Friday, January 11, 2013 3:00 pm

The Wahpeton-Breckenridge gymnastics team hosted three other area teams Thursday night in its first home event of the season. The girls finished with a team score of 127.850, narrowly missing third place in the team score.

After holding a double-digit lead, the Wahpeton girls basketball team was nearly taken down by Breckenridge, but held on to win 61-57 at North Dakota State College of Science Saturday night.

WASHINGTON (AP) Democratic Sen. John Kerry, who unsuccessfully sought the presidency in 2004 and has pined for the job of top diplomat, vaulted to the head of President Barack Obama's short list of secretary of state candidates after U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice suddenly withdrew from consideration to avoid a contentious confirmation fight with emboldened Republicans.

(ARA) - Whether playing online games, sending and responding to emails, visiting social networks or checking bank accounts, the average American spends 13 hours per week online, according to a survey taken by Forrester. While the ever-evolving conveniences of online shopping and digital communication often make life a little easier, sharing valuable information over the Internet comes with a considerable amount of risk. Consumers should not only be aware of the dangers of being online, but should also take preventative measures to avoid becoming a victim of online scams or fraud.

(ARA) Remodeling a kitchen is still one of the best value-enhancing investments you can make in your home. Remodeling Magazines 2011-2012 Cost vs. Value Report says that even minor kitchen remodels return more than 72 percent of your investment at the time of resale. Yet the cost of even a minor remodel doesnt look that minor $19,588 on average, according to the report.

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Friday, January 11, 2013 3:00 pm

JUSTIN MITCHELL/SUN HERALDTrevor Childs, 20, views photos of kitchen design at Knot Just Kitchens in Gulfport. Childs is the sales and marketing director of Knot Just Kitchens, a home design store.

GULFPORT -- Trevor Childs was busy helping with invoicing and pricing Wednesday afternoon at Knot Just Kitchens.

Childs, the marketing and sales director, helps his mother, Jacque Childs, run the design store.

"I love design," he said. "I'm going to start design school at the University of Southern Mississippi in the fall."

Jacque Childs bought the shop in early 2008 and changed the name to Knot Just Kitchens, using the alternate spelling of not because the Celtic symbol is used in their design work.

At 18, Trevor Childs joined the business.

"We're a one-stop shop for anyone who is building or remodeling a home," said Childs, now 20.

Knot Just Kitchens on Courthouse Road has design rooms that display samples of high-

end kitchens.

Childs said among the popular appliance brands are Sub Zero, Wolf, Dacor, Viking and Whirpool, and they offer many more brands.

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Mother and son's deisgn store is 'knot' just about kitchens

Published: Friday, January 11, 2013, 8:58p.m. Updated 16 hours ago

Author offers New Kitchen Ideas That Work

Some kitchens are beautiful. Some kitchens are functional. The best kitchens are both.

Those are the kitchens Jamie Gold highlights in New Kitchen Ideas That Work.

Gold, a kitchen and bath designer and an aging-in-place specialist, shares a wealth of ideas and information for creating the best kitchen for the money. Her suggestions cover everything from simple spruce-ups to full-scale remodels.

Gold helps readers determine the strengths and weaknesses of their kitchens, make style and design choices, develop a budget and hire help. She offers suggestions for layouts and features and schools her readers on elements such as cabinets, lighting and appliances.

New Kitchen Ideas That Work is published by the Taunton Press and is priced at $21.95 in softcover.

Wagner sprayers paint inside and out

Wagner has introduced two paint sprayers designed for use indoors and outside.

The PaintReady Sprayer and PaintReady System have a patented nozzle that requires no thinning of paint. Theyre quiet and lightweight and can be used with interior or exterior latex paint, stains and sealers.

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Homework: ‘New Kitchen Ideas’; Wagner paint sprayers; Westmoreland winter antique show

The National Association of Realtors released their Home Affordability Index announcing 2012 as a record year for favorable housing affordability conditions and 2013 as ideal for home buyers with with the means to gain a loan. Destiny Homes, a Minneapolis luxury home builder comments on the findings and why Minneapolis luxury home sales finished the year so high.

Minneapolis, Minnesota (PRWEB) January 10, 2013

According to a CNN Money article titled "Luxury home sales soared in final months of 2012", sales of homes valued at $1 million or more spiked 51% in November compared with a year earlier. "All told, a high-earner would pay $88,000 less in taxes if they made a $1 million profit on their home in 2012 rather than in 2013".

Destiny Homes owner Butch Sprenger summed up 2012: "We are seeing the return of the move-up homeowner. With the increase in home equities that the Minneapolis housing markets is experiencing, and home prices recovering, more and homeowners realize that now may be their greatest opportunity to build a new home to a lifestyle they always wanted, or take on a major home renovation. Sometimes new home buyers find it hard to comprehend that home values in one area of the country is not the same as home values in another part of the real estate housing market".

