Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

HICKORY A vacant building along First Avenue SE will soon find a new purpose as office space for two local companies.

By June, Alex Harrill, owner of the customized home and renovation company Harrill Construction, said the building will have a new paint job and a new storefront.

The front space of the building will be used for office space for both Harrill Construction and the automotive customization business Xtreme Machines.

Its not the first time Harrill and his company embarked on a renovation project in that part of town.

The Block, a mixed-use development that housed both Harrill Construction's offices and the offices ofXtreme Machines across the street from the building being renovated, also was renovated in 2015.

The space at The Block is currently being rented out, while Harrill Construction offices are temporarily located off Highland Avenue until renovations are complete, Harrill said.

Giving new life to old and dilapidated buildings is a passion of Harrills.

"I just really love old buildings," Harrill said. There are buildings that are past the point of being repaired, but there is so much history in these thingsso much thats happened, that I think its important that we preserve what we can preserve.

In years past, the building has been used as a Chrysler dealership and the Ferguson Plumbing company.

Though Harrill said he had not set foot in the building until last year, he does remember it as the Ferguson Plumbing building.

Harrill said that while the building was in "poor condition," he saw a great deal of potential in it.

You know, a lot of people saw something that just needed to be torn down, but I saw opportunity, Harrill said.Its just really cool; the architecture of it and the barrel top roof is really neat.

The front part of the building had leaked and was moldy, Harrill said.

Renovators also had to contend with deteriorated wood in the building, but overall, the project has not been as difficult as the renovation at The Block, Harrill said.

The total cost of the project is roughly $500,000, a cost that will in part be covered by a $20,000 revitalization grant through the City of Hickory.

Community Development Manager David Leonetti said in a phone interview the project would be good for that area of town.

Were very excited to see the building moving toward re-development, Leonetti said.

Once this project is completed, Harrill hopes to continue renovating other buildings around the city.

I think its important that these buildings be refurbished and used, Harrill said. I dont like to see them torn down.

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The future of construction just got a little bit more real. Researchers at MIT have created a mobile robot that can 3-D-print an entire building in a matter of hours a technology that could be used in disaster zones, on inhospitable planets or even in our proverbial backyards.

Though the platform described in the journal Science Robotics is still in early stages, it could offer a revolutionary tool for the construction industry and inspire more architects to rethink the relationship of buildings to people and the environment.

Current construction practices typically involve bricklaying, wood framing and concrete casting technologies that have been around for decades in some cases, and centuries in others. Homes and office buildings are often built in the same boxy, cookie-cutter-like templates, even though the environment from one area to another may change dramatically.

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector tends to be risk-averse: Most project fabrication data nowadays have been digitally produced, but the manufacturing and construction processes are mostly done with manual methods and conventional materials adopted a century ago, Imperial College London researcher Guang-Zhong Yang, the journals editor, wrote in an editorial on the paper.

In recent years, scientists and engineers have begun to explore the idea that buildings could instead be built through additive manufacturing that is, 3-D printing. A home could be customized to its local environment, it could use buildings resources more efficiently, and it could deploy materials in more sophisticated ways.

Right now, the way we manufacture things is we go to the mine, we dig out minerals and materials, we ship them to a factory, the factory makes a bunch of mass-made parts, usually out of a single material, and then theyre assembled screwed together, glued together and shipped back to consumers, said lead author Steven Keating, a mechanical engineer who did the research as a graduate student under Neri Oxmans group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

But the groups many projects, he added, revolved around this question: How do we actually fabricate in a way that is more consistent with how biology works?

Keating pointed to the tree as one example of a natural builder. Trees can self-repair, operate with self-sufficiency, build onsite with locally sourced materials, and adapt to their environment.

These are the kinds of principals that weve looked at for a lot of the projects in the group, he said.

While several groups around the world have been working on large-scale 3-D printing techniques, there have been challenges in this process, Keating said.

A lot of other research projects that are looking at digital construction often dont create something of an architectural scale and if they do, theyre not using a process that could be easily integrated into a construction site, Keating said. Theyre not using materials or a process that can be easily code-certified. And what we wanted to make sure could happen is we could actually break into the construction industry, because its a very slow and conservative industry.

