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Friday, July 31, 2020

Back to School 2020: Middle-Schoolers Roundtable - KATC Lafayette News

“My first name is Brody, my last name is Clark.”

“My name is Alana Lee.”

“Remi Guins.”

“Cahli Broussard.”

Four students, four schools.

L-J Alleman.

Sts. Leo-Seton.

Broussard Middle.

And Cathedral-Carmel.

They are middle-schoolers whose summers haven’t really been summers. Typically? Their summers would involve things like this.

“I would normally be going to summer camp,” says Sts. Leo-Seton 6th-grader Alana Lee, “and swimming, too.”

“We have like a vacation,” adds Brody Clark of L.J. Alleman Middle School.

“You would hang out with your friends,” goes Remi Guin, an 8th-grader at Cathedral-Carmel in Lafayette.

“We might get food and go to a movie theatre,” suggests Broussard Middle’s Cahli Broussard. “Of course, there’s nothing normal about this isolating summer.”

That was Summer: Past. But now? Summer: Present? Summer in the Corona Era of 2020?

Alana: “I’ve been staying inside, maybe going outside in my backyard for a little while.”

Brody: “Well, Covid came, so you have to like, clean up more and everything.”

Remi: “Some of the friends had coronavirus or their parents had coronavirus, so you couldn’t hang out with them.”

Cahli: “(What have you done since the end of May?) Absolutely nothing.”

The pandemic is everywhere. But has Covid-19 been a hot topic with classmates? Is it mentioned a lot via Facetime? “We don’t even talk about it, I don’t think,” says Lee. But that’s not the case for Broussard. “Covid is like one of the only things we talk about.”

Ready or not, physical or virtual or both--- comes the start of school. But the excitement is balanced with fear, the fear of worst-case Covid scenarios. “Honestly, I’m kind of scared that I would be able to see my friends ever again,” wonders Lee. “I mean, what if they shut down school again—for good—and I would never get to be with them again?”

On school supply lists--something I never thought I’d see--right there with crayons and calculators… are masks.

“It’s going to be kind of aggravating having to breathe through it all the time,” anticipates Clark.

“They’re very aggravating, I don’t like masks,” concurs Guin, “and we’ll have to wear them all through the day at school.”

“I don’t even notice it and sometimes I forget it’s even on,” disagrees Lee, “so I guess I’m o.k. with them.”

“They make me hyperventilate and make breathing difficult,” says Broussard, “and I just think they’re unnecessary.”

As they did last spring, some members of our panel, will have learn…virtually. That’s a prospect Broussard isn’t looking forward to at all. “I didn’t get to learn with my classmates or face-to-face and whenever I had a question, I had to email them instead of just asking.”

The most common word used in our interviews was… “Friends.”

And it’s a big part of going to school— a word emphasizing that human need to interact. I asked Remi Guin, ‘What are you most excited about?’ She didn’t hesitate. “Seeing people, just seeing people.” And Lee reinforced Guin’s thoughts. “I just want to see my friends again, and all of the teachers that I miss.”

Finally, one of the cool things about these middle-schoolers was this:

Their ability to both face reality… and maintain a bit of hope for the future.

“Just keep on hoping it will be over eventually,” says Clark softly. “Just keep on hoping it will be over.”

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'Long Sleep' or Apnea in Middle Age Double Risk For AD - Medscape

Middle-aged individuals who have sleep apnea or who get 9 or more hours of sleep at night have more than double the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) within about 6 years, new research suggests.

A UK Biobank study of more than 500,000 individuals also showed that excessive daytime sleepiness was associated with increased risk for AD.

"Addressing sleep problems in middle-age may play a role in improving brain health," lead author Lei Gao, MD, assistant professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and associate scientist, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Boston, Massachusetts, told Medscape Medical News.

Dr Lei Gao

The findings were presented here at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2020, which was held online this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Intricately Linked

Sleep disturbances are common and on the rise around the world. In recent years, researchers have become increasingly aware of the intricate link between sleep health and brain health, Gao noted.

The current study included 502,538 individuals from the UK Biobank (mean age, 57 years) who were free from AD at baseline. They were followed for up to 12 years.

The participants self-reported sleep traits, including hours of nighttime sleep, daytime sleepiness, sleep apnea diagnosis, snoring, and napping.

Researchers determined AD diagnoses from hospital admissions and from death registries.

In addition to adjusting for age, sex, education, and ethnicity, the full model adjusted for socioeconomic status, body mass index, physical activity, smoking and alcohol use, cardiovascular diseases and risk factors, neurological diseases, respiratory diseases, depression/anxiety, and medication use.

Over the course of a mean follow-up of 6.4 years, 932 participants developed AD.

Complex Disorder

Compared with those who got an average of 6 to 9 hours of sleep per night, those getting more than 9 hours had a higher risk for AD (hazard ratio [HR], 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56 - 2.67; P < .001).

Having sleep apnea also raised the risk significantly (HR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.23 - 3.42; P =.006), as did daytime sleepiness (HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.18 - 2.03; P = .001).

Gao noted that daytime sleepiness and sleep apnea remained predictive after controlling for sleep duration.

"In fact, all three sleep traits remained associated with AD within the same model, suggesting some degree of independence," he said.

Interestingly, snoring, which is a common symptom of sleep apnea, was not linked to AD risk.

The "vast majority" of people who snore don’t meet criteria for a diagnosis of sleep apnea, which was particularly true for this large cohort of relatively healthy study participants, Gao noted.

"Sleep apnea is a complex, multisystemic sleep disorder associated with obesity, high blood pressure, and often other heart problems," he said.

He added that, as an anesthesiologist, he is particularly wary if patients have this condition, "given their increased risk for airway difficulties, adverse cardiac events, post-operative respiratory complications, and confusion or delirium, which is also associated with higher risk for eventual AD and death."

These multisystemic factors may be driving the link to AD. "We certainly need to address this better as the population ages and obesity rates rise," Gao said.

No Association With Napping

Unlike another of Gao's studies that was conducted in a much older population, napping was not a risk factor for AD in the current study's younger participants.

It could be that the impacts of different sleep traits on health outcome change with age, Gao said, or this could represent a limitation of using self-reported sleep measures as opposed to objective and/or quantitative measures, such as actigraphy.

The reasons for napping, which differ around the world with the habit being common in certain parts, may also help explain differences in observed associations.

Although the investigators tried to control for comorbidities and medication use, there "most certainly" could be a reverse causation at work. For example, sleeping too much could be both a cause and a symptom of dementia, Gao said.

He noted that sleep disturbances often become more prevalent with dementia, and sleeping too much or complaining of daytime sleepiness may be a result of preclinical AD.  

Even if there is a reverse causation, however, the average time to AD diagnosis was over 6 years in this study. "This may be a significant window of time to intervene," Gao said.

To improve sleep health, he recommends going to bed and waking at similar times every day, avoiding caffeine or alcohol close to bedtime, limiting screen time before bed, dimming lights, and reducing noise.

It's also important to have sleep apnea treated. "While more studies are needed, it’s generally believed that addressing the pauses in breathing, the apnea episodes, will help reduce cardiovascular health risks such as obesity, high blood pressure and heart failure. All are known to be strongly linked to dementia risk," Gao said.

Results from an assessment of 100,000 actigraphy records from a subset of the same population are expected soon and will add objective confirmation of these self-reported results, he added.

