Detroit female auto executives recognized during State of the Union Detroit female auto executives recognized during State of the Union

Updated: Tuesday, January 28 2014 10:36 PM EST2014-01-29 03:36:53 GMT

The CEO of General Motors joined first lady Michelle Obama to watch President Barack Obama deliver his State of the Union address.

The CEO of General Motors joined first lady Michelle Obama to watch President Barack Obama deliver his State of the Union address.

Updated: Tuesday, January 28 2014 8:32 PM EST2014-01-29 01:32:58 GMT

Former Michigan Kicker Brendan Gibbons has been "permanently separated" from the University of Michigan according to Tuesday's Michigan Daily, the student run Newspaper.

Former Michigan Kicker Brendan Gibbons has been "permanently separated" from the University of Michigan according to Tuesday's Michigan Daily, the student run Newspaper.

Updated: Tuesday, January 28 2014 8:02 PM EST2014-01-29 01:02:52 GMT

If it's too cold for us, it's also too cold for your pets! A local rescue is so overwhelmed they need foster families to house dogs during the cold, winter months.

If it's too cold for us, it's also too cold for your pets! A local rescue is so overwhelmed they need foster families to house dogs during the cold, winter months.

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Home heating tips during the frigid temperatures

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) January 28, 2014

Charles E. Anderson, Chief Operations Officer of Revamp Strategies, LLC says: "Our newest clients represent the Best of what Atlanta has to offer. We are very pleased to assist them with offering their services. Please welcome..."

Judy Whittenberg: Judy Wittenberg is a Premier Real Estate Agent with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and is located in Atlanta, GA. Judy is a dedicated professional and has been in the real estate industry for over 8 years specifically in the Metro Atlanta Area. Judy is in the top 3% Nationwide of Realtors within Berkshire Hathaway Home Service company. Judy provides premium real estate services for the North Metro Atlanta Area.

Maintenance Unlimited: Maintenance Unlimited is a Premier Heating and Cooling Service Company located in Atlanta, GA, with the principle idea that a quality heating repair company should be easy to reach and always listen to the needs of the customer. Since Maintenance Unlimited conception, the company has been growing one heater repair job at a time. There are many heating and air conditioning repair companies in Atlanta and it can be difficult to know how to choose the right one. Consumers must consider both price and quality of service and reputation of the company that they contract with. Maintenance Unlimited provides free estimates and is on call 24/7.

Infinite Delivery: Infinite Delivery has over 20 years of experience with a professional staff who specialize in the delivery of high end furniture and antiques. Total customer satisfaction is their objective, and integrity is how they maintain their stability. They thrive on exceeding the clients' needs with safe and superb delivery. Their teams function as a unit to continually grow, and lead the moving industry to new levels that others will desire to follow. In addition to handling the most delicate of relocation services, Infinite Delivery also loads and unloads trucks and pods.

Atlanta VIP Parties: Atlanta VIP Parties is a Platinum Event Planning Company specialized in creating customized events and parties that will delight the senses. Their team are experts in crafting, planning and producing events and parties of any size or level of sophistication. They've planned events for individuals, corporation, professional athletes and celebrities! They work with the top vendors in Atlanta, which means clients have access to the "best of the best." As partners in planning, Atlanta VIP Parties create a memorable event or party. "We strive to identify the client's needs, fulfill all goals and exceed client expectations." Jan W., CEO.

Revamp Strategies LLC, an innovative online marketing company, offers customized online marketing services for small and mid size businesses. Revamp Strategies works closely with each and every client to create solutions that will fit their needs and budget. Revamp Strategies, LLC is now providing an array of services for their newest clients.

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Revamp Strategies, LLC, an Online Marketing Company, Would Like To Welcome Four New Clients To The Family

St. Louis, Missouri (PRWEB) January 28, 2014

Missouri residents looking to stay warm this winter can now received discounted cleaning and inspection services from Future Aire, a Fenton furnace repair company serving the greater St. Louis, Missouri area. For $69.95, customers can have their gas or electric furnace professionally cleaned and checked with a 16-point inspection. This savings, a reduction from the regular price of $89.95, is only available until February 21, 2014.

