Daily Archives: August 14, 2021

This summer Meredith College has continued work on construction projects to further enhance the spaces in which students learn and live. Donor support has enabled the College to move forward with these projects.

New Academic Building

The team working on the new academic building, which will house instructional space for the growing communication and exercise and sports science programs and Meredith athletic offices, has made significant progress after the groundbreaking ceremony on April 30. Underground utility work and grading began immediately. The concrete pour for the base of the building followed by steel I-beam installation allowed the building to begin to take shape in mid-July. Construction is expected to be complete during the 2021-22 academic year.

The building, adjacent to Weatherspoon Gymnasium and the Lowery Fitness Center, will be 13,636 square feet and will include a state-of-the-art recording studio, a podcast room, three editing rooms, two spacious exercise and sports science working classrooms, a collaboration room, and additional classrooms.

With both programs in the same building, there will be opportunities for interdisciplinary work including sports communication coursework and student-based projects that span both areas of study.

We are eager to have students learning in a high-quality environment replete with the kind of equipment they will need on the job. Equally important is that these fields and activities are keenly connected to the ways our world is changing and preparing our students for that world, said President Jo Allen.

The building will be fully accessible and will have energy-saving features such as LED lighting and a special roof that will reduce building cooling needs. To add to the beauty of the building, a lobby will have a water feature and fireplace. There will also be patios on the front and side of the building and 18 offices for department heads in communication and exercise and sports science, and athletic staff.

Watch a virtual walk through of the planned building.

Currently, Institutional Advancement is offering opportunities for individuals and organizations to name spaces within the building, allowing donors to support students and further enhance their education at Meredith.

Design Development Architects designed the new building and Inland Construction headquartered in Garner, N.C., is the general contractor.

Meredith Lake

The Meredith Lake is an integral part of the experience for students at Meredith. It is the site of classes, productions, small gatherings, and a valuable on-campus resource for students conducting undergraduate research.

In March 2017, the lake drained because of erosion of pipes and plumbing. At that time, alumnae stepped up during the annual Meredith Mayhem competition and raised funds for the lake. After unforeseen obstacles that delayed the start of the project, the lake and the small island are being completely restored to a beautiful spot on campus for all to enjoy.

Much progress has been made this year and the lake and surrounding area are set to be complete in September 2021. Work began in January on the bulkhead surrounding the small island. Construction crews battled Mother Nature and unusually high amounts of rain as they excavated around the island to get a solid foundation for the new retaining wall. In some areas, they excavated more than 12 feet down and added over 1,500 tons of stone to ensure the footing was solid.

The new wall is made up of concrete blocks, most weighing more than a Corvette, that interlock like legos to createa visually pleasing andsuper strong structure that will stand the test of time. All trees were cleared from the dam and the dam was reconstructed to be stronger than ever, said Todd Lechner, assistant facility manager and project manager.

The dam was also increased in height and width to meet the 100 year storm calculations provided by the State Board.

In mid-August, the bridge was installed connecting the small island so people can walk over and enjoy a quiet spot on campus. A gift from Kellie Falk, 85, and her classmates made this renovation possible.

Once complete, a celebration for all who donated to the Lake will take place.

Nutrition Lab

The Nutrition Lab located in Martin Hall has undergone major renovations this summer. It is set to be complete and ready for students in the fall 2021 semester. The new lab will provide students with hands-on learning experiences that will simulate the environment they will work in outside of Meredith in areas such as nutrition education, sales, food service management, public policy or health fields, and the local and sustainable food industry.

The renovation was made possible by Roy Nifong, father of Marianne Nifong Raker, 72, who was a home economics major at Meredith. The gift is in memory of his wife and Rakers mother, Grace.

The entire space was demolished and the area expanded into the adjacent hallway beginning in May. The bigger space will provide an open feeling between the classroom space and the actual kitchen.

The space has all new gas lines, electrical, water, and drain systems. A full-size hood system was installed with a dedicated air conditioning unit, complete with new ductwork for the HVAC and the exhaust hood system.

