JENSEN BEACH Pete Quasius walked out on the dock at Indian RiverSide Park on Tuesday and saw the bottom of the Indian River Lagoon.

"I was amazed," said Quasius, a director of the Snook Foundation as well as a lobbyist for the Audubon Society. "It comes from so many years living on the Caloosahatchee River."

Sand is a rare sight there because of water so dark you can barely see the black sediment bottom that flows from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee.

Back home in Fort Myers water churned by Tropical Storm Debby went over Quasius' seawall and onto his lawn, approaching his house.

The clear water in the Indian River Lagoon is unlikely to last much longer as Debby's heavy rain in north Florida makes its way down the Kissimmee River, through Lake Okeechobee and into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries, he said.

Quasius came to Jensen Beach for a meeting of about 40 people from government agencies and conservation groups.

Known as the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Working Group, they're exchanging ideas on how to reduce the amount of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee that gets into the two rivers.

They're looking for the right combination of reservoirs, water levels and flow rates to clean water before it reaches the estuaries or goes into the Everglades.

Tuesday's presentations were filled with charts, graphs, technical data and acronyms incomprehensible to most people who haven't been following the Everglades restoration and water quality improvement efforts.

The agency representatives hope to sort through all the possibilities and present its preliminary report in October 2013.

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Ecosystem restoration group meets in Jensen Beach to discuss ways to save Everglades

Tue, Jun 26, 2012

As part of the extensive restoration of a B-17 undertaken by the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah, GA, California based Chroma Systems Solutions will contribute Modular DC Power Supplies that will provide DC power to the aircraft's radio room, turrets, flaps on the wings along with its landing lights and interior lighting. The Museum will demonstrate the use of this power supply by operating the B-17s chin turret on Tuesday morning.

The B-17 Flying Fortress City of Savannah (similar aircraft pictured in file photo)will be restored to its full combat configuration, including operational systems and components, with the goal of making it the finest static display B-17 in the world. said Henry Skipper, Museum President and CEO. Upon completion the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museums B-17 will be the only static display to include three movable turrets. In addition to being an important part of American history, the City of Savannah will be utilized in the Museums educational programs and in its mission to preserve the legacy of the courageous men and women who served in World War II.

We are excited at this opportunity to power the City of Savannah B-17 aircraft and contribute to its historical preservation. said Steve Grodt, Marketing Manager at Chroma Systems Solutions. Its an impressive project that had some special power requirements. Our 62000B DC Power Supplies were the perfect power source for a continuous power application like this.

The Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum received the final part of the B-17 ... the fuselage ... on January 14, 2009. The plane was transported from a storage hanger at the National Air and Space Museum to its permanent home inside the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museums Combat Gallery. The Museum named its B-17 bomber City of Savannah in honor of one which left Hunter Army Air Field in Savannah and flew bombing missions over Germany in World War II. The City of Savannah will be restored to its wartime configuration. The bomber has remained on display inside the Museum during this restoration process.

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B-17 Restoration Taking Shape At Mighty Eight Air Force Museum

On July Fourth, one of the most iconic cabins in America will turn 140 years old.

And, on that day on the banks of Beaver Creek in Smith County, there will be a party complete with music, food and plenty of people to celebrate one of the worlds most beloved folk songs, Home on the Range.

The cabin and surrounding land inspired Brewster Higley in the fall of 1873 to write a six-verse poem he called "My Western Home.

It was later set to music and became the words to Home on the Range, the Kansas state song.

The celebration on July 4 is a fitting tribute to the support Kansans have shown in recent years to help restore the cabin, said El Dean Holthus, whose aunt and uncle, Ellen and Pete Rust, owned the property for nearly 75 years. He is now helping coordinate efforts to restore the cabin.

The July event also will give Kansans a chance to see the cabin before major restoration efforts begin.

Finally we can tell the people in Wichita and all over the state who have supported us that something is finally going to happen, Holthus said.

Contract bids will be let this summer.

Our hope is that the work can be completed by July 4, 2014, which would allow us to rededicate with a two-day celebration, he said.

The cabin, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, needs $80,000 to $100,000 in repairs to restore it to its original integrity.

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‘Home on the Range’ cabin to celebrate July Fourth

Tuolumne County residents and professionals took a stroll through local history on Friday as organizers of a preservation conference led a walking tour of historic buildings in downtown Sonora.

During the fifth annual Keeping Time seminar, dozens of participants got to see and hear about the preservation and restoration efforts of three downtown buildings the Hardin home, City Hall and the Yosemite House.

