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Holmes said when fire crews arrived there were flames coming out through a basement window and flames were beginning to go up the side of building to the first and second floors. Holmes said the fire damaged all three levels and was a total loss.

The homeowner is Paul Weimer and according to the Crow Wing County property tax records, the building value is estimated to be $55,000.

Holmes said it appears the fire started from an electrical problem in the basement, but it is under investigation. Holmes said firefighters were on scene longer as the home had several additions and roof lines and they had to make sure the fire was completely out.

The American Red Cross was not called to assist the occupantstwo adults and two juvenilesas they had family nearby to help.

In other fire calls:

Firefighters responded to a grass fire at 6:30 p.m. Monday off Crow Wing County Road 121, south of Brainerd. Upon arrival, firefighters determined it to be a permitted burn out of control. The fire burned about two to three acres.

The Pillager Fire Department responded to a fire Sunday late afternoon on the north west corner of Pillager Lake off Cass County Road 1. It turned out it was a controlled burn that got out of hand. About four acres burned.

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Fire destroys home on Oak Street - Brainerd Dispatch

Noah Feldman, Bloomberg View 5:03 a.m. CT March 22, 2017

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is telling senators that he keeps "an open mind for the entire process" when he issues rulings. (March 21) AP

Judge Neil Gorsuch pauses as he speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, after President Donald Trump announced Gorsuch as his nominee for the Supreme Court.(Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court justices are an occasion for a national conversation about constitutional law and interpretation. Because Judge Neil Gorsuch is being billed as an originalist, his hearings this week are a great opportunity to ask him five pressing questions about constitutional thought.

Start with the most basic: Why should judges use originalism in the first place? Originalism holds that judges should interpret the Constitution based on the original meaning of the text, but the Constitution itself is silent about how it should be interpreted.

And the framers themselves weren't originalist. In one instance, James Madison, the lead architect of the whole document, years later as president signed a bill that re-established the Bank of the United States which he himself had deemed unconstitutional when it was proposed by Alexander Hamilton some 20 years before.

Madison's initial objection to the bank was that he and the other framers hadn't given Congress the authority to charter a bank. He was in a position to know what the framers' intent was, because he was one of them indeed the most important.

But he explained in 1815 that the acceptance of the bank over decades by all three branches of government with the "concurrence of the general will of the nation" had made it constitutional.

If Madison wasn't an originalist, why should judges be so today?

The next big originalism question is, how do you generalize 18th century meanings to modern conditions? A case in point is the right to bear arms.

The Second Amendment explains its purpose by saying that the right to bear arms must be preserved because a "well-regulated militia" is "necessary" to the security of a free state. It's pretty rare for an amendment to contain its own purpose, so you'd think that would be relevant to its original meaning.

Yet in his 5-4 opinion for the Supreme Court interpreting the Second Amendment to cover handguns, Justice Antonin Scalia ran roughshod over the explanatory part of the amendment. Purporting to use originalism, he said that the right to bear arms was an individual right not limited to militia service.

This leap of generalization brought Scalia to the conclusion that a right expressly designed for militia extended to block the District of Columbia from regulating handguns. What principle of originalism led him to the rule he chose? And would Gorsuch explain and defend it?

A third crucial question for originalism is what it has to say about stare decisis, the principle that the Supreme Court should follow its precedents. Most, and in fact almost all, of the court's greatest rights decisions aren't grounded in original intent, from Brown v. Board of Education (desegregation) to Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (abortion), Lawrence v. Texas (gay sex), and Obergefell v. Hodges (gay marriage.)

All these decisions are the law of the land. But a consistent originalist would have to overturn them all.

The fourth serious question about originalism relates to a topic on which Gorsuch has written as a judge, namely the administrative state. In his opinion attacking Chevron deference, the doctrine that holds courts should defer to agencies' interpretations of ambiguous laws, Gorsuch specifically pointed out that the mass of executive agencies created by presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Richard Nixon sits uncomfortably in the three-branch constitutional structure laid out by the framers. He's right about this. The agencies form in effect a fourth branch of government.

How should an originalist relate to the administrative state? Gorsuch reasoned in his anti-Chevron opinion that the courts should be especially careful about deferring to agencies' statutory interpretation because the agencies are on such doubtful constitutional footing.

This leads to the final and in some sense most powerful question for the originalist: What's the alternative to a living constitution? Is it, as Justice Scalia would sometimes exasperatedly seem to acknowledge, a dead one?

When Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes introduced the metaphor of the living Constitution, he compared the document to an organism that had evolved over the generations.

The living, organic Constitution has changed drastically over the centuries. It has responded to wars, changed moral beliefs, new demographics (including immigration), new technologies, and American expansion, regionally and globally.

Originalism posits that the framer's vision, without evolutionary additions and subtractions, can fit these radically different circumstances. A

Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg View columnist. For more columns from Bloomberg View, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/view.

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What does originalism mean to Judge Gorsuch? - The Commercial Appeal

The Redskins need a nose tackle. It sounds like that might come via the NFL Draft. Ben Standig on why that's a risky plan.

TheWashington Redskinscertainly hope the additions of free agents Terrell McClain and Stacy McGee boost a defensive line which struggled last season. On the surface, a generous interpretation has the unit breaking even with the two new big guys replacingChris Bakerand Ricky Jean Francois. We'll see. All can agree more help is needed, particularly at nose tackle.

Right now weve got [A.J.] Francis, weve got Joey [Mbu], and weve got Phil Taylor, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said recently during an interview on ESPN 980 about three players who could end up playing key roles in 2017 despite havig minimal name recognition among casual fans. Now were getting those three guys in the mix and well see how it pans out. The new coordinator also said, "Right now, we might be in a situation where were looking for a nose in the draft."

Now that last sentence is the likely and perhaps ideal scenario at this point. The frenzied aspect of free agency is no more nearly two weeks in. Some potentiallyhelpful options remain, but probably few long-term solutions. That's the hope with the draft.

Problem: By the numbers, this isn't a year to plan on landing a nose tackle early in the Draft.

Now, this doesn't mean the Redskins can't find a run-stuffer or an interior pass rusher or a prospect with those and other attributes. It's just that there aren't many of them deemed worthy of first or second selection.

When looking at four NFL Draft sites that rank at least the top 100 players -- CBS, ESPN, DraftTek, Sporting News -- only five defensive tackle types are among the top 100 prospects on each: Jonathan Allen (Alabama), Malik McDowell (Michigan State), Caleb Brantley (Florida),Montravius Adams (Auburn), Dalvin Tomlinson (Alabama).

The Redskins own the 17th and 49th selection along with eight selections between rounds 3-7.

Allen is a projected top-5 overall selection. Three of the four sites slot McDowell 20-21. However, the Michigan State product is a 3-4 end or 4-3 tackle, but isn't built to line up directly over the opposing center.

http://www.scout.com/nfl/redskins/story/1763626-redskins-depth-chart-now...

Brantley is. Problem: Despite some earlier first round buzz, none of the four sites rank him higher than 41 overall among all prospects. The collective projectionshave Adams (High 39, low 88) and Tomlinson (54, 79) on the 2-3 line. Other nose tackle prospects with Day 2 potential include Jaleel Johnson (Iowa), Carlos Watkins (Clemson) and Elijah Qualls (Washington). Michigan's Chris Wormley could hear his name called in the second round, but, like McDowell, isn't a true nose tackle.

Of course, the Redskins could find gold in the later rounds. Baker went undrafted in 2009 and became Washington's top lineman over the past two seasons. Nobody should count on immediate success with this scenario and, based on the current options, Washington needs just that. Drafting for need isn't always wise if it means reaching. The Redskins arguably need a boot at inside linebacker, guard, running back and safety. Yes, maybe quarterback.

With the No. 17 pick, it would appear any nose tackle type would be a stretch. Maybe that's not the case in the second round, but there justaren't that many big men projected in that range and other teams have comparable holesThat's why looking for a tackle is one thing, but planning on landing one is another.

Ben Standigis the Publisher of Breaking Burgundy and theHuddle Report's 2012 NFL Mock Draft champion. You can find him on Twitter@benstandig,Facebookand onGoogle+.

Follow Breaking Burgundyon Twitter@breakburgundy,Facebook,andbecome a subscriberto receive access to premium content and discounted Redskinstickets.

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The Flaw With Redskins Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky's Plan - Scout

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According to Hall County Supervisor Jane Richardson, the windows in the Hall County Courthouse are very old and are in dire need of replacement.

The Hall County Board of Supervisors will discuss and consider taking action on replacing the courthouse windows at its meeting Tuesday morning.

Richardson, the countys facilities committee chair, said the committee met Thursday and decided it would like the county board to make a decision on whether or not to replace the windows.

