The first words God spoke in the Bible were Let there be light. As members of St. James Episcopal Church return to their renovated sanctuary, that may reflect their first impression.

A lot was done to preserve and restore the 125-year-old worship space in downtown Baton Rouge, but the most obvious is how bright the once-dark Gothic Revival interior now is.

Peoples breath is taken away when they come in and see it, said the Rev. Chris Duncan, rector at St. James. Everyone that walks in, the things that stand out are the floors, the ability to see the ceiling, which you could not do before, and how clean and crisp it looks.

The project the first wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling renovation since the church was built in 1895 follows exterior work that began after Hurricane Gustav damaged the roof in 2008, creating leaks. More recently, mortar supporting the bricks was replaced to better waterproof and protect the structure.

That work finished as Duncan became rector in 2018, and attention turned to the interior. The wiring, over 50 years old, needed to be replaced; wall plaster had water damage; and the white walls had grayed due to age and water leaks, Duncan said. The circa-1975 organ and the heating and air conditioning system both needed replacing, and the lighting was poor.

You couldnt see the ceiling. It was dark, Duncan said. There was only light shining down, so they blinded you when you looked up. It was also a fire hazard because we didnt have any kind of sprinkler system.

"All of these things started adding up, so we said the time now was not to do a small campaign but to do a larger campaign to fix the church.

Lisa Coco Hargrave was the lead architect on the project along with Chris Doiron and Liz Spedale at Tipton Associates.

The interior work has cost about $1 million, Duncan said, and the new pipe organ, which has not been installed, will cost about $900,000.

St. James will have its first worship service in the sanctuary at 205 N. Fourth St. on Sunday, though COVID occupancy restrictions mean that only those who have preregistered can attend. For those who want to see the renovations, open houses will be held from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday and noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday.

And what they will now be able to see with the addition of new LED lighting that nearly doubled the lumens of the light fixtures and directed lights are the elaborate wooden arches of the ceiling.

What they probably won't see are the new sprinkler pipes, which have been painted dark brown to blend in with the woodwork.

It may seem like a small feat, but getting these sprinklers in here and not having them not really very visible is certainly something were really proud of, Hargrave said. We actually went through nine paint samples to figure out one. The wood varies in color.

The most noticeable wood, however, may be the floor, which has been entirely carpeted since at least the 1950s, Duncan said.

The carpet was removed, the original wood floorboards restored by Paul Allen Flooring of Baton Rouge, and the walkways covered by a new, custom carpet filled with symbols of spiritual imagery: fleur de lis to symbolize the Trinity, wheat to represent the bread of Christ, quatrefoils in honor of the four evangelists, red to represent the blood of Christ, and martyrs, gold for the resurrection. Church members chose the symbols they wanted, and Avenue Rugs in Mandeville designed and made the floor coverings.

I just love the symbolism that can be brought out in church work, Hargrave said.

Removing carpeting can have a dramatic effect on acoustics, and the sanctuary already had issues with voices bouncing off the walls. The church brought in acoustical engineer Richard Boner from Dallas, who repositioned the speakers to solve that problem.

What we expect with the sound in here when its full of people that well be able to hear the spoken word better and the music will be heightened by the extra reverberation, Hargrave said.

Michael Terry and Bryan Brown with Associated Design Group served as electrical and mechanical engineers, and Mid South Church Construction also worked on the project.

Hargrave hopes those who visit will share her feeling of inspiration. Her architecture work doesnt typically involve churches.

Its really been an honor for me to be involved in the process, she said. Its really the highlight of my last few years.

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'Let there be light': Renovation of St. James Episcopal Church's illuminates once-dark sanctuary - The Advocate

Katherine Gregg|The Providence Journal

PROVIDENCE Weeks away from his likely stepup to governor,Lt. Gov. Dan McKee has begun lining up his cabinet, his own replacement in the state's No. 2 spot, and his counter-arguments to legislators seekingto halt the expansion of "charter" schools.