Each of the buildings represents an important era for Tuolumne County. The Hardin home was built during the second gold rush, City Hall was built in the Depression era and the Yosemite House was built during the first Gold Rush. And in each case, the buildings are used for modern functions while maintaining their historic character.

During the tour, Murphys architectural historian Judith Marvin and Sonora historian Pat Perry discussed the origins of the structures, the efforts to preserve them and ways for people to record other historic places.

Every one of these places are places that matter, and are places that were important to people, said Marvin. They need to be recorded before they disappear.

The only residential building on the tour, the Hardin home on Washington Street saw a complete restoration this last year, Marvin said. The house is located across from the iconic red church, and the family that first lived in the home still owns the property today.

Though built in 1910, the home changed its appearance after a remodel in the 1920s. Marvin said its a perfect example of a craftsman house, and she said the recent restoration work was done to the greatest detail to include the proper windows, dormers and lights.

Its just a wonderful, wonderful home, she said, later adding that the remodel took about two years. Its just wonderful when somebody does it right.

During the tour, Perry gave a short history of the Sonora City Hall building, tracing it from its construction with money from the Works Progress Administration for a fire station in 1939 to itsfinal overhaul for office space only decades ago. After the talk, participants gathered in front of the city hall, where the old door for fire engines is still visible.

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Tour highlights preserving history

Six Home Depot employees want the iconic granders wall in Kailua Villageto be a source of community pride.

Since Thursday, they have been voluntarily restoring the iconic wall, located in Konas Waterfront Row, which for decades has recognized the anglers and top-notch professionals who have caught a grander a marlin weighing 1,000 pounds or more.

The project leaders electrical department supervisor Cheryl LeMieux, plumbing department associate Bruce Newlun and appliance sales specialist Renee Medeiros noticed the walls wear and tear, as well as vandalism, while walking around downtown earlier this year.

The six decided the neglected, weathered wall didnt befit Kona, a fishing town considered by many to be the marlin capital of the world. Kona is also home to the famous Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament, LeMieux said.

They decided restoring the wall, with its more than 60 records and photos, would be a great hands-on service project for the Home Depot Kailua-Kona store. Once every quarter, store employees roll up their sleeves and get dirty while voluntarily working to improve the community through various projects, LeMieux said.

This was just an opportunity to give back, she said. After all, we have the resources and skills to transform the scruffy, worn-down granders wall. By restoring it, were sort of helping restore Konas pride and its famed image of being the prime fishing ground (where you can) land the coveted grander. Its also an example of whats good about our community.

Home Depot wanted to get the project done before next months World Cup Blue Marlin Championship. Held annually on July 4, the tournament features teams who fish for eight hours in their time zone to see who can catch the largest blue marlin. The winner takes all; theres no second place. The Maui Jim team, with Capt. Thomas Casey and angler Scott Shaw, won last years tournament by catching a 729-pound marlin in the waters off Kona.

Home Depot contacted Clark Commercial Group property management portfolio manager Patti Kiernan and assistant commercial portfolio manager Laura Gentry, asking for permission and collaboration on the project. Home Depot provided the all-volunteer labor and approximately $300 worth of materials, including paint, varnish, refurbished frames, updated lighting and Plexiglas. Meanwhile, Clark worked with a local photographer to restore the photos, including transforming them all into black and white, LeMieux said.

When Hawaii Island residents and visitors see the finished wall this weekend, LeMieux hopes theyre filled with pride and amazed by the feats accomplished by anglers.

They will learn about Kona Capt. George Parker, the first person in the state to land a blue marlin grander in the Pacific Ocean. Theyll notice that 52 years ago angler James Schultz and skipper Murray Heminger Jr. were the first to capture a grander in Kona waters. The biggest grander ever caught was 1,640 pounds and was landed in 1986, LeMieux said.

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Wall restoration helps restore Kona’s fishing pride

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Fifteen of the most acclaimed films by legendary director Alfred Hitchcock come together on Blu-ray for the first time ever when Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection is released on September 25, 2012 for a limited time only. Digitally restored from high-quality film elements and presented in perfect high-definition picture and sound, Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection brings the Master of Suspense's best work to home audiences as it's never been seen before. This ultimate collector's set features 13 films previously unavailable on Blu-ray, a collectible 50-page book featuring storyboards, costume sketches, correspondence, photographs, and much more. Plus a treasure trove of over 15 hours of documentaries,filmmaker commentaries, interviews,screen tests, trailers and a new documentary "The Birds, Hitchcock's Monster Movie," enough to satisfy even the most ardent Hitchcock fan.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120621/LA28351)

Spanning three-and-a-half decades of the director's prolific career, Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection includes the classic thrillers Psycho,The Birds, Vertigo, Rear Window, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Marnie, Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, The Trouble with Harry, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzyand Family Plot. The films feature performances from some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, Julie Andrews, Paul Newman, Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, Tippi Hedren, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak and Sean Connery.

