Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Redding gets in the Halloween spirit

Go to the Shasta Halloween page on Facebook and see the Boo Cruise map for a list of the scariest homes in the Redding area.

Mike Chapman, Wochit

Ask the Record Searchlight is a newsroom-wide initiative to connect with you, our readers.If you wondered about something happening in town or had questions on a North State issue, please send us your questions. We'll do our best to answer.

Our mailbag handles questions we were not able to answer during our last live chat, which was held on Oct. 28. The next live chat will happen from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Nov. 11.

Scroll to the bottom of the story to find out how you can send us your question.

Q: What are the plans for improving the Churn Creek and Highway 299 interchange in light of Bethel's new construction?

A: There are several traffic improvements in and around that Highway 299 corridor that need to be done before Bethel Church opens its new campus.

One has been completed, the Highway 299-Churn Creek Road interchange in the area of College View Drive. Northbound and southbound lanes were added, a second left-turn lane was put in, and the former westbound thru lane was changed. Also, the area is more bicycle friendly.

But plenty more needs to be done.

For the record, in early August, Bethel broke ground on its $96 million campus at Collyer Road and Twin Tower Drive.

The occasion was marked by a gathering on the property, were we celebrated by singing songs, praying over the project and ceremoniously shoveling dirt, project manager and Bethel senior leadership team leader Charlie Harper said in an email.

Eddie Axner Construction is doing the site work under the supervision of Modern Building Company, the projects general contractor.

Harper said Bethel plans to modify its planned unit development permit to reduce the size of its second support building to provide a smaller building for office space.

As it stands now, the new campus will include a 171,708-square-foot campus with 1,851 parking spaces and 300 bike racks. There is a one-story worship center that seats 2,600 people and a two-story building for the School of Supernatural Ministry with classroom space for up to 3,000 students.

Bethel wants to start construction of the smaller office building next year, while construction on the worship center and childrens classrooms could start in 2023, Harper said.

Meanwhile, Bethelis spending about $10 million on the traffic improvements, which include road widening, new signals and roundabouts.

On the north side of the Highway 299 Interchange at Churn Creek Road is where two roundabouts will be built. They will go at the intersection of the westbound onramp/offramp and at Hawley Road and Collyer Drive.

Other traffic improvements to be done are:

Brandon Tenney, a projectmanager at the services firm GHD, said there is no set schedule for what portion of the traffic work will start next.

"If I had to guess, I think the Hawley-Collyer and Churn Creek interchange would probably go next," said Tenney, adding that that could start in the next year to year and a half.

Q:I like your idea about readers and the community writing in to ask questions.My question is this: I am notable to make the live chats, but I want to read (or view if I have to) everything that gets asked and answered in them later.Where can I view all past and future live chats after-the-fact, since Im not able to attend them in real time?

A:There are two ways you can get to all published Ask the R-S live chats and Ask the R-S mailbags, an effort that the newsroom started in March of this year.

Go to Redding.com and right under the Record Searchlight masthead, you should see a menu bar with a black background that strips across the page. There on the right hand side next to the weather/temperature, click on the magnifying glass. You can type Ask the Record Searchlight or Ask the R-S to see all our content related to our effort.

We also keep a running list of all live chats and mailbags at the bottom of this story:

The Record Searchlight welcomes your questions. Here's how to get them to us:

David Benda coversbusiness, developmentand anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street"column.Hes part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, coverbreaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-225-8219. To support and sustain this work, please subscribetoday.

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Ask the R-S mailbag: $10 million in traffic improvements needed for new Bethel campus - Record Searchlight

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. The Contemporary Theater Company is expanding with a new rehearsal studio that will help the ensemble broaden and further develop its offerings to the community, says Chris Simpson, CTC executive director.

We are at a limit at what our (present) facilities will allow, Simpson said about the construction of the new building that is an addition to its existing and much smaller space for meetings, office space and rehearsals.

Planning for the addition began more than a year and a half ago with final approvals from the town coming this past March. Construction on the 1,250-square-foot building has a $450,000 price tag before costs started increasing earlier this year, Simpson said.

This new building will provide about 800 square feet for rehearsals and some limited classroom area on the second floor with the first floor having an expanded administrative office area, a new bar and kitchen area that replaces cramped quarters in the front of the main theater.