The board will discuss and decide whether to approve the installation of historically-accurate windows or aluminum windows. Richardson said the facilities committee does not have a preference of the installed window type, but said aluminum windows are less costly compared to historically-accurate windows.

Hall County Facilities Director Lorne Doone Humphrey gave a rough estimate of the costs of the windows, saying historically-accurate windows would cost roughly $200,000, while aluminum windows would cost about $170,000.

Richardson said with Grand Island experiencing extremely windy days within the past few weeks, courthouse employees have been complaining about how noisy and dirty the courthouse is.

They (windows) are so bad that they have dust particles coming onto their desks and they have to keep wiping them off throughout the day, she said. They are desperately in need of replacement. They are very old windows and are not cost-effective. Weve updated the HVAC, but then we had the heat and the air conditioning escaping out the windows. So its time to do something.

Richardson added Hall County would save on energy costs with the installation of new windows in the courthouse. She said the county has not been seeing the cost savings it should be seeing with the HVAC system due to the old windows still being in place.

I am hoping that we can just make a decision that yes, we do need new windows as soon as possible, Richardson said. Also, are we going to go with the historically-correct ones or aluminum ones? Hopefully we will move forward so we can get them ordered and get them in.

In other action, the county board will:

Discuss and consider taking action on bids for a scanning project for the Hall County Assessor and Register of Deeds.

Consider approving special designated liquor licenses for Maxs Thunder Road Bar and Grill at 3335 W. Wood River Road for the purpose of bike nights and a June 10 Wings and Wheels event.

Discuss and consider approving an exemption application for CHI Health St. Francis for a 2017 Nissan Sedan.

The Hall County Board of Supervisors meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Hall County Administration Building.

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County board to discuss replacement of courthouse windows | Local ... - Grand Island Independent

The Corona del Mar branch of the Newport Beach Public Library is a neighborhood landmark, but it shows its age.

Moist ocean air and termites have taken chunks out of the decking around the cheerful landscaping and slim, mid-century signage. The paint is dull and the carpet could use a deep cleaning.

Newport Beach had planned to build a new $8-million library/fire station complex nicknamed the "fibrary" this year at the site at East Coast Highway and Marigold Avenue. But city leaders said in January that with unfunded pension liabilities straining the city budget, the project could be postponed for five years.

Now, library supporters have regrouped to identify and price maintenance priorities for the existing building, which was built in 1959.

Library trustee Paul Watkins headed a committee that estimated the cost of the most vital fixes at $35,000 to $42,000. He said the city manager's office gave the committee a range of about $50,000 to $90,000 to take care of deferred maintenance issues, but the group chose to be prudent and pinpoint the must-haves.

"We understood what the charge was," Watkins said.

Termite eradication, estimated at $3,000, is the top-ranked concern. Most other issues such as air conditioner and window replacement could be addressed once the termites have been eliminated.

An exterminator is waiting for the go-ahead, according to a staff report prepared for the library board. The committee submitted the plan to City Manager Dave Kiff, who agreed with the proposed fixes, the report states.

The library board approved the maintenance plan Monday. The City Council will need to give the final stamp of approval, said Tim Hetherton, Newport Beach library services director.

Hetherton said the city, expecting a new facility in the near future, tried to stretch what it had in the current building. But now that the new building has been put on hold, officials are trying to spend wisely, he said.

Hetherton said he hopes the library will be fumigated within the next couple of weeks. He's planning to start the extermination on a Saturday so the library, closed Sundays and Mondays, will lose only one day of business.

Hetherton said he hopes to have the facelift done by June 1.

The library is a relatively small 4,000 square feet, but its records show it served more than 40,000 visitors last year. It draws plenty of toddlers to its sunny, open children's area for story times.

"There are lots of houses from '59 that are soldiering on, so I think we can too," Hetherton said.

Joy Brenner, chairwoman of the Friends of the CdM Library board, said advocates want to keep the money that had been designated for the new library in place, as the new branch was further along in development than other city construction projects.

She said supporters and officials showed classic grassroots cooperation and she wants to keep the momentum. But she said she also understands the city's budget concerns and supports the short-term fixes.

Brenner remembers doing her homework in the library as a teenager, then taking her children there, and more recently, her grandchildren. She said many neighborhood residents have a deep fondness for the library.

"Our loyalty to this library and our appreciation of it is longstanding," she said.

