BALTIMORE (WJZ)— BGE has begun restoring natural gas service to the hundreds of Southwest Baltimore residents affected by Tuesday’s gas main break, which was caused by a non-BGE crew making repairs to a Baltimore City water main.

Crews have already pumped more than 4,000 gallons of water from the gas main—allowing the utility to begin the process of restoring service to some customers where it is safe to do so. Pumping will continue until the main is completely free of water and sediment.

The break occurred in the 300-block of Millington Avenue between Wilkens and Frederick Avenues Tuesday morning.  In order to safely repair the gas main and clear it of all water and sediment, natural gas service to approximately 900 buildings was turned off—a process that requires BGE and support personnel to enter each and every building affected.

“BGE recognizes the challenges associated with an extended interruption in natural gas service at any time, but particularly during the winter months—even a mild winter— when customers are using natural gas to heat their homes,” said Jeannette M. Mills, senior vice president and chief customer officer for BGE.  “Our customers have been very cooperative and understanding throughout this entire event and we ask for their continued patience as we work diligently to safely restore service as quickly as possible.”

Crews from PECO, a nearby utility based in Philadelphia, is assisting BGE in the door-to-door effort . For safety purposes, customers should always ask to see the photo identification of people requesting entry into their home or business.

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BGE Begins Gas Service Restoration To Southwest Baltimore Community

15-02-2012 16:43 McKinney Restoration provides restoration services as the result of fire damage, smoke damage, water damage, mold and mildew or other home damages often requiring home cleanup services or home improvement and home renovation services. For home repair, home renovations, home remodeling, and other home improvement services needed due to water damage, fire damage, smoke damage or mold damage and mildew, visit McKinney Restoration at http://www.mckinneyrestoration.com.

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McKinney Restoration 972-460-6653 - Video

15-02-2012 22:20 Your Southlake Restoration company at 682-738-5669 provides restoration services as the result of fire damage, smoke damage, water damage, mold and mildew or other home damages often requiring home cleanup services or home improvement and home renovation services. For home repair, home renovations, home remodeling, and other home improvement services needed due to water damage, fire damage, smoke damage or mold damage and mildew, visit your Southlake Restoration website http://www.southlakerestoration.com.

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Southlake Restoration - 682-738-5669 - Video

The restoration of the Town Hall cupola is three-quarters complete and has a tentative completion date of early March, Town Manager Charles J. Cristello told selectmen this week.

One year ago officials learned that the cupola was tilting and recommended it be removed immediately as it could fall and pose a danger to the public.

After a Feb. 2 site visit, Patrick Guthrie, a project architect with Menders, Torrey & Spencer, of Boston, reported that the deterioration was worse than thought, requiring replacement of the base structure and lower posts.

Gurthrie said the refurbished cupola will not appear as shiny as before because of the removal of a lacquer coating.

The cost of the job is now estimated at $217,862.

Town meeting authorized $200,000 for the job, Cristello does not anticipate using that full amount since the town received a $30,000 grant from the Massachusetts Historic Commission for the project. In December the town also applied for an additional $30,000 emergency grant from the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund.

Town Hall, built in 1873, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It underwent a $2.5 million restoration project more than a decade ago and reopened on March 6, 2000.

In other action, Jamie L. Bissonnette of Prime Engineering in Lakeville gave an update to Edgeway Mobile Home Park Phase II construction project, which includes drainage and septic system improvements.

The court-ordered agreement with the town to address long standing problems at the park requires the plans be submitted by March 15.

Bissonnette said they “expect to have a set of plans submitted by March 15” and are looking at multiple locations for the septic system along with improvements to the roadway and drainage facilities on site.

Selectmen voted unanimously to dedicate the 2011 annual town report to three individuals recognized for their service to the town, including former Town Clerk Eileen Gates, who retired in July after 40 years as a town employee including the last seven as town clerk; Betty Brown a library employee who served as the adult services and reference librarian for 20 years before her death in January 2010; and Anna M. Nalevanko who served as the director of the Office of Economic and Community Development until her death in September.

Selectmen also voted to authorize the town manager to send a letter to Gov. Deval Patrick urging him not to close the Taunton State Hospital which provides mental health services to southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands.

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Restoration of Middleboro cupola in final stretch

The Wizard of Oz is to be re-released in time to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2014.

The classic 1939 movie starring Judy Garland will be given a restoration by Warner Bros Home Video, which currently owns the rights.

Warner Bros announced today that all DVDs and Blu-ray discs will stop being shipped from May 1 this year, with a relaunch scheduled for 2013.

