multibillion-dollar valuations, in an age when Brooklynites were dipping in dumpster swimming pools, the economy had dipped into the toilet, and the Hipster Grifter was on the loose. Zipco launched his own magazine, Chief, in 2006, and in 2009, with Dunleavy, it morphed into Superchief.tv, a blog that kept a party calendar, riffed on fashion, and offered irreverent takes on the days headlines.

William Medonis said he worked on a team of what he described as about a dozen unpaid, unstructured, quote-unquote interns who posted on the Superchief.tv blog. Medonis, now 27, said one day in 2011, Zipco walked in and said: Look, were going to start a gallery. Superchief Gallerys first location was just literally some dudes loft, he added, and he and the other interns went from doing magazine stuff to just all-hands-on-deck, lets all work for this art gallery. Zipco was already well-connected: He knew [musicians like] Matt and Kim, Zebra Katz, he knew Ninjasonik, said Medonis. Soon Superchief was holding successful art shows and parties around the city.

Superchief ran through a handful of spaces in Soho, the Lower East Side, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg, toeing the limits of gentrifications reaches and drawing raucous crowds, at one point pulling off a string of 52 art shows in 52 weeks, all while dodging noise complaints and landlords. The blog faded away completely and the gallerys partnerships with downtown and Brooklyn bar spaces like CultureFix and Tender Trap eventually fostered a business model that Paper described in 2013 as based around selling drinks, not paintings.

Volunteers came and went, but in some ways, the inner circle at the gallery was actually like a family. Over long weeks that could stretch into 70 or more hours of work, crew members grew close. We all loved each other, said Hurd, now 21, a diminutive woman with soft features and short, dark, tousled hair. She felt like they were doing something important, she remembered, clawing their way into a stodgy art world with spray paint and street smarts. We were these cool misfit artist kids coming together and pulling off these big shows.

But Superchief isntand has never beena collective, or a co-op, or a nonprofit organization; its a business whose product is as much a vibe as it is art. Superchief is a clout machine, said Rben Temmeli, 24, who worked at the gallery for about two years. Coming to Superchief means a famous artist might talk to you. And they might remember you depending on what you did. Many of those who worked for free or below minimum wage were lured by the social aspect of the scene, like Temmeli, who said that, at first, he was mostly looking for new friends. Others were there for pure networking reasons or Instagram trophies, but the majority were young artists, like Hurd, or aspiring gallerists hoping to advance their career.

Even as the gallery continued to grow, Superchief New York never seemed to have the funds to maintain a real payroll. From her experience working with museums and arts nonprofits, Crews said she immediately realized that something at Superchief wasnt right. They were doing so much, said Crews, and that labor rested on young people and particularly young people of color to pull it off.

Jetaime Pizarro, Superchiefs general manager who quit in late 2018, sat cross-legged on a bench in the backyard of her Bushwick apartment building, her shaved head grown in enough to cover the tattoos on her scalp. Recently, she and Temmeli hired a lawyer to pursue legal action against Superchief and recoup unpaid back wages. (They have yet to file a lawsuit.)

She said that during her two years at Superchief, she managed gallery, event, and studio operations, as well as building and staff management, and promotion. Pizarro said after interning for several months, she was hired in 2016, at $10 per hour for 25 hours a week of work. Soon after, she says, Superchief began building out its Ridgewood warehouse and operating in Miami, and her schedule ballooned to 70 or more hours every week, though she was still only being paid for a part-time schedule. Even after an eventual raise, she was still making much less than minimum wage.

But she and Zipco were close, even though, she noted, they sometimes clashed. She remembered that Zipco called her his best friend and described himself as both mentor and father figure. That kind of rhetoric had an emotional impact on her. Growing up, she said, My father wasnt in the picture, and we were always financially struggling. According to Hurd, Zipco wanted Pizarro to see him as a savior. She was really struggling when she met Ed. He took her under his wing.

Months after she quit Superchief, Pizarro started speaking out on Instagram. In a series of posts beginning in mid-May, Pizarro, who is black, compared working at Superchief to slave labor. In the posts, she claimed she was promised $15/hr which quickly became $5.50/hr, and alleges that Superchief gets cool off the unappreciated, unlawfully underpaid, back breaking work of disadvantaged POC staff. Zipco, she alleged, had been aggressively leading me to believe he had my best interest at heart. While constantly denying me time off, ability to sleep and do basic human functions. Her posts are filled with supportive comments from former Superchief employees, both paid and unpaid.

One post included a picture of Azealia Banks performing at one of Superchiefs 2018 Art Basel parties, an engagement that, according to Pizarro, ended with Azealia Banks burned, not properly paid and letting @edward.zipco know point blank that she would not be working with him anymore. (Banks did not return requests for comment.) On Instagram, Pizarro tagged organizations that have worked with the gallery, including Vice, Juxtapoz, and the Scope Art Fair.

Like other former employees interviewed for this story, Pizarro lived in a room at the gallery for a time, and during that time she alleges, most of her wages went immediately back to Superchief for rent. When [employees] were living in the space they were constantly there, said Hurd. Pizarro said once she moved in she was never off the clock.

Having people in the gallery all of the time was important to Zipco. It gave the appearance that the party was always going, and visitors and scene hangers-on could show up there all hours of the day, said Temmeli. From the employees perspective, he added, once they started logging all those long, late nights and living there, You feel like you guys are really building a life together. That same bond eventually became a kind of trap. There definitely was a very real feeling of oh, Im going to lose all the people close to me right now if I walk away from Superchief.

Pizarro claimed that she endured the dizzying schedule, in part, because Zipco promised she would eventually be given his position, that he was training her to take over the New York gallery. Zipco told her that Superchief was always just on the verge of making real money, and soon theyd be able to do things right, pay people what they deserved, and free him up to take on new cities and projects, leaving her and the other dedicated staff to run New York. After more than two years, none of his promises materialized and Pizarro was burnt out, her mental and physical health in shambles.

When she finally quit, Zipco told her that she needed to go to therapy. In a moment that, according to Pizarro, showed how off-base the relationship had become, Zipco dismissed her concerns about wages and hours. He said hearing you guys talk about this stuff is like having kids and working hard to give them food, and having them tell you that they dont like what theyre eating. Since she began posting about her experiences at Superchief, Pizarro said that shes been contacted by people who had the same story play out with them, all the way back to 2012. Theyre all just as angry about how it happened. They were all lied to in the same way.