With the Housing Affordability Index positive outlook, home buyers are able to stay well within their means with interest rates so low, making it a perfect time to build or buy a luxury home. "Although 2012 was highest on record, the excessively tight underwriting precluded many would-be homebuyers from locking-in generational low interest rates. Rising home prices and a gradual uptrend in mortgage interest rates will offset improvements in family income, but 2013 likely will be the third best on record in terms of household buying power. A window of opportunity remains open for buyers who can qualify for a mortgage," comments Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist.

With the Minneapolis housing market having one of the nation's best Housing Affordability Indexes, Destiny Homes finds clients maximizing home investments and preferring a luxury residential home of quality new construction including the following lavish home features:

1) Luxury Surface Finishes:

A distinguishing luxury home currently uses lavish special techniques for wall finishes, floor finishes and wood beamed ceilings or special paint finishes on the ceiling.

2) Home Spas And Infinity pools:

These seemingly endless pools are often being combined with a fire feature such as standing urns that reflects on the water at night. Use of high quality stone on interior home spas requires expertise skills and careful custom custom cutting for stunning and lavish results.

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Luxury Homes Sales Up Due Partly To Homeowners High Housing Affordability

Published: Thursday, January 10, 2013, 12:01 a.m.

The guest bathroom was too big and the master bath too small. There was no bathroom on the bottom level of the house, leaving anyone entering with muddy feet from the yard with a long, carpeted trek to the powder room.

The Lake Stevens couple decided to overhaul both bathrooms and add a third. And here's the kicker: They wanted the rooms to be beautiful and one-of-a-kind while still keeping the budget in check.

The result is -- there's no other way to describe it -- cool. Take the new bathroom downstairs. The door is opaque glass embellished with a red-leafed maple tree design, a $75 find on Craigslist.

Inside, the walls are painted a color called "Iguana" (it's perky, not dark), the shower is shaped like a half-circle and the floor is stained concrete with a drain for easy cleaning. It's a functional room that still manages to be fun and funky.

The project designer, Kelly DuByne of Distinctive Interior Designs, provided some tips on how to accomplish your own bathroom remodel without breaking the bank. DuByne worked closely with Darcy Mertz Design on the project.

Use remnant pieces for flooring and countertops. Flooring and countertop companies generally order these materials in large amounts, and they are often willing to get rid of the extra from various projects at a reduced price.

Even high-end products can sometimes be found for a song. DuByne suggests calling businesses that sell these products and asking.

Reuse the same mirror but frame with wood or trim pieces for an updated look. And here's another idea: In this project, DuByne used second-hand mirrors with personality.

Use prebuilt cabinets and change up the look with some fresh paint. In the downstairs bathroom, DuByne used an inexpensive cabinet from a big box store for the sink. You wouldn't even recognize it with the fresh coat of Berry Chili Beans paint -- sorta reddish pink. That allowed the homeowner to splurge on custom cabinets for the two upstairs bathrooms.

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Affordable bathroom remodel takes searching for deals

The new Mohave County Board of Supervisors was off to a technically glitch-filled start during its debut general meeting Monday in Kingman when inaccurate information plagued at least two agenda item descriptions, and possibly one amended motion.

THE COURT EXPANSION

The board discussed a consent agenda item pertaining to the construction funding for an expansion project that would accommodate the newly formed division seven court room to be based in Havasu. The agenda item included $311,899 from the countys quarter-cent sales tax.

During discussions, Supervisor Buster Johnson, R-Dist. 3, called on county finance director John Timko because law statutorily links the quarter-cent sales tax to new building construction, not remodels or expansions.

Timko, who apologized for the oversight, stated he wasnt aware of the laws limitations.

Im questioning the use of those funds, Johnson said during the meeting, How can you take money out of something thats not there?

Johnson, who has been opposed to the court expansion since its inception the latter part of 2012, was the sole no-vote Monday. The remaining supervisors supported the measure on its merit after noting an amendment to the $311,899 being taken from the general fund in lieu of the quarter-cent sales tax stores.

After the meeting, Johnson said the amendment will have to be amended, too, because funds cannot be taken from the general fund, but rather need to be noted as taken from the contingency fund at this point in the fiscal year, which closes June 30. The general fund expenditures are sorted during budget talks that begin in March each year, and nailed down with a favorable vote by the supervisors mid-year. The countys fiscal year officially begins July 1. Any expenditure after that is considered contingent.

BULLHEAD SENIOR CENTER

Supervisors voted 4-to-1 in favor of turning over a U.S. Bureau of Land Management lease and senior center building, at 2275 Trane Road in Bullhead City, after discussions of building repair requirements and county financial savings ensued. Johnson was opposed.

