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Mayor Jesse Arregun in front of City Hall on Milvia Street on Sept. 29. He is running for a second four-year term. Photo: Pete Rosos

The intersection of Interstate 80 and University Avenue is the entrance to Berkeley, and in the last few years it has turned into an eyesore. Home to about 100 people without a place to live, the two eyebrows on the west side of the freeway are a jumble of tents, shanties, heaps of garbage, discarded mattresses and bicycle parts. One Berkeley resident called it a cesspool and an embarrassment. A city official referred to the encampment as a humanitarian crisis.

For Jesse Arregun, who was elected mayor in 2016 on a pledge of doing more for the homeless, the encampment by the Seabreeze Market is an albatross. Try as he might and he has proposed many ideas on how to clean the place up and help the residents while reckoning with the property owner, Caltrans he has not come up with a solution.

For many voters in Berkeley considering whether to reelect him, the encampments along I-80 represent a massive fail on the part of the city of Berkeley, and by extension, Arregun.

For many voters in Berkeley considering whether to reelect him, the encampments along I-80 represent a massive fail on the part of the city and, by extension, Arregun. In addition, more tents seem to be springing up around Berkeley, along Gilman Street, Ashby Avenue, Shattuck Avenue, Adeline Street and in Willard Park. The tents are there, in part, because CDC guidelines recommend people shelter in place as much as possible to stop the spread of the coronavirus; Berkeley is following those guidelines. The city has mostly stopped relocating the unhoused.

This has been a very thorny issue, Arregun acknowledged in a recent interview with Berkeleyside, referring to the encampments near the freeway. Its the entryway to the city. Its unacceptable. Its not OK to let people live like that and its a safety hazard. We have to act.

Had these encampments been on city property, Berkeley would already have resolved the issue, he said. The fact that its on Caltrans property makes it more complicated. We need their cooperation and we need their approval.

Arregun knows that most Berkeley residents arent that interested in who has jurisdiction over the land. They just want something to be done, both to get rid of the unsightly encampments and to help the unhoused who need support. And each day that passes, the pressure to act grows.

When I drive into Berkeley, I am heartbroken by the hundreds of people in camps along the street, former Mayor Gus Newport wrote in a forthcoming Berkeleyside editorial. He has endorsed Wayne Hsiung, one of Arreguns opponents, for mayor. Homelessness, however, is not an accident or inevitability; it is a direct result of policy choices made by our elected officials. Instead of providing supportive services and housing, Arregun has chosen a punitive route with disastrous results.

Osha Neumann, a lawyer with the East Bay Community Law Center who has filed lawsuits on behalf of the homeless against Berkeley, said no one politician can ever end homelessness in a region with such a huge housing shortage. The test instead is how a politician treats those who have to live on the streets. Does he or she make sure toilets, hand-washing stations and regular trash pickup is happening? Are service providers doing outreach? While Berkeley has taken some positive steps, it should do more, he said.

I dont fault anybody for not ending homelessness, not any politician, said Neumann, who has not endorsed anyone in the mayoral campaign. I would fault any politician who says they are going to end homelessness because they are not going to do it.

Confronting the homeless issue is just one of the crises Arregun, 36, has had to face in the last four years as mayor. Hes also had to grapple with the 2017 street battles between antifascist activists and right-wing groups such the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Identity Evropa; the 2019 PG&E power shutoffs; threats from President Trump to cut funding to sanctuary cities like Berkeley; protests against police in the wake of George Floyds death; the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, including the economic devastation facing Berkeleys small businesses, restaurants and art institutions and the many people who have lost their jobs and are struggling to pay rent and buy food. As David Brooks wrote in his New York Times column this week, Governing is usually about responding to crises you didnt choose or foresee.

The challenges have changed him, Arregun said. He had served on Berkeleys Rent Stabilization Board and City Council for 12 years before becoming one of the citys youngest-ever mayors, often aligning himself with the left wing of the council that included Kriss Worthington and Max Anderson. In those days, Arregun was often known for what he opposed as much as what he proposed. He, along with Sophie Hahn, now a City Council member running for reelection in District 5, were the backers of the second Measure R in 2014 that sought to impose greater restrictions on the three 180-foot-high buildings that were allowed downtown. Most Berkeley voters 74% opposed it. Arregun was often critical of many of the market-rate projects that came before the council.

