The Womens Village at Clara Brown Commons is the second community of tiny homes built and managed by the Colorado Village Collaborative.

Updates with construction of permanent housing at the site expected to start in early 2022.

The first two residents one who slept the night before in a stairwell, the other in an abandoned warehouse are living in Denvers newest temporary tiny home village.

Cole Chandler, executive director of Colorado Village Collaborative, said the two moved Wednesday into the Womens Village at Clara Brown Commons in the Cole neighborhood.

Clara Brown Commons, on a lot bound by York and Gaylord streets and 37th and 38th avenues, will eventually be the site of 61 income-restricted apartments and 17 affordable for-sale town homes in a project led by Mile High Ministries. Mile High Ministries, which for decades has provided transitional housing and other community services in Denver, is working with affordable housing developer Habitat for Humanity on the Clara Brown project.

Colorado Village Collaboratives 14 tiny homes for women and transgender individuals experiencing homelessness are expected to occupy part of the block during much of the construction of the affordable housing. Jeff Johnsen, executive director of Mile High Ministries, said he anticipated breaking ground on a year-long construction project in early 2022. Chandler and Johnsen envision village residents one day moving into permanent housing at Clara Brown Commons.

Tiny home villages have been built elsewhere in the country. The model was first championed in Denver by people experiencing homeless and activists. The Womens Village is the second community of tiny homes built and managed by the Colorado Village Collaborative, a nonprofit that also will be managing one of Denvers first sanctioned campsites. Tiny home villages and sanctioned camp sites, the latter also known as safe outdoor spaces, are alternatives to shelters and bridges to permanent housing that aim to accommodate people experiencing homelessness who have been poorly served by traditional shelters. Women and transgender individuals and couples or people with pets often cant get a bed in the traditional shelter system. Others avoid shelters because they see them as chaotic, dangerous or failing to provide privacy.

The congregation at St. Andrews Episcopal Church had offered to host a tiny village for women in its parking lot at 2015 Glenarm Place in the Clements Historic District. But the citys Landmark Preservation Commission blocked that project in 2018 on the grounds that it had no historical precedent.

Colorado Village Collaborative piloted Denvers first tiny home village starting in 2017 on private land near the 38th & Blake RTD commuter rail station. That village, known as Beloved Community Village, moved last year to 4400 N. Pearl Street in Globeville. A below-market-rate apartment building now sits at the 38th & Blake site that the village once occupied. One of the residents of the apartment complex once lived in the Beloved Community Village.

In all, 11 people have moved from Beloved Community Village into permanent housing, according to the Colorado Village Collaborative.

The University of Denvers Center for Housing and Homelessness Research has been monitoring the Beloved Community Village since 2017. The researchers latest assessment compared village residents to a control group of people experiencing homelessness over a year that ended in October and included the pandemic. The researchers found that villagers were four times more likely to be working or in school and reported lower levels of anxiety, depression and hopelessness than people in the control group. But the researchers did not find improvements in other areas, such as average hourly pay, for village residents.

Chandler said Thursday that a third village was planned for next year, and more in subsequent years.

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A tiny home village opened Thursday in the Cole neighborhood - Denverite

November 28, 2020

North Surry baseball icon Tony Martin used to tease David Mabe about why he wasnt inducted into the Surry County Sports Hall of Fame yet.

Mabe laughed as he replied to the 2015 Hall of Fame inductee.

Because Im an umpire now and Ive made everybody mad, he joked.

The two liked to poke fun at each other since both are legends in the sport of baseball. Martin knew Mabes inclusion in the Hall of Fame was more a matter of when than if, for one of this years inductees. Mabe carries a lore of his own as one of the greatest baseball players to ever compete in Surry County and North Carolina.

Mabes name is still plastered atop lists both state and nationwide more than 35 years after graduating from East Surry. In the case of his 640 career strikeouts, which holds the state record and is 10th in the nation, Mabe said it will likely never be touched.

Mabe stood out in every league he participated in, from Little League through high school and into college. Once his playing career ended, Mabe decided to give back and become an official for baseball, volleyball and basketball, among others.

His determination to be the best led Mabe to incredible success as a player and official, making him a high-quality selection for the Hall of Fame.

Im honored and humbled by my selection to the Surry County Sports Hall of Fame, Mabe said. Im not going to be able to meet the other recipients right now because of COVID, but hopefully things are back to normal next year. Im praying so.

A budding superstar

David Mabe had the tremendous advantage of having great role models in his life. First and foremost was his father, Russell.

My daddy loved me, Mabe said. He pushed me hard to play baseball. There were marks in the front of our house where I would throw and he would catch. I wouldnt be the pitcher I was without him pushing me.

Mabe holds his father in high regard. Russell supported David in all his ventures, baseball or otherwise, until his death in 1991.

In high school, Mabe had phenomenal coaches such as Barry Hall, Harry Downs and Jim Morgan. Specifically of Downs, Mabe said: Harry Downs means a lot to me. Hes a fine human being and I think a lot of Harry. He really meant a lot to us players.

Even before that, Mabe was a Westfield boy who credits much of his success to Richard Buzz Hauser.

I got a lot from his way of coaching, Mabe said. It was a lot of character building that wasnt easy. I owe Buzz a lot. Hes a tough man.