In a wide-ranging interview on Sunday, McKee said he has been reaching out one-by-one to the members of Gov. Gina Raimondo's cabinet that he hopes to keep.

He said a handful, he declined to name, have already signaled their intent to leave their jobs soon. But he said state Health Department Director Nicole Alexander-Scott,Business Regulation Director Elizabeth Tanner,VeteransAffairs Director Kasim Yarn,Adjutant General Christopher P. Callahan and James Manni, the superintendent of the R.I. State Police, would remain at the helm of their respective agencies.

And he told The Journalhehad more calls to make.

At the same time, he confirmed that Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisenais leading his effort to screen the candidates seeking to replace him aslieutenant governor when Raimondo leaves for her anticipated new job as commerce secretary in the new Biden administration and he moves up.

Once he is governor, McKee will get to appoint his own replacement, subject to Senate confirmation. .

The mayor of Cumberland before his own election as lieutenant governor six years ago, McKee said Polisena, as a mayor, "knows me [and] that's a top priority."

Polisena has already stated his first choice out of the dozen or so applicants: former Central Falls Mayor James Diossa.

Im coming out publicly for Mayor Diossa,'' Polisena told the Johnston Sunrise."Hes a friend and I feel confident in his abilities."

"I think he would make a great lieutenant governor,'' Polisena is quoted as sayingin an article published on January 15,"because hes got experience in running municipal government... Its not a position for someone to start learning... Hes very bright, very articulate, he ran Central Falls and he left Central Falls in a better position than when he took over.

McKee said: "I talked to Joe about that ... I know that mayors like mayors and I like (James)Diossa as well, but that doesn't mean the decision is made."

Women'sadvocates have pushed for the appointment of a woman; Black advocates for the appointment of a Black person and Latinos for a Latino.

McKee said the most important characteristic to him is: "someone that is able to work with me."

As an example, he would like the next lieutenant governor to be someone who would keep the 39 city and town plaques he placed on the wall leading to his State House office. Put another way: "somebody who has an interest in including all 39 cities and towns in their efforts."

Asked how important "diversity'' will be in the decision, he said: "It's important ... but I don't think it is a disqualifier to be non-minority ... I think that would be discrimination as well, right?"

McKee said he's been briefed on the state's budget predicament, but will not be in a position to say how he intends to close the projected $513-million deficit in the budget until he has a clearer picture of how big the deficit really is.

"If you need to raise taxes to be solvent, you are going to do it,'' he said, while stressing he is not yet convinced that is necessary.

He is most clear, at this point, on where he stands on the latest in a series of annual bills to curb the expansion of "charter schools."

The latest championed by Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and the top-ranked players on his leadership team is scheduled for a hearing Wednesday by the Senate Committee on Education.

Charter schools are publicly funded alternatives to traditional schoolswith more freedom from mandates.

The legislation says: "The state shall not approve or appropriate funding to any new charter school orto expand an existing charter school that had not been approved by the council on elementary andsecondary education prior to July 1, 2020."

McKee, who as a mayor helped found a type of charter school in which mayors chair the board of directors and teachers dont pay into the pension system, objectedto any effort to stop the sixcharter schools that won approval in December toexpand or open in Providence.

"The agenda there is pretty obvious,''he said. "The agenda is to stop charters."

He said he would be "open'' to discussing a "reasonable pause to take a look at it."

But he pushed back hard against the argument "an argument motivated by self interest" that the public dollars given charter schools come at the expense ofthe traditional public school system.

"It's public money that's going to a public school," McKee said.

"So the notion that it is taking away from kids' education is not accurate,'' he said, citing the overall improvement in schools in his hometown when "mayoral academies" were added to the mix.

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McKee starts putting the puzzle pieces in place for move up to governor - The Providence Journal

Katherine Gregg|The Providence Journal

PROVIDENCE Lt. Gov. DanMcKee expects every member of current Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo's cabinet to stay through his own imminent, mid-terminauguration as Raimondo's replacement.

How long they actually stay is another question.