"We expect 90-95% consumer awareness, with a kickoff event consistent with only a handful of titles that are considered the crown jewels of our library," theatrical catalogue chief Jeff Baker said in a statement.

It has currently not been confirmed whether the re-release will be limited to just home media, or whether the restored film will also be sent out to cinemas.

Robert Zemeckis was said to have entered talks with Warner Bros for a potential remake of The Wizard of Oz in late 2010.

> Wizard of Oz slippers expected to sell for $2 million in auction

Watch the trailer for The Wizard of Oz below:

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'Wizard of Oz' for restoration re-release for 75th anniversary in 2014

“The Road Home” Aims to Restore Lives One Classic Car at a Time

Bridgewater, NJ (PRWEB) February 16, 2012

The already tough job market is expected to get tougher for veterans, as one million service members will exit the military during the next five years. It is this statistic that led a group of compassionate auto enthusiasts to create “The Road Home,” a not-for-profit organization designed to help veterans return to civilian life through placement in automotive restoration shops.

Serving primarily as a matchmaker, The Road Home puts veterans and restoration shops together through both direct contact on an individual level and a growing self-serve database, which will be hosted at http://www.TheRoadHomeUSA.org. American Collectors Insurance, a specialty provider of collector vehicle and collectibles insurance, will be the program’s charter supporter and play an important role in bringing this very worthwhile project to life.

“When we were brought into the initial discussion about The Road Home, we immediately understood the strong potential link between the growing car hobby and returning veterans,” said American Collectors Insurance’s CEO Jill Bookman. “American Collectors has long been involved with partners serving the U.S. military, and as a result we have many thousands of customers who are active or retired soldiers, sailors, and airmen.”

The Road Home’s mission is to restore lives, one classic car at a time and it’s a mission American Collectors Insurance is dedicated to help accomplish.

For more information on The Road Home, please visit: http://www.TheRoadHomeUSA.org or http://www.facebook.com/theroadhomeusa.

About The Road Home

The Road Home is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing returning veterans with social, training, and employment opportunities in the automotive restoration industry. Founded in 2012 by a group of compassionate automotive enthusiasts, The Road Home has developed a network of restoration shops ready, willing, and able to welcome a veteran into their day-to-day operations. The program’s mission is “restoring lives, one classic car at a time.”

About American Collectors Insurance

American Collectors Insurance is the nation’s leading provider of collector vehicle and collectibles insurance. American Collectors offers products through independent insurance agents, in partnership with several major insurance organizations, and direct to consumers. A wide range of collector vehicles qualify for American Collectors’ program, from “brass and wood” antiques to street rods, exotics, modern classics and more. American Collectors also offers all-risk coverage for a wide range of collections from stamps, coins and comic books to vintage wine, sports memorabilia and beyond.

# # #

Crystal DeCotiis
The Road Home
908-722-9400 15
Email Information

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Not-For-Profit Announces Launch of Program Matching Military Vets and Auto Restoration Shops

13-02-2012 16:16 Here is a home Blastmaster Cob blasted and finished with Quality Alaskan Finishes

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Log home restoration by Blastmaster - Video

14-02-2012 11:55 mdrestoration.com Show off the variety of home damage repair you provide with this ad. "Floods and fires. Even the most conscientious homeowners aren't always prepared for these powerful forces. Although you don't have control over nature, you can make sure the damage done to your home is properly restored after unfortunate floods, fires or other calamities. We offer round-the-clock, emergency cleaning, restoration and disaster preparation services. No matter the damage, our expert services guarantee your home is safe and sound as possible -- before and after unforeseen crises. Expect the best, but prepare for the worst. Call today."

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PISCATAWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

IEEE, the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity, today published the February edition of the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter, which reveals the University of Minnesota’s plan to build a sustainable community with a Smart Grid overlay, as well as work that will lead to the automated, energy-efficient smart home. Additional articles address the unique requirements of security planning for Smart Grid and technologies in exploration for creating the self-sensing and self-healing energy distribution system.

The current issue is available online at no cost at the IEEE Smart Grid Web Portal: http://smartgrid.ieee.org/newsletter/february-2012.

“The February issue of the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter covers progress being made in R&D and deployments, as well as identifying and addressing pinch points within the multi-faceted areas of Smart Grid with a focus on assessing applications and implementations in homes and whole communities that are underway,” said Massoud Amin, chair of the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter. “As Smart Grid is deployed, necessitating seamless connectivity and inter-operability of local devices and networks that are smarter and more secure all the way to the system level, and end-to-end, cyber-physical security, which is layered, self-monitoring and self-healing, and supporting smart homes, smart buildings and communities, the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter is chronicling the progress and mapping opportunities ahead.”

