Category: CONSUMER NEWS

New Jersey American Water Accepting Applications for 2020 Environmental Grant Program

Qualified organizations encouraged to apply by March 31, 2020

CAMDEN CITY, N.J. – JAN. 27, 2020 –

New Jersey American Water

is accepting applications for green project funding through its Environmental Grant Program. The program offers grants of $1,000 to $10,000 for qualifying innovative, community-based environmental projects that improve, restore or protect watersheds, surface water and/or groundwater supplies throughout the company’s service areas.

“We are committed to providing clean, safe, and reliable water to our customers, and part of that responsibility includes protecting our water sources,” said Matthew Csik, Director of Water Quality and Environmental Compliance at New Jersey American Water. “This grant allows us to support the unique and innovative projects within our communities that truly make a difference in our environment.”

New Jersey American Water will award the grants on a competitive basis and select projects based on various criteria including goals, impact, innovation, design, and sustainability. The nature of the project’s collaboration with other community organizations as well as its overall community engagement will also be taken into account. All applicants are expected to outline specific, measurable goals for projects in their proposals. At the conclusion of the grant project, the lead organization must provide a written report on the project results/impact. Grant recipients will be notified in mid-April.

Established in 2009, New Jersey American Water’s Environmental Grant Program has provided over $317,000 in funding. More information and application requirements can be obtained directly at

newjerseyamwater.com/community

.

About New Jersey American Water

New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.7 million people. For more information, visit

www.newjerseyamwater.com

and follow New Jersey American Water on

Twitter

and

Facebook

.

About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 14 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more

Books, Balls, & Blocks: Building Hearts and Minds

CAMDEN CITY, NJ –Sponsored by the Camden County Department of Children’s Services and in collaboration with the Southern NJ

Perinatal Cooperative and the Early Learning Network, Building Hearts and Minds is a free, fun event to track your child’s developmental milestones! Learn about how your child talks, plays, learns, and interacts with their world.

Event will take place on

February 8th

from

10 AM

to

1PM

at the Early Learning Network at Center For Family Services in Camden City.

To register, contact the Camden County Department of Children’s Services at (856) 583-0226, email

Amy.Schmidt@camdencounty.com

or RSVP

online here

.

Transgender State Workers Sue Florida Demanding Support for Sex-Change Surgeries

Tom Fitton JudicialWatch.org

Around the country, and now in Florida, “transgender” activists are demanding all of us to pay for their sex-change surgeries.

Corruption Chronicles

has the

details

:

CNBNews graphics

In what appears to be a growing national trend, another public enterprise is being sued for failing to pay for transgenders’ costly sex-change surgery. The plaintiffs in this latest case are two veteran state workers—both men—in Florida who allege sex discrimination because the state’s insurance policy doesn’t cover surgical procedures to help make them women. One of them, Jami Claire, is a senior biological scientist at the University of Florida (UF), the state’s premier university, which is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The other, Kathryn Lane, is an attorney in the Tallahassee public defender’s office. Both men take hormones and undergo electrolysis to make them more feminine.

Now they want taxpayers in the Sunshine State to fund expensive surgeries to alter their genitals and face. Claire, who is 62 years old, and Lane, 39, claim to have gender dysphoria that requires gender-affirming care explicitly excluded by the state’s health insurance program, which covers more than 350,000 employees and dependents. “Gender dysphoria is a serious, but treatable, medical condition,” according to the federal

complaint

filed this week is U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. “Left untreated it can lead to debilitating distress, depression, anxiety, impairment of function, substance abuse, self-surgery to alter one’s genitals, or secondary sex characteristics, self-injurious behavior and even suicide.” That makes “gender-affirming care” medically necessary, the lawsuit says, adding that singling out transgender employees for unequal treatment constitutes “unlawful sex discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Equal Protection Clause.”

Claire, the UF scientist, is a Navy veteran who has been living as a female for more than two decades and has a “well-established social and professional identity as a woman,” the complaint says. In 1997 he was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and began taking hormones and undergoing electrolysis for hair removal. His wife and children disowned him and the “financial toll of the divorce” made gender-affirming treatments unaffordable so he stopped them until a few years ago. In 2016 Claire resumed gender affirmation treatments to “live authentically as a woman,” a medical necessity, the lawsuit says, because Claire experienced constant stress, anxiety, pain and anguish as a man. In 2018 Claire paid for a breast augmentation to feminize his body. Now he wants the state to pay for the surgical removal of his testicles, but his public insurance plan denied the procedure.

Lane, the attorney, also has a “well-established social and professional identity as a woman,” according to the complaint. He began experiencing gender dysphoria since the age of five but suppressed his “female identity” for many years, causing “severe depression and anxiety.” In 2012, Lane finally embraced his female identity and began hormone and facial/body hair removal treatments. Lane also began growing out the hair on his head to “be identified more easily as a female.” In 2015 he paid for breast augmentation surgery. The lawyer wants the state insurance plan to pay for an expensive cosmetic procedure known as “facial feminization surgery” essential to treating gender dysphoria. “Facial features play an important part in being recognized as a particular gender,” the lawsuit says. “The public’s ability to recognize an individual as transgender based on their facial features places that individual at risk of violence, harassment, and discrimination.”

