Wednesday, January 28, 2009
ELK POINT, SD — The Elk Point-Jefferson school is hosting a fund raiser for a custodian battling against more than dirt and debris, according to the Sioux City Journal.
"Dinner for Al" will benefit Al Brown, the long-time Elk Point-Jefferson custodian battling cancer, the story stated.
The event will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on February 6 during a boys and girls basketball doubleheader at the school, the story noted.
Lasagna, garlic toast, salad and beverages will be served for $4 for students sixth grade and younger and $6 for adults and students seventh grade and older, the story added.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Alligator attacks cleaner
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
LAKE WORTH, FL — A man was attacked by an alligator and dragged underwater while cleaning up trash along the shore of Lake Osbourne at John Prince Park, according to WPBF-TV.
Raymundo Velasco was using a skimmer and tongs to collect debris when the eight to 10 foot alligator attacked him; Velasco successfully fended off the alligator and climbed back ashore, the story stated.
Velasco suffered injuries to his arm and hand but continued to work after wrapping the wound in a plastic bag and securing it with crime scene tape left by police from a recent call in the area, the story noted.
Velasco was airlifted to Delray Beach Medical Center after the rare winter alligator attack while a trapper hired by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission quickly came to the scene to hunt the alligator, the story added.
LAKE WORTH, FL — A man was attacked by an alligator and dragged underwater while cleaning up trash along the shore of Lake Osbourne at John Prince Park, according to WPBF-TV.
Raymundo Velasco was using a skimmer and tongs to collect debris when the eight to 10 foot alligator attacked him; Velasco successfully fended off the alligator and climbed back ashore, the story stated.
Velasco suffered injuries to his arm and hand but continued to work after wrapping the wound in a plastic bag and securing it with crime scene tape left by police from a recent call in the area, the story noted.
Velasco was airlifted to Delray Beach Medical Center after the rare winter alligator attack while a trapper hired by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission quickly came to the scene to hunt the alligator, the story added.
Custodians caught, charged with stealing from school
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
JERSEY CITY, NJ — Two Dickinson High School custodians are charged for their roles in the theft of school equipment, according to The Jersey Journal.
Benjamin Smith is charged with theft while Patrick McCarthy, a prominent figure in local Democratic Party politics, is charged with receiving stolen property, the story stated.
Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said: "As every defendant, Mr. McCarthy is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The scant information we have received is that Mr. McCarthy has a plausible explanation and a very reasonable defense for this charge."
The equipment stolen from the school between December 23, 2008 and January 12, 2009 is worth $1,321 and included two microphones, a cable and a speaker that are part of a larger wireless speaker system, the story noted.
Smith has worked for the district for 14 years and earns $52,657 annually. McCarthy, a principal custodian, has worked for the district since 1980 and earns $46,218 a year, the story added.
JERSEY CITY, NJ — Two Dickinson High School custodians are charged for their roles in the theft of school equipment, according to The Jersey Journal.
Benjamin Smith is charged with theft while Patrick McCarthy, a prominent figure in local Democratic Party politics, is charged with receiving stolen property, the story stated.
Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy said: "As every defendant, Mr. McCarthy is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The scant information we have received is that Mr. McCarthy has a plausible explanation and a very reasonable defense for this charge."
The equipment stolen from the school between December 23, 2008 and January 12, 2009 is worth $1,321 and included two microphones, a cable and a speaker that are part of a larger wireless speaker system, the story noted.
Smith has worked for the district for 14 years and earns $52,657 annually. McCarthy, a principal custodian, has worked for the district since 1980 and earns $46,218 a year, the story added.
And the dirtiest hotel in America is...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
NEW YORK — For the third time in four years, the Hotel Carter in Times Square has been named the dirtiest hotel in America by TripAdvisor.com, according to the Daily News.
The hotel, used as a homeless shelter in the 1980s, gained infamy two years ago when a cleaning lady found a woman’s corpse stuffed under a bed, the story stated.
Hotel Manager Erwin Lumanglas said: "We are not bothered at all. Even when they tell us we’re the dirtiest hotel in the world, people are still interested in coming because of the price and the location."
Some complaints from recent patrons include:
· A steady stream of water pouring from the mirrored ceiling into an array of garbage cans arranged below that a security guard described as "a minor problem."
· A picture frame covered in a substance resembling mildew.
· Roaches, bed bugs and other vermin.
· Small and sparsely appointed rooms.
Despite the condition of the hotel and the not-so-rave reviews it receives, a room at the Hotel Carter is still $130 a night, the story noted.
Though the Hotel Carter stole the cheese, three other New York City area hotels made TripAdvisor.com's list of dirtiest hotels, the story added.
NEW YORK — For the third time in four years, the Hotel Carter in Times Square has been named the dirtiest hotel in America by TripAdvisor.com, according to the Daily News.
The hotel, used as a homeless shelter in the 1980s, gained infamy two years ago when a cleaning lady found a woman’s corpse stuffed under a bed, the story stated.
Hotel Manager Erwin Lumanglas said: "We are not bothered at all. Even when they tell us we’re the dirtiest hotel in the world, people are still interested in coming because of the price and the location."
Some complaints from recent patrons include:
· A steady stream of water pouring from the mirrored ceiling into an array of garbage cans arranged below that a security guard described as "a minor problem."