Arregun no longer rigidly holds those positions, he said. He now more often votes for large apartment complexes because he knows Berkeley needs the developer fees that come with them to help build more affordable units. And Berkeley also needs housing for all income levels, he said.

As mayor, Arregun said he has to represent all of the city, rather than just one district. Building consensus on the council has become his priority over pushing to make a point. He has also brought back civility to council meetings.

I really feel like I am a different person now than I was four years ago. All the challenges we faced you cant help but grow as a leader and adapt. Mayor Jesse Arregun

I really feel like I am a different person now than I was four years ago, said Arregun. All the challenges we faced you cant help but grow as a leader and adapt. Ive felt its my fundamental responsibility to keep our community safe and to advance our values and represent the whole community.

Evidence of Arreguns political evolution can be seen in his list of endorsers. Many of the people who endorsed former City Councilmember Laurie Capitelli for mayor in 2016, including former Mayor Tom Bates, are now backing Arregun. Seven of the eight council members have endorsed him. The exception is City Councilmember Cheryl Davila. The entire School Board is endorsing him as are seven rent board commissioners. The Berkeley Democratic Club, in which Capitelli is a leader, gave its endorsement, as did the Berkeley Progressive Alliance and Berkeley Citizens Action, among others. There doesnt seem to be a single organization, political or governmental body, or nonprofit that is not endorsing him.

I am enthusiastically endorsing him, said City Councilmember Lori Droste, who backed Capitelli in the last mayoral election and has had policy differences with Arregun over the years. Hes evolved as a leader. He is governing as the leader of the entire city instead of a district, so he has to create consensus. He has matured in this position. I find him much more reasonable.

The slew of endorsements may also reflect the weakness of Arreguns opponents. Theres a logic to endorsing the person who looks like he has the strongest chance of winning.

Aidan Hill, the vice-chair of the Homeless Commission and a passionate advocate for Peoples Park, was unable to secure a City Council seat in 2018, making a win a longshot in a city-wide race. Naomi Pete is a perennial candidate for various positions. Hsiung, who is running a strong ground campaign, appears to be the biggest threat to Arreguns reelection. But he is also the co-founder of the controversial animal rights group DxE, which had members do bloody die-ins in front of the Local Butcher Shop until its owners agreed to put a sign in the window acknowledging there is no humane way to butcher animals. Hsiung has also been charged with 17 felonies in three different states in connection with entering industrial farms around the country, filming inside and taking animals.

One Tuesday in July, in a parking lot on Berkeley Way, officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the largest affordable and homeless housing project in Berkeleys history. The complex now being built at 2012 Berkeley Way will have two components. One side will have 53 units of permanent supportive housing for homeless and disabled men and women; 32 shelter beds for homeless men; and 12 transitional housing beds for homeless male veterans. Mental health and medical services will be offered on-site and a communal dining room will allow residents and unsheltered people to share meals.

The other portion of the site will have 89 units of affordable housing, ranging from studios to one- and two-bedroom apartments. They will be available through a lottery to people who earn 50%-60% of the area median income.

Arregun could not make the ceremony, so City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley, City Councilmember Kate Harrison and others represented Berkeley. But the project is something Arregun is particularly proud of because, in 2009, he and then-council members Linda Maio and Kriss Worthington first proposed the idea of a service-enriched homeless housing project.

It took 11 years to cobble together funding for the $120 million complex, and a 2018 bond pushed by Arregun and his allies ultimately made the project feasible, Williams-Ridley said at the ceremony. Berkeley donated the land and committed $27 million from its Housing Trust Fund, funded by fees developers pay when they dont include affordable units in developments, and money from Measure O, the bond measure. Other funds came from state, county and private sources.

I cant help but see hundreds of people on our streets who dont have homes and not recognize we have a problem and that we are facing a housing crisis, Arregun told Berkeleyside this week. The status quo is not working. Housing is the solution to homelessness and housing is critical to creating a more equitable and racially and culturally diverse community.

Yet progress is painfully slow, Arregun acknowledges, and his critics are using the pace of progress to suggest he is callous to the plight of the unhoused.

For example, Hsiung says Berkeley has only built 22 units of affordable housing during Arreguns first term, as reported in a recent housing pipeline analysis published by the city.

