Category Archives: Sealand

TYLER TxDOT is planning to conduct the following construction and maintenance work in the district during the week of Aug. 23, 2021. Work schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure, or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention in work zones.

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In Tyler, motorists can expect delays on Loop 323 Saturday as seal coat operations wind down. The contractor will be placing the final striping on Loop 323 from SH 31W south to SH 155. For more information on this project, see the Van Zandt County section of this release.

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Anderson County Palestine Maintenance plans to continue ditch work on FM 319. Expect lane closures with flaggers and a pilot car managing traffic control.

Anderson County construction projects updates:

County Road Off-System Bridge Project

Limits: Various locations in Anderson County

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $1.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

Final cleanup activities are ongoing on the CR 458 and CR 468 bridges and roadway elements. The project consists of construction of bridges, storm sewer, guardrail, base, pavement surfaces, and pavement markings.

US 79 Super 2 Project

Limits: From 0.5 mile northeast of Loop 256 to the Anderson/Cherokee County line

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $14.4 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Spring 2022

Work is ongoing on the shoulders and driveways, and to place drainage structures. The work zone speed limit is 60 mph. Expect lane closures and delays. The project is widening for a Super 2, and includes sub-grade work, surface treatment, base and surface hot-mix asphalt, widening structures, bridge rail, metal beam guard fence, signage, and permanent striping.

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Cherokee County Jacksonville Maintenance plans to conduct edging and ditch maintenance on state roadways throughout the county. Expect lane closures with flaggers managing traffic control.

Cherokee County construction projects updates:

FM 22 Safety Widening and Bridge Replacement Project

Limits: From CR 1512 west of Gallatin, east to SH 110

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $5.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2022

Bridge construction continues at Sandy Creek with the road closed to traffic. A marked detour route is in place to help drivers navigate through the work zone. The project will widen the existing roadway, replace three bridges, and incorporate safety upgrades.

US 84 Widening

Limits: From 0.43 mi east of SH 110 in Rusk, northeast to the Rusk County line in Reklaw

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $7.9 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2022

The contractor is working to clear the right-of-way. Expect lane closures with delays possible. The project will widen and resurface the roadway, and add safety upgrades.

FM 235 Safety Widening

Limits: From SH 110 going east to FM 2274

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $3.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Fall 2021

The contractor is scheduled to begin placing signs. Expect lane closures with a pilot car managing traffic. The project will widen the existing roadway and incorporate safety upgrades.

FM 241 Safety Widening

Limits: From US 69 going southeast to SH 21

Contractor: A. L. Helmcamp, Inc.

Cost: $5.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

No work is scheduled. The project is widening the existing roadway and includes safety upgrades.

County Road Bridge Replacement Project

Limits: CR 2905 at Bowles Crk; CR 2614 at Beans Crk; CR 1504 at Turnpike Crk; CR 3203 at Mills Crk.

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $1.9 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

No work is scheduled on CR 3203 and CR 1504. Both roadways are open to traffic. Construction of the new bridges is ongoing on CR 2905 and CR 2614. Both roads are closed to through traffic. The project is replacing the existing bridges at each location with new structures.

SH 204 Super-2 Widening Project

Limits: From US 79 in Jacksonville southeast to SH 110

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $13.7 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

The contractor plans to complete the one course surface treatment and place the final surface. Expect lane closures and delays. The project is adding passing lanes and includes safety upgrades.

US 69 Sidewalks in Jacksonville

Limits: From Nacogdoches St. to Tena St. in Jacksonville

Contractor: Highway 19 Construction, LLC

Cost: $507,099.00

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

No work is scheduled. The project is constructing sidewalks along US 69 in Jacksonville.

US 79 Rehabilitation Project

Limits: From 0.16 mile east of SH 110 to the Mud Creek Relief Bridge

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $8.2 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

The contractor is scheduled to finish placing the final striping. Expect lane closures and delays. The work zone speed limit is 60 mph. The project is rebuilding the roadway pavement and upgrading bridge rail.

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Gregg County Longview Maintenance plans to conduct patching and bridge channel maintenance on various state roadways around the county. Ditch work is planned on I-20 service roads and FM 1844. Expect lane closures with flaggers providing traffic control as needed.