Future Aire recommends consistent maintenance on all brands of heating equipment in order to have the system run optimally and to avoid further damage if left unchecked. For more information about this discount, or to learn about other specials available from Future Aire, homeowners are encouraged to visit http://futureaire.com.

About Future Aire

Future Aire was founded in 1984, known for being the Home Town Heating & Cooling Specialist. Family owned and operated, with the same owner and name for almost 30 years. Performing over 20,000 service calls with an A+ BBB Rating (Better Business Bureau). Future Aire repairs and or replaces all makes and models of Heating and Cooling equipment, commercial and residential, kitchen hood systems, exhaust venting. Future Aire has an onsite custom sheet metal shop for fabricating ductwork, custom fittings, exhaust systems and safety overflow pans and much more. Future Aire also services and performs maintenance on all HVAC systems both commercial and residential.

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Winter Furnace Inspection Special Expiring Soon

It is a chilling tale of winter, one that in ghost-story fashion begins with a sign that all is not right. Maybe there's a damp spot spreading ominously across a wall, or faint sounds that grow louder and more insistent.

"I heard water dripping," Liz Simon-Higgs of Baltimore said, "but mostly what I heard was my water meter spinning."

Similarly, Kacey Gaige heard the tell-tale sound of water on the move in her Severna Park home, "but I wasn't running the laundry." As she headed into her garage to pick her kids up at school Thursday, the source of the mystery sound was revealed.

"Oh, an ice skating rink," she said of the water that had spewed from a broken pipe onto the garage floor, freezing in the unheated space.

Throughout the area, the record-breaking cold has caused water pipes to freeze and burst, unleashing rivers of water that panicked homeowners rush to stop.

"I was just turning valves," Gaige told Stephen Tant Jr., a plumber who had arrived Friday afternoon to fix her pipes.

Tant, who works for Len the Plumber company, began sorting through a complicated set of pipes, spigots and knobs running along the wall of the unheated garage. Water had apparently frozen in one pipe, causing it to separate at the point where it had been soldered to another length of pipe.

Like other plumbers in the area, Tant, 28, has spent much of this frigid spell heading from one winter-worn pipe to another.

"We've never had unbearable cold like this," he said. "We were just catching up from the last cold spurt, and now we're back into it again."

Tant had just left a rowhouse in Southwest Baltimore where an outdoor spigot connected to a garden hose froze and cracked, sending water cascading down outdoor steps and a walkway to the street, where it froze into a thick sheet of ice along the curb.

Continue reading here:
Big chill bursts pipes and heats up business for plumbers

Poplar Bluff, Missouri (PRWEB) January 24, 2014

Geothermal heating and cooling systems are changing the green energy industry, as they offer homeowners a convenient source of energy that is unaffected by weather patterns, such as solar and wind energy. Many homeowners make the switch due to the increased energy efficiency, and therefore increased savings. For geothermal heating, Poplar Bluff homeowners report even temperatures during the coldest winter nights.

1.Geothermal systems range from 400-500 percent energy efficiency. Homeowners can save significantly on their monthly utility bills by replacing traditional systems, which max out in the mid-90 percent range of energy efficiency, with a geothermal heating and cooling system. 2.Geothermal heating and cooling units use the Earths energy, which is accessible 4-5 feet underground. There are different loop designs available (vertical and horizontal), depending on the amount of land or yard size that is available. This type of energy is a constant resource that isnt subject to high or low temperatures, presence or lack of sunshine, or wind speed. 3.Geothermal energy is considered green because it doesnt require the use of fossil fuels, reduces the emission of greenhouse gases, and will lower the users carbon footprint. 4.This type of system has a much greater lifespan than that of a traditional system. Due to the loop system being buried underground, undisturbed and not exposed to harsh weather conditions, and the unit itself being housed indoors, there will be minimal wear and tear. Geothermal systems require much less maintenance and repair as well. 5.Geothermal units provide very consistent heating and cooling. Homeowners enjoy consistent indoor temperatures all year long and superior humidity control.

For more information regarding energy savings with geothermal systems, homeowners should visit Home Comfort Geo at http://homecomfortgeo.com/.

About Home Comfort Geo

Home Comfort Geo is the leading source for geothermal statistics, technology, and innovation. Our dealers proudly serve residents throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri.

