Kim Caldwell of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) spoke to the Warren Select Board this week about testing at Warren School for polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. PFAS were found in the drinking water at Warren School in 2018 during a pilot study of several schools. The chemicals can lead to negative health effects, such as asthma, cancer and stunting childrens growth and development. PFAS can be found in products like floor waxes and cleaners, in addition to being found in groundwater. A second test in 2018 came back below the states threshold for PFAS. The carbon filtration system that was installed at the school was found to successfully remove PFAS. Additional testing was put on hold until funding was secured. This came after the school was temporarily closed in 2017 due to black mold and asbestos in the school.

Back in 2008, improvements were made to the Warren Schools water system by Kingsbury Construction. The project included a new water storage reservoir, water lines, standby chlorination system, interior plumbing improvements, electrical control improvements and miscellaneous appurtenances.

Caldwell said additional testing is needed to determine the extent of the contamination in groundwater at the site. The playground is a former leach field, which she speculated was the source of the problem. The board approved contracting with Atlas Technical Consultants to do additional testing at the site. There is no cost associated with the testing, although it is not known at this time whether there will be costs for improvements needed once testing has been done. Testing will be done imminently.

A drinking water treatment system has been in place at the school since August 2018 and VTDEC has been maintaining that system and collecting quarterly samples since then, Caldwell said. VTDEC has also conducted a site investigation at the school and identified PFAS in shallow groundwater samples collected from monitoring wells installed near the schools former leach field.

VTDEC also conducted an assessment of the schools well to evaluate the well construction, location of fractures and to collect samples from various intervals in the well. The work has been on pause for a while, but we are going back now to further delineate the PFAS in shallow groundwater (installing more monitoring wells around the former leach field) and to resample some private wells in the area. No private wells in the area have been found to contain PFAS above the drinking water standard.

This comes as the state plans to test all schools in the state built before 1980 (about 300 schools across Vermont) for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the wake of discovering the substances at Burlington High School. The question for the HUUSD Board is when this testing will happen and how it will impact the renovations and improvements slated for the Harwood Union High School building if the November 2 vote on a $59.5 million bond passes.

Rob Montgomery of ATC Associates, a Williston-based consultant firm, spoke to the HUUSD Board about PCB testing on October 13. He said if PCBs are found in the school, remediation and/or mitigation measurements will need to be taken.

If you sample materials in the renovation area, improvements could include areas you didnt necessarily plan to update, he said. He said remediation efforts could cost about $50/square foot. It seems likely this will be a tidal wave of problems for us, board chair Torrey Smith said. The timeline of testing has yet to be determined.

Read this article:
PFAS and PCB testing in the Harwood Unified Union School District - The Valley Reporter

Its just a week since the second season finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks was released for streaming on Paramount+, and its already feeling like were in the most unbearable break between seasons since Captain Picard had his name forcibly changed to Locutus of Borg. But theres a light at the end of the wormhole, Lower Deckers: in a Tweet sent on Wednesday, October 20th, 2021, series creator Mike McMahan strongly hinted that Lower Decks books and comics were on the way!

The conversation started when Twitter userOleg Ryzhikov asked why we dont have any Lower Decks comics or books yet.

He soon got a response from John Van Critters, the VP of Star Trek brand development: There are definitely people that know whats up with that, Tweeted Van Critters. Were just pretty good at not leaking stuff.

A couple Tweets later, McMahan confirmed that supposition:

Van Critters dryly replied that they should consider adapting the series to the page, and McMahan replied, Ugh, if only we had been working on this for ages! What were we thinking?

From this exchange, it seems pretty hard to deny that we have Lower Decks tie-in books and comics on the horizon. Theres no details yet on where they might be published, but IDW currently holds the license for Trek comics (as readers of the currently ongoing Year of Mirror are already well aware).

Also, if this exchange with Pulp & Politics is accurate, then we may also have some more delicious tie-in products in our future Im talking about taco seasoning!

This makes sense, since the replicators on California-class vessels (like the Cerritos) are programmed with the best Mexican food in all of Starfleet!

What do you hope to see from the Lower Decks tie-in books and comics, and why is it a Captains Table one-shot comic featuring Captain Carol Freeman? Were waiting to hear from you, Lower Deckers! Let us know what you think, either here in the comment section or over on social media @comicsbeat!

