october 11, 2022Updated: Oct. 13, 2022 6:32pm

Opened in 1927, the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite is one of the “great lodges” of the US National Parks system. Many guests have reported strange happenings on the hotel’s sixth floor. (Courtesy of Yosemite National Park Service/MCT)

Handout, HO/MCT

The famous 95-year-old Ahwahnee Hotel at Yosemite National Park will be closed for 8 weeks at the beginning of 2023 for seismic upgrades, according to the park.

The $31.6 million project — funded by the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020 — consists of a major seismic upgrade throughout the hotel as well as a kitchen renovation, according to a Yosemite National Park press release. Kitchen project work is currently underway and the seismic safety upgrade will begin near the end of the year.

“The Ahwahnee is a crown jewel of national park lodges” said Cicely Muldoon, Yosemite National Park superintendent. “This much-needed work will ensure the Ahwahnee is seismically safe for present and future generations of Yosemite visitors.”

The seismic support upgrade will focus on bracing the chimneys and support walls, replacing window frames and dining room glass in high use visitor areas, the release added. The current central cooling system will also be updated along with improvements to the fireplace.

The Ahwahnee — which opened in 1927, contains 97 guest rooms and 24 cottages — will be closed for reservations from Jan. 2 till March 2 and will not be accepting reservations during that time due to the construction.

Famous visitors to the historic park have included presidents and international dignitaries such as John F. Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth II.

Joel Umanzor (he/him) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: joel.umanzor@sfchronicle.com

Joel Umanzor joined The San Francisco Chronicle as a breaking news reporter in 2022. A 2021-2023 Hearst Fellow, he was previously a breaking news reporter on The Houston Chronicle’s Metro desk.

Originally from Richmond, Calif., Umanzor graduated from San Francisco State University in 2021. When not in the newsroom or chasing down a source, he can be found painting, listening to hip-hop or watching sports.

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Tiger King star Allen Glover is detained at the Beaufort County Detention Center in South Carolina after being arrested for driving an open container, driving with a license revoked and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The BC sheriff’s department pulled the former handyman from Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park Wednesday at 10 p.m. due to a “defect in his vehicle,” according to TMZ.

Allen – whose first prison term was at the age of 18 – was arrested in the parking lot of a strip club in Valley Brook, OK, just 14 months earlier for a DUI not driving.

Caught! Tiger King star Allen Glover is detained at the Beaufort County Detention Center in South Carolina after being arrested for driving an open container, driving with a license revoked and driving under the influence of alcohol

Joe “Exotic” Maldonado Passage famously paid Glover $ 3,000 to cut off the head of his archenemy – Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin – but he never intended to.

The 58-year-old former roadside zoo owner then offered an undercover FBI agent $ 10,000 to “follow the 60-year-old big cat rights activist into a mall parking lot and just lock her up and drive off.”

Joe spent the last three years in Grady County Jail in Chickasha, OK; but the Denver 10th District Court of Appeals ruled on July 14 that his 22-year sentence was reduced to 17 for technical reasons.

Maldonado Passage regularly updates fans on social media about his legal path to obtain a pardon and fully challenge his conviction.

Remember him The BC sheriff’s department pulled the former Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park craftsman Wednesday at 10pm because of a “defect in his vehicle.”

Mug shot 2020: Allen – whose first jail time was at the age of 18 – was arrested in the parking lot of a strip club in Valley Brook, OK, just 14 months earlier for a DUI not driving

Key witness: Joe ‘Exotic’ Maldonado-Passage famously paid Glover $ 3,000 to cut off the head of his arch enemy, Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin (R), but he never intended to

“The truth will land in President Biden’s lap. Thanks to Jeff [Lowe] for giving out everything he recorded while Agent Bryant and Amanda Green were obstructing justice, committed perjuries and conspired to kidnap me, ”the openly gay polygamist with guns wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

“And Carole and Howard” [Baskin] are right in the middle. Thanks Jeff, James [Garretson], and Allen [Glover]. Now let’s add [John Reinke] to my witnesses and we got that done. Even my oldest brother performed. Pity [my ex-‘husband’] John Finlay doesn’t. ‘

Joe’s attorney, John M. Phillips, posted a video Tuesday of meeting her “secret weapon,” Jeff Lowe, who briefly took over Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park.

