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Restoration work continues on Medina’s historic McDowell-Phillips House

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MEDINA, Ohio — Ever since the Medina County Historical Society finalized the purchase of the McDowell-Phillips House in December 2019, the historic homestead has been a hotbed of repairs and restoration.

The iconic 14-room Queen Anne house, built in 1890, is located at 205 S. Prospect St. in Medina. It is easily recognizable for its turret and deep front porch at the spot where West Washington Street dead-ends into Prospect.

During the past eight months, despite the disruption of COVID-19, the historical society has financed and arranged for extensive exterior work. So far, damaged shingles have been replaced and the house has been painted.

The original slate roof was repaired after minimal damage sustained in Medina’s tornado in April. The two porch roofs were replaced with shingles donated by Owen-Corning. New gutters and downspouts were installed to address water issues, such as rotten window sills and dampness in the basement.

Velvet covered Victorian era chair

Recent donations of chairs by Patty and Jim Chapman and by Jean and Ted Gulyas will provide seating for guests at future events in the historic McDowell-Phillips House in Medina. (Mary Jane Brewer, special to cleveland.com)

In the past month, 170 feet of uneven and broken sandstone sidewalk across the front of the property was replaced with concrete to remove tripping hazards. Some sandstone pieces were moved to other walks where they could be safely installed; others were stored elsewhere on the property to use in future projects.

With an Adopt a Tree program and with the help of Beth Schnabel of the Medina County Soil and Water Conservation District and a group of volunteers, 30 blue juniper trees were planted along the borders of the 1-acre property. A row of redbud trees will be planted in the spring.

Schnabel also returned to help transplant peonies to a new flowerbed alongside the restored barn.

As the new trees were being planted, three old, dead or dying 150-year-old trees had to be removed. One mulberry, one maple and one ash tree were taken down and cut into firewood lengths.

While the exterior work was progressing, Paul Wood performed his magic in the upstairs turret bedroom. With 13 angles and planes, the room was a wallpaper hanger’s nightmare, but volunteer Wood made it look beautiful.

Medina Hospital memorabilia

The McDowell-Phillips House historical collection will include these framed photos of a hot air balloon rising from the foundation of the future Medina Hospital in the late 1980s and of the original hospital, which originally was a residential home. (Mary Jane Brewer, special to cleveland.com)

The home’s original set of bedroom furniture has been placed in the room, along with dressers from the same period recently donated by the Waite family.

Thanks to an anonymous donor, air conditioning is being installed in the house, primarily to maintain proper humidity levels to preserve the furnishings and artifacts. While those workmen are installing discreet air conditioning ducts in the ceilings, a new security system is also being installed.

Although the Phillips family left most of the original furniture in

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garden 

Gardening: Fall is the best time to work in the garden | Columnists

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It is official, with the cooler weather and the shorter days, that fall is here.

And with the advent of fall, now is the best time to get started in the garden.

Whether starting from scratch or just fixing up and adding to a preexisting landscape, the cooler weather is the ideal time to begin.

Planting now as the weather cools down will allow trees and shrubs to establish before the heat of the summer.

Gardening can be daunting at first, but there are so many benefits from both the act of gardening and the garden itself, it can be truly rewarding.

There some steps to follow to ensure success and achieve the desired goals for the garden. And with these steps, the two most important are planning and soil preparation.

There are many different aspects to take into account in terms of starting a garden. You must recognize the amount of sun you have, the water flow and drainage of any area you are planting and the amount of area you must plant within.



Gardening: Diagnosing a plant pest problem takes some legwork

What to grow

The next thing to do is determine what you want from the garden itself.

Planting fruit and vegetables require plenty of sunlight and space.

Planting ornamentals will depend on the desired look and what you want to attract in terms of wildlife.

What you want from the garden is key to how you proceed. Once this has been determined, then begin mapping out and planning what areas you plan to plant and cultivate.
Gardening

A newly planted fig tree. Christopher Burtt/Provided 


There are many different types of gardens to choose from and many of these can be incorporated together.

Fruit and vegetable cultivation are one of the most rewarding aspects of gardening.