Like Pizarro, Temmeli also lived in the gallery. He said that in exchange for helping out, Zipco let him crash on the couches. Eventually, that arrangement turned into a regular gig with some responsibility, including operations and construction. He was fired in April after months of increasingly angry confrontations with Zipco about how the gallery was being run. He said that during the time he worked at Superchief, he was paid $325 per week for what he described as unlimited hours of work. At one point, he said, he was not paid for a period of months, and then eventually only paid part of his earnings, and told he could either take it or leave it.

Temmeli said Zipco told him the same things he said to Jetaime, youre going to inherit Superchief, I want you to take over my role Im talking, in the middle of the night, crying, talking about how Im like a son to him. Temmeli said he always found Zipcos family schtick a bit corny, but he believed, if it did become successful, then Id be able to be like, Yo look, were making millions now, give me mine. I thought Maybe this will pay off in the end. Zipco, Temmeli said, wants you to feel like hes promising the world and all this shelter and stability. And at the same time, he puts in the back of your mind that it can all be taken away at any moment.

Outside of his pseudo-paternal relationships with employees, art is a family business for Zipco. His grandmother, Anita Shapolsky, is a venerable gallerist on Manhattans Upper East Side who also runs an arts foundation in Pennsylvania. Shapolsky, now in her 80s is, according to Hyperallergic, a veteran of the New York School, of mid-20th-century abstract expressionists. She has plugged Superchief in interviews, and two former employees who claim to be familiar with Superchiefs finances said that shes invested at least $150,000 in her grandsons business. Shapolsky said that while she had lent Superchief money, over the years, she had never invested in the business.

Ed comes from pretty good money, like from his grandma, said Medonis. He remembered that Zipcos family would hire him for odd jobs at the Shapolsky Gallery or other family-owned businesses. Lara Goetzl, who managed Superchief Gallerys earliest incarnations in 2012 and 2013, also worked for Shapolsky. I love Anita, shes a real one, said Goetzl. She remembered Shapolsky buying a piece of art from Zipco in the gallerys early days. I, of course, rolled my eyes at, but she didnt want to hear any of that because hes her grandson.

Back then Zipco wasnt pushing the gallery family narrative, Goetzl said, but the labor situation wasnt too different. She was the gallerys sole paid employee and was usually directing 15 or more unpaid part-timers. The size of the Superchief New York crew ebbed and flowed over the years, but former employees said things really became strained around 2016, when the New York gallery suddenly needed to staff out a giant warehouse space, juggle operations in new cities, and manage mainstream art-world partners. Over the last few years, at any given time there would be anywhere from five to 50 volunteers cycling in and out, along with maybe 10 staff members, some of whom were paid regularly and some of whom were just thrown 50 bucks here and there, said Temmeli.

Unpaid workers might be bartending (a coveted task, since it came with tips), working the door or merchandise booth at events, performing administrative tasks, painting, or building installations with the paid crew. Isaac Parker, a former Superchief employee, estimated that during the time he worked there, roughly two-thirds of the work done at the gallery was completely unpaid. The term intern was sometimes used to describe these workers and occasionally an actual intern would arrange college credit for time spent at Superchief, though the vast majority were simply volunteers, with no educational pretext. In a March Facebook post, for example, Superchief announced it was looking to ADD TO THE A-TEAM with a call for volunteers to help out with admin, art handling, production, and ALL of our events!

In almost all cases, its illegal for private businesses to use unpaid, recurring volunteer labor and in order to hire unpaid interns, for-profit businesses must meet a series of strict guidelines, including notifying interns of their unpaid status in writing. According to the mandates of the New York State Department of Labor, the companys system of informal payments that allegedly left many employees far below minimum wage likely violated a number of labor laws and tax laws. Former Superchief workers said that when they complained about wages, Zipco would, depending on his mood, either lecture them on how they should be more grateful for the opportunity, plead poverty, or apologetically tell them he was new at this, and still figuring things out as a business owner.

Despite the high-profile shows and media attention, in a way, Superchiefs success is illusory said Christopher Bleuze-Carolan, a 31-year-old video artist who managed personnel, logistics, and the gallerys tech and digital art offerings. Bleuze-Carolan says he was promised a piece of the company, but was fired earlier this year, and hes now in my own legal situation with Superchief and Im working that out currently. (Bleuze-Carolan worked as an unpaid intern at Kotaku in 2011.) Bleuze-Carolan is trying to negotiate with Superchief for some kind of compensation and has not yet filed a lawsuit against the gallery though he wont rule out the possibility of eventually suing to recover lost wages. The business, he said, is frequently on the brink of financial collapse, and On paper [Zipco] has nothing.

Though Zipco doesnt take a salary, Pizarro and Bleuze-Carolan allege that his personal finances are inextricably tied up with the gallerys finances. He doesnt often buy himself new clothes or anything like that, said Pizarro, but his cell phone bill? Paid for with Superchief money. His food and drugs? Paid for with Superchief money.

Zipco likes to call Superchief a DITDo it together, project as opposed to a DIY, Pizarro said. Were on a ship, he would tell his workers, or were pirates, were at war. According to one of Superchiefs Facebook pages, the gallery is a community center. And Zipco seems to exploit that sense of community, many of his former employees described how warm and charming he could be. But that too could cross workplace boundaries. One Superchief associate, who asked not to be identified, said they noticed in the early days, a lot of people [Zipco] ended up hiring were people he hooked up with. Goetzl added that [Zipco] wasnt sexually inappropriate with anybody, but he would certainly make comments about women being attractive or not attractive enough, things like that. According to Pizarro, Zipco once told her he was always happy when pretty interns quit, because then I can start dating them, and made other, similar remarks that left her worried he saw our interns in a sexual manner.

Similarly, Hurd alleged that in late 2018, she saw an Instagram call for volunteer figure drawing models that left her infuriated. Though it was slightly censored for Instagram, the entire photo is me up close nude, she said. Jetaime and I and a couple of other girls organized a live art night, Hurd explained, and she regularly modeled. A picture of her in little but sparkling clown makeup and a ruffled collar had been repurposed for the recruitment advertisement, a use Hurd said she definitely didnt consent to.

She was able to get the post taken down and Hurd eventually sent an email threatening to sue Superchief for chronic underpayment and the use of her unclothed image. She never got a response, she said, and she didnt pursue it further because, at that point, I was completely broke. I was just like, youre really going to fire me and then use a cool photo of me to get more people to work for you for free?

