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YUZHNO, Russia - This gritty city on the south end of Sakhalin Island, Russia's oil-rich province in its far east, shows the face of a modernizing Russia. In the early morning, streets are busy with traffic and smartly dressed young women and men who stride purposefully to work in modern office buildings. The city bustles with new construction, including - in what would amaze visitors to Russian cities just a few years ago - new subdivisions of single-family homes being built for Russians, not foreigners, on the city's outskirts. There are still plenty of the old Soviet-era block apartment buildings, however, as well as older neighborhoods of log cabins and small wood houses, some which seem to date from czarist times. Many of the old homes have greenhouses and gardens, a sign that many Russian families, in a place with a cold climate and without Costcos and Safeways, must still grow a lot of their own food, as did many Americans not too long ago.
No one disputes that Sweetwater High needs fixing, even after $16.6 million in reconstruction from a bond measure passed six years ago. If South County voters approve another school bond measure next month, Sweetwater High would get an estimated $40 million more in repairs and upgrades: a new classroom building, more science labs, additional restrooms and the makeover of 49 classRooms. An additional 34 middle, high and adult school campuses would share an additional $604 million in construction and renovation. In considering Proposition O, a $644 million bond measure, voters will decide if the annual property tax surcharge for at least the next 25 years – $27 per $100,000 assessed value of a home – is worth it. The San Diego County Taxpayers Association says it is.
A construction company has pleaded guilty to damaging an underground natural gas pipeline which led to a gas explosion in Toronto that killed seven people. Warren Bitulithic Limited was ordered to pay a fine of $225,000 with a 25 per cent victim surcharge of $56,250 under the Provincial Offences Act. The Technical Standards and Safety Authority says it's the largest fine in their history imposed by the courts. On Apr. 24, 2003, an explosion destroyed a two-storey commercial and residential building on Bloor Street West, killing and injuring several people. The west-end shopping plaza housed four businesses, including a pizza shop, a hair salon and a dry cleaners'. The gas line was damaged as the construction company was doing road repairs in the area.
On Sunday, two days before the 17th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, Bay Area Rapid Transit officials will unveil new earthquake retrofit plans for the Transbay Tube, which will allow the farmers market at the Ferry Building to stay open, spokesman Linton Johnson said today. Johnson said there is "a 62 percent chance of at least one 6.7 or greater magnitude earthquake happening within the next 30 years,'' and he said currently, BART is not completely prepared. According to Johnson, because the tube runs directly beneath the Ferry Building, previous retrofitting plans were thought to have to cause the Ferry Building and Farmers Market to be closed during construction. Johnson said new plans allow the building and market to remain open. While Johnson said there is no need to retrofit BART stations, the Transbay Tube, which opened in 1974, is located beneath the bay and "if the tube moves in an earthquake, the joints connecting the tube to land can move 360 degrees of rotation,'' he said.
ROSEMONT, Ill., Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Cole Taylor Bank, a subsidiary of Taylor Capital Group, announced the addition of four experienced bankers to its Cash Management Sales and Commercial Real Estate groups. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061010/CGTU045LOGO ) "We are absolutely delighted that we have attracted and continue to attract top talent to Cole Taylor," said Bruce W. Taylor, President and CEO of Cole Taylor Bank. "These individuals are all well-known and well-respected in their areas of expertise. As experts in their fields, they recognize and appreciate Cole Taylor's commitment to excellence in serving the needs of Chicago's closely-held businesses. We are gratified that they have chosen to be a part of that tradition." "The addition of these talented and experienced individuals further advances our position as banking specialists for closely-held businesses.
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