The City of Plainview has issued an $800,000 commercial building permit for the construction of Plainview Common Shopping Center, to be located immediately north of the Walmart Supercenter on the west side of Interstate 27.

Initial plans for the strip shopping center, being developed by White Oak Development, were announced last fall after a sign went up at the site, which is in front of another strip center that includes GameStop.

In November, Plainview Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Linda Morris disclosed that three spaces in the planned shopping center already have been leased. At that time Morris said a clothing store will anchor one end with a restaurant on the other. Great Clips, a hair salon/barber shop, will be located in the middle.

The folks from Great Clips were the ones who broke the news when they came by our booth (at a trade show) and said they were excited about coming to Plainview, Morris said.

With that permit, the citys April building report shows total permitted construction for the month of $838,350 and $1,256,957 for the year. That compares with $1,090,205 for the same four-month period in 2013.

The shopping center is the first permit for new commercial construction thus far this year. There have been no permits issued for new residential construction during 2014.

A total of 10 permits were issued during April by the citys building department, including three for residential additions, at a total value of $15,000; one residential remodel, $500; one residential demolition, $0; two commercial remodels, $20,500; and two signs, $2,350.

For the year to date, 58 permits have been issued by the city residential addition, 11; residential remodel, 9; residential demolition, 2; residential accessory, 1; garage/carport, 8; storage building, 1; new commercial, 1; commercial addition, 1; commercial remodel, 9; commercial demolition, 2; and signs, 13.

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City issues permit for strip center

A newly discovered spider has just entered the animal record books by becoming the only known somersaulting spider.

The new species, Cebrennus rechenbergi, is described in the latest issue of the journal Zootaxa. Its a nocturnal spider that lives in the Erg Chebbi desert of southeastern Morocco.

Bug Photos to Haunt Your Dreams

Check out its impressive, super fast backsprings!

While somersaulting, the spider moves over 6.5 feet per second, according to a press release issued by the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt. In Germany, the arachnid is known as the flic-flac spider. Flic-flac, aka flip-flop in English, also is a term referring to back handsprings.

The spider spends most of its time living in a custom-made home crafted out of sand and silk, according to the study, which was led by spider expert Peter Jger. The cozy domicile is tube-shaped and sits beneath the desert surface, thereby protecting the spider from the sun and predators.

The spider has to leave to hunt and for other reasons. When it does, somersaulting can permit a speedy getaway should a predator try to pounce. Threats to the spider include scorpions, other spiders like the camel spider, and even humans.

The spider moves faster by somersaulting than it would if it were running. There is less friction to contend with and the vaulting motion creates its own momentum.

The spider is such a good athlete that it can do backsprings both up and down tall sand dunes.

Eight-Eyed Spiders Watch Videos and People

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'Somersault Spider' Backsprings Through the Desert

Some of the most valuable homes in the city also sit on the highest water tables.

During the debate on the teardown moratorium (now lifted), a map of "potential groundwater conflict" areas raised a few eyebrows at neighborhood meetings. The city map, which is based on data from the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, shows a higher water table ranging 0-20 feet deep that can stretch several blocks around the lakes and Minnehaha Creek.

For homeowners, a shallow water table can lead to sump pumps, settling and costly construction. Some homeowners close to the lakes are repeatedly shaving doorways as homes shift. Others are installing helical piers below additions to prevent them from settling.

Much of Minneapolis was originally wetlands, so the issue crops up throughout the city. Near 22nd & Lyndale, where a pond once filled the area, Le Parisien Flats needed to use helical screw anchor piles to support a portion of the building. The developer of the nearby Theatre Garage property said he also planned to use piers that plunge deep into the ground. Developers at 1800 Lake built two floors of underground parking as much as 18 feet into the water table, and ended up installing high-powered sump pumps to handle a 170-gallon-per-minute water flow.

Tim Cowdery, a hydro geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, explained that the chain of lakes and creek represent an old river valley about as big as the current Mississippi River Valley that runs through Downtown.

