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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Hurricane lawn-mowing business is suing the Putnam County Parks and Recreation Commission and its executive director for allegedly breaking a contract that prompted the company to buy a lot of equipment.

John Shannon and his company, J&J Services, are asking a judge to make the commission honor that contract. But the commission denies that the contract exists.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Hurricane lawn-mowing business is suing the Putnam County Parks and Recreation Commission and its executive director for allegedly breaking a contract that prompted the company to buy a lot of equipment.

John Shannon and his company, J&J Services, are asking a judge to make the commission honor that contract. But the commission denies that the contract exists.

Shannon alleges that in late February 2013, Scott Williamson, head of the parks commission, told Shannon that he'd won a bid to mow the county's parks for an hourly rate for the next two and a half years.

Shannon said he financed $52,820 worth of equipment over three years and hired employees, and when he expressed concern about the equipment, "Williamson assured John Shannon that he would be taken care of for purchasing new equipment for the job," according to the complaint.

The commission had paid Shannon's company about $67,000 for the 2012 mowing season.

But the suit says Williamson directed employees to cut grass at the parks, reducing the number of hours for J&J Services, and in September 7 2013 he sent a letter to Shannon saying the contract would expire within a month.

The parks commission decided to do all mowing in house at a board meeting about three months after Williamson sent the letter. Shannon argues his company's contract with the parks commission is still valid and that not allowing J&J Services to do the work would mean the company has no income to pay employees or make payments on the equipment.

He filed the suit in Putnam Circuit Court January, saying then that mowing is supposed to begin this month and likely last through October. The suit states "time is of the essence in determining the validity of this contract" to allow the company to prepare. A status hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. April 4, and pretrial and trial hearings may be set at that time.

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Putnam parks commission accused of breaking mowing contract

Spring was never more welcome here in Kansas than it is this year. As temperatures warm and thoughts turn toward outdoor chores, some of us are enthused at the prospect of tending to gardens, flowerbeds and lawns.

For those who cannot perform yard work, those who do not have the time or those who want a more professional look in their landscaping, this is the season for choosing a lawn care company. Every year your Better Business Bureau receives complaints about lawn service companies. Here are some things to consider if you are among those looking for the right company to keep your yard trimmed up and well landscaped.

Who does your neighbors yards?

One of the most reliable methods for choosing a lawn maintenance company is to simply check with a neighbor. If you see good work being done for them, ask who they use. Inquire about reliability, pricing and satisfaction.

Compare the work done for your neighbor with what your needs are. If you are home when their work is being done, you have an opportunity to observe the crew, their work habits and efficiency.

Be prepared before approaching a company

Before you talk to a potential contractor to do your lawn work, take a moment to analyze exactly what your needs are. Be able to approach a company with a specific list of what jobs need to be done. Do you just want a simple mowing? Do you want edging, trimming, tree care, fertilization and/or pest control? Are you in need of more involved landscaping?

Know your budget before talking to a lawn contractor. Be sure of the price you can afford and stick to that number. Extra services may balloon the costs beyond what you had planned.

Be wary of anyone who quotes prices without seeing your yard. You should be able to get a free inspection of your lawn and estimate of the charges for doing the work required.

Many BBB complaints about lawn service companies are related to whats called a negative option in a contract. This is an automatic continuation of service until you cancel it. Some customers have been surprised that work on their lawn has continued on past the period of time they originally intended. Discuss what the length of time is for the company to do your job. Is it a matter of months or is it longer? Can you cancel the service if you are unhappy with the work? What is the schedule of payment? Some companies may offer a discount if you pay upfront for a years service.

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Better Business Bureau: Check out lawn care companies before committing

Republic of the Philippines PROFESSIONAL REGULATION COMMISSIONManila

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT LICENSURE EXAMINATION RESULTS RELEASED IN TWO (2) WORKING DAYS

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 24 out of 44 passed the Landscape Architect Licensure Examination given by the Board of Landscape Architecture in Manila this March 2014.