Gregg County construction projects updates:

Spur 63/McCann Road Bridge Project

Limits: From McCann Road, north to Glencrest Lane

Contractor: Leland Bradlee Construction

Anticipated Completion Date: November 2021

This is part of the City of Longviews Guthrie Creek Trail project. It consists of building a bridge over Guthrie Creek to allow bicyclist and pedestrians to travel under Spur 63. Expect lane closures and delays as traffic is reduced to two lanes, one northbound and one southbound, to allow the contractor to build half of the bridge. Traffic will be switched later to complete the bridge construction.

FM 2204, etc., Safety Improvement Project

Limits: US 259 Bypass to SH 322

Contractor: Stateline Construction

Cost: $3.8 million

Anticipated Completion Date: November 2021

The contractor plans to work on drainage upgrades and driveways. Expect lane closures and delays. This project consists of culverts, safety end treatments, drainage upgrades, new metal beam guard fence and driveway asphalt.

FM 2206/Harrison Road

Limits: From Loop 281 to Fisher Rd.

Contractor: East Texas Bridge, Inc.

Cost: $15.1 million

Anticipated Completion Date: December 2021

Current work includes extending culverts and constructing detours. Expect lane closures and delays. The project consists of widening the two-lane road to four lanes with a center turn lane. Work includes drainage structures, flexible base, curb and gutter, sidewalks, hot mix, and pavement markings.

Link:

Project updates for the Week of Aug. 23, 2021 - Texas Department of Transportation

Dan Licardo

On Sept. 11, the Flower Mound Summit Club will host the fourth annual Dan Licardo Blood Drive Honoring Our Heroes at the Cross Timbers Family YMCA with the goal of collecting more than 200 units of blood to honor U.S. military and first responders.

The blood drive to honor our heroes was started in 2018 when Dan Licardo, a former Navy SEAL and friend to many Summit Club members, was involved in a catastrophic car accident that took both of his legs and required doctors to use 94 units of blood to save his life. Now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, blood is needed now more than ever, according to a Summit Club news release.

Licardo was driving down a major thoroughfare in Flower Mound when he had a seizure and lost consciousness and suffered violent muscle contractions that caused the car to accelerate and swerve off the road into a large tree. Months later, Licardo learned the seizure was caused by the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury due to years of explosives training and multiple tours of combat in the Middle East. TBI is a common diagnosis for many returning veterans with myriad effects. While Licardo mourns the loss of his legs, he is grateful to the people who worked tirelessly to save his life.

Theres not enough I can say about the first responders, the Care Flight team and the doctors who worked so hard to save me after the crash, Licardo said. If it werent for the equipment, the staff and the training provided by the citizens of Flower Mound, my story could have had a much different ending.

Hearing his doctors and rescue team recount details of his recovery and treatment in the OR, Licardo became keenly aware of the importance of blood donation and what a precious, and perishable commodity it is.

Most people dont realize blood is a perishable item with a shelf life of about 42 days. To make sure hospitals have what they need, the blood supply has to be replenished regularly but only about 3% of people who can give blood actually do. I completely bled out seven times before the doctors could save me, Licardo said. I was thankful to have friends who stepped up to donate last year and now, Im excited to help pay that forward by making the blood drive they started for me an annual community event here in Flower Mound.

The blood drive is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. atthe Cross Timbers Family YMCA, 2021 Cross Timbers Road. Due to COVID-19, all donors must reserve a spot online prior to the event:

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Local summit club to host annual Dan Licardo Blood Drive on 9/11 - The Cross Timbers Gazette

San Diego (KUSI) Former senior government media contractor in Kabul, former Army Lieutenant Colonel Jack Pagano, runs a television station in Afghanistan and has been away from the country for over a decade.

Pagano is the COO of two major Afghan radio / television networks and has interacted with the Taliban. They were trying to do a TV show together.

However, while in the country, Pagano met a myriad of Afghans who were amazing. Many of them are still stuck in the country.

Pagano joined KUSIs Ginger Jeffreys in Good evening San Diego, sharing his views on the collapse and what he had done to safely take people he knew out of the country.

Simply put, Mr. Pagano explained that the situation was very bad. Afghans are worried if they will be alive tomorrow.

One of the key members of the Taliban spoken by the United States was released from Guantanamo Bay by President Obama. Pagano says there is absolutely no way we can trust what he says.