Unique, Powerful

Commenting on the findings for Medscape Medical News, Alberto Ramos, MD, associate professor of clinical neurology and research director, Sleep Medicine Program, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Florida, called the study "unique" and "powerful" because of its prospective design and large sample size.

"Another strength of the study was that it included a population-based sample as opposed to one from a memory or sleep clinic where people already have symptoms or are already sick," said Ramos, who was not involved with the research.

In addition, while most studies that have linked sleep disturbances with dementia risk have been in older adults, this study’s population was middle-aged to start out, he noted.

Gao and Ramos have reported no relevant financial relationships. Although Gao's lab receives funding from the National Institutes of Health, the BrightFocus Foundation, the University of Manchester, the Medical Biodynamics Program, BWH, and the Broad Institute, the study itself does not have its own specific funding, Gao reported.  

Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2020. Abstract ODO #44575 and SCR #48095. Presented July 28, 2020.

For more news, follow Medscape on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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Keenum, Peasant tour completed MSU-SOSD Partnership Middle School - Mississippi State Newsroom

Mark Keenum and Eddie Peasant talk in the atrium of the Partnership Middle School
MSU President Mark E. Keenum, left, and SOSD Superintendent Eddie Peasant speak in the atrium of the new Partnership Middle School on the MSU campus during a tour Friday [July 31]. The school will serve all SOSD sixth and seventh grade students. (Photo by Megan Bean)

Contact: James Carskadon

Ashley Allen shows off her science classroom to Mark Keenum and Eddie Peasant
Ashley Allen, center, a seventh grade science teacher at the Partnership Middle School, discusses her new classroom with SOSD Superintendent Eddie Peasant, left, and MSU President Mark E. Keenum. Allen is an alumna of Starkville High School and MSU. (Photo by Megan Bean)

STARKVILLE, Miss.—With a new school year set to begin next month, a new state-of-the-art school on the campus of Mississippi State University will welcome sixth and seventh grade students in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District.

MSU President Mark E. Keenum and SOSD Superintendent Eddie Peasant toured the Partnership Middle School on Friday [July 31]. University and school district officials will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the 128,000-square-foot facility next week. The Partnership Middle School includes space for MSU classrooms that will be utilized to prepare future teachers in a hands-on learning environment.

“I go to schools all across Mississippi to visit with students, and I have never seen a school nicer than this,” Keenum said. “This is the most modern school, I think, in the entire state of Mississippi, and it’s right here in Starkville serving the needs of students in this community. I’m proud that our students from MSU will be able to study at this facility. We want this to be a showcase for teachers all across the state.”

The school is built on a 43-acre site that was donated by the university. Construction was funded by state and local bonds, as well as private support. Peasant said the facility is a “game-changer” for students of the school district and MSU.

“Just being here on the campus at Mississippi State gives our students access to many opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise exist,” Peasant said. “They have access to professors and field trips within walking distance. At this age, they get to explore career opportunities that they normally wouldn’t have as much access to.”

For more on the Starkville Oktibbeha School District, visit www.starkvillesd.com.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.

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Deputies investigate vandalism at Sissonville High School, Sissonville Middle School - WCHS-TV8

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Black Americans star in front of Hitler at Berlin Olympics - Your Valley

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By PAT GRAHAM

The name of sprinter Mack Robinson may not be as well-known as Jesse Owens, the star of the 1936 Berlin Games.

Robinson’s not even the most famous person in his own family, a distinction that goes to his younger brother, Jackie, who broke baseball's color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Mack Robinson's contributions to the history books were far-reaching, too.

Robinson was part of a group of 18 Black athletes from the U.S. who combined for 14 medals in front of Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Games. Led by Owens and his four gold medals, they dispatched the Nazi claims of Aryan supremacy with their performances at a stadium built as a celebration of the Third Reich.

“This was something that got the attention of people in professional sports as well. They saw this happening and began to rethink the old segregation business,” said author David Clay Large, whose book “ " recounts everything from athletic feats, to how the Games were nearly boycotted and to the used as part of Nazi propaganda. “It didn’t happen immediately, but it started the ball rolling for the eventual integration of professional sports at the end of the following decade.”

Back then, the group of Black athletes weren't invited to the White House to celebrate their achievements.

Eighty years later, their families were.

In 2016, then honored the achievements by Owens, Robinson, Ralph Metcalfe, Jack Wilson, John Brooks, Tidye Pickett, Louise Stokes, James LuValle, Fritz Pollard Jr., John Woodruff, Dave Albritton, Archie Williams, Cornelius Johnson, James Clark, Howell King, Art Oliver, Willis Johnson and John Terry.

In his address, Obama said: “It wasn’t just Jesse. It was other African-American athletes in the middle of Nazi Germany under the gaze of Adolf Hitler that put a lie to notions of racial superiority — whooped ’em and taught them a thing or two about democracy and taught them a thing or two about the American character.”

Although Robinson broke the 200-meter Olympic record that day, he wound up 0.4 seconds behind Owens to earn a silver medal. Williams (400 champion), Woodruff (800), Johnson (high jump) and Metcalfe (4x100) also took home gold along with Owens.

It would be the last Olympics until 1948 as World War II broke out.

NEAR BOYCOTT

The Berlin Games were almost boycotted by the U.S. and other nations over Germany’s racist policies. The influence of American Olympic Association President Avery Brundage swayed a close vote by the Amateur Athletic Union to attend on the provision that Germany assured there would be no discrimination against Jewish athletes. There were 49 nations in Berlin, which was more than any previous Olympics.

4X100 RELAY

Metcalfe and Owens weren’t originally on the 4x100 relay team. They replaced Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, two Jewish athletes on the squad. Large combed through archives to uncover a reason but found nothing definitive.

“It’s always been debated whether there was strict anti-Semitism involved in the decision, whether they were dropped in order to appease Hitler in some way,” Large said. “Or if (the coach) just wanted to be sure to win and the best bet for that was to have Owens in there."

HOOPS

Before Michael Jordan and the “Dream Team,” there was Joe Fortenberry and the rain drops.

The center from Texas led the Americans to a for the gold medal as men's basketball made its Olympic debut at the 1936 Berlin Games. Fortenberry led the way with eight points -- in a driving rain storm, no less, with the game played outside. It was the first of 15 Olympic titles for the American men’s team.

TORCH RELAY

The torch relay got its start with the Berlin Games as a propaganda tool to carry the symbolism of a new Germany. There were around 3,000 runners used over nearly two weeks to transport the flame from Olympia in Greece to Berlin.

Some of the countries the flame traveled through would eventually fall under Nazi control. German film director Leni Riefenstahl included footage in her

THE BOOKS

Compelling stories from athletes in the '36 Games were turned into best-selling books.

In Daniel James Brown’s book, “ ,” he recounts the tale about a group of working-class students from the University of Washington forming the eight-oared crew that edged out Italy and Germany for the gold medal.

Laura Hillenbrand authored “ ,” which featured who qualified for the U.S. team in the 5,000-meter race at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In 1943, his bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and he drifted in the sea for 47 days before being captured by the Japanese Navy near the Marshall Islands. He spent more than two years as a prisoner of war, surviving torture.

It was turned by Angelina Jolie.

___

More AP Olympics: https://ift.tt/2E2axZ8 and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Apple, Amazon and the Thriving American Middle Class - 24/7 Wall St.

Two of what are by far the most dominant tech companies in America posted breakout earnings. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) proved that there was a massive demand for its expensive smartphones, Macs and iPads. Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) proved that retail shoppers were not hurt by the pandemic. The earnings of each showed that the middle class has money to spare, even when employment is well over 10% and tens of millions of Americans are out of work. Big tech has not merely held on financially. It has flourished.