However, he said, there will be a new and exciting treatment for the outside of the building, which is adjacent to CTCs frequently used outdoor patios.

For the first time in its more-than-decade-old history in providing performances, CTC will have two outdoor balconies overlooking the patio, he said. The audience will be able to sit in those balconies and have an different view of the productions from a place other than the same level as the performers.

Simpson said that the new building will be named the Jean Mason Carpenter Rehearsal Room in honor of this local resident who died earlier this year. She had been a long-time supporter and director at the CTC.

She really helped to make us who we are today, Simpson said. She was well known for her career as a musician and music educator. She was a piano and voice instructor, collaborative pianist, composer, and music director.

She was involved in youth orchestras for the Rhode Island Philharmonic, taught at Lincoln School in Providence, and worked as a piano instructor at the University of Rhode Island. She organized solo festivals and evaluation festivals, and served as chair for the regional National Piano Playing Auditions for National Piano Guild.

She also was artistic director and accompanist with the South County Chamber Singers. With Contemporary Theater Company, she music directed numerous shows most notably Sweeney Todd for which she was honored as Best Musical Director in 2016 by Motif Magazine.

She also directed Candide at Contemporary Theater as part of the area-wide Leonard Bernstein Centenary Celebration she initiated and produced.

Its really a fitting tribute to a person who was so important to this theater and whose passing we feel deeply, said Simpson.

Beyond just this expansion, future plans include other changes with different buildings in the CTC compound area, which is just off 323 Main Street and borders the Saugatucket River.

In 2012 the theater announced that it moved into the then location of Hera Gallery. It opened with a nearly 100-seat renovated theater, a new lobby and entryway in addition to new workspace and restrooms.

That announcement came after seven years of existence for the nomadic CTC, which had performed in more than a dozen venues in South Kingstown and Narragansett.

At the time, CTC founder Simpson said, This new theater places us at the heart of our vibrant downtown district while providing us space to grow. The fact that Wakefield is a great walking community, its something that weve been looking at for a while. When the opportunity came, it seemed like a no-brainer.

Today he and Joe Viele, executive director of the Southern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, see that as an investment well worth taking.

Every increase to those business enterprises on main street, Viele said, brings new life. Businesses that have seen the transformation and success of bringing life to that main street are building on it, like the Contemporary Theater.

Simpson said, Weve made miracles happen by our passion as an ensemble, volunteers who support us, our audience who is committed to us and sometimes just sheer will power in space not conveniently well suited now after almost a decade, Simpson said.

Its now time for a change, he added.

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As CTC winds down its 2021 slate, its future looks bigger than ever literally - The Independent

LOS ANGELES & DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A joint venture between Los Angeles-based HATCHspaces and Denver-based health care developer NexCore Group has acquired their second development project together in the Los Angeles region. The 100,000 square foot building will be the first life science-focused new construction project of scale in the region. The development site at Pico and Sepulveda in West Los Angeles marks the third project the group has acquired together, including science-focused projects in Irvine, California and Boulder, Colorado.

The greater Los Angeles market has matured to the point where large blocks of technically specific space is an immediate need, says HATCHspaces Co-Founder Allan Glass. Most of our wet lab portfolio is at full capacity, and there are several large block tenants actively in the market. Overall vacancy rates for life science space are hovering around 1.5% in the LA market. Glass continues, Weve had multiple major pharmaceutical and biotech companies reach out to us hoping to expand into LA from top clusters like San Francisco, San Diego, and Boston in order to tap into the deep and diverse pool of experienced talent already in the region.

NexCore Chief Development Officer and Managing Partner Todd Varney says, We have focused our efforts on delivering critical infrastructure to science and healthcare clusters that boast untapped innovation capacity. The Los Angeles region has continued the momentum that began well before the pandemic and has amplified its reach as an ecosystem. The venture capital community has increased investment in the LA region over 60% since 2018, ranking fifth in the country. With fourteen well respected VCs actively invested in LA-based life science companies, representing over $800 million in direct investment, Varney says, The HATCH/NexCore partnership is focused on delivering state-of-the art facilities to maintain that momentum.