One of the most influential and revered cinematic innovators of all time, Alfred Hitchcock had a profound and lasting impact on modern moviemaking. Renowned for his signature wit, thrilling plots, pioneering camerawork and original editing style, Hitchcock's masterful ability to wring every drop of suspense out of each scene is still studied and emulated by filmmakers around the world. He was nominated for five Best Director Academy Awards, and four of his films (all of which are included in this collection) appear on AFI's prestigious "100 Years100 Movies" list.

Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection is the ideal gift for film lovers, Hitchcock fansor anyone who wants to discover for themselves what makes him the undisputed Master of Suspense.

Synopses and Bonus Features

Saboteur (1942)

This riveting wartime thriller stars Robert Cummings as a factory worker who is falsely accused of sabotage and sets off on a desperate, action-packed cross-country chase to clear his name.

Bonus Features:

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

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From Universal Studios Home Entertainment: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

Nonprofit Restoration House of East Tennessee has bought 5.7 acres of West Knoxville land to build an apartment complex for single-mother families.

Called The Village, the gated complex off Robinson Road initially will include 18 apartments in three single-story buildings. Another building fronting Robinson Road will house Restoration House offices, community space and an exercise room.

The Village will quadruple the ministry's capacity to work with single-mother families, Executive Director Daniel Watson said Wednesday.

Restoration House provides up to transitional housing and team mentoring for single mothers and their children. Two families now live in a duplex on the property of ministry founders Daniel and Mandy Watson. Three more live in apartments in a complex where the ministry helps pay their rents.

Restoration House in May paid Taragon Vandewerken $140,000 for the land. Groundbreaking for the $2.2 million project is set for October with construction to be completed by April 2013.

Each frame-construction apartment building will incorporate two-, three- or four-bedroom apartments. A two-bedroom apartment would be about 900 square feet. The complex will include community gardens, play areas and shared yards. A master plan includes a fourth six-unit apartment building to be built when funds are available.

The property is adjacent and south of the Watsons' home. Their house and the adjacent duplex used by Restoration House families were built in January using volunteer labor and materials through the television program "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." The build will air as a November television special for the now-canceled program.

Watson said $1.3 million has been raised to build The Village. Donations include a $250,000 gift by Michael and Jackie Crabtree of Knoxville. Nine churches from four denominations each pledged $36,000 toward an apartment construction.

The churches also will provide mentors for families and perform maintenance on their family's apartment. Restoration House is looking for more churches for the project, Watson said.

The ministry is requesting contributions from foundations and major donors this summer and will begin a public fundraising campaign in the fall. Fundraising events include a September open house on The Village property.

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Restoration House buys land for 'The Village'

Wednesday, June 20, 2012 - 11:53am

AUSTIN As the massive restoration of the Texas Governors Mansion nears completion, pieces from the historic Governors Mansion Collection are being moved back into the home. Owned and curated by the non-profit Friends of the Governors Mansion, the collection was removed when the deferred maintenance project started in October 2007. The return of the collection marks the first stage of the move phase of the Governors Mansion restoration. The first family is expected to move back into the Governors Mansion, the home of 40 Texas governors, when the project is completed late next month.

The historic Texas Governors Mansion has been a symbol of Texas pride and resilience for decades, and now as its restoration nears completion, we enter a new chapter in its history, Texas First Lady Anita Perry said. Returning these important pieces to their rightful place in the Governors Mansion brings us one step closer to completing the restoration of this Texas treasure, which is one of the cornerstones of our states rich heritage.

The Governors Mansion Collection is composed of historic state-owned pieces that have been in the Governors Mansion and museum-quality American antiques dating back to the earliest years of the states history, including the bed used by Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austins writing desk and portraits of Gov. and Mrs. Pease, who was in office when the Governors Mansion was built in 1856. The collection also includes the Governors Memento Collection, a tradition started in the l960s by Texas First Lady Jean Houston Daniel. Additionally, last week, historic large chandeliers were installed throughout the first floor.

What began as a deferred maintenance project of the Governors Mansion in October 2007 became a major restoration effort following a massive fire set by an unidentified arsonist in June 2008. The restoration has been made possible by nearly $3.5 million in private donations and a $21.5 million appropriation by the Texas Legislature.

