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America's dirty divide

There are plans to unite Philadelphias divided Chinatown with a highway cap but a new arena could hurt the neighborhood yet again

If you ask for directions in Philadelphias Chinatown, chances are someone will either tell you to head north of the highway or south of the highway. Thats because this community has been carved into two.

It is one of the oldest and largest Chinatowns in the US. Yet landmarks like the Holy Redeemer church and the Crane community center are separated from others like the famous dim sum spot Bai Wei or the Chinatown firehouse by six lanes of busy traffic.

This freeway is known as the Vine Street Expressway. This is the busiest [area] for Chinatown, said Debbie Wei, who founded the grassroots activist group Asian Americans United. Its a pretty broad space to have to cross over. Several times a week she crosses the sunken highway via one of six street-level lanes. Its not the sort of place where residents think: Oh, I think Ill take a walk here.

But all that could change thanks to an audacious plan to physically cover the expressway and reconnect the two severed parts of Chinatown. Last month, the city announced plans to explore a cap, a structure built on top of a highway that acts as a lid, and would make way for new green areas, recreational space and even buildings.

The city has allocated $400,000 to explore what local residents want the cap to look like. It has also secured $4m to design it, including $1.8m in federal funds from President Bidens bipartisan infrastructure law. Construction on the project known as the Chinatown stitch is estimated to start in 2028.

This is something that the community has been organizing around for three decades now, said Christopher Puchalsky, who oversees policy and planning for Philadelphias office of transportation, infrastructure and sustainability. On top of noise pollution and air pollution, as pedestrians cross back and forth, the fast traffic they encounter is dangerous.

It follows other plans to reconnect communities like those in New Yorks South Bronx, through capping portions of the Cross Bronx Expressway. A similar plan is under way in Richmond, Virginia, where the city has secured $1.3m to plan the capping of parts of I-95 that cut through Jackson Ward. Thousands were displaced in the historic Black neighborhood when the highway was built in the 1950s.

The Federal Highway Act of 1956 initiated construction of 41,000 miles (66,000km) of the interstate highway system and reshaped travel and trade in the US. But this convenience came at a cost, including air and noise pollution, safety risks from vehicle collisions, and even increases in traffic congestion.

Communities of color bore the brunt of the devastation that came with highway construction. In the 1920s, the urban planner Robert Moses spearheaded the bulldozing of Black and Latino neighborhoods in New York City to make way for expressways. And while the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed segregation, the design of these highways perpetuated racial zoning that destroyed homes, devalued property and separated communities.

One such place that was shaped by highway infrastructure in this way is Philadelphias Chinatown.

The very first Philadelphia Chinatown business dates back to 1870, when Lee Fong started a laundry storefront at 913 Race Street, less than a mile away from city hall and the Liberty Bell. Amid growing anti-Asian sentiment, discriminatory immigration laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prevented all but merchants from bringing families into the country. As the restrictions eased, Chinese immigrants settled there with their families, built businesses and founded churches and schools that, despite facing challenges from new development projects, still thrive today.

In 1966, the city released a plan to extend Philadelphias Vine Street Expressway and link a growing part of the south-west of the city to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which crosses the Delaware River into downtown Camden, New Jersey. The construction of the highway required the seizure of more than 300 properties through eminent domain and demolished entire blocks of houses and businesses, splitting the community north and south of the highway.

It created an artificial barrier that stunted the physical expansion of Chinatown, said John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC), an organization founded in 1968 to represent the communitys opposition to the highway.

I have friends that I grew up with who had to move out of the community, said Chin. Some were lucky and were able to move into replacement housing, and thats something PCDCs founders had fought for if youre going to force us to move, you need to build new housing so we can stay in Chinatown.

The original plan entailed demolishing the Holy Redeemer Catholic church and an adjacent school, both serving a majority Asian population. But thanks to the overwhelming and united pressure from the community, the church and the school survived. Today more than 300 people attend Holy Redeemers Sunday mass, and roughly 150 children are enrolled in the K-12 school.

The current situation is an environmental justice issue, said Puchalsky of the city of Philadelphia. In formulating the Chinatown stitch, were determined not to make the same mistakes, he said.

Currently there are efforts to survey the community, notably in Mandarin as well as in English. So far, residents have expressed a desire for green space and parks which are lacking in Chinatown, as well as stressing the importance of pedestrian safety. Other green spaces that have resulted from highway capping include Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, Texas; Freeway Park in Seattle, Washington; Lyle Park in Cincinnati, Ohio; and Sutton Park in New York City.

I think its a small token of recognition of whats happened to the community, said Wei. Theres very little to no green in Chinatown, and the exhaust from cars alone is environmentally detrimental to the people.

But even as Chinatown seems on the verge of reunification, some say another threat looms.

The community is rallying to stop a proposed 18,500-seat basketball arena for the Philadelphia 76ers on Chinatowns doorstep. It is the second attempt to build a stadium in the neighborhood in 2000, Wei and others rallied against a baseball arena for the Philadelphia Phillies.

