Richard Banister was a beat cop his entire career with the Watertown City Police Department.

He had been on the force from 1967 to 1991.

Banister had a secret.

He planned to leave a lot of money to charity.

Banister passed away in 2012, but we're just learning that he bequeathed hundreds of thousands dollars to Jefferson County's SPCA and Hospice.

The SPCA got $224,545.62 to be exact.

Executive Director Doug Marlow says the money will be used to improve the SPCA's 129-year old building.

"That's a great deal of money for an organization such as ours and I guess it's a great deal of money for any body," said Marlow.

Banister also bequeathed nearly a quarter million dollars to Hospice of Jefferson County.

CEO Diana Woodhouse says tops on her wish list is to build gazebos and pergolas outside for summertime visitors.

More:
The Watertown Police Officer Philanthropist

March 2, 2014 Police Blotter

Threats Last week, someone wrote that Castle Rock High School and its vice principal will burn on 0228 in a bathroom. An extra patrol was conducted.

Damage Somebody reportedly stripped rubber casing from wires that cross Pacific Avenue Friday. The Kelso Public Works Department was notified.

Fraud A person reportedly tried to use a stolen money order Friday at Fibre Federal Credit Union on Commerce Street in Longview.

Drugs Kelso police Friday arrested Burney Llyal Miller, 39, on suspicion of second-degree criminal trespass and drug possession.

Harassment Longview police Friday arrested Peter C Johnson, 46, on suspicion of felony harassment and disorderly conduct.

Vehicle theft

Fred Meyer, 3000 block of Ocean Beach Highway. Longview. Friday.

Theft

200 block of Colorado Street. Longview. Friday. Two fold-out gazebos.

Originally posted here:
Police Blotter: March 2

Rough assignment: Volunteers to sleep in youth hostel car park to raise cash for YMCA housing project

6:30pm Friday 28th February 2014 in News By David Trayner

VOLUNTEERS are set to brave the cold when they sleep rough tomorrow night to help keep young people off the streets.

At least 90 people, including staff from Leigh Waitrose, construction firm HW Wilson, mental health charity the Richmond Fellowship, Southend Council and South Essex Homes, will raise money for Southend YMCA by sleeping in the charitys car park, in Ambleside Drive.

Two Echo reporters David Trayner and Philip Jones will join the fundraising event.

Organiser Tom Moulton said: We are really touched with how many people are supporting us.

We may even have 100 people sleeping rough. Thats the number we wanted to reach.

Its going to be interesting how we all squeeze into the car park!

Participants, who can bring a sleeping bag and bedding, will be given cardboard boxes to build a shelter to protect them as they bed down on the tarmac for the night.

Gazebos will provide cover as rain is forecast, but volunteers will be expected to brave the wind and cold.

The rest is here:
Rough assignment: Volunteers to sleep in youth hostel car park to raise cash for YMCA housing project

By LIBBY BINGHAMFeb. 28, 2014, 1 a.m.

THE Devonport City Council will decide at its March meeting what action to take over the Arnold Richardson grandstand at East Devonport's Girdlestone Park, which has to be repaired, removed or replaced.

SHELTER: Little Athletics members (from left) Kohen Smith, 6, of Latrobe, Amber Hall, 11, of Moriarty, Molly Carter, 11, of Hawley Beach and Chelsea Scolyer, 7, of Turners Beach, would be without shelter at their meets if it wasn't for the Arnold Richardson grandstand. Picture: Katrina Dodd.

THE Devonport City Council will decide at its March meeting what action to take over the Arnold Richardson grandstand at East Devonport's Girdlestone Park, which has to be repaired, removed or replaced.

Council works assistant general manager Matthew Atkins said a workshop was held on Monday where options were discussed.

They included full refurbishment of the roof, removal or leaving it on and making it safe.

Mr Atkins said the last option would cost around half replacement costs estimated at $70,000.

Devonport Little Athletics Club was not happy about the roof being removed.

DLA president Cheryl Fisher said the club's 156 members and their families used the grandstand each week at club meetings over summer.

She said the grandstand was used by schools at inter high.

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Arnold Richardson grandstand's future on council's agenda

Fuel costs tied to field inspections are a primary reason Warren Countys building permit fees might be going up, Emergency Management Director John Elfer said Wednesday.

