It's been seven years since Air Force veteranLarry Murphree put an American flag in a flower pot on his porch he's still appearing in court over the issue today.

"I took a small 4-inch by 6-inch flag and put it in my flower pot on the front porch. I was in a condo complex, but we could do that no problem," Murphree said. At least he thought he could.

"I got a violation letter from the HOA that the American flag was an unauthorized object. And I lost it."

The homeowner's association (HOA) fined him $100 each day the flag was in the pot, which eventually ran up $1,000 in fees. So, Murphree enlisted the help oflawyer Gust Sarris, who filed a lawsuit in federal court.Sarris says the HOA settled in 2012 and the two sides agreed that the flag could fly. But the fight didn't end there.

A veteran put an American flag on his porch. Now hes headed to court.

"Two weeks later they implemented new rules about where you could put a flag and what you could put in a flower pot. Obviously, my flag didn't make the cut," Murphree said.

They decided they werent going to regulate flags, but flowerpots, Sarris said. Some people call this the Larry Law.

For years, the violation notices have continued and the HOA has expanded the fight beyond just the flag.

Once the HOA sent a violationbecause the lights wrapped around his outside tree were solar-powered when the HOA requires them to be battery-operated. Another time, they complained that the lights on his bushes were too bright, and cited Murphree once again because his car was not parked directly in front of his garage door.

"It's been seven years. It's gone on and on. We've been to county court, state court, circuit court, federal court. It's a cash cow for the law firm. But there's no end to it," Murphree said.

After almost eight years, however, Murphree says he has no intention of backing down.

"I've always thought if you firmly, 100 percent believe in something, and you have the opportunity to stand up for it and you don't? You'll always regret it," Murphree said. "They're waiting for me to die or go away. Only one of those is going to happen I'm not going anywhere."

Next Monday, Murphree will appear in court to continue his trial. He's asking for support.

"We want to fill up the court with as many Veterans, friends, family, armed forces and anyone who supports the Flag, or has bravely defended our country for our freedom!" a notice from the Murphree's read.

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Veteran Fighting HOA Over His Porch Flag Still In Court - Connecting Vets

UPDATE: Family tells WLKY the porch swing along with the memorial was returned and placed on their front porch Friday evening. ============A theft was caught on camera. A neighbor's security system shows two thieves stealing a swing with a memorial on it.They say memories last a lifetime. For loved ones of Pearlie Arnold, some were made on her swing in the Portland neighborhood"It's where we always went and sat, and the kids loved playing in it," said Pearlie's daughter, Patricia Cundiff.For close to 40 years, different generations sat and played on it. So after the 85-year-old died in early February, her neighbor of 30-plus years, Sharon Pittman, wanted to build a memorial for her. But the sweet enjoyment of seeing it there didn't last long."I just stood there. I couldn't believe it, it was 5 in the morning and I could not believe I wasn't seeing the swing," said Pittman.Surveillance footage from Pittman's home earlier this week shows two people stealing the swing and walking away."It doesn't even look right, looking up on the porch, it just doesn't even look the same," said Pearlie's granddaughter, Melissa Mills.Pittman and Arnold's family tells WLKY they don't know why someone would take it, especially since it had a memorial of roses of someone these two people didn't even know."It's been there for so long, I just cannot imagine why they would have done that," said Pittman."You are pathetic, a lowlife. Just bring it back and put it on the porch and nobody will have to know who you are," Cundiff told WLKY.They hope speaking out sends a message to the criminals. They made their grieving process that much more difficult. "Just bring it back. It means something to us; it doesn't mean anything to you," said Mills.

UPDATE: Family tells WLKY the porch swing along with the memorial was returned and placed on their front porch Friday evening.

============

A theft was caught on camera. A neighbor's security system shows two thieves stealing a swing with a memorial on it.

They say memories last a lifetime. For loved ones of Pearlie Arnold, some were made on her swing in the Portland neighborhood

"It's where we always went and sat, and the kids loved playing in it," said Pearlie's daughter, Patricia Cundiff.

For close to 40 years, different generations sat and played on it. So after the 85-year-old died in early February, her neighbor of 30-plus years, Sharon Pittman, wanted to build a memorial for her. But the sweet enjoyment of seeing it there didn't last long.