Though he always seemed to be navigating some drama with an irate employee or disgruntled business partner, according to his former employees, most of the time Zipco personally avoided confrontation, usually firing people through an intermediary. He was usually jokey said Hurd, but other times he was just snap and suddenly make me feel like I wasnt even a person. He says weird, stupid shock shit, said one former employee, who chalked the behavior up to machismo problems. When he got mad, [Zipco] would talk about stabbing people and wanting to stab people a lot, Hurd alleged.

There were certain things that just seemed to set him off, Temmeli said, like a stray cat that lived on the block, and would occasionally wander into the gallery. Ed definitely fucking hated that cat.

Hurd remembered one day when the cat got inside and people are just petting it and holding it. Zipco, she alleged, walked over and said If I see this fucking cat in the gallery again Im going to kick the shit out of it until its dead. I was so scared, she continued, I thought, how can you say that about a little animal?

Young artists that were drawn in by Superchiefs handmade, punk-rock approach eventually came to resent what they saw as unnecessary workplace hazards and the psychic toll of doing everything the wrong way. Temmeli, for example, alleges poor planning, a dysfunctional environment, and insufficient gear meant his job was frequently physically unsafe. He claimed he never had the right ladders, or tools, or supplies, and cutting every corner was the only way to get anything done. There were no benefits whatsoever, he added, if I broke my leg Id be fucked.

During a particularly difficult project for Scope Art Fairs New York edition in 2019, building and repairing modular walls,Temmeli posted on Instagram that he was told that I was saving Superchief, by taking on the job, That we were going to go bankrupt without it. Short on cash and focused on Miami, Superchief temporarily took the New York gallery off party duty, shutting its doors for weeks to complete the gig, which allegedly made them more than $20,000. It quickly became apparent to workers that Superchief management had underestimated the size of the task.

Temmeli wrote that the job was literally back breaking work leaving him with back pain, insomnia, and respiratory problems from breathing in sheetrock. He said he asked for protective masks, but wasnt given them until he complained repeatedly and the project was already half complete. Since he hadnt been paid in weeks, I couldnt afford to eat or buy clean water during this job, he wrote. In a post that showed him and another bundled up coworker, he claimed the gallery had them working with no central heating during the coldest reported months in NY history. (Temmeli said this was to save money on utilities, but another employee said the heat just broke, Zipco was out of town, and no one else had the authority to hire someone to fix it.) During the Scope contract, he would wake up in the gallery every day with a bloody nose [...] coughing drywall dust.

Temmeli wasnt alone. Many of Superchiefs former volunteers and employees noted the complete disregard for safety. A few former Superchief workers described a trip they took to Miami for the 2017 edition of Art Basel, which Pizarro described on Instagram as a human rights violation. A handful of Superchiefers set up the two venues: One was a downtown Miami space used often by Superchief, where theyd be setting up a complete gallery takeover. The other was the Juxtapoz Clubhouse, a communal space for the California-based arts magazine featuring a number of big-name artists like Shepard Fairey. (On its site, Juxtapoz praised the Superchief crews relentless energy that year.)

From the beginning, both projects were chaotic. Pizzaro said that art had been damaged in transit and, lacking a clear plan, everything was behind schedule. Workers were forced to labor at long shifts, up to 20 hours at a time, only stopping to sleep a few hours on the warehouse floor.

In the middle of the confusion, Pizzaro clearly remembered a jug labeled do not drink, you dont want this. Despite the warning, Pizzaro said that we would all just go to it and chug and it would keep us awake. The jug was filled with water in which an unknown number of acid tablets had been dissolved. Everyone had been up for almost 24 hours of straight work, said Temmeli, and with workers fading, Zipco brought it out, like do some acid, well make it through this last charge. Temmeli said the experience felt weird like wed become a cult, but he drank a little from the acid jug.

Pizarro described a maudlin scene, an unquestionably bad trip, with young artists basically flopping around the space, struggling in vain to get work done as the onset of acid energy met the drugs perception-melting powers. She remembers crying, stuck in a brain loop, as over and over, she tried to clean the same scuff off a damaged canvas. According to Temmeli, Zipcos instructions became increasingly incomprehensible, leaving the dazed crew running in circles to decode his rambling ideas.

Pizarro and Temmeli told the Miami story as an example of how drugs were used to break down their personal boundaries and adulterate even the hardest, longest slogs with the trappings of Zipcos never-ending party, a kind of fun that was no fun at all, and part of a frustrating sleight-of-hand, in which the gallerys labor needs were somehow met without the presence of any real workers worth paying a living wage. Former Superchief workers didnt have a moral problem with drugs, but they pointed out how the equation changes when the person offering them to you is your mentor, and maybe a familial figure, and your boss, and possibly your landlord.

Bleuze-Carolan claimed that he argued with Zipco about making psychedelics available to younger workers, but, he added, it was mere gross negligence, a product of goodif wildly misguidedintentions. Eds not evil, sighed Bleuze-Carolan, Hes just an idiot.

I think what bothers me the most about this whole thing, said Medonis, is that Ed was always like Bernie 2016, everyone should have universal income, just like, supporting these socialist-type causes.

On Facebook, said Pizarro, he reposted this Alexandria Ocasio Cortez post about housing. And someone commented Dude, I think you should remain silent until you talk about why youre exploiting your Black employees. And I commented Thanks for your support and he blocked both of us.

The complaints of Superchiefs former workers are familiar, turned-up-to-11 versions of indignities found in a lot of jobs: the demand for loyalty; the employer that acts like purchasing your labor is an act of charity. And of course, most working media or art-industry professionals cant be totally surprised by the notion of exploiting young creative ambition in exchange for vague promises and a chance for exposure. When she shared her stories with others, Pizarro said they would gasp at the gossip, but most shrugged and said, Oh thats just how it is in the arts. Temmeli heard similar feedback from peers.

Crews, who formerly worked at the Brooklyn Museum, said shes so sick of casual attitudes towards labor in the arts. Its such bullshit, and you can quote me on that. Artwork is work, she said, and a lot of people just dont understand what its like to be super young and not have money in Brooklyn right now. Its hard.

