OTTUMWA Andrew Birch, building maintenance manager at Wapello County Courthouse, promised to take contractors to the dreaded fifth floor Wednesday to see how bad the windows are.

Douglas J. Steinmetz, an architect out of Cedar Rapids, and Victor Amoroso Jr., president of A and J Associates consulting firm, examined windows at the courthouse, inside and out, and took copious notes for a project years in the making.

In March, the county board agreed to have Supervisor Chairman Jerry Parker contact Amoroso for advice on replacing the windows. Because the building is on the National Register of Historic Places, there are certain things we can and cannot do, Parker told the board.

I think its a timely project, said Steinmetz Wednesday. These windows have served their purpose.

Steinmetz estimates that the current windows were installed in the 1970s. [They] dont reflect the character of the building at all, he said. The goal of the project is to give the courthouse windows that will reflect the character of the building and still be energy efficient.

Steinmetz said the contractor will attempt to keep the new windows historically accurate. Fortunately we have drawings of the original building, he said. The drawings and photos will be used as a reference and will be the basis of design of the new windows, he said.

The project will not require any additional money from taxpayers. Weve been saving every year out of our sales tax money, said Parker.

Supervisors contracted with A and J Associates in March to prepare a study that would address the historical requirements of the window replacement, grant options or other financial incentives for historic preservation, window options, lead time for the windows and estimates of construction costs.

A and J Associates is in charge of the specifications; Steinmetz makes sure the designs meet the standards of the Secretary of the Interior for historic buildings.

We want to retain as much historic fabric as we can, Steinmetz said as he examined the windows.

Amoroso said the contractor will try to get the windows back to historic relevance. He thinks the study will be finished in a month or so, and then the designing process will begin.

Amoroso hopes the project will be out for bids in the fall. That will allow the windows to be manufactured over the winter months.

Steinmetz estimated that making the windows would take about three months. The windows would be installed when the weather allows in the spring of 2018, Amoroso said.

Parker said the county has more than $700,000 in sales tax money available for capital projects. Weve been able to accumulate it every year. Thats an accumulation from just 25 percent of the sales tax. The other 75 percent of the sales tax is earmarked for other uses.

Parker said the county has kept the cost of capital improvements low enough to save part of the money each year; that means the county wont have to levy more taxes or pass a bond issue and pay interest.

Parker doesnt know how much the windows will cost, but he said, Wouldnt surprise me if they [were] half a million."

Reporter Winona Whitaker can be contacted at wwhitaker@ottumwacourier.com and followed on Twitter @courierwinona.

The rest is here:
Window replacement begins with study - Ottumwacourier

By Stephanie Vanderbilt

Q: My home exterior needs some updating, but Im not sure whether to repair or replace. Im specifically referring to our windows, roofing and gutters.

A: Beautiful weather makes most New England homeowners want to boost curb appeal from every angle. This time of year, an exterior home remodel is an excellent choice. Not only does it make your home look more beautiful, but it also increases home value and energy efficiency.

With that said, sometimes it can be difficult to determine if your exterior home remodel project requires repair or replacement. These are the top signs to keep in mind for windows, roofing and gutters.

1. Repair or replace worn out windows?

Should you repair or replace your windows? This is one of the most-common questions for any replacement window companyin New England. The truth is that this question is best evaluated in person by a professional. A replacement window company can help you determine if your windows need replacement or just a quick repair, but these are the top signs that replacement is in your near future:

-- The window frames are deteriorating. Many old homes in New England have wood window frames. Although wood frames complement the character of homes in our area, deteriorating frames wont do you any favors. When your old wood frames are deteriorating and the wood is becoming soft, thats an indication of rot.

-- Your energy bills are skyrocketing. As temperatures rise with summer approaching, escalating energy bills are a common sign that its time for new window installation. New replacement windows can save you up to 40 percent on your energy bills.

-- You constantly feel drafts. Drafty windows are inefficient windows. Choose new energy-efficient windows with low air-infiltration ratings.

What qualifies for a window repair? This depends a lot on the condition and age of the window. Seal failures can sometime be fixed under a manufacturers warranty. Other times, you might be better off replacing the entire window, especially if its old, inefficient and no longer under warranty.

2. Repair or replace damaged gutters?

Gutter repair or replacement is essential to keeping costly clogs at bay. There are numerous reasons why gutters get damaged, including ice dams from the winter or brackets pulling off the side of your home.

How do you know if your gutters need replacement? Some telltale signs of gutter replacement include:

-- Water damage occurring directly underneath the gutters, which is damaging to soffit and fascia board.