The project sits atop one of the most iconic intersections in the LA region and is adjacent to the Expo/Sepulveda Station of the Expo Line transit corridor. Connecting downtown Los Angeles with the Pacific Ocean, the Expo Line travels past academic, professional, and cultural institutions like the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Coliseum and Exposition Park, Sony Studios, Bergamot Station Arts Complex, and the Santa Monica Pier. The light rail line has also captured the attention of and major investments from some of the most well-capitalized and highly valued entertainment and technology companies in the country, including Google, HBO, Apple, and Amazon.

The City of Los Angeles and neighborhood stakeholders have shown tremendous forethought from a planning perspective, adds HATCHspaces Co-Founder Howard Kozloff. Without the zoning overlays that were planned along key transit stops, it would have been difficult, if not impossible to find an opportunity to build new facilities that foster job creation along the transit corridor. The new STEAM-focused building will foster continued growth between tech, AI, digital health, and life science companies along the transit corridor.

HATCHspaces LLC is a Los Angeles-based real estate development platform focused on simplifying the process of scientific innovation by creating purpose-built life sciences facilities for companies emerging from academic and incubator networks. With properties in various regional submarkets, HATCHspaces mission is to deliver the life science community state-of-the-art lab facilities at varying scales, allowing regions to retain early-stage bioscience and biotechnology start-ups emerging from research environments.

NexCore Group LLC is a national healthcare real estate investment and development company that focuses on acquiring, developing, owning, and managing healthcare facilities including medical office buildings, wellness facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, single and multi-specialty physician buildings, life sciences facilities, senior living communities and transitional rehabilitation centers. NexCore partners with top healthcare systems, hospitals, physician groups, and assisted living, memory care, and post-acute care operators, and reputable institutional and high net worth investors to develop, acquire and own high quality assets that serve their communities through significant job creation and the provision of quality healthcare services. Since 2004, the NexCore team has developed and acquired over 13.9 million square feet of healthcare properties across the country and currently manages over $2.8 billion of healthcare facilities. The company has been recognized repeatedly as one of the Top Healthcare Real Estate Developers in the U.S. by Modern Healthcare and HREI. NexCore is headquartered in Denver, with regional offices in Chicago; Bethesda, Md.; Portland, Ore.; Dallas; Orlando, Fla.; Laguna Niguel, Calif.; and Indianapolis.

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HATCHspaces and NexCore Group JV Expand Their Partnership With a New 100000 SF Lab-Enabled Office Project Along the Expo Light Rail Line in West Los...

For the last 19 months, save for a few pop-up events and private screenings, Denver Films Sie Film Center on Colfax Avenue has been mostly dark.

But last week, the three-theatre cinematheque opened to the public for the first time since the pandemic began, hosting public screenings for its Oct. 28-31 soft reopening ahead of this years Denver Film Festival. Film lovers flooded into the theatres to catch showings of new Wong Kar-wai restorations, horror classics accompanied by live reenactments by drag performers, and new films like Spanish dark comedy El Planeta and the documentary Without Getting Killed or Caught.

Its a pretty emotional day to turn everything on turn on theater monitors, poster screens, get the concessions open. Its surreal. Its been a long 19 months, said Gina Cuomo, Denver Films director of operations. Its been a lot of tears in this building. But very happy to be getting back into it and seeing familiar faces, and hopefully a lot of new ones.

The last year and a half has been challenging for the Sie Center. When it shut down in March 2020, many staffers were furloughed, and those who stayed on had to take pay cuts.

For a while, all the nonprofit could do was offer guests online programming and movie snack packs to be picked up at the Sie Center. Cuomo said she spent many of those months completely alone in the building, because someone had to stay and run it. She said it was scary at times. There were posters covering the windows, an attempt to close them off during the 2020 summer protests, so there wasnt a lot of light coming in.

It was very dark in here. Very dark, very quiet, very lonely, Cuomo said. Considering were in the basement of a parking garage, you hear a lot of creeks from the cars. Naturally, my mind goes to, oh, my god. Theres a killer, theres a ghost!

The cinematheque allowed fans to book private screenings, but the building largely sat in disuse. Denver Film considered opening in spring of 2021 when other movie theatres did, but it didnt seem like its audience was ready to return. Plus, Cuomo said there werent a lot of new independent films to showcase.

Denver Film is a nonprofit, relying on grants and donations to operate. Earlier in the pandemic, Denver Film applied for federal Shuttered Venues Operators Grants, which offered relief to venues that had to close during the pandemic. The nonprofit outlined a budget that included a plan for Sie Center renovations, as well as backpay for full-time staff members whod taken pay cuts to keep the Denver Film running when no revenue was coming in.