For example, Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor "has told the incoming governor that he is exploring all his options,'' according to Pryor spokesman Matt Sheaff. (For what it's worth:Pryorwas a Yale Law School student in the mid-1990s withRaimondoand her husband, Andrew Moffit.)

Democrat Raimondo is poised to resign mid-term to take a new job, in Washington, as President Joe Biden's commerce secretary. Her confirmation hearing was Tuesday.An committee vote on her nomination is anticipated next Wednesday, February 3.

The exact timing of Raimondo's departure is unclear. ButSen. Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republicanwho chairs theU.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, told Raimondo on Tuesday: "I do not believe you will be serving as governor of the state of Rhode Island for very muchlonger."

Against that backdrop, McKee is preparing for his move up one flightto the governor'sState House suite as soon as next week. He has set 5 p.m. Tuesday as the deadline for those seeking appointment by him as R.I.'s next lieutenant governor to submit "a letter of interest'' online to his transition team at http://www.mckeetransition.com/.

McKee, who had no working relationship with fellow Democrat Raimondo and no role in her administration's pandemic response efforts, issued this statement:

Selecting the nextlieutenantgovernorprovides an opportunity to reimagine Rhode Islands governance model and demonstrate how thelieutenantgovernors office can be leveraged to support the states pandemic response and economic recovery.

Our team looks forward to engaging in the selection process and identifying a partner to work closely with our administration starting on day one.

Brown University has confirmed that onecontender -former Central Falls Mayor James Diossa - started worked on January 25, on a six-month job as senior advisor to the BrownPolicy Lab.

According to a statement from Diossa, conveyed by the Brown public relations staff: "The Policy Lab conducts applied research to improve public policy in Rhode Island and beyond, bringing together experts from government, universities, and community organizations to collaborate and develop evidence-based policy and programs that improve lives and strengthen communities.

"As Senior Advisor, I will work closely with The Policy Lab Director, David Yokum, and senior staff to provide strategic advice on The Policy Labs engagement with state and local government partners at a high level...in particular, assessing and revising a proposal for a statewide municipal student internship program to support Rhode Islands recovery from COVID-19 and undertaking exploratory conversations with an array of prospective partners to refine this proposal and identify sources of philanthropic support."

Asked if Diossa wastaking his name out of the running for lieutenant governor, his political spokesman Chris Hunter said:: "He's still open to the opportunity for public service."

McKee's transition team plans to post updates onwww.mckeetransition.com.

Raimondo, meanwhile, appears to have spent much of the last week or so talking, in advance of Tuesday's confirmation hearing,to the members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Both she and they referenced these detailed conversations where the senators laid out the issues on their minds from "salmon infrastructure" and fishing in the Pacific Northwest to China trade policy so she could address them at the hearing.

On Tuesday, her Rhode Island press office announced a spate of 11th-hour appointments to state boards and commissions.

Most but not all were reappointments, such as the reappointment of organized labor activistScott Duhamel and retired union chief Stan Israel to the State Labor Relations Board.

An online profile describes Duhamel asan assistant to the general president of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades and the secretary-treasurer of the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council. Israel was the long-time executive vice president of SEIU District 1199.

Her new appointees include some familiar names, such as former Auditor General Ernest Almonte to the Narragansett Bay Commission.

Other new appointees include Bill Stone to the board of the R.I. Commerce Corporation. Stone isaco-founder and managing member of Outside CFO, Outside GC, which describes itself as "the nations largest provider of on-demand general counsel services," and Patent GC, "an on-demand provider of intellectual property legal services."

She also appointed Mark Amato, president and CEO of Innova Logic, to the governor's Workforce Board; former Providence City Councilman Peter Mancini to theR.I.Convention Center Authority andMarcy Reyes, founder and CEO of The Financial Literacy Youth (FLY) Initiative, to the R.I. Public Transit Authority.

Explaining the rush of appointments in what could be Raimondo's last week as the state's elected governor, spokeswoman Audrey Lucas said: "Making appointments to Rhode Island's boards and commissions is a responsibility that Governor Raimondo takes seriously, and one that has been significantly delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic."

