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Best Project & Project of the Year: Capitol Crossing Highway, Deck, Bridge, and Garage - Engineering News-Record

Lyuba, a Buryat girl from the Chita Region, decided to live in harmony with nature and in early spring went into the taiga unclothed and three days later was found frozen to death. Ira Goldina refused treatment and died of advanced breast cancer. Kapitolina had cancer and treated it by starving herself and died of malnutrition. Nina Mikova killed herself under a portrait of Vissarion. Arkasha Drozdov died aged 15 months from a pathological condition that was treated too late.

This summary of tragic deaths is not a crime news round-up. It is just a small part of a list recreated from memory on social media forums by former followers of the Church of the Last Testament and its savior, Sergey Torop, known as Vissarion.

For almost 30 years the Torop-Vissarion commune has existed in the middle of the taiga as a quasi separate state - it has lived quietly according to its own customs and rules, having fenced itself off from the rest of the world behind a barrier gate, security guards and dense forests. Information about life inside the settlement was mainly brought to the outside world by people who left the commune after becoming disillusioned with the manufactured faith of former traffic cop Torop and wanted to return to society. But there are few such people. The taiga hermits have carefully guarded their self-isolation and tried not to make a fuss, even when they realized that things were not going right. Now their utopia has come to an end.

Incest, pedophilia, suicide, murder and other crimes have suddenly come to the surface. Outside, observers throw their hands in the air, perplexed: How is it that in the Russian Federation, in an area about two-thirds the size of Belgium, such a community could exist for such a length of time - and nobody intervened or even noticed?

After his dismissal from the traffic police, Sergey Torop became a regular at a Siberian UFO club and for some time was seeking contact in so-called anomalous zones. But looking for UFOs did not become his ide fixe. Torop turned his attention to methods of exerting psychological influence on people. He attended several courses in Moscow that were popular in the 1990s and delivered his first sermon on air from a small television studio in Siberia.

Sergey Torop

It was 1991 when the former metal worker, neighbourhood policeman and traffic cop underwent a spiritual awakening and proclaimed himself to be a reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Unless I become world famous I wont be able to live on this Earth, he said in one of his letters home at the age of 18. And popularity did seek him out. Against the background of economic collapse, the disintegration of the USSR, broken hopes and discredited values, the ideas of the 30-year-old Jesus about universal happiness in the remote taiga and the approaching end of the world found their audience. In his early sermons, he introduced revisions to the New Testament and told the true story of the First Coming.

In the following two years, he travelled around half of Russia, the Soviet republics and several European countries with money from donations, attracting a faithful flock and implausible rumors. Yelena Melnikova listened to all the sermons of Vissarion, but couldnt understand him. But her husband was hooked.

In particular, his manner of communicating his message drove me mad. Going round in circles and beating about the bush. As in Gypsy hypnosis, when they start touching you and making a lot of noise and you get confused. All his sermons were long-winded and incoherent. He tried to instill the idea in people that they should cut themselves off from the outside world and sever ties with family and relatives. And the more stressed a person was, the more susceptible he or she was to his influence. I realized straight away that my husband would go - with or without me, Yelena said. In May 1994, with two children and a third on the way, they sold their apartment in Novosibirsk and moved to the south of Krasnoyarsk Territory. There, near Lake Tiberkul and Mount Sukhaya, both of which he proclaimed to be sacred, Vissarion had set up a commune, while the Russian Ministry of Justice officially registered his Church of the Last Testament as a religious organization.

To my surprise, Vissarion seemed like a sensible person and didnt ask for anything. On the contrary, he advised me to shape my own destiny and, most importantly, not to do evil, recalls another former follower, Samara resident Mikhail Ilyin. And, true, Vissarion didnt ask for anything. At the time, about 5,000 people headed for the taiga to settle there and build Sun City on the sacred mountain. Like the Melnikov family, many sold their property and other assets and put their money in the common kitty. Apparently of their own accord. But very soon, Vissarion started imposing prohibitions.

The Church of the Last Testament could find a justification for any way of life and dogma. If only because it mixed together a whole assortment of world religions and religious practices - from Hinduism and Buddhism to apocalypticism and the atheistic teachings of Karl Marx. So when Vissarion handed down yet another prohibition, nobody doubted that his decision was correct.

