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Being a Navy veteran, I would normally be predisposed to accept a Vietnam veteran and twice-wounded hero without question. However, his later life, his admitted lack of knowledge and the evasive hearing testimony weigh stronger on my evaluation.
I have never witnessed a candidate for Cabinet appointment who delivered such a hapless performance.
It was unnecessary for him to admit his lack of knowledge on weapons systems. It was apparent that while a senator he did not learn much about the systems he voted to fund. His entire career of lack of knowledge did not keep him from being a very vocal critic of the Department of Defense.
One could say that a secretary of Defense who had advocated downsizing would be a great leader at this time when we are facing the need for austerity. I argue that this makes it vital that the leader have intimate knowledge and love of the Defense Department to make the critical decisions.
We cannot afford an uninformed decision-maker determining the future of a downsized Defense infrastructure. I also believe that we cannot afford the time it would take for him to scale a steep learning curve.
We face a sequester that may be softened, but the consequences cannot be totally avoided. No matter what the outcome of the spending votes, the Department of Defense will bear the brunt since the Senate lacks the political courage to take on a bloated entitlement structure.
Fighting two wars has waged a war of attrition on military infrastructure, and the costs of increased manpower have already decimated the defense industry as programs were deferred or stretched out at lower run rates. A strong argument could be made for more investment in infrastructure if the national debt were not stratospheric.
In the hearing, former Sen. Hagel tried countless times to disavow his prior actions but was unconvincing since his convictions on his adversary beliefs on the department kept showing through. I was disappointed that the committee did not question him on his votes. His voting record was anti-defense and in retrospect wrong for history.
When speaking on a nuclear Iran, he actually was to the left of President Obama until one of his handlers corrected him and he had to backtrack. This is really alarming since he is on record as stating that we had little to worry about a nuclear Iran since when they had a bomb it would make them more responsible in their decision-making.
Hagel's record on unilateral disarmament, the disengagement, U.S. retreat as a world military power, lack of support for vital allies and adversarial position on Israel, suspension of skepticism on Iran nuclear ambition cannot be allowed to protect the security of our people.
The U.S. faces the resurgence of al-Qaida and other jihadi terrorism, a near nuclear Iran, continued Syrian attacks on its citizens, ascendant Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East, unstable leadership in North Korea, an increasingly militant China, and uncertainty over Russia's ambitions with regard to their weaker neighbors.
Sen. Donnelly, the country cannot afford Chuck Hagel as secretary of Defense. You may also note that my address is Fort Wayne, Ind. Your recent visit to that city should remind you how vital it is that we have a competent leader in the Pentagon. Northeast Indiana cannot have uninformed program cuts if this vital but weakened industry asset is going to survive.
You ran as a strong proponent of defense; you also campaigned on Hoosier jobs and said you would decide your vote based on what was good for your constituents and you would not allow President Obama and Harry Reid to decide your vote. This may be the most important vote of your career since the national security of your country and the economic security of one of your regions depend on the outcome.
I cannot imagine any of your constituents in northeast Indiana would abide your support for Hagel. His appointment will have consequences that will still reverberate in 2018.


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MORE than 100 residents attended an emergency meeting to discuss how to fight plans for 150 homes in Leonard Stanley.
The meeting was called after it was revealed that new plans by developer Gladman for homes on Mankley Field had been recommended for approval.
The original plans, which attracted nearly 260 letters of objection and a petition with more than 1,000 signatures, were unanimously rejected by Stroud District Council's development control committee in September.
During the meeting on Tuesday, February 11, district and parish councillors and members of the Mankley Field Action Group explained the implications of the recommendation.
Leonard Stanley Parish Council chairman Graham Davies said SDC's planning department had been left in a position where it could 'no longer defend the development'.
According to Cllr Davies, there would be 'severe implications' to SDC should the development control committee vote against the recommendation when the plans are discussed on Tuesday, March 11.
The district council representatives for the Stanleys, Stephen Lydon and Nigel Studdert-Kennedy, said they were united in their opposition to the development.
Cllr Lydon explained that if the application were refused next month but approved on appeal, SDC could have its power to act as the planning authority taken away by Secretary of State, Eric Pickles.
"There is a policy which allows Mr Pickles to take away our planning powers if SDC loses between 40 and 50 per cent of appeals and thanks to the new national planning policy framework we have already lost a substantial amount," he said.
Cllr Studdert-Kennedy explained that the planning committee was 'independent' and therefore still had the power to turn down the application however residents needed to be aware of the consequences.
Action group chairman Diane Odell said she would 'continue to make as much noise as possible' to stop the development.
She called for residents to write to members of the planning committee, MP Neil Carmichael and to Mr Pickles asking him to 'call the application in' so a planning inspector would make the final decision.
For more information about the action group see www.savemankleyfield.co.uk

subset: commoncrawl


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Menston Parish Council has called on Bradford Council to reject plans for 134 houses on land at Bingley Road in the village.
The parish council has told Bradford Council there are "fundamental flaws" in the plans, and said the authority must reject the planning application by Taylor Wimpey North Yorkshire, unless it is prepared to ignore key elements of a supplementary planning guidance document.
It said: "The parish council are concerned that the surface water drainage issues highlighted by Professor David Rhodes, Menston Action Group, Menston Community Association and ourselves have not been addressed to a point that would alleviate the fears of the residents regarding future flooding."
The council also questioned the proposed layout of the development, design of the houses and housing types.
Many Menston residents have already written in objection to the detailed planning application.
Outline planning permission for housing development was granted last year, as well as permission for 173 homes on nearby Derry Hill.
A further planning application has been submitted by Chartford Developments for 12 houses on a plot of land at Bingley Road. The parish council objected to this in December.


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By Emily Rempe, founder of Productive Parenting
We are all too aware of how modern technology is changing our lifestyles. Arguments could be made with much validity on each side to the merits and detriments of its steady infiltration into our lives. I am not writing to deny or defend the impacts of modern technology in our society and in our families. Rather, I am writing to declare with confidence one area that remains unsurpassed by modern technology – your child's play.
Children are designed to explore and understand the world around them through their senses. Their primary field guides in this exploration is you: the parent. Parents understand the importance of this role and aspire to introduce their young children to the world around them in creative and engaging ways. However motivated parents may be, when it comes to specific ways of engaging with their children in meaningful play, I often hear a collectively shared experience of inadequacy. This is when it becomes easy to buy into modern technology in an attempt to provide us with a commercialized means to nurture our children.
Why Do We Feel Inadequate?
I would like to offer my thoughts on why the perceived sense of inadequacy exists and how it can be alleviated. A generation ago, our mothers' educational opportunities were primarily limited to nursing and teaching. As these teachers became mothers, they naturally applied what they were doing in the classroom to their own children. The understanding of early childhood development easily translated into age appropriate ways of engaging with their own brood.
While it is wonderful that the opportunities available to women today are much broader, it has created a need for early childhood experts to share their expertise with parents who have become educated and skilled in other areas of study.
Components of Meaningful Play
When parents are equipped with the insights and ideas of early childhood experts to promote learning through the five senses, two key developments take place that cannot be usurped by modern technology:
- It promotes experiential learning through a child's five senses which lays a fundamental understanding of the world around them.
- Sharing the learning experiences together promotes and deepens bonds between parent and child that will lay a strong foundation for their future relationship.
When we as parents become a vital part of this nurturing process through activities that promote bonding between parent and child, we are well on our way of fulfilling our role. Equipped with timeless activities that have been nurturing young minds for centuries, we do not need to feel inadequate in our approach.
Attachment-Promoting Toddler Games
Below are a few examples of play activities that engage the senses and strengthen the attachment bond between you and your toddler. These suggestions come from ProductiveParenting.com, which offers simple ways to bond with your newborn through five-year-old child.
Clapping Numbers
Target Age: Early 2 year old
What To Do: Children learn using the sense of hearing. Listening and following directions are important skills for your child. Introduce this fun activity by saying, "I will clap one time." Clap. "I will clap two times." Clap. Clap. Continue up to four times. Have your child try clapping one, two, three, and four times. Continue only if your child is still interested.
Phone Conversations
Target Age: Middle 2 year old
Materials You Will Need: Two toy phones or disconnected phones
What To Do: Your child has seen and heard you on the phone many times. Now may be the time to let your child have a conversation with you on the phone! Dial your home number. Say it out loud as you dial. Talk to your child. Give your child time to talk to you. Show your child how to dial the home number. Keep the phones on the toy shelf for playtime.
Letter to Myself
Target Age: Late 2 year old
Materials You Will Need: paper, envelope, stamp
What To Do: Children love to bring in the mail! Help your child understand how this works firsthand with today's activity! Begin by having your child write a letter. (This usually means drawing.) Put your child's letter in an envelope. Address the letter to your child. Let your child put a stamp on the envelope. Take your child to a mailbox and let your child put the letter in the mailbox. Let your child check the mail every day until the letter arrives. Children are so excited to receive mail, just like you do!
Past, Present, Future
Target Age: Early 3 year old
What To Do: Today's activity will help develop your child's concept of time. Discuss the concepts of past, present, and future with your child. Give your child a few examples of things that have happened in the past (last birthday, last vacation, etc.), and see if your child can come up with some, too. Now discuss today's events as things that are happening in the present. Do the same for things that will or may happen in the future. Test your child's understanding of the concept by giving your child an event and asking him/her to categorize it.
Coin Patterning
Target Age: Late 3 year old
Materials You Will Need: assortment of coins
What To Do: While waiting in a restaurant, use the coins you have in your pocket or wallet to practice patterning with your child. Start with simple patterns, like penny, nickel, penny, nickel and see if your child can continue the pattern. Try more complicated patterns with more than two coins or let your child come up with his/her own patterns.


