Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

If you're an Astros fan with kids, I have good news and bad news this summer.

The good news is the team is great, and you can take the little ones to watch them play in a mostly air-conditioned juice box while the world outside melts into a blur of ERCOT conservation notices. The bad news is attending an Astros game in 2022 is the fourth-most expensive experience in the league for families, according to a recent analysis by The Hustle's Zachary Crockett.

Over the weekend, Crockett published a report analyzing the growing costs of popular American family activities over the last 60 years. The activities Crockett measured were attending a movie at a theater, taking your kids on a one-day visit to Disneyland, and enjoying an evening watching America's pastime.

Utilizing data from FanCostIndex, Crockett found the average cost for a family of four to attend an Astros game in 2022 is $293.74. This figure, according to Crockett, is based on the cost of four tickets ($58.61 each), four hot dogs ($6 each), two beers ($7.50 each), two sodas ($5.50 each) and parking ($9.30). Importantly, these figures are adjusted for the cheapest available options for sustenance and services at the venue, as compiled by FanCostIndex.

The three teams with costlier family outings than the Astros aren't that surprising: the Boston Red Sox ($324.37), the Chicago Cubs ($312.85), and the New York Yankees ($302.86), respectively. It should be noted that the cost could for an Astros game could be much higher, given that their assessed parking cost of $9.30 was the lowest listed of all 30 MLB ballparks. Official Minute Maid Park Parking in Lots A and B actually ranges from $35 for pre-paid tickets and $50 on game day.

Also noteworthy: The three higher-priced parks are all easily accessible by commuter trains.

The cheapest family MLB outing in The Hustle's analysis belongs to the Arizona Diamondbacks, with an average cost for a family of four coming in at a lean $126.34. The league-average cost registers a heftier $204.76an unsurprisingly stark figure compared to the price of taking the family to the ballpark in 1960, which Crockett calculated to be $10.35.

What may surprise fans, however, is that even adjusted for inflation, the cost of going to a baseball game in 2022 is still twice the cost-adjusted 1960 figure. Crockett found that the price of baseball tickets, a ballgame beer and hot dogs have risen by more than 1,000 percent since 1960, outstripping the 888 percent price increase seen by all goods in the U.S. He identified parking as the most outrageously overpriced aspect of going to a baseball game in 2022, with the average price ($16.79) amounting to a 6,616 percent increase over 1960 parking prices (25 cents)or 7.5 times the rate of inflation.

It's a lot to swallow, and I don't think anyone would begrudge you watching more games at home until the price of hot dogs and parking real estate return from the stratosphereassuming that happens one day.

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Report: Astros games are one of the most expensive family outings in MLB - Chron

The Gambia, 25 July 2022 After dropping out of secondary school, employment opportunities for Fatou*, a single mother, were difficult to come by. Knowing this, one of her friends reached out to inform her about the opportunity of a lifetime.

She told me that theres a country where Gambian women can easily find work, find a job and be able to make ends meet for their family, Fatou shares, reflecting on how she was lured into travel.

Fatous friend turned into her trafficker, who made all the arrangements for her passport, visa and flight in exchange for money from a trafficking network in Lebanon. Shortly after she arrived, Fatou was placed in a small room with several other women.

When I got there, I was really scared, Fatou recounts. When their name was called, they would leave the room and never come back. I didnt know if they would try and kill me or not.

When Fatou was assigned to an employer, the agent picked her up and delivered her to the family that paid for her flight and travel documents. Here, she was forced to work as a maid in exchange for meagre and inconsistent pay, which she stopped receiving a few months after the Beirut explosion in 2020.

Through social media, Fatou got in contact with an anti-trafficking activist to draw attention to her situation, which eventually led to her return to The Gambia. In 2020, she was among 6,900 people in Africa estimated to be victims of labour trafficking, according to the US Department of States 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report.

Binta* shares a similar story to Fatou's.

Following secondary school, she was pressured by her family to find work.

I felt frustrated. I was looking for work for nearly two years and felt depressed. As a last resort, Binta decided the only way she could find work was by leaving The Gambia.

Her desperation to find work was taken advantage of by an acquaintance, who contacted her to arrange her travel to Lebanon. There, she was forced to work without pay by an employer who repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

I thought working for him at his office would make the harassment stop, but it didnt, she shares.

After months of this ordeal, Binta was reassigned to work as a maid at a doctors house.

I was there for 10 months, working continuously with no limits on the number of hours. She recalls: Eventually I got into a fight with his wife, and they kicked me out and put me on a flight back to The Gambia.

When Binta returned to The Gambia, she immediately sought assistance. The National Human Rights Commission referred me to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who helped me with some sewing machines so that I could generate income, says Binta.

Reintegration assistance was made possible with financial support from the US Department of States Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP).

With the assistance from IOM, Fatou opened a salon and cosmetics shop. For me, it was helpful. I used the money from the salon to support my family and pay for the school fees and uniforms of my children.

The assistance IOM offers ranges from supporting the voluntary return of victims of trafficking to their country of origin, providing medical or mental health and psychosocial support services, and providing economic reintegration assistance, explains Aminata Bah, a member of IOMs counter-trafficking team.

From what we have learned about victims of trafficking and their reintegration, we know what the most effective types of assistance for women are in order for them to reintegrate smoothly in The Gambia, says Aminata. We can see, for example, that women who open grocery shops, fashion shops and textile businesses are quite successful, she adds.

I have had the sewing machines for nearly a year now, Binta reports. I am working from home, but Im making enough through them to get by.

Fatou was further supported with medical assistance through medical check-ups and counselling at a One-Stop Centre that IOM helped establish. Staff were trained at these centres, positioned in four hospitals nationwide, to provide comprehensive medical and psychosocial support to victims of trafficking.

The support really helped me, as I had to deal with a lot of stigma and discrimination back at home, Fatou explains.

This support is helping to make their lives better, Aminata emphasizes. The support IOM provides, in partnership with government and non-government stakeholders, makes them feel that they can fit back in society and have an impact within their communities.

Counter-trafficking efforts, nonetheless, go beyond protection and reintegration. More must be done to prevent people from falling victim to trafficking in the first place, as well as holding traffickers to account through the criminal justice system. With so many traffickers using mobile technology to facilitate trafficking, we need to be aware about how we are communicating with people online to prevent the painful experience of being trafficked, Aminata advocates.

Exercising caution in the digital realm is critical to preventing trafficking.

If someone is willing to pay for your travel documents and flight to find work, ask instead if you can put that money into a business, Fatou advises.

Aminata concurs with Fatou: When someone messages you out of the blue to offer something that sounds too good to be true, theres a good chance you are being targeted for trafficking.

Other young ladies who want to travel just to make ends meet, should reconsider traveling without knowing exactly who they will be working for, Binta advises. If you end up in a place that is not safe, you will be treated inhumanely. I would not want that for anyone.

Fatou and Binta are among the 56 Gambian survivors of trafficking who have received assistance from IOM since 2017.

*Names were changed to protect identities

Written by Robert Kovacs, IOM Reporting and Communications Consultant in The Gambia

Continue reading here:
Preying on Aspirations: Human Trafficking in The Gambia - Gambia - ReliefWeb

California residents have great choices when they are thinking about renovating their homes. They can replace old kitchen or bathroom cabinets or choose to have them refaced and save money. Finding one company that can deal with either choice and provide new granite countertops is a good decision.

