GRIFFITH |Redevelopment on the north side of town and providing for modern Police and Fire departments top the lists of the three Democratic candidates for the Town Council's 5th Ward.

The candidates are Roy Baldwin, Michael Ball and Martin Michels.

One of themwill replace Democrat Stan Dobosz on the general election ballot this fall. Dobosz, a longtime town leader, is completing his ninth term on the board.

Baldwin said he wants to see occupants in the town's many vacant buildings. He'd advertise theiravailability to businesses in nearby states to enlarge the list of possibilities.

Baldwin said this includes the north end of town at Griffith Park Plaza.

"We could start there," said Baldwin, who preferred not to list his age. "We would open up jobs for our residents" if new businesses moved in to fill the buildings.

Baldwin was on the vice presidential board of directors with AFL-CIO of Northwest Indiana for three years.

Ball, 59, would like to keep the Police and Fire departments up to date, a move that would includea take-homesquad car program for the police, he said.

"I think that's very important. It shows a police presence and deters crime."

He said police andfirefighters say they like to have continuous training. Up-to-date equipment for both departments also isimportant.

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North end businesses, modern safety departments top candidate issues

William "Bill" Larkin Merritt January 30, 1946 April 5, 2015 Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

William Bill Larkin Merritt was born Jan. 30, 1946, in Arkadelphia, Ark. His family moved to Riceville, Iowa, whenhewasseven.

He went to Henderson State College to escape the cold.He became a commercial and residential journeyman electrician during his college days.He graduated in 1968 with a BS in physics and minor in math. On an ROTC scholarship, he was appointed an Army officer upongraduation.

He went through jungle warfare school prior to going to Vietnam. He spent two years flying recon before coming home. He built his Army career as a pilot, an air traffic controller, and an FAA trained Flight Inspection Pilot. He was selected as the final candidate for the Army astronaut program until he came down with gout. He was also a highly successful Dean of ROTC at Albany State College, a historically Black College. He gave up going to Command and General Staff School and promotion to Lt. Colonel in order to spend more time with his family and coach his kids soccer team.He retired from the Army in October 1988. He spent two years as a test pilot for Beach Aerospace out of Moffett Air Field in San Jose, Calif. He returned home to Sierra Vista when he was asked to become a Deacon in the Catholic Church. He was ordained in 1996 in large part because he wanted to help his fellow man learn that Catholicism is about faith and love, and not rules to which there are always exceptions. He started working with UAVs in 1992. He loved the technology and the challenge. He eventually had a vision for a dedicated UAV test facility. He was privileged to realize his dream in building it out at Dugway, Utah. He finally retired for good in 2011 when he needed another back surgery. He spent his last few years traveling, working with the Knights of Columbus, spending time with family and friends, and living out his faith and his dreams.

On Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015, in true Bill Merritt style, Deacon Bill decided it was time for him to rise above and look over his friends and family from a higher place.He passed away due to acute system failure following open heart bypass surgery.He was an amazing story teller and his life was one of love, laughter, and sharing stories. Always quick with a hug, a joke, and a heartwarming smile, his life and legacy is carried on in the lives and hearts of the many people hetouched.

He is survived by his wife Rita Jo, his five children, James (wife, Maria), Billy Jo (husband, Perry Higgins), Cary Jo (husband, Tim Nieman), John, and Bobby; six grandchildren; six grand-dogs and a couple grand-cats; his brother Jim (wife, Cherie), his sister Cathy; his uncle Bill Presson; several cousins and in-laws; and an incredible hostoffriends.

A memorial celebration will beSaturday,April 11, at 10 a.m.at Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church in Sierra Vista. We are asking that anyone attending wear colors that celebrate life and keep black attire toaminimum.

In lieu of flowers, friends and family can make a donation to: Our Lady of the Mountains 1425 E. Yaqui St. Sierra Vista, AZ85650

Or simply buy a drink for a stranger and spread a little more love intheworld.

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William "Bill" Larkin Merritt

If youre thinking of taking up a trade, putting those skills to use in the Australian Defence Force is a surefire way to take an ordinary qualification and use it in an extraordinary way. Read on to find out what being a fitter & turner, electrician or avionics technician in the Air Force entails.

Whats cool about this job? Youll be maintaining a wide and varied range of hydraulic, electrical equipment and systems, in a range of environments all over Australia.