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Health coverage erodes for some N.J. families
Not so long ago, New Jersey boasted two programs that worked seamlessly to provide health insurance to the state's working poor.
In the spring of 2010, the Christie Administration made big changes to one of the programs, and now it's leaving thousands of people without coverage.
For years, parents with kids on a limited income either applied for Medicaid or the state-run program called NJ FamilyCare. These programs worked hand in hand. If you didn't qualify for one, chances are the other would cover you.
That hasn't been the case for nearly three years since the Christie administration froze NJ FamilyCare's enrollment and, to save money, changed the maximum amount parents can make while still qualifying for coverage.
That presents a problem, says Ray Castro, senior policy analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal think tank.
"There's no place for them to receive assistance," he said.
Castro's been watching as more than 40,000 residents have reportedly lost health coverage since the Christie changes.
"They just become uninsured, and they have to deal with that one way or another," he said.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services confirms that some people found themselves earning too much money to remain on NJ FamilyCare. Others were dropped by Medicaid because of income restrictions, and when they turned to FamilyCare, it wasn't taking applicants.
Some New Jersey lawmakers want to change NJ FamilyCare's eligibility rules so more families can remain with the plan. Castro says, ironically, the state is losing money by limiting the program. For every dollar it saves, it loses $2 in federal funds.


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Research Report: 2012 Multicultural Marketing and Newer Media Survey
October 5, 2012
This Research Report includes highlights from the 2012 Multicultural Marketing and Newer Media Survey. The survey was created to better understand how marketers are reaching out to their multicultural customer segments via newer media platforms (e.g., social media and mobile).
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- For Attendees
- Co-Located Events
- Computer Animation Festival
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- General Information
- Featured Speakers
- Reception
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Introduction to OpenCL by Example
Wednesday, 15 December | 7:00 午後 - 8:45 午後 | Room 308B/C
The rapidly changing capabilities of modern graphics processing units (GPUs) require that developers understand how to combine parallel-programming techniques with the traditional interactive rendering pipeline exposed by OpenGL and Direct3D. This course demonstrates how to combine traditional rendering APIs with advanced parallel computation using OpenCL (Open Computing Language), a cross-platform API for programming parallel systems such as GPUs. The course presenters are experts on general-purpose GPU computation and advanced rendering from academia and industry, and have presented papers and tutorials on the topic at SIGGRAPH, Graphics Hardware, Supercomputing, and elsewhere.
The first section reviews the basics of the OpenCL API, including a "Hello World" application written in OpenCL. Attendees with laptops will be able to try the examples on their own during the course. The second section covers more advanced cases, including how to write applications that interact with standard graphics APIs. The final section includes performance-optimization "tips and tricks" for writing OpenCL applications.
Intended Audience
Developers who want to use OpenCL to leverage GPUs and multi-core systems with an open, cross-platform API.
Presentation Language
Presented in English / 영어로 발표 됨
Session A:
- Why OpenCL is important for graphics
OpenCL overview
- Compute/memory model overview
OpenCL basics
- Simple applications
- "hello world" (vec add)
- "C" code
- OpenCL kernel
- host code
- Simple convolution filter
- Graphics API interop basics
- vertex animation example (buffer <-> VBO)
- post-processing example (image <-> PBO)
- Simple SAT implementation
Morning Session B:
OpenCL continued:
- Simple SAT implementation reprise
- Multi-wave optimization
- Image histogram
- basic implementation
- optimized implementation
- example application
- Cloth simulation
Conclusion & Q&A
Justin Hensley
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Derek Gerstmann
University of Western Australia
Jason Yang
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Instructor Bios
Justin Hensley
Justin Hensley is a senior member of the technical staff in AMD's Office of the CTO focusing on parallel programming using graphics processors. Since joining AMD, he has been involved with projects such as face recognition, depth extraction, and game physics. Recently, he has been involved with driving the compute requirements of next-generation graphics processors. He received his PhD in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007. He also holds an MS in electrical engineering and a BS in electrical engineering and computer science engineering from the University of California, Davis.
Derek Gerstmann
Derek Gerstmann is a research fellow at the University of Western Australia focusing on visualization and data analysis for the BioImaging Initiative, co-funded by the Western Australian Supercomputer Program (WASP) and the Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis (CMCA). His knowledge and experience in parallel and distributed computation comes from a diverse professional career, including engineering positions at AMD/ATI, Apple Computer, and Weta Digital. He received his MSc from the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA) at Bournemouth University and his BSc from the University of Washington.
Jason Yang
Jason Yang is a member of the technical staff in AMD's Office of the CTO currently focused on GPGPU research. Major projects he has been involved in include H.264 and VC-1 shader decoding and custom anti-aliasing with edge detection. Recently, he worked on AMD's Stream Computing SDK. He received his PhD in computer science and his BS in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005 and 1999 respectively.


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Note: This item is more than seven years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
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News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, email@example.com, 512-389-8030
June 3, 2010
Aquatic Plant Management Symposium at Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center June 19
ATHENS—The two questions most often asked by pond owners are "What's that stuff growing in my pond?" and "How do I control it?"
Those questions and more will be addressed at the Aquatic Plant Management Symposium at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) in Athens on June 19. The symposium will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Preregistration is encouraged; the $20 fee includes a barbecue lunch. To register call (903) 676-2277. All registration fees will be collected at the door; only cash or checks will be accepted.
For the most part both public impoundments and private ponds in Texas are created, not natural, and most therefore do not have native aquatic vegetation. Exotic vegetation often invades and can hamper access, impede boating and create unsafe conditions for swimming.
The symposium will feature presentations on Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's (TPWD) statewide aquatic plant management plan, Lake Athens aquatic plant control rules, and a case study of aquatic plant management on Lake Conroe.
Dr. Michael Masser of Texas A&M University will speak on management of aquatic weeds in private lakes, and TPWD fisheries biologists Dr. Richard Ott and Mark Webb will present information on native vegetation that can be planted to provide habitat for fish, improve water quality and help crowd out invasive species. Webb will also talk about controlling noxious plants.
A tour of a native aquatic plant nursery recently established at TFFC will show attendees how they can grow their own aquatic plants for planting into ponds.
Pond owners may bring samples of plants from their pond in waterproof plastic bags for identification and control recommendations.
The symposium is sponsored by the Lake Athens Property Owners Association (LAPOA), which is donating the proceeds from registration to TFFC's annual Bluegill Family Fishing Tournament. "People need to be aware of what are good weeds and what are bad weeds," said Bob Bushnell, LAPOA president. "Our purpose is to improve the well-being of the lake community, but we know that many ranchers and private pond owners are also interested in learning about weeds and how to deal with them."
The symposium will be held in the Hart-Morris Conservation Center at TFFC. For directions visit http://tpwd.texas.gov/spdest/visitorcenters/tffc/visit/information/map/ or call (903) 676-2277.
Please note that entry to the Hart-Morris Conservation Center is NOT through TFFC's main entrance. Instead, when approaching TFFC heading east on F.M. 2495, turn right onto Peninsula Point Rd., the second street after crossing the bridge over Lake Athens. Follow Peninsula Point Rd. (also known as CR 4812) for 0.2 mile to Gate E on your left. Enter Gate E and park in the lot surrounding the Conservation Center.
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(5.4.16 i)


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After rising Tuesday, corn futures proved able to sustain their upward momentum Wednesday. Recent talk of domestic supply tightness have apparently provided considerable support. Wire service reports indicating more liquid conditions at elevators and ethanol plants seemed to undercut prices around midsession, but surging soybean and wheat futures seemingly carried corn upward as well. May corn rose 4.0 cents to $7.325/bushel at its Wednesday settlement, while December gained 4.75 cents to $5.66.
Soybean futures rallied Wednesday, thereby seemingly reflecting trader expectations about Chinese actions after they canceled a large number of Brazilian orders (due to its logistical problems and resulting delays) earlier in the week. An examination of possible Chinese options after rescinding their purchases naturally suggested they would come to the U.S. for at least a portion of those shipments. May soybeans surged 13.0 cents to $14.1925/bushel late Wednesday afternoon, while May soyoil climbed 0.32 cents to 49.80 cents/pound, while May meal moved up $2.2 to $413.8/ton.
Persistent talk of vigorous wheat demand from both the domestic and export sectors boosted futures again Wednesday. Given the relative weakness of wheat prices when compared to the cost of corn, the traditional spring-summer harvest decline seems likely to be relatively small, which may be supporting the market. May CBOT wheat futures jumped 14.0 cents to $7.36/bushel as it closed Wednesday, while May KCBT wheat added 12.50 cents to $7.64, and May MGE futures leapt 11.75 cents to $8.095.
After initially declining in reaction to weak cash news, cattle futures rallied rather sharply Wednesday. Cattlemen across the Great Plains apparently took 124-125 cents/pound for their cattle late Tuesday afternoon, which represented 1-2 cent declines from last week. The subsequent Chicago rebound may have represented a 'sell the rumor, buy the fact' trader response to the news. Bulls may also have been reacting to talk that the Senate was working to avoid sequester furloughs of USDA meat inspectors. A deal was announced after the close. April cattle closed 0.75 cents higher, at 126.05 cents/pound, Wednesday afternoon, while August advanced 0.95 cents to 123.22. However, feeder futures remained under pressure. April feeders sank 0.72 cents to 137.75 cents/pound, and August lost 0.10 cents to 147.15.
Hog futures proved rather mixed Wednesday. The surprising strength exhibited by cattle futures may have boosted their summer counterparts in the swine pit. Conversely, nearby futures seemed vulnerable to talk of persistent cash and wholesale weakness. Wire service reports also cited weak export demand for undercutting the hog and pork complex. On the other hand, their large rebounds from early lows may inspire technical buying during the days just ahead. April hogs fell 0.35 cents to 77.87 cents/pound at its Wednesday close, while June rose 0.22 cents to 88.50.