"I just stood there. I couldn't believe it, it was 5 in the morning and I could not believe I wasn't seeing the swing," said Pittman.

Surveillance footage from Pittman's home earlier this week shows two people stealing the swing and walking away.

"It doesn't even look right, looking up on the porch, it just doesn't even look the same," said Pearlie's granddaughter, Melissa Mills.

Pittman and Arnold's family tells WLKY they don't know why someone would take it, especially since it had a memorial of roses of someone these two people didn't even know.

"It's been there for so long, I just cannot imagine why they would have done that," said Pittman.

"You are pathetic, a lowlife. Just bring it back and put it on the porch and nobody will have to know who you are," Cundiff told WLKY.

They hope speaking out sends a message to the criminals. They made their grieving process that much more difficult.

"Just bring it back. It means something to us; it doesn't mean anything to you," said Mills.

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Stolen porch swing and memorial for grandmother returned to family - WLKY Louisville

GOUVERNEUR The driver of a 2017 Toyota that went off the road this week, striking a pole and then a house before catching fire, has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident.

At around 12:30 a.m. Monday, the village fire department responded to reports of a car striking a pole at 169 Grove St. When crews arrived, they found the vehicle had gone through the power line and struck a house, causing extensive damage to the front porch.

Gouverneur Fire Chief Thomas Conklin said the residence was remodeled into a three-unit apartment building, and two units were occupied. Crews evacuated the families and then stabilized the house, he said. There didnt appear to be a driver of the Toyota at the scene.

After around 25 minutes of working the scene, the power line that the car struck broke and landed on the Toyota, causing all four tires to catch on fire instantly.

It was like a big, bright burst with loud noises, Mr. Conklin said. We were ready for it, but we werent expecting it.

The fire was knocked down before it could cause damage to the home.

Fortunately, Mr. Conklin said, the power line landed on the car and not the house.

The driver of the Toyota who fled the scene was later identified as Christopher Shampine, 33, of 43 Wall St., Gouverneur. Police Chief Laurina Greenhill said Mr. Shampine was cited for leaving the scene of a property-damage accident and for his speed being unreasonable in the conditions.

There was a passenger in Mr. Shampines car who did not flee the scene, Ms. Greenhill said. There were no reported injuries as a result of the crash.

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Driver cited after crashing car into Gouverneur porch, fleeing scene - NNY360

Trey Wingo had a bit of a scare today as a bear tried to enter his house, or at least thats what it looked like. Wingo posted a pic on his Twitter account of a bear standing on the porch railing and peering into the glass door.

Theres just one problem with this picture. That photo is from 2017 so unless Wingo developed the ability to travel back in time (which would honestly be kick ass), theres something else going on here.

Sure enough, a CBS News article and video from May 2017 contained the bear in the exact same pose with the same tags on its ears and standing on the same colored deck as the pic Wingo posted. Googling bear tries to break into home will get you to the pic as well. Scrolling through replies, others have pointed out that this didnt really happen to Wingo.

Im honestly not sure why Trey decided to post a pic of a bear from nearly three years ago and act like this happened to him. Surely, there are better and more honest ways to generate social media engagement. If it was meant to be a joke or a test to see how many people one can fool, I guess mission accomplished because a bunch of people believed that.

Sure, this isnt sports so its not like this automatically means Wingo would bend the truth on a sports story. But with an abundance of fake news out and about on social media and people already distrusting the mainstream media, its probably best to not risk your reputation on something this dumb and something that can be so easily disputed.

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Trey Wingo posts pic of a bear on his back porch, even though the pic is from 2017 - Awful Announcing

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MADISON HEIGHTS Unsolicited materials thrown in front of ones home can cause all sorts of problems, becoming litter for the environment, tripping hazards for pedestrians, or obstacles for snowblowers that might suck up buried objects.

The Madison Heights City Council is trying to address the issue with the recent unanimous passage of an ordinance that requires these materials to be placed in certain areas, such as the porch, front door or specially designated receptacles.