Keating and his colleagues robot, called the Digital Construction Platform, looks to address those issues. It features hydraulic and electric robotic arms and can be loaded with all kinds of sensors to measure its environment, including lasers and a radiation-detecting Geiger counter.

In less than 13.5 hours, the robot was able to zip round and round, printing a 14.6-meter-wide, 3.7-meter-tall open dome structure out of a foam used as insulated formwork.

Strange as it looks, this formwork could be filled with concrete. Since this is essentially what already happens in traditional construction, this 3-D printing process could be integrated into current construction techniques. (In both the traditional and 3-D-printed scenarios, the formwork ends up as the buildings insulation.)

The DCP builds an architectural-scale structure out of conventional insulation foam. (Rahkendra Ice / Keating et al., Sci. Robot. 2, eaam8986)

This process has a number of advantages, many of which allow the robot to design and build more in the way that living systems in nature do, Keating said. Three-dimensional printing uses fewer materials more efficiently. It can also create useful gradients, such as reducing wall thickness from the bottom of a wall toward the top. (Nature does this too: Think of a trees trunk at the base versus near the top, or the way a squid beak goes from hard at the tip to soft at the base.)

This process can create and work with curves, which are usually more costly for traditional building methods. The formwork also cures so quickly (within about 30 seconds) that the robot can build horizontally without needing structural support the way traditional construction methods do.

Rather than trying to design the perfect structure beforehand, a 3-D-printing robot could produce a building thats completely in tune with its environmental factors soil moisture, temperature, wind direction and radiation levels, among others. This is how scientists think animals such as termites build their homes by modifying the structure in response to the environment.

Since its solar-powered, this robot can be self-sufficient. And like living things, it could potentially create building materials out of stuff in the local ecosystem: The authors showed that the robot was able to take scoops of dirt and turn the compressed earth into building material. The researchers were even able to print with ice.

I know it sounds silly why would you want to print with ice? but if you actually look, NASAs very seriously thinking about using ice as a fabrication material for places in space such as Mars, because ice actually absorbs a lot of cosmic radiation, Keating said.

Printing with ice from the environment would be much more sensible than lugging all your building materials all the way to the Red Planet, he noted.

amina.khan@latimes.com

Follow @aminawrite on Twitter for more science news and "like" Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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Check out this building that was 3-D-printed by a robot - Los Angeles Times

Dyer

By SARALYNNORKUS saralyn.norkus@clevelandbanner.com

The Cleveland City Schools site committee meeting was filled to the brim with updates, discussions and recommendations made on various projects.

On the agenda for Wednesday morning was the Cleveland Middle School roofing project, the potential energy savings project with Energy Systems Group, and updates on the Candys Creek Cherokee Elementary School pre-bid meeting and the turf field at Cleveland High School.

Its progress and thats exciting, Site Committee Chairman Steve Morgan declared.

Director of Schools Dr. Russell Dyer left Wednesdays meeting feeling the school systems capital projects are all moving along in the right direction.

I think our Board of Education has put a premium on making sure that our energy systems, our buildings, and our grounds are in good shape. That makes the learning environment more comfortable for our students and employees, Dyer said.

Ill also give credit to the City Council and citizens of Cleveland for allowing us to have some of that sales tax revenue that goes specifically towards our capital projects.

Having received bids for the CMS roofing project a week ago, Upland Design Group architect Brian Templeton presented the committee with low bidder according to the base bid and the bid alternates.

C.M. Henley was low bidder for the base bid, coming in at $656,719. Low bidder for the base bid and the first alternate, which is a partial reroof of Blythe Bower Elementary School with a 20-year warranty was Dixie Roofing, for a total of $886,680. Low bidder for the base bid and a partial reroof of Blythe Bower with a 30-year warranty went back to C.M. Henley.

Templeton suggested the committee consider recommending the base bid and alternate No. 2, because it would be a solid investment. He pointed out the 30-year warranty is not just for insurance purposes, but includes a thicker membrane roof.

