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With the current unemployment rate for New York State teetering between eight and nine percent, recent graduates of the ECNY Job Search Boot Camp Program at the Port Washington Public Library are defying the odds and gaining employment at a remarkable rate.
Presented by Maria Themistocleous-Frey, President and Founder of Executive Consultants of New York, Corp., and creator of the Job Search Boot Camp®, and Maria Duchin, Career Strategist at Executive Consultants of New York, Corp. and in coordination with the Port Washington Public Library Career and Personal Finance Center led by Research Librarian Denise Anchico, the program boasts an average employment attainment rate of 36 percent.
Established in 2010, ECNY Job Search Boot Camp found its way to the library in 2012. Although boot camp is offered at other locations throughout Long Island, Port Washington is the only library that offers it. Originally funded by former New York State Assemblywoman Michelle E. Schimel and former New York State Assemblyman Anthony D’Urso, the program now sustains itself with grants from the Greentree Foundation and generous support from the Port Washington Public Library.
The eight-week program, now running virtually, is open initially to Port Washington and Town of North Hempstead residents, and eventually opens up to nonresidents, helps up to 40 participants learn how to conduct an effective job search, develop objectives and personal branding, improve their resume and cover letters and perfect the ideal elevator pitch.
Leonie B., a former pharmaceutical salesperson, recently completed the course in December, “[The instructors] showed that they cared about the attendees and were very supportive if we needed them out of the scheduled class times. They were also very patient and resourceful.”
Upon completion of the Fall 2020 ECNY Job Search Boot Camp Program, 73 percent of the participants were actively interviewing and the class generated a cumulative 94 interviews throughout the sessions. In an environment teeming with social distancing, face coverings and an ever-present awareness of the COVID-19 virus, the number of interviews (both in-person and virtual) booked among the students within two weeks after Boot Camp increased to 121.
“Every single month we have a Boot Camp alumni meeting,” Themistocleous-Frey said. “It’s a wonderful networking opportunity and we often invite companies who are hiring or we’ll teach a class. Before the pandemic we had an in-person “glamshots” alumni event with professional photographers and makeup artists for LinkedIn headshots. So many Boot Campers have gotten jobs because of other former Boot Campers and that’s really a big reason as to why we do this.”
“Being out of work for a while and in career transition is hard enough, during the pandemic it was and is, incredibly challenging,” Yvonne B., another December Bootcamp attendee said. “Having the weekly meetings was a huge help in keeping me connected and on track with my job search.”
The Spring 2021 ECNY Job Search Boot Camp® on Zoom will take place Mondays, March 8, 15, 22, 29 and April 5, 12, 19, 26, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Registration began on Feb. 23 for Port Washington and TONH Residents. Registration for all others begins on March 2 at 10 a.m. Preference will be given to first time registrants. Visit www.PWPL.org/events for more information and to sign up.
—Submitted by the Port Washington Public Library
Photo: Antioch police/Facebook.
ANTIOCH, Calif. - A driver who witnesses said had a firearm fled a traffic collision Friday morning and was arrested with two others after a pursuit ended in a second collision, Antioch police said.
The collision was reported just before 11:30 a.m. at West 10th and G streets, where callers reported that the driver of a gold Chrysler 300 had a handgun visible.
When an officer attempted to stop a car matching that description speeding away from the area the driver fled and got onto westbound state Highway 4, exiting at Somersville Road, where it ran a red light and struck another vehicle exiting eastbound Highway 4.
Two occupants remained in the car after the crash while one man fled, but was discovered hiding in the rear of a business, police said.
Photo: Antioch police/Facebook.
All three were arrested, then hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the car that was struck was also with non-life threatening injuries.
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An investigation showed the suspect car was displaying switched license plates. A search of the car turned up an assault weapon and another firearm, a ski mask, a wig, and more license plates, police said.
Investigators are trying to determine if the car was involved in any other criminal activity and ask the public to check their surveillance cameras in the areas of G Street, West 10th Street, and D Street.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the dispatch center at (925) 778-2441. Tips can be texted anonymously to 274637 using the keyword ANTIOCH.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Two massive new cranes have arrived at the port in Charleston, the South Carolina Ports Authority said.
The 155-foot (47-meter) tall cranes arrived at the port Thursday after a two-month journey from their manufacturer in China, the authority said in a news release.
It will take several months to assemble them, with port officials hoping to have them in use by the summer.
The port's Wando Welch Terminal now has 13 of the tall cranes, which also can reach out 212 feet (65 meters).
“Taller cranes with wider reach greatly increase our big ship capabilities,” South Carolina Ports President Jim Newsome said.
The port is trying to attract the world's largest ships. A $400 million project to deepen Charleston Harbor is nearly finished, and the state Senate approved borrowing $550 million to expand a rail yard and tracks at the port and add a barge system to move cargo between terminals.