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Lt. Gov. McKee expects Raimondo's cabinet to stay through his own inauguration, unclear how long after that - The Providence Journal

The establishment wings of center-left parties know how to fight when confronting left-wing challenges from within their own ranks. But they rarely show the same capacity or willpower when turning to face their conservative opponents.

Hillary Clinton pulled out all the stops to beat Bernie Sanders in 2016, only to be bested by a candidate who proved the most unpopular president since the advent of modern polling. Four years later, Joe Biden rallied the Democratic establishment against Sanders once again, but his narrow victory over Donald Trump probably would not have happened without a disastrous pandemic that should have buried Trump altogether.

In Britain, Keir Starmer has concentrated on waging a factional war against the Labour Partys left wing, including his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. Meanwhile, Starmer still lags behind Boris Johnson and the Conservatives in most opinion polls, even after their incompetent handling of the pandemic has led to one hundred thousand deaths and counting.

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) follows the same pattern. The ALPs right faction likes to mythologize itself as the embodiment of ruthless pragmatism, willing to do Whatever it Takes to win power a motto most famously associated with the brutal bashing of a left-wing branch activist in the 1980s. But Labor Rights last candidate, Bill Shorten, was Labors most unpopular leader in thirty years, losing two consecutive elections in 2016 and 2019.

Since Shortens second defeat, Labor Lefts Anthony Albanese has led the party. Albanese has been an uninspiring leader, whose inadequate attempts at organizational reform have done nothing to challenge a coterie of right-wing bureaucrats who dominate the party machine. Few people in the ALP think he can win a national election against Liberal PM Scott Morrison, and theres mounting speculation that hell soon face a leadership challenge.

This would be the ninth time the ALP has changed its leader in just twenty years. But a change of personality at the top that leaves the ALPs organizational culture and policy platform unchanged will do nothing to address its problems. And most of the candidates to replace Albanese would represent a clear step backwards.

The nicest thing you could say about Jim Chalmers is that hes a nonentity. Right Labor presents him as a sensationally popular shadow treasurer, but 82 percent of Australians cant even recognize his name. Among those who follow politics closely, Chalmers is probably best remembered for having tearfully begged then Labor PM Kevin Rudd to support his preselection as an ALP candidate.

Chalmerss supporters insist that he is the right man to lead Labor because he hails from Queensland, which has a reputation as Australias most conservative state ignoring the fact that Chalmers has worked full-time in Canberra and Sydney since 2001.

Chalmers penned a hero-worshipping PhD thesis on former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, the man who first introduced Australias policy of indefinitely detaining asylum seekers. Keatings time in office revealed a staunch commitment to neoliberal economics: he referred to one economic downturn as the recession we had to have, and his stewardship of the Australian economy locked in a model characterized by spiraling inequality, privatization, and declining union membership.

Fans of Chalmers prefer to focus on his literary magnum opus, the bizarrely titled Glory Daze, which expresses his bafflement at the ingratitude of the Australian public toward the last Labor government. After all, Chalmers points out, former treasurer Wayne Swan for whom he worked as chief of staff delivered economic growth. Perhaps the lack of appreciation has something to do with the fact that for young Australians, the most realistic pathway to home ownership is waiting for their parents to die.

As immigration minister under Julia Gillard, Chris Bowen ensured that asylum seekers, including children, remained imprisoned in offshore camps. Some of those refugees sewed their lips shut in protest. He bears more responsibility than most for Australias illegal and inhumane asylum policy of indefinitely detaining refugees. When the history books are written, his name will be marked with shame.

While Labor Right members claim to be expert political tacticians, Bowens track record suggests otherwise. As shadow treasurer, he championed a reform to franking credits tax refunds paid to shareowners that are equivalent to the value of tax already paid by the companies whose shares they own. Even though Bowens policy would only have affected the wealthiest 10 percent of households, the Liberals still managed to present it as Labors death tax.