Planting trees such as loquats and figs provide easy access to delicious fruits not easily found in the local supermarket.

Vegetables such as spinach and broccoli cannot get more local than your own garden. Planting many of these will require plenty of sun. At least eight hours of full sun is needed for productive food crops.



Gardening: Beyond daffodils — dome spring bulbs work better than others

Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings.

There is some work required in planning and coordinating harvests, so keep this in mind when deciding the purpose of your landscape.

Planting shrubs like blueberries also helps attract wildlife as well as provide fruit. Attracting wildlife is an exciting way to use any garden space.

Planting shrubs and trees such as wax myrtles and American beautyberry are a great way to attract birds to the yard. Continuous blooms from perennials and herbs attract an array of pollinators that help benefit everything around.
Gardening

Continuous blooms from perennials and herbs attract different pollinators. Christopher Burtt/Provided 


These things can be done all while creating an interesting and alluring yard.

Creating an attractive ornamental landscape, with the proper planning, can create a personal paradise in which to enjoy and show off.

There are

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kitchen 

IKEA Shopping List During Covid: Work Desks and Kitchen Gear

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IKEA reported a drop in annual sales blaming store closures early in the coronavirus pandemic but said consumers have flocked to its stores since lockdowns lifted to buy desks, chairs and kitchens.

About 75% of the furniture retailer’s stores were closed for between seven to 10 weeks because of coronavirus lockdowns. That resulted in visits to IKEA stores falling nearly 16% for its fiscal year, and lower revenue from its restaurants, which typically make up about 5% of sales.

Overall, Ingka Group—the largest IKEA franchisee and operator—on Tuesday reported sales of €35.2 billion, equivalent to $41.5 billion, for the 12 months to Aug. 31, down from €36.7 billion a year earlier. It didn’t disclose profit figures.

Chief Executive Jesper Brodin said in an interview that consumption trends around the world had been similar through the pandemic. Early on, shoppers bought desks, office chairs and cooking equipment. Interest then moved toward home organization items such as shelving and baskets. Demand for kitchens was also high, with people taking advantage of time at home to install them.

IKEA said online sales make up 18% of the company’s overall revenue. A company’s store in Shanghai in July.



Photo:

alex plavevski/EPA/Shutterstock

“Lately, we see a lot of interest in beautification,” said Mr. Brodin. “A lot of people are taking the opportunity to update their homes.”

The comments echo those from rival

Home Depot Inc.,

which in August posted its strongest quarterly sales growth in nearly 20 years, saying the home had never been more important to consumers than during the pandemic.

IKEA said online sales grew 60% and now make up 18% of the company’s overall revenue, up from 11% a year ago.

To meet surging online demand, IKEA repurposed its stores to act as fulfillment centers, rolled out click-and-collect at new locations and offered drive-through collection.

It also acquired Geomagical Labs, a startup whose imaging technology allows consumers to decorate and furnish 3-D representations of their homes. In China, IKEA began making its products available on

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

’s Tmall online marketplace—the first time they were sold on a third-party online platform.

Analysts and economists are paying close attention to monthly retail sales numbers as a way to gauge how the economy may be recovering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Kathy Willens/Associated Press. (Originally Published June 16, 2020)

IKEA said it had benefited from efforts under way before the pandemic to make its products more accessible to people living far away from its stores or who may not have the means to travel to them. Those include opening smaller, city-center stores and investing in improving its online delivery and click-and-collect services. Mr. Brodin said such efforts “suddenly became a survival line” once Covid-19 hit.

However, IKEA ran into trouble in the U.S., where online customers complained of struggling to place, track and receive orders. The company also said it had been caught off guard by level of demand, resulting in some products being temporarily unavailable.

In response, IKEA

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house 

Despite White House outbreak, Trump and some aides return to work, flouting CDC guidance

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But midafternoon — less than a week after testing positive for the potentially lethal virus — Trump returned to work in the West Wing, potentially endangering any staffers still in the building.