People still involved with running Superchiefs day-to-day operations said that Zipco has stepped back from actively running things at the New York gallery. Allegedly, Zipcos been set up in Florida, on personal time, and its unclear whether hell be returning, though, according to someone with direct knowledge no decisions have been made yet. One of Dunleavys associates from the Los Angeles gallery has allegedly taken charge of the New York spaces operations and, in the past few months, the gallery has supposedly stopped using any volunteer labor.

But whether or not Zipco returns to the gallery he spent years building, these exploited workers are equally part of his legacy. He might have created a persona of a cool guy, as Temmeli described him, that was Superchiefs visionary, overseeing a forever party filled with edgy established artists and young artistic ingenues, clamoring for a place in the spotlight, but his former employees say it was built on the labor of underpaid and unpaid workers, often people of color. They say he sold them a liean old but enduring romantic vision of friends and family who feast on creativity, unconcerned with money. In a scene that now seems telling, at a 2017 show celebrating the gallerys fifth anniversary, Zipco was asked to name his favorite moment during Superchiefs tenure. He didnt have a specific memory to share, but replied, Gettin away with it, before he added, You cant get fired if youre doing it yourself with your friends.

Jed Oelbaum is a writer and multimedia producer in New York.

Originally posted here:
'It's Like a Cult': How a Hyped New York Art Gallery Built Its Name on Exploitation - Jezebel

From the outside, the Canada Training Centrein Kemptville, Ont., 50 kilometres south of downtown Ottawa, lookedlike nondescript military barracks. But its mission was anything but ordinary.

The building, now demolished, was used for nearly 20 years as a training facility for a covert Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) squad tasked with spy operations. Inside, agents learned how to crawl into tight spaces and drill holes through walls to secretly install surveillance equipment.

Years later, some of those officers are wondering whether the building might have been responsible for their own health problems and for the deaths of some of their colleagues.

"The first thing as you walked in, you would smell the mould from the basement. It was almost sickening,"recalledMike, an active RCMP officer who spent weeks training at the facility.

CBChas agreed to give him a pseudonym because of the sensitive nature of his work.

"There were literally hundreds of dead flies in our rooms. We had cleaning staff that would clean the rooms, [but] bythe end of the day, we would go back to our rooms and find more dead flies. It was a running joke asad one, though," he said.

Mike completed four three-week stints at the training centre in 2004.

"We trained there, we slept there, we ate there," he said.

Mike remembers one time when colleagues used the oven to warm up a pizza. "A few minutes later, they took it out, and there were a bunch of bugs and silverfish crawling out of it."

The RCMP used the building from 1988 until it closed in 2006. Today, the lotat 270 County Road 44 sits empty.

The training centre houseda school used mainly for recruits of the force'sSpecial Iunit, whose members are called upon to install electronic surveillance equipment during undercover investigations.

For that purpose, the building, constructed in 1961 as a Cold War bunker,was ideal because it allowed the agents topractise their craft away from prying eyes.

"Without getting into the specifics of our techniques, because I'm bound to keep some information secret, we had to drill into concrete, cut into drywall, put wires in the ceiling, work on the roof," Mike said.

Several other Special Iagents Radio-Canada spoke with confirmed both the nature of their training and the state of disrepair at the facility.

"We would be within the structure of the building, up in the ceiling. I mean there was probably not an inch of that building that we would not be in at any given time," one said. "There would be mice feces. We were expected to do scenarios in the basement, and there was black mould. It was a dump."

What some RCMP officers didn't know back then was that the building was not just dirtybut also contaminated.

Tap water contained lead levels 14 times higher than permitted limits, according to a 2005 report done for Public Works, the federal department in charge of real estate assets, including the Canada Training Centre.

"The paint work on the wall is also lead paint and flaking, peeling and mouldy in many areas, ceiling tiles throughout are old, and many show signs of water damage, carpeting is mouldy," wrote an RCMP health and safety officer in another report, also from 2005.

"The kitchen facility used by trainees and staff does not meet public health standards.... Utensils, pots and pans ... are stored in mice-infested drawers and cabinets."

According to inspection reports produced between 1997 and 2007,there was asbestos in building materials, including "the ceilings and floor tiles, roof and siding shingles, drywall tape and plaster." Silica was used "in concrete and bricks throughout the building." Mould was also found, including toxic spores.

Tests also revealed excessive levels of lead as early as 1997, according to the documents.

"I remember being sick every time I trained there. Stomach problems," Mike said.

The health problems lingered long after he left the facility. In 2010, he nearly died from histoplasmosis, a lung infection caused by fungus. Doctors had to remove part of his right lung, and the disease went on to attackhis nervous system.

In a 2011 letter, Mike's physician established a direct link between his condition and earlier "workplace environmental exposure." Mike was forced to take a powerful antifungal drug for nearly two years in order to stop the disease's progression.

Despite all that, Mike considers himself lucky.

Following a months-long investigation, Radio-Canada identified at least six RCMP members who had trained at the facility and who died prematurely. Radio-Canada also reached out to half a dozen members who suffered or are suffering from ailments, including Parkinson's disease.

Mike believes some officers might be suffering from diseases without knowing they were exposed to toxic agents.

Over the years, the training facility hosted members of different RCMP units, includingthe Special Entries Section, as well as employees from different agencies, such as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service andthe Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Maintenance personnel also worked there.

During the 1998 ice storm, the building housed military personnel, emergency workers and community members.

The story of a man nicknamed "Charlie" frequently came up during interviews with Special I members.

Sgt. Charles Moore,a member of the Special I covert squad, was co-ordinator at the training centrefrom 2003 until 2006.

His widow, Jane Moore,said her husband was never one to complain, but she remembershe used to talk about the mould in the buildingand how the carpet under his feet was always damp.

Moore said her husband's health issues started in 2003. He was an avid sportsmanbut had to gradually stop physical activity when he began to feel weak and unsteady. Later, he suffered from dropping blood pressure and incontinence.

Around the same time, an inspection report raised severe issues with the facility.

"The health and safety of our personnel are in jeopardy by using the existing facility," wrote anRCMP occupational health and safety officer in 2005.

"This also goes for Sergeant Moore, who at the present time is using the facility three days a week to prepare and maintain the training aids and equipment."

Despite thatreport, Moore was still working inside the facility in 2006. That same year, he was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder similar to Parkinson's. He died six years later at the age of 57.

Dr. Christopher Skinner, a neurologist at the Ottawa Hospital who treated Moore, agreed to speak about the case with the permission of Moore's widow.

