Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Photo by: Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette

Jane McIntosh holds her dog, Sweet Peas,as she talks Thursday about the trees Ameren Illinois plans to cut down at her home in Mahomet.

MAHOMET The trees in Mahomet retiree Jane McIntosh's yard shade her home from the morning sun, but they're not likely to be around much longer.

McIntosh and her neighbors, Betty and Sam Thompson, were informed by Ameren Illinois that nearly a dozen trees at both their homes on Bureau Court in Mahomet's Candlewood Estates are too close to power lines and have to go.

In previous years, Ameren has trimmed the tops off their trees, McIntosh said, but this is the first time in the 19 years she's lived in her home that the utility said the trees would have to be chopped down.

Without those trees, her yard "just wouldn't look good," she said.

When Betty Thompson heard about plans to take down the trees, she said, she cried a bit and pleaded with an Ameren Illinois representative.

"I begged her, please reconsider," Thompson said. "Then she called later and said, no, we're going to cut them down."

An Ameren representative told her the trees won't be taken down before Monday of next week, she said.

Ameren Illinois spokeswoman Marcelyn Love didn't address tree-cutting plans at the two Candlewood Estates homes, but did say there appear to be transmission lines running through that area.

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Ameren's tree removal plan upsets residents

Roanoke police investigate attempted abduction Roanoke police investigate attempted abduction Roanoke police investigate attempted abduction

Updated: Friday, October 3 2014 9:59 AM EDT2014-10-03 13:59:47 GMT

Roanoke police are investigating an attempted abduction that happened earlier this week.

Roanoke police are investigating an attempted abduction that happened earlier this week.

Updated: Thursday, October 2 2014 5:25 PM EDT2014-10-02 21:25:06 GMT

If I told you there was a fruit growing in our local parks, that was a favorite of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and that it grows in plain view but you have probably never eaten it Would you think it was a riddle with a trick answer?

If I told you there was a fruit growing in our local parks, that was a favorite of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and that it grows in plain view but you have probably never eaten it Would you think it was a riddle with a trick answer?

Updated: Friday, October 3 2014 4:35 PM EDT2014-10-03 20:35:55 GMT

The name of the man who died in an officer-involved shooting Thursday has been released by state police.

The name of the man who died in an officer-involved shooting Thursday has been released by state police.

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Rt. 311 closure scheduled for tree removal

BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -

Just one day after Biloxi was designated for the 30th year as a member of Tree City USA, the Biloxi Planning Commission agreed with the developer of an East Biloxi property to take down 36 trees to make room for a Hyatt Place Hotel.

While some are worried about the loss of character with the loss of the trees, Biloxi's Director of Community Development is praising the land owners for their effort to actually save trees.

If the City of Biloxi approves the planning commission's recommendation, most of the trees will be gone.

The developer originally sought to remove 37 trees, but Gerrod Kilpatrick, the engineer in charge of the Hyatt development who was speaking for owner Sonny Bhakta, agreed at the meeting to save one of two oaks that front the entrance from the beach.

The almost three acre property involved is in East Biloxi, next to the Hampton Inn, on Beach Boulevard. Several residents, like DeAnne Nuwer, called for stronger oversight.

"We have lost so much in Katrina, and I'm asking you all to think about this, and perhaps work with this gentleman. Have him move a little bit more. Put some more pavers down. Help those trees, and keep that beach front looking like we once knew what it looked like," said Nuwer.

Jerry Creel, Biloxi's Director of Community Development, says that only four of the trees requested for removal are live oaks, and of those, many are damaged beyond repair.

He said the 13 trees that will be saved is a good thing and praised the developer for working with the city.

Creel calls it a balancing act to protect trees but not stop business development. In addition, while there is strong authority to protect trees on public property, private property is a whole different matter, even if every request to remove more than five protected trees must go through an approval process.

Originally posted here:
Biloxi Planning Commission gives green light for tree removal

A bronze tile in memory of the late broadcaster Gerry Ryan has been laid outside the RT Radio Centre.

The Ryan family were present at the unveiling on Thursday evening, October 2, and were involved in the selection and design of the memorial.

The memorial was created by artist Patrick O'Reilly, a personal friend of Gerry and the Ryan family.

At the request of the family, the unveiling of the tribute was kept private and low key.

Gerry Ryan was, and still is, very much a big part of RT Radio, and it was felt that the bronze tile is a fitting way for his colleagues to remember him each day on their way to and from work.

He joined RT as a DJ in 1979 and brought The Gerry Ryan Show to RT Radio in March 1988. The show went from strength to strength over the years and was ground-breaking Irish radio.

At 11am on Friday morning, October 3, the RT Radio staff gathered in the area outside the Radio Centre, where the tribute has been laid, to say a few words and mark the occasion.

