By MARILYNN MARCHIONE AP Chief Medical Writer

Starting Monday, millions of people who have avoided colon cancer screening can get a new home test that's noninvasive and doesn't require the icky preparation most other methods do.

The test is the first to look for cancer-related DNA in stool. But deciding whether to get it is a more complex choice than ads for "the breakthrough test ... that's as easy as going to the bathroom" make it seem.

On one hand, the test could greatly boost screening for a deadly disease that too few people get checked for now.

On the other hand, it could lure people away from colonoscopies and other tests that, unlike the new one, have been shown to save lives.

It might even do both.

"It looks promising," but its impact on cancer risk and survival isn't known, said Dr. Barnett Kramer, a National Cancer Institute screening expert.

David Smith, 67, a retired teacher from Northfield, Minnesota, shows the test's potential. He has never been screened for colon cancer and his doctor ran through the options, including a barium enema or a scope exam.

"He pulled out one of those really colorful brochures they have for all those procedures," Smith said, but he had suffered an infection from a prostate biopsy years ago and didn't want another invasive test. When the doctor mentioned the new DNA test, "I said, well, sign me up."

The test was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last month and will be offered by prescription at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where it was developed, and soon nationwide. It's called Cologuard and is sold by Exact Sciences Corp. of Madison, Wisconsin. Mayo Clinic and one of its doctors get royalties from the test.

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New home test shakes up colon cancer screening

Rotting wood, creeping mold, dilapidated decks, roaming rodents and cracked foundations can unintentionally turn homes into haunted houses.

The trick for renovation companies and builders is turning the properties into inhabitable houses. By repairing, rehabbing and sometimes gutting the structures, it becomes a treat to see the transformation of bungalows, ranches and multi-story homes of various architectural styles across metro Atlanta.

Some neighborhood eyesores, which could include a home that you are considering buying, are being improved by metro Atlanta contractors and builders who frequently tackle these ghoulish issues. The horrifying truth is that some obstacles can delay projects and add unexpected expenses to a renovation budget.

Unsteady structures

Bungalows can charm buyers, but inspections and consultations with builders may uncover unpleasant obstacles. Sometimes, the floor and ceiling joists are too small and far apart for the span of the room, especially when theres an open floor plan. The problem also can be seen in carports and garages that are sagging in the middle, which is a sign of overspan, said Anthony Pourhassan, founder of Atlanta-based Highlight Homes and Vesmont. Beams were not sufficient enough to support the weight, said Pourhassan, whose company builds homes in areas such as Brookhaven, Chastain Park, Sandy Springs and Dunwoody.

If the floorboards are bowing, the boards may be removed and thicker ones installed, which could delay the project for a month. You have a board and it cant handle the weight, said Randy Glazer, owner of Atlanta-based Glazer Design & Construction.

Menacing mold

One of the most frightening mold problems that Scot LaVelle has seen was in his own Georgia home. When water seeped from behind his refrigerator (a small screw was loose), he discovered that mold on his floor joists was causing water to leak through this walls, moving from the kitchen to the living room and office.

It can get inside the walls like ours and be growing for a long period of time and you dont even know it, he said.

The floors and walls had to be removed, and the total bill was close to $54,000 for the family, who had homeowners insurance. LaVelle, who owns Dalton-based Niche Custom Flooring, created MoldHold, a sticky tape that traps mold into place until a professional restoration company can remove the it and repair the home. MoldHold, which adheres to wet surfaces and prevents spores from becoming airborne, received its patent in 2014. MoldHold offers a temporary solution, he said, that enables people to stay in the home, reducing costs. Hes heard even nastier mold stories, such as how mold in one home ate through the homeowners leather boots.

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How renovators, builders scare off terrifying home problems

For years Pat Huth came home from vacation with photos she'd taken of barns she admired on her journeys, but she never thought to take any of the ones around her home in central Illinois.

"I never realized how pretty the barns are right here around us," Huth said as she drove up a lane toward a 1920s barn.