Restrictions on what people could eat began in the commune almost immediately. Meat was prohibited, as was all animal protein - milk, eggs, etc. The followers believed that after an animal is slaughtered an aggressive energy remains in its cells. Vissarions chauffeur drove around the villages where followers lived and proclaimed: From August 1 sugar is poison. In September 1994, prohibitions were imposed on vegetable oil, tea, semolina and a number of grains. Then, it was the turn of leavened bread. Exceptions were only made for pregnant women. By 1995, people could only talk of food. The permitted diet included potatoes, honey, grains, vegetables, mushrooms and flatbreads. The Vissarionites suffered, but endured.

Vissarion himself did not appear in public frequently and when he did, it was in a specially-designated Place of Confluence - at a distance. He lived on the hill along with his closest followers or apostles. All newcomers to the commune were met and a decision was taken whether to accommodate them in the village, or on the outskirts if they did not receiveVissarions blessing. Salvation was his key idea. The trouble was that the savior predicted the end of the world, set specific dates and when the end did not come, he would literally throw his hands in the air uttering the words I didnt promise you anything and then predicted a new Apocalypse.

Violinist Dimitr Khetemov, 42, a follower of the Church of the Last Testament religious movement, with his wife Natalya, daughter Sofia, 6, and son Alexander, 9.

In August 1999, he gave the sermon he called: I want to show you how to love in a beautiful way. And he asserted that a man can have as many wives as he wants for the sake of the submissiveness of women. From that moment, love triangles began to appear in the commune and men were allowed to change their wives. Some families could not bear this kind of psychological onslaught and fell apart. Then, Vissarion himself parted from his wife and took a new wife - a 16-year-old.

All this became intertwined with the established procedure of not seeking medical assistance and not permitting children to attend the village school. I clearly remember this precept - it was No. 37 - which stated that all our ailments stem from spiritual disharmony. That is why the non-believer need not be treated yet and a believer need not be treated any longer, Yelena says. With education it was the same logic - believers did not need much learning.

It wasnt like this indefinitely, however. Vissarion knew that the times were changing, people were becoming different and the commune needed to change, too. Even in the taiga.

The Church of the Last Testament was already close to being banned once - at the turn of the century - when all sorts of nasty stuff began. Local doctors and teachers were behind a series of demands for a judicial investigation. But a prosecutors office probe into one such complaint was abruptly halted. Photographer Yury Kozyrev, who has been a regular visitor to the commune over the years, believes that the law enforcement authorities were seriously concerned at the time that any detentions could result in mass suicides: Vissarion also grasped everything clearly: After this, the sect transformed itself into the Tiberkul eco-settlement and the matter was closed. So vegans live there - let them.

In reality, however, the commune never stopped being the object of scrutiny. According to Vadim Redkin, one of Visssarions first followers - he is responsible for public relations and for the communes official Facebook page - the church was assigned a case manager from the FSBs district directorate from the very beginning. In actual fact, this never presented any serious nuisance for cult followers. Businesslike relations evolved with the FSB, he says. In all these years, there has been a very large number of different case managers. Ive been here since 1992, says Redkin.

The local authorities had almost no concerns, either. This was aided by the fact that since the early 2000s, the communes rules began to be relaxed. Vissarion allowed mobile phones, TV-sets, satellite dishes and visits to the doctor. The commune opened its own schools for children, as well as inaugurating musical ensembles, recording studios and football and ice hockey teams. Slowly, it all began to look more like an eco-settlement than a sect.

Furthermore, the make-up of the Vissarionites became less homogenous with the passing years: Fewer and fewer followers believed in the end of the world and more and more simply liked living in a commune with its own rules and laws - in an ecological settlement where everyone is family. Even those who were extremely sceptical of Vissarion stayed on in the commune. He told us to shun money, but he himself would travel to Israel or to Taiwan for medical treatment. Why should Christ require medical treatment?! said one of the disillusioned residents of the commune, Tatyana Kholyavko.

Outsiders began to be allowed into Sun City, something that would not have happened before, and Vissarionites began to actively infiltrate the local authorities and integrate with the local elite - they could supply premier felled timber for the construction of excellent and fine houses and people with money liked to hire them. Vissarion himself started addressing his flock not once a month, but once every four and he always said roughly the same thing - that the world would come to an end, but his followers would be saved.

Vyachelav Osipov, head of one of the rural settlements in the Kuraginsky District, says he sees no problem with the commune. Quite the contrary, people were pleased to have them there: The Vissarionites worked a lot, they farmed, they provided a boost to the economy; thanks to them, the adjacent villages have not died out, land values have risen and the population has increased.

All upsides.

In the past two years, however, law enforcement bodies have started paying close attention to them.