He attended Westfield Elementary through eighth grade and then made the leap to high school in 1980. Mabe said Hausers guidance made his transition a lot easier.

Cardinal legend Barry Hall had a lot of talented players and teams in his 41 years. Mabe was part of the first great team Hall had since he began coaching 1975.

The first few weeks, Barry pitched the seniors, Mabe said, referring to his freshman season in 1981. They struggled a bit and I got to throw more and more. I actually got to play a few games.

The 1981 season was the only season during Mabes career that East Surry missed the playoffs. Only one team per conference went to the postseason and Mabe said that South Stokes, coached by Barry Halls brother Bruce, usually won the conference.

When South won the conference by a game in 1981, Barry Hall took the team to watch the first-round playoff game to get a point across.

I remember walking up to the parking lot after the game and Coach said, This is the only time were going to do that. This is what it feels like when you dont win. And it was, Mabe said.

The next season, Mabe took on an increased role. He finished 17-2 on the mound and tossed 199 strikeouts, which only one other player in N.C. history had surpassed at that point.

Theres no telling how many games that Barry Hall pulled me out of after five innings and I had no-hitters or one-hitters, Mabe said. I never even thought about stuff like that back then. I was just glad I was out so Id rest and then start the next game.

East Surry won the Northwest Conferences spot in the Class AAA playoffs that year. After defeating Alexander Central, East Rowan and South Point, the Cardinals reached the State Championship series against East Bladen.

After pitching all seven innings in the first game in a double header, Mabe didnt start Game Two. Hall subbed him in after East Bladen put runners on base in the second. Mabe threw the next five innings just hours after pitching a full game.

East Surry won the game 2-1 to advance to the sudden death game. Mabe wasnt able to throw in Game Three after overworking in the first two. The Cardinals dropped the decisive game 6-0.

I really wish we couldve won one for Barry, Mabe said.

Breaking records

Mabes strikeout numbers decreased as a junior and he finished 14-4 on the mound. East Surry still managed to win the Northwest Conference, but lost to Salisbury in the AAA regional semifinals.

He didnt have much time to rest as American Legion Baseball soon took over his life that summer. A team in Mocksville, coached by Ron Morgan, saw the incredible talent from Surry and Yadkin counties and decided to recruit players from the area.

Ron Morgan owned a construction company, and he gave me his company credit card so that I could fill up with gas every day and drive to Mocksville, Mabe said.

Just like he did for East Surry, Mabe thrived on the mound for legion baseball.

He recalls driving to Kannapolis for a game in which he was originally slated to serve as a designated hitter. The starting pitcher gave up a few early hits so Morgan pulled him and subbed Mabe on the mound in the second inning.

Mabe set a new American Legion record for strikeouts thrown by a non-starting pitcher with 18 in eight innings.

It was just one of those weird nights where everything went right, Mabe said. I cant really explain it.

Mabes last season of high school baseball was next and his mindset was that he and teammate Robert Gordan, someone Mabe said should also be in the Hall of Fame, had to step up as leaders on the young team

Im a senior, he said. How can I expect my teammates to do all the work when Robert and I were starters all four years. I had to be the catalyst.

Mabe beat his previous tally of 199 strikeouts by setting a new NCHSAA record with 209 strikeouts that season. That currently sits at fifth all-time.

The regular season ended with a three-way tie for first in the conference between East, Starmount and Surry Central. Because 1984 was the first year that more than just the conference champions could make the state playoffs, the tournament would determine which two advanced to the postseason.

The bracket ended up pitting East Surry and Mount Airy against one another in one semifinal, and Surry Central and Starmount in the other. All East needed to do to make the playoffs was beat Mount Airy, then the championship result would only determine seeding.

East reached the championship game, qualifying for playoffs, but fell to Starmount in the finals. A win in the first round of state playoffs set up a rematch. This time, East Surry defeated the Rams 7-5.

I didnt have an extraordinary game pitching, but I did have a home run down the right-field line, Mabe said.

His high school career ended soon after as East fell to Salisbury once again in the regional semifinals.

Mabe graduated high school with the following accomplishments in baseball:

Three-time All-State selection, four-time All-Conference selection, 658 career strikeouts still stands as an NCHSAA record and is 10th in the nation, NCHSAA second-most career wins (48), NCHSAA first and third in single-season strikeouts (209 in 1984, 199 in 1982), 380.2 innings pitched, .425 batting average, one perfect game, two no-hitters, 12 1-hitters, eight 2-hitters, seven 3-hitters.

Transition to officiating

Mabe attended various colleges and universities after graduating from East in 1984.

He started out at East Carolina, but got hurt in the fall season and was redshirted. He then transferred to Walter State Community College in Tennessee.

Mabe caught the attention of Division-I scouts at Walter State and earned a scholarship to Wake Forest. He was only at Wake Forest for a year due to a coaching change, but Mabe said he did pitch a no-hitter against UNC-Asheville and remembers having good games against the likes of N.C. State and Clemson.

Still thinking he may get drafted, Mabe finished out his college career at Elon.

By then my arm was exhausted, Mabe said.

When his baseball career ended, Mabe transitioned into officiating high school and small college events. This is something he had his eye on even before his playing career ended.