Huth realized something else about barns in her home state.

"They are a dying breed," she said.

That's why Huth has joined others in Illinois to promote the restoration and preservation of these onetime hubs of farm activity.

Barn preservationists say the iconic symbol of agriculture in the heartland is disappearing at an astounding rate. They estimate that as few as 10% of the barns Illinois had in the 1920s are standing.

The once-essential buildings are crumbling to the pressures of time, weather, modern farming and the expense of keeping them up. Although small, grass-roots organizations are trying to make a difference, they say they need more support within the state to help keep these barns around. They point to Iowa, where grants and state tax credits help the preservation movement.

Since 1997 the volunteer-run Iowa Barn Foundation has given 119 matching grants totaling more than $1 million to Iowans rehabbing barns. Funding comes from donations by individuals, corporations and other foundations.

Barns in Iowa built before 1937 and those listed in or considered for the National Register of Historic Places are eligible for a state tax credit. And barns built before 1937 are eligible for a property tax exemption when they are restored, the foundation said.

But farmers these days struggle with putting the structures to good use. Modern equipment often doesn't fit in the old barns, and fewer farmers have livestock and feed requiring a barn's shelter.

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With barns disappearing in Midwest, a preservation movement rises

Friday marked a major milestone for a federally funded Everglades restoration project as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and conservationists celebrated along with representatives from the local, state and federal level.

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting marked the opening of the Merritt Pump Station, one of three pump stations that will help restore water to what was once wetlands decades ago.

Eric Draper, executive director of conservation organization Auduban Florida explained what caused the problem in the first place.

This was going to be a subdivision, this was going to be a 55,000-acre subdivision, he said.

In the 1970's the area was abandoned by developers who had hoped to expand the residential part of the Golden Gate Estates. Even though the houses weren't built, the roads had been paved and the canals dug. The canals drained the wetlands and they're now being plugged, along with several other measures, like the opening of the Merritt Pump Station.

I'm so excited this has been underway for 30 years, Draper said.

Bob Progulsky from U.S. Fish and Wildlife works on Everglades management and said the opening of the pump station is a major step in the Picayune Strand Restoration Project.

It's important for panthers, it's important for manatees, it's important for wetland restoration all the way down to the 10,000 Islands area, he said.

On a tour, resident engineer, Mike Miller explained how several pumps would help get water from one side of the building out into levees on the other side, which would guide the water to spread out into its natural course.

If you look out there in that open area over there, that was all trees at one time, it'll probably more than likely look like that, Miller said.

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Everglades restoration project reaches milestone

Perfect Home Restoration #39;s Origins
http://www.hgexpo.com/listing/perfect-home-restoration.html Medina, Ohio based Perfect Home Restoration isn #39;t your typical home contractor. Owner Jaime Johnson was an industry insider for...

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24 Hr Emergency Roof Repairs Alpharetta (404) 471-3500 Storm Damage Insurance Claims GA
Storm Damage Roof Repair and Replacement (404) 471-3500 5 star roofing and restoration is your one stop shop for all of your home restoration needs. Whether it is Hail Damage, Wind Damage,...

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LIDKOPING, Sweden, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A Swedish man whose parents gave their vacation home to his brother is accused of causing $98,000 in damage to the domicile with a chainsaw.

Authorities said the 47-year-old man wanted his parents' vacation home in Lidkoping and became angry when they decided to give the house to his older brother.

The man allegedly armed himself with a chainsaw and caused $98,000 worth of damage to the house, including the destruction of the home's facade, interior and several electronic devices.

Investigators said the man also cut down 20 trees from the vacation home's garden.

The man also allegedly stole a heater from the bathroom during the January incident.

The suspect was charged Tuesday in Skaraborg District Court with causing serious damage and theft.

Police said the man told investigators he did not commit a crime because he helped fund a restoration of the home during the 1990s and he was the one who planted the trees he chopped down.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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Winding back history to revisit the 1972 ALP election theme song that helped bring Gough Whitlam to power after 23 years of coalition government. By Rocco Fazzari and Denis Carnahan.