Related

Original post:
REd ALARm: Are STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS comics on the way? - Comics Beat

A lot of drama went down this season on Below Deck: Mediterranean, and a lot of it had to do with stewardess Lexi Wilson. There was the infamous hot tub blowup first, with Wilson getting physical with crewmates and yelling obscenities. Then there was the crew day off later on where, after a lot of needling from Mathew Shea, Wilson used some derogatory language that got her fired from the boat. She might have been gone, but she was certainly not forgotten at the reunion special that she declined to attend. Her co-stars had a lot of revelations to share and Wilson, per usual, didn't hold back with her reaction.

The most shocking revelations from the Below Deck: Mediterranean Season 6 reunion on October 18 came from chief stew Katie Flood and bosun Mzi Dempers. Flood told Andy Cohen that Lexi Wilson's first blowup was actually a lot more violent than what was shown and that producers had to step in to stop her. Similarly, Dempers shed light on Wilson strangely calling him Afrikaans during her blowup. He claimed that Wilson was later saying on her Instagram that he wanted to be white and doesn't "support Black people." When asked about the reunion on her Instagram stories recently, Wilson wrote (via Reality Blurb),

Its laughable! Katie really wanted her 2 mins of fame extended. I swear these Z list wannabe celebs let alot of things go to their heads.

Lexi Wilson has been very vocal in her opinion that the cast and crew have unfairly made her out to be the villain this season. (Hence why she firmly refused to be at the reunion.) However, Below Deck: Mediterranean alum Malia White indicated at the reunion that Wilsons edit was actually pretty forgiving in light of everything that apparently wasn't shown. In response, Wilson slammed White during her Instagram Q&A, saying,

Malia Maritime Law is an insider for production, she [intentionally] and maliciously tries to get information about crew and influence them to drink, anything to stay on their good side and stay on TV.

Malia White is no stranger to facing criticisms during her five seasons of Below Deck: Mediterranean. Lexi Wilson has in fact alleged in the past that White only pretended to care about the death of her father when they were bunkmates in order to make herself seem better on the show. Also last season, White got a huge backlash for reporting Hannah Ferrier to Captain Sandy for undeclared drugs onboard and getting her fired, which she only has some slight regrets about now.

At Season 6s reunion, though, there were apparently many regrets to go around. Captain Sandy echoed her previous statements. Despite Mathew Shea having feuded with Lexi Wilson all season, he refused to speak on his former coworker who wasn't there to defend herself. Nevertheless, Shea had plenty of excuses for his own behavior and actually claimed that Captain Sandy was the worst captain he's ever worked with.

And so the drama continues. Still, it's not looking very likely that Lexi Wilson will be asked or volunteer to do Below Deck: Mediterranean again. In an Instagram post, the ousted stewardess said, So Glad its over on to the next project. Probably Mathew Shea won't be getting another free pass from Captain Sandy again, either.

Read more from the original source:
Below Deck Med's Lexi Wilson Reacts Strongly To Her Co-Stars' Revelations From The Reunion - CinemaBlend

In all honesty, Kickstarter offers a home for two primary nerdy food groups. Which ones? Well, enamel pins and tarot cards, of course. The advent of Halloween season also means the time has come for all things magical. And Wyrmwood Gaming wants to help you make your next impulse buy. On offer? A set of incredible tarot cards with a twist entitled Corrupted Tarot.

The Kickstarter shares:

Seventy artists equate to a whole lot of artists. And the cards themselves feature all of their incredible talents. So if you practice, these tarot cards will make for an incredible tool to help focus your intentions. But even if you dont, tarot decks offer 78 stunning art pieces in every package.

However, the theming of this tarot deck takes the cards to a whole new level. The creators explain:

In essence, the Corrupted Tarot deck reveals new sides to traditional tarot fixtures. Tarot with a twist. In tarot, each card has an understood meaning. But this deck offers darker or different perspectives on the cards

For instance, the suit of swords has traditionally symbolized the darkest of all suits. But this deck seeks to remind us it also contains some of the most beautiful blessings. Inspiration, rationality, justice, and forgiveness all have their home in the suit of Swords as well.

And in contrast, the suit of cups often appears as the most joyous cards in a tarot deck. But the Corrupted Tarot deck looks at them through a new lens. Here, the Cups cardsdive into a world of emotional isolation, where every individual stands alone. The realm of the Fae is reflected strongly in our corrupted Cups: capricious, cruel, and cold-hearted, these predatory creatures feel too deeply and too wildly, but still cannot connect with each other.

Take a glance at some of the gorgeous cards on offer. The artists have also shared all of their artwork on Corrupted Tarots official website.

This Kickstarter was funded in just twenty minutes. You can support this tarot with a twist from now until Halloween.

See the original post:
Corrupted Tarot Project Unites 70 Artists for Deck With a Twist - Nerdist

Mzi Dempers has one word to describe the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 6 crew's much-talked-about time in Split: "debaucherous."