The situation in Afghanistan seems to be worse than in 2001, Pagano said. He went on to say, We blew this away. Its crazy. My heart is crying every night. The current government didnt realize it was a murder zone now.

The Afghans who loved us now feel betrayed, Pagano said at the end of the day.

President Biden told the world that the Taliban could be hijacked because the Afghan army resigned. Pagano strongly opposed. This is how the Taliban work, they are already spying on those soldiers, they know where the family lives. They know where their relatives live. They tell the soldiers that if you dont drop your gun chasing your family, well kill your family. So what happened, you have no choice, what are you going to do?

Pagano concludes by sending a Navy seal and saying that he needs to kick his ass. He predicted that the Taliban would burn down the US embassy on September 11th, the 20th anniversary.

The situation in Afghanistan is worse than 2001, we blew this Source link The situation in Afghanistan is worse than 2001, we blew this

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The situation in Afghanistan is worse than 2001, "we blew this" - California News Times

In a gallery of The British Museum, light plays on an array of medieval crosses, reliquaries and manuscripts, as an audiovisual display reenacts one of English historys most notorious crimes.

At the centre, three stained-glass windows, painstakingly transferred from Canterbury Cathedral, convey images from the fabled afterlife of St. Thomas Becket (1120-1170), next to badges and keepsakes left by generations of pilgrims at his place of martyrdom.

When the exhibition, Murder and the Making of a Saint, opened in May, as Englands coronavirus lockdown was relaxed, the curators said they hoped to depict Becket's journey from a humble clerk to one of Europe's most popular miracle-working saints.

Three months on, after attracting record crowds for the 850th anniversary of his death, many are struck by the exhibitions warm evocation of the country's Catholic past and dramatic reconstruction of the centrality of church and faith.

There's no doubt the anti-Catholicism long embedded here is dissipating now, enabling a more sympathetic understanding of the past, which cultural events like this can subtly reflect, said Father Timothy Byron, a historian.

There are issues surrounding our religious and cultural identity and how we evaluate our history and a better climate now for debating the place of our Catholic and Protestant traditions.

Born in London, Becket studied in France and Italy, rising to become a senior lay office-holder at Canterbury for Archbishop Theobald of Bec.

In 1155, he was appointed chancellor to King Henry II, responsible for royal revenues, becoming a close and trusted confidant; just seven years later, after Archbishop Theobald's death, the king named him archbishop of Canterbury.

The top church post carried vast wealth and power. But Becket, a fine horseman and sword-fighter, was not even a priest. So the surprise appointment also required, in the words of the curators, some stage management.

The exhibition includes artefacts from Becket's early London life, a rare document bearing his seal, and an alabaster altar panel depicting him delivering a blessing at his episcopal consecration just a day after he had been ordained.

The exhibit also noted the king's neat arrangement soon unraveled.

Henry had expected his new chancellor-archbishop to do his bidding, but Becket adopted an ascetic lifestyle and opposed the king's authority, notably when he sought to tighten control over the church with a series of statutes in 1164.

With tensions rising, Becket fled abroad to the protection of the king of France, as the pope negotiated on his behalf.

He finally returned in late 1170 and was killed at Canterbury Dec. 29 by four knights who had witnessed the king's Christmas tirade against miserable drones and traitors he had nourished and promoted in his royal household.

Evidence indicates the intruders planned to take Becket to Winchester. When he resisted, they lost control and hacked the archbishop to death in his cathedral during vespers.

Becket's violent end, captured by five eyewitness accounts, shocked Europe, sending, in the curators' words, strong echoes out down the centuries.

His martyr cult quickly developed, and just 26 months later, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III, making Canterbury Europes foremost pilgrim centre after Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela.

His four disgraced murderers later died while serving in the Holy Land by papal order, while in 1174, Henry II begged forgiveness.

Beckets fame is recalled in objects such as a gilded blue-green casket, which would have contained fragments of his bones or bloodied clothing, as well as in the stained-glass cathedral Miracle Windows depicting cures at his intercession.

An original copy of Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, the first book printed in English, shows how Beckets story quickly became rooted in public imagination.

Father Byron, the historian, thinks Becket's enduring cult typifies how popular devotions can endure for centuries, against all efforts to diminish them, if the soft power they represent is effectively harnessed and directed.

Joseph Shaw, an Oxford lecturer on medieval philosophy, agrees and is struck by the exhibition's sympathetic portrayal of Becket.