Choosing a Remodeling Company

In California, residents have many remodeling companies to choose from. But, those remodeling companies are not all equal. It is important to check different remodeling companies out online and with rating services to find a company that does a good job for a reasonable cost. Granite Transformations is one company to check out for home renovations that take less time and result in less mess while providing great results.

They offer kitchen and bathroom renovation services that are cost effective and beautiful. Start the research process by going to https://www.granitetransformations.com/ and finding out about the company and its locations and services. Any company chosen for kitchen and bathroom renovation projects should offer design services to the homeowner along with no-cost, in-home consultations. A visit to the showroom to choose materials in person is also important.

About Granite Transformations

Go to https://www.granitetransformations.com/about-us/ to find out important information about this company. They have been in business since 1996 and have served over one million customers in that time. They have the experience to get the kitchen or bathroom remodeling job done quickly and right. Granite Transformations has joined with TREND to become Granite and TREND Transformations. they specialize in kitchen and bathroom transformations that involve little or no demolition.

Refacing Existing Cabinets to Save Money

One way to save money is to reface existing cabinets rather than replace the cabinets with new ones. For this method to work well, the cabinets need to be well-constructed and in usable shape. Refacing existing cabinets is also a good idea when the existing cabinet layout works well.

Though there are limits to what a homeowner can do with cabinet refacing, a company such as Granite Transformations has the know-how and products to make the most of this renovation option. When refacing the cabinets that are well-constructed, they can entirely change the door style, finish, and hardware.

What is the Cabinet Refacing Process?

During the cabinet refacing process the cabinet doors and drawer fronts are removed. Then, the face frames and side panels are cleaned and roughed up so they will accept the new finishes. Next, a new finish or veneer is glued or nailed over the old finish, and nail holes are filled and all edges are finished. The cabinet undersides and the base cabinet toe kicks get new finishes. Finally, the cabinets get new door and drawer fronts with new hardware. When the job is done, the cabinets look new.

One problem to consider is if the renovated kitchen needs additional matching cabinets. The kitchen renovation contractor should be able to furnish new cabinets to match the newly refaced ones. All the cabinets should get new countertops that match. When the kitchen or bathroom is done, it should be exactly what the homeowner asked for.

Media ContactCompany Name: Granite TransformationsContact Person: Media RelationsEmail: Send EmailPhone: 707-200-4813Address:3485 Airway Dr., Suite A City: Santa RosaState: CaliforniaCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://www.granitetransformations.com/

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Refacing the Cabinets Can Enhance the Most Important Areas of the Home - Digital Journal

Hello and happy Thursday!

The Kitchens are on vacation this week and were having a wonderful time. The picture below is from the dueling grounds at Weehawken, New Jerseywhere Alexander Hamilton was shot by Aaron Burr.

As we continue our travels I thought itd be nice to provide a condensed and edited transcript of my recent interview with former Trump national security advisor, Robert OBrien. We spoke last week on the Dispatch podcast (listen here) and we cover a lot of different topics of interestincluding China, Ukraine, and the January 6 riots at the Capitol.

Before diving in, a few listeners have said I should have pushed OBrien harder on his January 6 comments. Perhaps. Im certainly not a hard-nosed journalist like many of my fellow Dispatchers. But if Im honest, I also have to admit that I was a little sympathetic to his cause. The reality is that the political rally and the other events that day were not under the purview of the national security adviser. Those were political decisions being made by political operatives and by the president.

Its also true that it was the intelligence community that was raising many of the alarms about how the protests could get out of hand and Im sure OBrien was making those assessments known. Even more, when his deputy, Matt Pottenger, resigned that afternoon, OBriens hands were pretty much tied because national security doesnt take a time out when things go sideways domestically (in fact, they get even more serious). The nation would have genuinely been less safe if he had resigned prior to the Biden administration taking officeand the fact that OBrien was the last senior executive at the White House on Inauguration Day reinforces this point.

Having said all of that, heres the transcript and I hope it gives you a little bit of insight into a job that is hugely important and often very difficult.

See ya next week!

KLON: Robert, thanks for taking time to join me for a conversation.

ROBERT OBRIEN: Great to be with you Klon, thank you.

KLON: You were the fourth NSA to President Trump, is that right?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: I was, so wed had Michael Flynn and H.R. McMaster and John Bolton.

KLON: Talk a little bit about the presidents general approach to national security and foreign policy, the types of work that you were advising him on.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: So, the job of the assistant to the president for national security affairs, or the NSA job, is to be the principal foreign policy and national security adviser to the presidentand I took a little different view of my work than I think my predecessors did. I told the president this in the interview (and I think maybe one of the reasons why he asked me to do the job) is I felt that President Trump had a very well-defined foreign policy. I thought he should get the best options and best advice on whatever issue he was facing, and then once he made a decision the departments and agencies should implement that decision. I didn't view my job is trying to educate him on what his policy should be, I didn't come to the job with a foreign policy agenda've got well-thought out views on a lot of issues, but again, I was staffing the president. I wasn't a principal, and I hadn't been elected by anybody to put my foreign policy in place. My job was to make sure the president gotwhether it was a long term issue that we were facing, great power competition for example, or an immediate crisis like COVID or the Baghdadi situationto make sure the president got the absolute best advice from his Cabinet secretaries. And if he wanted my opinion at the end of the day after hearing from everybody else, and everyone having had their day in court, I'd give my advice. And then once the president made a decision on how to proceed, our job with the NSC was to coordinate with the Cabinet and the Cabinet secretaries and and their departments and agencies to make sure that the presidents foreign policy was implemented.

KLON: That sounds very reminiscent of the way Secretary[Condoleezza] Rice would talk about her role when she was the NSA. That she wanted to make sure that the president was getting as diverse and as deep a counsel as he could on those issues. You know, let's put Michael Flynn aside, but you can see how McMasters and Bolton both came in with a very developed, comprehensive, and public kind of world view on foreign policy issues, and I can see the daylight between how you're describing your approach and perhaps how they might have. I think, from at least open press reporting, why the president kind of chafed against some of that. He probably didn't want to feel like he was being kind of lectured to, he wanted the implementation of his view.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: No, I think that's right. And you know I worked for Condi at the State Department when she was secretary, and she was one of the first visitors I had I think. I took office on a Tuesday and she flew back to see me on a Sunday. We sat in her old office (my new office) and she very generously gave me a couple of hours of her time, and I think Condi tried to follow, and I tried to follow, a model established by Brent Scowcroft, whod served twice as national security advisor under both President Ford and President BushH.W. Bush. And every national security adviser when they come office invokes that, it's kind of a mantra that you know we're going to do the Scowcroft model, but I think it's been followed in the breach more than the regular order.