When glaciers came through, the valley was filled in with sand and gravel. Giant chunks of ice were buried in the valley to create the present-day chain of lakes and smaller lakes and ponds. Many of the lakes and wetlands have been filled in for development, Cowdery said.

"People in the 1800s started filling it in with anything they could find, even garbage cinders from old coal furnaces," Cowdery said. "It was literally a dump. People put a little bit of soil on top, and built a house on that."

Particularly low-lying areas were eventually made into parks, such as Martin Luther King Park at 40th & Nicollet and Pearl Park at Portland & Diamond Lake Road originally Pearl Lake.

"Almost everybody in Minneapolis to one degree has some fill, if you dig down far enough," said Cowdery, contrasting Minneapolis' flat yards with hilly suburban yards.

He estimated that the water table in Minneapolis ranges from 0-50 feet, depending on land height and distance from the lakes and river.

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Built on the water

More than one hundred parking spaces in front of the Cinedome building sat empty this week, cordoned off by a chain link fence covered with green tarps.

Instead of the cars of shoppers and downtown employees, the closed Parking Lot X sported a few pieces of large construction equipment and several portable toilets. The new additions quietly signaled the construction of the long-awaited flood bypass channel, which is set to begin next week.

When the city first announced the closure of Parking Lot X and the permanent loss of 114 parking spaces that will disappear into the quarter-mile-long flood channel some downtown businesses expressed concerns.

We got several comments from businesses in the area, wondering where their employees were going to park, said Barry Martin, the citys outreach coordinator. But we pointed out that the Pearl Street parking garage has plenty of all-day spaces and its only a few feet away from Parking Lot X.

Downtown employees appeared to heed Martins advice this week. On Tuesday afternoon a mere five-minute walk from Parking Lot X most of the 250 all-day spaces were occupied in the Pearl Street garage. Only the top, roof floor remained partially empty.

Many street spaces and short-term parking spots were also available.

Ever since we let everyone know that the Pearl Street garage was available, we havent had any additional comments, Martin said on Tuesday. Its funny. Sometimes people tend to forget about the parking garages. But I think everyone is figuring it out.

Roger Lueck, a representative for flood bypass construction company Nordic Industries, Inc., said Wednesday that before Parking Lot X was closed, the Pearl Street garage sat mostly empty.

Im glad that people are taking advantage of it, he said. Parking Lot X was such a convenient lot for so long, and we understand that. But unfortunately for some, the flood project is going to permanently change things. Many things will get better, but it will come at a price for a few.

In addition to the loss of parking, bypass construction will cause some traffic delays, at least one short-term street closure and dust in the Oxbow and Soscol Avenue areas. When finished, the 1,300-foot-long channel will divert about half of the water from a so-called 100-year flood.

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Workers flock to garages after Parking Lot X closes

April 30, 2014 Zoning board OKs fire hall addition

Randy Griffith rgriffith@tribdem.com The Tribune-Democrat Wed Apr 30, 2014, 11:14 PM EDT

JOHNSTOWN New offices and conference areas planned for Richland Township Volunteer Fire Departments Scalp Avenue headquarters also will create a new main entrance for the public.

A 30-by-70-foot addition at the front of the building on the Cemetery Road side is the largest of five additions planned for the facility, Keith Gindlesperger of H.F. Lenz Co. told the township zoning hearing board this week.

The intent is to add on offices, meeting rooms and other business-related functions, Gindlesperger said. It will be a more community-friendly entrance with signage.

Although the facilitys banquet room is easy to find, visitors looking for the fire departments business office often end up walking in through the garage bays, he said..

This will improve safety and also consolidate some of the business operations from the Geistown station, he said, noting that the changes at Scalp Avenue will free more space for fire operations at the Geistown building.

The zoning board unanimously approved the setback variance required for the expansion on the Cemetery Road side of the building along with another setback variance for a 15-by-90-foot storage area expansion on the Route 219 off-ramp side.

Randy Griffith is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/photogriffer57.