Catholics have often been presented here as pedlars of strange superstitions but this exhibition shows a detachment from sectarianism and a real willingness to engage with what Becket achieved, said Shaw. Though it shows there are two sides to the story, it also reflects today's greater openness, which is enabling people to look at art, theology and history more objectively.

During the 16th-century Reformation, King Henry VIII declared Becket no longer a saint, but a traitor to the crown. All references to Becket were ordered erased from prayer books, while the king proclaimed an end to his feast day a move that shocked Europe and hastened Henrys excommunication.

People drew parallels between Becket and the new generation of Reformation-era martyrs, notably St Thomas More, who also was a royal chancellor. The Catholic English College in Rome, training priests for secret ministry, promoted Becket as a model for emulation.

The exhibition includes a carved marble base from Becket's desecrated tomb, found in a river near Canterbury, as well as a bone fragment reputedly from the saint's skull, which was smuggled abroad to an exiled Jesuit college in France.

Shaw thinks the exhibition's connection of Becket with later Catholic persecutions is significant.

It's a reminder that, even after the terrible destruction of the Reformation, Catholicism still remained the true faith of many English people, Shaw said.

Ruth Cornett, an art historian from Northern Ireland, said it was difficult for any exhibition to capture complex historical ideas through material objects or to retrace political and ecclesiastical divisions for modern minds. But the exhibit shows what was lost to spiritual life from Reformation disputes, she said, and will resonate with people familiar with the modern killing of outspoken clergy, as well as with images of cultural and artistic vandalism from Afghanistan to Syria.

Becket's instant fame across Europe, where Christians were horrified by his fate, shows how the church of the day knew no borders, she said. Today, when education is key, exhibitions like this can help widen knowledge and understanding, by challenging perceived truths about the past.

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'Murder' in the British Museum St Thomas Becket - The Tablet

CommentaryXander Bogaerts grounded into a double play in the sixth inning Wednesday, another offensive chance lost for the Red Sox. AP Photo/Adam Hunger

PORTLAND, Maine Chaim Bloom and I watched the latest disconsolate step in a dissolving season from the same vantage Wednesday night. Though he looked to be going more phone than the delayed blue pictogram above right-center field, sponsored by a suburban savings bank.

As the Globe reported earlier in the day, Bostons chief baseball architect was not in New York to watch his Red Sox get swept by the Yankees, falling briefly out of playoff position just three weeks after they were eight games clear of the first team out. He was at Hadlock Field studying the Double A Sea Dogs, who remain a first-place team despite being a three-error mess against Binghamton.

I had not seen said report when, on the last night of a family vacation here, I splurged for $17 reserved seats to that three-error mess. That I didnt notice there was a celebrity in the boxes 20 feet below me until the ninth inning was a testament both to my 5-year-olds freneticism and that no one was screaming at Bloom about Anthony Rizzo.

There was still time for a comeback in the Bronx when Bloom posed for a fans selfie, slung on his backpack and departed reasonably unnoticed into the crowd, but it did not come because it doesnt anymore. Since topping out at 63-40 on July 28, the Red Sox are 6-14, held to three runs or fewer in 11 of the 20 games.

Have they checked out after their front office essentially abandoned them at the trade deadline? I think its the exact opposite. An impatient, free-swinging team while building the ALs best record across four months, theyve gotten even more aggressive to try and stop things slipping away. (No team swings at a higher percentage of out-of-the-zone pitches than the Red Sox, and only Kansas City swings more overall.)

Theyre pressing. Theyre trying to do too much. And its not exactly tough to see.

That is such a big swing for Xander and the Red Sox. Feel like everybody can just take a deep breath, Will Flemming said on the radio broadcast Wednesday after Xander Bogaerts hit a simple first-inning solo homer. Which, for the record, came on a ball well out of the zone, albeit with two strikes.

When J.D. Martinez came up with a man on third in the fourth inning, he chased. When Hunter Renfroe came up with the leadoff man on in the sixth, he chased. When Kik Hernndez led off the ninth with the Red Sox needing baserunners against fresh-off-injury Aroldis Chapman, he flailed at ball four. (Though it was closer than anything Rafael Devers, 1-for-10 in the series, swung at.)

In fact, you could argue the whole series turned in Tuesdays Game 1, when with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Hernandez chased a wild, 3-1 pitch that wouldve forced in a run. Instead, Boston didnt score and lost.