Those bonds will also have to be approved by the House.
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Police respond to scene of stabbing and find man dead, witnesses heard gunshots KMBC Kansas City
NORTH PORT, Fla. (WWSB) - Early voting for the March 9 City of North Port special election and Holiday Park Park and Recreation District election will begin Monday, March 1. and continue through Saturday, March 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Early voting for the March 9. City of North Port special election and Holiday Park Park and Recreation District election will begin Monday, March 1. and continue through Saturday, March 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner announced.
A 47-year-old man was critically injured Friday night in the Barbers Point area while he crossing Coral Sea Road. Police said he was not in a marked crosswalk.
Police arrested the 71-year-old driver of the Toyota sedan that struck the man for fleeing the scene of the collision.
Police said the woman was driving north on Coral Sea Road when the car she was driving hit the pedestrian at about 8:20 p.m. just past Tripoli Street.
The woman fled the scene, and was later found in the Barbers Point area, police said, adding that speed, alcohol and drugs do not appear to have contributed to the crash.
Police said the man was taken to the hospital with critical injuries.
Click here to see our full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. Submit your coronavirus news tip.
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Deputies on scene of deadly shooting near Hartsville, sheriff says wpde.comSotheby's auction house said the work, painted in 1887, has remained in the same family collection for more than 100 years - out of the public eye.
"It's an important painting in the oeuvre of Vincent van Gogh because it dates from the period in which he's living in Paris with his brother, Theo," Etienne Hellman, senior director of Impressionist and Modern Art at Sotheby's, told the Associated Press.
Van Gogh moved to Paris in 1886 and lived in Montmartre. He left the capital in 1888 for southern France, where he lived until his death in 1890.
"Street Scene in Montmartre" depicts a windmill named the Pepper Mill, seen from the street under a bright sky, with a man, a woman and a little girl walking in front of wooden palisades that surrounded the place.
"Paris marks this period where... the major impressionists influence his work," Hellman said.
Sotheby's said the painting has been published in seven catalogs before but has never been exhibited.
Claudia Mercier, the auctioneer of Mirabaud Mercier house, said "it is also an important painting because there are very, very few of them remaining in private hands... especially from that period, most are in museums now."
It will be on display in Amsterdam on March 1-3, Hong-King on March 9-12 and Paris on March 16-23.
The Pepper Mill was destroyed during the construction of an avenue in 1911, but two similar windmills are still present today on the Montmartre hill.
The video featured is from a previous report.
Copyright © 2021 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
It’s laudable that South Carolina lawmakers are scrutinizing the State Ports Authority’s request to borrow up to $550 million to make upgrades to the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal taking shape along North Charleston’s waterfront. As one of the state’s largest public investments in recent years, it merits close examination.
We believe that lawmakers and Gov. Henry McMaster ultimately should conclude that it’s a good deal for the state, assuming the port works out its pending union-labor dispute. Not only because the borrowing would help the Leatherman Terminal fulfill its potential to handle cargo but also because it would help minimize the impact on our region’s air quality and highways, particularly Interstate 526 between North Charleston and Mount Pleasant.
Most of the money, $400 million, would complete a rail yard covering 120 acres on the former Navy base, just north of the terminal. The Ports Authority would operate the yard, which would be owned by Palmetto Railways. CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern trains would haul cargo to and from the new nearby terminal.
Another $150 million would pay for a barge program to move shipping containers by water between the SPA’s Wando Welch Terminal in Mount Pleasant and the Leatherman Terminal. The containers could then be taken to and from the rail yard via private road. This piece also includes a 700-foot extension of the wharf at Wando Welch and a second wharf at the Leatherman site.
Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the State Ports Authority, calls the projects crucial for the Port of Charleston’s continued competitiveness, which in turn helps the state’s economy succeed. “We are the last major port on the East Coast to have near-dock rail,” he said.
Mr. Newsome’s business acumen is highly regarded, but we’re pleased to see lawmakers not simply take his word for all this. The Senate’s scrutiny of the deal already has led to one important change: the unraveling of the awkward shotgun marriage between South Carolina’s and Georgia’s ports authorities on developing a new container terminal in Jasper County, across from the Port of Savannah. Jasper officials now are free to work directly with the Georgia Ports Authority on that, which may or may not bear fruit.
The Senate passed S.491 Thursday authorizing the borrowing, and House members will take it up soon. Meanwhile, Gov. McMaster touted the “world-class Intermodal Container Transfer facility” in his State of the State speech. Although he has not specified whether he supports borrowing to support it, he noted that, “Once completed, cargo business will skyrocket with new and expanded rail access, traffic congestion will be eased in the Lowcountry and new jobs and investment will flow across the state.”