I feel, personally, just as proud of my 30 years of officiating in the county as any of my baseball accomplishments, Mabe said. All the experiences I had as a player built me to be such a fair umpire myself. Its all about being square and calling it down the middle. No matter their age, kids need to learn about fairness.

Mabe has umpired more than 2,000 college baseball games alone and has no plans to stop anytime soon. Hes also officiated high school baseball, high school football, high school and college volleyball and high school and college basketball.

Just like when he played baseball, Mabe strives to be the absolute best official he can be and take on bigger and bigger jobs. In baseball, Mabe served as Crew Chief Umpire 2005 4A Baseball Championships.

He is already a nationally ranked volleyball referee and wants to keep climbing the ladder. He belongs to the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO), was a referee in the 2008 NCHSAA 4A Volleyball Championship and was head official for the NCAA Div II 2009-2010 Southeast Regional Volleyball Championship.

Mabe was set to officiate for the Missouri Valley Association this fall, but COVID-19 cancelled fall sports. He said hes interested to see how things work in the spring when there are a lot of sports that usually play in different seasons competing simultaneously.

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Shepherd's House closing in on fund goal - Mount Airy News

An aerial map shows the portion of West Vineyard Street that will close for construction work starting Dec. 14. MAUI COUNTY graphic

The Maui News

West Vineyard Street between Market and Church streets will be closed starting Dec. 14 through January as construction work continues in the area, the county announced Wednesday.

The closure will reduce the amount of time needed to complete this portion of Vineyard Street as part of the Wailuku Town Improvements Project, the county said.

Crews from MIRA Image Construction will be improving roads, sidewalks, water and sewer lines and drainage systems in the area, as well as putting existing overhead electrical and communication lines underground.

Drivers traveling on West Vineyard Street from High Street will be detoured around the construction area back to West Vineyard via Church, Main and Market streets.

Portions of the municipal parking lot will remain open during construction. However, the only entrance will be from Market Street, and the only exits will be at Market and Church streets. The entrance and exit to the parking lot from West Vineyard will be closed permanently.

Detour signs will be posted. Pedestrian access to businesses and apartments along Vineyard Street will be provided, and passenger drop-off and loading areas will be designated along Market Street for those residences.

Special duty officers will also be on site to direct traffic.

For questions or concerns, contact MIRA Image Construction Superintendent David Perez at (808) 306-5206.

For the latest updates on the Wailuku Town Improvement projects, visit http://www.WailukuLIVE.com.

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Residents of Nairobi's upmarket estate, Lavington have moved to court to stop the construction of a church in the area.

In a case filed through lawyer Wilfred Mutubwa, the locals claim that the construction of Lavington United Church is causing pollution through noise and effluent discharge.

This, they say, is creating disturbance at a time when most residents are schooling and working from home following the government's directive to contain the spread of Covid-19.

They further argue that development violates the zoning requirements for the upscale neighborhood and want the court to revoke the environmental impact assessment (EIA) license issued by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) on October 24th, 2019.

The proposed development exceeds the permissible densities and heights which will irreversibly impact the local environment without any possible mitigation, court documents read.

The residents also want the court to order the church to halt construction works pending the hearing and determination of their application.

They further note that the construction has led to an increase in traffic snarl-up along Ndoto and Margaret Kenyatta roads as a result of inadequate access and exit of the proposed project, which they also claim is risking their safety.

The residents allege that the project report relied on to issue the church with an EIA license is false and intended to mislead Nema.

The church is required to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment study report in order to acquire the EIA license as opposed to an EIA project report which is not sufficient to acquire the license in the circumstance, they say.

The plot numbers in the EIA license issued by Nema are not the same as the plot number of the project site in the change of user approval issued by the Nairobi city county.

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Residents of Lavington in Court to Stop Construction of Church in the Area - Mwakilishi.com

Basalts building boom remained on a torrid pace in 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic and it is expected to be even busier next year.

The town government anticipates that it will collect $488,000 through building permits in 2020. While that is down from $517,753 collected in 2019, it is significantly more than budgeted for this year.

Aspen Skiing Co.s workforce housing project is taking shape in Willits. It will be completed in 2021. (Scott Condon/The Aspen Times)

Workers progress on the exterior of The Arts Campus At Willits building on Wednesday. (Scott Condon/The Aspen Times)

The Stotts Mill property in Southside has been cleaned up and infrastructure work is expected to start this month. Construction on the first phase of the project will start in 2021. (Scott Condon/The Aspen Times)

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Several big projects ignited in 2020 and pumped up the towns coffers. They included Aspen Skiing Co.s 38-unit work force housing project in Willits Town Center, which obtained permits for nearly $14 million worth of work; The Arts Campus at Willits, with a $4.25 million performing arts center; and the first phase of the Steadman orthopedic clinic at $4.8 million with much more to come in 2021.

The top five building permit fees in 2020, by dollar amount, were Aspen Skiing Co. at $171,873; East Valley LLC for the Block 11 project in Willits Town Center at $89,723; Basalt Medical Properties LLC for the Steadman project foundation, $69,685; The Arts Center At Willits at $60,498; and Willits Town Center Block 11 North at $44,015.

