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DECATUR, Ga. -- A freight train slammed into a MARTA bus in downtown Decatur Wednesday morning.
PHOTOS | MARTA bus hit by train
Witnesses said the bus got stuck on the train tracks at the intersection of North McDonough Street and West Howard Avenue near Decatur High School before it was hit at around 6:30 a.m.
There were four passengers on the bus at the time. The driver, Donna McMullen, managed to get them all off the bus before the CSX train hit it. Nobody was injured.
MARTA spokesman Lyle Harris said McMullen, who has worked for MARTA for almost 20 years, was placed on routine leave with pay after the accident.
Roads around the scene were briefly shut down as police investigated the collision. They have all reopened except for the part of North McDonough Street crossed by the tracks.
Harris said the bus had no known mechanical problems.


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Location: New York, New York
Date Joined: 10/26/2010
Average Artist Rating 1 vote
E. Feliciano is a native New Yorker who has been painting since childhood. Born and raised in the east village she was inspired by the music and fashions of the late 60's, 70 & 80's as well as the everyday events that took place around her.
Painting full time give her a sense of complete freedom and control. Having the need to express herself in as many ways as the human has emotions, she refuses to be recognized by one particular style, you will find her art to take those same unpredictable turns. Her work includes a large array of subjects and styles.
Ms. Feliciano continues today with self-education in the studies of different techniques in mixed media.
A member of the Laguna Art Group.

subset: commoncrawl


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Psuedo Gametracter, sure, but touches all the right bases..
#Go Bears!
Psuedo Gametracter, sure, but touches all the right bases..
#Go Bears!
Last edited by SiniCal; 04-22-2012 at 03:18 PM.
Proof, final call to finish the 1st inning, snipped a minute ago from her twitter stream:
Rookie Bears @RookieBears1754
K Chambers full count....strike out (2) and runner thrown out on the steal attempt (3)!!!
Score update top of the 3rd: C-five, O-oh
after 2 and a half, scoring 5 in the top of the 3rd.
The offense really cranked things up late in the game with 5 more runs on 3 homers all with 2 outs. Jo shut down the Ducks in the bottom of the inning and Cal won 10 - 0! After a Frani double, Decker hit 2 run homer. Of course, Val followed with blast. And after a Jace hit Bre smashed her own homer.
Unbelievable we couldn't buy a hit or unfortunately a run yesterday but the other 2 games we knocked the S*** out of the ball. All 3 of Oregon's game were started by the same pitcher Jessica Moore but looks like the roof fell in on her today. 3 homers in an inning....wow.


