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Those local persons concerned about the fate of public education in our community, the state of Oregon, and the nation, end up muttering expletives to themselves while engaged in near whiplash head-shaking when they read stories such as the one out of Turner where Cascade School Superintendent Jim McBride got all that adverse publicity after requesting he be paid a beyond-his-regular-salary 50 thousand dollars for overseeing district construction projects. Now, he and the district's board are getting additional negative attention because he has been forced by public reaction to back away from his initial request; meanwhile, the fur continues to fly.
Additionally, whether the superintendent asked for it or the board moved to provide it, his cost-of-living adjustment was to be 3% while other district employees are slated to receive a 2.5% increase, even though his salary is already considerably higher than anyone else's employed there.
The International Bank of Commerce is providing a $70 million construction loan for the Spring condominiums, to be built at Third and Bowie streets downtown. Developers said they plan to start work on the 41-story, 260-unit tower in early 2007, with completion expected in the fourth quarter of 2008. FOOD RETAILERS Neighborhood grocery for downtown opens Royal Blue Grocery, downtown's first neighborhood grocery story, opened Tuesday at 247 W. Third St., near the Second Street retail and entertainment district. The 1,000-square-foot store will cater to downtown's growing resident population, stocking staples such as milk and eggs, fresh produce and prepared foods, wine and beer. The founders are Craig Staley and George Scariano, who met when both worked at Chuy's.
The ASC is responsible for eight cases. Three cases involve the Suvarnabhumi International Airport - the procurement of 26 CTX bomb scanners, the Airport Rail Link construction project, and the electricity cable-laying project. The other five projects are the soft loan granted by the Export-Import Bank to Burma, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's contract to procure fire trucks, the 73.3-billion-baht tax-free sale of Shin Corp, the rubber seedling procurement project, and the construction of a central lab to screen the quality of farm produce. - Office of the Auditor-General (OAG). The OAG conducts investigations into corruption cases at national agencies. These include several projects under a grand tourism scheme called "Chiang Mai World," including the 1.2-billion-baht Chiang Mai Night Safari, the Elephant Park in Tambon Mae Hia, the Royal Flora Ratchaphreuk 2006 exposition and the 15-kilometre cable car in Suthep-Pui National Park.Other corruption cases on which the OAG is wrapping up its investigations include the taxation of revenue from the two- and three-digit lottery scheme, the CDMA mobile phone project by Hutchison, the government's spending of tsunami aid funds and donations, the e-passport project and the Ua-arthorn housing project for low-income people.
A huffing and puffing wolf could not blow this house down even if, as the nursery rhyme once reported, eating three plump pigs cowering inside were his reward. He wouldn't get in because the home has 10-centimeters thick concrete walls, which is roughly 9 times stronger than a wood framed home, Conrad Hoeppner, territorial manager of LOGIX, a firm that makes insulated concrete form homes, said. Insulated concrete forms (ICF) have been around for 30-odd years but are relatively new in the city of Winnipeg, especially when used to build a home from foundation to rafters. Only about 6 homes have been built in Winnipeg with such technology -- it's more popular in rural areas -- but the future may bring more. "The foam has several advantages," Dave Penner, who is building his raised bungalow on Headmaster Row in North Kildonan with this technology, said.
NEW ORLEANS -- Adding 96,000 new jobs to Louisiana over the next two years would normally be growth to take note of, but even if that happens, the state will only be back to its 1998 employment level, while New Orleans will be almost three decades farther behind _ thanks to Hurricane Katrina. That's the conclusion of an annual study released Wednesday by a group of state economists who pointed out, that although most of Louisiana already is above pre-Katrina job levels, the losses in the New Orleans metropolitan area will still be dragging down the entire state _ perhaps for years. The annual Louisiana Economic Outlook said the state will add 53,800 jobs next year and 42,000 in 2008 for growth rates of 3 percent and 2.3 percent. Baton Rouge, the Shreveport-Bossier City area, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Houma and Alexandria are forecast to gain jobs.
Two development projects, Legacy Place in Dedham and Westwood Station, stole much of the business-related headlines during the past year, and with good reason. Alone, either development would have potential to change the area's character. Combined - the sites are just a few miles apart - they could completely transform the region. Proposed at the site of the Showcase Cinemas near the intersection of routes 128 and 1, Legacy Place aims to bring more than 70 upscale shops and restaurants to the town. The joint developers, National Amusements and S.R. Wiener and Associates, have reached agreements with eateries including Legal Seafood and P.F. Chang's China Bistro. The key tenants at the site are a Whole Foods Market and a 3,200-seat National Amusements movie theater.
LOGAN - Though it will play differently when it airs on national television, the arrival of the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" bus in Logan on Sunday will hardly be a surprise to those involved.
Cleanup already has begun at the home of the winning family - whose identity is being kept hidden - to prepare for the project, which calls for removal of the existing house and construction of a new one in one short week.
On Friday the trees surrounding the home had been trimmed to make way for the heavy equipment.
When ABC's Ty Pennington and his crew roll up Sunday, operators and their bulldozers will be on site to raze the home. Construction workers and hundreds of student volunteers from Utah State University and Logan High also will help with the fast-track project.
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