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QUICK OUT OF THE BLOCKS: Joe Wheeler crosses the try line and heads behind the posts to score the Tasman Makos first try after just one minute at Lansdowne Park on Sunday.

There was a good feeling in the sheds after we put the bite on the Magpies in Blenheim on Sunday. It was a great way for the team to start the season.

It's always good to beat the Magpies because we've developed a bit of rivalry over the years and, for me, it was great to score the opening try of the season after 60 seconds.

That means I've crossed off the season-ending "nudie run" for the boys who haven't scored a try all season - not bad to get that out of the way in the first game, especially as it took me about 30 caps before I scored my first try for the Makos.

The guys were pretty rapt with the win because we had a few nerves heading into the game. We felt a little undercooked after only being together for six days.

That will give us a bit of confidence and something to build on. We need to keep getting the little things right, avoid getting complacent and improve from here because if we don't build on it, one win will mean nothing.

The atmosphere at Lansdowne Park was excellent and, of course, it's always great weather in Marlborough. Not that I'm biased at all. There was a little breeze, it was slightly cloudy and it was a perfect day to play rugby on an immaculate pitch. They'd done a good job with the corporate marquees, there was a good crowd in the stands and because the stands are so close to the ground, it always sounds like the crowd is even bigger.

The crowd got in behind us and got stuck into the Magpies and into referee Glen Jackson. My family were all there, including my grandparents from Christchurch, my partner's parents were there and up on the north bank, where my mates park up, they were getting a few triple-stars down their necks and getting a bit rowdy.

On Monday we had a day off but the senior players got together to look at things we might want to tweak. That group includes captain Shane Christie, vice captains Tom Marshall and myself, old hands Alex Ainley, Quentin MacDonald and Jimmy Cowan and newer guys Keiron Fonotia and Liam Squire, along with the Killer Whale, Tevita Koloamatangi, who keeps us all in line.

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Makos put the bite on Magpies

The Arab woman was eventually evicted from the hotel after two months (File/Shutterstock)

The management called the police after the woman refused to allow hotel staff to clean her room even once during her two-month long stay.

It took the intervention of the Dubai Polices Tourist Security Department to convince an Arab woman to vacate a hotel room after she refused to allow hotel staff to clean her room even once during her two-month long stay.

The elderly woman was reportedly in a state of depression following her husbands death.

The hotel management called the police, who convinced the woman to open the room. The room was found to be extremely dirty and the carpet and some furniture in the room were found damaged.

Colonel Mohammed Rashid bin Saree, Director of Tourism Security, said the department supervises all the 550 hotels and 350 hotel apartments in the emirate, in addition to rental car offices that are linked with the department.

He said the majority of the complaints lodged by hotel managements against tourists is related to the ruckus created by families, especially those with many children. The department intervenes when parents ignore warnings given by the hotel management.

Other complaints tackled by the department include non-payment of charges. Colonel bin Saree cited the example of a European, who failed to pay Dh80,000 he owed a hotel in the emirate, claiming that he was waiting for someone to transfer money to his account from his homeland. He later confessed that he had no money, following which legal action was taken against him.

The department works round the clock to ensure that tourists are comfortable and safe, Col bin Saree said. One of the main problems tackled by the department is regarding hotel bookings, especially those made on the Internet.

People use credit cards without getting confirmation and when they arrive here, they find that there are no reservations, he said. These problems arise when hotels are fully booked.

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ALSO IN News

North Charleston workers on Monday finish putting in a new sidewalk next to a home owned by Elliott Summey, the mayor's son, on the corner of Buist Avenue and Old Park Road near Park Circle. Grace Beahm/Staff

North Charleston has spent $37,000 on extensive landscaping and other improvements by city work crews at a house owned by Elliott Summey, the mayor's son and vice chairman of Charleston County Council.

City officials said the work was related to sidewalk repairs necessary for public safety - a project that included tree and brush removal, the replacement of a brick retaining wall, and landscaping with four pallets of sod, rows of azalea and rose bushes and new trees.

"We would have done that for anybody's (house)," said North Charleston Public Works Director Jim Hutto.

Park Circle resident Erin Sharpe is skeptical. She said she's been watching the work progress for more than a month, and said she and others thought it looked like special treatment for the mayor's son.

"It's not right," she said. "They don't come and landscape my yard and trim bushes."