As council is aware, residents receive unsolicited materials that are many times deposited in the residents driveway approach. This unsolicited material also migrates to public streets or other public property and is a nuisance, blight or litter on private property, public streets or other public property, wrote Nic Grochowski, the assistant city attorney, in a letter to the City Council.

The U.S. Court of Appeals recently issued a decision on this subject that gave municipalities guidance on constitutional and acceptable ordinance language that municipalities could enact to address this concern. This proposed ordinance amendment is substantially similar to and based on the ordinance language that the U.S. Court of Appeals approved in that opinion, he continued. The proposed ordinance amendment is also similar to an ordinance recently approved and adopted by the city of Ferndale on the same topic.

The newly approved ordinance requires that any unsolicited written materials delivered to a property be placed at one of the following locations:

On a porch, if one exists, nearest the front door.

Securely attached to the front door.

Through a door slot on the front door used by the U.S. Postal Service.

Between the exterior front door, if unlocked, and the interior front door.

In a distribution box on or adjacent to the property, where permitted.

Adjacent to a postal box near the front door.

Delivered in person to the property owner, occupant or lessee.

Anyone found violating the new ordinance by delivering unsolicited written materials to a location other than those described may be charged with a civil infraction and a civil fine of $100.

This ordinance is a small change, but an important one that is made necessary not just because unsolicited materials left all over our citizens property is inconvenient, but it also unnecessarily contributes to added litter and blight in our neighborhoods, said Madison Heights City Councilman Mark Bliss.

Forcing these materials to be placed on porches will reduce that and make it more difficult for waterlogged papers to find their way to the sidewalk or street and potentially clog our drains and become trip hazards in the snow, Bliss said. Additionally, this will make it easier for those with health issues who find it difficult to pick them up at the foot of their driveway, to collect these materials and perhaps gain some value from them.

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Madison Heights adopts ordinance on unsolicited materials - C&G Newspapers

FAYETTEVILLE When the doctor tells you to shut it down, you listen.

That was my order last week, one day before opening day of the 2020 season. I was sick and the doctors orders were to stay home for at least four days.

For the first time since I began covering the team 12 seasons ago, I found myself away from Baum-Walker Stadium as the season began. It was an odd feeling.

Before getting sick I spent quite some time on a preseason observations piece. In it were some predictions that I felt were validated on opening weekend, but were never published.

Here were the predictions (written before the games, I promise):

Arkansas will hit at least 77 home runs during the regular season, including at least 20 by Heston Kjerstad. Whether the Razorbacks challenge the school record of 98 set two years ago will depend on how many games they play in the postseason, but this team has as much power as any in memory. Kjerstad appears primed for a big year at the plate, similar to when Andrew Benintendi and Chad Spanberger had 20-homer seasons in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

Anyone who saw Kjerstad bat in the preseason will tell you that his performance against EIU came as no surprise. He has been tearing it up at the plate for quite some time, dating to last summer with the USA Collegiate National Team. During preseason scrimmages he was a near-impossible out for the Razorbacks younger pitchers.

A consensus first-team All-American in the preseason, Kjerstad appears to be in line to contend for conference - and possibly national - player of the year honors, and big power numbers will always help the cause.

Kjerstad should lead the team in homers, but several Razorbacks have the capability to hit several this year. It would not surprise to see Casey Martin, Christian Franklin, Braydon Webb or Matt Goodheart finish with double-digit homers. Franklin, Webb and Goodheart all homered on opening weekend, and Arkansas has seven home runs through three games.

The Razorbacks will score at least 25 runs on opening weekend. This actually feels like a low projection given how Arkansas lineup batted against Razorback pitching in scrimmages during the preseason, but the first games can be a struggle, especially in cold weather. Its worth noting that against EIU last season, Arkansas scored 30 runs in three games, 27 of which came during an opening-day doubleheader.

Arkansas scored 27 runs against EIU. With 30 runners stranded in three games, the potential was there to put a lot more on the board, but its hard to scoff at an average of nine runs per game at this point in the season and in cold weather.

Two pitchers will record at least five saves as the Razorbacks take a by-committee approach to replace departed closer Matt Cronin. The most likely candidates to lead the team in saves are junior right hander Zebulon Vermillion and sophomore right hander Elijah Trest, although Dave Van Horn mentioned redshirt junior right hander Kevin Kopps as a potential closer. Vermillions status for opening weekend is iffy as he recovers from a lingering hamstring injury.

