30-05-2012 22:10 Harkness Builders presents another very satisfied client: Happy and Melanie Mullen. Cabin Style Remodeling project of their Home at the Lake. Porch addition and moving the fire-place from inside the house to the new porch area. Family Room renovation. Guest Rooms updates. Master Bedroom renovation with Bathroom addition and Basement complete update. View more projects and testimonials at

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Cabin Style - Interior and Exterior Remodel by Harkness Builders - Video

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Harris Williams & Co., a preeminent middle market investment bank focused on the advisory needs of clients worldwide, announces the sale of Roofing Supply Group (RSG), a leading distributor of roofing supplies and related materials, to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). RSG was a portfolio company of The Sterling Group (Sterling). Harris Williams & Co. acted as the exclusive advisor to RSG. The transaction closed on May 31, 2012 and was led by Mike Hogan from the firms Building Products & Materials Group along with Hiter Harris, Ryan Nelson, Brent Spiller and Brad Morrison from the firms Richmond office.

Harris Williams & Co. (www.harriswilliams.com), a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (PNC), is a preeminent middle market investment bank focused on the advisory needs of clients worldwide. The firm has deep industry knowledge, global transaction expertise, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Harris Williams & Co. provides sell-side and acquisition advisory, restructuring advisory, board advisory, private placements, and capital markets advisory services.

The firms Building Products & Materials Group focuses on a broad spectrum of building products and materials sectors with expertise that spans from lighter building products used in residential and commercial markets to heavy construction materials used in infrastructure applications.For more information on our building products & materials experience, contact Mike Hogan at +1 (804) 648-0072.

Investment banking services are provided by Harris Williams LLC, a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC, and Harris Williams & Co. Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Harris Williams & Co. is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC and Harris Williams & Co. Ltd conduct business.

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Harris Williams & Co. Advises Roofing Supply Group in its Sale to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN **1/2 DIRECTED BY Rupert Sanders STARS Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron

Let's get the obvious out of the way: Snow White and the Huntsman, the year's second big-screen outing centered around a forlorn princess, a wicked queen and a magnificent seven, is infinitely superior to Mirror Mirror, which proved to be about as appetizing as a worm-infested apple. If this new picture isn't a complete success, that's because its ambitions are often thwarted by its execution.

Kristen Stewart embodies the most independent Snow White yet seen on film, and if she doesn't always seem comfortable in the role, she's certainly an improvement over Mirror Mirror's bland Lily Collins. Too busy to waste time washing the dwarves' dishes and waiting for her prince to come, she stands alongside all men (including Chris Hemsworth as the title huntsman) as they unite to bring down the fearsome, supernaturally endowed queen (Charlize Theron) who has usurped Snow's rightful claim to her kingdom.

An accomplished director of television commercials, Rupert Sanders makes his feature debut with this picture, and his vision, tag-teamed with those of production designer Dominic Watkins, thrice-Oscar-winning costumer Colleen Atwood and the CGI gang, results in a rich look for the film, with its expansive kingdoms and daunting forests. Unfortunately, the story ultimately becomes more Tolkien than Grimm, with extraneous additions and radical reworkings meant to assuage moviegoers weaned on the Peter Jackson trilogy.

Theron is excellent as the vicious ruler who, in a nice bit of unstated hypocrisy, rails against the tendency of men to suck the youth out of fair maidens before discarding them but then proceeds to do likewise in her own sorcerous way. She's a scary figure, a perfect counterpoint to Stewart's equal-opportunity Snow White. What doesn't represent equal opportunity is the decision to cast name actors (Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, etc.) as the dwarves and cut them down to size via visual effects. Mirror Mirror at least had the decency to cast real dwarves - with so few roles available to little people, the route taken by Snow White and the Huntsman is an unfortunate one, and really no different than if the makers of the recent hit Think Like a Man had decided to cast all the principal parts with white actors in blackface.

Kristen Stewart embodies the most independent Snow White yet seen on film, and if she doesn't always seem comfortable in the role, she's certainly an improvement over Mirror Mirror's bland Lily Collins. Too busy to waste time washing the dwarves' dishes and waiting for her prince to come, she stands alongside all men (including Chris Hemsworth as the title huntsman) as they unite to bring down the fearsome, supernaturally endowed queen (Charlize Theron) who has usurped Snow's rightful claim to her kingdom.