Arregun has consistently said Hsiung distorts his record and cherry-picks facts about the mayors initiatives. That 22 number is an incomplete snapshot and doesnt reflect the units in Berkeleys housing pipeline, Arregun said. While 22 units have been constructed since he became mayor (during the years 2017-2019) another 244 were built between 2014 and 2016 when he served on the council. An additional 338 below-market-rate units have been approved but have not started construction, according to Berkeleys recent housing pipeline report. In that same time frame, 994 market-rate units have been built.

As the president of ABAG, Arregun said he is very aware of how much farther Berkeley and the entire Bay Area have to go to meet the regions housing needs. Arregun also argues he is in a good position to help drive the debate and to push cities to meet their quotas. In terms of other accomplishments connected to housing, Arregun points to the MOU Berkeley and BART worked out to build housing on the North Berkeley and Ashby BART stations, the millions of dollars the city has donated for flexible housing funds for people to retain their housing or consult a lawyer and programs to prevent displacement. He also helped raise $4.4 million for the Berkeley Relief Fund to give direct grants for people struggling to pay rent, to small business owners, and to art non-profits. (Berkeley donated $3 million of those funds and individuals and companies contributed the rest.) Early on, the City Council also passed a moratorium on evictions during the state of emergency.

If there is one program that Arregun is singularly proud of, one that he often mentions in debates and talks, it is Pathways center on Second Street. Arregun and Hahn pushed the initiative, which is modeled on San Franciscos navigation centers. The program allows (or did before COVID) partners to sleep near one another and bring pets. There is a kitchen, some communal meals, services and the ability to come and go freely 24/7. People can stay for up to six months. The aim is to give unhoused people respite from the street, counseling and the resources and funds to find more permanent housing.

Arregun said 250 people have been placed in permanent housing through Pathways. However, sometimes the subsidies are only for the short term and people have ended up back on the streets.

Most subsidies are short term, said boona cheema, the former director of BOSS and a longtime advocate for the unhoused. She has endorsed Arregun. Just because they got housing, the issues are still there, like poverty, addiction and mental health issues. People fall out of the housing.

Cheema wishes Arregun would be bolder and have the courage to acknowledge that large groups of people will never be housed. (Berkeley has about 1,000 homeless people with another 1,000 drifting through every year, according to a city report.)

Where are people supposed to go? she said. Are there small encampments we can create? It doesnt have to be a 100-person encampment.

The City Council has voted to create a sanctioned encampment in Berkeley and to look at a place for RVs to get short-term permits to park. So far, officials havent come up with a spot. State agencies nixed the parking lot by the former Hs Lordships, Arregun said. The city is still looking, said Arregun, but there just isnt a lot of available space in Berkeley. He said he is convening a meeting with Alameda County and other East Bay mayors to discuss a regional RV lot. In the meantime, Berkeley is not enforcing its ban against overnight RV parking.

The pandemic has been both good and bad for the unhoused. The good: Berkeley got state money to rent out two hotels that can accommodate 69 homeless individuals most at-risk of contracting COVID-19. In addition, the city installed 18 trailers and renovated a four-bedroom house for their needs.

The bad: Social distancing rules have meant that Berkeley has had to pare down the number of people served by each shelter, leading to fewer services.

Since people are living in the eyebrows along I-80, Neumann wants Berkeley to do more and thinks Arregun should show leadership. Even though the land belongs to Caltrans, the public works department could pick up garbage more often, which would reduce the rat problem.

The question is how do we treat the people who inevitably are going to be outside? said Neumann. How do we make their lives as livable as possible, reduce the impact of living outside for them and their neighbors?

Neumann does appreciate Arreguns resistance to dispersing the I-80 encampments especially now when the impending election has placed pressure on him to do something, he said.

But Arreguns concern about the encampments continues and he said they are going to be cleaned very soon. Caltrans already moved people from land near Gilman and erected a fence. The state agency started there because there have been 10 fires in the area in the last few months. University Avenue is next.

I dont envy him, Droste said of Arregun. Its easy to criticize but its hard for people to come up with solutions.

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Should Jesse Arreguin be elected to a second term as Berkeley mayor? - Berkeleyside

Turtlecreek Twp. Trustee Jonathan Sams told the commissioners that the township did not oppose the churchs mission to develop a facility which looks attractive but said there were better locations in the township to build. He said the township wants to expand its tax base but struggles due to the proximity of three correctional centers.

