Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

After two emergency sittings completed in record time, N.W.T. MLAs will finally debate a motion to remove Katrina Nokleby from cabinet.

Until last Wednesday, Nokleby was minister of infrastructure and industry, tourism and investment. That's when, in a surprise move, Premier Caroline Cochrane stripped her of her portfolios, saying she didn't have confidence in Nokleby's ability to "fulfil her responsibilities."

But while the premier decides ministers' portfolios, only a vote of 10 of 19MLAs can remove them from cabinet.

On Wednesday, MLAs will vote on a motion tabled by the premier and delayed by Nokleby herself to do just that.

Here's what to expect:

As the motion goes to the floor, the premier and MLAs will each get a chance to speak to the motion and outline where they stand on Nokleby's removal from cabinet.

It could be the first time MLAs speak directly to the reasons for her removal.

Cochrane will need the support of nine other MLAs to eject Nokleby from cabinet. It's not clear yet if the six cabinet ministers besides Nokleby will be voting in solidarity on this motion, as they normally do.

If the motion succeeds, Nokleby will become a regular MLA, and work will begin to select her replacement.

The assembly will likely adjourn at this point until Thursday, when all 19 MLAs can meet as the "territorial leadership committee" and select a new cabinet minister in a secret ballot.

Candidates will nominate themselves, give a speech, and take questions before the vote.

Once the new minister is chosen, they'll need to be sworn in before the legislature can adjourn until Oct. 15 as planned.

By convention, cabinet is composed of two ministers from northern ridings, two from the south, and two from Yellowknife.

As Nokleby represents the Yellowknife riding of Great Slave, she is most likely to be replaced by another Yellowknife MLA. But it's not immediately clear which of them may want it.

Frame Lake MLA Kevin O'Reilly, Yellowknife North MLA Rylund Johnson, Kam Lake MLA Caitlin Cleveland and Yellowknife Centre MLA Julie Green could all replace her.

Of the four, only Johnson has ruled out a bid for cabinet.

Both Johnson and Cleveland have both publicly criticized the premier's decision to remove Nokleby, while O'Reilly has praised her for her "decisive action."

If Cochrane's motion were to fail, Nokleby would remain in cabinet as a minister without a portfolio and put the premier in a very difficult spot.

The bar to defeat the motion is actually lower than it is to pass. Because the Speaker is obligated to vote for the status quo in the event of a tie, Nokleby must secure only eight votes from her colleagues to remain in place.

If that were to happen, MLAs could then table a motion of non-confidence in the premier, or give her time to patch things up and find a new role for Nokleby in cabinet.

The premier and other MLAs have repeatedly refused to speak publicly about the reasons behind Nokleby's dismissal. But her short time as a minister has not been without controversy.

Nokleby's departments have been the subject of intense criticism from Indigenous governments who say the territory's procurement process is broken, and from tourism operators who accuse her department of unreasonable delays.

She has also been accused of taking a combative tone in discussions with fellow MLAs, according to Northern News Services Limited.

But in the wake of her dismissal last week, industry leaders have lined up to voice their surprise at the premier's move, telling Cabin Radio they had few issues with Nokleby's performance.

Nokleby has already survived a confidence motion advanced and then withdrawn without explanation by regular MLAs in May. At that time, Cochrane said she had "complete confidence" in the minister.

Cochrane, Nokleby and all regular MLAs have refused repeated requests for interviews from CBC.

Instead, on Friday, Cochrane posted a five-minute video to a Facebook page with 600 followers in which she said she was "reluctant" to offer her reasoning out of "respect for conversations held in confidence."

Read more:
Here's how today's vote on an N.W.T. minister's future will go down - CBC.ca

Montpelier, South Burlington, and Rutland offices will re-open for visits by appointment only

Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced the reopening of the Montpelier, South Burlington, and Rutland offices to the public by appointment only using a new online scheduling system on Aug. 25.

Throughout the COVID-19 State of Emergency and temporary closure of our offices, we have been fully aware of the services that Vermonters need and we have been pursuing solutions to better serve them, said DMV Commissioner Wanda Minoli. While DMV employees have continued to work daily covering mail, on-line, and email requests, our goal always has been to re-open as quickly as possible with health and safety protocols in place.

Customers can schedule appointments online beginning Thursday, Aug. 27. The first appointment times available will be for Monday, Aug. 31. The hours of operation for appointments at all three locations for appointments will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Customers with appointments are asked to arrive ten minutes before their appointment so DMV staff can review and verify all required paperwork prior to the appointment.

Many services are available online or by mail, and the DMV urges customers to take advantage of the efficiency and ease of utilizing those options. Online services include license renewals, replacement licenses, registration renewals, replacement registrations, address changes, learner permit exams, paying reinstatement fees, and many commercial vehicle transactions. Please go to dmv.vermont.gov/mydmv for these and other online services, and for information about which transactions can be completed by mail.

The DMV is alsoworking on an online solution to offer Vermonters a more efficient way to get a temporary vehicle registration and temporary plate for private sales. Details of this new online service will be announced soon.