Probably in part due to the cold, Vermillion didnt pitch against EIU. Because of the lopsided scores, no pitcher had a chance at a save.

But the series did provide a look at some of the options at the back end. Kopps (Game 1) and Trest (Game 3) each pitched a scoreless ninth, while Peyton Pallette allowed a run on two hits in the final inning of the middle game of the series.

Trest looked the most impressive of the three with an eight-pitch outing to retire the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 hitters in the EIU lineup. Trests outing reminded some of Cronin with seven fastballs registered at either 95 or 96 mph, and only one outside the strike zone.

Strikeouts will decrease from last season when the Razorbacks set a school record with 581, or an average of 8.8 per game. Look for Arkansas per-game walk total to slightly increase from 4.9 per game last season.

The Razorbacks struck out 20 times against EIU, with seven coming in the season opener against power right hander Will Klein. Arkansas walked 18 times in the series.

Dave Van Horn said he wants to see the strikeout total decrease this weekend against Gonzaga, and that he was a little more pleased in that regard in the second and third games of the EIU series. Eight of the strikeouts came in the season opener.

As a power-hitting team, Arkansas strikeout totals, even if lower, are going to be higher than some can stomach.

Arkansas will break the tickets-sold record for an opening weekend. Poor weather Friday threatens this projection, but temperatures Saturday and Sunday are conducive for big crowds. Plus, a sold-out basketball crowd Saturday is likely to spill over to the baseball stadium. The record at Baum-Walker Stadium for opening-weekend tickets sold is 29,354 for the series against Miami (Ohio) in 2017. Arkansas has sold at least 7,018 season ticket packages this year, meaning an average walk-up crowd of around 2,800 per game would be enough to break the record for an opening weekend.

I was off by just a little. The Razorbacks sold 29,118 for the EIU series, good for second best in school history. It was also good for second most nationally on opening weekend, behind LSUs home series against Indiana.

On Gonzaga

The Bulldogs were the preseason pick to win the West Coast Conference. They have won the conference tournament two of the past four seasons.

Gonzaga comes into the series with a 2-2 record following an opening-weekend event in Surprise, Ariz., where the Bulldogs split two games with Oregon State, defeated New Mexico with a ninth-inning rally and lost to BYU.

Sixteenth-year Gonzaga coach Mark Machtolf has had some success against Arkansas, with a 4-2 record. In 2013, now-Seattle Mariners pitcher Marco Gonzales pitched a complete game in a 3-0 victory over the Razorbacks in Surprise, Ariz.

In 2015, Gonzaga swept two midweek games from an Arkansas team that wound up in the College World Series. The Bulldogs also won a game during a midweek series that was cut short in 2016. All three of those games were played in Fayetteville.

As an extended weekend series, the teams will approach this weeks games differently, throwing their best pitchers.

For Gonzaga, the best pitcher is junior right hander Alek Jacob, who is expected to start Game 3 opposite of Arkansas Patrick Wicklander. Jacob was on a pair of preseason All-America teams.

Against Oregon State last week, Jacob allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and 4 walks, and struck out 6 in 4 innings.

Similar to Will Klein of EIU last week, Jacob is transitioning back into being a starter full-time. He made only four starts last season when he recorded 12 saves. He was a starter as a freshman.

Jacob will not wow with velocity, but is effective by pitching from a low angle that can make the ball difficult to see out of his hand. In his first start of the year his fastball registered in the mid 80s. He also throws a changeup and a breaking ball.

Keaton Knueppel, a redshirt junior left hander, is scheduled to start Thursday for the Zags. Knueppel has pitched in just six college games and is making his first appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Senior left hander Mac Lardner is scheduled to start Friday. Lardner was 6-4 with a 5.06 ERA a year ago. In his first start this year he struck out 9, allowed 1 hit and walked 2 in 6 innings against BYU.

Nick Trogrlic-Iverson, a senior right hander, is scheduled to throw Sunday. He was 4-3 with a 5.05 ERA last year, and allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and struck out 6 batters in 4 innings against Oregon State last week.