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Baird: Dealers Conservative Heading Into Winter
October 17, 2011 by RVBusiness · Leave a Comment
Robert W. Baird & Co. issued a client newsletter to investors following the towable sales report for August by Statistical Surveys Inc. The following offers a summary of the results.
U.S. towable retail up modestly. Dealer towable sales increased 3% in August, according to Statistical Surveys (data is frequently revised upward), generally in line with results from our recent dealer survey. Results improved sequentially, but growth has been slow on weak consumer confidence and an uncertain economy. While retail remains weak, lean dealer inventories and incentives at recent manufacturer open houses could support orders heading into winter.
Towable demand up 3%. U.S. towable sales improved 3% in August, and are up 7% YTD. Travel trailer registrations improved 4% (+8% YTD), offsetting fifth wheel sales down 2% (+3% YTD). Keep in mind, data is frequently revised upward.
Inventory. Dealers restocked units throughout the winter and spring as shipments exceeded retail sales, but dealers in our recent survey confirmed inventory is still relatively lean. We expect dealers to remain conservative heading into winter, but do not expect destocking, despite weaker retail.
Retail U.S. SAAR. We calculate a seasonally adjusted rate of retail registrations. The SAAR of U.S. towable demand (including fifth-wheels and travel trailers) increased to 168K units in August, from 157K units in July. Just over 150K units were sold in the U.S. in 2010.
Important note. The data excludes or is incomplete with respect to Minnesota and Maine. We caution against attaching undue significance to data from a single month. The data tend to fluctuate from month to month, and are frequently revised upward.
This summary of a Baird research report is not intended as investment advice. To participate in Baird surveys and receive research reports, contact Craig R. Kennison, CFA, at email@example.com.
RVIA'S Pomona Show is West's Largest Venue
October 17, 2011 by RVBusiness · Leave a Comment
More than 800 new recreational vehicles built by 40 manufacturers have filled Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., as part of the 59th annual California RV Show.
The show, which opened Friday (Oct. 14) and runs until Oct. 23, gives visitors a chance to see the latest recreational vehicles on the market, said Jeanne Sleeper, spokeswoman for the Pomona event.
"This is the largest RV show in the West and the only RV show put on by the RV manufacturers," Tom Gaither, director of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) Western Show, said in a statement.
"It is the one place where consumers can see all the new 2012 models from manufacturers across America and Canada," Gaither said.
The show offers something for just about everyone, the San Bernardino County Sun reported.
Those thinking about purchasing a new vehicle can drive their RV to the show, have it appraised and then speak with dealers about acquiring a new one, said Sleeper.
Several credit unions and banks that offer RV loans have representatives available to talk and arrange financing for a new vehicle, she said.
"You could literally do the whole deal in one stop," Sleeper said.
Sixteen local dealers have provided the RVs along with 150 vehicles that are available for test drives.
The tests include driving the vehicles on local streets, Sleeper said.
Those toying with the idea of purchasing a recreational vehicle can visit the show and see what type and size of RV would best meet their needs or attend workshops related to the ins and outs of maintaining them, she said.
Visitors will find RVs ranging in price from $10,000 for a small trailer to vehicles with large living spaces for $625,000, Sleeper said.
But there is also a great deal in between.
"The vast majority (of RVs) are things that are affordable," Sleeper said.
Interest in recreational vehicles is on the rise after a drop that came at about the same time the economy went south, Sleeper said.
Some of the interest is linked to people finding they can use their RV for a long weekend trip to the beach or the mountains and for longer vacation trips to spots such as the Grand Canyon, she said.
Such family trips can be more economical using an RV and cutting out hotels and air travel, she said.
The 59th annual California RV Show is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission is $10 for adults, which includes a wristband good for free admission for the remainder of this year's show.
Children and teens under 17 are admitted for free if accompanied by an adult.
Parking for automobiles is $9 but those traveling in their RV can park for free.
Additional information on the event along with information on admission discounts, seminars and other show activities is available by going to www.carvshow.com.
Read more: http://www.sbsun.com/business/ci_19114501#ixzz1b2Z8dmp1
Cruiser RV's Expanding into Second Factory
September 9, 2011 by RVBusiness · 1 Comment
Cruiser RV LLC, a lightweight travel trailer manufacturer based in Howe, Ind., has announced that it will expand its operations, creating up to 200 new jobs by 2014.
The company will invest more than $850,000 to lease a 140,000-square-foot LaGrange manufacturing facility, add machinery for a new production line and make infrastructure improvements. The new space is located near its existing manufacturing facility and headquarters in Howe.
"Cruiser RV continues to find new ways to grow and that is why they are leaders in this industry," said Gov. Mitch Daniels. "Companies that innovate and expand will find no better home to do so than Indiana. We look forward to the opportunities Cruiser RV is creating for themselves and for Hoosier workers."
Cruiser RV, which currently has 140 full-time Indiana employees, will begin the hiring process for new manufacturing and administrative positions this month. The company plans on commencing production at the facility by the end of the year.
"We simply were busting at the seams in our current Howe, Ind. facility and faced making a big decision," said Jeff Fought, president of Cruiser RV. "We've been a single plant organization since our inception, but we feel this is the logical next step for us. The LaGrange plant will give us the needed flexibility to expand our current product offering, while reducing our lead time during the peak selling season and improving overall product quality. We're proud to be expanding in LaGrange County."
Formed in 2003, Cruiser RV has grown from making five trailers a week to making more than 20 a day. The company currently produces four lightweight brands of towable travel trailers: Fun Finder X, ViewFinder, Shadow Cruiser and Fun Finder XTRA toy haulers.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Cruiser RV LLC up to $1,750,000 in performance-based tax credits based on the company's job creation plans. The town of LaGrange will consider additional tax abatement and tax increment financing (TIF) bonds at the request of the LaGrange County Economic Development Corp.
"We are extremely happy to support Cruiser RV as they continue their growth here in LaGrange County," said Keith Gillenwater, executive director of the LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation. "The town of LaGrange wants to support this growing company any way we can and we are thrilled that they chose our town in which to locate their second facility."
Cruiser RV's announcement comes on the heels of several recent RV manufacturer jobs announcements in northern Indiana. In August, Monaco RV announced plans today to relocate all motorcoach manufacturing operations from Coburg, Ore., to Wakarusa, creating up to 400 new jobs by 2012. Also, Spartan Motors announced plans in June to relocate its Utilimaster RV manufacturing operations from Michigan to Wakarusa, creating up to 60 new jobs by 2012.
Words To Say When You Just Get Your Ex Back
FRVTA: Fort Myers RV Show Judged a Success
February 1, 2011 by RVBusiness · Leave a Comment
The numbers are in for the 26th Annual Fort Myers RV Show and both dealer and vendor participants came away smiling as the event drew 12,500 patrons over the show's four days, according to a news release. The show was sponsored by Region 1 of the Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA).
"Just about everyone I spoke with at the show was very pleased with the buying interest the public had," said FRVTA Region 1 President Nelda Iacono. "In fact, we had several dealers who achieved double-digit sales. All dealers came away with lots of sales leads they can now follow up over the coming weeks."
While not an attendance record, Show Manager Jack Carver was gratified the public responded so positively, especially following the economic turmoil the industry suffered over the previous years. "We worked hard to put on a quality show that created a buying situation for all participants, and I guess we did that," he said.
This year's annual event featured 16 dealers displaying well over 600 new RV units of all types, styles and price ranges. The show also staged 100 vendors selling everything from lots at RV resorts to engine upgrades and other enhancements for the RV lifestyle.
"Everyone seemed to be selling whatever they brought," exclaimed Show Chairman Chris Morse, "I'm still busy with traffic and additional sales a week after the show."
This year's show success continues the Fort Myers RV Show's distinction as one of the largest RV events in the Southeast, Iacono pointed out. "We are proud to offer dealers, vendors and patrons the best the RV Industry has to offer and look forward to helping spread consumer interest in the RV lifestyle," she explained.
Big Rigs Best Bets Releases 2011 Edition
January 17, 2011 by RVBusiness · Leave a Comment
The Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) Western Motor Home Association rally at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio, Calif., was the backdrop for release of the 11th edition of "Big Rigs Best Bets."
Both the 498-page spiral bound large print copy and the innovative web-based online version were on display at their booths. According to Ken and Ellie Hamill, co-authors, the 23rd annual Western Area Rally was "the logical choice" because of the heavy concentration of RVs which congregate in the area at this time of year, according to a news release.
As Hamill related, "The rally attendees, coupled with the guests at nearby resorts, are the core of the segment of the RV market which we serve. Not only do these coach owners tend to have the most discretionary income for RV related products, they tend to travel greater distances and for a longer period of time."
They were particularly delighted to discover the online version is compatible with all computers, tablets and smart phone mobile devices as Hamill demonstrated the easy navigation of the book on the Apple I-Pad, he stated.
"Real time changes in the content of the online version throughout the course of the year is a real bonus for our reader base," stated Hamill. "An added benefit to our advertisers is they now have a resource to reach out to our online membership base with improvements and changes to their facility throughout the course of the year rather than waiting for the next annual print copy."
Features include:
- A blend of 1,200 upscale resorts, overnight stays along the interstate, destination parks and suitable public parks.
- Each park listing includes specific site numbers and the various lengths of these preferred sites along with other park details, including Wi-Fi.
- Detailed " dead on " directions from an RVer's point of view. Physical addresses for GPS users are also noted.
- 532 paved and maneuverable fuel stops. For your convenience the online version has links to gasbuddy.com
- 244 notable restaurant tips.
Big Rigs Best Bets has been serving the RV community since 2001.
Learn more at www.big-rigs-rv.com.
Montana LLCs Have Served 20K RV Owners
November 11, 2010 by RVBusiness · 1 Comment
The number of out-of-state RV owners who chose to license their RVs in Montana has reached 20,000 and is growing daily.
Out-of-state residents have been saving tens of thousands of dollars on taxes by registering their high-priced vehicles in Montana for years and the loophole is also bringing in big bucks for the state, KLXF-TV, Butte, Mont., reported.
Thousands of non-residents legally slap Montana plates on their vehicles, even if they live in Florida or California, It's a practice that Missoula attorney John Bennett calls tax planning and while others may call it cheating, it's a perfectly legal practice.
"If you're a non-resident of Montana and you desire to register a vehicle here, of course tax-free, a route you can go is to establish a Montana business entity … and that entity can legally register a vehicle in Montana," Bennett said.
Since the RVs or cars are technically owned by Montana limited liability companies (LLCs), the driver avoids paying sales tax. Creating the dummy companies also allows the out-of-state residents to save upward of 10%, or up to $30,000 to $40,000, depending on the price of the vehicle.
"Recently, a client purchased a vehicle and the purchased price was reportedly between $30 million and $40 million. The vehicle is going to end up in California, and the vehicle had to comply with the exemption from California's laws on the date of purchase. I believe the car was stored in Montana for the test year. So, if it was 40 million, the client saved around $4 million. That was a good hit," he said.
Lawyers are making money, dealerships are gaining out-of-state business and the state earns more registration revenue. But, the bulk of the work is being done at the courthouse by county employees.
The Missoula County Treasurer's Office has daily standing appointments with three separate law firms in Missoula to deal with all the paperwork. It's a process that Missoula County Deputy Kim Seeberger says her staff has adapted to.
"I think, in the beginning, until we were able to work through the workload change, and it is growing more and more, we had to do some adjustments. But as I said, the law offices that are involved with this heavily have been great working with us and know the impact it has on our office," Seeberger said.
Critics argue Montana and its county employees should not be helping out-of-state residents avoid paying taxes, but Bennett says in the end the state makes more than it spends paying staff.
