Families hang out at the Mueller farmers market in Austin, Texas, on a Sunday. In a state where cars are king, planners designed Mueller with pedestrians in mind. Julia Robinson for NPR hide caption

Families hang out at the Mueller farmers market in Austin, Texas, on a Sunday. In a state where cars are king, planners designed Mueller with pedestrians in mind.

This is the first story in a two-part report on the Mueller neighborhood for the NPR Cities Project.

In Texas, a state where cars and private property are close to a religion, there is an acclaimed master-planned community that's trying something different.

When Austin's municipal airport closed 16 years ago, it created a planner's dream: 700 acres of prime real estate close to the city core. What emerged from years of public/private/neighborhood collaboration was the Mueller Community often spoken of as a masterwork of smart urban design.

Mueller is the product of the "new-urbanism" concept: the idea that a built environment can create meaningful community. Planners minimize the supremacy of the automobile and shape the environment around pedestrians.

Greg Weaver, Mueller project manager with Catellus Development, is walking on a crushed-granite path that circles a man-made lake complete with a fountain and diving ducks.

"The people in the park over there with the dog, the guy fishing over there ... the birthday party over here is something that was always envisioned in paper and in theory and it's become a reality out here," Weaver says.

A model of the Mueller master plan. With its goals of environmental sustainability and mixed-income home ownership, Mueller has become a model for development nationwide. Julia Robinson for NPR hide caption

A model of the Mueller master plan. With its goals of environmental sustainability and mixed-income home ownership, Mueller has become a model for development nationwide.

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With Porches And Parks, A Texas Community Aims For Urban Utopia

COLUMBUS, Ohio - German village business owner Julie Delia is frustrated over one man and his propensity to get into trouble.

Anthony Tiller was arrested again this week for stealing packages off of porches in German village and he has a history of theft going back to 1992.

Delia has actually followed him going through German Village and the south side of Columbus.

"I was coming home in the middle of the afternoon, he was walking down the middle of the street, she said. Looking from house to house, I pulled over and he went over on a house and pulled a package off, opened it up, took the box, took what he had put it under his arm, went two blocks down the street, did it again, had a huge box, threw it over his arm, by that time I had called the police department."

In fact this week she was there and took a picture of him getting arrested.

I just asked him would it not be easier for him to get a job and he started laughing, I'm not sure how I was supposed to take that."

So what can be done with someone like Anthony Tiller?

NBC4 started reporting on Tiller allegedly stealing packages in December, but there are more theft related charges in his background.

Sara Andrews runs the state's criminal sentencing commission and is looking into other ways to deal with repeat offenders other than continually letting them in and out of jail.

"What can be done to address the issue? It's an ongoing concern we recognize that, and we're bringing a group together to look at what alternatives exist that maintain that punitive aspect, that punishment aspect and not have the continued cycle of the revolving door" said Sara Andrews.

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Dealing With Habitual Theft

Steamboat Springs, Colorado (PRWEB) February 12, 2015

Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is a perennial favorite of the snow gods every year, but in this 2014-2015 ski season of off and on storms in the West, Steamboat once again has received a timely powder dump.The Porches of Steamboat, a neighborhood of signature luxury townhomes located near the base of the ski mountain, has announced both an increase of available units in their rental program and a 15% discount for the remainder of the season. We are pleased to be able to expand our luxury rental program said Porches General Manager Emilie Crider. Our larger homes, the 4,000 and 5,000 square feet units, have been in demand for extended families and multiple families who like to ski together, so in our neighborhood, we see these generations and collections of families able to all come out at once and be under the same roof. Our largest homes will sleep up to 14 people. The Porches rental program includes homes from 3,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet, with spacious common areas, gourmet kitchens, game rooms with a pool table, complimentary Wi-Fi, several flat screen TVs in every unit, and garages.

Steamboat Springs is a refreshing anomaly in the wide spectrum of snowy Colorado vacation resorts. Located northwest of Denver just over the Continental Divide via Rabbit Ears Pass, the ski area is situated on Mt. Werner. Originally this area was all agricultural, with acres and acres of ranch land. Today it is a point of great pride with the locals that Steamboat remains a cowboy town, a friendly and down-to-earth family destination. In recent years the demand for more upscale lodging was answered by building modern, more high-end hotel rooms and condos, but the opening of a 16 acre neighborhood called The Porches of Steamboat offered luxury townhomes with unprecedented size and interior spaces. My partner and I had skied in all the resorts in Colorado, and our research showed that what families need when they come for a long ski week is space, places to put clothing and equipment, and places where all can gather at once, said Porches owner Bruce Shugart. Plus, we wanted our neighborhood to be a retreat for all four seasons. Its hard to pick a favorite time in these beautiful mountains.

March and April are traditionally two of the snowiest months in Colorado, and Spring skiing under bright sun and bluebird skies makes these later months some of the most desirable weeks to book. Steamboat Springs, with some 13 feet of snow on the ground and with discounts on luxury rentals could be the ski mountain of choice for the serious powder hounds this season.

About The Porches at Steamboat Springs

The Porches is a neighborhood of homes located close to the base of the ski mountain in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. These high end, thoughtfully crafted homes range in size from 3,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet and they feature hand-hewn beams, professional kitchens, the finest cabinetry, custom ranch stone fireplaces, and of course, comfortable and inviting porches. These luxury homes are available for whole and fractional ownership, and as luxury rentals.