"The unusual thing I find about this case was that it was fairly rapidly progressive. From visit to visit, you could see that he was changing quickly," Skinner said.

According to Skinner,Moore's medical record didn't include toxicology reports, making it hard to establish a direct link between his disease and his exposure to contaminants. Nonetheless, a link is possible, Skinner said.

"We've known for years that certain heavy metals, such as manganese and lead, can affect the motor system, which then causes these symptoms," he explained.

"But it's becoming increasingly known within the neurology world that what we call autoimmuneforms of Parkinson'soccur when you get exposed to some sorts of virus or a fungus, and then your immune system reacts to that, and then it turns on the brain."

According to Skinner, one of the two scenarios might have been at play in Moore's case.

"There is no doubt that he was subject to a fairly toxic environmentand that any one of those possibilities whether it's heavy metal or an autoimmune-triggered disorder could have been perhaps an explanation for why he had a relatively rapid progressive disorder."

Skinner said that a genetic predisposition, combined with an exposure to such triggers as toxic products, can also cause a variety of cancers.

Radio-Canada spoke to the families of five other RCMP members who trained at the Kemptville facility and later died of various cancers.

The five men were between the ages of 39 and 53 when they died. Two died of colon cancer;the othersdied of eye, throat and liver cancer, respectively.

Chris Fedordied of colon cancer in 2002 at the age of 43. His identical twin, Greg Fedor, is also an RCMP officer, but never trained at the Kemptville facility.

"It was weird that one twin would be so sick and the other one not, the DNA being exact," Greg Fedor said. "I got checked right away and have to get checked every two years."

The disease that took his twin was extremely aggressive, Fedor said.

"It was so quick. The doctors said they couldn't understand how quickly this had occurred," Fedor recalled.

It was a common remark from families of the deceased officers, one of whom died of colon cancer three years after undergoing a colonoscopy and being given a clean bill of health.

Relatives of the deceased men also told Radio-Canada they didn't know their loved ones had been exposed tocontaminants.

Without in-depth toxicology reports, CBC is unable to establish a direct link between the building in Kemptville and the diseases that took the officers'lives.

"We complained a lot during debriefings following courses. Everyone was talking about it," one Special I officer who trained in Kemptville in the early 2000s told Radio-Canada.

"The complaints went on for years," confirmed another Special I memberwho trained in Kemptville for a total of 12 weeks between 2001 and 2003. "But you know, it's a good old boys club, and it's like, 'Suck it up, buttercup.'"

In 2005, with no sign of improvement at the facility, Mike and other officers decided to fill out a "hazardous occurrence form."

According to internal RCMP documents, that's what finally led to the scathing 2005 report by a health and safety officer.

"For reasons too numerous to count, this facility should not be used for future training," the officer wrote.

After conducting tests a few months later, a firm specializing in hazardous environments issued a similar warning.

"Due to the water damage, the basement has been deemed to be a high-level mould contamination area and cannot be accessed unless wearing appropriate personal protective equipment," its report stated.

The building was closed in 2006 and demolished the following year.

Mike said he doesn't blame his current bosses at theRCMPbecausethey weren't in charge back then. But he believes the force has a duty tocontact all members who spent time at the facility to inform them they may have been exposed to hazardousmaterials.

Mike discovered the extent of the contamination inside the facility only after he filed access to information requests.

In April 2019, he filed a complaint against the RCMP with Employment and Social Services Canada, alleging the police force violated its obligations. Mike also accused the RCMP and Public Works of having failed to inform employees, partner agencies and members of the public of thehazards that had been identified.

He decided to speak out publicly after hiscomplaint was ruled inadmissible, in part because two years had elapsed since the alleged violations.

"If the RCMP is made aware of new concerns regarding the health and safety of personnel who worked or trained in this facility, it will take follow-up measures,"RCMPspokespersonDaniel Brien told Radio-Canada in French in anemail.

"Staff and those who received training at the centre were informed back then of the presence of contaminants."

The RCMP acknowledges it's responsible for the health and safety of its employeesand insists their well-being is a top priority.Yet several officers told Radio-Canada they were never made aware of all the contaminants in the building.

Public Services and Procurement Canada, formerly called Public Works, referred questions about the building to the RCMP.

Read more from the original source:
Secretive RCMP training facility suspected in illnesses, deaths - CBC.ca

For Sale/Rent

Dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, these antique dwellings are chock-full of characterand they're beautiful to boot.

Photo via Howe Allen Realty/John Maciel Photography

A Victorian on the South Coast of Mass.44 Summer St., FairhavenPrice: $399,000Size: 2,672 square feetBedrooms: 4Baths: 2Open house: Saturday, December 7, 12 1:30 p.m.

Photo via LandVest

A Farmhouse with an Attached Barn60 Washington St., SherbornPrice: $1,849,000Size: 5,171 square feetBedrooms: 5Baths: 6Open house: Saturday, December 7, 1 p.m. 2:30 p.m.

Photo via Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

A Lovely Estate Abutting a Trustees Site28 N Main St., PetershamPrice: $539,000Size: 5,125 square feetBedrooms: 8Baths: 5Open house: Sunday, December 8, 1:45 3 p.m.

Photo via Gelhaus Realty Group

A Connecticut Colonial Built in 1792240 Green Hollow Road, Killingly, CTPrice: $367,500Size: 3,318 square feetBedrooms: 4Baths: 2.5Open house: Saturday, December 7, 11 a.m. 1 p.m.

Photo via Howe Allen Realty/John Maciel Photography

A 140-Year-Old Single-Family92 Green St., FairhavenPrice: $525,000Size: 2,868 square feetBedrooms: 5Baths: 2.5

The Boston Home team has curated a list of the best home design and home remodeling professionals in Boston, including architects, builders, kitchen and bath experts, lighting designers, and more. Get the help you need with FindIt/Boston's guide to home renovation pros.

Read the original post:
Five Gorgeous Old New England Homes to Tour This Weekend - Boston magazine

Last month we talked about moving your holiday fun outside. Regardless of where the festivities will take place at your home, there are a few areas you may want to inspect and fix before the guests arrive.

Fix Leaky Faucets: Shut off the valves supplying water to the house. Remove the faucets handle (not the faucet). The leak usually stems from the on-off handle. If you have two handles, see if the drip is hot or cold and remove only the problem handle. You might have to pop off a button on top to reveal a screw or some pins. Unscrew the screw or remove the pins and a cartridge will come loose. It should have a rubber ring (or washer) inside that is causing the leak. Remove that washer and take it to the hardware store for the right replacement. Install the new washer and put the handle back on. Turn on the water. If you have trouble with the handle or cartridge, you may need to call a plumber.