So I really did try to restore the Scowcroft model, and I think when you look at what we did with a slimmed down NSCI mean when I got there there was still almost 200 policy professionals, Condid had 106 at the height of Afghanistan, Iraq, the global war on terror, great power competition, shed had half that and I kind of took that as my model as wellwe got a very efficient NSC. We had an NSC that really ran on process where, again, all the Cabinet agencies and departments had their data to give their best views and best options. If there was a split opinion Id have each side elect a representative, so it might be Pompeo on one side and Mnuchin on the other, and wed go see the president and Id make sure the president heard both sets of views. But for the most part, we were able to drive consensus and go to the president with a set of options that we thought were best for the American people, and again that was derived out of deputies committee meetings and weekly principal committee meetings where we got the best input fromwhether it was Treasury or Commerce or State or Defense or the IC. And I think of the results of what we did with NATO funding, with getting Baghdadi, with putting Iran in a box, with the new consensus on China, certainly on the peacemaking front with the Abraham Accords, with Serbia-Kosovo, with healing the Gulf rift and even Afghanistan, I think the results were pretty impressive, and in eighteen months.

KLON: Im curious about our perspective on the state of the intelligence community. Whats your take on the IC? Hows it doing? Are there specific ways that it needs to evolve to be more aligned to modern statecraft and policymaking?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: So I think when it comes to collection, were second to none. Its pretty impressive what we can pull together. And I think the IC, like anything else, its a tremendous tool. They have great abilities with their SIGINT or ELINT or even human intelligence. However we think of it, and however we collect, it gets the policymakers people like me, the secretary of state, the CIA director, the folks that have to advise the president and advise Congress on what we should be doing it gets us what we need.

I think one thing thatsthere are a couple of issues with the intelligence community. One, I think its like any big bureaucracy, becomes a little risk-averse. And sometimes we need people thatlleven if theyre wrongthatll step up with an innovative or thoughtful theory that may not fall with conventional wisdom. You always worry that people might not want to be the outlier because they're afraid of how itll affect their career, but we need the outliers. Even if the outliers are wrong, theyre provocative and they cause us to think about things, that maybe look at things a different way and come up with a different solution.

Weve got a lot of people who are highly skilled and spent the best years of their life in places like Jalalabad and Kandahar and Anbar and Fallujah, places like that, and know that part of the world incredibly well. But the world is changing. And those places remain important to the United States, we cant ignore them, but our existential threat comes from the Communist Party of China and their Ministry of State Security on the IC front. Those guys are deadly and serious, and of course we still have what was the former KGB, the FSB and SVR now with the Russians, and the Iranians have the MOIS. So we need to start shifting our focus both as a government to the Indo-Pacific, but also to Russia in Eastern Europe and keep an eye on Iran. And so we want to make sure were not just living in the surge in 2006, in the glory days of Baghdad and the second Bush term.

KLON: So as you were in your position, what types of domestic threat work were you engaged in? What did that look like? What were the kinds of concerns that developed over the course of your time at the White House?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Yeah my biggest domestic concern, Klon, was the CPC (the Communist Party of China) and the Peoples Republic of China and their infiltration into the U.S. which is extensive, pervasive, there are cells everywhere, they have an unbelievable ability to track their students who are here, to enforce their party orthodox on Chineseeven second- and third-generation Chinese that are hereto collect intelligence, to steal our IP. Christopher Wray talked about this in the summer of 2020 in a speech he gavewe gave a series of four speeches, Bill Barr, Chris Wray, myself and Mike Pompeo each gave a speech on China, we each took a different area and kind of laid out the threatand Chris Wray made a statement in his speech that I thought was really interesting. I've repeated it several times. The Chinese IP theft is the largest transfer of wealth in human history. In other words, the Chinese are taking more money and value out of the U.S. over the past 40 years through theft of our intellectual property than any sack of Rome, Trajans campaign in Dacia.

Look, there are certainly threats here. We have an Antifa threat, you know we had domestic terrorism on the left, were seeing now some of the reports about the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys and some of these threats on the right. And those are things we need to keep an eye on, and I dont want to minimize those threats, but I think the threat that were facing from the Communist Party of China is a threat to our way of life and our future liberty. And I think weve got to be careful about, you know, sending FBI agents out to school boards to watch parents protesting about CRT when they really ought to be trailing Chicom agents who are operating here that we know aboutand weve got to be careful not to let our domestic politics influence how the IC does our counter-intelligence here in the US. So that was my biggest concern, and again not that other concerns arent important, but when we think about our kids having liberty and the ability of the pursuit of happinessnot just in America but in the other democracieswere facing an existential threat right now.

KLON: But it does seem over the last several years to have adjusted to some of thewhat well call politically right-wing groups that you mentioned, and that are in the news right now obviously with Oath Keepers and Proud Boys and the like. Not only them, but certainly them. How did that come up as an issue for you to deal with?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: You do. In my case we had a great attorney general in Bill Barr, and Chad Wolf was our acting homeland security secretaryboth very capable men. And so for the most part we sort of coordinated the advice they got, but we left that to the FBI and the DOJ and Homeland to do most of those briefings. I would of course be there, and again the threats we saw changed even over the year and a half that I was national security advisor. At the outset we had the BLM movement and a lot of Antifa, so I mean you had situations where you know, pallets of bricks were being delivered close to the White House and a really impressive logistics chainnot impressive in that it was a good thing but impressive in that these Antifa folks were very good at logistics and created massive damage, I mean far greater damage than happened on January 6 (which again I condemned at the time, in real time, and was a terrible thing to happen to our country). But we also facedI mean, I was taken to an undisclosed location at least two times because of attacks on the White House by Antifa that havent been covered to the same extent as some of the other outbreaks. So both on the far left and the far right, whether youve got Antifa or these Proud Boys typesand you know I dont even think its fair to call them far left or far right because I think its unfair to liberals or conservativesbut just these domestic extremists, and certainly theyre being radicalized and coordinating and we know this from both types of groups.

KLON: Yeah. I think you're exactly right in the sense that no political faction, wherever it is on the spectrum, has a monopoly onunfortunately on political violence and extremism right now. It does seem to be this proliferating challenge and it has evolved over the course of even my time kind of engaging in these issues. YouI just want to touch on this brieflybut you bring up January 6. What was your day like that day? Like, how did those events unfolding what does that look like from your perspective in the White House?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Yeah so I was actuallyand this hasnt been publicly reported on and I dont spend a lot of time talking about itI was in Florida at SOUTHCOM. But thats where I was on January 6, I was actually in a SCIF most of the day until I was pulled out of the SCIF by my staff to let me know what was going on. We finally made it back to Washington late that night, but look in real time I put out tweets on my personal Twitter account and I was impressed by the courage of the vice president staying there. I spoke to a number of our senators, I was waiting for my Coast Guard plane to get me home, and I certainly condemned the protesters and did all of that very publicly. It wasas I said, I think that day it was an utter disgrace, what those people did in the Capitol.

KLON: So we can transition now to a couple of the key hot spots. When you think about China and the possible move on Taiwan, do you see that as a growing possibility? What were the types of briefings that you were getting while you were NSA?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Thats a great question. Look, its a very serious concern. Its theit might be the most pressing concern that Jake Sullivan (the current national security advisor) and the president face, Lloyd Austin the [secretary of defense] and Tony Blinken. We know from Admiral Davidson, Admiral Davidson who was thecombatant commander for the INDOPACOM AOR out in Hawaii (Pearl Harbor), he said a couple of years ago that he had thought it was a five- to seven-year window for the Chinese to invade. In the last days I was national security adviser I said, Look, I think its going to be shorter than that, and since President Bidens taken office and as the Chinese watch whats happening in Ukraine, there are folks nowI saw a headline that one analyst is predicting in October 2022 an invasion of Taiwan, and were seeing that the Chinese put everything in place to be able to do so.