After intriguing us with some hints about what went down during the post-charter season outing in the Season 6 finale and at the reunion, the deckhand, along with the rest of the Lady Michelle crew, spilled even more details on the trip in the Below Deck Mediterranean After Show, which you can check out, above, by signing up for Bravo Insider.

The Season 6 crew answers all of your burning questions about the trip, from who first came up with the idea to why we often don't see the charter season end like this. And yes, things got just as crazy as you think. "We carried on the party for, like, four days straight," Mathew Shea shared in the Below Deck Med After Show, with Courtney Veale adding, "We just went even more wild than we had already done if that's even possible."

However, some yachties are still living by Katie Flood's "what happens in Split stays in Split" mantra. "That was our moment to have fun off-camera, so it's off-camera [laughs]," Malia White said in the Below Deck Med After Show. "It's off-camera for a reason."

To hear all the jaw-dropping moments from the crew's stay in Split, as well as the yachties' truly heartwarming final thoughts on Season 6, sign up for Bravo Insider, above.

Want more Below Deck Med? Catch up on Peacock.

Photo: Courtney Veale/Instagram

The Daily Dish is your source for all things Bravo, from behind-the-scenes scoop to breaking news, exclusive interviews, photos, original videos, and, oh, so much more. Subscribe to The Daily Dish podcast, join our Facebook group, and follow us on Instagramfor the latest news hot off the presses. Sign up to become a Bravo Insider and be the first to get exclusive extras.

Read the original:
The Below Deck Med Crew Reveals Even More "Debaucherous" Details of Their Time in Split - Bravo

A fintech that aims to cut out bank cards as the middlemen of payments has raised $10 million in a seed round backed by a former MasterCard president.

Lithuanian startup Kevin allows customers to make payments directly from their bank accounts by linking them to a merchant's account. The company, which was founded in 2018, claims its technology will speed up the pace of transactions and also cut out the fees levied by card issuers like Visa and MasterCard.

The payment infrastructure startup relies on bank account information instead of card details. Much of this is due to not relying on a physical card, which could be lost or stolen, and Kevin also claims payments land in accounts in hours instead of days and that it has lower fees.

The Lithuanian fintech will use the fresh cash to launch a point-of-sale system, which will allow consumers to use Kevin for in-person transactions on existing card machines via NFC. This will work just like Google Pay, but the payment comes directly from an account instead of via a bank card.

The round was co-led by OTB Ventures and Speedinvest, which both invest in early-stage European technology companies. Former MasterCard president Javier Perez's Global PayTech Ventures also backed the startup alongside B2B software investor Open Ocean, and Henry McGovern, the founder of European coffee shop chain AmRest.

While Europe's wealth of fintech startups lured a record $28.4 billion in venture capital funding in 2021, the bubble may soon burst, according to Finch Capital. The Dutch venture firm cites the talent war, rising interest rates, fewer companies going public, and increased regulatory scrutiny as hindrances, Insider previously reported.

But Adam Niewinski, cofounder and partner at OTB Ventures argued Europe's open banking directive PSD2 was poised to kick start the financial sector's next wave of digital transformation.

"I think fintech will definitely continue to grow and expand in Europe in the years to come, and there is a lot more to be done," Niewinski said, adding that incumbents must be collaborative to remain competitive. "The vast majority of fintechs we see today are business-facing, which makes them banks' friends not enemies."

Kevin's biggest customer is UniPark, the largest parking operator in the Baltics, which uses it for in-app payments. Sokolovas said the company is currently in talks with supermarket chains, which are its target customers.

It is active in 15 markets, including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Poland, Netherlands and Portugal, with boots on the ground in most. This will scale to 28 by the end of 2022, including the UK, Spain and France.

Kevin is also ramping up its headcount. Currently a team of around 150, Sokolovas hopes to expand to over 350 in 2022. Available roles span departments, including sales, business development and engineering.

Check out the pitch deck the fintech used to raise its seed round.

See the original post:
Check Out the Pitch Deck Fintech Kevin, Backed by Ex-President of Mastercard in Europe, Used to Raise $10 Million. - Business Insider

White House staff visited Peak Farms in Jefferson and picked a 30-year-old tree to be delivered to D.C. in early November and decorated aroung Thanksgiving.

