Have a roll of duct tape sitting around? How about that old chair in the back of the garage? Santa Barbara County Fair coordinators have plans that may help spruce up your storage space while getting your creative juices flowing.

Fair coordinators, volunteers and Santa Maria Fairpark staff have been busy at work this winter preparing for the 128th Santa Barbara County Fair slated for July 15 to 19. The exhibitor handbook is now available, complete with deadlines and details about the annual event.

Each year, the exhibits staff tries to add new categories and make contests that appeal to the community, said Joe Brengle, deputy manager of Santa Maria Fairpark.

The 2015 fair theme Homespun Fun will be highlighted by new contests focused entirely on local creations. Paper art, duct tape art and painted chairs top the list of new contest divisions, while gardeners are invited to demonstrate their prowess with the new largest-tomato contest.

Duct tape has been around for ever, but the thought of creating things with it has blown up, Brengle said.

Duct tape art similar to the calla lilies shown will be one of the new contests offered. The 2015 fair theme "Homespun Fun" will focus entirely on local creations including paper art and painted chairs.

Competitors in the duct tape art division may enter clothing, flowers, wall hangings or any other item made of the sticky, colorful sealing tape.

The painted chair division is perhaps the simplest of all contests in this years fair: take any chair, paint it in any fashion, and enter in the fair.

Itll make a great display, and its the kind of fun project anyone can do, Brengle said.

Farm Supplys Quiz Jam kicks off the week of fairpark fun when it returns to Minetti Arena on July 13. Beginning at 5 p.m., four-member teams of area youth representing their 4-H and Future Farmers of America clubs will test their chops at farm skills which may include putting a tire on a tractor, demonstrations of roping skills, vaccination and ear-notching skills. Entries available at Farm Supply beginning June 15.

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Get ready for 'Homespun Fun' at county fair

DEAR TIM: What type of stone would be best for filling a cavity under a planned two-car garage addition? It is approximately 7 feet deep. The local concrete supplier sells recycled concrete for a really good price. Due to the design, compacting will be next to impossible. Whatever is used needs to be self-compacting. Do I have options? What else would you do to ensure the concrete slab that will be poured on top of the fill will not crack or settle? Dave L., Knoxville,Tennessee

DEAR DAVE: I know what youre thinking. That low price on the recycled

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DEAR TIM: What type of stone would be best for filling a cavity under a planned two-car garage addition? It is approximately 7 feet deep. The local concrete supplier sells recycled concrete for a really good price. Due to the design, compacting will be next to impossible. Whatever is used needs to be self-compacting. Do I have options? What else would you do to ensure the concrete slab that will be poured on top of the fill will not crack or settle? Dave L., Knoxville,Tennessee

DEAR DAVE: I know what youre thinking. That low price on the recycled concrete is whispering in your ear. Its a great product for many things, but based on your description, Id not useit.

I have built custom homes that had attached garages that needed fill around the foundations and under the slabs. I also built garage additions very similar to yours. Because Id had to go in and repair many a sunken garage slab put in by some builder or remodeler cutting corners, I quickly realized that garage slabs can and will fail horribly if you dont put in solid, compacted fill underthem.

I always use washed peagravel.

The recycled concrete does compact well using rollers or plate compactors, but as you said, thats very tough to do in your case. To get full compaction, you need to do it in lifts where the material being compacted is not much more than 4 inchesthick.

Some gravel companies have special dump trucks outfitted with conveyor belt delivery systems. This tool swings side to side and up and down much like the digging arm of a backhoe. The driver can shoot tons of pea gravel into your foundation in minutes, saving you hours of back-breaking labor shoveling andhauling.

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Concrete slab needs proper base material - Sun, 15 Feb 2015 PST

The Leesburg Town Council this week kicked off a new round of debate over its parking policies, proposing additions to the towns comprehensive parking plan and establishing a new task force to study the issue.

Once the task force is established, likely at a meeting in two weeks, it will have 90 days to provide an initial report to council.

Councilwoman Kelly Burk led the effort to set a deadline for the task force, saying the council requires more information but needs it soon.