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Gerry Ryan memorial bronze tile laid in RT

Mens Sheds Shed Crawl lands in Moynalty, Co Meath. Pictured in the Moynalty Steam Threshing Museum with a fully restored Fordson tractor from left: John Evoy of the Irish Mens Sheds Association, Ciara OToole of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) and Jimmy Carroll from Delgany, County Wicklow. Photograph: Barry Cronin

The bond between men and their sheds is well-known but they usually work alone when they disappear into sheds. Now a growing movement is encouraging men with time on their hands to join the community of Mens Sheds to work on a range of projects while enjoying the friendship of other men.

Hans Meyer got involved with Mulhuddart Mens Shed in Dublin after he was made redundant from his job at Dublin Airport in 2011.

I found a leaflet about the Mens Shed so I popped in and Ive been here since. It was only me and my wife at home in the house so I got bored and wanted something to do, he says.

More than 7,000 men are members of almost 220 Mens Sheds on the island of Ireland. Every shed is different. Some 16 men, aged 40 to 68 are involved in the Mulhuddart Mens Shed and they spend most of their time on woodwork projects.

90 per cent of what we do here involves woodwork, Mr Meyer says. We make birdhouses, benches, flower boxes, tables, all from scrap material. We also repair bikes. We recently got a donation of 60 bikes from the garda station in Blanchardstown so we are repairing them and selling them.

He says his brain is occupied all the time now. The main thing is to get out of the house. You know, we men are not very open but when were together we talk more. There are no social workers here, or nurses, but we chat and thats very important.

He remembers one of its oldest members telling him that he was on a range of tablets before he started visiting the Mens Shed.

Now he says: I only take Solpadeine from time to time. I dont need the other tablets anymore.

This is echoed by Gerard Grehan who says Mulhuddart Mens Shed has changed his life. He got depressed after a series of injuries and accidents forced him to give up his work as a butcher seven years ago.

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Mens Sheds encourages friendship and productivity

Mens Sheds Shed Crawl lands in Moynalty, Co Meath. Pictured in the Moynalty Steam Threshing Museum with a fully restored Fordson tractor from left: John Evoy of the Irish Mens Sheds Association, Ciara OToole of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) and Jimmy Carroll from Delgany, County Wicklow. Photograph: Barry Cronin

The bond between men and their sheds is well-known but they usually work alone when they disappear into sheds. Now a growing movement is encouraging men with time on their hands to join the community of Mens Sheds to work on a range of projects while enjoying the friendship of other men.

Hans Meyer got involved with Mulhuddart Mens Shed in Dublin after he was made redundant from his job at Dublin Airport in 2011.

I found a leaflet about the Mens Shed so I popped in and Ive been here since. It was only me and my wife at home in the house so I got bored and wanted something to do, he says.

More than 7,000 men are members of almost 220 Mens Sheds on the island of Ireland. Every shed is different. Some 16 men, aged 40 to 68 are involved in the Mulhuddart Mens Shed and they spend most of their time on woodwork projects.

90 per cent of what we do here involves woodwork, Mr Meyer says. We make birdhouses, benches, flower boxes, tables, all from scrap material. We also repair bikes. We recently got a donation of 60 bikes from the garda station in Blanchardstown so we are repairing them and selling them.

He says his brain is occupied all the time now. The main thing is to get out of the house. You know, we men are not very open but when were together we talk more. There are no social workers here, or nurses, but we chat and thats very important.

He remembers one of its oldest members telling him that he was on a range of tablets before he started visiting the Mens Shed.

Now he says: I only take Solpadeine from time to time. I dont need the other tablets anymore.

This is echoed by Gerard Grehan who says Mulhuddart Mens Shed has changed his life. He got depressed after a series of injuries and accidents forced him to give up his work as a butcher seven years ago.

View original post here:
Mens Sheds encourage friendship and productivity

Mens Sheds Shed Crawl lands in Moynalty, Co Meath. Pictured in the Moynalty Steam Threshing Museum with a fully restored Fordson tractor from left: John Evoy of the Irish Mens Sheds Association, Ciara OToole of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) and Jimmy Carroll from Delgany, County Wicklow. Photograph: Barry Cronin

The bond between men and their sheds is well-known but they usually work alone when they disappear into sheds. Now a growing movement is encouraging men with time on their hands to join the community of Mens Sheds to work on a range of projects while enjoying the friendship of other men.

Hans Meyer got involved with Mulhuddart Mens Shed in Dublin after he was made redundant from his job at Dublin Airport in 2011.

I found a leaflet about the Mens Shed so I popped in and Ive been here since. It was only me and my wife at home in the house so I got bored and wanted something to do, he says.

More than 7,000 men are members of almost 220 Mens Sheds on the island of Ireland. Every shed is different. Some 16 men, aged 40 to 68 are involved in the Mulhuddart Mens Shed and they spend most of their time on woodwork projects.