The success of South Carolina’s ports during the past century stems in part from the state’s willingness to make significant investments in modernizing the waterfront infrastructure. And the Ports Authority’s continued success likely will require more of the same. It’s worth noting that the state already has a lot of skin in this game. The $550 million would come on top of $1.7 billion in Leatherman Terminal construction and Wando upgrades, both financed largely by the port; a $558 million harbor deepening project; and a recently completed $220 million highway spur directly linking the Leatherman Terminal with Interstate 26. And that doesn’t include the millions of dollars already spent to secure space for the rail yard and get a green light from the Federal Railroad Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers.
The state has a healthy bond rating, the capacity to borrow more and a history of issuing similar bonds to provide incentives for major economic development projects, including Boeing Co. and Volvo Cars.
Perhaps the greatest question should involve the timing of the borrowing. Lawmakers may consider giving their approval to the borrowing on the condition that final approval, from the Joint Bond Review Committee, would not take place until the Ports Authority resolves its labor question over whether unionized workers or state workers will operate Leatherman’s ship-to-shore cranes and other lift machines.
We hope the Ports Authority gets the green light soon from the National Labor Relations Board to use its “hybrid model” — union members moving cargo alongside nonunion crane operators — at the Leatherman Terminal. Until it does, however, the competitiveness of that new terminal will be in doubt. As will the wisdom of investing $550 million more there.
Godzilla vs. Kong's aircraft carrier fight scene is 18 minutes long, says the film’s composer. After debuting in 1954, the atomic super-lizard Godzilla went on to become one of film history’s most iconic monsters. But King Kong of course came first, debuting in the 1933 Hollywood production that changed movies forever. It wasn’t until 1962 that someone came up with the brilliant idea to have Kong face off against Godzilla for the ultimate movie monster battle.
That 1962 movie was of course entitled King Kong vs. Godzilla, and it featured men in latex suits portraying the battling monsters. Today latex suits are a thing of the past, but Godzilla and Kong are still ready to fight. The two classic monsters’ next battle goes down in the upcoming CGI-heavy movie Godzilla vs. Kong, directed by Adam Wingard and starring Alexander Skarsgård, Lance Reddick, Rebecca Hall, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir and Millie Bobby Brown. Recently fans were given a small taste of the Godzilla vs. Kong action in a clip teasing a memorable first meeting between the two monsters set on the high seas and involving the wanton destruction of several naval vessels.
As it turns out that just-released taste of the naval-ship-trashing high seas battle between Kong and Godzilla was indeed a small one, as the actual sequence from the movie clocks in at an epic 18 minutes. The true length of the fight scene was confirmed by Godzilla vs. Kong composer Junkie XL during an appearance on the Film Junkee Vodka Stream. Junkie XL said:
I’m not going to say how this thing ends but there’s some spectacular...and then so, this scene that was released today, was it on IGN? Forty seconds of footage? That scene is 18 minutes long and it’s ridiculous.
In the just-released clip referred to by Junkie XL, Godzilla is first seen swimming through the ocean when he’s attacked by jet fighters. Of course being hit by missiles doesn’t hurt Godzilla but does make him very mad. Godzilla lashes out with his tail, destroying a jet and a pair of battleships. In a shot that recalls Jaws, an anchor hooks a big piece of destroyed battleship to Godzilla, but he is easily able to surface even with tons of steel attached to him. The clip then cuts to Kong, who is chained up on an aircraft carrier. When Kong sees Godzilla swimming toward him, he lets out a monstrous roar, which is returned by Godzilla (so you know they're about to throw down).
The fight scene teased in this clip was of course also previewed in the Godzilla vs. Kong trailer released in January. In that trailer, it’s revealed that Kong and Godzilla get into it on the deck of the aircraft carrier, until Godzilla decides to blow up the vessel with his atomic breath. Kong narrowly escapes death via atomic breath by leaping into the water, where he and Godzilla presumably continue to go at it. But that’s just part of the action in a sequence that, if it really is 18 minutes long, may go down in history as one of the great CGI monster battles. It remains to be seen who ultimately wins that battle, but if the entirety of Godzilla vs. Kong lives up to the excitement created by the small snippets that have thus far been revealed, the real winners will be fans of giant monster movies.
Source: TheFilmJunkee/YouTube
So it is unhappy news, for all of us, that our utility bills may see a big spike soon.
"Xcel Energy is predicting a $200 to $300 increase on natural gas bills for Minnesota and North Dakota customers, though officials with the company are hopeful this will only be a short-term effect," Tanner Robinson reported this week, noting that electric bills may also see an increase, though it's not expected to be "huge."
Question is, how many households can easily absorb this sort of a hit to their budgets?
I wish the answer was "all of them" but we know that's not true.
Why is this happening?
It's more fallout from the widespread blackouts that affected the central part of America, from Texas up to North Dakota, earlier this month.
And the wind power industry is to blame.