(To read an interesting essay about Snow White and the Huntsman by CL contributor Natalie Joy Howard, go here.)

Continued here:
Snow White and the Huntsman: More Tolkien than Grimm

This is a fishing story, but its not a tall tale. Its true. And you can check its veracity when you drive into Louisville on state Route 44.

There at the mailbox of the Beck family at 3480 Ravenna Ave. NE is evidence that Gary Beck likes to cast a fishing rod from time to time.

Actually, a fishing rod is beside the mailbox. So is a fishing net. The mailbox itself is a huge fishing lure and fish seem to swim in the imaginary water beneath the letter receptacle.

Looks from the brightening of faces upon sightings of the collection of fishing gear that Becks outdoor hobby has good-naturedly gotten out of hand.

Lifes too serious, Beck simply says when asked why he put up the fishing equipment. You might say it makes a statement.

Beck, a custodian for Louisville City School District and a nuisance trapper on the side, found the fishing lure mailbox near Shreveport, La., while visiting his daughter, Jessica Beck, who is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base. His son, John Beck, also is in the Air Force and stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base at Anchorage, Ala.

I though, doggonit, that looks pretty nice, he recalled. Since its a fishing lure and we love to fish, I bought it and brought it home. My sons buddy, Brian Miller we call him our other son because hes always around gave me a fishing pole. One thing led to another and I put up a net.

Becks wife, Shirley Ann, suggested that the water-dwellers be situated below the mailbox.

She said we needed a school of fish, so I went ahead and cut out some wooden fish and painted them all different colors, said Beck. When the wind blows they kind of move around like theyre swimming.

The reaction is as you might expect amusement.

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Postcard from Nimishillen Township: Fishing for mail

Article updated: 6/1/2012 8:59 AM

Illinois House Republican leader Tom Cross of Oswego shows signs of stress while testifying during a House pension committee hearing at the Illinois State Capitol yesterday.

Associated Press

Efforts to repair the states public pension system before last nights midnight deadline died as Democrats and Republicans could not reconcile proposals that would require suburban school districts to pay more out of their own budgets for teachers retirement. Lawmakers could extend their spring session into summer, but starting today, legislation that takes effect immediately will require more votes to pass. Full story.

A major gambling expansion plan including slot machines at Arlington Park and casinos in Lake County and in Chicago is headed to the desk of Gov. Pat Quinn. The plan passed just hours before the General Assembly adjourned their annual session. An aide from Quinns office said the plan does not address the governors concerns over a lack of ethical oversight, but legislators said the plan included late additions that would further the ethics of the bill. Full story.

An Aurora man who broke five of his dogs teeth and left the animal bleeding from her nose has been sentenced to a year in prison for the November 2010 attack. Phillip Rinn, 43, had previously served jail time in the 1990s for killing his dog by running it over. He served 60 days in 1993 after admitting to chaining and dragging his dog behind his vehicle. Full story.

An attorney representing the family of a 20-year-old Minnesota man who was found unresponsive in Kane County jail and later died wants to have his doctor perform a second autopsy on the man. The Kane County sheriffs department said Keith Renfroe Jr. suffered self-inflicted injuries but said the man did not hang himself. The familys attorney claims sheriffs deputies gave the family a different story, saying Renfroe Jr. hung himself. I think theres some pretty significant confusion about what the hell happened here, said attorney Michael Padden. Full story.

Friends, family and teachers are remembering 11-year-old Jose Antonio Zamudio, who was struck and killed by a vehicle in Round Lake, as an inquisitive, witty and eager-to-learn boy. Zamudio was riding his bike across Rollins Road when he was struck by a pickup truck Wednesday night, having just started his summer vacation a day before. Its such a shame, said Constance Collins, superintendent of Round Lake Area Unit District 116. Teachers said he was a wonderful student, was well-liked by his friends and staff members, and will be truly missed. Full story.

Mostly cloudy skies with a possible lingering shower will remain throughout the day. Its about 51 degrees right now, but should reach the mid-60s by the end of the day. Temperatures will drop back to about 50 degrees over night, but temperatures will increase throughout the weekend to 80 degrees on Sunday. Full story.

Police and rescue officials are on the scene of an accident on Euclid Avenue and Quentin Road in Palatine, and another on Plank Road and U.S. Route 20 near Pingree Grove. Motorists in Naperville should find an alternate route around Book Road between 111th Street and 87th Street due to road construction. Full story.