No arrest has been made in the arson case at this time. The Texas Department of Public Safety has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist. Anyone with information related to the Texas Governors Mansion arson is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 252-TIPS (8477) or the State Fire Marshals Arson Hotline at (988) 252-8477.

For more information about the status of the Governors Mansion Restoration, please contact the State Preservation Board at (512) 463-5495.

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Furnishings moving back to Governor’s Mansion as construction nears finish

Traveling by airboat through the Delta National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar repeated the Obama administration's commitment to using large chunks of money paid by BP to rebuild Louisiana wetlands. Salazar asked Garret Graves, chairman of Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, whether it might make sense to use part of the BP money paid in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill for a half-dozen freshwater and sediment diversions that the state has included in its master plan for coastal protection and restoration.

Salazar said the administration is supporting the Restore Act, which would dedicate 80 percent of any fines levied against BP and other responsible parties to restoration projects in Gulf states. But he said the Justice Department also is attempting to ensure that any settlement of legal claims now pending in federal court in New Orleans would include similar requirements to spend money on restoration projects.

Salazar's impromptu five-hour tour of Louisiana's coastal erosion problems followed his kicking off the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's successful sale of leases in the central Gulf of Mexico.

During the flight, he mused on the complaints raised over the past two years by Republicans, including Gov. Bobby Jindal, about the speed at which oil and gas production has returned to the Gulf.

"I think that the attacks of the Republican Party on what was done in the Gulf are simply wrong," Salazar said. "They don't stand up to the truth of the light of day.

"The number of permits that have now been issued, and the rigs that are operating out here in the Gulf of Mexico, the bids we saw this morning in the lease sale in the central Gulf, all are measurements that should tell the world that the Gulf is back in business and doing well," he said.

Salazar said the administration's efforts to resume drilling in the Gulf in a responsible manner match its efforts to ramp up regulation of drilling for natural gas and oil in deep shale deposits, using a method called hydrofracturing or "fracking."

He said federal officials are on track to require release of information about the chemicals used to fracture the hard shale deposits, while promoting the method to produce enough natural gas to meet the nation's needs for the next 100 years. The cheaper prices for natural gas resulting from the new exploration method have been seen as an opportunity by the administration to push big business to switch their commercial fleets to natural gas, he said, which will result in the production of less greenhouse gases.

Salazar passed over the rapidly eroding Chandeleur Islands and Breton Island, which are part of the Breton National Wildlife Refuge.

Unusual high tides that prompted coastal flood warnings on Wednesday made the remaining barrier islands look even smaller from the air.

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Interior Secretary Ken Salazar repeats commitment to use BP money for coastal restoration

Hannah Rappleye/NBC News

The vacant big white house on Bernel Road in State College, Pa., shown here in November 2011, was the first home of The Second Mile charity founded by Jerry Sandusky to help disadvantaged kids.

By Lisa Riordan-Seville and Hannah Rappleye NBC News

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Those who know the house on Bernel Road will tell you its behind Beaver Stadium, near the airport on the outskirts of town -- a town still trying to piece itself together in the wake of one of the biggest scandals in college football history.

The two-story white colonial home represents the past, and future, of The Second Mile, a charity founded by Jerry Sandusky. It was on this land that Sandusky first realized his dream to create an organization for disadvantaged children.Until last November, it was also to be the home of The Second Miles most ambitious project to date a multimillion-dollar Center for Excellence intended to help those kids pursue big dreams.

Instead, it now sits quiet and empty on the edge of about 60 acres of overturned earth, a reminder of the crushed aspirations attributable to a criminal case unfolding less than a dozen miles to the north.

And the existence of the well-respected charity cuts to the heart of the central question in the criminal case: Was it the lifes work of a man who genuinely cared about the well-being of disadvantaged kids, or merely a cover for his illicit appetites?

As Jerry Sandusky's lawyers plan to argue that alleged victims are motivated by money from civil lawsuits, they are also weighing the possibility of taking the biggest risk of all putting their client on the witness stand. NBC's Michael Isikoff reports from Bellefonte, Pa.

Last week, eight of the alleged victims -- two remain unknown to prosecutors -- offered tearful testimony in a small-town courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., about the sexual abuse they say they endured at the hands of Sandusky.

Sanduskys defense began presenting its case on Monday, calling several former coaching colleagues and others as character witnesses.

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Ghosts of Sandusky's dreams haunt charity home