It is all believed to have begun with the deaths through negligence of two infants in the families of cult followers. In summer 2018, investigators called on the Nazemtsev family to conduct a house search after the death of their 10-month-old son. The Karmanov family was also investigated at the same time after their child had died of pneumonia. Subsequently, a report on the federal channel REN TV also said that the discovery of the body of an infant was the reason why the commune was being probed.

A whole string of investigations ensued. According to Redkin, the commune found itself under overt pressure. All lines of inquiry were pursued: from psychological abuse, property fraud, ritual sex with minors and home births to illegal land use and the felling of stone pines. More than 300 followers were questioned in the year since the first searches.

In 2019, when it all kicked off, investigators would turn up and say: Thats it. Your cover has gone up in smoke. They were referring to our protection. And all the top people will be arrested in the autumn. That is what the FSB inspectors were telling the forestry people. The forestry people just repeated it to us, Redkin recalls. The Novaya Gazeta publication also refers to the protection the commune may previously have enjoyed: The recent resignation and arrest in Krasnoyarsk of regional forestry minister Dmitry Maslodudov may be linked to the searches and detentions in Sun City.

But, there are also several other theories to explain why Sun City has become the object of scrutiny only now. In the course of so many years, the area has become the center of premier timber felling in Russia and the Vissarionites now believe they are being squeezed out of business. Another factor may have been a protest by local residents against tree felling and the construction of a road through neighboring localities previously untouched by civilization, in order to provide access to gold-mining areas.

In mid-September 2020, teams of FSB special forces arrived in the Krasnoyarsk taiga in helicopters and sealed off Sun City. Torop, Redkin and another organizer of the commune, Vladimir Vedernikov, were placed under arrest and the public prosecutors office demanded that the Church of the Last Testament religious organization - which has a membership of around 4,500 at the last count - should be banned. It is now up to the courts to rule on the matter.

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Continued here:
The man behind the notorious Siberian cult The Church of the Last Testament - Russia Beyond

The Priest Theatre, a mainstay of downtown High Springs since around 1910, will soon close another victim of both the changing habits of moviegoers and the coronavirus pandemic.

Alan and Janet Alligood, who since 2011 have operated the business her parents bought 36 years ago, said they expect to complete the sale of it to Living Covenant Church before Oct. 30.

Known for its vintage Coca-Cola decor and classic ticket booth, the Priest Theatre has suffered like many movie houses old and new alike during the pandemic, Janet Alligood said.

Alachua County placed temporary restrictions on seating capacity and movie companies werent releasing as many box-office hits. Within a three to four-week period, only two new films might be available, with most others offered only in markets deemed the most profitable, she said.

The Priests last movie showing was of Onward on March 14.

The Alligoods said they didnt want to cry out again to the community for help to stay open.

Its a heavy burden on our entire family, Alan Alligood, a new city building inspector, told the High Springs City Commission earlier this month. But its a move weve got to make.

He told WUFT News: Weve done everything in our power to make this work. Weve done everything physically and financially to keep it going. Our hearts would love to see it continue as it is, but there comes a time when you have to cut ties.

The theater was on the market from about a year ago until the Alligoods removed it due to the pandemic. When their real estate agent, Mark Gajda, asked potential buyers about their intentions, he wanted to ensure they would match the communitys needs or interests.

The last thing we wanted to do was take an icon and have it never come back again, Gajda said.

High Springs itself considered buying the theater, as David Sutton, the citys community redevelopment agency coordinator, and Damon Messina, the parks and recreation director, were developing a business plan. That ended when it became clear the church would be the buyer.

W.J. Priest, who owned the Ford dealership in High Springs, built the theater as a place for vaudeville shows before it started showing silent films and then movies with sound. Everyone knew the longtime owners Bobby and Janice Sheffield. Whether it was tearing tickets, running concessions or starting the projector, they did it all with help from their children for 28 years.

Sutton, 44, remembers going to the Priest as a boy, particularly $1 Monday movie nights, and seeing Janice Sheffield walking up and down the aisles to make sure children were behaving.

Mrs. Sheffield patrolled the aisles like police would patrol the streets, he said.

The family cared about the community and focused on keeping everyone safe.

I have great memories at the Priest Theatre, Sutton said, and for that, I am forever grateful.

The Sheffields put it on the market in 2011, until the Alligoods assumed most of the business tasks. That was with Alan Alligood working as a Alachua County Fire Rescue lieutenant, and the couple running their construction company, and caring for the Sheffields and their own family.

In 2012, when it became difficult to receive distributed film reels, the Alligoods developed a Kickstarter project to fundraise toward transitioning to digital. They raised $87,472 in 60 days.