Governments are increasingly being forced to pay for the pricey cosmetic treatments of transgender people who claim to be stuck in the wrong body. Thousands of dollars are annually spent to give transgender jail inmates nationwide hormone treatments, laser hair removal and makeup. In Massachusetts, a convicted murderer actually

sued

the Department of Corrections to pay for sex-change surgery. Last year a federal judge forced Wisconsin taxpayers to provide sex reassignment surgery and hormonal procedures for low-income transgender residents who get free medical care from the government. In his

ruling

, the federal judge wrote that Medicaid, the publicly funded insurance that covers 65.7 million poor people, cannot deny the medical treatment needs of those suffering from “gender dysphoria.” Officials estimate it will cost up to $1.2 million annually to provide transgender Medicaid recipients in the Badger State with treatments such as “gender confirmation” surgery, including elective mastectomies, hysterectomies, genital reconstruction and breast augmentation.

source JUDICIAL WATCH

What Microsoft 98-349 Exam Objectives Should You Master to Become a Certified Specialist? Practice Tests Know the Answer!

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(January 27, 2020)–Microsoft offers a wide range of certifications and exams for the IT professionals. By doing so, it contributes tremendously to the growth of the IT industry. Actually, Microsoft is a giant in it. This is evident from the fact that about 80 percent of computers all over the world are running on its operating system. That is why a specialist with the credential of this vendor will be in-demand in many organizations worldwide.

Microsoft 98-349, or Windows OS Fundamentals, is the recommended starting point in the IT-sphere. This article focuses on this exam and everything else that it entails, including its topics, recertification policy, prerequisites, preparation options, and so on. Let’s start with the basic information.

What is the Microsoft 98-349 exam?

The

Exam-labs.com

98-349 certification exam was published on April 13, 2011. All this time, this test has been very popular among employers and IT professionals, particularly those who manage application folders, files, and devices. Going by the look of things, this exam will continue to be a highly sought-after test for a long time. It is intended for home PC users, developers, academic information workers, and IT specialists. The 98-349 exam is also designed for those who are looking to be recognized as system analysts and system administrators. It is meant to certify one’s competency to understand, manage, and install the Windows operating system.

The Microsoft 98-349 certification exam consists of about 40-60 questions in total, and the time limit is 2 hours. The questions are of various types. Precisely, there are scenario-based and multiple-choice questions that are included in this test. The maximum score for this Windows OS

Fundamentals exam is 1000 points, and the passing score is 700

. The available languages: Russian, German, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), English, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean, Japanese, and Chinese (Simplified/Traditional).

What are the prerequisites for Microsoft 98-349 exam?

There are no official prerequisites for Microsoft 98-349. Although this gives anyone the opportunity to take this exam, it would be almost impossible to do well and achieve even the passing score without having prior knowledge of Windows fundamentals. Microsoft has stated it very clear on its website that the individuals considering this certification test should know the concepts of Windows OS.

The candidates are also advised to use study materials that Microsoft offers on its webpage. The resources are as follows: training courses, practice tests, study guides, videos. Apart from these official prep tools, there are also other verified resources such as braindumps and video tutorials that can be found on exam-Labs. This platform is one of the best places that provide students with up-to-date study materials.

What topics do you need to cover in Microsoft 98-349 exam?

The exam is based on 6 main knowledge domains, and each of them will cover about 15-20% of the whole test. So, all the topics are usually given the same prominence in the exam. These objectives should always act as the general guidelines for the applicants about what content the examiners are most likely to include in Microsoft 98-349. Let’s take a quick look at each topic. You can check the whole list with the details by visiting the certification webpage.

Understanding the operating system configuration

This is the first topic that is included in the Microsoft 98-349 certification exam. The questions from this objective test the students’ knowledge of a number of concepts, but the main ones include the usage and configuration of Control Panel options, desktop settings, native tools and applications, mobility settings, and management tools. It also covers administrative tools, profiles and display settings, file explorer settings, start menu, taskbar, notifications, Microsoft Edge, Hyper-V, MSCONFIG, Windows PowerShell, Sync Center, and more.

Installing and upgrading client systems

This is the second topic from which the questions are taken in the certification exam. This objective measures one’s ability to identify editions of Windows OS, understand installation types, identify the appropriate upgrade paths, and understand OS architecture, and so on. You should know how to identify and understand hardware and compatibility requirements, apps compatibility, kernel mode, user mode, 32-bit vs. 64-bit architecture, perform a clean install and upgrade via Windows Update.

Managing applications

Various concepts are being tested on this objective. The questions evaluate the candidates’ knowledge of configuring and understanding applications, antivirus settings, UAC, services start-up types, service dependencies, and service accounts. You should also know a thing or two about local and network apps, desktop apps, Windows SmartScreen and Store apps, standard user and administrative ones, Malicious Software Removal Tool and Windows Defender.

Managing folders and files

The questions on this topic cover various concepts. They basically verify the ability of the test takers to understand file systems, print and file sharing, encrypting files systems and BitLocker, and libraries. To master the skills, you need to understand NTFS, FAT32, and ReFS, and can be able to configure share permissions, file system permissions, HomeGroup settings, effective permissions, and print drivers.

Managing devices

The questions on this objective are designed to measure the individuals\’ ability in connecting devices, understanding storage, printing devices, and system devices, such as device management, video, devices, infrared input devices, and audio devices. You should master your knowledge of plug-and-play and Bluetooth devices, printers, device drivers, third-party software, disk types, OneDrive, and Device Manager.

Understanding operating system maintenance

The last topic area majorly tests if the candidates understand backup and recovery methods, maintenance tools, and know-how to configure updates. You need to learn about recovery drive, recovery boot options, system restore, safe mode options, task scheduler, disk cleanup, disk defragmenter, system information, Windows update options, roll back updates, and more.