The members of the Board of Landscape Architecture who gave the licensure examination are Carlito B. Pesons, Chairman and Cecilia H. Tence, Member.

Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be on April 2, 2014. Those who will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community Tax Certificate (cedula), 1 piece passport size picture (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of metered documentary stamps and 1 short brown envelope with name and profession and to pay the Initial Registration Fee of P600 and Annual Registration Fee of P450 for 2014-2017. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.

The date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony of the new successful examinees in the said examination WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER.

The performance of schools in the March 2014 Landscape Architect Licensure Examination in alphabetical order as per R.A. 8981 otherwise known as PRC Modernization Act of 2000 Section 7(m) To monitor the performance of schools in licensure examinations and publish the results thereof in a newspaper of national circulation is as follows: (Any discrepancy in the report is not intentional on the part of the Commission, but rather due to miscoding of school codes by the examinees themselves. Concerned schools may write the Commission for correction.)

PERFORMANCE OF SCHOOLS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Any discrepancy in the performance of schools listed above is entirely unintentional on the part of the Professional Regulation Commission but rather due to miscoding of school codes by the examinees themselves in the application forms. Concerned schools may write the Commission for correction.

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Landscape Architect Licensure examination results

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced Monday that 24 out of 44 passed the Landscape Architect Licensure Examination given by the Board of Landscape Architecture in Manila this March 2014. The members of the Board of Landscape Architecture who gave the licensure examination are Carlito B. Pesons, Chairman and Cecilia H. Tence, Member.

Roll of Successful Examinees in the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT LICENSURE EXAMINATION Held on MARCH 18, 2014 & FF. DAYS Released on MARCH 24, 2014

Seq. No. N a m e 1 ABICHUELA, JOSEPH GUERRERO 2 AGLIPAY, RACHEL ANNE INFANTE 3 AMBROSIO, MARIA NELIA CASTILLO 4 AREGLO, PETER JOHN MATEO 5 BIMBAO, JOSE ANTONIO PAGUIO 6 BUYCO, GAEA MARIE ACUESTA 7 CLAVERIA, MARC DAVIS MUGAS 8 CUSTODIO, MARIA LISELLE MAYOR 9 DE VERA, KENNETH ALDWIN DE JESUS 10 DIMACULANGAN, JUSTIN KAYCEE ZUIGA 11 ESTRERA, MARIA CZARINA ABELLO 12 FERNANDEZ, MARIA VIO BIANCA CORONEL 13 FRANCISCO, MONICA COLACION 14 GABIONZA, JAMILLE ARCILLA 15 GO, MAUREEN ALFRED CHUA 16 GONZALES, MONICA ANTONETTE GARCIA 17 ILOG, ADRIAN DELA LUNA 18 JOSE, KLARIZZA FLORI-ANNELIA BIANCA MIA GRACE JIMENEZ 19 LEE, JUSTINE TRINIDAD 20 LINTAG, CAMILLE JOY VALEROS 21 ORTIZ, MARCO ANGELO EUGENIO 22 PATALINGHUG, LORENZ JOSE CARAMOAN 23 SAPLAGIO, JAMILLE VANESSA ERESE 24 SORIANO, JUAN PAOLO FAMA NOTHING FOLLOWS-----------

The Commission said registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be on April 2, 2014. Those who will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community Tax Certificate (cedula), 1 piece passport size picture (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of metered documentary stamps and 1 short brown envelope with name and profession and to pay the Initial Registration Fee of P600 and Annual Registration Fee of P450 for 2014-2017. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.

The date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony of the new successful examinees in the said examination will be announced later, the PRC added.

Image courtesy of ddpavumba / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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PRC: 24 Passed Landscape Architect Licensure Exam

Topics: byron bay

A BRISBANE landscape architect has warned Byron Bay is at risk of losing the iconic Norfolk pine trees lining Shirley Street if they are not treated for disease.