With the new scheduling system now live, the DMV will look to expand in-person appointments at the remaining branch offices.

See the article here:
Governor Scott and DMV announce new online scheduling system for in-person appointments and transactions - Mountaintimes

COVID-19 and the subsequent stay-at-home order coincided with my baby being able to sit up, then crawl. While I have always been someone who likes her surfaces cleanfrom counters to walls to floorshaving a global pandemic and a human dust buster under foot made me even more aware of the grime New York (and then, a few months later, Vermont) brings into my home.I always appreciated the ease of Swiffer-like products and as a new mother working from home, without childcare available and with two dogs, it seemed like the go-to for keeping my floors clean and baby safe. However, my environmentally-conscious self gave upon all disposable cleaning methods in 2018. This led to a long rabbit hole search for an easy way to clean my home, but doing so with a green mindset.

This is how I found the O Cedar line of mops. I started with the Pro Mist, as it served the purpose of disposable mops but it had two key aspects that I loved. First, the cleaning micro fiber pads are washable and secondly, it allows you to choose (or make) your own cleaning solution with a refillable compartment.

The Pro Mist has been a life saver and mind relaxer over the last four months. It cleans exceedingly well. It gets into tight spaces, picks up dog hair, and my homemade cleaning solution gives me peace of mind with my baby periodically eating off the floor. The reusable cleaning pads are super durable, staying put with Velcro. The fact that they are two sided is another plus for the eco-conscious, as I get twice as much use. When one is dirty, I toss it in with my other cleaning rags or even my whites.

It is hard enough to keep your house clean, regardless of a pandemic or a baby, and even hard to clean your home in an eco-friendly manner. Possibly the only thing that got easier for me during this time has been keeping my floors clean and doing so in a way that is better for the planet.

Scouted selects products independently and prices reflect what was available at the time of publish. Sign up for our newsletter for even more recommendations. Dont forget to check out our coupon site to find deals from Macy's, Walmart, Nordstrom Rack, and more. If you buy something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.

Read more here:
This O-Cedar Mop Is My Reusable Replacement for a Swiffer - The Daily Beast

David Unwin/Stuff

New Zealand Transport Agency project manager Anna Sanson talks through the new clip-on for the Ashhurst Bridge.

Cyclists and walkers will soon be able to make a safe passage across the Ashhurst Bridge on State Highway 3.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has revealed its plans for a new clip-on to the side of the bridge, designed to give walkers and cyclists a safe route across the busy road and connect to other shared pathways.

Access to the Manawat Gorge has traditionally been across the two-lane bridge, which has a 100kmh speed limit, but no room for cyclists or pedestrians.

The transport agency held a drop-in session at Ashhursts Village Valley Centre on Thursday to inform people about the new clip-on and to ask for feedback.

READ MORE:* Manawat Gorge replacement highway hearing begins with airing of benefits of new road* New Manawat River Bridge close to completion, but without clip-on cycleway* Adding cycleway to Manawat Gorge replacement highway would 'over complicate' plans, officials say

Agency project manager Anna Sanson said the move would cost $6-8 million, but that included a lot of earthworks and a path from the bridge into Ashhurst.

Sanson said the project had been long planned and the agency wanted to let people know it was happening.

David Unwin/Stuff

The new clip-on shared pathway will make it safe for cyclists and pedestrians to cross the bridge.

People have been talking about a clip-on bridge for a long time. Weve done the assessment to determine we can do it.

The agency has done structural and hydraulic work to make sure the existing bridge could handle the weight of the clip-on, which would be level with the road, Sanson said.

Once the clip-on is finished, people will be able to access the shared pathway alongside the new Manawat Gorge replacement road.

The path at the Ashhurst end of the bridge will connect to the Manawat River pathway so people can travel from Ashhurst to Palmerston North.

Its a great facility for the community, especially for Ashhurst.

There will also be a pathway from the bridge towards Ashhurst, so people can park at Ashhurst Domain and walk or cycle across the bridge.

We know theres a lot of people who walk from Ashhurst out to the Manawat Gorge. We want to make it safe for people.

There will be a viewing platform in the middle of the clip-on.

The transport agency will now collate feedback and then start design work in the next couple of months.

Sanson said construction would likely start in September next year.

She said most of the feedback had been people wanting the bridge built quickly.

The agency was yet to determine whether work on the bridge would be done from the bridge or from the river.

Read more:
New clip-on to give Ashhurst Bridge walkers and cyclists safe passage - Stuff.co.nz

Heres what you need to know:

Republicans have intensified their unrest-focused message, with Kenosha as a backdrop.

Richard Grenell, a former diplomat and intelligence official, revives an unsubstantiated wiretap claim.

We fact-checked the Republican National Convention.

Clarence Henderson, a civil rights pioneer, makes a case for peaceful protests.

Lara Trump says her preconceived notion about the Trumps disappeared when she became one.

Joni Ernst praises Trump for paying attention to Iowas farmers and coming to visit after a storm.