Conclusion

The Microsoft 98-349 certification exam is an important step for your career growth. With the relevant credential, which is earned after clearing this test, you will be a highly sought-after IT professional. Remember that Exam-Labs will always partner with you on your journey to achieving high results. You can always rely on its training materials to help you prepare for your exams in two ticks.

Which countries allow online gambling casino

Gloucestercitynews.net (January 27, 2020)–If your country allows gambling in casinos, then lucky for you since you have a way of making money at the comfort of your home. Some countries do not allow online gambling, and therefore, if you are caught playing casino games in such countries, you will be charged according to the law. Therefore, before you embark on your online gambling, it is necessary to find out whether the country in which the casino is based allows gambling. In this article, I have combined a list of countries where online gambling is legal.

Why a casino doesn\’t legal in some countries

Regardless of whether gambling is legal or illegal in certain nations, there will always be gamblers. The main reason as to why some governments fail to legalize gambling is to protect the citizens from vice and making poor decisions. You must have heard of people who lost everything that they owned in gambling or some who have become addicts. Now, these are some of the things that governments try to protect by making casinos illegal. Professionals from

online casino real money

will help you identify some of the precautions that you should take to make a big win from gambling.

Canada

Canada has legalized gambling in some regions, while in others, it is illegal. Therefore, gambling regulations differ across the ten provinces. Each province has the mandate to regulate gambling activities, and hence, you need to familiarize yourself with the gambling rules in your province. The online casinos ought to follow the regulations set out by the governing province.

Australia and New Zealand

The Australian and New Zealand law have allowed their citizens to participate in online gambling activities. All that is required is for the casino operators to have gambling licenses, and they will be free to run their businesses in any part of the nation. However, the only form of gambling allowed in Australia is sports betting, auto-racing betting, and online lottery. In New Zealand, gambling is only legal if authorized by the Gambling Act 2003.

USA

The USA makes 70% of the players base on online gambling. The US federal law has legalized gambling. However, the law ensures to have certain restrictions when it comes to online and interstate gambling. This means that some gambling activities might be considered legal in one state, yet they are illegal in another state. Every state has the mandate to regulate gambling activities within its borders. Therefore, you need to play in a state where online gambling is legal.

South countries

Among the countries that allow online gambling in South America is Argentina. The country boasts some of the largest casinos across the world. There are over 80 casinos in Argentina, as well as approximately 12000 slots. The government regulations in Chile and Venezuela have legalized gambling. Brazil is among the southern countries that do not allow casino betting.

United Kingdom

The UK stands to be the nation with the best gambling rules. It allows gambling for any individual as long as they are above 18 years. Unlike other nations, the country does not charge any taxes on the amounts won from gambling. Therefore, this makes it a favorable place for gambling in online casinos. Their online gambling regulations ensure that the players have a fair and safe gambling environment.

The grey areas of online gambling

Online gambling falls into the grey area because it is difficult to regulate its operations in countries where gambling has been legalized. For instance, most of the players do it from home hence making it difficult to convict them. Also, the servers are located in countries that have legalized gambling.

In turn, their websites run in different parts of the world. People take casino licenses and end up running their activities in areas where gambling is restricted.

Other European countries

Following the boom of the gambling business, most of the European countries have legalized gambling. Hence, as long as you are in such countries, you can pop up in any legal casinos and play with real money. They believe that gambling helps in the growth of the economy. Some of those countries include Hungry, Malta, Portugal, Norway, Spain, France, Germany, Netherland, Gibraltar, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Russia, Belgium, and Switzerland.

Asia

The gambling laws in Asia allows business people to run gambling platforms such as online casinos. Countries such as Kazakhstan, Philippines, and Japan have fully legalized gambling. Besides, countries such as Thailand, China, Macao, and Singapore partly allow people to gamble. In India, gambling is only allowed in the states of Goa and Sikkim. As well, some Indian states have legalized scratch card games.

Now that you have known where gambling is allowed, you do not have to fear being convicted for gambling. All you have to do is search for licensed casinos in such countries, and you will be free to gamble on your favorite games. Such casinos are a guarantee that you can play with real money and have a timely payment of your winnings.

The Cleanup of Gloucester City\’s Superfund Sites Continues; $384 Million Spent So Far

William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (January 26, 2020)–The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is continuing the cleanup of contaminants in Gloucester City that came from the defunct Welsbach Factory located at King and Essex Streets and the Delaware River. Presently the property is the home of the Gloucester Marine Terminal/Holt property.

The same area was also the home of Armstrong Cork for many years.

The EPA is preparing the plans to remove contaminants from the Gloucester Marine Terminal/Holt property at King And Essex Streets (gloucestercitynews.net photo)

The Welsbach factory manufactured gas mantles in Gloucester City from the 1890s to the 1940s. Using state-of-the-art technology at the time, the wicks for the gas lamps were dipped into radioactive thorium so they would “glow in the dark.”

The company, not knowing the thorium was radioactive, discarded the wicks throughout Gloucester City. A similar manufacturing company, General Gas Mantle, located in Camden City did the same with the waste coming from their plant.

Since 1999 the EPA has been removing the thorium at various sites such as the baseball and football fields on Johnson Blvd. The same cleanup process has been ongoing in Camden.

In 1980, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sponsored a flyover radiological survey in Gloucester City and Camden City. Based on the survey, the EPA investigated more than 1,000 properties surrounding the two former gas mantle facilities – Welsbach in Gloucester City and General Gas Mantle (GGM) in Camden City.

As for the upcoming work at the Gloucester Marine Terminal, a source told us that an above ground tank 42 feet in diameter and 16 foot tall was going to be erected at the site.