Were pretty pissed at ourselves, Renfroe told reporters Wednesday night. Everybody is frustrated with themselves, beating themselves up.

It goes deeper than the deadline, but its hard not to keep going back to that. Especially when Wednesday spun so much on Rizzo, still incomprehensibly in New York instead of Boston and critical to their 16 wins in 21 games. His two-run single off Bobby Dalbecs glove was the big offensive blow Wednesday, and his sprawling stop on Devers in the ninth helped quash a Boston rally.

He came in and did exactly what they hoped, said Red Sox third-base coach Carlos Febles. He was a big contributor and helped them right away.

Hes there because New Yorks way to stay under the luxury tax was throw Chicago two high-level prospects, convincing them to pay the rest of Rizzos salary. Bostons was to get Minnesota to do that for Quad-A reliever Hansel Robles, and for Bloom to dismiss deadline criticism as an easy narrative.

(Kyle Schwarber, his big acquisition, has two doubles and a .500 on-base in four games, and has been cleared to play the outfield.)

Of course, the Red Sox and Yankees arent in the same place in 2021. Not only was New York a preseason World Series favorite, as opposed to an expected alsoran, they are a decade and billions in payroll removed from their last championship.

They need to chase. The Red Sox dont. And weve known they feel that way for a while.

Bloom came to Boston after John Henry (owner of the Red Sox and Boston Globe Media Partners, including Boston.com) evolved from money-appears-no-object to, How much money are you willing to lose? The answer, clearly, was no more, just as clearly as staying under that tax threshhold was a concern a few weeks ago.

Hey, at least they won four titles first. The Cubs settled for one before falling back on what chairman Tom Ricketts once observed about the team, They sell every ticket, every game, win or lose.

Now, Toms father Joe Ricketts added, youre talking about a business. Now, youve got my interest.

As the on-field has evolved more toward analytics, cold efficiency sapping imperfect beauty, the off-field has evolved more, well, off. Winning games has never felt less important to the bottom line, what with massive national TV deals and a spigot of gambling money just starting to flow.

Look at the Red Sox concern about development around Fenway. Look at the same around Wrigley Field. Look at Atlanta, decamping to the suburbs a couple years ago for big profits with their Battery development. Look at Oakland, ready to walk for Las Vegas because it cant get the right development deal.

It is as gross as it is understandable. Winnings hard. Winning costs money. Winning isnt as repeatable as rent payments. Or in-game betting. Or on-uniforms advertisements. Or who knows what else.

We have gotten far afield from a promising season slipping away, from Josh Taylor and Garrett Whitlock finally hitting the wall at exactly the wrong time, from Bloom watching Double-A baseball while you burn. Much like the Baltimore series before this one, this next week at Fenway against Texas (42-78) and Minnesota (54-67) is a key moment to steady the boat and get right.

Despite how it feels, were still weeks away from the 2021 Red Sox becoming the first team to go from a 63-40 start to out of the playoffs in a 162-game season since 2011. (Yup. Those guys are the last ones.) Their story is not near written.

Baseballs, however, increasingly feels like it is. The luxury tax is not a salary cap, but it may as well be. (And baseball wants to significantly lower it and further penalize it in exchange for that salary floor theyre crowing about.) The home run and the strikeout are not the only results possible, but it increasingly feels like they will be.

And winning should be paramount, but there are increasing reasons for it not to be. Leaving an experience not unlike Double-A baseball for a 5-year-old.

Where the result doesnt matter so long as you get a stuffed seal and a hot dog at the end.

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Red Sox players are pressing. It feels like their bosses might never again. - Boston.com

We encourage voters to act early and vote from the comfort of their home, said Interim Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes.

SAN DIEGO More than 1.9 million ballots are already on their way to San Diego County registered voters for the Sept. 14 California Gubernatorial Recall Election. You may find yours in your mailbox as early as Monday, Aug. 16. You will also find your I Voted sticker inside your official mail ballot packet.

Early voting is already underway at the Registrar of Voters office in Kearny Mesa from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, the Registrar urges voters to take advantage of the convenience of voting by mail.

We encourage voters to act early and vote from the comfort of their home, said Interim Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes. Sign, seal, and return your mail ballot to a trusted source. The sooner we receive your ballot, the sooner we can start processing it so it will be counted right when the polls close at 8 p.m. on election night.

