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MAHOMET Village trustees got an update this week on when a landscape waste drop-off site might be available to Mahomet residents.

With two-year contracts about to expire, trustees voted to advertise for bids for the leaf and limb pickup programs.

Both contracts were awarded to Mahomet Landscapes two years ago and expire in April.

Leaf disposal costs the village about $6,000 per year. The contract for limb and yard waste pickup, with its labor and equipment costs, is pricier the previous contract was not to exceed $11,875 for each of six yearly collections.

But officials say those costs are likely to go up, as more residents opt to leave their brush on the curb for pickup. More participants mean more work hours and more material to process.

"The good news is that more people are using the program," Public Works Director Gary LaForge said. "The bad news is that it's costing more."

Village Administrator Patrick Brown said each collection could reach $13,000, as well as budgeting for an additional special collection in case of a strong storm.

LaForge and Brown presented several options for the next two-year contract, but the one that trustees opted to approve was for five scheduled pickups, plus additional funding for the proposed drop-off site at the new public works facility on Lake of the Woods Road.

LaForge said the drop-off could be available by April, depending on how soon gates can be installed at the site.

Public Works staff plan to make the manned drop-off available at scheduled times each month, possibly a Saturday morning.

Link:
Mahomet board updated on landscape waste disposal, recycling

Financing at heart of matter

Moorparks first public swimming pool might become a reality if the City Council and the Moorpark Unified School District can agree on how to share the $4 million cost.

Currently the school district pays about $100,000 a year for Moorpark Highs use of the pool at Body Xchange Sports Club on Los Angeles Avenue.

The council voted 4-0 on Wednesday to appoint Mayor Janice Parvin and Councilmember Keith Millhouse to an ad hoc committee to review the pool project with the school district.

Steve Kueny, Moorpark city manager, said 13 years ago the school district and the city could not agree on ways to pay for the project, much less the cost of maintenance.

A 2002 feasibility study estimated it would cost about $250,000 to maintain a pool at Arroyo Vista Park.

The plan was scrapped when the school district and the city decided the maintenance costs were too high, Kueny said.

Kueny said the two entities will discuss sharing those expenses with the money available now.

Funds needed to finish the project would have to come from a tax assessment fee or something similar to a parks assessment fee requiring a two-thirds vote by residents, Kueny said.

He said the city wants a recreational pool that can accommodate high school aquatic sports.

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City, school district renew pool talks

Labor takes minority government in Queensland

Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk has been commissioned to become Queensland's 39th premier.

Beaches around Ballina on the NSW north coast will remain closed following a fatal shark attack.

Almost 100 children, plus staff, from an inner Sydney childcare centre have been tested for tuberculosis.

A 28-year-old female Taiwanese student has been killed in a motorcycle accident north of Perth.

University students hit by pepper spray while protesting have criticised how police handled the situation.

Indonesia is not wavering from its plans to execute two Australian drug smugglers.

Police and a prayer hall were among possible targets in a foiled alleged terrorist plot in Sydney.

1:05

The first dedicated cancer hospital in NSW has been officially opened by the Prime Minister.

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Rattle family shattered by sentence

The "smart" home may not be quite as clever as you think.

With the arrival of the so-called Internet of things -- where household items such as thermostats and washing machines and webcams are connected to the global network -- security problems may also be on the rise. A study from security research company Synack found that commonly connected products opened up a host of safety issues. One of the firm's analysts noted it took him only 20 minutes to break into a range of devices, according to GigaOm.

The study comes amid heightened concern about hackers and the vulnerability of everything from credit cards to automobiles. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) issued a report this month warning about the dangers of hacking attacks against vehicles. In the Synack study, the only device that didn't have a major security flaw was a Kidde smoke detector, which wasn't actually connected to the Internet.

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Smart home technology can let homeowners network together entertainment, security, environmental control, and other systems into a completely aut...

"Right now the 'Internet of things' is like computer security was in the nineties, when everything was new and no one had any security standards or any way to monitor their devices for security," Synack security research analyst Colby Moore told GigaOm.