The theater gave everyone who donated a T-shirt, nameplate on a theater chair, free popcorn, drinks, dinner and a movie or posters. All of their names were listed on the back of the shirts and shown on screen before the movies started. The Priests first digital film: The Butler in 2014.

Many in the community are melancholy to see the Priest close.

Its a piece of history, said Chris Moebus, a co-owner of the High Springs Brewery, across Northwest First Street from the theater. Its one of the arteries to this community.

William Cody Sconyers, executive chef at the nearby Great Outdoors Restaurant, also has fond memories of going to the theater as a child, when families went together or teenagers were dropped off by their parents. In recent years, Sconyers said, most people came to town for the springs, but some also for dinner, the antique stores, the local ice cream shop and the theater.

Its definitely iconic to this area, he said. To see it go or change into something else would be sad.

Living Covenant Church is renting a property on Northwest 147th Drive in Alachua City. Attempts to reach a representative for comment were unsuccessful.

The Alligoods said they hoped the church would host community events and perhaps show movies and sell concessions, with funds raised returning somehow to the community.

Theyre not looking at something as a profit, Alan Alligood said. Theyre wanting to give back.

Saying the church has people with good hearts, Janet Alligood said, The building and God will speak to them.

Go here to read the rest:
It's a Move We've Got to Make: Priest Theatre In High Springs About To Be Sold - WUFT

Ramsgate market Photo Maxine Morgan

Thanet council is planning an overhaul to Ramsgate Market to create a new Canterbury style format with gazebos and themed days.

The arrangement with the current organiser, organiser Hughmark, is to be ended with the contract going out to tender.

The market shut when covid restrictions were brought in during March. It briefly reopened in June but issues around placement meant the market closed again. A new site proposed for Pier Yard car park on the seafront was scuppered at the 11th hour.

Traders were finally given the go-ahead to use Staffordshire Street car park, taking space in several disabled parking bays.

But there was a drop in traders taking part on Fridays and none willing to set up for business at the site on Saturdays.

The low number of stall meant falling income, with Hughmark making a decision to cease trade in the town.

The cost in business rates to Thanet council for the market each year is 16,604. The market operator is expected to pay TDC alf of the net income. However, there has was not a profit to split during August and September with the market making losses.

A report to Thanet council Cabinet members, who are due to meet next week, says: As the market operator is no longer able to operate the Staffordshire Street market due to a decrease in traders willing to participate in the market, alternative locations for the market have been considered, but they would not comply with existing COVID restrictions.

The council acknowledges the benefits of a diverse market on the local community, consumers and traders alike and remains determined to restore a market in Ramsgate. It is therefore proposed to market the opportunity in a new format -Canterbury Model with diverse themes on different days, high-quality goods, coordinating gazebos), and subsequently extend the exercise to local tender to grant a service concession contract to operate the new market.

Cabinet members are expected to agree to cease the arrangement with Hughmark in favour of a new operator.

The procurement of the new market will be developed within the next six months with consideration given to the location, potential COVID-19

Restrictions and diversity of market goods with periods of specialist markets such as for Halloween, Christmas and Easter.

The report says: As part of the new market development exercise, the council will engage with Ramsgate Town Council as well as welcome input from all potential vendors.

Cabinet members will discuss the issue on October 22.

Related

See the original post here:
Thanet council to end contract with Ramsgate Market organiser and invite bids to create 'Canterbury' style stalls - The Isle of Thanet News

The city of Grapevine is hosting outdoor concerts in October at the Town Square Gazebo for their Live and Local event. Theyre encouraging attendees to pick up food at nearby restaurants and enjoy the live music alongside their meal at socially distant table settings in an outdoor environment.

Tables and chairs will be placed on the lawn near the gazebo. Masks are required at all times, except when eating and drinking.

City spokeswoman Sophia Stoller said the tables will be limited to two seats and routinely cleaned to maintain safety. Guests will be encouraged to maintain six-foot distancing and hand sanitizer stations will be available.

Here are the artists you can expect to see in October:

The concerts will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays in October at the Town Square Gazebo (325 S. Main St.).

See the original post:
Check out these outdoor concerts in downtown Grapevine this month - The Dallas Morning News

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Trade, Agus Suparmanto, kicked off the dispatch of 25 containers of goods, worth Rp10.68 billion, meant for export at the Jogja Expo Center (JEC) on October 16-17, 2020.

The goods were shipped to the US and Europe by eight Yogyakarta companies.

