DUNMORE To solve a space crunch at the boroughs firehouse, officials are mulling a two-story addition to the back of the building.

The proposal would expand the firehouse into part of the employee parking lot shared with the Police Department and Borough Building, and the addition would overtake the former Department of Public Works garage, Dunmore officials said during a recent tour for The Sunday Times.

Firefighters see the proposed new design, paired with the nearly $1 million firetruck the borough will get within a year, as a more efficient setup that could slightly improve response times.

Hemmler & Camayd Architects developed some other renovation scenarios, but Councilman Salvatore Verrastro saw the addition as the option the borough could most likely afford with a $345,000 gaming grant awarded to Dunmore in January 2013.

Were waiting for pricing on it, Mr. Verrastro said. Its a big guess right now, but I think were going to be close.

If Dunmore can afford it, the addition would allow the Fire Department to reorganize its existing cramped headquarters shared by five firefighters and two medics during a typical shift, Assistant Chief Robert Dee said.

The Blakely Street building now features two garages, sleeping quarters where five beds are each spaced inches apart, a cramped day room where firefighters knees sometimes knock together when a group sits on two opposing couches, a single bathroom, a kitchen and a small office.

During middle-of-the-night emergencies, two firefighters typically exit the bedroom through a back door outside, race down stairs and a short path which both need to be repeatedly cleared throughout the night during poor winter weather to the garage.

Another pair of firefighters normally leave the bedroom from the indoor side toward the other garage to get supplementary emergency vehicles.

Dunmores new firetruck will be a combined pumper/vehicle rescue/ladder truck, and the plan for the addition calls for sleeping quarters that connect directly to the remodeled garage housing the three-in-one truck potentially cutting response times.

Original post:
Dunmore looking at addition on cramped firehouse

The University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees will consider increasing room and board rates for the 2015-16 academic year at its 10 a.m. Friday meeting.

If approved, students could see a 2.5 percent increase to room rates and a 6.75 percent increase to board rates.

The overall room and board increase for 2015-16, based on double-occupancy and a total access meal plan, would be $2,991, an increase of 3.53 percent or $102 for per semester costs.

Double-occupancy room rates would increase by $41 each semester, from $1,630 to $1,671 in the 2015-16 school year. Single rooms would cost $2,496 instead of the current $2,435 semester rate.

Five of UCAs apartment options Bear Village, Torreyson, Erbach, 321 Western and Greek Village would see an increase of $49 per semester, from $1,949 to $1,998. Other apartment options such as Stadium Park and Oak Tree would see a slightly less increase of $46 per semester, from $1,839 to $1,885.

This increase is primarily related to the continuing effort to maintain and upgrade housing facilities, the agenda states. Recommended repairs to the residence halls and university-owned apartments exceed $17.5 million. Estimated net annual revenue generated from the proposed increase for the housing room rates is $325,000.

Prior to the finalized proposal, UCA considered a 4 percent increase in room rates. Initial rates were presented to the universitys Student Government Association in January for review.

With board rates, UCA will review its food service agreement with Aramark and potentially increase semester meal plan rates across all payment plans.

According to the board agenda, the board rate is set to increase 6.75 percent overall on average. Total access plans would jump from $1,259 to $1,320 for the 2015-16 academic year, an increase of 4.8 percent.

The higher average is based on larger increases in block plans to cover added amenities and to cover higher contract rates, the agenda states.

Read the original post:
UCA considers room, board rate hikes for students

On the show

Eun Kyung Kim TODAY

20 hours ago

TODAY contributing correspondent, and former first daughter, Jenna Bush Hager is back at the White House for an interview with Michelle Obama.

"The first lady has invited me back to take a look at a very bold, modern redo shes done of the Old Family Dining Room," Jenna said in a preview of an interview and tour that will air Wednesday on TODAY.

Its very modern. It looks fantastic, she said of the room, which has never previously been open to the public.