The trees form a recognised gateway to the town, but have become increasingly brown and defoliated as drought conditions worsen and may be dying, warns landscape architect Daniel Wright.

"We are usually welcomed to town by a lush gateway of pines, but I've noticed their decline over the past 12 months; they look like they have browned and defoliated," he said.

"An experienced arborist would need to be engaged to find out the underlying cause and work out what remediation could be undertaken.

"These trees are very old and have seen a lot of different environmental conditions, so I would be surprised if it was a climatic cause.

"However, drought tends to put trees under stress and underlying diseases such as fungal rot or soil-borne diseases may be highlighted."

Losing even one of the trees would break up the continuity of the impressive gateway effect the 40 or so trees have, Mr Wright said.

"These trees are an iconic landmark. Every effort should be made to save them."

Byron Shire Council's parks superintendent, Andy Erskine, said the hail storm last November had taken its toll on Byron Bay's Norfolk Island Pines in Apex Park and on Shirley Street.

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Iconic Byron Bay Norfolk pine trees at risk of disease

Community_Supported_Agriculture_in_Washington_County_2014.jpg

Vicki and Chris Hertel are part owners of Sun Gold Farm near Forest Grove. The fifth-generation family farm has recently switched from dairy to vegetables and share the wealth with others through Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions. (Dean Baker/Hillsboro Argus)

There has been quite a bit of attention given to edible landscaping in the past decade. The term generally refers to homeowners (and sometimes municipalities) choosing to plant shrubs, annuals and perennials based on the plant providing some type of caloric benefit.

Walking through the neighborhoods of western Washington County, signs of edible landscaping are visible nearly everywhere, and often the edible components clearly pre-date the trend. Fruit trees, blueberries and other cane berries, and well-tended garden plots are abundant.

Still, many homeowners dont have the space, time or desire to turn under the flowers for the kale and carrots. There are, however, an abundance of small farmers in the area able and willing to share the abundance of their labors with the neighbors. A relatively small fee, usually paid at the beginning of the season to the farmer, will provide a family with fresh, seasonal produce throughout the summer and into the fall.

Its called Community Supported Agriculture. And here are a few farms practicing it in this region:

Banks/Buxton

Dairy Creek Farm & Produce

23295 NW Highway 47

Buxton

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Not ready to plow under the yard for an edible landscape? Try a CSA

Siloso Beach Resort Sentosa Island Singapore
Conveniently located along Siloso Beach on the island of Sentosa. Siloso Beach Resort is a tranquil and rustic Eco resort just a few steps away from the beac...

By: Insider TV

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Siloso Beach Resort Sentosa Island Singapore - Video

Julie Sartain | March 25, 2014

Inside the magical world of 3D printing.

3D printers are the hottest new technology on the IT landscape. Everyone users and vendors alike wants a piece of the pie and, with 3D systems now printing candy and food, they could get their wish; that is, an actual, edible piece of pie.

Why are 3D printers so popular? Because they are the 21st century version of Star Trek's replicators and they can, literally, print (or replicate) anything from a piece of pumpkin pie to a full-blown multi-story house.

Wohlers Associates, a consulting firm in Fort Collins, Colo., has identified more than 50 additive manufacturing and 3D printing companies. A report from 3ders.org lists more than 230 printers and printer kits starting at $199 and ranging all the way up to $330,000 or more. On this list, the average 3D printer price is $2,346; not much more than a high-end color laser printer and certainly not out of reach for most users.

Origins and technologies

The most common 3D printer technologies, thus far, are fused deposition modeling (aka fused filament fabrication), stereolithography, digital light processing, selective laser sintering, direct metal laser sintering, selective laser melting, selective heat sintering, laminated object manufacturing, and polyjet 3D printing.