Lee Zeldin rewrites Trumps aid to New York during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese dissident, praises Trumps approach to Beijing.

Elise Stefanik pushes Trumps reopening approach and hits Biden on the economy.

Kellyanne Conway is leaving the White House, but not the spotlight.

Dan Crenshaw, a Texas congressman, draws on his military experience to talk about heroism.

Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee senator, gives a dark and misleading speech focusing on law enforcement.

Kristi Noem, once rumored to be a Pence replacement, attacks Democrats on law and order.

Republicans used the third night of their convention on Wednesday to amplify warnings of violence and lawlessness under Democratic leadership, trying to capitalize on the worsening unrest in Wisconsin to reclaim moderate voters who might be reluctant to hand President Trump a second term.

The party also made appeals to social conservatives with attacks on abortion and accusations that the Democrats and their nominee, Joseph R. Biden Jr., were Catholics in name only. And they intensified their effort to lift Mr. Trumps standing among women with testimonials vouching for him as empathetic and as a champion of women in the workplace from women who work for him, a number of female lawmakers and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.

Speaking hours after Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin called in the National Guard to restore order to Kenosha, Wis., where a police officer shot a Black man this week, numerous Republicans led by Vice President Mike Pence assailed Mr. Biden for what they claimed was his tolerance of the vandalism that had grown out of racial justice protests, asserting that the country would not be safe with him as president.

Last week, Joe Biden didnt say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country, said Mr. Pence, standing before an array of American flags at Fort McHenry in Baltimore and vowing: We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color.

Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota, a strong supporter of the president, said that places like Seattle, Portland, Ore., and other cities run by Democrats were being overrun by violent mobs. She likened the violence to the lead-up of the Civil War and asserted that people are left to fend for themselves.

Ms. Noem invoked a young Abraham Lincoln, claiming he had been alarmed by the disregard for the rule of law throughout the country.

He was concerned for the people that had seen their property destroyed, their families attacked and their lives threatened or even taken away, she said, adding Sound familiar?

The intense focus on the rioting amounted to an acknowledgment by Republicans that they must reframe the election to make urban unrest the central theme and shift attention away from the deaths and illnesses of millions of people from the coronavirus.

transcript

transcript

So with gratitude for the confidence President Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican Party and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as vice president of the United States. Over the past four years, Ive had the privilege to work closely with our president. Ive seen him when the cameras are off. Americans see President Trump in lots of different ways. But theres no doubt how President Trump sees America. He sees America for what it is: a nation that has done more good in this world than any other, a nation that deserves far more gratitude than grievance. And if you want a president who falls silent when our heritage is demeaned or insulted, hes not your man. Last week, Joe Biden didnt say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country. So let me be clear: The violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down.

For four years, Vice President Mike Pence has stood as an unfailingly loyal deputy to President Trump even and especially when he gets overruled.

In public and private, Mr. Pence lauds Mr. Trump. And on Wednesday night, he used his convention speech to paint the president as a great builder of the American economy and defender of American law enforcement.

The vice president said that Mr. Trump was upholding the very nature of the country, and if Joseph R. Biden Jr. was elected president, the United States would lose its essential character and become unrecognizable at least to a Trump-friendly social conservative like Mr. Pence.

Last week, Joe Biden said democracy is on the ballot, but the truth is, our economic recovery is on the ballot, law and order are on the ballot. But so are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country, Mr. Pence said. Its not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal, more Republican or more Democrat. The choice in this election is whether America remains America.

So with gratitude for the confidence President Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican Party, and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as vice president of the United States, Mr. Pence said.

Speaking to a crowd at Fort McHenry in Baltimore that did not appear to be socially distanced or wearing masks, Mr. Pence described a president who acts differently in private than he does in public a picture sharply at odds with nearly all of the reporting that depicts Mr. Trump in private as even more prone to pique and outbursts than he is before television cameras.

Ive seen him when the cameras are off, Mr. Pence said. Americans see President Trump in lots of different ways, but theres no doubt how President Trump sees America. He sees America for what it is, a nation that has done more good in this world than any other, a nation that deserves far more gratitude than grievance.

Mr. Pence made the nights first significant reference to Hurricane Laura, a major storm bearing down on Texas and Louisiana, a notion that would have not raised eyebrows during any other political convention but seemed off-key during a week devoted to singing the praises of Mr. Trump.

This is a serious storm, and we urge all of those in the affected areas to heed state and local authorities, Mr. Pence said. Stay safe, and know that we will be with you every step of the way to support, rescue, respond, and recover in the days and weeks ahead.

In a seeming reference to Mr. Trumps defense of Confederate monuments and the Confederate flag, Mr. Pence, who is from Indiana, added: If you want a president who falls silent when our heritage is demeaned or insulted, then hes not your man.

Mr. Pence was the only Republican convention speaker to mention Kenosha, Wis., where the Sunday police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, has inflamed racial tensions. He condemned people there who caused property damage though he made no mention of the shooting that prompted the unrest.