Apple’s iPhone costs several hundred dollars, and in some cases over a thousand. People sometimes get them as part of expensive wireless plans from AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ). Via either conduit, the iPhone is expensive. Macs are also costly, often in the hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Apple’s App Store posted impressive results. It has hundreds of millions of paid apps.

Apple posted a record quarter in June, based on revenue. Revenue was $59.7 billion, which is up 11% from the same quarter a year ago. Earnings per share came to $2.58, an 18% gain. Sixty-eight percent was from international, which means the sales of its products were strong across the advanced economies. “Apple’s record June quarter was driven by double-digit growth in both Products and Services and growth in each of our geographic segments,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive officer. Services is the business that Apple says will push future sales. However, that is not true yet, due to Apple’s hardware results.

Services revenue rose to $13.2 billion from $11.5 billion in the same quarter a year ago. The numbers were proof of Apple’s new strengths in is its efforts toward diversity. However, because iPhone revenue was $26.4 billion, up from $25.1 billion, Services has not taken the lead yet. Based on analyst estimates, Apple sold tens of millions of iPhones, which continues a pattern that has gone on for decades. While people who have low incomes buy some Apple products, the middle-class demand for those with discretionary income must have been explosive.

Many analysts said Apple’s success has because people worked at home during the pandemic Those people could have bought other personal computers, which cost a few hundred dollars. But many bought much more expensive Macs.

Amazon showed that people shut in by the pandemic needed or wanted to buy from the hundreds of millions of items it has to offer. Once again, people without discretionary income could not have been the majority of these shoppers, even for Amazon’s food inventory. The middle-class undoubtedly drove the success of Amazon’s most recent quarter. Revenue increased by 40% to $88.9 billion in the second quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. Earnings were $10.30 per share, against a figure of $5.22 a year earlier

Amazon’s North America e-commerce sales, which are mostly in the United States, rose from $55.3 billion compared to $38.7 billion in the same period a year ago. Amazon also has added over 100,000 workers since the start of the year.

The bad news before the earnings of the two companies was that the U.S. economy has seen the largest drop in history, down 32.9% on an annual declining basis. People who filed for unemployment rose by 1.4 million last week. That drove the nearly 30 Americans who have filed for unemployment. The figure is approaching the total population of California, the U.S. state with the largest population.

These 30 million Americans are not what caused the skyrocketing Apple and Amazon results. The rich are too few in numbers to count for the rise in company sales by themselves.

The success of Amazon and Apple has always relied on a healthy middle class, even in their best quarters. There was a suspicion that sales would be dented by consumer confidence. Instead, the collapsing economy did not hurt them. It is the same reason home sales are rising. Low-interest mortgages do not make up for a frightened population that wants to save their money for future hard times. The forecast of each company, in fact, is proof that the slowing economy has bothered them at all.

The American middle class has not been shaken by this recession. If anything they are confident they will keep their jobs, even if the work from home. Neither the carnage of the pandemic nor recession level unemployment has altered their spending patterns, even slightly.


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Thursday, July 30, 2020

Teen Charged With Murder After Shooting in Front of Revere Ice Cream Shop - NBC10 Boston

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A teenager has been charged with murder after a 20-year-old man was shot to death in front of an ice cream shop this weekend in Revere, Massachusetts.

Yaseen Butt of Revere was found suffering from a gunshot wound just after 10 p.m. Sunday in front of the Twist and Shake at 82 Revere Beach Blvd, state police said. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital and later pronounced dead.

Thursday, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said 19-year-old Felix Martinez had been charged in Butt's death.

Martinez was arraigned Thursday by telephone on charges including murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and armed robbery, according to prosecutors. The case is being heard at Chelsea District Court.

Martinez is accused of stealing two backpacks, including one worth about $800, from Butt and another person. Someone who was with Martinez showed what appeared to be a gun, prosecutors said.

Butt and some companions allegedly confronted Martinez to try to get the backpacks back. Martinez and multiple other people allegedly chased Butt, who fell to the ground, getting kicked and beaten.

While Butt was being attacked, prosecutors said, Martinez shot him.

"Yaseen's life was stolen over a backpack," District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. "This violence and complete disregard for human life is unacceptable."

“It’s just incredible because these kids, they’re running around with these guns, they think they’re playing video games, but it’s not, it’s someone’s life," Richard Covino, a bouncer, said after the shooting. "There’s a mother at home whose heart is broken right now, you know, because some kid wanted to waive a gun and think that he was a big shot.”

Massachusetts State Police say a 21-year-old man was shot in front of the Twist and Shake ice cream shop.

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Scattered storms to return as weak front arrives this weekend - WBRZ

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One or two showers still managed to pop in a warm, humid summer air mass on Thursday afternoon. However, it was very different from the multiple round, near washouts experienced last Friday through Wednesday. Similar conditions are expected tomorrow.  

The Next 24 Hours: Overnight will be partly cloudy and muggy with light winds and low temperatures in the mid 70s. Aside from a stray afternoon shower, Friday will work out to be dry for most. The consequence is hotter temperatures; highs will top out near 92 degrees with southwest winds of 5 – 10mph. A squall line that develops northwest of the local area may hold together and blow in during the early evening hours. If it maintains, some downpours and gusty winds could arrive near dusk—especially in northern and western parishes and counties.  

The Long Term Trend: Over the weekend, a weak cold front will come into the region and serve as a focus for scattered showers and storms—some could bring downpours, frequent lightning and gusty wind. The cold front will slowly erode as it parks over central Louisiana and Mississippi. As this occurs, rain coverage will decrease from scattered on Saturday to isolated on Monday. A second front will try to push south and into the Capital Area around the middle of next week. There are some signs that this one could make it to the coast, therefore slightly decreasing dew points (humidity) and low temperatures for a day or two. No major changes, but maybe lows will be in the lower versus middle 70s while highs stay in the low 90s.  

The Tropics: As of 10pm Thursday, Hurricane Isaias was about 200 miles southeast of the Bahamas with maximum winds of 80mph and moving to the northwest at 18mph. The storm is expected to continue on this path but slow down as it approaches southeastern Florida on Saturday. Warnings have been issued for the Bahamas and Watches are up from Ocean Reef to Sebastien Inlet, Florida. Fresh off the African Coast, showers and thunderstorms associated with a small area of low pressure have become better organized over the last 24 hours. Thanks to favorable conditions, the National Hurricane Center gives this system a 40 percent chance of formation over the next five days.

The Explanation: A warmer, drier atmosphere will result in only isolated showers and storms through Friday afternoon. A positively tilted longwave trough will slowly move from the Lower Midwest to central Gulf Coast Friday night through Monday. Along an associated weak cold front, a squall line is expected to develop northwest of the area on Friday and race off to the southeast. Conditions favor maintenance of this line and it could arrive in southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi on Friday evening before falling apart overnight. Northern and western locations could experience some brief downpours and gusty winds if it holds together. Once the front arrives locally, it will be decaying but in combination with the associated upper level trough, there will be an impetus for scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms—especially Saturday and Sunday. Compared to the soaking conditions of the last week, the atmosphere will be a bit drier this weekend, which will allow some storms to produce frequent lightning and gusty wind. This is because as dry air is pulled into a storm cloud, rapid cooling occurs. Cooler air is denser and therefore quickly falls to the surface in what is known as a downdraft. And even though drier, this is still a summer air mass, so downpours remain possible as well.  In addition to providing the next round of active weather, the front and trough will likely combine with an upper level ridge over Bermuda to funnel Tropical Storm Isaias northward around Florida and away from the central Gulf Coast. That trough may be slow to break east until the middle of next week. Some forecast models suggest that an embedded wave diving down the backside of the trough could drive a second cold front a little farther south, perhaps dropping local dew points and low temperatures for 24-48 hours next Wednesday to Friday. It would be a meager change, but we take what we can get in August.

