Francisco Villalobos Casillas runs the LA DWP upholstery shop, which has been repurposed to sew hundreds of fire-resistant masks each day for workers who tend high-tension power lines. (Courtesy LA DWP)

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When your job is repairing high-tension electrical wires, state work safety laws say you need a fire-resistant mask these pandemic days. But masks made with special fabric to resist sparks are in desperately short supply.

To outfit its workers, the L.A. Department of Water and Power got creative.

Dave Hanson, assistant director of power, construction and maintenance for the utility, oversees some 3,000 employees who climb power poles and work on high tension wires. And it's not solitary work; there can be another person up in the cherry picker bucket.

So when Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a citywide order that people working around others must wear face coverings, it fell to Hanson's department to find a supply.

But where to get enough fire-resistant masks amid a national shortage?

"A lot of our orders that we placed were being redirected and rerouted to New York," the epicenter of all the protective equipment supply shortages, Hanson said. It could take weeks to get even the first order filled.

But then the light bulb switched on.

"We remembered we had an upholstery shop here at Main street," he said.

That's where Francisco Villalobos Casillas - the only upholsterer on the city payroll repairs car and truck seats.

"When they asked me if we can produce something in-house, I thought, yeah, I just need a few things," Villalobos Casillas said. One of those was fabric.

But Hanson said fire-resistant fabric was also in short supply. They ended up re-purposing a back-up supply of new work clothes.

"We cut up shirts and pants and handkerchiefs that we had in hand," Hanson said.

And now the DWP upholstery shop is turning out about 200 fire-resistant masks a day.

Go here to read the rest:
When DWP Needed Special Masks, DIY To The Rescue - LAist

The rescuers arrived at the scene of the fire within minutes of receiving the report, but the fire burned so fast no one could be rescued from the house, the prosecutor's office announced.

A 27-year-old woman, a 38-year-old man and three children, aged seven, three and one, died in the fire.Initial observations at the scene, suggesting that the fire could have started from behind the refrigerators.

The police initiated criminal proceedings to clarify the specific facts.The collected evidence and expertise revealed that the fire started from a fault in the electrical wiring behind one of the refrigerators and spread from there.

Tatjana Tamm, the district prosecutor of the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, said unfortunately nothing will bring the victims back, but it is important for both the relatives and the public to know what led to such a serious accident.

"Unfortunately, in the case of fires, carbon monoxide, which is very toxic, reaches people before the fire. Even now, expert reports have identified carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause of death," she said.

No traces of smoke detectors were found at the scene and no information referring to smoke detectors was added during the criminal proceedings.

The cause of the fire was an electrical fault in the wiring behind the refrigerator.

"According to the expert, this fault may have been related to the extension cord socket, but why and how exactly this fault occurred is unfortunately unclear, because that is where the fire started and the equipment and the wires were very damaged, "said Tamm, adding that attention must be paid to fire safety in all homes.

Arvi Uustalu, the head of the prevention office of the Southern Rescue Center, said that regardless of the causes of the accident, a working and properly installed smoke detector would, in any case, have given an early warning of the fire and most likely saved lives.

The criminal proceedings were conducted by the Southern Prefecture under the leadership of the Southern District Prosecutor's Office.The examinations were performed by the Estonian Forensic Institute.

--

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Fire which killed family in Tartu started with electrical fault - ERR News

Des Peres

On April 18, a vehicle was stolen at West County Center. Upon investigation, three suspects were arrested.

On April 20, police responded to reports of trespassing at Schnuck's, 12332 Manchester Road The suspect was issued summons in lieu of arrest and issued another ban notice by Schnuck's management.

On April 21, an abandoned white Honda Accord was discovered in the parking lot of Marcus Theatre, 12701 Manchester Road. Police do not believe the incident to be theft-related. The license plate was not on file.

Glendale

On April 21, a resident of the 1100 block of N. Berry Road reported a large group of people drinking beer and violating social distancing guidelines. The report was unfounded as police observed a group of adults adhering to social distancing guidelines and wishing another resident a happy birthday.

On April 21, officers observed an unoccupied vehicle with an open trunk parked in the driveway of a residence in the 400 block of N. Sappington Road. The vehicle did not appear to have been tampered with and the trunk was secured by the officers.

