Daily Archives: May 15, 2023

The Biden Administration has released a fact sheet that updates progress on broadband and other infrastructure upgrades during the past two years.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. has a budget of $65 billion for broadband initiative, including making high speed Internet available to all Americans, as well as for affordability and digital literacy programs, the fact sheet notes.

As of now, 17.9 million households are enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). To encourage further participation, the FCC has allocated $100 million in paid media and grants for ACP outreach. The first $73 million in grants were announced in April.

The U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Agricultural are coordinating $1.7 billion in grants for rural broadband, $1 billion for middle mile high-speed Internet infrastructure and state allocations for a $42.5 billion state grant program, the fact sheet notes.

Separately, Commerce has awarded 147 grants in the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program for more than $1.76 billion. These have been given to more than 210 Tribal governments. The White House says that additional awards are expected in the coming weeks.

The initiatives covered in the fact sheet include broadband as well as clean energy development, the rebuilding of roads and bridges, lead pipe replacement and cleanup of existing pollution. In all, more than $220 billion from the BIL has been directed to more than 32,000 infrastructure projects that have impacted more than 4,500 communities in all the states, territories and the District of Columbia, according to the White House.

More than 5,000 federal employees have been hired and the states and territories have put infrastructure coordinators in place to ensure clear communications with their federal counterparts, the fact sheet notes.

Read more:

White House Touts Broadband Progress - Telecompetitor

Fire crews successfully completed the 509 acre Russell Rxproject and a large portion Blue Stem Rx project this past week totaling 4394 acres treated.Prescribed burning on the Kaibab National Forest will now pause as precipitation moves into thearea this weekend.

Smoke from these burns will continue to be visible from surrounding areas including Valle, StateRoute 64, Highway 180 and Grand Canyon National Park. Some residual smoke will likely settle asnocturnal winds push smoke down slope into drainages and lower terrain overnight. Smoke typicallylifts and disperses shortly after sunrise.

To date, nearly 8000 acres have been successfully treated with prescribed fire in the month of Mayon both Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts. Spring time conditions often present advantageousopportunities that help land managers accomplish goals that include reducing wildfire risks towildlife habitat, protecting communities, and making forests more resilient.

All prescribed fires are subject to approval by an agency administrator, and by the ArizonaDepartment of Environmental Quality. The departments Air Quality Division: Smoke Managementwebpage provides details about its air quality program.The Kaibab National Forest remains committed to providing the public with ongoing updates with asmuch advance notice as possible. Sign up to receive Kaibab NF news releases in your email.

Our land management strategy is centered on long-term forest health, including reducing forest fuels and using prescribed fire on the landscape. Prescribed fires help reduce hazardous fuels that haveaccumulated due to drought, climate change, insects and disease, and decades of fire suppression.Fire also recycles nutrients back to the soil, promotes the growth of trees, wildflowers, and otherplants, and improves habitat for threatened and endangered species. These efforts align with theForest Services 10-year Wildfire Crisis Strategy which aims to increase prescribed fire and othertreatments to improve forest resiliency for generations to come.

Additional information can be found on the Kaibab NF website, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, or bycalling the Fire Information Hotline at 928-635-8311 or contacting local ranger stations.

Original post:

Crews make steady progress prescribed burning on Kaibab ... - az.gov

The issue of possible direct talks with the United States occasionally comes up in Iran as Washington has put fresh nuclear talks with Tehran on hold.

The latest mention of the need for direct talks was expressed by international affairs analyst Hassan Beheshtipur in an interview with Entekhab newspaper in Tehran on Monday. Other commentators in Iran urging a resolution to the impasse in the nuclear issue have also occasionally argued in favor of direct negotiations with the US.

Speaking about a report by the Wall Street Journal last week on Europeans probing Washington for fresh talks with Tehran, the analyst said that there is very little European powers can do to press the United States, and direct talks would be the only viable option.

A reformist politician, Esmail Gerami-Moqaddam wrote in Etemad newspaper in Tehran on Wednesday that direct US-Iran talks have the advantage of eliminating mediators. He also expressed doubt about the influence of Europeans on the United States regarding Iran, and insisted that reformists in Iran strongly believe in direct negotiations.

Although Irans ruler Ali Khamenei has banned direct negotiations with the US since former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA accord in 2018, Tehran is hard pressed by US sanctions and some wonder it there could be a chance now for direct talks.