Movable shelving units are being installed that allow ease of flexibility when teaching and learning. A large pantry, walk-in freezer and refrigerators, three restaurant-grade ranges, convection oven, induction range with oven, multiple sinks, dishwasher, and many more amenities are included in the new industrial kitchen.

The Wake County Health Department was consulted on the design so the entire project has been built to health department standards and will give students real-world experience in a commercial environment.

To see construction photos of the new spaces, visit meredith.edu/campus-growth.

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Facility Projects Make Great Progress this Summer - Meredith College News

Any time you hear the Miami Dolphins defensive coaches or players talk about the keys to their performance, communication is one of the first words that comes into play. The Dolphins do not run a simple defense and they ask a lot of their players from a recognition and recall perspective to make complex adjustments pre-snap to keep tight coverage on opposing offenses. 2020 was a great start in Year 2 under Brian Flores, but it was also last year; meaning the carryover for this upcoming season is limited at best. With a new starter at free safety and some new pieces of the puzzle elsewhere, the Dolphins dont have the luxury of simply running it back.

And thats exactly what makes this week against Chicago and the rest of the preseason so valuable. The kinks need to be ironed out now so that when the team comes into focus against the New England Patriots in Week 1, the coverage is locked and loaded.

Veteran safety Eric Rowe is encouraged by what two days against the Bears has provided.

Defensive-wise from yesterday to today, we made progress. Especially in the back end, our communication. Yesterday we missed a couple checks. Thats why we have these practices against someone than our own color. Its good for us to see what we need to work on. So from yesterday to today, I even saw progress even within myself, said Rowe after Thursdays practice.

Getting into simulated situations, missing adjustments, reviewing the film and then making adjustments is a necessary part of the process for all teams in all avenues. But for this Dolphins secondary, it can be formative. Remember early on in 2020, without a preseason, when Miamis defense struggled in the first month of the season? The Dolphins sorely missed getting exposures to other teams besides themselves (along with Byron Jones) and by the time Miami settled in defensively, it was Week 5 versus San Francisco and the team entered at 1-3.

Avoiding that slow start will be critical for the Dolphins aspirations and now is the time to make mistakes. Rowe sees plenty of that process in the weeks to come.

Its still a long way to go. No ones in obviously midseason form. That takes time. Things I know that weve got to do just to tighten up is just our communication and really just getting lined up, because weve seen it when we play our assignments and we execute that were stopping the run, were stopping the pass; but right now its just little things that Im sure every team has that work through training camp with just some alignment issues or we missed a check on a call or we blow a coverage. Once we just get those things tightened up, we can back to where we were.

Excerpt from:

Eric Rowe and Dolphins secondary focused on progress in communications - Dolphins Wire

With the recent passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill in the Senate and the confirmation of eight federal judgesthe most through Aug. 1 of a presidents first year going back to Richard Nixonthe Biden administration appears to be off to an auspicious beginning. However, in spite of these headlines, the pace of confirmations for leadership positions across the executive branch has been extremely slow. While staffing the government at the highest level is a key priority at the start of any administration, the paucity of confirmed officials at this point in time pales in comparison to President Bidens three predecessors. There is no single reason that explains the slow pace of confirmations at this level, largely because two institutionsthe presidency and the Senateplay pivotal roles and contribute to the delay. Apart from pace, it is also important to note that the Biden administration is setting records in terms of diversity. More women and nonwhites have been confirmed to these top executive positions in comparison to his three predecessors.

When I reported on progress at the 100-day mark, President Biden had racked up 30 confirmations, but his pace lagged behind Presidents Bush and Obama. In addition, the administration demonstrated an undeniable commitment to diversity during the first 100 days. This report marks a second opportunity to track the progress, the second 100 days of the Biden administration (from May 1 through Aug. 9, 2021). Note that the data are drawn from Congress.gov and include comparative information going back to President George W. Bush while focusing only on confirmations to the 15 major executive departments (excluding U.S. attorneys at the Department of Justice). In order to track diversity (gender and race/ethnicity), I adopted the U.S. Census race/ethnicity categorization and consulted a variety of online resources for verification. Set out below are the findings from this analysis.