You can return your marked ballot in the pre-paid postage envelope to any U.S. Postal Service office or collection box. Voters who return their mail ballot through the U.S. Postal Service can track it by signing up for Wheres My Ballot?.

Starting Tuesday, Aug. 17, youll also have the option of dropping off your ballot at one of 131 mail ballot drop-off locations around the county.

In-person voting locations

In addition to mail ballots, 221 in-person voting locations will be open across the county for four days, Saturday, Sept. 11 Tuesday, Sept. 14. Take advantage of early voting:

All again will be open on Election Day, Sept. 14, when hours change to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This election, all in-person voters will mark their ballot on a ballot marking device. This device does not store, tabulate or count any votes. After the voter confirms their selection on the device, the voter will print their ballot, review it, and place it in the ballot box to be counted at the Registrars office election night.

Why are we having a recall election? The recall process allows voters to decide whether to remove elected public officials from office before their term is over. California is one of 19 states that allows any elected official to be recalled from office.

The ballot will ask voters two questions:

1) Do you want to recall the governor?

2) If recalled, who do you want to replace him?

You can vote on either one or both parts of the recall ballot. If more than 50% of voters vote to recall the governor, then the replacement candidate with the most votes would be elected.

To learn more about voting in the gubernatorial recall election, visit sdvote.com or call (858) 565-5800.

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Ballots on their way to San Diego County registered voters - CBS News 8

TYLER TxDOT is planning to conduct the following construction and maintenance work in the district during the week of Aug. 16, 2021. Work schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions, equipment failure, or other unforeseen issues. Slow down and pay attention in work zones.

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Seal coat operations continue around the Tyler District. Motorists should expect lane closures and delays during this work to seal and protect roadways from water, and to provide a longer life cycle. Various project work will be conducted with slow-moving mobile operations. Crews will be working in Cherokee, Henderson, and Smith counties throughout the week. Information on specific work locations is available in the Van Zandt County section of this release.

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Anderson County Palestine Maintenance plans to conduct ditch work on FM 319 throughout the week. Expect lane closures with flaggers and a pilot car managing traffic control.

Anderson County construction projects updates

County Road Off-System Bridge Project

Limits: Various locations in Anderson County

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $1.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

Final cleanup activities are ongoing on the CR 458 and CR 468 bridges and roadway elements. The project consists of construction of bridges, storm sewer, guardrail, base, pavement surfaces, and pavement markings.

US 79 Super 2 Project

Limits: From 0.5 mile northeast of Loop 256 to the Anderson/Cherokee County line

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $14.4 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Spring 2022

Work is ongoing on the shoulders and driveways, and to place drainage structures. The work zone speed limit is 60 mph. Expect lane closures and delays. The project is widening for a Super 2, and includes sub-grade work, surface treatment, base and surface hot-mix asphalt, widening structures, bridge rail, metal beam guard fence, signage, and permanent striping.

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Cherokee County Jacksonville Maintenance on Monday plans to conduct overlay work on FM 346 utilizing flaggers and a pilot car for traffic control. The remainder of the week, crews will be performing edge work on state roads throughout the county. Expect lane closures with flaggers managing traffic control.

Cherokee County construction projects updates:

FM 22 Safety Widening and Bridge Replacement Project

Limits: From CR 1512 west of Gallatin, east to SH 110

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $5.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2022

Bridge construction continues at Sandy Creek with the road closed to traffic. A marked detour route is in place to help drivers navigate through the work zone. The project will widen the existing roadway, replace three bridges, and incorporate safety upgrades.

US 84 Widening

Limits: From 0.43 mi east of SH 110 in Rusk, northeast to the Rusk County line in Reklaw

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $7.9 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2022

The contractor is working to clear the right-of-way. Expect lane closures with delays possible. The project will widen and resurface the roadway, and add safety upgrades.

FM 235 Safety Widening

Limits: From SH 110 going east to FM 2274

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $3.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Fall 2021

The contractor is scheduled to continue driveway/drainage upgrades and backfilling pavement edges. Expect lane closures with a pilot car managing traffic. The project will widen the existing roadway and incorporate safety upgrades.

FM 241 Safety Widening

Limits: From US 69 going southeast to SH 21

Contractor: A. L. Helmcamp, Inc.