Termite eradication: $3,000

Deck repair: $7,205

Roof repair: $1,500

Exterior paint: $4,200

Air conditioners (window-mounted): $4,000 (add $7,500 if a new electrical panel is needed)

Window replacement: $7,000

Carpet and upholstery cleaning: $1,500

Interior paint: $4,900

Restroom diaper-changing table: $600

Shelving removal and carpet patching: $900

Total: $34,805 to $42,305

Source: Newport Beach Library Services

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter:@DailyPilot_HD

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With 'fibrary' on hold, a lower-cost facelift is planned for Corona del Mar library - Los Angeles Times

Spring is a great time to watch nature wake up and enjoy the fresh air,

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (PRWEB) March 22, 2017

March 22, 2017 Fort Lauderdale, FL

Express Glass & Board Up, Fort Lauderdales leading professional sliding glass door service, is proud to announce a new Spring Program for residents. Spring can bring many reasons for broken window glass. Migrating birds or flying debris from a thunderstorm can quickly create a shattered glass emergency. Fort Lauderdale locals may consider it time to upgrade windows and patio doors to impact-resistant glass in preparation for the Summer, 2017, hurricane season.

Spring is a great time to watch nature wake up and enjoy the fresh air, commented Yaniet Santos, general manager of Express Glass & Board Up. Its also a time when we get calls about shattered windows from all kinds of flying objects like birds or patio furniture from hurricane-force winds. We want to remind the Florida community our spring program can help get them through any broken glass turmoil.

To view the informative post about the Express Glass Spring Program, please visit http://www.expressglassfl.com/impact-resistant-glass/. Details regarding various types of high-impact glass for hurricane-force winds can be reviewed. Information about the programs 10% discount for sliding glass door repair and window replacement can also be found by clicking up to the site navigation. Interested parties can also refer to the Fort Lauderdale page at http://www.expressglassfl.com/fort-lauderdale-glass-window-repair/ or simply call in and mention the special 10% discount available to Ft. Lauderdale residents for "spring clean up."

Fort Lauderdale Sliding Glass Door Repair Has Brought High Impact Spring Program to Residents

Fort Lauderdale residents may be ready to enjoy the outdoors as spring approaches. In an area known as Hurricane Country, residents may also need to prepare for high-impact winds. If a resident has scheduled sliding glass door repair service, it could be a good time to include a full glass inspection as well. Worn windows and tiny cracks in patio doors can shatter from hurricane force winds. Installing high-impact insulated glass before debris flies toward the residence could help ensure home security. Finding a top sliding glass door repair service offering inspections and installations at a reasonable price may be the first step.

Express Glass & Board Up, a sliding glass repair service for the Fort Lauderdale community has recently announced a new Spring Program. The business has updated its hurricane-resistant glass page and offered a complimentary glass repair inspection for spring. Several options for sliding glass door repair and high-impact glass can be found. Choosing hurricane resistant glass may not have to break a home budget. Express Glass has offered a 10% discount to residents mentioning this recent press release. Tropical storms in Fort Lauderdale can be weathered in the safety of a secure home with high-impact glass. After the skies clear, Fort Lauderdale locals can open the windows and enjoy the fresh spring air.

About Express Glass Repair and Board Up

Express Glass and Board Up Service Inc. is a family owned and operated glass repair business with more than 20 years of experience. Professional technicians and the large variety of inventory make Express Glass the top glass door replacement and repair service. If customers are looking for Miami sliding glass door repair, or Ft. Lauderdale glass repair as well as glass repair in Delray Beach please reach out to the company for a free estimate. If customers need a 24/7 Miami Sliding Glass Door repair service, or glass repair in Ft. Lauderdale or Boca Raton, technicians are standing by. The company specializes in sliding glass door repair and window glass repair; technicians will handle any glass replacement situation efficiently. Home or business glass repair is the company's main priority.

Express Glass Repair and Board up http://www.expressglassfl.com/

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Express Glass & Board Up, Fort Lauderdale's Sliding Glass Door Repair Professionals, Announces Innovative Spring ... - PR Web (press release)

Users can view and control their Carrier Cor Home Automation system on a mobile app.

PORTLAND, Ore. (PRWEB) March 21, 2017

Home automation is a growing trend in this digitized world, and its convenience encourages people to bring more technology into their homes. As of February 2017, Jacobs Heating & Air Conditioning trained its technicians to install the latest home automation system from Carrier, the Cr Home Automation line. The company encourages its customers to consider this technology as a way to make their homes both smarter and safer.