--Josh

The WBRZ Weather Team is here for you, on every platform. Your weather updates can be found on News 2, wbrz.com, and the WBRZ WX App on your Apple or Android device. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and Twitter for even more weather updates while you are on the go.

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Hillman was a Slam Dunk in the Front Office, Too - Pacers.com

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People remember the iconic Afro most of all, the sculptured mound of hair that topped off his 6-foot-9 frame and made him look like a 7-footer. They remember the dunks, too, because his vertical jump was extraordinary for someone so tall. The sight of him sprinting down the court with his hair blown back by the breeze and executing an acrobatic breakaway dunk lives in the memory of veteran Pacers fans.

What people should remember most about Darnell Hillman, though, is the discipline. The team-first approach. The charisma. And, certainly, the significant contributions to six Pacers teams.

"Darnell was special guy to have on your team," says Slick Leonard, who coached each of those six. "He had a great attitude."

The Pacers teams for which Hillman performed include the 1972 and '73 ABA champions as well as the four that followed, the last of which marked their entry into the NBA. But he played for several more front office teams as well, all the way from Dec. 3, 1999, his first day in the community relations department, until last week when he retired about a month shy of his 71st birthday.

Retired from what exactly is complicated, because his role didn't fit conventional corporate classification. His last official job title was "Associate Director of Camps, Clinics and Alumni Relations." But he was more than that. In fact, the title under his photo in the most recent media guide took a shot at encompassing everything by identifying him as "Associate Director, Community Ambassador."

Call him whatever you want, Hillman was a grinder in a non-glamorous role in the front office just as he had been as a player. He might have seemed flamboyant with the well-groomed Afro he says extended 13 1/2 inches from his skull and all those hang-time dunks, but his game was blue collar. A power forward who could fill in at center, his primary assets were rebounding and blocking shots. He averaged 10.6 points and 8.4 rebounds over his six seasons with the Pacers, peaking at 13.9 and 9.2 in the 1974-75 season when a rebuilt team made a surprising run to the ABA finals.

Hillman started 244 of the 395 regular season games he played for the Pacers and 29 of the 72 playoff games. He never made an All-Star team and his best-remembered individual feat is winning an NBA slam dunk contest sponsored by CBS in 1977. But he helped teams win games. Helped them win championships, too.

Hillman was selected by the Pacers as part of a preliminary three-round draft conducted before the ABA's All-Star Game in January of 1971. The choices were supposed to be kept secret to give ABA teams a head-start negotiating with players before the NBA could get around to its draft, but the names leaked out immediately. Hillman was a second-round pick and described in Indianapolis newspapers articles as a "sleeper" and an "unknown" because he had spent the previous two years in the Army.

He turned out to be one of the savvier selections in franchise history. The Golden State Warriors took him with the eighth overall pick in the NBA Draft and were under great pressure to sign the local product who had attended San Jose State for two years before joining the Army. The Pacers, however, won the bidding war.

Hillman, along with fellow rookie George McGinnis, joined a stacked team that had won the ABA title in 1970 and finished with the league's best record in '71. His Army background turned out to be a major asset, as his confident but ego-free approach meshed well with his teammates and his work ethic and respect for authority impressed his coach.

"He was flashy, and he could jump, but he played the game with a lot of discipline because he knew what his shortcomings were," says Billy Keller, who played on all three ABA championship teams. "That makes you a much more able contributor."

Hillman contributed plenty, regardless of how he was used. While his season averages never stood out, he usually answered when opportunity knocked.

As a rookie, he had 10 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots off the bench in a victory over Florida. According to the story in the Indianapolis Star (headlined Darnell a Daring Darling as Pacers Win), he also forced several misses by intimidating shooters.

He had 20 points and 21 rebounds against Pittsburgh later that season and had two double-doubles in the second-round playoff series with Utah.

He had a career-high 24 rebounds along with 18 points against San Diego in the 1972-73 season and came up big several times in the playoffs as a starter when Brown was limited by a sore back. He had 13 points and 19 rebounds in a Game 5 victory over Utah in the second round and 17 points and 18 rebounds in a Game 4 win over Kentucky in the championship series.

After the Pacers failed to clinch the championship at home in Game 6, Leonard told reporters he planned to return Brown to the starting lineup in Game 7 in Louisville to get more scoring. Brown, however, showed up late for the game after driving himself to Freedom Hall from Indianapolis, so Hillman got a last-minute reprieve as a starter. He played 44 minutes and grabbed 13 rebounds, both team highs, in the Pacers' 88-81 victory.

"He was always ready when he was called upon," Keller says.

In his later seasons with the Pacers, when the team was in rebuilding mode, Hillman stepped up his scoring. His career high of 35 came against Denver. He added 16 rebounds to his stat line that night. He had scored 32 in a game at Utah earlier that season.

Darnell Hillman, Billy Keller

Hillman gets a massage from teammate Billy Keller. (Photo Credit: Frank McGrath)

Hillman and Keller were a lot alike, both in their whatever-you-need roles with the Pacers and their personalities. They were the two players of that era most eager to connect with fans at planned events, often the first to arrive and the last to leave. They were, perhaps, the team's most popular players — Keller because he was an Indianapolis native and short (5-foot-10) and Hillman because of his dunking ability and world class Afro.

"Darnell and I would show up early for things and a lot of times be the last to leave," Keller says. "Just being friendly, wanting to stay and visit...fans appreciate stuff like that. Once they got attracted to him for whatever reason, his personality took over. Darnell could relate to everybody."

That made him a natural for his job in the front office. Many NBA teams hire former players to serve in a community relations capacity, mostly just to make appearances and sign autographs. Hillman's involvement went far deeper than that. He directed youth camps and clinics, participated in reading programs and represented the franchise at golf outings throughout the summer.

Hillman reached out to the public at games, too. He was aware that escalating ticket prices had sent many an "average fan" higher in the Fieldhouse and made it a point to circulate in the upper levels to mix with them.

He was an absolute superstar with kids, though, especially at camps and clinics. His Army discipline got their attention and his natural charm won them over.

Darnell Hillman at Jr. Hoops Tour

Hillman leads campers in a drill at the 2019 Jr. Pacers Hoops Tour visit to Fort Wayne. (Photo Credit: Frank McGrath)

"We always said he ran it like a boot camp," says Kelli Towles, the Pacers' Senior Director of Community Relations. "Darnell was very old school. He made them tuck in their shirts and they could not put their hands in their pockets. If they did, he made them turn their pockets inside out. He said, 'There's no walking in my gym.' If they had to get a drink they had to run there and run back.

"Initially kids were afraid, but by the end of the camp they loved him. They realized he was doing it for a purpose, and they could laugh and joke with him. And the parents were appreciative of the way he approached the discipline. I can't count the number of times I saw him pull a player aside who maybe was acting up and he would say, 'I see potential in you!' He would help them make a change in their mindset and by the end of the camp they were behaving much better. He really had a gift for dealing with kids."

