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About 200 people were told that they will have to leave the 75-unit, six-story building at 2400 Webb Avenue by 6 p.m. Tuesday, after the New York City Fire Department and Department of Buildings determined that the illegally removed fire escapes created unsafe conditions.

An inspector from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development first noticed the absence of fire escapes on Saturday.

Since Saturday there were licensed fire guards sitting in the building, keeping watch in case of fire, but fire officials said that was a temporary solution that cannot replace the vacate order.

"It's something that we don't take upon lightly," said FDNY Deputy Chief Jay Jonas. "We explored other possible options and none of them we could really live with."

The FDNY and several agencies met with the owners of building, Goldfarb Properties, and fire officials said the company was cooperative and will give tenants an $840 check to pay for a week-long hotel stay.

Goldfarb Properties also promised to pay hotel costs for all the tenants while the situation still lasts, according to city officials.

Nevertheless, tenants were shocked to learn they had to suddenly leave their homes and most of their possessions behind.

"I'm very upset. You know what, I've been here 14 years and I have nowhere else to go. I work every day. It's just hard. But what can you do? It's for our own safety," said one tenant.

"It's a big inconvenience for me. It's a big stress for me," said another.

Excerpt from:
Bronx Tenants Ordered To Vacate Building Without Fire Escapes

By Mark Ferenchik

The Columbus Dispatch Monday June 4, 2012 9:14 PM

Construction will begin this summer on a 165-unit apartment complex in Columbus between Dublin and Hilliard, after the Columbus City Council voted to rezone the land last evening.

Colonial American Development Corp. of Columbus will build two-story apartments, said Jeff Brown, the companys zoning attorney.

The City Council rezoned 13 acres at 5287 Avery Rd., across the street from Ables Golf on Avery, a driving range. The plan calls for the developer to preserve the trees along the sites perimeter.

No one spoke against the project last night. The citys Development Commission recommended approval in April.

In other business, the council approved a five-year tax-incentive package for Food Safety Net Services to open a new food-testing laboratory in a vacant commercial building at 4130 Fisher Rd. on the West Side.

The company, based in San Antonio, Texas, will create 40 full-time jobs with an annual payroll of $1.2 million, making the average annual salary $30,000. The company will receive 25 percent of the amount of income taxes withheld over five years, or $37,125. The city will receive $111,375 in new tax revenue.

The council also:

Approved $250,000 for small-business faade improvements in Franklinton and the Hilltop; Parsons Avenue on the South Side; E. Main Street, Long Street and Mount Vernon Avenue on the Near East Side; and North and South Linden. Businesses can use grants for awnings, signs, paint, doors, windows and lighting, Councilman Zach Klein said. Those interested can call the Development Department at 614-645-8585.

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Council approves construction of Avery Road apartments

Affordable apartments for people 55 and older will soon be built at Quincy Village.

Lou Varella, executive director of Quincy Village, said construction of the 36-unit, three-story apartment building should start this summer along Orphanage Road across from the health care center.

The plans for the project were submitted to the township two years ago, but it was put on hold until federal low-income housing tax credits were approved through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. A for-profit agency, Enterprise Community Investment Inc. of Columbia, Md., has partnered with Quincy to finance the project and use the tax credits.

Quincy Village is a 360-acre continuing care retirement community that is operated by the non-profit Presbyterian Senior Living of Dillsburg.

Quincy Village offers independent living, personal care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation, care for patients with Alzheimers and other forms of memory impairment and at-home services.

Westminster Place

The apartments will be called Westminster Place, according to Quincy Township Supervisor Bob Gunder.

The land development plan was approved well over two years ago, he said. It caters to citizens over age 55 who would like to rent an apartment, someone who maybe doesnt want the upkeep of a home, or someone who has undergone foreclosure.

The apartment building will be handicapped-accessible, and some of the apartments will be designed for those with hearing and vision impairments.

Varella said the building will be a separate entity on campus, but Quincy will run the apartments.

The rest is here:
Quincy Village to add apartments for seniors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -

Homeowners in a popular Nashville neighborhood are opposing a new apartment building that would bring in at least 90 new residents.

The controversial apartment building, 12th South Flats, which is already under construction, is located on 12th Avenue South, near Linden Avenue.

The new four story complex will take up take up four lots and will feature retail on the first floor and apartments on the remaining three floors.

Many homeowners, such as Ken Winters are not in favor of the new complex.

"[It's] too big and too much traffic," he said.