City Schools Director of Maintenance and Transportation Hal Taylor agreed with Templetons statements.

Because all of the bids still came in lower than they were initially expecting, site committee member Peggy Pesterfield made a motion that they present the base bid and 30-year roof option at Blythe Bower to the Board of Education on Monday. Charlie Cogdill seconded the motion.

The groups second recommendation involved starting up a project with Energy Systems Group, who is already working with Bradley County Schools to make their buildings more energy efficient.

In Aprils BOE meeting, ESG business development manager Russ Nelson presented a energy update plan that could save the school system $225,000 to $300,000 a year in utilities. All of the projects upgrades would be funded from those savings over a 15 or 20-year deal.

We spend so much time piecemealing and doing [other] things, and this is an opportunity for us to get a lot of work done at the same time and bring everything back up to the level as some of our newer equipment, Morgan said

Maintenance-wise, and its not glittery or pretty stuff, but its the guts and the nuts and bolts of how our system works. To get that efficient and to save us all that money in the long term, itd have to be the most exciting aspect.

The group discussed their fears on how the plan sounded too good to be true, but Director of Schools Dr. Russell Dyer feels that they have done enough research to be comfortable with moving forward with ESG.

I think we have done our due diligence in checking references from other school systems within Tennessee that have gone with the same company and used the same type of contract they have seen savings, Dyer stated.

You have to check facts, you have to check resources, and Ithink weve done our homework on this.

The guarantee that they offer will be verified by our attorney, and gives us the reassurance that what they say is what they mean and well have recourse to hold them to that line, Dyer continued. From our talks with other school systems, other superintendents and other people who do Hals job, thats what they found to be true. We feel very confident in their abilities.

Cogdill made a motion that the site committee recommend to the board that they move forward with the energy update project with ESG.

The site committees recommendations will be voted on at the May BOE meeting, which is this coming Monday at the Administrative Office Building at 5:30 p.m.

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Energy, turf, roofing eyed by Cleveland school board - Cleveland Daily Banner

Staff report

A local roofing contractor pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony Workers Compensation and welfare fraud charges.

Joseph Kellogg, Sr., 51, of Storrie St., pleaded guilty to failure to secure compensation and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, both felonies, according to a release issued from state Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott.

Kellogg has been caught for the second time in four years conducting similar fraudulent activity on the Workers Compensation system, according to the release.

Kellogg, a residential roofing contractor in Amsterdam, filed four separate building permit applications in 2015 that included fraudulent certifications stating he had no employees and as such was exempt from obtaining Workers Compensation insurance, according to the release.

In 2013, Kellogg pleaded guilty second-degree offering a false instrument for filing, a similar fraudulent certification.

Scott investigated and determined Kellogg used several employees on his roofing job contracts related to the 2015 permit application, at one point employing 11 individuals on two simultaneous projects. Under state law, according to the release, employers are required to maintain Workers Compensation coverage for their employees. Following his arrest in 2016 on the latest fraud charges, Kellogg was additionally charged with felony false filings when it was determined he earned income through his contracting business Joes Roofing. Kellogg failed to disclose that income in an application for food stamp benefits.

This defendant carved out an entirely new level of unabashed fraud with his crimes, not only leaving his own employees without critical coverage to protect their well being, but also committing virtually the same fraud he was convicted of just a few years earlier, Scott said in the release. I will continue to use my office and the resources at my disposal to pursue anyone who defrauds the Workers Compensation or welfare systems as both provide critical safety nets for those who are truly in need.

Kellogg remains released on bail pending sentencing Oct. 2 in Montgomery County Court.

Scott thanked the city of Amsterdam and Montgomery County Department of Social Services for assisting with the investigation, the Amsterdam Police Department for assisting in the arrest and county District Attorney Kelli McCoski for prosecuting the case.

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Roofing contractor pleads guilty in county court for fraud - The Recorder (subscription)

WENHAM An administrative law judge has upheld most of the fines leveled against a well-known North Shore roofing company over a 2014 scaffold collapse in Wenham that left one man with a broken neck and at least one other person injured.