-- Sagging gutters that pull away from your home.

-- Large sections of rust spots.

-- Eroded landscaping.

-- Peeling exterior paint.

If the condition of your gutter system isnt up to par, gutter replacement may be in order.

What qualifies for a gutter repair? If your gutters are leaking, you can repair just a section by adjusting or adding gutter hangers as needed. You can also patch small holes with roofing cement and smooth it out with a putty knife.

3. Repair or replace roofing?

Whether your roof needs repairing or replacement, this is a big exterior home remodel for any homeowner. The rainy spring season isnt the time to let roof damage linger, but it can be tough to determine if you need a whole new roof or just a couple new shingles.

How do you know if your roof needs replacement?

If you need to replace the entire roof, youll notice numerous danger signals such as:

-- Large dark patches that span over your roof, which indicate moisture damage.

-- Excessive growth of mold and moss.

-- Interior damage from water leaks.

-- Aggressive staining from lichen and algae.

-- Exterior decay of your home siding.

-- Shingles that break or crack at the touch of a hand.

-- Numerous shingles are missing.

-- Shingles are cracked, buckled or curling.

-- Your home is losing excessive amounts of energy without explanation.

-- Roof is 15 years old or older.

What qualifies for a roof repair? You can typically get away with roof repair when youre missing a couple shingles here and there.

What should you look for in a new roof? Key components include quality asphalt shingles that are extra durable, to ensure they will hold up against the elements. Furthermore, investing in roofing that can withstand 130 mph is smart for any New England homeowner, especially if you live along the coast. In addition, adequate ventilation and insulation are important, as well as all six parts of a roofing system, as it's more than just applying new shingles.

Dont forget that you should never hire a roofing contractor in Massachusetts who is not fully licensed, insured and trained by factory regulations.

-- Stephanie Vanderbilt is owner of Coastal Windows & Exteriors. She would love to answer any questions that will help you make your home beautiful, warm, safe and energy-efficient. Do you have other home improvement questions she can help answer? Ask her atsvanderbilt@mycoastalwindows.com or call at 978-304-0495.

See original here:
AT HOME WITH STEPHANIE: How to decide on home remodel - Wicked Local Saugus

Last week, a key event occurred in the history of personal computing. It marks the beginning of the death of the operating system that we recognize today as Microsoft Windows.

This euthanizing of Windows has been planned for at least five years, and Microsoft knows that it is necessary for the company's software business and for the PC industry to evolve and stay healthy.

In order for the Windows brand and Microsoft's software business to live, Windows -- as it exists today -- must die.

It is important we have some historical perspective of what "death" actually means for Windows, because it's already happened twice.

The first of Windows' lives occurred in the period between 1985 and 1995. During this time, Windows was a bolt-on application execution environment that ran on top of the 16-bit DOS operating system, which was introduced with the original IBM PC in 1981.

That OS "died" in 1995, when Windows 95 -- the first 32-bit version of the OS -- was released.

From 1989 to 2001, on a separate track, Microsoft also developed Windows NT, a 32-bit, hardware-abstracted, full pre-emptive, protective memory, multi-threaded multitasking OS designed for high-performance RISC and x86 workstations and servers.

The commonality that the consumer version of Windows and Windows NT had was that they shared many of the same APIs, which are collectively known as Win32.

Largely implemented using the C programming language, Win32 became the predominant Windows application programming model for many years. The majority of legacy Windows applications that exist in the wild today still use Win32 in some form. (This is an important takeaway that we will return to shortly.)

In 2001, Windows NT (at that time branded as Windows 2000) and the consumer version of Windows (Windows ME) merged into a single product: Windows XP.

Thus, the second generation of Windows technology descended from Windows 95 "died" at this time.

Shortly after the release of Windows XP, in 2002, Microsoft introduced the .NET Framework, which is an object-oriented development framework that includes the C# programming language.

The .NET Framework was intended to replace the legacy Win32. It has continued to evolve and has been slowly adopted by third-party ISVs and development shops. Over the years, Microsoft has adopted it internally for the development of Office 365, Skype, and other applications.

That was 16 years ago. However, Win32 still is the predominant legacy programming API. More apps out in the wild use it than anything else. And that subsystem remains the most significant vector for malware and security threats because it hosts desktop-based browsers, such as Internet Explorer and Chrome.

A lot has changed in the technology industry in 16 years, especially the internet. Web standards have changed, as have the complexity and sophistication of security threats. More and more applications are now web-based or are hosted as SaaS using web APIs.

