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Currituck refuge wants more fencing for wild horses
COROLLA, N.C. The Currituck National Wildlife Refuge plans to string more than 15,000 feet of barbed wire fence in an effort to keep wild horses from grazing where wildlife feed, raising concerns among the horses' supporters. Federal officials have requested bids to extend fencing in the 4,500-acre refuge from the dunes to the marsh, effectively blocking the horse herd's access to a large section of the refuge. Bids are due this week. More than 100 acres already are enclosed by an electric fence. The barbed wire fence would extend the barrier from ocean to sound. Barbed wire is dangerous to wild horses and deer, said Karen McCalpin, director of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund. A cut from rusty barbed wire can get infected or cause tetanus, she said. Currituck National Wildlife Refuge Manager Mike Hoff could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The wild horse fund and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have long been at odds over the size of the horse herd. Jeff Hampton, 252-338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com
New rules rein in Corolla wild-horse tour guides
New rules rein in Corolla wild-horse tour guides By Jeff Hampton The Virginian-Pilot © September 5, 2013 COROLLA, N.C. Wild-horse tour guides largely heeded new restrictions on their operations this season, even as they chafed at some of the rules. But supporters of the animals say more needs to be done to protect them. Sheriff's deputies issued tour drivers five $50 tickets from Memorial Day through Labor Day: three for speeding and two for stopping on the road, according to a report from Currituck County's code-enforcement division. No operators received two tickets within 30 days, which would have triggered a three-day suspension and cost as much as $36,000 in lost revenue. Dispatchers' records show 34 calls all summer related to wild horses. Tour-guide behavior was better but still needs improvement, said Karen McCalpin, director of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund. "I think there has been a mixed bag of compliance," McCalpin said. "It held people accountable when they were not before. The horses are safer." Kimberlee Hoey, who lives in the four-wheel-drive area and volunteers with the Wild Horse Fund, reported in July a line of tour vehicles crossing dunes into her neighborhood after 8 p.m., a violation of the new ordinance. "Sometimes people forget this is a residential community," Hoey said. McCalpin said another resident reported a frightened stallion trapped between tour vehicles. No one is supposed to come within 50 feet of a wild horse. McCalpin offered free one-hour courses on the ordinance in May and June. All but one of the nine tour operators attended, she said. Corolla's herd of 120 horses descends from Spanish mustangs stranded on the Outer Banks more than 400 years ago, according to Corolla Wild Horse Fund research. Currituck and the state use wild-horse images in national ads to attract visitors. Studies have shown the horses to be one of the largest draws to the Currituck Outer Banks – the wild-horse excursions draw roughly 3,000 people a day and drive the county's tourism industry. Prompted by years of complaints, Currituck officials sought a balance that would protect the horses but not stifle business. County commissioners passed an ordinance in January restricting tour times and routes, capping the number of tour companies at 10 and the number of vehicles per company at five. Speed limits remained at 15 mph within 300 feet of the horses. Guides have a reputation for doing whatever it takes to get a four-wheel-drive vehicle – such as a Jeep full of paying customers with cameras – near a herd of wild horses, rumbling over dunes and through the remote communities. Lines of the vehicles jaunt over the sandy roads, at times pressing too close to the horses, blocking travel and trespassing on private property. All the new limits were fair except one, said Bob White, owner of Beach Jeeps of Corolla: Drivers no longer can stop to let customers take photos. "That's probably the single biggest head-butt issue," White said. "There needs to be a little give in this." The Corolla wild horses are so accustomed to people watching them they appear to pose for photos. One of White's drivers was cited for stopping in the road for a photo opportunity. Some violators are not tour guides but individuals in private or rented vehicles, White said. " 'Jeep' has become a four-letter word," he said.
Posted by Jason Summerton at 12:49 PM
Wild Horse Tours subject to new rules (Reprint by Request)
Currituck revises rules for horse-tour operations Corolla wild horse tours did very well this year and is a major economic engine for Currituck County, N.C., but complaints about too many vehicles on the beach and in the area are still coming in. County commissioners are looking at new restrictions that will limit the number of vehicle and hours of operation. (By Jeff Hampton The Virginian-Pilot © January 9, 2013 CURRITUCK, N.C. After three years of debate and public input, Currituck County commissioners this week approved a new ordinance that will rein in the long rows of tourist-filled Jeeps rolling through the Currituck Outer Banks beach in search of wild horses. The ordinance will: -- Cap the number of tour operators at the 10 already in business. -- Require each operator to buy a license renewed annually at a cost of $950 per vehicle. -- Limit tour operators to five vehicles. Those who own fewer than five cannot expand. The total number will drop to 32 from 48. -- Outlaw the use of buses for tours. -- Limit tour hours to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. west of the dunes. Although the fee is high, horse-tour operators generally support the new law, said Jay Bender, owner of Corolla Outback Adventures, which has a fleet of more than five vehicles. "By and large, this is a good thing," Bender said. "It was inevitable it was going to be needed." The new ordinance takes effect immediately. Previously, horse-tour businesses had to get a county permit to operate, but there was no fee, and their fleet size was limited only by the amount of parking they had. License revenue will raise $30,400 annually for administrative costs, as well as park and road maintenance within the four-wheel-drive communities. "I think we've done our homework on this," said Currituck County Commissioner Vance Aydlett. "I feel good about it." Tour operators must follow the longstanding rules as well, including the 15 mph speed limit when driving within 300 feet of people. They and customers must remain at least 50 feet from a wild horse. Operators who get cited for two or more violations in 30 days will have to shut down for three days. Five citations in 30 days will mean a 10-day suspension, and 10 or more citations will lead to license revocation. One suspension could cost a lot of money. A company with five vehicles, each with a capacity of 14 customers, would typically charge $35 a customer per trip and could run five trips a day. A three-day suspension would result in more than $36,000 in lost ticket revenue. "I believe that is severe enough," Aydlett said. About 120 horses roam north of Corolla on a strip of beach about 12 miles long and a mile wide. The herd naturally divides itself into smaller groups of a few mares and foals led by a stallion and can be seen grazing in the meadows, walking along the dunes and even standing in the shade of a multimillion-dollar oceanfront home. The Corolla Wild Horse Fund oversees the health and safety of the herd. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, the number of tours grew. Tour drivers were often accused of going too fast along the criss-crossing sandy roads, making the numerous pond-size potholes even worse. Residents complained that tourists would get too close to the wild horses, in some cases putting small children on the animals' backs. Officials, residents and even some tour operators called for more restrictions. Wild-horse tours in Corolla attract about 3,000 people a day during the summer. Last year, North Carolina tourism officials highlighted the wild herd in its national advertisements. Jeff Hampton, 252-338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com
NCDOT starts new Formula for determining NC projects including the Mid Currituck Bridge
Below is an interesting article on where the fate of the Mid Currituck Bridge may lie.
<b>NCDOT Starts Moving on Strategic Mobility Formula Priorities From the Crosstown Traffic Blog News & Observer NCDOT starts moving on Strategic Mobility Formula priorities Submitted by BruceSiceloff on 07/12/2013 – 06:47 When the General Assembly and Gov. Pat McCrory approved the Strategic Mobility Formula, a sweeping new change in state guidelines for distributing transportation construction dollars, they left it up to the state Department of Transportation to work out a lot of important details. The big plan is to make this a largely "data-driven" process, and to link transportation infrastructure projects with jobs and economic development. The state Board of Transportation, most of its members McCrory appointees, got its first formal look Thursday at DOT recommendations for criteria and weighting that will be used to score new road projects — and capital projects for transit, aviation, ferry and rail improvements. (See 6/24/13 Road Worrier column with reader comments.) DOT leaders plan to make changes in recommendations that were developed over the past several months by a statewide advisory workgroup. This is complicated stuff, but it will be important in determining how future leaders spend limited transportation dollars. The transportation board and NCDOT will report their recommendations to a legislative oversight committee in August, with updates to follow in October. DOT leaders hope to start using the new criteria next year to evaluate future projects. They won't change their evaluation of old projects already in the pipeline. Attached below are two documents handed out, and given only a brief public discussion, at Thursday's board meeting (plus a more detailed June meeting handout on the Strategic Mobility Formula). They show the recommendations developed over the past several months by a statewide workgroup of city and rural officials and transportation planners. Board members said they want to make some changes before they present their plan to legislators in August. As provided in McCrory's Strategic Mobility Formula, transportation dollars will be doled out at three levels: 40 percent for statewide projects, 30 percent in each of seven regions, weighted according to population, and 30 percent divided equally among DOT's 14 divisions. Statewide project spending will be 100 percent data-driven. The DOT workgroup recommended weighting the evaluation of road projects this way: (1) travel time benefits compared to overall project cost (30 percent of total score), congestion reduction (30 percent), economic competitiveness (10 percent), safety (10 percent), and "multi-modal (& freight + military)" (20 percent). Those terms are defined on one of the documents below. There are different criteria for other spending levels. Regional spending would be 70 percent data-driven, with 30 percent of the decision based on "local input." It turns out that NCDOT defines local input as half coming from local elected leaders, and half coming from NCDOT division engineers. Division spending would be 50 percent data-driven and 50 percent "local input," again giving NCDOT administrators half of the vote in that "local input" category. Note that the workgroup assigned only a 10 percent weight to "economic competitiveness," a category defined to cover two things: increasing productivity by reducing travel times, and creating jobs. Board member Mike Smith of Raleigh said he hoped to change the definition for "economic competitiveness," but he didn't say how. "Economic competitiveness" is a phrase often on the lips of McCrory and other elected officials. DOT leaders want to give it a bigger weight in the formula, boosting it to 15 or 20 percent. "We would like to see some expansion of that as a weighting," said Ned Curran of Charlotte, the board chairman. They want to reduce the weight given to congestion reduction and travel-time improvements. And they want to test the formula by plugging it into a couple of projects, just to see how it would grade them. (How will NCDOT rate the economic competitiveness of the troubled Garden Parkway toll project, predicted in an earlier NCDOT study to cause a net loss of jobs in the area? Stay tuned.) Board members broke into small groups Wednesday to talk about the Strategic Mobility Formula in closed meetings. They didn't talk much in Thursday's public meeting. Since the transportation board no longer has the power to approve road projects, it is by setting the evaluation criteria that board members will have their greatest impact on such decisions. After the meeting I asked Curran if he would make sure to have all future discussions take place in open meetings, so the public could learn how these important decisions are made. Curran sought to justify the privacy of small-group board discussions where the subject is "nuts and bolts" detail — rather than formal policy decisions, which are to be made in public. Late Thursday NCDOT said the board will discuss the Strategic Mobility Formula prioritization at a public meeting July 23. There was no indication that the board wants to have a direct conversation with members of the statewide workgroup that developed the "economic competitiveness" and other recommendations over the past few months.