Elliott Summey said he didn't ask for the work, and didn't benefit from it. In fact, he says the city went on his property without his permission, destroyed a dozen "priceless" heirloom camellias cross-bred by a botanist who used to live there, and caused a sewer back-up.

"They destroyed $40,000 of landscaping," Summey said. "They caused the sewer to back up into my basement, and I had to give the tenant a free month's rent."

Sharpe said Elliott Summey's overgrown yard had made the sidewalk impassable. Summey lives in Mount Pleasant with his family, and his house on the corner of Buist Avenue and Old Park Road is a rental.

"If my yard looked like that, code enforcement would have been all over me," Sharpe said.

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Neighbors question city landscaping work at home owned by N. Charleston mayor's son

Aug. 20, 2014, midnight

Art Gallery development on track

Work continues on the redevelopment of the Albury Art Gallery.

Archaeologist Sarah Myers, of Archlink Archaeologists and Heritage Advisors, and construction manager Steve Escott stand near the opening of a brick-lined tank on the site of the Albury Art Gallery redevelopment. The tank was built in 1868, when the site was a telegraph office. It is about 3.7 metres deep and about 3.6 metres in diameter. Sarah detected the tank, one of two associated with a nearby well, on the original plans of the site, and they were found during excavations. Pictures: MATTHEW SMITHWICK

ALBURY Council is locked in high-level negotiations with a preferred operator for the restaurant to be located at the rear of the $10.5million redeveloped art gallery.

The restaurant and cafe will front QEII Square and was the subject of an expressions of interest process launched earlier this year.

The councils community and recreation director James Jenkins said the talks were well advanced.

Hopefully towards the end of the year we will be able to announce who the successful lessee is, he said.

The council held a public information session yesterday to update progress on the art gallery, which is on target to be completed by June next year.

The restaurant and cafe will provide indoor and outdoor seating for more than 100 people.

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Restaurant operator closer

The detection of an adult Asian Citrus Psyllid in an insect trap in a residential neighborhood in Cayucos has prompted a high density trapping delimitation survey of the surrounding area to determine if an infestation exists.

Since March, 2014, Pest Detecion Specialists from the County Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Food and Agriculture have trapped Asian Citrus Psyllids in the cities of San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande. Quarantines restricting the movement of citrus nursery stock and citrus fruit are in effect in a five-mile radius surrounding the San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande detection sites. A quarantine for Cayucos will also be established by the California Department of Food and Agriculture to prevent the spread of this serious plant pest. Control efforts will take place in the near future in the area immediately surrounding the Cayucos site.

Staff from the San Luis Obispo County Agricultural Commissioners office and officials from the California Department of Food and Agriculture continue to search for this pest by monitoring hundreds of insect traps placed in urban neighborhoods and commercial orchards throughout the county.

This insect pest is of serious concern to Californias commercial citrus growers because it is responsible for spreading Huanglongbing, also called citrus greening disease, a plant disease that is fatal to all types of citrus trees. This includes citrus trees in countless landscapes across the county as well as commercial citrus orchards grown in San Luis Obispo County which were valued at over $13 million in 2013. A single citrus tree infected with Huanglongbing was found in a Los Angeles County backyard in 2012. To date no additional detections of the disease in California have occurred. The disease does not affect human health Martin Settevendemie, County Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer asks community members to avoid moving citrus plants or plant parts outside quarantine areas to avoid the risk of spreading this serious pest.

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Asian Citrus Psyllid Triggers Infest Investigation

Battle for our Birds operation underway in Waikaia

The Department of Conservations Battle for our Birds pest control operation in the Waikaia Forest begins today.

The Waikaia operation in northern Southland is one of 22 confirmed operations that will use aerially applied 1080 over about 600,000 hectares of conservation land to knock down rising predator numbers fuelled by unusually heavy seeding in South Island beech forests.

The coordinated Battle for our Birds pest control programme is targeted to protect the most at-risk populations of mhua/yellowhead, kkriki/parakeet, kiwi, whio/blue duck, kea, kk, rock wren, giant land snails and native bats at sites across the South Island.

The Waikaia operation will protect threatened mhua populations along with long-tailed bats/pekapeka, robins/kakaruai, yellow-crowned parakeet/kkriki, hectors tree daisy, large land snails and peripatis/velvet worms over just under 7000 hectares in the forest.