Microsoft introduced a new programmatic model with the introduction of the Windows 8 OS. That framework, which is now commonly known as Universal Windows Platform (UWP), is a fully modernized programming environment that takes advantage of all the new security advancements introduced since Windows 8 and that are in the current Windows 10.

While Windows 8 was not well-received in the marketplace because of its unfamiliar full-screen "Metro" UX, the actual programmatic model that it introduced, which was greatly improved for desktop-style windowing in Windows 10, is technically sound and much more secure than Win32 due to its ability to sandbox apps.

In addition to including the latest implementation of .NET, UWP also allows apps to be programmed in C++, C#, Objective C, VB.NET, and Javascript. It uses XAML as a presentation stack to reduce code complexity.

Microsoft Edge, the completely re-designed browser that was introduced in Windows 10, is a native UWP application with none of the security drawbacks of Internet Explorer. Other native UWP applications include Windows Mail, Skype for Windows 10, and some of the applications in the Windows Store.

It could be said that the third Windows death, the end of the Win32 API, is long overdue. It has existed in some form or another since at least the late 1980s. But what has been keeping it alive?

Some of it is developer laziness. It's not like they haven't had 15 years to learn and adopt .NET and the past five years to adopt Metro/Modern/UWP.

To be fair, many of them have incorporated certain aspects of .NET into their apps as they kicked the can with their legacy codebase down the road, such as with the use of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) in .NET 3.0. But in a lot of cases, fully migrating code bases to UWP from Win32 would mean complete re-implementation.

That takes time and money.

Not all of this is developer laziness; it's also the systemically bad end-user and IT organizational habits of keeping old versions of apps around rather than move into newer licensing models and newer versions of the apps.

These legacy apps, many of which are running long past the expiration of their last service pack and ISV recommendations to decommission them and end-of-life notices, are of course far more likely to be susceptible to security threats.

A lot of ISVs are going the SaaS and web app route, or are providing their legacy apps in hosted desktop environments while they develop modernized web and SaaS apps to replace them.

Win32's persistence and hanging on extended life support puts Microsoft in a bad situation.

So what kind of shape is UWP in today? Is it ready for developers to move to as a complete replacement programming model for Win32?

With Windows 10 and UWP, the company finally has a modernized OS that is ready to host the desktop and mobile application workloads of the 21st century. It's secure and it finally makes good on the company's Trustworthy Computing initiative that it began in 2002.

A lot has changed over the last five years since the original Metro/WinRT programming stack was introduced with Windows 8.

Indeed, many of the API changes have not been rolled out in a developer-friendly fashion and a lot of the applications currently delivered in the Windows Store are based on older API versions and are not "universal" by any stretch.

That being said, the current implementation of UWP is quite good, and anything written to it will run on any architecture that UWP runs on, which includes all the versions of Windows 10, XBOX One, and the Hololens.

There aren't many notable examples of them, but if you have a Windows 10 phone, which uses ARM and Windows 10, which is x86, and if you buy a UWP app on the Windows Store, the developer has the option of offering one that runs on both, using the same code.

My preferred Twitter client, Tweetium, is one of these -- so are the built-in Mail and Calendar apps on Windows 10.

The more web standards that are incorporated into your UWP apps, and the more code that is executed directly on the cloud itself, the more portable, the more lightweight, and more mobile your code is.

Unfortunately, the only problem with Windows 10's advanced security model is when you run legacy apps on it. That's the double-edged sword of backward compatibility.

Microsoft's only choice to move forward is to throw the Win32 baby out with the bathwater. And that brings us to the introduction of Windows 10 S.

Windows 10 S is just like the Windows 10 you use now, but the main difference is it can only run apps that have been whitelisted to run in the Windows Store. That means, by and large, existing Win32-based stuff cannot run in Windows 10 S for security reasons.

To bridge the app gap, Microsoft is allowing certain kinds of desktop apps to be "packaged" for use in the Windows Store through a tooling process known as Desktop Bridge or Project Centennial.

The good news is that with Project Centennial, many Desktop Win32 apps can be re-purposed and packaged to take advantage of Windows 10's improved security. However, there are apps that will inevitably be left behind because they violate the sandboxing rules that are needed to make the technology work in a secure fashion.

Read also: How IBM can avoid the abyss | Intel x86: No cloud for you | Four years at Microsoft: My ringside seat to unprecedented transformation | Windows 10 S has the potential to create lifelong Microsoft customers (TechRepublic)

One of the key benefits of Centennial apps is that even though they run with normal user privileges, they still take advantage of some OS isolation so they can be seamlessly removed from the device. They are packaged/compartmentalized and are updated directly from the Windows Store (which helps to avoid "Windows rot").

