Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Those memories are priceless, especially since the house I grew up in didn't have much of a "settin' porch" it was just a walkway to the front door, which we never, ever used to enter the house.

In the days before air conditioning, people used porches as a necessity to escape the stifling heat of the kitchen or upstairs bedrooms. Many homes even had "sleeping porches" because the air outside was cooler than the air inside. These days, people don't sit on porches as much as they once did, watching the busy world around them while waving a cardboard funeral-home fan beneath their chins and making philosophical commentary.

Although air conditioning and busy lives threaten their existence, I hope porches never go out of style. They are more than just gathering places; they are the lap of the household, warm and welcoming.

We still need porches and below I listed 11 reasons why.

Click here to read more about why we paint porch ceilings haint blue.

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Reese's is bringing back its popular peanut butter lovers cups for a limited time - Southern Thing

If you havent heard, the current real estate market is expensive. Like, really expensive. And no, I dont mean its expensive somewhere else like in California, or even Dallas. Im talking about everywhere, including Sulphur Springs. Prices are increasing daily, and homes are flying off the market before the folks next door notice a For Sale sign in their neighbors yard. And unfortunately theres no projected improvement anytime soon.

So what are we to make of all this? Why should you care about housing prices? What is your family supposed to do when youre struggling to buy something? There are so many questions I get asked on a regular basis and today I have some answers.

The thing is theres not enough space in this article for all of them. However, what I do want to focus on is the first-time homebuyers. Bad news first? Now is the worst time to be a first-time homebuyer in decades, and possibly in the history of this town. The numbers dont lie. Over the last 5 years, median reported sales prices of single-family homes have increased a whopping 58.3%, (NTREIS) while the median household income has only increased 26.4% (US Census Bureau).

This in turn means that your dollars are worth less, and you cant buy as much house as you once could. In fact, if you bought a house 5 years ago, theres a good chance you wouldnt be able to afford it today. So, you might think If houses are more expensive than ever, gas is skyrocketing, my Walmart bill has doubled, and I havent gotten a raise in 2 years, how am I supposed to make it to next week!? Let alone buy a house! And theres no direct answer I can give on thatbut take a breath, I have some tips that could help you navigate with a clearer mind.

Keep your sanity by realizing that the prices you knew 5 years ago are gone. And likely never coming back barring a major catastrophic event. But it is also true that our problems are not unique, and some areas of the country have it worse.

When considering buying a house, as competitive as it is, a great agent will keep you sane. Having a loyal, trustworthy real estate agent who will go the extra mile for you is priceless. Use every tool at your disposal starting with a good agent. Bonus points if they are an experienced lender.

When it comes to getting a mortgage you dont need 20% down or anywhere near that much so please be careful with out of town lenders. Part of keeping your sanity here in Hopkins County is by understanding our rural real estate market is unique. And out of town lenders (especially out of state lenders) arent privy to how farm and ranch properties work. I would love to get into more details about this but trust me, it helps working with banks that are familiar with our area. If you do go out-of-state, be prepared for a process that can be extra stressful that could possibly end with a negative experience.

Now that youre armed with a knowledgeable and trustworthy agent, youll need to find a house. And in this market, it takes a combination of patience and swift action to decide whats best. Like I mentioned earlier theres a good chance that house will be sold very quickly. Keep the crazy out of the hunt by communicating with your agent! They can set up automatic searches tailored for you so you receive automated emails the moment a house hits the market. An agent also has available tools to assist you in finding those properties that meet your criteria and help specify options.

The homebuying process is one of the most heavily regulated processes in the country. There are legal guidelines, inspection periods for due diligence, and other various rules that real estate agents have to abide by. A real estate agent should do everything within their power to provide protection for you during this process. By hiring a good one, youll keep your sanity as your agent handles the burden of the contract negotiation process.

The local market has unfortunately been a sore subject for several years. But this is my hometown and Im not here to speak on the horrors of markets like the Bay Area or Toronto. I am only here to help put everything into perspective for those that may be unaware. In my opinion, these high prices are unfortunate because the median income can no longer afford the median house.

For this article, I included homes only on 5 acres or less to prevent skewing the numbers from typical single-family homes below:

There are numerous causes for this, but the result always ends with working class families consistently being expected to do more with less. As much as Id love to propose solutions, my goal for this article is to spread awareness. Perhaps, you will come away with a better understanding and insight of the recent trends.

Although affordable homes are harder to find, rest assured that they do exist. With a little patience and the right people on your side, you can make it happen!

God Bless.

About the Contributor: Jed Walker works full-time in a family-owned business of Real Estate Appraisers. After getting a Bachelors degree from Sam Houston State University, Jed left a successful sales career in Dallas to return to the business his knows bestreal estate. Combining both the mindset of an appraiser and a real estate agent allows him to bring his unique perspective and approach to the home buying process. He understands that buying a home is not just a financial investment but an emotional one. Add to that, his patience and quick on the draw updates are just a small part of what sets him apart from those just looking for a commission check. Jed also knows how best to market your home, land, or commercial property in the most efficient manner, both in price and time.