It wasn't all about basketball, though. Sometimes it was just fun and games. How many slam-dunk champions do you know who would lay on the court and play Cookie Monster with the kids?

For that matter, how many do you know who would go to this much trouble:

In 2016, a young Pacers fan named Evan Leisure was to undergo heart surgery at Riley Hospital. A request was e-mailed to Hillman, asking if any of the players could drop by for a visit. The team was out of town around the time of the surgery, so Hillman put a gift package together and personally delivered it to Leisure.

Darnell Hillman, Evan Leisure

Hillman visits Evan Leisure at Riley Hospital. (Photo Courtesy of Nancy Rayl)

Hillman's job evolved into also serving as the Pacers' alumni director, dedicated to maintaining relations with former players and/or their spouses. He was the contact for players wanting tickets to a game, the one to organize appearances by former players at FanJam each October, the one to drop by and say hello when the daughter of a former player who was with the team for a brief period 50 years earlier attended a game.

"He was always that middle guy," Keller says. "Anytime I needed something Pacer-related I called Darnell. I would imagine 99.9 percent of the guys did the same thing. And he was always very cooperative in getting your request filled. I'm not sure there was ever a time I requested something of him that he didn't produce for me. He was reliable, and if he couldn't do it he'd tell you up front.

"He really looked out for we ABA guys."

Hillman was his own transportation committee, too. Before every home game the past few seasons, Hillman met Leonard in the underground parking garage at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in a golf cart and drove him to the radio broadcasting porch with an assist from an express elevator. Hillman returned in the cart near the end of the third quarter to take Leonard back to his car.

That gave Hillman time to interact with fans who might be passing by. He was an attraction of his own for older fans who witnessed his career. If they asked if he can still dunk, he might say, "Too much snow on the mountain," referring to his age-revealing gray hair. If someone had a child who was too shy to talk, he would have a small gift handy, such as a ball that lights up when bounced. But he demanded something in return.

"You've got to give me a fist bump!"

Hillman was equally at ease engaging with the military members who were honored at games. As an Army veteran, he could relate.

When you get right down to it, he's the most versatile player the Pacers have ever had if off-court activities are included in the assessment. Replacing him seems nearly impossible without making it a group effort. It might require a lot of alterations to replace someone who wore as many suits as Hillman did.

Hillman's retirement party a few weeks ago was relatively subdued, thanks to the pandemic. It started with a small gathering of fellow employees on the outdoor deck at Rick's Boatyard, a half-dozen or so, and gradually grew to about 18 as word got out among employees. Distancing concerns ran out the clock, but speeches were made and a retirement gift — a new set of golf clubs — was delivered.

A telling moment arrived when Karen Atkeson, the Vice President of Player Relations, asked Hillman to step out to the parking lot. Nate McMillan was waiting there to offer his congratulations, having driven from downtown following practice on the day before the team was to leave for Orlando to resume the season. Hillman technically wasn't part of the basketball staff but had generated that kind of respect.

It would have been a much larger celebration under normal circumstances, but perhaps it was more appropriate that Hillman go out in a subdued fashion. He had come came to the Pacers as a "sleeper," unknown to fans in Indiana, and he had played in the shadows of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers.

Hillman, though, left with the greatest distinction of all: best teammate.


Have a question for Mark? Want it to be on Pacers.com? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com and you could be featured in his next mailbag.

Mark Montieth's book on the formation and groundbreaking seasons of the Pacers, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis," is available in bookstores throughout Indiana and on Amazon.com.

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

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Hendricks named NS Middle Lab principal - KALB News

NATCHITOCHES, La. (NSU) - Casey Hendricks has been named principal of the Northwestern State University Middle Lab School.  

“NSU Middle Lab has a rich tradition.  As the new principal, I will strive to continue those traditions as well as build new ones.  This school has a special place in my heart, and I am proud to be a servant to it,” Hendricks said.

Hendricks earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology with a minor in history at NSU in 1998 and obtained certification to teach grades 6-12 in 2005.  He earned a master’s in education leadership at NSU in 2008 and +20 in 2019.  This fall he will complete a doctorate degree in adult learning and development with a concentration in community college leadership through NSU.

Hendricks began his career as teacher and coach in 1999, teaching social studies and PE and coaching football and boys and girls basketball at Many Junior High. From 2003-2005, he taught social studies, civics and Spanish at St. Mary’s while coaching football, track and boys basketball at the junior high and high school level and was responsible for upgrading the school’s website.  He taught history at Many High School from 2005-2006, coaching football, track and golf and working as a school improvement team member and a presenter for the Louisiana Social Studies Comprehensive Curriculum.  He returned to St. Mary’s from 2006-2007 to teach social studies and civics and coached high school football and track, junior high boys basketball and track and served on the social studies curriculum design team.

Hendricks joined the staff at NSU Middle Lab in 2007 where he taught social studies and PE and coached football.  He also served as RTI facilitator, school improvement team member and PBIS team member.  He was named Teacher of the Year in 2014.  From 2014-2016, Hendricks taught history at Natchitoches Central High School and was head golf coach, assistant varsity football coach/head freshman coach. He returned to NSU Middle Lab from 2016-2018 where he taught social studies and PE and was supervising teacher for teacher candidates and methods students.  He was a leadership team member, PBIS team member, interim principal, head basketball coach and football coach.

Since 2018, he has been secondary social studies curriculum specialist for the St. Tammany Parish School Board, providing professional development to educators for social studies instruction, providing educators with updates to the state assessment and providing and creating resources for social studies educators that complement the state’s curriculum and standards.  He was also able to collaborate with district personnel across all grade levels and subject areas to create opportunities for student success and participated in multiple quality assurance reviews to keep the district in AdvancED accreditation. Hendricks served on the LEAP 2025 8th grade social studies content and bias item review team (LDOE) and developed a rapport with teachers and administrators across the district. Most recently, he created five weeks of COVID-19 lesson plans for social studies grades 6-12 during quarantine and build Google classrooms for social studies grades 6-12 in preparation of schools starts for COVID-19. 

“It is an honor and a privilege to have been selected as the fourth principal of Northwestern State Middle Lab School,” Hendricks said. “I look forward to building meaningful  relationships with the students, parents, stakeholders and faculty.  I also look forward to assisting in building a collaborative bridge between Northwestern State University and Natchitoches Parish Schools to develop and recruit new teachers to our district.  I have a desire to provide learning opportunities not only to our students, but also to our teachers.” 

“Middle Lab has a rich tradition and we are excited for Mr. Hendricks to extend and enrich that tradition,” said Grant Eloi, Natchitoches Parish Superintendent of Schools.  “We know under his leadership middle lab will continue to grow and to be a beacon for high academic standards.”

NSU’s Middle Lab School is located at the university’s Teacher Education Center and provides engaging learning opportunities for 6th, 7th and 8th grade students as well as quality field experiences for many of Louisiana’s future teachers.

Information on the school can be accessed at https://npsb.la/nsu-middle-lab-school.

Copyright 2020 NSU. All rights reserved.

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Amazon posted record sales and profit in the middle of a pandemic - Vox.com

Amazon registered nearly $89 billion in sales and $5 billion in profit over the last three months, setting company records on both figures and blowing away Wall Street expectations as Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns pushed more shoppers online and into Amazon’s arms.