Win32 apps put a tremendous drag on the on the developer ecosystem -- and Centennial is a straightforward and easy step toward removing that drag. For application developers, it also provides some great analytics tools as well for software distribution to various markets.

Centennial is also an acknowledgment on Microsoft's part that Win32 apps are here to stay and developers aren't going to move off of them wholesale. Instead, it gives developers the ability to take baby steps with their application and get them into the Windows Store (which in turn helps Microsoft, because it makes the store ecosystem more relevant to customers).

Some Win32 apps can probably be remediated for Centennial easily, some cannot. The more legacy an app codebase is, the worse shape it is probably in.

A casualty of those sandboxing rules is Google's Chrome browser. For security reasons, Microsoft is not permitting desktop browsers to be ported to the Store. In theory, Google could build its own compatible UWP browser, but it would bear little resemblance to Chrome on the desktop. The default browser, for now, is Microsoft Edge, period.

As it stands, you also can't change the default search engine to Google from Bing either. All of this is done under the premise of improved security.

Obviously, not everyone is going to be able to run an OS like Windows 10 S overnight. So Microsoft is using the Surface Laptop and other low-cost systems in the $200 to $300 range made by OEMs as a trial balloon to test the waters of the end-user market.

Who is Microsoft targeting? Education and Home users and those who mostly use the browser to do daily tasks and don't use legacy desktop-based line of business applications. That's the exact same demographic that Google is targeting with Chrome OS.

You can accuse Microsoft of many things, but sitting on its laurels and being risk-averse is not one of them. There's a lot of risk in releasing a version of Windows and accompanying systems that cannot run a preponderance of legacy Windows applications out of the box.

However, the reward, if successful, will be tremendous. Not just for Microsoft itself but also for the end-users that will have a much more secure computing experience to show for it.

There is clearly much more work that has to occur to ditch Win32 beyond getting the majority of users on a Windows OS that doesn't run legacy code.

Microsoft needs to build modernized versions of Office in order for enterprises to move, for starters. And we are years out from that becoming the desired deployment model for Office, even if Microsoft wanted the next version of 365 to be UWP-based, which we presume it does.

To realize that endgame, another half of the future Windows OS has to mature that end-users don't see. And that's Azure.

I like to think of this as like the building of a transcontinental tunnel, like the kind they built between England and France. One-half is the modern, security-enhanced version of Windows 10 that runs only UWP and Centennial stuff. The other is the cloud back-end that makes much of it possible.

Like burrowing out the transcontinental tunnel, at some point, the tunneling machines will eventually meet in the middle.

Today, Office 365 is deployed as "Click-to-Run" desktop code. It is a type of application packaging technology that is derived from App-V, which is a virtualization technology that is also referred to as application sequencing.

The Office client applications are also updated every month as part of your Office 365 subscription, so as long as you don't turn updates off you are always running the most current version of Office.

But it still all executes locally on the device. It is not hosted remotely, like Citrix, nor is it a web app.

How does Click-to-Run get around the problem that the installer is Win32? It copies the sequence of files that gets installed, but that doesn't change the fact that the Office code that runs is still Win32.

Third party installer tools developers use can also create Centennial compatible app packages.

All Windows 10 users can still be able to get a lot done out of the box because the web-based Office Online already runs well using Edge. You can be reasonably productive in a business environment using strictly those apps, especially if you need to share and collaborate on Office docs with other people.

There are definitely some limitations but I would say for at least 50 percent of workers who use Office on a day to day basis, the web versions of the Office apps get the job done.

Surface Laptop owners will get a free one-year Office 365 subscription that will work with the Office desktop software pre-loaded onto their devices and updated from the Store. Qualifying educational customers -- who have free licenses of Office 365 for Education --will also be able to use that desktop app with their Office subscription. In fact, anyone with an Office 365 subscription, using any edition of Windows 10, can use that Store app.

Today, the Click-to-Run/App-V software distribution technology is tied largely to the x86 platform because of the way desktop apps are written. But UWP apps don't have this limitation; they can run on Windows 10 Mobile, or in theory, a Windows 10 PC running on an ARM processor.

Those types of ARM-based systems don't exist today. The original Surface RT, which was an early attempt at this, failed. It was also underpowered, which didn't help.

But in a few years, they could return, because Microsoft has done all of the hard work since its Windows 8 mishaps to undergo full platform convergence.

The ARM architectural licensees like Qualcomm, Samsung, TSMC, Nvidia, Huawei, and others now manufacture powerful, 64-bit, multi-core SoCs that have plenty of CPU and RAM headroom as well as fast bus speeds to run an OS like Windows 10 S easily.