Bowen seemed helpless in the face of this bad-faith campaign, which presented franking credits as something that ordinary people could expect to benefit from. After the Liberals won the election, there were reports of pensioners ringing up the authorities to ask when their franking credits would come through, only to discover that the refunds were only available for the minority of people who actually own shares.

Albanese has just reshuffled the ALPs shadow cabinet, giving Bowen the climate change portfolio most likely in an attempt to appease Labors coal lobby representative, Joel Fitzgibbon. Fitzgibbon recently quit the shadow cabinet in protest against his partys confusing and scary climate change targets. Bowens promotion has brought Labor one step closer to abandoning those targets, leaving the planet to go to hell on a handcart.

Kristina Keneally perfectly embodies the gulf between the ALPs right-wing powerbrokers and Australian voters. Keneally oversaw the death throes of Labors last New South Wales (NSW) state government. Shes the apotheosis of the NSW disease, in which Labor frantically cycles through leaders in the hope of finding a popular one. Two Ministers in the former government have since been imprisoned, and one is currently facing a retrial. The NSW anti-corruption commission found that two more have been engaged in corrupt conduct.

Those corruption hearings were ultimately a sideshow compared to the social pain Keneally tried to inflict on the people of New South Wales with dogmatic neoliberal policies. In the teeth of entrenched opposition from unions and even her own right-wing faction, Keneally tried but ultimately failed to privatize the states monopoly on power generation, a move that would have raised electricity prices and led to cuts in pay and conditions for workers.

Labors right-wing bureaucrats may have forgotten about this, but voters havent. In 2011, Keneally led the most unpopular state government in NSW history to a record low vote share for the ALP of 25.5 percent less than half of the right-wing coalitions total. Six years later, she lost a federal by-election by 10 percent in Bennelong, a multicultural hub that should be one of Labors natural heartlands. That hasnt stopped the Right from trying to force through her preselection in Parramatta, against the wishes of left-wing party members.

Having found her way into the federal senate, Keneally has continued two old Labor Right traditions: hostility to immigrants and sycophancy toward the Catholic Church. Although she is an American immigrant herself, Keneally has called for crackdowns on asylum seekers and dog whistled about cheap foreign workers taking Australian jobs. At the same time, she has pandered to the religious right, most recently by opposing laws that would make it mandatory for Catholic priests to report child sexual abuse disclosed in confession.

Can a souffl rise not once, not twice, but three times? Faction man Bill Shorten, the most unpopular Labor leader in thirty years, hopes the answer is yes. Despite having led Labor to one of its worst results in recent history in 2019, Shorten hasnt had the grace to take a back seat in the ALP, seeking instead to undermine his successor Anthony Albanese.

The word voters most associate with Shorten is untrustworthy. Even his factional allies agree. As Samantha Maiden reports in Party Animals: The secret history of a Labor fiasco, ALP veteran Stephen Conroy told former general secretary Jamie Clements that he still wouldnt call Shorten a friend, despite being the only person to have attended Shortens 18th, 21st, and 40th birthdays (not to mention his wedding).

Shorten has earned that reputation with his long record of destabilizing Labor leaders. Hes the power broker behind the right-wing ShortCon subfaction, immodestly named after himself, and orchestrated the downfall of both Labor prime ministers to have been elected this century.

The Right claims that Shorten lost in 2019 because his platform was too far to the left. In reality, it was a very mild set of policies, with a handful of progressive proposals like scrapping tax concessions for property investors and bringing fairer taxes on family trusts used by the superwealthy. The policies werent the problem in fact, they were demonstrably more popular than either Shorten himself or the ALP.

Compared to the other contenders, Tanya Plibersek, from Labor Left, may seem like a distinct improvement. As health minister, she brought in plain cigarette packaging laws that were so effective big tobacco sued her twice in a bid to stop them. Plibersek also made the chemical abortion pill RU486 accessible to all women through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Plibersek supported same-sex marriage at a time when Jim Chalmerss hero Paul Keating was noisily insisting that two blokes and a cocker spaniel dont make a family. At times, shes even been willing to take controversial stands for example, by condemning Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon for war crimes committed against the Palestinians.