Elias Rodríguez,

Public Information Officer, Region 2, New York, was asked to explain the purpose of such a large structure.

A similar tank like this one will be erected on Gloucester Marine Terminal/Holt property (Gloucestercitynews.net files)

\”

You are likely referring to the tank for the groundwater treatment system. Groundwater treatment will be conducted using physical and chemical treatment processes. The final design of the groundwater treatment facility including the treatment equipment/tanks has not been completed. However, one of the tanks to be designed/constructed is expected to be an open tank and would be used as an emergency back-up storage tank. So, it would not regularly contain impacted groundwater.  In addition, the contaminants of concern are not ones where movement from the water to air is a concern,\” said Rodriquez.

\”

Construction of a groundwater treatment facility has been initiated and is part of existing work addressing excavation of radiologically contaminated soil at the port facility.  Water encountered during the soil excavations will require treatment/disposal and that necessitates the design/construction of the groundwater treatment facility,\” he said.

\”

The Holt Cargo/Gloucester Marine Terminal parking lot is the location of the groundwater treatment facility. The port is the location of the former Welsbach facility.  The former Welsbach facility operated from the turn of the century to roughly the 1940s and a waste by-product from their manufacture of gas lanterns contained low levels of radioactive material that was used as fill material in areas of Gloucester City and Camden City.  One of the remaining buildings on-site at the port facility is the Armstrong Building.\”

Rodriquez said

the Welsbach Company (Gloucester City) and GGM (Camden City) produced gas mantles from the late 1890s to 1941. The companies used radioactive elements in the production of the mantles to help them glow brighter when heated. In the early 1990s, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection found elevated levels of radiation at the site and in many residential areas. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in June 1996.

Cleanup activities completed to date include:

¨ Excavation/disposal of contaminated soil and waste materials from numerous properties in Gloucester City and Camden;

¨ The demolition/off-site disposal of the former GGM building in Camden;

¨ Cleanup of radiologically contaminated building surfaces in the Armstrong Building, the last standing building associated with the former Welsbach Company at the port in Gloucester City;

¨ Cleanup/restoration of the William Flynn Veterans Complex, which included rebuilding three baseball fields, a football practice field, and a parking area; and

¨ Cleanup/restoration of the Nicholson Road Sports Complex, which included restoration of three softball fields, a Little League baseball field, bathroom facilities, and a concession stand. Current cleanup activities include:

¨ Excavation/disposal of radiologically contaminated soil at fifteen locations at the port facility; and

¨ Relocation of utilities (e.g. electrical, gas, telecommunication) within the port facility to facilitate subsequent large excavation of radiologically contaminated soil.

The prime contractor for the groundwater treatment facility is APTIM Corp.

APTIM specializes in engineering, program management, environmental services, disaster recovery, complex facility maintenance, and construction services. They have offices in Philadelphia and New York City and throughout the United States and Canada.

https://www.aptim.com

The value of the groundwater treatment facility project being built at the marine terminal is estimated to be $7 million Rodriquez said.

According to Rodriquez a

n estimated $384 million has been spent for investigations and clean-up and that includes work in Camden and Gloucester City.

When asked how much longer will it take to finish the projects in Camden and Gloucester Cities Rodriquez said, \”The current projection for the complete cleanup of these two communities is 10 years.\”

From the EPA\’s

WELSBACH & GENERAL GAS MANTLE Superfund website;

To address long-term site risks, EPA has investigated close to 950 properties in Camden and Gloucester City and has completed the cleanup on 163 of the nearly 175 properties identified as contaminated. To date, EPA has excavated and disposed of more than 350,000 tons of radiologically contaminated soils and waste materials. These cleanups included removing about 105,000 tons of contaminated soil from Gloucester City Swim Club and adjacent residential properties; about 23,000 tons from the site of a Gloucester City middle school; 35,000 tons from residential properties along Highland Avenue and Klemm Boulevard in Gloucester City; more than 55,000 tons from the General Gas Mantle area in Camden, more than 16,000 tons from residential properties and wetlands areas along Temple Avenue in Gloucester City, and about 130,000 tons from the recreational properties along Johnson Boulevard in Gloucester City.

(See More)

RELATED:

Video (s): $25 Million Spent on EPA Cleanup of Johnson Blvd. Sports Complex

www.gloucestercitynews.net › clearysnotebook › 2009/08 › epa-to-ho…

GLOUCESTER CITY: EPA to Hold Meeting On Welsbach …

Aug 18, 2009 –

Road

. To better understand how the community uses these ball

fields

, EPA … EPA plans to begin the

cleanup

at the

Gloucester City

Land Preserve by early fall 2009. … be working on, plug in

Johnson

Boulevard,

Gloucester City

, NJ 08030. … and Common Council of

Gloucester City

(

gloucestercitynews

.

net

) …

source of graphics EPA

NJ State Legislature Environmental Bills for Monday

The following environmental legislation will be up in the state legislature on Monday, January 27, 2020.

Senate Community and Urban Affairs

S253 (Singleton): Requires public water systems to develop lead service line inventories and replace lead service lines.

“This legislation is important because it will help reduce lead levels in New Jersey drinking water. We need to know where the lead lines are, and then we need to replace them as soon as we can. This bill calls for ten years to replace lead service lines. We should really try to make this happen quicker. It is important that this bill specifies that utilities cannot pass on more than 25% of service line replacement costs to their customers. Water companies shouldn’t be profiteering from a problem they allowed to happen. There is a crisis in New Jersey as far as lead in drinking water is concerned. This legislation is a good start, but we need legislation with a shorter time period than ten years. We need to get this done and done now,” said Jeff Tittel of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

S320 (Rice): Requires contracts for sales of residential property to address lead service lines.