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Moderators: Timko, Fritz, Solty, Booter, Blake_T, Frank Delicious
Wabbajack wrote:nice set up, it's nice to have the different wedges, and i also rock the hybrid 2i, it's my most consistent off the tee when i haven't hit the range in a while.
Anode|ION|JOKERi|MD2|FD|TD|PD|LEGENDaParks wrote:If the posts on this forum are any indication, the PD is like a Teebird with sunshine coming out of its butthole so hard that it flies faster.
TeamTollandDG wrote:Nice thread.... I like seeing the ball golf setup.
Titelist 983K - 10.5 - stiff shaft
Taylor Made 3 wood (can't remember the model)
Ping G2HL 3
Calaway X-14 - 5-9 (steel shaft)
Calaway V-Forged - 52, 56, 60
Odyssey 2ball blade
Used to be a teaching pro at Ellington Ridge CC, just lost the love for it. My iron game sucks now, but I only play once in a while now. I can still mash the K way out there and hit the wedges in (what used to be my bread and butter).
ferretdance03 wrote:I like it, but what's the purpose of 2 Maxes? Wouldn't a stable PD cover the beat Max? I only ask cause I know you're the minimalist type...
uNicedmeMan wrote:Current Rig:
2x wizards
3x rocs
1x glow stalker
1x se leopard
3x pd (flat pink DGR p, white DGR s, green c)
1x champ boss
All red and orange discs have been removed from bag to make disc locating in fall foliage easier.
GLong wrote:I'll bring my comet stash next time I'm in town and you can see what all the hype is about.
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What's a Letter Between Friends?Language brain teasers are those that involve the English language. You need to think about and manipulate words and letters.
Which is the odd couple? Find how these pairs were formed, then decide which does not belong with the other four.
1. HIS and MIST
2. LUSH and PULP
3. LOFT and SOUND
4. WIDE and NINE
5. HIKE and SEED
HintEach couple is a well-known pairing of words, with one letter swapped.
AnswerThe original couples, before the exchange of a letter, were:
1. HIT and MISS
2. PUSH and PULL
3. LOST and FOUND
4. WINE and DINE
5. HIDE and SEEK
The odd couple is 'WINE and DINE'. All the others are antonym pairs.
What Next?
See another brain teaser just like this one...
Or, just get a random brain teaser
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
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Freezing Pipes and Plumbing -- Winter Preparedness Tips
Fairfax Water encourages residents to take the following preventative actions to protect home plumbing:
Locate and mark the main water cutoff valve for your home. This
cutoff valve is usually found near where the waterline comes into your
house. Damage from running water can be minimized if you can turn off
this valve quickly.
Make sure the waterline to outside faucets is turned off and the
line is drained. Consider wrapping or insulating your water pipes,
especially those pipes near outside walls, under the house or in the
attic. Insulation supplies are available at local home improvement or
hardware stores.
Eliminate drafts. Check around the home for areas where water
supply lines are located in unheated areas and take measures to prevent
the flow of cold air in these areas. Look in the basement, crawl space,
attic, garage and under kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Both hot and
cold water pipes in these areas should be insulated. A hot water supply
line can freeze just as a cold water supply line can if water is not
running through the pipe and the water temperature becomes cold.
If a water pipe freezes, never try to thaw it with an open flame or
torch. You can use a hair dryer or portable heater, but always be
careful of the potential for electric shock in and around standing
If you will be away from your home, keep the thermostat at a
reasonable temperature to make sure all areas with water pipes are
kept above freezing.
If you suspect you have a frozen water meter, call Fairfax Water for
help. Service crews are available 24 hours a day and will respond as
soon as possible.
- Business hours: 703-698-5800, TTY 711.
After hours: 703-698-5613, TTY 711.
- If you are vacating your home because you have lost your heat source, locate and turn off your main water cutoff valve. After the valve is turned off, open a faucet on each level of your home to allow for expansion should the undrained water freeze. If you are staying in your home or will be monitoring your home frequently, allow a faucet to drip cold water slowly. At a minimum, the dripping faucet should be the one that is the greatest distance from your main water cutoff valve. Consider allowing a slow drip in areas that are least protected from the cold (basements, crawl spaces, attics and garages).
More Information


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Lady Gaga Shares Futuristic Bride Photo of Herself With Tony Bennett
This is a new couple alert of a different sort. Lady Gaga confirmed that she will be doing a jazz album with crooner and frequent collaborator Tony Bennett, with whom she sang 'The Lady Is a Tramp' and who sketched her in her birthday suit. Bennett was her date to the private inauguration event, where she performed for White House Staff, and she shared a new photo from the festivities.
Looking like a futuristic bride in her white dress with poufy, adorned sleeves — don't those look like eyeballs or some sort of aliens protruding from her shoulders? — and dramatic, blunt bangs, a look that she rocked early in her career, Gaga poses beautifully in this black and white shot, with that arm candy known as Bennett.
They really do make a darling pair, don't they?
She tweeted that she "loves" the photo.
So do we.
She and Bennett are a dashing pair and we cannot wait to hear the fruits of their recorded labor.
We also can't help but notice that Gaga's boobs are focal point of her wedding-dress like frock. Maybe that's what Tony's grinning about?
Watch the Lady Gaga + Tony Bennett 'The Lady Is a Tramp' Video
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UPLAND – Helping students stay on the right path is s group effort.
One of the more successful ones locally is the Upland Community Partnership. It was created almost two decades ago after a local businessman was murdered by gang members and his family and community members said something had to be done.
"It was a positive response to a terrible tragedy," said Sue Sundell, long-time board member.
"Its purpose then and now is to support programs that enhance the educational, social, physical and emotional needs of Upland youth, leading them away from patterns of crime and juvenile delinquency and helping them to succeed in school. Research shows that youth behave better, handle conflict more easily, improve their social skills and benefit from positive adult attention when they get involved in afterschool programs."
And that has been the Upland Community Partnership's mission all these years later.
It operates at three different school sites within the city, offering young people a place where they can get help with their homework or just hang out.
The nonprofit group relies on donations and grants to keep going. Once a year, it hosts a community spaghetti dinner to raise money. This year will mark the 16th year of its existence. The dinner is scheduled for Oct. 27, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the George Gibson Senior Center in downtown Upland.
In addition to the supper, there will be opportunity drawings. Local woodworker Dennis Hays has donated a handcrafted sideboard, valued at $1,500, for the event.
"The spaghetti dinner is our only fundraiser. Money raised helps pay for staff and supplies for our three neighborhood sites. The balance of our funding comes from grants," Sundell said.
"We operate these neighborhood-based programs four days a week after school. Children get curriculum-related activities provided to them in order to develop skills for success. Upland Public Library's bookmobile visits monthly. Police and fire personnel also stop by to talk to the kids. Each day between 20 to 40 children participate at each site."
The programs are working, according to several who are associated with them.
`The partnership's afterschool program has been very successful for my boys. They are more conscientious about doing the school work and making sure they get it done correctly. Both have become better students," said parent Valentina Smith.
"Over the years there has been a transformation in our neighborhoods served by the Upland Community Partnership. Our children have found a safe place to receive tutoring and mentoring," said Upland Police Chief Jeff Mendenhall.
And, "So many of our children are left to fend on their own after school without parental guidance to keep them out of gangs and out of trouble. These children soon find their way into the juvenile delinquency courts and all too often end up in the adult criminal system. Community based afterschool programs provide a viable alternative," said Superior Court Judge Mary E. Fuller.
Tickets for the dinner are $20 for adults and $10 for children.
For information, call 909-931-4280.


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A group of seven House members from Upstate New York, representing more than 90 percent of the state's dairy farms, have asked the federal government to delay plans for surprise inspections of the state's dairies to give farmers more time to education themselves and prepare for inspections.
According to The Post-Standard, a Syracuse, N.Y.-based newspaper, efforts to delay these plans are being led by U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, R-N.Y.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced it was developing plans to hold surprise inspections of New York's dairy farmers beginning in 2014 because of safety concerns. The program is similar to one already under way in Wisconsin.
"We've seen a number of accidents and fatalities (on farms) in the last couple of years," Christopher Adams, OSHA's area director in Syracuse said. "This is an industry that we wanted to get into and to help ensure that employees that work in these facilities have a safe workplace."
See, "Feds plan surprise safety inspections of New York dairy farms."
Now, the coalition of lawmakers is hoping to persuade OSHA for an "indefinite delay" of the inspection program. Together, the seven House members represent more 5,000 of New York's dairy farms.
"Having run a business for 30 years and having spent many summers growing up on a Herkimer County dairy farm, two things are very clear to me," Hanna said in a statement. "The first is that no one cares more about a safe workplace more than farmers and business owners themselves. The other is that because OSHA fines immediately, these inspections can have a severe impact on small businesses operating on tight margins."
"OSHA should agree to allow New York dairy farmers more time to educate themselves and prepare for inspections," he added. "We all share the goal of operating farms as safely as possible; let's simply make sure this program is actually about improving safety and less about collecting fines from hardworking farmers to send to Washington."
Read more from The Post-Standard.
New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton said in Hanna's release that he agrees with the lawmakers.
"New York's dairy farmers care deeply about providing a safe environment for their employees, family members and themselves," Norton said. "While we have been working proactively with OSHA on the future inspections, it is imperative that our farms have the time and resources to meet the new demands placed on their businesses. We greatly appreciate the New York Representatives looking into these concerns to find a workable solution that will help our farms implement additional safety protocols while also supporting a critical sector of the state's rural economy."
Click here to read the text of letter sent to OSHA.
The Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times reports that anxiety surrounding the OSHA inspections is persuasive among the state's farmers for a good reason. In 2012, inspection officers from the agency's 24-county central New York region handed out 1,346 violation citations to businesses during 592 inspections. Fines totaled $2.6 million, with the average about $2,500 and the highest about $7,000. The inspections included various businesses, including agriculture, manufacturing and construction. It was unclear how many of the violations pertained to farms.
Currently, OSHA officers inspect dairy farmers only when they receive a safety- or health-related complaint or feral from an employee, resident or other agency. Read more.