Trump’s presence there sent yet another message to the public that illness has not chastened a president who has consistently eschewed masks and social distancing. His rush to get back to business as usual just two days after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has been the most prominent example of the continued defiance of public health guidelines at the White House. But it isn’t the only one.

Though aides who have tested positive, including counselor Hope Hicks and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, have stayed home, aides who have continued to test negative have remained on the job. Among them were Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, senior adviser Jared Kushner, social media director Dan Scavino and political director Brian Jack, administration officials said.

Kushner was in contact with Christie, Hicks and others involved in prepping the president for last week’s debate. Meadows has been in contact with virtually everyone in the president’s orbit who is now sick. And at least four aides who traveled on Air Force One and Marine One with a maskless Trump last Thursday were in the White House this week, officials say.

Meanwhile, Vice President Pence, who aides said has had several negative tests, flew to Utah on Tuesday to prepare for his debate late Wednesday with the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.).

Pence attended the Sept. 26 Rose Garden ceremony — to announce Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court — that is suspected to be at the center of the White House outbreak. He was near others during the ceremony who have since tested positive and was in the Oval Office last week with Trump, albeit briefly.

And almost every senior official in the White House this week shared a room with an aide or adviser who has since tested positive, officials said, but they defended their presence by saying it was usually not in “close contact” — or within six feet for more than 15 minutes.

Their decisions reflect a White House that has declined to follow the best medical practices to contain the virus, even as at least 13 employees in the complex have tested positive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that anyone exposed to the virus remain isolated for at least two weeks to avoid the risk of spreading the virus to others.

Beyond the White House gates, other Trump aides also have exhibited a reluctance to fully embrace the CDC guidelines — most prominently Attorney General William P. Barr, who also attended the Sept. 26 Rose Garden ceremony. Despite that, Barr attended a Justice Department meeting Friday and, after several days at home, returned again to his office Wednesday, aides said.

Since news of Trump’s infection was made public last Thursday, Barr has had six coronavirus tests

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house 

White House cleaning crews hard at work on Trump’s return

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Coronavirus precautions in place ahead of VP debate

Fox News Medical Contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat provides insight on ‘Fox & Friends’ into what measures are being used against coronavirus at the debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris.

The White House cleaning crews have their work cut out for them after an outbreak of coronavirus that infected President Trump, first lady Melania Trump and several aides and staffers.

Trump returned to the White House just three days after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment even though he has not yet been cleared of the virus and was receiving experimental drugs to control his symptoms.

A member of the cleaning staff sprays the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A member of the cleaning staff sprays the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WHITE HOUSE RELEASES NEW CORONAVIRUS PRECAUTIONS FOR RESIDENCE STAFF AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DIAGNOSIS

Cleaning crews in hazmat suits disinfected the James Brady Briefing Room and other parts of the West Wing upon Trump’s return.

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany briefed reporters on the president’s condition last Thursday from that room and subsequently tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday. Her assistant, Chad Gilmartin, also tested positive.

The two are among at least 20 administration officials and lawmakers who have come down with the virus. Many of them may have been infected at what has been called a “super-spreader event” at the Rose Garden to celebrate Trump’s nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy — Judge Amy Coney Barrett. The event has come under fire as most attendees were maskless and proper social distancing was not observed.

TRUMP URGES CONGRESS TO PASS MORE CORONAVIRUS AID HOURS AFTER BREAKING OFF NEGOTIATIONS

Trump returned to the White House, traveling on Marine One, and shot a maskless video of himself waving from his balcony despite still being contagious.

President Trump holds his face mask as he stands on the Blue Room Balcony upon returning to the White House Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington, after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Trump holds his face mask as he stands on the Blue Room Balcony upon returning to the White House Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Washington, after leaving Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

He tweeted Tuesday morning that he is planning to attend next week’s debate with Democratic challenger Joe Biden in Miami.

The president’s diagnosis has fueled speculation over White House measures for keeping its staff safe during the pandemic.

The White House maintains that since March, it has adopted hospital-grade disinfection policies, had medical teams lead coronavirus workshops, significantly reduced staff and encourage maximum teleworking.