As Microsoft's Azure cloud evolves and the 365 Online offerings become more and more sophisticated, more apps using web APIs can be wrapped as UWP. This also goes for third-party web apps, including Google's, if the developers put some minimal effort to optimizing their web apps for the Edge rendering engine.

Just take a look at Kiwi for Gmail, which a single, third-party developer wrote. No Chrome engine or desktop code required. It makes all the Google apps look like modern Windows apps. A company with Google's resources could certainly make UWP apps look very polished indeed. Whether it's actually willing to is another matter altogether, due to its own desire to control its application ecosystem and userbase.

There will be less and less need for legacy desktop apps running on client devices, particularly when legacy code can be isolated in Azure using virtual machines and containers for improved security. That's where stuff like XenApp Essentials and XenDesktop Essentials by Citrix and other third-party desktop hosting technologies like IndependenceIT come in.

It also wouldn't surprise me either to see some type of Windows container technology to be deployed on the client device directly in a future version of Windows 10 S so that UWP and Centennial apps can be totally isolated from each other, a la Bromium.

Windows, as we know it today, based on the legacy Win32 APIs that have been around for decades, will die. That's Microsoft's intention as well as its current mission to improve the overall computing experience for everyone. But Windows as a brand will continue, as a secure operating system optimized for applications that heavily leverage public and private clouds.

However, our definition of personal computing and also the PC will also change with it.

Will you embrace the death of the Windows desktop environment and migrate to UWP applications? Talk Back and Let Me Know.

Originally posted here:
Why Windows must die. For the third time - ZDNet

Sign-up for the Urban Milwaukee daily email

Potential Hotel at the Masonic Center. Rendering provided by Ascendant Holdings.

The developers of a proposed 220-room, 14-story hotel to be built atop the Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center are still working with city officials to secure final approval for their project. The developers are haggling with the citys Historic Preservation Commission and historic preservation staff over the fate of 20 stained-glass windows, none of which are original to the building.

Youre forgiven if youve never noticed the stained glass windows; at least one of the commissioners was in the same boat. Said Commissioner Patti Keating Kahnduring the meeting: when I drive past the building I cannot see stained glass. The building is so dark. Shes right, theyre barely visible because theyre covered by a dark plate glass. Yet, interior photos shown by historic preservation staff member Tim Askin show a number of colorful windows, most notably in a second-floor chapel space.

Ascendant Holdings, led by Eric Nordeen and Matthew Prescott, is looking to remove and relocate the windows as part of their redevelopment of the property at 790 N. Van Buren St.The hotel will be operated byPortland-based boutique operator Provenance Hotels, who has told Ascendant that the windows create an environment that is too dark to be used as food and beverage space or meeting rooms.

Ascendant will need commission approval to remove the windows and display them as art in the hotels interior, as theyve indicated they desire to. Yet the Historic Preservation Commission wouldnt have the authority to compel them to display them once theyve been removed. No one is suggesting Ascendant has any desire to pull a bait-and-switch, but the preservation staff and commission have raised concerns over setting precedent regarding future projects.

Further complicating things, two stained glass experts, including local firm Conrad Schmitt Studios, have examined the windows and, according to Nordeen, deemed them inferior. As Nordeen told the commission both independently concluded [the windows are] locally made, of inferior quality and they dont really have any secondary value. They do have value to the Masons.

Perhaps more germane to the commission than the hard-to-regulate fate of the windows is what Ascendant would replace them with. Matthew Jarosz, who chairs the commission and leads UW-Milwaukee Historic Preservation Institute, held a lengthy back and forth with project architect Ken Gowland about the merits of various window replacement options. The stained glass windows werent builtas entirely new windows, but instead installed inside the existing window frames. The rest of the windows in the building were replaced in 1996 by the masons. Nordeen suggested that replacing the stained glass windows could lead to a building with greater historic integrity.

Ultimately, the commission seemed supportive of finding a solution, but held off on making a decision. The meeting ended with Jarosz telling Nordeen, I think you need to come back and tell us exactly where you want to go with it.

Ascendant and their team, including a partnership of New Jersey-based Kraig Kalashian Architecture & Design and New Orleans-based Metro Studio, must now firm up plans of how they wish to use the windows and what theyll replace them with.

Will the masons find a home for them? Will Ascendant display them within the building, and if so how many? Will they leave any in place? Well know more soon. Should the commission reject Ascendants plans, the developer would retain the right to go to the full Common Council to override the historic commissions decision.