International affairs analyst Hassan Beheshtipur

In January 2022, when nuclear negotiators were hard at work in Vienna to revive the JCPOA, Iranian officials and even IRGC-linked media gave signals that direct negotiations might be possible if a good agreement is at hand. In other words, Tehran wanted to dangle the prospect to get more concessions from the Biden administration.

An Iranian conservative lawmaker, Gholamreza Nouri, told local media in April 2022 that the Iranian delegation in the Vienna nuclear talks were given the green light to hold direct contacts with their American counterpart, but some hardliners in Tehran prevented the move.

Nouris statement could have meant that Khamenei had at some point authorized direct talks, but others, most likely hardliners such as former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili with influence on the hardliner government prevented the move.

The Vienna negotiations and efforts to revive the JCPOA lasted 18 months and eventually reached an impasse last September. Since then, the prospects for progress have become less likely for several reasons.

The Wall Street Journal mentioned in its report that the Biden administration cannot decide how to proceed with Iran given the dynamics in US politics, with bipartisan opposition in Congress to relieving Iran from pressure while Tehran has shown no interest in changing its aggressive policies.

Member of the Islamic Republic parliament Gholamreza Nouri

Iran has doubled-down on its support for militant groups for attacking Israel this year, cushioned by an agreement with Saudi Arabia to restore relations after a seven-year hiatus.

Irans military support for Russia in Ukraine and the Iranian regimes brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters have also complicated the prospect of any fresh talks leading to an agreement.

It appears increasingly likely that the Biden administration looks at ways to have a broader agreement with Iran that would stop its regional destabilizing activities.

Irans recent deal with Saudi Arabia could be the best test for this objective, but except talk of de-conflicting in Yemen, there is little sign of Tehran willing to give up its campaign against Israel and its pledge to force the US out of the Persian Gulf.

While some speak of a possible interim deal to simply stop Irans uranium enrichment to near weapons-grade quality in exchange for partial sanctions relief, Tehran is apparently opposed to the idea.

Esmail Qaani, the commander of Irans extraterritorial Quds Force said on Friday that Tehran will support Palestinian heroes launching 30 attacks daily against Israel. This is the result of the resistance front and the global Islamic mobilization, by the Islamic Republic.

See the original post:

Progress In Iran Nuclear Dispute Need Direct Talks With US -

WASHINGTON (AP) Federal Reserve governor Philip Jefferson said Friday that inflation remains too high and there has been little progress made toward bringing it down to the central banks 2% target, a pessimistic assessment given signs in a report earlier this week that price increases might be slowing.

Jefferson, who was nominated by President Joe Biden earlier Friday to the position of Fed vice chair, also said in a speech at the Hoover Institution in California that the turmoil in the U.S. financial system following the failure of three large banks will likely have only a limited impact on the economy.

Jeffersons potential elevation to the No. 2 spot on the Feds seven-member board would give him greater influence over interest rate policy and make him a close colleague of Chair Jerome Powell.

While inflation has declined from its June peak by about 2.75 percentage points to 4.2% in March, compared with a year ago, Jefferson said that nearly all of the decline stemmed from falling energy and food prices.

The bad news is that there has been little progress on core inflation, he said. Core prices exclude the volatile food and energy categories and are considered to be a better measure of underlying inflation.

Jefferson also cited a closely watched metric often cited by Powell, which tracks the prices of services, from medical care to dining out, while excluding energy and housing costs. That measure has not shown much sign of slowing, Jefferson said.

After the Feds most recent policy meeting last week, the central bank suggested in a statement that it could pause its interest rate increases at its next meeting in June, after lifting its key rate 10 times in a row. The hikes are intended to slow spending, growth, and inflation.

Jefferson did not hint in his remarks whether he would support such a pause.

Many Fed officials are closely monitoring the impact of the failure of three large banks in the past two months. A recent Fed report showed that banks have been pulling back on lending for months and slightly accelerated that tightening in the wake of the bank failures.

If banks become more reluctant to lend, that could slow the economy and reduce the need for the Fed to lift its key rate.

Jefferson said he expected little impact from the bank failures, saying they will likely have a mild retardant effect on the economy, though he added that it is too early to tell.

His comments followed a report Wednesday that showed inflation ticked down slightly in April, though remained high. Compared with a year ago, consumer prices rose 4.9%, down from a 5% yearly increase the previous month lowest year-over-year increase in two years. But that index the consumer price index has fallen further than the Feds preferred measure, which will be updated May 26.