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Zoning board OKs fire hall addition

GENEVA Kane County Coroner Rob Russell who has spent his first term advocating for new facilities said he is disappointed a new building isnt among the 98 projects included in the countys five-year capital improvement plan.

I dont understand how anybody could think that this office is not in need of a new facility, he said. Im very concerned about the possibility of ADA or OSHA violations in this building.

Kane County Board members received a copy of the capital improvement recommendations at Tuesdays Committee of the Whole meeting, where staff stressed the plan is fluid.

The list includes additions at the judicial center, HVAC controls upgrades, boiler replacements, carpet replacements, vehicle replacements and sidewalk repairs.

While the coroners office has $76,000 allocated this year for a new walk-in refrigerator and new morgue freezer, it is absent from the improvements eyed for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Board member Phil Lewis, R-St. Charles, said the coroners office is in desperate need of a new building, and he would like to see it on the list.

Board Chairman Chris Lauzen said Wednesday he expects the coroner building, as well as other projects, will be added to the capital improvement plan a comment that Russell said is encouraging.

The coroner noted how other county offices, such as the sheriff, have gained new facilities.

I dont understand how [the coroners office] cannot be part of the conversation considering I have news articles from more than 20 years ago stating the building is inadequate, Russell said.

But Lauzen also placed some of the responsibility on Russell, saying the coroner could take some initiative about what type of facility he would want and how much it could cost.

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Coroner building omitted from county capital plan

David Yurman will soon cut a new facet downtown.

The renowned jewelry designer has just leased his first Soho store.

The new 4,200-square-foot space at 112 Prince St. had an asking rent of $1,200 per square foot based on the 2,750-square-foot ground floor. The shop also has a lower level of 1,450 square feet.

Keith Fencl of the McDevitt Company represented the jeweler.

The building owners, Bobby Cayres Aurora Capital Associates and the Adjmi family, were represented by Jared Epstein, Auroras veep.

The group bought the retail co-op earlier this year for $41.7 million a record $15,175 per square foot and landed the tenant in just four months.

The current tenant, fashion designer Karen Millen, will move out at the end of May.

The jewelry company is led by sculptor David Yurman, his painter wife, Sybil, and their son, Evan. The couple launched the company in 1980.

We just learned Harry Macklowe has signed a $100 million contract to buy the 89,480-square-foot site at 985-89 Third Ave. on the corner of East 59th Street.

This comes to $1,118 per square foot for the retail/condo development site.

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Soho gets a real gem: Yurman to add Prince Street store

12 hours ago Volumes of Twitter posts containing narco words.

When violence related to Mexico's drug war erupted in 2006, Andrs Monroy-Hernndez kept in close touch with friends and relatives in the north of the country, where he is from and where much of the violence was concentrated. He soon learned that the local news media were avoiding the topic for fear of reprisals and that citizens were turning to Twitter and other social media to share information and create their own alert networks.

As the years passed and the shootings, kidnappings, and assassinations continued, Monroy-Hernndeza researcher at Microsoft Research's FUSE Labs who specializes in social computingperceived a shift in the citizen reporting on social media.

"I started to notice how the events were still being reported, but in the same way people would complain about traffic," he says.

Panic, shock, and frustration seemed less evident, even as the death toll rose to at least 60,000 by 2012. He wondered if people were becoming desensitized to the violenceand he hoped that wasn't the case.

In 2012, Monroy-Hernndez reached out to his Microsoft Research colleague Munmun De Choudhury, now a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, whose expertise includes emotion analysis. Along with a third collaborator, Gloria Mark of the University of California, Irvine, they set out to analyze huge data sets from Twitter to determine whether desensitization was in fact happening.

Their study resulted in a paper that will be presented during the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2014) in Toronto, which opens April 26 and is organized by the Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI). It is one of 27 papers accepted for CHI 2014 authored or co-authored by researchers at Microsoft Researchand one of seven best-paper winners from Microsoft Research.