Unlike a civilian Fitter & Turner, as an Air Force Fitter & Turner you are not just involved in workshop maintenance activities but also in the maintenance of motor vehicles, materials handling equipment, refueling equipment and installations, diagnosis and rectification of faults in mechanical, electrical and hydraulic systems and the testing and servicing of Ground Support Equipment, workshop plant and machinery. Youll be manufacturing tools, jigs, dies, fixtures, and gauges as well as looking after the on-going maintenance, repair, modification and refurbishment of Aircraft Arrestor Systems and Small Arms Weapons.

How much does it pay? Salary package upon completion of training is $71,013 per year (includes service allowances and an above-average super)

Click here to find out more and apply

Whats cool about this job? Youll be installing and maintaining electrical power generation and distribution systems, providing specialist electrical support to the Air Forces operations.

Youll be looking after power and lighting reticulation systems, and other electrical plant and equipment in industrial and domestic style conditions both in Australia and overseas. Youll be trained in general and specialist vehicle operation and will be supporting other trades in the performance of their duties. You could even end up installing mains size power and maintaining power and lighting at remote locations. Youll also be doing ground defence exercises providing temporary electrical services, and will be able to progress to the rank of Corporal.

How much does it pay? Salary package upon completion of training is $72,103 per year (includes service allowances and an above-average super)

Click here to find out more and apply

Whats cool about this job?Looking for a trade with a difference? Then a career as an Avionics Technician is for you. Youll maintain a wide range of electronic, oxygen and weapons systems on board Air Force fighter, strike, surveillance and transport aircraft.

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Jobs Of The Week: Become A Fitter & Turner, Electrician Or Avionics Technician

A proposed constitutional amendment on the 2016 ballot originated in Northwest Arkansas and would benefit this region the most if voters approve it, local lawmakers said.

That amendment is just one of a range of benefits and potential benefits Northwest Arkansas will see out of the just-concluded session, regional lawmakers said.

Sen. Jon Woods and Rep. Lance Eads, both R-Springdale, were lead sponsors of Senate Joint Resolution 16. The proposed constitutional amendment allows cities to issue bonds for economic development projects and allows cities with populations of 500 or more, incorporated towns, school districts and counties to form compacts for economic development.

It would allow a city, for example, to issue bonds backed by city sales tax revenue to build a road or other infrastructure to attract a new business. It requires voter approval in the 2016 general election to take effect.

Requests for the proposal came directly from supporters such as the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, Woods said. Sen. Uvalde Lindsey, D-Fayetteville, said Northwest Arkansas is in a better position to benefit from the proposal than most areas.

"We have the resources to take advantage of this, more than other areas that need it more," Lindsey said. Northwest Arkansas has the tax base to support those projects, he said. Other cities in greater need of economic growth do not.

As a major population center, Northwest Arkansas will also receive a disproportionate amount of benefit from tax cuts passed in the session, lawmakers said.

"We all know we'll be getting money in our pockets from a $100 million state income tax cut, and we'll certainly benefit from that," said Rep. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville.

A direct benefit Northwest Arkansas will see from the 2015 legislative session is construction of a State Police troop headquarters. Woods and Rep. Jana Della Rosa, R-Rogers, co-sponsored a bill that finances a new building for Troop L of the State Police in Lowell. The current headquarters in Springdale is too small and outdated.

Allowing a plumber or electrician to have three apprentices at a time instead of one during the training and certification process should ease a chronic shortage of those skilled trades in fast-growing Northwest Arkansas, Dotson said.

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Northwest Arkansas lawmakers list benefits of legislative session

POOLER, GA (WTOC) -

There's still two weeks before the Tanger Outlets in Pooler open, and while some crews are working around the clock to get the project done in time, others have called it quits.

The reason? They said some service vehicles are being towed while crews are in the middle of their job.

The general manager of All American Glass said seven retailers will now have to come pick up their mirror orders and intall them themselves.

All American Glass company said they were parked in a service vehicle area when it happened, the main contractor said they need to park in the main parking lot.

"You find the back of the building that you're working on and you pull up, well now, they are hauling you away," General Manager of All America Glass Jim Rackley said.

Rackley said they've been busy installing mirrors in nearly 20 retail stores at the new outlet mall. They've been out there for several weeks parking in the designated service vehicle area behind the store until yesterday, when his company van got towed.

"I'm not going to deal with this towing issue because I'm not going to ask my men to park 100 yards away and walk to the job," Rackley said.

DPR Hardin is the general contractor for the entire mall, they told WTOC that crews are supposed to unload and then move their cars to the parking lot. They said with hundreds of folks providing different services from glass, electricity, and goods these areas need to stay clear because it could become a hazard.