The chart below tracks the frequency of Senate-confirmed appointees at the 100-, 200-, and 300-day marks within the first year of a presidency. After 200 days, W. Bush had accumulated a total of 240 confirmations, Obama had 238, and Trump had 89; Biden stands at 88. Its clear that the Biden administration is behind on confirming appointees, especially compared to the W. Bush and Obama presidencies.

Stepping back from the cumulative totals in which Biden lags, the data from the second 100-day time period reveal that the pace has slowed even more. Within days 101-200 of their presidencies, George W. Bush added 208 confirmations, Obama added 175, Trump added 70, and Biden added just 58. During the period in which there is typically a major uptick in confirmations, the Biden confirmation rate increased by only 28 confirmations compared to the first 100 days (where he had 30 confirmations), a 93% improvement. Compare that to his three predecessors:

No matter how you slice the datalooking cumulatively or just looking at the second 100-day periodthe pace of confirmations is unusually slow.

Shifting the focus to the gender and race/ethnicity of those confirmed, the Biden administration has demonstrated a strong and steady commitment to appointing women and nonwhites to the highest positions in government. In the second 100-day period, more women than men were confirmed, with women representing 62% of confirmed individuals.

Looking at the rate of women in Senate-confirmed positions over the course of the first 300 days shows once again the Biden administrations commitment to placing women in key positions. In fact, the Biden administration has already appointed more women to Senate-confirmed positions in the executive branch than President Trump had after a full 300 days in office.

When examining race/ethnicity, nonwhites represented 47% of the confirmed individuals from days 101-200, a trend that far outpaces his predecessors going back to George W. Bush. The commitment to the appointment of women and nonwhites is at an all-time high and reflects the fulfillment of a key campaign promise.

Though the Biden administration is bringing much-needed diversity to senior leadership, the pace of confirmation is not entirely in their hands. The Senate plays a key role in moving nominees through the process to a floor vote, but the snails pace is clearly not due to a lack of nominees. According to research conducted by the Partnership for Public Service, President Biden had nominated a total of 238 individuals to the 15 major departments (as of Aug. 4, 2021). Of those 238 nominations, only 88 (or 37%) have been confirmed. Put differently, just over one-third of the existing nominees to the 15 major departments have made their way through the confirmation gauntlet. Now 200 days into a new administration, such a small number of confirmed appointees is a historic low.

Admittedly, the Senate has had a full agenda since Jan. 20th with impeachment proceedings, the passage of a COVID-19 relief package, a budget resolution to set up reconciliation, and the infrastructure bill, to name some highlights. In addition, a dash of Republican obstruction has likely hindered the pace of confirmations: In early July, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) placed a hold over all State Department nominees due to a disagreement with the Biden administration over a Russian pipeline. After 200 days in office, only 10 Biden nominees have been confirmed to the State Department. Compare this showing to 78 for President W. Bush, 85 for President Obama, and 23 for President Trump. Senate holds are not unusual and both parties are guilty of holding up nominees, but a halt of this magnitude to State Department appointees, particularly ambassadors, is likely affecting diplomatic relations across the world.

It may also be the case that the White House push for judicial appointmentswhich have a lifetime termhas taken priority over other executive branch nominees. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is performing the ultimate balancing act of determining which nominations to prioritize while maintaining a vigorous legislative agenda. No doubt the White House is likely consulting with the Senate majority leader, but the chambers priorities appear to be weighing heavily in favor of judicial appointments and legislative victories. In addition, the 50-50 split in the Senate may be influencing efforts to have committees report nominees rather than engaging in the several steps to discharge a nominee when there is a tie in committee, resulting in a lengthier process.