The budget did not cover backpay for part-time workers whod been furloughed earlier in the pandemic, said Marty Schechter, Denver Films PR representative. He said that based on federal guidelines, they could not provide furloughed staff backpay for work they did not not perform.

Our goal was to help make our full time staff whole after many pay cuts, Schechter said. The backpay was focused on helping our staff that had taken pay cuts to help get through the pandemic.

Denver Film began the renovations in August. It was a two-month process, and while the theatres were already closed to the public, they couldnt host private screenings during that time either.

Now, just in time for Denver Film Fests opening on Nov. 3, the first phase of updates is complete. Most of the renovations were designed to improve flow and create more public gathering space. Theres a new box office with more advanced ticketing technology, an updated concession stand, and an expanded lobby area. The cinematheques smaller theatre, which got new seats in 2013, is now outfitted with new, custom seat caps. Cuomo said the two larger theatres hadnt gotten new seats since about 2006. Those theatres have now been outfitted with brand new seats.

They were overdue, she said. But its not an easy feat to do if you have to cease operations to do the whole process.

Cuomo decided to keep two of the old seats in the remodeled lounge. One has a plaque bearing the name Brit Withey, Denver Films longtime artistic director who died in 2019. The other will bear Denver Film founder Ron Hendersons name.

Schechter said Denver Film has invested $250,000 in building improvements. While the buildings major structural changes are complete, Denver Film plans to bring in new furniture, lighting and displays. It also plans to refurbish the bar area with artwork by local artists.

It was fun to have a physical refresh, because it also puts us in the space of an organizational refresh of why are we doing what were doing? How are we doing it? What can we do better? What should we be planning for the future? said Denver Film CEO James Mejia. The physical space is a representation of that for us. Now that were going to be open again, it feels like a fresh start.

For instance, the popularity of last years drive-in movies at Red Rocks which were planned as a safe way to experience cinema during the pandemic led Denver Film to continue that series this year, and to program a holiday edition.

Mejia said running a virtual Denver Film Fest last year opened it up to a larger audience, including more people outside metro Denver. This year, Denver Film will continue to offer virtual components, making it more accessible to people who cant attend, whether because of COVID, disability or because theyre out of town.

Im hoping that trend continues and that we pull people in, Mejia said. That was only because of being shut down and having to reinvent and pivot. It keeps another tool in the toolbox.

The pandemic also opened Denver Film up to more partnerships, including the Marthas Vineyard African American Film Festival, which is working with Denver Film to present three films at the festival: The Harder They Fall, Spike Lees Jungle Fever, and King Richard.

Mejia said Denver Film is also putting more support and resources behind diverse programming.

Dragon Boat is getting better every single year. We just announced the new award for Cinema Q highlighting excellence in LGBTQ-plus filmmaking, Mejia said. I think all these little pieces are adding into a greater whole.

Check out the renovated Sie Film Center at Denver Film Festival, which runs Nov. 3-14. All guests attending screenings must provide proof of vaccination and wear a mask except when actively eating or drinking.

This story has been updated to clarify that Denver Films Shuttered Venues funding did not cover furloughed part time employees, based on federal guidelines.

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Denver Film is remodeling the Sie Center on Colfax and rethinking its programming - Denverite

A PREGNANT woman who had her first baby at 14 and by 34 was mum to 11 has told how she is trolled because of what they eat.

Veronica Merritt, now 36, who doesn't use contraception, previously told Fabulous "it escalated quickly" after she accidentally fell pregnant with Victoria, now 21, while at school.

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"My kids eat what they want," the New Yorker has now told her social media followers, sharing a picture of one of her sons eating what people assumed (wrongly) was a bowl of spaghetti hoops.

It emerged it was Cheerios (circular cereal) with hot sauce on.

"I personally wouldn't eat Honey Nut Cheerios like this, but if it makes him happy, I don't care," she said.

But not everyone was so relaxed.

"She cooks low value foods," said one person. "A growing child needs adequate nutrition. Every meal to grow and thrive."

People's responses were varied. "Who are you to tell people what to feed their kids?" asked one person. "They all look happy and healthy to me."