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5 Tips to Stay Sane in the Real Estate Market - frontporchnewstexas.com

Actor Gabriele Angieri of Burnsville went with his family to see the play The Family Line at the Capri Theater in Minneapolis. The 2-man show takes place entirely within a car, as a Jewish grandfather and his 15-year old biracial grandson meet for the first time and embark on a 24-hour road trip from Florida to Minnesota.

The grandson, whose mother has just died, struggles with a sense of abandonment as his grandfather swoops into his life to deliver him to a new life in Minnesota with a father he does not know. Set in 2020 during the unrest in Minneapolis, it's a show interwoven with family secrets and social commentary that Angieri said sparked both laughter and tears, as well as an excellent discussion with his 12 year-old daughter afterward.

The Family Line is the second show for Stage North, which launched in fall of 2021 with a focus on plays about urban life. Its shows are performed at the newly remodeled Capri Theater in North Minneapolis. Stage North has a partnership with Patrick Henry High School Drama Club, whose student members worked on the crew for the show.

The show runs through April 17th, with 2 PM matinees Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday and evening shows Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM.

Fiber and textile artist Nora Rickey has enjoyed watching Cecilia Rolandos evolving art show at the Front Porch Coffee & Tea Co. in Ely. In place since January, the show has been extended through April, and Rolando has continued to add new work as pieces sell. Rolandos creative work is wide-ranging, from realistic watercolor florals to bold abstract paintings, from collages to jewelry to haiku. Rickey says the throughlines of the visual work on display are Rolandos vivid colors, which add to the warmth of the popular community coffee shop. If you miss the show at the Front Porch, Rolandos work is also on display at Art and Soul Gallery and Gift House down the street.

Cecilia Rolando and her work at Art and Soul gallery in Ely during a 2021 show.

Courtesy of Cecilia Rolando

Bassist Rob Morgan clearly recalls the massive transition he made from music student to touring performer, and hes excited to see a theater version of that launching ground when the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theaters BFA students mount The School for Lies, starting Friday. This will be the first time in two years that graduating seniors in the acting program will take to the Dowling Stage on the Guthries 9th floor. The play by David Ives is an adaptation of Molieres classic comedy Le Misanthrope, so you can expect to see larger-than-life characters and drama with plenty of witty repartee. Scenes, costume, light, and sound were all designed by University of Minnesota faculty. The show runs through April 23.

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Art Hounds: creative work abounds this spring - MPR News

The show, which was inspired by the original film, was a supernatural drama starring Tyler Posey as Scott McCall.

Posey and much of the original cast is back for the movie, which is being billed as a revival of the show, according to an article by Variety. The cast includes Holland Roden, Shelley Hennig, Crystal Reed, Orny Adams, Linden Ashby, JR Bourne, Colton Haynes, Ryan Kelley, Melissa Ponzio, and Dylan Sprayberry.

A synopsis on IMDb says, A full moon rises in Beacon Hills, and with it a terrifying evil has emerged. The wolves are howling once again, calling for the return of Banshees, Werecoyotes, Hellhounds, Kitsunes, and every other shapeshifter in the night. But only a werewolf like Scott McCall, no longer a teenager yet still an Alpha, can gather both new allies and reunite trusted friends to fight back against what could be the most powerful and deadliest enemy they've ever faced.

Variety quoted Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of ViacomCBS Media Networks and MTV Entertainment Studios: Teen Wolf was a global cultural phenomenon that spawned one of the largest and most loyal fandoms we are thrilled to partner with the incredibly talented Jeff Davis to reward the fans, reignite this franchise with an original movie, and launch a brand-new series Wolf Pack for Paramount+.

TeenWolffandom.com says California-based sets from the show were used in initial filming before production moved to the Atlanta area on April 4, 2022.

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Teen Wolf movie, a revival of the hit TV show, now filming in Georgia - Southern Thing

Dont be in too big a rush to get out in your gardens this month. Wet clay soil is easily compacted at this time of year and the damage may not be easily fixable.

Stay off your lawn if possible and let the grass grow to suck up some of the extra soil moisture. As wet as it is now, by May we may be experiencing drought conditions. This is a good time to install some rain barrels to collect water, using 55-gallon drums or even watering troughs designed for livestock. A 10-foot- long gutter and downspout attached to a shed or garage roof will collect lots of rainwater this spring that you may need later on. My barrels fill up completely with only a half-inch of rain, using a 10-foot-long gutter.

Of course, any standing water provides mosquito-breeding habitat so you need to take precautions. There is a product called Mosquito Dunks that releases a type of bacteria that kills mosquito larvae, (Bacillus thurigensis) but is pretty harmless to most other living things. The dunks last about 30 days in the barrels unless the water overflows and washes them out. Of course, you need to empty any container that holds water for more than a couple of days, now that these blood drinkers are active once more.

Old tires are particularly common mosquito breeding grounds, but bird baths, clogged gutters and even persistent puddles can be troublesome. Ponds with fish rarely are a problem since mosquito larvae are a favorite fish food.