I know we're not supposed to say that. The wind industry's various flacks and apologists have organized a campaign to distract from wind power's role in making our energy grids less resilient, but the truth is the truth.
Our government's ill-advised promotion of wind power, through various mandates and massive subsidies, has resulted in two things which are important factors in the utility bill spikes we're about to suffer.
First, those policies have put more wind power on the grid.
Second, it's also put more natural gas power on the grid.
Wind power is intermittent. It tends to produce a lot of power when we don't really need it, and not much when we do. Wind cannot work without a form of baseload energy at its side.
That's where natural gas comes in. Coal and nuclear are cheap and reliable sources of baseload power, but they don't handle the fluctuations of producing alongside intermittent energy like wind very well. Natural gas plants, however, can ramp production up and down quickly.
You'll often hear wind power flacks try to blame the decline of coal-fired electricity on the rise of natural gas, leaving out that much of the rise of natural gas power has to do with the promotion of wind power.
But there lies the rub.
Natural gas, in terms of economics, is a volatile commodity. It's produced by the oil and gas industry, and we all know how unpredictable oil prices can be.
Gas prices can be the same way.
And, increasingly, our power grid leans on this economically volatile commodity, because wind power demands that gas power be on the electric grid, even as most of us also use it to heat our homes.
When gas prices spike, it hits the cost of our utilities hard, as we're about to find out.
Americans are used to reliable power and stable utility bills.
The push toward wind power is also pushing us away from both of those things.
To comment on this article, visit www.sayanythingblog.com.
Rob Port, founder of SayAnythingBlog.com, is a Forum Communications commentator. Reach him on Twitter at @robport or via email at rport@forumcomm.com.
So it is unhappy news, for all of us, that our utility bills may see a big spike soon.
"Xcel Energy is predicting a $200 to $300 increase on natural gas bills for Minnesota and North Dakota customers, though officials with the company are hopeful this will only be a short-term effect," Tanner Robinson reported this week, noting that electric bills may also see an increase, though it's not expected to be "huge."
Question is, how many households can easily absorb this sort of a hit to their budgets?
I wish the answer was "all of them" but we know that's not true.
Why is this happening?
It's more fallout from the widespread blackouts that affected the central part of America, from Texas up to North Dakota, earlier this month.
And the wind power industry is to blame.
I know we're not supposed to say that. The wind industry's various flacks and apologists have organized a campaign to distract from wind power's role in making our energy grids less resilient, but the truth is the truth.
Our government's ill-advised promotion of wind power, through various mandates and massive subsidies, has resulted in two things which are important factors in the utility bill spikes we're about to suffer.
First, those policies have put more wind power on the grid.
Second, it's also put more natural gas power on the grid.
Wind power is intermittent. It tends to produce a lot of power when we don't really need it, and not much when we do. Wind cannot work without a form of baseload energy at its side.
That's where natural gas comes in. Coal and nuclear are cheap and reliable sources of baseload power, but they don't handle the fluctuations of producing alongside intermittent energy like wind very well. Natural gas plants, however, can ramp production up and down quickly.
You'll often hear wind power flacks try to blame the decline of coal-fired electricity on the rise of natural gas, leaving out that much of the rise of natural gas power has to do with the promotion of wind power.
But there lies the rub.
Natural gas, in terms of economics, is a volatile commodity. It's produced by the oil and gas industry, and we all know how unpredictable oil prices can be.
Gas prices can be the same way.
And, increasingly, our power grid leans on this economically volatile commodity, because wind power demands that gas power be on the electric grid, even as most of us also use it to heat our homes.
When gas prices spike, it hits the cost of our utilities hard, as we're about to find out.
Americans are used to reliable power and stable utility bills.
The push toward wind power is also pushing us away from both of those things.
To comment on this article, visit www.sayanythingblog.com.
Rob Port, founder of SayAnythingBlog.com, is a Forum Communications commentator. Reach him on Twitter at @robport or via email at rport@forumcomm.com.
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Authorities on scene for shooting after collision in North Charleston ABC NEWS 4
If all goes well, Chicago restaurants could soon increase capacity to 50 percent after almost three months without indoor dining.
But as vaccines ramp up, diners making their way back downtown will find that not all of the business crowd's favorites have survived, and that the survivors bear scars.
Menus have been changed, interiors revamped, furloughed staff have decamped to other locales. Tables will be more spaced out, and some business groups might be ushered into private dining areas.
A handful of decades-old steakhouses, including Lawry's the Prime Rib, Ruth's Chris Steak House and Morton's original State Street location, closed permanently.
Happy hour spots like the Beacon Tavern behind the Wrigley Building are gone. Other restaurants—particularly some in the Loop that also catered to the theater crowd, like Petterino's—shut down and have not announced reopening plans. For many restaurants that have closed temporarily, it remains unclear whether the closure will become permanent.