Stop running toilets: When the toilet is flushed, the flapper opens to let water into the bowl. When it closes, it creates a seal to keep the water in the tank until the next flush. Because the flapper is rubber, it can decompose, warp and harden, all problems that prevent it from sealing properly. Thats why water keeps running out of the tank into the bowl.

Shut off water to the toilet. Pull the flapper valve out of the clips holding it in place, take it to the hardware store and find a matching flapper valve. Replace the valve, making sure its sealed tightly. Clip the new valve chain on the trip arm. Turn on the water and test the valve. If the water keeps running, adjust the flapper so the seal is water-tight.

Clean the oven: A years worth (or more) of crusty food burned inside of your oven can smoke and create unpleasant odors in the kitchen and dining area. It can also alter the flavor of your food.

If you have one, run the ovens self-cleaning function. If not, spray on and wipe off an oven cleaning product. Keep in mind, these can be very corrosive if not used properly.

For a greener option, wash the oven racks in a sink filled with hot water and vinegar. Soak them while you mix baking soda with water. Spread the paste over the surfaces of the oven. Spritz vinegar on top and let it sit for a few hours or overnight before wiping down and rinsing off. Rinse and dry the racks before placing them in the oven. Be sure to clean the microwave and outdoor barbecue too.

Repair sticky sliding closet doors: Remove closet doors from their tracks. Place them on the floor and inspect for damage. Clean out debris inside the tracks. Straighten the tracks by holding a wood block against the track and tapping it with a hammer. Then lubricate the tracks. Tighten the screws in the overhead track as well. Reinstall closet doors; test them to be sure they are sliding smoothly.

Test smoke alarms and replace batteries: A critical safety measure. If you cant remember when you replaced the batteries, do it now. Otherwise, you and your guests may be woken up at 2 a.m. from the incessant beeping reminder.

Install path lights leading to the front door: Lights can make your home look more inviting and theyre a good safety measure.

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Sketch and measure the area you want covered to estimate how many lights you need. Take that information to the hardware store.

There are many solar options available which you simply dig a small hole and insert the light. If you choose electric lights, use an outdoor GFCI or ground fault circuit interrupter outlet. There are probably several outside; if not, have some installed by a licensed electrician. If you have existing GFCIs, make sure they work properly.

Buy a kit that includes lights, 100 feet of low-voltage cable and a transformer to convert your homes current into low-voltage current for the lights. Get a high-quality transformer thats slightly bigger than the total wattage of the lights you will use. You may want to buy two smaller transformers instead of one large one.

Follow instructions on the kit. The hardest part of the job will probably be digging a shallow trench for the cable that carries power to the lights.

For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 35 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8 to 11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and from 7 to 10 a.m. on KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.

Link:
Rosie on the House: Simple repairs before holiday guests arrive - Green Valley News

Drivers will encounter traffic disruptions on the followingstateroads and projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties as crews perform construction and maintenance activities. These lane closure restrictions include both construction and maintenance activities.

Escambia County:

oNine Mile Road at the U.S. 29 Overpass: Alternating lane shifts as crews construct the new southbound bridge.

oU.S. 29 traffic between I-10 and 9 1/2 Mile Road may experience alternating lane closures as crews continue drainage and paving operations.

Santa Rosa County:

All activities are weather dependent and may be delayed or rescheduled in the event of inclement weather. Drivers are reminded to use caution, especially at night, when traveling through a work zone and to watch for construction workers and equipment entering and exiting the roadway.

Pictured: Construction area on Highway 29 at Molino Road. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Written by William Reynolds Filed Under News

Read more here:
As You Head Back To Work Monday, Here Are The Traffic Delay Spots To Watch - NorthEscambia.com

February 1, 1936 November 21, 2019

Reverend Kenneth W. Weygandt passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House in Albany. He slipped into eternity and into the arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, eagerly anticipating embracing his son Viktor, grandson Jesse and great granddaughter, Aspen, and all his friends and loved ones who went before.

Ken was born February 1, 1936, in Portland, Oregon, to Henry Pierce and Maude Edith Weygandt. He was the youngest in his family, joining his brother, Glen and sisters, Edna and Thelma (Red). He spent his early years in Aloha and later, in Newport, where he resided until his junior year. The family relocated to White Salmon, Washington, where he graduated from Columbia High School in 1954.

He married the love of his life, Jean Lillian Blake, on June 4, 1955. They pledged their love in a double wedding ceremony with Jeans twin sister, Carol, who married his brother, Glen. Ken and Jean were happily married for 64 years. With God as their guide, they exemplified what a healthy, loving, lifetime commitment should be. Ken loved Jean steadfastly and faithfully all the years of their life together. He was a loving and devoted father and his children never once doubted his love for them. He always said his greatest goals in life were to help ensure the spiritual salvation of his family and to give his wife a happy and comfortable life. He leaves a legacy of loyalty, service, faithfulness, generosity and love of God.

Ken was an avid sportsman throughout his life. He played football in high school as a defensive tackle and offensive guard. Later he played church league softball for several years and he always enjoyed watching baseball, basketball, and football in particular, rooting for both the Ducks and the Beavers. He loved to fish, especially with his sons, and made an art of smoking his catch. He enjoyed the game of golf and played it most of his life. His favorite pastimes included playing cards, board, and dice games with friends and family and as an ardent reader; he always relished a good book. He was very sociable, had a witty sense of humor, and enjoyed engaging in conversation and good-natured debate. In addition, he and Jean loved to travel and were blessed to be able to tour the Holy Land of Israel together. They realized a lifetime dream on their 50th anniversary with a trip to Europe.

Ken worked a variety of jobs in his lifetime. As a young man he worked as a soda jerk," door-to-door salesman, lube mechanic, and in construction, helping to build the Dales Dam. Eventually he settled into the grocery business working for Safeway Stores Inc. for 23 years, finishing that career as the Albany store Produce Manager.