In August, the trustees sent a letter to the county Rural Zoning Commission asking that it deny the zoning change. The trustees cited the zoning change was contrary to the area plans adopted the township and the county commissioners for future development as well as being contrary to the business/economic plan and would have a substantial negative impact for planned business and residential uses.

In July, church representatives withdrew a similar plan rather than risk rejection because the existing plan for the land use, approved in 2002, only permitted senior-living facilities, including a 30-person building and 36 single-family homes.

It would expand on a 12-boy home already set up in the church and make way for a similar program for 12 girls

Commissioner Shannon Jones said the proposed facility will address a great need in the county of placing foster children. She said the county places children in facilities that are hours away from Warren County and in different states. Jones said the facility would be on church owned property and it was a service they want to provide that isnt available now.

This would be cost-effective to the county, she said.

Jones said the goal was to reunify children with parents and placing them locally would be a benefit. While she wants to help the township, she did not think the facility competes with the township efforts.

Commissioners Tom Grossman and David Young agreed.

Weve been partners with the township but it looks like this time well have to disagree, Young said.

He said the churchs plan was an extension of their ministries.

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Warren County approves plan for Solid Rock Churchs boys home with equine therapy - Hamilton Journal News

Just when women thought they might be making progress toward equality at home and at work, COVID-19 crushed years of effort in a matter of months. For many professional working mothers, sheltering in place has meant working full time, home schooling their children and bearing the brunt of parenting duties all while fearing the loss of their jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately six in ten of the jobs eliminated in the first wave of the pandemic were held by women. Single mothers have been hardest hit, losing jobs at a higher rate than married women.

In the midst of a pandemic, how can women have the necessary conversations with their bosses and partners to halt this regression and continue a dialogue toward fairness at home and at work? Join Executives Club of Chicago President and CEO Margaret Mueller for a powerful conversation with Eve Rodsky, author of the best-selling book Fair Play, at noon on Friday, Oct. 16. Rodskys book is the result of exhaustive research into how responsibilities can be reimagined, reprioritized, and redistributed so that women can reach their full potential and everyone benefits.

See the article here:
What's Fair? Restoring Progress at Home and at Work Amid COVID - Patch.com

Hidden for over eighty years! A newly discovered stash of incredibly rare and valuable vintage movie posters from the Golden Age of Hollywood has been unearthed in British Columbia, Canada. A client of CineMasterpieces found them in an old home undergoing renovation.

While workers were tearing down walls and pulling up floorboards, they came across over one hundred different highly collectible posters from the mid-1930s. All of them are insert size 14 x 36 and were printed in the USA for use in theaters back when the films were originally released. Untouched for over eighty years they were used as insulation. Some are one of a kind only known surviving specimens and for a few titles there are just a handful of examples known to exist. Some of the premium ones include: The Bride of Frankenstein, Werewolf of London, and The Petrified Forest. A few of these posters have been known to sell for over $50,000.00, and many of them are worth well over $1000.00. Condition varies from poor to excellent and several will be restored.

Unlike other collectibles like comic books and baseball cards where any alteration is frowned upon and can negatively affect the value, restoration of old movie posters is looked at similarly to vintage automobiles. It is acceptable and can increase the value.

Eighty years ago, these posters were seen as having very little worth. Many titles from this era are extremely rare and the vast majority did not survive because after they were used at the theater they were generally discarded. Thankfully, someone took a stack of them from a theater storeroom and used them for insulation in their home.

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The total value of this cache is estimated to be over $250,000.00. The owner of the posters contacted David A. Lieberman from CineMasterpieces.com. Mr. Lieberman is the recurring featured movie poster expert on The History Channel TV show Pawn Stars. He expressed: We get a lot of phone calls where someone thinks they may have stumbled upon a treasure. Those calls are almost always false alarms. As soon as we received photos from this discovery, we realized these posters were authentic and this was a jackpot. This is an extraordinary find.

These incredible rarities will soon be available for sale atCineMasterpieces.com. The owner of the posters wishes to remain anonymous.

A complete list and photos will be published soon atcinemasterpieces.com/movieposternews.htm.

Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, hes assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.