New sanitation protocols are expected to stick around. Some restaurants conduct temperature checks at the door or have designated employees for disinfecting surfaces. It is habit at this point, operators say, and masks are part of the uniform.
There's also a newfound flexibility at restaurants, especially when it comes to customers who are wining and dining clients, says Kim Giguere-Lapine, chief marketing officer of Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group.
Previously, if a customer wanted to book a room at Smith & Wollensky, they would have had to put down "a sizable" nonrefundable deposit, Giguere-Lapine says. That is no longer the case.
"Quite simply, the demand is not as high, so we can be a little bit more flexible," she says. "Just like the airlines. If you need to change a flight because of a COVID issue, they let you change it."
Smith & Wollensky started offering space for professionals to conduct remote meetings last fall, before indoor dining ceased. Those offerings are still available, Giguere-Lapine says.
A few blocks away, Kinzie Chophouse is also offering its private event rooms for business meetings, says owner Nicole Flevaris. There's even a second entrance those customers can use.
"In the bigger private rooms, we can socially distance and everyone feels safe," Flevaris says.
An added perk is the privacy, she says. With fewer people allowed in the restaurant, dining rooms are quieter, and eavesdropping easier.
"If I'm having a private conversation, I don't want people to be in earshot," she says.
Still, downtown restaurant operators say few business diners have returned. People are still working from home as the vaccine rollout gains speed, and that continues to be a detriment to places that thrived off business lunches, convention traffic and corporate credit cards.
The state has given no indication of when Chicago's convention business might return. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Feb. 24 that 1 in 7 Illinoisans had received their first vaccine dose, and the state has the capacity to administer about 60,000 doses a day. By mid-March, he expects that to increase to 100,000 doses a day.
"The corporate world's going to come back," says David Flom, managing partner at Chicago Cut. "It's just going to take a little time."
Chicago Cut closed before Christmas and doesn't plan to reopen until April. That has given the riverfront steakhouse time to tinker with menus.
Flom says they are sourcing different fish for new menu items, like fresh Florida grouper, branzino caught off the coast of Greece and lobster tail from an island between South America and Africa. Vegetables will be paired together, instead of serving just broccoli or just asparagus.
"If you leave restaurateurs at home, they get bored," he says. "We all cook every day. We all think about, 'What would this taste like? What would that taste like?' "
The wine and cocktail menus are also changing, Flom says. Executives tasted 300 wines last week as they revamp their wine-by-the glass program. Flom tried a blueberry vodka recently that he plans to pair with lemonade in a new summer cocktail offering.
The decade-old restaurant also remodeled the wood floors, kitchen and private dining rooms.
The slow winter gave chefs at Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse on Rush Street and its sister restaurant, Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House, time to adjust their recipes, too, says John Colletti, managing partner at Gibsons Restaurant Group.
It's in the basics, like house-baked hamburger buns and made-from-scratch sauces, where the tweaks will be noticeable. The chefs corrected recipe changes that had happened over time, he says.
Other hot spots for business professionals streamlined their menus for another reason: cost-efficiency.
Restaurants have struggled to pay rent, bills and payroll for months, and limited capacity isn't enough to get many out of hot water.
In a pre-pandemic world, many restaurants would not hesitate to spend hundreds of dollars on an ingredient, says Joe Bazzi, general manager of Nonnina in River North. "Now you scrutinize every $30 you spend because that's the difference between paying rent and not paying rent."
The restaurant recently got a new chef and rolled out a new menu that Bazzi says better optimizes ingredients. The fried calamari and grilled octopus that show up on the antipasto menu could also be used in a seafood pasta. The breaded eggplant atop a salad can also go in a sandwich served at Nonnina's sub shop next door.
But business diners will also notice menus aren't quite as skimpy as they were when restaurants were slashing costs last summer, with no end to the pandemic in sight.
Back then, the Dearborn in the Loop was down about 75 percent in sales, says Clodagh Lawless, who owns the restaurant with her sister, Amy. The chef had to peel off high-cost dishes, and eventually the menu "was just a shell of its prior self," she says.
The Dearborn shut down in early November and is planning a March reopening. The new menu will still have some of its customer favorites, like fish and chips and the burger, but also feature new items, like pizza and confit rabbit poutine.
The upcoming changes, and trickling of customers back into the Loop, have her feeling hopeful.
"We can see light at the end of the tunnel," Lawless says. "It's dim, but it's there, and that's what we're going toward."
The Port of Grays Harbor set a new record for cargo tonnage in 2020, moving more than 3.2 million metric tons through its four terminals.
By comparison, the Port moved about 2.95 million metric tons in 2019, which was an increase from the year before. Nationally, the Port ranks 96th in the nation for total cargo handled and 37th in exports. In total, 96 deepwater ships and barges called on the Port’s docks, and 31,143 rail cars moved cargo through the Port.