However, we should still be wary. Even if the next Labor leader also hails from the Left, they will still have to face right-wing dominance over the party machine, which gives it massive influence over Labor candidates, caucuses, and policy. Even if Albaneses replacement proves to be another leader of the NSW Left, its hard to see what this would achieve without a more drastic reorientation of the party and its organizational culture.

Pliberseks personal record may not be as woeful as those of her potential rivals, but she has already shown signs of her willingness to capitulate to the Right in the interests of so-called party unity. Shes also been known to float conservative ideas like a pledge of allegiance for schoolkids a proposal that even right-wing talkback radio thought was pretty weird.

The real problem doesnt lie with the personnel at the top of the ALP its the factional balance inside the party. Labor Right claims to be in the busines of building an electable party. In practice, the factions tired mix of social conservatism and neoliberal economics has never inspired the electorate, but its leaders dont really care as long as they control the ALP itself.

This will only change if the ALPs left wing can find leaders with the courage to break up the corrupt, gerrymandered regime that controls the party, and decisively repudiate a commitment to neoliberalism that dates back to the age of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. Until that happens, the only real leadership choice will be one between disappointment and despair.

Excerpt from:
If Anthony Albanese Steps Down Now, His Replacement Will Be Even Worse - Jacobin magazine

Reforming business risk management (BRM) programs, such as the AgriStability program, has been top of mind for many across the agriculture industry.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau proposed changes to the program at the federal-provincial-territorial agricultural ministers meeting in November, which the federal government says would increase AgriStability payouts by 50 per cent, but the three Prairie provinces have not signed on. Under the terms of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, two of the three must agree to the program for it to proceed nationally.

The provinces have been given until the end of January to inform Minister Bibeau on whether they are still considering the proposal. The federal minister told reporters covering the Keystone Agricultural Producers annual meeting in Manitoba on Tuesday (Jan. 26) that she had not yet received an official response from any of the Prairie provinces.

Speaking with RealAgriculture, Minister of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Devin Dreeshen says Alberta is still working with commodity groups to develop a potential replacement program to AgriStability. For Dreeshen, his primary concern is that cash flow should be much more immediate than the up-to-two years it currently takes under AgriStability.

Were looking at a more structured approach of replacing AgriStability with a margin-based insurance program, Dreeshen explains. Its something that weve released a report out to commodity groups. Weve had our intentions of looking at what the problems are that have flawed the design of AgriStability, and how a new AgriStability program should be a) more timely in its support when it actually pays out, and b) it should be something that is equitable across commodity types. It should also be predictable in that farmers and ranchers should be able to know in a year if they are actually going to get a payment or not, versus the melees and the question marks that are currently out there.

Currently, the province is working on getting to the cabinet treasury board to consider the AgriStability changes they are looking for; however, the main focus still lies on fixing the structural problems of AgriStability, and developing a program that does work for the entire ag sector, says Dreeshen.

Check out the full conversation between Minister Dreeshen and RealAgricultures Kara Oosterhuis, below:

Federal government sets deadline for provinces on AgriStability enhancement offer

Federal AgriStability proposal set up to fail, suggests Alberta Agriculture minister

Manitoba ag minister says federal offer doesnt address challenges with AgriStability

No deal, so far, on AgriStability enhancements

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Alberta working on margin-based insurance replacement for AgriStability - RealAgriculture

KARACHI: Sindh Education and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani said on Monday that Murad Ali Shah would continue to serve as the provinces chief minister even if he got arrested in a graft case recently registered against him.

In response to a question at the Meet the Press programme of the Karachi Press Club about the replacement of Mr Shah as the CM in case of his arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the senior PPP leader said that he will remain the provincial chief executive.

We have been saying since day one that NAB is a Niazi nexus and it has become an instrument of the government, he said, adding: NAB would make a reference against whoever gives a tough time to the federal government.

He said Mr Shah had spoken about the rights of Sindh, talked about the National Finance Commission share of this province and done record development work in Karachi. He has shown the people of the country that Sindh has a constitutional right on the gas of this province and in return for it, there is a NAB reference against him, he said.

