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The second reading of an ordinance that would require all Luther property owners to install a specific septic system and pay monthly fees for it was tabled during Thursday nights Luther City Council meeting.

As it currently reads, the ordinance would require all property owners to install a certain septic system - yet to be determined - on their property. The system would be owned and maintained by the city. A monthly fee would also come with the system, which is set at $80 right now.

Resident Jack Miller, one of approximately 50 Luther residents in attendance at the meeting, said the sewer systems property owners would be required to install are expensive.

A lot of people in this town are on a fixed income, and they cant afford it, Miller said. Weve got to think about them.

The town already has a $370,000 I-JOBS grant that can be used for the city-wide sewer improvements. In order to be eligible for additional grants and loans to help fund an upgrade to the towns sewer system, an ordinance needs to be in place. If the town is successful in securing additional funding sources, the $80 monthly fee could change.

I really think theres money out there so we can get this down to $50, said Luther City Clerk Linda Benson.

Factoring into all this is the fact that if work on the towns sewer systems does not begin by June 1, 2015, Luther will lose the I-JOBS grant.

Councilman Tim Herrstrom said putting the ordinance in place is the right thing to do.

If everyone had an updated system, we wouldnt have this problem, Herrstrom said.

Vicky Severson said she is concerned about the future of the town if the ordinance passes. She said residents have said they will abandon their homes if the ordinance is put in place. Others have talked about voting to have the town disincorporated.

Read the rest here:
Sewer ordinance tabled

COBDEN -- More than a thousand miles away in Cobden, Matt Hartlines thoughts rarely wander very far from a desert in Northern Mexico.

Each year Hartline leaves the village of Cobden, where he serves as associate pastor of First Baptist Church, and travels with members of his church to El Coyote, a small remote village in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico.

For him, its more than just a trip out of the country, though, referring to it as a calling from God.

We are called to missions, but we are called to go to El Coyote, Mexico, Hartline said. We are not just doing random missions, but were called to go there. All of us have a heart for the Mexican people, for these people.

Beginning a dental ministry

Brian and Sherri Lukes, members of First Baptist Church of Cobden, began making the trip to Mexico more than 14 years ago after hearing a woman speak about using what God has given you to do ministry.

Sherri had taught dental hygiene at SIU for 25 years, and so she wanted to clean peoples teeth, meet their physical needs and while theyre waiting in line, share the gospel, Brian Lukes, her husband, said.

The mission work began meagerly, with Sherri setting up a lawn chair at a garbage dump in Matamoros, Mexico, just across the border from Brownsville, Texas, and cleaning teeth while her husband and others built a soup kitchen in the dump.

They expanded their ministry over the next four years, going deeper into the heart of Mexico to Palmillas. While Brian and others from the church did construction work, Sherri cleaned teeth with the help of three to six of her SIU dental hygiene students.

But after hearing about Octavio, a missionary from Mexico City, and his wife, who is a dentist and has a dental operatory and a dormitory for mission groups in El Coyote, the Lukes and others from the Cobden church have been returning each year to the tiny desert village.

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Cobden church has heart for Mexico

Courtesy: Brittany Pistole

Courtesy: Brittany Pistole

Courtesy: Brittany Pistole

UPDATE 8/15/14 @ 5:36 p.m. NEW BOSTON, Ohio (WSAZ) -- A church in New Boston, Ohio is in shambles after a truck smashed through one of its walls.

Police believe the truck was topping out at more than 60 miles per hour before it hit a sign, flipped and landed inside the church.

Investigators said the driver, Samuel Gibson, 21, was drunk and the underage passenger, Zachary Cunningham, 19, was too.

Church leaders said the damage may be bad enough to condemn the building and force them to start from scratch.

"You have a huge hole in the side of your church, it was an accident," said Rev. Mike Percell.

That's the call Rev. Percell got around 4 a.m. Friday, after police said a drunk driver crashed through a fence, a sign and finally, into New Boston Nazarene Church.

"It damaged several pews, of course the walls, the complete wall is structurally unsafe, it is off-limits now to the public," he said.