These exports show that domestically made products are of high quality and are able to compete in the international market. Besides, it demonstrates that Indonesian products are able to withstand the pandemic and the global economic slowdown, the minister said in a statement here on Saturday.

The 25 containers were shipped in two stages. In the first stage, four containers of women's lingerie and sportswear from PT Busana Remaja Agracipta were exported to the United States, one container of home decoration products from CV Palem Craft was exported to Belgium, and one container of furniture products from Aurum Furniture was sent to France.

In addition, one container of consolidated outdoor exterior products from Yogya Gazebo, MD Craft, and Belindo was exported to France, Spain, and Belgium, one container of furniture from CV Jaroe Design was sent to Germany, and nine containers of home decor products from PT Out of Asia were exported the United States.

In the second stage, eight containers of handicrafts and home decorations products from PT Out of Asia were exported to the United States on Saturday (October 17, 2020).

Women's lingerie and sportswear produced by PT Busana Remaja Agracipta are headed to global brands such as Victorias Secret, H&M, Wacoal, and Marks & Spencer. The company has emerged as one of the largest intimate product manufacturers and exporters in the world, the minister said.

Agus also said that Aurum Furniture, Yogya Gazebo, MD Craft, Belindo, and CV Palm Craft are being promoted by the Ministry of Trade through the Designers Dispatch Service Program of the Indonesia Design Development Center (IDDC) .

Creativity, innovation, and the ability to seize opportunities to meet market tastes are the keys to success in penetrating the export market. One of these principles is applied by CV Jaroe Design, which uses wood waste to make export-value furniture, he noted.

Read also: Indonesia JoinsCovid-19 VaccineAllianceCOVAX, SaysForeignMinister

ANTARA

Original post:
Minister Flags Off Exports Worth Rp10.68 Billion to US, Europe - Tempo.co English

When life gets too stressed or uncertain, theres a spot at Stanleigh Garden that can wash it all away.

Try gazing from the gazebo, a plump native bird-printed cushion at your back, a stream rush-tinkling and peaceful music floating from unseen speakers.

But its the view from this spot in Donna and Wayne Busbys country garden that soothes souls.

Theres a large pond, its edges softened by feathery Elegia capensis, flax, agapanthus, self-planted ferns and the weeping swamp cypresss, Taxodium distichum Cascade Falls.

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ven closer to the water is a metal dragonfly made by Andrew Bellringer, which hovers over the surface, two white ducks paddling about and the reflections of blue skies or clouds.

But the best view of all is when Mt Taranaki appears from behind scudding or enshrouding clouds. On this day, the maunga is elusive, later tantalising with an edge of snow-clad slope.

Its very peaceful, Donna says. Its nice and quiet, and there are tui, pigeons and fantails.

Just to prove it, a kereru flap-whirs from tree to tree behind the gazebo. Then you hear them cooing and cant help but say good morning.

SIMON O'CONNOR/Stuff

The brilliant red Rhododendron Grace Seabrook is softened by tall spikes of libertia.

Stanleigh Garden, on Upper Dudley Rd, Inglewood, is one of 40 properties open for the Taranaki Garden Festival from October 30 to November 8.

The festival has partnered with the Taranaki Arts Trail for the first time, so for the first three days of the garden celebration, people can visit galleries and open studios featuring 85 artists. The Taranaki Sustainable Backyards Trail is also on at the same time and showcases about 35 properties.

As part of her health and safety instructions to visitors, Donna is thinking of adding: Beware of swooping pigeons.

Birds abound in this garden some with sweet encouragement. I feed the birds with bananas and sugar water out the front. We get heaps of wax eyes, she says.

If I dont put enough sugar in the water, they dont drink it. Nathan (son) says you are going to have all these diabetic birds around here.

Nathan is one of their three adult sons.

Donna and Wayne have been married 36 years and have two grandchildren aged seven and five.

The grandparents have made a playground for them at the front of the garden, just beyond Donnas immaculate lawn, which she feeds and feeds.

Just like the wax eyes. Donna loves watching the wee birds, also known as silvereyes or tauhou, as they stand their ground and boss each other.

They stand there and shake their wings really fast, she says, using her bent arms to demonstrate.

But when it rains, the little birds (sparrows) come in here, she says looking up at the gazebo roof, where a wagon wheel hangs. Ive given them a perch.

The Busbys claimed their own place to settle 25 years ago on land that was the run-off of Donnas family farm. It was a paddock with a little creek. We did the house part of the garden and it expanded.

SIMON O'CONNOR/Stuff

Donna Busby envisioned this pond, husband Wayne used a digger to create it, and metal artist Andrew Bellringer made the dragonfly that hovers over the water.