On April 23, officers discovered a city-owned streetlight and pole were struck by an unknown vehicle, which left the scene. The pole was knocked to the ground, causing electrical wires to arc. The Fire Department rendered the area safe, which was later secured by a licensed electrician. Investigation revealed the accident actually occurred at approximately 11:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, but was not discovered or reported until 12:57 a.m. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Glendale Police Department.

On April 24, a resident of the unit block of Kings Pond Road reported cable wires down in her rear yard. Charter/Spectrum was notified.

On April 25, a resident of the unit block of Hillard Road reported wires down in his rear yard due to a large tree falling on power lines. Ameren responded to make the necessary repairs.

On April 26, a resident of the unit block of Clif Side Drive reported she received information of an Instagram post wherein three area juveniles claimed responsibility for incidents of egging her home during the past year. The juveniles and their parents were contacted and advised that all juveniles, including the complainants daughter, not have any further contact with each other. A short time later, one of the juveniles allegedly sent an inflammatory message via Instagram to the complainants daughter. All parties were warned to have no further communication with each other.

On April 21, a lawn service company reported the theft of lawn equipment from their vehicle located in the 400 block of W. Jefferson.

On April 21, a victim in the 1200 block of Ruth reported while working in their garage, an unknown male in a white vehicle approached and stole tools from the rear of their vehicle parked on the street.

On April 22, a tree service company reported 3 chainsaws taken from their vehicle in the 600 block of Scott.

On April 22, officers received a call to a business in the 10900 block of Manchester for a subject throwing rocks at vehicles in the parking lot. The subject was located nearby and charged accordingly.

On April 23, a business reported the theft of wheels and tires from a vehicle in the 1000 block of N. Kirkwood.

On April 24, a lawn service company reported the theft of lawn equipment from their vehicle located in the 400 block of N. Geyer.

During the week of April 20 - 26, one shoplifting incident was reported and investigated from businesses in the 1000-1200 block of S. Kirkwood.

During the week of April 20 - 26, along with regular calls for service and traffic enforcement, the Kirkwood Police Department responded to 13 residential/business alarms and 11 motor vehicle accidents and assisted the Fire/EMS Department on 42 calls.

Rock Hill

No report was submitted this week.

Shrewsbury

On April 18, two people were arrested for shoplifting in separate instances at a business in the 7400 block of Watson Road.

On April 26, a 33-year-old man was arrested at a business in the 7400 block of Watson Road for shoplifting and giving false information.

On April 26, a 54-year-old man was arrested at a business in the 7200 block of Watson Road after he stole items from a business, then assaulted the loss prevention officer who tried to stop him.

On April 28, a 20-year-old man was arrested at a business in the 7200 block of Watson Road for trying to pass a bad check.

On April 28, a 30-year-old woman was arrested at a business in the 7400 block of Watson Road for shoplifting and trespassing.

No report was submitted this week.

No report was submitted this week.

Read this article:
Area Crime Reports Published May 1, 2020 - Webster-Kirkwood Times, Inc.

Working from home may have its benefits - but staying in the same place each day can gettiresome after a while.

If youre looking for inspiration to brighten up your home office or improve your workspace environment, here are some tips.

Find a comfy chair

If you have a comfortable chair you can use as your work chair, this will make a big difference if youre sitting at a desk or table all day.

Make sure the height, arm rest and comfort level suits your needs and youll find youre comfier and have fewer aches and pains at the end of the day.

Clean up your mess

A clean and tidy working environment can make the world of difference.

Making sure your desk or table is free of clutter so that you have space to work, and that its clean and tidy can leave your feeling calmer and more productive.

Tidy your wires away

If you have a lot of electrical equipment at your desk, wires might be getting in the way.

Managing them with clamps and zip ties can help keep your work space neat and tidy.

Plants

Adding plants can also make a positive difference. Green or colourful plants add colour to your home office, boost your mood and reduce stress.

They can also help to increase productivity levels too. Picking a plant that is easy to maintain could be a good option.

Natural lighting

If possible, choose a place for your workspace environment that has natural lighting. This can be beneficial to your mood and increase productivity.

Being near a window while working can also up your Vitamin D levels, which helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, and these nutrients are needed to keep muscle, teeth and bones healthy.