CEO Jeff Bezos had said last quarter that the company planned to spend around $4 billion on pandemic-related health and safety efforts for its workers throughout April, May, and June, and that those expenses might wipe out all of the company’s profit over the quarter. Instead, Amazon customers surprised company executives by expanding their pandemic-driven purchases beyond low-profit goods like groceries — sales of which still tripled year over year in the quarter — into more profitable “hardline” categories like electronics and “softline” goods like clothing. That’s what helped the company set a record profit, eclipsing the previous record of $3.6 billion in profit in the first quarter of 2019.

“Prime members ... were shopping more often and with larger baskets,” Amazon Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky told reporters on a media call Thursday afternoon. Recode previously reported that Prime membership sales have risen significantly since the crisis began.

For months, the pandemic has transformed Amazon from a popular convenience shopping destination into an essential service as stay-at-home orders pushed more shopping online and as non-grocery brick-and-mortar chains have suffered from temporary store closures. But it also posed challenges for the tech giant. The company suffered from long delivery times as it reworked its warehouse policies to keep up with demand; along the way, it hired 175,000 warehouse and delivery workers to help with the sales boom and to fill in for workers who got sick or chose to stay home.

But the company also faced a labor crisis as some workers said the company’s warehouse safety measures were not adequate or consistent enough, and decried the company’s move to end bonus hourly and overtime pay at the end of May. Amazon ended up announcing another one-time bonus in June, declining to label the bonus as hazard pay, describing it instead as an appreciation for workers dealing with increased demand during an unprecedented time. An Amazon spokesperson on Thursday refused to say whether the company might reinstate the extra hourly or bonus pay even though increased orders and sales show no signs of abating for the company and its workers.

The record quarterly profit and sales figures, which eclipsed Wall Street analyst expectations by a staggering $8 billion, highlight Amazon’s growing power in the US economy. And it comes a day after a committee of US lawmakers grilled Bezos, the world’s richest man, on the business practices that Amazon has used to ascend to its increasingly dominant position.

Much of the lawmakers’ questioning on Wednesday focused on how the company treats and competes with the third-party sellers that account for more than half of the items Amazon sells in its online stores. Amazon revenue from these sellers grew 53 percent in the last quarter, up from growth of just 25 percent in the same quarter last year. Amazon CFO Olsavsky told Recode on the media call that growth in Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service — which lets sellers qualify their goods for Prime shipping by paying Amazon to handle warehousing and shipment of goods — was a main driver in seller fees.

Some critics have argued that Amazon coerces sellers into using FBA by giving better placement to goods that ship with Prime and by penalizing them for late deliveries if they ship on their own. One seller told federal regulators in a letter last year that the practice forces him to charge consumers higher prices than he otherwise would. Amazon, including Bezos in his congressional testimony, has defended FBA as a service that saves sellers considerable hassle.

While Amazon’s business continues to benefit from the pandemic, some other mass retailers are also seeing a boost. Both Walmart and Target have posted standout earnings reports in recent months, and their market share in US online commerce has increased, according to shopping data research firm Rakuten Intelligence, though Amazon’s share is still around seven times larger than Walmart’s.


Support Vox’s explanatory journalism

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Northampton Gets First Look at Possible Middle/High School Construction Plans - easternshorepost.com

Above appears Option A, one of five possible layouts for the new Northampton High School complex as presented by architectural firm Waller, Todd & Sadler. The blue dashed line represents existing buildings to be demolished and the yellow dashed line represents new construction. Image courtesy of Waller, Todd & Sadler.

By Stefanie Jackson – Northampton supervisors and citizens got their first look at five possible layouts for the county’s upgraded middle and high school Tuesday night in a presentation by architectural firm Waller, Todd & Sadler.

The 35.5-acre Northampton High School campus on Courthouse Road in Eastville will be transformed by demolishing the school buildings constructed in 1954, renovating the 1978 additions, and adding new construction.

The final product will increase the school’s interior from about 110,000 to 145,000 square feet and will accommodate 1,000 students – 450 in the middle school, which will include students in grades 6 to 8, and 550 in the high school.

That area does not include more than 21,000 square feet of space in the Career and Technical Education building that will also be renovated.

A budget of $35.7 million is proposed, including $28.3 million for construction. The timeline for completion is 2.5 years, including two years for construction.

Possible upgrades to the outdoor campus include a parking lot close to the main entrances, a bus loop accommodating 12 to 15 buses and separating bus and car traffic, new curb cuts, truck access for kitchen deliveries, and access to athletic fields.

The current athletic field house and bleachers may be renovated or replaced.

The five layouts presented by Waller, Todd & Sadler include all the following upgrades, but in different configurations:

• At least two separate entrances, one for parents, visitors, and student drop-offs, and another for bus riders and special event guests. In some scenarios, entrances for middle school and high school students are also separate.

Northampton High School currently has one main entrance at the front of the building for all students and visitors.

  • A wing for a new auditorium, stage, and music room. The current auditorium, built in 1954, will be torn down.
  • A wing for a new kitchen, middle school cafeteria, and high school cafeteria. The current kitchen and cafeteria are also part of the 1954 building that will be demolished.
  • Separate wings for the middle school and high school, where core classes will be taught. A third wing or group of classrooms for electives will be shared.
  • A separate gym and locker rooms will be built for the middle school. The high school will retain the current gym, which will be renovated.

In each scenario, the middle and high school will share a library/media center.

Each plan has advantages and disadvantages, leaving county and school officials to carefully consider their options.

For example, Option A and B place a new middle school wing out front, enhancing the building’s overall curb appeal and giving the middle school its own space, but the distance from middle school classrooms to some elective classrooms could prove inconvenient.

Options C, D, and E do not propose major changes to the building’s facade but group the middle and high school wings, elective classrooms, library, and cafeterias on one side of the building. The areas most likely to be accessed by the public, such as the gyms and auditorium, are grouped on the opposite side of the building, by the main parking lot.

Superintendent Eddie Lawrence said Option A, with the new middle school out front, was his favorite choice, and it would be an attractive option to the public.

School board members agreed. Chair Maxine Rasmussen said, “One thing, though, that we’ve heard from parents … is they just wanted a new middle school, and if we put them in that back hallway – even though we give them two separate entrances – they are not going to consider that what they wanted.”

The final choice may not exactly match any layout presented by the architects Tuesday night, but it may combine elements from multiple layouts, according to what county and school officials believe will work best for Northampton students, employees, and the community.

Click on the image below to view it in full size.

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Change in plans: Thompson School District moves to hybrid model for middle and high school - Loveland Reporter-Herald

Middle and high school students in Loveland and Berthoud will start the school year with a hybrid online and in-school model, while elementary students will return to school full-time in person as originally planned.

The Thompson School District communicated with parents Wednesday night a change in plans to launch the school year after the Larimer County Department of Health released updated guidance that changed the recommendations of class levels for cohort groups.

“Due to the adjustment, Thompson School District will no longer be providing a 100% in-person option for students in grades 6-12,” according to the message sent to families. “Instead, students in those grades who choose an in-person model for the school year will be enrolled in a hybrid model that establishes two groups of students and mixes in-person instruction with virtual education.”

The previously released plan was for middle school students to spend the full day in school, with students changing classes among only set teachers, while high school students were to spend the morning in school and the afternoon at home online.

The district considered both of those in-person learning because all students would be in school at least a portion of every day.

Details on the hybrid system, and how that differs, are still being finalized, and school district officials could not be immediately reached for comments on the change.

The district has a 6 p.m. forum scheduled tonight to answer questions about the return to school; a link is available at thompsonschools.org.