90 per cent of what we do here involves woodwork, Mr Meyer says. We make birdhouses, benches, flower boxes, tables, all from scrap material. We also repair bikes. We recently got a donation of 60 bikes from the garda station in Blanchardstown so we are repairing them and selling them.

He says his brain is occupied all the time now. The main thing is to get out of the house. You know, we men are not very open but when were together we talk more. There are no social workers here, or nurses, but we chat and thats very important.

He remembers one of its oldest members telling him that he was on a range of tablets before he started visiting the Mens Shed.

Now he says: I only take Solpadeine from time to time. I dont need the other tablets anymore.

This is echoed by Gerard Grehan who says Mulhuddart Mens Shed has changed his life. He got depressed after a series of injuries and accidents forced him to give up his work as a butcher seven years ago.

See the original post here:
Mens Sheds movement encourages friendship and productivity

Oct. 3, 2014, 10 p.m.

SEVEN Sheds Brewery will open its doors to the public for its annual Oktoberfest celebration tomorrow.

SEVEN Sheds Brewery will open its doors to the public for its annual Oktoberfest celebration tomorrow.

CHEERS: Willie Simpson, of Seven Sheds Brewery, Railton, will open its doors to the public for its annual Oktoberfest celebration tomorrow. Picture: Katrina Docking.

Now in its fifth year, the Seven Sheds Brewery Oktoberfest has become a real draw card on the North-West event calendar.

The event is held the weekend after the AFL grand final and features the best of the Seven Sheds beers, gourmet food, wine and local music.

Owner Willie Simpson said the Oktoberfest was designed to be a family friendly affair.

The day is a dedicated family friendly event and a chance for families to relax in our hop garden enjoying some fine Tasmanian fair.

Our tasting centre is open as normal, but we ramp up our outside bar with all our beers on tap, Mr Simpson said.

Cable Station, from Stanley, will be present with its wood-fired pizzas and new for this year, gourmet sausages.

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Seven Sheds to host Oktoberfest

Michael Weatherly in January 2014 (left) and at a triathlon in September

Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto; Noel Vasquez/Getty

By Lynette Rice

10/03/2014 AT 11:40 AM EDT

The NCIS star took the summer off his top-rated drama to shed a whopping 35 lbs. from his 6' 2" frame. The actor told PEOPLE that he got so heavy that he "split five pairs of pants" during season 11.

"Here's the skinny," joked Weatherly, 46, who plays Anthony DiNozzo on the CBS series.

"I have two very small children, ages 2 and 1-year-old. That means I had been living with a pregnant lady for a long time. While my wife [Bojana Jankovic] never gave in too much to her Nutella craving, we weren't doing too much. And I found it very hard to say to my wife and children [Olivia and Liam] that I need to spend a couple of hours on me. And the job was demanding."

"This is not an excuse, but the craft-service table is not filled with a lot of super healthy options," continued Weatherly. "Then you get to working late, there's pizza and Chinese food. You try to be good. But while the crew guys are lifting things and pushing things, I just tended to sit at the trough and continue to graze. That's my long-winded way of saying things did get away from me. It reached a tipping point. Even the writers made jokes about Tony needing to go on a cleanse."

At the end of season 11, the actor turned to trainer Juliet Kaska, who encouraged him to cross-train with sports like boxing and swimming in the ocean. "I do it every weekend," he says. "I love it. You become very alive when you are in ocean."

As for his diet, Weatherly pretty much gave up most carbs. "No food that comes from a package like potato chips," he said. "I stayed away from pasta, rice, bread, potatoes anything that's fun to eat, I did not eat. And I pulled way back on alcohol consumption."

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Michael Weatherly Sheds 35 Lbs. - How He Did It

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla.

Newly-released 911 calls reveal more details surrounding the death of a toddler at an Orange County motel.

Justin Polk Jr. died at the Countryside Inn on Lee Road in early June and no one has been charged with his death, which has been ruled a homicide.

The boy's mother, Merissa Anderson, and her boyfriend, Jonathan Charapata, remain in the Orange County Jail on charges that they abused Polk's siblings.

"I've got a baby that's not breathing," said Charapata in the 911 call. "He fell off the bed and hit his head."

The 911 call sheds light on what Charapata claimed happened to the 2-year-old.

"Right now, he's nothing, he's not even awake. His stomach is bloated," Charapata told a dispatcher.

But authorities said the 911 call doesn't add up with what the investigation has revealed.

Friends of the couple told Channel 9 they were aware of the alleged abuse of the children.

"I told her, 'You are failing to protect your children. They keep getting hurt and you're not doing anything about it,'" said friend Christina Cotto.

Excerpt from:
911 call sheds light on toddler's death at Orange County motel