At the age of 46 God called him into full time ministry. He became a licensed, ordained minister in the Assemblies of God. He served as an Associate Pastor at New Life Center, Albany, Oregon, for 10 years. He was blessed to be a part of the team that helped to bring to fruition the dream of starting Teen Challenge of Oregon with the mission of assisting those seeking help to overcome life controlling addictions. Ken and Jean spent a year itinerating all over the state for Teen Challenge of Oregon. Their son, Viktor, joined the team becoming the Mens Director of the Teen Challenge center in Lebanon until his death in 1984.

Eventually, Ken went back to his roots at New Life Center and served as the Senior Ministries Pastor there. He then became the Pastor at the Alsea Assembly of God for several years and then served for five years as the Pastor of the Brownsville, Oregon, Assembly of God church. After his retirement, he was called on to Pastor the historic Brownsville Presbyterian Church until it eventually closed. Following that, Ken and Jean hosted a small church gathering in their home. In addition, Ken served as a mentor, discipleship leader and counselor to many in his retirement years. He especially enjoyed working with the men at Teen Challenge.

We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as as they happen!

He and Jean served side by side, tirelessly pursuing their love of Jesus Christ in whatever capacity they could, their lives always demonstrating the love of the Lord. Their home was always open to anyone who needed a place to stay and everyone was always welcome at their table. They were never rich, but what they had, they gave away with unmatched generosity. Kens greatest desire was to see people come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Savior and worked toward that goal until his death.

He is survived by his wife, Jean Weygandt of Brownsville; son, Larry (Charlene) Weygandt of Albany; daughter, Deanne Gray (Robert) of Salem; son, Steve (Dateria) Weygandt of Albany; and son, Ken (Christina) Weygandt of Lebanon. Also, his grandchildren: Melissa Stauble, Kelli (Jeff) Millikan, Anthony (Andrea) Gray, Becky (Eric) Nicolarsen, Jade (Andrew) Buckle, Jacob DeLoe, Colton Weygandt and Athena Miller. He was fortunate to see the birth of his great-grandchildren, Adrian and Kaitlyn Gray, Piper Fishell, Evelyn, Isaac and Elijah Gray, Jensina Buckle, and Alana Nicolarsen. He was preceded in death by son, Viktor Weygandt, grandson, Jesse Gray and great granddaughter, Aspen Buckle.

The family wishes to express their deep appreciation to the staff at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House in Albany for their compassion and kindness during the last days of Kens life.

All are welcome to a memorial service, celebrating the life of this remarkable man at Teen Challenge of Oregon, 31700 Fayetteville Drive, Shedd, Oregon, at 2 p.m. Saturday, December 14. The family requests any contributions in Kens name be to Teen Challenge or The Gideons International.

Read this article:
Reverend Kenneth W. Weygandt - Lebanon Express

The Akdamar Church of the Holy Cross Photo Exhibition, organized by the Turkish Presidency Communications Office, met art lovers Monday at the Noho Showrooms in London at 7 p.m. for its next stop following shows in Istanbul Hagia Irene Church and New York.

As an important part and witness of the Anatolian lands that hosted the Phrygian, Hittite, Lydian, Urartu, Armenian, Assyrian, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman civilizations, the eastern Van province is a bridge to ancient ages with its historical and archaeological riches. The Church of the Holy Cross on Akhtamar (Akdamar) Island in Lake Van is among the most brilliant and unique works of medieval Christian art. The church, which was built between 915 and 921, is one of the most important centers of Armenian history and continues to exist today thanks to detailed renovation and restoration works carried out by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

Research and promotional activities have been carried out to increase awareness regarding the Akdamar Church and to make it known worldwide. In addition to a book containing all the detailed information about the church, architectural drawings and photographs, the most detailed digital work on the church has been compiled on the website of the church at www. akdamarchurch.gov.tr. On the website, available in Turkish, English and German, high-resolution VR videos were shot and 360-degree photographs taken from 14 various points were published for the first time utilizing the most recent technology.

The interior and exterior facades, reliefs and frescoes of the construction were, again for the first time, photographed from eye level and presented online on the website. Also, the magnificent natural view of Akdamar is presented to the website's visitors through zzet Kehribar's camera. The introductory film on the Akdamar Church of the Holy Cross, which was another phase of the introductory project, accurately reflects the magnificent grandeur and unique atmosphere of the church.

The glorious monument of Anatolia has now come to light with the photo exhibit in London. Among the participants of the show are Nikitas Eminence, the archbishop of Great Britain, Orthodox Armenians spiritual leader Degabah Sahak Bishop Masalyan, Turkish Armenian Foundations Union President Bedros irinolu, Polycarpus Augin Aydn, Syriac Ancient Beyolu Church Board Chairman Kenan Grdal, Lolita Asili zzet Kehribar and Terry Katalan.

Continued here:
Akdamar Church introduced to London in exhibition - Daily Sabah

The St. Paul Public Housing Agency spent two decades adding sprinklers to every unit on every floor in each of its 16 high-rise apartment buildings.

Thats why St. Pauls retired fire marshal, Steve Zaccard, believes public housing residents in that city would have been saved from the kind of fire that killed five people in Minneapolis last week.

If the sprinklers are maintained, a deadly blaze like the one in Minneapolis is not possible, Zaccard said in an interview this week.

The Cedar High Apartments, where last weeks deadly blaze occurred, is one of 42 high-rises operated by the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. That 25-story building at 630 S. Cedar Av., has partial sprinkler coverage on the main floor and lower mechanical equipment rooms but lacks sprinklers on the upper levels where people lived.

Zaccard sees what happened in Minneapolis as a teaching moment.

Im hoping these folks have not died in vain, that we can finally get some remaining high-rises sprinkled, he said.

Government codes did not widely require sprinklers in high-rise buildings until the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Cedar High building was one of many public housing buildings constructed before that.

Over the years, Minnesota lawmakers have considered requiring the owners of older high-rise buildings to retrofit them with sprinklers, but none of those proposals were adopted. After one of those efforts failed at the state level, Zaccard and the St. Paul Public Housing Agency decided they could wait no longer.

The residents expect a lot from us, said Jon Gutzmann, executive director of St. Pauls agency. They expect safe, affordable, quality housing for sure.

The agency began work on its first major high-rise sprinkler installation in 1990, when it began a larger remodeling effort at the Neill Hi-Rise in the citys Cathedral Hill district.

Over more than 20 years, it spent $8.3 million on the sprinkler project, with the final installation at the Ravoux Hi-Rise in 2012. Gutzmann said the authority used money from the roughly $7 million to $8 million in annual capital funding it received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Zaccard commended the agency for sticking with the project, noting that over that period of time, that two decades, funding was very lean at times, and they had to delay it.

