What we're reading, following & covering

Are your kids safe playing upstairs?

January 30 | Military Spouse

Cohen Kuester was playing upstairs with his older brother, Guthrie, when he heard a garbage truck on the street outside. Cohen loved trucks. With the ingenuity of an almost 2-year-old, he picked up a large boombox, placed it under the second-story window, climbed on top, and looked outside. Cohen couldn't see the garbage truck, so he pushed against window screen to get a better look. Guthrie yelled to his mother when he realized his brother had fallen through the window to the ground below. Read more.

Humans need to learn to co-exist with wildfires; here's how we can do it

January 30 | Ensia

In 1992, the city of Wenatchee, Washington, experienced a devastating wildfire that roared through a neighborhood, destroying more than 30 homes and burning over 3,000 acres (121 hectares) in a matter of days. It left the community shaken. "It's a terrible thing for the community to go through," said Wenatchee economic development director Steven King. The wildfires began in the shrub steppe and grasslands that surround the city. Read more.

Indiana bill would end local role in carbon monoxide detector rules

January 30 | NWI

The debate over mandatory carbon monoxide detectors has taken a new turn, with a downstate lawmaker introducing a proposal that would prohibit counties and municipalities from passing regulations that conflict with the state. The proposal comes in the wake of several northern Indiana communities facing resistance to local carbon monoxide ordinances from the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, which must sign off on the local rules. Read more.

After years of neglect, demolition day arrives for decaying Emerald Drive house in Naperville

January 30 | The Chicago Tribune

Demolition began early Tuesday morning for the single-family house that has sat in disrepair for years at 1033 Emerald Drive in Naperville. Residents filed more than 20 complaints about the property in the years leading up to the demolition, frustrated as they watched the attached garage decay, rodents take up residence and a construction tractor with flat tires sit abandoned in the front yard. Read more.

Construction continues on apartments planned atop oldest African American graveyard in West Philadelphia

January 30 | Plan Philly

There are no plans to halt construction on an apartment building under development in University City, despite the discovery of a 192-year-old African American cemetery on the site. Vaughan Buckley, the builder contracted by the site's New York-based owner, tells West Philly Local that "his crews will treat any remains they might discover with care and respect," but work on the site, formerly home to a Wash N' Lube car wash will proceed. "'Consultants and other professionals in this field are being contacted and interviewed by my team and I, to help us throughout this process,'" Buckley wrote in a formal statement published by the neighborhood news site. Read more.

HPD cracking down on 'junk' vehicles

January 30 | Hannibal Courier-Post

As the Hannibal Police Department continues to address the "quality of life" issues in the community, the departments Community Service Officers (CSO) will be addressing abandoned and junk vehicles on private property which are in violation of current municipal code. The Hannibal Police Department is asking citizens for cooperation in having these vehicles removed voluntarily prior to police intervention. CSOs will begin marking vehicles found in violation and will attempt to contact the owners, if available, at the time the vehicle is marked. Unmoved vehicles will be subject to tow. Read more.

New Ideas for wood: Replacing road salt, making a building (yes, that's new)

January 29 | Concord Monitor

Considering that New Hampshire is smack dab in the middle of a region sometimes called the Saudi Arabia of biomass — i.e., we have lots of trees to sell — it's a little weird that our logging and milling industries are struggling. The problem is that many of the industries that used to buy lumber and chipped wood are in decline. As a result, people are trying to find new uses for the trees we cut down and chop up. This column will look at two possibilities. One — replacing road salt — is kind of goofy but the other — replacing structural steel and concrete in mid-rise buildings — is drawing a serious attention. Read more.

How the solar industry is responding to the increase intensity of natural disasters

January 29 | Solar Power World

Weather patterns have always been considered when determining solar system lifetimes and performance. Safety is also considered when establishing installation guidelines and product standards. The recent intensity of natural disasters across the country — a direct result of climate change — brings the adequacy of safety and performance standards into question. Are solar installations prepared for the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events of the future? For the most part, it seems like we're faring OK. When bad weather hits, there are more solar success stories than major failures. Read more.

There's no place like home, especially if it's made of hemp

January 29 | The New York Times

The Romans have been using it since the days of Julius Caesar, but not to get high. Both Washington and Jefferson grew it. Now that several states have legalized the use of marijuana for some recreational and medical purposes, one of the biggest untapped markets for the cannabis plant itself — at least one variety — could be as a building tool. The most sustainable building material isn't concrete or steel — it's fast-growing hemp. Hemp structures date to Roman times. A hemp mortar bridge was constructed back in the 6th century, when France was still Gaul. Read more.