Threatens to air recording of Jan 16 meeting that saw a spat between chief minister and PTIs Ali Zaidi

Video of CM-Ali Zaidi spat

Talking about a terse exchange between the CM and Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi during the Jan 16 meeting of the Karachi Coordination Committee, he said they had not made any secret recording of the meeting but many participants had joined in through a video link and it is all recorded.

If the real face of this PTI government were to be shown to the people, then we would definitely air that recording, he said.

Mr Ghani also said that the federal cabinet and the prime minister were answerable to the people about the sugar, wheat and medicine scandals.

Also, with all the reports about the petrol, LNG and gas scandals coming to light and the involvement of cabinet members including their prime minister and their ATM and bank accounts that are being filled, there is also a burden of billions of rupees on the nation. The federal cabinet is full of crooked ministers and spokespersons and when they get stuck somewhere they resort to shenanigans, he said.

Talking about the Pakistan Steel Mills, the minister said that the Sindh government still wanted to take it over and run it.

It is the governments incompetence that the Steel Mills incurred a loss of Rs42 billion. Instead of questioning those who destroyed the Mills by cutting off gas connections, punishment is being meted out to the poor workers there, he said.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2021

Read more:
Murad will not be replaced as CM if arrested in NAB case: Ghani - DAWN.com

FRANKFORT, Ky. Gov. Andy Beshear today announced that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Regional Driver Licensing Office in Owensboro has moved into larger, permanent quarters that will accommodate customers while maintaining social distance and all necessary COVID-19 public health protocols.

It is the 13th permanent regional office the cabinet has established in a network that eventually will number about two dozen offices around the commonwealth to handle driver licensing. The expanded office is at 2620 KY 81, in Owensboro.

Like all other KYTC regional offices, the Owensboro office adheres to Gov. Beshears Healthy at Work guidelines to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus 2019 also known as COVID-19.

We are offering essential, in-person public services while taking care to do so in a way that protects public health, said Gov. Beshear. Those essential services include issuing, renewing and replacing operators licenses and official identification cards for our fellow Kentuckians who depend on them for employment, travel and emergencies.

The new office will process applications for REAL ID or standard licenses and ID cards. Any required driver testing, which is conducted by Kentucky State Police, must have been completed beforehand. Application for a REAL ID must be done in person, with proof of residence, social security and identity at a KYTC regional office.

Those seeking to renew or replace a standard-issue license or ID card can do so by mail or drop-off with the circuit court clerk in the license holders county of residence, provided there has been no change of name or address and the license holder does not require driver testing by Kentucky State Police.

Gov. Beshear encouraged anyone able to use remote services to do so, thereby limiting person-to-person contact. Forms for renewal or replacement can be downloaded here.

The same services are offered at other KYTC regional driver licensing offices in Paducah, Bowling Green, Madisonville, Elizabethtown, Frankfort, Lexington, Morehead, Somerset, Richmond, Columbia, Jackson and Prestonsburg. KYTC also has temporary regional offices operating by appointment only at Catlettsburg, Florence and Louisville-Bowman Field.

The new Owensboro office expands an important customer service, KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said. But we are doing so in a way that protects the health and safety of our customers and our employees. That includes social distancing, wearing face masks and having a sanitized work station for every customer.

The Owensboro office will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central. Applicants may make appointments online at drive.ky.gov. A limited number of workstations will be available to serve walk-ins. To avoid gatherings in common waiting areas after checking in, applicants may be asked to wait in their vehicles and will be individually notified when to return to the issuance office to be served.

To maintain the safest possible environment, office employees and customers will adhere to Gov. Beshears Healthy at Work standards, which include wearing a mask. Social distancing will be observed. Surfaces will be cleaned and touchpad equipment sanitized after each use. The complete list of Healthy at Work requirements can be found at Healthy at Work.