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Peck -- Sitting on our Assets: Cutting Spending and Private Redevelopment of Underperforming Buildings
Good afternoon, Chairman Denham, Ranking Member Norton, and members of this Subcommittee. My name is Robert A. Peck, and I am the Commissioner of the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Public Buildings Service (PBS). I am honored to join you here today at the Old Post Office, a fitting example of a redevelopment opportunity that this Administration is considering how best to transform a historic property that, in its current form, is configured inefficiently for government office use, and an annex pavilion that was a commercial failure, into an asset put to its best use.
This project is only one example of GSA's ability to effectively utilize our owned and leased building portfolio. GSA is a leader in government and outpaces the private sector in the asset management of our buildings and leases. We are also building on our successes with aggressive efforts to improve utilization, deliver new and innovative workplace strategies, and use new authorities to further partner with the private sector to benefit taxpayers.
GSA: the Federal Government's Asset Manager –
Since 2002, GSA has undertaken a major portfolio restructuring. We have disposed of 204 vacant or underutilized properties, totaling more than 9.5 million square feet, from the inventory. This represents a 5.3 percent reduction in GSA's owned portfolio and the elimination of almost $484 million in anticipated repair needs.
In June 2010, the President issued a memorandum, "Disposing of Unneeded Federal Real Estate," that ordered all Federal agencies to step up this effort. As part of this effort, GSA's Office of Real Property Utilization and Disposal has tripled the number of governmentwide assets classified as excess for disposal consideration and has set aggressive targets for disposals, on behalf of other Federal agencies, in FY11 and FY12 in support of the President's memorandum. Moving forward, GSA will continue to aggressively identify and target underutilized assets for disposal within the existing framework of authorities, from reviewing the potential for public benefit conveyances to environmental remediation under CERCLA as well as NEPA and Section 106 compliance.
When GSA gained the authority to retain sales proceeds in 2005, GSA's disposal actions returned almost $227 million in receipts to PBS's Federal Buildings Fund.1 These funds have been reinvested into our portfolio to help maintain well functioning and welcoming buildings.
The Thaddeus J. Dulski Federal Office Building in Buffalo, NY represents a case study in an effective disposition. In 2005, PBS excessed this building, which had a high vacancy rate and a need for costly renovations. This underperforming asset was sold to a private developer in 2006 and produced $6 million for the Federal Buildings Fund. The building was renovated as a mixed-use hotel, commercial and residential property that has helped keep jobs in downtown Buffalo, while adding to the tax base for the city.
GSA has led Federal efforts to utilize government-owned space effectively. At the end of FY10, GSA's national vacancy rate for all owned and leased assets was 2.4 percent, significantly less than the national private sector rate of 16.7 percent. Additionally, less than 3 percent of GSA's portfolio has been classified as an under- or non-utilized asset, according to the 2009 Federal Real Property Profile.
When we find underutilized space in areas where there is a continuing Federal need, GSA works aggressively to renovate and reuse the asset to achieve greater utilization. One example of that is GSA's renovation of 50 United Nations Plaza in San Francisco. That renovation, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), will restore a historic property that is currently vacant. When the project is complete. it will house GSA's regional offices. That, in turn, will enable us to move the FBI and U.S. Courts out of currently leased space into federally-owned space in the Burton Federal Building, which will help us realize a long-run cost savings in our space portfolio.
Since our restructuring initiative began, we have also delivered a number of critical consolidation projects and completed more than 140 major modernization projects. These facilities provide more efficient workspace for tenant agencies.
The FDA Headquarters campus at the White Oak Federal Research Center in Maryland, which was previously a military base, is another example of an important Federal consolidation and redevelopment project. GSA is moving FDA from more than 40 dispersed and outmoded facilities into a new federal campus that will enhance FDA's ability to carry out its mission and increase the revenue stream into the Federal Buildings Fund. When complete, the campus will comprise almost 4 million square feet of offices and laboratories, housing more than 8,000 FDA employees. The presence of FDA on the White Oak campus is driving private sector economic development to create a larger science-based research and development sector in suburban Maryland.
The development of the DHS Headquarters campus at St. Elizabeths in Southeast Washington, D.C., is another critical consolidation and redevelopment project GSA is leading for the Federal government. This project, initiated through Recovery Act funds, enabled us to begin construction of the 4.5 million square foot campus that will consolidate DHS workers from more than 50 locations in the D.C. metropolitan area into one modern and efficient campus thereby saving taxpayers an estimated $600 million2 compared to the cost of leasing.
The Recovery Act allowed GSA the opportunity to invest in our inventory and begin many needed renovations. Another critical Recovery Act project, the modernization of GSA's headquarters at 1800 F Street, provides an example of taking an older asset in our portfolio and converting it into a modern and efficient workspace. With only a modest amount of expansion space, we intend to turn a building that previously served 2,000 personnel into a building that will serve 6,000.
Legislative Authorities for Disposal, Reinvestment, and Redevelopment –
Congress has played a critical role in our ability to more effectively utilize our space. GSA has successfully used our out-leasing authorities to improve the use of our properties. Section 111 of the National Historic Preservation Act allows us to out-lease underutilized historic Federal buildings, in whole or in part, to non-Federal tenants. Section 412, which Congress granted in the FY 2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act,3 allows GSA to retain net proceeds from dispositions of its real and related personal property through sale, lease, exchange, or otherwise, including leaseback arrangements.
The sale of more than 50 acres of land at the Denver Federal Center in 2007 highlights GSA's use of this Section 412 authority to return millions of dollars for the Federal Buildings Fund. This negotiated sale also illustrates GSA's effective partnering with local communities to reposition surplus real property while encouraging development. GSA conveyed this property to the City of Lakewood as a site for relocation of the St. Anthony's Central Hospital. GSA sold another 15 acres in 2007 to the City to help facilitate a public, intermodal transportation terminal for bus and light rail and related transit-oriented development.
The John W. McCormack Post Office and Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts showcases an innovative use of our authorities to ensure an historic building remained an active but modernized asset in GSA's inventory. In 1998, the Federal courts relocated to a new courthouse from the McCormack Courthouse, leaving a substantial vacancy. Given the building's age, the McCormack Courthouse faced significant reinvestment needs. Using the Section 111 authority, GSA temporarily leased the building to the Massachusetts State Trial Courts, a tenant with common courthouse functions. Doing so obviated the need for considerable build-out and maintained the viability of an historic asset. A decade later, following the end of the lease and the relocation of the State courts, GSA renovated the building for renewed Federal use, using a number of innovative sustainable building technologies and practices. To support the reinvestment cost, GSA worked with Federal agencies to relocate them from leased spaced into the newly renovated building, transforming the building into a high performing, financially sustainable asset.
Congress also has on occasion granted GSA special authority to adopt innovative, flexible arrangements for working with the private sector. For instance, GSA received authority to develop the Southeast Federal Center (SEFC) site in Washington, DC, through the Southeast Federal Center Public-Private Development Act of 20004. By leveraging the private sector's creativity, experience, and resources, GSA achieved its goal of transforming the SEFC site into an asset where office workers, residents and visitors can live and work. GSA helped transform this waterfront property into a unique mixture of office and other commercial space, residential homes, and public amenities, while retaining proceeds of more than $43 million.
GSA used its authority under Section 111 to lease the historic Tariff Building in Washington, DC, for use as a first-class hotel and restaurant, eliminating operating and maintenance costs while ensuring long-term stewardship and public access to this important historic building. The building, which served as the first headquarters of the Post Office Department, sat vacant for 15 years following the departure of the Tariff Commission in 1987, while the surrounding Penn Quarter neighborhood was largely dormant. GSA worked with private sector developers to transform the 161-year old building and help revitalize the Penn Quarter neighborhood, leasing the property to a private hotel company that reopened the Tariff Building in 2002 as the Hotel Monaco. The lease provided for privately funded restoration of ornamental spaces, replacement of all building systems, modification to bring the building up to current code requirements, and a positive net rental revenue over the 60-year lease.
Finally, we get to the project that brings us here today, the redevelopment of the Old Post Office. The Old Post Office presents a unique history. Federal funding for renovation was combined with a private sector out-lease in 1982 that provided for a ground floor and below-grade retail pavilion with $28 million in private funds for construction and leasehold improvements. The building re-opened in 1983 with a mix of Federal tenants and retail uses. This lease was amended in 1989 to provide for construction of the Annex, which was constructed with $1.75 million in Federal funds and $5.5 million from the private sector. Though intended for retail use, it was never fully tenanted and its potential was never fully realized. The Pavilion and the Annex were commercial failures, resulting in a default on the leasehold mortgage in 1993. After Collin Equities, an affiliate of Wells Fargo, bought the leasehold interest for $8.5 million at foreclosure, GSA paid Collin Equities $7.1 million to acquire the leasehold interest in 2001.
With direction provided by Congress in the Old Post Office Building Redevelopment Act of 2008,5 and authority provided in Section 111, GSA is now able to leverage private sector real estate investment to reposition the Old Post Office as a viable asset, while preserving its historic integrity; putting the asset to its highest and best use, thereby providing a financial return to the Federal government; allowing for public access; and contributing to the vitality of Pennsylvania Avenue, the Federal Triangle, and the District of Columbia. We are examining the best approaches to redevelopment of the Old Post Office. We're working on what the right kind of Request for Proposals (RFP) would include, for example. It will be important to ensure that any proposed deal is in the best interest of the Federal taxpayer and that it limits the government's exposure to risk.
As we have pursued redevelopment, GSA has continued to maximize our returns and minimize our annual losses by fully utilizing the available office space and using our authority under the Public Buildings Cooperative Use Act to lease the atrium's pavilion to house a food court and retailers.
Pursuing Innovative Solutions to Optimize Space and Reduce Costs –
Beyond our asset management strategies and existing authorities, GSA is leading the way to use space more effectively by breaking out of traditional office space configurations and providing tools and solutions that support a truly mobile workforce. During our headquarters building renovation, we have started using GSA's "swing space" as a laboratory for new technologies and solutions for alternative workplace arrangements, such as hotelling office space. We have also been studying best practices from other organizations throughout the United States and the world to learn how they effectively use space. Over the long-term, such practices hold great promise for enabling us to carry out government functions with much less office space per Federal employee.
GSA is partnering with Federal agencies to develop workspace solutions that create a flexible and mobile work environment. GSA is beginning to help agencies manage space utilization by offering guidance to reduce the amount of space required over time and increase Federal employee productivity. We are reinventing ourselves by changing from an organization that processes orders for space to creating agency partnerships that develop innovative options that enable agencies to use space more efficiently at a lower cost through the use of technology, sustainability, flexible office utilization, and a more mobile work environment.
In cooperation with the Office of Personnel Management, GSA is providing Federal managers with the tools necessary to build a mobile workforce. GSA is committed to leading the government and private industry in telework initiatives and is striving for 60 percent of all GSA employees to telework at least two days per pay period. This practice has the potential to create substantial savings both in real estate and operating costs.
Working with other Federal Agencies –
GSA supports the Administration's goals of disposing of unneeded real property and reducing Federal spending by providing a variety of asset management and disposal services to other landholding Federal agencies. GSA assists agencies in developing asset management plans and strategies, in accordance with the President's June 2010 memorandum and Executive Order 13327, "Federal Real Property Asset Management," to improve asset utilization. GSA provides the resources, tools, and experience necessary to drive effective real estate decisions throughout the government.
Conclusion –
GSA is a leader in asset management, aggressively moving unneeded properties, effectively utilizing space, and pursuing new strategies that meet our obligation to taxpayers to house government's functions as efficiently and economically as reasonably possible. We are also taking advantage of our position in the Federal government to help drive better decision-making across partner agencies that will result in a sustainable and efficient government.
Redevelopment of the Old Post Office is a great example of how the Federal government can, in cooperation with the private sector, turn a commercial failure and a less-than-optimal office building into a facility that will more efficiently serve its community and produce a return on the investment for the Federal government.
I appreciate the opportunity to come here today and I welcome your questions.
1 This figure includes revenue generated through use of all GSA disposal authorities. GSA has generated more than $150 million for the Federal Buildings Fund using Section 412 authority alone.
2 $600 million in savings represents the total amount in present value terms compared to the cost of leasing the same amount of space over 30 years.