You do have some ways to protect your home against hackers, such as hard-wiring devices to the Internet rather than relying on WiFi. But if a device is linked via a wireless network, make sure it alerts you if it's bumped off the connection.

Plus, connected devices require strong passwords, so don't enter useless ones such as "123" or "password." Still, GigaOm notes that might be difficult for devices, such as thermostats, that don't come with keyboards.

Manufacturers of networked home devices aren't thinking about security front and foremost, according to Network World. That means it's up to consumers to evaluate the safety and security issues of each thermostat or home automation center on their own.

According to the Synack study, connected cameras have the greatest number of security flaws, including unencrypted data and weak password policies. All of the connected thermostats the firm studied have security issues (including poor password protection), as well as the home automation centers. The smoke and carbon monoxide alarms had issues, except for the Kidde version, which doesn't connect to the Internet.

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Your "smart" home devices can easily be hacked

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Trent Johnson settled in for a nap in the coach's locker room before the Big 12 opener in TCU's temporary home while the campus arena is renovated.

Next thing the Horned Frogs coach knew, four high school swimmers were coming through the door, needing to use the bathroom.

"How about that?" Johnson said. "So I had to leave. I thought they'd be in there and get their business done and be right out. But I had to knock on the door for about 10 minutes."

As for how much of an inconvenience a high school facility with a natatorium attached has been for the likes of No. 8 Kansas and Texas, well, not as much as some might think.

Sure, the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center is fairly cozy and has tall walls near the court adorned with Fort Worth school logos such as the Polytechnic Parrots.

But chairback seats and concourses have offered a surprising feel for players, coaches and fans who might have expected the one-time experience to be something out of "Hoosiers." In short, "arena" might be a better word than "gym."

"I thought for the sacrifices they've had to make probably this year, it certainly was better than what I thought it would be coming down here," said Jayhawks coach Bill Self, whose team hung on for a 64-61 win last month.

"It's a nice facility, without question.

The Horned Frogs are spending one season about 10 miles southeast of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum while the 54-year-old facility undergoes a $45 million facelift.

The facade will match that of TCU's recently renovated football home, Amon Carter Stadium, and have more courtside seats and wider concourses.

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TCU's temporary home is quirky

A few weeks ago, a couple friends and I were about to watch a surprisingly bad scifi movie in my crowded apartment. One of them asked if we could dim the lights, and started to head to the switch. "No, no, I've got it," I said, reaching into my pocket. "He's reaching for his phone!" said the friend. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. Time to show off my smart home.

I'd spent the last six months making my home more intelligent with Wink components. That meant six months of programming lightbulbs and installing sensors and adjusting shades and updating hubs. All my effort to connect my appliances added up to this one very public test. My friends didn't need to walk ten feet to the light switch, when I could manage everything with a couple taps. My friends would be so impressed. I'd talked up my pet project plenty, and now they could watch the future unfold before their very eyes.

I unlocked my phone. I found the right home screen. I opened the Wink app. I navigated to the Lights section. I toggled over to the sets of light bulbs that I'd painstakingly grouped and labeled. I tapped "Living Room"this was itand the icon went from bright to dark. (Okay, so that was like six taps.)

Nothing happened.

I tapped "Living Room." The iconnot the lightswent from dark to bright. I tapped "Living Room," and the icon went from bright to dark. The lights seemed brighter than ever.

"How many gadget bloggers does it take to turn off a light?" said the friend, smirking. "I thought this was supposed to be a smart home."

I threw my phone at him, got up, walked ten feet to the switch. One tap, and the lights were off.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Last summer, when I stepped into an expensive-looking SoHo loft where Quirky was unveiling its new Wink system, I had high hopes. The plug-and-play platform was designed to turn any house with Wi-Fi and a couple connected devices into a smart home. Quirky set up Wink as a separate company and partnered with Home Depot so Americans could easily buy all their Wink-related products in one convenient place. Even Quirky's longtime partner GE was buying into the platform and making some of its products Wink-compatible. It all sounded so ambitious, so appealing, and so impossible. Kind of like communism.