“We support this legislation because we have a serious problem with lead in New Jersey, and we have been dealing with this problem for far too long. Some places in the state are at crisis level, especially in areas that are poorer and urban. It is vital to make sure that water in properties that are for sale is safe enough to drink. Our children are being poisoned by lead in the water. It is important for the public to know what’s happening when it comes to lead in our drinking water systems. We need to protect our most precious resources – our children,” said Jeff Tittel.

S647 (Greenstein): Revises asset management and related reporting requirements in “Water Quality Accountability Act.”

“The bill is important to address the state’s crumbling water infrastructure. This legislation will not only require towns to come up with a mitigation plan to fix their water problems, however it will also require DEP to come up with rules to implement the Water Quality Accountability Act. It is critical for these assessments because it allows us to learn from them, where to fix certain programs, or what new laws or policies need to be implemented,” said Tittel.

Assembly Consumer Affairs

A1459 (Moriarty): Prohibits the sale of certain children\’s products containing lead, mercury, or cadmium.

“This legislation is critical to protect the health of our children. Children are at particular risk because of common development behaviors of biting, chewing or sucking on toys and other products containing metals like cadmium. Young children are at the greatest risk of health problems related to lead exposure, including serious brain and kidney damage,” said Tittel.

Assembly Commerce and Economic Development

A2204 (McKeon): Permits developer to qualify for low-interest loan from NJEDA when building a high performance green building.

“This legislation is important because it will help make green buildings a reality in New Jersey. Allowing green building projects to quality for low-interest loans will help reduce greenhouse gases in the state. This will also help stimulate New Jersey’s economy by creating jobs and promoting new industry. Jobs will be generated to produce the green building products and in construction. Building green infrastructure, including blue and green roofs, will help reduce flooding and mitigate climate impacts,” said Jeff Tittel.

A1653 (Quijano): Encourages development of zero-emission vehicle fueling and charging infrastructure in redevelopment projects.

“This legislation will stand in the way of New Jersey moving forward with electric vehicles. This bill encourages zero-emission vehicles, which are powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The only way to get hydrogen for these fuel cells is from natural gas. Instead of ZEVs, New Jersey needs to focus on increasing our sale and use of electric vehicles. New Jersey is one of the best states to utilize EV technology because most of our energy is already carbon free,” said Tittel.

Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens

S695 (Ruiz/Cryan): Requires DEP, DOH, DCA, owners or operators of public water systems, and owners or operators of certain buildings to take certain actions to prevent and control cases of Legionnaires\’ disease.

“It is important for the Legislature to make sure our water companies, cities, and state agencies are held accountable when it comes to the water we drink. There are too many problems in New Jersey from one county to the next, whether it is PFOAs, volatile organic chemicals, cyanobacteria, or legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s disease. For too long, New Jersey has failed to adequately protect its drinking water and is putting the public at risk. This is mainly due to DEP’s failure to enforce the Clean Water Act, “said Jeff Tittel. “We have serious water problems throughout the state when it comes to our drinking water. That is why we need to make sure that different water purveyors take actions to identify their problems and correct them,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

source NJ Sierra Club

SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA CELEBRATE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK 2020

The National Catholic Schools Week Theme:

“Catholic Schools:  Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed”

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will join in the national observance of Catholic Schools Week

January 26, 2020 – February 1, 2020. Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of the Christ-centered, faith-based education that students receive in the 119 elementary, 17 secondary, and 4 schools of special education in the five-county metropolitan area comprising the Archdiocese. The national theme for Catholic Schools Week is “Catholic Schools:   Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.”

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK CORNERSTONE EVENT

MOST REVEREND MICHAEL J. FITZGERALD TO CELEBRATE

MASS OF THANKSGIVING FOR DEDICATED TEACHERS

CELEBRATING MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES

Teachers who have dedicated their lives to the mission of Catholic education for 25 years or more than 50 years this academic year to be honored.

.

Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald, who oversees Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will be joined by senior leadership from the Office of Catholic Education as well as teachers who have dedicated their lives to the mission of Catholic education for 25 years or more than 50 years this academic year for a special Mass.

Friday, January 31, 2020

12:05 p.m.

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Chapel

18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Following Mass, Bishop Fitzgerald along with senior leadership from the Office of Catholic Education will join these teachers for a reception in recognition of their commitment to the school communities they have faithfully served.

1:00 p.m.

Archdiocesan Pastoral Center – Auditorium

222 North 17th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

The Mass and portions of the reception will be livestreamed on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Schools Facebook page

www.facebook.com/AOPSschools/

.

ADDITIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK EVENTS

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Saint Joseph/Saint Robert School; 850 Euclid Avenue, Warrington, PA 18976

9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

will host an Open House for prospective families on the opening day of Catholic Schools Week.

The school offers education from Pre-K through 8th grade. The school has an option for five half or full day Pre-K and Kindergarten. Applications are being accepted for all grades. Saint Joseph/Saint Robert 7th & 8th grade students will greet and act as tour guides for interested families.

Bishop Shanahan High School; 220 Woodbine Road, Downingtown, PA 19335 (Chester County)

10:00 a.m. (Mass)

will kick off Catholic Schools Week with a Mother/Son Mass and Communion Breakfast. The breakfast will be held at the Downingtown Country Club; 93 Country Club Drive, Downingtown, PA 19335. The school will also host its annual Father/Daughter dance on Saturday, January 25th from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. This year’s theme is, “Ties and Tiaras.”