Black bears have emerged from hibernation now, so make sure you either remove your winter bird feeders or bring them in at night, every night. Once a bear discovers a free snack from a bird feeder it is very likely to return. Likewise, make sure your garbage is well-secured outside. Bears can open unlocked dumpsters and will go in a shed for a free meal.

Resist the urge to apply lawn fertilizer to green up your spring lawn. If your lawn does not green up on its own, it is most likely dead. This is NOT a good time to apply fertilizers, in general, since they may be washed away and can pollute other water bodies downhill or downstream from you. Likewise, avoid applying herbicides, but be on the lookout for early emerging insect pests such as tent caterpillars in fruit trees. Early treatment is preferable to waiting until the pests are fully grown and doing damage.

Deer ticks are already becoming active, sadly, so be diligent after walking, hiking or doing any outside activity. Perform frequent tick checks of your clothes while outside and before you go to bed at night. It takes at least 24 hours of ticks feeding on you to get Lyme disease or most other tick-borne diseases. Deer ticks do not hatch carrying the Lyme disease bacteria, they acquire it from another host, usually a small mammal, like a mouse, after feeding on the hostsblood. This usually occurs when the ticks are in their initial larval stage and are almost impossible to see because they are so tiny. Spraying cotton balls with permethrin repellant and placing them in cardboard tubes, such as toilet paper or paper towel tubes, will attract mice to gather the cotton for nesting and these will kill any ticks they acquire. One reader told me that since he started doing this, he has noticed a dramatic decrease in the tick population around his property.

There is a commercially available product, called Daminex (I think thats the name) that is specifically designed for this purpose. I dont even try to control the mouse populations that inhabit my sheds and even my house while I am here in Florida, but I do use the tubes when I return. We still know very little about the ecology of tick-borne diseases or why, for that matter. Some people seem to be much more inclined to attract them. I can spend hours working outside with no ticks seen, but oftentimes a visitor walking with me seems to get two or three of them in 20 minutes.

I suppose some people are tick magnets as some people are also mosquito magnets while others are rarely attacked. Some say that eating lots of garlic will repel them as you emit the fragrance from your pores. Eating lots of garlic may also repel people, however. I had planned to write this column on ramps, also known as wild leeks, which is a garlic relative that also lingers in your body for days, but that will have to wait until next week. For me, perhaps it is my blood alcohol content that deters them!

Bob Beyfuss lives and gardens in Schoharie County. Send him an e-mail to rlb14@cornell.edu.

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Bob Beyfuss: Some timely tips on rain barrels, bears and ticks - The Daily Freeman

Mowing your lawn less helps create a habitat for bees to thrive. No Mow May, a conservation initiative popularized by an organization based in the U.K., is now growing traction across North America.

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A well-kept lawn has historically been a staple of American landscaping.

Psychology Today published an article in February 2020 called The Strange Psychology of the American Lawn in which author Austin Perlmutter M.D. writes about how a well-manicured lawn is tethered to ideas like success and stability. Many equate an overgrown lawn to neglect, incompetence, and laziness or so our culture would have you believe.

Lawns account for 2%, or 40 million acres, of land in the United States, making them the single largest irrigated crop in America. They require frequent mowing, raking, fertilizing, weeding, watering, and chemical treatment.

Not only is lawn care burdensome, expensive, and time-consuming, but it can be harmful to the surrounding wildlife.

When we think of habitat loss, we tend to imagine forests being cut down and bulldozers flattening fields to create parking lots. However, lawn maintenance is a major contributor to ecological homogenization (biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse) in the U.S.

No Mow May, a conservation initiative first popularized in the U.K., has gained traction across North America. The goal of No Mow May is to allow grass to grow unmown for the month of May, creating habitat and forage for pollinators and other wildlife.

In 2020, researchers at Lawrence University studied the effects of No Mow May when residents of Appleton, Wisconsin took part in the initiative. The findings showed that the abundance of bees in lawns unkempt for a month was five times higher than in manicured lawns.

Since nearly 90% of the worlds plant species rely on pollinators to reproduce, an abundance of bees is critical to a healthy environment. (Fun Fact: New Jerseys state bug is the honeybee!)

In addition to benefiting pollinators, No Mow May will save water, help your lawn become more resilient to drought, reduce emissions from gas-powered lawn equipment, and save you time and money.

Most cities and municipalities have some form of weed and lawn care ordinance that dictates the height and sometimes the types of plants homeowners are allowed to grow.

So to keep your neighbors happy while participating in No Mow May, here are some tips from Bee City USA:

Will you take part in No Mow May? Let us know how you feel about this initiative in the comments.

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Save the Bees with No Mow May | Morristown Minute - NewsBreak Original

The 4-year-old boy who plunged to the ground from a sixth-floor window of a Bronx apartment building a day ago suffered two fractured legs and kidney damage but is expected to survive, cops say, thanks to a patch of grass that helped lessen the blow.