Here's a look at the Old Family Dining Room before the renovation:

The White House

And after:

Amanda Lucidon / The White House

Continue reading here:
Michelle Obama unveils 'bold' redo of family dining room with Jenna Bush Hager

Kansas City, Mo. (PRWEB) February 11, 2015

Hotel Phillips, a historic boutique hotel located in the heart of downtown Kansas City, unveiled its new guest room to the public, the Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Room, at the Hello Art 5th Anniversary Celebration on February 6, 2015. Each night the room is reserved, Hotel Phillips will donate a portion of the proceeds to Hello Art, a local arts organization offering fun and informative events that bring together all those in the local community who appreciate and want to support the arts.

The inspiration and design behind the AIR Room came from current Artist-in-Residence, Madeline Gallucci. During the month of January, Gallucci transformed a junior guest room suite into a brilliant piece of work, now called the AIR Room. The room serves as an inspiration to those who appreciate the arts community and the city. The room encompasses the local Kansas City vibe and atmosphere, incorporating Kansas City landmarks and visuals that make the city a great place to live, work and play.

Gerald Rappaport, general manager of the Hotel Phillips, calls the room a unique experience and says, We have always had a strong passion for supporting the local Kansas City arts community, and the AIR Room gives us a chance to further tell that story and share our rich art culture with hotel guests. The Hotel Phillips plays a central role in connecting visitors with the local arts community and encourages them to take notice of this local movement that is such a vibrant part of Kansas City.

Gallucci said she was inspired by sights in Kansas City such as reflections of the iconic Kansas City Power & Light sign, the pastel January sunsets, and the commotion of the streets on a Friday night.

I wanted to bring these experiences into the interior space and context of a hotel guest room. Ive strived to detail these romantic urban observations within my painting, and let hotel guests temporarily experience and live in this transitory space, making their own observations about the city and the art.

The AIR Room is just one component of Hotel Phillips Artist-in-Residence program. Now in the fourth year of the program, the Hotel Phillips annually selects a new artist to showcase his or her work at a studio inside the hotel, as well as throughout the hotel and within its award-winning restaurant, 12 Baltimore.

This initiative is just one of many arts-focused programs the Hotel Phillips supports. In addition to supporting and partnering with Hello Art, Hotel Phillips is also hosting several art workshops throughout the month of February which are open to the public. To view the full list of events, please visit Hotel Phillips website at http://bit.ly/HotelPhillipsArt.

Located in the epicenter of the local arts community, Hotel Phillips is proud to support local artists, musicians and arts organizations within Kansas City, and play a part in continuing to build upon the citys reputation as a leading arts community.

To book your stay in Hotel Phillips new AIR Room today, please visit the website at http://www.hotelphillips.com or call (877) 704-5341.

Read this article:
Hotel Phillips Unveils New Artist-In-Residence Room To Support Local Arts Organization, Hello Art

Editors Note: This article is the second in a three-part series chronicling the process of having a total knee replacement and the sequence of events through the operation and rehabilitation.

I talk with Dr. Jason Thackeray to try to understand what happens in the operating room during a total knee replacement. Im introduced to Mike Kurth, Orthopaedic Sales Consultant and part of the team who gives me a feel for the part he plays in this incredibly amazing surgery.

Dr. Thackeray compliments Roger Hall, CEO of Sacred Heart Hospital, for the outstanding operating room team the hospital provides for performing this procedure. I feel like a swirling dervish has blown through as names are tossed into place. Sacred Heart provides a dedicated Scrub Tech in addition to Second Surgical Assistant, operating room Circulating Nurse, and Anesthesiologist along with many others Im sure I have missed. Shoulder to shoulder with Dr. Thackeray in every surgery is Certified First Surgical Assistant Chad Lindley.

Dr. Thackeray is quick to tell me and often repeats the fact that the medical people who will gather in this operating room are all professionals and act not as individuals but as a team.

All are important to receive the remarkable outcomes we strive for.

