GREENVILLE It has been a labor of love.

And Greenville resident Roberta Aubuchum has almost completely restored the Zachary Lansdowne house a historical landmark on the corner of Third and Locust in Greenville.

Many may be well aware of who Zachary Lansdowne was others may not.

I had no idea (who Zachary Lansdowne was) when I bought the house, Aubuchum said. I just needed a big house with tall ceilings. My sister told me to talk to Fred Hoblit. That he was interested in selling the house.

It didnt take long for Aubuchum to look into the history of the historic house.

I have always been into genealogy, she said. I have my familysgeneology back to the 1700s in France. I would go to the courthouse, museums, cemeteries anywhere you would go to get information.

Born in Greenville, Lansdowne was appointed to the United States Naval Academy September 2, 1905 and commissioned Ensign June 5, 1911.

He subsequently served on the destroyer USS McCall (DD-28), and in the Ohio Naval Militia. After completing his aviation training, he became Naval Aviator 105.

Lansdowne was assigned to duty with the Royal Naval Air Service during and after World War I, to study dirigibles. He was awarded the Navy Cross for distinguished serviceas one of the crew of the British airship R-34, which in July 1919, made the first successful nonstop passage from England to the United States.

He married Margaret Kennedy Ross (September 30, 1902 June 9, 1982) on December 7, 1921 in Washington D.C. They had two children. She remarried after Lansdownes death.

On February 11, 1924 Lansdowne took command of the rigid lighter-than-air ship, USS Shenandoah (ZR-1), and was killed when she crashed at Ava, Ohio, September 3, 1925.

He was buried later that month in section four at Arlington National Cemetery.

But, Lansdowne knew before thee flight to Ohio that it would be a difficult if not impossivle one.

In fact, he refused when first given the assignment, saying it would be too dangerous with all the lightning storms in Ohio at that time of the year. After he was told he had to, Lansdowne went over all his final papers with his wife before leaving.

The crash of the Shenandoah was the trigger for United States Army Colonel Billy Mitchell to heavily criticize the leadership of both the Army and the Navy, leading directly to his court-martial for insubordination and the end of his military career.

Along with Landowne, 12 crew members also lost their lives.

Lansdowne was played by Jack Lord in the 1955 film The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell.

Since buying the house 20 years ago, Aubuchum has been restoring the house to as it was originally wherever possible.

I started 20 years ago and have been doing it ever since, she said. The big thing was I was battling cancer. Going through chemo and surgery, I would get a little done here and a little done there.

There is still some work to be done with the porch. I found what it looked like. I have the pillars, I just have to find a contractor to do the work.

The house is an amazing combination of items she has inherited from her family over the years and Lanstowne memorabilia as well and that includes the backyard.

It is (an amazing house), she said.The floors were all carpeted. I pulled it up to restore the hardwood floors. Almost all the glass is original. There are only three new panes of glass in the entire house. I am really pleased with the way everything has turned out.

Zachary was born in Greenville. The family lived here and then the Hoblits. I am the first non-family member to live here. At Christmas time, I will put 20 Christmas trees up.

Throughout the process, Aubuchum had one thing in mind.

I wanted to do something that would please the Landtowne family, she said.

And she has accomplished just that, with a labor of love.

Roberta Aubuchum has almost completely restored the historic Zachary Lansdowne house at the corner of Third and Locust in Greenville.

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Lansdowne restoration a 'labor of love' - The Daily Advocate

Two years ago, when the Pistons were looking to rebuild their front office, they requested permission to interview Troy Weaver, who was a sought-after assistant general manager with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder refused, and the Pistons moved forward with Ed Stefanski leading the front office, but they left the spot of general manager vacant.

Troy Weaver is the new general manager of the Detroit Pistons.(Photo: Detroit Pistons)

This time, they circled back. This time, Weaver was ready and available.

Weaver joins the Pistons staff with the task of reinvigorating a franchise that hasnt had a playoff win in more than a decade. When the season is scheduled to resume in July, the Pistons will be on the outside looking in, one of eight teams eliminated.

Although team owner Tom Gores and Stefanski have conceded that the Pistons are beginning a rebuild, Weaver isnt so quick to use that term.

This isnt a rebuild its a restoring. Theres been greatness here, Weaver said Monday in his virtual introductory press conference. The Motor City deserves a consistent winner back on the floor.