"Holidays here are pretty big, and sometimes I buy gifts years in advance, because I hate to pass up the perfect thing! Gifting things the kids will truly enjoy is very important to me, I want them to know I listen to and value their wants and needs."

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Veronica loves being a mum so much is keen for SIX more - despite being already trolled online for her already huge brood.

I receive a lot of negative comments," she said. I get asked, do they all have the same dad? Do you own a TV? I want to hand [people who ask me things like that] a mirror so they can look at themselves.

Artist Veronica lives in a nine-bed home which she bought for 14k with 10 of her kids, Andrew, 16, Adam, 15, Mara, 13, Dash, 12, Darla, 10, Marvelous, eight, Martalya, six, Amelia, four, Delilah, three, and Donovan, one, which she bought with her husband Marty, 37, for just $20k (14k) in July 2020.

Shes spent about 1.5k fixing it up - and it is now worth around 71k with the kids sharing the bedrooms between them and her man sleeping in the basement.

You dont need to buy a $200k (142k) home - save your money and buy a fixer-up and investment property," said Veronica.

Search for investment properties to see what's near you! We are still remodeling but it's already been cheaper than rent would have been.

Veronica told how she unexpectedly fell pregnant in school, subsequently marrying and divorcing her then-boyfriend - the father of her oldest two children.

I graduated high school with honors, I attempted college but got sick both times - I have kidney disease and lost my kidney last year.

The oldest two are from her first husband while the youngest seven are from her second husband - who sleeps in the basement so the kids have more space.

Veronica, who shares details of her massive family on Instagram and TikTok, says she never uses contraception.

Some of the children were planned, she told Fabulous."But I can't take hormonal birth control because my illness means I am prone to blood clots.

I havent ruled out more children.

I would like to have six more. I have spent eight-and-a-half years pregnant.

With so many children it is hard to get about, so recently she bought an old school bus for $3k (2.5k), also via auction, which she transported into a family vehicle.

"We don't have many expenses, she says. "We own our nine-bedroom house and there is no mortgage.

I own my bus with no payments.

The couples only help is with food - something Veronica apologised for online.

Please don't hate me, but we do get food assistance," she said in one Instagram video. "It's temporary until my painting sales are more consistent."

But sadly some people were cruel, telling her she ought to not have such a big family.

One person wrote: Get off TikTok go take care of your absolutely unnecessary amount of children."

Meanwhile another added: Nobody cares that you have 11 kids, weirdo. You get hate because you are literally unfit to be raising 11 children."

But she is happy to defend herself. What is raising your children properly?'," she asks.

Most people have something to complain about from their childhood, at least my kids will know they're loved."

And she feels like being a mum was her destiny. This was always how it was meant to be," she says.

It can be exhausting," she said, revealing one parenting hack was to dress each child in a different hue. "I colour code the kids most of the time when we leave the house although sometimes I'll opt for matching clothes instead.

The colour coding system is incorporated into everything - their clothes and rooms."

Veronica described her home life as being like The Lost Boys - a 1987 vampire film which takes its name from Peter Pans lost boys who never grew up - adding she was not very strict.

It's a very loud house," she says. "We want to get on the same schedule but it's hard.

I'm not very strict, I guess. I have rules when it's important, like, don't smoke, don't do drugs, no dating until 18, come home before dark ...but for the most part I'm just really chill.

And we have loads of fun. My kids and I have been working on making our own mini horror movies.

We also revealed how awoman who thought she'd never become a mum now has ten kids.

Andanother woman was crushed after her mum told her she "didn't have the figure" to wear a minidress for a date.

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Im a pregnant mum of 11 my kids eat what they want, Im accused of feeding them low quality value I d... - The US Sun

DUBLIN, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "B2B E-commerce Marketplaces By Power Tools & Accessories Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Drill, Saws, Wrenches, Grinders, Sanders), By Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global B2B e-commerce marketplaces by power tools & accessories market size is projected to reach USD 15.11 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 18.1% from 2021 to 2028.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is prompting both buyers and sellers to consider third-party digital channels to buy and sell power tools, thereby driving the growth of the market over the forecast period. Manufacturers of power tools primarily rely on direct sales via e-commerce websites and distributors for selling their products.

However, the growing popularity of third-party marketplaces, such as Amazon.com and eBay, owing to various marketing and promotional strategies, such as high discounts and coupons, these marketplaces pursue are particularly proving lucrative for power tool manufacturers.