The February issue brings together expertise from a multi-national author set with proficiency in machine learning, artificial intelligence, sensors, power quality issues and distribution automation technologies.

Dr. S. Massoud Amin, author of “Playing in the Smart Grid Sandbox” in the December issue, returns to detail another University of Minnesota community initiative, the residential development project, U More Park. The project pursues the vision to build a smart microgrid from scratch in an environmentally and economically sustainable community so optimal technologies can be incorporated at the outset and economies of scale exploited. Massoud is a senior member of IEEE and holds the Honeywell/H.W. Sweatt Chair in Technological Leadership at the University of Minnesota.

Chao Chen and Diane Cook delve into the smart home where sensor data can ultimately drive development of an intelligent system for automatically controlling the environment to improve energy efficiency and reduce the energy footprint of the home. Chao Chen is an IEEE Graduate Student member and a Ph.D. student in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University. Diane Cook is an IEEE Fellow and a Huie-Rogers Chair Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University.

Sandeep Agrawal and Dr. Manoj Daigavane address the critical requirement for early security design for any Smart Grid project, to include source code security, security as risk management and proactive procedures that engage processes as well as products and provide for monitoring for both events and physical actions. Sandeep Agrawal is Vice President at Neilsoft Limited Pune, India. Dr. Daigavane is Principal of S. D. College of Engineering, Wardha – Maharashtra, India.

Fang Yang and Zhao Li write about improving the self-healing capability of the distribution-level Smart Grid in the United States by exploring two complementary technologies for the distribution outage management system - feeder level fault detection, isolation and service restoration and Smart Meter-based outage analysis - essential self-sensing and self-healing solutions for distribution system disturbances. Fang Yang is an IEEE member and member of IEEE Power & Energy Society as well as a senior research and development engineer with ABB Inc. U.S. Corporate Research Center. Zhao Li is an IEEE member, and member of IEEE Computer Society and IEEE Communication Society, and a senior software architect with ABB Inc. US Corporate Research Center.

To subscribe to the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter at no cost, go to: http://smartgrid.ieee.org/publications/smart-grid-newsletter.

An RSS feed of the monthly Newsletter is also available: http://smartgrid.ieee.org/newsletter/February-2011?format=feed&type=rss.

The IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter promotes greater understanding of critical issues and challenges that impact efforts to move Smart Grid from conception to reality, including power generation, transmission and distribution, storage, technological advancement, renewables, infrastructure investment, funding, R&D, standards, security and communications.

Other Smart Grid technical experts who specialize in electric vehicles are featured speakers at the first IEEE International Electric Vehicles Conference (IEVC) being held in Greenville, South Carolina, USA March 4-8, 2012. Speakers include Heiko Weller, Bosch Engineering GmbH Director e-mobility Group; Dr. Julian Weber, BMW Group, Project I, Head of Innovation Projects e-Mobility; Jay Iyengar, Chrysler Group, Global Director, Head of Electrified Propulsion Systems; James Barker, Clemson University President; Pat Davis, Department of Energy Program Manager of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program Office; Dennis R. Beal, FedEx Express Vice-President Global Vehicles; and Frank O. Klegon, SAE International President among many others. Additional information about the IEVC can be found at: http://electricvehicle.ieee.org/.

For further details about the IEEE Smart Grid Newsletter and information on IEEE Smart Grid standards, publications, and conferences, please visit http://smartgrid.ieee.org/. Follow @ieeesmartgrid on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ieeesmartgrid. Join IEEE Smart Grid on LinkedIn: IEEE Smart Grid.

About IEEE

IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Learn more at http://www.ieee.org/.

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Minnesota University to Build Smart Microgrid From Scratch, the Smart Home is Coming, and Security Planning Featured ...

CLAIBORNE PARISH, LA (KSLA) -

UPDATE: CenterPoint Energy crews in Haynesville, Louisiana say that as of Wednesday morning gas services have been restored to more than 1000 customers.

Crews continue their door-to-door efforts this morning to relight pilots and checks for leaks after approximately 1400 customers lost gas service Monday night.

UPDATE 9:45 p.m.: District Director for Center Point Energy Eric Barkley says about 800 Center Point customers now have gas service in Haynesville.

Barkley says crews plan to come to a stopping point at 10:30 p.m. The workers will resume service restoral Wednesday morning.

UPDATE 8:30 p.m.: District Director for Center Point Energy Eric Barkley estimates 500 homes and businesses have gas service restored in Haynesville including schools, a nursing home and other institutions.