Read the original post:
UPDATE: Suspected Drunk Driver Crashes into Church

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) Pyongyang isn't just any North Korean city. So when a 23-story apartment building under construction collapsed in the center of the showcase capital in May, officials faced a bona fide emergency.

Their response was in some ways predictable: a grudgingly slow and piecemeal confirmation, followed by scapegoating and spin. Three months later, they still refuse to give a death toll, saying only that it was "serious" and that leader Kim Jong Un "sat up all night, feeling painful after being told about the accident."

But in a country where acknowledgment of failure is rare, experts say North Korea's handling of the collapse also shines a light on how it is grappling with some deeper issues, including its image among foreign investors, the limits on its control over information and the need to address, at a public level, the concerns of its citizens.

In this photo taken on Thursday, July 31, 2014, a North Korean woman walks past a recently completed dormitory to house more than 3,000 workers at the Kim Jong Suk Textile Factory in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Korea?s 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) (Wong Maye-E/AP)

Well aware of how far North Korea lags behind its more prosperous neighbors, Kim has singled out development projects as a key priority since he assumed power following the death of his father in 2011. This week, while visiting a block of apartment houses being built in Pyongyang for university teachers, he reportedly said the nation's soldier-builders are "racing against time in ushering in a great heyday of building a rich and powerful country."

Nowhere is that race more feverish or the political stakes higher than in Pyongyang.

Home to more than one-tenth of North Korea's 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty.

In a country that sorely needs to improve its basic infrastructure, there is no public debate over whether North Korea really needs a new luxury ski resort, or a 105-story pyramid-shaped hotel that has been a Pyongyang landmark for more than 20 years, but has yet to open for business. Questioning the value of megaprojects held up as symbols of progress and national pride in North Korea is taboo.

Housing, however, hits closer to home.

"This accident happened because they broke the rules and methods of construction," Pyongyang resident Pak Chol told The Associated Press after the accident was reported by the state media. "We must make sure that this kind of terrible accident never happens again, by sticking to the proper method of building."

Excerpt from:
Building fail sheds light on N. Korean priorities

Residents were evacuated from a Brooklyn apartment building Friday after a piece of construction equipment smashed through a wall.

Firefighters say an excavator from a neighboring construction site was leaning against the building when they got there.

Six people were evacuated, but no one was injured.

NY1 spoke to people who were inside the building when it happened.

"There was, like, a boom and then, like, a little shake, and then, the people came, the firemen came, and they said we had to evacuate the building," said one person who was inside the building.

"The second floor, the lady told me that the whole wall shook. She came downstairs and said the building is smashed. So I went upstairs, the whole wall is smashed in. It took the whole sheet rock and pushed it all in," said another.

"I just felt scared because I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what happened until I came outside and it was unlevel," said a third. "To me, it was an accident."

There is no word yet on when residents will be allowed back into their homes.

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Residents of Brooklyn Apartment Evacuate After Construction Equipment Smashes Through Wall

In this photo taken on Friday, Aug. 1, 2014, elderly North Korean men walk on a sidewalk with the 105-story pyramid-shaped Ryugyong Hotel, which has been under construction since 1987, seen in the background in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Koreas 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)The Associated Press

In this photo taken on Monday, July 28, 2014, construction workers sit in front of the new Pyongyang International airport terminal under construction in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Koreas 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)The Associated Press

In this photo taken on Thursday, July 31, 2014, North Koreans paint the facade of their apartment building in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Koreas 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)The Associated Press

In this photo taken on Monday, July 28, 2014, construction work is underway at the new Pyongyang International airport terminal in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Koreas 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)The Associated Press

In this photo taken on Thursday, July 31, 2014, North Korean men wait next to the recently completed dormitory to house more than 3,000 workers at the Kim Jong Suk Textile Factory in Pyongyang, North Korea. Home to more than one-tenth of North Koreas 24 million people, Pyongyang has always been the focus of development and the prime beneficiary of state funding. Providing better housing for Pyongyang residents, who have a much higher standard of living than other North Koreans, is a key means for the leadership to ensure their support and loyalty. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)The Associated Press

PYONGYANG, North Korea Pyongyang isn't just any North Korean city. So when a 23-story apartment building under construction collapsed in the center of the showcase capital in May, officials faced a bona fide emergency.