Media contact:

Laurie Tucker, Resort Specialist The Porches at Steamboat Springs 2096 Indian Summer Drive Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 866.992.0600 info(at)theporches(dot)com

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The Porches of Steamboat Matches Ski Resorts Big Snow With Lodging Specials For Their Premiere Luxury Vacation Rentals

Porches - (live @ Bowery Ballroom 2/6/15)

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xanny bar (porches cover)
sigh.

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Other Decks and Porches
Collection deck projects dating pre-2012.

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Other Decks and Porches - Video

A new face is set to join the cast of Hollyoaks - Zoe Lucker.

The former Footballers Wives actress is joining the Channel 4 soap as a new member of the McQueen family.

Zoe Lucker is joining the cast of Hollyoaks [Lime Pictures]

Her character Reenie is the mother of recent newcomers Porches, Celine and Cleo.She is also the daughter of Nana, and sister of Myra McQueen.

And it seems that the actress will be swapping her usual blonde locks for a darker-do to match her on-screen daughters.

Zoe has already filmed her first scenes which will see Porche visiting her in jail, though it's currently unclear what crime she has committed. Her appearance will be shown on TV sets in April.

The former Waterloo Road actress shared her joy about being cast in the soap.

She said: "I am really excited to be joining Hollyoaks - especially as a McQueen!

Related article:Jorgie Porter 'shocked and horrified' after flasher follows her in Manchester

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Zoe Lucker joins the cast of Hollyoaks as Reenie McQueen

PUNTA BRITO, Nicaragua One of the largest engineering projects in history would start here, on this desolate and pristine crescent of dark-sand Pacific beach.

From in front of the hammock-swinging shrimpers on the porches of their tin-and-wood shanties, the trench would run east in sinuous curves up through the mangroves and banana fields until it reaches the shores of Central Americas largest freshwater lake, then cut across the Caribbean highlands and through indigenous territory, ending its journey 172 miles away on the beaches of the Atlantic.

They call it the Grand Inter-Oceanic Canal: an audacious $50billion plan by an obscure Chinese billionaire to cross Central America and challenge the Panama Canal for the worlds cargo traffic. And some in Nicaragua are gearing up for the fight of their lives to stop it.

For a country as poor as Nicaragua, said Roonell Carrillo, a cattle farmer who works along the proposed canal route, this is an enormous risk.

Last month, on a riser erected next to Carrillos farm, the son of President Daniel Ortega, the former Marxist guerrilla, stood alongside Wang Jing, a Chinese telecom magnate, to herald the official start of construction. In reality, little physical work is being done besides widening access roads, and major doubts remain about many aspects of the project, including whether Wang can afford to build it.

Massive canal project in Nicaragua

Wang Jing, a Chinese billionaire, plans to build a canal across Nicaragua to challenge Panama for the worlds cargo traffic. The canal would be three times as long as Panamas and able to accommodate larger ships. Opponents of the project worry what the regional impact will be if the proposed Grand Inter-Oceanic Canal is ever built.

According to interviews with Chinese media, Wang was born in 1972 in Beijing, studied traditional Chinese medicine, and worked as a school principal. Then he joined a government-affiliated telecom company that went private in 2009. His firm grew rapidly into the largest privately owned science and technology company listed on the Chinese stock market and made him one of the countrys richest men.

President Ortega granted Wangs canal company, HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co. Ltd, or HKND Group, a 50-year concession, which would give Nicaragua only a small return $10million a year for the first decade of operation, then increasing percentages of the profits in subsequent years. But even Wangs Nicaraguan construction partners know little about his other investors or whether the Chinese government, which has denied involvement, is backing the project.

It would be a relief for me to know that the Chinese government was behind this rather than just an entrepreneur, said Benjamin Lanzas, head of Nicaraguas construction industry group, who has met Wang and whose company has contracts for parts of the project. For one investor, thats a lot of money.

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Can a Chinese billionaire build a canal across Nicaragua?

ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- With more snow covering the area, total accumulation over the last few days is expected to reach 12 inches. The Postal Service wants to remind customers to make sure their sidewalks, stairs and porches are clear to ensure safe and timely mail delivery.

Snow and ice make delivery dangerous and slow, said Rockford Postmaster Steve Schwalenberg. Maintaining a clear path to the mail box including steps, porches, walkways and street approach will help letter carriers maintain consistent delivery service and help them get those cards and packages delivered in time for the holidays.

Customers receiving door delivery should make sure their sidewalks, steps and porches are clear. Customers receiving curbside delivery should remove snow piles left by snow plows to keep access to their mailboxes clear for letter carriers.

Delivery service may be delayed or curtailed whenever streets or walkways present hazardous conditions for letter carriers or when snow is plowed against mailboxes. The Postal Service curtails delivery only after careful consideration, and only as a last resort, says Schwalenberg. Any curtailed mail is attempted the next delivery day.

Blue collection boxes also need to be kept clear for our customers to deposit their mail and for the Postal Service to collect the mail for delivery. Residents and businesses with collection boxes near their property are asked to keep them clear of snow and ice. We want our letter carriers to be safe, adds Schwalenberg. We can only do this with the help of our customers.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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Rockford Post Office Reminding Customers to Clear Snow & Ice

Framar Frackiel Builders, Porches and Decks
http://www.dexknows.com/business_profiles/framar_frackiel_builders__porch es_and_decks-b183808 Put the perfect finishing touches to your home with the qualit...

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