The child, who has not been identified, remained hospitalized Wednesday after being taken there around 12:45 p.m. Tuesday when he fell from the window at the Patterson Houses, a NYCHA complex on East 143rd Street in Mott Haven, police said.

Neighbors pointed to the grassy patch as possibly helping save the boy's life. They say he was conscious immediately after he hit the ground but he was bleeding from his head. He was taken to a hospital just across the street from the housing complex.

"Let me tell you something: Its a miracle that he fell in this grass, that boy was still fighting," said neighbor Juanita Kelsey.

A 4-year-old boy fell out a sixth-floor window of a Bronx apartment building Tuesday, authorities said. NBC New York's Gaby Acevedo reports.

Police have said their investigation is ongoing. It's not clear what caused the fall.

The window he fell from had an air conditioning unit. There was a small space to the side of it that had a piece of blue cloth hanging in it, with no window bars visible from the ground level. That's where witnesses said the boy fell through.

NYCHA says it is also investigating.

"NYCHA is investigating this unfortunate incident and will work with the family to make sure that they have the services they need," a spokesperson said. "Upon initial review, window guards are present throughout the apartment where required and were last checked in February 2022, and there are no repair work orders on record for the air conditioners present in the residence."

Window bars are required if a child 10 years of age or younger lives in the apartment, but guard rails are not required next to air conditioner units.

According to NYCHA's website, "there shall not be any unguarded spaces greater than 4 1/2 inches on either side of, or above the air conditioner. Spaces greater than 4 1/2 inches must be covered with rigid metal panels that can withstand 150 lbs. of pressure instead of accordion panels."

NBC New York observed multiple windows in the complex that did not appear to meet those standards, however, leaving some concerned.

"Thats why its best to have guard rails, to make sure the kids dont have access to the windows. Thats the number one thing," one neighbor said.

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4-Year-Old Fractures Both Legs, Damages Kidney in Fall From 6th-Floor NYC Window - NBC New York

Background

Airports are hubs of diverse human interactions. During pandemics, they may serve as centers for the spread of airborne infection. Appropriate methods for the prevention of the spread of airborne infections must be integrated into the air conditioning systems of airports. Along with ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and other sanitization methods, dilution ventilation can be the easiest and most available method for the prevention of airborne infection, which means the intake of outside air into the indoors, which flushes out the aerosolized droplets containing pathogens. Though this process has been adopted by multiple buildings in reaction to the pandemic, it may present the challenge of intake of high concentration of suspended particulate matter in the intake air, amajor air pollutant in developing countries, which may enter through the air conditioning systems. Appropriate filtration is necessary so that along with dilution ventilation for airborne disease prevention, the risk of suspended particulate matter of diameter 2.5 micron or PM2.5 induced lung issues is also reduced.

The Right to Information Act, 2005, was used to file applications forinformation on the details of the air conditioning systems in Indian airports. The 58airports in the study were also listed according to the list of cities that fall under the criteria for non-attainment of good air quality standards.

Out of 58 airports considered,27 fell in the non-attainment of good air quality list. On appraisal of filter systems, it was found that 23 had an intake of fresh airbut only five had filters with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of10 and above in their air conditioning systems, as is recommended for filtration of suspended particulate matter.

It can be concluded that mostairports did not have the appropriate filter required for filtering PM2.5, which is a major pollutant in Indian cities. In light of coronavirus disease 2019, where dilution ventilation through the intake of outdoor air is suggested, it may also lead to the entry ofair with high particulate matter into the indoors.

Airports are hubs of large-scale human interaction. This interaction is all the more critical during the pandemic, when human movement across continents may account for higher chances of spread of infection [1]. Airports are good examples of public spaces where most people are unique visitors. This makes tracking and surveillance of visitors difficult, as obtaining records of previously done activities by these unique visitors is difficult. In the case of airborne diseases,there is a potential risk and unpredictability due to thenovel interactions of such people. Particularly in large congregations, which are high-volume enclosed spaces, having airborne infection control measures is, therefore, of utmost importance. At the same time, it is important that dilution ventilation is encouraged, as it leads to a decrease in the concentrations of aerosolized disease-causing organisms like viruses and bacteria [2-6]. Out of the various other airborne infection-control measures, dilution ventilation is particularly suitable due to the easy availability and relative ease of implementation, especially in low-resource settings [6-11]. It basically requires an increased intake of outside air to replace the inside air through higher fresh air changes per hour [12-13]. What is of concern in dilution ventilation is the quality of the air that is allowed to be taken inside [14-16]. This outdoor air should be pollution-free, and, in particular, free from PM2.5,which is a key pollutant in cities of the developing world [17-18]. It is also one of the key causes of lung and respiratory issues [19].