Their response was in some ways predictable: a grudgingly slow and piecemeal confirmation, followed by scapegoating and spin. Three months later, they still refuse to give a death toll, saying only that it was "serious" and that leader Kim Jong Un "sat up all night, feeling painful after being told about the accident."

But in a country where acknowledgment of failure is rare, experts say North Korea's handling of the collapse also shines a light on how it is grappling with some deeper issues, including its image among foreign investors, the limits on its control over information and the need to address, at a public level, the concerns of its citizens.

Well aware of how far North Korea lags behind its more prosperous neighbors, Kim has singled out development projects as a key priority since he assumed power following the death of his father in 2011. This week, while visiting a block of apartment houses being built in Pyongyang for university teachers, he reportedly said the nation's soldier-builders are "racing against time in ushering in a great heyday of building a rich and powerful country."

Nowhere is that race more feverish or the political stakes higher than in Pyongyang.

Read more:
Accountability, Pyongyang style: North Korea grapples with implications of high-rise collapse

This stylish duplex in the South End was completely renovated into a sunny condo in 2010 and the owners have added built-ins and other amenities in the past four years.

Unit 2 at 77 Rutland St., one of three condos in the 1900-built rowhouse, occupies the first and second floors and has new windows, systems and roof.

From the outside, the building looks like a traditional rowhouse with a brick exterior, carved wood entryway and projecting bay and ornamental wrought-iron railings.

But the first-floor interior of the unit has an open floor plan, with a front-to-back dining/living and kitchen area with new red oak floors, custom crown molding and 9-foot-9 ceilings with recessed lighting. The dining area has two large windows, and the owners recently added paneled wainscoting with a deep closet running behind the wall. The living area has a gas fireplace with a carved wood mantel with new built-ins added on either side.

The kitchen has 20 cabinets, including several that are pantry sized, and beige granite countertops with newly added glass mosaic tile backsplash. A bi-level granite island with new pendant lamps overhead seats four. High-end stainless-steel appliances include a Sub Zero refrigerator, a Viking gas stove and wine cooler and a Bosch dishwasher. Off the back of the kitchen is a glass door leading out to a private deck with a gas line to an outdoor grill.

Off to the side of the kitchen is a half-bathroom with a small white marble tile floor.

A turning oak staircase leads to two bedrooms on the second floor off an oak hallway with a closet holding a stacked Bosch washer/dryer.

The front-facing master bedroom suite has three large windows, including a three-part bay window with a window seat. The room has 9-foot 7-inch ceilings with recessed lighting, oak floors and a built-in bookcase. Theres a large walk-in closet with built-in storage. The en-suite master bathroom has a white Carrara marble floor and vanity top, as well as a marble surround for a deep soaking tub and a glass walk-in shower with rainhead and handheld fixtures.

The rear-facing second bedroom also has oak floors and an en-suite bathroom with a beige marble tile floor and surround for a tub/shower. Theres also a granite-topped vanity.

This unit has central air conditioning but does not come with a parking space, so owners will have to park on the street with residential permit or rent a garage space nearby.

Continue reading here:
Rowhouse renovated with style

James Smith and Mary Anne Walser knew they could fix the flaws in a midcentury modern home.

The dated home was situated on a wooded 1-acre lot in Atlanta and had the right wrong things going for it, Walser said. For example, the ugly Formica countertops, shag carpet and dark wood paneling could be torn out, replaced or painted over. But the property didnt have a steep driveway or other structural elements that would be too difficult and costly to repair.

The house presented a chance for Smith, an architect, and Walser, a real estate agent, who were married in 2009, to start from scratch on a home project together. Their plan included ripping out walls, exposing wood, and bringing in contemporary fixtures and furniture.

Its a wonderful opportunity to allow us to furnish it in ways that fits both of us, Smith said.

Snapshot

Names: James Smith and Mary Anne Walser, and their dog, Snack. Smith is a principal at Perkins + Will; Walser works for Keller Williams Realty Premier Atlanta.