The new privately funded $1.3bn arena is spearheaded by 76 Devcorp, run by Philadelphia 76ers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer as well as the billionaire developer David Adelman. The lease on the NBA teams current arena expires in 2031, and the developers have stated that the current location is not conducive to our vision of building a championship-level franchise for decades to come. They also noted that most arenas only remain in service for 30-40 years, which is prompting concern in Chinatown that their community will suffer displacement again only to have the arena shutter after a few decades.

The PCDC, which opposes the arena, surveyed more than 90% of Chinatown residents and businesses, finding overwhelming opposition. In a statement, the organization cited fears of gentrification, which has repeatedly been the case when stadiums are built in neighborhoods largely home to people of color. Additionally, residents expressed concern about displacement, increased rent, and parking and traffic congestion.

It would kill Chinatown, said Wei.

The neighborhood already faces a demographic shift. It is home to nearly 5,000 people, and roughly 50% of the population is of Asian descent, having declined from 58% in 2000. This situation is similar in New York City, where factors like high rent drove out roughly 10% of the Asian population of Manhattans Chinatown between 2010 and 2020. From 2010 to 2017, the number of Asian people in San Franciscos Chinatown, the nations first, decreased by 6%.

But perhaps the most dire example of how gentrification and development have erased a community is seen in Washington DCs Chinatown. Founded in the 1930s, it is now a shell of what it was, with fewer than 300 Chinese Americans living there today. The construction of whats known today as the Capitol One Arena in 1997 drove out businesses with locals following suit.

Chin, of the PCDC, fears that the same thing will happen in Philadelphia if the proposed 76ers arena is built.

Its the saddest thing Ive seen, said Chin, recalling walking in what remains of DCs Chinatown and not finding a single Asian supermarket. A community in the US capital became an empty town.

For now, even though the cap is poised to address some of the harms wreaked by the highway, locals like Debbie Wei are worried about the future of Chinatown. And much like before, theyre determined to fight.

Chinatown is a real community, in the deepest sense, Wei said. The stadium developers keep saying that this isnt going to have an impact, that its going to help us. But if youre that confident, then do a full impact study and show us the evidence that this will work environmentally, socially, culturally that our community will stay intact, she said. Show us that.

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This Chinatown is divided by a freeway. A bold project could reunify the community - The Guardian US

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $875 million in financing has been awarded through bonds, tax credits, and subsidies to create or preserve 3,100 affordable, sustainable, and supportive homes in 27 developments across New York State. When coupled with additional private funding and resources, the 27 projects receiving funding are expected to create more than $1.5 billion in overall investment. The awards will increase housing supply in every region, assist local economic development efforts, fight homelessness with onsite services that keep vulnerable populations safely housed, include sustainable features that advance the State's climate goals, and offer free broadband to help close the digital divide.

"My administration is committed to ensuring that every New Yorker has access to housing that is affordable, sustainable, and offers critical services that improve lives," Governor Hochul said. "This funding will ultimately create more places for seniors and vulnerable residents to live independently, apartments that young people can afford, and revitalized communities where businesses can succeed and grow their workforce. These innovative developments are central to our strategic efforts to increase the supply of housing and create a more affordable, more livable New York for all."

The awards announced today are part of Governor Hochul's $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan that will create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York State, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.

Funding is provided through New York State Homes and Community Renewal's Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program and Tax-Exempt Bond financing. Seven projects were awarded $684 million subsidies and tax-exempt housing bonds in the Agency's March 2023 bond issuance. Twenty developments were awarded more than $191 million through HCR's Multifamily Finance RFP, a competitive process that awards Federal and State Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and subsidy financing for affordable and supportive multifamily housing developments.

All projects meet the new sustainability standards established by HCR in 2022 which promote healthier living environments and highly efficient buildings and support the goals set by the New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

More than half of the awarded projects will use a total of $9 million from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's Clean Energy Initiative to achieve even higher levels of sustainability and carbon reduction.

In addition, the developments offer free broadband services to residents, building on the Governor's ConnectALL initiative, which has made historic investments to deliver highspeed internet in underserved communities and close the digital divide for lower-income New Yorkers.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "The $875 million in financing we announced today will deliver more than 3,100 quality, affordable, environmentally sustainable apartments to every region of New York, while expanding access to broadband and essential support services. True to the spirit of our $25 billion housing plan, these 27 projects will increase New York's housing supply and create vibrant, diverse, and economically stable communities where people of all income levels can afford to live. Congratulations and thank you to our talented development partners for their hard work on these life-changing developments."

The full description of awards can be found here.

Capital Region

Central New York

Finger Lakes

Long Island

Mid-Hudson Region

Mohawk Valley

New York City

North Country

Southern Tier

Western New York

Representative Brian Higgins said, "Access to affordable living has long been one of Western New York's great attributes. We must continue to look at ways to improve existing residential living and open up new affordable housing opportunities to all. These projects, made possible in large part thanks to the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, continue to build on that goal."