Tim Belinski is the head of a development group that is finishing a mixed residential and commercial project in Willits and preparing to start a different mixed use project at the former Pan and Fork property downtown.

He said in a recent interview that 2020 looked bleak for construction in March and April when the coronavirus pandemic forced an economic shutdown. However, the interest of people to relocate or spend more time in the Roaring Fork Valley helped reignite residential construction once stay-at-home orders were lifted, he said.

Next year is shaping up to be even busier in Basalt. The towns draft budget for 2021 is projecting $626,000 from building permits.

A graph prepared by the Basalt planning department for the Planning and Zoning Commission last month showed all the prospective constructive activity for 2021. Here is a rundown of those projects:

Belinskis Basalt River Park LLC will break ground on the first phase of a project at the former Pan and Fork property. The first phase is 24 residential units, including four employee-housing units.

Basalt Mini-Storage is expected to pursue its second building of 20,000 square feet in Southside.

Habitat For Humanity Roaring Fork will start the last phase of Basalt Vista, a 27-unit affordable housing project near Basalt High School.

Stotts Mill is expected to start on infrastructure this month and advance next year on its project with 113 residences and a 4,000-square-foot daycare.

The Steadman Clinic will advance to the next stage on a 50,000-square-foot clinic with an underground parking garage.

Park Modern is expected to advance on an eight-unit residential building, the last in its cluster along Willits Lane.

St. Vincent Catholic Church plans to expand its parish hall in downtown Basalt.

A 5,000-square-foot automated car wash is expected to start construction at 115 Southside Drive.

Other development proposals are anticipated to go through the review process in 2021, according to the planning department. A bank will pursue construction of a 3,840-square-foot building in a vacant lot adjacent to Element Hotel in Willits.

A 12-unit apartment building is being contemplated on Emma Road, next to Harry Teague Architects.

The town staff is in preliminary discussions with a development team eyeing a multi-family development project near the Basalt Post Office.

The town government also has two major projects on its plate with the $3.3 million upgrade to the Arbaney Pool and a $750,000, first-phase development of the Basalt River Park near downtown.

Another major project in the midvalley but outside of Basalt is Ace Lanes Tree Farm project. After a year of working on infrastructure, buildings in the mixed-use commercial and residential village will start going vertical in 2021.

Building permits, special improvement fees, business licenses and liquor licenses are expected to generate about $795,000 next year or about 10% of Basalts general fund revenue.

scondon@aspentimes.com

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2021 shaping up to be busy construction season in Basalt - Aspen Times

Soviet authorities were known for their fierce fight against religiosity - Lenin and Stalin were building an absolutely secular state. Monasteries and convents were closed and converted into prisons; churches were blown up or adapted for economic needs. (Click here to find out how the Soviets used captured churches.)

Nevertheless, the construction of the Old Believer Church of St. Nicholas near Tverskaya Zastava (on the photo above), almost in the heart of Moscow, was completed in 1921. The Bolsheviks must have been too preoccupied with the Civil War at the time, and the church remained opened up until the beginning of World War II.

Several wooden churches were built in the second half of the 1920s in Pskov, Vladimir, Arkhangelsk regions. Many were later closed as places of worship, but their buildings have survived to this day.

Church of St Paraskeva in Velikodvorye, Vladimir Region, built in 1924

Church of Saints Florus and Laurus in Khredino, Pskov Region, built in 1925

This church (on the photo below), built in 1872 by the famous architect Nikolai Shokhin, was preserved probably because they thought it too beautiful to be demolished. The village of Lyublino in Moscow Region (now a district of the City of Moscow called Lyublino), where the church was located, became a site for a foundry and mechanical plant.

So, in 1927 the church was moved further from Moscow and reassembled in the village of Ryzhevo, also in Moscow Region.

Church of the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, Ryzhevo, Moscow Region, originally built in 1872 and moved here in 1927

In the 1930s, no new churches were built, and existing ones were targeted in a campaign of persecution: their domes and bells were taken down and melted into ammunition, and their holy items were destroyed. Priests were killed or sent to prison camps by the Bolshevik authorities, and their children had to hide their origins, otherwise they could also be sentenced and exiled as relatives of enemies of the people. In the 1930s, more than 100,000 people were convicted for having an association with the Church.

Stalin was one of the most implacable foes of religion, and under his rule the original Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow was blown up, as well as thousands of churches and monasteries closed. However, as somebody who studied in a seminary, Stalin understood how important religion was for people and maybe he himself was a believer, no one can say for sure. At the beginning of World War II, he rehabilitated the Russian Orthodox Church, allowing Easter services and processions of the cross, and even reopened some churches.

Most historians think his actions were driven by pragmatism: the move was aimed to boost people's morale during the war. In 1943, Stalin even had a meeting with religious leaders. At that meeting a Patriarch was elected, and an agreement was reached on cooperation between the Church and the Soviet government. (Click here to read more about Stalin's relations with the Church.)

Already in 1944 approval was given to build the Church of St. Simeon of Verkhoturye in the town of Saraktash in Orenburg Region. Soon, a religious community was formed there. In the 1960s, the church was closed, but in the 2000s a new Holy Trinity Cathedral was built in its place.