Follow this link:
Masonic Hotel Inches Forward - urbanmilwaukee

City officials said they are in talks with individuals who may be interested in revamping the Fairborn Theatre, but the conversation is still in its infancy stages and is still too early to say for certain what the future of the facility could be.

Whitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

Whitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

FAIRBORN The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not going anywhere anytime soon, according to city officials who said the theatre means as much to them as it does to citizens.

The building is as important to us as it is to residents, Fairborn Community Development Director Michael Gebhart said. Our charter was signed there its huge to us, its huge to city council, its huge to the city manager and to all the employees its an icon Weve all got history there.

No active plans are currently in the works to tear down or revamp the theatre, but city officials said the most ideal situation would include reusing the facility.

That possibility may become a reality in the future, but it is currently too early to say for certain.

We want to see it reused, Gebhart said. Were actively talking to a couple people, but it is in the infancy stage and I dont know (at this time) if anything will pan out but there are no active plans to do anything to that building besides replace the glass window Were going to keep working on trying to get that building reused.

A strong wind that came along from a recent storm took out a window on the facility. Due to the window not being made of tempered glass, a dangerous splintering was created across the window surface, calling city code enforcement employees to remove the shards to eliminate any safety concerns. By the time the glass was removed, another window was ordered to serve as a replacement.

However, the replacement window was broken by the supplier before it ever made it into the window frame. Although it could be fixed as early as this week.

Because that window was so big, our supplier didnt have it in stock, Gebhart said. It came in a week later and they broke it. For the size of the window, it takes every crew member they have [to install it].

City officials said they are in talks with individuals who may be interested in revamping the Fairborn Theatre, but the conversation is still in its infancy stages and is still too early to say for certain what the future of the facility could be.

http://fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_1.jpgCity officials said they are in talks with individuals who may be interested in revamping the Fairborn Theatre, but the conversation is still in its infancy stages and is still too early to say for certain what the future of the facility could be.

Whitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

http://fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_2-2.jpgWhitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

Whitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

http://fairborndailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_3-2.jpgWhitney Vickers | Greene County News The Fairborn Theatre, located on Broad Street, is not currently planned to be demolished or opened back up anytime soon. However, city officials are working to replace a window that was broken by a recent storm.

No other active plans in the works

Reach Whitney Vickers at 937-502-4532.

.

Read the original here:
Fairborn Theatre would ideally be 'reused' - Fairborn Daily Herald

Katrina J. E. Milton - kmilton@shawmedia.com

Caption

Caption

Caption

Caption

Caption

The alto saxophone Donna Hutson learned to play as a fifth-grader growing up in Sandwich is the same one she uses today.

Now 67, Hutson is an original member of the Indian Valley Community Band (IVCB), which was founded in June 1986 when three Sandwich band directors Joel Hawkinson, Terry Wickwire and Paul Rossok placed a newspaper ad looking to start a band with members from the community. The bands members travel from more than 12 different towns to perform together.

The band has more members than ever. At 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at the Sandwich Opera House, 140 E. Railroad St. in Sandwich, 38 musicians will perform on stage during the bands 31st annual spring concert.

I just love playing in the band, Hutson said. Im one of the bands original members. We sound so good when we all get together, and its always a lot of fun. Its a good group to be a part of.

I guess once youre a band geek, youre always a band geek.

The bands concerts are free, with donations collected at the door for a different local nonprofit organization or group before each concert. Groups and projects that concert revenue has helped in the past include Fox Valley Older Adults Services, Equine Dreams, the Sandwich Lions Clubs Franklin Mall Christmas Project and the Tri-County Kiwanis Clubs Fruit of the Room project.

Proceeds from this years spring concert will benefit the Sandwich Opera House. Chris Roe, the opera houses executive director, said the money will be used for building repairs, including window replacement, painting and historical restoration after water damage.

We always enjoy having the Indian Valley Community Band perform at the opera house, Roe said. I love that theyre all local musicians and that their age range is such a variety. Some havent played since high school, some are in high school. Its always a surprise to hear what music they will perform at the concert. Its always something fun and different.

The band will perform 10 songs of varying genres during the concert. Songs include Offenbachs Ballet Parisien, Strauss Radetzky March, a Spanish paso doble and an arrangement of the Beach Boys greatest hits.

The music we will be playing has a great variety, from more serious pieces, like a German march, to the Beach Boys, said Richard Hart, IVCBs director since 2011.

One of my favorite pieces we will be playing, The Light Eternal, is a memoriam of four World War II U.S. Army chaplains of four different faiths that gave up their lifeboat seats and their lives when their ship was torpedoed.