The fines were imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a result of the October 2014 incident at a job site on Parsons Hill Road.

OSHA also concluded that the two companies on the job site, A.C. Castle Roofing and Provencher Home Improvement, were acting as one employer making both liable for the fines, at that point a total of $294,500.

The owners of both A.C. Castle and Provencher appealed to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Following a three-day trial last year, Judge Sharon Calhoun issued findings in February, which became final last week. The judge upheld most of OSHA's findings, though she did dismiss two of the violations, reducing the penalty to $173,500.

But Brian LeBlanc, the owner of Beverly-based A.C. Castle, vowed on Monday to continue his appeal of the findings, saying they're "totally unfair."

"It's a totally unfair decision and we're going to appeal that," said LeBlanc.

Daryl Provencher, the owner of Provencher Home Improvement, died at the age of 47 last December. He had been representing himself in the appeal. OSHA said in a press release announcing the ruling that due to his death the fines against him were "extinguished."

The accident occurred when a spruce plank being used as part of scaffolding broke, sending at least two workers 20 feet to the ground.

The invoice for the plank specifically stated that it was not intended to be used in scaffolding.

OSHA also concluded that other problems on the site included deficient components in the scaffolding and a lack of roof anchors and tethers for the workers to prevent falls.

The agency, which falls under the Department of Labor, also concluded that the business operations of Castle and Provencher were "highly integrated."

The judge's decision agreed, pointing to evidence such as property owners not being told that Provencher was a subcontractor, Castle paying bills for materials used by Provencher, and management of workers.

LeBlanc disputes all of those conclusions.

"They're trying to say those are my employees," said LeBlanc. "That's not true."

He said Provencher, though a longtime friend, was one of around five subcontractors he'd hired for various jobs in 2014, and that he has copies of checks Provencher paid to him to reimburse for the cost of equipment and supplies.

He also said Provencher had his own workers compensation insurance and had even been cited by OSHA separately in the past.

Asked about the judge's observation that workers on the site were given Castle shirts to wear, LeBlanc said that if anyone on the site had a shirt, it was likely old and not given out specifically to wear that day.

"If one of Daryl's (Provencher) guys is wearing a Nike sweatshirt, does that mean he works for Nike?" said LeBlanc.

LeBlanc can appeal to the First Circuit Court of Appeals within 60 days; he said that appeal is already in the works.

Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis.

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Judge upholds penalty against roofing firm, owner vows appeal ... - The Salem News

A real estate development group plans to expand and convert the former Wonder Bread bakery building at 821 W. Mallon into a three-story office building with a ground-floor artisan food market.

Denver attorney Peter Mounsey says hes hopeful work on the $12 million project will begin this spring.

Were expecting the project to be done by summer of 2018, he says. Theres a potential for partial occupancy even before that.

Mounsey heads the development group Wonder Spokane LLC, which bought the property just south of Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in September for $3 million, state tax records show.

The project tentatively is titled Wonder Adaptive Reuse in a predevelopment application recently submitted to the city of Spokane to begin the citys planning process.

The Wonder parcel takes up three-fourths of the block bordered on the north and south by Mallon and Broadway avenues, and on the east and west by Post and Lincoln streets.

A building occupied by Davids Pizza in the northeast quarter of the block isnt part of the project.

Mounsey says the north-facing part of the former Wonder Bread building will be an artisan food market.

Were still laying it out, Mounsey says, of the market concept, adding that its currently envisioned with about 10 tenants.

Mounsey says the project will include extending the second and third floors with additions on the west end of the building, and constructing another third-floor addition on the east end of the building.

The second-story addition will replace part of the building that burned in 1947 and was never rebuilt, Mounsey says. It will be reconstructed to carry out the architectural style of the main building, he says.

The third-floor additions, however, will be more modern, featuring extensive use of glass to take advantage of surrounding views, he says.

The views of the city are terrific, he says, adding that the view of the river just to the southeast always will be unobstructed, because a portion of Riverfront Park lies in the neighboring block in that direction.