For my husband Norms knee implant, Dr. Thackeray chooses the Sigma rotating platform knee offered by DePuy Synthes Joint Reconstruction. This is one of the only companies in America that offers this rotating platform technology.

This knee implant is designed to accommodate bending and rotation by as much as 15 degrees. It was the first knee available in the United States designed uniquely for this type of natural rotation. The DePuy knee has been implanted since 2000 with more than 1 million chosen by surgeons around the world.

The Scrub Tech and Circulating Nurse along with Mike Kurth of DePuy Synthes are the first people to enter the operating room to begin preparations for my husbands total knee replacement. When Mike enters the room it is quiet and a bit on the chilly side. The smell is clean with a touch of crispness in the air. All of the arriving instruments were developed by DePuy for this operation. Mike brings in five or six instrument trays, each piece to be washed and sterilized. The Surgical Tech lays each instrument out on the table with extreme exactness. He works with the precision of a diamond cutter.

Each one pound knee replacement requires a femoral component, rotating platform insert, tibial component and patella (knee cap). Mike says, I have to be ready for anything the surgeon asks me for. I usually bring seven sizes of component parts to be positive I will always have the perfect match needed for each patient.

Lights come up in the room and the sounds from the arriving surgical team begins to drift around the room like quietly falling snow as each prepares his position.

Read more:
HALL: Dr. Jason Thackeray: Into the operating room

Looking like a deathtrap in a movie, this room at one of the ESA's test centers plays a critical role in satellite building.

They might look mean, but all those blue spikes are actually made from foam to help absorb sound in the chamber. (Click to enlarge.) ESA/Guus Schoonewille

Just as vacuum chambers and swimming pools are used to test space suits, special environments can be necessary to make sure that satellites built on Earth can function in space.

That's exactly what you see in this photo released Thursday by the European Space Agency. It shows the interior of a room with 30-foot-high walls called the Maxwell Test Chamber. It's located in the ESA's facility in the Dutch city of Noordwijk at the largest satellite-testing facility in Europe.

The room has metal walls that convert it into a Faraday cage, a structure that shields the inside from any external electromagnetic signals. In addition, the walls are coated in hundreds of foam pyramids that absorb sound as well as any other signals produced inside the room, "mimicking the infinite void of space," according to the ESA.

This creates an environment in which researchers can test a satellite to see if its equipment all works together or if there's any internal interference.

Faraday cages are named for electrically minded scientist Michael Faraday, who invented and tested out the idea in the early 1800s. They work on the principle that an electromagnetic discharge will travel along the outside of a conductive cage, keeping the inside free from the current.

Airplanes act as Faraday cages, protecting passengers when the plane is struck by lightning. An artist even created a wearable dress that saved her from a million volts. You can build your own cage with some cardboard and aluminum foil (and a few other things), or you can just use a trash can as a makeshift way to protect your electronic devices if your neighborhood ever gets hit with an electromagnetic pulse device.

Read more:
This 30-foot-tall spiked Faraday cage helps satellites thrive

14 Suffolk Street, Pembroke, MA
Meticulously maintained Gambrel Cape w/large family room addition with vaulted ceiling, skylights, and wood ceiling. Sliders to large 3 season room w/hot tub, ceramic tile floor and sliders...

By: Larry Meredith Hunt, The Hunt Team

See the original post:
14 Suffolk Street, Pembroke, MA - Video

Niceville residents J.V.O. and Sharon Weaver stroll down the boardwalk at Turkey Creek Nature Trail on Monday. The boardwalk follows the creek from a pavilion next to John Sims Park-way 3/4 of a mile north.

NICEVILLE Fans of the Turkey Creek Nature Trail boardwalk will soon have even more room to roam.

Beginning in late February/early March, construction will begin on an addition that will connect two separate sections of walkway.