Home automation, or smart home technology, is the digital syncing and control of heating, cooling, lighting, security (including alarms, locks, and cameras), electrical outlets, and even Wi-Fi-equipped appliances. Smart homes can be controlled remotely on mobile apps from anywhere in the world, as well as on computers and central control units.

Every product within the Carrier Cr Home Automation line works together to create a smarter, safer, more comfortable home. It starts from the central hub, the nervous system of Cr Home Automation, and connects to the corresponding smart phone app or a computer. The system works throughout the home to turn off lights and manage home security, which includes signaling a camera to start recording when the garage door opens. It also controls and operates a Carrier smart thermostat, among many more features.

The Cr smart thermostat provides an average of 20% cost savings on heating and air conditioning through its life, according to a third-party study comparing it to non-programmable thermostats. To track energy savings over time, the smart thermostat provides easy-to-follow reports, compiling both high level and detailed data on its performance and energy usage in the home.

Once professionally installed by a Jacobs technician, the smart home system can work independently and check for software updates so it always uses the latest technology. The experts at Jacobs Heating & Air Conditioning encourage homeowners to upgrade to a home automation system to experience cost and energy savings and a more streamlined system of controlling and connecting the home.

About Jacobs Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. Operating out of Southeast Portland, Jacobs HVAC (CCB #1441) offers residential and commercial customers the best in heating and air conditioning equipment, installation and repair. Since 1952, Jacobs has provided solutions for energy conservation and reduction, backed by the companys extensive experience and expertise. The local HVAC company offers heat pumps, furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters, fireplace inserts and more. Jacobs is a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer and a Daikin 3D Network dealer, as well as a trade ally of the Energy Trust of Oregon. For more information, visit http://www.jacobsheating.com.

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Jacobs Heating & Air Conditioning Trains Technicians in Home Automation - PR Web (press release)

If you are looking for the long life of your air conditioner unit, then make sure that it is installed and serviced by a company that has served many years in the industry.

Indianapolis, IN - March 21, 2017 - (Newswire.com)

There is one company that will take care of your air conditioned units no matter what. You just need to give them a call, and they will be at your doorstep installing and servicing the air conditioner unit in no time. The company Bolls Heating & Cooling knows that an air conditioner in Greenwood IN is the best friend one can have. In summer, the heat is killing, and an AC unit breakdown is the last thing that you would want in such circumstances. A quick service response is the mark of a good service provider, and Bolls Heating & Cooling is the best resource to rely on the same. The company has a good service record, and they will offer the best possible service. Any time is a good time for them, and they dont go by the clock. They will come over and have a look at the air conditioner unit to detect the problem. If they find that it is beyond repair, then they will provide a new system. Under any circumstances, they will never let their clients suffer or compromise on their comfort.

With the competition so high, it pays to be on the job around the clock. The technicians at Bolls Heating & Cooling are all NATE Certified as that is mandatory in the industry. Moreover, such a certification is the validation of the technicians knowledge and a commitment to excellence. Bolls Heating & Cooling offers same day service on No Heat or No Cool calls if they hear from you before noon. They serve 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You can trust on them for all air conditioning repair in Carmel IN at best possible price.

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Get Air Conditioner in Greenwood in Installed and Serviced by Professionals - Digital Journal

YOUNTVILLE, Calif. On a sunny morning in Napa Valley, Americas most celebrated chef is reflecting on his career, the culinary empire it spawned and why he just spent $10 million to upgrade his famed restaurant, the French Laundry.

Thomas Keller describes himself as detail-oriented, a perfectionist and passionate about fine food and design. All of this is apparent in the chefs gleaming new workspace, a 2,000-square-foot state-of-the-art kitchen, which feels more like a sleek, modern art gallery than a cramped, hectic kitchen.

At 61 years old, Keller entertains the thought of slowing down. Just not right now.

Hes got a new restaurant project underway at New York Citys Hudson Yards. He flew to Hollywood last week for a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live. And he is clearly mindful of his legacy, which is part of the inspiration for remodeling the revered restaurant he opened in 1994.

Keller says he embarked on the French Laundrys renovation to ensure it thrives for the next 20 years. Aside from the new kitchen, theres a 16,000-bottle wine cellar, extensive solar paneling, a new office annex and 9,000 square feet of new landscape design. The renovation took more than two years and was not stress-free.