Joe’s mug shot from 2018: The 58-year-old former roadside zoo owner (pictured) then offered an undercover FBI agent $ 10,000 to follow the 60-year-old big cat rights activist “into a parking lot in a mall and simply cover her and “drive away”

‘I’m Done with the Carole Baskin Saga’: Joe spent the last three years in Grady County Jail in Chickasha, OK; but the Denver 10th District Court of Appeals ruled on July 14 that his 22-year sentence was reduced to 17 for technical reasons

“The truth will fall into President Biden’s lap.”

“#Freejoeexotic”: Joe’s attorney John M. Phillips (L) posted a video on Tuesday in which he meets her “secret weapon” Jeff Lowe (R), who briefly took over the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park

Despite its myriad of flaws, Maldonado Passage is certainly a colorful character who ran for both president and governor of Oklahoma in 2016.

Meanwhile, Hedwig and the Angry Inch’s John Cameron Mitchell is working hard on the Australian set of the limited Peacock series Joe Exotic, which is also streamed on NBC and USA Network.

Kate McKinnon of SNL produces and plays Carole Baskin alongside Dennis Quaid, Kyle MacLachlan, William Fichtner, Brian Van Holt, Joel Marsh Garland, Dean Winters and Lex Mayson.

Spin-off series is coming: Meanwhile, John Cameron Mitchell of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (pictured on Jan.

Accumulation of over 34 million viewers! Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness ranked first on Netflix’s Top 10 Most-Streamed Netflix Lists for 25 days between March and April 2020

Here, Kitty Kitty: The eight-part documentary series by directing duo Eric Goode & Rebecca Chaikli really became a pop culture phenomenon in the age of COVID-19 quarantine, spawning a number of spin-offs

Justin Tipping directs the series’ first four episodes based on 2020 Robert Moors Wondery podcasts, Joe Exotic and Over My Dead Body.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness ranked # 1 on Netflix’s top 10 most-streamed list for 25 days in a row between March and April 2020 – with over 34 million viewers.

The eight-part documentaries by directing duo Eric Goode & Rebecca Chaikli became a real pop culture phenomenon in the age of COVID-19 quarantine and spawned a number of spin-offs.

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“A lot of stress, a lot of crying from the start,” said Maria.

In April, she paid moving companies to move her belongings to her new home in Wake County.

“They answered me a couple of times. They said the stuff would be loaded on the truck in two or three days, but that was a month and a half ago,” she said.

During their stay in California, Maria and her husband received a binding move estimate from the Florida-based company Alliance Moving & Storage.

“They seemed a lot cheaper, they called us $ 2,500,” she said.

When it was time to move, the movers didn’t show up on the scheduled date, and when they finally showed up, only one man from Deluxe Moving from New York showed up with a new contract, and the price of the move jumped from $ 2,500 to more than $ 5,800.

“Because we were so close to our moving date, we felt we had no other options and just do what they said,” said Maria.

Maria said it took the one man from Deluxe Moving 10 hours to get all of his belongings into the truck and his floor was damaged in the process.

Eventually everything was loaded into the truck and Maria flew to Wake County with her husband and moved into her house in April, expecting Deluxe Moving to deliver everything.

However, it is now four months later and they are still waiting.

She said when her husband called Deluxe Moving to get an update, “they told him they were loading the truck this weekend and now they say they will be loading it in a week.”

Frustrated with nothing of her belongings, Maria contacted the troubleshooter Diane Wilson.

Wilson approached both companies.

Alliance Moving & Storage said that it is only the broker, not the actual carrier, and as stated in the contract, it is not responsible for anything against the carrier. They apologized as brokers and said they would continue to stand up for Maria. A representative added that due to this and other complaints related to the Deluxe Moving Group, Alliance terminated its agreement with the carrier.

As for Deluxe Moving, after several attempts, Wilson finally got a rep on the phone who said they were facing a driver shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic and claimed their goods were on the way.

Maria says she’s been hearing that for months.

“Not all hope is lost, but I would just say 95% of hope is lost,” she said.

Hopefully the movers will get through, but Maria is about to file an insurance claim.