Jack Machtolf, a redshirt junior outfielder who is the son of the head coach, was 4-for-11 and drew 4 walks on the first weekend. Senior outfielder Ryan Sullivan also had a solid weekend at the plate with a 5-for-12 performance that included a home run, a triple and a double.

First pitch for the first game of the series has been moved up by one hour to 2 p.m. Like last weeks season opener, the change was made because of cold temperatures in the forecast. The high Friday is 41 degrees, but the temperature will fall throughout the game as the sun sets behind the stadium, casting shadows across the park.

The final three game times remain unchanged for now, but dont be surprised to see a doubleheader scheduled for either Friday or Saturday because of a poor forecast Sunday that includes a 70 percent chance of rain.

Noland Dominant

Arkansas Game 1 pitching has been superb since 2017.

Fans remember the all-time great seasons recorded by Blaine Knight in 2018 and Isaiah Campbell last year, but it seems some forget how good Trevor Stephan was in 2017 when he went 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 91 innings while pitching primarily out of the No. 1 position.

Over the past three years, Arkansas record in SEC openers was 23-7 behind the pitching of Stephan, Knight and Campbell. That does not take into consideration nonconference or postseason play, when all three pitched well. All three were taken in the first three rounds of the MLB Draft.

Perhaps the biggest question mark coming into 2020 was whether the Razorbacks could develop another ace who could pitch comparable to those departed stars. Starters returned, but Connor Noland and Patrick Wicklander are sophomores, whereas Knight and Stephan were juniors and Campbell was a fourth-year junior during their banner years.

Being careful to draw too many conclusions from one performance against an overmatched opponent, it appears Noland might have the stuff to be a suitable replacement to Campbell.

Noland looked great in the season opener when he allowed 1 unearned run on 2 hits and 1 walk in 6 2/3 innings. The sophomore right hander struck out a career-high 11, the second double-digit strikeout performance of his career, but likely not the last.

Noland is only the sixth Arkansas pitcher to record 11 strikeouts in a single game in the past 10 seasons. The others? Stephan, Knight, Campbell, Kacey Murphy and Cody Scroggins.

After spending an offseason focused on baseball for the first time, Noland showed a three-pitch arsenal of fastball, curveball, slider that had improved velocity and command. EIU coach Jason Anderson, a long-time minor league hitter, said Nolands slider was probably the best his team will see this season.

Noland faced the minimum through six innings and allowed a run only because of an error by shortstop Casey Martin. For an outing with so many strikeouts, his average of 4.3 pitches per out seemed especially efficient.

Noland seems real comfortable pitching at Baum-Walker Stadium, even dating to high school when as a senior he struck out 12 to lead Greenwood to a state championship. His best performances last year came at home against Mississippi State and Tennessee during back-to-back weeks in April.

Can he take that kind of performance on the road like his predecessors did before him? With Wicklander struggling some with command and a third starter undetermined, Arkansas needs Noland to anchor the weekend with a strong performance in Game 1.

To stay on a seven-day rest schedule, Noland will pitch the second game against Gonzaga this weekend, then is likely to pitch the first game the following weekend, against Oklahoma in Houston.

Shorter Porch

The construction of the new $27 million baseball performance center beyond the right field wall at Baum-Walker Stadium might have contributed to at least one home run on opening weekend.

Braydon Webbs leadoff homer in the first inning of the Razorbacks 10-1 victory on Saturday just cleared the fence in the right field corner. The ball appeared to be drifting foul, but a strong wind pushed it back into play just inside the foul pole.

The fence in the right field corner was moved in 8 feet this year because of the construction. The foul pole in right is now 312 feet from home plate.

Webbs home run might have been a double off the top of the wall a year ago when the fence sat at 320 feet. It will be interesting to see how many home runs sneak over that wall throughout the rest of the season.

At 312 feet, Arkansas has the second-shortest right-field porch in the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State moved its right field fence to 305 feet as part of the renovation to Dudy Noble Field last year.

For years, Georgias Foley Field had the leagues shortest porch in right at 314 feet.

There is no word whether Arkansas will readjust the fence in right once construction is complete. Seven years ago the right-center field fence at the stadium was brought in 10 feet to 365.