AGP, an agricultural product export facility, brought record exports volumes in 2020, according to the Port, with 21,107 rail cars unloaded and 61 vessels loading at Terminal 2. The bulk of AGP’s exports is soybean meal. AGP represents about 80 percent of the cargo moved through the Port, said Executive Director Gary Nelson, and the Port of Grays Harbor is the leading export port for soybean meal on the west coast.
AGP reached a milestone in October, hitting the 20 million metric ton mark at the Port since the facility there opened in 2003. This included a full year’s supply of product from its processing plant in Aberdeen, South Dakota, to mostly Pacific Rim customers.
“The Port of Grays Harbor shipment volume continues to grow each year,” said Chris Schaffer, AGP Senior Vice President of Ag Products, in the company’s winter newsletter. “In fact, the increased volumes allowed AGP to reach a record volume of shipments during fiscal year 2020 and this 20 millionth-metric ton achievement. An expansion at AGP’s port operations in 2012 allowed for additional exports and for AGP to expand production at our core processing facilities.”
Nelson said AGP and other Port tenants “are looking at major diversification and enhancement projects” to keep them productive in the coming years, “some upgrades, more than just general maintenance, making sure everything lasts another 20 years.”
REG, which produces biodiesel at Terminal 1, “had another record-breaking year, for production anyway,” said Nelson. REG produces its biofuel primarily from canola oil, and is looking into adding recycled cooking oils to its feedstock to add another source to produce even more carbon friendly fuels. To do that, upgrades will need to be made to refine the recycled oil. “It won’t increase production, but really ensure the longevity of the plant,” said Nelson.
The Port depends on its existing tenants to maintain productive operations in the very competitive port industry, especially in the Pacific Northwest.
“The best way to grow is with your existing customer base, but you also have to be looking for new opportunities,” said Nelson.
Here’s a look at some other Port operations and services:
Westport
According to NOAA statistics, the Westport Marina ranked 13th in the nation for commercial seafood landings in the latest statistics available. In total, 120.9 million pounds were landed at the marina in 2019, with a value at just under $53 million, and remains the top seafood landing port in the state.
The first dredging of the boat basin in 40 years wrapped up in December 2020. The project was completed in three phases over 17 months and removed about 130,000 cubic yards of sediment. The dredging will allow for better movement among current tenants and some of the larger commercial vessels becoming more common in today’s commercial seafood industry.
It’s also a big step in the marina’s overall modernization plan. A marketing study completed last year was a precursor to looking at a multi-year float replacement project. Nelson said a start date for that project isn’t currently known but the Port is pursuing potential funding sources.
Satsop Business Park
Overstock.com has moved its call center operations out of the park, and the Port is working on an exit agreement with the company regarding the remaining two years on its lease, said Nelson. On the plus side, Nelson said two new tenants were welcomed to the park in 2020, WestPark RV Storage and Lynch Creek Farm.
Potash
In its 2020 annual report, the Port states, “The decision of BHP to not invest in an export facility in Grays Harbor dealt a devastating blow to economic, trade and infrastructure development on the Harbor. This important opportunity would have positioned our community for the future. As we focus on lessons learned from that process, we will identify the obstacles that sidelined that project and find ways to overcome them in the future. We must develop a clear path forward, with concise timelines and defined expectations for future potential developers.”
Recreation
According to the Port’s annual report, the Westport Marina set a record for guest moorage in 2020. Friends Landing, a Port-owned camping and recreation area on the Chehalis River, had 2,673 reserved camping nights in 2020 and had record RV occupancy in July, September, October and November.
Bowerman Airport
Bowerman had record fuel sales in 2020, 20,664-plus gallons, nearly double its sales in 2019. Nelson said the Port is looking at doing some additional paving at the airport on the taxiways and runways in the coming years.
He’s not sure when that would begin, “but in the next two or three years there will be significant resurfacing on the runway.”
COURTESY PORT OF GRAYS HARBOR The Port of Grays Harbor handled a record amount of cargo in 2020, with more than 3.2 million metric tons of cargo moving through its four terminals.
COURTESY PORT OF GRAYS HARBOR AGP at the Port of Grays Harbor’s Terminal 2 brought record export volumes of U.S.-grown and processed agricultural products in 2020.
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PORT HURON, Mich. – Two 21-year-old men have been charged after an argument over a vehicle led to the stabbing of a 37-year-old man in Port Huron, officials said.
Port Huron police said a 37-year-old Burtchville Township man arrived at the Lake Huron Medical Center at 8:11 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 24). The man had multiple stab wounds, police said.
He told police that he had gotten into an argument with Devin Michael Convery, 21, of Port Huron, in the 1600 block of Jay Street, according to authorities. They were arguing about a vehicle, the man said.
Convery’s friend, Joshua Davis Schreibman, 21, from Madison Heights, got involved in the argument and stabbed the 37-year-old man multiple times, police said.