She is not alone. Wilson has heard of other families facing the same situation when they move.

To prevent this from happening to you, get several estimates. If a price is too good to be true, that’s a red flag.

Next, do your research, read reviews, and see if the mover is licensed. If you are moving within the state, contact the North Carolina Utilities Commission at (919) 733-7766 or online to access the list of certified moving companies. You can also ask the commission if it has any complaints against the company. If you’re moving from one state to another, the US Department of Transportation’s website can help you find registered and insured moving companies and check for complaints.

Once you’ve chosen a moving company, take a close look at the contract and you will receive everything in writing, including the price and possible changes, as well as the pick-up and delivery dates. Finally, try paying with a credit card to protect your move.

Copyright © 2021 WTVD-TV. All rights reserved.

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Austin City Council conducted a public safety review of the downtown entertainment district this summer. (Ben Thompson / Community Impact Newspaper)

Almost four months after about a dozen visitors were injured and one man was killed in a shooting on East Sixth Street, Austin public safety officials say they are making progress on targeted downtown safety initiatives that the city council announced this summer has advanced.

The June 12 shooting and other incidents of violence along the East Sixth earlier this year resulted in a security review in the downtown area and its crowded nightlife and live music scene, which began in the spring. Kathie Tovo, councilor for District 9, which includes the Sixth Street entertainment sector, said days after the incident she would speak to city officials and first responders to find a way forward while other councilors stepped up measures like one Gun violence enforcement called for adjustments to the staffing of ambulance services and police in response.

These talks continued in July when the council unanimously endorsed a Tovo-backed resolution outlining new planning and precautionary measures for the Sixth Street entertainment district – defined in the document as that of Congress Avenue and I-35 between Fifth Street and Seventh Street limited area.

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Citing several previous security reports in the area, the resolution cited the county’s numerous shootings and the often noisy crowd that created “the perception of an unsafe and volatile environment” that should be investigated over months. Several guidelines and recommendations have been established with consecutive deadlines of August 30th, September 30th and October 30th.

While the city failed to submit a progress report after the August marker, Police Chief Joseph Chacon and Development Services Director Denise Lucas released a joint memo on October 5 describing how officials have so far approached the council-ordered process. The process will be overseen by a new city team made up of representatives from the Austin Police, Fire, Transportation, and Code departments, as well as Austin Energy, the Austin-Travis County’s City Heritage Department, and EMS. The partnership was established on August 16.

Other measures the Austin Police Department has taken over the past few months include expanding the downtown violence intervention program and a large-scale training exercise near the location where the shooting took place in June.

First responders conducted a live training exercise along Sixth Street in August. (Ben Thompson / Community Impact Newspaper)

Planning for a safer road

According to the update from Chacon and Lucas in early October, the work of the cross-departmental team is in full swing. The couple provided status reports on nine main policies and said more action and information can be expected this fall.

One of the most visible changes in recent times has resulted from the council’s call for “dramatically brighter rooms” in the area. In response, Austin Energy has upgraded 64 street lights on north-south streets and alleys of Sixth and is conducting a lighting study that could fundamentally change the lighting along the corridor. The team also talks to business owners about lighting and whether outside barriers or seating areas could improve traffic flow during weekend peak hours.

The strategy of nightlife in major cities at home and abroad could also determine Austin’s next steps. The city team’s first few months of work included discussions with other cities about how they deal with safety in entertainment districts. With multiple contacts in the books, Chacon and Lucas said perspectives from officials in New York; Las Vegas; San Francisco; Seattle; Orlando; Arlington, Virginia; and Sydney, Australia, are shared with the council.

It also searches for a place to be used as a public safety area. The need for a special post for EMS and other first responders to congregate on Sixth was highlighted after the June shooting by Selena Xie, president of the Austin EMS Association, who said the lack of such a location delayed downtown in the face of delays Prone to response times and difficulty makes ambulances and staff navigate through chaotic crowds.

“Austin was actually very lucky that there were no more victims,” ​​Xie said in June.

Although a staging area has not yet been identified, officials said planning was ongoing and the site will host a new rescue task force of EMS and Austin Fire Department medics and APD officials to “reach, treat, and service patients as needed to free”. Separately, the city could also consider a licensing program that would require local company employees to undergo safety training to improve coordination between staff and first responders.

