Photo by Jim Tetro

Park amenities include a rain garden, pavilions, an ice-skating rink and a cafe.

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The team transformed a parking lot for Washington D.C. school buses on the Anacostia Waterfront into a three-acre park that offers aboveground recreational amenities and a belowground stormwater sewer system. Runoff from seven city blocks is diverted to the system, which includes two underground 40,000-gallon cisterns; tree pits also collect runoff. The reused water provides nearly 95% of the park's needs, saving an estimated 1.5 million gallons of potable water annually. Park amenities include a rain garden, pavilions, an ice-skating rink and a cafeas well as interactive water fountains and interactive sculptures.

Project Team

Owner: Canal Park Development Association; Housing Authority of the District of Columbia

Architect: Studios Architecture

General Contractor: James G. Davis Construction Corp., Rockville, Md.

Engineers: Loring; Vika, Germantown, Md.

Landscape Architect: The Olin Studio, Philadelphia

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Landscape, Urban Development: Washington Canal Park

Q. Will black plastic create a suitable weed barrier under bark when I landscape my yard?

A. Though black plastic is cheap, will suppress weeds and will last a long time, it creates an impermeable barrier, shutting off moisture and light and thus either killing or seriously limiting soil life beneath it. Also, though it shreds easily, unsightly scraps will remain on or in the soil for years without decaying appreciably.

Landscape fabric, on the other hand, though more expensive, does a comparable job of keeping weeds down but will let rain and some light filter through its woven fabric. Trees, shrubs, flowers etc. planted in holes cut in the fabric will continue to be nourished by living soil, as they would not be able to with black plastic. Another possibility is cardboard, often available free. It wont last as long, but it will break down completely and become part of the soil.

The Shasta Master Gardener Program can be reached by phone, 242-2219, or email mastergardeners@shastacollege.edu.

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Master Gardener: Black plastic weed barrier stops weeds but harms soil health

Landscape, marketing contest winners named

The North Dakota Nursery and Greenhouse Association has awarded Peter Boyle of Boyle Landscaping, Fargo, as the first place winner in the residential front yard category in its annual Landscape and Marketing Contest. Boyle was recognized for his project at Shotwell Commons, Fargo.

Ryan Aakre of Signature Landscapes, Fargo, won the residential backyard division, and Terryl Melby and Sarah Liljestrand of Hollands Landscaping and Garden Center, Moorhead, received first place in the marketing awards program in the plant materials and hard goods divisions.

Awards of Merit went to Cody Wilhelm, Dakota Impressions Landscapes and Design, Bismarck; Paul Beck, Lowes Garden Center, Minot; and Chad Erickson Oasis Plantscapes, West Fargo.

Lura named Nodak Mutual sales leader

Duey Lura, an agent for Nodak Mutual Insurance Co., Fargo, has been recognized as a sales leader with Nodak Mutual for his outstanding sales performance for all lines in the state of North Dakota during 2013.

He also earned partner level status for the year.

Prudential Premier agents earn recognition

Prudential Premier Real Estate has awarded 31 of its real estate agents with Top of the Rock Club status, which recognizes their 2013 sales accomplishments.

The agents receiving the special recognition include: Sabrina Anderson, Amber Bender, Jayne Bertsch, Randy Bertsch, Jodi Birnbaum, Jared Blankenship, Terri Craig, Pat DeVine, Connie Dreyer, Mary Eberhard, Julie Fournier, Cathy Hahn, James Hand, Pam Hanson, Nancy Kelly, Kim Kelsh, Steve Klocke, John Knosalla, DeAnne Mason, Mark Mason, Kim Meyers, Pam Moffat, Susie Nickell, Bobbi Solien, Lyle Rasmussen, Tyler Rebrovich, Rod Richter, Steve Ritter, Mari Santoyo, Rod Searls, Lisa Swanson and Cat Yokom.

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Honors and officers (Feb. 15)

Known as The Rock because of its rocky landscape and spectacular soaring cliffs, Newfoundland and Labrador truly live up to its nickname.