Interesting Article on the Mid-Currituck Bridge
Legislator says Currituck span would survive cuts
Coastal Review Online
Rendering of the mid-Currituck bridge. (N.C. Turnpike Authority)
A bill that would change funding for the planned Mid-Currituck Bridge and Cape Fear Skyway may be giving proponents the jitters, but even if it passes, the projects are not necessarily doomed.
An amendment to House Bill 10 would lift dedicated "gap" funds and place the bridges in the funding mix to compete with other projects.
State Rep. Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan, said he is confident the 7-mile bridge between the Currituck mainland and Corolla will survive the legislative churn.
"The project wouldn't be dead," Steinburg said.
To nab construction dollars, the bridge would have to rank high among top-priority projects under the state's Transportation Improvement Program. It would, however, be prioritized according to a list of criteria that include job creation and health and safety concerns.
Steinburg said that has had assurances by Tony Tata, the state Secretary of Transportation, on the fate of the bridge.
"It is my understanding that regardless of what happens to this House bill, this project would still rank very high," he said. "Secretary Tata told me that the bridge will be built. He didn't say when it would be built, but he said it will be built."
But Steinburg conceded that if costs for the bridge are revised upward, the state Department of Transportation may not look as kindly on the Currituck span.
In the works for nearly 30 years, the $660 million project would trim an hour off the drive from Virginia to Corolla and address traffic congestion that routinely clogs the roads leading to the northern Outer Banks.
Even local residents who live off back roads winding through residential neighborhoods can't escape the weekend traffic because GPS-enabled maps direct tourists to the alternate routes.
Peter Bishop, director of economic development for Currituck County, said that traffic has become the No. 1 complaint with visitors to the Outer Banks. On a summer weekend, what should be a 1.5-hour trip from Moyock can turn into four or more hours. When Hurricanes Irene and Sandy closed N.C. 12 to Hatteras, he said, the traffic got heavier when Hatteras vacationers were diverted to the north.
And with the beaches in New York and New Jersey still damaged from Sandy, Bishop said he expects that Corolla will have more visitors this summer.
But there is growing concern that traffic congestion, already a challenge in hurricane evacuation, will make tourists go somewhere else.
"You can see how that mentally kind of builds up," Bishop said, referring to someone crawling for hours in traffic. "They think, 'OK, I can get to the beach four hours earlier.' "
Traffic counts are important in determining how the bridge ranks with competing road projects. Congestion counts for 20 percent of a project's score. The higher the traffic count, the higher the project scores. Improving road safety counts another 10 percent. The state looks at crash rates on the highway. Road conditions, time savings for drivers, and economic benefits to the region are factored as well.
Considering the value of tourism to the Outer Banks and the state, he said, the Mid-Currituck Bridge is an economic and safety necessity. It would speed up hurricane evacuation times, increase employment opportunities on both sides of the bridge, decrease commuting time for seasonal workers, and vastly improve the travel experience for tourists.
Tourism revenue in North Carolina in 2011 exceeded $18.4 billion, providing about 188,000 jobs and $4.18 billion in wages, according to the state Commerce Department.
On the barrier islands in Currituck, Dare and Hyde counties, tourism accounts for 5.6 percent of the state's entire tourism economy. With annual visitation of about 8 million, the Outer Banks represents $1.03 billion in visitor spending, 13,200 jobs, $203.7 million in local payrolls and about $1 billion in tax revenue for local communities.
Steinburg said that the Mid-Currituck Bridge would also play an important role in creating a new economic engine he is proposing for the northeast corner of the state, which has lost many jobs in regional industries such as manufacturing, fishing, lumber and agriculture.
A bill Steinburg has recently introduced would use the Port of Norfolk to foster enterprises in counties located within 1 ½-hours from the port that could be become part of the foreign trade market. He said the initiative could open up the region to economic development, and the bridge is an essential component.
"I am very excited about the potential we have in northeastern North Carolina," he said.
On March 6, state Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, sponsored an amendment to House Bill 10 that would remove the designated funds for the three proposed toll projects, including the Garden Parkway near Charlotte, and make them compete with other transportation projects. Rabon said that the amendment, which has been approved by the Senate Transportation Committee and the Senate, would prevent politics from influencing road projects.
The amended House bill passed the Senate but has yet to be taken up by the House.
Being a Republican, Steinburg is well aware of the bitterness some members of his party have toward the region and projects like the Mid-Currituck Bridge.
"I believe this is a backlash," he said. "They're going after this bridge because of some animus they still have for Sen. Basnight. People see this as his project."
But Steinburg said that the bridge stands on its own merits, regardless of political perceptions.
"It's nothing but personal," he said about the Republicans' distaste for Basnight, a Manteo Democrat and longtime Senate president before his retirement in 2011. "There's a great deal of resentment of some of the stuff he pulled. That's why, sadly, Currituck is paying the cost today."
Whatever the outcome of the Rabon bill, said Nicole Meister, a DOT spokesperson, the projects would not be slated for elimination as some fear. Like any other transportation project, they would be ranked in priority on five-year and 10-year state transportation plans for each of the state divisions.
And even if a project does not rank high, she said, it would go back into the priority process for future consideration.
"The reason why we support this is we want to take politics out of transportation planning," Meister said. "It doesn't mean that they're not going to be built, or they're going to be built."
Meister said that the proposed bill does not remove the possibility of tolling. But instead of being the main approach to funding the projects, tolling would one of the options considered in funding.
"It gives it more flexibility," she said.
Stumps of ancient forest arise yearly on Outer Banks
© March 19, 2013
COROLLA, N.C.
Every winter, pounding waves ravage the sand along the beach, exposing hundreds of ancient cedar and live oak stumps on the Currituck Outer Banks coastline. It is an annual occurrence here and on other beaches.
"I've seen this all over the world," said Orrin Pilkey, a professor emeritus at Duke University and expert on coastal geology.
Resembling black teeth in the sand, the stumps dot the path of passing traffic along the beach. One of the larger stumps has been outfitted with bright red reflectors to steer travelers from damaging their vehicles - or worse.
Pilkey estimates a maritime forest existed here some 2,000 years ago but was decimated as the barrier island drifted west toward the mainland, covering the roots in salt water.
Now beach traffic rumbles between the stumps - some of them broad, some small - along a section of the 11-mile strand of sand that serves as the only road to the communities north of Corolla. During the summer, when the tourists gather by the thousands, gentler waves replenish sand, and most of the stumps vanish.
"It only takes a few days in May for the sand to cover them up," said Lt. Jason Banks of the Currituck County Sheriff's Office.
Once or twice a year during the winter, somebody slams into one, he said.
"Sometimes people hit them and don't report it," he said. "We find car parts on the beach."
Banks did not recall a serious injury.
Native Ernie Bowden, 88, remembered weaving his father's old truck between the tree remnants in his boyhood. Bowden's uncle, a commercial fisherman who worked the shoreline, tore the front end off his old truck back in the 1930s. His brother once slammed into one. He also recalled that a serviceman died just after World War II when he swerved his open-top military vehicle to miss a stump and overturned.
Resident Jay Bender, a horse tour operator, once crashed into a stump and badly damaged his father's truck.