Separate work computer

Your brain usually associates your work computer with work, so it usually helps to improve productivity if you have a separate work computer.

If not, make sure any personal documents or tabs are shut when at work so as not to get distracted.

Separate work and living areas

If its possible to do so, your workspace should be in a room or space as far away as possible from the place where you sleep if you want to increase your productivity.

Your brain tends to associate certain spaces with certain tasks, which is why its important to keep your work and living areas physically separate if you can.

Try to keep to office hours

Although it can be difficult then working from home, try to stick to your usual office hours rather than working overtime or unusual shifts.

Working for a set period of time each day helps give routine and structure to your day.

When youre finished work, close your laptop and put away your things to revert your home to a comfy living space.

Continued here:
Eight tips to improve your home working space - Hereford Times

Power crews were restoring service to customers but thousands of users were still in the dark early Thursday evening. Several houses were damaged by trees as well, but there were no reports of serious injury. Delaware News Journal

Numerous New Castle County residents reported power outages on Thursday as a result of the day's high winds, which also felled trees throughout the county.

More than 9,000 customers in Delaware were affected on Thursday, the power company reported, with more than 180 outages across the state. As of Friday morning, about 1,700 people were still affected.

The power company said the outages were due to weather conditions.

Agencies respondedto weather-related emergencies,Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Company said in a Facebook post.

RELATED: Damaging wind gusts expected in lower Delaware on Thursday

Closures, damages and injuries werereported in different areas of the state.

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A person wastaken to the hospital with minor injuriesafter a tree fell onto a homeon Forest Drive in Forest Brook Glen near Newport, according to New Castle County Police.

Newark Police partially closed Capitol Trail for about three hours whena tree and wires fell into the road. Route 41 at Brackenville Road wasalso temporarily closed due to a fallen tree and wire, according to the Department of Transportation's website.

High winds also reportedly damaged the Saville apartments at Wilmington's Sixth and King streets.

Send story tips or ideas to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, followher on Twitter at @izzihughes_

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Thursday power outages in Delaware blamed on high wind - The News Journal

Thursday, April 30th 2020, 11:36 am - With more people staying at home due to the pandemic they are paying more attention to wildlife in and around their homes. Of course, springtime also means baby time.

Springtime is baby time and animals are on the lookout for places to start their families and that includes our homes.

Every home in North America typically has anywhere from 35 to 50 areas on one particular home that animals can get into, said Bill Dowd, the president, CEO and founder of Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control.

That includes chimneys, vents, downspouts, soffit vents and any other cracks.

Homeowners should always be looking at their home. Everybody kind of thinks that the roof is up there, it's out of sight, it's out of mind but it's your most important part of your entire home. Raccoons, squirrels, birds, bats and mice and rats can gain access into your attic from the roof, said Dowd.

Raccoons are the first babies seen in the season. They arrive around mid-march and continue into the end of June, sometimes July.

Then we'll see squirrels which will typically arrive towards the end of March, start of April. We'll see them, same thing, all the way through till June, said Dowd. He says they even saw their first baby skunks. They will continue to be born until June and July.

Courtesy: Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control

Baby birds typically arrive around mid-may and continue through the entire summer into The Fall season.

Go here for our complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic

Dowd says with more people staying home during the pandemic, they are probably more aware of the wildlife in and around their homes.

We're all being safe. as we're being safe we're noticing that scratching or clawing in the walls are in the attic and rather than homeowners waiting, they're picking up the phone immediately and calling, said Dowd.

Homeowners should be inspecting their properties for points of entry.

Go outside. Take a look on the roof. Look for missing shingles that are torn off or ripped apart. Soffit or aluminum being torn to indicate something is in the Attic, said Dowd. When you're talking mice and rats they can get in small little weep vents that are vents that allow proper drainage and ventilation of your home that need to be secured with a screening.

Racoons in the attic of a home. Courtesy: Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control

Be aware of garages too.

Anytime the soffit comes in and meets the shingles that's another common entry area. Garages that are left open that have joist spaces allow the animals to go in and get into the attic space, he said. The dryer or the kitchen stove. We get birds, mice, rats, squirrels go in through those.