The Pistons and Weaver is a union two years in the making, as the Pistons had an unusual structure to their front office, with Stefanski as the senior adviser to Gores, but handling many of the responsibilities of a president of basketball operations and general manager.

With Weaver, the Pistons get an ideal candidate to usher them into the next phase of their franchise development, as Weaver worked with Thunder general manager Sam Presti to make Oklahoma City one of the pillars of the Western Conference, including four appearances in the conference finals and one trip to the NBA Finals.

Getting a fresh start with a rebuild with the Pistons is a challenge, but Gores said the Pistons went all out to get the best person for the job.

(Weaver) had all the track record and everything on his resume that made complete sense. We had actually tried to talk to Troy a couple years ago and Oklahoma City wasnt quite ready to let him go, so hes been on our radar for a while, Gores said. Ed has come in and done a great job of stabilizing our front office and cleaning some things up.

We just felt it was time to go big or go home lets just go get the best. We have a great coach ready to go and Dwane (Casey) and Troy have a great chemistry theyve built.

The timing of Weavers hiring and the Pistons emergence from two years of perilous salary-cap maneuvering along with a critical upcoming high draft pick and space under the cap makes adding Weaver a priority.

Weaver sees the fit as a good opportunity to use what hes learned under Presti to begin to lead in the Pistons front office and to use his experience to right the ship.

I just felt like I looked at where the Pistons were at this time, trying to surge forward and become a competitive team again. Ive been in those situations, when I first went to Utah after (John) Stockton and (Karl) Malone, Utah was trying to restore their franchise and I was a part of that, Weaver said. My last 12 years in OKC, we just built it from the ground up. My skills and my talents and leadership and training Ive had with the Jazz and Thunder actually made this a great fit for myself and thank God the Pistons saw it the same way.

One of the primary tasks for Weaver in his first weeks will be assessing the roster and deciding which pieces to keep. That starts with stars Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose. Both have had injuries, but the mix of veterans and young players can be a benefit.

You have two veteran big-time players that are looking to restore their careers: Blake Griffin, who is a perennial All-Star, and Derrick Rose. Both guys have had some injury history and theyre looking forward to building their careers back, Weaver said. That stood out and were excited to get them healthy and help us moving forward.

The second piece is the young players on the roster: Sekou (Doumbouya), (Luke) Kennard, Bruce Brown and Svi (Mykhailiuk) and (Christian) Wood. We feel like we have a good mixture of young guys with those two staples to start there.

The Thunder lose one of their keystones in the front office, but Presti was gracious in congratulating Weaver.

Troy has been an integral member of our organization since 2008. Aside from being a terrific basketball executive, Troy's personal values of honesty, unity, and hard work make him a great addition to the Pistons organization.

The Pistons could not have found a better person to lead and direct their franchise.

Weaver will guide the Pistons day-to-day operations and one of his first orders of business will be assembling the remainder of his staff, which will include adding at least one new assistant general manager, after the departure of Malik Rose. The NBA announced Monday that Rose accepted a position as vice president of basketball operations in the league office.

The Pistons are one of eight teams whose season ended because of the COVID-19 pandemic and will not be part of the 22-team restart that is planned for late July in Florida.

They finished the season at 20-46 and will have a likely top-five draft pick and possibly $30 million in salary-cap space when the offseason hits in October.

Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard

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New Pistons GM Troy Weaver: 'This isnt a rebuild its a restoring' - The Detroit News

A U.K. man will be spending the next 12 months behind bars for care-taking a commercial cannabis grow that is estimated to be worth about a half-million pounds.

A judge recently sentenced Flavio Picaku after he pleaded guilty to producing a controlled Class B drug, according to ITV News.

The plan seemed solid: grow scads of weed plants, 608 in all, in The Commercial Hotel in Pontypridd, which is in the process of being renovated.

But the entrepreneur missed an important detail, namely the intense smell of weed generated by the grow in the four-storey hotel. Nosy neighbours noticed, prompting complaints and a subsequent visit by police on May 31, ITV News reports.

There they found Picaku who was living in the hotel sans permission from building owners in one of the seven rooms that filled with 608 cannabis plants. But first officers had to use their feet to break through a glass panel and gain access.

The man was arrested. The plants, 16 to 52 kilograms of weed worth an estimated 638,400 and hydroponic equipment were seized.