AGO. THE TOWN HAD SAID THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO PULL IT OFF. THE 2019 PARADE WAS CANCELED AS A PRECAUTION BECAUSE OF THE INVOLVEMENT OF CONFEDERATE GROUPS. COVID WAS A REASON FOR THE CANCELLATION LAST YEAR. THE PARADE IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 18. >>> A 21 FOOT FRAZIER FOR FROM WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA WILL DECK THE HALLS OF THE WHITE HOUSE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. WHITE HOUSE STAFF VISITED PETE FARMS JUST OUTSIDE BOONE TODAY WHERE THE OWNER WAS SELECTED AS THE NATIONAL CHRISTMAS TREE GROWER FOR THE THIRD TIME IN HIS CAREER. THE 30-YEAR-OLD TREE WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE WHITE HOUSE IN EARLY NOVEMBER AND DECORATED AROUND THANKSGIVING. RUSTY OWNS THE FARM ALONG WITH HIS SON BEAU. BEAUX-ARTS EXCITED AND JOINING US TODAY. MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE HONORED TO BE SELECTED ONCE IN THEIR LIFETIME, THIS IS YOUR THIRD TIME. WHAT IS YOUR SECRET? >> I DON'T KNOW. A LOT OF GOOD LUCK AND GOOD WEATHER. EVERYTHING WENT HER WAY. >> BEAU, I AM SURE THIS IS AN HONOR FOR YOU AS WELL WORKING ALONGSIDE YOUR DAD. TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE WORK THAT GOES INTO HAVING TO PRODUCE THESE FAMILY LISTS CHRISTMAS TREES. >> IT IS LIKE ANY OTHER KIND OF FARM, IT DEPENDS ON THE WEATHER AND A LOT OF HARD WORK THAT GOES INTO A. >> HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE WHITE HOUSE. >> YES. >> WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE? >> IT WAS GREAT. THE BEST PART I GUESS WAS GETTING TO TAKE MY YOUNG KIDS AT THE TIME IN 2008 AND LOOKING BACK AT THOSE PICTURES NOW. I WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO AGAIN NOW THAT THEY'RE ALMOST GROWN. >> RUSTY, WHAT IS THE PROCESS LIKE FOR THEM DECORATING THE TREE IN THE WHITE HOUSE? AFTER YOU DELIVER THE TREE, IS IT HANDS-OFF ARE YOU? DO YOU OFFER ANY SUGGESTIONS? >> NO. THAT IS TOTALLY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FIRST LADY. SHE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL THEME THIS YEAR. IT IS KIND OF A SECRET, BUT HOPEFULLY MAYBE WE GET TO SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. IT IS ALL IN THEIR HANDS. THEY HAVE A WONDERFUL STAFF TO DO IT. >> BY SECRET, DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS? >> WE DO NOT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE THEME WILL BE THIS YEAR. >> YOU ALL HAVE BEEN IN PAST ADMINISTRATIONS NOW IN TERMS OF PROVIDING THESE BEAUTIFUL TREES. I WAS STRUCK BY THE FACT, THOUGH, THAT YOUR NAME IS BEAU AND THE LATE SON OF THE PRESIDENT, HIS NAME IS BEAU AS WELL. ANY SIGNIFICANT FOR YOU? >> NOT PARTICULARLY FOR ME. BUT IT IS ALWAYS AN HONOR TO GO SEE THE FAMILY AT THE WHITE HOUSE. >> I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WATCHING THIS AND SEEING ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL TREES AND EAGER TO COME TO YOUR FARM. WHAT IS A SUPPLY LIKE THIS YEAR AND WENT TO PEOPLE START GETTING THEIR TREES? >> MOST SLOTS OPEN AS EARLY AS THE WEEKEND BEFORE THANKSGIVING. WE WILL ACTUALLY HAVE TREES IN THE RALEIGH FARMERS MARKET THIS YEAR AND LOOK FORWARD TO BEING DOWN THERE IN RALEIGH. >> RUSTY, ARE YOU EXPECTING THE PRODUCTION TO BE ABOUT THE SAME THIS YEAR? >> JUST ABOUT THE SAME. WE MAY HAVE A FEW MORE TREES THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR. WE'RE GETTING BACK ON TRACK. HOPEFULLY, IT WILL BE AS MUCH OR SHORTAGES LAST YEAR. >> WE CERTAINLY ARE HAPPY TO

Link:
21-foot tree from NC to deck the halls of the White House for Christmas :: WRAL.com - WRAL.com

Data.MyCentralJersey.com: Search millions of NJ, US public records

When is the last time the overtime you received was more than your salary? Check to see what public employees earned in overtime now on Data.MyCentralJersey.com.

Alexander Lewis, Home News Tribune and Courier News

NEW BRUNSWICK An application for an eight-level mixed-use building with a rooftop deck on Bayard Street will go before the zoning board next week.