This study aims to look at the measures in place in the air conditioning systems of the airports with respect to airborne infection spread. This is to look out for two factors: first, whether there is dilution ventilation (and other measures) for airborne infection control, and second, whether the air conditioning system has the required filtration capacity to filter out PM2.5from the ambient air to be taken indoors [20-21]. This is particularly important for airports that are located in cities with possibilities of high PM2.5 concentrations.Airports that are located in the non-attainment list of cities under the study were listed and evaluated. The non-attainment list of cities' is a list of cities where the ambient air quality standards prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board are not met [22]. This included five-year monitoring for ambient air, where if there is an excess of suspended particulate matter (or nitrogen dioxide) as per the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the cities are listed in the non-attainment list [23-24]. In Indian cities, the major polluter is suspended particulate matter, PM2.5, which has an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 microns [25]. Our study looks at whether the filters present in the air conditioning systems of the airports have the appropriate minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) capacity, with MERV 10 to 13 and above being ideal to filter out PM2.5 [17,26]. This is important to understand because airport managers may bediluting the inside air by allowing in fresh air from the outside [27]. This dilution ventilation plays a key role in flushing out the aerosolized pathogens, but, in this process, also brings in pollutants that the filtration system of the air conditioner must be capable of filtering [4]. Otherwise, owing to a lack of proper filtration, the action of dilution ventilation, appropriate for airborne infection control, may cause harm and lead to lung issues caused due to inhaled particulate matter.

The Airports Authority of India is the statutory body created by an act of the Indian parliament [28]. This body is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India. It also directly manages about 125 airports in India. Being a government-run organization, it is under the purview of the Right to Information Act, 2005 [29]. This Act, aimed at bringing transparency to government functions, is also a boon for researchers who can access information from government bodies and other public authorities. The advantage of this approach is a time-bound, authentic, and ethical source of information that is available in the public domain.

The aim of this study is to perform an appraisal of the air conditioning systems present in Indian airports with respect to the types of air conditioners and the presence of airborne infection control measures. It is to further study the filtration capacity for the inlet air of airport air conditioning systems in cities with considerable levels of ambient pollution, especially with respect to suspended particulate matter PM2.5.

To undertake the study, multiple steps were involved. The first step was creating a set of questions or parameters for which the information from the airport was required to be received. This was followed by creating a list of airports from where the information needs to be obtained. It was then important to formulate a list of methods that are possible to obtain information from the airports.These methods are listed in Table 1. After deciding on the rationale presented, the suitable method was chosen for obtaining information, i.e., using the Right to Information Act, 2005, for obtaining technical information from the airports [30]. This required follow-up with airports. The information obtained was collated and collected. The information compiled was analyzed against the parameters set in the research. The results were reported and recommendations were made.

In the study, 90 applications under the Right to Information Act, 2005 were sent to the airports managed by the Airports Authority of India. Out of these 61 replies were received of which 58 have been taken into consideration in this study. The remaining 29 either refused information based on some minor technical discretion or simply did not respond in violation of the Right to Information Act, 2005. Three information replies in the 61 were not fully discernible. This research, therefore, takes into consideration the replies received from 58 airports in India across the five sub-regions of airports in India, namely,northern, eastern, western, southern, and northeastern. Studying 58 airports out of around 129 airports in India represents a substantial number of airports. Because the data provided came from fairly random locations across the nation, made up around 50% of the total airports, and is representative of the various sub-regions of the country, the researchers believe that the sample to meet the criteria for the study may be valid. The sample size has a confidence level of 95% with a margin of error of 10. This means the sample size is justified. This study was started in the earlier part of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic around the year 2020.

The information sought from the airports, mentioned in Table 2, was intendedto get a complete picture of the air conditioning systems present in the airport. It was further aimed at obtaining airborne infection control and indoor air quality-related measures in these airports. It wasspecifically aimed to get pointed information regarding four important points. First, it was to understand whether the airport air conditioning systems had the provision for the intake of fresh air inside the volume of the enclosed space and whether the system provides dilution ventilation for flushing of aerosolized droplets containing pathogens? Second, it was to knowthe size of the filters used in the HVAC systems of the airport in order to filter the various contaminants like pathogens, dust, and other pollutants like particulate matter. Third,to understand whether ultraviolet germicidal irradiation has been integrated into the air conditioning system of the airport [31]. And fourth, to know whether there are types of air conditioning systems present at the airports, which do not have the capacity to bring in fresh air (or have a reduced capacity) from the outside to the inside. An example would be the split air conditioning system, which recirculates the air inside. The list of cities with non-attainment was directly taken from literature and a comparison was made for the filter sizes and the status of the city with respect to the ambient air quality [22-23].

Once the required information was received from the airports, it was compiled into tables and a comparison was made among the airports. The analysis was reported and the conclusions were drawn.

This article was previously posted to the engrXiv preprint server on March 12, 2022 [32].

This study included no questionnaire and no human subject. No employee,visitor, or staffwas contacted directly for this study. This study used information available in the public domain through the Right to Information Act, 2005, where an application was made under an appropriate section of the Act and the information was supplied. The information provided was signed and certified by the airport through a senior official and released into the public domain. The Right to Information Act, 2005, allows for the provision of only such information that is not the third-party or personal information of any individual. This prevents any information about any human subject. The use of information available under the public domain and has no human subjects is exempt from review under the 'Indian Council of Medical Research: National Ethics Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research involving Human Participants' [33]. It further goes on to state that the scope of ethics is only for studies involving human participants, which this study does not involve.According to the above-mentioned scope, this study does not require Ethics Committee Approval or its equivalent Institutional Review Board Approval. The author declares the same.