On Tuesday, it issued updated guidance on coronavirus protections for employees, which included wearing personal protective equipment and taking additional precautionary measures to prevent cross-contamination.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report. 

Source Article …

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kitchen 

IKEA Sees Strong Demand for Work Desks and Kitchen Gear

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IKEA reported a drop in annual sales blaming store closures early in the coronavirus pandemic but said consumers have flocked to its stores since lockdowns lifted to buy desks, chairs and kitchens.

About 75% of the furniture retailer’s stores were closed for between seven to 10 weeks because of coronavirus lockdowns. That resulted in visits to IKEA stores falling nearly 16% for its fiscal year, and lower revenue from its restaurants, which typically make up about 5% of sales.

Overall, Ingka Group—the largest IKEA franchisee and operator—on Tuesday reported sales of €35.2 billion, equivalent to $41.5 billion, for the 12 months to Aug. 31, down from €36.7 billion a year earlier. It didn’t disclose profit figures.

Chief Executive Jesper Brodin said in an interview that consumption trends around the world had been similar through the pandemic. Early on, shoppers bought desks, office chairs and cooking equipment. Interest then moved toward home organization items such as shelving and baskets. Demand for kitchens was also high, with people taking advantage of time at home to install them.

IKEA said online sales make up 18% of the company’s overall revenue. A company’s store in Shanghai in July.



Photo:

alex plavevski/Shutterstock

“Lately, we see a lot of interest in beautification,” said Mr. Brodin. “A lot of people are taking the opportunity to update their homes.”

The comments echo those from rival

Home Depot Inc.,

which in August posted its strongest quarterly sales growth in nearly 20 years, saying the home had never been more important to consumers than during the pandemic.

IKEA said online sales grew 60% and now make up 18% of the company’s overall revenue, up from 11% a year ago.

To meet surging online demand, IKEA repurposed its stores to act as fulfillment centers, rolled out click-and-collect at new locations and offered drive-through collection.

It also acquired Geomagical Labs, a startup whose imaging technology allows consumers to decorate and furnish 3-D representations of their homes. In China, IKEA began making its products available on

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

’s Tmall online marketplace—the first time they were sold on a third-party online platform.

IKEA said it had benefited from efforts under way before the pandemic to make its products more accessible to people living far away from its stores or who may not have the means to travel to them. Those include opening smaller, city-center stores and investing in improving its online delivery and click-and-collect services. Mr. Brodin said such efforts “suddenly became a survival line” once Covid-19 hit.

However, IKEA ran into trouble in the U.S., where online customers complained of struggling to place, track and receive orders. The company also said it had been caught off guard by level of demand, resulting in some products being temporarily unavailable.

In response, IKEA said it was working to make more products and speed up the time it takes to get these to stores.

Mr. Brodin said he expects people’s focus on their homes to continue, with the company forecasting sales for both

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house 

The White House Bet on Abbott’s Rapid Tests. It Didn’t Work Out.

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Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former commissioner of the F.D.A., described these procedures as a misguided attempt at a “zero-fail testing protocol” in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, saying that officials “weren’t taking any precautions beyond testing people who are going to be in contact with the president.”

However, according to the products’ packaging, both Abbott rapid tests are intended for people with Covid-19 symptoms, early on in their illness. When Abbott submitted the tests for emergency authorization from the F.D.A., the company provided data only for people with symptoms. When used appropriately, the company has said, both tests perform about 95 percent as well as P.C.R. But how well the products do in asymptomatic individuals remains murky.

In a statement, Darcy Ross, Abbott’s senior director of external communications, said the instructions that came with both products gave physicians the power to administer tests at their discretion, regardless of whether the recipients had symptoms. “As with all tests that have received an E.U.A., a health care provider will determine if a person needs a Covid-19 test,” she said.

Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician based in South Carolina, said she would not feel comfortable administering such tests to healthy patients: “We don’t have data to show how this test is going to perform in that population.”

Abbott was not required to submit data evaluating either test’s performance in asymptomatic populations when applying for emergency approval from the F.D.A. But Ms. Ross confirmed that such studies are underway, and the company has told experts that it thinks asymptomatic testing is likely to pan out.