Keep up with information from Gov. Andy Beshear and his administration about the COVID-19 pandemic at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and on the Governors official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Please consider subscribing today and support our work in the community. If you are already a subscriber, thank you very much. Subscribers get access to our daily email newsletter of every headline and obituary from the last 24 hours as well as access to OC Healthy, our new community wide initiative to help Ohio County get healthier.

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Opening of new location for KYTC Regional Driver Licensing Office in Owensboro announced - Ohio County Monitor

The Roebling Bridge is slated to close to vehicular traffic for nine months amid a restoration project, officials with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said Thursday. Starting Feb. 1, the bridge will be reduced to a single lane of traffic. Then, beginning Feb. 15, the bridge will close entirely to vehicular traffic for a lengthy restoration project to preserve the 154-year-old historic landmark.The bridge is scheduled to reopen to traffic by the end of November and the overall project is expected to be complete by Dec. 31.The bridge was closed in April 2019 as a safety precaution after sandstone fragments broke from the east side of the north tower. Temporary netting was installed, and the bridge was reopened in August 2019. Transportation officials and representatives of the State Historic Preservation Office have been working to develop a project that will address several issues and help preserve and protect the structure for future generations.The $4.7 million project was awarded to Lithko Restoration Technologies LLC. The project includes masonry work and the repair and replacement of sections of sandstone on the north and south anchorages and towers. Other work includes minor deck and sidewalk repair.The bridge will be limited to a single lane of traffic for two weeks, then closed to traffic altogether for this restoration, said Bob Yeager, chief district engineer for the Department of Highways District 6 office. But we know what a vital connection this is and we will keep a pedestrian sidewalk open during the project.Special traffic signals will be installed to allow for a single lane of traffic.The Roebling Bridge carries approximately 8,100 vehicles a day. Motorists may use the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge (U.S. 25) or the 4th Street/Veterans Bridge (KY 8) to the Taylor Southgate Bridge (U.S. 27) as a detour.

The Roebling Bridge is slated to close to vehicular traffic for nine months amid a restoration project, officials with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said Thursday.

Starting Feb. 1, the bridge will be reduced to a single lane of traffic.

Then, beginning Feb. 15, the bridge will close entirely to vehicular traffic for a lengthy restoration project to preserve the 154-year-old historic landmark.

The bridge is scheduled to reopen to traffic by the end of November and the overall project is expected to be complete by Dec. 31.

The bridge was closed in April 2019 as a safety precaution after sandstone fragments broke from the east side of the north tower. Temporary netting was installed, and the bridge was reopened in August 2019.

Transportation officials and representatives of the State Historic Preservation Office have been working to develop a project that will address several issues and help preserve and protect the structure for future generations.

The $4.7 million project was awarded to Lithko Restoration Technologies LLC. The project includes masonry work and the repair and replacement of sections of sandstone on the north and south anchorages and towers. Other work includes minor deck and sidewalk repair.

The bridge will be limited to a single lane of traffic for two weeks, then closed to traffic altogether for this restoration, said Bob Yeager, chief district engineer for the Department of Highways District 6 office. But we know what a vital connection this is and we will keep a pedestrian sidewalk open during the project.

Special traffic signals will be installed to allow for a single lane of traffic.

The Roebling Bridge carries approximately 8,100 vehicles a day. Motorists may use the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge (U.S. 25) or the 4th Street/Veterans Bridge (KY 8) to the Taylor Southgate Bridge (U.S. 27) as a detour.

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Roebling Bridge will close to traffic for 9 months amid restoration project - WLWT Cincinnati

Sometimes your fences need to serve a very specific function. When thats the case, check out the specialty fences designed to meet those needs while delivering style to your space, such as:

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Vinyl rail fencing is designed specifically to contain horses and other large animals. Its constructed with continuous polymer or high-tensile wire technology that allows the fence to flex upon impact to reduce injury.

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Tip: For images of the most popular fence styles, including squared, dog eared, gothic and more, check out our fencing gallery.

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Types of Fences - The Home Depot

Fences is a very good program, one of those programs that surprise you because they are very good and extremely useful.

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Fences 3.09 for Windows - Download