"A lot of people don't like the idea that non-Montanans are making use of a Montana law to minimize their taxes. My argument is a fiscal one … in my estimation, this brings in $10 million to Montana that we otherwise wouldn't have," Bennett said.
Bennett also estimates that around 20,000 LLCs have been set up over the years in Montana.
RVIA's Coon to Look Ahead at Outlook: 2011
November 10, 2010 by RVBusiness · Leave a Comment
Attendees at "Outlook 2011: A New Era Begins" on Tuesday, Nov. 30, in Louisville, Ky., will hear Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) President Richard Coon's thoughts on important trends that will impact the RV industry as it continues to rebound from one of the most difficult periods in its history.
In a presentation titled "Forging Our Future," Coon will touch on emerging factors that will affect the RV marketplace and provide a forecast for wholesale RV shipments in 2011, according to a news release.
Coon's talk is one of several informative, forward-looking presentations at "Outlook 2011: A New Era Begins," the kickoff event to RVIA's 48th Annual National RV Trade Show. The free event will begin at 7 a.m. with a complimentary sit-down breakfast in the KEC South Wing Mezzanine Ballroom. Attendees are encouraged to come early as lines form well before the doors open.
"Outlook 2011″ will be hosted by RVIA Chairman of the Board Gregg Fore and will feature:
- Go RVing: "Inspiration for a New Era" with Go RVing co-chairs Bob Olson and Tom Stinnett joining RVIA Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Gary LaBella to introduce the new Go RVing Leads Plus program, report on the impact of the Ambassadors of Affordability campaign, and unveil new plans for 2011.
- RVIA Public Relations: "A New Era of Possibilities" with RVIA Public Relations Committee Chairman B.J. Thompson and LaBella discussing tools and strategies to maximize the exposure of RVing in a changing media landscape and sharing some of the resulting high-impact publicity that's helping stoke demand for RVs.
- A lineup of special guests that includes NFL great Terry Bradshaw, performance artists Quick Change and the inspiring musical prodigy Patrick Henry Hughes.
The "Outlook 2011: A New Era Begins" program and breakfast are free for attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. All National RV Trade Show attendees are welcome, and no reservations are necessary.
Baird on Thor: 'Confident in Profit Outlook'
November 3, 2010 by RVBusiness · Leave a Comment
Editor's Note: Robert W. Baird & Co. issued a client newsletter on Tuesday following release of the first quarter financial results of Thor Industries Inc. Excerpts of that newsletter folllow.
Raising estimates and maintaining $36 target price. Preliminary sales topped expectations, leaving us confident in our profit outlook. We see good value in Thor under 12x EPS (excluding nearly $3/share in cash) as macro catalysts unfold (election cycle and tax policy) and estimates trend higher (better retail and higher margin).
RV sales exceed expectations. Thor reported preliminary sales for the October quarter after the close, following its customary process. Sales of $607 million (+21%) exceeded our $591 million estimate and consensus of $586 million. RV sales increased 30% to $507 million, above our $472 million estimate. We estimate that Heartland RV added $45 million to revenue, implying organic RV growth near 19%. Bus sales fell 11% to $100 million, below our $119 million estimate.
Backlog down. The backlog declined modestly, down 22% YOY to $467 million. RV backlog fell to $254 million, down 19% from last year and down 3% sequentially. Without Heartland RV, the backlog would have been down more, of course. Bus backlog fell 25% YOY to $213 million, and fell 6% sequentially. Management noted that right-sized dealer inventory levels led to lower and more reasonable RV backlog, while bus backlog slowed due to the expiration of federal stimulus funding and tighter government budgets. We are raising our revenue estimate slightly, but maintaining our outlook for EPS of $2.50 in F2011.
Retail positive, likely hinges on tax policy. Retail improved in late summer and early fall. CEO Peter Orthwein noted, "Thor's internal retail sales results through October continue to demonstrate solid year-over-year increases." We see an extension of current tax policy as a potential near-term catalyst for retail demand.
To subscribe to this or other Baird newsletters, contact Craig R. Kennison CFA, firstname.lastname@example.com or call (414) 765-3870.
RV Industry Ponders the Size of the Rebound
October 25, 2010 by RVBusiness · Leave a Comment
Armed with spreadsheets and sales projections, Derald Bontrager and key executives at Jayco Inc. huddled in the fall of 2008 to figure out how their recreational vehicle manufacturing company could reduce costs enough to survive the depths of the recession.
Again and again, they met during the next several months, each time realizing more jobs held by local workers had to be eliminated. And in a family-owned business such as Jayco, which is based in the Northern Indiana town of Middlebury, laying off people is personal, the South Bend Tribune reported.
"That was the most difficult and challenging part of the downturn," said Bontrager, president and COO at Jayco, which laid off more than half of its work force, or about 1,300 people, between late 2008 and mid-2009.
Like Jayco, RV manufacturers across the country dramatically slowed production after consumers, many of whom lost their jobs or access to credit, stopped buying.
At least seven manufacturers closed Indiana production facilities or closed completely, pushing unemployment last year in Elkhart County to nearly 19%.
Indiana's RV industry was among the first economic sectors to tumble into recession, experts agree. Whether it can be the first to emerge from the economic depths remains to be seen.
Industry leaders say time will tell whether higher shipment figures in recent months are actually the result of more consumer purchases or dealers replenishing their inventories.
Most plants in Elkhart County and across the country had been running at near capacity in 2006 and 2007 as recreational vehicles and customers filled retail lots.
Dealers reported brisk sales until banks and lending institutions stopped lending money to consumers and dealers that year, which consequently halted purchases, as well as RV orders.
After years of shipment growth that culminated with a high of 390,500 shipments in 2006, inventory levels dropped to historic lows in 2009, according to statistics from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).
That year, RV shipments plummeted to 165,700 vehicles. Indiana RV manufacturers produce about 75% of all RVs made in the U.S. The state ranks eighth or ninth in overall RV retail sales, with about 6% of all RV dealers based in Indiana.
"When the credit markets locked up and froze in the last half of 2008, industry shipments really dropped because consumers weren't able to get credit," said Kevin Broom, RVIA director of media relations. "Even consumers who were well qualified with cash and high credit scores could not get loans. People got nervous, and they postponed large discretionary purchases like RVs."
Dealers decided to replace the few RVs that were selling off their lots much more slowly, which also affected suppliers and their work forces, and the lack of activity dropped inventory levels to historic industry lows for most of 2009.
Broom said the slowdown forced most — if not all — RV manufacturers to lay off workers.
About 15 U.S. companies filed for bankruptcy in 2008 or 2009, including Monaco Coach Corp., Fleetwood Enterprises Inc., Country Coach, Travel Supreme and Rexhall RV.
The slowdown also negatively affected RV dealers. About 10% of total dealerships nationwide — an estimated 180 — closed during this period, said Phil Ingrassia, a spokesman for the national Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA).
It was not until mid-2009 that the credit market loosened a little, which lured some consumers back to dealers' lots. The industry has started feeling a level of normalcy again as people adjust to new financial situations, Broom said.
Total shipments are expected to reach 239,000 units in 2010, slowing during the second half of the year, according to Richard Curtin, an RV industry analyst and director of consumer surveys at the University of Michigan.
Shipments are expected to rise moderately to 259,600 units in 2011, and job and industry growth should remain subdued as the industry feels the lingering effects of the economic downturn, Curtin said in a September news release from the RVIA.
"Consumers are reconsidering their spending and saving habits," Curtin recently told the RVIA.
Several headwinds face the RV industry in an overall economic rebound: unemployment, consumer confidence, the financial markets, housing and credit.
Although shipments have been up since mid-2009, Mark Bowersox, executive director for the Indiana Manufactured Housing Association/Recreation Vehicle Indiana Council (IMHA/RVIC), said that does not mean the industry is leading the country out of the recession.
Many Indiana manufacturers still do not have enough RV orders to keep their plants going all day, every day, Bowersox said, which means their fall shutdowns between product lines might be longer than usual.
"There are a lot of dealers wrestling with how much inventory to have on their lot for the spring selling season — five or 500," he said about future vehicle orders that must be placed this fall in time for spring sales.
RVIA leaders cannot be certain about the length of time it will take the sector to rebound to record shipment levels seen in 2006.
"The industry is recovering, but we're not to our destination yet," Broom said. "It has given the RV maker an opportunity to go back and redesign and to refocus on the product, on where consumers will be in the future."
He said smaller, lighter, more environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient recreational vehicles are ways the industry is moving.
Jayco, which is being cautious as it adds personnel and other overhead costs back into its Elkhart County manufacturing plant, is focused on "greening" its vehicles, Bontrager said.
"We need to figure out a way as a company and industry to provide a high-quality product with all the features the consumer has come to expect at a lower price point," Bontrager said.
Most of the 500 employees who have been called back to work are in production. In other parts of the company, processes are becoming more efficient with a smaller work force, he said.
Bontrager thinks the RV industry and the economy have reached recovery mode but said he cannot be sure the recession is over. Not yet.
"I certainly would say that we've reached the bottom of the recession. Now we're talking about how we can meet the demand rather than cutting costs," he said.
"At the same time, we're very cautious. This has been a prolonged recession compared to others. And consumers are spending less but expecting the same."
Nexus RVs to Use Factory-Direct Biz Model
October 20, 2010 by RVBusiness · 2 Comments
Claude Donati and Dave Middleton played Little League together, attended Penn High School together, and this summer co-founded an RV manufacturing company together.
The company, called Nexus RVs LLC, on Tuesday (Oct. 19) announced plans to invest more than $2.8 million to lease and equip the former Prodesign plant complex on Reedy Drive at Elkhart County Road 13 on the north side of Elkhart, Ind., for their motorhome production venture, the South Bend Tribune reported.
For the past few months, Donati and Middleton have been operating their company headquarters from the University of Notre Dame's Innovation Park in South Bend. They may retain offices at Innovation Park, even after production commences in Elkhart.
Nexus RVs initially expects to hire about 25 employees by late January, and another 25 people by summer 2011 to produce and sell Class B-plus-style and Class C motorhomes. These employees will work in separate 86,000-square-foot manufacturing and 22,000-square-foot buildings located adjacent to the Indiana Toll Road.
By 2013, Nexus expects to employ up to 90 people. Donati anticipates his company could be producing Class A motorhomes over time as well, using a factory-direct business model that the founders believe will distinguish their company from many of its competitors.
"As opposed to visiting a local dealership where five or six companies might display their products, we're cutting out the second tier of the process. It will be like buying your car directly from Ford or Toyota," said Donati, Nexus RVs president.
"Only we're a house on wheels, so it's actually more like meeting directly with your homebuilder, and we also have the ability to customize," he said. "Over the last few years as the recession hit and the economy ground to a halt, it opened an opportunity for us to change the business paradigm."
Nexus RVs will produce 23- to 32-foot motorhomes that will cost around $55,000 to $60,000. Donati expects the first prototypes to be ready for some RV shows at the end of January 2011, and the price point to resonate with consumers as the national economy rebounds from the recession.
"Banks are still not loaning money and consumers are still not able to afford to spend $150,000 on a Class A motorhome," said Donati, a more than 15-year veteran of the RV industry. He most recently served as vice president of the motorized division at Gulf Stream Coach Inc. in Nappanee.
Middleton, Nexus RVs vice president, served in various management positions in the Gulfstream motorized division.
Startups like this are a sign of the industry's strength and resilience, said Kevin Broom, director of media relations for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA).
"The industry is bouncing back because the desire for the RV lifestyle remains strong. Consumer demand for RVs never dropped during the recession. What changed was the ability of consumers to purchase RVs," Broom said.
"As credit markets have normalized, that pent-up demand for RVs is being released," he added.
Nexus RVs recently received a property tax abatement from the city of Elkhart, as well as up to $725,000 in performance-based tax credits and up to $50,000 in training grants based on job creation plans from the Indiana Economic Development Corp.