SEE ALSO: 24 cats rescued from hot car near Los Angeles

If cars are sitting vacant, especially because we're not working and they're sitting in their garage or the driveway, squirrels and mice or rats will get into the cars. They'll actually chew the wiring in the cars coated with a vegetable biodegradable coating, which is actually attractive for those animals and they'll actually chew the electrical wiring so the cars won't start, said Dowd.

He suggests starting the car every few days and taking it for a drive around the block. That will prevent animals from gaining hold of nesting and engine compartments.

Squirrel nest found under hood of car. Courtesy: Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control

Dowd and his teams dont relocate the animals. They specialize in animal-proofing peoples homes.

Typically there's anywhere from 35 to 55 raccoons in a square kilometre. They're going to be always around and they're always going to want to come back and get into that home so the most important part. Animal proofing, us installing our screen or fixing it so they can't get back in, he said.

The key is to learn to live among the animals.

All urban wildlife typically have anywhere from 7 to 10 den sites in a neighbourhood so that's where they're staying. They're here.We're never going to get rid of them and homeowners need to recognize this and animal proof their home.

Original post:
'We are in baby season': Dealing with wildlife nesting in homes during COVID - The Weather Network

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Railway Contact Wires Market 2020 Analysis by Geographical Regions, Type and Application Till 2025 with Top Key Players: Jiangyin Electrical Alloy,...

Issued on: 02/05/2020 - 08:07

Havana (AFP)

These are hot, humid days in Havana. When the afternoon breeze sweeps in off the sea, William Roblejo steps onto the roof of his building, draws his bow across the strings of his violin, and runs through his repertoire of music to soothe an anxious city.

Access to a rooftop and a breeze is a coveted luxury in the Cuban capital, areas of which have been in lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic for several weeks.

On other Havana rooftops, the country's top ballet dancer rolls out a mat and runs through his positions and pirouettes, an Olympic pentathlete lunges at an imaginary rival with an epee, and a Greco-Roman wrestling champion pumps iron.

Cuba has imposed lockdowns only in certain barrios, but the government has called on people to stay home as the number of confirmed infections climbed above 1,500 this week with 64 deaths.

With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, water shortages in some areas of the capital and long lines at food stores, Cubans have grown more anxious under weeks of confinement.

Adrian Sanchez, first soloist at the National Ballet of Cuba, fears above all that his muscles and his posture, used to a daily nine-hour training regime, will atrophy.

"When all this is over we have to return to the ballet, and if we come back untrained, that will be very hard," said Sanchez, 22.

He practices "two or three hours" a day on the roof of his building, reached through a skylight and overlooking the iconic Revolution Square.

"That way the time goes by faster, and I don't feel I'm being locked up so long," he says.

Like everyone else, a good part of his day is spent queueing up for food.

- Making do -

After decades of living under a US blockade, Cubans are adept at making do, even under the most difficult of circumstances -- not least their athletes and performers who now have to find a way to pursue their dreams during the uncertainty fueled by the pandemic.

Leydi Moya pulls out her epee to practice her fencing as part of her preparations for the next Olympic pentathlon event, whenever that may be.

Moya, youth Olympic champion in Singapore 2020 and triple-medallist at the Panamerican Games in Lima last year, was returning from a training camp in Mexico when the pandemic hit the region.

She knows that the makeshift training regimen she is reduced to at home is a far cry from Olympic-standard fitness training.

"Performance is going to drop," she admits.

It's a similar situation for Daniel Gregorich, a Panamerican champion in Greco-Roman wrestling at his 87 kg weight level, who made Cuba's Olympic team at a recent qualifying event in Ottawa, Canada.

"Sport is health, sport is life and at least it calms my anxiety," the 23-year-old said between sessions of lifting weights and doing push-ups.

- A little gratitude -

Roblejo, the musician, is at times frustrated by not having his usual concert audience because "musicians are used to delivering art live."

But he is also grateful for some of the quarantine's gifts as he plays on his rooftop above the deserted barrio of Playa, where the lulling sounds of the sea are more noticeable now there is no traffic.

"I have to thank this quarantine a little bit, because I studied a bit more and I think I've advanced in my music. Now I want this to be over so that I can show it," said RobLejo, head of the string section of Havana's Conservatory.

In many ways, he admits to being "very happy. I've been locked up and playing alone at home for 20 or 25 days now."