The regular impact of alcohol along the corridor was also highlighted when the council asked staff to review whether underage drinking is still a problem there – the team found it is – and with the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission to work together to reduce the number of under 21s who show up on weekends. Officials said a joint effort by APD and TABC on Sept. 2 targeted underage drinkers and fake IDs, and the two agencies will work together on similar work in the future.

Chacon and Lucas said progress updates on many of the issues tracked by the security partnership will be presented to the city council later this month. The final deadline set in the Council Decision also instructs the relevant departments to start working on a “Nightlife Management Plan”, reviewing their responses to mass accidents and examining whether reopening the corridor to vehicle traffic on weekends could be a positive change – a stronger split concept in the council gallery than it was presented in the summer.

The team is also tasked with talking to property owners about land use along the strip, which is currently littered with bars, clubs, music venues and restaurants, and whether new regulations could “make more diverse use” of the street. Another report to the Council is expected at the end of the month.

“Staff continue to work together to address the items outlined in this resolution and look forward to providing updated information on progress,” said Chacon and Lucas.

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The San Francisco Opera will return to the stage of the War Memorial Opera House on Saturday for the first time since December 2019, a pandemic-induced break that has robbed opera fans of their personal highs for around 20 months.

The opera celebrates its return with a five-performance symbolic performance of Tosca, its first production when it opened in the newly constructed war memorial building in 1932 during the depths of the Great Depression.

“Here we have another huge crisis behind us,” said Tosca director Shawna Lucey, “and we will reopen the opera house with this beloved title.”

On Wednesday the war memorial opened to the strangers of those times to a strange sight; Guests come to fill the seats for Tosca’s final dress rehearsal. The lights dimmed and the curtain rose as the audience settled in for a drama that seemed like a welcome escape from the drama they have been through for nearly two years.

“There is this human need to be together, right?” Lucey said, “To be together and experience rituals together, and theater is a ritual that we experience together.”

This time the ritual had a slightly different feeling as the guests wear masks and have to show proof of a Covid vaccination. It all seemed to subside when the orchestra kicked in and the singers took the stage.

The performance was more than just dusting off a worn-out opera classic. Apart from the fact that the kinks of the technical systems and the new Covid protocols were worked out, it was also the debut of the new music director Eun Sun Kim in the opera house. On Wednesday she waved her baton vigorously and spoke the words of passages in Tosca with her mouth, with Italian being one of the six languages ​​she speaks.

“The music is phenomenal, it’s passionate,” said Lucey. “It is absolutely relatable, the story itself is absolutely convincing.”

While the opera house was closed for long periods of time, it did not go without activity. During the downtime, the company’s craftsmen built a new stage for the Fidelio opera, which could be used both indoors and outdoors. The opera took advantage of this versatility by taking advantage of the new stage during a limited performance by Barber Of Seville that was staged outside the drive-in at Marin’s Civic Center.

The costume store workers also took advantage of the production break to sew leftover costume fabrics for charities – and even worked with a UCSF doctor to develop a special Covid fabric mask that allowed the company’s cast members to be safe singing together.

And in a development that any patron’s hindquarters will likely appreciate, the opera replaced the war memorial’s 90-year-old seats for the first time.

“Seating comfort has come a long way in ninety years,” said Matthew Shilvock, Director General of the Opera, with a smile.

Like everyone else involved in the production, Shilvock was euphoric to see the guests again in those new seats that breathed life back into the venerable opera house – and sparked thunderous applause as the sad story came to an end.

“There’s nothing better than going back to this building, seeing the full orchestra in the pit, the full choir on stage,” said Shilvock, “and just feeling this huge onslaught of emotions and sounds approaching you.”

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The city of San Francisco, in partnership with the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), has announced that it will grant 130 local artists $ 1,000 per month for six months as the arts scene there and around the world continues amid the ongoing Covid- 19 crisis. Funding, which comes from a $ 870,000 city scholarship approved by the San Francisco Arts Commission late last year, is administered by the YBCA and is open to individuals in all areas of the arts including the visual arts, music, dance, creative writing, Film, theater and art education. Applications are accepted by April 15, recipients will be notified by April 20, and first payments will be made in May.