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text: OverviewDescriptionGetting ThereContactSummit Lake Trail is a 15 mile trail located near Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming that features a lake. The trail is only recommended for very experienced outdoorsmen and primarily used for birding, canoeing, fishing & hiking. ReviewsPhotosTracksShare your experience to help other people learn more about this trail:Write ReviewUpload PhotosUpload TracksNo one has reviewed this trail yet. Be the first!


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WhoMadeWho are a Danish indie rock/dance-punk band from Copenhagen founded 2003 by Tomas Hoefding, Jeppe Kjellberg and Tomas Barfod. WhoMadeWho's sound has been described as "lean, yet lush and moving crisply through continents of stylistic territory." Besides a number of 12" singles and remixes for other artists, the band's first full release was their self-titled debut, 'WhoMadeWho'. The majority of the tracks from this album were later reworked into acoustic form on what would become their second record, 'Green Versions'.
No stations playing Whomadewho now


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He always has something to say about pretty much everything, and James Franco imparted his wisdom upon the readers of the New York Times in a new article about self-taken photos, aka 'selfies.'
The "Spring Breakers" hunk explained that when it comes to getting noticed on social media, a selfie is the surefire way to go.
Things are never boring for James Franco's fans, and the "Spring Breakers" actor posted a strange video to his Instagram account over the weekend.
Looking a bit peaked, Franco filmed the clip from his bed and sounded out-of-it as he explained that someone had taken advantage of him.
He's not usually one for flaunting his physique, but James Franco gave his Facebook followers a little weekend treat on Friday (December 6).
The "Spring Breakers" stud posted a photo of himself shirtless, and indicated that he's on the road to buffness.
Working hard on a chaotic scene in their new movie, James Franco and Seth Rogen filmed "The Interview" in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday (November 30).
While the "127 Hours" star raced around the set snuggling an adorable puppy, his curly-haired costar seemed to get the short end of the stick as he darted around the North Korean setting with a bloody bandage on his hand.
His sudden death in a car accident Saturday afternoon stunned fans and colleagues and now fellow famous faces are taking to Twitter to mourn and remember Paul Walker.
At around 3:30pm, a vehicle driven by a friend crashed and was engulfed in flames when police arrived. The driver and the "Fast and Furious" star were pronounced dead at the scene.
Given his vast body of work, it's only natural that James Franco has his sights set on the Broadway stage for his next adventure.
The "Spring Breakers" hunk will star in the forthcoming revival of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," along with "Bridesmaids" actor Chris O'Dowd.
It's been the talk of the town since it was released earlier today (November 25), and Kim Kardashian has finally spoken out about James Franco and Seth Rogen's parody to the "Bound" music video.
Poking some fun at Kanye West's latest video, James Franco and Seth Rogen are starring in a hilarious remake of "Bound 2."
Posted to Rogen's Facebook page on Monday (November 25), the spoof shows Franco as West, who begins the video by rapping on a motorcycle.


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- Infowars - http://www.infowars.com -
McCain defends '100 years in Iraq' statement
Posted By admin On February 15, 2008 @ 8:17 pm In Iraq,Old Infowars Posts Style | Comments Disabled
February 15, 2008
Republican presidential front-runner Sen. John McCain on Thursday defended his statement that U.S. troops could spend "maybe 100" years in Iraq — saying he was referring to a military presence similar to what the nation already has in places like Japan, Germany and South Korea.
This week, Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama both took McCain to task for the comments, saying that if he's elected he would continue what they call President Bush's failed policies in Iraq.
"It's not a matter of how long we're in Iraq, it's if we succeed or not," McCain said to CNN's Larry King.
"And both Sen. Obama and Clinton want to set a date for withdrawal — that means chaos, that means genocide, that means undoing all the success we've achieved and al Qaeda tells the world they defeated the United States of America.
"I won't let that happen."
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The Breslin believes in sharing! For tables of ten or more let us tempt you with a whole animal feast. With 48hrs notice we design a sharing menu around a whole suckling pig, goat or milk fed lamb from our rotisserie with all trimmings.
Welcome to The Breslin Bar & Grill
Based on the Left Bank, Southbank overlooking the Yarra River, The Breslin Bar and Grill is aiming to be the best whole carcass based Restaurant in the market. We are an 'in your face' meat, sausage, curing and terrine brassiere. The Breslin concept of using every part of the animal and re discovering secondary cuts of meat such as brisket, shin, flank, and ribs isn't 'new' and can be found in places such as the Square, St Johns and every provincial bistro in France.


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October 9, 2012
Jake Rowe
Whether you are looking at his offer sheet or watching him on the field, 2014 Woodbridge Senior (Woodbridge, Va.) defensive end Da'Shawn Hand passes the eyeball test.
His offer list includes nearly 30 known offers before the midway point of his junior season, and on the field, he is one of the most physically impressive prospects in the country regardless of class.
While the eyeball test is certainly important, his Head Coach at Woodbridge Senior, John Harris, knows there is much more to Hand than what is evident by just looking.
"We have a young team full of sophomores and juniors, and the guys really respond to Da'Shawn as a leader which is great," said Harris. "He is a great kid and it is nice because when I went down to the (Rivals100) Five Star Challenge with him this summer as a chaperone to help keep an eye on kids, I knew I didn't have to keep an eye on him. He is just that type of kid."
Hand, who is almost a sure-fire five star prospect for the 2014 class, got his latest offer on Monday when Georgia visited Woodbridge Senior and extended an offer to him in person.
"Coach (Kirk) Olivadotti came by yesterday and offered Da'Shawn," said Harris. "He came in and talked to him. He didn't stay long, but Da'Shawn really liked him."
The Bulldogs are the eighth SEC team to offer the blue chip junior already, and Harris believes the Bulldogs made a strong impression on the star prospect.
"He really seemed to like Coach Olivadotti," said Harris. "He wants to get down there and see UGA."
According to Woodbridge Senior Head Man, he and his staff plan to make that happen for Hand sometime this spring or summer.
"He (Olivadotti) talked to me for a little bit and we told him that we definitely want to get Da'Shawn down there this spring or summer for that camp (Dawg Night). We told him he may not work out because we will want to keep him healthy and he did so much this past summer, but we definitely want to get him down there."
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Readership: Students and scholars in linguistics and cognitive science at graduate level and above, as well as researchers in allied
Edited by Cedric Boeckx, Research Professor, Catalan Institute for Advanced Studies (ICREA)
"an excellent book. As a whole, it manages to capture the main conceptual and technical issues raised in the current minimalist framework in an almost unitary fashion. Taken separately, the chapters of the handbook are, without exception, complete studies dedicated to certain problems. ... Each chapter is also characterized by a remarkable intellectual honesty: the limits and imperfections of the proposed accounts are clearly stated, and the controversial issues are not swept under the rug. The Handbook is an inestimable source of new ideas to be explored in future research, and sets the agenda for future linguistic (but not only linguistic)theorizing, and,
at the same time, represents a testimony to the prestige held by generative linguistics in the last half of the previous century. It thus goes without saying that it is a "must read" for anyone interested in generative linguistics in particular, and in theoretical linguistics in general." - Alexandru Cosmin Nicolae, Linguist List
1: Robert Freidin and Howard Lasnik: Some Roots of Minimalism in Generative Grammar
2: David Adger and Peter Svenonius: Features in Minimalist Syntax
3: David Pesetsky and Esther Torrego: Case
4: Naoki Fukui: Merge and Bare Phrase Structure
5: Jan-Wouter Zwart: Structure and Order: Asymmetric Merge
6: barbara Citko: Multidominance
7: Jairo Nunes: The Copy Theory
8: Norvin Richards: A-bar Dependencies
9: Ian Roberts: Head-Movement and the Minimalist Program
10: Luigi Rizzi: Minimality
11: Juan Uriagereka: Derivational Cycles
12: Kleanthes K. Grohmann: Anti-Locality: Too-close Relations in Grammar
13: Samuel D. Epstein, Hisatsugu Kitahara, and T. Daniel Seely: Derivation(s)
14: Robert Chametzky: No Derivation Without Representation
15: Zeljko Boskovic: Last Resort with Move and Agree in Derivations and Representations
16: Shigeru Miyagawa: Optionality
17: Eric Reuland: Syntax and Interpretation Systems: How is their labour Divided?
18: Alex Drummond, Dave Kush, and Norbert Hornstein: Minimalist Construal: Two Approaches to A and B
19: Heidi Harley: A Minimalist Approach to Argument Structure
20: Gillian Ramchand: Minimalist Semantics
21: Paul Pietroski: Minimal Semantic Instructions
22: Wolfram Hinzen: Language and Thought
23: Angel Gallego: Parameters
24: Charles Yang and Tom Roeper: Minimalism and Language Acquisition
25: Bridget Samuels: A Minimalist Program for Phonology
26: Victor Longa, Guillermo Lorenzo, and Juan Uriagereka: Minimizing Language Evolution: The Minimalist Program and teh Evolutionary Shaping of Language
27: Ed Stabler: Computational perspectives on Minimalism


text: Master Carroll | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information Official Broadway League sites: - sites - broadway.org broadwayleague.com broadwayfanclub.com kidsnightonbroadway.com stagespecs.org tonyawards.com Quick Search For: In This Category: All Show People/Org. Theatre Season Master Carroll Performer Male Productions ProductionsDate of ProductionsThe Cat and the Cherub[Play, Revival] Performer: Master Carroll Oct 17, 1914 - Jan 02, 1915 Find out where Master Carroll and are credited together © 2001-2015, The Broadway League, All Rights Reserved. (Copyright and Disclaimer)