Representative Adriano Espaillat said, "Affordable housing is critical to the health and sustainability of our communities. I commend Governor Hochul on allocating this significant level of funding to ensure affordable housing across the state of New York. Today's announcement furthers our commitment to bolstering economic development, supporting sustainable communities, and assisting vulnerable families to help them thrive."

Representative Joe Morelle said, "Quality, affordable housing is the foundation of every community, and every person deserves a safe and stable place to call home. I'm grateful to Governor Hochul for her commitment to supporting expanded housing options for New Yorkers. I look forward to our continued partnership working to create opportunity for low-income families."

Representative Pat Ryan said, "I'm fighting every day to make housing more affordable in the Hudson Valley and this investment of more than $40M is a game-changer for hardworking families in Newburgh and Highland. This financing means hundreds more seniors and veterans will be able to live independently, and with additional funding for free broadband, they will be active members of the community as well. I look forward to continuing to work with Governor Hochul, RUPCO and The Kearney Realty & Development Group Inc. to bring down housing costs across the region."

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Governor Hochul Announces $875 Million in Financing For 3100 ... - ny.gov

Sedona-Oak Creek Airport is slated to have several repair and upgrade projects in order to keep planes safely in the air, and continue its economic impact of $18 million according to a 2021 study by the Arizona Department of Transportation

The first project will be carried out by Cactus Asphalt; they will be crack sealing, seal coating and remarking the airports runway at the total cost of $1.4 million. The project is grant funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation and a little over 4.4% was paid by local participation with the monies raised from aviation user fees according to Airport Manager, Ed Rose.

This is just an example of infrastructure maintenance and safety oriented projects that we perform here on a regular basis, Sedona Airport General Manager Ed Rose said. Itll be a pretty simple sealcoating and remarking of that pavement. The unfortunate thing is thats going to take eight or nine days to get done, and the runway has to be closed. So theres the lost air traffic and revenue that nine days represents.

SOCAAs anticipated closure dates are: May 22 through June 4, when the taxiway work to take. And June 5 through June for the runway work, Rose said. The closure shouldnt affect helicopters companies that use the facility according to airport staff.

This particular project rehabilitates the entire SOCAA taxiway system. The top inch of the taxiway will be milled off and fills any cracks that are beneath that layer. Then reapplies a one inch wear surface and the second half of the project is the runway rehabilitation, according to Rose who added This is just an example of infrastructure maintenance and safety oriented projects that we perform here on a regular basis.

Fuel Storage

A $4 million fuel storage replacement project is anticipated to have its ribbon cutting ceremony around the end of May or early June according to Rose who added its finalization is depended

on the contractors ability to get the system commissioned and accepted by SOCAA

We currently have 10,000 gallons of jet fuel storage and 10,000 gallons of aviation gasoline storage, this project increases the storage capacity to 30,000 gallons of jet fuel and 12,000 gallons of aviation gasoline, this is to accommodate increased air traffic at the airport Rose said.

The volume of fuel demanded has increased tremendously, last year the airport used 418,000 gallons of jet fuel through a 10,000 gallon tank. The current fuel storage has been putting the airport in a precarious position to be able to service corporate and private visitors as well as the forest service firefighting, according to Rose.

Theres a lot of juggling to make sure you have enough fuel to supply the needs of your clients. Rose said. This will remove a lot of angst over those fuel ordering episodes and the monitoring of inventory.

Currently three or four airplanes have the potential to drain 80% of what the airport has on property at one time with the current fuel storage tanks which are showing signs of age and rust, SOCAA Line Technician Mark Allen pointed out at the construction site.

That will be a game-changer for us, Allen said. We dont know when flights are coming in because we dont have scheduled traffic here. Its hard to predict, sometimes nobody takes any fuel for a day or two and then all of a sudden theres a run on it. For instance, in the last week we sold 2000, 3000 and 2000 gallons in three consecutive days. So thats 7,000 gallons and that tank down there holds 10,000 [gallons]. We currently have deliveries of fuel twice a week to make sure that we dont run out. We probably only get out of gas once a month.

The new fuel storage also comes with safety upgrades such as overfill protection, grounding assurance and spill protection with a new catchment system that also separates fuel from rainwater runoff.

Runway Safety

More extensive SOCAA infrastructure upgrades will also soon be going before Sedona residents at a total cost of over $33 million. Among the plans are: the acquisition of 2.6 acres of adjacent forest service land, the relocation of a section of Airport Loop Trail because of safety concerns of hikers being too close to takeoff and landing aircraft, and the installation of engineered material arresting systems at the runway ends, Rose said.

An EMS as theyre called arrests the forward inertia of aircraft and in our case itll keep aircraft from rolling off the end of the runway and down off the precipice at either end of the runway, Rose said. There have been aircraft that have gone off again before we know that there have been [fatalities] involved with those accidents, and were doing what we can with our FAA, ADOT and engineering partners to come up with life saving solutions. [This is] not a runway extension, [this is] simply safety enhancements.