UPDATE 6:00 p.m.: District Director for Center Point Energy Eric Barkley says about 300 homes in Haynesville have gas service at this hour.

Barkley says crews hope to restore gas service to most of the residents by the end of the night. Barkley also says residents have to be home to get their services turned back on. Barkley says crews will leave door hangers for residents that were not home. The door hangers will have a phone number for to schedule an appointment to get services turned on. That number is 1-866-275-5252.

Claiborne Parish school officials say classes will resume Wednesday.

UPDATE 2:30 p.m.: Crews have arrived from Arkansas to assist CenterPoint Energy with the process of getting gas service turned back on for business and residential customers in Haynesville.

As of Noon Tuesday, the system had been "purged" of air and tested to ensure the repaired line contains only pure natural gas. That was "phase 2" of the restoration process.

Phase 3 will be going door-to-door to re-ignite the pilot lights at each service address and make sure there are no leaks.

That process is expected to take be lengthy, as crews will need to make sure there are no leaks or problems with re-connecting service at each of the 1,114 addresses.

Right now, CenterPoint Energy says they are focused on restoring natural gas service to the impacted customers and getting things back to normal for them as safely and as quickly as possible. But, in a statement released early Tuesday afternoon, the company confirms, "We will conduct an investigation into how and why this occurred and will seek to recover our costs, if appropriate."  

UPDATE 10:30 a.m.: Haynesville Police Chief Anthony Smith says 1,114 gas meters were affected by the outage.

Crews repaired the leak about 1:30 a.m. but the town still is without gas service. CenterPoint called in 50 trucks from E. Texas and Arkansas.

Crews expect to start turning the gas back on and relighting pilot lights at homes and businesses around noon Tuesday, but critical facilities such as the hospital and nursing homes will be considered a priority.

Workers will need to go into homes and businesses to perform relights. If no one is home, a yellow slip will be left at the home and the relight will have to be rescheduled.

By 3 p.m. Tuesday, the town should know if they'll have to suspend school on Wednesday. 

UPDATE 8:30 a.m.: Crews with CenterPoint Energy have begun Phase One of their plan to restore power to the town of Haynesville.

After an early morning meeting at the Claiborne Parish Fair Building, crews have started to turn the gas valves off at all homes and businesses in the town.

KSLA News 12 is in Haynesville at this hour following the progress of the work. On KSLA News 12 at 9, we'll have more on the restoration process plus speak with CenterPoint Energy about how things are progressing. You can watch KSLA News 12 at 9 online at ksla.com. Click here to watch the program.

We'll continue to have updates throughout the day on ksla.com.

UPDATE 6:45 a.m.: School officials say all Haynesville schools will be closed Tuesday due to the gas outage.

CenterPoint Energy also says some Haynesville residents should have their gas service restored as early as Tuesday evening, the latest time estimate of when all gas service should be restored is Wednesday.

Center Point Energy Spokesperson Alicia D. Dixon says most Haynesville residents will not have gas service any sooner than midday Wednesday. Center Point Energy officials say the outage was caused when a piece of equipment hit a Center Point Energy natural gas line disrupting service.  

Haynesville Police Chief Anthony Smith says Arkla Gas mega crews and Center Point Energy crews along with crews from Arkansas, East Texas and other parts of Louisiana are working to locate the gas leak. Both crews will have to work to turn every meter off in the city including businesses. Smith says this is for precaution. The crews are setting up a command center in the city.

"CenterPoint Energy has begun the process of turning off the flow of gas to each customer's natural gas meter," says District Director for Center Point Energy Eric Barkley. "We will then work to ensure that the natural gas distribution lines are clear of air. Once the lines are clear, we will begin the process of going meter to meter to restore gas service to each customer." 

Smith says both Arkla Gas and Center Point Energy crews will have to work to turn off 3,000 to 5,000 gas meters.

"When we begin the process of relighting, we'd like to ask that customers be at home if possible so our employees can go inside to restore natural gas service. A customer needs to call us only if there is a door hanger at their home or business indicating that we've already been by to attempt to restore service. Please call the number on the door tag left by our service personnel," says Barkley.  

Smith says the city lost all gas service at about 6:30 p.m.

For safety reasons, the company urges customers not to turn any valves or tamper with the natural gas meter. Opening or turning any valves could allow air to enter the natural gas lines, which would hinder the re-pressurization process.

KSLA News 12 will have more details on this story as they become available.

Copyright 2012 KSLA. All rights reserved.

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UPDATE: Gas service restored to 500 Haynesville homes and businesses