To qualify, applicants must be able to provide proof of residency in any of the thirteen of the twenty-seven San Francisco zip codes that are known to have the highest number of Covid-19 cases, as well as meet other criteria. Applicants must have an annual personal income of less than $ 60,900 and demonstrate that their practice is “rooted in a historically marginalized community,” according to the YBCA website. The financing is not tied to any conditions; Recipients don’t have to use the money to produce a project or show how they spent it.

“From the day the pandemic hit San Francisco, we knew this health crisis was going to hit artists, and painters in particular,” said San Francisco Mayor, London Breed. “The arts are really critical to our local economy and are an integral part of our long-term recovery. If we help the arts recover, San Francisco will recover. “

Districts where resident artists are eligible for the scholarship include the hard-hit Bayview and Mission. Latinos in the mission in particular have suffered as a result: Although they only make up 15 percent of the population there, Latin Americans are so far responsible for 41 percent of Covid-19 cases and 21 percent of deaths in the district.

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California already has a historic year for wildfires.

So far, 1.66 million hectares have been burned – an area five times the size of the city of Los Angeles. Almost no part of the state is untouched. From the Santa Cruz Mountains to Riverside County, the slopes of Mount Hamilton to the Napa Valley and the northern Sierra, 15,800 Florida and New Jersey firefighters are fighting two dozen major fires, many of which were triggered by rare thunderstorms two weeks ago.

And although the fire brigade is finally gaining the upper hand with many, fire experts have a clear message: This year is particularly dry and the worst could still come.

“We’re approaching the peak of the fire season,” said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for Cal Fire, the state’s main fire service.

There are at least two more months, and possibly three more, during which the risk of huge new fires will continue to increase, before the autumn rains hit. And 2020 has seen the second most acres burned in a year in modern history, after just 2018 when 1.97 million hectares were burned.

“It’s so important that we get public help,” said Berlant. “We have been incredibly busy the past two weeks. These were fires kindled by Mother Nature. We need people who can reduce the risk of man-made fires. “

An analysis of the precipitation patterns in autumn over the past ten years speaks for itself.

Using San Francisco as a proxy for Northern California, the first significant rain shower of half an inch or more in seven of the last 10 years did not occur until after November 15. That’s 11 weeks now. In the other three years it came on October 16 at the earliest. That’s another seven weeks.

“We hold our breath, so to speak, until we just get into the rainy season,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist at Golden Gate Weather Services in Half Moon Bay, who combed through the data.

“Just because current events are slowly subsiding doesn’t mean we won’t see more fires,” he said. “We are heading for what is usually the most dangerous part of the fire season.”

BOULDER CREEK, CA – AUGUST 19: Volunteer firefighters for the Boulder Creek Fire District view the direction of the fire before dispatching to fight the fire at the CZU August Lightning Complex on August 19, 2020 in Boulder Creek, California ( Dai News Group Sugano / Bay Area)

The past explains the future.

Eight of the ten deadliest fires of all time in California occurred in October or November, from the Camp Fire that killed 85 people in the city of Paradise in 2018, to the Wine Country Fires in Napa and Sonoma Counties in 2017 to Oakland Hills Fire in 1991.

Similarly, seven of the ten most devastating fires in California history, as measured by the number of houses burned, occurred in October or November.

Experts say that there are two main reasons: lack of rain and strong, dry wind.

Unlike most other states, it almost never rains in California in the summer. As part of California’s Mediterranean climate, most rainfall ends in April each year and, apart from a few light splashes, doesn’t really start again until November. This means that by October it was almost six months without rain.

Grass, bushes and trees are therefore usually the driest of the year in October.

Records show that most of California’s worst fire seasons, ranked by acres burned, come after a drier than normal winter. Why? In wet winters, there is more snow in the Sierra Nevada. The longer it lasts into summer, the less space there is to burn. And more rain means more moisture in the vegetation.

Unfortunately this year was a dry winter.

On April 1, the national snowpack in the Sierra was only 54% of its historical average. Last year it was 161%, and California ended up with a sub-par fire year with only 259,148 acres burned nationwide.