If you are looking for an outdoorsy type of vacation, you will very much enjoy a trip here.

Whale watching, iceberg spotting and fishing rank high on most people's list of things, but there are many more:

1. Take a hike on the East Coast Trail

St. John's is the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador, and boasts the beautiful East Coast Trail, on the east side of the Avalon Peninsula.

The East Coast Trail provides ample opportunities for hiking, whale-watching and bird-watching from one of the many vantage points along the trail.

2. See the lighthouses

One of the most popular lighthouses in the country is Cape Race, near Chance Cove Provincial Park. This lighthouse was the first one to receive the first distress signals from the Titanic.

The second lighthouse worth seeing in Newfoundland is Cape Spear Lighthouse, which is the oldest in Newfoundland and Labrador. This lighthouse can be easily reached by car from St John's (within 20 minutes drive).

3. Join a festival

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Nine things to do in Newfoundland

Less than a generation ago, calling for the end of the trade embargo against Cuba would have been unthinkable the equivalent of stepping on a political land mine.

The political reality in 2014 is much more complicated.

The landscape of Florida politics and the Cuban-American community have changed so much and so fast that Charlie Crist's new position on the 53-year-old embargo seized on by his opponents of evidence of his "ignorance" and willingness to "insult" the state's Cuban-Americans may not end up damaging his comeback campaign for governor and, some suggest, might even turn into a modest advantage.

"Clearly the Cuban embargo I don't think is an issue that moves the masses," said Juan Carlos Arias, 42, born in the U.S. to a family that fled Fidel Castro's Cuba between 1961 and 1968. "Without a doubt, some of the opinions, the hard-line opinions, the classic, the traditional opinions have shifted."

Arias, a Plantation lawyer and no party-affiliation/independent voter involved in several civic organizations, is a strong proponent of maintaining the embargo. But there are plenty of people in the Cuban community who feel differently, and Arias said his view is no longer the majority opinion.

Public opinion polling released recently found 63 percent of Floridians support normalizing relations or engaging more directly with the Cuban government, with 30 percent opposed. The bipartisan polling team of Republican Glen Bolger and Democrat Paul Maslin found broad support across the political spectrum, including in South Florida and the Cuban-American community.

Changing sentiment may have emboldened Crist when he was asked about the embargo in a Feb. 7 interview on the HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher." Not long ago, "it is not something that you'd even speak of. You might think it, but you would never say it, said Isidro Raul Mejia, president of the Palm Beach County Democratic Hispanic Caucus.

Factors that may help Crist benefit:

Attitudes are changing in the Cuban-American community, especially among young Cuban-Americans born in the U.S. They're not as automatically Republican as their anti-Castro parents and grandparents.

"You've had a lot of second- and even third-generation people who are coming of age and in their 20s and 30s. They just don't think in terms of that sort of island politics," said Kevin Hill, a Florida International University political science professor who has researched attitudes of Cuban-Americans toward politics and the island nation. "The people who feel very strongly about it are either hard-core right-wingers or they're 85-years-old."

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Charlie Crist's flip-flop on Cuba mirrors larger trend | Video

Workers from Aldrich Timber continue clearing trees and bulldozing on the 14 acres of land in preparation for ground work on St. Rd. 200 on Tuesday February 11, 2014. The future home of Volkswagen dealership is being constructed by Magnum Construction Company.

Construction crews are clearing land on Southwest State Road 200 for the site of Gettel Automotive Group's new BMW, Porsche and Volkswagen dealership in Marion County.

The dealership currently operates at 3949 SW College Road and is planning to move 3 miles to the southwest, near Building Blocks of Ocala Preschool.

Marcobay Construction of Lakeland is the general contractor for the project, and a Marcobay official, who asked not to be identified, said the goal is to have the new location open by the end of 2014. Gettel officials, who did not return calls for comment, paid $4.5 million for almost 22 acres and told the Star-Banner in August 2012 the dealership was outgrowing its current home, which has six usable acres of land. About 5.5 acres in the new location will be used for Volkswagen, about 5 acres will be used for BMW, and about 3 acres will go for Porsche, with some 5 acres remaining for a possible additional line in the future, Gettel officials said in 2012.