KLON: And so do you think thatit depends on how we define success, but do you think that a successful Chinese invasion of Taiwan isthat theres a potential there for kind of a fait accompli where they could act in such a way to where they can act quickly enough and decisively enough before the United States could really respond, to where it just becomes a done deal? Is that a possibility?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Thats our play book. I mean the good news is, without getting into details, weve got a few things up our sleeve as well. Were notwe dont lack all capability to defeat a Chinese amphibious invasion. Weve got some exquisite capabilities of our own, many of which arent public. And so I dont think the Chinese canI think theyre trying to put themselves in a position to do that kind of invasion and hit fast and accomplish their goals before we can get into the theater, but weve got somethings that could interrupt that planning and that sort of an operation. Ill leave it at that.

KLON: Okay, so lets now kind of turn to Ukraineand as we talk about Ukraine, I think one thing that would be especially helpful is if you could obviously give us your insights terms of what youre seeing and what youre anticipating, but also there is a growing movement on the kind of right side of the political aisle toward what they euphemistically refer to as restraint. Theres a growing kind of restraint movement particularly in conservative politics where you know, with the recent $40 billion supplemental bill that was passed eventually for supporting Ukraine, there was a lot of disagreement on the political right about this. And I think that is in fact emblematic of this growing voice within Republican and conservative circles. Im curious about your thoughts on that, and then thekind of the broader Ukraine challenge and where you think the United States should be aligning its time and resources on Ukraine.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Well let me address the political issue first.I talk about what Ronald Reagan talked about which is peace through strength. You know, the way to stay out of a warand people are exhausted by the wars, these are the folks that have sent their kids off to go fight in places like Jalalabad and Fallujah and Anbar and the Sahel in Burkina and Niger. These are the people that sent their sons and daughters out to go fight those wars, and so there is a concern and exhaustion that America is overextended, and that were perhaps fighting in wars that we shouldnt be involved intrying to turn Afghanistan into Sweden or that sort of thing. And thats a legitimate concern, and I understand the folks who raise those issuesbut Ukraine is a very different situation. You know Ukrainethe Ukrainians are fighting for themselves. The Ukrainians arent asking for American airmen to enforce a no-fly zone. Theyre asking for MIGs so that their own pilots can enforce a no-fly zone over their own country. Theyre fighting out on the front lines in Donbas, and under incredibly trying circumstances, and fighting for their own country; and theyve got massive enlistment, theres no lack of morale, theres no lack of dedication to fighting. But what theyre asking for is for America to be the arsenal of democracy. And if we dont stand up for freedom here, and if we dont provide folks in Ukraine or other places with the tools and equipment they need to stop Russian aggression, you know eventually its going to be up to Americans to go do it. And soyou know once you have that conversation, Ive found very little disagreement when Americans understand that Ukrainians are fighting for themselves, and all theyre asking from us is for us to give them the tools to fight the Russians. And I think you get a very different response than maybe your standard, Tucker Carlson monologue; and again I havent found whether its in Oklahoma or Nebraska or Idaho or Utah, any of these places Ive been that are very conservative and very much folks that believe in America Firstwhen you explain the stakes that are at issue, when you explain that this is the first time since the 1930s that a bigger neighbor has decided to invade a smaller neighbor just because they want their national resources, they want their population, they want that might makes right, that they can expand their empire through conquest, we havent recognized territorial expansion through conquest at least since the U.N. charter but even 100 years before that. So the idea that this is happening today is very bad. And when they understand that Xi Jinping in Beijing is watching to see how the West reacts to Putins invasion of and attempt to occupy Ukraine, hes watching that to measure what hes going to do in Taiwan. And when Xi Jinping attempts to take Taiwanand if the Chinese communists are successful at taking Taiwangeopolitically thats an absolute disaster for the U.S. We could maybe survive Ukraine being taken over by the Russians, it would be very very difficult in the Indo-Pacific and for our allies to survive a Chinese takeover of Taiwan. Thats the cork coming out of the champagne bottle of the Pacific, and the champagne (in which there is the Peoples Liberation Army and Navy) will spill all out into the entire Pacific from the Aleutians to Hawaii, the Midway to Wake, to California, South, to all the islands that our grandfathers and great uncles fought for in World War II. The Chinese are going to control the Pacificits such a critical island in Taiwan, and thats the most important economic zone in the entire world for the future of our economy, so that would be a travesty. So stopping Putin in Ukraine will send a message to Xi Jinping that you know, might stop him in Taiwan, and avoid a real catastrophe for America and our allies in the Pacific.

KLON: Putin has given every indication that if he were able to roll through Ukraine, that eventually hes going to gohes going to continue on the expansion. All the same rationales that he used for Ukraine would exist with other countries, including NATO-bordering countries. And so eventually, you know, if Vladimir Putin is not sufficiently chastised and kind of pushed back into his hole, hes going to take an action that even the most restrained kind of individual wont be able to kind of look away from, right? I would say that Ukraine already constitutes a significant national interest on our partin part because of the way youve described itbut then too, even if you dont, he will continue to push and he has made that very clear. And so unfortunately we dont have an option of kind of avoiding a kind of conflict because the other guyin this case Putinhe gets a choice. And hes making that choice, and hes making it very clearly and publicly, and sometimes you just have to accept reality. So youve got to engage it.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Youre 100 percent right, by the way. I mean look, he's threatening Poland. The reason the Finns joined NATO is because he said Finland was part of the Russian familyI think the Finns woke up after that speech and said what the heck? Hes threatening the Baltics, I mean these are NATO allies, certainly Moldova and Georgia. So were going to end upif we dont stop him in Ukraine, we are going to have American soldiers engaged with Russian soldiers in one of these other countries. And at that point, the risk of escalation is so high that youve got two massive nuclear powers in a land war, and the risks to America at that point are extraordinary. So we are far better offas you point out, Klon, 100percentletting the Ukrainians try and push the Russians back in Ukraine without asking for American troops on the ground. And if we get them the tools and the platforms they need, I think they can get the job done. The problem is were just not doing it.

Theyre talking the talk but theyre not walking the walk. For example, the MIGswhy werent the Polish MIGs given to Ukraine in month one? That wasnt going to spur nuclear war between the US and Russia. You know, keep in mind, a lot of our grandfathers and fathers fought in Korea and Vietnam. They were shot at every day by Russian MIGs. I mean there were Russian MIGs in Korea, there were Russian MIGs in Vietnam, we didnt launch a nuclear war or say that was some sort of red line. If the Poles wanted to give the Ukrainians 29 MIGs, why didnt we facilitate it? I mean, I kind of think back on our administration, you know Gina Haspel is so clever. Gina would have sold the planes to the Ukrainians through a Russian middleman, Putin would have gotten his 10 percent cut of it, and they would have been in Ukrainian livery the next day and no one would have known what happened. And instead we had this big, public debacle on the MIGs. So lookweve got to cut off the Russians, weve got to get the Ukrainians the MIGs already, and weve got to get them the long-range artillery and let them defend their country against the Sovietthis Russian invasion.