There were a total of 58 airports were considered for this study out of 61. Out of these, six did not have flight operations but had an operational building. The type of air conditioner system in the airports varied from being full-fledged central heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system to ones with split air conditioners in a room. The total diversity in air conditioning systems is given in Table 3.The filtration capacity of the air conditioning systems of the airports has been listed in Table 4. Out of the 58 airports, 43 had a filtration of some kind, the majority being pre-filters of the MERV value or minimum efficiency reporting values in the range of 5 to 8. Only five had filters of MERV value equal to or above 10. MERV is the unit in by which the filtration capacity of filters is measured. A high MERV value means the filter can arrest finer particles. Studies have shown that MERV 10 and above are more capable of arresting particulate matter PM2.5.It was important to understand the ambient air quality of the cities where the airports were located. The Central Pollution Control Board of the Indian government has listed cities that are in the 'non-attainment category'. This means that the ambient air quality does not meet the air quality standards. In India, the primary ambient air pollutant is PM2.5. It was found that out of the cities where the airports under the study were located,27 cities came under the non-attainment category. Out of these, 23 had an intake of fresh air through the HVAC system, but only five had filters of rating MERV 10 and above in their air conditioning systems. The consequences of these values have been further discussed in the discussion section.

Six out of 58 had installed an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation systemwhile 19 had the work of installation in the pipeline at the time of the study. Forty-three out of the 58 had provision for a filter within the HVAC system. The filter type details are listed in Table 4.A separate list was made of airports that fall in cities that come under the non-attainment listof ambient air quality by the Central Pollution Control Board of India [22].Table 5 contains the list of the airports that fall in the cities with non-attainment. It was found that out of the 58,27 came under the non-attainment category. Out of these, 23 had an intake of fresh air through the HVAC system, but only five had filters of rating MERV 10 and above in their air conditioning systems.

The study brought to light the state of the air conditioning systems at airports in India. Airports, being a primary source of diverse human interaction, pose a key threat to the spread of airborne infections. Appropriate methods for airborne infection control are recommended to reduce the infection spread. The studyfound that out of the 58 airports in question, only 18 had a full-fledged heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systemwith the presence ofair-handling units for fresh air intake or the possibility of ultraviolet germicidal integration [27,31,34]. Using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation has been suggested, but there may be concerns regarding its use [35]. Out of the remaining, 12 were depending on split air conditioning systems, which have no provisions for fresh air intake and constantly recirculate the air inside the space [9]. These spaces cannot provide a predetermined and measurable quantity of fresh air into the space and have to depend upon measures like opening the windows and gates in some cases [12]. There were others that used a package-type air conditioner system using variable refrigeration flow. This technology is used due to the fact thatit achieves energy savings due to lower demand-based usage. The downside to this technology is the absence of a full-fledged air handling unit. In some cases, treated air units were installed, but it may lack the possibility of quantification that air handling units can achieve through calculated customization. Talking about the integration of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation in the air conditioning system, out of the 58 airports, six had installed the UVGI system at an earlier stage of the pandemic, when the study was conductedwhile 19 others were in the process of installation of the ultraviolet systems.

Talking about the filtration capabilities to allow for fresh air intake, out of 58, 43 had filtration of some kind, the majority being pre-filters of MERV values in the range of 5 to 8. Only five had filters of MERV value equal to or above 10. This means their general capability to filterPM2.5,the major pollutant in most cities of the developing world, is very low. This is because studies have shown that for the filtration of fine suspended particulate matter,MERV 10 and above is suitable [17].It is very important that the fresh air intake in the cities that fall in the non-attainment list of ambient air quality in Indiabe filtered and made free from PM2.5, which is the major pollutant, caused due to burning of fossil fuels like coal, petrochemicals, and farm waste. Out of the 58 airports,27 were located in cities that were in the non-attainment category. This means that the ambient air quality of these cities did not meet the national standards of the recommended levels of pollutants in ambient air. In India, one of the primary pollutants is PM2.5,which is the leading cause of lung diseases [19,36]. Out of these 27airports, 23 had an intake of fresh air through the HVAC system, but only five had filters rating MERV 10 and above in their air conditioning systems. This means that the air intake in these airports for airborne infection control may lead to an increased air pollutant concentrationinside, leading to the situation of a double paradox, where the air intake is important for airborne infection control but may consequently lead to bad indoor air qualitydue to high pollutant concentrations. This hints at a lack of preparedness for the particulate matter pollution that is a leading cause of lung issues in India [19].