Here is a look at the right-field dimensions at all of the SEC stadiums:

Alabama: Sewell-Thomas Stadium 320

Arkansas: Baum-Walker Stadium 312

Auburn: Plainsman Park 320

Florida: McKethan Stadium 321

Georgia: Foley Field 314

Kentucky: Kentucky Proud Park 320

LSU: Alex Box Stadium 330

Ole Miss: Swayze Field 330

Mississippi State: Dudy Noble Field 305

Missouri: Taylor Stadium 340

South Carolina: Founders Park 325

Tennessee: Lindsey Nelson Stadium 320

Texas A&M: Blue Bell Park 330

Vanderbilt: Hawkins Field 330

Odds and Ends

Arkansas has two players on the roster who have 6 RBI games in their career. Kjerstad achieved the feat before being taken out of the game early Sunday. Jacob Nesbit had a 6-RBI game last year against Tennessee.

Eight Razorbacks pitched at least one inning against EIU without allowing an earned run.

The middle infield will be fun to watch this season. Casey Martin at shortstop and Robert Moore at second base both are extremely quick and rangy. Martin misplayed a ground ball in the season opener but his defense in the preseason looked improved. Moore has a chance to be a special defender up the middle.

It doesnt appear Arkansas will run quite as much this season. The Razorbacks only attempted three stolen bases against EIU, compared to eight stolen-base attempts in the first series against EIU a year ago. Casey Martin and Christian Franklin were successful in their steal attempts, while Casey Opitz was caught.

Signage has been replaced across the ballpark to reflect the name change last year to Baum-Walker Stadium. The most notable change is atop the video board in right-center field, where the old Baum Stadium sign remained intact throughout the 2019 season. That sign now says Baum-Walker is a style consistent with the old one.

Former Razorback pitcher Kacey Murphy is coaching in the bullpen this season. Murphy was a starter on Arkansas national runner-up team in 2018. He replaces Doug Willey, who began working as a minor-league coach for the Chicago Cubs late last year.

The right field fence isnt the only thing that has been moved at the ballpark due to construction. The flag pole and a light pole were also repositioned. The flag pole is now positioned near the left-field entrance.

Thanks to freshman catcher Dominic Tamez, Arkansas has had a player named Dominic on its roster for 10 seasons in a row. The streak began with infielder Dominic Ficociellos freshman season in 2011, and continued with pitcher Dominic Taccolini from 2014-17 and outfielder Dominic Fletcher from 2017-19.

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This week in Arkansas baseball: Delayed predictions, previewing Gonzaga, short porch and more - WholeHogSports

A woman preparing to take off for a trip out of state was preparing for her departure and in her haste, she sat her purse down on her outside porch and went back inside.

The woman, who resides on Myron Street, told police she sat her purse down on the front porch and went back inside for about 20 minutes.

All of the womans banking information and identity documents were in the purse, along with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to a police report.

The woman told police she did not see anyone in the area.

Although the woman said the incident occurred at about 1 a.m. Jan. 27, she did not report it until Feb. 5.

The woman said the delay was due to her leaving town on a prepaid vacation.

She was advised to check local pawn stores for her purse.

The purse was light pink and briefcase-shaped.

Its value is about $500, according to the report.

Continued here:
Lincoln Park woman preparing to leave town sits purse on porch in haste and it's stolen in minutes - Southgate News Herald

On the shop side are two service and storage bays for equipment, and a mezzanine for smaller storage. On the house side, it contains a kitchen, dining room, entertainment space, a corner office with big windows and a wrap-around porch. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Jim Patrico)

Dave Geise's friends tease him: That shiny new farm shop he recently built is not really a shop, they say, it's a "shouse." Or, maybe it's a "barndominium." Whatever they call the structure, Geise is proud of it. "It's a dream come true," he said of the 127 feet-by-60 feet Morton building that seamlessly marries the utility of a shop with the comforts of a house.

On the shop side, Geise's "shouse" contains two service and storage bays for equipment, and a mezzanine for smaller storage. On the house side, it contains a kitchen, dining room, entertainment space, a corner office with big windows and -- maybe most importantly -- a wrap-around porch that offers awe-inspiring views of Iowa's rolling Loess Hills.