For weeks, I would wake up in the middle of the night and think, Oh my God, I ruined the French Laundry,' said Keller, who holds three coveted Michelin stars for the restaurant, and another three for its New York counterpart Per Se. The distinctions make Keller the only American chef, past or present, with two sets of three-star Michelin ratings.

On a tour of the new kitchen and the French Laundrys lush culinary garden, Keller is vocally enthusiastic about the upgrades. He is also gracious, and humble, when asked about his significance to the culinary world.

I dont wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and go, Im looking at the greatest chef in America. It very seldom comes up for me personally, he says. But when the issue is raised, he feels an enormous amount of responsibility, that burden of responsibility on my shoulders to make sure that Im trying to exemplify what that chef would be like.

As a measure of his ambition, Keller compares the French Laundrys remodel to the renovation at one of the worlds great museums, the Louvre in Paris, citing how I.M. Peis 1989 addition of the glass pyramid added a modern statement to a historical site.

The Louvre was iconic. It was historic. Everybody knew it. And the French Laundry kind of represented that for me, said Keller, who even presented his architect with two pictures of the Louvre one pre-I.M. Pei and one after to capture the essence of his vision.

Keller teamed up with Snohetta, an architecture and design firm that spearheaded the recent three-year renovation of the San Franciscos Museum of Modern Art. The restaurant stayed open during the construction, but the culinary staff relocated to a temporary kitchen built inside four shipping containers. Final touches on landscaping are wrapping up this summer.

To actually stand in the new kitchen is the ultimate reward. Its absolutely amazing, says 36-year-old chef de cuisine David Breeden, who has worked for Keller at the French Laundry and Per Se for 12 years.

Gone is the stainless steel austerity of most restaurant kitchens, this one is white, spacious and sunlit by skylights and wraparound windows overlooking a garden. It has swooping vaulted ceilings meant to mimic draped linen.

Keller describes it as more feminine than most kitchens because of its soft lines and curves. It was designed with attention to ergonomics, acoustics and ease of cleaning, including all walls and counters made of an anti-microbial material.

The countertops were raised several inches from the standard height to avoid backaches. Theres a ventilated ceiling that does away with the typical noisy overhead hoods. Now theyre embedded in the ceiling with infrared sensors that gauge the appropriate speed, rather than whirring at high all day long.

The attention to detail is typical of Keller, says Breeden. We call him the omnipresent chef, said Breeden, who described Keller as a master craftsman who guides by example in his search for that constant improvement, constant refinement and reflection.

Perfectionism comes with a price. The 9-course prix fixe menu, which changes every night, costs $310. But a meal for two with wine and a vintage after-dinner cognac could easily top $1,000.

The 62-seat restaurant is typically booked solid weeks in advance.

Keller has not cooked full-time in years but is still very much the face of the French Laundry, which is inside an old stone cottage in the heart of California wine country. And when hes in town, hes at the restaurant, impeccably dressed in in his custom-made chef jacket, tailored black pants and shiny black clogs.

During the flurry of a recent dinner service, Kellers guiding hand was at work plating caviar, making artful, final touches on dishes, instructing waiters on the details of each course and even helping out in the dishwashing area.

In the span of two decades, Keller has transformed the image of the American chef and the fine dining experience in America with his innovative, playful interpretations of fine French food, says Tim Ryan, president of the Culinary Institute of America.

Ryan describes Keller as a mixture of humility and ego. Unlike todays celebrity chefs, he had no reality TV shows but earned recognition through hard work in the kitchen, Ryan says, and to this day no one has matched his achievements or influence.

Thomas Keller is the most important chef in American history. Period. Ever, said Ryan in a telephone interview from New York. Im sitting right now in a building filled with 2,000 aspiring chefs. There is no one in the world I could bring here that would generate more excitement among the student body than Thomas.

In the streets of Yountville, Keller is a local celebrity. Tourists stop him in the street to take selfies together, or pose outside the French Laundry sign. His success has spawned a dozen other bistro-style restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills and Yountville, where he lives next door to the French Laundry when not traveling.

As hes grown older, Keller said, hes more comfortable with the idea of less running around. Ultimately, hed like to return full-time to his brand new kitchen.

One day do I want to come back and solely be here? Its a dream. It gives me great sense of comfort to be here at the French Laundry, said Keller, who has long talked of building an upscale Inn alongside the restaurant. So were looking at that.

Online: https://www.thomaskeller.com/tfl

Follow Jocelyn Gecker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jgecker

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Thomas Keller shows off his sleek new French Laundry remodel - The Republic