Psychologist Patricia Ares, writing in Granma, the daily of the ruling Communist Party, said "all of us will have to learn to live with adversity.

"We cannot avoid the wind, but we can build windmills."

2020 AFP

Follow this link:
Artists, athletes cling to their dreams on Havana's rooftops - RFI

I bought a house without an in-person viewing. When I signed the contract, I noticed something interesting

I grew up in Newmarket during the 1990s. We lived in Stonehaven, a neighbourhood with lots of young families, which meant there were always kids running around. It was a typical suburban upbringing. We hung out in parks with our dogs and, when we played road hockey on the street after school, cars would actually slow down. After high school, I took film studies at Queens University. Thats where I met my girlfriend, Hilary, who was in the nursing program.

In 2018, Hilary and I moved into a 700-square-foot condo at Lakeshore and Fort York. We liked the location. There were plenty of parks nearby, which made us feel close to nature, but we could also walk downtown in five minutes. Plus, it was pretty close to both of our workplaces. But after living there for a year, we decided we wanted more rooms and square footage. Well probably have a family in the future, so we needed to find something that we could grow into.

We knew one thing for sure: we wanted to move to Newmarket. Ive still got a bunch of family in the area and Hilary likes it there, too. Its got a small-town feel, with friendly neighbours and quiet streets. And nice-sized lots are affordable. Its about an hour-long drive from Newmarket to Toronto, just close enough if we want to drive in for concerts and sporting events. We realized that moving would complicate our work commute, but my schedule is fairly flexible and Hilary doesnt mind driving that much.

In late 2019, we officially started house-hunting. We set a budget around $550,000, with a maximum of $600,000, and started looking. We werent too picky about the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, since anything would be an upgrade from our tiny condo. Our ideal place: a detached home, with a big kitchen because we love to cook, and a spacious backyard where we could barbecue and get to know our neighbours.

We found a three-bedroom, three-bathroom semi in Newmarket with a beautiful kitchen and a long, rectangular yard. It was in our price range, too. We were pretty skittish, since it was our first time bidding on a home, but we submitted an offer. The sale became a bidding war and we backed off quickly. We were only willing to spend $560,000 and it ended up going for roughly $570,000. After that, nothing worked out. There were only a few places within our price range and everything seemed to get scooped off the market immediately. After a few months, by February 2020, we thought, Okay, this is just not going to happen right now. We have to wait until theres a bit of a lull.

On March 11, we took a week-long vacation to Cabo with my family. Everything felt relatively normal when we took off. But the day after we arrived, the bad news started coming in. I remember being out for dinner on our first night there, just enjoying the beautiful weather, when we happened to glance at our phones and see an alert about the NBA shutting down. Im not a huge basketball fan, but being a sports guy otherwise, I thought, Woah, this is real. In the days that followed, I received panicked messages from family, friends, and co-workers. A couple days before we were set to leave, I remember Prime Minister Trudeau looking very seriously at the camera during one of his public announcements and saying, Its time to come home. There were plenty of other Canadians vacationing in Cabo. We all wondered how things would be when we got back. Fortunately, given that we were Canadian citizens, we were allowed to return under the governments travel ban.

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When we arrived back in Toronto, on March 18, we immediately went into a 14-day quarantine, per the federal governments mandate. We figured that our house-buying dreams would be put on hold, at least for the moment, since everything was so chaotic and we figured we wouldnt be able to see anything in person anyway. But a couple days later, on March 22, we got a notice from our realtor about a three-bed, three-bath detached that recently hit the market for $579,000 in Newmarket. We could tell from the listing that the layout was just like the first home we bid on, with a big kitchen and a long backyard. It had these amazing half-century old trees, which shielded the house from the street and offered a sense of privacy. It also had some sentimental value, since it was located on the same street as Hollingsworth Arena, where I played hockey as a kid, and right near South Lake Hospital, where I was born.

Hilary and I knew it was a great price, and we thought hard about it. Within a few hours, our realtor got back to us and said someone else had bought the house. We figured wed be stuck living in the condo for a while. Then, on March 28, our realtor got back to us and said the place was back on the market because the first deal fell through. He asked if we were interested. Since we were still in quarantine, we thought, Lets just put an offer in, conditional on home inspection. At this point, wed only looked at the pictures online.