The sales of power tools witnessed single-digit growth in the B2B marketplaces in 2020. However, they are expected to grow significantly over the next seven years. Marketplaces, such as Amazon.com, eBay, and Alibaba.com, have gained significant popularity among buyers worldwide. Bulk discounts and contractual pricing have typically triggered a paradigm shift in the buyers' attitude toward these e-commerce marketplaces, which bodes well for the growth of the market over the forecast period.

The preference for DIY among individuals for home improvement activities is growing significantly, thereby encouraging e-commerce marketplaces to increase their Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) to cater to the rising demand for DIY tools. Home improvement activities typically call for power tools, such as power drills, circular saws, impact wrenches, hammer drills, and grinders.

They can help individuals in various home improvement activities, such as roofing, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, and landscaping, among others. E-commerce marketplaces offer a wide range and options for buyers to choose the power tools of their choice.

Various key functionalities, such as comparison of products on various parameters, coupled with transparency in features and prices are particularly encouraging buyers to prefer B2B e-commerce marketplaces over other channels, thereby contributing to the growth of the market over the forecast period.

B2B E-commerce Marketplaces By Power Tools & Accessories Market Report Highlights

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope1.1. Research Methodology1.2. Research Scope & Assumptions1.3. List of Data Sources

Chapter 2. Executive Summary2.1. Market Snapshot

Chapter 3. Market Trends, Variables, and Scope3.1. Market Segmentation3.2. Market Size and Growth Prospects, 2016 - 20283.3. Value Chain Analysis3.4. Market Dynamics3.5. Key Opportunities Prioritized3.6. Industry Analysis - Porter's3.7. PEST Analysis

Chapter 4. B2B E - Commerce Marketplaces By Power Tools & Accessories Market: Product Outlook4.1. B2B e - commerce marketplaces by power tools & accessories market Share by Product, 2020 & 2028 (USD Million)4.2. Drills4.3. Saws4.4. Wrenches4.5. Grinders4.6. Sanders

Chapter 5. B2B E - Commerce Marketplaces By Power Tools & Accessories Market: Regional Outlook5.1. Market Share by Region, 2015 & 2025 (USD Billion)

Chapter 6. Competitive Landscape

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/if9cug

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

http://www.researchandmarkets.com

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Global Power Tools & Accessories B2B e-Commerce Marketplaces 2021: COVID-19 is Prompting Buyers and Sellers to Consider Third-party Digital...

The Spice & Tea Exchange will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 11.

The tea shop and culinary store at 161 Lincolnway in downtown Valparaiso is planning a weekend-long grand opening that includes a 20% discount for veterans with ID on Nov. 11. The first 25 customers each day that weekend get a free one-ounce tea.

A buy five, get the sixth free will be offered on all consumables that weekend, while customers can get buy one, get one free 16-ounce iced or hot teas from the tea bar 3-5 p.m. on Nov. 12 and 13.

Valparaiso native Tina St. Aubin started the business, which sells teas, spices, seasonings and specialty salts and sugars.

Being born and raised here in Valparaiso, it is truly rewarding to give back to my community through the opening of The Spice & Tea Exchange, she said. The majority of my family are business owners so it was only right that I joined the list. Im also thankful that my mom and sons have been a part of the process I find it so special that we have three generations in the store on some days.

The store products are sourced from around the globe and include many exotic varieties. It offers 85 custom blends of spices that are hand-mixed "for beginners and five-star chefs alike." It offers more than 45 loose-leaf teas, more than 150 spices by the jar, kitchen accessories, recipe kits and gift boxes.

The Spice & Tea Exchange also has a tea bar that serves both hot and cold teas. It's the first Northwest Indiana franchise of the national brand that was founded in 2008 and has more than 80 stores across the United States.

Ive worked to not only build a new team, but a family who loves The Spice & Tea Exchange brand as much as I do. We are all so proud to be able to bring something to the community that will not only share our passion for food, but also enhance the lives of our guests, St. Aubin said. One of the first products I tried during my initial visit to The Spice & Tea Exchange was Viks Garlic Fix Spice Blend. But I also like to recommend Honeybee Ginger Elixir Tea, Black Truffle Garlic Seasoning and Backwoods Hickory Rub to members of my community who are looking to try something new.

