Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

MASON CITY | Smoke in the attic of a Mason City home Friday was caused by a wiring issue.

The Mason City Fire Department responded to a report of smoke in the yellow one-story home at 1209 S. Carolina Ave. at about 2:45 p.m.

Mason City Fire Department Capt. Jack Odegaard said the owner and occupant of the home, David Bemis, was in the back yard and smelled smoke, and also smelled smoke when he went into the garage.

Firefighters found insulation smoldering in the attic and removed insulation and debris from the house.

Odegaard said the smoldering insulation was caused by arcing wiring.

Firefighters dumped attic insulation into the snow of the front yard. Other items from the house were put in the driveway.

Officials say no one was hurt.

A police car and fire engines blocked the street in front of the house while crews worked inside the home.

Molly Montag

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Firefighters investigate smoke in Mason City home

Chat with the Experts Podcast: Home Security (Part 4)
On this segment of Chat with the Experts, Kiel Hauck chats with Hugh Vandivier about Lafayette Square and what #39;s happening around Indy. Subscribe to the podc...

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Chat with the Experts Podcast: Home Security (Part 4) - Video

Air Conditioning Repair Service Ventura County (800) 215-8151 Climate Control
http://www.climatecontrolla.com (800) 215-8151 Air Conditioning Repair Service Ventura County A/C and Heater Services in Los Angeles CA When you live in LA, ...

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Tired of waiting for that honey-do list to get done? Consider hiring a handyman instead to tie up all those loose ends around your house. Just make sure to follow these five tips:

Understand pricing. Many handyman services, but not all, charge an hourly rate and a fee for travel.

Yvonne Costin, owner of Grandmas Handyman Service in Aurora, Colo., charges $75 for the first hour and $60 for each additional hour, plus a $20 travel fee, for the employees she sends to peoples homes. Were basically a time, prep, material company, she says. When people have a honey-do list, we cant give them an estimate for that.

James Payne, owner of One Handyman and a Van in Mason, Ohio, says he doesnt offer a set rate, but determines how much to charge based on the length and difficulty of the job.

Tasks like changing out a garbage disposal could cost about $100 if everything goes perfectly, he says, but unforeseen issues, especially in older homes, can result in a higher cost. I prefer, before I start giving quotes to people, to look at it, he says.

Explain your problem in detail.

Handymen like to know what theyre up against, so be prepared to tell them in as much detail as possible.

Payne says it helps him determine whether he wants to do the job and what materials he might need. I try to pick their brain before I drive 100 miles for 50 bucks, he says.

Costin says that sometimes when people explain their issues, she can help them solve them over the phone. I love giving advice, she says. Thats what grandmas do.

Know the scope. Handyman services stick to smaller jobs. They wont rewire or replumb your house.

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A Handyman for That Honey-Do List

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima slams Arroyo allies over actions that can 'be contemplated as conspiracies relating to sedition, rebellion, or coup d' etat'

WORST CRISIS. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III responds to questions on February 6, 2015, after he delivers his second televised address regarding the killing of 44 police officers in a clash in southern Philippines. Photo by Ritchie Tongo/EPA

MANILA, Philippines The government vows to apply the full force of the law against the President's critics who push for an unconstitutional and illegal power grab, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Sunday, February 22.

De Lima singled out the National Transformation Council (NTC), a group composed of allies of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The group includes Norberto Gonzales, a former defense secretary and national security adviser under the Arroyo administration.

In a statement, De Lima slammed the NTC for urging the installation of a civilian-military junta. She pointed out that the group wants to become the de facto government of the Philippines.

She also criticized the NTC for proposing or conspiring to commit the crime of coup d'etat, as when it requested the military's support.

The NTCs pronouncements and publicly declared strategy for the capture of state power through active military support to the NTC are therefore acts which already constitute conspiracy or proposal to commit rebellion and coup d etat (Art. 136 in relation to Arts. 134 and 134-A, Revised Penal Code), conspiracy to commit sedition (Art. 141 in relation to Art. 139, RPC) or, at the very least, inciting to sedition (Art. 142, RPC), as well as illegal assemblies (Art. 146, RPC), the justice secretary said.

She explained: A junta by any other sanitized name is still illegal and unconstitutional. By calling for people power and military support to force the Presidents 'resignation' in order to pave the way for a junta, the NTC and its mushrooming allied alphabet soup organizations of discredited government officials consisting of charged plunderers, grafters, and tax evaders, or of those under investigation for such crimes, may have just crossed the line of legitimate dissent.

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Gov't vows 'full force' vs 'power grab' plotters

gutter cleaning Surrey
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AFP February23,2015,12:01amTWN

Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said the sensors, which were rigged to a gutter that pours rain and ground water at the Fukushima Daiichi plant to a nearby bay, detected contamination levels up to 70 times greater than the already-high radioactive status seen at the plant campus.

TEPCO said its emergency inspections of tanks storing nuclear waste water did not find any additional abnormalities, but the firm said it shut the gutter to prevent radioactive water from going into the Pacific Ocean.

The higher-than-normal levels of contamination were detected at around 10 a.m. (0100 GMT), with sensors showing radiation levels 50 to 70 times greater than usual, TEPCO said.

Though contamination levels have steadily fallen throughout the day, the same sensors were still showing contamination levels about 10 to 20 times more than usual, a company spokesman said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the original spike of the contamination and its gradual fall, he added.

With emergency surveys of the plant and monitoring of other sensors, we have no reason to believe tanks storing radioactive waste water have leaked, he told AFP.