A new Holy Trinity Cathedral built on the place of the Church of St. Simeon of Verkhoturye, Saraktash, Orenburg Region

After the war, several more churches were built in the USSR, albeit only in the provinces. For example, two were erected in 1946 in the industrial city of Magnitogorsk in the Urals.

Church of Archangel Michael in Magnitogorsk, built in 1946

Church of St. Nicholas in Magnitogorsk, built in 1946

Church of St. Nicholas in Mineralnyye Vody, the Caucasus, built in 1950

Churches were also built in Central Asia and Kazakhstan, to where people from all over the USSR were relocated.

The Resurrection Cathedral in Bishkek, present-day Kyrgyzstan, built in 1944-47

St. Nicholas Cathedral in Dushanbe, present-day Tajikistan, built in 1943

Having denounced Stalin's personality cult, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev decided to fight against all other "cults", of which he considered religion to be one. In an effort to return to Lenin's original doctrine, he decided to once again "tighten the screws" in the religious sphere: churches were again closed, and priests were closely watched by the KGB. Khrushchev also put pressure on religious leaders of different faiths in order to ban believers from making pilgrimages to holy places. Many religious buildings were handed over to secular cultural organizations. In 1964, an Institute of Scientific Atheism was established, while special state commissions dealt with the affairs of believers.

And yet, new churches were built in the country, including those whose construction was sanctioned when Stalin was still alive.

Church of the Transfiguration in Yakino, Republic of Komi, built in 1956

Cathedral of Archangel Michael in Karaganda, present-day Kazakhstan, built in 1946-54

In 1956, parishioners in Moscow collected money and themselves built a new wooden church to replace one that had burnt down.

Church of St. Nicholas in Biryulyovo, Moscow, built in 1956

Given the authorities' tough policy, construction of new churches often depended on the local religious community and the personality of the local bishop. For example, Yermogen Golubev, the archbishop of Tashkent and Central Asia in 1953-60, resorted to a ploy and, having received permission to restore an old church in Tashkent, quickly began to rebuild and expand it. Before the authorities realized what was happening, a new cathedral was ready.

Assumption Cathedral in Tashkent, present-day Uzbekistan, built in 1958

Using the same tactic, Yermogen managed to build churches in several other Central Asian cities. However, soon he was removed from his post on suspicion of anti-Soviet sentiment (in the 1930s he had served almost 10 years in the camps).

When Leonid Brezhnev came to power, he softened Khrushchev's tough policy towards the Church and decided to useit in his interests. He allowed churches to be restored to believers, and legalized church rites during funerals and the use of religious symbols on graves.

Church of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin in Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo Region, rebuilt in 1979-1983 from a prayer house

However, under Brezhnev relations with the Church were marred by the authorities' fight against dissidents. Priests were forced to cooperate with the security services and break the seal of confession. Also, priests were closely watched for their loyalty to the regime.

Church of Archangel Michael in Novokuznetsk, built in 1975

At the same time, permission was issued to expand, complete and even, if necessary, build new churches. Thus in the 1970s and early 1980s, a number of new churches were built in different cities across the USSR.

Ascension of Our Lord Church in Belovo, Kemerovo Region, rebuilt in 1974-76 from a small 1946 prayer house

Annunciation Church in Abaz, Republic of Khakassia, built in 1980

During Gorbachev's Perestroika, the state's religious policy was revised, and since the late 1980s previously closed churches were restored to believers. In 1990, a law on freedom of religion was approved.

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Were any churches built in the USSR? (PHOTOS) - Russia Beyond

Scott Liles, Baxter Bulletin Published 2:58 p.m. CT Dec. 3, 2020 | Updated 3:09 p.m. CT Dec. 3, 2020

First Baptist Church of Mountain Home's Living Nativity display returns this weekend for the 2020 Christmas season. The drive-through display will begin Thursday night and continue through Sunday night, running from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. each night.(Photo: Submitted photo/First Baptist Church of Mountain Home)

The First Baptist Church of Mountain Home will bring the story of the birth of Jesus to life this weekend with its annual Living Nativity drive-through display.

This will be the sixth year for the Nativity, which uses church volunteers, live animals and theatrical sets to recreate crucial scenes from the Biblical story.

The Living Nativity will run Thursday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. each night. This year's event will be completely drive through due to COVID-19 concerns.

Visitors should enter the First Baptist Church campus off of Spring Street, where they will pass through a facsimile of Bethlehem and witness scenes relating to the Nativity story. Visitors will then stop under the church's sanctuary awning to listen to the church choir perform before stopping at the Christian Life Center awning to receive prepackaged refreshments and children's activity books. Visitors will then exit the church campus on Club Boulevard. The church will have volunteers out helping to direct traffic through the display.

Last year's Living Nativity attracted1,900 visitors in 900 vehicles, church officials said. This year's turnout is expected to beat those numbers, they said.

The Wise Men are seen during the 2016 Living Nativity display at Mountain Home's First Baptist Church. The display combines costumed volunteers, live animals and theatrical sets to tell the story of the birth of Jesus.(Photo: Submitted photo/First Baptist Church of Mountain Home)

"With all the concern about COVID, this is something that people can get out and do," First Baptist Church pastor Tad Rogers said. "We're keeping people in their cars with their own families."