The third-floor additions also each will have outdoor patios, he says.

When completed, the building will have a total of 67,300 square feet of space including a 28,200-square-foot basement, preliminary site plans for the project show.

Mounsey says Wonder Spokane also plans to construct a parking garage on the north side of the parcel.

Its probably going to have one level below ground and three to four above with plus or minus 250 parking spaces, he says.

The parking structure will have pedestrian access into a central atrium that will connect to the market, he says.

Wonder Spokane has assembled a Spokane-based team to work on the Wonder Adaptive Reuse project.

Yost Gallagher Construction is the contractor on the project, and Wolfe Architectural Group PS designed it. GLR Engineers is the structural engineer, and the Spokane office of Seattle-based Parametrix is the civil engineer.

Mounsey says it will be a challenge to bring the building back up to code.

While theres brick to repair and broken windows and a lot of things that need to be done to upgrade the building, the bones of it are quite good, Mounsey says. Engineering told us it was certainly built to last.

Mounsey says Wonder Spokane will seek local historic designation for the building.

The original section of the building was constructed in 1909 and was expanded in 1918 and 1921, Spokane County Assessors records show.

Reporter Mike McLean covers real estate and construction at the Journal of Business. A multipurpose fisherman and vintage record album aficionado, Mike has worked for the Journal since 2006.

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Wonder Bread building development plans rise - Spokane Journal of Business

Another huge act for the upcoming Telluride Blues & Brews Festival was announced on Wednesday: the Southern-rock, alt-country Drive-By Truckers.

A prime slot for a well-known band became available in late March the day after the 2017 festival artists were first announced. Festival director Steve Gumble said the 13th-hour cancellation of a New Orleans band, the Revivalists, resulted in the search that led him to the Truckers, natives of Athens, Georgia.

The Truckers will be a great fit for Telluride, Gumble said Thursday. He noted that former Truckers band-mate Jason Isbell was a big draw to last years incarnation of Blues & Brews. Isbell, now a successful solo artist, was a vital member of the Truckers from 2001 to 2007. Their parting was described as amicable.

I put my nose to the grindstone, and looked around for what would be good and appropriate for Blues & Brews, and would resonate well with Telluride people and also was within my budget, Gumble said. I had several options but I had never before had the Truckers, and I knew that people would be stoked to see them at Blues & Brews.

It just felt right to fill that spot with those guys.

The festival will be held Sept. 15-17. Previously announced artists include Bonnie Raitt, Steve Winwood, TajMo: The Taj Mahal and Keb Mo Band, Anders Osborne, Tab Benoit, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Eric Lindell, Dwight Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, Samantha Fish, and more.

Founded in 1996, the Drive-By Truckers werent the only additions announced on Wednesday. The Reverend Peytons Big Damn Band, John Nmeth & The Blue Dreamers, Hamish Anderson, Mitch Woods, Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps, and Brian Keith Wallen also are newcomers to this years lineup.

The Truckers press materials describe them as outspoken, telling a distinct story via craft, character, and concept, all backed by sonic ambition and social conscience. Led by Paterson Hood and Mike Cooleys Americana-style vocals and roaring Southern-rock guitars, the band has gained a cult following throughout the South and world alike.

The bands 11th album, American Band, was released in September. It showcases a hard-edged and finely honed sound while making a explicitly political statement, according to a news release.

Touching on pressing issues such as race, income inequality, the NRA, deregulation, police brutality, Islamophobia, and the plague of suicides and opioid abuse, the album calls for community and collective action, the release said. Get ready for some righteous rebellion and a true southern rock n roll show, Telluride, the Drive-By Truckers are bringing the heat.

Fans of both Isbell and the Drive-By Truckers were quick to respond on a social-media page when the Daily Planet queried them Thursday about what might be the Truckers best album.

Ive always loved Go-Go Boots because its like a series of Southern Gothic short stories set to music, said one fan. Id have to say American Band is my current favorite because I love the Hell yeah, were pissed off feel of it.

Decoration Day, for sure whats not to like about it? another fan responded.