Difficulty in Controlling

We have shut the gutter (from pouring water to the bay). We are currently monitoring the sensors at the gutter and seeing the trend, he said.

The latest incident, one of several that have plagued the plant in recent months, reflects the difficulty in controlling and decommissioning the plant, which went through meltdowns and explosions after being battered by a giant tsunami in March 2011, sparking the world's worst nuclear disaster in a generation.

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Fresh leak detected at Fukushima plant

Sensors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant have detected a fresh leak of highly radioactive water to the sea, the plants operator announced Sunday, highlighting continued difficulties in decommissioning the crippled atomic station.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the sensors, which were rigged to a gutter that drains rain and groundwater at the plant into a nearby bay, detected contamination levels up to 70 times greater than the already-high radioactive status seen on the plant grounds.

Tepco said its emergency inspections of tanks storing nuclear wastewater did not find any additional abnormalities, but the firm said it closed the gutter to prevent radioactive water from flowing into the Pacific Ocean.

The higher-than-normal levels of contamination were detected at around 10 a.m., with sensors showing radiation levels 50 to 70 times greater than usual, Tepco said.

The levels of beta ray-emitting substances, such as strontium-90, measured 5,050 to 7,230 becquerels per liter of water between 10:20 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. Tepco requires radioactivity levels of groundwater at the plant discharged into the sea to remain below 5 becquerels.

Though contamination levels had steadily fallen throughout the day, the same sensors were still showing contamination levels about 10 to 20 times more than usual, a company spokesman said later in the day.

It was not immediately clear what caused the original spike and its gradual fall, he added.

With emergency surveys of the plant and monitoring of other sensors, we have no reason to believe tanks storing radioactive wastewater have leaked, he said.

We have shut the gutter (from draining water to the bay). We are currently monitoring the sensors at the gutter and seeing the trend, he said.

The latest incident, one of several that have plagued the plant in recent months, reflects the difficulty in controlling and decommissioning the plant, which suffered a triple-meltdown and explosions after being battered by a giant quake and tsunami in March 2011, sparking the worlds worst nuclear disaster in a generation.

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With winter nearly over and spring just around the corner, the urge to plant grass seed is hard to resist.

Fall is by far the best time to plant seed, and spring holds a close second, but dormant season planting in February or early March can actually yield a hardy 75 percent germination rate.

As with most plants, cool season grasses require three things to germinate: dirt, sunlight and moisture. Too much or too little of any of these three things will result in a less-than-stellar grass-growing experience.

Dormant season planting in February or early March can yield a hardy 75 percent germination rate.

Step 1: If possible, use a good, stiff rake to loosen the soil in the seeding area. If the ground is too frozen, consider mixing the grass seed with a little soil or seed starting medium before sowing it.

Step 2: Sow the seed onto the loosened soil and rake it in to ensure that dirt is touching at least three sides of each grain. Sowing seed directly to the ground before a good snow will increase the chances of germination in the spring. Snow serves as an insulating blanket and protects the seed from birds and other hungry critters. As an added bonus, the freezing and thawing cycle of winters end will actually work the seed into the ground and provide an ample amount of moisture for successful germination.

Step 3: Once temperatures begin to rise and the ground begins to thaw, monitor the weather closely. Keep the top half-inch of the soil moist but not wet. Typically, melting snow and spring rains will take care of the moisture requirements, but in dryer conditions, a few weekly waterings may be necessary.

Step 4: When spring arrives and nighttime temperatures remain above 50 degrees for 10 days to two weeks, the dormant seeds will begin to germinate. Continue to keep the soil moist until spring is in full swing.

Step 5: Once the seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall, adjust the mower height to ensure that only the top 1 inch of the grass blades will be removed during its first mowing. After that, adhere closely to the one-third rule: remove no more than one-third of the total grass height with each consecutive mowing. In other words, if the grass is 3 inches tall, remove up to, but no more than, 1 inch of the blade when mowing.

Have a home improvement question for the Fix-It Chick? Email it to Linda Cottin at features@ljworld.com.

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Fix-It Chick: Dormant season lawn seeding

On my previous visit, I bought a handful of old garden tools for 1 each.

We made a gate from them using a hoe and spade to form the cross braces and other implements for the verticals. This time I had hoped to buy a lot more to form a decorative fence to go around a small vegetable garden next to an old mill, but sadly there were none.

For a unique garden a trip to an antique fair is just the ticket

If you want to put a fresh stamp on the garden, or are starting a garden, a day at an antiques fair is usually productive and enjoyable.

You will be sure to go home with something, although possibly not what you had in mind. There is an air of conviviality among the stallholders and, although it is a trade show, the public are welcome and benefit from trade prices.

During our visit, several theatre prop companies were on the hunt, a couple of camera crews were busy filming and I saw more Jack Russells than at Crufts.

Tempting offers

Many things whetted my appetite. The first items to catch my eye were on the Country Collectables stand. A sturdy set of metal and wood bistro chairs with curving wooden arms and a table; the chairs were 35 and the table 55. Add a lick of paint and they would be far superior to modern equivalents. A harlequin set using two or more colours would lift a terrace.

Jacqui from Country Collectables also had lots of pots, planters, jugs and baths, all in galvanised metal.

On a stand nearby, Lynda North (01442 833808) had several good-sized riveted coppers (2ft diameter, from 150), and some fabulous iron deckchairs (380 for the pair).

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Garden bargains to be found at antique fairs