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Dawn Patrol: Gambling expansion yes, pension reform no

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. --

From the outside, the new federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement building doesnt appear to be a typical office.

Located at 518 Sixth Avenue West, the building'swindows are tinted and surrounding the parking lot is an 8-foot chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. But the City of Hendersonville didnt question plans for the site until a zoning inspector took a look inside.

When she did that inspection, she was shown a room that was intended for processing people who are in the custody of ICE agents, said city manager Bo Ferguson.

According Ferguson, the city was aware of who was going to occupy the facility which has been leased by the federal government for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security.

They described it as an office building, adds Ferguson.

Following the inspection, Ferguson and others now believe the federal government wants to use the facility to process or detain people, which is a problem because the property is zoned for office space.

It's a matter of not what they're doing, but where they're doing it, and I do think we can find a more suitable location," said Hendersonville resident Diane Dorsey Pearce.

Pearces doctor is located across the street from the facility, which has raised concerns from nearby medical practices.

Pardee Hospital administration has told the city that the building violates patient safety.

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Inspection Reveals Plans For New ICE Office

MORRIS COUNTY Lanes will be closed and traffic shifted on eastbound Interstate 280 beginning Friday night as crews continue to replace bridge decks over the Whippany River between Parisppany-Troy Hills and East Hanover.

Traffic is to be shifted left onto a temporary bridge built in the highway median, state Department of Transportation officials said.

About 62,000 vehicles a day use the bridges to cross the Whippany River, officials said.

Once the eastbound bridge deck reconstruction is finished at the end of summer, the DOT will shift eastbound traffic onto the newly rebuilt mainline bridge and divert westbound traffic onto the temporary bridge to allow the reconstruction of the westbound bridge to begin, officials said.

The $5.2 million project started in February when Scafar Contracting Inc. built the temporary bridge, enabling the DOT to maintain two travel lanes during daytime and peak period hours and accelerate construction of the new cast-in-place concrete bridge decks, officials said.

When the project is completed next spring, guide rails will be along the new bridge decks and for 700 feet along I-280 west of the bridge, officials said.

More Transportation news

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Bridge work causes lane closures, traffic shifts on Interstate 280 in Morris County

It's yellow snow. No, it's a dust cloud.

Actually, it's a whole lot of tree and grass pollen that has been covering automobiles, porches, windowsills you name it.

This is the time of year for pollen, but recently there have been higher levels than usual.

Websites http://www.pollen.com and http://www.weather.com are predicting pollen counts for today and tomorrow to be high for tree pollen and very high for grass pollen.

The weather is clearly a factor when it comes to how much pollen we see, said Dr. N. Alan Harris, an allergist with Central Massachusetts Allergy & Asthma Care in Worcester and Auburn.

Sometimes we have a severe winter and everything bunches up and comes in one huge burst. Sometimes we have a mild winter and it gets spread out. This year it seems like we're getting huge amounts of pollen, said Dr. Harris. My best pollen count is looking at my car, the kitchen counter or on the back porch.

Dr. Harris said most people do not have allergies to pollen. But many people do, which means their body has an allergic immune response to a part of the pollen.

That immune response sets off a cascade of events when the pollen comes in contact with a mucus membrane or the lining of the lungs if you have asthma. The cascade of events leads to the symptoms: congestion, runny nose, sneezing, shortness of breath, coughing and itchy eyelids.

Ronnie Beauregard of Holland, grounds foreman at Worcester State University, got hit hard Tuesday after spending the morning and afternoon mowing the campus. Most of the thick lime green pollen was from the grass and pine trees, which produces large waxy particles.

When I got off the mower at the end of the day, I was covered in yellow dust my arms, my legs, everything. My mower was also covered, Mr. Beauregard said yesterday. Lake Ellie, where all the drain water runs off into, now that's all yellow, too.

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Pollen piles up

When Keiko Tsunemotos children left the nest, she and her husband found the perfect use for two unused bedrooms in their Center City apartment a 770-square-foot master bathroom suite that includes a holographic fireplace, 55-inch flat-screen TV, state-of-the-art sound system, treadmill, and aromatherapy shower.

Really, its more like a spa than a bathroom, Tsunemoto said.