It is also worth noting that the Biden transition made a deliberate effort to fill the political positions across the government that did not require Senate confirmation. Presidential transition scholar Martha Joynt Kumar contends, Instead of focusing on Cabinet secretaries, Kaufman [Head of Biden Transition, 2020] advocated prioritizing the political appointments that did not need to go through the Senate. This strategy, implemented well before Election Day, demonstrates how an experienced transition team can anticipate and work around future roadblocks. So, while there are sparse numbers of confirmed leaders, there are several Biden political appointees working in key positions across the federal government.

Perhaps the next 100 days will prove more productive in the realm of Senate confirmations to the executive branch, but historically this has not been the case. Given the personnel upheaval that characterized the Trump administration, filling the leadership vacuum should be priority number one. Federal departments with thousands of employees and millions of dollars in their budget need leadership, and the Senate should prioritize the confirmation process at this important moment in American history.

View the full Senate confirmations tracker here.

Read the rest here:

Bidens confirmations progress at the 200-day mark - Brookings Institution

Florida Power and Light is giving Fox 4 a sneak peek into its progress on the world's largest solar-powered battery.

FPL installed the first of more than 50,000 specialized batteries that will store solar energy from one of the company's solar sites. Each specialized battery weighs over 200 pounds, and can store the equivalent of about 2,000 iPhone batteries.

The company said this all part of their plan to transition to clean energy, and make the most of power from the sun.

"Without battery storage, we would not be able to put as much solar energy onto the system. Long-term, that is where we're heading at FPL.So, this project benefits customers in two ways. One, it saves customers 50 million dollars over the life of the project. The second way is, it's cutting approximately 1 million tons of carbon that otherwise would've been emitted into the atmosphere, which is good for everyone," Matt Valle, the Vice President of Florida Power & Light Co., said.

FPL said the battery is roughly 75% complete, and should start serving customers later this year.

Fox 4 also went to the other big power company in Southwest Florida, LCEC, to find out what solar options it has. The company said since it doesn't generate power, it doesn't have the kind of programs FPL does. It does have the net-metering program. It can provide renewable energy resources, like solar panels, for your home. If you add a solar panel, and it generates more power than you use, the extra power goes back to the grid, and you get a credit.

Excerpt from:

FPL reveals progress on world's largest solar-powered battery - Fox 4 - Fox 4 - Fox 4

WESTERLY The new director of development services comes to the town from Illinois and brings experience as a lawyer, an appointed municipal government official and a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Jeffrey N. Monteleone started his new position on July 26. His experience as a lawyer, according to his resume, includes work representing and advising municipalities on land use, town and city governance, and cases involving allegations of police misconduct.

Monteleone also worked with Town Manager J. Mark Rooney in Carpentersville, Ill., as an analyst, human resources director, and assistant to the village manager. Rooney was village manager in Carpentersville from2010 to early 2018 and started his work in Westerly in the summer of 2018.

The director of the department, according to the Town Charter, oversees the offices of planning, zoning, building and code enforcement and directs the town planner and the zoning, building, and property maintenance code officials. The director is also responsible for enforcing relevant municipal ordinances that are within the purview of the department.

The charter also specifies that the director administers grants and performs additional duties as directed by the town manager.

His initial time in Westerly has been focused on studying the town zoning ordinance and state zoning laws and getting to know his co-workers and members of the boards he will be working with.

"I'm getting my comfort and familiarity with our zoning ordinance because almost anything that comes through this office, either on the building side or the planning and zoning side, somehow is hitting on that ordinance," Monteleone said.

He said he was drawn to the job for several reasons including a chance to live by the water, which he came to like after spending time on military bases that were close to beaches. He also has relatives who live in the Northeast.

"It'sa new place, it's a challenge, and I love the opportunity to be in a coastal community,"Monteleone said.

Shortly after high school, Monteleone enlisted with the Marines. He worked in an intelligence role and served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. "It was a real calling for me," Monteleone said of his time in the military.

As he was transitioning to civilian life, Monteleone said, he realized he had a continuing interest in public service and decided work on the municipal level would be best.

"I wanted the experience of having a stakeholder right at the counter and being able to help them with their problem and see the impact of that public service in real time," Monteleone said.