There are other, similar technologies available and many more on the horizon as independent entrepreneurs and Kickstarter candidates continue to research, design, and develop new ways to create three dimensional objects from pools of plastic, polymer resins, powdered products, sand, glass, food substances, and liquid metals such as stainless steel, cobalt chromium, titanium, aluminum, and nickel, silver, and gold alloys.

In a nutshell, 3D printers are simplified versions of rapid prototyping machines, which have been around since the early 1980s, only smaller, cheaper, and less complicated. However, as the pool of inventors expands, the lines between rapid prototyping and 3D printing are becoming more and more blurred. The smaller, cheaper 3D machines are using more varieties of materials and some of the larger rapid prototyping machines are getting smaller and costing less. For example, Michigan Technological University has just unveiled a new, open-source 3D metal printer that sells for only $1,500. And Makerbot's Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer (which sells for $2,899) can print a functioning, mechanical, 3D-printed hand called the Robohand. Makerbot also sells a mini version of this same printer for $1,375.

How it works The process of each 3D technology (also called additive manufacturing) is fairly similar. Objects are designed with a CAD-like software program, then sliced into extremely thin layers (like slicing a loaf of bread). The machines then spray, squeeze, or dribble the material onto a base, one layer at a time, fusing these together with heat until the object is formed. Some machines extrude a filament of plastic materials through a nozzle and build the objects on a platform from the bottom up. Some build the objects in a tray of powder or liquid and the platform lowers as each layer is applied, building from the top down.

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What is 3D printing?

Dave Ellis

That was the comment of High Country Accord chairman Jonathan Wallis, after viewing the result of irrigation development on Tara Hills at Omarama.

The contrast between the green, irrigated flats of the property and the surrounding brown hills was vivid.

The 3400ha station, best known as a research property, was bought by Dave Ellis two years ago.

As he has dairy farm operations in the Rangitata and Waimate areas and milks 1500 cows at Omarama, he needed support ground for young stock and rising 2-year-old heifers.

Land around Canterbury was too expensive and he chose to invest in the Omarama area.

Originally, there was 170ha with border-dyke irrigation and the previous owners, the Patterson family, had put in two pivot irrigators.

He decided to take the border-dykes out, apply for consent to extend the irrigation, and now had 600ha under pivot irrigation.

On the flat, there were now 2000 rising 1-year-olds, and 1500 rising 2-year-old heifers, with 3000 merino sheep on the hill.

He was drawn to the Omarama area after seeing what pioneering dairy farmer Doug McIntyre was doing on his property, between Omarama and Twizel.

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Green hues advancing in high country

The Olathe City Council scrutinized two major redevelopment projects Tuesday rezoning some land for a single-family housing area and clearing the way for a residential care facility.

The council partially approved a plan for residential redevelopment proposed for the south side of College Boulevard and the west side of Lone Elm Road.

It agreed to rezone 13.6 acres from a business park to a single-family residential area. Sunnybrook Management Co. LLC plans to build 21 lots averaging 8,400 square feet. Two other parts of the redevelopment were tabled for further study.

Those proposals included rezoning 28 acres of business park land to allow 71 single-family lots, ranging from 8,300 to 9,000 square feet, and 26 other acres of business park land to make way for 94 luxury villas.

Several members of the council said they needed time to consider rezoning a large amount of business park land for residential use.

I need more time to wrap my head around how much (business park) space we have left in the city, said Councilman Jim Randall. It is a precious commodity that we wont have much more of one day.

The council was not hesitant to approve a revised special use permit for a residential care facility, Bloom Senior Living, to be constructed near 133rd and Greenwood streets.

At its Jan. 21 meeting, the council had tabled voting on the special use permit after asking for revisions to a building design criticized as too commercial-looking and flat.

Since then, the developer added stone chimneys, bay windows, shutters and faux balcony railings around select windows, and a wraparound porch with columns on the northwest corner of building.

It will be a beautiful project and Im looking forward to seeing it constructed, Councilwoman Marge Vogt told the developer. Thank you for listening to us.

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Olathe OKs some rezoning at College and Lone Elm