Ripped apart by Hurricane Harvey, this Texas community needs tourist to come back

January 29 | PBS News Hour

It's been five months since Hurricane Harvey roared through Texas. Yet when you drive into this coastal town, the damage is still stark. Mountains of debris — tree branches intertwined with metal sheeting, and what used to be the roofs and walls of homes — are piled in the highway median waiting to be incinerated or hauled away. Handwritten signs advertise home repair services. Trucks with the words "disaster response" written on their sides fill the roads. Read more.

Cottonwood moves forward with plan to provide refuge for homeless in cold

January 29 | JournalAZ

The issue came up after the city's One Person One Night project — a program that was meant to provide a warm place for the homeless to sleep during cold nights — ended after two years, said Cottonwood Mayor Tim Elinski. The city, as well as the Verde Valley Homeless Coalition, has since been trying to come up alternatives to spare those without a warm bed a night in the freezing cold. "I think it's a very reasonable solution ensuring we can shelter those most vulnerable during the freezing winter months," Elinski said. Read more.

McHenry County officials want stricter regulations on sober living homes

January 29 | Northwest Herald

In December, Chris Reed bought a four-bedroom house in unincorporated Crystal Lake. He thought flipping the foreclosed property into his nonprofit's third sober living home would be a sure thing. It was Reed's understanding before he closed on the house that he wouldn't need any special use or conditional permits to open a New Directions Addiction Recovery Services home in the Walkup Woods neighborhood — but now McHenry County zoning officials are taking steps to create new regulations for group homes and sober living homes that could dramatically alter Reed's plans. Read more.

Latest North American fenestration standard published

January 29 | Glass Magazine

The 2017 edition of AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors and skylights has received final approval and is now available. This standard is the result of a multi-year effort by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association, Canadian Standards Association and Window & Door Manufacturers Association. The updated 2017 standard replaces the 2011 edition of the joint standard. Read more.

Hot topic: Home fire sprinklers systems

January 28 | Parisppany Focus

I recently attended a local gathering of concerned residents following a fire in a neighboring townhome. Members of the community were so concerned about their own future safety given the fact the hydrant outside the townhome had failed and the townhome was not protected with a fire sprinkler system. The adjoining townhomes where only impacted by smoke given the fact that the units are separated by fire separation walls which were extremely effective in holding back the flames. This opened my eyes to the ongoing debate of residential sprinkler systems for single family homes as well as townhomes. Read more.

Loveland plans initiatives to help new small business

January 27 | Reporter-Herald Loveland News

In response to citizen complaints, two departments integral to the city's business environment announced possible changes to city policies and workflows that they say will help businesses get started in Loveland. While Economic Development Director Kelly Jones announced several new approaches to city-sponsored help for small businesses, Development Services Director Brett Limbaugh talked code changes at the annual City Council retreat Saturday. The suggestions for business-friendly initiatives are intended to target businesses with greater than 10 and fewer than 100 employees, Jones said. Read more.

Lawmaker says schools should have carbon monoxide detectors

January 27 | The Associated Press

A state lawmaker has introduced a bill to require carbon monoxide detectors in schools. A measure by Democratic Rep. Joseph McNamara would require all school buildings that are frequented by students to have detectors installed beginning Jan. 1, 2019. McNamara says carbon monoxide detectors are required in homes in 27 states, including Rhode Island, but only five require them in schools. Rhode Island's neighbor, Connecticut, is one of the five. Read more.

White House plan would reduce environmental requirements for infrastructure projects

January 26 | The Washington Post

The White House has drafted a proposal to scale back environmental requirements in an effort to make it easier to construct roads, bridges and pipelines across the country as part of an infrastructure plan that President Trump could release as soon as next week, according to a document obtained by The Washington Post. The plan would change things such as how officials decide a pipeline route, how a proposed border wall with Mexico would be built and whether the National Park Service could object to a development that would impair tourists' views from scenic parks such as the Grand Canyon. Read more.

98 people died in the Knickerbocker collapse; courts never found whom to blame

January 26 | The Washington Post

There was very little warning on the night of Jan. 28, 1922, of the horror that would descend. The Knickerbocker Theatre, in Washington's Adams Morgan neighborhood, was showing "Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford." The snow was falling hard outside. More than two feet of it was already on the ground. At 9 p.m., moments after the silent film began, a crack appeared in the theater's ceiling above the stage and auditorium. A small cloud of plaster dust emerged and spread over the orchestra pit. Then small chunks of ceiling plaster began to fall on the movie patrons below. Read more.

Building codes for tiny homes relaxed

January 25 | Maine Public

A year-long effort to remove obstacles in the state's building code for Mainers interested in pursuing a so-called "tiny home lifestyle" has been deemed a success by a Maine lawmaker who originally sponsored a bill to address the issue. "The Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code has in fact been amended and as of yesterday, it went live and we now have specific definitions and allowances for tiny homes here in Maine," said State Rep. Seth Berry, a Bowdoinham Democrat. Read more.