One of Jeffersons fellow Fed governors, Michelle Bowman, spoke earlier Friday in Europe and also expressed disappointment with the progress made toward taming inflation so far. She hinted that she might support another rate hike at the June meeting.

Should inflation remain high and the labor market remain tight, further rate increases will likely be appropriate to lower inflation, Bowman said.

So far, recent inflation and jobs reports have not provided consistent evidence that inflation is on a downward path.

Tom Barkin, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, on Wednesday also expressed disappointment with stubbornly high levels of inflation in an interview with The Associated Press.

Core inflation has been stuck in a range of 0.3%-0.5% for months, Barkin said, where youd really like it to be moving down and in concert with our target.

Go here to see the original:

Little progress has been made in curbing too high inflation, Fed's ... - The Associated Press

[Photo/VCG]

Technological advances transform computer industry and daily life

Just five seconds after Abu was asked to paint a picture of cattle returning to a farm, an image was provided with the reply, "Here it is".

The work of art was truly impressive, as Abu is not a human, but a robot based on artificial intelligence, or AI.

In addition to painting, the robot can write reports, make video clips, and, at the command of those in its user group, perform all the tasks a human can do on a computer.

Thanks to the development of computer algorithms, the development of AI has accelerated so rapidly in recent years that it has acquired skills previously thought to be the sole preserve of humans.

Zhou Xiao, an assistant professor at Renmin University of China's Gaoling School of Artificial Intelligence, listed some examples of AI that can be used in daily life, including those that compete with humans in playing games such as Go.

This game, developed by the AI company DeepMind in October 2015, features a search algorithm, deep neural networks and reinforcement learning the science of decision-making.

AI can also recognize car registration plate numbers to help police hunt suspects. For example, in 2016, AI could correctly recognize 94 percent of car plate numbers, but a police officer was still required to man a computer screen. By 2020, AI could correctly recognize 99 percent of car plate numbers, doing away with the need for a human. Police forces are also benefiting from the use of robotic dogs.

The recently launched AI-related technology ChatGPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer) uses a natural language transformer algorithm to enable it to "understand "human language.

Wang Jianshuo, founder and CEO of Baixing AI, a company building the basic infrastructure for a world in which bots talk with bots, said, "The way in which this algorithm works is comparable to finding a point in a space.

"In human language, one might need thousands of parameters to describe an object. For example, to be defined, an apple needs parameters such as "edible", "fruit", "green "or "red", and to be grown from a tree. It is generally less than 10 centimeters in diameter. The more parameters there are to define, the more accurately AI can find the right point."

Wang cited apples and bananas as two examples. With parameters such "edible", "sweet" and "fruit", neither humans nor AI could distinguish them from each other.

But with the addition of parameters referring to shape, such as "long" or "round", such distinction is achieved. Parameters referring to color, such as "red", "green" or "yellow" enable a more certain judgment to be made.

"That's also how GPT works most of the time it takes thousands of parameters for AI to define an object like we humans do. We just do not realize that," Wang said.

GPT-3 technology, on which ChatGPT and related technologies are based, features an excellent understanding of human language.

Unlike other forms of AI that can only take commands from certain types of sentences, GPT-3 analyzes a sentence like humans do to obtain its true meaning, which enables it to be commanded like talking to a friend.

However, this also means that AI might be misunderstood if given orders without ample clarity and information.

A reporter twice asked BaixingAI, a domestic app, to draw an image titled "crane". However, the app initially drew a bird flying amid mountains and rivers, before drawing a machine working at a construction site.

In an academic essay on ChatGPT's potential, prospects and limitations, Zhang Junping, a professor of computer technology at Fudan University in Shanghai, stressed that the amount of data the language model uses is of key importance to AI such as GPT.

"ChatGPT generates responses that match the user's intent with multiple variations. It captures previous conversational context to answer certain hypothetical questions, greatly enhancing the user experience in conversational interaction mode," Zhang wrote in the essay.

Swift progress

AI has revolutionized not only the computer industry but also daily life. With the technology making major progress in the games industry over the past five years, people can now play games such as chess or Go with smart forms of AI as opponents to sharpen their own skills.

With image-recognition AI becoming more advanced, it is now easy to use it to unlock a door or make a payment. GPT is also developing rapidly, with the result that the way in which people interact with computers might change.