The Spice & Tea Exchange is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, visit http://www.spiceandtea.com/valparaiso or call 219-615-3162.

If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email joseph.pete@nwi.com.

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Society of Innovators to recognize groundbreakers in HVAC, decks and theater education - nwitimes.com

Whether you consider this the age of Aquarius or nah, its hard to deny how powerfully mainstream both cannabis and the esoteric have become.

The normalization of plant medicine, moon rituals, and the iconographic tarot have made New Bohemians out of a diverse segment of the population. We see zodiac placement on dating profiles, Major Arcana art prints in department stores and a global buzz around functional fungi, ancestral herbs, and cannabinoid wellness.

Whether you call it sorcery, enlightenment or revolutionary hippie residue, tarot and cannabis have been used for generations to access and navigate intuition. Frankly, it was only a matter of time before someone married the two concepts. And while The Psychic Mary Tarot Deck may, at first blush, seem an superficial coupling of weed and woowoo, a closer inspection actually reveals an interpretation thoroughly suited to our times.

Who is Psychic Mary?

The Psychic Mary Tarot Deck was created by celebrity psychic Jusstine Kenzer, aka PsychicGirl. Psychic Marys decks are reinterpretations of Rider-Waite cardsthe best-recognized tarot iconographyand, as such, can be navigated with most contemporary tarot guidebooks.

Though Psychic Marys deck utilizes Rider-Waites structure, Kenzer introduced an iconography and terminology with Psychic Mary that, while potentially eliciting double takes from tarot-fluent users, will resonate clearly with varsity stoners.

Kenzers Major Arcana cards lack expressively gendered caricatures and detailed, symbolic tableaus of its more traditional contemporaries. Instead, this deck relies on straightforward, uncluttered single images against plain, white backgrounds. Some cards are comically simplistic in their accuracy (Judgement represented by a DEA badge, The Sun represented by a fluorescent grow light), while others require a more developed comprehension of tarot (The Empress represented by a single, sprouted seed, or Temperance presented as an empty bong).

Although Psychic Marys Minor Arcana rely on the Rider-Waite structure, theyre much more complex in their cannabis user-oriented reimagining. Rather than suits of Staffs, Swords, Coins and Cups, Psychic Marys Minor Arcana are organized by Grinders, Lighters, Pipes and Papers.

The face cards eschew royal terminology in favor of pothead vernacular, swapping Grower for King, Dealer for Knight, Smoker for Queen, and Tender for Page. The Minor Arcana are reliant on numerology rather than tarots established, highly visual folklore.

Test-Driving the Psychic Mary

There are no fewer than five tarot decks in my house, but Im not out here giving free readings on full moons. I just happen to appreciate small-scale works of art and guided introspection, both of which good tarot can provide.

When I broke open the Psychic Mary deck, my first impression was that this particular deck wasnt likely to deliver on either of those fronts. But on closer inspection, I saw a deck that actually felt both intentional and authentic to stoners and spiritualists alike.

My first spread was a simple, three-card arrangement meant to turn my inner eye toward my past, present and future. For the past, I pulled the Eight of Pipes, for the present the Ten of Lighters, and for the future the Eight of Grinders.

I was stoned to the bone as I pulled cards, so I had to consult the reference card several times before Psychic Marys language settled into my memory. I pulled another three cards, this time an Empress card represented by a single, dancerly splash of (bong?) water, Death represented by ashy chunks of black resin, and The Emperor represented by a chic leather couch.

By my third pull, it occurred to me that seeing such elaborate icons reduced to these relatable cannabis associations would be an awesome way to introduce my less mystical-minded homies to the fun, totally subjective contemplativeness of the tarot. This deck may appear superficial, but that lightheartedness could introduce tarot as fun and accessible rather than performatively witchy.

Our household is less concerned with divination than introspection, and to that end, The Psychic Mary Tarot Deck is a fine addition to our collection. But I think the real value in this deck is how easily and entertainingly it can introduce an everyday stoner to the self-reflection of a good-ass tarot reading, which is something everyone, Aquarian stoner or nah, can make good use of.

Get it from: psychicmary.com

Read more here:
The Psychic Mary Tarot Deck Is a Cannabis-Oriented Reimagining of the Rider-Waite Cards - Willamette Week

Thousands of pitch decks and only a handful of winners. Such is the math of the VC industry right now, what with an explosion of startups and dreams of glory launching every year. VCs are overwhelmed with pitches, which means that crafting the perfect deck and connecting with a reader in the few seconds you have their attention is critical.