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Rare 1930's Movie Posters Discovered in Walls of Home During Renovation - Icon Vs. Icon

NINE HOME RENOVATION SUPERSTARS SIGN ON FOR SEASON TWO OF HGTV'S MEGA-HIT SERIES "ROCK THE BLOCK"

New York [Oct. 6, 2020] Let's get ready to rock! HGTV has announced the challengers for the second season of its hit competition series Rock the Block. Set to premiere in early 2021, the new season, hosted by highly skilled carpenter, craftsman and designer, Ty Pennington, will have double the star power with eight of the network's brightest home renovation and design experts pairing up to completely transform identical three-story suburban properties in just one month. The 2021 Rock the Block partner teams are: home renovator and contractor Mike Holmes (Holmes On Homes) and Chicago's fearless home reno and design expert Alison Victoria (Windy City Rehab); designing dads Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent (Nate and Jeremiah: Save My House); HGTV's first Design Star winner David Bromstad (My Lottery Dream Home) with the eighth Design Star winner Tiffany Brooks (50K Three Ways); and the couple who can build and design an entire home in 100 days, Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt (100 Day Dream Home.) With a $225,000 budget and a whole lot of teamwork, the dueling duos hope to win major bragging rights and their names on a street sign.

"Nothing says high stakes like double the stardom, double the personalities, and double the fun!" said Jane Latman, president, HGTV. "Expect to see impressive displays of strategy, creativity and incredible designs from these top stars in Rock the Block - definitely bring the popcorn."

The season also will boast bold build and design challenges; in-show surprises; and appearances from special guest judges.

Fans can access fun content from the first season of Rock the Block on HGTV.com/RocktheBlock, including before and after photos and videos, as well as find loads of behind-the-scenes extras. Viewers also can interact via social media using #RocktheBlock and will be able to follow along on the @HGTV stars' reno journeys on Instagram at @make_it_right, @thealisonvictoria, @nateberkus, @jeremiahbrent, @tiffanybrooksinteriors, @bromco, @mikamakesmoves, and @mrbreakinground.

ABOUT HGTV

HGTV delivers families with relatable stories, superstar real estate and renovation experts and amazing home transformations that inspire a passionate audience. For anyone seeking entertaining and aspirational home and lifestyle content, HGTV is the place to be. HGTV offers: a top 10 cable network that is distributed to more than 86 million U.S. households; a website, HGTV.com, a website,HGTV.com, that attracts an average of 10.2 million people each month; a social footprint of 21.2 million; HGTV Magazine, a monthly publication that reaches more than one million readers and exclusive collections of home-oriented products through the HGTV HOME(TM) consumer products line. Viewers can become fans of HGTV and interact with other home improvement enthusiasts through Facebook,Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. HGTV is owned by Discovery, Inc., a global leader in real life entertainment spanning 220 countries and territories, whose portfolio also includes Discovery Channel, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and the forthcoming multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

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Breaking News - Nine Home Renovation Superstars Sign on for Season Two of HGTV's Mega-Hit Series "Rock the Block" - The Futon Critic

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --CineMasterpieces - Hidden for over eighty years! A newly discovered stash of incredibly rare and valuable vintage movie posters from the Golden Age of Hollywood has been unearthed in British Columbia, Canada. A client of CineMasterpieces found them in an old home undergoing renovation.

While workers were tearing down walls and pulling up floorboards, they came across over one hundred different highly collectible posters from the mid-1930s. All of them are insert size 14" x 36" and were printed in the USA for use in theaters back when the films were originally released. Untouched for over eighty years they were used as insulation. Some are one of a kind only known surviving specimens and for a few titles there are just a handful of examples known to exist. Some of the premium ones include: The Bride of Frankenstein, Werewolf of London, and The Petrified Forest. A few of these posters have been known to sell for over $50,000.00, and many of them are worth well over $1000.00. Condition varies from poor to excellent and several will be restored.

Unlike other collectibles like comic books and baseball cards where any alteration is frowned upon and can negatively affect the value, restoration of old movie posters is looked at similarly to vintage automobiles. It is acceptable and can increase the value.

Eighty years ago, these posters were seen as having very little worth. Many titles from this era are extremely rare and the vast majority did not survive because after they were used at the theater they were generally discarded. Thankfully, someone took a stack of them from a theater storeroom and used them for insulation in their home.