KLON: Yeah. Robert, you and I could keep going, theres a ton of things that we could talk about but youve been very generous with your time already and were bumping into an hour so I want to kind of bring it to a close. But listen, being the national security adviser to a U.S. president is a big job, its a tough job. And you know look, I think the nation owes you an appreciation for the work that you did under difficult circumstances on some very difficult issues. I appreciate you taking the time to have this conversation with me.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Thank you, honor to be with you Klon, you served a long time as well and so thank you for your service in the IC and in government.

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'Stopping Putin in Ukraine Will Send a Message to Xi Jinping' - The Dispatch

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Glasgow Resin Driveways LTD Enjoy Rave Reviews Across The Glasgow Area - Digital Journal

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Read more from the original source:
Kingsport to start preservation paving in Lynn Garden - Kingsport Times News

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA City Avenue in Lower Merion will have lane closures during the daytime and nighttime this week, according to PennDOT.

PennDOT said resurfacing work will force alternating lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., as well as overnight from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning, on a portion of City Avenue.

The affected stretch of road is between Haverford Avenue and the City Avenue Bridge over the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township.

Work being done is prepping and paving operations, PennDOT said.

Drivers are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the work areas because slowdowns will occur.

All scheduled activities are weather dependent.

Under this resurfacing improvement project, PennDOT is milling the existing roadway surfaces and repaving the state highways with new asphalt.

The new pavement will seal the roadways and provide motorists with a smoother riding surface

More:
Paving Work To Affect City Avenue Traffic This Week - Patch

DISTRICT 27

CUMBERLAND COUNTY I-40 resurfacing from MM 333.5 to the Roane County line (MM 340.4) including SR-299 interchanges: Nightly lane closures on I-40 in both directions from MM 333.5 to MM 340.4. This will take place from 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM (Monday night through Friday morning).

[Rogers Group, Inc./Crossville/CNV315]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY I-40 resurfacing from near Plateau Road (MM 311) to near the Obed River (MM 318): Nightly lane closures on I-40 from near MM 311 to MM 317 working in both directions from 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Work consists of resurfacing the asphalt. Daily shoulder closures on I-40 in both directions from near MM 311 to MM 317 from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Work on the shoulders consists of fabricating end walls and pouring concrete. Motorists should use caution when vehicles are entering and exiting the work zone.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Crossville/CNW084]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-28 (S. MAIN ST.) Utility Work southbound at LM 13.5: Shoulder and single lane closures between West Adams Street and Elmo Drive. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 07/26/22 through 07/28/22 from 7:00 am 3:00 pm. [2022-409]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-28 (US-127) bridge construction and paving from north of I-40 (LM 17.8) to near Potato Farm Road (LM 22.7): Construction signs and erosion control measures have been installed. The contractor continues grading activities which will include embankment fill, storm drain installation, and placement of graded solid rock. Temporary lane closures and/or periodic traffic stoppages will be necessary for construction activities. Utility relocations for gas, water, sewer, and electric are in progress. Motorists should use caution while traveling through the work zone and be aware of reduced speed zones.

[Jones Bros. Contractors, LLC/Crossville/CNV009]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-282 resurfacing from Dunbar Road (LM 0.0) to SR-101 (LM 3.7): Crews will close one lane while work is being performed. Flaggers will be on site to direct traffic through the work zone. Motorists should use caution when driving through this work zone.

[Tinsley Asphalt, LLC /Crossville/CNW013]

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SR-462 from SR-28 (US-127N / LM 3.1) to SR-298 (Genesis Road / LM 4.6) in Crossville: Interstate Drive has been re-opened from Stout Drive to Genesis Road. The temporary traffic signals at the intersection of Woodlawn Road and Genesis Road are still active. Construction activities are in progress. These activities will require temporary lane closures and/or traffic stoppages on Interstate Drive and Genesis Road as well as short term closures of city streets. The right lane of Genesis Road south is closed from Interstate Drive to north of Woodlawn Road. Crews will be working along Genesis Road.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Crossville/CNV010]

CUMBERLAND AND FENTRESS COUNTY SR-28 (US-127) widening from near N. Lowe Rd (LM 29.2) to north of SR-62 (LM 1.9): The contractor will be on site beginning utility work along SR-28 in Cumberland County. Motorists are encouraged to use caution and obey posted speed limit signs through the construction zone. The contractor will have equipment and personnel adjacent to the roadway during this work.

[Jones Bros. Contractors, LLC/Moore/CNV300]

DEKALB COUNTY SR-26 (US-70) grading, drainage, and construction of retaining walls and paving from near SR-53 (LM 2) to near SR-96 (LM 6.1): The contractor continues grading activities throughout the project. Temporary lane closures and/or periodic traffic stoppages will be necessary for construction activities. Motorists should use caution while traveling through the work zone and be aware of construction personnel.

[Twin K Construction/James/CNV012]

DEKALB AND WARREN COUNTY SR-56 construction of bridges and paving from south of Warren-Dekalb County line (LM 24.5) to East Bryant St. (LM 2.9): This week the contractor will shift traffic for SR-288 at the SR-56 intersection on 07/21/22. Motorists should use caution at the intersection of SR-56 and SR-288 and be mindful of the new traffic pattern. There is a traffic shift between LM 24.4 in Warren County through LM 1.0 in Dekalb County. There is a detour in place for Sink Creek Road. Motorists should follow posted signs in the area. The contractor will continue installing concrete box culverts and drainage structures. Grade work, bridge work, and paving operations on the new roadway alignment are ongoing. The contractor is utilizing flagging operations throughout the project in multiple areas for grading operations. Traffic has been shifted onto the detour between SR-288 and Old Blue Springs Road for the contractor to complete grade work in the area. There are several traffic shifts in Smithville City Limits from South College Street to the end of project to allow contractor to complete work. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 mph in the construction zone

[Jones Bros. Contractors, LLC/Harris/CNT011]

OVERTON COUNTY SR-111 safety improvements from west of SR-294 (LM 17.4) to east of Dove Lane (LM 17.9): The contractor is scheduled be onsite continuing work on flashing beacon installation along SR-111. During this work, intermittent lane closures will be used to allow work to occur. Flaggers will be used to facilitate the flow of traffic through the work zone. Motorists are encouraged to use caution through the work zone.

[Mack Construction, LLC/Moore/CNV306]

OVERTON COUNTY SR-85 (HILHAM HWY.) Utility Work both directions from LM 4.52 to LM 3.2: Mobile lane closures along SR-85 between Old Standing Stone Road and Jerry Bilbrey Lane. Motorists should use caution and be aware of personnel and equipment when traveling through the work zone. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 02/17/22 through 07/30/22 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. [2021-457]

OVERTON AND PUTNAM COUNTY SR-84 resurfacing from the Putnam County line (LM 0) to SR-85 (LM 14.8) and then on SR-84 from near Poplar Street (LM 9.8) to the Overton County line (LM 13.4): The contractor has completed resurfacing operations and will be on site intermittently to complete work on pavement markings. During this work, intermittent lane closures may be used to facilitate the flow of traffic. Motorists are encouraged to use caution and be prepared to stop as they approach the work zone.