A volunteer crew of 45 to 60 is required to make the church'sLiving Nativity a reality each December. That number includes people preparing refreshments, construction workers building the sets and volunteers directing traffic in addition to the Nativity performers themselves, many of which will perform outdoors for all four nights.

"There's something to be said for the commitment many of the performers have," youth pastor Jessie Greene said. "Being outside, in the weather, it really builds relationships."

Volunteers will be wearing face masks at the Living Nativity, but many of the costumes have extra fabric around the neck area that will help conceal the COVID-era accessory.

Visitors to First Baptist Church's Living Nativity display will enter the church campus by turning off of Spring Street and proceeding through the church's mock up of Bethlehem. Visitors will eventually exit the campus on Club Boulevard.(Photo: Submitted photo/First Baptist Church of Mountain Home)

"You do your best to make it as authentic as possible, but face masks are just something you can't avoid," Greene said.

Scenes depicted in the drive-through include a Biblical-era marketplace scene; Mary being visited by the angel Gabriel and being told she will give birth to Jesus; Joseph working as a carpenter; Mary and Joseph journeying to Bethlehem; shepherds tending to live sheep and goats and encountering an angel that tells them of Jesus' birth; the arrival of the Wise Men, complete with a living camel; and the manger scene with Mary and Joseph depicting Jesus' birth.

The animals used in the Living Nativity come from a Kansas City-area ranch. The animals' handlers stay in Mountain Home for the weekend and care for the animals before, during and after the Living Nativity display.

First Baptist Church of Mountain Home will perform its annual Living Nativity Thursday night through Sunday night on the church campus.(Photo: Submitted photo/First Baptist Church of Mountain Home)

"The camel has always been a big hit," Rogers said. "You don't get to see that a lot around here."

Despite the event's theatrics, costumes and live animals, the church's focus with the Living Nativity remains on the message it conveys, Rogers said.

"It's a way to spread the word about the Gospel," he said. "We're always excited about that."

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'Living Nativity' returns this weekend - The Baxter Bulletin

Earlier this year, Garden of Memories announced the construction of a mausoleum, and this month that project officially began.

The above-ground entombment structure at the cemetery, located off Highway 7 North next to The Orchard church, is the first of its kind in Lafayette County.

Lafayette County Board of Supervisors president Mike Roberts, who is also the director of sales for Garden of Memories, said the idea of having a mausoleum was dictated by need.

As high as real estate values are, and with the city cemetery being almost to capacity, I mean, were right here. Were just a couple minutes from the Square, Roberts said. If nobody has ever been here, they ought to ride out and look. Its very pretty. The mausoleum is a new idea for this area that is probably where the industrys heading.

The mausoleum will be constructed out of Italian granite and located on the northwest side of the cemetery, adjacent to the Veterans Garden.

Roberts said they began presale for the mausoleum in the summer and the response and interest drove the timeline of when they could begin the project and break ground. The first phase is set to be completed by Spring 2021. There are six phases planned, with room to expand if need be.

The interest kind of drove it. Public interest kind of drove the timeline, Roberts said. The decision to move forward with it, start breaking ground has been dictated by the interest the public has shown.

Once completed, the mausoleum will include an open-air chapel, entombment crypts and columbarium niches.

For more information, anyone interested in the mausoleum can visit cemeteriesofnorthms.org/mausoleums.

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Garden of Memories begins construction of mausoleum - The Oxford Eagle - Oxford Eagle

Born in 1949 in Hanford Village, an African American neighborhoodon the Near East Side, Shirley Mixon had a childhood right out of a book about 1950s suburbia.

No one worried about leaving doors unlocked or bikes unattended. People took pride in their homes and even had contests for the best-kept lawn. Children played outside and neighbors shared plates of food at dinnertime.

The Black Out series: Stories on the impacts of racism felt by Black Ohioans

It was just a close-knit community, said Mixon, 71, who eventually bought her own house in Hanford, where she still lives. When one person hurt, we all hurt.

Hanford was founded as a village in 1909, and was originally bordered by Main Street on the north, Alum Creek on the east, Livingston Avenue on the south and Lilley Avenue on the west. It became a predominantly Black municipality by the 1920sand had its own mayor and police department. (It was annexed to Columbus in 1955.)

Black Out: Shirley Mixon describes the neighborhood she grew up in, divided by the highway

Shirley Mixon describes how Hanford Village was cut by I-70, but survives. She grew up in the mostly Black community.

Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch

Beginning in 1946, the Federal Housing Administration financed the construction of 146 Cape Cod homes in the middle class area, marketed to Black veterans as the Hanford Village George Washington Carver Addition. A number of Tuskegee Airmen lived in the community.

Mixons former street, Bowman Avenue, was lined with homes and a storethat housed both a beautician and barber, who gave all the Hanford boys their first haircut, Mixon said.

Shirley Mixon, 71, grew up in the predominantly Black neighborhood Hanford Village and saw it divided by the construction of I-70 in the 1960s.Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch

Then, in the 1960s, the I-70 interstate cut off Bowman Avenue, eradicated 60 homes and split the community.