Saint Norbert Catholic School; 6 Greenlawn Road, Paoli, PA 19301 (Chester County)

12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

During its Catholic Schools Week Open House, Saint Norbert Catholic School will welcome current and prospective school families for a tour of its school. Additionally, the school will showcase its students work and the lessons they tackle in their classrooms each day with the instruction of their teachers.  Saint Norbert, Upper School’s curriculum is bolstered through 1:1 computing and the use of iPads daily in the classroom and at home, with iPads provided to each Lower School classroom to complement traditional learning approaches.  In 2019, Saint Norbert 8th graders earned $249,000 in scholarships to archdiocesan and private high schools.

Saint Dorothy Catholic School;  1225 Burmont Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026 (Delaware County)

11:30 a.m. (Mass); 12:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Open House)

Saint Dorothy Catholic School’s  celebration of Catholic Schools Week begins with a special Mass on Sunday, January 26 at 11:30 a.m. Following the conclusion of Mass, current and prospective families are invited to tour the school, view student work, and meet the faculty. Additionally, the school’s Book Fair will be open between the 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. Masses.

Saint Albert the Great Catholic School; 214 Welsh Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 18976 (Montgomery County)

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

To showcase its students array of strengths in STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art, and Math), Saint Albert the Great is kicking off Catholic Schools Week with a “Showcase of Excellence.”  The hallways will be filled with it student projects and live demonstrations by students. Visitors will be able to see all the hard work students have put in, so far, for the 2019-2020 school year.

Saint Peter the Apostle Church (Shrine of Saint John Neumann); 1019 North 5th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123

9:30 a.m.

Saint Peter the Apostle School will celebrate the Opening of Catholic Schools Week with a Mass at the Saint Peter the Apostle Church, home to the Shrine of Saint John Neumann. Saint John Neumann is one of two local saints in Philadelphia and the founder of the first Catholic School System in America. Immediately following Mass, the school will have refreshments in the Atrium.  Many school families will take part in the Mass and students will assist with the liturgical celebration.

Archbishop Wood Catholic High School; 655 York Road, Warminster, PA 18974 (Bucks County)

2:00 p.m.

For over 30 years, Archbishop Wood has sponsored an “Elementary School Writing Contest” and for the past two decades the awards ceremony takes place on the Sunday of Catholic Schools Week.

In November, writing prompts were sent to all of the surrounding elementary schools. Students were invited to submit an essay. Hundreds of submissions were received and three winners from each grade were selected.  During the Awards Ceremony, the winners will be invited to read their essay. Five eighth grade winners will be selected and two of these winners will receive a $500 scholarship to attend Archbishop Wood for the 2020-2021 academic year. Members of The National Honor Society of Archbishop Wood judged the essays. At the Awards Ceremony, the president of the National Honor Society will also addresses the assembly. Families of participants are invited to attend as well.  Each winner will receive a certificate and a gift card.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Our Lady of Good Counsel School; 611 Knowles Avenue, Southampton, PA 18966 (Bucks County)

8:00 a.m.

Our Lady of Good Counsel School will open its doors on what it has deemed “Parent Appreciation Day” for an Open House.  The school is inviting all parents and guardians to visit with their sons and daughters in their daily learning environment and see students putting their learned skills in STREAM curriculum into action.

Saint Elizabeth Catholic School; 120 Saint Elizabeth Drive, Chester Springs, PA 19425 (Chester County)

11:15 a.m.

Students in fourth through eighth grades will have the opportunity to compete in the school-wide annual spelling bee in the school gymnasium.

Archbishop John Carroll High School and Saint Katherine Day School (Radnor Site); 211 Matson Ford Road, Radnor, PA 19087 (Delaware County)

9:10 a.m.

Archbishop John Carroll High School

and

Saint Katherine Day School

(Radnor Site)

will open Catholic Schools Week with a school wide, student led Mass and Community Service Award vote.

Holy Rosary Regional Catholic School; 3040 Walton Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462 (Montgomery County)

1:30 p.m.

On “Patriotic Day” at the school, the Holy Rosary Community will welcome Command Sergeant Major Edward Pfannensteil, who is traveling from his base in Germany to speak with students.  He will thank them and explain how much the 1,000 stockings students, faculty, and staff filled with food for his troops at Christmas meant to the soldiers.  He will also present the school community with a token of appreciation. Students have prepared several patriotic songs, speeches, and poems to fit with the theme of the event.

Blessed Trinity Regional Catholic School; 3033 Levick Street, Philadelphia, PA 19149

9:00 a.m.

The Blessed Trinity School community in Northeast Philadelphia will hold its 6th annual “Community Helpers” breakfast.  They have invited members of the community to the school to thank them for serving and keeping the students safe throughout out the school year.  Representatives of the15th and 2nd Police Districts of the Philadelphia Police Department as well as Engine 52 of the Philadelphia Fire Department will be on-hand. Additionally, school crossing guards and other members of the community who provide support to the school will be shown appreciation by the students through songs, poems, and other tokens of thanks. Many parents and grandparents of students at Blessed Trinity are first-responders.

Father Judge High School for Boys; 3301 Solly Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19136

8:45 a.m.

During a school-wide Mass,

the “Salesian 7 Awards” will be presented to five deserving members of the senior class. These students exemplify the “Salesian 7” virtues, which reflect the moral teachings of Jesus as practiced and promoted by the school’s Patron, Saint Francis de Sales:  Respect yourself and others, Recognize your unique gifts and talents, Be patient with everyone, especially yourself, Be gentle as you go through your day, Be grateful – appreciate all that life offers, Be positive – approach life with an optimistic attitude, and Be confident – believe in yourself.  During this ceremony, the “Salesian Achievement Award” will also be presented to two deserving faculty members.