The total value of this cache is estimated to be over $250,000.00. The owner of the posters contacted David A. Lieberman from CineMasterpieces.com. Mr. Lieberman is the recurring featured movie poster expert on The History Channel TV show Pawn Stars. He expressed: "We get a lot of phone calls where someone thinks they may have stumbled upon a treasure. Those calls are almost always false alarms. As soon as we received photos from this discovery, we realized these posters were authentic and this was a jackpot. This is an extraordinary find."

These incredible rarities will soon be available for sale atCineMasterpieces.com. The owner of the posters wishes to remain anonymous.

A complete list and photos will be published soon atcinemasterpieces.com/movieposternews.htm.

For further information please contact David A. Lieberman at 602.309.0500 or[emailprotected].

CineMasterpieces.comis your source for the world's finest selection of vintage original movie posters. Over $5,000,000.00 in inventory. Established in 2001.

SOURCE CineMasterpieces

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CineMasterpieces - Rare 1930's Movie Posters Discovered in Walls of Home During Renovation - PRNewswire

Bouclair - New Concept. New Experience.

Bouclair Announces the Renovation and Reopening of Four New Concept Stores That Will Completely Redefine the Home Decor Shopping Experience This Fall

MONTREAL, Oct. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bouclair, the leading destination for home decor in Canada, is proud to announce the renovation and reopening of four new concept stores this fall. Customers in both Quebec and Ontario will now be able to enjoy a unique experience that features Bouclairs collections and exclusive decor finds of the current season.

Chicoutimi and Barrie, as well Mega Centre Sainte Foy and Les Galeries de la Capitale, both located in Quebec City, will all undergo a transformation of their current brick-and-mortar concept to one that offers a multi-faceted experience where customers can easily imagine recreating the looks in their own home, making it more enjoyable to shop for home decor pieces. Customers will surely enjoy the new Bouclair atmosphere and be inspired by decor accents displayed in a way that showcases each collections style, furniture displays full of arrangement ideas, rich visual tools that express the vibe of each collection, and decor experts available to help with any decor project. Each store has been revamped with the black store logo and storefront, along with natural woods mixed with greenery, adding to the brands new, sleek and trendy image.

The Canadian company is proud to be thriving and expanding its reach in the retail sector, especially in these unprecedented times. Their continued growth is largely thanks to their loyal followers from coast to coast choosing Bouclairs great value for all their stylish and modern home decor pieces. Supporting local businesses has never been more important, and shoppers will be happy to learn that Bouclairs products are all designed in Canada by their team of in-house designers.

Prioritizing its customers and staffs health, Bouclair is committed to offering a unique shopping experience in a safe and healthy environment. Stores enforce social distancing measures, heightened hygiene standards, strict cleaning protocols, and face masks are required upon entry.

The new Bouclair concept was first launched last year with the openings of the Brossard, Boucherville, Boisbriand, Mascouche and St-Jrme stores. Bouclair continues to grow and plans to open more new concept stores in 2021.

About Bouclair Proud to support Canadians in their efforts to decorate their homes with the latest trends at affordable prices, Bouclair continuously looks to develop and release new collections to offer their customers a wide variety of products, ranging from home decor accents to home furnishings. New Store Concept Video: https://youtu.be/MXess01vocY Media contact Cesar Morales Marketing Operations Manager Bouclair pr@bouclair.com (438) 227-5214

A video accompanying this announcement is available athttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/20d13de4-be48-4fda-8b08-c264913e57ba

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Bouclair Announces the Renovation and Reopening of Four New Concept Stores That Will Completely Redefine the Home Decor Shopping Experience This Fall...

With so many people tackling home renovations and improvements right now, its important to remember and prepare for the stress these activities can have on our pets. When planning your home repairs, be sure to take the comfort and safety of your pets into account.

Remember that pets love to climb, investigate and rub against things, so try to take a pets eye view as you search for hazards in your space.

Cleaners, chemicals and adhesivesPaint, insulation, spackle, glue Even minor home improvement projects use a ton of chemicals. Ingesting these products can not only cause gastrointestinal upset, such as vomiting and diarrhea, but can also be toxic for your pet. Cats are at particularly high risk because they tend to walk through the construction area and then lick the chemicals off of their paws and coats later.