There are upcoming community outreach meetings May 22 at the Sedona United Methodist Church from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and then at the Sedona library the May 23, from 5:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. to introduce airport safety projects to the citizens of Sedona and gather feedback on the design, Rose said.

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Sedona Airport begins new round of construction and public input - Sedona Red Rock News

Torontonians will have to cope with at least four more years of transit disruptions on a busy downtown street due to construction for the new Ontario Line.

As of May 1, Queen Street was shut down to all vehicle traffic between Bay and Victoria streets to accommodate construction work for the upcoming subway line.

As a result, the 501 Queen streetcar routes will divert both ways between McCaul Street and Broadview Avenue to account for the construction. The 501 streetcar is considered one of the busiest streetcar routes because it runs from Long Branch Loop in the west to Neville Park Blvd. in the east.

This street closure is expected to last four and a half years.

Closing this section of street to vehicle traffic will expedite construction for the project by roughly one year compared to an approach with multiple partial closures Metrolinx said in a statement.

Though Queen Street is closed to vehicular traffic, it will be open for pedestrians.

The Ontario Line is scheduled to be completed by 2031. The subway line will include 15 new subway stations starting at Ontario Place and ending at the current location of the Ontario Science Centre in North York.

NEW ROUTE FOR QUEEN STREET: 501B QUEEN BUSES

A temporary new 501B bus route is available for riders to help those travelling along the busy street.

The 501B Queen replacement buses will run eastbound toward Broadview Avenue, with diversions south on Bay Street, east on King Street, and north on Church Street.

Buses will also run westbound toward Bathurst Street, with diversions south on Church Street, west on Richmond Street, and north on Bay Street.

These changes will remain in effect until next spring when track work on Adelaide Street is complete.

301 QUEEN BLUE NIGHT BUSES

In addition to the 501, the 301 blue night buses on Queen Street will also be diverted.

The 301 will operate eastbound and will go south on Bay Street, east on King Street, and north on Church Street, and then back to its regular route on Queen Street East.

Westbound buses will divert south on Church Street, west on Richmond Street, north on Bay Street and then resume their regular route on Queen Street West.

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Portion of Queen St. closed until 2027 for Ontario Line construction ... - NOW Toronto

Rachel Kerr James was the first medical professional to arrive on the scene of the US embassy bombing in Saigon in March 1965. She saw the smoke, mangled metal, and scores of people wounded by the blast that ripped a hole in the side of the five-story concrete building. She knew immediately what she had to do.

I am going to stay here as long as necessary, she said to her husband, Sam. It could be a long time.

James spent three days tending to the wounded at the embassyand 13 years caring for the people of Vietnam during the war. A Southern Baptist missionary nurse, she volunteered with the Red Cross, set up medical clinics in the villages around Saigon, and launched a mobile clinic, all while raising four children and helping her husband plant churches and start a seminary.

James died in Virginia in April. She was 88.

I felt God called me to be a foreign missionary, James said. My whole life has been centered around this call.

James was born October 17, 1934, in Durham, North Carolina. Her father, Theodore Kerr, worked at a local hospital. Her mother, Ethel Peed Kerr, was a homemaker who had once dreamed of being a missionary and passed her passion for mission work on to her daughter.

James accepted Jesus as her personal savior at 14. Shortly afterward, she started to feel a call to nursing and missions that was, as she later described it, increasingly definite. As she started to date, however, that call was challenged. Few if any of the young men she knew were committed to missions. Fewer still liked the idea of getting married to a woman who wanted to be a missionary.

One day, praying in church before dawn, she was convicted that following Christ had to come before anything elseeven getting married and having a family. She stretched herself out on the altar as the sun rose through and gave her life to God.

Lord, I want you to know I am completely willing and ready to go alone, she said. But, Lord, if you send me somebody, and we can go together, that will be okay too.

Two years later, as a nursing student at Duke University, she was invited to dinner at the home of a woman from her church. The woman also invited her nephew, a Navy veteran who had a born-again experience while serving in Korea. Sam James was immediately smitten with this woman who was so committed to the Great Commission. He drove her back to her dormitory, and the two sat in the parking lot until midnight, when all the nursing students had to be in for curfew.

Before they parted, they prayed that God would guide them on their respective paths to serve himeach hoping, but not saying aloud, that those paths might merge.

Sam and Rachel James were married on August 8, 1957.

As they prepared for mission work, Sam took a job as a pastor of a Baptist congregation in rural North Carolina. James had her first child there, and then her second.

The growing family struggled in those first few years of ministry. Political tensions divided the church, and some people started leaving when they heard Sam was planning to allow Black people to attend. He had not thought about trying to integrate the congregation, Sam later wrote in a memoir, but he was deeply unsettled by the racial views in the church. He demanded the church vote on whether to keep him.

God loves all mankind no matter where in the world they live, what skin color they have, what economic strata they belong to, or what social standing they have, he preached. Above all, God loves every single one of us.

The congregation agreed to keep their young pastor and allow Black people to sit in one section of the sanctuary if they came. (None did.)