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Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love
- Studio: Shadow Distribution
- Release Date: Jun 12, 2009
Critic Reviews
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This documentary by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi could have used more music for my taste, and fewer talking heads. But it's absorbing all the same.
Best when exploring the nitty gritty of N'Dour's life as a musician, favorite son and cultural ambassador.
N'dour's concert numbers and family visits are captivating, but Vasarhelyi is so uncritical toward the singer that she inadvertently makes him look as though he's running for sainthood.
But by far the most powerful element is N'Dour's lone voice, a thing of high, pure beauty that feels at once ancient and new. When he sings, an otherwise earnestly conventional film becomes a vehicle of incantatory power.
Love looks and sounds great, but in depicting N'Dour as a lofty symbol for music's power to bridge worlds and inspire, it sometimes loses sight of the man.
Although his movie often resembles the kind of promotional video one might find as an extra on a concert DVD, N'Dour in full throttle is a sight, and sound, to behold.
For all the singer's sincere intentions to build secular-religious bridges, a straight-up concert film might have been a better approach, especially given viewer fatigue with those musicians and their causes.
Though we see the same man throughout the bumpy tour captured here -- always calm, steady, faithful -- it's bound to prove an enlightening portrait for those who know him only as the guy who once worked with Peter Gabriel.
Perhaps because the music is so good, with its purity of tone and dazzling rhythmic precision, the flaws of the surrounding movie become all the more obvious.
The film works best when we see N'Dour onstage. He has a great set of pipes and is nothing if not charismatic.
Part concert film, part narrative, it isn't fully successful on either level, coming across more like an overlong DVD extra than a fully stand-alone work.
When the film sticks to biographical and career background, it is on steady ground, but when it argues the case for one particular album, it becomes promotional rather than documentary material.
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Enter your sales or rentals search criteria once and save it to My Reeds Rains.
Reeds Rains estate agents in Chapeltown are based at an office on Lound Side. Chapeltown is a town to the north of Sheffield, and a popular residential area which has good access to Sheffield city centre via road and a mainline train service.
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Our Reeds Rains team also provide residential sales and lettings services across the nearby villages, which includes Wentworth, Thorpe Hesley, Tankersley and Wortley.
House buyers can view the available properties for sale in Chapeltown and the North Sheffield area - our estate agents will be happy to help you search for your next home and answer any further questions about properties, moving or the local Sheffield area.
For sellers we offer a friendly and professional service to help you sell your home in Chapeltown. Our team are here to make the selling process as easy as possible and a great way to start the process is to request a FREE property valuation from the branch.
Our comprehensive estate agency service also includes conveyancing services and the provision of EPCs for properties.
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We are pleased to be able to offer a comprehensive service for landlords with a range of packages available - so whether you are looking for help finding a tenant or looking for a property management service our letting agents in Chapeltown are here to help you. Click here for our landlord fees.
Call Reeds Rains on 0114 245 5299 to request a FREE rental valuation and find out more.
Chapeltown and the North Sheffield area is a popular area for lettings and we have a range of houses and flats to rent in Chapeltown and the local area, which can be viewed online or in the branch. Talk to our Reeds Rains about the lettings process and for help searching for rental properties.
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Socializing isn't just for Dogs! us on Facebook!
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Crews will be working in the wee hours to install a sewer main pipe Nov. 22 to 24.
The work will begin across Route 28 from the Highway Division driveway near Bearse's Way and continue along Bearse's Way.
Work will begin at 9 p.m. and run through 7 a.m. One lane of traffic in both directions will be open at all times.
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Take 128/95 to Route 2A in Lexington. You'll see a sign for the school not too far after the exit, on the left.
View Larger Map
Saturday, May 1, 2010
St. Brigid's Parish, Lexington
The Flintlock District of the Boston Minuteman Council holds Roundtable Meetings once a month at St. Brigid's Parish in Lexington. Roundtable meetings provide the opportunity to share experiences, ideas, and knowledge in a fun and enjoyable setting. Anyone who is involved in any leadership capacity is welcome and encouraged to attend.
St. Bridgid's Parish is located in Lexington center, close to the Battle Green. Take 128 to Exit 31 A, Rts. 4/225, South, towards Lexington. This is Bedford Street. Follow Bedford Street for about 1.6 miles. Immediately before the Battle Green, turn right onto Harrington Street. If you pass the Battle Green (on your right) you've gone too far. Harrington Street merges into Mass Ave. St. Brigid's in on the right.
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Vivid ruby. Vibrant nose suggests candied cherry, rose petal and smoky minerals. A pliant, sweet fruit bomb in the mouth, with fresh flavors of red fruit preserves and flowers. A refreshingly bitter herbal note adds complexity to the persistent, penetrating finish. This is already delicious.Author: Josh Raynolds
Professional content appears courtesy of Vinfolio
Fresh, bright, ripe black cherry, raspberry and light floral scents lead off in this supple, fleshy, full-bodied red, which is complex and layered on the palate, maintaining its core fruitiness and gaining subtle touches of dark berry and spice. 4,320 cases made.Drink Dates: 2011-2018
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is a representative assemblage of the region comprising eleven different sources, including fruit from Keefer, and Koplen (both KB designated vineyards). It delivers a loamy, sour cherry, root beer and licorice nose. The palate shows firm structure: blackberry, and cherry mix well in a tightly focused mid palate. The wine shows lively youthfulness with nice expression of the fruit through the finish.Drink Dates: 2012-2016
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The 2009 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is dark, round and totally gorgeous. In 2009 the Sonoma Coast is bigger and richer than the Russian River bottling. It boasts tons of juiciness in its layered, highly expressive fruit. Dark cherries, violets, licorice, spices and mint are given an extra kick of freshness from these cold-climate sites. The Sonoma Coast bottling is made from two vineyards in the Petaluma Gap and a third site on the northern coast near Annapolis.Drink Dates: 2012-2017
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686 bottles owned by 208 collectors.
Since its founding in 2003, Vinfolio has brought the rarest and highest-quality wines to the collector market. Located in San Francisco and Napa, we are a company of wine experts who understand and value the importance of wine provenance. Our premium supplier relationships and first-in-class technology help us protect your wine from sourcing through shipping with extraordinary care that only we can provide. Don't trust your fine wine with anything less!Learn More


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Wall Beds Orange County
Orange County Wall Beds Is the Answer
Wall beds are a fantastic option for those looking for a more organized and clutter free way of living. When it comes to the typical home, space is tight. Consider adding an Orange County wall bed to your home and you will be rewarded with the following great benefits.
1. Space. Finding extra space in your home can seem impossible. Yet with a wall bed you can instantly open up a spare room for everyday use. You can even combine a bedroom and home office into one space. A spare bedroom can also be an open playroom for your kids one minute and an attractive guest room the next.
2. Convenience. If you are worried about how easy wall beds are to use, then you will no doubt be pleasantly surprised by how smoothly they go up and down. The convenience of pulling out a wall bed compared to blowing up an air mattress or hauling out the fold-away bed will make having overnight guests much more enjoyable.
3. Presentation. Wall bed designs can be incorporated into your home's existing style and many beds can be completely unnoticeable or mistaken for a media cabinet. Adding a wall bed to your home is practical yet stylish.
Get Creative with a Orange County Wall Beds
Decorating a room has to do with personal style but everything in it must be functional and practical. In this day and age, with the multi-tasking demands of most rooms, people have to be creative when they decorate in order to receive the best results. Stay practical while being creative with a Orange County wall bed. Give us a call and receive your free consultation today!