After years of stalled home renovations, contractors are noticing that homeowners are dedicating time and money to the bathroom and the economy is the main driving force. Water conservation is a big reason for installing those low-flow shower heads and dual-flush toilets. But in a breakneck-pace world with a depressing financial outlook, bathrooms provide sanctuary.

Its the "one place where people dont bother you," said Luis Hoz de Vila, general manager of LA Signature in Philadelphia.

Hoz de Vila is so bullish on the bathroom trend that he opened a brand new 1,300-square-foot showroom in Center City. "New construction began sagging in 2008 and remodeling started picking up steadily around the middle of last year," he explained. "In the past, it was cheaper to have a new home instead of buying an old home and fixing it. Now, with lower prices, it is better to have an older home fixed up the way you want."

The housing market is particularly competitive as a glut of available houses means buyers can demand whatever they want, and more people want to age in place. A comfortable and safe bathroom is key.

Bathroom renovations with all the bells and whistles can range from $60,000 to $100,000 (Carl Cox, owner of ReDesign Contractors in Deptford, said people are "spending double, if not two-thirds more" than was typical about five years ago), but the trend isnt limited to the wealthy.

"Ive seen people spend from $5,000 to $7,000 on bathrooms they are not going crazy," said Bette McTamney, president-elect of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors.

The usual must-haves include double steam showers with seats, multiple multidirectional shower heads, his-and-hers sinks, faucet upgrades, heated floors, and granite or marble vanities.

Barbara and Charlie Beirao downsized to a two-bedroom rancher in Berlin, Camden County, once they hit retirement age. Though neither plans to actually retire anytime soon, they adopted the less-is-more theory in size, but not luxury.

Excerpt from:
More people spending big bucks on bathrooms

ALLENTOWN The reopening of South Main Street to heavy truck traffic following the completion of the new county bridge is having repercussions that are being felt downtown and around the corner on Church Street.

The incessant shaking and rattling from the increasing number of heavy rigs rolling through the neighborhood these days recently prompted one longtime borough resident to bring her camera out into the street to document the problem.

Now that the bridge is fixed, and the (NJ) Turnpike is having repairs and expansion done, there is an inordinate amount of truck traffic on Church Street, homeowner Frances Brown told the Borough Council on May 22.

I sat out there a couple of days in a row, about an hour each day, and within an hour, there were 37 trucks that went by so that means there was more than one truck every two minutes, Ms. Brown told the governing body. Im in an 1840s house that shakes, and Ive had plaster and other things fall off my house.

Ms. Brown, who has lived on Church Street 25 years, noted a section of underground sewer pipe that runs beneath Church Street to the curb in front of her home broke due to the weight of the heavy truck traffic, and it cost her $1,500 to fix it. The borough also has had to foot the bill for broken pipes elsewhere under Church Street, she pointed out.

The county has jurisdiction over Church Street because it is a county road (Route 526). After Route 526 crosses west into Robbinsville, it is known locally as Robbinsville-Allentown Road. Borough residents said many trucks rolling down Church Street are headed for construction areas on Interstate 195 and the Turnpike, which the trucks are accessing via the I-195 entrance ramps on Robbinsville-Allentown Road.

Mayor Stuart Fierstein said that during the recent reconstruction of the South Main Street bridge, the county set a temporary 10-ton weight limit and 15-mph speed limit on the span, which kept the heavy truck traffic out of Allentown. Now that the bridge is done, and the weight restrictions and lower speed limit have been removed, more heavy trucks are back using roads in the half-square-mile boroughs downtown area.

The mayor told Ms. Brown the solution was the construction of the westerly bypass at the southern end of town, a county project that has gone nowhere in the past decade. The county is under tremendous pressure, he said, because of opposition from Upper Freehold officials and residents of housing developments in the township located near where the new road would be built.

In 2003, the county built a bypass off Route 526 in Upper Freehold near the Hope Fire Company and Reed Park that directs traffic around the north end of Allentown to Exit 8 of I-195. Allentown officials have been lobbying the county for a similar bypass at the southern end of the borough that would link High Street (Route 539) to Ellisdale Road in Upper Freehold and eventually connect to Robbinsville-Allentown Road (Route 526) in Robbinsville.

Weve spent the last 10 years expecting that if one bypass is built, well get the other bypass, Mr. Fierstein told Ms. Brown.

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ALLENTOWN: Heavy truck traffic rattles Church Street residents