The same goes for rains. As of October 1, San Francisco received only 50% of historical average rainfall, San Jose 49%, Oakland 42%, and Sacramento 53%. In contrast, Los Angeles and San Diego had normal rainfall years and received 101% and 133% of their historical averages, respectively.

Simply put, conditions in Northern California are drier than normal, which has contributed to the explosive spread of the CZU, SCU, and LNU fires this month.

Craig Clements, director of the Fire Weather Research Laboratory at San Jose State University, called the thunderstorms in mid-August, which caused 12,000 lightning strikes and started around 700 new fires, a rare occurrence. California haven’t seen anything like it since 2008. People shouldn’t read too much into it as a predictor for the rest of the year, he said. Instead, they should look at the broader rainfall patterns, combined with a heat wave that much of the state suffered just before the fires, and daily measurements like overnight humidity.

“It’s crazy that we had so many ignitions at the same time,” said Clements. “For many it is apocalyptic. But it was a weather event. Let’s hope that this was the big event of the year. “

Huge amounts of dead bush, trees, and other vegetation, some killed during the state’s five-year drought and others piled up from decades of firefighting, are making the fires hotter and bigger.

Clements and his students regularly test the amount of water in chamois, a common flowering shrub, to determine the moisture content of the fuel.

In Quail Hollow Ranch County Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Ben Lomond, they found a moisture content of 67% on August 16. It was there in the middle of September last year. In other words, bushes and other vegetation in the Santa Cruz Mountains that are still burning are as dry now as they were a month later last year.

“We’re seeing fuel moisture levels that match our drought years,” he said. “Because we probably won’t get any rain for the next few weeks, these fuels will continue to be dry. And they are already critical. “

Climate change also plays a role. The world’s 10 hottest years, dating back to 1880 when modern temperature records began, have all occurred since 1998, according to NASA and NOAA, the parent agency of the National Weather Service. Hotter weather dries out vegetation earlier in the year, resulting in a longer fire season.

Add to this the strong “Santa Ana” winds in Southern California and “Diablo” winds in Northern California, which blow hot inland air over the state, increase the risk of fire and typically peak in October.

FAIRFIELD, CA – AUGUST 19: A Cal Fire Tanker drops fire retardant fabrics on a hill behind homes in the Rolling Hills neighborhood of Fairfield, California on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. Residents were ordered when the LNU Lightning Complex wildfire threatened the neighborhood. (Anda Chu / Bay Area News Group)

“We have a big fire season ahead of us. We call it the year of fire, ”said Robert Baird, director of fire and aviation management for the Pacific Southwest for the US Forest Service in Vallejo. “People shouldn’t let their vigilance down.”

Baird, whose own family was evacuated from their home near Vacaville for one night two weeks ago because of the LNU complex fire, said people across the state should remove the vegetation around their homes and have an evacuation plan and list create with objects they would take if they suddenly had to go because of an rampant fire.

“People need to look at red flag warnings as if they were tornado warnings,” he said. “They are a grueling combination of dry air, wind and heat. They can be murderers and have killed people. “

“If there is a fire on the ground,” he warned, “it will be too late to make your preparations.”

U.S. Forest Service firefighters clear debris from a steep slope as they tackle the Dolan Fire in Big Sur on Tuesday, August 25, 2020. (David Royal / Monterey Herald Correspondent)

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As the indicators that have emerged as a result of the pandemic show.

By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.

The US economy has turned into the weirdest brew ever. Some aspects are booming, such as everything to do with online shopping and entertainment, while other aspects such as airlines and hotels are in the worst of depression ever. Well, eight months after the pandemic, here is my monthly update on recreation in the cities, in terms of what people are doing and where they are going, if anything, as seen from the indicators that have surfaced in almost real time as a result the pandemic.

These raw, unadjusted indicators compare the daily or weekly data this year with the level just before the pandemic or at the same time last year. Uncleaned the dates, she stumbled upon the shift in the Labor Day calendar, which fell on September 7th this year, while it fell on September 2nd last year. Independence Day was similar. But that’s the beauty of raw data.

People who go to Places of Commerce.