Construction hazardsHome renovations often involve sharp tools, stray nails and other hazards that pose a major safety risk to your pet. A curious pet in the construction area is a recipe for disaster, so be sure to keep them safely locked away while youre working. At the end of the day, carefully clean up the work area and check for any hazards that may be a risk to your pet.

Loud noises and strange smellsHammers, saws and power tools sound like a cacophony to your pets sensitive ears. Even pets that are not bothered by noise may react differently when faced with the additional stressors. Sawdust and chemical odors can also irritate the respiratory tract, which may affect pets with underlying health conditions like asthma or a collapsing trachea.

Escape routesOpen doors and windows during repairs may serve as an easy escape for a stressed pet. But dont overlook the less obvious escape routes that may emerge during a home improvement project. Homeowners should be especially cautious of open vents, holes in drywall and missing ceiling tiles. Pets may become trapped when the repairs are completed!

Keeping your pets safe during construction and renovationWhen youre working on major home repairs, sometimes it is best to put your pet in a calmer environment, like a boarding kennel or pet sitters home. If you do decide to keep your pet at home during the repairs, consider taking these steps to keep your pet safe:

Homerenovation projects are a challenge for everyone however, taking theseprecautions will help make the process go much more smoothly for both you andyour pet.

This article is provided by the veterinary medical professionals at VCA Deer Creek Animal Hospital. For more information: 303-973-4200 or https://vcahospitals.com/deer-creek-littleton.

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Home repairs and your pet | YourHub - The Know

MARION The groundbreaking ceremony for work on the entrance of the Town House is scheduled for Oct. 17. But its possible that it could be halfway done before it even happens.

At a Oct. 6 Selectmens meeting, Town Administrator Jay McGrail said he never would have imagined how fast its getting done.

He added that its unbelievable work crews have done to rework the entrance.

Its a huge facelift for town hall, he said.

McGrail also made a point to thank the Sippican Historical Society for being so willing to help with the project financially. The society has committed to donating upwards of $550,000 towards the completion of the renovation.

The society had set a project completion deadline for Thanksgiving, but McGrail said crews could probably beat that deadline.

Though the project is going ahead of schedule, the stairs of the entrance still need to be lifted in order to accommodate the columns at the front of the Town House.

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Town House entrance renovation running ahead of schedule - Sippican Week

The state Department of Ecology on Wednesday, Oct. 7, announced the recipients of $22 million in grant funding to support projects protecting rivers and streamflows, and Nisqually-based projects are expected to take home at least $727,000 of that.

Sixty-three applications were submitted to Ecology this year for the Streamflow Restoration Competitive Grants, which were created in 2018 under the Streamflow Restoration law passed by the Legislature.

Though a total 21 projects were selected this year to receive funding, the Legislature intends to authorize about $300 million of funding over 15 years.

Local organizations that will receive funding include the Nisqually Land Trust and the Nisqually River Foundation, as well as Thurston Countys Community Planning and Economic Development and Water Resources Division departments.

The Nisqually Land Trust will receive approximately $296,230 for property acquisitions on the lower Ohop Creek preservation area and other sites.

On the lower Ohop Creek, the Land Trust is looking to acquire an 11.4-acre property along the south shoreline of the creek. The property includes roughly 4 acres of floodplain and 4 acres of valley bluff.

The Land Trust is also looking to collaborate with a local planning unit, regional conservation organizations and a water rights consultant to further investigate water rights identified in the Nisqually Rapid Water Rights Assessment. This project would also help the organization gage with landowners their willingness to participate in a water rights project to benefit streamflow.

The Nisqually River Foundation will receive roughly $431,000 for a streamflow restoration project to benefit the Muck Creek Watershed, which feeds into the Nisqually River.

Muck Creek is an important salmon-bearing stream in the Pierce County Prairie Tributaries Sub-Basin. This project is the first phase of a multiphase approach to identify, prioritize and construct projects that provide increased streamflow and net ecological benefit to the Muck Creek Basin, a project description reads.

Thurston Countys two departments will receive about $464,364.

One project aims to draft a feasibility study to redirect seasonal stormwater from the Hidden Forest system to a new managed aquifer recharge site to benefit the Little McAllister Creek.

The countys second project will draft a feasibility study to evaluate 22 potential water offset sites in the Lackamas and Yelm sub basins.

Read more here:
Nisqually Watershed Programs to Receive $727k for Protection, Restoration Projects - Nisqually Valley News