Some people might be anxious about buying a home without seeing it in person. We were comfortable, though, because wed seen nearly identical homes in the same neighbourhood. Having been through the process of bidding on those other homes, we knew what to expect in terms of things that might go wrong. For instance, the houses in that neighbourhood are a bit older, so theyre likely to have aluminum wiring, which is generally a no-no for insurance companies. But I have an electrician and an insurance broker in the family, so I figured wed be fine. And we didnt think we had the luxury of time to ask for a showingeven a virtual showing. We just jumped on it. That said, if we werent in the middle of a pandemic, we probably wouldnt have been so aggressive.

When I signed the offer, I noticed something interesting. The sellers name looked familiar. I asked the realtor if he could find out whether the seller used to teach at Stonehaven Elementary, where I went to school.

Back in elementary school, I loved telling stories. There are a lot of teachers who dont have the energy to deal with a kid who constantly wants to be performing for everyone else. Except for my homeroom teacher, who always encouraged me to express myself artistically. She was creative, too. In her class, we put on a 1970s adaptation of Macbeth, which included big hair, flared jeans and weird Star Wars references. Its one of my favourite memories. That teacher encouraged me to use my imagination, and shes a big reason why I went on to become a video game developer, a job that involves a lot of creativity. I liked her so much that, when I left her class, I gave her a set of wood and metal wind chimes.

Our realtor contacted the listing agent. It turned out that the seller had in fact been my old homeroom teacher. According to the realtor, she remembered me and said that I was one of her favourite students. When I finally saw her at the home inspection at the house, on April 2nd, we were giving each other air hugs because of the social distancing rules. She and her partner introduced us to their neighbours and showed us around their garden. It was such a warm feeling. Sure enough, dangling from a tree in the backyard, were a set of wood and metal wind chimes.

The home inspection was clean and the closing date is May 14. Hilary and I plan to move in at the end of May. Going back to Newmarket makes it feel like my life is coming full circle. Im not sure if my old teacher will take those wind chimes with her when she moves out. But if she leaves them behind, Ill be sure to buy her a new set.

As told to Liza Agrba

More here:
I bought a house without an in-person viewing. When I signed the contract, I noticed something interesting - Toronto Life

Issued on: 02/05/2020 - 04:12

Sydney (AFP)

The New Zealand Warriors have been cleared to fly into Australia as the National Rugby League moves further toward a season return.

Australian officials granted the team an exemption from a ban on international arrivals into the country on Saturday morning, taking a big step toward the planned May 28 resumption of the sport.

The NRL season was suspended on March 24 after just two rounds amid a government shutdown of all non-essential gatherings in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus.

"It has been a challenging and often frustrating time for all parties over the last few weeks with so many issues on the table but it has finally come together as of today," Warriors chief executive Cameron George said Saturday.

The Warriors are expected to land in the rural town of Tamworth on Sunday afternoon and begin a 14-day isolation in the town, about five hours drive from Sydney, before the start of the NRL.

George said a negotiation over player pay had been resolved and the team had also been given permission to train in Australia.

Australia's Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton confirmed 36 players and staff had been granted an exemption from the travel ban, clearing the flight to arrive in the country.

"This is an excellent outcome for rugby league and another step towards the competition resuming on May 28," Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V'landys said.

"The club will follow the strictest biosecurity protocols and, like all clubs, will participate in an education day about the protocols on Monday morning."

On Friday, the league cleared another hurdle after the Queensland government said players would be able to play, train and travel across borders currently locked down as part of coronavirus restrictions in the country.

"I said I was as keen as anyone else to see the NRL return and I meant it," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

But after several players were caught breaching social distancing requirements earlier this week, V'landys warned players would have to be responsible to assure the league's return.

"It's up to the players -- if there's a slip-up... and they do the wrong thing -- that puts the whole rugby league season in doubt," he said.

Under plans thrashed out by the league and its broadcast partners this week, the season will be cut from 25 rounds to 20 -- including the two already played -- with a four-week playoff series ending in a Grand Final on October 25.

The three-match State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland, normally played mid-season, will shift to November for the first time.

2020 AFP

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NRL steps toward return as Warriors cleared to land - RFI