His neighbor Mark Scotland added, "This is a little too massive for the neighborhood and it's going to cause a lot of congestion."

Neighbors told Nashville's News 2 they have seen similar projects around Nashville and while it may work in other neighborhoods, it's just too big for 12th Avenue South.

Winters said, "This is an imported model from 1st Avenue, from Germantown, from the Gulch where the streets are four lanes and it's brought here to a two lane streetscaped street that can't handle it."

Although developers of the project have been approved by the planning department, they declined an on camera interview during a Monday night meeting to show neighbors their plans.

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Residents oppose new 90 unit apartment complex near downtown

In the summer time, when the suns temperature is it at its highest, it is essential that there are adequate areas of shade provided around the home`s exterior that will allow for some protection from the suns rays.

Small terraces and patios may benefit from a simple sun parasol, but the majority of homes will require much larger areas of shade to be provided that can accommodate seating areas to allow for alfresco eating with friends and family..

Increasing in popularity, one of the easiest ways to introduce shade around your home is to install sun awnings or patio awnings. With the increase in the awareness of skin diseases from over exposure to the harmful effects of the suns uv rays, it is no wonder homeowners are looking at ways of protecting their families health.

Sun awnings are ideal for home installations as the take up no space on the ground. They are fixed to the wall above head height and when not in use and are barely even noticeable. When the weather dictates, the awning can be easily retracted to provide as much or as little shade is necessary. For hotter climates or where the awning will be used frequently, electric sun awnings are normally specified. For only occasional use, a manually operated sun awning is generally more than adequate.

Sun awnings can be fully customised at the time of ordering. With endless fabric designs to choose from in a wide range of bespoke sizes, there are patio awnings available to meet any shading application. Awnings are such a versatile product that they can be installed into many locations including patios over windows and doorways etc.

Domestic sun awnings tend to fall into 3 categories

The cheapest form of awnings are open cassette awnings. This style is basic in that the fabric roll and mechanism is still visible when the awning is retracted. This means that an open cassette awning is not really suited to being left out over the winter months as the rain and frost can start to rot the fabric over a period of time.

Semi cassette awnings are slightly better at dealing with being left out for prolonged periods. Although still slightly exposed to the elements when closed, the awning fabric is at least protected from the elements.

The premium type of sun awning is the full cassette awning. The full cassette completely covers both the awning fabric and retractable arms from the elements and from view when not in use. Also because the cassette provides protection against the weather, a full cassette awning is ideal for automation using remote controls or wall switches. Full cassette awnings can be left out throughout the year.

You can also now buy sun awnings direct from many online retailers that will be delivered to your door. So why wait, invest now.

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The Benefits of Patio Sun Awnings

LOVELAND -- The owner of Terazas Not Just Gyros says the patio seating in front of her downtown restaurant is "absolutely" important to her business.

The city wants to encourage such open-air dining by allowing businesses to encroach on sidewalk rights of way, but it's taking steps to maintain high standards.

"It really does liven up our downtown," said Bethany Clark, a planning technician with the city's Community and Strategic Planning Division. "We just want to make sure they are done in an appropriate way."

So city departments have been working since last fall on a set of design guidelines to govern the way downtown businesses use the city right of way.

The intent, Clark said, is to ensure that quality materials are used that are compatible with the character of downtown and that pedestrians still have enough room to safely navigate the sidewalks.

The guidelines, still in draft form, were presented to the Loveland Downtown Team at its meeting Tuesday morning. Clark asked members of the team - city employees and council members, downtown business owners and other residents - for feedback on the rules and advice on seeking feedback from businesses.

The city plans to launch an outreach effort to residents and business owners before any guidelines become permanent. No City Council action will be required for adoption.

Clark said the city isn't planning to approach any of the handful of downtown establishments that already have semi-permanent sidewalk enclosures in place, unless they didn't obtain the building permit that always has been required before installing a structure.

The new guidelines will retain that requirement for a permit, and if adopted, they will add specific stipulations for the encroachment.

A few of the details:

Excerpt from:
City of Loveland drafts guidelines for sidewalk patios

Twin Falls, Idaho (KMVT-TV)

UPDATED:

The City of Twin Falls has lost electrical power to its primary water source at Blue Lakes Springs.

Due to this emergency, the City is able to generate only a small percentage of the water required for normal activity in the City.

An emergency is hereby declared, pursuant to the Twin Falls City Code 7-8-12, and it is ordered that use of the Citys potable water system is limited to essential uses.

