Window Cleaning News

Window washer thwarts burglars in Orland, Illinois: Two men who decided to help themselves to 30 cell phones at Orland Square Mall before the mall opened were thwarted by an observant window washer, Orland Park police said. Dominique L. Nash, 17, of Lake Villa, and Elry R. Lyle, 18, of Orland Park, broke into a cabinet, then used the keys they found to open glass display cases and steal about 30 phones from a U.S. Cellular kiosk at the mall, police said. A nearby window washer spotted them and notified mall security, who then contacted police. Security officers kept tabs on the men and gave police a description as they left the mall, police said.
Police arrested the men, who had taken the bus to the mall, in the parking lot. The men had abandoned the phones, valued at about $6,500, and police found them.

Alex works as a busboy, dishwasher and window washer. "I don't know who's seen it, but we've all heard about it and we're excited for him. He's proud of everything he does, and we're so proud of him. He's part of our heart and soul." Special Olympian Alex Darlington, 22, of Leavenworth, can be seen about four times a day on national television with those historic World Olympic medal winners in a Coca-Cola commercial that will air throughout NBC's coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The ad, created by the Leo Burnett advertising company of Chicago, will be shown 72 times on national television during the games. The 30-second commercial titled "Ceremony" shows numerous Olympic and Special Olympic winners receiving their medals over the 80 years that Coca-Cola has been a sponsor of the games. Alex is seen receiving a gold medal for the 50-meter backstroke during the 2007 Special Summer Olympics at Fort Lewis. He has Down syndrome, a genetic chromosome disorder often involving mental retardation.


The Burdettes clean windows for their residential cleaning business, Pro-Clean Window Cleaning, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and when they get home, the picking continues until dark. Everyday is busy for Leslie and Chris Burdette on their Shady Oaks Farm, in Poca, West Virginia, and they like it that way. Because when it is busy, they know that their dream is attainable. They want to eventually live off of their land completely. Leslie, 50, said they want to have enough income year round to count on as retirement instead of putting their faith into social security. The Burdettes are planting things that keep money coming in all year round. The raspberries come in the spring, followed closely by blueberries, then the heirloom daffodils, followed by blackberries, and finally their wild simulated ginseng comes up in the fall. They are also growing goldenseal, bloodroot, shiitake mushrooms, and heirloom tomatoes.

My first dollar: A Window Cleaner’s Vision: As head of Hartford’s Riverfront Recapture, Joseph Marfuggi’s goal is to get people outside to enjoy the natural beauty of the Connecticut River along Hartford’s seven miles of shoreline and 148 acres of park grounds. That same summer, Marfuggi was recruited to wash the windows of the Vermont Marble Co. They hadn’t been cleaned in nine years. To this day, Marfuggi remembers not only the filth, but also the cheers from factory workers who could see the outside world again. Marfuggi also began volunteering and eventually worked his way into campaign communications for Toby Moffett, when Moffett ran for U.S. Senate. The job further expanded Marfuggi’s contacts around the state. “My job now is like a big nonstop campaign where you are continually building support,” Marfuggi said of Riverfront Recapture. “No matter which party or side you are on, volunteering with the campaigns is a valuable experience.”

Thinking of the window cleaning! CANADA'S NEW FACE IN KOREA: With An Architectural Expression, the tripartite order of the diplomatic building, an oblong volume that sits on the corner like the prow of a ship, is cleverly designed in terms of function and aesthetics. At street level, the building base is clad with a screen of Canadian Western red cedar slats that wraps the spandrel glass of the curtain wall and allows for privacy while providing natural light to the diplomatic staff. Evoking Korean wooden screens and the undulating walls of the nearby Deoksoo Palace, this wood siding is mounted on hinges that can be opened in order to facilitate window cleaning.

Schier, who met Schmidt while both were working in the high-rise window-washing business, started showing up and soon joined as a partner. The bicycles at the Dutch Bike Co. near the 14th Avenue Northwest boat ramp in Ballard are anything but sporty. With model names such as Opa (Dutch for grandfather) and Oma (for grandmother), the bikes are heavy (weighing at least 40 pounds), slow and clunky (with locks, chain guards and mud flaps built in). But, according to co-owners Stephan Schier and David Schmidt, the bikes are steadily gaining a following in the United States, thanks in part to their business, one of only a handful to carry them here. There's enough demand that the pair plan to open a second shop in Chicago later this year. In the United States, "bicycles mean exercise, not transportation," Schier said. By contrast, their Dutch bicycles are sold for their utility.

PLAN TO TACKLE IMMINGHAM COAL DUST PROBLEM: An action plan has been agreed to curb coal dust blighting the lives of Immingham area residents. Members of North East Lincolnshire Council, UK, has agreed a plan to control and measure coal dust in the worst affected areas highlighted as being Kings Road and Pelham Road. However, precisely what action will be taken and when, remains to be decided as does funding for monitoring the situation, of which local businesses may be asked to share the cost. The air quality action plan is the authority's response to the Department of Food and Rural Affairs requirement that the elevated levels of dust recorded in these areas must be controlled and reduced. As reported, in 2006, dust levels in the Immingham area exceeded the levels set by the Government in its Air Quality Strategy. It followed a number of complaints from residents about the layers of dust on their washing, windows and cars.

A former councillor at Camp Trillium has given back to the camp, in a "clearly" unique way... Jon Carkner, a Guelph University student and manager of Action Window Cleaning took July off to volunteer at the camp, when he noticed that the windows were in need of cleaning. He then got a hold of other franchise managers and cleaned the windows at Camp Trillium - as a donation. Carkner says while his student wallet didn't quite have the funds for a cash donation, he thought a 35 hour - 12 hundred dollar service was equally as good.