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Crews clearing land for new BMW, Porsche and VW dealership

Minecraft 1.7.4 SP Episode 4: Interior Designer
As Gigapower111 contunues his survival, he decides it would be nice if he cleaned up his temporary shelter. Don #39;t forget to leave any comments/suggestions/qu...

By: gigapower111

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Minecraft 1.7.4 SP Episode 4: Interior Designer - Video

Interior Designer Business Tips from Denise Butchko of ButchkoAndCompany.com
Experienced storage and custom closet designer Denise Butchko shares some of her hard-earned lessons for running a successful interior design business.

By: ShelterSEO

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Interior Designer Business Tips from Denise Butchko of ButchkoAndCompany.com - Video

KKTV: Thanksgiving Ready with Good Day Sacramento
Interior Designer Kerrie Kelly shows you how to incporporate your estate sale and thrift store finds into your holiday table setting.

By: Kerrie Kelly

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KKTV: Thanksgiving Ready with Good Day Sacramento - Video

The story behind the Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas garage-home-office controversy is one familiar to millions---a beef over home remodeling.

For those who have not been following the Los Angeles Times investigation into the garage caper, heres a summary: Last month, reporters Jack Leonard and Paul Pringle reported that the county installed a home security system for the garage, which was being turned into an office. The reporters portrayed the project as a boondoggle, with a wall torn down for the installation of the wiring, which also required a trench dug adjacent to the garage. This work, they implied, might not have been needed. They also maintain the county has only grudgingly and slowly given them information and Ridley-Thomas has refused to talk to them.

Friday, Nancy Sullivan, Times vice president for communications called to say that four garage walls, not one, were involved in the job.

Overcoming these obstacles, the reporters found out that a contractor charged the county $6,239 for the project. Then Ridley-Thomas reimbursed the county $3,759 for an air conditioner, refrigerator and a flat screen television installed at the same time.

Beyond that, the story of the wall, or walls I should say, becomes muddy, like neighbors telling of remodeling their kitchen.

Ridley-Thomas told me that when he notified county officials he intended to move his home office, including his county computer, into the garage, they said they would have to revamp his county-supplied home security system. In addition, they said they, themselves, would have to move his county computer, with its high-speed Internet connection, into the new office. They had to do this, they said, to protect the county computer system from hackers.

Besides linking up with the Internet, the high-speed connection reaches the sheriffs office and other security agencies, Ridley-Thomas said. Each task requires wiring. In addition, the alarm system needs a wire to draw power from the home supply. So there must be wiring for a few purposeshigh-speed Internet connection, law enforcement notification for emergencies and power for the computer and the security alarm system, Ridley-Thomas explained.

County employees and the contractors looked at the garage and said they wouldnt be able to install so much wiring behind the walls without ripping them out. Since the garage was 30 years old, they said they couldnt find replacements for the old wooden walls. Lets hang dry wall over the wiring and paint it, they said. They preferred that solution to hanging the wires on outside of the old wall and covering them with molding. Fine, replied Ridley-Thomas.

Reporters Leonard and Pringle quoted a number of home security experts who said there was no need to rip out the wall to install wiring for the security system. Ripping the walls out? Thats absolutely ridiculous, said Nigel Smithers, Southern California general for Absolute Security Alarms. Ridley-Thomas is angry about the coverage and called me at home, hoping I would look into it. He said it was always clear that he would pay for the air conditioner, television and refrigerator. This was above board, there was no attempt to hide anything, it was completely appropriate and legitimate, he said.

The real dispute is over the amount of wiring needed and whether the wall should have been replaced. Was so much wiring required that the contractors had to rip down the wall? Would a cord from Home Depot sufficed? Was taxpayer money wasted? In that situation, if a contractor told me this about my home office, I might call in a contractor for a second opinion. But Ridley-Thomas, required to use the county for the job, didnt have that option.

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The story behind the Ridley-Thomas garage caper