This order is effective immediately, and all use of water for industrial uses and irrigation is prohibited until further notice.

Previous Story:

All residents of the City of Twin Falls are being asked to cease any unnecessary use of City water.

Strong winds damaged electrical lines that provide power to pumps, which maintain a majority of the Citys water supply.

Crews are working to restore power to the pumps, however, the Citys water reservoir levels have reached critically low levels.

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City of Twin Falls Declares Emergency, Residents Need To Conserve Water

NEW YORK, June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Global communications leader Porter Novelli announced that the agency won a total of five 2012 SABRE Awards for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, with Apex Porter Novelli of Kenya winning the coveted Platinum Award for Best PR Program of the Year. Porter Novelli also was named the Best Multinational PR Consultancy to Work for in EMEA for the second consecutive year, and the third time in six years.

The SABRE Awards, which recognize Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation, are presented by The Holmes Group, a leading global public relations publishing operation, and were recently announced at a ceremony in Brussels, Belgium.

"I am delighted that Apex Porter Novelli took the top prize of the night for its work with Unilever Kenya," said Gary Stockman, CEO, Porter Novelli. "The 'School of 5 Hand Washing Campaign' delivered extraordinary results in increasing the frequency of hand washing and educating the community on the direct connection between hand washing and improved health and hygiene.

"On top of our network's campaign wins, we are honored to be named the top multinational agency network across EMEA for the second consecutive year," Stockman continued. "This award confirms that we can make the most transformative impact for our clients when our colleagues are encouraged to thrive and are given the tools and the opportunity to think big, act big and provoke the change the client needs. I applaud our leadership across EMEA for putting those principles into action and giving our staff the opportunity to truly be their best."

Platinum SABRE

Gold SABRE

Silver SABRE

About Porter NovelliA global public relations leader, Porter Novelli was founded in 1972. In 90 offices in nearly 60 countries, Porter Novelli combines the power of immersion with the rigor of research to create deep human insights that enable the agency to transform the opinions, beliefs and behaviors of those who matter most to its clients. For additional information, please visit http://www.porternovelli.com. Porter Novelli is a part of Diversified Agency Services, a division of Omnicom Group Inc.

About Diversified Agency ServicesDiversified Agency Services (DAS), a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), manages Omnicom's holdings in a variety of marketing communications disciplines. DAS includes over 200 companies, which operate through a combination of networks and regional organizations, serving international and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.

About Omnicom Group Inc.Omnicom Group Inc. (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

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Porter Novelli and Clients Win Three Gold EMEA SABRE Awards, One Silver and the Platinum Award for Best in Show for ...

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire -06/05/12)- On Thursday, June 7th, BMO employees will help clean up the Wood's Homes' grounds by power washing and painting as part of a larger project to revitalize the grounds for the Foundation's upcoming celebration of 100 years of service.

Wood's Homes Foundation has been supporting troubled children and their families since 1914 through 35 different programs and services throughout Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

The initiative is part of the first North America-wide BMO Volunteer Day, and 6,500 employees across Canada and the U.S. will roll up their sleeves to give back.

"One hundred years of dedicated service to children and their families is a commendable achievement," said Robert Hayes, Senior Vice-President, Prairies, BMO Financial Group. "Many people have been touched by the work that Wood's Homes does, and we're proud to be part of this Centennial celebration."

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Media Advisory-BMO Volunteer Day: BMO Employees in Calgary and Across North America Give Back

HUNTINGTON, W.Va.-The Thundering Herd has added Boston College transfers Dominick LeGrande and Okechukwu Okoroha to its football program, the school announced Monday.

Both student-athletes, who graduated from BC in four years, have enrolled in graduate school at Marshall and will be eligible to compete for the Thundering Herd this season. Both will be safeties in Marshalls program.

We are excited to have these two young men in our program, said Marshall head coach Doc Holliday. These additions will help bolster the depth in our secondary immediately.

LeGrande (6-3, 211, Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis HS) played in 35 games, starting six for the Golden Eagles. He posted 72 tackles (47 solo, 25 assists), including 3.5 tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions with one sack, one pass breakup and one forced fumble during his time in Chestnut Hill. He also returned kicks as a sophomore, averaging 21.3 yards on his six attempts.

Okoroha (6-1, 205, Lanham, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) saw action in 21 games and also started six, recording 34 tackles along the way, with a pass breakup, a fumble recovery and a half tackle for loss.

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Marshall adds 2 football Transfers