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09.23.2017 | 3 Tishri, 5778
The next generation of security experts takes on Israel
Lebanese president: Hezbollah ensures Lebanon's 'resistance against Israel'
Syrian Deputy PM to UN: 'Israel supports groups fighting regime'
Abbas: UN must try to end Israeli occupation 'within set timeframe'
Kahlon comes out in opposition to Bennett's High Court override bill
Chinese millionaire to set up artificial intelligence lab in Haifa
Catholic monastery near Jerusalem vandalized for third time in 4 years
Car accident leads to large brawl in Northern Israel
UK's Johnson vows to 'build the strongest-ever relationship' with Israel
Netanyahu: Trip to Latin America, UN vastly improved Israel's strategic situation
Netanyahu rejects court request to implement Kotel agreement
Watch: Netanyahu roams the streets of NY ahead of UN speech
Conan O'Brien edits Israel travel special after controversy over contents
Controversial film Foxtrot wins 'Israeli Oscars'
Grapevine: Shared pain
'Foxtrot' should dance its way to an Ophir win
Harel Levy appointed as Davis Cup captain
Maccabi Tel Aviv edges Netanya in thriller
Jerusalem to host world-famous Giro d'Italia 2018 'Big Start'
Captain Ran bids farewell after Israel swept 5-0 by Ukraine
How Equifax's data breach threatens Israeli security
Tech Talk: Technological cooperation with the Windy City
Your Taxes: Your Future: Gas – Blessing or Curse?
Israel's SwitchBee is adding brainpower to your home
Israeli doctors are first to implant device for congestive heart failure
Rambam Hospital hosts Chinese teams, treats deformed children in Ghana
Social environment not genes sometimes responsible for behaviors of sexes
Bone tissue grown outside the body transplanted into arm
Haifa Chemicals to close down two plants, layoff 800 workers
Israel's own 'Mr. Arava'
Industrial waste water leaks from Israeli chemical plant
Watch: Hundreds of jellyfish threaten to clog up Israeli power plant
Bibi and Sisi
Column One: Israel and the American Jewish crisis
Editor's Notes: A year to decide
September 20, 2017: Rabbinic will
Countering the US, Iran test-fires new ballistic missile
Saudi cleric suspended for saying women can't drive due to brain shrinkage
Iran unveils a ballistic missile that can hit Israel in military parade
The Iraqi militia helping Iran carve a road to Damascus
Iran's Rouhani takes the stage at UN to lambast 'ignorant' Trump
Trump debates 'decertification' approach to undercut Iran deal
US and Iran argue over inspections at nuclear watchdog meeting
New York synagogue unveils first Torah written by a woman
In Pictures: Ultra-Orthodox flock to celebrate Rosh Hashana in Ukraine
Rabbi to lead annual Muslim Day Parade in New York
Auschwitz museum opens new textile warehouse to display prisoners' clothes
Tel Aviv University is getting into the aliyah business through Yeshiva University
Israeli start-up building thermal cameras for self-driving cars
US politicians, European technicians stream toward Israeli-run water technology
Trump mulls new order to replace travel ban, no decision yet
Bill Clinton's upcoming suspense novel to become television series
US weighs whether to stay in Iran nuclear deal
Report: Trump adviser was wiretapped under secret court orders
Analysis: Clinton falls amid assault on establishment
Clinton concedes: 'We have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling'
Hillary Clinton and the glass ceiling: Cracked but intact
NY hassidic village loyal to Clinton despite Trump popularity among ultra-Orthodox
Trump reportedly picks friend of Jared Kushner to serve in administration
Trump calls UN 'sad,' days after Israeli settlements vote
Saddam Hussein's daughter touts Trump's 'political sensibility'
Dermer calls on Trump to move embassy to Jerusalem
Musician tattoos Anne Frank on his face
Grapevine: Family ties
Wash your hands, please
Star Catcher: Astrology for the week of September 15, 2017
Podcast: Three Ladies, Three Lattes
Podcast: Does Trump love Jews or embolden antisemitic voices?
Why Starbucks failed in Israel (and only in Israel)
Taxicab Diplomacy: Trump vs. Clinton
Watch: Netanyahu welcomes Conan in comedic video
Top Jewish lawyers hired in Rob Kardashian, Blac Chyna case
Jewish teen's graduation prank goes viral
Jewish comedian Chelsea Handler offers Ivanka some 'Father's Day advice'
Warning: Weddings can be hazardous to your health
Race for respect
Port of Tel Aviv: More than a pretty picture
Creating chaos
Feeling good at Ulpan: Going back to school to Learn Hebrew is fun
Ten years of living in Israel by the numbers
Genius: Spiritual Zionism's great opportunity
Shamai Glick – a portrait
'Transparent' goes to Israel and other September surprises
Four new beers
Classic, creative and kosher
New concept
From Urban to Urbun
The wrath of the south
Star Catcher: Astrology for the week of September 22, 2017
Tel Aviv comes to London
New concept: Treating first-time sufferers of mental breakdowns
A boutique hotel in Acre's Old City
לָשִיר זֶה כְּמוֹ לִהְיוֹת יַרְדֵן
חַדְרֵי הַבַּיִת
בְּכָל זֹאת אֵינֶנִי נִפְרָד
דַבֵּר עִבְרִית
The Christian Edition- one month free subscription
Comment: There is still hope the World Council of Churches repents
Christian analyst: You can condemn Jews but not jihadists?
There are now Christian mezuzahs
Thousands Participate in Marathon Honoring Fallen Druze IDF Soldiers
KKL-JNF and the USFS Explore Collaboration in Ecological Forestry Services
Latin American Delegation Learns about Israeli Water Management
greenXchange Reimagines Green Building in Israel
Words going into Rosh Hashana
I Need To See The Picture
The D.C. Swamp that Needs Draining
On Korea, America should learn from Israel
JIMENA - Voice of Forgotten Refugees
04/12/2013 23:07
Voice of Henriette Eshkenazi
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Mingo County residents are running for their lives
Sustainable Williamson: 'A healthy conspiracy' WILLIAMSON, W.Va. -- As rain threatened and fog circled the mountaintops, about 120 people -- adults and kids -- lined up along the Tug River flood wall up for Williamson's monthly 5K run and walk, chatting, laughing, greeting.Many were beginners. Schoolteachers, railroad workers, kids, housewives, grandparents, some had never run or walked a 5K before. There was excitement in the air. "My friend did it," one woman said, "so now I'm trying." Others echoed her.At the signal, everyone ran -- or walked -- through town, streamed across the Corridor G bridge, then headed up the steep road looping through the Williamson cemetery. City police cars with flashing lights kept them safe on the bridge.In nine months, these monthly 5Ks have become a regular Mingo County community event, not advertised much beyond the county. They are one prong of a many-pronged, multi-agency effort to improve the coalfield county's alarming health statistics.In 2011-12, 39 percent of Mingo fifth-graders were measured with high blood pressure. Almost 40 percent of adults are obese, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. The county leads West Virginia in hypertension. Mingo's early-death rate is one of the highest in the nation."We're facing a situation no one agency can solve," said Randy Keathley, Mingo County Schools superintendent, "so we're working together as a county -- as one, not as a bunch of individual agencies. It's going to take everyone working together."About three years ago, a determined group of Williamson-area residents from multiple organizations, government offices and businesses decided to pool efforts and try to lower those numbers. They managed to develop an array of projects "that are starting to add up to real change," said Dr. Dino Beckett, president of the Williamson Redevelopment Authority.The monthly 5Ks are one of the most visible and least expensive. About 25 people showed up for the first one, last June. The next month, 70 came. The next, it was 100."Wait till warm weather," said organizer Alexis Batausa. "Then it's going to explode."Batausa, 29, helps the Tug Valley Road Runners organize the 5Ks as part of his job with the Mingo County Diabetes Coalition. His job description: Get people hooked on moving. Make it fun. "Anyone who exercises a half hour three times a week is less likely to get diabetes and heart disease," Batausa said. "This is something any county can do for its residents."The Tug Valley Road Runners sponsor high-profile marathons each year, such as the Hatfield & McCoy Marathon. They attract people from several states. "But these monthly races are for us, for local people," said David Hatfield, club president.Batausa is in the perfect position to inspire people. A Williamson High graduate, he ballooned up after graduation, then shed it by running. People look at him and think change is possible, he said.Every week, in between 5Ks, he invites everyone to join his daily runs around Williamson. On the Tug Valley Road Runners Facebook page, he keeps up a stream of tips and encouraging chatter and tells when/where the next daily run will start.Williamson residents have gotten used to seeing people run past."It's contagious, the way they're doing it," said resident Rick Robinette, waiting for the 5K to start. "You see people running, then you see them again, then you want to do it, too, so you think about it, then maybe the next month, you show up, and then you're hooked.His wife, Suzanne, said the every-month schedule makes a big difference. "It's motivating," she said. "It makes me want to run in between 5Ks, to get in better shape, to see if I can do better next month."So far, it's paying for itself, Hatfield said. They charge $20 for adults, $5 for kids. Everyone gets a T-shirt, and every child gets a little trophy. Sometimes, sponsors kick in. Williamson Memorial Hospital sponsored a recent run."Our aims go hand in hand with the aims of the Diabetes Coalition," Hatfield said. "This is a good partnership.""What we're doing is, we're adding running and walking to the county cultural mix," said Vicki Hatfield. "It's not weird to run down the street anymore."Most Mingo adults are not going to jump up off the couch and start running, she knows. "But some will, and a lot more will think about it, so we're starting there. It will spread."Mingo County has one of the state's highest unemployment rates and lowest per capita incomes. "And walking or running doesn't cost a dime, once you've got shoes," she said. "This is something any county could do.""Something is happening around here," said retired teacher Dru Simpkins, waiting for the October 5K to start. "Something is changing."People who run with Batausa see some of the changes. Sometimes, they run past the farmers market and the two new hoop greenhouses that supply it. They run past the community gardens where, in warm weather, elderly people grow corn in the middle of town. Sometimes, they run up the mountain to the new pick-your-own orchard. Or they run on acres outside town where the Redevelopment Authority is creating a recreation area with hiking/biking trails."It used to be that you never saw anybody out walking," said Simpkins' walking buddy, Mary Ann Elia, 59. She and her friends walk 4 miles a day now, she said. "Now we always run into people walking or running on the floodwall and in the streets,"Scott Suttles, from nearby Pikeville, Ky., called it cultural change in action. "I think we're revising our own stereotype of ourselves," he said.The next monthly run is a night run at 7 p.m. on March 22. Registration begins at 5 p.m. at 201 Central Ave. in South Williamson.Reach Kate Long at 304-348-1798 or firstname.lastname@example.com. "The Shape We're In" has been supported by a Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism fellowship, administered by the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
W.Va. gets its share from Wells Fargo bid-rigging
Sustainable Williamson projects: The list goes on and on