Cost: $5.5 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

No work is scheduled. The project is widening the existing roadway and includes safety upgrades.

County Road Bridge Replacement Project

Limits: CR 2905 at Bowles Crk; CR 2614 at Beans Crk; CR 1504 at Turnpike Crk; CR 3203 at Mills Crk.

Contractor: Stateline Construction, LLC

Cost: $1.9 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

No work is scheduled on CR 3203 and CR 1504. Both roadways are open to traffic. Construction of the new bridges is ongoing on CR 2905 and CR 2614. Both roads are closed to through traffic. The project is replacing the existing bridges at each location with new structures.

SH 204 Super-2 Widening Project

Limits: From US 79 in Jacksonville southeast to SH 110

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $13.7 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

The contractor plans to complete the one course surface treatment and place the final surface. Expect lane closures and delays. The project is adding passing lanes and includes safety upgrades.

US 69 Sidewalks in Jacksonville

Limits: From Nacogdoches St. to Tena St. in Jacksonville

Contractor: Highway 19 Construction, LLC

Cost: $507,099.00

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

No work is scheduled. The project is constructing sidewalks along US 69 in Jacksonville.

US 79 Rehabilitation Project

Limits: From 0.16 mile east of SH 110 to the Mud Creek Relief Bridge

Contractor: Madden Contracting Company, LLC

Cost: $8.2 million

Anticipated Completion Date: Summer 2021

The contractor is scheduled to finish placing the final surface striping. Expect lane closures and delays. The work zone speed limit is 60 mph. The project is rebuilding the roadway pavement and upgrading bridge rail.

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Gregg County Longview Maintenance and Special Jobs crews plan to finish overlay work on FM 2011 from FM 349 to SH 322. Expect lane closures with flaggers and a pilot car providing traffic control. Bridge channel maintenance is planned on various state roadways around the county.

Gregg County construction projects updates:

US 259 Improvements (Notice of Project Completion)

Limits: Loop 281 north to curbed median

Contractor: Longview Road and Bridge, Ltd.

Cost: $1.09 million

Anticipated Completion Date: August 2021

The project is complete.

Spur 63/McCann Road Bridge Project

Limits: From McCann Road, north to Glencrest Lane

Contractor: Leland Bradlee Construction

Anticipated Completion Date: November 2021

This is part of the City of Longviews Guthrie Creek Trail project. It consists of building a bridge over Guthrie Creek to allow bicyclist and pedestrians to travel under Spur 63. Expect lane closures and delays as traffic is reduced to two lanes, one northbound and one southbound, to allow the contractor to build half of the bridge. Traffic will be switched later to complete the bridge construction.

US 80 Improvements Project (Notice of Project Completion)

Limits: Eastman Road for one mile east

Contractor: Longview Road and Bridge, Ltd.

Cost: $1 million

Anticipated Completion Date: August 2021

The project is complete.

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Project updates for the Week of Aug. 16, 2021 - Texas Department of Transportation

Editors note: Video above shows coaster, Wicked Twister, thats set to retire September 6

SANDUSKY, Ohio (WJW) Cedar Point guests can expect new adventures as two of their resorts are reimagined for 2022 season.

Cedar Fair announced this week that Cedar Pointsfull lineup of entertainment returns next year including Frontier Festival at the start of the season, Cedar Point Nights, the Celebrate Spectacular Parade and HalloWeekends in the fall.

But it gets better, Cedar Fair says that Castaway Bay Indoor Waterpark hotel and Sawmill Creek by Cedar Point Resorts are getting revamped.

Closed for the 2021 season for renovations, Castaway Bays hotel will welcome back families with all-new guest rooms, enhanced amenities, kid-friendly activities and a new take on dining, all with a whimsical theme that connects sea, land and air.

Sawmill Creek resort is taking on a more natural escape ideal for a retreat from the ordinary. The resort will reopen with a full renovation of guest rooms, eclectic dining options, golf course upgrades, outdoor amenities and an enhanced convention and meeting space experience.

The parks Frontier Town will introduce a new chef-inspired signature restaurant.

Castaway Bay and Sawmill Creek are scheduled to debut before the 2022 summer season.

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Heres whats new at Cedar Point in 2022 - WJW FOX 8 News Cleveland

(US Customs and Border Protection)

Over the last several weeks, US border agents in Memphis have seized more than 3,000 fraudulent Covid-19 vaccination cards, mocked up to look like cards provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shipped from China and headed to New Orleans.