How many people visit stores, malls, restaurants, hotels, cinemas, airports, hospitals, offices, other commercial centers, and other landmarks in the 40 largest subway areas in the United States? The AEI’s weekly index tracks this based on cell phone GPS data from Safegraph.com (everyone tracks cell phone GPS data, including Google for their traffic information on their maps).

It does not track how much money they spent but how many people have visited trading venues and compares the number of visits on a weekly basis to the number of visits in the week before Covid, which ended January 15. A value of 100% would mean that the visits are “old normal” again in January. However, be aware that January is always a bit slow in many parts of the country given the hangover after the holidays. Still, that’s the point of reference.

The graph shows the AEI data released today for the week ending October 18. The top bold blue line is Kansas City (80% of the January level). The lower bold red line is San Francisco (45% of the January level). The bold lines in between represent Dallas (69%), Philadelphia (60%), New York (55%), and Los Angeles (49%). Click on the diagram to enlarge it.

Restaurants measured by “seated guests”.

OpenTable provides daily data on “seated guests” and tracks how many people – walk-ins and those who made reservations online or by phone – actually sat in restaurants to eat and drink compared to the same day of the week the same week last Year. based on thousands of restaurants in the US who shared this data with OpenTable. I converted the daily numbers to a 7-day moving average to accommodate the daily fluctuations.

These are the types of restaurants that guests can make reservations at. This does not apply to cafes, fast food restaurants, delis and the like. Currently, in the eighth month of the pandemic, the “seated guests” are still 41.1% fewer than last year at this point in time:

The number of restaurants that took reservations before the pandemic and are now taking reservations again has still decreased by an average of 26.5% in the last 30 days compared to the same period last year. This is a crude substitute for how many of these restaurants have reopened – grossly because some outdoor dining only have reservations canceled as diners may not show up if it’s suddenly too cold and windy (one of our favorites in San Francisco has that done; it is open, but it no longer takes reservations):

The discrepancy between the number of restaurants open, which is only 26.5% lower than last year, and the number of seated diners, which is 41.1% lower, can partly be explained by reduced capacity in restaurants inside or outside become.

Go to the office.

How many people walk into offices every day compared to the Good Times? Kastle Systems provides access systems for 3,600 buildings and 41,000 companies in 47 states and uses this data to determine “office occupancy”. The “10-city average” office occupancy in Kastle is currently 27.4% of the pre-pandemic level from the beginning of March and is thus still 72.6% lower than at the beginning of March.

Office occupancy with the subway: The utilization of these 10 subways is shown as a percentage of their level from the beginning of March – the “high-end” is a utilization of only 43.3% of the level from the beginning of March:

1. Dallas: 43.3%
2. Houston: 36.8%
3. Austin: 35.4%
4. Los Angeles: 34.0%
5. Philadelphia: 28.8%
6. Washington DC: 24.0%
7. Chicago: 21.8%
8. San José: 18.2%
9. New York: 17.4%
10. San Francisco: 14.7%

The weekly “Back to Work Barometer” from Kastle shows how the office occupancy in these 10 metros has developed since the beginning of March (graphic from Kastle Systems, click to enlarge):

The graph above is not a measure of employment, but rather a measure of the impact of home work on office occupancy. Offices may be open, but instead of 1,000 people working in an office building on a given day, there might only be 200 people working in the office and 800 people working remotely.

Landlords and their lenders who still think working from home is just a slip up will be billed in due course. Read … Synchrony Financial Releases Radical Work-from-Home Plan, Layoffs, And “Office Footprint Reduction”

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Drone shots of roofs with aluminum and steel shingles. Get a bird’s eye view of the details of each installation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries

The post Down-to-Earth View of the “Restoration” in Close to-Actual Time, Eight Months into the Pandemic appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Can it really be Summer is finally just around the corner. And after a year of stuck indoors, you likely have plans to seriously enjoy the warm months and live life as carefree as possible. Your home’s plumbing probably isn’t high on your list of things to think about right now. But preventative maintenance before those summer days come can give you peace of mind all season long.

“You could host families and friends in the summer and the use of your home’s plumbing will increase. “Be proactive instead of reactive.”

Make sure you do the following projects to ensure a disaster-free summer.