[Asphalt Paving Systems, Inc./Moore/CNW033]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-135 (BURGESS FALLS RD.) Utility Work both directions from LM 3.25 to LM 5.57: Shoulder and single lane closures from Cane Creek Road to the intersection of Cookeville Boatdock Road and Burgess Falls Road. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 02/17/22 through 07/30/22 from 9:00 am 2:00 pm. [2021-771]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-136 (S. JEFFERSON AVE.) Utility Work southbound from LM 2.385 to LM 2.415: Shoulder and single lane closures from Interstate Drive and S. Walnut Avenue. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 07/19/22 with rain date of 07/27/22 from 10:00 pm 5:00 am. [2022-361]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-136 construction from north of the SR-111 interchange to south of the I-40 interchange: The contractor continues grading activities throughout the project. Temporary lane closures and/or periodic traffic stoppages will be necessary for construction activities including installation of barrier rail. Utility relocations are in progress. Motorists should use caution while traveling through the work zone and be aware of construction personnel.

[Rogers Group, Inc./James/CNV284]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-164 (S. Chestnut St) at LM 0.3 and SR-84 (S. Holly St) at LM 9.7 railroad crossing improvements: The contractor has completed installation of new signals. The contractor is scheduled to be on site removing old signal heads and poles. Intermittent lane closures are possible during this work. Motorists are encouraged to use caution through the work zone and watch for construction equipment and personnel adjacent to the roadway.

[Stansell Electric Company, Inc./Moore/CNV072]

PUTNAM COUNTY SR-24 (US-70N) construction at the intersection of SR-56 (LM 11.6) in Baxter: The contractor will be on site continuing Phase 1 construction. During this work, the turning lane from SR 56 northbound onto SR-24 (US-70N) will be closed. Motorists will be allowed to make the right turn from the four-way intersection. The turning lane from SR-56 to 1st Avenue will also be closed; motorists will be allowed to make the right turn from S-56 south. The right turn lane on SR-56 south will also be closed; motorists will be allowed to turn right on SR-24 (US-70N) from the four-way intersection. Motorists are encouraged to use caution through the work zone and to watch for construction equipment and personnel adjacent to the roadway.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Moore/CNV098]

WHITE COUNTY SR-111 (STATE HWY. 111) Utility Work both directions from LM 7.3 to LM 14.2: THP assisted rolling roadblock between Fred Hill Road and O'Conner exit. Message boards, cones, and signage will be present. Motorists should be aware of personnel and equipment, reduce speed and be prepared to stop on 07/24/22 between 6:00 am and 7:30 am, with a rain date of 07/31/22. [2022-348 & 2022-438]

DISTRICT 28

BLEDSOE COUNTY SR-28 (US-HWY. 127) Utility Work southbound from LM 0.01 to LM 9.3: Mobile lane closures along SR-28 between the intersection of US-127 and Kelly lane and the intersection of US-127 and Old Union Road. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 06/16/22 through 09/15/22 from 9:00 am 2:30 pm. [2022-270]

BLEDSOE AND RHEA COUNTY SR-443 from SR-30 (LM 0) to near New Harmony Rd (LM 3.9) and in Rhea from the county line (LM 0) to SR-30 (LM 6.8): During the day, the contractor will be resurfacing and performing safety improvements at two locations on SR-443 in Bledsoe and Rhea Counties. The SR-443 Bledsoe County location will be from SR-30 (LM 0.00) to Near New Harmony Rd (LM 3.93). The SR-443 Rhea County location will be from the Bledsoe County Line (LM 0.00) to SR-30 (LM 6.87). Traffic will be reduced to one lane controlled by flaggers at each location. Please use caution when driving through the work zones.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Voiles/CNW124]

COFFEE COUNTY I-24 TDOT Bridge Inspection eastbound at MM 109.9: On 07/26/22, there will be single lane closures with an attenuator truck in order to perform bridge inspections. Work will be performed between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM.

COFFEE COUNTY SR-127 bridge construction over Bradley Creek (LM 4.7): Construction work on this project continues. SR-127 at MM 4.66 will be closed until 09/30/2022 to support bridge construction work over Bradley Creek. A detour route will be provided via Prairie Plains Road and Miller Crossroads Road during construction work, signs and message boards are in place guiding motorists through the detour. Motorists should be alert to the new traffic pattern and encouraged to use caution and be alert to construction personnel and equipment.

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Hussein/CNV303]

COFFEE COUNTY SR-2 (US-41) repair of bridge over Blue Spring Creek (LM 21.0): Construction work on this project continues. The roadway will be reduced to one lane controlled by a temporary traffic signal. One lane will be open to traffic with the restriction of all wide loads, the maximum lane width is 12. Motorists should be alert to a new traffic pattern and are encouraged to use caution and be alert to construction personnel and equipment.

[Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Hussein/CNV145]

COFFEE COUNTY SR-55 (NEW MANCHESTER HWY.) Utility Work both directions from LM 11 to LM 12: Shoulder and single lane closures from Royal Trail and Edgewood Drive. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 07/21/22 through 07/27/22 from 9:00 am 11:00 am. [2022-367]

FRANKLIN COUNTY SR-130 resurfacing near High Street (LM 13.2) to near SR-15 (US-64 / LM 14.3): During this reporting period, the contractor will have intermittent lane closures on SR-130 to install construction signs, followed by daily lane closures to perform resurfacing and roadway repair operations. Motorists are advised to reduce speed in the work zone and watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control.

[Tinsley Asphalt, LLC /Hussein/CNW085]

FRANKLIN COUNTY SR-15 (US-41) intersection improvement at University Avenue (LM 27.9): Project activity continues. The roadway will be reduced from four lanes to two lanes. Motorists should proceed with caution through the area and be aware of signage, personnel, and equipment.

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Hussein/CNV062]

GRUNDY COUNTY SR-2 (US-41) miscellaneous safety improvements at the intersection of SR-50 (LM 1.4): Project activity continues daily with various roadway construction activities being performed. Lane shifts are in place at the intersection of SR2 and SR50. Motorists should proceed with caution through the area and be aware of signage, personnel, and equipment.

[Superior Traffic Control, LLC/Inc./Hussein/CNW082]

GRUNDY COUNTY SR-2 (US-41) TDOT Maintenance both directions from LM 7.2 to LM 7.4: SR-2 is reduced to one lane of traffic due to a slide. Temporary traffic signals are in place.