On Saturday evening, Andrea Wainer, Abbott’s executive vice president of rapid and molecular diagnostics, emailed a document entitled “Perspectives on Testing” to several public health experts, including Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, containing preliminary results outlining the ID NOW’s performance in people without symptoms. Among an unspecified number of individuals, the test picked up about 88 percent of the infections found by laboratory P.C.R. tests, the company statement said. Numbers were not reported for the BinaxNOW.

“By studying the test in the asymptomatic people, Abbott knows it works in that population,” the document said. “It can’t say that for itself, because the test isn’t approved for that, but that data has been shared with others and the F.D.A. too.”

Source Article …

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home improvement 

What is the government home improvement scheme and how does it work?

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1 October 2020, 13:42

The home improvements scheme is open for applications
The home improvements scheme is open for applications.

Picture:
Getty Images


What is the government’s green voucher scheme 2020 and how can I apply? Find out everything…

The Green Homes Grant scheme is now open for homeowners in England to make energy-efficient improvements to their houses.

Outlined back in July, the voucher plan sees the government pay two-thirds of the cost of any green updates to the value of £5,000 per household.

This can include insulation, double glazing and heat pumps, but doesn’t cover gas boilers.

So, here’s everything you need to know about the green home improvement scheme…

Rishi Sunak announced the Green Homes Grant
Rishi Sunak announced the Green Homes Grant.

Picture:
PA Images


What is the Green Homes Grant?

The Green Homes Grant scheme will provide £2bn for home improvement projects as part of a wider £3bn government plan to cut carbon emissions.

This will see vouchers handed out to homeowners which can be used towards making specific energy-efficient improvements to homes.

You need to install at least one primary improvement to be eligible for the Green Homes Grant which include:

– Insulation, including solid wall, cavity wall, underfloor, loft or roof insulation

– Low-carbon heating, such as air-source or ground-source heat pumps, or solar thermal systems, which provide renewable ways of heating your home

You can then get up to the same amount for secondary improvements which include:

– Draught-proofing

– Double or triple glazing, or secondary glazing

– Energy efficient doors, where you’re replacing single-glazed or solid doors installed before 2002

– Heating controls and insulation

Gas boilers are not covered by the scheme.

You can only receive funding for secondary improvements up to the amount of funding you get for the primary measures.

So if you receive £2,000 towards cavity wall insulation, you can only receive a maximum of £2,000 towards any secondary measures.

How can I apply for the Green Homes Grant?

It’s thought that 650,000 homes in England will be covered by the grant with both homeowners and landlords eligible.

Households in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland cannot apply for the scheme.

Firstly, you need to use the Simple Energy Advice (SEA) service to see if you’re eligible and check which energy efficiency improvements can be made to your home.

You’ll then need to find TrustMark and/or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) registered tradesperson to get the work done. It’s recommended you find at least three quotes before going ahead.

You can then apply online using the government website to obtain a voucher.

To complete step three, you’ll need:

– the name and date of birth of the property owner or owners

– the name and date of birth of anyone living in the property who is receiving benefits

– a quote for the work from a TrustMark-registered tradesperson

– the TrustMark licence number of your chosen tradesperson

Once the work is complete, you’ll need a dated copy of the invoice provided by the installer to redeem the voucher.

The grant will be paid directly to

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house 

Journalists who work at the White House are testing positive for Covid-19

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A widening coronavirus outbreak at the White House has left members of the media scrambling to find out if they, too, are infected.



a display in a store: The White House's Brady press briefing room is almost empty, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Washington. President Donald Trump said early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, a stunning announcement that plunges the country deeper into uncertainty just a month before the presidential election. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

© Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
The White House’s Brady press briefing room is almost empty, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Washington. President Donald Trump said early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, a stunning announcement that plunges the country deeper into uncertainty just a month before the presidential election. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Three journalists who work at the White House tested positive on Friday, according to a series of memos from the White House Correspondents Association.

A White House staffer who sits in the “lower press” area of the West Wing also received a confirmed positive result on Friday morning.

Reporters and White House spokespeople work together in cramped quarters, often meeting the definition of close contact.