All of this sits about 100 yards from the Geise's four-bedroom house outside of Logan, Iowa.

Why build a "shouse" when you have a house so close? The 52-year-old Geise needed to accommodate the eventual remodeling of an old farmhouse, his farming operation and a growing off-farm business. He and wife, Ginger, decided to put three ventures under one roof while they contemplate a new or remodeled house.

The Geises own two companies: Concrete Leveling Solutions and CLS Foundation Repair and Waterproofing, which together have 22 part-time and full-time employees. They rent some cropland to others, and Geise tends 25 to 30 cow-calf pairs and 40 acres of pasture. He also hays about 30 acres. In addition, with help from son Bo, he does conservation work including terracing, brush clearing and ditch cleaning. All of which means Geise has equipment -- both for the farm and for the concrete business -- that requires service, maintenance and storage.

MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING

Six years ago, when the couple moved to the farm, they acquired a 100-year-old house and a shop/storage building that was a mess. They wanted to replace both with something more modern and organized.

The rest is here:
America's Best Shops - 4 Iowa Farm "Shouse" - DTN The Progressive Farmer

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FILE PHOTO: A Salinas police officer speaks with a man at the corner of E. Laurel Drive and Granada Avenue near a deadly shooting Feb. 22, 2019.(Photo: Joe Szydlowski)

Almost one year after a Salinas man was gunned down on his front porch, the teenager accused of killing him has been ordered to stand trial.

Mextli Margarito Velarde, 18, of Soledad, allegedly shot and killed Abdelwahed Rahali, 37, Feb. 22, 2019, the first homicide of that year.

On Thursday, Monterey County Superior Court Judge Mark Hood ordered him to stand trial on one count of murder and one count of shooting at a home with a special allegation for using a firearm.

At that preliminary hearing, in which a judge decides whether prosecutors have sufficient evidence to bring a defendant to trial, Salinas police testified as to how they used surveillance video and bullet analysis to determine Velarde, then 17, was the gunman.

Mextli Velarde(Photo: PROVIDED/MONTEREY COUNTY JAIL)

Salinas Police Officer Nicolas Reyes, a member of the department's Violence Suppression Task Force, described finding Rahali with a gunshot wound to his cheek at a home in the 1200 block of Granada Avenue.

"I was being flagged down frantically as I turned the corner," he testified.

He reviewed surveillance footage from the home, which showed a man wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and dark shoes with white soles approach Rahali along a "pony wall."

Rahali was on his porch in front of the home both individuals paused before the suspect pulled out ahandgun and fired, Reyes said. He saw two muzzle flashes on camera, though he noticed additionalbullet marks on the door frame.

One of the bullets shot at Rahali hit and shattered the window at the top of his front door.(Photo: Staff photo / Kate Cimini)

Salinas Police Officer Luis Trobio testified he'd responded to a Shot Spotter alert that five shots had been fired.

Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Stefanie Zamora declined to say how many shots had been fired or how many hit Rahali, though she acknowledged he died from "multiple" gun shot wounds.

The suspect, who also had a backpack with reflective markings, then ran northon Granada, Reyes said.

Zamora noted that backpack would turn out to be "a huge indicator" of Velarde's role in the shooting.

About eight minutes after Reyes responded,a Salinas police community service officer flagged down officer Luis Trobio near Tampico Avenue, about a half mile from the shooting, Trobio testified.

"He pulled up next to me, pointed toward Tampico, said hed observed a subject walking in the area, as he pointed in that direction, I looked and saw a male walking," he said.

He approached and shined a spotlight on Velarde, eventually ordering him to stop. Velarde complied, Trobio said.

Velarde was wearing a gray t-shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes with white soles and carrying a black backpack.

When dispatchers broadcast an updated shooter description, Trobio said he detained Velarde and took him to the police department.

They searched the backpack and found a 9mm Luger handgun with no serial numberand latex gloves. They also foundthree 9mmrounds in his jeans' coin pocket, Trobio said.

RAW VIDEO Salinas police and fire respond to shooting on Granada Ave. Salinas Californian

Police sent the handgun and casings found at the Granada hometo the Crime Gun Intelligence program, run through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Mark Babione, a retired Salinas police officer and coordinator of that program.