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Saint Bernadette of Lourdes School; 1015 Turner Avenue, Drexel Hill, PA 19026

8:00 a.m.

Cardinal O\’Hara High School student and Saint Bernadette Alum, Liam Walsh, will be presenting 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Theresa MacIntosh,  the Cardinal O\’Hara High School “Excelsior Award” at 8am during a morning gathering in front of the student body.

Saint Dominic Catholic School; 8510 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia 19136

1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.

Saint Dominic students will spend the day “Celebrating Our Students” by holding a spirit-wear and school colors dress down day as well as an afternoon social among students through games of skill for older students and toy sharing for younger students.

Cardinal O’Hara High School, 1701 South Sproul Road, Springfield, PA (Delaware County)

9:10 a.m.

Cardinal O’Hara will hold its Student Council Induction Mass and Reception for members of the student leadership who assist with activities and projects within the school community throughout the year.

Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls; 1000 W Lycoming St, Philadelphia, PA 19140

8:15 a.m.

During Catholic Schools Week, Little Flower will honor its alumnae with a token of appreciation at the school Liturgy.  Each alumnae in attendance will be given a rose by current students.  Additionally, faculty and staff will display photos.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School; 815 Cathedral Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128

8:30 a.m.

The entire student body of Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) will gather for a special Catholic Schools Week Mass. Students will serve as lectors, altar servers, gift bearers, and cantors.   Additionally, the student council will show the schools appreciation for its adult volunteers including bus drivers and crossing guards.

Presentation BVM Catholic School; 105 Old Soldiers Road, Cheltenham, PA 19012 (Montgomery County)

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Students will take part in an

American Society of Civil Engineers STREAM activity.  Prior to the start of the activity, students in grades kindergarten through eight  will see a slide presentation on, \”What is Civil Engineering\” and have the opportunity to take part in a Q&A to learn more on the topic. Students will work as a class on the “Slender Tower Challenge.” Participants will draw out a tower and using materials will build from the plan. The culmination of the activity will be measuring the tall towers.

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Saint Agnes School, 211 West Gay Street, West Chester, PA 19380 (Chester County)

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (Grades 1-4)

1:10 p.m. – 2:35 p.m. (Grades 5-8)

Students will “Celebrate Vocations,” the national theme for Thursday, with a Career Day.  Students will dress to impress emulating a career they may like to hold in the future.   Additionally, students will have the opportunity to learn more about vocations and careers from adults in various fields of work.

Pope John Paul II High School; 181 Rittenhouse Rd, Royersford, PA 19468 (Montgomery County)

1:45 p.m.

Pope John Paul II High School will celebrate a Winter Sports Pep Rally recognizing student athletes competing in Winter Sports including basketball, swimming, and wrestling.

Friday, January 31, 2020

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK CORNERSTONE EVENT

MOST REVEREND MICHAEL J. FITZGERALD TO CELEBRATE

MASS OF THANKSGIVING FOR DEDICATED TEACHERS

CELEBRATING MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES

Teachers who have dedicated their lives to the mission of Catholic education for 25 years or more than 50 years this academic year to be honored.

.

Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald, who oversees Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, will be joined by senior leadership in the Office of Catholic Education as well as teachers who have dedicated their lives to the mission of Catholic education for 25 years or more than 50 years this academic year for a special Mass.

Friday, January 31, 2020

12:05 p.m.

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Chapel

18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Following Mass, Bishop Fitzgerald along with senior leadership from the Office of Catholic Education will join these teachers for a reception in recognition of their commitment to the school communities they have faithfully served.

1:00 p.m.

Archdiocesan Pastoral Center – Auditorium

222 North 17th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

The Mass and portions of the reception will be livestreamed on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Schools Facebook page

www.facebook.com/AOPSschools/

.

# # #

Step by Step Procedure of How to Replace Your Water Softener Resin Bed (Video)

Gloucestercitynews.net (January 25, 2020)–The primary role of your water softener resin bed is to convert hard water into soft water. It does this by exchanging hard ions for sodium ions. After long use of your water softener resin bed, you may have recently noticed that the machine is not performing its task as expected.

There are many reasons why this happens. Some of the reasons include exposure to chlorinated waters, contamination from visible algae growth, excess fine sand, and foul smell. Whichever the reason, your water resin bed needs a replacement. Here is a simple guide on how to

replace a water softener resin bed on a budget

.

Diagnose the issue

You cannot begin replacing your resin bed without confirming if it has become damaged or not. As a result, the first step of replacing your machine is by conducting a test that proves a problem with the resin bed. To check if your water resin bed has a problem, clean it using iron removal chemicals. After this, proceed to pour your hard water, and if it runs out of soft water quickly or even worse, do not produce soft water, follow the step below.

Remove the old water softener resin bed

Various fasteners are holding the valve head to the bypass valve. Remove these fasteners to allow easier removal of the entire unit. Remember to become keen with the O-rings for the faster reinstallation of the new unit.

Fix the new unit using a new riser tube and resin

Please place a new riser tube in the freshwater softener resin bed but ensure it has an equal height to the previous one. From here, proceed to put the new resins in the tank and then fix the new unit into the location of the old water softener resin bed. Ensure that you correctly fix the screws to avoid problems with your new unit. While pouring the resins, use a resin funnel and seek help from a friend as this part is always tricky and can get messy.