President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peacefully protest, said Mr. Pence, who in 2017 flew to Indianapolis for an N.F.L. game and then walked out after several players knelt during the national anthem. But rioting and looting is not peaceful protest. Tearing down statues is not free speech, and those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Mr. Pence, like many speakers during the Republican convention, also sought to rewrite the recent history of how Mr. Trump has handled the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 180,000 Americans and counting.

Before the first case of the coronavirus spread within the United States, the president took unprecedented action and suspended all travel from China, the second largest economy in the world, Mr. Pence said.

Yet by April 40,000 people had traveled to the United States from China since Mr. Trump imposed his travel ban on Jan. 31, and more than 430,000 since the coronavirus was first disclosed in China a month earlier.

Mr. Pence also said Mr. Trump had marshaled the full resources of our federal government from the outset, adding, He directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across America in both political parties.

This would come as a surprise to Democratic governors in Illinois, New York and Washington State, among others, who found themselves on the receiving end of Mr. Trumps attacks for publicly criticizing the federal governments inability to produce personal protective equipment or sufficient testing to determine how far the virus had spread in their states.

transcript

transcript

Donald Trump he called Americas endless wars what they were: a disaster. The media was shocked, because Donald Trump was running as a Republican. And yet he said out loud what we all knew: that American foreign policy was failing to make Americans safer. Our great cities and industries were hollowed out. Entire communities were devastated, and our manufacturing plants were shipped off to China. Thats what happened when Washington stopped being the capital of the United States and started being the capital of the world. Today the Democrats blame a global pandemic that started in China on President Trump. And they still blame Russia for Hillary Clintons loss in 2016. As acting director of national intelligence, I saw the Democrats entire case for Russian collusion, and what I saw made me sick to my stomach. The Obama-Biden administration secretly launched a surveillance operation on the Trump campaign, and silenced the many brave intelligence officials who spoke up against it.

The undiplomatic diplomat Richard A. Grenell, who briefly held a top intelligence post in the Trump administration, revived the baseless theory that President Barack Obama personally ordered federal law enforcement officials to spy on Donald J. Trumps 2016 campaign.

The Obama-Biden administration secretly launched a surveillance operation on the Trump campaign, and silenced the many brave intelligence officials who spoke up against it, said Mr. Grenell, who served as United States ambassador to Germany from 2018 to 2020, and alienated many German officials by weighing in on the countrys internal politics.

Mr. Grenell launched a far-ranging attack on Democratic foreign policy initiatives, slamming the Iran nuclear deal and globalist goals he said Mr. Biden would pursue.

Washington stopped being the capital of the United States, and started being the capital of the world, he said of the Obama administrations approach.

In his remarks at the Republican convention on Wednesday, Mr. Grenell, one of the few gay people to hold a high administration post under Mr. Trump, claimed to have watched President Trump charm the chancellor of Germany, while insisting that Germany pay its NATO obligations.

No one appears to have told that to the chancellor, Angela Merkel, who has privately expressed doubts about Mr. Trumps leadership and publicly criticized his response to the coronavirus, albeit indirectly. As we are experiencing firsthand, you cannot fight the pandemic with lies and disinformation, Ms. Merkel said in June. The limits of populism and denial of basic truths are being laid bare.

This year, Mr. Grenell served briefly as acting director of national intelligence. In that capacity, he was the first openly gay cabinet-level official in United States history.

He claimed on Wednesday that this post gave him access to information about Democratic investigations into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia four years ago that made me sick to my stomach.

Mr. Grenell, known for dunking on reporters and critics on Twitter, had no chance of being permanently confirmed for that position after Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, said he was unqualified.

Since then, he has served as the Republican National Committees liaison on L.G.B.T. outreach, a tall order at a time when Mr. Trump has made a point of rolling back protections for transgender people enacted during the Obama administration.

Our team of reporters who cover the Pentagon, Congress, health care and more fact-checked tonights speeches. See the claims and how they stack up against the truth.

Clarence Henderson, who helped desegregate the Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., in 1960, joined a chorus of Black Trump supporters making the case that Mr. Trump is not racist even though as many as eight in 10 Black people think he is.

Mr. Henderson did not directly refer to the chaotic protests in Portland, Ore., and Kenosha, Wis. But he contrasted his actions 60 years ago joining his friends at the counter on the second day of the protests with the current demonstrations.

Our actions inspired similar protests throughout the South against racial injustice. And in the end, segregation was abolished and our country moved a step closer to true equality for all, he said. Thats what actual peaceful protest can accomplish.