By analyzing and comparing Twitter activity from two periods, August 2010 and December 2012, in four major citiesMonterrey, Reynosa, Saltillo, and VeracruzMonroy-Hernndez and his colleagues found that despite consistent or increasing levels of violence, the Twitter posts exhibited distinct attributes of "affective desensitization," or emotional numbing, over time. These attributes included a lessening of negative emotion in posts that used "narco language"terms that have emerged to describe specific atrocities associated with the drug war and circumstances under which murder victims have been found.

The researchers hope their findings can contribute to theories about socio-psychological responses to crisis, and they see important implications for public health, as well as for the role of civic media during times of crisis. Not only Twitter but also Facebook and other social-media outlets might become important sources of insight into how communities respond to ongoing violence, and they could help determine what public-health interventions would best serve those communities.

Sensing Touch and Gesture

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From drug wars to 3-D silhouettes

The Franklin County Building Department has issued 26 permits for new single-family homes in the first three months of 2014, according to the latest report.

These are just permits for unincorporated Franklin County, and do not include municipalities, which issue their own permits.

For March, nine permits for single-family homes were issued with a value of $1.6 million.

An industrial permit was issued for a spec building being constructed by Almo-Finn on Century Commerce Loop off of Old Highway 100. It has an estimated cost of $400,000.

A permit titled Church and Other Religious was issued for a bathroom/changing room remodel at St. Anns Church.

Other permits for March included 10 residential additions/modifications, $1.2 million; seven nonresidential buildings valued at $215,000; one structure other than building $170,000; and six residential garage/carport additions, $152,000.

In 2013, for the year as a whole, there were 91 building permits issued for new homes in unincorporated Franklin County.

There were 87 permits for single-family homes in the county in 2012; 101, 2011; 94, 2010; 106, 2009; and 139, 2008.

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Franklin County Issues 26 Home Building Permits in First Quarter

This beautiful home on Nob Hill has it all professional landscaping, a gourmet kitchen and is located on the golf course!

Offered for sale through the Charlotte John Company, the home at 2435 Charlie Dayer Drive is top quality from front door to back door. The two-story home has four bedrooms with three and a half baths in 3,543 square feet of updated and quality features. Crown molding and wainscoting add both interest and beauty to the home, and columns are used to denote separate rooms while keeping the floor plan open and inviting. Neutral colors are used throughout to create a clean palate for personal dcor. The wood and tile floors are only two years old.

Particularly awe-inspiring is the back yard, with an upstairs balcony overlooking the golf course. A beautiful spiral staircase comes down to the covered ground-floor patio that is perfect for temperate days this spring and summer.

The curb appeal of this home is fantastic. Architectural shingles, a horseshoe driveway and the tall, arched topped glass entryway combine to create a breath-taking first look at this home.

The family room opens up from the foyer. Downstairs you will find family room, kitchen and dining spaces. The family room is nicely located between the formal dining room and kitchen, and has access to the back yard. The spacious room features hardwood floors, lots of windows and a gas log fireplace. Custom built-ins and a truly unique separate breakfast bar/wet bar are also included.

The gourmet kitchen features awesome tile floors, white custom cabinets, granite countertops and a backsplash that is only two years old. Any aspiring chef would love this kitchen, especially the Viking stainless appliances, which include a double wall oven, microwave, surface range, dishwasher, disposal and sub-zero refrigerator. Two unique additions are a wine refrigerator and instant hot water.

When your food is prepared and youre ready to eat, friends and family will be able to find a place to sit in several places throughout this home. The formal dining room is perfect for a large table. This room has beautiful formal features such as wainscoting. You will also love the eat-in kitchen, which is streaming with light from the back yard and the family room.

Spacious bedrooms are the norm in this home. The master suite is on the bottom floor, with the remaining bedrooms upstairs.

The bedrooms have carpeted floors and walk-in closets. The master suite is particularly open, with the opportunity to create separate seating areas for reading or watching TV. The master bath has the best of the best, including tiled floors, jet tub, walk-in shower and separate water closet. A double vanity, custom lighting and extra storage are also included.

Other features in this home include:

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HOMES: 2435 Charlie Dayer, Conway