More:
Top 5 Reasons to Switch to Geothermal

Your home is more than likely the largest investment you will make in a lifetime. Protect that investment by performing regular maintenance throughout the year. These steps, most of which are fairly simple and cost little to no money, will prevent bigger (and expensive) problems in the future.

Winter

Since the winter weather has you spending time inside anyway, take a moment to walk around the interior of your home to look for problems. (Take a note pad and pencil with you, or a camera.) Pay special attention to the ceiling to look for water damage. Check water pipes underneath each sink and in the basement, plus around the faucets, for leaks. Go into the attic to look for water damage and make sure the vents are clear. Also, do you know where the water shut-off valves are in your home? Take a moment to locate them (look under the sinks and toilets, plus the main shut-off valves in the basement) and test to see if they work so youll be prepared for a water emergency.

Replace the filter on your heating system once a month during peak usage, or as recommended by your systems manufacturer.

Check the hoses on the washing machine for leaks and replace if necessary, and be sure to turn off the water to the machine after each use to prevent the hoses from breaking.

Clean the hood and filter above your kitchen stove. (This is good to do once a month.)

Check the ground fault circuit interrupters on electrical outlets, which are most often located near a sink or other water source. Just push the test button to make the reset button pop up. Then push the reset button to turn the outlet back on. (Also good to check once a month.)

Is there a drain pipe in your basement, or sinks that sit unused for long periods of time, such as a laundry sink? Pour some water down the drains from time to time to ensure there is water in the trap to prevent sewer gasses from backing up into the house.

Schedule the annual tune-up to your cooling system. Yes, cooling system. This will ensure it is ready to go with the temperatures warm up. Heating and cooling systems require ongoing service and maintenance to keep them operating safely and efficiently.

Spring

More:
Home improvement: A maintenance calendar for all seasons

ST. CHARLES The St. Charles School Board has decided to ask voters to approve a property tax increase for operations and a $7.5 million capital improvements bond issue.

The tax boost - 35 cents for each $100 assessed valuation - and the bond issue will be on the April 8 election ballot.

District officials say some of the tax proposal - Proposition L - would boost teacher salaries to keep the district competitive with neighboring districts. The extra revenue also will allow the district to avoid cuts in service.

Without the additional money, superintendent Jeff Marion said, "I don't see any way to hold class sizes down." He said voter rejection of the tax hike also could lead to cuts in school bus service, extra-curricular activities and other items.

The district says it has cut $8.1 million from its operating budget in the pats four years to deal with money problems.

The district says the owner of a home valued at $150,000 would pay $99.75 more a year in taxes if the measure passes.

The bond issue - known as Proposition S - would allow the district to expand video surveillance and other security features, upograde cmmunications systems, complete asbestos removal and add exterior lighting.

The money also would be used to upgrade outdated heating and cooling systems at Hardin Middle School, repair the roof at St. Charles High School and expand the Lewis and Clark Career Center, the district's tech school.

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St. Charles schools ask voters for property tax hike, bond issue

Posted on: 11:13 pm, January 23, 2014, by Mary Pulley, updated on: 11:15pm, January 23, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Weve been lucky so far as snow and ice go, but the cold? Not so much. The ups and downs of the mercury are taking their toll on metro houses.

The recent fluctuation in temperatures this winter means that your home repair list could get a little longer. A pristine metro neighborhood doesnt reveal the war Mother Nature has been waging, with this cold, then warm, then cold again winter.

Temperature fluctuations are already causing problems in a house we visited, starting with a crack in the garage that doesnt stop anywhere close. It goes all the way into an internal room where tiles have shifted.

David Pierce, owner of Handyman Matters, explained that many of the materials your home is made of simply cant handle a fast temperature changes. Thats why you may start seeing everything from gaps around your house foundation to cracks in the walls and ceilings.

We noticed the separation between the wall and the concrete slab out there, and it comes through, and you can start to see drywall joints are starting to pop loose and create some separation, Pierce said.

Pierce said there could also be problems with your pipes.

Really, its just the water that freezes up in the pipes. If you have some joints that may have not been put together properly to begin with they can come apart, he said.