[TDOT/Maint - Dunlap/MAINT]

MARION COUNTY I-24 (US-64) rockfall mitigation westbound between MM 136.2 and MM 140.3: The contractor will be working on I-24 WB at MM 141 140, MM 139.0 137.0, and MM 136.0 135.0. On Thursday 07/21/22 the contractor will be blasting rock on I-24 WB at MM 136.0 and MM 137.0. This work will require a rolling roadblock to slow traffic down long enough to blast the rock and clean up the road. The roadblock and blasting will begin at 2:00 PM CT and only last as long as it takes to clear the road. Tennessee Highway Patrol and truck mounted attenuators with message boards will be on site during this work. Travel lanes at the remaining sites have been shifted and are open to traffic as usual. Please use caution when traveling through the work zones.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Voiles/CNV912]

MARION COUNTY I-24 resurfacing from west of Martin Springs Road Exit (MM 141) to east of Big Fiery Gizzard Creek (MM 146): The contractor will continue resurfacing operations on I-24 from MM 140.8 (West of the Martin Springs Rd exit) to MM 146.0 (East of Fiery Gizzard Creek). Work will occur Sunday through Friday from 7:00 PM 6:00 AM each night. Work will take place in both directions and will close one lane at a time. Tennessee Highway Patrol and a truck mounted attenuator with message board will be on site each night.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Voiles/CNV314]

MARION COUNTY I-24 TDOT Contractor both directions from MM 161 to MM 166.6: On 07/24/22 and 07/25/22, lane one will be closed for pavement testing and analysis from 6:00 PM central time to 6:00 AM central time between the Nickajack Lake Bridge and the Georgia State Line. Rain dates are 07/26 and 07/27 for this work.

MARION COUNTY SR-2 (US-HWY. 41) TDOT Maintenance both directions from LM 25.7 to LM 26.0: SR-2 is reduced to one lane with temporary traffic signals. Ongoing slide repair project below the roadway requires this closure.

MARION COUNTY SR-27 between LM 26.9 and LM 27.9 slide repair and bridge and retaining wall construction: The contractor will be working on SR-27 (Suck Creek Road) at LM 26.9 and LM 27.9 to construct a new bridge and repair a slide. Both work zones, at LM 26.9 and LM 27.9, have the travel lanes reduced to one lane controlled by temporary traffic lights. Also, at LM 26.9 there will be intermittent road closures controlled by flaggers for the safety of drivers when trees are being cut down. Please use caution when traveling through each work zone.

[Dement Construction Company, LLC/Voiles/CNV307]

SEQUATCHIE COUNTY SR-28 (US-127) Utility Work southbound from LM 9.31 to LM 11.16: Mobile lane closures along SR-28 between the intersection of US-127 and Kelly lane and the intersection of US-127 and Old Union Road. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Trucks, signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 06/16/22 through 09/15/22 from 9:00 am 2:30 pm. [2022-270]

DISTRICT 29

BRADLEY COUNTY I-75 resurfacing from north of SR-311 (US-74 / MM 21) to north of SR-60 (MM 25.5): During this reporting period, the contractor will have weekend closures on I-75 SB at MM 21.6 to perform bridge repairs. Beginning at 7:00 PM on Friday 07/22/22 through 6:00 AM Monday 07/25/22 the left lane of I-75 southbound will be closed. Motorists are advised to expect delays in the area and reduce speed in the work zone. Following the weekend bridge work, nightly lane closures will be in place Sunday through Thursday 7:00 PM to 6:00 AM to support resurfacing operations.

[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Wagner/CNW045]

BRADLEY COUNTY SR-2 (US-11) resurfacing from Old Highway 11(LM 18.2) to near the Hiwassee River (LM 20.9): During this reporting period, the contractor will have brief intermittent lane closures on SR-2 (US-11) to install construction signs. Shoulders and sidewalks will also be closed through Charleston for curb ramp upgrades. Motorists are asked to reduce speed in the work zone and watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Wagner/CNW158]

BRADLEY COUNTY SR-312 (HARRISON PK.) TDOT Maintenance both directions from LM 3.1 to LM 3.2: During this reporting period, TDOT maintenance forces may have temporary lane closures on SR-312 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM to continue repair work on a storm drainpipe. Motorists are advised to reduce speed in the work zone and watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control.

[TDOT/Maint - Benton/MAINT]

BRADLEY COUNTY SR-60 widening from the 4-lane north of I-75 (LM 17.2) to SR-306 (LM19.9): During this reporting period, the contractor will be performing earthmoving operations, utility relocation and storm drainage installation. Crews will also be working on foundations for a new bridge over Candies Creek. Motorists are advised to reduce speed in the work zone, watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control and for trucks entering/leaving the highway. Speed limit through work zone will be reduced from 45 MPH to 35 MPH.

[Summers-Taylor, Inc./Wagner/CNV130]

HAMILTON COUNTY I-24 interchange improvement at SR-2 (US-11, US-41, US-72, Broad Street) and SR-58 (Market Street): Williams Street is closed to all traffic at the I-24 underpass to support the installation of new storm drainage structures for the new frontage road. Traffic will still be able to access the ramps to I-24 and US-27, but no through traffic will be allowed on Williams Street between West 21st Street and West 25th Street. Traffic will detour around the closure via West 21st Street and Broad Street. Signs will be posted. The contractor will be working on new bridge construction, storm drainage structures, and utility relocation. Chestnut Street is closed at the I-24 underpass and will remain closed until the construction of bridge #2 is complete. Detour routes are posted. The US-27 NB on-ramp at William St. has been closed and it will be closed until the new alignment for this ramp is completed. There will be marked detour signs to use the Broad St. US-27 on-ramp.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Curtis/CNU011]

HAMILTON COUNTY I-75 concrete repair from MM 6.6 to MM 12.8: During this reporting period, the contractor will close two lanes on I-75 North between MM6.6 and 12.6. Starting on Friday July 22nd at 9:00 PM thru Monday July 25th at 6:00 AM, the contractor will have the two outside lanes closed on I-75 North from MM 6.6 to MM9.8 and will shift traffic to the inside shoulder and the inside lane as the contractor removes certain sections of the concrete roadway and pours it back this weekend. There will be two lanes of traffic open during weekends operation. It is recommended that the motoring public use alternate routes through this area because there will be a possibility of long wait times. During this reporting period, the contractor will be having lane closures in both the Northbound and Southbound directions on I-75 from 9:00 PM 6:00 AM.

[Summers-Taylor, Inc./Curtis/CNW046]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-2 (BROAD ST.) Utility Work southbound from LM 7.04 to LM 7.16: Shoulder and single lane closures between W. 26th Street and W. 19th Street. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 07/26/22 from 9:00 am 2:00 pm, with a rain date of 07/27/22. [2022-427]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-2 (E. 23RD ST.) Utility Work both directions from LM 9.1 to LM 9.7: Center lane closure on E. 23rd Street S. Holly Street to S. Willow Street. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 07/18/22 through 07/29/22 from 10:00 pm 5:00 am. [2019-543]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-29 (US-27) slide repair between LM 29 and LM 30: The travel lanes on US-27/SR-29 in Hamilton County between LM 29 and LM 30 will be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction for the duration of the slide repair. Loads over 14 wide will have to find an alternate route. [TDOT/Wallace/Maint] RESTRICTIONS: Loads over 14 wide will have to find an alternate route.

[GeoStabilization International, LLC /Maint - Chattanooga/MAINT]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-317 (Apison Pike) improvement project from SR-321 (Ooltewah-Ringgold Road) to east of Layton Lane: Lane closures and flagging operations will be required on SR-317, Apison Pike, to install power poles and transfer lines. The flagging operations will be performed on 07/21/22, 07/22/22, 07/25/22, 07/26/22, and 07/27/22 from 7 AM to 1 PM and 3 PM to 7 PM. Closures will last about 2 hours per location. The contractor will have intermittent flagging operations during daytime non-peak hours for utility work, delivery of materials and equipment. A portion of Tucker Road has been closed from Spalding Drive to 5400 Tucker Road to allow for grading and utility operations. Flagging will be required on Spalding Drive for bridge one operations.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNT336]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-319 (Amnicola Highway) bridge repair over SR-153: The contractor will be performing bridge repair operations on the Amnicola (SR-319) bridge over SR-153. During this project, SR-319 will have lane closures in place. During repair operations at least one lane of traffic will remain open in both directions. Bridge repair over SR-153 will be performed between 6:00 am & 6:00 pm. In addition, nightly work will be performed between 7:00 pm & 6:00 am from 07/25/2022 to 07/29/2022. Motorists are advised to use caution in this vicinity and remain aware of construction activities.

[Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNV053]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-321 (OOLTEWAH-RINGGOLD RD.) Utility Work both directions at LM 1.96: Shoulder and single lane closures at the roundabout of Ooltewah Ringgold Road and Standifer Gap Road. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 05/26/22 through 07/27/22 from 10:00 am 2:00 pm. [2021-782]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-58 slide repair near LM 17: During this reporting period, the contractor will have SR-58 North at LM 17 reduced to one lane for the duration of the project.

[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Curtis/CNW199]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-8 (CHEROKEE BLVD.) Utility Work southbound from LM 10.63 to LM 11: Shoulder and single lane closures on Cherokee Blvd from W. Bell Avenue to Gurley Street. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 07/14/22 through 07/27/22 from 9:00 am 2:00 pm. [2022-302]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-8 (TAFT HWY.) Utility Work both directions from LM 22.01 to LM 22.2: Shoulder and single lane closures between Fairmount Road and Dowler Lane. Motorists should reduce speed and be prepared to stop. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present, 02/15/22 through 07/27/22 from 9:00 am 2:00 pm. [2021-636]

HAMILTON COUNTY SR-8 (US-41, US-76) Bachman Tubes cleaning: On Thursday night of this reporting period, the contractor will close the tunnels from 8:00 PM 6:00 AM for cleaning. There will be a signed detour for traffic to follow to navigate around the closure.

[Diamond Specialized, Inc./Curtis/CNW197]

HAMILTON COUNTY The construction of an S.I.A. to VW: The contractor will be performing operations at the intersection connecting the S.I.A. route, Ferdinand Piech Way, & Volkswagen Dr. The new 4-way signalized intersection has begun operation & traffic has been shifted to the new alignment. Ferdinand Piech Way will still be closed to through traffic. Drivers should be cautious of the new traffic pattern in effect including a lowered speed limit. Drivers should also be alert to the entrance and exit of construction vehicles & staff on and around the jobsite and the connecting roadways. Flaggers may be onsite directing traffic.

[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNU221]

MCMINN COUNTY SR-163 resurfacing from near SR-2 (US-11 / LM 2.5) to west of County Road 750 (LM 8.9): During this reporting period, the contractor will have daily lane closures from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM to perform resurfacing and roadway repair operations. Motorists are advised to reduce speed in the work zone and watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control.

[Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Wagner/CNW112]

MCMINN COUNTY SR-307 resurfacing from north of Tellico Avenue (LM 1.9) to the Monroe County line (LM 8.5): Starting this reporting period, the contractor will have intermittent lane closures on SR-307 during the day. There will be flaggers and possible pilot cars directing traffic as the contractor works.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Curtis/CNW126]

MEIGS COUNTY SR-304 repair of bridge over Big Sewee Creek (LM 4.8): The contractor will be performing bridge repair operations on the SR-304 bridge over Big Sewee Creek. During this project, SR-304 will have lane closures with 10 ft width restrictions. A detour will be in place redirecting SR-304 truck traffic onto Watts Bar Hwy & SR-58. During repair operations, only one lane of traffic will remain open for local traffic. A temporary traffic signal will be in place to direct traffic thru the construction zone.

[Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNV305]

MEIGS COUNTY SR-58 resurfacing from east of the Hiwassee River (LM 5.8) to east of Roberts Road (LM 15.3): During this report period, the contractor will have intermittent lane closures while performing resurfacing operations. Flaggers will be on-site to assist traffic flow. Drivers should be aware of construction vehicles entering and exiting the work-zone.

[Rogers Group, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNW130]

POLK COUNTY SR-40 (US-64) bridge over the Ocoee River: During this reporting period, the contractor will be working on reconstruction of side streets and removal of the old bridge over the Ocoee River. Intermittent lane closures are possible for moving equipment across US-64 (SR-40). Motorists are advised to reduce speed in the work zone and watch for flaggers assisting with traffic control.

Here is the original post:
Roadway Activity Report for parts of East and Middle Tennessee (July 21 - 27, 2022) - tn.gov

BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) Vestal Asphalt is the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce Business of the Week.

The company started in 1969 when founder Neil Guiles bought and refurbished a bulldozer and began his own excavation business.

Now, the company does road work throughout New York and Pennsylvania.

A majority of the work at Vestal Asphalt is done on city and county roads.

The company provides a variety of services, such as sealing cracks, coal paving, and the grinding of roads.

The Director of Human Resources and Safety at Vestal Asphalt, Mark Ward, said that the company has a 95 percent retention rate with its employees.

If your people arent happy in doing a good job then youre not going to be doing business, said Ward. If your employees are happy and are doing a good job, business comes to you. And thats what happens here, from everything Im seeing. So I believe in supporting the community whether its myself or my wife individually or a part of the company. Just to say thank you because theyre why Im here.

Ward said that every person he has assisted in hiring this year was referred by someone else.

He said that Vestal Asphalt has at least 2 crews out working every day.

You can get more information of services and pricing on their website at vestalasphalt.com.

Original post:
Business of the Week: Vestal Asphalt - WIVT - NewsChannel 34

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and Ward 5 Councillor Ed Sleiman are pleased to see the completion of another important road project, as Erskine Street is now completely repaired and repaved.

Work to the west side of Erskine was done in the summer of 2021, and earlier this month the final removal and replacement of the asphalt pavement on the east side was completed.

Erskine Street is a small but densely populated area of the city, home to multiple multi-residential buildings, making it a high-traffic area for residents and visitors. Since the completion of this roadwork and the removal of potholes and cracks, residents can now enjoy a smooth safe commute.

To date, from a capital and operating budget that consistently outputs large amounts of infrastructure improvements, approximately 48 lane-kilometres of roadway have been improved in 2022, which is basically the equivalent of paving from Windsor to Leamington. The Citymaintains approximately 1,076 kilometres of roads overall.

Fixing and maintaining Windsors roads is a no brainer, as they remain vital components for the continued growth of our city. As new residents make Windsor their home, and with the completion of many exciting infrastructure projects, well need to continue providing safe roads for commuting to and from work. I applaud Councillor Sleiman for his leadership on this project and all the support he provides residents of Ward 5. Mayor Drew Dilkens

Erskine Street is an important neighbourhood in Ward 5 that should not be forgotten. Ive spoken with multiple residents in the area who urgently needed this section repaved to provide a safer entrance to their homes. Im pleased to see this project completed and grateful to have been able to get it done and deliver results for my community. Councillor Ed Sleiman, Ward 5

Continue reading here:
Erskine Street Paving Complete 48 Kilometres of Improvements and Counting in 2022 - City Of Windsor