She had the vision for the large pond because of their business specialises in drainage and diggers, and she knew Wayne, a hard-working man who never stops, had dug out ponds for customers.

The water for the pond comes from the farmland not from the mountain.

During lockdown, Wayne brought his diggers home and parked them up. Donna even took a photo of the unmoving diggers to show people he had truly stopped work and posted the pic on social media.

Wayne was low-key for the first two weeks, she says.

After that he started getting edgy.

But Donna had the best antidote for her husband help with all the jobs that needed doing around the high-maintenance garden, which is heading towards its 15th year in the garden festival.

Together they cleared out the red robin hedges because it got a fungal blight. It was stunning and I loved it. But then it had dead sticks everywhere and it looked horrible.

They built fences and painted them black, going through nearly four 10-litre buckets of paint.

Armed with her best toy ever, Donna let loose with her little Stihl chainsaw. I can just go out and limb up branches. I did get accused of limbing up too much.

She has moved plants, had to find a new place to hang her pots because the tree she displayed them on died and had to be taken out.

Donna has been experimenting by hanging them on the rotary clothesline, which can be viewed from behind an old bedhead painted black and used as a gate.

In this area, there is a newly planted row of Magnolia Teddy Bear, a line of hostas and a rock garden softened by white-flowering convolvulus. Its been a bit like musical plants.

The rocks throughout the garden come straight from their land. Those found when digging the foundations for the house were used to form the rock garden.

On this sunny Tuesday, the garden festival is just over two weeks away, but it looks perfect now, although the Viburnum rosacea has yet to open its pink pompoms.

Its like a big wall of them and they are really eye-catching.

Near this is the resting place of the familys beloved dog, Izzy, who died two months ago, aged 14.

One of the fox terriers habits was picking up stones and dropping them everywhere. Fittingly, her grave is covered with stones.

As they dug up the land to build fences, they came across many stones and Wayne would always think of Izzy.

The garden is protected by Cryptomeria japonica Egmont from Cedar Lodge Nurseries, as are the garden entry sentries eight Thuga occidentalis Smargard.

Asked what the garden means to him, Wayne says: I do enjoy it, but its a lot of work. It certainly doesnt do itself. Its a lot of labour, its busy.

But he does find it quiet, peaceful and he enjoys the birdlife.

Later, he returns to add: I dont think we get a chance to sit down and enjoy the garden because theres always something to do.

Donna always turns to the beauty they have created a tiny cottage surrounded by its own wee garden, complete with a fake chimney where birds love to nest.

Theres a glade draped with white chiffon, which features a chandelier plus ornate wrought-iron table and two chairs, all painted white.

In contrast theres a mass of red flowers on Rhododendron Grace Seabrook, but nearby is the stunning Rhododendron Lemon Lodge, its soft flowers slowly opening.

I really love this time of year because everything bursting out and you get the new leaves, the hostas coming out.

She also loves finding new treasures, including double lemon-green hellebores and white trilliums.

SIMON O'CONNOR/Stuff

A metal heart made by Andrew Bellringer frames a wee cottage in Stanleigh Garden.

A white-painted steel heart made by Andrew Bellringer frames the garden and the mountain, when the clouds float away.

Donna and Wayne have placed wooden windows around their property to capture landscape pictures and, under a large covered area, pots of scented dianthus sit on tables.

I like details, so Im my own worst enemy, she says.

Stanleigh Garden has been a wedding venue and it might be again, but not this season.

This year we are going to have a summer to ourselves.

However, the garden festival is also looking busy, with four buses already booked to come and the Busbys opening up their paddock for the 10 days.

Stanleigh Garden is also the afternoon tea destination for a Discover Taranaki guided coach tour called Fresh Herbs, Fluffy Alpacas and a Fabulous Garden. Its on November 2, from 1pm to 5pm.

When the Covid-19 pandemic alert levels were announced, Donna initially feared what could happen along with many New Zealanders.

We are at ease with it now but in the beginning we were worried about the uncertainty. We were cautious about going out. Its taken quite a bit to get out there again.

Then she laughs because in a couple of weeks the garden will be inundated with people for the annual festival run by TAFT.

I think this year is going to be like weve never seen it before with people wanting to get out and about.

At Stanleigh Garden they will find a place of great peace, beauty, birds and Donnas extra-special details.

Were grateful that we have our own safe slice of paradise.