"You just get used to toting things, you carry a little buggy or cart," Joe Volratch with Traditional Contractors said.

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Service vehicles towed at Tanger Outlets, glass company calls off service to retailers

Murrieta, CA (PRWEB) March 31, 2015

This inspirational 'Solar Dinosaur', Catherine Kelso, is making a name for herself in an industry where female representation is less than half that of the national workforce average. Not satisfied with just earning her NABCEP [North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners] credentials or holding the title of Director of Solar PV Training for Ambassador Energy, Kelso also just passed her test to become an electrician and is over half way to her degree in electrical engineering.

This week, Catherine shares her passion for solar photovoltaics in Albany, New York, far from her Southern California home base, serving as a Conference Presenter at the fourth annual NABCEP Continuing Education Conference. She was an early adopter of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, achieving certifications PV Installer and PV Technical Sales. She was one of a small group of women to do so that the time.

When not volunteering for non-profit The Veteran Assets Women of Solar committee, public speaking or guest-teaching at colleges and/or solar distribution firms, Kelso works her day job as Director of Training for Ambassador Energy. When she is not behind the podium, her employment duties expand to solar PV system design, client interface and supervising installations. Honed by experience in the field, her teaching skills contribute to higher than average pass rates.

She has mastered the art of multi-tasking, said Steve Fulgham, CEO of Ambassador Energy, who is also double NABCEP-certified. From the beginning, more than five years ago, Catherine fit right in to our culture, where we truly believe in being experts at our craft. She continues to impress us, and we are blessed to have her in our AE family.

In addition to participating in this weeks NABCEP conference, Kelso sits on an elite NABCEP committee crafting curriculum for a new certification for Solar Inspectors. When she isnt busy over-achieving, she is right here in our Ambassador Energy offices and training facility, Fulgham continued, being the best solar trainer in the country.

For information on solar courses taught by Catherine Kelso, visit Ambassador Energys website.

About Ambassador Energy (AE) IREC-accredited training provider with staff certified as NABCEP PV Installers and NABCEP PV Technical Sales.* CSLB #928112: General Contractor B, C10 Electrician and C46 Renewable Energy, providing design and installation of solar PV and solar training throughout the U.S. *fulgham/kelso

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Ambassador Energy's Director of Training Moderates Panel Discussion at NABCEP's Annual Continuing Education Conference

Jean and John Drane at the wedding of their son Michael and his wife Pauline.

Emma Knights Wednesday, April 1, 2015 5:54 PM

A diamond couple from Hellesdon is celebrating 60 years of happy marriage.

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John and Jean Drane wed on April 2 1955 and they have spent their entire married life living at Drayton Wood Road, in Hellesdon.

Mr Drane, originally from Norwich and whose childhood home had its roof blown off during the Blitz, served with the Royal Engineers and the Royal Signals for his National Service, while Mrs Drane, originally from Ferryhill, County Durham, joined the General Post Office (GPO) as a telephonist.

Her job took her to Lincoln where she met Mr Drane through their respective jobs in communications - the couple flirted on the phones for a while before arranging a blind date at the Drill Hall in Lincoln in 1951.

Two years later they got engaged, and they married in 1955.

Mr Drane started a career as an electrician, before moving to Barnards, in Salhouse Lane, and then joining Norwich Union where he worked in the public relations department and was involved with the sponsorship and advertising of national sporting events and other big events.

He became known as the man with a bugle, when he became the post horn blower and mail guard for the Royal Mail coach and horses which Norwich Union sponsored.

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Hellesdon couple celebrates 60 years of marriage

The Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations, which come into force on 6 April, will affect all construction work taking place in the UK. The regulations give 'clients', meaning anyone for whom a construction project is carried out, a greater role while the work is carried out. Even work carried out on behalf of homeowners will be caught by the new rules, although it is commercial firms that will be affected most. Most client duties for homeowners will pass as soon as they have appointed a contractor for the work.

Once in force, the regulations will require commercial firms to appoint a principal designer and principal contractor whenever any work involves more than one contractor - even where the work involved is very limited and over quickly. The scope of 'construction work' under the regulations is wide, covering everything from major infrastructure projects like HS2 to installing a new office shower. Those who get it wrong may face prosecution; with the potential for unlimited fines and even, in the case of individuals, imprisonment if convicted.

Headline changes

The regulations replace the existing CDM coordinator role with that of a 'principal designer', responsible for the planning, management and coordination of the project's pre-construction phase. The client must appoint a principal designer whenever a project of any size involves more than one contractor for example, if a plumber and an electrician are appointed to install an electric shower.

