Housekeeping manager charged with homicide

NEW YORK — A housekeeping manager at The Essex House, a 45-story Art Deco apartment building, was arrested and charged with the second-degree murder of Andree Bejjani, according to the New York Times.

Derrick Praileau, a longtime employee at The Essex House, placed himself at the scene of the crime early Saturday in a recorded confession, having gained access to the apartment Bejjani was staying in by using several key cards, including one from a fellow employee, the story stated.

According to the story, the victim was found by a maid strangled with a rope around her neck and a bread knife sticking out of it in a 10th-floor apartment she had been leasing.

Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner, said that the cause of death was strangulation.

Law enforcement officials said investigators are looking into the possibility that there was a sexual motive in the killing; there are no signs of a previous relationship between Praileau and Bejjani, the story noted.

Praileau, who neighbors say is a quiet family man, is being held without bail, the story added.

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Middle school has confirmed case of MRSA

KETTERING, OH — A confirmed case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a potentially dangerous type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics and may cause skin and other infections, has surfaced at Kettering Middle School, according to the Dayton Daily News.

Kettering Principal Doug Cozad, upon learning of the case, alerted parents and guardians via telephone and sent home a letter explaining the causes and effects of MRSA and offered tips to keep students and the larger community safe and healthy, the story stated.

It remains unknown how the school learned of the infection, who was sickened by it and in what condition that individual is in, the story noted.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people can get MRSA through direct contact with an infected person or by sharing personal items, such as towels or razors that have touched infected skin.

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LEED-certified Tacoma Goodwill

TACOMA, WA — The Tacoma Goodwill recently opened their new, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified Milgard Work Opportunity Center, according to the Tacoma Weekly.

The four-story, 63,000-square-foot, $21.7 million center, which houses Resources for Education and Career Help, is complete with a vertical garden, also called a green wall, the story stated.

Certified at the Gold level, the building features low-flow fixtures to reduce water consumption and many windows to maximize natural daylight, the story noted.

Goodwill Board President Bob Bruback said: "Milgard Work Opportunity will transform the delivery of job training and placement services with new, expanded approaches to changing lives for people with disabilities or disadvantages across our region."

Patrick Blanc, who is renowned around the world for his vertical gardens, designed the vertical garden, his first in the United States, the story added.

America's hand hygiene grade improves slightly

WASHINGTON — The fifth annual Clean Hands Report Card^® issued by the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) shows that America's grade for hand hygiene has risen from a "C-minus" in 2008 to a "B-minus," according to a press release.

According to the release, the Clean Hands Report Card is based on a series of hygiene-related questions asked of 888 Americans — 446 men and 442 women — during a telephone survey conducted in August 2009 by Echo Research.

Compared to 36 percent in last year's report, 50 percent of respondents say they wash their hands more than 10 times per day, the release stated.

Relatively unchanged from one year ago, 39 percent of respondents claim to never or seldom wash their hands after coughing or sneezing, the release noted.

Nancy Bock, SDA vice president of education, said: "The H1N1 pandemic is real. Cold and flu season is on its way. With common sense hygiene practices, good health is literally in our hands. Now is not the time to let our guard down when it comes to cleaning our hands."

Only one-third of respondents said they changed their overall hygiene habits in response to the growing concerns about the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, the release added.

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University a cappella group returns to moldy rehearsal space

PRINCETON, NJ — Members of an a cappella group called the Tigerlilies returned to their rehearsal space in the basement of Henry Hall on the Princeton University campus to find the room covered in mold, according to the Daily Princetonian.

The facilities services department discovered similar mold contamination in numerous rooms in Bloomberg Hall, another building with basement rehearsal spaces, the story stated.

Tigerlilies president Miriam Marek said: "When I walked into the room, I saw that [the mold] was on the couches, on our piano and the baseboards of the walls. We're singers, so we can’t have mold in our room ... It would have been terrible during auditions for anyone with allergies ... I had no idea the damage would be so extensive."

According to the story, the facilities department is working with environmental consultants to remedy the damage, but there are no guarantees that all items will be salvageable.

Items with hard surfaces, such as tables and lamps, were cleaned and stored in trailers off campus while some memorabilia collected by the Tigerlilies over 40 years was damaged beyond repair and was discarded, the story noted.

The widespread mold growth is being blamed on the university's decision to turn off air-circulation systems over the summer to reduce energy consumption, a decision that coincided with one of the wettest summers in recent history, the story added.

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First LEED-certified stadium in the country

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — TCF Bank Stadium, home to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, has become the first football stadium in the country to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, according to Globe St.

The 50,805-seat stadium was built on a former brownfield site and carried a price tag of $288.5 million, the story stated.

University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks said: "TCF Bank Stadium is an historic project for the University of Minnesota and it was important to us to do it right. This designation, in particular, underscores the commitment of the Board of Regents and the leadership of the university to principles of sustainability, energy conservation and responsible stewardship of our environment and our resources."

Sustainable aspects of the stadium include: A reflective roof that reduces the heat island effect; a 50 percent reduction in the use of potable water for landscape irrigation; a 30 percent reduction of indoor potable water use; use of low volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting materials; and recycling and reusing 98 percent of construction waste, the story noted.

The university wanted to stadium to exemplify their commitment to the environment, and receiving LEED certification at the Silver level shows just that, the story added.

Former Chrysler manager turned head custodian

Friday, September 18, 2009

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — The head custodian at Stoney Creek High School is still assimilating to his new position after losing his job as product-development manager at Chrysler's tech center in nearby Auburn Hills, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Dave Duncanson, whose day now begins at 4 p.m., had tried to land a teaching job with Rochester Community Schools only to find out that his teaching degree had long expired, prompting him to take the only position the district could offer him: Substitute janitor making $10 an hour, the story stated.

According to the story, Duncanson was quickly promoted to head custodian and now earns $15.05 an hour with benefits and a pension.

One year after the layoffs began at Chrysler, many of Duncanson's former co-workers are still out of work and have no steady income, health care coverage or retirement benefits; Duncanson has all three, the story noted.

Despite only making one-third of his previous salary at Chrysler, Duncanson has lost 25 pounds since leaving his desk job, lowered his cholesterol enough to cease taking medication and has taught his daughters the value of a hard day's work, the story added.

Duncanson said: "At first, I just wanted to do something to bring in money. I figured things would bounce back, [but they didn't.] I sweep floors. I mop bathrooms. I clean up puke. Well, yeah, it hurt. But every dollar counts."

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