So what do you do to build a deck that cant be ignored? To answer that question, we assembled a group of three exceptional venture capitalists on the Extra Crunch stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2021 who have probably read more decks collectively than any group of humans should ever be expected to. Mar Hershenson is founding managing partner at Pear VC, Mercedes Bent is a partner at Lightspeedand Saba Karim is the head of global startup pipeline at TechStars.

In our discussion, we covered whats changing with pitches as the world moves toward a hybrid in-person and virtual pitch model, discussed how deep tech startups should think about pitches, and then we wrapped by exploring how each panelist reads decks and what that portends for founders who dont want to be ignored.

We got right into the crux of the matter at the top of the panel: What does reading pitch decks feel like in 2021? For Hershenson, theres just always more under the sun:

I would say the volume of pitches that we receive has increased and continues to increase at some form of exponential rate. For us, we have to become far more efficient at sorting and reading through these decks. The actual reading of the individual deck hasnt changed, but the rate and volume have increased dramatically. (Timestamp: 1:01)

Bent noted that the bar has gone up for the quality of decks that she reads.

The decks are getting better and better in terms of design. I think more and more people have realized that the visual representation of your deck is just as important as the material and the content thats in there. Theres these instinctive milliseconds that an investor looks at your deck and almost makes a snap judgment about whether its even in the realm of something they want to look at it. Unfortunately, it shouldnt be like that, but were human. So Im seeing decks that are super polished, and I dont know where everyone is getting these great graphics from, but theyre amazing. (Timestamp: 1:48)

Most pitch decks are based off templates, and therein lies a key trade-off: How much should you rely on a template versus being original, but different and perhaps harder to read? Karim noted that sometimes originality can pay off:

The best pitch deck that I got in a different format would be from a company that recently got into TechStars it was actually a podcast version of their pitch deck that had my face on it. I went into Apple Podcasts and it said, Hey, Saba, heres my pitch. That was amazing! But the second or third time that happens, it might not be as impressive because Ive seen it before. (Timestamp: 3:41)

Hershenson pushed founders to consider keeping to the standard templates because it can help VCs focus on what makes each business unique.

For us, having the pitch in a format that we are able to consume in an efficient way is super important. There are a lot of templates online, we all know the key points that need to be hit on in a deck. So your job as a founder is to hit those in a deck of 10 to 15 slides and kind of do the hard work of synthesizing your business in a short format. I think you can be original, but sometimes being original is to your detriment.

I can tell you my own story. When we were first fundraising for Pear, we decided we were going to be really original: Were going to use Prezi to send decks to LPs. And that was just totally the wrong call, because its almost like, What did they just send me? (Timestamp: 4:29)

One of the interesting dynamics that has shown up in the last year has been the rise of Notion as a form for fundraising. Responses from our panel were muted. Hershenson said Notion isnt an excuse for not being succinct.

Read more from the original source:
Crafting a pitch deck that can't be ignored - TechCrunch

Lifegain decks in Magic: The Gathering will continue to evolve with the new Innistrad: Crimson Vow card, Voice of the Blessed.

A variety of MTG decks built around gaining life exist in Standard and all of them can benefit from Voice of the Blessed, scheduled to release digitally on Nov. 11 via Innistrad: Crimson Vow (VOW). The spirit cleric is a Mono-White two-drop who gains added bonuses from +1/+1 counters gained from its controller gaining life.

Synergizing with Righteous Valkyrie thanks to its cleric creature type, Voice of the Blessed fits into Orzhov Lifegain decks and can easily slot into GW as well. The spirit cleric doesnt have to drop on turn two but can.

The later Voice of the Blessed comes onto the battlefield, the more value it accrues by gaining a bunch of Lifegain counters via ETB triggers that are already in place. And due to its low mana cost, it allows a player to leave up mana or cast a second spell.

Players can test out Voice of the Blessed in Standard with the digital release of VOW on Nov. 11. All other MTG formats will have to wait for the sets global release on Nov. 19.

See the article here:
MTG Lifegain decks gain Voice of the Blessed from Innistrad: Crimson Vow - Dot Esports