This is all the more critical when the right to a healthy environment has time and again been declared a human right [37]. Efforts need to be put in place to have appropriate measures for indoor air quality in large public spaces. There should be constant monitoring andthe levels of the indoor air quality must be displayed to the occupants of the space so that awareness about this issue can be created [14]. Ventilation of buildings needs more focus and this is not a mere engineering problem but a public health issue deserving urgent attention [38-39].

As stated in the discussion section, the airports studied may have a further scope of work to be done to improve their air conditioning systems for suitable indoor air quality. This is not only to prevent the spread of airborne infectionsbut also to filter out the PM2.5 that may enter through the inlet of the HVAC systems in these airports, and cause respiratory issues for the occupants. The situation of this double paradox exists for 27 airports that may have toincrease fresh air intake for dilution ventilation for infection control, but out of these, only five had filters that could efficiently filter most of the PM 2.5. This means that the air intake may not only lead to dilution ventilation but may also increase the concentration of PM2.5in indoor spaces. This indicates that large public buildings in India, especially airports, which are places of high stranger exposure, may need steps to ensure appropriate airborne infection control measures and appropriate indoor air quality. This can be achieved by having well-thought-out laws governing indoor air quality and the allied equipment made with inputs from a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, engineering, architecture, social sciences, epidemiology, and public health. The enforcement of indoor air quality standards must be strictly performed and must be placed under legal obligation, and not just be mere guidelines. An appropriate way of doing so may be by including indoor air within the purview of air pollution laws in countries across the world. With this action, indoor spaces of large congregate spaces will come under regulation. The buildings must be regularly audited from the airborne infection control and indoor air quality point of view. This is all the more relevant when we are in the current universal indoor air crisis, facing the threat of airborne pandemics and an alliedproblem of particulate matter pollution in cities of the developing world. Indoor air quality must be treated as a public health issue and not merely an engineering problem.

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Studying the Double Paradox in Air Conditioning at Indian Airports for Airborne Infection Prevention and Filtration of Harmful Suspended Particulate...

NORFOLK, Va. Cole Uvila and his roommate got off the bus and stepped into the sticky North Carolina heat a kind of heat that didnt wane, even at 3 a.m., when the High-A Down East Wood Ducks returned home from a road trip. All Uvila wanted to do was sleep.

But when he and his roommate got to their apartment in 2019, the air conditioning was broken again. That sticky heat had infiltrated the walls of their bargain accommodations, and Uvila had a decision to make.

Uvila chose the bathtub, hoping the cool lining would provide some comfort. His roommate opted for his car, leaving the air conditioning running all night to sleep.

We all have stories, Uvila said, pointing around the field at his teammates during batting practice ahead of Triple-A Norfolks Opening Day on Tuesday. Everybody has stories like that.

Those stories could be fewer in frequency now, though, after Major League Baseball passed a rule at the end of last season that made teams responsible for providing housing for minor leaguers. Across the league, concerns remain about the paltry wages many players receive and the level of housing provided by each individual organization.

But when Uvila walked into a fully furnished apartment last week in Norfolk provided by the Orioles organization for him, his wife and his dog, he couldnt help but smile.

Its different. It really is different, said Uvila, a reliever in his first season with Baltimore. Not dealing with stuff like that, it makes it about [baseball], which is huge.

The Orioles are providing their players at minor league affiliates with fully furnished two- and three-bedroom apartments and town houses, said Jennifer Grondahl, senior vice president of community development and communications. Each player has an individual bedroom with a queen bed. And players with spouses are provided a single apartment.

Thats a change from last year. Outfielder Kyle Stowers, who was drafted in 2019, hasnt experienced a normal season the pandemic canceled the minor league season in 2020 and restrictions were still in place in 2021. He spent last year living out of hotels as he made the jump from High-A Aberdeen to Triple-A Norfolk.

Having an actual apartment makes it just feel so much more homey, makes it feel like you have your own place, Stowers said. And theres a lot to be said for not having to be worried about that stuff and allowing you to focus more on what happens here at the field.

Other players faced more uncertainty last year, said Harry Marino, executive director of Advocates for Minor Leaguers, a nonprofit that seeks to improve working conditions for minor league baseball players who, unlike major leaguers, are not represented by a union. Marino, a former Orioles minor leaguer himself, said many players struggled with housing insecurity, paying for their own living arrangements while breaking leases each call-up or demotion. When the advocacy group raised concerns about the housing situation last year by sharing the experiences of a group of Double-A Bowie Baysox players who considered sleeping in their cars, Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias dismissed the claim as not accurate and a reference to hearsay.

At one point in 2019, Uvila had three leases at his Low-A, High-A and fall league locations. That wont be an issue this season. According to a source with direct knowledge of the situation, each lease for players within Baltimores pipeline spans six months. If a player moves teams, the organization will fill that vacancy with a new player.

It hasnt been as fluid across the league, however.

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At this point it seems clear that different major league organizations are going to be handling minor league housing differently this season, said Marino, whose organization notes that the median annual salary for a minor league player is $12,000, just below the federal poverty level. Some teams are giving every player their own bedroom and making accommodations for players with spouses and families. Other teams are taking shortcuts and failing to solve the minor league housing problem by either putting two players in the same bedroom, using hotel rooms and host families or failing to make accommodations for families with spouses and families.