The Greensboro demonstrations, while not the first sit-ins, were a watershed moment in the civil rights movement especially after the media broadcast images of an unruly white mob dumping food and drinks on the polite, neatly dressed and nonviolent protesters.

transcript

transcript

My seventh-grade English teacher, Mrs. B., used to tell us, Believe none of what you hear, half of what you read and only what youre there to witness firsthand. The meaning of those words never fully weighed on me until I met my husband and the Trump family. Any preconceived notion I had of this family disappeared immediately. They were warm and caring. They were hard workers, and they were down to earth. They reminded me of my own family. They made me feel like I was home. Walking the halls of the Trump Organization, I saw the same family environment. I also saw the countless women executives who thrived there year after year. Gender didnt matter. What mattered was the ability to get the job done. I learned this directly when, in 2016, my father-in-law asked me to help him win my cherished home state and my daughters namesake, North Carolina. Though I had no political experience, he believed in me. He knew I was capable even if I didnt. I wasnt born a Trump. Im from the South. I was raised a Carolina girl. I went to public schools and worked my way through a state university. Mrs. B. from my seventh-grade English class was right. What I learned about our president is different than what you might have heard. I learned that hes a good man.

Lara Trump, President Trumps daughter-in-law and a senior adviser to his re-election campaign, offered a glowing portrait of the family she had married into on Wednesday night, painting the Trumps as warm and caring.

Speaking at the Republican National Convention, Ms. Trump, who is married to Eric Trump, conceded that she had certainly never thought that Id end up with the last name Trump. But as soon as she met her husband and joined his family, she said, Any preconceived notion I had of this family disappeared immediately.

I wasnt born a Trump. Im from the South, she said. I was raised a Carolina girl. I went to public schools and worked my way through a state university.

What I learned about our president is different than what you might have heard, she added. I learned that hes is a good man. That he loves his family. That he didnt need this job.

With her remarks, Lara Trump joined the growing list of Trump family members and close associates who have been tapped to praise the president based on their relationship with him. They have sought to soften the presidents image, suggesting that he treats the people he cares about exceedingly well.

Ms. Trump also tried to use her firsthand experience to try to improve her father-in-laws standing with women, remarking that she had seen women thrive in the Trump Organization, which granted them big responsibilities.

I know the promise of America because Ive lived it, not just as a member of the Trump family, but as a woman who knows what its like to work in blue-collar jobs, to serve customers for tips and to aspire to rise, she said.

No one on earth works harder for the American people, she added later, speaking about the president. Hes willing to fight for his beliefs, and for the people and the country that he loves.

Burgess Owens, the Republican nominee in a Utah congressional district that Democrats flipped in 2018, took the stage at the Republican convention on Wednesday and recalled his great-great-grandfather, Silas Burgess, who escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad and ultimately became a landowner.

He also recalled his own experience: After playing in the N.F.L., he started a business that failed, and ended up working as a chimney sweep before achieving a rewarding career in the corporate world.

Career politicians, elitists and even a former bartender want us to believe thats impossible, Mr. Owens said, referring to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by her former job. They want us to believe that what I did, what my great-great-grandfather did, is impossible for ordinary Americans. As patriots, we know better.

Mr. Owens, who is also a Fox News contributor, is running against Representative Ben McAdams in Utahs Fourth Congressional District. Mr. McAdams narrowly upset a Republican incumbent, Mia Love, in 2018.

On Tuesday, Mr. Owens was accused of plagiarizing parts of his book Why I Stand: From Freedom to the Killing Fields of Socialism, which he denied. Also this week, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that a former Utah legislator was urging the Republican National Committee to revoke his speaking slot because he appeared earlier this year on a YouTube program associated with the false QAnon conspiracy theory.

Mr. Owens has said that he didnt know about the link and that he does not support QAnon.

Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, the only endangered Senate Republican to speak at this weeks Republican National Convention, on Wednesday night highlighted President Trumps help for farmers and claimed that a Biden administration would harm them.

I cant recall an administration more hostile to farmers than Obama-Biden, unless you count the Biden-Harris ticket, Ms. Ernst said. The Democratic Party of Joe Biden is pushing this so-called Green New Deal. If given power, they would essentially ban animal agriculture and eliminate gas-powered cars. It would destroy the agriculture industry, not just here in Iowa, but throughout the country.

Mr. Biden has promised no such thing. He never endorsed the Green New Deal, much to the frustration of his partys more progressive elements. He has endorsed reinstating higher fuel efficiency standards put in place by President Barack Obama and rescinded by Mr. Trump.

Ms. Ernst, who won in the 2014 Republican wave and faces a tight challenge this year, is betting her best chance to secure re-election is by tethering herself tightly to President Trump. On Wednesday she kept her remarks narrowly focused on Iowa, praising Mr. Trump for visiting the state after a storm damaged much of the state this month.

Like many speakers during the convention, Ms. Ernst laced her remarks with heavy criticism of the national news media and praise for the president, who she said had bent media coverage to his will.

After the storm, Ms. Ernst said, most of the national media looked the other way. To them, Iowa is still just flyover country. She added, When President Trump came to Cedar Rapids, the national media finally did, too.

There is scarce public polling in Iowa, but a poll from The Des Moines Register in June showed Ms. Ernsts Democratic opponent, Theresa Greenfield, ahead by three percentage points. This month, a Monmouth poll showed Ms. Ernst ahead by one point; each candidates polling lead was within the margin of error.

The race has already set fund-raising records for an Iowa Senate contest, and is expected to result in more money spent on TV advertising than ever before in the state.