Things to keep in mind before replacing your water softener resin bed

The entire process takes about four hours. Also, essential equipment for the replacements includes a funnel, gravel, new resins, four in one screwdriver, and a riser tube. It becomes recommended that you settle for quality products. Usually, these high-quality products are expensive but get the work done. The main reason they become recommended despite their high price is to have the water softener resin bed serving you for an extended period without any complications.

Conclusion

There is a low chance that the procedure may turn out negative. If this is what you end up experiencing, consider seeking help from a licensed professional plumber. However, keep in mind that this will cost you an estimated $150. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that the above economical

procedure for replacing the water softener resin bed

will fail.

FBI History: The Volstead Act

Capitol Police catch up to bootleggers in a 1922 car chase. Photo credit: Library of Congress.

For some, it was the start of a “great experiment” that would free society from the ills of demon alcohol. For other Americans, it was a time to mourn the loss of an integral part of their lives and social cultures.

For another group—those willing to violate the law—Prohibition was a chance to grow rich and live the high life at the expense of law and order.

A century ago this January, the Volstead Act authorized the federal government to ban the manufacture and sale of intoxicating beverages.

The Bureau of Investigation (BOI)—the FBI’s predecessor—had already been investigating certain liquor-related matters. During World War I, the Bureau helped enforce the Selective Service Act, which included sections aimed at keeping American soldiers dry so they would be fit for fighting. In the Alaskan territories, the BOI worked with Canadian law enforcement to intercept smuggled booze. And as the Volstead Act started to go into effect, it pursued these new criminal violations as well.

As Prohibition really kicked off, the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Internal Revenue took over enforcement duties, supported by BOI where the Bureau of Internal Revenue was stretched thin.

By the end of the first six months of Prohibition, BOI special agents had conducted investigations that led to the arrests of 269 people for violations of federal prohibition laws and reported an additional 334 possible violators to the Bureau of Internal Revenue for further investigation.

Over the next several years, the BOI found that prohibition violations often involved other crimes. In one case, the Detroit Field Office investigated a Michigan sheriff’s office where four deputies and two former deputies participated in a fake raid to steal bootlegged alcohol for themselves. Bureau agents secured their arrest—and a large supply of contraband booze smuggled in from Canada. All the deputies received fines and jail time.

The Bureau’s emergency role in enforcing the Volstead Act also led to significant cases. In Savannah, over the course of 1922, more than 50 agents were called in to investigate a large-scale conspiracy to violate prohibition laws. By the summer of 1924, 142 people had been sentenced for criminal violations related to the case.

By the end of the first six months of Prohibition, Bureau of Investigation special agents had conducted investigations that led to the arrests of 269 people for violations of federal prohibition laws.

The BOI also found that when they investigated the ownership of cars seized in bootlegging operations, some of the cars had been stolen. And of all the criminal matters linked to prohibition, fugitives were the most significant concern as the Bureau worked with the U.S. Marshals and others to track bootleggers who went on the lam.

Impersonation of a federal officer was another problem as criminals would sometimes represent themselves as federal officers to extort money or otherwise threaten their fellow-criminals or members of the general public. A few deeply corrupt individuals, like Gaston Means, used their legitimate connections to the federal government to conduct criminal work.

Means had a long record of unsavory and unlawful actions even before Prohibition—he was accused of spying for Germany, he was suspected of murdering a widow and forging her will (which left him a sizable inheritance), and he was a close and shady confidant of U.S. Attorney General Harry Daugherty.

Gaston Means in 1924. Photo credit: Library of Congress.

With this connection, Means became a Bureau agent in 1921 and was soon using his position to extort significant sums of cash from bootleggers in return for promises of using his influence to get them out of jail. When J. Edgar Hoover took over in the Bureau in 1924, Means was shown the door. He came back to the Bureau’s attention in 1932, though, when he swindled a wealthy Florida woman. His false promise to her to find Charles Lindbergh’s son, who was

kidnapped in March of that year

, landed him in to jail.

In 1927, Congress moved prohibition enforcement to the Department of Justice, creating a Bureau of Prohibition that stood apart from the Bureau of Investigation. Although better organized, this new law enforcement body struggled to keep up. Too many people wanted a drink, too many people were willing to supply that drink, and too much violence and corruption followed.

Prohibition agents like Eliot Ness sought to bring down the bootleggers but had limited success. Despite Ness’ famed hunt for Al Capone, it was the IRS that

arrested the notorious bootleg

king of Chicago. The Bureau played a minor, but

important, role in the matter

, too.

At the end of 1933, Congress passed the 21st Amendment to repeal prohibition. The Bureau of Prohibition, with its more than a thousand investigators, was no longer needed. The attorney general considered integrating them into the Bureau of Investigation, but Hoover convinced him that such a move would destroy the BOI and the work it had made to reform itself since the problematic days of the mid-1920s.

And Ness? Like his fellow prohibition agents, Ness was offered the chance to apply to Hoover’s Bureau. And, like his fellow-agents, he was told that he would have to start as a new agent and complete the extensive required training.

Ness, understandably, wanted to enter BOI in a leadership role, but when he was overheard trying to see if political supporters in Washington would back his plea, Hoover

marked his application “unacceptable.\”

Resources

The FBI and the American Gangster, 1924-1938

Famous Cases and Criminals: Lindbergh Kidnapping

Solving Scareface: How the Law Finally Caught Up with Al Capone

Famous Cases and Criminals: Al Capone

A Byte Out of History: Eliot Ness