In 1961, the Jameses were accepted as candidates by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Rachel James attended orientation while three months pregnant with her third child.

They left by boat from San Francisco in March 1961, with a three-year-old, an 18-month-old, and a newborn in tow.

When they landed in Hong Kong, however, the Jameses were informed that their visa applications had been rejected. The South Vietnamese government, run by Catholics, was concerned about American Protestants undercutting support for the regime. They appealed and waited. They waited all spring, all summer, and into the fall.

Yet when it seemed like they would never get approval, Rachel James became convinced the authorities were going to change their minds. Baptist churches in the United States had a calendar telling them when to pray for missionaries, and they were scheduled to pray for her on her birthday, October 17. She was certain it would make a difference.

On October 17, the Jameses were notified their visas had been approved. They became the sixth Baptist missionary family to go to Vietnam.

The Jameses spent two years in intensive classes learning Vietnamese, taking turns studying and watching the children. As they learned the language and the culture, they began to love the people.

It wasnt always easy, though. There were small but embarrassing faux pas, like the time Sam offended a guest by eating first or the time he couldnt think of the vocabulary for plucked and asked a woman in the market for a chicken without clothes. She called everyone over to laugh at him.

There were more serious challenges too. The American government started sending combat troops into the country, and fighting increased. The South Vietnamese government, worried about dissidents, outlawed all meetings of more than three people, making all of the Jameses Bible studies illegal. Rachel wasnt legally allowed to start a clinic, because all the Vietnamese doctors had been drafted into the military and she needed a doctor to supervise.

In 1967, as they began their second term in Vietnam, however, an American army doctor showed up at the church they had planted in a suburb of Saigon. S. Leo Record Jr., a Wesleyan from North Carolina, had received orders to provide medical care to the South Vietnamese. But he didnt have anyone to translate. He heard the Baptist missionaries spoke Vietnamese and was shocked to find that one of them was a trained nurse who wanted to start a clinic.

James and Record teamed up to provide medical care. They opened weekly clinics in the villages around Saigon, each serving 100 to 200 people. Around the same time, James had her fourth child.

In 1973, when President Richard Nixon started withdrawing troops, most of the medical personnel in Saigon were sent home. The army sold James all the medical equipment she wanted, though, and she teamed up with a Catholic doctor and established a mobile clinic, driving to a different place each day to continue the work.

James insisted on continuing, even when the work was threatened by Northern Vietnamese soldiers.

Sam, she told her husband, I just cant give up the ministry God has placed in my care. The need is just too great. I simply will not, cannot quit.

James continued for another two years, until the South Vietnamese government fell and the family had to be evacuated.

Back in the US, James supported her husband as he oversaw the construction and development of a missionary training center in Richmond, Virginia, known today as the International Learning Center. Sam went on to serve as East Asia area director for the International Missions Board and then vice president for creative leadership development.

A missionary wife goes through cycles of life and ministering, she said. There are times when she is free to do what she wants to do. Then she may enter a cycle where she is busy almost full-time carrying out the responsibilities that come naturally to a wife and mother. All of this is the Lords work and in his will and timing.

In 2002, the Jameses were allowed to return to Vietnam to see the church they helped start in Saigon with $50,000 taken up in Lottie Moon offerings in Southern Baptist churches. The church survived the Communist rule under Vietnamese leadership and continues to this day. The couple made regular trips back to Vietnam to teach until Jamess health no longer allowed her to travel.

James is predeceased by her third child, Philip. She is survived by her husband and children, Deborah Winans, Stephen James, and Michael James. A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia, on May 13.

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Died: Rachel Kerr James, Missionary Nurse to War-Torn Vietnam ... - ChristianityToday.com

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2023 at 9:14 am

MEDINA Jim Friday marvels at the immensity of the Medina Sandstone industry. At its peak from 1890 to 1910, there were 50 quarries in the county employing 2,000 people.

The countys population in 1900 was 30,164, according to the census. (In 2020, the population was 40,343).

That was a huge percentage of the workforce, said Friday, an Albion native who lives in North Chili. It was just a huge industry.

Friday, 75, is a Kodak retiree and loves local history. He wrote a book about the local sandstone industry, The History of Sandstone in Orleans County NY. The 108-page book includes many photos of the countys dominant industry.

He spoke about the big business last week during the Medina Historical Societys monthly meeting.

The quarries produced stone in some of the finest buildings in communities along the canal. They were used in churches, mansions and other public buildings. The stone also was utilized for sidewalks, curbs and street pavers.

The quarries were independently owned and competed against each other. The owners brought in immigrants from Poland, Italy, Britain and Ireland.

Friday is a descendant of Polish immigrants. His paternal grandparents (John Piatek/Friday and Stefania Siebak) lived on Moore Street in Albion. His maternal grandparents (Tony Rice and Rose Lucas) owned the farm at the end of Orchard Street along the canal in Albion. When he was a child, Friday spent a lot of time in Albion and often swam in the quarries.