Ms. Ernsts convention appearance could only be better for her than her 2016 speech in Cleveland, which was largely overshadowed by the debut, directly before she took the stage, of the lock her up chant led by Michael T. Flynn, a Trump campaign adviser at the time. Mr. Flynn spoke for far longer than his allotted time, and Ms. Ernst was given less time to speak than she had planned for.

On Wednesday night, Ms. Ernsts remarks, which were recorded from Des Moines, followed a prerecorded veterans round-table discussion.

In her 2014 campaign, Ms. Ernst pledged to repeal the Affordable Care Act, balance the federal budget and cut spending. Lets make em squeal, she said in a viral ad, highlighting her history castrating hogs on her familys farm.

But after Mr. Trumps election in 2016 Ms. Ernst had an interview with him when he was in search of a running mate she backed away from her campaign promises to become one of the presidents stalwart defenders.

Her first 2020 TV ad echoes Mr. Trumps tone on China.

We rely on Communist China for far too much, from technology to medicine, she said. So Im fighting to bring it home.

For at least a decade, Representative Lee Zeldin of New York has been promoted as a Republican rising star.

Mr. Zeldin, 40, is a lawyer and Iraq war veteran from Long Island who first won election to the New York State Senate in 2010 by campaigning against a payroll tax that funded the New York subway and commuter railways.

Since he was elected to Congress in the 2014 Republican wave, Mr. Zeldin has become a staunch supporter of President Trump, who carried Mr. Zeldins eastern Long Island congressional district by 12 percentage points after Barack Obama had won it in the 2008 and 2012 elections.

Mr. Zeldins defense of Mr. Trump during the initial House impeachment proceedings was so thorough that no Republican spoke more than he did, according to a review of early deposition transcripts last year by NBC News.

On Wednesday night he used his four-minute Republican convention speaking slot to praise Mr. Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner for providing his district in Suffolk County and New York City with personal protective equipment for medical workers caring for coronavirus patients.

Jared Kushner and I were on the phone late one Saturday night, Mr. Zeldin said. The very next day, President Trump announced he was sending us 200,000 N95 masks. He actually delivered more than 400,000.

Mr. Zeldins praise for the Trump administration neglects to mention what was a nationwide shortage in medical-grade masks and other protective equipment for doctors and nurses. The Trump administrations response was a scattershot effort that led to various governors begging the White House for help and offering public praise of Mr. Trump, some of which has been used in footage that has been aired during this weeks Republican National Convention.

Mr. Zeldin also stated that New Yorks hospitals were able to handle all of the patients suffering from the pandemic a claim that does not comport with how the pandemic played out in New York this spring.

Mr. Zeldin, one of just two Jewish Republicans in Congress, won re-election relatively easily in 2016 and 2018, but faces a significant challenge this year from Nancy Goroff, a chemistry professor at Stony Brook University. The Cook Political Report rates the contest as Lean Republican, and the House Democrats campaign arm on Wednesday added Ms. Goroff to its Red to Blue list of most competitive races.

See more here:
Mike Pence Closes Out Night 3 of the G.O.P. Convention, Making the Case for Trump - The New York Times

And they say the new homes for tenants will be some of Milton Keynes most "accessible and environmentally friendly" dwellings.

The plans are addition to 1,402 replacement and additional homes planned for the city regeneration estates, where proposals for the Lakes Estate and Fullers Slade are already well advanced.

MK Council is also investing 50m in its current homes to improve their energy efficiency and reduce energy costs for tenants.

This is all part of the councils ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030, as well as a recently-announced investment to ensure MKs recovery from the impact of COVID-19 is a green and fair one.

All these proposals will create almost 400 local jobs and 150 apprenticeships - and a further business plan for affordable homes in Mk will be reviewed by the council's Cabinet next month,

If plans are approved, the council will consult with council tenants and leaseholders before action starts. Council tenants can expect more energy efficient heating systems, improved insulation and better windows among other measures.

Cllr Emily Darlington, Cabinet Member for Public Realm and Council Housing said: Building homes for MK families is a priority for the council. After years of losing homes through right to buy, this ambitious plan to build more than 1,200 homes will rectify years of under-investment. Every building site will also support the creation of local jobs and apprenticeships delivering for local communities in this time of recession.

Alongside the recession we also face the challenge of climate change so making sure our current and new build council homes are the greenest they can be is part of the Councils commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon negative by 2050. It will also help tackle fuel poverty and lower energy bills for our tenants.

Continue reading here:
500 new council homes to be built in Milton Keynes over the next two years - Milton Keynes Citizen

Published: Wednesday, 26th August 2020

Oxford City Council is installing 90 new bike parking spaces in Oxford city centre.

The council will install 72 of the bike parking spaces by the end of August. This will see:

The New Road installation will also involve the replacement and upgrading of 24 existing bike parking spaces.

The remaining 18 spaces will be installed in Ship Street at the end of September when scaffolding work in the street has finished.

Installation work will be carried out by ODS, the councils direct services company that operates like a social enterprise.