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Erik Leaver
Author Bio
Erik is the communications manager at IPS. Previously he served as a research fellow with the peace and security program and with the Foreign Policy In Focus project.
Erik holds an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of New Mexico. He worked with the Interhemispheric Resource Center in New Mexico on Foreign Policy In Focus before moving to Washington to continue his work at IPS in April 1999.
You can follow him on twitter at: erikleaver and on Netvibes at: http://www.netvibes.com/erikleaver
Content by this author
Book Review: 'IraqiGirl'
September 23, 2009
Beyond Muscle: Using Financial Leverage for Middle East Peace
September 14, 2009
The Bully in Baghdad
August 12, 2009
Time for Effective Aid in Afghanistan
July 30, 2009
A Withdrawal in Name Only
June 24, 2009


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Southwestern Energy Co., Houston, has drilled the backbone of its Fayetteville shale gas play in the eastern Arkoma basin and is phasing down capital spending in the play this year and in 2012, the company said last week.
Southwestern still calls the Fayetteville its "key project," in which it is drilling 130 wells/quarter and from which it produced 112 bcf in the quarter ended Sept. 30, up 21%. Net reserves are 4.3 tcf. The 2012 capital budget should be set in mid-December.
The company has produced 320 bcf from the Fayetteville in the first 9 months of 2011 compared with 350 bcf in all of 2010.
The company placed 418 Fayetteville wells on production in the first 9 months, including 132 in the most recent quarter. It held 916,000 net acres at the end of 2010 across Conway, Van Buren, Faulkner, Cleburne, and White counties, Ark.
Operated horizontal wells drilled in the third quarter averaged $2.8 million, 4,847 ft of lateral in the shale, 7.8 days of drilling time, and an initial rate of 3.4 MMcfd, up 14% from the second quarter. Southwestern has drilled 80 wells in 5 days or less so far.
The company has drilled on but not fully developed about 600,000 acres. On 160,000 acres of federal land it has drilled six wells and plans to drill five more in the next few months. It has cored but not tested the six wells. Another 150,000 acres in the established part of the play are held by production and can be drilled later.
Southwestern has 75% working interest and an inventory of 8,000 net (12,000 gross) locations left to drill on the 600,000 acres. The company assumes that gas prices will hold in the $4-5/Mcf range for the next few years and sees the bulk of the play as being commercial at its current profitability hurdle.


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Review of Yakult Probiotic Drink
Food Review: Yakult Probiotic Drink
Yakult isn't a yogurt; it's a "fermented dairy drink" first produced in Japan and contains live, probiotic cultures to help boost your immune system and the good bacteria in your tummy. Sold in packs of five, the 2.7-fluid-ounce bottles can be downed as drinks, but I also enjoyed it poured over cereal in place of milk. So how does it taste?
I was surprised by how sweet Yakult tastes; it has a tart, almost fruity flavor that, believe it or not, reminds me of Sweet Tarts. Thankfully, I poured it over a cereal that wasn't sweet; otherwise it might have been a bit much. I expected it to be thicker, but it's barely as thick as milk.
Nutritionally, Yakult's results are mixed. Each tiny bottle — enough to cover your cereal — contains 50 calories, 11 grams of sugar, and zero fat with just one gram of protein. So while it's packed with probiotics, it doesn't offer much in the way of protein or calcium. Unfortunately, the ingredients aren't all natural either: water, sugar, skim milk powder, glucose, artificial flavors, and lactobacillus casei shirota (the cultures). For that reason, I probably won't make Yakult a habit, but it was a nice change from yogurt or milk. Find out where it's carried near you. Do you Yakult?


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Warwickshire slow left-armer Ant Botha has been forced to retire from county cricket because of a persistent elbow injury.
The 34-year-old English-qualified South African underwent elbow surgery last winter and suffered a recurrence of the injury recently forcing him to call time on his career on medical advice.
"It's a sad day but I have known for about a month that it was coming but I've got some found memories of a sixteen-year career," Botha said.
Botha did a domestic double with Natal in 1998/99 and won South Africa's four-day competition again when he moved to Easterns.
He joined Derbyshire in 2004 and switched to Warwickshire mid-season in 2007. He helped them win Division Two titles in both the County Championship and 40-over competition in his first two seasons at Edgbaston and collected another winner's medal last season when he played in the Clydesdale Bank 40 final victory over Somerset at Lord's.
Having spent most of last season as back-up to overseas leg-spinner Imran Tahir, Botha was expected to be Warwickshire's first choice spinner this year but he suffered a knee injury that required surgery in May.
Having recovered from that injury, Botha's elbow problem flared up again in the latter stages of the Friends Life t20 forcing him into early retirement.
Botha is uncertain what the future holds but he is keen to retain an involvement in the game. "My wife and I have some business ideas and we are waiting to see how they pan out," he said.
"But I would like to stay involved in the game in some capacity. I enjoy coaching and that is something that I will have a look at."


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A judge denied a request Wednesday to dismiss the case against an Oklahoma City man whose murder conviction was overturned because of prosecutorial misconduct.
Judge won't dismiss case against Oklahoma City man whose murder conviction was overturned
Jurors convicted Billy Michael Thompson in March of first-degree murder in the Aug. 17, 2010, stabbing death of Manuel Leon Sanchez, 21.
The panel also convicted Thompson, 26, of assault and battery in the stabbing of Maxwell M. McIntyre, 19.
Defense attorneys who filed a motion to dismiss the case argued that subjecting Thompson to another trial would violate his constitutional right to fairness because two ex-prosecutors knowingly lied to gain a conviction.
"They knew Mr. Thompson had a shot to walk out of here … that his self-defense claim had merit," Shea Smith, Oklahoma County assistant public defender, told District Judge Donald L. Deason.
Deason denied the request, saying the remedy "is to have a new trial."
The judge vacated the conviction and set a new trial date after prosecutors in the case were found to have withheld critical evidence from Thompson's attorneys.
Assistant District Attorneys Pam Kimbrough and Stephanie Miller were fired by their boss, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, after Prater learned they withheld a witness statement that could have been favorable to Thompson's case.
Continue reading this story on the...


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I spent Sunday afternoon doing something I never thought I would get to do; exploring the inside of a World War II vintage B-17 bomber.
Since I was a kid I always loved airplanes, especially warbirds from World War II. Forget the romance of flying by the seat of your pants in a Sopworth Camel biplane from 1917 or knowing the latest avionics of a revamped F-15 Eagle; just give me those steady piston driven planes of the early to mid-1940's.
When I saw the press release last week that the Collings Foundation was bringing their B-17 and B-24 bombers to Heber for an air show I had to go. So early Sunday morning my two sons and one of their girlfriends and I drove to Wasatch County to see what we could see. Little did we realize that we would be able to feel the planes too.
When we arrived we walked past a British Meteor, and a Korean era Soviet Mig 15 to get to the two bombers. There were people there, but the crowd was sparse. And as we paid our money we realized that they were letting people into the planes, by themselves, to take a tour. I had never seen that before. I expected a heavily guided tour with the "don't touch this" and "don't touch that" kind of format. Instead they just turned us loose.
As I climbed through the forward crew hatch I noticed the bombadiers area cordoned off, but as I squeezed into the upper gun turret, I saw the cockpit was wide open. I thought I and my boys were the only ones in the plane, but there sat an older gentleman who began to talk with me. He looked relaxed in that seat, like he belonged there.
As I spoke with him about the plane my oldest son conked his head on the upper gun turret. Those planes weren't meant for people that stood 6'2" or even those that were 5'9" for that matter. I hit my head a few times too. I commented to the gentleman that the guys who flew them must have been small but they were very brave.
"I don't know," he said to me. "I think we were just stupid."
As I looked at him, his actual age was belied by the far away look in his eyes as he gazed out of the cockpit over the nose of the aircraft.
He looked at me and smiled.
"I'll get out of here so you young bucks can sit in this seat...I'm sure that's why you are here."
As he raised up I could tell he had been in that cockpit like that many times before. He was a short thin man, and when he twisted around I could see that he was probably in his early 80's. However there in that face I could see a young pilot, a dashing one, who had taken one of these planes or something like it in harms way a number of times.
He said goodbye and scurried toward the back of the plane on the narrow catwalk in the bombay surround by 1000 lb. dummy cannisters. I raised myself up and crawled into the seat in which he had been perched. It wasn't easy to get in. When I did leave it was even harder to get out. I couldn't imagine getting out of there if the plane was all shot up and headed to the ground in a rush. Maybe that's the reason that when you look at lists of captured POW's during World War II there were plenty of fighter pilots, waist gunners and bombadiers listed, but not many B-17 pilots.
As I sat there I thought about everything I knew about these planes after years of loving them, watching movies of them, reading books about them, studying them and putting models of them together, I realized it wasn't the planes I loved as much as I did the idea of what they represented.
And as I gazed over the same green nose the old pilot had looked over just a few minutes before it didn't matter to me if the guys who flew them were brave or stupid.
In my book they were the best there ever was.
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40/9 Moo 4, Kai Bae
Contact Details
- Transportasi
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- Driving in Thailand
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TheKoh Chang Minibus Transfer service offers passengers the most comfortable, safest and quickest means of travel to and from Ko Chang and between Trat airport and Koh Chang, Trat town, Laem Sok & Laem Ngop piers. From Koh Chang we also carry passengers to many other popular tourist destinations like Ban Phe (Koh Samet), Pattaya, Bangkok, Aranyaprathet, Haat Lek or even Hua Hin & Pranburi by private minibus or luxury sedan service. Our highly experienced drivers are strictly professionals whose sole function is to get you to where you want to be, efficiently, safely, well rested and fresh feeling. We have been providing 100% safe Trat airport and Koh Chang island transfers from and to well know destinations like Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi airport, Ban Phe, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Ban Krut, Aranyaprathet, Buriram and hundreds of less known destinations all over Thailand for many years now.
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TRAX delayed due to collision with motorcycle
Published March 11, 2013 4:53 pm
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A motorcycle collided with a TRAX train near 7720 South on Monday afternoon, causing minor delays on the Utah Transit Authority blue line.
UTA officials say the motorcycle drove around the gate and ran into the train Monday afternoon. United Fire Authority said the victim was a 62-year-old man who was transported to the hospital in serious condition. Because of the accident, TRAX trains were running on a single track. UTA reported 10 minute delays on the blue line while officials continued to investigate the accident scene into Monday evening. The scene was finally cleared shortly after 9 p.m.
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Automating the world one-liner at a time…
Have you ever created scriptblocks on the fly, say in a foreach loop, and they totally mess up because they all have the same value?
This is something sort of advanced, and typically used when you're proxying an object.
The most basic example would be, taken from (http://www.powershellcommunity.org/Forums/tabid/54/aff/1/aft/2506/afv/topic/Default.aspx)
function add([int]$x) { return { param([int]$y) return $y + $x } }$m2 = add 2$m5 = add 5&$m2 3 #expected: 5 actual: 3&$m5 6 #expected: 11 actual: 6
The value for $x is $null for both.
Why is that? Its because $x is $null in the local scope, the script block doesn't remember the $x.
If we do
$x = 1000&$m2 3 #expected: 5 actual: 1003&$m5 6 #expected: 11 actual: 1006
This can be fixed in V2 using closures.
function add([int]$x) { return { param([int]$y) return $y + $x }.GetNewClosure() }$m2 = add 2$m5 = add 5&$m2 3 #expected: 5 actual: 5&$m5 6 #expected: 11 actual: 11
Closures are also great for ScriptProperties and ScriptMethods.
Hope this helps,Ibrahim
PingBack from http://www.anith.com/?p=23830
Why is lexcial scoping not the standard?
I think the language is a mess. (or maybe just the implementation?)
PS C:\> function f2($x,$y) { echo ($x,$y)}
PS C:\> f2 1
PS C:\> f2 1 2
PS C:\> f2 1 2 4
PS C:\> echo "val: $nix"
PS C:\> echo "val:" + $nix
The variable $nix cannot be retrieved because it has not been set yet
At line:1 char:18
+ echo "val:" + $nix <<<<
Why the difference?
Is their some specification of this behaviour?
I don't get an error with that line. You probably have your strict setting set.
I'm in Powershell 4 and this feature is still a mess. Functions I brought into the scope with the dot operator prior to creating the closure are not seen inside the closure.