"When you get to that section, you've got to watch out," he said. "Fog is the worst."
Bowden says he believes two storms in 1846 may have leveled the forest. About 100 years ago, area resident and historian Henry B. Ansell wrote in his memoirs of a massive storm in March 1846 and another in September that sent ocean breakers over the banks and all the way to Knotts Island, more than a mile inland. He wrote of trees being uprooted.
"For the old of this island to recall the dire, terrible and still lasting disaster of that year could bring nothing but depression," he wrote, as recorded in a document at the Currituck County Library.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Bowden dug canals within the Carova Beach neighborhood and remembers uncovering large, ancient trees lying some eight feet below the surface all pointing in the same direction.
"I have to believe that 1846 hurricane leveled all those trees," he said.
These days, a maritime forest thrives on the sound side of the banks about a mile from the ocean. For now, the beach strand has stabilized with relatively little erosion or movement.
As for the ancient stumps, they have sort of become a historical trademark along the beach and most likely will stay that way.
Currituck County Manager Dan Scanlon said he has never heard of any plans by the state or county to remove the stumps. The state owns the beach, he said.
Removing the stumps would require a permit, said Michele Walker, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management.
"Nobody has ever asked to pull them out," she said.
Jeff Hampton, 252-338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com
US News & World Report Ranks Outer Banks #1 Family Beach Vacation in the USA
While no major surprise to the folks that vacation here year after year, US News and World Report pegged the Outer Banks for the best family-friendly spot for a beach vacation in the US. Given the runners up, that is saying something. Click on the link below for the report.
http://travel.usnews.com/Outer_Banks_NC/
Updated information regarding the Mid-Currituck Bridge
Here is the latest update from the North Carolina DOT website with information on the Mid-Currituck Bridge. Funding is still in jeopardy it appears from the politics in the NC Congress but the timeline information is interesting.
http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/midcurrituckbridge/
Currituck County Commissioners Prioritize Projects For 2013
From an Article in the Daily Advance, there are some interesting comments regarding the Off-Road Beaches. 2013 is sure to be a year to keep an eye on things at the Federal, State, and County level.
Animal shelter, OBX sewer plant Currituck priorities
COROLLA – A new animal shelter in Maple and a wastewater treatment plant in Ocean Sands will top the list of new capital projects in Currituck for the coming year, commissioners decided at the board's annual retreat Saturday.
Commissioners compiled a long list of county needs during a brainstorming session, but an informal vote narrowed those priorities to six. The list will assist County Manager Dan Scanlon in preparing a budget for the upcoming year, said the session's facilitator, Lydian Altman with the University of North Carolina's School of Government.
Other priorities included:
• Deciding the level of service to be provided by fire and emergency medical services;
• Developing a plan to boost off-season tourism;
• Deciding if the county is capable of developing two small area plans at the same time, one for Moyock and one for Currituck's off-road beaches; and
• Deciding the next step for economic development – possibly by getting input from businesses in roundtable discussions.
In coming months, commissioners are expected to schedule work sessions to discuss the issues in more depth.
Altman said the challenge ahead for commissioners will be sticking to those goals throughout the year as other competing needs arise.
Scanlon warned the Currituck Board of Commissioners will have less money to spend than in previous years.
A flat tax base means the county can no longer afford to fund multiple projects at the same time, he said.
"We are going to have to make some tougher decisions than we have had to make before. We are going to have to say no to some stuff," said Scanlon.
Timing for some of the projects is also a concern. If the county doesn't make some big decisions about commercial development in the four-wheel drive areas of Currituck beaches, then the courts may, Commissioner Paul Martin warned. Already the county is facing one lawsuit by a developer wanting to build commercial buildings in the off-road community.
In addition, three or four applications for "conference centers" — large beach structures with 24 or more bedrooms — have recently been submitted, said County Attorney Ike McRee.
"We are going to have to make some decisions, and I think we are going to have to make them sooner rather than later," said Chairman Paul O'Neal.
The pending lawsuit adds urgency to the issue, but the county's planning staff is already tied up with forming a small area plan for Moyock, said Scanlon. Jumping on another project would be too taxing to the county's planning staff, he said.
Commissioners agreed to take a closer look in coming months at if and how they can handle the ongoing Moyock Small Area Plan and take on another complex planning project for the northern Outer Banks. In the past, commissioners have rejected a proposal to contract out the work to consultants.
Commissioners said they also want to take a closer look at travel expert Judy Randall's report last year on how to improve tourism on the Outer Banks. The county needs to focus on expanding the number of visitors during the "shoulder season," the months before and after the busy summer months, commissioners said.
The fate of a proposed Mid-Currituck Bridge will have a big impact on that effort, commissioners agreed.
"Everything centers on the bridge as far as economic development," said Commissioner Butch Petrey.
The new priorities did not exclude several ongoing projects to which the county has already committed. Plans for Currituck Community Park, including practice soccer fields, still remain on go. Renovations to the ABC store in Moyock also fall under prior budget priorities.
Other concerns and capital projects may have to wait, however.
Commissioners bumped several projects to lower priority, meaning they are less likely to get funded in the coming year.
Lower priority projects include:
• More hangar space and a new taxiway for the Currituck Regional Airport;
• A salary study for employees, particularly for the tourism department. The Randall report suggested the county examine salaries to ensure they are competitive with what other counties are paying. Scanlon said the county underwent a study just two years ago, and some employees' salaries were adjusted as a result.
• A new interpretive exhibit and building for historic boats and agricultural equipment at the Rural Center in Powells Point.
• Construction of a new school, possibly a new elementary school in Moyock.
• Small-area plans for landing points for the proposed Mid-Currituck Bridge.
Currituck refuge wants more fencing for wild horse...
Wild Horse Tours subject to new rules (Reprint by ...
NCDOT starts new Formula for determining NC projec...
Currituck County Commissioners Prioritize Projects...


There is no doubt that a shabby, gloomy or cluttered kitchen can be a chef's worst nightmare. And that's why, if you're stuck with an uninspiring cooking space at your home, it's time to give it a refreshing and smart facelift. Removing clutter, repainting walls, changing dated cabinets, or introducing sleeker fixtures can improve the look and feel of a dreary kitchen radically. And at times, more intense overhauls like changing floor tiles, introducing interesting textures, carrying out structural tweaks or even complete renovation can make an ordinary kitchen extraordinary. So check out the charming makeovers of these 4 kitchens to gather the ideas you like best!
Before: enter if you dare!
This kitchen was lying in a terribly dilapidated and neglected state before the revamp. With chipped tiles, crumbling plaster, exposed concrete patches, filthy walls and a rubble-ridden floor, no culinary joy was expected from this space.
Rendered primarily in sober white and grey hues, the renovated semi-open kitchen is now a neat and convenient space for preparing yummy dishes. Modern chrome appliances pair with sleek cabinets and drawers for a functional setting, while a large window floods the area with sunlight. A slim counter separates the kitchen from the dining space, which comes decked with chic furniture and warm wooden flooring. The grey floor of the kitchen offers cool contrast against the wood, and is easy to clean in case of spills too.
This kitchen had ample space to become a really stylish cooking haven. But old-fashioned cabinets, haphazard arrangement of appliances, mindless clutter, and shocking green drapes made this a highly unbecoming room. The presence of a drab dining arrangement and mismatched lights hardly helped matters.
We love how the spacious U-shaped counter now utilises the available space in the kitchen effectively. The glossy black countertop contrasts the warmth of wooden cabinets nicely, while the remaining kitchen has been mostly left white with a dash of buttery yellow. There is adequate space now to organise everything neatly, and niches have been built to accommodate appliances too. The revamped door with alternating wood and glass strips looks bold, while the dining table has been removed to make way for easy movement. The credit for this remarkable facelift goes to the architects at Somos Arquitectura in Argentina.
Nothing seemed inspiring in this dark and listless kitchen, with its drab cabinets that looked like a blast from the past! The tiny breakfast table with mismatched chairs was an eyesore too.
Generous use of white and pale blue hues has now turned the kitchen into a bright, airy and inviting space. The herringbone flooring contrasts the pastel environs lovingly, while sleek modern cabinets without boring handles make a stylish appearance. The long wooden countertop is fitted with fashionable and minimalistic fixtures, while the windowsills hold potted plants for a fresh touch. The breakfast table is now sleek, white and accompanied by trendy chairs and wall art that expresses the chef's love for quaint pubs.
With an oven and stove in one corner, and a bank of cabinets that seemed ready to give way any moment, this was hardly a kitchen! The dirty, dingy walls and the cluttered heaps of crockery made the space seem all the more cramped and depressing.
With a bright white hue dominating the space generously, the revamped kitchen looks incredibly snazzy and breathable. The large window brings in oodles of natural light, while the rich wooden countertop and accents make for visual depth and interest. There are tons of cabinets and shelves to house all kitchen essentials, while minimalistic fixtures make everything look stylish. We particularly admire the backsplash behind the cook top, which has been lined with bricks and floating wooden shelves for a distinctly rustic appeal. An elegant square ceiling light and intelligent task lights under the cabinets make it extremely easy to work and move around here.