Schreibman then fled to his home in Madison Heights, according to officials. He was arrested there by officers from the Madison Heights Police Department and transported to the St. Clair County Intervention Center, officials said.
Schreibman was being held at the center on the charge of attempted murder, authorities said.
Convery, who lives in the 1600 block of Jay Street, fled the scene and was found in an apartment in the 2600 block of Krafft Road, according to officials.
When officers to Convery he was under arrest, he fought with them, police said. He was also taken to the St. Clair County Intervention Center.
Schreibman was arraigned Friday (Feb. 26) on a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. He is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Convery was arraigned Friday on the charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder and two counts of resisting and obstructing police. He is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail.
The probably cause conference for both men is scheduled for 9 a.m. March 9.
Anyone with additional information about the incident is asked to call officials at 810-987-6688 or email a tip to www.porthuronpolice.org.
Chicago’s drill scene — and the city’s ongoing issues with violence — are one of the talking points in an episode this week of the FX six-part docuseries “Hip Hop Uncovered.”
The Friday night series, which premiered earlier this month, provides context behind hip-hop’s major storylines through the eyes of the genre’s lesser-known movers and shakers — Eugene “Big U” Henley, Haitian Jack, and Debra “Deb” Antney, among others — with the overarching theme of how street life continues to have an influence on hip-hop.
Malcolm Spellman, who produced the Chicago-shot Fox series “Empire” for three seasons, is a member of the series’ executive production team who is also interviewed on the show.
Drill is a subgenre of Chicago hip-hop known for dark and violent lyrics. The music has been tied to threats and even murders that played out on social media.
MUSKEGON, MI – For LaKisha Harris, no one makes food like people in Muskegon.
The growing soul food scene in Muskegon, home to the turkey knuckle, is a key part of that culinary landscape.
In the past five years, Muskegon’s soul food scene has grown with the launch of five restaurants or caterers starting to serve the traditionally southern cuisine that has deep roots in the Black community.
Harris opened Soul Filled Eatery last year, and she joins Corine’s Cakes & Catering, Lott & Big Weezy’s, The Hideout and Kuntry Cookin’. She believes the burgeoning soul food scene is a sign that persistent segregation in Muskegon is changing through food.
“We’re evolving as a community,” said Harris. “And proof of that evolution is the startup of all these soul food restaurants.”
Home of the turkey knuckle
Soul food generally has the same staples: Fried catfish, ribs, cornbread, collard greens and black-eyed peas. In Muskegon, the turkey knuckle also is a featured staple.
“I always tell people you can only find turkeys with knuckles in Muskegon,” Harris said.
The turkey knuckle is the tender meat around the turkey’s knee joint. It’s typically broiled or broasted and topped with sauce or gravy.
The turkey knuckle is emblematic of soul food; it’s a repurposed item that would normally be overlooked.
“Because of slavery, we were taught to make the best out of scraps,” Harris said. “Soul food is taking those basic items that you would think have no use and no purpose and bringing life to those.”
Related: Local Eats: Corine Rose’s cakes and soul foods earns Taste of Muskegon victory
Soul food can trace its origins back to generations of enslaved Africans in the southern United States. The cuisine made its way to Muskegon during the Great Migration when millions of Black Americans settled in northern cities during the first half of the 20th century.
“They brought all those Southern roots to Muskegon,” Harris said.
In the late 1960s, Pearl’s Chicken Palace was one of the first soul food restaurants to open in the area as Black-owned businesses started to boom.
Owned by Pearl Jefferson Dean, it became This Is It, 2723 Peck St. in 1989, and is now one of the longest running soul food restaurants in Muskegon Heights. The restaurant paused operations when COVID-19 hit, but Dean’s daughter Bobbie Cheeks plans to open it again in coming months.
This Is It, 2723 Peck St., is one of the longest running soul food restaurants in Muskegon Heights. Pearl Jefferson Dean opened in 1989 after she'd been running Pearl's Chicken Palace since the late 1960s. (Photo by Rose White | MLive)
Phyllis Loudermill, a local entrepreneur who owns Lott & Big Weezy’s, Lott on the Lakeshore and a hotel, said Muskegon soul food restaurants like This Is It were prevalent in neighborhoods.
“If you look at most soul food restaurants, they survived based on their community involvement,” she said.
The new slate of restaurants operating are now largely run by chefs who are classically trained, according to Harris, and each venue has its own take on dishes. Soul Filled Eatery takes inspiration from cultures around the world, whereas Lott & Big Weezy’s specializes in rib tips and seafood boils.
While each restaurant has different macaroni and cheese recipes, there’s one consistent trait: “Soul food is comfort food,” Loudermill said.
A ‘new generation’ of soul food restaurants
Growing up in North Muskegon, Harris said she always felt like there was a “great divide.” According to the most recent national census data from 2010, segregation remains in Muskegon neighborhoods.