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UPDATE: 5.25pm
Gwent Police have confirmed the fire is not being treated as suspicious.
UPDATE: 4.11pm
The 77-year-old woman rescued from the Six Bells blaze is now in a critical condition and has been moved to Morriston Hospital in Swansea.
UPDATE: 3.57pm
The elderly woman rescued in today's blaze remains in a "serious" condition in Nevill Hall Hospital.
It is still not clear whether or not the fire was deliberately set.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is awaiting the results of an investigation at the site of the fire on Bryngwyn Road in Abertillery for several hours following the blaze.
A spokesperson for Gwent Police said they are expectinbg to be briefed by the fire service by "the end of the day".
Fire damage at the house on Bryngwyn Road in Six Bells. Pic by Michael Eden.
Firefighters on Bryngwyn Road in Six Bells. Pic by Michael Eden.
UPDATE: 11.59am
David Edwards, 26, who lives on Bryngwyn Road, said: "I saw a fire engine fly past my window this morning so I went to see what was going on.
"It was unbelievable. There was smoke everywhere and it was quite a big fire. I've never seen a house fire like that to be honest."
A Welsh Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "We were called at 7.36am to reports of a fire at a property on Bryngwyn Road in Abertillery.
Two rapid response vehicles and two emergency ambulances attended, and a man in a stable condition and a woman in a serious condition were taken to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny."
UPDATE: 11.37am
The elderly woman rescued from the blaze this morning is in a serious condition, a spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance Service said.
A man, who residents say the man is the woman's husband, is in a stable condition.
They were both taken to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny.
Fire crews attended a house fire on Bryngwyn Road in Six Bells at around 7.30am, after a fire in the kitchen area on the first floor spread to an adjoining property.
The police and fire service are still looking to see whether the fire was deliberately set.
UPDATE: 9.10am
A WOMAN has been rescued from a house fire in Six Bells and taken to hospital this morning.
Fire crews from Abertillery, Blaina and Brynmawr arrived at 7.33am and are still at the scene.
The fire is in the kitchen on the ground floor of the house.
Are you at the scene? Let us know or send pictures to email@example.com


