ICC Board of Directors candidates Web page launched.

In accordance with Council Policies CP19-03 and CP20-03, the International Code Council is providing a webpage where candidates for the 2015-2016 ICC Board of Directors can submit information to be made available to the Membership, Nominating Committee and others. The Report of the Nominating Committee also will be posted on the Web page. Elections to the ICC Board will be held Sept. 28 at the Annual Business Meeting during the 2015 Annual Conference in Long Beach, Calif.

Group A hearings schedule now available.

The schedule for the 2015 Group A Public Comment Hearings, Sept. 30-Oct. 5 in Long Beach, Calif., is now available. The hearings will begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Long Beach Convention Center. The Public Comment Agenda is scheduled to be posted on Aug. 28. Click here for more information on ICC's current code development cycle.

Deadline nears for ICC voter validation.

ICC Primary Representatives must validate their Governmental Member Voting Representatives by Aug. 31 to vote at the 2015 Annual Business Meeting, Group A Public Comment Hearings, or the online Governmental Consensus Vote that follows the hearings. The Electronic Voter Validation site will remain open until Aug. 31. Questions can be emailed to ICC Membership Services (members@iccsafe.org) or call 888-ICC-SAFE (422-7233), ext. 33804.

cdpACCESS has evolved into so much more.

At the request of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, ICC staff members Mike Pfeiffer and Justin Wiley gave a presentation on cdpACCESS, ICC's cloud-based system for code development. Initially known as remote voting, Pfeiffer and Wiley explained that cdpACCESS has evolved into so much more.

CACs will hold joint meeting to develop Group B changes.

ICC's Building and Fire Code Action Committees will hold a joint meeting Nov. 4-5 in Schiller Park, Ill., to develop proposed changes for the Group B code development cycle. Read the meeting notice. ICC's Sustainability, Energy & High Performance Building Code Action Committee will meet later this year although dates have yet to be determined. The Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Code Action Committee will continue conducting its business via conference calls. Click here for more information on ICC's Code Action Committees.

Significant changes to the 2015 IPC/IMC/IFGC.

A modification has been made to Section 505.1 where the scope of domestic kitchen hoods coverage has been expanded to beyond dwellings units. Domestic hoods are mandated in new Section 505.4.

This information is excerpted from the Significant Changes to the 2015 International Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes.

Easily search for Preferred Education Providers.

Find training easily and earn CEUs for your ICC Certification renewal with improved functionality on the Preferred Provider website. You may now filter by Preferred Provider and specialty, and improved search features mean you can easily find all training related to the IBC or IRC.

Review the offerings of more than 200 education providers now. Search for online or in-person training, or courses in your city or state.

ICC releases thoroughly updated IBC Handbook.

ICC's easy-to-use visual guide to the 2015 IBC is now available. The 2015 IBC Illustrated Handbook is thoroughly revised to make it easy to understand and apply IBC provisions and achieve compliance. The Handbook contains more than 500 color illustrations and provides all the information you need to get construction jobs done right, on time, and up to the requirements of the 2015 IBC.

Martin retires after 20 years of a common-sense approach.

When Bill Martin retired last month after nearly two decades as the building official for the city of Easton, Conn., he said he hoped residents will be safer as a result of his hard work. "Building and fire safety codes are [actually] life safety codes," he said. "That's what this job is." For the town's sake, Martin said he hopes his replacement also uses an approach that is not found in code books: common sense. "The only book in here that mentions that word is the dictionary," Martin said from his office. Read more.

Dry days bring ferocious start to wildfire season.

Another summer of record-breaking drought and heat has seized the West, setting off costly and destructive wildfires from Southern California, where a single blaze burned more than 30,000 acres of national forest east of Los Angeles, to Montana, where a fast-moving fire in Glacier National Park recently forced tourists to flee hotels, campgrounds and vehicles. Officials are warning about the potential for more catastrophe in the months ahead, as drought, heat and climate change leave the landscape ever thirstier.

Ghosts of Katrina still haunt New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward.

The flooded streets and destroyed homes of the New Orleans neighborhood known as the Lower Ninth Ward were among the most powerful and iconic images from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath 10 years ago. Now, much of New Orleans is back — more than half of the city's neighborhoods have recovered some 90 percent of their pre-storm population — but that's not the case for the Lower Ninth. After Katrina, only 37 percent of households returned to the once-vibrant neighborhood which had a population of about 14,000 in 2000. Read more.

Schmitz joins Government Relations staff.

Tim Schmitz has joined the ICC Government Relations Team with more than 20 years of public service. As a GR Regional Manager, he will serve the states of Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Wisconsin. Schmitz recently completed his eighth term in the Illinois General Assembly, retiring as Deputy Minority Leader in January of this year. Read more.

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