1. Clean any debris from your home’s drains

Drains can become sticky and build up residue over time from daily hand washing, showering, and other chores. While doing your pre-summer maintenance, it’s important to clean the drains to avoid unexpected clogs.

“While some homeowners rely on commercial drain cleaners to get their job done, it’s not always the best or safest option,” says Pruitt. “Consider using an all natural and cheaper option to clean your drains.”

He suggests pouring half a cup of baking soda down the drain, then half a cup of vinegar. The chemical reaction helps clear blockages. After 10 to 15 minutes, slowly pour hot water to remove any remaining residue.

“If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, swap it out for lemon juice – the acidity of lemons can have a similar effect on cleaning your drains,” says Pruitt.

2. Clean the gutters from summer rain

Many plumbers consider gutters to be part of their plumbing system because they move water away from your home. If the gutters become overfilled with water, it can damage the foundation of the house and the walls of the basement, creating cracks that can grow over time.

Pruitt says all kinds of dirt can end up in your gutters, including leaves, twigs, seeds, and even wind-carried trash like plastic bags.

“When this happens, the first part of your home at risk of water damage is the roof, as water buildup can rot your facade, clapboard, and the edge of your roofline,” he says.

“To clean your gutters, use a ladder on level ground that clicks into place,” he says. “Hang an empty bucket at the top of the ladder to catch the debris you want to remove, and be sure to use work gloves when removing the debris.”

Using a hand-held garden tool like a trowel can be useful in cleaning gutters and help scrape up mud from the gutter bottom. Once the gutter is clear, use a hose to wash it completely clean and make sure the water flows freely through the downspout.

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Reputation: Fix Your Own Garbage Disposer – Without Calling the Plumber

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3. Test your toilets for leaks

A likely source of pipeline leaks is a broken flap, a small piece of rubber that acts as a stopper and separates the tank from the bowl. When the toilet is flushed, the flap lifts so that water can flow into the bowl below and wash away the rubbish. However, over time, the rubber can degrade, wear out, and crack.

“A good way to test for a leaky valve is to put a few drops of food coloring on top of the tank where the valve and flush valve are. Check that the water in the bowl turns the color of the food coloring you added, ”said Aaron Mulder, co-owner and operations manager of Mr. Rooter of San Antonio.

If you see paint, you have a leaking / surrendering door. Mulder says you can expect to replace your flappers every two to three years. They can be purchased at a local hardware store or home center.

4. Rinse the water heater to remove any buildup

This is one of those annual chores that should be tackled with the rest of your spring cleaning. As the year progresses, calcium and magnesium that can build up in your water heater solidify and potentially mix with dirt and other inclusions and become sediments that build up at the bottom of your tank. The sediment could increase the chances of a leak coming from the bottom of the tank and preventing your water heater from heating as effectively.

“Flushing your water heater is generally an easy task. All you need is a hose that attaches tightly to the flush valve on the side of your tank and a large bucket, ”says Don Glovan, Franchise Consultant at Mr. Rooter Plumbing.

He says that you first close the gas or power connection to your tank and connect the hose to the drain valve. Make sure the other end of the hose is in a large bucket or rain drain, open the drain valve, and let the water drain. Open your temperature and pressure relief valve at the same time.

If there are sediment crystals in the bucket, continue to drain the water. When no more crystals appear at the bottom, close the drain valve and allow the tank to refill.

“Then restart your indicator light or turn your power back on and your tank should heat up again,” he says.

5. Inspect and maintain your septic tank

If your home has a sewage treatment plant, it’s a good idea to make sure your septic tank is ready for additional summer use. This means that you maintain your system well and practice good septic hygiene.

“Regular maintenance can help prevent problems before they happen so that sewage doesn’t get into your garden or home,” says Pruitt. “How often you need inspections and maintenance will vary depending on the type of system you have, but most of them need to be checked by an inspector at least every three years.”

He says a septic inspector will check for leaks, clogs, and other malfunctions and determine if the tank needs to be pumped to remove the solids, the frequency depending on the size of your system, how many people are using it, and how much waste you produce.

The post 5 Plumbing Upkeep Duties To Deal with Earlier than the Summer time Months appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.