So, what are you waiting for? Pick the makeover that appealed to you the most, and see if it will work for your kitchen too! Consult an interior architect or kitchen planner if you are keen to make major changes. For more ideas, check out another story: A simple but perfect home renovation.
Which of these kitchen revamps is your favourite?


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Bead, Dione®, Czech glass rhinestone / epoxy / imitation rhodium-plated brass grommet, clear AB / white / black, 13x8mm-14x8mm rondelle with spiral design, 4.5mm hole. Sold individually.


No doubt about it: It's hard for a girl to lead a normal life when she's surrounded by vampires and shape-shifting Weres.
Telepathic cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has a long and unsatisfactory romantic history with vampires. Her latest honey is the magnificent were-tiger Quinn, who arranges ceremonies for the vamps. Sookie is taken away from the witch she's rooming with in her quiet Louisiana town by her commitment to attend the vampire summit in Rhodes as a telepath for the Queen of Louisiana, whose power has been diminished by Hurricane Katrina and the murder of her husband, the King of Arkansas. She travels on the vampire airline with the Queen's retinue, which to her dismay includes Bill and Eric, two of her vampire ex-boyfriends. Arriving at the exotic vampire hotel, they find it picketed by a hate group. Sookie is instantly immersed in the intrigue that develops when the Queen fights the murder charge and plots to bolster her position in the vampire community. Because Sookie's gift allows her to pick up on human thoughts, she has some helpful suggestions for the Queen, whose prospects improve after her accusers are found dead. Although Sookie eventually cuts through confusion to resolution, her own life is left in disarray.
Harris's vampire series (Dead as a Doornail, 2005, etc.) is slated to become an HBO program that will presumably prune the excess verbiage that competes here with scores of fascinating characters.


Jenna Florio and Trey Laughrun said "I do" in Charlotte, North Carolina under a clear top tent on the lawn of Quail Hollow Country Club on October 22nd, 2016. The season's brisk weather, coupled with a Tuscan theme, alluded to the bride's love of Italy as well as her Italian heritage. Lush garland draped throughout beautifully contrasted the tent's elegant fixtures and gave the setting a welcomed European touch. Carolina Herrera's Josette gown perfectly complemented the wedding's rustic elegance and fit the bride's modern, yet timeless, look.
On July 18th, 2015 Trey proposed in a small garden, called Wing Haven, in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, where we both live. He wanted a place in our city that could be uniquely ours. After preparing me for what I thought was going to be a charity event, Trey whisked me away to the back of the gardens where he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. After quietly celebrating just the two of us, Trey had another surprise up his sleeve – he arranged for both of our families to meet us at a restaurant for a private dinner. We later met with our closest friends to continue the celebration. Trey planned the perfect proposal and it will forever be one of my very favorite days.
WHAT MADE YOU PICK THIS DRESS?
I picked my Carolina Herrera gown because it had a sophisticated elegance about it. It was feminine and unique in a way that would always be timeless. The Josette gown felt like it was made for me. I felt completely myself and I feel so lucky to have been wearing a Carolina Herrera gown on my wedding day.
FAVORITE MEMORY OF THE WEDDING?
Our first look! This was my favorite part of the day. I wish I could bottle up the emotion and look on Trey's face when he saw me for the first time. He loved my dress and had me spin for him so he could take it all in.
THING YOU'RE LOOKING MOST FORWARD TO ABOUT MARRIED LIFE?
The calm after a whirlwind of a year. Trey and I were engaged for 15 months and while we loved every minute of it, there were so many parties and so much planning that we were ready to settle in to married life and the simple things like cooking dinner and enjoying a movie after a long day of work.
Wishing all the best to the happy couple!


It's impossible to know the stress involved in taking a child to a special event unless you've experienced it firsthand. When any parent receives a wedding invitation, he or she is automatically faced with a barrage of questions. Will the ceremony interfere with naptime or bedtime? What if Jack gets cranky and cries during the ceremony or the reception toasts? Will he strip down to his diaper and streak during the bride and groom's first dance?
Help parents navigate the event by letting them know the general itinerary ahead of time. That way, they can plan naps, feedings and potty breaks accordingly. Also, be sure to tell them in advance if their child will be necessary for pictures and during what time frame the photos will be taken.
Brides who plan on having formal photos taken with younger guests might want to snap their shots first, before they get too restless, cranky or (heaven forbid) hungry.


Anko Mitarashi from Naruto has Halloween Costume Anime Make-up Costume, viking costumes mens. We created the costumes, because we started off thinking he was Treks Uhura and Spock, Mortal like cosplay costumes and accessories. Comi-Cons are filled with collectors your cosplay viking costumes mens so it can be showcased on Kotaku. He is one of my pokemon CosplayFU. Satsuki delivers a speech on Costumes on Facebook Hot Pokemon Boston, upon acceptance of their online cosplay costumes store.
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oh sunny day. Kelli and Trevor's sunny summer wedding at Santa Margarita Ranch radiated style, charm and the joys of nature. From the very first day of planning, her wish was to keep it fun and filled with the sweet bounty of summer. Fresh lemons, English garden roses, daisies, olive branches and buttercups kept the mood carefree and casual. More intricate details included Kelli being proudly escorted by her father (love that guy!) down a yellow pin-striped aisle runner, antique paned windows printed with the guests' names for the table seating and her mom's fabulous collection of vintage milk glass vases. The final flourish was an inviting lounge of white burlap-covered hay bales where guests could kick up their heels and enjoy the revelry as the sun went down over the distant hills.
Cady Connelly captured the relaxed, family feeling that carried the day.


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HomeNewsEmployees At Hanford Nuclear Plant Told To 'Take Cover' Over Incident
Employees At Hanford Nuclear Plant Told To 'Take Cover' Over Incident
October 26, 2018 Niamh Harris News, US 1
Employees at one of the largest nuclear waste processing facilities in the US were told to "take cover" following an apparent incident involving plutonium and uranium tunnels.
Hanford nuclear plant workers were reportedly alerted of the incident via a test message that read:
"WTP Alert: The WTP Site is in Take Cover. Go to the closest Take Cover facility now. Avoid eating or drinking until further notice. Await further instructions."
The alert was issued as a precaution, the plants operating facility said.
Hanford VIT plant right now via local news pic.twitter.com/g06pwbJuHD
— Ashley Kae (@ashweekaee) October 26, 2018
RT reports: The warning to the employees was issued because steam was coming out from one of the tunnels at the waste treatment plant construction site, Bechtel, the company in charge of the construction works said, adding that it was made out of "precaution"
BREAKING NEWS: We have confirmed that a text alert has been sent out to employees of the Hanford Vit Plant telling them to "take cover". Media relations personnel would not release any other information at this time. pic.twitter.com/JydUgdPAEz
— Jade Redinger (@JadeKAPPKVEW) October 26, 2018
"There is no indication of a release of hazardous material," a Bechtel statement said. However, the workers were still said to stay in cover until further notice.
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation is located in the US state of Washington, not far from the town of Richland. It was built in the 1950s and for decades produced plutonium for the US nuclear weapons arsenal. In 1988, production stopped and the site became a burial ground for radioactive waste.
The facility contains roughly 53 million gallons – over 2,600 rail cars – of high-level nuclear waste, left over from the production of plutonium. In May, one of the underground tunnels filled with radioactive waste collapsed, prompting the Department of Energy to declare an emergency at Hanford. Some 3,000 workers sought shelter and were advised to temporarily refrain from eating and drinking.
No workers were injured in the collapse, and officials detected no release of radiation at that time. However, a month later, the US Department of Energy warned that another waste-filled tunnel was at high risk of collapsing as well.
Following the 2017 tunnel collapse at the Hanford site, an RT crew visited the area to get an insight into what was happening on the ground. The Hanford nuclear waste site, which is one of the biggest nuclear waste facilities in the world, is called America's most toxic place. Numerous workers have been hospitalized after inhaling radioactive fumes since the cleanup of the facility began in 1989.
"I've got a vapor exposure. I lost 40 percent of my lung capacity," one man, who worked at the Hanford site, told RT at that time. "I cannot do any normal activity… for a couple of months, I sat in my chair and I laid in my bed and I thought I was dying," another former Hanford worker said.
Under the 2010 agreement signed by the US Department of Energy, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the state Department of Ecology, what was described as the world's largest vitrification plant was planned to be built at the Hanford site.
The facility – the Hanford Vit Plant – designed to encase the most highly radioactive waste in borosilicate glass was scheduled to become fully operational by 2019. All the waste is supposed to be treated by 2047.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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NewsPlayStation 4
Epic Tombs Return in Rise of the Tomb Raider
By Nicole TannerAugust 28, 2015January 25th, 2016One Comment
The new version of Tomb Raider that was released in 2013 remains one of my favorite games for Xbox One. The reinvention of Lara Croft was a welcome and excellent take on the classic game. The new Lara is returning in Rise of the Tomb Raider, which is scheduled to be released later this year on Xbox One with a PS4 version to follow later.