Chen Jing, a researcher at the Fengyun Institute of Science, Technology and Strategy in Beijing, said the progress made by GPT, and the emergence of GPT4, have fundamentally changed the way in which humans interact with computers.

Computers typically receive instructions from humans mainly through a keyboard or mouse, with the user clicking on an icon, or typing in a command. However, with speech recognition and facial recognition AI technologies becoming more mature in the 2010s, computers can now receive new forms of input, such as sound, Chen said.

GPT4 technology, announced by the research company OpenAI on March 15, takes this process a step further. With its ability to recognize images more accurately and reliably, this technology understands humans more efficiently.

Chen said the technology could enable humans to command machines through gestures. For example, there are already smart appliances on the market that can be given oral instructions. In the future, humans will be able to convey such instructions simply by waving their arms, with this action being caught on camera. Such technology currently exists but is not yet fully developed.

"Imagine leaving home for the office. You have to turn off the lights and lock the door," Chen said. "With GPT-4, all you need do is wave goodbye to the camera at your gate, and AI will understand you, turn off all unnecessary appliances, close the door, and lock it.

"When you come home, just smile at the camera, and it will 'wake up' everything. This is not only because AI recognizes your face based on technology that became fully developed around 2020, but also because it can understand your gestures based on GPT-4."

Wang said one of the biggest changes AI could bring to humans is the way in which we live.

"There used to be a saying that AI could only do repetitive work, such as copying and pasting, but as it has advanced, such a saying is fast becoming outdated. Today, AI is creative, as shown in the images it draws, and it also saves time and energy for we humans and helps us be more creative."

Occupational link

Not everybody is delighted with the advances made by AI, and such unhappiness appears to be linked to a person's occupation.

Xi Li, a 41-year-old painter, who uses a pseudonym, said: "The images drawn by AI are soulless. This technology can help humans, but never replace human hands.

"We don't call the work produced by AI a drawing AI is only collecting material online and sticking it together."

A science fiction writer, who requested anonymity, said AI can never write as well as professional writers. "There is no yardstick to measure how good an essay is, but those written by AI just do not ring true," he said.

Qu Xiaobo, a professor at the Institute of Population and Labor Economics and deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Human Resource Center, said some people are worried about losing their jobs to AI.

"This is understandable. Even we professors worry about being replaced by AI professors," he said.

Qu remains positive about employment prospects in the age of AI. "While diminishing jobs, AI also creates new ones," he said.

"Its general effect on the market will depend on how many jobs disappear and the number of new ones that emerge. Apparently, AI will increase Total Factor Productivity, or TFP, in society, which means it will theoretically create more jobs than it replaces."

A search for "AI" on several domestic job websites locates new positions involving AI such as "consultant," "engineer "and "tutor". In Beijing, these jobs cover numerous pages, with the salaries offered ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 yuan ($2,182 to $4,365). The average monthly salary for such jobs last year was about 15,000 yuan.

Qu said these newly emerging jobs mainly involve dealing with AI, or what he terms "jobs for human-AI interactions".

Wang said the rapid development of AI will create new jobs, adding that with every major technological advance, new employment opportunities emerge.

"With the invention of automobiles, we got drivers, with the invention of airplanes, we got pilots. Living standards in general have been rising with such progress, as productivity has increased. The faster AI progresses, the easier life will become," Wang said.

However, keeping hold of a job remains a challenge for many who lack the skills needed for a new occupation.

Qu said there is a "structural mismatch "in the jobs market, adding that this is not unique to AI, but has been observed throughout human history, as technology makes continual progress. The difficulties graduates currently face in finding jobs are part of such a "structural mismatch, Qu added.

To solve this problem, individuals need to keep learning new things to acquire experience and skills. Qu also stressed the role played by the State in providing employees with better training to enable them to constantly update their skills to meet changes in the employment market.

Zhang, from Fudan University, said AI is still far from being sufficiently developed to replace humans.

Addressing the future of AI, all the interviewees in this article see hope.

Zhou said GPT-4 has not performed well in all tests, but it has revolutionized the AI industry by enabling it to understand the human tongue.

"In essence, AI has been invented by humans to assist them," Zhou added.

Yang Xiaoheng contributed to this story.

See the original post:

Benefits reaped as AI makes rapid progress - Chinadaily.com.cn - China Daily

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) The Tulsa Housing Authority said it's making progress in tackling a lack of affordable housing for Tulsans who need it.