Loudermill says there is a “gap in participation” based on where restaurants are located.
“In order for us to have an integrated customer base, we need to have integrated communities,” she said.
Most of the soul food restaurants are based in Muskegon Heights, which is predominantly Black, but Loudermill says a “new generation” of entrepreneurs are working to blend the community.
“Food is bringing us together,” Harris said.
Related: Local Eats: Community buoys Kuntry Cookin’ in downtown Muskegon
Corine’s Cakes & Catering is based at The Lakes Mall, and Kuntry Cookin’ is planning to launch a food truck this summer. Soul Filled Eatery currently offers takeout at 3232 Glade St., and Harris wants to bring the soul food experience to other lakeshore towns like Whitehall, Montague and Grand Haven.
Soul Filled Eatery is also partnering with local businesses to bridge the gap between communities, including collaborations with Hamburger Mikey and Hey Sugar Cotton Candy.
“It’s food for the soul, and everyone has a soul,” Harris said.
More on MLive:
How Muskegon went from ‘chaos’ to zero hospitalizations in battle with COVID-19
Liquor license suspensions upheld for 8 violators of Michigan’s dine-in ban
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Crews are on the scene of a tanker spill on US-220 in Highland County, authorities said.
Authorities said the incident happened around 7:30 a.m.
According to VDOT, the accident is near Vinegar Run Road and the northbound lanes and right shoulder are closed.
10 News has a crew en route to the scene to learn more.
Stay with 10 News as this breaking news story develops.
WandaVision episode 8, “Previously On,” delves into all the backstory that fans of the series have been waiting for. Not only do viewers learn how Wanda wound up in Westview and brought Vision back into the picture after the events of Endgame, we also get a glimpse of her childhood in Sokovia and further back to a time when Agatha Harkness first harnessed her true powers.
No spoilers (we’ll get to that), but the one thing anyone should know before watching “Previously On” is that the eighth episode drops a crucial post-credits scene after the first round of credits. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, that’s all you need to know for now.
The moment has big implications for next week’s finale — and, in a sneaky way, makes good on a tease that Vision actor Paul Bettany’s been dangling in front of viewers for weeks.
[Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for WandaVision episode 8.]
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“Previously On” is a true info-dump / tee-up to what should be a classic Marvel finale action setpiece. First, we see Agatha back in colonial days in what looks like a stake burning during the Salem witch trials, but is actually just a bunch of witches zapping her to death for dabbling in dark magic! The plan backfires, and Agatha becomes the power-hungry Agatha we know from Westview.
With Wanda captured in her dungeon basement, Agatha spends most of the episode whisking the superhuman through her own memories to understand how she was able to conjure such a magnificent combination of mind control and transmutation. Her assertion: Wanda isn’t just a gifted telekinetic experimented on by HYDRA back during the events of Age of Ultron — her belief is that she’s an actual witch. In a sequence set during her childhood, which depicts the incident that set her on a course of anti-American terrorism, Wanda evidently uses real magic to stave off a Stark Industries missile that lands in her home in Sokovia. As Agatha puts it at the end of the episode, “You’re the Scarlet Witch.”
Though known by the moniker in the comics, no one in the MCU has actually referred to Wanda by that hero name. Now it’s the crux of the plot. But before Wanda can deal with that, we get a post-credit scene that brings Vision back into the picture.
As we learn in “Previously On,” the Vision we see in Westview is not “Real Vision” — he’s a completely new being conjured by Wanda’s unfathomable power. Real Vision is dead, and broken into bits in a SWORD lab. Wanda doesn’t steal his body as some assumed, meaning at some point there were two Visions in reality (despite one being made possible by the Mind Stone, a peak of known power in the universe).
In the last few episodes, Monica, Jimmy, and Darcy discovered a secret SWORD project, Cataract, overseen by director Tyler Hayward. The plan was to not actually track and decommission Vision, but in theory, revive the old version they had. Now it seems, by using remnants of Wanda’s own powers lifted from the spy drone, Hayward has done it.
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In the post-credit moment, we see an all-white version of Vision come to life. Now there really are two Visions: One trapped in Westview (as seen talking to camera in episode 7) and one working for the people who want to eliminate Wanda.
“There is one character that has not been revealed,” Bettany told Esquire back in February. “And it is very exciting. It is an actor I’ve longed to work with all of my life. We have some amazing scenes together and I think the chemistry between us is extraordinary and fireworks on set.”
Many speculated on who that cameo might be — Benedict Cumberbatch stepping in as Doctor Strange? John Krasinski as a new Reed Richard from Fantastic Four? But now the answer seems clearer: the character might be ... Paul Bettany himself, playing White Vision. In a world with two Visions, one can only assume that the they will have a chance to meet in a most spectacular fashion. This is called “cheeky British humor.”