Southern Rock Opera, with Dirty South a close second, was another reply.

In a column written for The Watch newspaper in December, music columnist (and KOTO Community Radio development director) Geoff Hanson calls American Band his 2016 co-Album of the Year (tied with Sturgill Simpsons A Sailors Guide to Earth).

The Drive-By Truckers have made some of the best albums by any American rock band over the last 15 years, Hanson wrote. The de facto trilogy Southern Rock Opera (2001), Decoration Day (2003) and The Dirty South (2004) is a collective masterpiece that captures the rural South as well as any William Faulkner book, Tennessee Williams play or Lynyrd Skynyrd song.

It is the underbelly of Southern culture that the Drive-By Truckers capture so well. The characters in their songs live in rural pockets and are a motley crew of bootleggers, meth heads and strippers, the losers of class warfare with the self-loathing and alienation that comes with the territory.

Gumble added that every year he looks to put together an eclectic lineup. With Bonnie Raitt, Steve Winwood and now the Drive-By Truckers topping the bill for 2017s Blues & Brews, one could argue that the festival is not exactly a blues purists dream.

However, several other artists booked for the event fall into either traditional or contemporary blues genres.

There are so many festivals out there, and quite often their lineups start to look very similar, Gumble said in a prepared statement. I really enjoy combining iconic musicians with young and talented artists to create a festival bill that appeals to both younger generations and older ones.

Its for the whole family. Im honored to be able to continue to bring incredible music to one of the most beautiful venues in the world.

The daily schedule for Blues & Brews will be announced June 7. For more information about the festival or ticket prices, visit tellurideblues.com.

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Drive-By Truckers a late addition to Bluegrass - The Daily Planet

Here's some information for Rams fans looking to get involved with the draft experience.

The 2017 NFL Draft is just a few mere hours away from getting underway, which means theLos Angeles Ramswill be actively looking for anyway to improve the roster ahead of next season.

With that in mind, here are a few quick predictions in how it may all unfold for the Rams over the next few days in the draft:

Take wide receiver early in the draft

It's no secret that the Rams need to find a big playmaking target in the passing game forJared Goffto throw for the 2017 campaign. The addition ofRobert Woodsin free agency helps, but more depth and talent at the position is needed. Keep in mind, Los Angeles has had just one 1,000 receiving yard receiver since the 2007 season which wasKenny Brittlast year. This may likely be at their 37th overall pick in the second round or 69th overall in thethird round when former Rams' greatSteven Jacksonannounces it.

Acquire addition picks

With the Rams not possessing a first round pick in this year's draft due to the massive trade that landed them the first overall selection last April enabling them to take Goff, movement in the other rounds should be expected. The team does possess a solid amount of selections with eight at this current moment, but thefront office is aware of the multitude of needs across the roster. This could see Los Angeles slide down a few slots to aggregatea few more picks in the middle to later rounds.

Add depth to secondary

Although this is a universal need across the league, the Rams possess a greater necessity to gather more viable help in this unit of their defense. The front office may have added some veteran presence with the free agent additions of cornerbacksNickell Robey-Coleman andKayvon Webster, but the team still has question marks in the secondary beyondTrumaine JohnsonandLamarcus Joyner.

Select more offensive linemen

This may sound like beating the same old drum for the Rams over last few years, but there remains a glaring need to improve the offensive line. They have made strung together a couple of solid additions in former Pro BowlerAndrew Whitworthand centerJohn Sullivan, but there are doubts surroundingGreg Robinsonand the long-term durability ofRodger Saffold.

Bob Garcia IV is a staff writer of LARamsReport.com. You can follow him at @bgarcia90 andus on Twitter at@LA_RamsReport.

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The suit is now headlined by Kelly Wright, a black reporter and anchor who has been with Fox News since 2003. Wright claims that he "has been effectively sidelined and asked to perform the role of a 'Jim Crow' -- the racist caricature of a Black entertainer."

Wright's allegations involve, among others, recently fired Fox News host Bill O'Reilly and current network co-president Bill Shine.