The agency said results from this year's Point In Time count showed that a lack of affordable housing was a leading cause in Tulsans experiencing homelessness.

"For the first time in Tulsa's history the number one reported cause of homelessness was the lack of affordable housing," said Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs for the Tulsa Housing Authority Ginny Hensley.

Hensley said the agency has been working to improve that problem around the city. Last year it purged its public housing waitlist for the first time since 2017.

The purge cleared over 13,000 names from the list and required citizens still interested to reapply. Hensley said the purge was ultimately beneficial to get the agency in touch with people who actually still needed the help.

"It just reduces the amount of time that it takes to get people in homes," said Hensley. "We had reached a point where the data was no longer valid."

Hensley said outdated contact information and people telling the agency that they no longer needed the assistance had previously made the process more tedious than it needed to be.

Hensley said the agency is still required to call or attempt to contact, anyone who applies for public housing.

"Since we purged that waitlist we now have over 9,000 folks just on the waitlist for public housing," said Hensley.

Hensley said the agency is also making strides on its Choice Neighborhoods project. NewsChannel 8 was invited out Thursday to witness the demolishment of the Comanche Park community center. It's part of the agency's Comanche Park community that also serves as a public housing option for Oklahomans in need.

The 36th Street North project will include about 550 mixed-income units in north Tulsa which the agency said is about halfway along from its 2025 expected completion.

"A $200 million improvement in affordable housing, mixed-income community here in north Tulsa," said Hensley Thursday when asked about the potential benefit.

The agency said residents of Comanche Park will have the first choice of housing units available when the project concludes, in hopes of helping expand and encourage prosperity within the community.

More:

Progress made in Tulsa's affordable housing crisis - KTUL

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak on May 15, 2023

According to the president, Kyivs partners have pledged substantial future military aid packages.

Read also: Ukrainians submit nearly 3,000 applications for financial aid under the e-Restoration program

"As a result of these visits, Ukraine will receive more new and powerful weapons for the front, greater security for our people, and more political support," said Zelenskyy.

He outlined these new security commitments as follows:

France will provide a major military aid package, additional armored vehicles, and will help coordinate the work of Ukraines allies;

Italy will transfer additional air defense systems and assist in Ukraines post-war reconstruction;

Germany has pledged a $2.94 billion security assistance package, IRIS-T anti-air systems, and a EUR 11 billion long-term defense support program;

The UK will begin training Ukrainian pilots on modern Western military jets.

He added that the UK and Poland have already agreed to train Ukrainian pilots, suggesting that Kyiv is "actively moving" towards getting modern fighter jets from its international partners.

Read also: Long way to go before victory, says Zaluzhnyi

"So, the main results of these days are: new weapons for Ukraine, respect for Ukrainians, and our victory has become closer," the president concluded.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine

See original here:

Zelenskyys Europe trip secures more military aid, makes progress on fighter jets - Yahoo News

Neuer is still targeting a July return date when Bayern begins preseason for the 2023/24 campaign.

Yann Sommer has now recorded two clean sheets from Bayern Munichs last three Bundesliga wins as theyre still on pace to win their eleventh straight Meisterschale so long as they dont drop points next weekend to RB Leipzig. Even with another Bundesliga title to add to the trophy cabinet in Munich, the season would largely be considered sub-par due to getting knocked out of both the DFB-Pokal and Champions League again far sooner than they wouldve liked.

The optics and timing around the managerial switch from Julian Nagelsmann to Thomas Tuchel placed increased scrutiny on Bayerns front office and board, but they have remained adamant in their backing of Tuchel moving forward. For what its worth, Tuchel inherited a squad made up predominantly of Nagelsmann signings, one of which was Sommer during the winter transfer window as an emergency replacement for Manuel Neuer. Now, reports suggest that Sommer could be on his way out of the club this summer, not wanting to fall behind Neuer in the pecking order in the keepers spot. Tuchel has maintained that Neuer will more than likely resume his role as the starting keeper when hes back healthy.

To add to it, both Tuchel and Bayerns sporting director recently expressed their delight with how well Neuers recovery has been going. The keeper is still aiming for a full return to action come the beginning of July when Bayern begins their preseason preparations for the 2023/24 season. Its sensational news and its great to see how Manu is rewarded for his work. We wont set any schedule. Not even with Lucas Hernndez - they are outstanding athletes. The attitude they have here at the training ground is extremely positive, Tuchel said on Neuers recovery, and likewise that of Lucas Hernandezs, who he is excited to have back in the squad, potentially before this season concludes (via @iMiaSanMia).