While he said he works well with Rooney, Monteleone stressed, "I have a very strong interest in being here independent of my past relationship with the town manager."

Monteleone is filling a vacancy left by the resignation of Lisa Pellegrini, who served as director of development services from 2017 until earlier this year. Pellegrini has been hired to continue working for the town in a new capacity as a grant writer and administrator. She will perform most of her work by telecommuting from her new home in St. Augustine, Fla. Her new salary, which is lower than her job as department director, is about $70,000 per year, Rooney said.

Town officials have discussed establishing a full-time grant writer and administrator position for years, saying the job would bring in far more money through grants than is paid out in salary. The Town Council approved the new position during its deliberations on the current municipal budget. A part-time grant writer position had previously been eliminated.

Rooney said he is optimistic Pellegrini will have success obtaining new grants made available through federal COVID-19 relief efforts as well as grants that might become available if President Joseph Biden's proposed $1 trillion infrastructure bill passes. She will also continue to administer ongoing grant projects, including the upcoming eelgrass and dredge project at Winnapaug Pond.

Pellegrini will also work with the municipal Economic Development Commission and with the South County Tourism District and continue efforts to obtain funding for climate change resiliency projects, Rooney said.

Rooney said he is confident Pellegrini will be effective in her job while living in Florida, saying the early weeks and months of the COVID-19 pandemic showed officials that employees functioned well while working remotely.

"During the first throes of COVID we saw about a third of the non-public works and police employees working from home ... we found ways to make it work," Rooney said.

It is a time of many personnel changes in Town Hall. Nathan Reichert, who has served as zoning official since May 2017, is leaving for a new position as director of planning and zoning in Colchester, Vt. His last day in the office is Monday.

Tim Ryan, who served as human resources director for just 10 months, is leaving to return to California. Rooney said Ryan found the transition to life on the East Coast was more difficult than anticipated. Haley Hamilton, the town's human resources generalist, recently informed town officials of her intent to resign, Rooney said.

Monteleone will handle some of the human resources functions on an interim basis and a consultant will likely be used until new staff members are hired, Rooney said.

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Carousel of progress at Westerly Town Hall with hirings, departures - The Westerly Sun

Farm surveys aren't a new idea but for years Farm Futures has polled its readers to take a pulse throughout the year. The survey shows what farmers may be planting, offers insights into issues impacting their farms and provides a regular snapshot of the current state of agriculture.

In this episode of Around Farm Progress, Jacqueline Holland, market analyst, Farm Futures, discusses the findings of the latest survey. From rising land prices to insight on input prices, the survey shows there's a lot on the minds of farmers. Holland digs into the information to offer up what the Farm Futures staff has learned.

Related: E-corn-omics: Farm Futures Survey: 2022 profit outlook unchanged.

Then we turn our attention to the corn rootworm. Two years of dry weather has brought this pest on with a vengeance, so what are agronomists finding in the field? We caught up with Eric Wilson, agronomy manager, Wyffels Hybrids, to learn what the company is seeing. His work now offers a look at the pest pressure you may be facing in 2022 -and note, the news isn't that good. Farmers are already seeing damage this year from corn rootworm based on the intense pressure traited corn is under.

Give it a listen.

Beyond Around Farm Progress we've got more podcasts to share. Check out all our podcast links at FarmProgress.com/farm-progress-podcasts to keep up on not only Around Farm Progress but daily updates from Max Armstrong, and more.

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The podcast Around Farm Progress goes live online by 3 p.m. Central time each Friday and will engage editors from around the country as well as experts in our industry. You can listen to this week's episode above or subscribe using your favorite podcast service just search "Around Farm Progress" and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

Farmers are getting their information in new ways. Farm Progress is a leader in reaching them as needed. From top magazines around the country to one of the first agriculture-focused mobile apps from Farm Futures, to the leading television presence with This Week in Agribusiness, the company covers all media for agriculture.

Comments or questions? Just send a note to [emailprotected].

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Digging into a farm survey and tracking corn rootworm - Farm Progress