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La Moda
Don't let the staff dressed in red Ferrari jumpsuits confuse you – this is not a quick-bite, pit stop joint 2 Reviews
From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2007
Don't let the staff dressed in red Ferrari jumpsuits confuse you – this is not a quick-bite, pit stop joint. In fact, even hardcore Italian culinary fans will be impressed with the cuisine if they look beyond the themed decor and bizarre sartorial decisions. The à la carte menu offers up gems such as the antipasto misto to start, with the highlight being the goat's cheese and sundried tomato wrapped in salty slithers of beef bresaola.
For the main course, among the usual suspects of pasta and pizza lies a selection of shellfish that will rival many fine dining options at far more expensive eateries across town. We love the seafood risotto for a dish that is packed with flavour and generous heaps of delicious sea-dwelling critters.
No visit to a good Italian should be completed without dessert, and the cinnamon ice cream-filled pancake drizzled with a sweet honey and orange glaze is the very reason the word 'dessert' was created. Look out for their seasonal barbecue buffet nights, on which for a very reasonable Dhs95 you can help yourself to overflowing tables of antipasti and grilled meats to your heart and stomach's content.
By Time Out Dubai Staff
Time Out Dubai,
- Previous reviews
Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.


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Nonna Lina
Ambiance: Casual
Main course (avg): R100
Licensed: yes, corkage: R30.00 for no-listed wines R60.00 for listed wines
Open: Lunch, Dinner
Mon-Fri 12h00 - 15h00 and 18h00 - 22h30
Sat 18h00/22.30
Sunday Closed
Seating Capacity: 46
021 4244966
Send an email
Description: If it's consistently great food that smacks with true Sardinian flavour, mixed with a friendly vibe and casual, yet professional service, you're at the right venue.
The decor is contemporary and comfortable, unpretentious and stylish too. Due to clever and quirky renovations, sitting inside or outside on the terrace offers breathtaking views of Lion's Head and Table Mountain. The warm interior is paint techniqued in soft shades of sandstone and Mediterranean blue, reminiscent of seaside cafes in Sardinia.crisp white linen and good quality tableware give table dressing a welcome.
64 Orange Street 8000 Gardens
From Muizenberg follow the M3 to Cape Town. Take De Waal and follow the road through Jutland, Mill and Annandale Roads until you reach Orange Street. At the robots after the Labia Theatre, turn left into Rheede Street. From Clifton/Camps Bay, take Victoria Road. Turn right into Camps Bay Drive and follow the road over the mountain into Kloofnek Road. Turn right into Firdale and at the robots turn left into Kloof Street. Proceed to Rheede Street. Nonna Lina is on the corner of Rheede and Orange Street.
Reviews of Nonna Lina(1 reviews) - Write a review


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DISPLACED (Working Title): In Production
Initially set out to be a feature-length documentary, DISPLACED, takes viewers inside the close-knit and often misrepresented Somali-American community of the twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. With years of research, the project has now been fashioned as a series of webisodes. An introduction to the vibrant and lively community of Little Mogadishu, the stories unfold amidst ongoing FBI investigations into the disappearance of at least twenty local youths allegedly recruited for war efforts in Somalia. With exclusive access to families, activists, community organizers and other key community figures, and with the ongoing geopolitical matters at hand, at home and abroad, DISPLACED reveals the tragic impact of war and its capacity to reach across borders, impacting the lives of those who have attempted to move on.


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Whipsnade and Dunstable Downs walk
Chilterns Gateway Centre, Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU6 2GYRoute details and mapDownload as a print friendly PDF
Route overview
A walk which takes in stunning views from Dunstable Downs, as well as tracking a route along part of the ancient Icknield Way. There's a chance to rest and wonder at the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral before climbing up through Whipsnade Heath and returning to the Chilterns Gateway Centre. The view northwards from the Chilterns Gateway Centre is a good place to start and finish your walk.
Route details
See this step-by-step route marked on a map
- Directions
- Route
- Bus stop
- Parking
- Toilet
- Viewpoint
Start: Chiltern Gateway Centre car park, grid ref: TL008195
From the car park, walk down past the Chilterns Gateway Centre towards the windcatcher, then turn left at the waymarker post onto the bridleway that runs alongside the hedgerow.
Show/HideView north from Chilterns Gateway Centre
The view northwards from the Chilterns Gateway Centre is a good place to start and finish your walk. From the windcatcher, watch gliders taking off from the fields below.
Continue along the bridleway, which runs along the line of the Icknield Way, into the long grazing area and continue toward Bison Hill car park. The 'oldest road' in Britain, stretching from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire through to Kettishall Heath in Norfolk, the Icknield Way consists of a network of pathways which date from Neolithic times and links the Ridgeway in the west to Peddlars Way in the east.
On approaching Bison Hill car park, turn left and continue along the bridleway with hedgerows on both sides. This is a good example of a holloway - a track deepened by centuries of use and occasional clearance. It's believed to be a medieval route between Whipsnade and Eaton Bray.
Show/HideChalkhill blue and Duke of Burgundy butterflies
Look out for butterflies such as the chalkhill blue and Duke of Burgundy (pictured). Listen to larks ascending high above the chalk grassland and in June you can see wild orchids, including the common spotted orchid and the bee orchid.
Continue along the bridleway as it opens out, passing the Whipsnade Zoo car park on your right. As you proceed along a housing boundary to your left, look out for the footpath sign to the left.
Watch gliders taking off and circling over the vale of Aylesbury. They were originally towed up onto Dunstable Downs to be launched manually but now take off with the assistance of a winch or tow plane.
Turn left at the footpath waymarker and follow the path through a kissing gate, with a field on one side and fencing on the right. Follow the footpath through to the next gate, which leads to the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral.
Show/HideWhipsnade Tree Cathedral
Set in a hayfield as a memorial to lost friends in the First World War, the Tree Cathedral is laid out in the pattern of a medieval cathedral. Wander along the transepts of chestnut and tulip trees or along the wide Cloister Walk of ash trees, or simply sit and enjoy the tranquility of this unique memorial.
Continue along the footpath with the Tree Cathedral on your left. Walk through the car park and keep to your left as you approach the B4540. Cross the road with care and proceed past the church and downhill, past the Old Hunters Lodge pub to the roundabout.
Cross the roundabout with care and head towards Whipsnade Heath car park on your left. Follow the tarmac path and then take the footpath straight up through the woodland.
Continue through the woodland and follow the footpath straight on to the kissing gate. Keep to the path as it runs alongside pasture and into a field, where it comes out onto a quiet road opposite Green End Farm.
Cross the road and follow the footpath signs to the right of Green End Farm, then walk along the footpath, which traces a route round the edge of the field. Continue downhill and through to the kissing gate on your left. Walk diagonally uphill across Codlings Bank and through to the kissing gate in the chain link fence.
Turn immediately left and follow the footpath down through the wooded area, past a small brick shed and onto the footpath by the quarry fence.
Continue along the footpath and bear right to join the rising headland path along the left hand field edge, in the direction of a mixed woodland and tall aerial on the skyline.
Follow the path into the copse and out onto the roadside, turning right to join Isle of Wight Lane. Proceed along the lane with care to the junction with the B4541 at Robertson Corner. Cross the road with care and return to the Chilterns Gateway Centre with it's café and toilets.
Show/HideChilterns Gateway Centre
Stop off at the Gateway Centre for a drink and bite to eat.
End: Chilterns Gateway Centre and café, grid ref: TL008195
In partnership with
- Trail: Walking
- Grade: Moderate
- Distance: 4.5 miles (7.2km)
- Time: 2.5 hours
- OS Map: Landranger 166; Explorer 181 and 193
- Terrain:
Parts of the walk can become muddy after wet weather; sturdy footwear is advised. Stiles, gates and some moderate slopes and steep gradients across grassland and woodland floors. Please keep dogs under close control, particularly around livestock, and don't let them foul on paths and around picnic areas.
- How to get here:
By foot: Footpaths from West Street and Tring Road, Dunstable
By bike: Public bridleway from West Street in Dunstable and Whipsnade. Cycle parking available at the Gateway Centre
By bus: Arriva 61, Luton station to Aylesbury, alight West Street, Dunstable. Daily, except Sundays. From here, you can join the walk at the Chilterns Gateway Centre
By train: Luton station 7 miles (11km), from here take Arriva 61 bus service
By car: On B4541 west of Dunstable and Whipsnade. Postcodes for Sat Nav: LU6 2GY or LU6 2TA for older versions
- Facilities:
National Trust car park - closes 6pm in summer and dusk in winter
WCs, café & gift shop open daily 10am - 5pm (10am - 4pm in winter). Closed on 24 & 25 Dec).
Contact us
- Telephone: 01582 500920
- Email: email@example.com
- Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunstable-downs-chilterns-gateway-and-whipsnade-estate/