Link:
A Taranaki garden to wash the stress and uncertainty away - Stuff.co.nz

Letter To The Editor:

The Wood River Mayors husband, Bob Maguire, is circulating door hangers asking us to vote No on November 3rd to Save the Roundhouse. What?!! To save the Roundhouse we are asked to vote against saving it? That doesnt make any sense. This is nothing but a deceptive attempt to confuse the public.

First of all, the door hanger says that the Roundhouse is preserved and isnt going away per the City Resolution. It says the City has no current plans to demolish the Roundhouse. The keyword here is CURRENT!! However, the whole resolution that was implied states that as long as the Roundhouse is structurally sound and provides a vital use to the overall community!! The city was asked to help preserve the Roundhouse and make it an historical landmark. The city has made no attempt to help the Roundhouse become an historical landmark nor have they allocated any money to properly maintain it so that it remains structurally sound. Do they think that the citizens of Wood River cant see through their schemes?

The door hanger said the Recreation Center will be built. After the Recreation Center is built, they wont need the Roundhouse anymore!! I really dont understand why we are told the Recreation Center will be built anyway. A vote on November 3rd will determine this. So, is the mayor trying to tell us that the city will ignore the vote? It appears this is an attempt to intimidate and confuse us so we wont waste our time and vote on November 3rd. However, if this is true, then the mayor and city council have no business representing us if they ignore the results of this vote.

The Save the Roundhouse Committee collected 882 signatures because we dont want the Roundhouse demolished and we want clean water, sewers, streets and sidewalks repaired, and our basements to stay dry when it rains. The mayor continues to deny that the city planned to demolish the historic Roundhouse. Numerous documents, minutes, grant applications, pictures to tear it down and plans to turn it into a gazebo all prove that the city doesnt want to keep the Roundhouse. Now the Mayor wants us to believe that she wants it preserved! No one should believe this door hanger that doesnt tell us who is paying for the advertisement until the city truly commits to preserve the Roundhouse by helping to make it an historical landmark and providing funds to maintain it.

It appears that the Mayor is not concerned with the needs of the citizens and she just wants the new Recreation Center. I hope she waits for the citizens of Wood River to have their voices heard in November and she doesnt start building the Recreation Center before. She was elected to serve the people of Wood River!!

Everyone needs to get out and vote Yes on November 3rd - the Mayor is playing games with us!!

Mary Roberts

Wood River

Save The Roundhouse Committee

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Letter To The Editor: A Yes Vote From A Save The Roundhouse Committee Member - RiverBender.com

Mary Ann Bourbeau, Correspondent Published 5:00 a.m. ET Oct. 17, 2020

Make-A-Wish New Jersey granted Neil Hajjar's wish to have anoutdoor wheelchair swing of his very own. Then, they had a surprise for him a caravan of 250 cars, motorcycles and law enforcement vehicles that drove past his Bernardsville home. Bridgewater Courier News

Although hes just 6 years old, Alexis Fiallos has battled leukemia most of his life.

He was being treated in his home country of Ecuador, but the hospital was far away, making it impossible for his parents to care for the family dog. They were forced to give the dog to a neighbor, which broke Alexis heart since, as an only child, his dog was his best friend.

Just as Alexis was nearing the end of his treatment, the leukemia returned. In October 2019, his parents, Manuel and Martha Fiallos, moved to the United States to pursue other medical options because doctors in Ecuador offered little hope. The family settled in Plainfield, and Alexis was admitted to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he began a new chemotherapy regimen. He went into remission, but nine months later, they learned the leukemia had returned.

Alexis with his parents, Manuel and Martha Fiallos and his new puppy, Kale.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Mary Ann Bourbeau)

Through it all, this energetic boy never lost faith that he would one day enjoy life like a child should. His parents say he is a great example of perseverance and bravery, and never gives in to his bad days. Now, as he faces a more aggressive chemotherapy and awaits a bone marrow transplant, his one wish was to have a puppy again.

Thats where Make-A-Wish New Jersey came into the picture. Several weeks ago, they organized an event at the gazebo in Spring Lake Park in South Plainfield, where they surprised Alexis with a puppy.

He's so happy: Make-a-Wish delivers new wheelchair swing, car parade to Bernardsville boy

Between battling cancer and the pandemic, his social life has pretty much been taken away, said Michael P. Dominick, director of communications for Make-A-Wish New Jersey. Alexis is doing well, but hes still in the fight. He really needed a friend.

Alexis parents brought him to the park straight from a chemotherapy appointment. Upon arrival, he was greeted by a large sign that read, Wish Granted. Then he met his new best friend, a 2-month-old Shih Tzu named Kale.