· A picture frame covered in a substance resembling mildew.
· Roaches, bed bugs and other vermin.
· Small and sparsely appointed rooms.
Despite the condition of the hotel and the not-so-rave reviews it receives, a room at the Hotel Carter is still $130 a night, the story noted.
Though the Hotel Carter stole the cheese, three other New York City area hotels made TripAdvisor.com's list of dirtiest hotels, the story added.
DuPont sees profits plummet
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
WILMINGTON, DE — JanSan chemical giant DuPont reported a net loss of $629 million in the fiscal fourth quarter, according to MarketWatch.
Quarterly revenue fell to $6.07 billion, down from $6.98 billion in the year ago quarter, the story stated.
Shares dropped in value by 70 cents, in stark contrast to the 60 cents a share profit seen one year ago, the story noted.
Ellen Kullman, DuPont's new chief executive, said: "We do not underestimate the difficulties presented by the current environment."
DuPont has been hurt by the financial crisis that badly bruised many of its customers, the story added.
WILMINGTON, DE — JanSan chemical giant DuPont reported a net loss of $629 million in the fiscal fourth quarter, according to MarketWatch.
Quarterly revenue fell to $6.07 billion, down from $6.98 billion in the year ago quarter, the story stated.
Shares dropped in value by 70 cents, in stark contrast to the 60 cents a share profit seen one year ago, the story noted.
Ellen Kullman, DuPont's new chief executive, said: "We do not underestimate the difficulties presented by the current environment."
DuPont has been hurt by the financial crisis that badly bruised many of its customers, the story added.
Budget cuts curtail cleaning frequency
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake Community College has made the decision to reduce the frequency of office cleaning from daily to weekly, according to Globe, Salt Lake Community College's Newsweekly.
The reduction in custodial services is due to recent budget cuts, the story stated.
Full- and part-time custodians working day and mixed shifts will be moved to night shifts; the thinking is that custodians can more easily clean empty buildings, thus increasing the efficiency of the department, the story noted.
An e-mail from the Facilities Department said: "We are aware of SLCC's need to become more sustainable while rising to the budget challenges we are being faced with. We feel that we have a way to meet both of these objectives."
Common areas such as the Student Center and classrooms will still be cleaned daily; offices that generate an excess of waste will be provided with additional waste baskets to compensate for the reduced cleaning frequency, the story added.
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake Community College has made the decision to reduce the frequency of office cleaning from daily to weekly, according to Globe, Salt Lake Community College's Newsweekly.
The reduction in custodial services is due to recent budget cuts, the story stated.
Full- and part-time custodians working day and mixed shifts will be moved to night shifts; the thinking is that custodians can more easily clean empty buildings, thus increasing the efficiency of the department, the story noted.
An e-mail from the Facilities Department said: "We are aware of SLCC's need to become more sustainable while rising to the budget challenges we are being faced with. We feel that we have a way to meet both of these objectives."
Common areas such as the Student Center and classrooms will still be cleaned daily; offices that generate an excess of waste will be provided with additional waste baskets to compensate for the reduced cleaning frequency, the story added.
City's efforts gag graffiti growth
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
BRONX, NY — With concerns about graffiti reaching nearly 2,000 complaints a year, the Bronx has reacted with a two-pronged approach: Clean the unsightly tags and hold violators accountable, according to the Daily News.
There were nearly 900 arrests last year in vandalism cases involving graffiti, the majority of which ended in the forced cleanup and repainting of the tagged areas, the story stated.
Through grants, several Precincts have been able to purchase power washers to clean graffiti; volunteers and those sentenced to community service perform the cleaning, the story noted.
Bruce Pinkney, who runs CityServe, a graffiti removal company that has contracts across the city, said: "There definitely has been a trend in more graffiti in the last six months, mostly in vandals writing their tags. Most of the stuff is hip-hop graffiti and some gang graffiti, particularly up in Wakefield. But the one good thing is that people are becoming more aware of graffiti as an issue. Since graffiti became a CompStat number, the interest among police has increased dramatically, because now there’s accountability.”
A number of elected officials have secured city and state funding to hire commercial graffiti cleaning services to respond with free cleaning when residents or merchants request it, the story added.
BRONX, NY — With concerns about graffiti reaching nearly 2,000 complaints a year, the Bronx has reacted with a two-pronged approach: Clean the unsightly tags and hold violators accountable, according to the Daily News.
There were nearly 900 arrests last year in vandalism cases involving graffiti, the majority of which ended in the forced cleanup and repainting of the tagged areas, the story stated.
Through grants, several Precincts have been able to purchase power washers to clean graffiti; volunteers and those sentenced to community service perform the cleaning, the story noted.
Bruce Pinkney, who runs CityServe, a graffiti removal company that has contracts across the city, said: "There definitely has been a trend in more graffiti in the last six months, mostly in vandals writing their tags. Most of the stuff is hip-hop graffiti and some gang graffiti, particularly up in Wakefield. But the one good thing is that people are becoming more aware of graffiti as an issue. Since graffiti became a CompStat number, the interest among police has increased dramatically, because now there’s accountability.”
A number of elected officials have secured city and state funding to hire commercial graffiti cleaning services to respond with free cleaning when residents or merchants request it, the story added.
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