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“Outstanding service. They were extremely careful delivering the extra large container into our driveway.” -- A. L. GARNER
Control Board announced Tuesday it wants to make those restrictions permanent.“Overwatering your lawn: it's not helping your lawn at all, (it) isn't cool anymore,” said Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board.But it’s not just abusing your sprinklers. The state is also considering permanent prohibitions on:Watering concrete sidewalksWashing your car without a shutoff nozzleServing water at restaurants“Should we require restaurants to have people ask for water?” Marcus asked. “Should we have all hotels give people the option of not having their sheets washed every night?”California will host more public hearings like the one in Sacramento on Tuesday before new restrictions on water use go into effect.“We are going to be seeing more droughts, more frequent droughts and more severe droughts,” said Sara Aminzadeh of California Coastkeeper Alliance. “We don’t want to be waiting for an emergency with a knee-jerk reaction. We want to make these practices common for every Californian."Those sentiments were echoed by Amy Talbot, of Regional Water Authority, which represents 21 water agencies in the Sacramento region. “We want to support using water efficiently in a drought or not in a drought, so that's something we can get behind,” Talbot said. The new rules would apply to all water customers, whether you live on the California coast or in the Central Valley. But some water agencies are starting to push back, arguing that the state’s one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Paul Helliker, who is general manager of the San Juan Water District that serves 18... (KCRA Sacramento)
New England were relying on generators to power milking equipment to milk cows and to keep the milk cool. Vermont is the largest dairy producing state in New England, with about 800 dairy farms.The scope of the damage in Maine made comparisons to the ice storm inevitable. That storm wrecked the power delivery system in eastern Canada and New England, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage.Roger Pomerleau remembers the 1998 storm well. He said the cold temperatures made that storm harder on a lot of people, but this storm is the one that knocked out his power, which remained out Tuesday.“The temperature is in our favor right now. Those were cold temperatures back then,” he said. “Freezing temperatures. Sump pumps weren’t working, cellars were filling up with water. Very different now.”The weather this week is seasonable, with high temperatures in the 50s and 60s, though the low Wednesday morning was predicted to approach freezing.Associated Press writers Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; Marina Villeneuve in Augusta, Maine; Kathy McCormack and Mike Casey in Concord, New Hampshire; Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island; and Mark Pratt in Boston contributed to this story. (Greensburg Daily News)
As the temperatures cooled Tuesday on a fishing ship that burned for days along downtown's waterfront, authorities began planning their next steps, including the search and cleanup of the scorched vessel.Smoke from Ship Fire Clouds Skyline"We believe the fire is probably out on the vessel," said Lt. John Forsythe with the Harbor Police Department. The lieutenant said crews were continuing to cool the hull with water and made progress Tuesday, checking the deck to see if it was solid enough for firefighters and investigators to walk on and opening some hatches to peek inside the ship.The next steps, Forsythe said, will be getting San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) crews on board to conduct a thorough search of the ship as well as investigators who can start looking into the cause of the fire.Meanwhile, U.S. Coast Guard officials are monitoring for contaminants on and around the ship including any debris burned off the vessel in the fire.Inside Look at How Firefighters Contained Ship Fir... (NBC 7 San Diego)
Paint thinner/strippers• Hobby chemicals• Fluorescent tubes• Lithium & alkaline batteries•Insecticides/pesticides/herbicides• Antifreeze/coolant• Old gasoline• Lawn chemicals• Drain cleaners• Aerosol paints• Solvents• Mercury thermostats & thermometers• Compact fluorescent bulbs• Lead acid batteries• Fertilizers• Used motor oil• Fuel additives/cleaners• Pool chemicals• Cleaning productsResidents who have questions regarding the program or any items listed or not listed may contact the Office of Public Works at 217.789.2255 or email public.works@springfield.il.us. (FOX Illinois)
For information, call 510-544-2750.Berkeley, Crockett: Along with turning leaves and cooler weather, another harbinger of fall in the natural world is spider activity. Naturalist Trent Pearce will explore the phenomenon with a series of spider safaris, all from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in various regional parks.The group will search for orb weavers, wolf spiders, mygalomorphs (another kind of spider) and the ever-popular tarantulas. There’s a safari Sept. 16 at Tilden Nature Area near Berkeley, starting at the Environmental Education Center.Another safari is Sept. 30, starting at the Crockett Ranch Staging Area of Crockett Hills Regional Park in Crockett, led by Anthony Fisher. It’s back to Tilden’s Environmental Education Center on Oct. 1, and the last safari starts at the Tilden Steam Train on Oct. 29. For information on any of the spider safaris, call 510-544-2233.Briones: Astronomically speaking, another sign of fall is the autumnal equinox, when the sun is over the equator and the day and night are of equal length. It occurs this year on Sept. 22.Naturalist “Trail Gail” Broesder will lead a hike in search of signs of impending fall from 9 to 11 a.m. Sept. 17 at Briones Regional Park near Orinda. Meet at the Alhambra Staging Area on Reliez Valley Road near Martinez. The hike is for ages 8 and older. For information, call 510-544-2233.Oakland: The biggest trees in the world are the subject of a program by naturalist Michael Charnofsky from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 17 at Roberts Regional Recreation Area in the Oakland hills.On a 1½-mile walk, Michael and the group will search for evidence of a redwood tree that was 32 feet in diameter, and visit the site of the Blossom Rock Trees that were visible from San Francisco Bay.Meet at the park’s main entrance, which is on Skyline Boulevard about a mile north of the intersection with Joaquin Miller Road. For information, call 510-544-3187.Fremont: There’s a hide-and-seek of sorts in the works at Coyote Hills Regional Park in Fremont, orchestrated by naturalist Kristina Parkison.Kristina’s Curiosity Cart, filled with wonders of cultural and natural history, will be hidden somewhere within the park during programs from 9 t... (East Bay Times)