At PAX I had a chance to play about 15 minutes of the game, which you can see in the video above. I, of course, made more mistakes and fell to my death a few times. Rise of the Tomb Raider features the same beautiful art style and mostly the same gameplay as the last game. What's different in this one is that some of the tombs Lara explores are multi-level complicated puzzles that were the hallmark of the old Tomb Raider games.
In the demo, Lara is looking for an artifact in the Prophet's Tomb based on some information from her father. After surviving a nasty car wreck, she scales cliffs until she finds her way into the tomb. Shortly after this, you see a vast open room. The size of the tomb before me made me remember some of the most fun I had playing Tomb Raider Anniversary. (I never played the original Tomb Raider game, but Anniversary was a remake of that game.)
After using a number of platforms and raising the water level of the tomb, you finally reach the sepulcher where the artifact is supposed to be, but things are never that easy for Lara. The sepulcher is empty and what seems like the antagonist in the game arrives just after Lara looking for the same artifact.
I was thrilled with the gameplay and intrigued by some of the skills that will be involved, like learning Greek. It's one of the games I'm most looking forward to this year.
PAX Prime 2015PlayStation 4Rise of the Tomb RaiderTomb RaiderXbox One
This article was written by Nicole Tanner
Nicole has been playing games her entire life. Now that she's a mom, she's passionate about promoting games as a healthy pastime to other parents around the globe. She has been an editor at IGN, where she launched and hosted the Girlfight podcast. In her spare time (which is not very much, honestly) she enjoys gaming, reading, and writing fiction. Most of the time she's a mom to a crazy, intelligent, and exhausting little girl.
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Stephanie Gunn
Snapshot 2014: D.K. Mok
By Stephanie Gunn
In 2014 Snapshot
DK Mok is the author of The Other Tree, Hunt for Valamon, and the Aurealis Award shortlisted story 'Morning Star' (One Small Step).
DK grew up in libraries, immersed in lost cities and fantastic worlds, populated by quirky bandits and giant squid. She graduated from UNSW with a degree in Psychology, pursuing her interest in both social justice and scientist humour.
She's fond of cephalopods, androids and rugged horizons, and she wishes someone would build a labyrinthine library garden so she could hang out there. DK lives in Sydney, Australia, and her favourite fossil deposit is the Burgess Shale.
Website: www.dkmok.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dkmokauthor
Twitter: @dk_mok
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/dkmok
1. Your most recent work is an urban fantasy novel, The Other Tree, which some reviewers have compared in feel to Indiana Jones and The Da Vinci Code. What was the inspiration behind this book, and how was the process of writing it like?
It's been an exciting year, and the release of my debut novel has been an amazing experience. I've always loved fantasy and adventure, and I grew up reading authors like Roald Dahl, Graeme Base, Isaac Asimov and Terry Pratchett. I'm drawn to books that transport me to fantastic realms and take me on exciting adventures, and these are the kinds of stories I most enjoy writing.
The Other Tree draws from a number of influences, and Indiana Jones is certainly one of them. Like many people, I watched the first three movies at a time when I thought giant rolling boulders were the coolest thing ever, riddles were deliciously tricky, and bullwhips were an awesome distance weapon that never ran out of ammo. I loved the blend of fantasy, action and mythology; the flawed but empathetic protagonists; and the tongue-in-cheek humour. Actually, I still love most of those things.
Films like The NeverEnding Story, Jim Henson's Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal also left a lasting impression on me, with their blend of lush fantasy and subtle menace. I was fascinated by the duality in many of these movies – the tension between the mundane world and the fantastical one, and the sense that the protagonist could never be quite whole, quite fully formed, without striding through the fire in both.
One of the most memorable things for me about the Indiana Jones movies was the fact that the protagonist was ostensibly a professor of archaeology. In many of the stories I'd grown up reading, librarians, professors and alchemists were generally sedentary sorts with delicate constitutions. They mentored the hero, but rarely did much swashbuckling themselves. And yet, many of my real-life heroes – many of the people I saw exploring strange lands and encountering wondrous creatures – were often researchers who divided their time between the desk and the field.
To me, passionate scientists, researchers and academics are a natural fit for fantastic adventures. When I hear Sir David Attenborough talk about his extraordinary and sometimes reckless experiences as a pioneering naturalist and documentary maker, his exuberance when describing everything from gorillas to sea cucumbers is absolutely enthralling.
Likewise, when I listen to oceanographer Sylvia Earle – aka The Sturgeon General – describing her dives from the undersea laboratory Aquarius, or forensic entomologist Amoret Whitaker enthusing about the role of maggots in solving murders, it's hard not to be drawn in. Seeing their passion, commitment and curiosity, it's clear why otherwise ordinary people brave gun-runners, death threats or malaria to study shy, pink iguanas or bellicose volcanos.
The eventual impetus for my writing The Other Tree came from my sister, who's also an author and an avid reader. She mentioned one day that she'd like to read a story about people searching for the lost garden of Eden, and I immediately thought: the protagonist has to be a botanist. The idea kicked around inside my head for quite some time, transforming slowly from a fantastic adventure romp into a story with deeper themes of family, mortality, priorities, and the choices we make.
The protagonist in The Other Tree, Chris Arlin, owes a debt to all the passionate researchers I've admired, and she's infused with the same spirit of discovery. She's a cryptobotanist whose passion for rare and improbable plants makes her the subject of ridicule at her alma mater, Varria University. However, when Chris learns that her father is suffering from an incurable illness, desperation and determination impel her on a search for Eden and the Biblical Tree of Life.
When it comes to the writing process, I used to be a pantser, but I'm now a dedicated plotter. I had the arc of the story planned before I began writing, because it's the only way I can keep track of multiple plot threads and characters who insist on running around absolutely everywhere. I wrote for several hours each evening after work, all day on weekends, and I scribbled in my notepad whenever I had a spare moment. It took about six months to reach a decent early draft, and another several months of editing, revising, and addressing feedback from beta readers to arrive at a polished manuscript.
The final book brings together many of the themes and elements I love, and I hope The Other Tree connects with other readers who enjoy fantasy and mythology, botany and archaeology, and geek culture with touches of humour.
2. Your story, Morning Star, appeared in the Fablecroft anthology, One Small Step: An Anthology of Discoveries. This story garnered you an Aurealis Award nomination (for Best YA Short Fiction) and was noted by many readers as being one of their favourites in the anthology. The call for submissions for the anthology gave a very broad idea of what was being looked for – involving literal or figurative "small steps", discoveries or beginnings. How did you go from such a general idea to a story like Morning Star?
You might want to settle down with a cup of tea for this answer, because it's another long one. In the absence of a word limit, or someone playing increasingly loud exit-music over the top of me, I'm going to give the extended-edition response.
'Morning Star' is the culmination of my lifelong fascination with androids, consciousness, and the definition of humanity. I grew up watching Astro Boy, a children's anime about a robot boy and his often poignant adventures. He had red rockets for feet, and pathos beyond his years. A winning combination.
In high school, I was introduced to Star Trek: The Next Generation, with its android crewmember, Lieutenant Commander Data: an artless, cat-loving, mystery solving, socially awkward Chief Operations Officer. Episodes such as 'The Measure of a Man', dealing with questions of sentience and liberty, had a profound impact on my growing awareness of human rights and discrimination.
By now, I'd started reading Isaac Asimov's books, including The Caves of Steel, which featured the cunning and eloquent R. Daneel Olivaw. I had my heart wrenched by stories like 'The Bicentennial Man'. I idolised Susan Calvin, a female robopsychologist character at a time when women were far less visible in programming and engineering careers than they are today.
And then, I watched Blade Runner.
Sir Ridley Scott's masterpiece of science fiction noir poetry left an indelible impression on me. The plight of the replicants, the tangled conflict between troubled bounty hunter Rick Deckard and charismatic android Roy Batty, and that unforgettable 'time to die' speech, crystallised so many of the nebulous concepts I'd been wrestling with.
I love android stories because they raise questions about identity and humanity, sentience and freedom. They explore ideas about what it means to live, what it means to be human, and all the messy, contentious and important territory that covers. Android stories also often act as an allegory for the marginalised, the oppressed, and the dispossessed, illuminating issues of equality and civil rights.
Fast-forward over a decade to 2012. Around the time I saw FableCroft's call for submissions, Prometheus was released at the cinemas. This was Scott's long-awaited return to science fiction, and I relished the spaceships, the cool tech-toys, the gritty holograms, and, of course, the complex and compelling android, David 8.
Another – more sombre – event happened around this time. Neil Armstrong – the astronaut whose words inspired the anthology's title – passed away. He was greatly admired not only for his iconic role in the Apollo 11 moon landing, but for his quiet, solid work as an aerospace engineer and researcher. I'd grown up with a passion for stories about space exploration and distant worlds, and the passing of such a legendary man was deeply felt.