Picaku reported to police that he was unable to find work, having illegally emigrated to the U.K. / Photo: Twitter, South Wales Police/ Photo: Twitter, New South Wales Police

Picaku reported to police that he was unable to find work after illegally emigrating to the U.K. from Albania. He said he accepted an offer to feed and water the plants in the already established grow-op.

Picakus defence barrister described him as paid gardener in the illegal enterprise, according to ITV News. But the sentencing judge noted he must have known it was a commercial operation given the number of plants involved.

Want to keep up to date on whats happening in the world of cannabis? Subscribeto the Cannabis Post newsletter for weekly insights into the industry, what insiders will be talking about and content from across the Postmedia Network.

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A man who house-sat nearly 640,000 of weed in a hotel under renovation is going to jail - The GrowthOp

To woo research scholars from across the world, Islamic seminary Darul Uloom of Deoband is working on restoring over 1500 rare manuscripts, some as old as 800 years, placed in its 150-year-old library.

These manuscripts are on various topics such as Unani medicines, law, history, religion, culture and Sufism.

They are very rare. A few are perhaps so rare that one will not be able to find another copy of them anywhere in the world. They can be a treasure trove for research scholars, said librarian Mohammad Shafeeq Qasmi.

The collection includes more than 100 manuscripts on Sufism, a handwritten Quran by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, a huge Quran and a 750-year-old Manuscript written by author Imauddin Zakaria about animals, said Qasmi, who took the degree of Fazil from Darul Uloom before joining as librarian here in 2015.

He said the idea of restoration of these manuscripts came from seminarys deputy vice chancellor Maulana Abdul Khalik Madrasi.

These were our heritage and a treasure for research scholars who could serve the society and the religion by incorporating knowledge of our forefathers and great visionaries in their research work, Maulana Khalik had said while ordering the restoration process.

Shafeeq and Maulana Madrasi then visited the National Archives of India to seek their assistance in restoring the manuscripts.

It was followed by Shafeeq and three other members of the library attending a seminar on conservation and restoration in Jammu.

The seminary then approached the Iran Culture House in Delhi, which is considered as an expert on restoration of such manuscripts.

They agreed to extend help but we refused to accept their condition of taking one copy of the restored manuscripts, said Shafeeq.

Seminary then hired some professionals to speed up restoration work and till now 50,000 pages have been restored.

A dedicated team is engaged in the process of restoring 150 to 200 pages every day, said seminarys vice chancellor Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani.

Seminarys media incharge Ashraf Usmani said more than 300 manuscripts got damaged over the period of time and we are hopeful that all these valuable manuscripts would be available for research scholars after restoration.

There are many libraries across the world with great collection of books but they rarely match the unique collection of books that we have. Research scholars come here from different countries, including England, middle east countries and almost every nook and corner of India because they can get valuable references from our unique collection of books and manuscripts, said Usmani while hoping the restoration of manuscripts would indeed be a great help for such scholars.

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A treasure house of manuscripts, Darul Uloom busy restoring them - Hindustan Times

The total revenue was down 8% YoY to 1,354.8 crore during the period. The companys board has recommended a dividend of 0.30 per equity share.

This time along with the coronavirus crisis, the prolonged monsoons and floods in different states impacted decorative paints adding to woes of the paint maker. Yet, the stocks have ridden a wave of hope over in the last one month.

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According to Statista, Berger Paints owns a little over 12% of the paint market share in India.

Indias sanitiser market is expected to touch 500-crore mark this year all thanks to the coronavirus woes. In the times of new normal, paint companies are expecting a good demand for the health and hygiene ranges. Berger paints also introduced its antimicrobial powder coatings for usage in the medical industry to restrict the spread of infection as much as possible.

SEE ALSO: Asian Paints and Bergers earnings will show if people will risk renovators inside their homes until then its sanitisers to the rescue

Asian Paints shareholders had a fear that Goldman Sachs just confirmed Indians will not rush to do up their homesAdvertisement

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Berger Paints just put out the dullest quarter in a long time and that didn't include the worst of the lockd - Business Insider India

Tonight's (June 17) episode of 'Property Brothers: Forever Home' featured Bruce and Patricia. Their lives were turned upside down a year ago by a tragic event, the passing of their brother. This incident changed everything for them overnight as they decided to adopt their late brother's children - Mary and John. Their house was a good enough space for them and their son Logan and they now wanted it to be functional enough for a family of five. Jonathan and Drew Scott were tasked with giving this couple with a big heart, a home renovation of their dreams.