He explores the geology of how and when the stone was formed, the rise and fall of the regional quarry industry and what remains today.

Jim Friday of North Chili was the featured speaker at the Medina Historical Society meeting last week at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

Friday presents this timeline of the Medina Sandstone industry. During construction of Erie Canal from 1817 to 1825 large deposits of sandstone were discovered. In 1836, John Ryan opened the first commercial sandstone quarry in Medina to supply stone for the second expansion of the canal.

In 1906, there were 50 quarries in the county, employing 2,000 workers. From 1919 t 1930, there were only a few independently leased quarries.

He includes includes vintage quarry photos from the early 1900s that give insight into the products, work conditions, methods and equipment used to quarry the stone. The experiences of some of the many immigrants who toiled in the quarries are presented along with photos of stone structures that remain as prominent reminders of a bygone era, Friday said.

The quarries were consolidated by New York City bankers, which led to the demise of most of the local operations. It was also cheaper to use cement rather than sandstone in buildings and public works projects.

For more information about the book, click here or send Friday an email at photos.JimFriday@gmail.com.

It was a lot of fun to learn about the history of Albion and Orleans County, Friday said. The sandstone industry was huge in Orleans County, and it is interwoven with the history of the Erie Canal.

Friday also serves as the coordinator of the orleans.nygenweb.net website that includes a wealth of local genealogy data about Orleans County. The late Sharron Kerridge and her friends were the driving force behind establishing this website.

Link:
Albion native chronicles rise and fall of Medina Sandstone industry - Orleans Hub

PRESS RELEASE

Published May 1, 2023

The home carpets and LVT flooring company has recently relocated to a new, bigger showroom to accommodate the expanding range of samples, which includes luxury carpets, vinyl, engineered wood, and laminate options.

More information is available at https://www.carpetscarlisle.co.uk/pages/carpets.html

Home Carpets' design consultants can advise customers on choosing the right materials to execute their flooring project, whether they require something that can withstand heavy foot traffic or can add warmth to bedrooms and lounges. Moreover, its expanded range of options caters to various budgets and interior design visions. After a home visit and no-obligation quote, the company will arrange a convenient time for the fitting and installation.

Depending on the condition of the subfloor, the local company's installers will fit a damp-proof membrane, screed, plyboard, or latex-smoothing compound that prepares the surface for the new floor. Once the installation has been completed, the carpet fitters can dispose of the old flooring and off-cuts.

The independent shop presents a portfolio of several successful projects it has recently completed. One recent residential project involved fitting a UK-made Primo Ultra Shadow Carpet for the stairs and a durable Herringbone Core Tec LVT Click vinyl in the hallway.

Similarly, the flooring and carpet fitting company has received praise from customers in Yewdale for a luxury grey bedroom carpet installation, photos of which are available to browse on the company site.

About Home Carpets by Neil McBrearty

Company founder Neil McBrearty established his flooring company over 25 years ago. Since then, his family-owned company has assembled a reliable team of professional carpet fitters. The Durranhill Road showroom stocks samples from Mercado, Whitestone Weavers, Kingsmead, Distinctive Flooring, Brockway, and Telenzo Carpets. The team have experience working with carpets and floors supplied by these brands and can verify the quality of the products. Interested parties can find out more by visiting https://www.carpetscarlisle.co.uk/pages/contact-us.php

A spokesperson for the company said, "Our carpet ranges offer sumptuous collections, unrivalled quality and our personal guarantee that we only supply and fit products that we are 100% happy with."

More information can be found by visiting https://www.carpetscarlisle.co.uk or calling 01228 810 218.

Home Carpets by Neil McBrearty[emailprotected]+44-1228-810218Keigh House, Croft TerraceDurranhill RoadUnited Kingdom

COMTEX_431394475/2824/2023-05-01T14:34:47

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Carlisle Grey Bedroom Carpet | Domestic Flooring Installation ... - Digital Journal

EVANSVILLE Pigeon Township Trustee Mariama Wilson and employee William Payne should pay nearly $90,000 to the township and the state, according to a newly released report from Indiana's State Board of Accounts.

The SBOA special investigation is limited to records associated with Pigeon Township related to payments made to Hardiman Construction, LLC. Wilson, Payne and Terrance Hardiman are accused by federal prosecutors of participating in a "kick-back" scheme related to work at the Dorothea MacGregor Family Shelter and The Pigeon Township Food Pantry.

Due to its findings, SBOA has requested Wilson and Payne reimburse the township $55,975 for invoiced work that wasn't completed, overpayment on invoices and payments lacking documentation. Additionally, the two have been asked to reimburse the state $31,383 for the cost of the special investigation.

A representative for the Pigeon Township Trustees Office told the Courier & Press there would be no public comment at this time.

Wilson and Payne each face five counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The same charges are leveled against Hardiman, who also faces a count of money laundering.

All three have pleaded not guilty.

More: Pigeon Township trustee, two others indicted in alleged 'kickback scheme'

The SBOA report states Pigeon Township paid $30,400 to Hardiman for work that was not completed. During a visit to the township, Wilson reportedly told the investigators that "something in the garage may not be done," when asked if the work was all done, according to the report.