He ran it through a series of tests designed to match bullets to guns by "stamps."

Those are seven unique, "microscopic" marks left onthe bullet's casing by the gun's parts, such as the firing pin or muzzle, he said.

"The breech is a very hard metal, the canister is soft metal.When (it's fired), that stamp takes place," Babione said.

Those stamps come fromslight differences that inadvertently occur duringthe gun's manufacturing processon an assembly line.

Salinas police and fire crews were called out to the 1200 block of Granada Avenue at about 7:50 p.m. after receiving reports of a shooting with a possible victim.(Photo: Joe Szydlowski/Staff Photo)

"Its different, different between the one before it and after it," he said.

After using a database to winnow the possible weapons, he normally will run those comparisons against 210 to 300 possible matches, he said

He said he found a "high-confidence candidate link," or a likely match, between the Luger and the casings.

However, under questioning from O'Keefe, he said it is "difficult" to describe what amounts to sufficient evidence to establish that link.

He also acknowledged that establishinglink is done by a visual inspection, a subjective process, and more modern weapons have been more difficult to match.

The9mm handgun tested was 80-percent polymer, he said.

However, Babione also said the process includes an examination by a colleague, and he also requests the police have another firearms technician review his findings to verify them.

"If you're looking for objectivity, I think peer review would be one of the paramount (ways)," he said.

Nonetheless, a "high-confidence candidate" is not the same as a match, Babione said.

Judge Hood noted the reflective markings on the backpack in photos in his ruling that Velarde should stand trial.

Though he was wearing different clothing when officer Trobio stopped him, prosecutor Zamora said there is additional surveillance footageof Velarde's actions after the shooting that was not presented during the hearing.

She said a motive has not been established, but she doesn't know of any connection between Velarde and Rahali before the shooting.

Salinas Assistant Police Chief Roberto Filice makes a statement on the homicide on Granada Avenue. Salinas Californian

Velarde was 17 when he was arrested on suspicion of Rahali's murder, but in late summera judge decided to transfer his case to adult court.

If convicted, Velarde could face 50-years-to-life in prison, she said.

He is next scheduled to appear in court March 5.

Velarde's defense attorney, Thomas O'Keefe, declined to comment after the hearing.

Velarde's loved ones declined to comment after the hearing, which they attended.Rahali's loved ones did notrespond to a request for comment.

More: UPDATE: One dead in Granada Avenue shooting, suspect arrested

Joe Szydlowski is a multimedia journalist for the Salinas Californian who covers local government, crime and cannabis. Follow him on Twitter attwitter.com/JoeSzyd_Salinas. He can be reached at 235-2360. Help support The Californian's work:https://bit.ly/2Qo298J

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Salinas teen to stand trial in deadly shooting, first homicide of 2019 - The Californian

A 32-year-old Lehigh County woman allegedly stole packages twice this week after they had been delivered to properties in Allentown.

Charlesetta J. Fritz, of the 1000 block of East Susquehanna Street in Salisbury Township, was arrested Thursday in the theft of a package from a porch in Allentown's 2300 block of East Woodlawn Street, city police Chief Glenn Granitz Jr. said in a news release Friday.

"Unfortunately a number of packages have been reported in Allentown over the past several months," Granitz wrote in the release.

Fritz was charged in the theft, which occurred Monday, following an investigation by Allentown police with cooperation from members of the Allentown community and Salisbury Township police, Granitz said.

Fritz is also accused in the theft of a package Wednesday in the 2300 block of East Fairmont Street in the city.

She was arraigned in the Monday incident on two counts each of theft and receiving stolen property, and in Wednesday's incident on charges of theft, conspiracy and receiving stolen property.

Fritz was released on combined, unsecured bail of $15,000 and will face a preliminary hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send the cases toward trial in Lehigh County Court.

Fritz could not be reached for comment; a call to a possible phone number listed for her went unanswered. Court records do not list an attorney.

Allentown police asked residents who have experienced similar thefts or who may have information that may be of use to call Detective Josh Baker at 610-437-7721.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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Porch package thief nabbed, thanks to community and police cooperation, chief says - lehighvalleylive.com