US Customs and Border Protection officers have intercepted counterfeit shipments every night, the agency announced on 13 August.

On 10 August, officers seized more than a dozen shipments headed to other states, including Alabama, New York, New Jersey, South Carolina and Tennessee, according to the agency. The seizures come as more cities require vaccinations for a range of indoor activities, including restaurants, cinemas and gyms.

The agency reports that suspicious packages include low quality index cards that include blank spaces for a vaccine recipients name and birthdate, the vaccine maker, lot number, and date and place the shot was given just as the CDC cards include.

But counterfeit cards include typos, unfinished words, and some of the Spanish verbiage on the back was misspelled, the agency announced.

Though they may come in packs of 20, 51, 100, there are never any attempts to conceal them in anything, according to the agency. They arent hidden in books, nor are they stuffed in the back of framed paintings.

A market for phony vaccination cards has followed a rise in vaccine requirements among businesses, institutions and elsewhere, for both customers and employers, to curb the spread of the disease and accelerating hospitalisations amid a surge in infections driven by the more-contagious Delta variant and relaxed pandemic precautions.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, among other mayors and officials across the US implementing similar requirements, has mandated that people visiting restaurants, bars, gyms and other indoor venues must show proof of their vaccination or a recent negative test. The rule is effective from Monday.

These vaccinations are free and available everywhere, CBPs Memphis port director Michael Neipert said in a statement.

Story continues

If you do not wish to receive a vaccine, that is your decision, he said. But dont order a counterfeit, waste my [officers] time, break the law, and misrepresent yourself.

Buying, selling or using counterfeit Covid-19 vaccination cards can be considered unauthorized use of an official government agency seal and could include penalties of up to five years in prison.

More than 167 million Americans, or roughly half of the US population, are fully vaccinated from Covid-19, according to the CDC. That includes more than 61 per cent of adults and more than 80 per cent of people over age 65.

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Border agents have seized thousands of counterfeit CDC vaccination cards from China headed to New Orleans - Yahoo News

File Photo: Demonstrators protest Hungarys Prime Minister Victor Oban and the latest anti-LGBTQ legislation in Budapest, Hungary, on June 14, 2021.Reuters / Merton Monus // File Photo

August 13, 2021

Budapest (Reuters) Hungarian book distributors and publishers may find it difficult to obtain such products in small towns as legislation restricting the sale of LGBTQ-themed books leads to self-censorship. He expressed concern that there was.

The Government should seal and wrap all books under the age of 18 that are deemed to promote homosexuality or gender change or contain explicit depictions of sexual orientation. I ordered the store.

We also prohibit the sale of all such books, children or adults, within 200 meters (220 yards) of schools and churches.

The decree is part of an anti-LGBTQ movement that has set nationalist Prime Minister Victor Oban as a rights group and a loggerhead turtle in the European Union.

Catalin Gull, head of the Hungarian Book Publishers and Distributors Association, said more than 100 Hungarian bookstores are within 200 meters of churches and schools, many in small towns.

This is secretly pushing publishers towards self-censorship. If they make it so difficult to sell these books, why dont they print them at all? She said on Friday.

Its clear that writing books with LGBTQ characters will reach a much smaller audience, said Tibor Racz-Stefan, author of a young adult novel featuring homosexual couples.

This directive is the first directive passed in June to explain the implications of a law banning materials that are considered to promote homosexuality and sex reassignment in schools.

Olburn is a pre-election crusade to protect what he calls traditional Christian values, the law is intended to protect children, and their parents tell their children about sexuality. Say you should educate.

Due to the unclear scope of the decree, the Association on Thursday requested the government to list the books underneath.

If the government really wants to implement this law, censors will have to look at the entire history of literature, said Ildico Katna, who owns a publisher and bookstore.

The government did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

(Report by Anita Komuves, edited by John Stonestreet)

Hungarian bookstores are afraid of self-censorship as legislation restricts the sale of LGBTQ-themed books.

Source link Hungarian bookstores are afraid of self-censorship as legislation restricts the sale of LGBTQ-themed books.

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Hungarian bookstores are afraid of self-censorship as legislation restricts the sale of LGBTQ-themed books. - Texasnewstoday.com