In addition to forming a task force, the council initiated policy changes to charge a fee of $1 per hour in the town parking garage and to increase the charge for on-street metered parking to $1.50 per hour.

Councilwoman Suzanne Fox said that while parking has been a concern for several years, its important to have a time limit for the task force. Council members would like more information regarding the cost of moving to an electronic kiosk parking payment system, the use of parking spaces at specific times of the day, and the parking capacity in the downtown area, among other things.

Ninety days is not that difficult to accomplish, Town Manager Kaj Dentler said.

Councilman Tom Dunn said the task force should have been discussed in more detail during Mondays council work session. He also said creating the task force would just be extending the debate the council has been dealing with for the past six to eight years.

The council voted unanimously to impose the 90-day deadline on the task force, however, Councilman Dave Butler voted against the changes to the towns parking policies. He said during Monday nights meeting that concerns about parking shortages downtown are more perception than reality.

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Leesburg Council To Appoint New Parking Task Force

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By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE (AP) - After making additions throughout the offseason, the Seattle Mariners had one more move before the start of spring training.

Former All-Star Rickie Weeks and the Seattle Mariners have agreed to a $2 million, one-year contract, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending a physical. Weeks can earn another $2 million in performance bonuses plus additional award bonuses.

ESPN first reported the agreement.

Weeks gives the Mariners additional versatility in the infield. In 121 games last season with Milwaukee, he hit .274 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs. He became a free agent after the Brewers voided his $11.5 million salary for 2015, a right the team had because Weeks failed to have at least 1,200 plate appearances in 2013-14, including 600 or more last year.

The addition of Weeks gives Seattle another potential right-handed bat for the lineup. But where he plays in the field, and how often, will be the question. Throughout his career with Milwaukee, Weeks has only played second base in the field and been a designated hitter a handful of time.

Weeks' skill as an infielder should make him a potential option as a backup at second base, shortstop and third base. Seattle is already set with its starters having All-Stars Robinson Cano at second base and Kyle Seager at third base. The shortstop job is expected to be settled between Chris Taylor and Brad Miller.

Weeks could also be an option to backup Logan Morrison at first base and potentially work in the outfield. The other utility player currently on Seattle's roster, Willie Bloomquist, is coming back from major knee surgery last season. Bloomquist is expected to be ready for spring training.

Weeks was an All-Star in 2011 with the Brewers, but his best season came in 2010 when he hit a career-high 29 home runs and drove in 83 runs. Where Weeks could be a boost is adding another right-handed bat to a lineup that was lefty heavy last season. The Mariners signed Nelson Cruz and traded for Justin Ruggiano in the offseason to add more balance to the batting order and Weeks is another option for manager Lloyd McClendon.

Seattle also agreed to a minor league contract with former Cleveland reliever Rafael Perez, who will report to big league spring training. Perez last pitched in the majors in 2012 with the Indians and made 338 relief appearances from 2006-12. Perez could fill Seattle's need for another left-hander in the bullpen, a role that Joe Beimel held last season. Beimel is a free agent.

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AP source: Weeks, Mariners agree to $2 million, 1-year deal

Nellie Day

Nellie Day is a freelance writer based out of Hermosa Beach, Calif. Her work can regularly be seen on newsstands, where her specialties include weddings, real estate, food and wine, pets, electronics, architecture and design, business and travel. Day earned a master's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Southern California.

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15:48 06 February 2015

By Alan Davies

Mary J Blige has been added to the New Look Wireless 2015 line-up

Archant

The New Look Wireless 2015 festival line-up just got bigger.

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Organisers of the music festival today (Friday) added more acts to the hottest Wireless line-up to date.

The likes of A$AP Rocky, Mary J Blige, Major Lazer and Stromae will all appear at the three-day festival being held in Finsbury Park over the weekend of Friday, July 3 to Sunday, July 5.

Taking place just a short train journey from Potters Bar, the festival will be headlined by Drake on the opening night, with Avicii and Kendrick Lamar topping the Saturday night line-up.

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Wireless Festival 2015 line-up latest additions

12:15 06 February 2015

By Dave Burke

Kendrick Lamar is one of the headliners announced for this year's Wireless Festival (Photo: Dave Burke)

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More names have been announced for this years Wireless Festival, to be held in Finsbury Park.