The suit claims that Wright was shunned from O'Reilly's now-canceled program, "The O'Reilly Factor," and that Shine "has demonstrated an obsession with race when it comes to discussions with Mr. Wright, including regularly asking him, 'how do Black people react to you' and 'how do you think White viewers look at you?'"

In one alleged example, Wright claims that he was rebuffed in his efforts to show a series of positive stories about the African-American community on the "Factor" because, according to the complaint, "it showed Blacks in 'too positive' a light."

Wright is one of 13 plaintiffs, all people of color who are either current or former Fox News employees, to sue the network in the last month charging racial discrimination.

The litigation began last month, when two black women filed a lawsuit saying they faced "top-down racial harassment" from Judith Slater, Fox's now-former comptroller.

The two plaintiffs, Tichaona Brown and Tabrese Wright, accused Slater of making a number of racially insensitive remarks.

"These are meritless and frivolous lawsuits and all claims of racial discrimination against Ms. Slater are completely false. We have yet to see the alleged additions to the original lawsuit. Given how outrageous and offensive these suits are, it's incomprehensible to imagine how anyone has joined or would join these legal actions," Catherine M. Foti, an attorney for Slater, said in a statement.

Fox said that it fired Slater on February 28, upon learning of the allegations. Attorneys for the 13 plaintiffs say Fox's assertion that it acted swiftly is "completely false."

A separate complaint filed Tuesday on behalf of Adasa Blanco, a former senior disbursement coordinator in Fox News' accounts payable department, alleges that "Slater was terminated because Fox knew this would become a public matter and wanted to salvage its reputation."

Blanco, who claims her repeated complaints about Slater's behavior were ignored, is seeking redress for "substantial monetary damages and severe mental anguish and emotional distress." The suit targets Fox News' top lawyer, Dianne Brandi.

Fox News pushed back hard on the allegations levied in each complaint on Tuesday.

"FOX News and Dianne Brandi vehemently deny the race discrimination claims in both lawsuits," a Fox News spokesperson said. "They are copycat complaints of the original one filed last month. We will vigorously defend these cases."

The complaints filed Tuesday also included allegations from Musfiq Rahman, described in the court document as "a dark-skinned Bangladeshi" who previously worked in Fox's payroll department.

Rahman, the complaint asserts, "suffered unconscionable and unrelenting race discrimination," including an awkward encounter in 2014 with former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes.

According to the complaint, Rahman mistakenly entered Ailes's office on the second floor.

"The fallout for Mr. Rahman's 'mistake' was swift and severe," the complaint says. "Ailes was furious and his paranoia about being attacked came to the forefront. That same day, Ailes ordered that a wall be constructed immediately in his personal office to act as a barrier to entry."

It goes on to say that, the following day, Rahman and "a number of Black employees in the Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable Departments, had their security passes to the second floor revoked."

Tuesday's filings represent a continuation of what has been a nightmarish month for Fox News and its parent company, 21st Century Fox. O'Reilly, long the top-rated host in cable news, was ousted last week following a New York Times report detailing settlements paid to five women who had accused him of sexual harassment or verbal abuse. O'Reilly has denied the merits of all the claims against him.

The revelations of O'Reilly's settlements came nine months after Ailes was forced out of Fox amid sexual harassment allegations against him. Ailes has vigorously denied the allegations.

Douglas Wigdor and Jeanne Christensen, the attorneys representing all 13 plaintiffs, said in a statement Tuesday that 21st Century Fox "has been operating as if it should be called 18th Century Fox."

"We sincerely hope the filing of this race class action wakes 21st Century Fox from its slumbers and inspires the Company to take a conciliatory and appropriate approach to remedy its wrongs," the attorneys said.

CNNMoney (New York) First published April 25, 2017: 6:19 PM ET

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Fox News anchor joins lawsuit alleging racial discrimination, harassment at network - CNNMoney

The Ravens hadnt taken a cornerback in the first three rounds in five straight drafts, a fact team officials attributed to their insistence on sticking to their board and selecting the best player available. With cornerbacks at a premium in the pass-happy NFL, theyve gone far earlier in recent drafts than the Ravens were prepared to select them.

But Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta predicted this draft would be different because of how many talented cornerbacks were available. And when the Ravens were on the clock with the 16th overall pick Thursday night, their board stipulated that it was time to add another piece to their revamped secondary.

Eschewing an opportunity to bring in a linebacker or another target for quarterback Joe Flacco, the Ravens selected Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey, a relatively surprising pick given who else was available.

Three other higher-regarded Alabama players defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, tight end O.J. Howard and middle linebacker Reuben Foster were all available when the Ravens decided to take Humphrey.

Humphrey, the Ravens first-round selection, is the son of former NFL running back Bobby Humphrey, a first-round pick by the Denver Broncos in the 1989 supplemental draft.

A two-year starter for the Crimson Tide, Marlon Humphrey had five interceptions and 19 pass breakups in his college career. While there are some questions about his instincts and ball skills, Humphrey is 6 feet and 197 pounds and has the prototypical size, length and speed that teams are looking for in cornerbacks.

Humphrey, an Alabama native and a member of the Crimson Tides national championship-winning team in 2016, was the second cornerback off the board, following Ohio States Marshon Lattimore who went 11th to the New Orleans Saints.

It was well-documented that the Ravens would draft a cornerback, but it was expected to happen on either day two or three of the draft because of how much depth was available at the position. Evaluators have said that this is one of the deepest cornerback classes in draft history.

The Ravens had already signed veteran Brandon Carr in March to join top corner Jimmy Smith and 2016 fourth-round pick Tavon Young, who had a strong rookie year. However, the selection of Humphrey underscores their recent issues at the position as the Ravens have struggled to keep Smith and other cornerbacks healthy and several of their other cover guys have played poorly.

With the additions of Humphrey and Carr, the Ravens are as deep at cornerback as theyve been in a while. Behind their top four, they have three young corners who they believe have potential: Maurice Canady, a sixth-round pick last year, Robertson Daniel and Sheldon Price

Humphrey is the fourth cornerback the Ravens have taken in the first round in team history, following Duane Starks in 1998, Chris McAlister in 1999 and Smith in 2011. After taking Smith with the 27th overall pick, the Ravens had drafted six cornerbacks but all of them were taken in the fourth round or later.

Continuing their offseason secondary overhaul, the Ravens have now added Humprey, Carr and Tony Jefferson, arguably the top free-agent safety available. They re-signed safety Lardarius Webb, a 16-game starter last year, after releasing him earlier in the offseason. Cornerback Jerraud Powers retired and the Ravens moved on from safeties Kendrick Lewis, Matt Elam and Marqueston Huff, and cornerbacks Shareece Wright and Jumal Rolle.

One of the NFL cornerbacks that Humphrey is often compared to is Smith, now his teammate. At his best, Humphrey is extremely aggressive in press coverage at the line of scrimmage and is able to use his size and strength to knock receivers off their routes or funnel them toward the sideline where they cant make a play.

He posted a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine so he has the necessary speed to stay with receivers on deep routes, and he also has the acceleration to break on balls quickly. While playing two years in the Southeastern Conference he redshirted as a freshman Humphrey was tested by some of the top receivers in the country.

Humphrey is also a physical player who fights through blocks and is a willing tackler both down the field and taking on running backs at the line of scrimmage.

Humphrey did fight consistency issues at times and some scouts have expressed concern about breakdowns in his technique and eye discipline. His ball skills, an area the Ravens have focused on with their defensive backs in recent years to try to improve the number of forced turnovers, also dont stand out.

However, the Ravens obviously feel comfortable that his skills will translate well to the NFL, and hell provide even more depth to a defense that theyve spent considerable resources trying to improve this offseason.

They are also still expected to add a pass rusher to the group during the draft. The Ravens have six more picks in the three-day draft which continues with rounds two and three Friday. The Ravens have one pick in the second round and two in the third. Rounds four through seven will be on Saturday.

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Ravens select Alabama CB Marlon Humphrey with No. 16 overall pick in NFL draft - Baltimore Sun