The 90 spaces are in addition to the extra bike parking spaces that the city and county councils are installing as part of measures to help Oxford reopen following the coronavirus lockdown.

The council installed 130 additional bike parking spaces at its Park and Ride sites in June. These were installed with the aim of providing additional capacity once shops reopened. At the time, the government was encouraging people not to use buses due to the risk of infection.

Separately, Oxfordshire County Council is installing bike parking spaces at Oxford Parkway and Thornhill Park and Ride sites and across the city.

City, county and ODS officers are scoping a further tranche of locations. Oxfordshire County Council is due to make an announcement about new location sites in the coming weeks.

Our clear objective to improve health, reduce air pollution and cut congestion is to encourage more people to choose cycling to get to Oxford city centre, and we know that a lack of bike parking spaces is one of the obstacles to achieving that.

The support of our colleagues at Oxfordshire County Council and the University of Oxford, and the guidance of members of our disability forum on locations has been really valuable. We are continuing to look for new locations for additional cycle parking as the numbers of cyclists picks up again, and we are keen for businesses and organisations to consider installing secure bike parking for their workers and customers on their own land. ODS will be happy to quote for installing even small numbers of secure stands.

Councillor Louise Upton, cabinet member for a safer, healthy Oxford

Excerpt from:
Oxford City Council installs 90 new bike parking spaces in the city centre - Oxford City Council News

After looters crashed through his floor-to-ceiling windows and stole $1 million worth of booze in May, Chicago-Lake Liquors owner John Wolf wanted to protect himself from a repeat occurrence.

Like property owners throughout the world, he wanted to install security shutters on the outside of his building. The investment would not only prevent rioters from entering his store, it would protect his windows which cost $50,000 to replace.

But Wolf ran into a big obstacle: The city of Minneapolis has barred security shutters on building exteriors since 2004.

Unlike St. Paul, which allows external shutters as long as owners request a permit, Minneapolis limits security shutters to the inside of a property, leaving windows vulnerable to attack. In a report justifying the rule change, Minneapolis officials argued that external shutters "cause visual blight" and create the impression that an area is "unsafe" and "troublesome."

But in the wake of the riots, when police failed to prevent widespread looting and damage to more than 1,500 businesses in the Twin Cities, property owners said they can no longer count on the city to protect their property.

"Times have changed," Wolf said. "I am going to spend millions of dollars to bring my business back, and I don't want to buy 20 window panes and have them broken the first day. Property owners should have options on how to protect themselves."

Wolf is one of many small-business owners who have taken a sudden interest in security. At QMI, an Illinois company that bills itself as the largest provider of security shutters in the U.S., orders have doubled since this spring, when riots broke out across the country in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Tom Miller, QMI's vice president of marketing, said the company is hearing from restaurants and mom-and-pop stores that never expressed an interest in shutters before.

"It's nationwide, and it's impacting the whole industry," Miller said. "We have more business than we can handle."

Miller said Minneapolis is one of the few big cities that ban external shutters, noting the shutters are widespread in Europe and many major American cities, including New York. "It is usually the landlord that restricts their use rather than the cities," Miller said.

Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins, who represents many of the businesses destroyed in the riots, said any property owner who wants external shutters can seek a variance from the city. She said the city would show "flexibility" regarding the rule.

"In general, I think people should be able to protect their property," Jenkins said.

Since Minneapolis put the rule into effect 16 years ago, just one business owner has sought permission for external shutters, city records show. The property owner said he needed the shutters to protect his retail shop, which had been burglarized several times after criminals broke in through the windows. The request was denied.

"While someone is authorized to file a variance, it is challenging to meet the legal findings that are necessary to grant a variance from this type of provision," said Sarah McKenzie, a spokeswoman for the city.

Quality Coaches owner Mark Brandow, who wants to install shutters on his car-repair shop on W. 38th Street, said Minneapolis officials told him his property wasn't "eligible" for a variance when he tried to file the paperwork in July.

McKenzie acknowledged the "miscommunication" in an e-mailed response to questions. "We apologize for the error," she said.

Brandow said he is glad city officials will now let him make his case because he was prepared to install a set of interior shutters for about $25,000. Brandow said even though his business wasn't damaged in the riots he is concerned that another round of rioting could break out if one of the police officers charged in Floyd's death is acquitted.

"I have never felt so vulnerable," said Brandow, whose shop is two blocks from another car-repair business that was destroyed in the May riots.

Brandow has been fixing imported sports cars and other vehicles in south Minneapolis since 1975. Though his shop was burglarized once, about 10 years ago, Brandow said he didn't consider barricading his windows until this year. Now in his 70s, Brandow said he needs to protect his business, valued at $860,000, because he can't afford to rebuild and won't be able to retire if his shop is wrecked.

In 1992, Brandow received an award from the American Institute of Architects for rehabilitating a historic building. But the property now looks like an "orphanage in distress," he said, because he has not removed the plywood he used to protect his windows during the riots as a protest to the city's stance on shutters. The boards are covered with graffiti.