Currently, the section of the park with its entrance on John Sims Parkway has approximately of a mile of boardwalk that is enjoyed by walkers, joggers and swimmers headed for a dip in the creek. The other section of the park, whose entrance is located off of College Boulevard, includes approximately 900 feet of boardwalk. Both sections feature pavilions and picnic tables.

It will take about 320 feet of new boardwalk to connect the two sections, giving park visitors nearly a full mile of walking and jogging space. The addition is expected to take about three months.

If all goes well, we hope to get started soon, and have the addition finished by summer, said Willie Hines, the citys repair and maintenance foreman.

Visitors to the park on Monday were happy to hear that work on the addition will begin soon.

I think its wonderful, said Niceville resident Michelle Tew, who walks the length of the boardwalk and back at least once a day and sometimes twice. This is such a beautiful place to walk, and Ive been looking forward to the new section.

Crestview residents Debbie and Burl Olson are also frequent visitors.

Im happy to hear that, Burl said. We try to walk about two miles a day, so the addition will put the length right in our wheelhouse.

Excerpt from:
Turkey Creek to see improvements

PREV

Katy Perry's Super Bowl Halftime Show Was the Most-Watched in U.S. History

The Jacka Dies in Oakland Shooting

Following "Coyotes" and "Lampshades on Fire," Modest Mouse have a new track out titled "The Best Room." Showcasing Isaac Brock's signature choppy vocals, the penultimate track on the forthcoming Strangers to Ourselves decries the deteriorating state of Western civilization, crowing, "The lessons unlearned, oh this meeting it's adjourned! / These western concerns, 'Hold my place in line while I take your turn.'"

In addition to the new song, the guys announced plans to push the release of their album back to March 17, which is a bummer, but to help make up for things they released the album's track list, which you can see below. Hear "The Best Room" above.

Modest Mouse, Strangers to Ourselves track list: 1. "Strangers To Ourselves" 2. "Lampshades On Fire" 3. "Shit In Your Cut" 4. "Pistol (A. Cunanan, Miami, FL. 1996)" 5. "Ansel" 6. "The Ground Walks, With Time In A Box" 7. "Coyotes" 8. "Pups To Dust" 9. "Sugar Boat" 10. "Wicked Campaign" 11. "Be Brave" 12. "God Is An Indian And Youre An Asshole" 13. "The Tortoise And The Tourist" 14. "The Best Room" 15. "Of Course We Know"

spin

The Lists The Top 100 Alternative Albums of the 1960s

Read the original here:
Stream Modest Mouse's Political New Track, 'The Best Room'

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Robert Griffin III reportedly has some personal issues with his teammates.

By Larry Brown

The NFL season has finally ended, which means its time for NFL writers to do what they do best: criticize easy targets. Its no surprise that the columns about Robert Griffin III have already started.

The Washington Posts Jason Reidchecked in with a column Mondayabout RG3s personality. The crux is that the quarterback isnt one of the boys and that hurts his ability to be a leader.

Heres what Reid wrote:

(Tim) Brown said publicly what some of Washingtons coaches and players have shared with me privately: Griffins aloofness has been an issue in the locker room. Combine that with Griffins poor performance the past two seasons and a Super Bowl-sized ego that tripped him up after his magical rookie year, and its clear Griffin isnt close to becoming the player the Redskins need him to be.

Reids writing was inspired mostly by comments Tim Brown, who was on the radio Thursday to promote his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Brown has interacted with Griffin during Heisman Trophy gatherings andshared some insight on Griffins character.

But I know RGIII well enough to know that hes a little different, Brown said on ESPN 980 last week. I mean, I know he is maybe not the brother that youre gonna be hanging out in the locker room with. And from that standpoint, thats something that he has to work on. If hes going to be a leader, he has to be a leader of everybody in the locker room, and not just one or two guys in the locker room.

Brown also said that Griffin has a hard time joking around with the other Heisman winners, which leads him to be an outcast. Brown suggests Griffin should loosen up in order to relate better to his teammates.

Original post:
RG3's 'aloofness' in locker room an issue for Redskins?