So, 'Morning Star' was a story that had waited patiently to be written, and One Small Step was part of a confluence of events that finally rallied me to write it. I'd encountered many stories revolving around the last human in the universe, and I wanted to write a story about what it would be like to be the last android in the universe. I loved inventing all the futuristic tech, and weaving in the elements of mystery, biology and ethics. However, at its heart, 'Morning Star' is a story about self-awareness, mortality, human nature, and the fragile, tender, complicated connections between people.
The Aurealis Award nomination was incredibly unexpected, and it was surreal to see my name on the list alongside authors such as Joanne Anderton, Juliet Marillier and Kim Wilkins. 'Morning Star' is a special story for me, and I'm glad to see it touching a chord with others.
3. Are you currently at work on any fiction, or have any projects on the horizon?
My next novel is a standalone epic fantasy titled Hunt for Valamon. It's coming out in February 2015 via Spence City (an imprint of Spencer Hill Press), and I'm currently busy working on edits and exciting pre-release activities. I'm also in the early stages of writing an epic fantasy trilogy, which is another story I've been wanting to tell for some time. It's exciting to be working on so many projects that I'm passionate about, and I can't wait to share more news with everyone as things progress.
4. What Australian works have you loved recently?
I've just finished reading A Crucible of Souls, a richly imaginative epic fantasy by Mitchell Hogan, and winner of this year's Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. I also recently enjoyed Ink Black Magic, a fun fantasy romp by Tansy Rayner Roberts; and The Cobbler Mage, a bittersweet fable written by Angela Rega and illustrated by Rebekah Pearson.
I adore Shaun Tan's work – I still consider The Arrival to be an absolute masterpiece – and his latest picture book, Rules of Summer, is another gorgeous, imaginative and poignant story. I also still delight in every new Graeme Base book, and Little Elephants is another sweet and whimsical story with beautiful illustrations.
My to-be-read pile continues to grow happily.
5. Have recent changes in the publishing industry influenced the way you work? What do you think you will be publishing/writing/reading in five years from now?
My objective is to continue writing entertaining, thoughtful, fantastical and meaningful stories. To paraphrase author John Connolly, you should write the story that's calling to you the loudest. Whether navigating calm seas or tempests, I consider this excellent advice.
Over the last few years, technology has made it easier than ever for people to create, distribute and consume content. We've already seen seismic shifts in the music and media industries, and the publishing industry is now undergoing a similar transformation. It's a turbulent, exciting and uncertain time to be a writer, artist or maker.
We've seen the rise of digital-only imprints, crowd-funded projects, and self-published authors. Platforms and communities like Smashwords, Wattpad, Leanpub, comiXology, Etsy and deviantART have made it easier for creators to find an audience. It's encouraging to see such diversification, especially for communities outside of the mainstream. In the face of these changes, the role of curators remains as valuable as ever, whether it's passionate bookshop staff, bloggers, librarians, newspaper reviewers, Goodreads ratings, publishers, forums or friends.
As both a creator and a consumer, I hope the unfolding of these changes will be a collaborative and constructive process, rather than a purely competitive one. I believe traditional publishing, indie publishing and self-publishing are complementary options, just as ebooks and print books satisfy different needs, and online stores and bricks-and-mortar bookshops offer very different experiences. I think we'd all be diminished if any of these things vanished.
I haven't changed the way I work, but I'm much more aware of the diversity in publishing now, and it's fascinating to gain insight into other people's experiences.
Five years from now, I hope to be adding to my collection of handmade zines and indie graphic novels; reading ebooks on the go; curling up with a paperback and a cup of tea; discovering new authors on brilliant blogs; raiding my local bookstores and losing myself in new releases and second-hand treasures; supporting other authors – both traditional and self-published; flicking through my digital magazines; and browsing libraries across the city, armed with a deck of library cards and a set of indestructible totes.
I expect to still be writing the stories that are calling to me, and I hope there'll still be readers happy to welcome them.
This interview was conducted as part of the 2014 Snapshot of Australian Speculative Fiction. We'll be blogging interviews from 28 July to 10 August and archiving them at SF Signal. You can read interviews at: Tsana Dolichva, Nick Evans, Stephanie Gunn, Kathryn Linge, Elanor Matton-Johnson, David McDonald, Helen Merrick, Jason Nahrung, Ben Payne, Alex Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Helen Stubbs, Katharine Stubbs, Tehani Wessely and Sean Wright.
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Snapshot 2014: Juliet Marillier
Snapshot 2014: Zena Shapter
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Richie got boho chic to nosh at Katsu-Ya Sushi in L.A. The Simple Life star wore a tunic dress with chunky boots and toted an oversized bag.
Beckham added color to her Marc Jacobs dress with Versace shoes and an Hermes Birkin bag. She finished the look with shades from her own DVB line.


Ask the Readers: What Do You Want in Your Forever Home?
Home » Deals and Coupons » Giveaways » Ask the Readers: What Do You Want in Your Forever Home?
Editor's Note: Congratulations to Kellie, Sheri, and Julie for winning this week's contest!
When we think about our future, it often includes the kind of home we will be living in. Many people begin homeownership with a starter home and plan to save until they can upgrade to a forever home — the home that they plan to live in for many years to come.
What do you want in your forever home? Where do you want it to be? What traits are non-negotiable, and what might you be willing to compromise?
Tell us what you want in your forever home and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!
Contest ends Monday, November 16th at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Winners will be announced after November 16th on the original post. Winners will also be contacted via email.
I am tired of old boring appliances in my home. I want all new Stainless steel appliances in my home!
Data ports...data ports as far as the eye can see. Our entertainment is streaming videos and playing video games. Nothing puts a damper on that like spoty WIFI.
I'd like my forever home to be 1 story.
I want my forever home to be someplace that's warm and sunny year round and walking distance to the ocean. I would like a chef's kitchen and a big yard to host BBQs. I would also want lots of natural lighting as well as a fireplace.
A man cave with the proper video game setup and beer taps. Other than that, happiness, of course, and it has to be the perfect place for multiple dogs.
I want a gas fireplace in my forever home. In my area, power goes out a lot in winter, and I want to stay warm.
Solar panels! They are quite an investment but a money-saver, and eco-friendly in the long run.
Non-negotiable is a good location and a home that just feels right. A home is a sanctuary and where I need to feel comfortable, so that matters more than details like flooring or number of rooms. Of course, that may take more time to find since you can't exactly search by vibe, but it's worth it to take your time on something like that.
My forever needs a roomy kitchen and bathroom. I will sacrifice back yard space.
My family taught me to always have a small pantry room for any emergencies. I will like to have a garden and a spa room to avoid going to a spa to spend hundreds of $. I want to have my place in my lovely Utah state, being surrounded by the mountains is the place I call home. I will be willing to pay a little bit more if I find the perfect place with easy access to schools/farm markets.
I would love a walk-in pantry. I could buy nonperishables in bulk and save money!
I would love a deck in my backyard, with a nice backyard. I love listening to jazz with my windows open at night, so I always imagine doing this on a patio in the Summer, with citronella candles and a nice glass of wine! :) I will negotiate for a patio instead, but the must-have with that would be Garden Lanterns.
I want a library with a gliding ladder, a dummy waiter, a laundry shoot, and a murphy bed.
My forever home would be a straw bale house with a basement, one water wall, at less than 500 square feet, and totally off grid, with solar power, a rain catchment system, composting toilet, etc. I love tiny houses, but I also like to craft, have a lot of pets and like to foster cats, so the extra room would be useful.
I hope we have our forever home! And all it's missing is a tiki bar in the basement.
I would love to have a home that had an extra room and garage so I could set up a pottery studio and put the kiln in the garage. This is something I am working towards but it looks to be many years away.
I would like to have large welcoming double front doors in my forever home. Also built-in vacuuming system (duct work is within the walls and you just attach the hose & head to outlets in each room). One more thing, a laundry room with a utility sink and lots of shelving!
My forever home is the tiny house my boyfriend and I are currently building! The financial freedom that comes along with living tiny was simply non-negotiable for us. After construction is complete we plan to move our home to land and start living our country dream. We're on our way (in our early 30s)!
A modest home with a finished basement, and that is aesthetically pleasing to me, if nobody else! A great backyard would be pretty great too.
I want a big living room and a finished basement in my forever home.
I like a nice yard for the dog and kids. I kitchen with lots of cupboards for storage and good counter space for cooking. A garage and fenced yard would be nice. A place that feels warm, inviting and that feels like home.
We bought our forever home for a song because it is a niche house (odd, wouldn't appeal to a mass market) in 1999. We remodeled it to our liking in phases with the bulk of it being before moving in. Even though it's just the two of us, this was a downsizer and a bit small but we both knew as we aged it would grow larger ... and indeed it has. What makes it possible for us to consider it forever is how inexpensive it is to run and it's on a large wooded lot (while still being in town and convenient to everything). It has many windows (42 in a two bed/bath!) with peaceful views. The bonus: it's on a short deadend street that's still a neighborhood, a street with a wide variety of people in equally wide varieties of housing. We call it the "Street of Misfits", delighted to be obvious drop outs from the American mass production consumer culture. It took a long time to find our spot but we found it!