Elfer told the Vicksburg Lions Club the current $5 fee for developments valued at more than $500 and a $10 charge for buildings in floodplains net the permitting side of his department about $2,000 annually. Elfer has pushed county supervisors for a flat $25 fee for all residential and commercial sheds, gazebos, storage structures and other buildings.

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Read more here:
Building permit fees could increase

Norma and Jim Reagan, residents at Parkway Place, were eager to play the Not-So-Newlywed game after almost 60 years of marriage. On Valentines Day, they competed against two other couples in a game full of surprise, rekindled memories and laughs.

The Reagans, both natives of Mississippi, met on Halloween in 1953 and married later on April 17, 1954. Jim had caught Normas attention before she actually met him in person. She had moved to his hometown in Carthage, Miss., to pursue work with a local church. While looking for a place to stay, she spent an evening at Jims parents home. Jim was overseas fighting in Korea at the time, but she soon learned a lot about him from his parents.

While working at the church, one of Normas duties was to post the offering. She was impressed by Jim before she ever even met him, because he made sure to send his offering to the church all the way from Korea. Jim had begun to hear of the young woman who started working at the church through letters his mother wrote to him. When the two met in person, there was an instant connection.

I was struck by Norma the moment I met her, said Jim Reagan. She knew a lot more about me than I knew about her because she had visited with my parents frequently. I had been in Korea for 16 months before I came home. Meeting Norma upon my return was a pleasant surprise. We started dating almost immediately and married within the next six months. I proposed in the middle of December. We had started talking about marriage and she suggested we get married around Thanksgiving of the following year. I told her I couldnt wait that long. We decided to get married on the day of her parents wedding anniversary. Her parents celebrated their 27th anniversary the day we got married. It was also the day before Easter. Her mom made her dress, and she looked so elegant that day of our wedding.

Jim said the one thing that really caught his attention was Normas wonderful sense of humor. It impressed him immediately. He has always loved her ability to make him laugh. Growing up, there were two things that Jim was concerned about picking a life partner and deciding on a career. He prayed a lot for God to help him in those decisions. He says Norma was the answer to his prayers. Jim believes having the same spiritual goals is important and makes a marriage stronger.

Jims mom sends us an anniversary card every year the day before Easter no matter when Easter falls, laughed Norma. This gesture has always made us laugh. Even though we met in Carthage, we were married in my hometown of Laurel, Miss., which was 90 miles away. We had a minister from each church participate in the ceremony, and we like to think our marriage was tied extra tight because we had two ministers take part in the ceremony. Since my hometown was a distance away, my parents did not realize we had gotten so serious in such a short amount of time. When my mother found out that we were due to get married after only five months of dating she said, Norma Ruth has always been a level-headed girl and now she has gone off the deep end. We felt we were very mature though, and our love for each other has stayed strong over the years. Now if one of our children had pursued a similar route, I think I would have felt a little differently toward the idea.

Norma believes that sharing similar interests with your significant other is a vital part of the relationship. She said that she and Jim have a close bond because they have a lot in common, have the same aspirations, the same desires and set the same priorities.

After living in Carthage for a couple of years, the two traveled to Oxford so Jim could acquire two engineering degrees, then the couple moved to Port Arthur, Texas, and ultimately to Houston. They said that throughout the years of their marriage they have developed new interests together and that a couples interests change over time. From being young and starting out, to raising a family to retirement, the Reagans have experienced many wonderful life events together.

The couple joined two others to participate in the Not-So-Newlywed game on Valentines Day, complete with a chocolate fountain with strawberries for participants and those watching to enjoy. The Reagans competed against the Smiths and the Hodges. Questions included everything from knowing their spouses favorite flavor of ice cream, to knowing which habit of theirs that their spouse would like them to break, to knowing the color of their house shoes, to knowing their eating habits and preferences.

I told Jim we better brush up on the trivia of our lives, joked Norma. We know the other couples, so we think the game will be a lot of fun.

Read more from the original source:
Couple marries in 1954 after short courtship, plays not-so-newlywed game

CRYSTAL LAKE Crystal Lake residents and users of Main Beach can help shape the future of the park during a public forum Wednesday where park district staff will unveil preliminary 2016 renovation plans.

Ann Viger, director of planning and development for the Crystal Lake Park District, said staff and board members want public feedback to prioritize a long list of renovations at Main Beach that include heating and cooling systems in the main building, playground replacement, improvements to pathways and boat launch areas, a new rental shed and much more.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Main Beach on 300 Lakeshore Dr.