“The hybrid model does allow for less kids in the classroom and more social distancing,” said Katie O’Donnell, spokeswoman for the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment. “We’re hearing that’s important to our community.”

The change does not affect elementary school grades. Those students will still return to school full time with physical distancing in place, with cohort groups and with a mask requirement, according to the district’s email to families and the previously released Return to Learn plan.

“This decision is based on data and guidance from county health officials that indicates that children under the age of 10 do not transmit the COVID-19 virus in the same manner as older individuals,” according to the email from the school district to families.

Families also have the option to choose full online education for all grade levels.

“We are supportive of either model,” O’Donnell said. “We’re supportive of the 100% virtual model if that’s what our schools want to do as long as they are safe. There’s nothing about Thompson’s original plan that is unsafe. There’s nothing about the hybrid plan that is unsafe. It’s just what they choose to do.

“It’s just a matter of them really trying to make sure that the teachers feel safe and the families feel safe.”

The first day of school is either Aug. 31 or Sept. 1, depending on the grade level, and the district has extended until Aug. 9 the deadline for parents to decide whether to choose fully online school or the model that includes some time in the classroom.

Parents who have already completed their forms and want to change can fill out new forms, and the updated decision will apply.

Health officials will continue to work with the school district to keep everyone as safe as possible whether they opt for online, in-person or a mixture of both, O’Donnell said, noting that, “There’s no perfect answer.”

This story will be updated as more information is available.

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Cleveland Has a Middle-Class Housing Affordability Problem - Cleveland Scene

click image PHOTO BY DAN MOYLE/FLICKRCC
  • Photo by Dan Moyle/FlickrCC

Anya Hodgson has a problem. Although the realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices says that about a third of her business is selling to professional workers who want to live in the city, her buyers are increasingly getting shut out of neighborhoods where they want to be, such as Tremont, Ohio City and University Circle, because they can’t afford to live there.

Home prices in Cleveland have risen in the past five years, jumping 16 percent in the last year alone, from an average of $39,900 in January 2019 to $47,500 in January 2020, according to the regional multiple listing service YES MLS. In May, they took another jump up to $51,750. Supply of for-sale housing, especially on the lower end, has not kept pace with demand, especially from millennials entering the market with a rapacious appetite for home ownership after years of renting through bad economic times.

With sellers reluctant to put their homes on the market during the Covid-19 pandemic, a supply shortage has driven up prices. Basically, there are fewer homes selling, but the ones that are selling are getting a higher price and moving at a faster clip. Many experts say that the housing bubble likely won't burst anytime soon, because it's driven by low interest rates and pent-up demand from younger homebuyers.

For the last few years, it’s been tough to find a move-in-ready home under $300,000 in Ohio City and Tremont, Hodgson says, and with the new units being built priced well above that high-water mark, first-time buyers are often forced to choose between paying higher prices and looking at other neighborhoods that are less desirable to them, including the suburbs.

“I’m finding that I have these totally qualified candidates, who want to live in the city of Cleveland and contribute, who have good credit and decent income, but who can’t find houses they can afford,” she says. “Everything they find in the $200-300,000 range needs too much work, and all of the new homes that are being built are over $500,000 and they’re being priced out. They’re teachers, they’re social workers. In every other way, they’re qualified and should be able to find a home.”

Now, during Covid-19, there are still serious buyers looking, but there are fewer homes to choose from and the ones that are in move-in condition and priced right often sell immediately, after receiving multiple offers. “I’ve been in multiple situations, in recent weeks, where my client has been the fifth or sixth offer on a house,” Hodgson says. “They’re flying off the shelves.”

The impact on future housing affordability is unclear, but prices aren’t going down yet. “If anything, people bump up what they’re asking because they know they’re the only ones on the market.”

To meet demand over the past few years, developers have begun creating more middle-income for-sale housing in neighborhoods like Clark-Fulton, Glenville and Fairfax that are adjacent to higher-priced areas and where land is cheaper or can be obtained through the city land bank. These are also areas where the mayor’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI) is investing up to $25 million in housing and economic development projects.

Bo Knez of Knez Homes got started in the city by building a million-dollar custom home in Tremont, but these days his team is building single-family homes and townhomes in Glenville in the $200,000’s. He’s sold 15-20 of them in the past two years. The area’s proximity to the “eds and meds” of University Circle and the Cleveland Clinic is key to his success, he says.

He’s also building 30 affordable lease-purchase homes for the Famicos Foundation. The total market value of his investments in the area will be north of $50 million when he is done, he says. Covid-19 has not slowed things down so far, he adds. Knez anticipates selling at least four houses this week in various parts of the city, and hopes to break ground later this year on a new townhouse project in Glenville and single-family houses in Fairfax, among other projects.

“Everything we have there currently is sold,” says Knez, who has lots available and is now working on three additional townhouse projects. “In University Circle, you can buy things for half a million to $700,000, but the units we’re currently building are at a lower price point.”

Pent-Up Demand

Cleveland’s housing shortage has its roots in the 2008-2009 housing crisis when an entire generation of millennials came of age in a bottomed-out economy as renters instead of owners. Soon neighborhoods like Ohio City, Tremont, downtown and University Circle became hot rental markets. As the economy got better, it unleashed a wave of pent-up demand from renters looking to walk to brunch in Hingetown or have a two-minute commute to their downtown jobs.

Despite a building frenzy, demand quickly outstripped supply in these hot areas, and by the mid 2010’s prices were climbing. In a January 10th article on Cleveland’s preternaturally hot market, Cleveland.com’s Rich Exner wrote: “If you want in on a typical home sale in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood, be ready to spend a quarter-million dollars.” Compare that to an average of $174,950 in 2016 – more than a 25 percent bump in three years. To the north, prices in Ohio City have risen from $124,000 in 2017 to $156,250 in 2019, while in Detroit Shoreway, once the more affordable alternative to Ohio City, prices have jumped from $61,250 in 2017 to $169,250 in 2019. University Circle’s too-hot-to-touch average home prices were $345,800 in 2019.

While the average sale price in Cuyahoga County increased from $125,000 to $136,750 from January 2019 to January 2020, then jumped up to $147,000 in May, Northeast Ohio is still affordable relative to the rest of the country. The median U.S. sale price was $274,500 in January 2020, up nearly eight percent from a year ago. Even relative to our diminished earnings - households in Cuyahoga County have a median annual income of $49,910, less than the median US income of $61,937 – a home in Cleveland is still less expensive than in other cities.

Yet the 2020 National Housing Forecast from Realtor.com says the affordability problem will get worse for first-time homebuyers, not better. An estimated 8.3 to 9.2 million first-time homebuyers are expected to hit the market in the next few years, that study says. Even before the coronavirus hit, people were already tending to stay put longer in their homes, especially baby boomers, and now the Covid-19 pandemic has made it worse by adding more uncertainty.

Consultant Gina Kelly and her husband rented for years in Ohio City, but they ended up buying a three-bedroom house in Shaker Heights because they couldn’t find a home that they liked at a price point they could afford in the neighborhood. “We kept looking for something that was right, and then 2015 hit, and the houses that used to be affordable were half a million dollars,” she says.

Hodgson says this story is not uncommon. “They end up purchasing in Old Brooklyn, Collinwood, or some in the Heights,” she says of many first-time buyers.