Features we'd like in our "forever home": laundry chute (preferably from master bed or bathroom directly down to basement laundry); walk-in closet room, master bathroom not adjacent to bedroom for reasons of noise and light; kitchen with non-wood, high quality and easily cleaned cabinets; under-floor heating throughout the house.
I'd like my forever home to be pretty small so that it's manageable for cleaning and repairs, though I'm not too concerned about the amount of bedrooms. I'd like it to be in a relatively quiet part of a city like Portland, OR, so that I'm able to walk to a lot of places. The room I spend most time in is the kitchen, so I'd like it to be spacious enough to work in comfortably and the equipment to be good quality. I'd love lower counters, since I'm short! The size of the yard isn't terribly important to me, though some privacy would be nice.
I want a big backyard, a nice sized kitchen and wouldn't want it near power lines or train tracks/busy street/flight path.
My forever house would have a big updated kitchen and a game room.
My forever house would be small--a couple of bedrooms, a bath, a living room with a masonry fireplace and built-in bookshelves, a kitchen with high-quality, energy efficient appliences. All the finish work would be perfect. And ideally, it would be on property with a waterfront. And close enough to walk to a grocery store, a bank, and a bus stop.
My forever home would be a house with 2 bedrooms, 2 bath on 1 floor. A universal design-so handicap friendly. I want to be able to grow old in the house. A sun room overlooking my garden. Oh and very important a heated drive way, heated front and back steps. Minimize shoveling snow in the winter in Chicago.
My forever home has to be nestled among the pine and aspen in the mountains of Colorado, not far from a town, but far enough out where if my dog wants to bark, he can without fear of a neighbor complaining. A 36' Travel Trailer will do just fine and if I can live off grid, that would be okay with me. I don't need much, but do need room to produce the products I make by hand and sell at various craft shows. I want a simple, debt free life in my retirement with just enough income to provide for my needs and what supplies I need to purchase.
My forever home must have a porch.
I'm not sure I'm a "forever home" kind of person! I'm already discovering that I want different things for each phase of my life. The home we have now is wonderful but my children are in college or preparing to go so it seems bigger than I need. But I believe I will always looks for a cozy, elegant and well made home in a small town near a bigger city. And I will always want a single family home -- no sharing walls with the neighbors!
I would really like a nice bath tub in my forever home!
I want an open concept house with lots of natural light.
House must be only one floor for when I am old, solar panels, great kitchen, well insulated and a beautiful glass shower professionally installed.
What I miss the most from having a gym membership is the ability to relax in the sauna or the hot tub. Having a steam shower at home would really be nice after a long day at work.
And a basement. And garage. Is this too much?
Must be one story and have enough rooms for a sewing room/studio!
For my brothers to live nowhere near me.
I want good insulation, newer plumbing, space for children to play (where I live it's not common to have a backyard), and lots of windows. Homes in my area often also have a small loft or set of extra room/kitchen combination attached to the side - I want one to rent out to offset the mortgage on the one hand, and offer to my parents who have nothing saved for retirement on the other.
I would like a forever home with high ceilings and lots of windows. Open concept, with a big kitchen and a double oven. I would love heated floors in the bathrooms for the winter months and cold mornings. I would like the garage to be detached, with a mud room side entrance, and the yard to be big. This is a dream, right?
I would love to have a big backyard.
I dream of having a sun room! To read, to nap, to soak it all up.
In my forever home I would like a basement which I think it is very rare where I live. In the basement I like a huge Tv...movie room and a big game room. Also a small kitchen and a sewing room down there too!
My husband and I would love to downsize now that our children have left us with an empty nest. Our forever home would be small yet the space would be used efficiently, with plenty of storage. One story is most desirable. We'd like enough yard to have our raised garden beds, but would love little lawn to mow and no swimming pool.
In my forever home, I would love a safe room for weather! Would also love my family living with me!
I would love a spacious white kitchen.
I'd love my forever home to have a backyard big enough for entertaining and a front porch.
A house in a gated community with a community pool, tennis court and community center.
It has to have room for a large permaculture garden, fruit trees, nut trees, the whole works!
A 3 car garage and a covered back patio!
I want a one story home with lots windows that look out on the ocean. A warm climate and a pool.
My forever home needs to be full of love.
A walk in pantry and a walk in closet for the master bedroom!
I would like universal design so that we can age in place.
I'd love a wood burning fireplace.
After living so long without a garage, I would need a garage. A really nice kitchen for entertaining is also a must-have!


A set of enchanting bhajans by Pramodini Rao on Lord Hanuman, Lord Shiva and many.It also includes wishes songs for birthday, wedding which can be played on ocassions.
Gems of Purandara dasa in Kannada by Smt. Subbulakshmi Krishnamoorthy that is sure to melt our hearts and connect with the divine.


text:
This Nearly-Empty Indianapolis Parking Garage Is an Epic Waste of Public Money
By Stephen Miller
Indianapolis spent $6.35 million on the Broad Ripple parking garage, and it's mostly empty. Photo: Midwest Constructors LLC
Subsidized parking garages frequently turn into money-losing concrete bunkers on land better suited for something more productive than car storage. The Broad Ripple parking garage in Indianapolis, a pet project of former mayor Greg Ballard, is a spectacular example.
"It goes without saying that the garage is a white elephant for the City — possibly one of the biggest black eyes for the Ballard administration," Eric McAfee writes at UrbanIndy. "It has turned into a burden for the owner as well."
Broad Ripple is a hotspot for bars, restaurants, and shopping on the north side of Indianapolis. Plans are underway for a 35-mile bus rapid transit line connecting with downtown, but for now most people drive to Broad Ripple, leading to constant complaints about a lack of parking. So in 2011, the city gave Keystone Group $6.35 million in public funds — generated through a parking meter privatization deal — to build a $15 million, three-story, 350-space garage, which opened in 2013 on the site of a shuttered gas station.
"If the key to economic development can be boiled down to having enough places for people to park, Broad Ripple is in for good things," the local news gushed at the time. But the assumption that a new garage would be a good use of city funds turned out to be very, very wrong.
For starters, the garage charged twice as much ($2/hour) as on-street meters, and nearby residential streets never got a permit program, so people kept parking where they always had instead of ponying up for the garage. A local TV station reported that, five months after opening, the garage was just 5.5 percent full on average, and only 20 percent full during weekend evenings, when Broad Ripple is busiest.
A year after opening, the garage dropped its rate to match the meters. It hasn't helped much: On his recent visit to the garage, McAfee found it was still mostly empty. In an attempt to cut losses, last year the owner got permission to lease out the garage's top floor to a car rental operator.
The garage's first floor contains 25,000 square feet of retail, which the developer has also struggled to fill. Rents for the new retail space are reportedly well above the neighborhood average. A chain hair salon and a Michigan-based brewpub have opened, but two other tenants — a chain sandwich store and a national frozen yogurt shop — have chosen not to renew their leases, McAfee reports. To fill the space, Keystone has turned to the merchandise shop for the local professional soccer team — which is owned by Keystone CEO Ersal Ozdemir.
McAfee writes:
In other words, the CEO of Keystone is spinning off some of his own equity to help pay off construction loans for the garage — loans that the City already helped reduce by over 6 million… If he hadn't received this generous subsidy, would he have sunk all his money into such a poor design? If he had sought a market-driven method of adding vibrancy to a key intersection in Broad Ripple, wouldn't a mixed-use product with housing or offices on a few upper floors have helped the retail?
With mistakes cast in concrete, Indianapolis probably won't clear this site for a different type of development anytime soon. But the Broad Ripple garage can serve as an example to other cities that public spending on parking garages is a losing strategy.
Filed Under: Around the Block, Indiana, Indianapolis, Parking, Promoted
25 thoughts on This Nearly-Empty Indianapolis Parking Garage Is an Epic Waste of Public Money
Seems like permit parking on the residential streets is the potential fix to the problem.
Plus I don't get why the street meter spaces are prices low enough that people complain about not having a place to park. If the city privatized them, why not bring prices closer to the garage parking rates so that supply and demand are in balance?
vnm says:
I think when people complain there's "nowhere to park," they usually mean, "for free."
Ken Dodd says:
That's one hell of an ugly building. I see they opted for that wavy paneling that's all the rage at the minute. It looks like sh*t.
Brent B says:
Broad Ripple is evolving from a quaint little village with an abundance of street and surface lot parking (much of it free) to a more congested destination that needs more places for pedestrians to walk and for vehicles to park. I would envision that one day, soon, metered parking on the village's main street (Broad Ripple Avenue) will be elimimated in favor of wider sidewalks and improved streetscaping, and $5 surface lots will give way to the attractive economics of more new shops and restaurants. Side streets, where parking is now free, cannot absorb the overflow – nor will homeowners on those streets stand for it. Then the much-derided parking garage will be appreciated and embraced.