Mixons old house, now inhabited by her sister, is one of only four remaining on the street. From their windows, residents can see the highway not only an eyesore and an inconvenience, but,according to residents, scholars government officials and others, a concrete and colossal example of institutional racism and its harm to Black communities.

Most Hanford Village houses are west of the highway; twoare isolated at Alum Creek Drive and Kent Street on the other side.

I lost a lot of friends, Mixon recalled. They couldve gone through Bexley. Why didnt they go through there?

Bexley, the predominantly white, affluent citynortheast of Hanford Village, remained unscathed by I-70, I-71 and I-670, which destroyed large parts of the predominantly Black Near East Side following the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. Numerous reports have chronicled the deliberate destruction of Black neighborhoods throughout the U.S. via the interstate system.

Its just a tragic story, said Jason Reece, an assistant professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State University. (It) played out across many different neighborhoods all the way up the East Side to Milo-Grogan and then to Linden. I-670 wiped out the Flytown neighborhood. And if you look at the old redlining maps of most cities and Columbus is a good example you can pretty much trace the highways right through those areas that were redlined.

In addition to redlining the practice of denying home loans and other resources to Black neighborhoods during segregation the government also targeted the communities for urban renewal. But plans for slum clearance were rarely followed with promised affordable housing, Reece said.

That, combined with the interstate construction, caused many areas to decline.

History of racism:Desegregation stories in Ohio schools, told by those who were there

You cant imagine that happening to other neighborhoods without the power of prejudice and discrimination, Reece said. It didnt have to be like that. There are many routes you could have taken through the city, but they seemed to almost always exclusively target Black communities.

Mixon said some of her neighbors took drastic measures to stay in Hanford.

One friend of my dads said they werent giving him enough money for his house, she said. Sohe lifted his house and moved it.

According to the application to put the neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places by local historian Rory Krupp approved in 2014 another person was so enraged that he set fire to his home.

Segregation and discriminatory housing policies limited where displaced residents could move. Ultimately, they chose Linden, Driving Park and Southfield, Krupp reported.

According to Mixon, things arent the same at the Hanford neighborhoodpark, now considerably smaller and managed by the city.

You find more people from Bexley and other neighborhoods coming down there, she said. One time, we were having a Hanford reunion, and somebody had already bought and paid for the park, so we had to cancel.

With original residents getting older, new people moving in and crime rates creeping up, Mixon said Hanford isnt the same as it used to be. But now that the neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places, Mixon feels some relief.

I used to think the freeway would come out here and take the rest of the houses, Mixon said. (But) as long as people can maintain their houses, I think its going to be OK.

Black Out: Ann Walker's home razed for highway

Ann Walker and her husband were raising two children in a Jefferson Avenue home on the North Side when it was razed to make way for Interstate 71. She believes minority communities were targeted for the highway construction.

Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch

A few miles away on Jefferson Avenue, Ann B. Walker wasnt so lucky.

Back in the 1960s, she and her husband, Linwood, owned a two-family brick home in the present-day King-Lincoln District, currently bounded by I-71 on the west, Atcheson Street on the north, 20th Street on the east, and East Broad Street on the south. Similar to other, thriving African American hubs in Chicago, Los Angeles and Milwaukee, the neighborhood was nicknamed Bronzeville in the 1920s.

Ann Walker was living in the present-day King-Lincoln District when the house was razed to make way for I-71.Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch

It was a self-contained community, said Walker, 97, who now lives in Olde Towne East. We elected our own mayor. … People who live on the East Side still think of it as Bronzeville.

There were successful businesses, bars and music venues on Mount Vernon Avenue and Long Street. There also was a sense of camaraderie; Walker said her backyard was a recreational hub for the neighborhood kids.

A wedding day photograph of Ann and Linwood Walker, who had a home together on Jefferson Avenue, which was later razed.Family photograph

But then the construction of I-71 divided and destroyed much of Bronzeville, and the Walkers were forced to give up their home.

We didnt have a choice, she said. We had to either sell or let the city take it. Many of us felt we were not getting the full value for our home.

The Walkers sold for just a couple thousand more than they paid.

The once-bustling Mount Vernon Avenue was cut off at Hamilton Avenue, and Mount Vernonnow feeds into Spring Street, which travels one way over the highway and Downtown to Columbus Community College.

It was deliberate, Walker said. They should have gone through Bexley and they did not. … The businesses had to look for a new location. The doctors and lawyers had to look for a new location. Our schools changed. The population was reduced.

Growing up in the neighborhood, William Richardson also witnessed the devastation firsthand. His father, Marion, owned a bowling alley on Mount Vernon Avenue.

Communities lost: How highways destroyed Black neighborhoods in the 60s

It got pretty clear for community folks that youre doing this to spite us, said Richardson, 76, of the East Side. Why would you take an insignificant street like Spring Street and put a bridge over it and take a thoroughfare such as Mount Vernon Avenue and dead end it unless you were just intent on driving the East Side community under? he said.

Richardsons family moved from Georgia to Columbus in the 1920s as part of the Great Migration of Southern Black families to the North. His mothers family helped construct Shiloh Baptist Churchs building on Mount Vernon Avenue; the congregation had moved a couple times since forming in the 1860s.