Clients appointing others on projects will also be subject to a new general requirement to take reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that the appointee has the skill, knowledge and experience and if the contractor is an organisation capability necessary to fulfil the role. This replaces the 'competence' requirements included in the previous CDM Regulations. The current threshold at which clients must notify construction work to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will also change, resulting in fewer projects being notified.

Client responsibilities

Through the new regulations, HSE has tightened its oversight of the role played by commercial firms in their own construction projects. In its draft guidance on the new regulations, HSE said that clients are important because they have a major influence over how a project is procured and managed. HSE believes that its new focus is justified because of the perceived impact that client decisions and approach have on health, safety and welfare during construction work.

From 6 April, firms will be expected to make suitable arrangements to ensure construction work on their behalf is carried out without risks to health and safety, so far as is reasonably practicable. This will include providing relevant pre-construction information such as asbestos surveys to each designer and contractor on the project as soon as possible. They will also have to ensure that the contractor, or principal contractor if applicable, has drawn up a construction phase health and safety plan for all projects including routine maintenance.

The real challenge for these firms will not be on large construction projects, but rather in routine building maintenance tasks. The regulations will still apply and a construction phase health and safety plan will be necessary and, whenever more than one contractor is involved, then both a principal designer and principal contractor will have to be appointed. The HSE guidance warns that if a client fails to appoint either of these roles then the client must carry out their associated duties instead.

The draft HSE guidance suggests that commercial clients should adopt a proportionate approach to the regulations, taking into account the size of the project and the particular risks involved. However the approach that the HSE, as the body tasked with enforcing the regulations, will take to proportionality in practice will remain uncertain until the regulations are up and running or further guidance is provided.

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New site safety regulations mean big changes for any business ordering construction work, experts say

It weighs over 100,000 tonnes, is nearly as long as the 102-storey Empire State Building in Manhattan and serves 18,150 meals a day to over 3,200 sailors and 2,480 airmen. Welcome to the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Nicknamed the 'Big Stick', the Nimitz Class supercarrier has a a 4.5 acre flight deck serving its 60 war planes and leads a strike group that comprises five ships.

The ultimate symbol of American naval might, USS Theodore Roosevelt is currently on an eight-month deployment during which it is expected to relieve the USS Carl Vinson strike group that has been conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Here's a glimpse of what it's like to be inside the USS Theodore Roosevelt:

Image: An SH-60F Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the Dragonslayers of Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 11, hovers over the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Photograph: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Katie Lash/US Navy

Image: An F/A-18C Hornet, assigned to the "Gladiators" of Strike Fighter Attack Squadron 106, prepares to take off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Photograph: Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Recruit Alex Millar/US Navy

Image: Culinary Specialist Seaman Christopher Miller marinates ribs for dinner aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Photograph: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Heath Zeigler/US Navy

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Inside the world's largest aircraft carrier

VINNY VELLA, Daily News Staff Writer vellav@phillynews.com, 215-854-2513 Posted: Wednesday, March 25, 2015, 12:16 AM

DURING HIS first moments as a free man in nearly 45 years, Clarence Safwat Davis was thinking about groceries. Specifically, about whether his family needed to pick up bread and milk on the drive home to Tioga from the state correctional institution at Graterford.

"It's something that's part of our normal flow as a family, something we always do and ask about," Davis, 64, said the other day, a few weeks after that January night. "I didn't want to miss that step. I really just wanted to pick up where we had left off."

But his first thought, even before pantry staples, was how surreal it felt to be able to do whatever he wanted for the first time since he was 20 years old. "I hoped that no one would come along and pinch me and wake me up from this dream," he said. "It was unreal, and, in many respects, it still is unreal."

Davis' experience of re-entering society in what he calls a "second childhood" after years of captivity, of struggling to ease back into a world that evolved while he sat frozen in time, is shared by scores of men and women every year.

According to data from Philadelphia's Office of Reintegration Services, about 300,000 former inmates live among the city's 1.5 million residents. The Daily News interviewed three of these "returning citizens," three men from Philadelphia born anew after many years in prison.

A few days after Davis made that trip into the parking lot in Graterford pushing a cart full of the belongings he had accumulated in prison, someone asked him what was new.

"Everything," he said. "It's like they let me down on another planet."

Philly was a city that, more than 40 years ago, Davis knew like "the back of my hand." Now, on SEPTA buses he has to ask the driver where his stop is.

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Shock of freedom: Life after prison