Photo by Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images

After Bayerns 6-0 thrashing of Schalke 04, Brazzo was equally as excited as Tuchel to speak about Neuers fast-tracked recovery and eagerness to have him back in the squad. Theyre in regular communication with regards to his status, as well. We talk to each other every day.. Hes making a good impression. We are happy that he is on the right track. Theres still a bit to go, but its getting better and better every day, Brazzo explained.

Read more

Go here to read the rest:

Thomas Tuchel, Hasan Salihamidzic pleased with Manuel Neuers recovery progress at Bayern Munich - Bavarian Football Works

Work on West Wooster Street will continue through the summer. (Debbie Rogers | Sentinel-Tribune)

By Peter Kuebeck

[emailprotected]

Utilities work which has affected West Wooster Street since last year will continue this summer.

Theyre going to continue to do their work on the sewer, said Public Infrastructure Director Brian OConnell. They continue to make progress. Theyve got to get the sewer down to Church Street and then theyve got to come back and theres a little bit of work yet to do on Haskins Road.

There is also work involving a trunk sewer which goes north on Meeker Street and flows to the wastewater treatment plant.

So theyre going to finish up the sewer work, maybe late July, early August timeframe, OConnell said.

Afterward, there will be work to pave Wooster from Church Street west, and then paving on Haskins Road to north of Poe Road and to the city limits.

OConnell said that previous work in the area on a water line is completed, and the sewer work currently being undertaken involves consolidating multiple older sewers into one new, larger sewer.

It will simplify our operations and maintenance in the area, well have a brand new sewer to service the entire area and just be easier for us to maintain overall, he said.

With the new water and sewer lines, OConnell said, there shouldnt be issues with leaking pipes or old clay tiles falling apart.

Were trying to solve a few issues with this project, he said.

OConnell noted that the city has delayed some road work projects on Pearl Street and the Wallace Avenue area due to the West Wooster project, so as not to cause any additional issues for drivers.

He also said that other neighborhood paving projects wont be an issue.

The other paving projects, I think theyre going to be more in the residential neighborhoods and those are more isolated to those specific neighborhoods, he said.

With the roundabout under construction currently at Campbell Hill Road, Alumni Drive and East Wooster Street, OConnell said that while people traveling across town would be impacted by both projects, they arent impacting one another.

Theyre two different contractors, two different projects. Campbell Hill is far enough away from Church Street that they dont really impact each other from a disruption standpoint, from my standpoint at least, he said. But overall the two projects are fairly well separated that they dont seem to be causing an impact on each other or issues with traffic heading one way or the other.

I think when its done, it will be a big improvement for just traffic flow and navigating the area in general, OConnell said of the roundabout.

The $3.2 million West Wooster project was included in the 2022 budget and is being paid for from the citys water and sewer capital improvement funds.

Read this article:

'Progress' on West Wooster, but work will continue through summer ... - Sentinel-Tribune

SEYMOUR (KFDX/KJTL) One of the first houses ever built in Seymour is still in the works of getting some much-needed repairs after a non-profit stepped up to help.

It started for Pastor Jesse Villanueva and his family three years ago in Munday. From there, he said he felt the calling to help more people in September when it comes to home repairs.

Thats when Villanueva and his family received a call about one of the oldest houses in Seymour. He said when he visited the house, it was in need of a new porch, roof repair, and much more.

Since starting in September, donations have led to a new deck being installed, and parts of the roof have new shingles.

This is only one of several projects he and his family have at the moment. My Rock Ministry helps those who are disabled, seniors, low to fixed-income families, and more.

We try hard to come forward and come out and get involved with the communities, get involved with the people. We pray with them, we cry with them and were trying to build the bridge to save their life, and a lot of times, its just a small repair that will re-establish their relationship inside the entire family or re-establishment with God, Villanueva said.

All the work done by Villanueva and his family is through volunteers, donations, and community support, all which are always needed.

Donations can be made by contacting Villanueva or visiting the My Rock Ministrys Facebook page.

Villanueva ask to let them know which specific project youd like to donate to so he knows how to use the money, such as donating to the project in Seymour, as he currently has about 200 around Texoma and beyond.

See more here:

My Rock Ministry progress on home repairs for one of oldest houses in Seymour - KFDX - Texomashomepage.com