This historical photo of the I-71 and I-670 interchange shows where Ann Walker had a Jefferson Avenue home before it was destroyed for freeway construction.Columbus Dispatch

The church sits right at the point where the street was cut off, and Richardson said the city originally wanted to take the building as part of the highway construction.

Shiloh refused to sell, he said of the church, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They saw themselves as being critical to the community.

The highway also reduced traffic into Bronzeville. Prior to its construction, Reita Smith remembers traveling to the neighborhood from her home in the Hilltop.

I would take the trolley car and go to Shiloh for church and Sunday school, said Smith, 84, of the Northwest Side. And then, of course, we spent all our afternoons on Long Street and Mount Vernon.

Richardson spoke fondly of the bowling alley, shops, nightclubs and movie theaters. She said that, overall, the area was safe and friendly.

You lost easy access to the Black community, Smith said. It was like cutting off the blood supply.

According to residents and scholars such as Reece, Bronzeville also was devastated by urban renewal policies. Buildings were demolished, driving both people and businesses out of the neighborhood. The population also was reduced during integration, whenresidents were suddenly free to movethroughout the city.

Today, with development of the area ramping up, residents are worried about retaining the culturalidentity of King-Lincoln/Bronzeville amid the risk of more displacement

A current view of Hanford Village, which was divided by the construction of I-70 in the 1960s.Doral Chenoweth, The Columbus Dispatch

Gentrification is occurring throughout all of our African American communities, Smith said. Were right back where we started then, needing affordable housing.

One of the most recent blows to the neighborhood was the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority'sdemolition in 2013 of most of Poindexter Village, which opened in 1940 as one of the countrys first public-housing developments. Two of the 35 buildings were sparedand will be turned in to a museum and cultural learning center.

It was policies, not people, said Smith, who lived in the development in the 1960sand advocated for its preservation. The residents wanted to be there.

Walker is glad there will be some remnant of Poindexter.

I think that is very important because you still have a high percentage of Black people living on the East Side, Walker said. They need to be aware of the history.

@miss_ethompson

ethompson@dispatch.com

This is part of a nine-story series that exploresthe ways in which prejudice and systemic racism impact Black Americans.

The creation of The Dispatch Black Out seriesstarted with a simple conversation between reporters Erica Thompson and Mike Wagner, who are part of the newspapers Heart of Columbus team. They wanted to show that the agony, frustration and pain felt by Black people in America wasnt just connected to recent killings of Black people by police.

Along with photographer/videographer Doral Chenoweth, the journalists spent months interviewing dozens of Black people throughout central Ohio, and a few beyond, about their personal experiences with racism, prejudice and discrimination.

Their stories are raw and personal. The intent of the stories, photos and videos is to help others understand why Black people often live in fear for their safety andtheir livelihoods, and why they worry about being looked down upon as being inferior to white people. And hopefully that understanding leads to more equality.

If you have a story to tell, about your own experiences with racism, please fill out the form below.

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How highways destroyed Black neighborhoods in the '60s, as told by elders who were there - The Columbus Dispatch

EAST GREENBUSH When Immanuel Church decided it want to build a new 10,000-square foot church off Columbia Turnpike, town officials quickly discovered that the zoning code didnt permit religious institutions along the towns busiest highway.

I think it was a mistake, Adam Yagelski, the towns director of planning and zoning, said Tuesday about the exclusion of churches from the business district that occurred in 2008.

Its clear theres a legal issue with our code, Yagelski said.

The construction of new churches doesnt occur that often in Rensselaer Countys most populous town or throughout the rest of the Capital Region. The town is scrambling to rewrite the zoning rules to permit churches in the 110 acres along Columbia Turnpike, also known as U.S. Routes 9 and 20, and other areas that exclude the buildings from the B-2 business zone.

There are other churches in the zone, such as St. Marys and the Congregational Church on Columbia Turnpike, but they predate the 2008 zoning update. Yagelski said there are issues with the current zoning, pointing out that the St. Marys property is partially in the business zone along Columbia Turnpike while the rear of the property is in an adjoining area zoned residential.

Immanuel Church wants to raise a new church this spring on the 6.5-acre site at Columbia Turnpike to be the new home for its now 200-member congregation that's expected to grow to 350, said Pastor Brad Guenther. The church, which has Baptist roots, will fill a void in the community, the pastor said. The church will move from rented quarters at 1955 Ferndale Road in Schodack.

Beyond there being a dearth of churches in southern Rensselaer County, and believing that churches really do play a role in serving the needs of the area, the East Greenbush area is clearly important in its close vicinity to Albany, great schools, rapid growth, while maintainingthe refreshingly small town feel of a tight knit community, Guenther said.

Supervisor Jack Conway said the church could provide new community space for activities in the town.

The Town Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing on adding churches as a permitted use to the zoning for Columbia Turnpike. That same night, the Immanuel Church intends to appear before the Planning Board to make its initial presentation for site plan review, which is all that would be required with the zoning change.

The town currently is updating its comprehensive plan, which also requires revising the zoning code. Conway said a review will be conducted to avoid zoning issues such as this one.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misidentified Routes 9 and 20 as New York State highways. They are U.S. highways.

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East Greenbush changing zoning error to allow church to move in - Times Union