Victorian Planning Minister Matthew Guy has stopped the destruction of Gough Whitlam's birthplace in the Melbourne suburb of Kew, despite on Wednesday claiming he could not intervene because a demolition order had already been granted by the local council.

Mr Guy on Thursday said he had applied for an interim protection order on the former prime minister's family home in Kew.

"Yesterday I applied for an Interim Protection Order, under the Heritage Act, for the birthplace of Gough Whitlam," Mr Guy said."I am advised that the Heritage Council has today made an Interim Protection Order."

Demolition has begun at Ngara, the Kew childhood home of Gough Whitlam.

Mr Guy said Mr Whitlam was "widely acknowledged to be one of the most significant Australian political leaders of the 20th century".

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"As his birthplace, it is likely that the cultural significance of this house will become recognised more strongly as time passes," he said.

The interim protection order would be issued while the nomination of the house to the Heritage Register proceeded, Mr Guy said, to allow "for a fresh consideration of its cultural significance given Prime Minister Whitlam's recent passing".

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Guy has power to save Whitlam home

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Winding back history to revisit the 1972 ALP election theme song that helped bring Gough Whitlam to power after 23 years of coalition government. By Rocco Fazzari and Denis Carnahan.

Victorian Planning Minister Matthew Guy has stopped the destruction of Gough Whitlam's birthplace in the Melbourne suburb of Kew, despite on Wednesday claiming he could not intervene because a demolition order had already been granted by the local council.

Mr Guy on Thursday said he had applied for an interim protection order on the former prime minister's family home in Kew.

"Yesterday I applied for an Interim Protection Order, under the Heritage Act, for the birthplace of Gough Whitlam," Mr Guy said."I am advised that the Heritage Council has today made an Interim Protection Order."

Demolition has begun at Ngara, the Kew childhood home of Gough Whitlam.

Mr Guy said Mr Whitlam was "widely acknowledged to be one of the most significant Australian political leaders of the 20th century".

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"As his birthplace, it is likely that the cultural significance of this house will become recognised more strongly as time passes," he said.

The interim protection order would be issued while the nomination of the house to the Heritage Register proceeded, Mr Guy said, to allow "for a fresh consideration of its cultural significance given Prime Minister Whitlam's recent passing".

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Planning Minister has power to save Whitlam home

Officials and Williams family members celebrated the exterior restoration of the Chesser-Williams House on Tuesday. (Staff photo: Kristi Reed)

County officials, representatives of the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center and Williams family members were on hand Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the completion of the exterior restoration of the historic Chesser-Williams House.

The home, which dates to the mid-1800s, was relocated to the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center in Buford in 2012. One of the oldest surviving homes in Gwinnett County, it is decorated inside and out with folk art paintings believed to have been the work of an itinerant German artist who painted in exchange for room and board during his travels from North Carolina to Texas in the late 1800s. Only seven other structures are known to have intact examples of the artists work.

The Oct. 21 ribbon-cutting marked the completion of months of restoration work involving extensive research and the meticulous repainting of the homes exterior.

This is just the very beginning of great things to come, GEHC Foundation Chairman Mike McGarity said.

The Chesser-Williams House, he added, will be a valuable educational opportunity for residents.

This is going to be a great facility to educate children, to educate families, as to what Gwinnett County was like a long time ago, McGarity said.

Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash thanked members of the Williams family for working with the county to ensure the home was preserved. Describing it as one of Gwinnetts hidden treasures, Nash said making the home available to the public and sharing its history is both a responsibility and pleasure for the county.

It is our honor to be able to have it here at the Environmental and Heritage Center, she said.

Restoration work on the interior of the home is currently underway. GEHC Director Steve Cannon said the Chesser-Williams House is expected to be open to the public in the spring of 2015. The home will be the centerpiece of a living history museum which will also feature a barn, outhouse, chicken coop, paddock, shed and vegetable garden.

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