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My special lady bailed on our choir rehearsal again last Monday. She seemed fine on Saturday, although she'd been sick the week before. She texted me a few minutes before the rehearsal to let me know her cold had transformed into a sinus infection. I have a history of dating comically dishonest women, so forgive me if my first thought was, "Bullshit."
I mean, I wanted to believe her, but after our awkward Florida conversation and wheel-spinning date on Saturday, it would not have surprised me in the least if she bailed on another choir rehearsal because, in addition to our mutual agreement that the experience was not as enjoyable as either of us had thought it would be, she wanted to avoid me.
"Nah," I told myself, "we barely see each other during choir rehearsals, anyway, so I can't imagine she'd stay home just to avoid me."
But maybe she would. She wouldn't let me come over on Saturday, which seemed like a bad sign, but as always, she had a pretty reasonable explanation — one of her job leads had sent her a particularly lengthy application, which she wanted to get done so she could e-mail it to them before Monday. She had a busy Sunday, so she had to work on it on Saturday night. But when she told me she didn't get around to finishing the application until Monday, Saturday's reasonable explanation started to reek of bullshit. And if Saturday's excuse was bullshit, couldn't Monday's be the same?
As the week dragged on, signs got weirder. I tried not to read too much into it, but I had a hard time not noticing that whenever I texted her about Doctor Who or other such meaningless bullshit, I'd receive enthusiastic responses; whenever I asked her anything more substantial, such as, "How are you feeling today?" or "Any word on the jobs?" the response, by and large, was (in my view) icy silence.
On Thursday, I don't know if she forgot who she was texting, but she boldly announced she was on her way home from visiting a friend who lives in Oak Park. When I suggested she must be feeling better — which would have obviously led to an attempt at plan-making for the weekend — she was quick to add that a few hours saps the energy she usually has for a full day. Again, a reasonable explanation with a faint whiff of bullshit.
Successfully blocked, I waited until Friday to make the kindest offer of all time: I'd sit through Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, which I knew she wanted to see. Truth be told, I saw the first Twilight movie and didn't hate it, even though literally nothing happens for two hours. But parts, I actually liked; actually, I liked pretty much everything but the central love triangle. If it had been called Twilight's Friends, it might have been the greatest movie of all time. Nevertheless, I was willing to sit through it because she wanted to see it, and I didn't find it so offensive as to avoid outright.
About half an hour later, she texted back that she and her sister had just gotten out of a showing. Hrmf. Undaunted, I attempted to make alternate weekend plans. She parried with the proclamation that she already had weekend obligations that would obliterate what little energy she had, meaning no plans. She already had Thanksgiving plans that didn't include me, which meant another week of not seeing her at all. (I assume she won't show up to choir rehearsal again, but even if she does, our time together is brief and pretty insubstantial.)
Look, I'm not an idiot. I see the writing on the wall, but I'm stubborn and have inherited the gift of the guilt trip from my parents. I sent her an e-mail over the weekend, careful to note how little time we've spent together over the past two weeks and how little we stand to spend together this week, and suggested maybe I should join her over the long weekend. After the family Thanksgiving festivities — which I made no effort to become a part of, as that would be a truly terrible suggestion — she planned to go to Milwaukee to visit a friend for the remainder of the weekend. I even added an extra-dickish layer of guilt by offering to drive, since she's clearly still so ill.
Why did I make this ill-conceived, moderately reckless, and entirely assholeish move, knowing full well there was no possible way she'd say "yes"? Frankly, here it is: I know she's backing off. I don't know if it's because she's losing interest, because I blew it by daring to mention Florida, or merely because Florida's happening whether we talk about it or not, and maybe we both realize we haven't been together long enough to try to keep things going. I didn't really do it out of desperation, or idiocy, or anything else. Maybe part of me did hope that she'd say "yes," and I felt confident in being so brazen and obnoxious because, at this point, I have nothing to lose. Deep down, though, I'm just your average attention whore. Since she'd been mostly blowing me off, I wanted to elicit a response.
Not surprisingly, I got one. She explained, with appropriate exasperation, why joining her would be the worst idea of all time and defeat the purpose of visiting to spend time with her friend. That satisfied me — at least I knew her iPhone hadn't broken.
Attention whore or not, I haven't played stupid games like this since high school, when I brazenly flirted with attractive women in front of my girlfriend in the hopes that she'd break up with me so I wouldn't have to break up with her. (Note: She didn't, so I did, and it was super-awkward because she tried to argue with me so I'd change my mind, and in retrospect, I feel kind of bad for not changing my mind, because I was mainly breaking up with her because all my friends hated her, but I liked her just fine. Now, she's happily married. How dare she!) So it was weird when, after divulging the sordid details of everything that was happening, Sara announced that my special lady sounded a tad immature.
That struck me as bizarre, especially after the obnoxious Milwaukee ploy. How could I possibly be the mature one in any relationship? That did not compute. But, once I laid out all the information, she concluded that — with the glaring exception of Milwaukee — I hadn't said or done anything unreasonable. Yes, I'd thought unreasonable things — such as "Yeah, maybe I can move to Florida" — but I'd been spared the indignity of acting on them, and a cooler head ultimately prevailed. Maybe that is a sign of maturity. I've only done one childish, comically stupid thing in eleven weeks. That's a miracle.
So, as of yesterday, I'm following Sara's advice, which matched my own instincts: back off and see what happens.
Posted by D. B. Bates on November 21, 2011 1:11 PM


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Event Categories
Spring Gardening Mini-Series
For inspiration and advice on successful gardens, choose from twelve classes taught by local gardening experts. Topics include summer containers, garden pests, container gardening, lawn care and many more on Tuesday, March 25, Thursday, March 27, Tuesday, April 1 and Tuesday, April 15.
View the various classes and times by clicking here.
To register online, click through on the specific class links or over the phone at (616) 975-3184 or (616) 975-3147.
Member Cost: $12
Non-Member Cost: $17


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Fire on porch damages home exterior
EUGENE, Ore. - A fire on the porch of a multiplex home damaged the porch and siding Thursday evening, firefighters said.
Firefighters mostly confined the flames to the porch of the 4-apartment house at 16th and High. Crews removed some siding to save the house.
No one was injured. The fire was under investigation.