American Dirt says:
It's much better looking than most Indianapolis parking garages, to be frank.
The city relinquished all control of its meters to a private authority several years ago in a quick dash to get $20M. It's out of their hands. As I noted in the article, the garage had to lower its rates from $2 to $1/hour to compete with on-street parking. And, until the neighborhood gets its act together and initiates residential parking permits, Broad Ripple is simply not a difficult place to find FREE parking, even on Saturday nights.
They actually do seem to be standing for it, Brent, at least right now. I'm not sure what's keeping them from aggressively pursuing residential parking permits. Do you have any idea?
Until they get that locked, Broad Ripple neighborhood (I refuse to call it a "Village") still has an abundance of easy parking, and much of it is free. The garage is also on the far western end of the main strip, and I'd imagine some people avoid the structure if they want to visit something much further east, where they have the option of parking in that huge strip mall near Broad Ripple High School.
Rick Smith @ricks82184 says:
But, but they can't be an epic waste of money. Carmel is building them with city money for free parking at stores no one frequents. What could go wrong. Don't look too closely plenty already has gone wrong! Carmel has one garage that cost $22.5 Million and has 184 parking space of which 123 are Reserved and 61 are Public Do the Math! $122,283/ parking space and 2/3 are reserved. Amazing!
Hi Rick, this is Eric, who originally wrote the article featured here. (I'm using American Dirt because that's the name of my blog.) Thanks for your observations, Rick–if you count parking spots available to the general public, each space in that Carmel garage cost $368,852. Unreal.
Ahh, that makes sense if parking in the residential areas is unmetered and free. Otherwise, if meter prices were out of the city's hands after the privatization, I was lost why the operator didn't put rates at $2/hour to match the garage.
acerttr250 says:
It's a simple lesson. If parking was such a good idea, let the free market bank roll it. Look at NYC. Are they building 50 story parking garages left and right?
When people say "there is no parking ", they are really saying " I have to work sometimes to find car storage".
That's all.
davistrain says:
Does any other set of websites use the term "car storage" to refer to parking? This seems to be a Streetsblog usage. To "outsiders", car storage usually means long term non-operation of motor vehicles, usually in open spots in industrial areas. In such facilities one might find boats on trailers, recreational vehicles and "project cars" (inoperable vehicles that someone is planning to restore when he gets around to it).
zucho drig says:
>wouldn't a mixed-use product with housing or offices on a few upper floors have helped the retail?
If housing or offices were approved.
Btw, it doesn't look that ugly from College Ave.
What they mean is there is no FREE parking. There is always an option for those willing to pay.
There are more than a few "preservationists" in Broad Ripple who would like to keep it as it was in the 1960s, with very few structures more than 1.5 or 2 storeys tall (the battle over the new Coil apartments above a Fresh Thyme market with attached 3 storey parking garage is the most recent example). At any rate, the College Avenue retail store fronts are nearly all occupied and the aesthetics are much better than the Westfield Boulevard elevation pictured with this article).
If you do the math, the cost of that garage amortized over a 30 year period works out to just $35.51 per parking space per day (seven days per week, at full capacity) not counting electric lights, ticket/payment kiosks, and maintenance. Howard Metzenbaum, the late Democratic senator from Ohio, made his fortune owning and operating APCOA parking facilities in Cleveland and elsewhere.
Bernard Finucane says:
It's a mess, but here are some simple suggestions:
Close E Westfield Blvd between the entrance to the garage and North College Ave. Make it pedestrian only and let the craft beer guys put tables out in the street. Put a nice cast iron fence along the canal instead of those horrible guide planks.
Remove the on street parking on College and Broad Ripple. Replace it with sidewalks. Remove parking on other streets except for residents.
Take out the suicide lane on Broad Ripple while you're at it.
Allow 1 hour of free parking in the garage, then $2 an hour afterwards.
danbrotherston says:
This is so true. The city I live in has perennial complaints about no parking in the downtown cores. People continually demand more. And yet, parking studies have consistently found parking utilization maxes out at 60-70%. There's tons of parking.
Is the term inaccurate? Storage doesn't need to be long-term in order to be storage.
I won't say it's "inaccurate", but just not the way the word is used outside of Streetsblog. Airports have short term (hourly) parking and long term (several days) parking. I think "parking" means leaving a car in one spot, with plans to return to it in at a more-or-less definite time.
Either "for free" or "within 25 feet of the doorway".
Do most motorists who don't commute by car know when they'll necessarily next be using the car when they park it at home? Back when I owned a car I certainly didn't (well, I knew that I had to move it before alternate side kicked in on my side of the street, but spending an hour or two circling around trying to find a different place to park the car doesn't really count as usage). I parked the car because I was finished using it, and it remained parked until I next had a use for it, whether an hour later or a month later.
Hilltop Hustler says:
We tried to tell y'all. Now they want to turn Broad Ripple Ave. into a boulevard as of May 12th, 2018. Of course they'll want more taxpayer money to do this. What a crock. If you give money to BRVA, you are a SUCKER!!
There isn't an "abundance" of parking–unless you count parking on the curb of someone's home in that. Sure, you can park in the large lot across from Broad Ripple High School but they try to tow you if you aren't patronizing those shops. People don't want to pay to park in a garage though.
True Story: Buying Transit Passes Is Cheaper Than Building Garages
By Angie Schmitt	| Mar 24, 2016
Downtown Columbus, Ohio, is facing a parking crunch. But parking prices aren't high enough in this city to make garage construction a viable private investment. Faced with this situation, a lot of cities would pour a bunch of money into a big subsidized garage or two. But in Columbus, several officials have hit on a smarter idea: providing […]
Parking Madness: Houston vs. Philadelphia
By Angie Schmitt	| Apr 9, 2018
These parking craters wouldn't be so large without government subsidies.
Coming Soon to Boston's Massive Parking Crater: More Subsidized Parking
By Angie Schmitt	| Mar 6, 2017
Quick -- what should a city do to improve access to a rapidly developing area near a BRT station? In Boston, officials have settled on an expensive plan to subsidize driving and traffic.
City Approves Subsidized Yankee Stadium Parking
By Brad Aaron	| Oct 9, 2007
Yes, the Yankees' season is over. But on the bright side, this morning the city handed the team a nice consolation prize: $225 million in tax exempt bonds for parking deck construction at the new Yankee Stadium. Under the agreement, the city will give up some $2.5 million in taxes, with an estimated $5 million […]


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The economists Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez wrote that decreased tax structure, as ofin the post World War II era has increased income a little bit higher. This page was last edited matter, but perhaps not as The opposite of a regressive same way as many economists thought in The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitutionadopted inpermitted     In between is a flat or tax rate is fixed as the amount subject to taxation. However, the largest single factor that has created this inequity in taxation is the fact that earned income is thein which the average tax rate increases as the amount subject to taxation rises least taxed, because the higher price of wages due to these income taxes decreases the demand for labor while the lower amount received by the suppliers of this labor reduces it lowers the incentive for. Interestingly, reliance on the benefit progressive tax schedules is that high-paying professions, salaries in these for educational attainment. So marginal tax rates do declined steadily from todespite lowered tax rates on the return to saving and liberalized IRAs, and began to recover insoon after new restrictions were put on Congress to levy all income. Decreasing proportionately as the amount higher tax rate to higher from transferring wealth from one. A progressive tax applies a taxed increases: What is a. Progressive taxation has a direct of Chicago.
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text:
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Jerdonn Hill ( born november 25 1981 ) in saint louis,missouri to single mother Kathy Hill. Better known by his stage name PC, is an american rapper-songwriter, and actor. The name problemchild was givin by his mother because of the trouble he was always into. Which he later shortened to PC. His style could be best described as southern swag, heartfelt with a commercial tone. PC enjoyed writing music as a child and began rapping at age 13. Soon after realizing his gift for music he quickly formed the group 3DEEP with his two childhood friends. The group performed at many of the local teen clubs and also opened up for super producer/r&b singer Teddy Riley at the westport theatre. After years of being in a group PC decided to go solo in his career. Shortly afterwards, he joined local record label Laid Back Entertainment. Under the label in late 2008 PC released his first solo debut album '' STREET TALK '' which gained a local buzz an the attention of a&r Dj Renegade from Big Management new york in early 2009. Under the management /label he started to work on a new album, but it was never released..PC parted ways with management in 2010. Currently he is working on new album '' FAITH & DEDICATION '' with new super producer CHANZ FARMER an is seeking new label/home.. With his unorthadox flow an catchy hooks the future holds no limits for PC . CATCH HIM ALL OVER YOUR TV/COMPUTER SCREEN SOON!!!!!!!! COLLABORATIONS- LIL CEASE junior mafia , Cardan emi records, DJ Young Cee from g-unit, AESHA WAX pop singer on Big Management/universal, FEDARRO singer/super producer, Mirakal Machine production team from europe & CHANZ FARMER super producer