She also told the SBOA "estimate" documents were considered invoices and not given prior to a job being finished, according to the report. If there was a signature on an invoice or estimate it meant Wilson or Payne had reviewed it and it was ready for payment.

"During our inspection of the homeless shelter, Payne claimed that it was not his job to ensure that the work had been completed before the work was paid," the report states.

The report states the upstairs of the homeless shelter still had its original flooring, it had just been sanded and stained.

An invoice for the upstairs rehab dated Feb. 11, 2020, included "Sand refinish floor," but another estimate dated May 22, 2020, included "Floors: New sub flooring. Level sub flooring. Install vapor barrier. Lay waterproof flooring. rim and baseboard included. - $9,000.00," according to the report.

SBOA found no evidence new flooring was installed.

"During the inspection, Payne agreed that it was the original flooring of the homeless shelter that had been sanded and refinished," the report states.

While visiting the shelter Feb. 7, SBOA investigators inspected the replacement of basement steps at the shelter.

According to the report, an estimate dated June 6, 2021, one of the line items paid for was "Basements steps - $2,700.00."

The SBOA inspected the steps and reported they were not replaced.

"Payne said that they had decided to close off the basement because they considered it unsafe for the people who live in the homeless shelter and, therefore, used this money for repairs elsewhere," the report states. "Payne did not say where the repairs were made with this money."

The largest payment associated with uncompleted work in the SBOA report was the homeless shelter garage.

The report states Hardiman Construction, LLC was paid $8,000 for "Drywall/paint - Hand finish new drywall with level 5 finish. Paint with level 5 finish - $8,000.00."

SBOA inspections found that was not done, but the garage had been framed with plywood and no drywall was added.

"The estimate had Wilson's signature stamped on it, asserting the work had been completed and could be paid for," the report states.

During a meeting with the SBOA, Wilson reportedly told them anything with stamped with her signature had not been reviewed by her and she always signed estimates or invoices in pen.

More: Here's what happens when a township trustee is charged with a crime in Indiana

The SBOA in its report noted that $5,100 was paid in an overpayment of invoices. There were also $20,475 worth of payments that did not have documentation to support them.

With the payments made for the homeless shelter, the SBOA states the township did not follow internal controls outlined in Indiana law. Any work over $100,000 on shelter expenditures would need approval of the county executive. There was no evidence this happened, the report states.

The report also found payments were made before work was complete.

"During the February 7th, 2023 interview of Wilson, she stated that at times she would issue checks in advance of jobs for the materials of the job," the SBOA stated.

SBOA investigators found there was no oversight of township financial activity on an ongoing basis by anyone other than Wilson and Payne regarding payments made on shelter expenditures. The report states this led to the issues of overpayment and payments for incomplete work.

For jobs costing less than $15,000, there would be no need for Pigeon Township board members to approve the costs. But all jobs over $15,000 does require board approval.

"The SBOA reviewed Board minutes for the entire period Hardiman Construction, LLC was being paid," the report states. "There were no mentions of approval of any of the jobs completed by Hardiman Construction, LLC in the Board minutes."

The audit states the findings were discussed with township board president Ruby McGlown and board members Connie Robinson and Shirley Baker and Wilson on April 27.

Wilson remains in her position as trustee at this time.

Houston Harwood contributed to this report.

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Audit: Pigeon Township trustee, employee should repay nearly ... - Courier & Press

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Big Easy Renovation Announces their Interior and Exterior Services ... - Digital Journal

It's Monday morning and Lisa Horstman sloshes across the floor in her rain boots and retrieves a cardboard box from a shelf.

The scent of lavender and spearmint mingles with dirty water, and Horstman points out clumps of what appears to be mold floating on the surface of the vinyl flooring in the room where she stores her products.

Horstman and her daughter, Emily Horstman, are packing up and preparing to move out of their Grover home, but its not by choice.

The two women moved from Virginia after Lisa Horstman fled an abusive relationship and after a brief stint in Kings Mountain, found the rental home in a quiet neighborhood on Brookwood Drive and moved in around Christmas of 2021.

The Horstmans said they pay rent of $1,450 a month for the three-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot house.

We couldn't find anything cheaper, Lisa Horstman said.

In addition to being a living space, she runs her business, The Wild Bee, out of her home making and selling handcrafted skin care products.

Everything seemed perfect until January when deluge of rain fell and the house flooded for the first time.

It comes pouring in from the backyard and through the foundation, she said.

The patio alongside the house was filled up and overflowing, and the women attempted to drain it with a Shop-Vac, filling it up and emptying it out over and over during a 12-hour period. Lisa Horstman said she swept water away from the sidewalk leading to the patio each hour to no avail.

In an attempt to alleviate the problem, she said she put caulking along the edge of the patio, bought and installed drain pipes to direct water away from the house and had Emily's boyfriend help shore up the foundation with dirt, but nothing has kept the water out.