89 Bayard LLC has applied to the Zoning Board of Adjustmentfor preliminary and final site plan and variance approvals to construct the47,767-square-foot buildingat89-91 Bayard St.

According to the application, the ground floor will provide parking for 12 vehicles and 32 bicycles and will include office and retail space. The remaining floors will have 45 residential units comprised of two studio, 30 one-bedroom and 13 two-bedroom units, a rooftop elevator lobby, mezzanine gym space and rooftop amenity deck and green roof.

Two mixed-use buildings on the property, which is in the Downtown Commercial District, will be demolished.

In New Brunswick: New Jersey Innovation and Technology Hub breaks ground

Among the variances sought are a building height of about 67 feet wherea maximum of 40 feet is permitted; a floor area ratio of 4.8 to 1 where a maximum of 4 to 1 is permitted and aparking variance to permit 12 spaces where a minimum of 45 spaces are required.

TheNew Brunswick Parking Authority has committed to make 45 spaces available for the project in the Wellness Plaza Parking Deck, according to the application.

A public hearing on the application is scheduled for the 7 p.m. Oct. 25 remote zoning board meeting.

All applications and supporting documents for meetings of the zoning board are available on the city's website at bit.ly/3AYHJc4orvia email, pickup or for viewing by appointment during regular business hours in the office of the Department of Planning, Community and Economic Development,25 Kirkpatrick St.

For additional information or assistance, contactBoard Secretary Dan Dominguez by email at ddominguez@cityofnewbrunswick.org or call 732-745-5050.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com.To get unlimited access to her work,please subscribe or activate your digitalaccount today.

Read the original here:
Apartments and retail with rooftop deck proposed in downtown New Brunswick - My Central Jersey

Usually, the reunion is where cast members get their final say on a season, but Chef Mathew Shea still had a whole lot to vent about after the Below Deck Mediterranean Reunion aired on Bravo last night. Mat took to Twitter to share that he was once again disappointed in the decisions made in the editing room, over the way his words were used during the hour-long (and Lexi-less) gathering of the crew. During the reunion, he also sparred with Captain Sandy and called her one of the worst captains Ive ever worked with. Yikes! So how did we get here?

When the crew was asked if they would work with Mathew again, everyone raised their hands saying they would except Captain Sandy. I like reliability and dependability, she said. Mathews a great guy but after watching the show, people who poke the bear its a little hard. I dont see everything. So when I watched the show, I was actually mortified, she told host Andy Cohen.

But Mathew defended himself saying, I did everything I did. I regret the bad moments I have, but I think I am a good employee and I think Captain Sandy is one of the worst captains Ive ever worked with in my 15 years on boats. Ouch!

He also took to Twitter over the weekend to say, in a tweet that he has since deleted, It had a lot to do with @CaptSandyYawn calling me a pussy and telling me to go fk myself. #leadership.

However, he was also sure to shout out the camera operators, crew, and even the galley, as well as viewers who reached out to him about anxiety as being positives throughout the season.

Love him or hate him, the food got almost zero complaints from the guests (minus the bland fish incident!) but safe to say we probably wont see him back on Below Deck Med any time soon. Chef Luka, make sure youve got your bags packed!

Watch the Below Deck Med Reunionon Bravo

Read more:
Chef Mathew Shea Rips Captain Sandy Yawn During 'Below Deck Med' Reunion: "One Of The Worst Captains I've Ever Worked With" - Decider

Malbek

Malbek, which helps companies' legal, sales, and finance teams manage and analyze their contracts, announced in September that it raised $15.3 million for its Series A.

Contract lifecycle management, or CLM, has been red-hot in the legal-tech space. Of the $1.4 billion invested in legal-tech during the first half of 2021, almost a quarter was snapped up by six contract companies, including Ironclad, Contractbook, and Icertis. SoftBank recently led the $115 million Series C for ContractPodAi, another CLM company.

"'Enterprise' and 'lifecycle' are the two key words with which we differentiate ourselves," Malbek's CEO and co-founder, Hemanth Puttaswamy, told Insider. "Our solution is deployed not just to legal teams, but also sales, procurement, finance, HR, marketing pretty much across the entire enterprise."

Founded in 2017, Malbek helps these departments through the entire contracting process, from drafting contracts with optimal terms through tracking contractual obligations after they're signed.

The Series A was led by Atlanta-based Noro-Moseley Partners, which invests in early-growth tech and healthcare companies . TDF Ventures and Osage Venture Partners also participated in the round.

A few slides containing confidential information about Malbek's artificial intelligence technology were removed.

The rest is here:
The 11-Page Series a Pitch Deck That Landed Malbek $15.3 Million - Business Insider