In Baltimore, at least, some of that headache has been mitigated. Uvila recalled playing for Double-A Frisco last year, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers. He and some of his teammates literally didnt make enough money to live in any of the apartments in the area, he said, forcing them into hotels.

He had saved enough money from an offseason job to afford his own room. Others, though, shared rooms to save. While Marino emphasized low player salaries is the root of the issue, teams providing housing makes it more manageable.

The element too that I think a lot of people arent talking about is: Its not coming out of my pocket, Uvila said. Last year in Round Rock, I was making $3,000 a month. But my rent was $2,200. So, youre not really going forward. Youre just kind of surviving.

Uvila said with a salary increase this year, his second in Triple-A, hell be able to start saving money. By the time he reaches the offseason, he might not have to immediately find an additional job which means more time to focus on training and nutrition and all that stuff, Uvila said. The kind of domino effect this could set off for all of us is super exciting.

On Monday night, Uvila sat in the living room of his new apartment, feet up on his coffee table. When teammate David Lebron stopped by to watch Kansas beat North Carolina to win the NCAA mens basketball national championship, Uvila took a moment to compare his current situation with what he experienced last year and the rest of his minor league career.

I was like, You know right now, wed be moving and signing paperwork, Uvila said. And now its done. We just showed up.

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For Orioles minor leaguers, team-provided housing allows them more time to focus on baseball: 'It really is different' - Baltimore Sun

PORTSMOUTH Despite hearing claims of migraines, loss of sleep and astronomical electric bills, a Newport County Superior Court judge denied a motion for a preliminary injunctionfiled by a group of residentsto stop the towns operation of a wind turbine near the high school.

Eight abutters, who live between 740 and 1,155 feet from the turbine, filed a complaint in Superior Court in November 2021. Online court records, though, indicate one of the plaintiffs recently was removed from the case.

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Judge Richard Licht denied the motion for a preliminary injunction on March 23. An email and phone call to the attorney representing the plaintiffs, Joseph F. Hook,werenot returned.

Pursuant to an agreement with the town, WED Portsmouth OneLLCinstalled a wind turbine at Portsmouth High School in 2016, which replaced a turbine that had been there between 2009 and 2012.

The plaintiffs Denise and Mark Wilkey, Jayme and David Souza, Donna and Anthony Olszewski, Mark Jones and David Schuller (removed from the case on March 28) filed a complaint against WED and the town, alleging the new turbine constituted both a public and private nuisance.

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The plaintiffs allege in the complaint the new turbine generates more noise and shadow flickers than the previous one.

We have lost a lot of the enjoyment of our once peaceful property, Denise Wilkey wrote in an affidavit included in court records. We had to abandon 2 bedrooms on that side of the house and retreat to the rear bedrooms, with air conditioner, white noise machine and earplugs. Its the only way to block it out at night. I also had to get a prescription for sleeping pills.

Other plaintiffs mentioned their need for prescription sleeping pills. Some alleged the shadow flicker caused migraines, and some complained of dizziness and nausea.

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Judge Licht, in his written decision, noted Donna Olszewski said she runs her air conditioning and fan year-round because she cant open her windows due to the noise from the turbine. Her electric bills were so high she had to take out a loan to install solar panels on her home.

The defendantsthe town and WEDasserted the plaintiffs had no empirical (i.e. non-testimonial) evidence to support their claims of pain and suffering, aggravation and emotional distress.

The plaintiffs offered Dr. Harold Vincent,who holds a PhD in ocean engineering from the University of Rhode Island and is an expert in underwater acoustics,as an expert on noise.

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Vincent conducted a study of the turbine noise levels and found this wind turbine creates consistently higher noise levels than other previous noise studies, but he could not link this high noise level to any of the Plaintiffs alleged adverse health effects, Licht wrote in his decision.

Plus, Vincents report would probably be found unreliable as his methodology is not used by anyone else. It has not been peer reviewed. It has chain of custody issues, Licht wrote. Moreover, while Dr. Vincent exhibited extensive knowledge of acoustics, his expertise is with underwater acoustics.

The plaintiffs claimed the turbine diminished their property values, but provided no evidence in support other than some hearsay testimony that a couple of Plaintiffs testified that they consulted a real estate expert who said the turbine would affect their property values. No appraisals were done.

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And the plaintiffs did not present evidence the turbine emitted noise above the allowed levels stipulatedin the towns noise ordinance, Licht wrote in his decision.

The town and WED also argued Portsmouth voters approved the construction of the turbine by referendum in 2009, which is nothing if not indicative of the public interest, Licht wrote in his decision.

Licht opined that living with the wind turbine for over five years (inclusive of its noise and shadow flicker) is an exceptionally long time to now claim irreparable, immediate harm.

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Portsmouth residents sue town over wind turbine. Here's why the judge ruled against them - newportri.com