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Brandon Lockridge and his electrician-school classmate stopped into The Vape Bar in San Jose, bellied up to the shiny wooden bar and ordered the usual.
Thunderclouds of vapor soon swirled over the men's heads, then vanished like ghosts. A candy-store scent sweetened the room, courtesy of the featured flavor for October: Witcher's Brew, a combo of peaches-and-cream and butterscotch liquids, noted on a large chalkboard menu in coffeehouse fashion.
This is the world of vaping -- puffing on inhalers sometimes known as electronic cigarettes or vape pens. The devices use small batteries to heat a flavored liquid until it produces a vapor. The liquid may contain varying levels of a nicotine kick, from zero (flavor only) up to 24 milligrams, but no tobacco smoke is produced.
Vaping has become so popular that it's now an official "scene," a subculture with its own lingo: Do you wind your coils in bunny ears or roller coasters? Is variable voltage better, or drip style? How about an RBA (rebuildible atomizer) you can tinker with to adjust the draw, and create more flavor and bigger vapor clouds? Users can subscribe to VPR, "the leading Vape lifestyle magazine," or mingle at a "vape meet."
"It's not just the vapor, it's about the style, being able to have this in your hand," said Peter Edwards, 29, of San Jose, at The Vape Bar, rolling his e-pen with his fingers like a fine cigar. "Once you spark that button on your pen and you get this going, whether it's nicotine or marijuana or nothing in it but flavor, it's cool. You want to be GQ cool."
Lockridge, 27, credits vaping for reduced nicotine intake -- he's down to 6-milligram juices -- but he also just enjoys the bar atmosphere, like hanging out at a neighborhood watering hole.
"I like coming in here, talking to people about the pens," he said, explaining the workings of his device. "This is a single coil. You wrap it, drip the juice on it. I did a lot of research. This one is a second-generation Zmax with a digital display, you can check the battery life. It's fun to tinker with it."
Early e-cig prototypes were introduced in the mid-2000s, but refined devices -- many manufactured by the big tobacco companies -- have grown in popularity worldwide in the past few years. Vaping has been big in Southern California, and the trend recently spread to the Bay Area, where you can find at least a dozen dedicated vape shops in San Francisco alone, not to mention e-cig and vaping supplies available at regular smoke shops across the region. Many users also modify the devices to vape marijuana or other drugs.
Some e-cig brands resemble real cigarettes, glowing on the tip when you inhale. Others look like small mechanical cylinders; users joke they're "Star Wars" light sabers. Some are bejeweled with bling and come in more colors than an iPhone 5C.
In the past few months, e-cigarettes have been making news -- and not necessarily in a good way. While proponents rave that they're a great way to kick the tobacco habit, public health officials and government bodies -- from Bay Area cities to state agencies to the FDA -- are pushing for more research, possible taxation and regulation under existing tobacco laws. Some fear the sweet flavors such as bubble gum and blueberry and the appealing lack of cigarette smoke will lure young people into the nicotine habit, even though it's illegal to sell them to minors. Most shop owners say they ask for ID.
"The act of inhaling anything into the lungs is a concern, particularly if the ingredients are not known," said oncology resource nurse Kitt Kelly at Sutter Delta Medical Center. He added that the medical community is reluctant to play "cultural police" and tell adults what to do.
"But we need to be informed, with actual research," Kelly said. "We need more information, and not in the form of an advertisement or product claim."
At the moment, there is no regulation. Technically, it's legal to vape anywhere in California, even indoors. But even avid vape users say you have to be smart about it.
"There are certain places you want to be discreet," said Alex Westle, 25, of San Leandro, who says he smoked tobacco cigarettes for four years but now vapes "zeros" and works as a clerk at the It Is Vapor 5 shop in Hayward.
"It's legal to vape indoors, but still, you have to have respect," he said. "It's not just you in a room. You have to respect what other people think, and lots of people don't even know what these are. Usually if you explain it, people are pretty cool with it."
They may have to be. The Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association estimates that about 4 million Americans now use the battery-powered cigarettes, and they project sales of the devices to reach $1 billion by the end of this year.
Indeed, as tobacco smokers are increasingly shunned and public puffing is restricted, it seems regular cigarettes are becoming passé -- a bygone 20th-century habit. Yet the act of smoking is still seen as cool, and e-cigs give people the oral gratification and nicotine that still provides an addictive buzz.
Ed Bongbonga opened The Vape Bar on South First Street in June, and he has had a steady stream of customers, many of whom find him through Yelp or social media, he said. He used to be a smoker, but vaping helped him quit, and he wants to provide this assistance for others.
"My father lost his life to lung cancer, and I decided it was time for me to quit," he said. "I tried patches, gum, counseling. Nothing worked, and then a friend approached me with this," he added, picking up a vape pen and taking a sweet puff of his special "Guavalicious" vapor blend. "A week later, I was off cigarettes."
Starter kits usually run from $30 to $100. But pens can cost as much as $1,000.
"It's almost a collectibles thing now," Bongbonga said.
His clientele is 60 to 70 percent male in the 18-to-30 age range, with "a lot of minorities," and for some reason a lot of nurses and firefighters, he added.
Lockridge vapes "for dating reasons, too," he said. "A lot of women don't want to date a smoker, don't want to kiss an ashtray."
Follow Angela Hill at Twitter.com/giveemhill.


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Don't miss out on a lower price on this hotel
Get an overview of this hotelFamily-friendly Bailrigg hotel in Scotforth, walk to Lancaster University
Popular property highlights
This family-friendly Bailrigg hotel is located in the historical district, within 1 mi (2 km) of Forrest Hills and Lancaster University. Williamson Park and Lancaster City Museum are also within 3 mi (5 km).
Hotel Features
This smoke-free hotel features a full-service spa, a restaurant, and an indoor pool. Free WiFi in public areas and free self parking are also provided. Additionally, a health club, a bar/lounge, and a spa tub are onsite.
Room Amenities
All 99 rooms offer free WiFi, 24-hour room service, and LCD TVs with digital channels. Premium bedding, coffee makers, and hair dryers are among the other amenities available to guests.
Guest Highlights
- Spotless guestrooms
- High-quality beds
- Breakfast
- Helpful staff
- Overall room comfort
Lancaster House Hotel
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
In addition to a full-service spa, Lancaster House Hotel features an indoor pool and a health club. The hotel offers a restaurant. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. Public areas are equipped with complimentary wireless Internet access.
This 4-star property offers access to a business center and meeting rooms. 16 meeting rooms are available. This family-friendly hotel also offers a spa tub, a sauna, and spa services. Onsite self parking is complimentary.
Lancaster House Hotel is a smoke-free property.
- Number of meeting rooms - 16
- Full-service spa
- Total number of rooms - 99
- Number of floors - 2
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Business center
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Concierge services
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Express check-in
- Express check-out
- Fireplace in lobby
- Hair salon
- Health club
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Free WiFi
- Designated smoking areas (fines apply)
- Luggage storage
- Turkish bath/Hammam
- Bar/lounge
- Restaurant
- Garden
- Laundry facilities
- 24-hour front desk
- Spa treatment room(s)
- Meeting rooms 2
- RV, bus, truck parking
- Porter/bellhop
- Conference center
- Pool sun loungers
- Free self parking
- Sauna
- Smoke-free property
- Spa services on site
- Spa tub
- Steam room
- Indoor pool
- Wedding services
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Free self parking, RV, bus, truck parking
Room Amenities
- Coffee/tea maker
- Hypo-allergenic bedding available
- Premium bedding
- Hair dryer
- Phone
- Refrigerator (on request)
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Free toiletries
- Shower/tub combination
- Iron/ironing board
- In-room safe
- Desk
- Digital TV service
- Free WiFi
- Room service (24 hours)
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Cribs/infant beds (surcharge)
- Rollaway/extra beds (surcharge)
Where to Eat
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning.
Foodworks Restaurant - This restaurant specializes in British cuisine and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A children's menu is available. Open daily.
Sandemans Bar and Lounge - This bar specializes in British cuisine and serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and light fare. Guests can enjoy alfresco dining (weather permitting). A children's menu is available. Open daily.
24-hour room service is available.
Nearby Things to Do
An indoor pool and a spa tub are on site. Other recreational amenities include a health club and a sauna.
Children under 18 years old are not allowed in the swimming pool, health club, fitness facility, or spa tub without adult supervision. Guests under 12 years old are not allowed in the swimming pool, health club, fitness facility, or spa tub.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
- Bicycle rentals nearby
- Mountain biking nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
Spa Services
The Beauty Salon has 2 treatment rooms. Services include deep-tissue massages, hot stone massages, massages, and facials. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including aromatherapy. The spa is equipped with a sauna, a steam room, and Turkish bath/hammam.
The spa is open daily. Children under 16 years old are not allowed in the spa without adult supervision.
- Facial treatments
- Hot stone massage
- Deep tissue massage
- Steam room in spa
- Detoxification wrap
- Sauna in spa
- Massages
- Number of treatment rooms 2
- Manicures and pedicures
- Body wraps
- Body scrubs
- Aromatherapy treatments
- Body treatments
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please note them at check-out when you book your room.
- Accessible bathroom
- In-room accessibility
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
Check-out time is 11 AM
Payment types
Children and extra beds
- Children are welcome.
- Rollaway/extra beds are available for GBP 15.00 per day.
- Cribs (infant beds) are available for GBP 15.00 per night.
- Pets allowed for an extra charge of GBP 20.00 per accommodation, per night, plus a deposit of GBP 10.00 per day
- Dogs only
- 2 per room
- Specific rooms only
- Pet-friendly rooms can be requested by contacting the property at the number on the booking confirmation
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy.
- Breakage deposit: GBP 75.00 per stay
Optional extras
- Fee for buffet breakfast: GBP 15 for adults and GBP 9.50 for children (approximately)
- Pet deposit: GBP 10.00 per day
- Pet fee: GBP 20.00 per accommodation, per night
- Late check-out fee: GBP 30.00
- Crib (infant bed) fee: GBP 15.00 per night
- Rollaway bed fee: GBP 15.00 per day
Hotel Name
- Hotel Lancaster House
- Lancaster House Hotel
- Lancaster House
We should mention
Reservations are required for massage services and spa treatments. Reservations can be made by contacting the hotel prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation. This property allows pets in specific rooms only (surcharges apply and can be found in the Fees section). Guests can request one of these rooms by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.
Awards & Affiliations
National Rating
This establishment has received its official star rating from VisitEngland, the National Tourist Board for England.


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Critical Needs Positions
Making a Difference as a Healthcare Professional
Working as a healthcare professional begins with a focus on quality. Each day presents a new opportunity to provide residents of our community with medical treatment that will ease pain, restore health and extend lives. How fortunate we are to know that the work we do each day truly makes a difference.
At Palmdale Regional Medical Center, our employees are our most valuable resource and strength in furthering our mission as a provider of outstanding medical services. In keeping with this mission, it is our goal to recruit, retain, develop and reward highly qualified employees.
Part of attracting and retaining talented, motivated people is giving them the opportunity to grow. We provide encouragement and financial backing for our employees to expand their knowledge and develop their proficiency through job-related training and continuing education. For talented people there's wide-ranging potential at our hospital.
Recently, we asked some of the healthcare professionals who currently work at Universal Health Services hospitals why they chose our hospitals. Their answers included:
- Advanced clinical programs
- Great employees, positive work environment
- Hospital is conveniently located
- Strong, stable hospital management team
- Employees' opinions matter
- Quality employee benefit programs
- Sense of community and teamwork
- Opportunity for continuing education and professional advancement
Working for an organization that is known for Service Excellence, ethics and always putting the patient first…an organization that is a good corporate citizen and contributes to the betterment of its community…this is the type of work environment healthcare professionals are looking for. At Universal Health Services hospitals, this is the professional working environment you'll find.
If you are an enthusiastic, caring professional, dedicated to Service Excellence and excited about making a difference, we invite you to consider joining our team at Palmdale Regional Medical Center.
"The ER is efficient and well-equipped, and waits are not long, which is wonderful for our patients. I like the family-oriented environment; everyone takes care of everyone else."
– Julie, RN, ER Charge Nurse
ER wait time
When you need to find a doctor for yourself or your family, our FREE Direct Doctors Plus physician referral service can help.
or call