However, Natalie Hatchet, a 57-year-old sales representative who moved from Strongsville, found what she was looking for in Glenville. Hatchet, who is Italian-American, says she wanted to be close to restaurants, shops and galleries in Little Italy and University Circle but couldn’t afford to buy there. She bought her home because of the 15-year tax abatement, the opportunity to custom build, and because it’s a good investment.

Friends who questioned her decision changed their mind after visiting and seeing how nice the area is. “They thought I was crazy,” she says. “Every one of them has apologized to me.”

Councilman Kevin Conwell, who represents Glenville, University Circle and Little Italy, says it’s important to make sure that developing is inclusive and benefits current residents. He touts the fact that in Glenville, the city of Cleveland and the Finch Group recently partnered on the $15 million, 63-unit Glenville Circle North building. Rents for a one-bedroom unit start at over $1,000 per month, but 20 percent of the units are set aside as affordable housing. It also has seven first floor retail spaces, including Black Box Fix and a neighborhood barbershop.

“Here’s the risk – if you make everything high-end, then you’re going to push people out to the suburbs, because they can’t find something nice that they can afford,” says Conwell. “We need affordable housing, and that will also help us fight against gentrification. Many of the apartments being built in Cleveland are going for $1,500 per month – single mothers can’t afford that.”

John Anoliefo, director of the nonprofit Famicos Foundation, says Knez’s investment is a huge positive for the area but must be accompanied by more affordable housing and home rehabs in order to provide a balanced approach. Famicos rehabs older homes in the neighborhood using city subsidy, because the private market isn’t yet able to make a profit on these projects.

Although the coronavirus and the impending economic depression may slow things down, more development will come because of the investment from Knez, the Finch Group, the city and others, he says. “You’re going to see other investors and developers coming in and buying vacant land, now that they know they can get their money by making that investment.”

Although this may change if there’s a prolonged economic recession, Knez’s biggest problem is getting permits out of the city. During the pandemic, the building department has only been open two days a week and inspectors have been slow to set up appointments. “We have sold units where we need to get in the ground, but there’s an extended timeline. Everything’s slower.”

Rising Rents

The cost of renting an apartment in Cleveland has also jumped dramatically in recent years. According to Zumper’s national rent index, last year Cleveland ranked number one in year-over-year growth for one-bedroom rental units, which rose 16 percent to $940 per month on average (the national median is $1,230). Meanwhile, two-bedroom units jumped 14.9 percent to $1,000 per month on average. In 2019, Cleveland jumped 17 spots from 74 to 57 on the index.

Some of the new units coming online in Ohio City and University Circle are priced at over $2 per square foot, putting them effectively out of reach for many people. An 819 square foot one-bedroom unit at the Nine downtown rents for $1,765, meaning that if rent should be no more than 33 percent of a person’s income, you’d have to make $75,000 to be able to afford it. Although some apartment owners are offering concessions – a recent Crain’s article reported that the Beacon is offering six months of free rent, which is worth as much as $10,000 – that may not be enough for many renters.

To bridge the gap, some developers are trying to build workforce housing that is affordable to households earning between 60 and 120 percent of area median income (AMI). In cities across the country where it’s difficult for middle-income workers to buy or rent where they work, experts recommend repurposing vacant land, adopting inclusionary zoning (requiring a percentage of units in a development to be affordable), updating land development codes to encourage development in urban areas, and allowing single-family owners to build and rent out accessory dwelling units, among other things.

One workforce housing project in Cleveland is the Tappan in Tremont, where developer Sustainable Community Associates (SCA) plans to set aside 60 percent of the residential units there for people whose annual income is $48,300 or less. Monthly rent for the mix of studio or one-bedroom units is between $1,150 and $1,300; the other 40 percent of apartments is market rate. SCA built the Tappan partially by using Opportunity Zone funding, which incentivizes investment in economically-distressed areas by allowing investors to delay or avoid paying capital gains taxes if they invest within certain Census tracts designated Opportunity Zones.

"It was built with way more then OZ funding," SCA told Scene. "We also had traditional lending."

click to enlarge THE TAPPAN, WHICH IS CURRENTLY TAKING SHAPE IN TREMONT/ PHOTO COURTESY BIALOSKY
  • The Tappan, which is currently taking shape in Tremont/ Photo Courtesy Bialosky

On Barber Avenue in Clark-Fulton, first-time developer Ben Beckman is also developing workforce housing in the old J. Spang Bakery. Before he bought the property and turned it into the BVQ Lofts (it stands for Barber-Vega-Queen, the cross streets), parts of it were falling down and there were numerous health and safety violations. Through an $18 million project, he’s transformed this eyesore into 69 rental apartments.

Beckman’s project, which is literally just over the RTA tracks from Ohio City and Tremont, redevelops a neglected part of the city. During a pre-pandemic tour, he points out details like the exposed J&L Steel ceiling beams from the old mill where the Steelyard Home Depot now stands (“I had fun saying to my dad, ‘Hey, here’s some steel from J&L,’ since he pushed a broom there for 12 years,” Beckman says); the ancient cooler doors that are now a cool apartment feature; and the custom-built monitor skylights that they added to bring in more natural light.

As he steps into a unit with 14-foot ceilings, a brand-new granite kitchen, and cleaned-up original tile on the floor and walls, Beckman smiles at the history. “This is the old production floor, this is where they did the baking of the bread. You’ve got 1920s clean room technology here, a glazed brick floor and terra cotta walls. This floor tile is something they patented; it has safety grip and washes down easily. We’re going to put the patent number out in the lobby.”

“Every unit tells its own story,” he says.

Beckman hopes to entice renters to move to Clark-Fulton by pricing the units at about $1.50 per square foot, substantially cheaper than similar units a mile or two north. Apartments here range from 500 to 1,400 square feet, and are priced from $745 per month for the smallest single to $1,800 for the largest triple. They feature in-suite laundry, generous parking, and high-speed Internet. Most of the units are open and don’t have bedrooms or closets – they’re true lofts.

Right now, he doesn’t believe the coronavirus has significantly dampened demand, and in fact the suites may be attractive in a work-from-home era. His tenants appreciate the unique handcrafted style as well as the building’s affordability. “If you like it, you’re going to spend 40 percent less than at 25th and Detroit,” he says, noting that it’s more than 50 percent leased and he gets 2-3 inquiries every day. “If not, then this may not be for you. It’s not for everybody.”

It was definitely for John Kurek, a 30-year-old nurse who works nights at the ICU stepdown unit at University Hospitals in Parma. He rented one of the larger one-bedrooms for $1,275, and rents two parking spaces for his motorcycle and two cars (he’s a car guy). As a single guy, Kurek enjoys being close to nightlife and work. “For the same amount of money, you’d get a whole lot less living downtown,” he says.

Ricardo Leon, executive director of Metro West CDC, hails BVQ Lofts as one of the first market-rate developments in Clark-Fulton to be built in many years. It could also offer a move-up opportunity for existing neighborhood residents. “This is a big deal for us, kind of like a proof of concept, that you can take a property and rehab it, leveraging historic tax credits, and bring it to market at what is the top end of our market, but still cheaper than any other neighborhood around us,” he says, adding, “I think it’s going to catalyze development around it.”

Tom Bier, a retired professor at the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, believes that the city’s investment in Clark-Fulton and Glenville could kickstart these neighborhoods in the same way it did in Ohio City more than 20 years ago. “The question is, if we provide incentives for development where it’s not happening, might it catch on and get rolling?” he says. “When the city redid West 25th Street, to me that was the breakout point for Ohio City. The city made that investment, and boy did that pay off.”

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