He continued: It took them a while, but they were persistent and accomplished it.

Zaccard, who retired in 2017 after more than 30 years with the fire department, said sprinklers are 96% effective at controlling fires.

While the exact number of fires prevented can be hard to determine, the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections said it hears of about one fire each year in a public housing high-rise thats extinguished by the sprinkler system, according to spokeswoman Suzanne Donovan.

The Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) has sprinklers inside the apartments in 16 of its 42 high-rise buildings, which are about 50 years old on average, according to spokesman Jeff Horwich. In the days since the fire, residents and politicians have called on the authority to add in-unit sprinklers to more of its buildings. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said earlier this week that he would support efforts to require sprinklers in the authoritys high-rise buildings but the additional piece is that we need the necessary funding.

Horwich said in a statement that sprinkler systems are a priority for comprehensive building modernizations we undertake, and are included in the modernizations that are currently underway. He said he could not comment further.

The Housing Authority wrote in a draft of its 2020 annual report that it currently has $152 million in unmet capital needs, including $69 million for mechanical systems, which includes plumbing and fire systems. A separate progress report submitted to the authoritys board showed that as of late August, another building had a sprinkler system update in progress. That building is in the same complex as the high-rise that caught fire.

The authoritys report also noted that federal capital funds meet only about 10% of its needs. In 2020, we project no dramatic reversal in this decadeslong trend, the report added.

The authority concluded: While we continue to press the federal government for increased capital funding, MPHA and the families we serve cannot afford to simply wait.

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Over 22 years, St. Paul housing agency added sprinklers to every high-rise - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Since it launched last year, NASAs Parker Solar Probe has made three dives toward the sun as it reached the fastest speed ever clocked by a human-built vehicle. Scientists released the missions first batch of findings on Wednesday, revealing that the dynamics of our star are even weirder than once imagined.

Four papers published in the journal Nature describe what the spacecraft observed during its first two flybys, as it passed within about 15 million miles of the surface of the sun. That is about half the distance that the planet Mercury orbits the sun.

All of this brand-new information about how the way our star works is going to help us understand how the sun drives change in the space environment throughout our solar system, said Nicola Fox, director of the heliophysics division at NASA, during a telephone news conference on Wednesday.

The information could help scientists develop ways to provide advance warning of solar storms that could knock out satellites and electrical grids or endanger the health of astronauts in orbit.

The sun is essentially a big ball of hydrogen and helium, and for something that we see every day, it remains a complex ball of mystery.

One puzzle that scientists have been pondering for decades: Why is the solar atmosphere superhot?

The surface of the sun what we see as a yellow disk in the sky is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That is toasty, but cool compared with what lies above, in the thin atmosphere known as the corona.

There, the temperatures jump by a factor of 300 or more, to millions of degrees. The corona also accelerates the solar wind the million-miles-per-hour stream of particles that fly outward from the sun.

Justin C. Kasper, a professor of space sciences and engineering at the University of Michigan and the principal investigator of one of the solar probes four instruments, said scientists said they had a hunch that the vibrating of the suns magnetic fields like the plucking of a guitar string was critical to heating the corona. So they were curious about what the vibrations would look like closer to the sun.

As expected, the vibrations did get stronger. But the instrument also picked up additional, powerful waves. Kind of like rogue waves in the ocean, Dr. Kasper said.

As one of the big waves swept the spacecraft, the speed of the solar wind would, within seconds, rise by 300,000 miles per hour. Each wave would last seconds to minutes. Just as quickly, in seconds, it goes past us, and were back in the normal solar wind, Dr. Kasper said.

The waves were so strong that they could flip the direction of the magnetic field, producing S-shape twists that the scientists called switchbacks, like the twisty paths carved in the side of a steep mountain.

These are very large and energetic events, Dr. Kasper said. Were really excited about this, because we think it tells us a possible path to understanding how energy is getting from the sun into the atmosphere and heating it.

With the closer view of the sun, scientists also now have a better idea of where the solar wind originates.

Most of the solar wind measurements to date have been in the neighborhood of Earth, more than 90 million miles from the sun.

Stuart Bale, a physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, who leads an instrument that measures the electric and magnetic fields in the solar wind, said trying to study solar winds from Earth is like observing the waterfall halfway down.

The water is always flowing past us, he said. It is very turbulent, chaotic, unstructured. And we want to know what is the source of the waterfall, whats at the top. Is there an iceberg melting up there? Is there a sprinkler system? A lake?

By the time the solar wind reaches Earth, clues about its origin have been jumbled and become difficult to discern.

We want to know the source of the water, whats at the top, Dr. Bale said.

He said that data from the Parker Solar Probe now shows that the so-called slow solar wind, moving at relatively slow speeds of less than a million miles per hour, emerges from what are known as coronal holes locations associated with sunspots and where hydrogen and helium are colder and less dense near the suns Equator. (Faster solar winds traveling more than a million miles per hour were known to originate from coronal holes near the poles.)

The spacecraft has also been putting together a picture of the cloud of dust surrounding the sun and the corona bits shed from comets and asteroids that have passed. The dust was thinner closer to the sun, matching the expectations for a long-theorized dust-free zone around the star.

As the Parker Solar Probe gets closer repeated flybys of Venus in the coming years will eventually nudge it to a trajectory that will take it within four million miles of the sun it is likely to confirm that observation and reveal new mysteries.

Its a bit early to say whether these discoveries actually overturn existing models, Daniel Verscharen, a space scientist at University College London who wrote a commentary accompanying the Nature papers, said in an email. They definitely show that there is a lot more happening close to the sun and that its absolutely worth going there to explore further.

A European Space Agency mission, Solar Orbiter, is set to launch in February. While it will not get as close to the sun as the Parker Solar Probe, it will carry instruments that will provide different views and provide more clues on solving the mystery of the solar wind.

Eugene N. Parker, a retired University of Chicago astrophysicist whom the spacecraft is named after, predicted the existence of the solar wind in 1958. It was humbling to see the probes launch and watch it disappear into the night sky, Dr. Parker, now 92, said in a statement provided by the university. But now that data is finally coming in and being analyzed, things are getting really exciting.

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NASAs Parker Solar Probe Is Unlocking the Suns Mysteries - The New York Times