"There is no part of the park that doesn't need something," Viger said. "But this is a multi-million dollar project and we won't be able to do everything all at once."

Viger said the district is planning to spend $1.5 million on the first phase of renovations scheduled to start in 2016 and could include a mix of renovations and additions depending on what residents and users highlight as top priorities.

Some potential new additions park district staff have proposed include a splash pad, gazebos or shelters and a grand patio connected to the lake side of the building where people could have concessions.

Guidance on the additions and renovations to pursue will give Viger more clarity on which grants to pursue, which could cover 50 to 75 percent of the project, she said.

"We started this process about four years ago, working with a landscape architect and sending out surveys," Viger said. "Now we're two years out and we know the funding should be there."

The park at Main Beach was first established in 1926 and the most recent renovation occurred in 1998, but did not include work to the pavilion that still needs heating improvements and an air conditioning system.

While it is one of the oldest parks in the area it remains one of the most popular in terms of attendance. Main Beach only ranks behind Veterans Park within the district, though the city-operated Three Oaks Recreation Area remains the top draw.

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Public feedback wanted for Main Beach renovations

We want street food quarter

1:33pm Tuesday 25th February 2014 in News

MARKET traders want a street food quarter in Colchester.

Stalls selling food in the town centre are not grouped together and do not have permission to have tables and chairs.

Street food chefs want Colchester Council, which designates pitches, to turn Culver Street West into a food quarter.

Ken Flatt, who runs a curry stall, said: Ive been here for six years. Weve been on our own for a long time.

It would be better for all the food stalls to be together.

The key is to have variety having three burger stalls in a rowwould be bad for business.

Mr Flatt wants the council to allow stallholders to put out a small number of tables and chairs for customers.

Sue and Alex Forbes, who run the Free Ranger, a specialist burger and hot dog stand, said: The council should have us all together.

Read the original here:
We want street food quarter

Considering how poor Ukraine's economy is, it might come as a surprise to see just how extravagantlyits president lived.

ViktorYanukovychhas reportedly abandoned hisUkrainian home for an undisclosed location while violent protests continue leaving the gaudy presidential palace open tothe public.

"You can see people crowding up to the president's country estate. They're not looting it. They're not trashing it. They're simply walking around the grounds, bringing children, taking photographs as if they were tourists," CBCreported.

"The massive rare car collection. The zoo filled with exotic birds. Beautiful gardens. RandomGreek gazebos. The golf course. The tennis court," reportedAl Jazeera).

>> Read more trending stories

Pictures fromYanukovych'shouse spread onsocial media including this, showing a giant wooden ship on his estate reportedly used as a banquet hall. (ViaTwitter / @AnshuVari)

London's Channel4 news reports the estate probably costs more than the president's annual salary of about 50,000 euros. That's about $70,000 U.S. dollars. The estate was likely funded through personal wealth.

Yanukovychis currently refusing to resign from power of the country despite the country's parliament voting to oust him from power. But a BBC commentator says the exposing of his lavish lifestyle is, in some ways, validation to the protestors.

"To get this kind of glimpse behindthe curtain of the opulent life that ViktorYanukovych was leading in a country which is on its knees economically, that may make people think they were right to push for his overthrow," BBCreported.

Ukraine's Speaker of Parliament has been given interim presidential powers.

See the original post:
Bizarre finds inside Ukraine president's abandoned house

ABILENE, Texas -

One Big Country family is working to renovate the old Abilene mill building and turn it into a winery and event center.

After getting rezoning approval from the city council in January, the McDowells started construction to transform the inside and outside of the property.

"That's always great when you can find something with history. And just redoing an old building and keeping it from being demolished is always good too," said co-owner of the winery Bridget McDowell. "We're excited about it coming back into play in to Abilene."

McDowell and her daughter bought the old Texas Mill and Elevator Company building on Locust Street in October.

"When we started looking at it structurally it was just built when things were built right," McDowell said.

The building was built in 1910. After five months of construction the McDowells expect construction to be done and the business to open May 1. McDowell said they already have weddings booked almost every month from June until February 2015.

"We're going to have a huge outdoor area. We have fire pits and covered gazebos and an outdoor space for weddings and outdoor large parties," McDowell said.

There is a lot of open space for when there arent events there also.

"We're going to have individual seating for if you want to just come one evening and have a glass of wine and just sit and relax and feel like you're somewhere other than West Texas," said McDowell.

Link:
Big Country family renovates historic Abilene building for new winery