DOC Catlins services ranger Cheryl Pullar said monitoring results show significant silver beech seed-fall in the area and rapidly rising rat and mice numbers.

Rodent numbers are already tracking towards levels that will trigger a stoat plague in the next few monthsjust as our most vulnerable species are nesting and trying to raise their young.

If we dont act now to knock back these predators, we could lose species such as mhua and long-tailed bat from Waikaia.

Today non-toxic cereal pellets laced will be applied to the treatment area, which encourages the pests to more readily eat the pellets. The toxic pellets, laced with the biodegradable poison 1080, will be spread across the target area during the next spell of clear weather.

Planning for about 30 Battle for our Birds pest control operations covering about 700,000 hectares of public conservation land, mostly in the South Island, has been underway since January following the prediction of a once in 15-20 year beech seeding event.

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Battle for our Birds operation underway in Waikaia

West Chester, PA (PRWEB) August 19, 2014

The editors at Philadelphia Magazine have named Green Pest Solutions the 2014 winner of the Best of Philly award for Best Exterminator.

Its quite an achievement to win and be a part of the Best of Philly series. This is a huge accomplishment for Green Pest Solutions and we cant accept the award without recognizing the importance of superior customer service. We are graciously honored to receive such an elite award, and be looked at as the regions best pest control provider, says Matt Jesson, President.

For forty-one years, Best of Philly has been the recognized mark of excellence in Philadelphia. Green Pest Solutions designation signifies that in the estimation of Philadelphia Magazines editors, Green Pest Solutions is the very best at what they do. Green Pest Solutions is proud to be included amongst the Philadelphia regions elite in 2014.

Philadelphia area consumers are used to seeing Best of Philly awards for restaurants, recreation centers and salons, so its delightful for Green Pest Solutions employees to have earned the esteemed regional recognition they deserve for keeping consumers homes pest free.

Green Pest Solutions isnt new to these kind of accolades as they were recently named an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company in August of 2014 for a third straight yearjumping up five hundred spots in that ranking. The company has also received an abundant amount of online feedback via Angies List, Home Advisor, Yelp and Google sites. Green Pest Solutions has now attained over 750+ reviews on online reputation sites.

Green Lawn Fertilizing and Green Pest Solutions is an independent lawn and pest control company that was founded in 2004. Under the leadership of Matt Jesson, President and Owner of Green Lawn Fertilizing Green Pest Solutions, they are dedicated to becoming an industry leading company in the Lawn and Pest Industry. The company is currently ranked 9th in the country by Landscape Management Magazine, June 2013. In 2012, 2013, and 2014 the company has received the Inc. 5000 award for being recognized as one of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the America. Both companies are A-rated and accredited by the Better Business Bureau. They perform lawn fertilizing and integrated pest management service for residential and commercial clients. They are active members of PLANET, National Landscape Association and NPMA. In 2014, the company received the Best of Philly award which has been the recognized mark of excellence in the Philadelphia tri-state area.

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Green Pest Solutions Earns Philadelphia Magazine's Pick for Best Exterminator

PITTSBURG -- It took a mad dash to the finish line by both contractors and teachers, but a new-look Heights Elementary School is ready to make its much-anticipated debut.

Contractors were busy painting doorways, adding wiring and computers and getting two-story school up and running in time for school to start Wednesday. Meanwhile, teachers were feverishly unpacking boxes and preparing inside their new classrooms.

"Everybody's trying to get the basics all ready. Nobody moves everything in all at once; it takes some time to settle in. But, overall everybody is really excited," Principal Laura Francis said.

"As a teacher you have to be flexible and be able to roll with the punches," added fourth-grade teacher Linda Sturgis, a 20-year teacher at the school. Sturgis was busy sorting through stacks of books stacked on the students desks.

"To be able to move out of portables and back into an actual big classroom, I know I'm excited about it. I'm sure the kids will be too," she said.

It was a year ago that F&H Construction started work on the $28.4 million project to replace one of Pittsburg's oldest schools. The face-lift couldn't have come at a better time, Francis said, noting how the 60-year-old site had a pipe leak at the end of the past school year that left a third of the campus flooded.

Also, each classroom had a separate heating and air conditioning system, which worked erratically.

"These kids deserve this," said Yolanda Orozco, entering her fifth year as the school's kitchen manager.