And outdoors, near the heating and cooling unit, quick-changing temperatures could shrink the caulk, which keeps the unit air-tight.

If you dont stay on top of that and it creates a big gap, it allows in a lot of air and youll see a lot of expansion and contraction with that type of caulk, Pierce said.

More here:
Temperature fluctuations testing durability of metro homes

Amid a few newsworthy derailments of trains carrying crude oil, energy companies and the public alike are concerned about the future of the U.S. rail infrastructure and what can be done in the near future to mitigate potentially serious and deadly incidents. With some 140,000 route-miles of track in the U.S. as of 2011, and thousands of bridges spanning rivers or interstates that must be navigated on a daily basis, there are countless points of failure.

Civil engineers have long been aware of the way that seasonal heating and cooling can affect the very structure of the railroad ties via expansion and contraction, particularly near bridges. To mitigate those affects, engineers have been using expansion joints on bridges, but when it comes to the extreme heat that much of the continental U.S. sees on an annual basis, its difficult to engineer a system that can withstand as much as four feet of expansion in a mile-long section of rail.

When this happens, the rail can buckle, a phenomenon known in the industry as a sun kink, which are leading causes of train derailments. In the winter, extreme bouts of cold can cause enough contraction to crack ties and pull them apart, to the point where they need to be warmed by up using flaming rope or other methods.

Naturally, the companies that manufacture steel tracks are doing more work to pre-stress rails and joints to minimize these affects. But one company, Alliance Sensors Group, argues that while many engineers within railway companies and mass transit agencies are doing good work to instrument bridges for movement, structural problems or track shifting, many of these inspections are visually-based, and not often enough, which leaves routes open to unnoticed flaws.

Instead, the bridges can be instrumented to determine if there are any flaws in the tracks, which means that railway companies could divert trains and repair the issues before an incident, such as a derailment, takes place.

Alliance Sensors Group has developed a linear sensor that can measure bridge movements and create empirical data on the condition of rails and bridges that can be tracked in real-time. Theyre able to survive all the elements that leave railways buckling or cracking, such as extreme cold and heat, along with humidity, rain and snow. An IP67 rating guarantees that it wont succumb to the elements.

In the photo, the company's LV-45s have been affixed to the pier and to the bridge using ball joint swivel rodends. With this in place, the system can measure positional changes in three axes and track those changes over time, which means engineers can proactively identify potential problems, or, in the worst case, respond faster to potential derailment incidents. And if that means less trains coming off the tracks, were completely onboard.

Excerpt from:
One Solution To Ending Train Derailments

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) January 21, 2014

Bardi Heating, Cool and Plumbing, an Atlanta HVAC repair company, relocated to a larger office in December 2013. The office is located in East Norcross, GA within metro Atlanta. Prior to the transition, the company was situated in a smaller office several blocks away from the new location. The move will positively impact clients as well. Staff growth will result in more appointment availability and increased work performance.

The new office is housed in a single-story building on Peachtree Corners. The interior is dressed in calm, neutral colors. This larger office area provides the staff a myriad of benefits. The expansive space allows staff to spread out, yielding quieter working spaces. The larger space also affords Bardi the opportunity to expand staffing in the future and hire more employees.

The new office features a larger training room, conference room and meeting spaces, as well as a spacious break room for the staff outfitted with new appliances. The office includes a new Honeywell smart thermostat, which Bardi recommends and installs in homes across Atlanta. The bigger office space also provides ample storage for more parts, pieces, and tools of the trade.

The new office is a generous space for our company to grow into, said Gresham Ard, the residential general manager at Bardi. Our staff can spread out and really focus on work because its quieter. We have a lot of opportunities to expand storage and staffing, as well.

Bardi Heating, Cooling and Plumbing is a family-owned HVAC and plumbing company in Atlanta. Founded in 1989 by Alex and Susan Bardi, the company has been providing the Atlanta area with quality HVAC services for almost 25 years. Bardi also offers plumbing repairs and services, and is home to an experienced management team as well as an outstanding team of NATE certified technicians, whose number one priority is to keep their customers satisfied by always, always, always doing the right thing. For more information about Bardi, please visit bardi.com.

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Atlanta HVAC Company Recently Relocated to Larger Office