As Wink's executives showed me around the demo smart home, I couldn't help but think how this whole system was designed to be the people's smart home. In my experience, connected home products were kind of like luxury goods. On their own, things like the Nest thermostat and the Philips Hue lighting system were pricey but impressivea glimpse at a future where your gadgets at home responded to your behavior and adapted to your wants. Fully integrated smart home systems like those offered by security companies, however, were even more expensive up front and cost monthly subscription fees. In other words, smart homes had historically been the domains of the tech-hungry rich.

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Why Is My Smart Home So Fucking Dumb?

America #39;s Preferred Home Warranty Introduction Video
This video presentation offers an overview of what America #39;s Preferred Home Warranty has to offer both its real estate professional business partners and its...

By: America #39;s Preferred Home Warranty, Inc.

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America's Preferred Home Warranty Introduction Video - Video

Curious Bear Captures On Home Security Cam
A curious bear takes advantage of a reachable bird feeder for a tasty treat.

By: Stay Alpha

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Curious Bear Captures On Home Security Cam - Video

WASHINGTON, DC and VIENNA, VA (PRWEB) February 12, 2015

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Alarm.com, the leading technology platform powering the smart home, today announced that Alarm.com is the official Smart Home Security partner of the Washington Capitals.

Alarm.coms Smart Home technology is used by millions of homeowners to make their homes safer, smarter and more efficient. Caps fans and homeowners everywhere can control and manage nearly every aspect of their home through a single, intuitive mobile app.

We pride ourselves on being a tech-forward organization and partnering with the leading provider of Smart Home technology is a great fit for us, said Patrick Duffy, vice president of corporate partnerships at Monumental Sports & Entertainment.

Alarm.com is excited to be the official Smart Home Security partner of the Washington Capitals, said Jay Kenny, Vice President of Marketing at Alarm.com. Along with our network of service providers, Alarm.com delivers a comprehensive Smart Home Security solution complete with an intuitive mobile app, professional monitoring and installation to make upgrading any home to a smart home simple. As a local company, its great to support our hometown Washington Capitals and their passionate fans.

Smart Home Security powered by Alarm.com helps protect your home and keeps you aware of whats happening in and around your property, so you can cheer the Caps to another win without worrying about things at home. Alarm.coms flexible solution is easy to personalize and offers HD video cameras, award-winning energy management solutions, and a wide range of convenient home automation options for devices throughout the home, such as lights, locks, thermostats and garage doors.

Alarm.coms solutions are available through a nationwide network of authorized service providers who are Smart Home Security experts. They will help you understand all your options, install the system and provide professional monitoring with emergency response and ongoing support. You can find the local Alarm.com service providers in your area by visiting Alarm.com/caps, today.

About Alarm.com Alarm.com was founded in 2000 and today is the leading technology platform powering the Smart Home with more than 2 million residential and commercial installations. Through its cloud services platform, millions of people use Alarm.com to help protect and manage the things that matter most their homes, families, and small businesses. Alarm.com connects a wide range of supported devices across the internet of things to provide an integrated smart home experience through intelligent cloud-based services and an easy to use mobile app. Alarm.com solutions are available exclusively through a network of licensed and authorized Service Providers. For more information, please visit http://www.alarm.com.

About Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Monumental Sports & Entertainment is one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies in the country with one of the most diverse partnership groups in all of sports. MSE owns and operates three professional sports teams: the NBAs Washington Wizards, NHLs Washington Capitals and WNBAs Washington Mystics. The group also owns and operates Verizon Center, the premier sports and entertainment venue in Washington, D.C. Monumental Sports & Entertainment also oversees the management of Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the state-of-the-art training facility for the Capitals and George Mason Universitys Patriot Center. In January 2013 Monumental Sports & Entertainment launched Monumental Network, a digital platform that serves as the hub for the regions sports and entertainment news. Visit MonumentalSports.com for more information.

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Alarm.com Is the Official Smart Home Security Provider of the Washington Capitals

Need a Handyman in Sierra Vista?
Mr. Fix It of Sierra Vista is Cochise County #39;s best general contractor! Providing roofing, flooring, plumbing, electrical, drywall, and many more home repair...

By: Bill Goethe

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Need a Handyman in Sierra Vista? - Video