Theres nothing better than seeing the faces of these children when their wish is granted, said Dominick. Kale is a lap dog, which is perfect for a 6-year-old kid who comes home from treatment and really needs a hug.

Alexis with his new puppy, Kale.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Mary Ann Bourbeau)

Alexis was overwhelmed by the sight of his new puppy, along with boxes of gifts including toys, treats, a leash, bowl, crate and other necessities. Make-A-Wish also is donating funds to assist with Kales care for the first year.

Alexis has been in treatment for four years and four months, his mother said through a translator. Hes an only child, so hes very lonely. He was sad that he had to leave his dog behind. Thank you for making my sons wish come true!

Kale was donated by PuppySpot of Jersey City, a company with a mission to make lives better by placing healthy puppies into happy homes. They often partner with organizations such as Make-A-Wish.

This is the best part of my job, said PuppySpot CEO Jonathan Cherins, who attended the event in Spring Lake Park. You can be a for-profit company and still do good. Im happy to make as many wishes come true as I can.

Alexis and his new puppy, Kale.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Mary Ann Bourbeau)

Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for critically ill children ages 2 to 18, delivering hope when they need it most. The organization believes a wish can be the spark that helps a child believe anything is possible and gives them the strength to fight harder against their illnesses.

Since 1980, the privately funded organization has granted more than 500,000 wishes worldwide. The New Jersey chapter, based in Monroe, grants about 600 wishes each year.

Our mission is to deliver hope, strength and joy, said Dominick.

A GoFundMe page has been created to raise money for a bone marrow transplant for Alexis. To donate, visit http://www.gofundme.com/f/alexis-fiallos.

Read or Share this story: https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/outreach/caring-communities/2020/10/17/make-wish-new-jersey-delivers-puppy-6-year-old-battling-leukemia/3670252001/

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'He really needed a friend': Make-a-Wish delivers puppy to 6-year-old- battling leukemia - My Central Jersey

A 3m funding boost is on the way to improve the condition of some Gwynedd schools as seperate plans for a new 5m primary take a vital step forward.

While a formal consultation will take place on a new 150 pupil school in Cricieth, Gwynedd Council was recently been successful in securing grant funding through the 21st Century Schoolsprogramme, allowing improvements to another seven schools across the county.

The schools to benefit from the 3.3m cash injection will bethe primary schools at Bethel, Llanrug and Ffridd y Llyn near Bala.

Also receiving a slice will be the secondary schools; Eifionydd (Porthmadog), Botwnnog, Glan y Mr (Pwllheli) and Syr Hugh Owen (Caernarfon).

The work on the seven schools includes internal remodelling and enhancement of existing buildings to make suitable as 21stcentury teaching and learning environments.

Construction is expected to start in the schools in the new year.

Cllr Cemlyn Rees Williams, the councils cabinet member for education, said: This is great news for many of our pupils and staff.

This funding enables us to modernise some of our buildings to make them suitable to effectively deliver the curriculum, to benefit our children today and for the future.

These projects offer value for money by improving our existing buildings to be able to adapt to the long term needs of schools.

Councillor Craig ab Iago, who hold the housing and property portfolio, added: Maintaining the condition of schools is financially challenging and therefore attracting this funding to improve the standard of school buildings will be of great assistance.

We will also look forward to opportunities to attract further grants with the aim of delivering improvements to more Gwynedd schools in the future.

Meanwhile, Tuesday saw the council cabinet vote unanimously to proceed with a formal consultation to build a replacement for Ysgol Treferthyr in Cricieth.

The cabinet report highlighted significant issues with the current building, describing it as significantly impairing the staffs ability to deliver the curriculum due to thevery poor and beyond repair 1970s-built facility.

Plans for the new 150 pupil school, with a site earmarked just off the A497 on the western approach into Criccieth, will now go to formal consultation with hopes that the new building will be up and running by the summer of 2023.

Ysgol Treferthyr had 114 pupils on the books in September 2019, just short of the schools capacity of 119, but a formal consultation is needed as the new building would increase its capacity by more than 25%.

Having also successfully secured the bulk of the funding thanks to the Welsh Governments21st Century Schools Programme, the authority looks set to contribute the remaining1.89m of the estimated 5.4m cost.

The cabinet was told that the capacity would be increased following patterns seen elsewhere where new buildings tend to attract more pupils than was previously the case.

The local councillor, Eirwyn Williams, said: Cricieth really needs a new primary school and following being part of the discussions, I agree that the favoured site is a very good choice as a location.

See more here:
3.3m of improvements on the way for Gwynedd schools - North Wales Chronicle