"People in the neighborhood have asked me to take the boards off because it is ugly," Brandow said. "But I don't need to be pretty. I'm going to leave it ugly until I get some satisfaction."

Some business owners said they can't wait for the city to act on a variance request, so they have moved ahead with other forms of protection. Last week, Wolf traveled to Broadway Liquor Outlet in north Minneapolis to inspect a new system installed by store owner Dean Rose, who spent $12,000 for metal gates that sit inside his giant windows.

Though the gates won't protect the glass, they are designed to keep intruders out, Rose said.

Wolf was not impressed. "How long would it take to get through here? Two minutes?" he asked, as general manager Travis Smith showed him around the store.

Smith agreed that anyone with bolt cutters could probably make short work of the barricade, but he said it was the best the store could do.

"I didn't have much choice," said Rose, who reopened his store in July. "I know there is an ordinance against shutters, and I couldn't wait."

Rose, who estimates he lost more than $500,000 when his store was looted during the riots this year, said he spent about $30,000 to replace his 14 window panels. He said he is preparing to petition the city for a rule change that would allow many business owners to install external shutters.

"I think there is a way you can make an aesthetically pleasing security barrier that doesn't give a derogatory impression to somebody," Rose said. "The reality is, certain businesses needed to be protected because they are hot spots that people go to loot because of what's inside."

Jenkins said she is willing to consider changing the rule at the City Council.

"New York has metal shutters that come down at night, and it really does look like a fortress, so I think there were some valid reasons for instituting that ordinance," Jenkins said. "But everything is subject to change. So I would be open to looking at it given the new realities we are in."

See more here:
Minneapolis businesses fight ban on exterior shutters owners wanting to protect their windows after riots face obstacle - Minneapolis Star Tribune

We reported a month ago that Microsoft appeared to be showing off a new version of the Windows 10 Start Menu with rounded corners which appeared to be based on the latest versions of Fluent Design.

Now WindowsLatest may have an explanation of what we were seeing, with new references to WinUI showing up on Windows 10.

Specifically, a scan of Microsoft Program Database (PDB) files in Windows 10 Build 20197, reveals:

WinUI is a user interface layer that contains modern controls and styles for building Windows apps. As the native UI layer in Windows, it embodies Fluent Design, giving each Windows app the polished feel that customers expect.

WinUI 3 is the next version of the WinUI framework, shipping later this year. It dramatically expands WinUI into a full UX framework, making WinUI available for all types of Windows apps from Win32 to UWP (and presumably also OS development) for use as the UI layer.

Currently, the Start Menu, Action Center and other modern elements are written in XAML with UI components from Windows.UI.XAML.

It looks like Microsoft may be planning to update that code to point to use WinUi instead, which should help with developer adoption of the new UI framework in the future.

Read more here:
Microsoft may be getting ready to replace the Windows 10 desktop with a Fluent WinUI version - MSPoweruser - MSPoweruser

Restoration work could resume this fall on one of the oldest buildings in the D.C. region Magruder's Blacksmith Shop, a stone cottage in Potomac, Maryland, built four decades before George Washington laid the cornerstone at the U.S. Capitol.

WTOP/Dick Uliano

WTOP/Dick Uliano

WTOP/Dick Uliano

WTOP/Dick Uliano

Restoration work could resume this fall on one of the oldest buildings in the D.C. region Magruders Blacksmith Shop, a stone cottage in Potomac, Maryland, built four decades before George Washington laid the cornerstone at the U.S. Capitol.

The small stone house, the oldest building in Potomac, is a familiar landmark on River Road at Seven Locks Road just outside the Capital Beltway. But when its new owner installed a copper roof last summer and made other changes to the historic structure, the project was slapped with a Stop Work order, requested by the county Historic Preservation Office.

For nearly a year, the cottage, believed to have once been a blacksmith shop, has been bracketed on one side by scaffolding and surrounded by a chain-link fence.

I was shocked to see that copper was not an approved material. They explained to me the historical reason as to why that is, said Gus Stefanou, a Gaithersburg accountant who bought the historic building early last year. Its the oldest structure in Montgomery County, thought to have been built somewhere around the mid-1700s.

Stefanou also had installed vinyl windows against the historic character of the building.

Since the county ordered work to be stopped on the stone house last year, Stefanou has worked carefully with the Historic Preservation Office to ensure that the improvements he makes adhere to the structures history, according to Rebeccah Ballo, historic preservation supervisor with the Montgomery County Planning Department.

He has agreed to replace the new copper roof, installed last year, with a wood shake roof, replace a large dormer in the rear of the house with two smaller dormers and install wood frame windows to replace the white vinyl windows that were installed last summer.

The project now has been cleared by the historic preservation committee Im all about it being correct, Stefanou said.

Planning Department documents indicate that Stefanous second round of restoration plans were approved by the Historic Preservation Commission on June 29.

Stefanou is hoping that the work can resume on the historic house this fall.

Its a top priority for me. I do not like seeing the property in the current state its in, said Stefanou.

Link:
Restoration work could resume this fall on historic Maryland cottage - WTOP