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New Board of Supervisors off to glitch-filled start

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JERRY McBRIDE/Durango Herald

Bouges, who uses only one name, with Western Sky Woodworks, works to finish the lobby of the Holiday Inn & Suites on U.S. Highway 160. The new inn, along with Homewood Suites, which is being built in Bodo Industrial Park, will add 194 rooms to Durangos inventory.

JERRY McBRIDE/Durango Herald

Bouges, who uses only one name, with Western Sky Woodworks, works to finish the lobby of the Holiday Inn & Suites on U.S. Highway 160. The new inn, along with Homewood Suites, which is being built in Bodo Industrial Park, will add 194 rooms to Durangos inventory.

Welcome to Durango signs greet the tourists, but the orange neon of No Vacancy probably sends them on their way.

Durango boasts some of the highest hotel occupancy rates in Colorado, reaching 85 percent and higher in August during the height of the tourist season, according to state lodging statistics, but 2013 should be a more inviting year.

For the first time since the Marriott Residence Inn opened in 1997, Durango is about to get a new hotel, according to the Durango Area Tourism Office. In the same period, Durango lost at least two hotels, both on North Main, while others have undergone conversions to condos.

The Holiday Inn & Suites, is set to open by mid-January, which in turn will be followed by another new hotel, a Homewood Suites, scheduled to open early this summer.

The two new inns would add a total of 194 rooms, increasing the citys inventory of 1,734 hotel rooms by 11 percent.

Excerpt from:

Durango gets its first new hotels since 1997

Feinmann Inc., a Boston design and build firm wins three Gold 2012 Contractor of the Year Regional NARI Awards

Boston, MA (PRWEB) January 08, 2013

The Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards are given each year by NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) Headquarters to members who have demonstrated outstanding work through their remodeling projects.

A dark kitchen becomes a showstopper with abundant natural light and task lighting, plus sleek white high gloss lacquer and maple cabinetry. An adjacent eating area features a faceted ceiling with soaring angles and skylights. The Milton kitchen that won the prize was also featured in the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine Kitchens & Baths issue.

Innovative space planning gives a Beacon Hill home a modern urban revival. A new kitchen connects to the main living spaces and is the centerpiece of the home. The renovation included two bathrooms and the creation of a tatami room which serves multiple purposes as a guest room, meditation space and childrens play area.

Finally, past clients sought to create an outdoor room with access to their hot tub and a place to gather with guests. The clients loved the results: a screened porch for relaxation and entertaining, saying We called Feinmann, our trusted go-to company, to design and build a functional multi-season room, making this our third collaboration since weve lived in our house. The resulting porch is not only a beautiful space, but it met every one of our needs. Were honored to be longtime clients!

As specialists in whole house renovations, room additions, and kitchen/ bath remodels, Feinmanns award-winning design and build team offers all the services a client may need including architectural design and residential construction.

This is not the first time Feinmann has been recognized for their outstanding work in kitchen design and remodeling. Their Boston kitchen design for an Arlington, MA home won the Eastern Massachusetts Contractor of the Year Award Best Kitchen over $100,000. Feinmann has also been recognized for their Boston bathroom elegant design work, as well as their complete renovation of a Queen Anne Victorian home in Newton, MA. Their work on that home resulted in several awards as well.

Feinmann has previously been recognized by NARI and received several CotY Awards before, including the Eastern Massachusetts Contractor of the Year (CotY) Silver Awards in 2007, 2009, 2010 and Gold Award in 2011.

About Feinmann, Inc.

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Boston Design and Build Firm, Feinmann Inc., Wins 3 Gold 2012 CotY Regional NARI Awards

Remodeling Contractor in Seattle - Specializing in Kitchens, Bathrooms, and More
http://www.homeworksbykelly.com Looking for a Remodeling Contractor in Seattle? Home Works by Kelly Lems specializes in Kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, and much more. Home Works by Kelly is a full-service, Remodeling Company that puts the emphasis on project management. We provide guidance, planning and management for a successful remodel, no matter how big or small the job. Remodeling or building a custom home can be a very scary task to undertake. With our help, we make it easy. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.homeworksbykelly.com Or call us today at: 425-417-3183.

By: Kelly Lems

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Remodeling Contractor in Seattle - Specializing in Kitchens, Bathrooms, and More - Video

Redmond Remodeling Contractor - Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel, and More
http://www.homeworksbykelly.com Looking for a Remodeling Contractor in Redmond or the Eastside area? Home Works by Kelly Lems specializes in Kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, and much more. Home Works by Kelly is a full-service, Remodeling Company that puts the emphasis on project management. We provide guidance, planning and management for a successful remodel, no matter how big or small the job. Remodeling or building a custom home can be a very scary task to undertake. With our help, we make it easy. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.homeworksbykelly.com Or call us today at: 425-417-3183.

By: Kelly Lems

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Redmond Remodeling Contractor - Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel, and More - Video