After a short intermission, a sing-along with the audience will start off the second half of the concert. A punch and cookie reception will be after the concert, allowing the audience the opportunity to meet and socialize with the musicians.

In addition to the spring concert, the band also performs a Christmas concert at the Sandwich Opera House and a summer concert in the park. The summer concert will be 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 16, at James Knights Park, 1001 Latham St. in Sandwich.

The band does not have auditions anyone high school-age or older who plays an instrument is welcome to join the band and play along. All instruments are needed, especially clarinets, percussion and trombones. The band rehearses from 6 to 7:20 p.m. Mondays at Sandwich Middle School, 600 Wells St.

Trumpeter Jean McBride of Yorkville, another of the bands original members, said shes continued to play in the band because of the wonderful people shes met over the years.

Flautist Deb Kell of Sandwich said she feels lucky to have joined the band in 2008.

I didnt play my flute for 35 years, Kell said. I was able to take it out of the closet and play again, even though I was rusty. Im just happy to have music and people to play with.

Visit link:
Indian Valley Community Band concert to benefit Sandwich Opera House - Valley Free Press

If you are done with your old window and is looking for a change, then it is time to go for window replacement in Clayton & Apex NC. There is one company that helps you find the best replacement windows for your home.

Raleigh, NC - May 8, 2017 - (Newswire.com)

Windows are not just there for bringing in light and air into the room. Nor it is just placed for safety and security. Windows in every home have a role to play. There is a purpose for which so many different windows exist. Every home has its style, and you would want the windows to be in sync with the same. You will not want a bay window in the living room if you see that it is not going to look good there. You would want experts to help you decide on the right replacement window for your home, and that is where HomeCraft Windows excel. They understand that replacement windows are an effective investment and there are many benefits to it provided you make the correct choice. You might have second thoughts in your mind regarding installing windows in Cary & Raleigh NC, but once you go with the decision, you will be glad that you took it.

HomeCraft Windows offers an extensive service that can be completed in 3 parts. You get to choose the most appropriate window replacement in Clayton & Apex NC for your home, the installation as well as the warranty coverage.

When you are going for window replacement, you are increasing the value of your home. It is estimated that replacement windows can return homeowners 71% to 81% of the project cost upon resale. Apart from that, new replacement windows can help make savings on energy bills and reducing dust and allergens. Above everything else, the right replacement windows will enhance the exterior of the house as well as add beauty to the interiors.

Call 919-231-7181for more details.

About The Company

HomeCraft Windows is a locally owned and operated window and door installation and repair company. They offer a wide range of options in window replacement in Clayton & Apex NC and also provides installation of the same.

Press Release Service by Newswire.com

Original Source: Window Replacement in Clayton & Apex NC Can Change the Look of Your Property

Originally posted here:
Window Replacement in Clayton & Apex NC Can Change the Look of Your Property - Digital Journal

Craig S. Semon Telegram & Gazette Staff @CraigSemon

PAXTON - Voters werent feeling that generous Monday as they voted against three of the five Proposition 2 questions facing voters in the annual town election.

Voters defeated a Proposition 2 levy limit override question for the Wachusett Regional School District budget, a Proposition 2 debt exclusion question for site plans and initial design of a new Department of Public Works facility, and a Proposition 2 capital expenditure exclusion question for money toward window replacement for the John Bauer Senior Center.

Again rejecting a measure already defeated at last weeks annual town meeting, voters defeated a companion ballot question asking for a Proposition 2 levy limit override for $190,092 to fully fund Paxtons $6,065,107 assessment for the regional schools budget for fiscal 2018. The vote was 173 against and 124 in favor.

Last week, Paxton became the first of the five towns in the school district to reject its share of the budget. At Rutlands annual town meeting on Saturday, voters passed an amended school budget of $2,683,134, short of the school district's request for $3,071,172. Four of the five district towns (which also includes Holden, Princeton and Sterling) have to approve their assessments for the school budget to go forward.

Both the DPW facility and senior center window replacement questions had passed at town meeting, but failed in the election.The DPW question vote was 160-136, while the senior center question lost 168-130. The Proposition 2questions needed voters' approval at both the town meeting and election to move forward.

Voting 1,135 in favor and 161 against, voters did pass a Proposition 2 capital expenditure exclusion for $70,000 toward Town Hall exterior repairs.

With a 155-143 vote, voters also passed a Proposition 2 capital expenditure exclusion for $41,910 for a new Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicle to replace the Police Department's 2008 Ford Crown Victoria police cruiser.

Both the Town Hall and police cruiser questions also passed at town meeting.