Horstman said the rental company, Hudson Homes, which is based in Texas but has properties all over the Carolinas and beyond, had refused to fix the problem and instead replaced the floors three times.

She said at first, they didn't return her calls about the standing water in half of her house, but after repeated phone calls, a contractor was sent out and he gave an estimate for what it would cost the fix the outside so the water wouldnt keep coming in. She said he was instructed to do nothing more than replace the vinyl floors.

So they replaced that and put fans up to let it dry out, Horstman said. They took the floor up and put fans in for three weeks.

After three weeks of living with exposed plywood floors, she said they put in new flooring.

Horstman points to a pile of soggy vinyl materials in a heap in the backyard.

This is from the last flood. They just left it in the yard, she said.

Then, in April it rained again and once again, the house flooded.

Horstman said a contractor came out, tore out the floors, put in new ones and nailed back damp, moldy baseboards.

Last week, just hours after the new floors were installed, mother and daughter were sitting on the couch that night and watched in despair as fresh water began pooling across the living room floor.

Lisa Horstman said she was in tears as she watched the house flood for the third time since January.

At 10:30 p.m. the water was coming back, and the floor was not even dry, she said. This time when it flooded, I called them right away at 10:30 and said the water is coming in. I need help here, this is an emergency. This room is in three inches of water. I've been in muck boots trying to get everything out of the water.

She said the contractor told the women the company won't approve to get the issue resolved.

Now, they're faced with damaged furniture and the pressure of finding a new place to live.

We're moving, Horstman said. We have to. It smells weird. There is mold. After that second flooding, I pulled the baseboards back. The water seeped on the sidewalk into the foundations and into the walls of the house and through the door. I pulled that back, and there's mold growing on the wood trim.

She said she has Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, and the issues with the house have exacerbated the condition. She said she and her daughter have experienced sore throats and congestion after spending time in the house.

Horstman said she was told by neighbors that this isnt the first time people have moved out of the house because of flooding. She said one neighbor would warn prospective renters to stay away.

"That house floods," she would tell them. But she missed the Horstmans.

Now, as they scramble for last-minute housing, Lisa Horstman is in the process of having the house inspected and wants it deemed unfit for habitation. She has completed paperwork with the county zoning office and filled out a petition which was signed by several neighbors. She said a Cleveland County Code Enforcement Officer came out Wednesday morning to conduct an inspection.

After the house flooded the last time and she said she couldnt get the company to return her phone calls, Horstman withheld rent.

She said three days after it was due, she received an eviction notice.

I called and called and said Im not paying rent because of the issues, and they never called me back, she said.

Frightened by the prospect of eviction, she said she paid.

This time, she said she said she plans to file a claim in small claims court for all the damaged furniture and potentially seek a rent abatement.

In the meantime, shes turned off the heat and is planning to seal off half the house to keep the mold from growing any faster.

Horstman said Tuesday that the contractor who came out to fix the floors said he wasnt told there was standing water in the house.

He said he has been here before. The mold was growing up the walls to the top. They cleaned it all up and replaced the floors. The furniture was all in the house, covered in mold. This was a few years ago, she said.

Tuesday morning The Star called Hudson Homes Customer Care number and left a message, the same number Lisa Horstman has been calling to make complaints. Tuesday afternoon a woman from the company returned the call.

She said a general contractor was out at the home and was pulling up flooring, letting it dry and installing new floors. She said he was also working on putting in a drain in the backyard to keep the water out of the house and the issue would be resolved by the weekend.

"In addition to resolving these issues, the tenant will receive a credit," the woman said.

Horstman confirmed that Tuesday afternoon she received notification that the company would be giving her a $1,200 credit.

The spokesperson from Hudson said "the issue" in January was fixed, and they thought it had been resolved. When asked if that issue was the flooding, she confirmed it was. She said the home was flagged again in April for the same problem but it took some time to resolve again because they had to go through a bid process.

"We do apologize for that," she said. "We thought the issues had been resolved in January."

She said the best way a tenant can resolve an issue is to communicate it to the company so it can be escalated.

When asked how long the company has owned the home and if prior tenants had also faced flooding issues, the woman said she didn't have the full property history available.

When it comes to tenant rights, many renters don't realize their options regarding a landlord who won't make repairs.

Legal Aid North of Carolina offers multiple resources for renters, including how to file a claim insmall claims court, guides for eviction appeals and free tenants rights clinics which teaches renters what to do if their landlord wont make repairs and offers the assistance of an attorney who can answer general questions.

In a YouTube video, Legal Aid explains tenant rights and outlines what to do when a landlord wont make repairs.

The video goes over North Carolina statutes and reminds renters that a tenant cannot refuse to pay rent if a landlord does not make repairs, and a landlord cannot refuse to make repairs if a tenant fails to pay rent.

Some of the tips from Legal Aid include:

For more information and resources on the rights and responsibilities of both landlords and tenants, visit Legal Aid of North Carolina.

Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com.

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Renters fight landlord over flooded house - Shelby Star