The house had three bedrooms before the renovations - the master bedroom for the couple with a crib for their adopted son John, a room for their adopted daughter Mary and their son Logan's room. The basement housed Patricia's "lady lounge" where she retreated for her "me time". The kitchen was a good size but the couple wanted a space wherein all of them could sit and dine together, an island kind of a setting was what they wanted. The kitchen was also closed off from the rest of the house and the couple wanted it to change since they now had very young kids in the house. They also wanted wide plank flooring, a feature wall, two-tone cabinets in the kitchen, a nursery for their son John along with a family-sized island in the kitchen, and an open-space plan across the house.

The couples had a total of $155,000 spared for this renovation and Jonathan and Andrew immediately set out to work. Apart from ticking all the requirements off the couple's wishlist, they added a few more touches to the house personalized to the family's needs. For eg they added a soccer stadium mural to Logan's bedroom and new wallpapers in the house. They also renovated their backyard deck and customized it in a way that all of the five members of the family along with their guests could gather without worrying about space. All of this was within the budget. Also seen making an appearance on this episode of 'Forever Home' was Jonathan and Drew's elder brother JD Scott. He was brought in specially to bond with Logan who was seemingly overwhelmed with a sudden change in his life that turned him into an elder brother, almost overnight.

'Property Brothers: Forever Home' airs Wednesday nights at 9 pm ET only on HGTV.

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'Property Brothers: Forever Home': Big-hearted couple Bruce and Patricia get a home renovation of their dreams - MEAWW

This time along with the coronavirus crisis, the prolonged monsoons and floods in different states impacted decorative paints adding to woes of the paint makers. Yet, the two stocks have ridden a wave of hope over in the last one month.

The green-zone volumes picked up in the first week after lockdown, but it shrank once pending work was completed, according to a dealer volume check by B&K Securities.

According to Statista, Asian Paints own about 38.87% of the paint market share in India, whereas Berger Paints own a little over 12%.

Advertisement

Indias sanitiser market is expected to touch 500-crore mark this year all thanks to the coronavirus woes. In the times of new normal, paint companies are expecting a good demand for the health and hygiene ranges. Berger paints also introduced its antimicrobial powder coatings for usage in the medical industry to restrict the spread of infection as much as possible.

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SEE ALSO: No layoffs, Asian Paints will give salary increments to boost employees morale

Asian Paints shareholders had a fear that Goldman Sachs just confirmed Indians will not rush to do up their homes

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Asian Paints and Bergers earnings will show if people will risk renovators inside their homes until then it - Business Insider India

She has been staying with her parents for more than two months after renovation work at her flat was suspended.

This was after the circuit breaker was imposed on April 7.

Thousands of home renovations have also stalled until recently, affecting home owners such as Ms Alisya Fatin, 24, a customer support officer.

But even as the country entered phase two, she is still stuck in limbo with no completion date in sight.

The Building and Construction Authority had said on June 13 that more than 19,000 suspended home renovation projects can now resume work. But it would depend on the availability of manpower and supplies.

Ms Alisya married Mr Muhd Fairuz, 29, on June 13, and they were supposed to move into their four-room resale flat in Pasir Ris in mid-June.

Renovation had started in mid-March, but now the flat is mostly empty, with only hacking work done and construction tools lying around.

Ms Alisya, who bought the flat for $400,000, said she spent another $25,000 on renovation, excluding the cost of furniture which she has yet to buy.

She said the contractor company she engaged has been trying to get its workers back from Malaysia but they were unable to return to Singapore for work due to travel restrictions.

She said: "I am sad but there is nothing much I can do but wait. I kept asking when construction can continue again, but eventually I stopped because I didn't want to seem pushy or irritating."

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The couple has been staying with her parents in a five-room flat, together with three of her siblings aged 18 to 29.

She added: "I am disappointed but I know I am not the only one who is facing this. The silver lining is spending more time with my family."

Another frustrated home owner is a civil servant who wanted to be known only as Ms Png, 36. She was supposed to move into her five-room condominium in Serangoon in April.

Most of the project's construction workers are Malaysians who need to be approved for work.

The mother of two preschoolers said the wait has been almost three months, with no completion date in sight.

Ms Png , who has been staying at her in-laws' four-room Housing board flat, said: "It is inconvenient that my family of four is squeezed in a room and have to sleep on a mattress on the floor."