Read the original here:
Paxton voters reject three Proposition 2 overrides - Worcester Telegram

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Once you decide which home improvements you want to make this Summer, then you have to decide which company to use. The first thing you'll do is ask around to see who your friends and neighbors have used, right? Well, if you need new replacement windows or patio doors, you might ask one of the 31,504 other Colorado homeowners who have used Renewal by Andersen.

The Renewal by Andersen window is made especially for our UV rays and temperature swings, and it will make your home comfortable in the cold and the Summer heat. Renewal by Andersen handles the entire process- they build their windows, install and warrant not just their windows and patio doors, but the installation too. And they will leave your home immaculate when they are done.

Ted Kuenz joined us from Renewal by Andersen Replacement Windows right here in Denver.

So if you're considering replacing your windows, call our Help Center and schedule your free in-home window education with Renewal by Andersen. When you call today, you can get the Spring Special: Save $250 on every window and $750 on every patio door! And that's with no money down, no payments and no interest for a year. Call now at (303)968-3272. You can find them online at LoveYourWindows.com.

Continued here:
Let Renewal By Andersen Handle Your Summer Home Improvements - FOX31 Denver

A A

A man shot to death last month had been with his girlfriend when the two were robbed of a vehicle to settle a debt, according to court documents filed in support of charges in the case.

Neil Allen Alway, 39, and Ashley Lorraine Barry, 31, both transients, appeared in court Monday to face charges in connection to the incident.

Two additional suspects were arrested Monday night. John Michael West, 43, is accused of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery. Ashley L. Wideman, 23, is accused of first-degree kidnapping. Both are expected to appear in court Tuesday.

Alway faces a charge of first-degree murder for the slaying of Raymond C. Brandon. He and Barry both face charges of first-degree robbery and first-degree kidnapping.

A probable cause affidavit filed in the case gives the following account of events:

Allison Fields, who had been dating Brandon for nine months, told police that for the first few weeks of April, she and Brandon had been driving a silver Subaru Forester to a residence on Northeast 172nd Avenue to shower and eat breakfast.

On April 20, shortly after they arrived at the residence, the four suspects came into the room and ordered Fields and Brandon to take off their clothes.

Alway pointed a semi-automatic handgun at both Fields and Brandon before taking Brandon outside while Barry stayed with Fields inside the house.

Fields said she heard what sounded like someone being hit with an object and then Brandon screaming; Fields said she could tell he was frightened and in pain. Then, she told police, she heard a loud gunshot and the screaming stopped.

Alway and the other man, West, then ran back inside and said they all had to leave quickly.

Alway zip-tied Fields hands and led her outside, where Barry broke the drivers side window and unsuccessfully tried to start the Subaru without the keys.

Fields told investigators that Alway wanted to take the Subaru from them to settle Rays debt, the affidavit states.

The four then got into a white Jeep SUV with Fields and drove to the farm on Northeast 119th Street in Vancouver.

Once at the farm, Barry cut Fields zip ties and told Fields not to cry or she would be killed, adding that the only reason she was not dead already was because Barry knew Fields father.

Fields told Alway that her father already had a window to replace the one broken on the Subaru, and he agreed to drive her to her fathers so he could get the window replacement.

Looking for her father, Alway drove Fields to her grandmothers house and found her father outside. Fields ran toward him, and Barry and Alway fled, keeping the Subaru and Fields tablet computer.

On April 25, a Vancouver police officer arrested Alway and Barry on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, a Jeep Wrangler. Alway was in possession of a black .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun and was charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon.

Two days later, Clark County sheriffs deputies were dispatched to 15308 N.E. 172nd Ave., southeast of Hockinson High School, for a report of a body found on the property.

A witness reported that she heard rumors that Brandon had been shot in the shed of a residence and went to the residence and spoke with a man who lived there. The resident denied knowing anything about the incident, but gave the witness permission to search the property. She found Brandons body in the shed and called 911.

The Clark County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Brandon, 34, and classified his death as homicidal violence. He suffered a gunshot wound to his chest.

Both Alway and Barry were interviewed and provided detectives with an account that was fairly similar to Fields account, though Alway told detectives that he was not involved, saying he was on the other side of the yard trying to get his Jeep out of the mud.

Alway told detectives that Brandon and the other man present during the incident were smoking in the backyard when he left. He also said that the other man had been carrying the gun found in Always possessions.

He said he learned about Brandons death from the newspaper.

During Mondays court hearing, Judge Derek Vanderwood set bail for Alway at $2 million and bail for Barry at $250,000. Both are scheduled to be arraigned May 11.

See the original post here:
Pair appear in court in Hockinson-area robbery, killing - The Columbian