Some of the features in the new school include a twice-as-large multipurpose room, lots for space for storage, new computer labs and audio and video equipment, and safer pickup and drop-off for parents.

"Parents will be a whole lot happier," Francis said.

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Pittsburg: New Heights Elementary readies for debut

LED luminaire revenues for outdoor and parking applications will reach US$1.4 billion annually by 2021, says Navigant

Press release, August 19; Alex Wolfgram, DIGITIMES[Tuesday 19 August 2014]

Outdoor lighting systems are in the early stages of a transition from fluorescent, high-pressure sodium, and metal halide lamps to LEDs. As LED prices continue to fall, the case for replacing today's most prevalent lighting technologies in outdoor systems is becoming more and more compelling. According to a recent report from Navigant Research, worldwide revenues from LED luminaires for outdoor and parking applications will grow from US$921 million annually in 2014 to US$1.4 billion in 2021.

"While the deployment of LED lighting in parking lots will dramatically cut energy bills and help politicians achieve environmental goals, better lighting quality is a significant additional benefit in itself," said Jesse Foote, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. "LED lighting can help drivers better identify objects, obstacles, and individuals; minimize glare and light pollution; and make spaces more visually appealing while enhancing safety for pedestrians and motorists."

Because the lifespan of LEDs is much longer than that of conventional lighting, direct revenues from lamp and luminaire sales will actually decline gradually after 2021, according to the report. This trend will drive the large lighting providers to move toward a "lighting-as-a-service" model, in which LED lighting and energy management will be offered as an ongoing service rather than a one-time equipment sale, the firm said.

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LED luminaire revenues for outdoor and parking applications will reach US$1.4 billion annually by 2021, says Navigant

Brentwood, TN (PRWEB) August 19, 2014

Larry and Pam Hubbard announce the opening of the Maid Right Residential Cleaning business for the Williamson County area. The Grand Opening ceremony will be held on August 20, 2014 at their 1728 General George Patton Drive Offices in Brentwood. Maid Right provides professional home cleaning and franchise employment opportunities to the surrounding Nashville metro area. This event will be hosted by Williamson, Inc., the Chamber of Commerce organization.

The combination of branded products like patented EnviroShield, the same chemical used to sanitize operating rooms, and a thorough cleaning regimen make Maid Right a leader in residential home cleaning. These cleaning processes were developed by their sister company JAN-PRO, an international leader in commercial cleaning franchising. In 2014, JAN-PRO has been recognized as Entrepreneur Magazines #1 Fastest Growing Franchise, #1 Home Based Franchise, and #1 Low Cost Franchise in their Franchise 500 Awards.

Our goal at Maid Right is to provide exceptional cleaning services on every visit, says Larry Hubbard. The core values of our company are trust, excellence, and reliability. By having the same owner/operator cleaner each time in your home, we can help make these core values come to life.

For every home, Maid Right provides a free, in-home consultation to build a personalized cleaning plan for your home. They use hospital-grade chemicals and safe cleaning products, such as their Hepa-rated backpack vacuum cleaners that reduce dust and their Maid Right exclusive EnviroShield, a disinfecting spray that kills the most common bacteria and viruses, including MRSA and H1N1.

The Hubbards offer employment opportunities by selling and supporting unit franchises. They are currently looking for dependable owners to join their team and manage a set of homes in the community. Customers have the peace of mind that there will be consistent cleaning teams at their homes each week that are thoroughly trained in Maid Rights processes and checklists.

Ultimately we plan to support 40 to 50 people through our franchise operations, says Hubbard. We provide all the clients for our franchise owner/operators and maintain quality inspections to ensure customer satisfaction. Larry and Pam Hubbard have brought their daughter, Grace, onboard as the Customer Service Representative to ensure every customer comes first. They are a family team dedicated to providing great customer service. To contact Maid Right of Williamson County, please call 615-274-4201 or visit their website at http://www.maidrightwilliamsoncounty.com. Their office is located at 1728 General George Patton Drive, Ste 101 in Brentwood, TN.

About Maid Right: Maid Right Franchising, LLC is a professional-grade home cleaning subsidiary of Premium Franchise Brands LLC. It was founded in April 2013 and has established 17 franchises, with two in Canada. Maid Rights owner-operator business model, branded processes, and advanced cleaning services are adopted from their sister company JAN-PRO, a leading international commercial cleaning company.

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Maid Right of Williamson County Celebrates Grand Opening