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This season has been the summer of frustrating forecasts stuck on a vicious repeating cycle. Wave after wave of unrelenting heat combined with few rain-making systems, causing headaches for much of the nation's heartland. Drought has expanded now to nearly 63 percent of the continental United States, and the areas of the country in the worst categories of drought have doubled from 10 percent last month to 22 percent.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released an update to its State of the Climate report on Wednesday, and it came as no surprise that July 2012 will be one for the history books.
Data for the month shows that July was the hottest month on record for contiguous United States with an average temperature of 77.6 degrees F, which is 3.3 degrees above the 20th century average.
The previous warmest July was in 1936 when temperature averaged 77.4 degrees.
"It's a pretty significant increase over the last record," said climate scientist Jake Crouch of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, told the Associated Press.
This July ranked as the hottest July on record in North Dakota and Virginia, and made it into the top 10 hottest Julys in 30 states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The record heat wasn't just reserved for July. A warmer-than-average winter for many areas of the country helped pave the way for another record: the warmest 12-month period since recordkeeping began in 1895.
The drought also made history books.
Kevin Trenberth, climate analysis chief of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, noted that drought is a major player because in the summer "if it is wet, it tends to be cool, while if it is dry, it tends to be hot."
Key corn- and soybean-producing states were hit hardest by the drought. The region saw its eighth driest July, third driest June to July and sixth driest April to July in 117 years of record keeping.
On July 24, nearly 64 percent of the nation was considered in moderate to exceptional drought, the maximum value reported in July. It was also a record in the 13-year history of the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Preliminary data from NOAA show more examples of July's extreme weather events:
- South Dakota topped the charts as the warmest locations in the continental U.S. on July 5 (Pickston) and July 17 (Cottonwood).
- Five locations tied for the hottest temperature on July 19: Tacna, Ariz.; Blythe, Calif.; Minneapolis, Kan.; Valley Falls, Kan.; and Lincoln, Kan. The locations of the Kansas records were based in the north central and northeastern parts of the state.
- Springfield, Mo., reported their driest July on record having received just 0.32 inch of rain.
- July was the warmest and driest July on record for Norfolk, Neb., where the average temperature was 80.8 degrees F with no measureable rainfall.
Even with the record-setting month we've left behind, conditions are far from the levels experienced during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
"In terms of percent area of country affected by drought (as measured by the Palmer Drought Index), the 1930's Dust Bowl decade is the worst drought on record by spatial area," Richard Heim, a meteorologist and drought expert with NOAA's National Climactic Data Center, said. Read more here.
Though August is already proving to be cooler – and wetter – for many areas in the Midwest and Great Plains, there is another glimmer of hope: the return of El Niño. NOAA's Dr. Klaus Wolter says that six variables – sea-level air pressure, components of the surface winds, sea-surface temperatures, surface air temperatures and cloudiness – indicates that drought-easing El Niño may soon be here.
As Stu Ellis wrote in his FarmGate blog, "a change in the weather will soon be happening, with the announcement that El Niño meteorological conditions have been confirmed in the Equatorial Pacific. Such a climatic change will bring improvements to Corn Belt weather that will be more conducive to rebuilding soil moisture this winter and better growing season moisture in 2012."
With just 23 percent of corn in good to excellent condition, the welcomed relief may have come too late. Much of the nation's corn crop pollinated during the hot and dry weather, slashing its potential yield. The USDA will release its first crop production estimated on August 10, and they will likely be aggressive in lowering the yield. Even so, there is uncertainty over harvest acreage since many corn fields have already been chopped for livestock feed.


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- When:
Add This Event To YourThursday, February 7, 2013
at 8:00 PM
- Where:
- Buntrock Commons, 225A Black Room
- Web Link:
- http://www.greencorps.org
- Contact:
- Andrea Kubinski
Green Corps and St. Olaf Present… Organizing for Social Change Workshop!
"Sustaining your campaign to victory: How to build a lasting campaign and incorporate new tactics to win"
Come to this alumni and student leader led community organizing workshop to learn to plan and carry out strategic efforts to make social change. As change-makers, we're often told "NO" by those with decision making authority. This workshop will focus on strategic tactics to change your decision maker's self interest and win your demands. These skills are highly applicable for all campus, community or political organizing and social justice minded students who desire to further their skills as social change agents.
Thursday, February 7th, 8:00 – 9:15 pm Buntrock Commons, Black Ballroom RSVP HERE
*Green Corps "Bring your Tray" Information Session 7:30pm beforehand for graduating seniors and interested underclasspersons to hear about job opportunities.
8:00-9:15 Tactics to Organize for Social Change
The Trainers: Ryan Doyle, Assistant Organizing Director, Green Corps (Olaf '09, Green Corps '10)
Sponsored by Green Corps, the Field School for Environmental Organizing, The Piper Center, St. Olaf Env. Studies, St. Olaf Env. Coalition, College Greens, Please RSVP ************************************************************************ Green Corps is the nation's premiere environmental organizer training program, called a "West Point for organizers" by the Utne Reader and likened to the Highlander Folk School by climate activist Bill McKibben, with a track record of producing concrete grassroots victories and high caliber organizers and advocates. For more information, www.greencorps.org/findoutmore.
Green Corps Alumni include: Justin Ruben, Executive Director, MoveOn.org, GC '97 Heather Smith, Executive Director, Rock the Vote, GC '99 Phil Radford, Executive Director, Greenpeace USA, GC '99
< Return to main calendar page


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - An officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office turned in his resignation after being charged with soliciting a prostitute.
"I am here to talk to you about the investigation that we just completed that resulted in the arrest of one of our employees," JSO Undersheriff Dwain Senterfitt said at a news conference Tuesday night. "We arrested a police officer earlier tonight. His name is David Sumlin. He came to us in 2004. He's been with us for about eight years."
Police said 49-year-old Sumlin was arrested on two counts of soliciting for prostitution while on duty working in patrol. He was being held in the Duval County jail with bail set at $5,000.
"Most of you probably know we have a unit here we call our integrity unit. They conduct investigations into allegations into criminal misconduct against members of our agency," said Senterfitt.
Senterfitt explained that the Sheriff's Office received tips that Sumlin was involved in activity with known prostitutes in the Jacksonville area. Senterfitt said a known prostitute was identified and helped JSO with its investigation.
"She made contact with him, they had conversation. During that conversation, the officer told her that he wanted sex, that he would meet with her later in the night," said Senterfitt. "Last night we put her out there again and again when she made contact with the officer. They talked about various sex acts he was interested in. This time after some negotiations on the price, he agreed to $20. He said that he had to go to call first, but that he would be right back."
Police said there was no reason to believe that anything happened inside the officer's vehicle.
"She says they have never engaged in sexual activity but that there has been conversation about it," said Senterfitt. "We intend to prosecute. We have already been in contact with the state attorney's office."
Channel 4 Crime and Safety Analyst Ken Jefferson said this officer not only broke the law, he broke the law enforcement code of ethics.
"This officer put himself in this position by breaking the law, willingly and knowingly, and not being coerced to do so," Jefferson said. "He didn't know these prostitutes have contacts sometimes within the Sheriff's Office. They help the officers solve various crimes in the area. Even aside from all that, he should never have compromised himself or put himself in that position."
There are tapes of the conversations between Sumlin and the prostitute, but those are under investigation and are not being released to the media at this time.
Copyright 2011 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Okay, so technically this isn't the cream puff ring I was supposed to make and it doesn't even contain any peppermint. It's just a solitary little cream puff.
I was unsure about successfully completing this challenge but after I made cream puffs this morning all I can say is that there is nothing to fear but fear itself. I was not intimidated in the least bit and my choux pastry was perfect. The whipped cream let me down because I couldn't get it to be stiff enough to pipe rosettes and so I spooned some into just one cream puff to take the photo for this post.
Thank you for taking us out of our comfort zones and picking this challenge, Tina!
The recipe can be found on pages 290-2 of Baking from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan. Or you can head over to Tina's post here to get the recipe and view her pretty photos. Please see the blogroll for other participating blogs.
Next up we're making Golden Brioche Loaves, picked by Chaya. If you'd like to be a part of our baking group, please email me at needfulthings at ymail dot com. We'd love to have you bake along with us!


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A RETIRED healthcare worker is helping patients at a Herefordshire hospital have their say on the quality of service they have received.
After recently being treated at Bromyard Community Hospital Ann Popplewell decided to volunteer to help gather feedback on patient's experiences.
The feedback is used as part of the Friends and Family Test, a government initiative monitoring patient experiences across the country.
Ann said: "I received excellent care as a patient at Bromyard Community Hospital and being relatively new to the area I wanted to give something back, and this was a great opportunity to be able to help patients who live in my local community".
Every single patient who has given feedback over the last two months has said they would be extremely likely or likely to recommend Bromyard Community Hospital to their friends and family.
Sister at the hospital Sandra Mahner said: "We're very fortunate to have Ann's help as a volunteer as well her experience as a patient and this patient feedback helps us to recognise good practice and make changes where standards needs to be improved.
"Feedback from patients so far has been very positive and shows that the care we are providing is of a quality we would want for our family and friends.
"We will continue to monitor, evaluate, and act on this to enhance the service we provide for our patients".