Location: Atlanta

Size: About 3,000 square feet, four bedrooms, four baths

Year built: 1974

Year bought: 2011

See original here:
Making the most of a mid-century modern

(PRWEB) August 15, 2014

LED lighting manufacturer Illumitex, Inc., has announced a partnership with FarmedHere, a sustainable indoor farming venture in Chicago. Illumitex will be the sole source of horticulture lighting for the companys expansive hydroponic and aquaponic growing operations.

FarmedHere provides environmentally sustainable, socially wholesome and economically viable lettuce, herbs and tomatoes to Chicagoland grocers like Whole Foods, Sunset Foods and Marianos.

FarmedHeres vertical aquaponic grow systems are currently one of the worlds most advanced operations for producing high quality produce. It was realized that by incorporating the patented horticulture LED lighting technology provided by Illumitex Inc., FarmedHere has entered into a new advanced field of plant produce production.

FarmedHere says its vertical farming technology including Illumitex lights and local distribution methods tremendously reduce energy use, travel time and costs and make their model one of the most sustainable ways to guarantee access to fresh, healthy produce in city centers, in any season.

Recent advances in lighting technology and farming methods allow FarmedHere produce to be grown more efficiently than on outdoor farms, while creating local city jobs and making post-industrial buildings alive again, says Paul Hardej, FarmedHere Chief Technology Officer.

The new opportunities and confirmed results that our patented technology enables FarmedHere to capitalize on is very exciting, says Paul Gray, Director of Horticulture Lighting Sales and Sr. Plant Scientist. It is a great point in the history of our two companies, and is due to the current findings through the collaborative efforts put forth.

Using grow lights from a number of manufacturers, FarmedHere performed extensive testing and trials across a wide variety of crops. Illumitex Eclipse Series II lights outperformed all of the other lighting options tested. Illumitex lights are specifically tuned to give each type of plant the exact light it needs for optimal growth, fostering faster growth and yielding increased biomass and more nutritious plants.

Just like FarmedHere, Illumitex realizes there is a global food-production crisis, says Illumitex CEO Chris Hammelef. We are so pleased to be able to work with this forward-thinking company to supply the most nutritious, tasty vegetables possible.

Read the original here:
Illumitex and FarmedHere Partner to Push Technological Envelope

Panel of nine prefers look of Sun's Massachusetts casino

If architects who reviewed the two projects competing for the sole Greater Boston casino license were the final arbiters, Mohegan Sun would be sitting pretty.

In June, nine architects convened by AIA Massachusetts, a chapter of the American Institute of Architects, unanimously found that Mohegan Sun's $1.3 billion plan for a Revere casino "was markedly superior in every design aspect" to Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts' $1.6 billion proposal for Everett.

"The Revere design is playful, has two inviting entrances, is pedestrian friendly, and makes good connections to public transit and the surrounding community," the architects wrote in a memorandum to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which requested their input. "While smaller than the Everett facility, the Revere building projects a grand civic presence. The proposed resort-casino is a creative, successful design for the site (that) also echoes Revere's history of recreation and links the resort to the beach."

The Mohegan Sun project, designed by the firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, "holds the potential to help revitalize Revere" and "feels like a true destination," the architects wrote.

By contrast, they added, "The Everett design seems stale, has very poor massing and program (a massive hotel tower just sits on top of a vast horizontal casino base), and fails to aggressively take advantage of its waterfront location. The Everett design as presented was described at best as 'flat' and 'uninspired' and at worst as 'atrocious.'

"... In sum, the panel felt the Wynn proposal for Everett had major design flaws and shortcomings in all aspects."

The gaming commission concluded public hearings on the competing proposals this week, and is expected to award the Greater Boston license by Sept. 12. Last week, the commission received a report from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, which assessed the proposals' impacts on land use and transportation and the developers' plans to mitigate those impacts.

In three areas - traffic congestion, public transportation and economic and community benefits - the council gave the edge to Mohegan Sun. In the areas of developer-funded shuttles for patrons and employees; transportation monitoring and reporting; and environmental impacts, the council favored the Wynn project, which would be built on a brownfield site the developer would clean.

As for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, the council found the proposals to be equal.

Read more from the original source:
Architects revere Sun design