So there is now widespread concern among White House reporters about who was exposed.

Friday’s first memo, obtained by CNN Business, said members of the press corps were being notified “so that you can make informed judgements.”

The late morning memo said that “all other journalists tested today tested negative.”

A followup message at 1:33 p.m. carried word of another case of a sick journalist.

Video: NYT: WH pressured CDC to downplay risks of reopening schools (CNN)

NYT: WH pressured CDC to downplay risks of reopening schools

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“We are writing to let you know that another member of our press corps tested positive today for COVID-19,” the memo said. “This individual was last at the White House on Saturday and subsequently traveled on Air Force One to Pennsylvania. The individual began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms yesterday.”

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Saturday was the day of the Supreme Court announcement at the White House and President Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. The President announced early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for Covid-19.

A third memo, at 3:35 p.m., said that a third member of the press corps has tested positive.

The individual was at the White House last Saturday and Sunday, and “began experiencing minor symptoms late Wednesday.”

CNN Business has reached out to major news networks and newspapers to ask about precautions they are taking.

A spokesperson for The Washington Post said, “We are working to identify Post journalists who may have come in contact with White House officials recently, to ensure that our colleagues are tested rapidly and fully supported.”

A person familiar with the matter at CBS News said the network is contact tracing and following company procedure for testing and quarantining, depending on the possible exposure.

And a spokesperson for NBC News said, “NBC News and MSNBC are following contact tracing guidelines as set forth by the CDC and the NBCUniversal Medical team and some employees will be self-quarantining out of an abundance of caution. We will also continue to follow WHCA guidelines on safely working and reporting from the White House.”

The

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home improvement 

Contractors busy with home improvement work | Local News

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Business is booming for local home improvement companies and contractors as the pandemic leads prospective customers to spend more time at home and spend less money on vacations. 

Paul Warren, who lives on Burningtree Mountain in Decatur, hired ESS Concrete and Design of Decatur to create a larger patio and make a walkway from his driveway this summer.

“It was a project we wanted to have done, and it probably would have been done in the fall,” Warren said. “But because of the pandemic, it sped things up.”

Zac Lott, owner of ESS, said his business picked up substantially two or three weeks after the coronavirus shutdown was ordered in mid-March. He said his work is up 25% because of the pandemic.

“Money is good right now,” he said. “People were going to work, but some are now home all day and are spending their stimulus checks. … The number of high-dollar projects is up.”

He said referrals from other contractors are up, too.

“People are wanting extra parking at their houses so jobs for driveway extensions and patios are up. I’ve even done some work for doomsday preppers,” he said, referring to people preparing for a cataclysmic event. “People have the money and are spending it.”

Industry experts said some homeowners spent money budgeted for family vacations on home improvement projects. Lowe’s Home Improvement Inc. reported a 35.1% increase in U.S. sales in the second quarter of this year compared to the same quarter in 2019. 

Houzz, an online home remodeling website, said it saw a 58% increase in project leads in June compared to a year earlier. 

Emily Long, city spokeswoman, said the Decatur building department issued 928 residential improvement permits from May through August, 31 more than the same period in 2019. 

Wayne Patterson, owner of Smith and Patterson Homes of Hartselle, said low interest rates and the pandemic keeping people at home have increased demand. 

“But finding labor and materials has been a challenge,” Patterson said. “I need more carpenters, painters, extra hands. There’s plenty of work in the region. I heard there was a lot of activity in the Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee, area and I drove up there last week to see for myself. In north Alabama, we’re paying about $5 to $6 a square foot under roof for carpenters, and Nashville is paying $10 to $12 a square foot.

“It’s all about supply and demand. It’s hard for builders here to stay competitive with those rates. A lot of migrant workers who were in this area have moved there where the money is better.”

He said his company has a couple of crews of carpenters and painters who are working long days because of demand and the lack of additional crews.

Patterson said supply shortages are also making it hard to meet demand.

“When I am ordering windows, I now order them three to six weeks before I need them because some manufacturing plants are at 30% capacity because of COVID,” he said.

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