Mr Edward Seet, principal designer of Arche Interior, told TNP he has 20 affected clients whose renovations have been halted due to the circuit breaker.

Mr Seet, 34, said he could resume four of his suspended projects earlier this month but was limited to only about three workers a day.

He added that although the shortage in manpower has not led to price hikes yet, more potential stringent tests and measures implemented might affect the cost for renovation contractors. He said: "Renovation during this period is fraught with uncertainties. It is important to expect delays and keep an open mind on changes to work deliveries."

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.

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New home owners still stuck in limbo, unclear when renovation works will be completed - AsiaOne

Nearly four in five homeowners admitted theyve noticed home improvement projects they need to take care of while in quarantine, according to new research.

Some 78% have discovered new projects to be completed, and the to-do list appears to be growing as the weeks go on.

The survey of 2,000 homeowners found the average respondent has six repairs or updates theyd like to make.

But not all the desired projects will get done in one go - since the average person would need 545 to complete their top three repairs.

Updated kitchen

The research found the most common updates homeowners are dreaming of include updated kitchen countertops and cabinets (65%) and smart home technology (63%).

Three in five (61%) think their lighting, switches and outlets need an upgrade (61%), while the same number think their bathroom fixtures could use a refresh, too.

However, making home improvements are not always trouble-free, especially when doing the updates yourself.

Of the respondents, 59% have attempted a repair or renovation on their own, in the past, and of those, nearly seven in ten confessed their projects never turned out how they imagined.

Renovation mishaps

Those with home improvement experience revealed the average repair has three things go wrong, with the most common mishap being incorrect assembly (51%).

Other home setbacks were buying the wrong pieces (49%), injuries to the respondent or someone else (42%) or the end result not looking as planned (36%).

One in ten of those confessed the finished project looked even worse than before the respondent started.

Here are the reasons why improvement projects pile up:

Not having the tools - 31%

I cant decide how to proceed - 19%

Two-thirds (65%) of respondents think their home lighting isnt how theyd like it, which could be frustrating as 78% think bad lighting can severely affect the mood of a room.

Highlighting issues

These are the main lighting issues:

Not enough lighting in space - 37%

Flickering or buzzing lights - 36%

Cannot find compatible lighting for space - 26%

Two in five respondents have dimmers to help control the lighting in their home. Respondents dont just want the perfect setting, they also care about being energy-efficient.

Four in five think its important to have energy-efficient LED bulbs in their homes, but many are at a loss when it comes to installation compatibility with LED bulbs and dimmers.

If ever unsure about lighting set-up or installation, consult with an electrician.

Bill Grande, senior director of product management for lighting company Leviton, who commissioned the study, said: As many of us are spending more time at home, it makes sense that we are looking to take on projects to improve the aesthetic, safety and functionality of our homes.

Now is the perfect time to make easy DIY upgrades to your lighting and lighting controls as these things truly determine the overall look and feel of your home.

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Here's what tops the home improvements wishlist - Morpeth Herald

Do you like Huey Lewis and The News?

Um, nevermind. Anyway, usually when you see a house in need of some TLC, rarely is it a house like this. You know, usually, a house in need of TLC is a dilapidated hybrid of an early '90s ranch with sponge-painted walls in a vile array of Southwestern pastels, complete with chunky brass fixtures, plush wall-to-wall carpeting that absolutely does not have beautiful hardwood underneath, and mirrors mirrors everywhere. Not to mention bad plumbing, electrical, and a foundation that is crumbling faster than that of America's many oppressive systemic beliefs. Zing!

This architecturally significant home, designed by late Ohio architect and urban-design advocate David Niland, is not lost to time just yet, but by the looks of these photos, its next owner may want to put some energy into restoring it to its former glory. With four bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths, this 3,286 square-foot home which has recently been reduced by $50,000 sits on private and wooded half-acre. In addition to some restoration, whoever buys this home might want to consider an accent wall because this place is whiter than an intro to a lettuce wrap recipe. Bam!

The white exterior is offset by oak hardwood floors and ample sunlight, which is partially credited to the central feature of the home, a solarium with a brick heated floor, so heated, in fact, that it's hotter than... oh, nevermind. Just buy this house and invite us over to watch some videotapes, would ya?

This home is listed by Pat Durston of Reinhart Realtors.

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This architecturally significant home in Ann Arbor needs some love or a Patrick Bateman and it's just been reduced by $50k - Detroit Metro Times