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Mary J Blige, A$AP Rocky and Major Lazer are among the acts added to the bill.

It will happen between July 3 and July 5 at Finsbury Park, close to Potters Bar.

Reggae star Collie Budz and rapper Pusha T will also be performing at the festival, now in its 10th year.

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Wireless Festival 2015: New names including Mary J Blige added to line-up

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Boardmasters has confirmed more acts for its 2015 showpiece today and,joining previously announced headliners Bastille and Rudimental, are: Clean Bandit, De La Soul Live, Duke Dumont, Nick Mulvey, Lower Than Atlantis, Reef, MNEK, Sunset Sons, DJ EZ and The Darkness.

Yes, The Darkness. Yknow? I Believe In A Thing Called Love? Them.

The festival takes place at Watergate Bay and Fistral, Newquay, from Wednesday, August 5, to Sunday, August 9.

Clean Bandit will be making their Boardmasters debut and will be sure to wow the crowd with chart-topping and record-breaking 2014 anthem Rather Be. American hip-hop trio De La Soul will also be bringing the party to Cornwall this summer with their high-energy act expect to bop along to The Magic Number and Me Myself And I.

DJ Duke Dumont joins the bill alongside teenage wonder-kid MNEK. The pair co-wrote Dumonts hugely successful and Grammy-nominated single Need U (100%) featuring A*M*E*. Brit award-winning spandex wearers The Darkness will also be appearing at the festival as will distinctive singer-songwriter Nick Mulvey.

Completing the first wave of acts announced today is rockers Lower Than Atlantis and Reef, Cornwall favourites Sunset Sons and garage musics DJ EZ.

More additions to the 2015 music line-up will be announced soon as well as details of the International Surf Competition.

See http://www.boardmasters.co.uk for ticket details.

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BOARDMASTERS: New acts announced including Clean Bandit, The Darkness and De La Soul

The wait is set to continue for those that have laid down some cash and cleared a space in their garage for Elio Motors' US$6,800, tandem seat, 84 mpg (2.8 L/100km) American-made three-wheeler. The company has announced the vehicle's launch has been delayed ... again.

When we first reported on Elio Motors' concept car in mid-2013, it was expected to go into production in July 2014. When we checked it out in person at CES 2014, that date had been pushed back to the first quarter of 2015. Shortly after seeing the new and improved prototype last month at CES 2015, Elio has pushed the launch date back yet again, this time into 2016.

That must be a bitter pill to swallow for the nearly 39,000 people that have put down between $100 and $1,000 to reserve their spot in the production line. In a press release that went out a week after CES wrapped last month, the company focused on the multiple financing options it was pursuing, indicating that financing its operation is clearly an issue.

"We are currently working on several financial strategies, and are confident funding will be secured, CEO Paul Elio said in the statement, adding that it was "too premature" to pin down a production date, but that it will be in 2016 and not 2015.

Among those financial strategies is selling millions of dollars worth of surplus equipment on eBay from the former General Motors facility in Louisiana where the company plans to manufacture its vehicles.

Despite delays, Elio continues to press ahead with refinements and additions to the vehicle, which it showed off at CES 2015. The latest prototype that we saw in person has an added hatchback trunk for more storage and a new tablet-based infotainment system that brings music, navigation, connectivity and optional control of a rear view camera.

Further, Elio plans to unveil its custom developed 0.9-liter, 3-cylinder engine prototype at a private event this Friday in Michigan. The company claims to be the "first start-up vehicle manufacturer to develop its own internal combustion engine since Nash Motors in 1951."

The engine was designed by Berlin-based automotive engineering company IAV to be efficient in both highway and city driving environments. Elio says it will take the vehicle to a top speed of 100 mph (161 km/h), with acceleration from zero to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) taking 9.6 seconds.

The company still says the car will go for $6,800 and be offered in a choice of seven colors. For more information and vehicle specs, check out our previous coverage.

Source: Elio Motors

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Elio Motors' 84 mpg, $6,800 three-wheeler continues to play hard to get