Sunday Window Cleaning News-Watch

Two rescued after ninth-floor scaffolding breaks: A crowd gathered along the street and workers peered from their office windows Friday morning as two construction workers hung from the side of a nine-story building. The workers were pressure washing the exterior of one of Mutual of Omaha's buildings at 33rd and Farnam Streets when the platform holding them broke apart. Rescuers pulled one worker up and off the platform about 11:30 a.m. The second man was rescued about 11:40 a.m. A co-worker identified the men as Dan Gibbons and Nick Grimit. From the time the ordeal began shortly before 11 a.m. until the second man was rescued, onlookers gathered along the street. Office workers could be seen looking out nearly every window in the buildings along both sides of Farnam. Another employee of the construction company said the platform the men were using was brand new. It was still near the top of the building and had not descended very far when the platform broke. The platform is constructed in three sections, and the right-hand third of the platform broke loose shortly after the men began descending the building. Rescuers and the two workers secured the platform with ropes before the men were removed. Battalion Chief Steve Ausdemore said a passerby saw the scaffolding hanging broken on the side of the building and called 911. "Our speciality rescue team trains for this type of event every week in order to be prepared for a real- world high-angle rescue. This rescue went like clockwork," he said.

Doctors at Coventry’s University Hospital began crying as they told the 66-year-old he had less than two months to live. But the grandfather of three was in for an even bigger shock. After planning his own funeral and wake, Mr McCann was called back to the hospital and told the doctors had made a mistake – he could live for years. Mr McCann and his wife Elizabeth, of Castle Croft, Cheylesmore, were given the “devastating” news in September 2007. He’s decided to speak out now after reading about other NHS mistakes in the Telegraph. “The doctor’s eyes started filling up with tears as he told us,” said the former window cleaner. “He said he needed to get a glass of water – I thought it was for me and I said thank you but he sat down and drank it himself. “We were crying all the way home, we didn’t know what to do.” During the following days Mr McCann began counting down to his “imminent death” and making preparations. He contacted the Co-op to start paying off his funeral plan and arrange the service, and he booked a room at the Cheylesmore Social Club for his wake. His two younger sisters even borrowed money to fly over from Belfast to support him during his final weeks. Then on October 2, Mr McCann was called back into hospital and told the diagnosis had been a mistake. Doctors also sent him a letter of apology, assuring him the tumour behind his eye would not kill him any time soon. “When we went to the hospital they couldn’t apologise enough,” said Mr McCann, who has lived in Coventry for more than 40 years. “But at the same time they asked my wife and me whether we really wanted to know what the cancer was going to do to me, because if it were them they wouldn’t want to know. “I was terrified.” Mr McCann, who needs oxygen 16 hours a day and takes more than 20 tablets including morphine, contacted the Coventry Telegraph to share his story after reading about other mistakes made by the hospital.

Phoney tradesmen told to stay away from Portsmouth: Police have warned rogue traders to stay out of Portsmouth after an operation targeting dodgy workers. Trading Standards joined police officers to carry out spot checks on the likes of builders, window cleaners and gardeners to make sure they were not ripping people off. PC Neil Lancaster said the aim of the operation was to target those who coerce elderly people into paying for unnecessary work as well as distraction burglars. PC Lancaster said: 'Obviously there's a lot of good workers out there and it's the minority that are causing problems for the majority. 'The day was about distraction burglaries and people being taken advantage of. These sort of things obviously have a devastating affect on people.' No arrests were made on the day and all those who the authorities spoke to were bona fide workers. But Trading Standards officer Dave Taylor said it had been a worthwhile operation.
'Unfortunately we didn't find anybody who was a rogue trader as such,' he said. 'But rogue traders should see this as a warning that we are looking for them and we will be out again looking for them. 'We want these people to keep out of Portsmouth and anything we can do to disrupt their activities will help to protect everybody, particularly the elderly and vulnerable who are reluctant to say "no" when people knock at their door.'

A grieving husband has paid tribute to the woman he married twice, after she lost her brave battle with a rare illness. George Black said his wife, Terri, managed to keep her “bubbly and jovial” personality despite her painful muscle and tendon condition. The mother of four suffered from fibromyalgia, which often left her exhausted and in agony after only slight exertion. Mr Black, 54, of Murray Place, Portsoy, said: “Even though she was suffering, she tried to make the best of every hour. “The last couple of years were very hard for her but she always tried to keep up her spirits.” He said his 37-year-old wife had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia two years ago and took medication to combat the condition. Sufferers can experience chronic pain and fatigue in muscles and tendons and an increased sensitivity to pain. Mr Black and his London-born wife met through their membership of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious movement. He said: “We were both members of the congregation at Portsoy and got married in 1996. At that time, we stayed at Portknockie for a while and then moved to a farmhouse in the Bogmuchals area. “Unfortunately, I became ill and that caused a strain, and we split up and got divorced in 2003.
“We kept up with each other as friends and I came to stay in Portsoy. “A couple of years ago, Terri also came to Portsoy and we were living not far from each other. “My health problems had improved and we decided to get married again.” Mr Black, who formerly worked as a landscape gardener and window cleaner, said: “Terri always made a great impression on everybody and was well liked.”

Don says "So, what happens when it just pours all week? You may not ever have that problem, but if you live in a tropical climate like I do, this can be an issue. Not only is it hard to clean windows in a downpour, but it suppresses interest in those who might be your customers. Check out this 3 minute video!"

Students find recession tough - More are opting to start their own companies. A difficult economy means students are having a hard time finding work this summer. When Andrew Graham started recruiting for his summer window-cleaning business, he got more than 50 résumés, twice as many as a year earlier. The 21-year-old Carleton engineering student hired six students, twice as many as he had in his first year. "There are definitely more people looking for summer jobs." The recession is putting a squeeze on the job market, including summer employment opportunities. The result is some young people like Graham are turning to alternatives like starting a business. Governments are pumping more money into job placement programs, including providing wage subsidies to encourage hiring. Almost 25,000 jobs have disappeared in the last five months in Ottawa-Gatineau, lifting the unemployment rate to 5.5 per cent in April - well below the national unemployment rate of eight per cent. Unemployment of workers between the ages of 15 to 24 was 10.9 per cent in April in Ottawa-Gatineau, up from 10.5 per cent a year earlier. That is more than twice the 4.4-per-cent unemployment rate of people 25 and over.

'No-cold-callers zone' to fight conmen: A Scheme to warn doorstep callers and cowboy businessman to stay away from an elderly residential area has been set up in town. The 'No-Cold Calling Zone' has been set up in Manners Street in a joint effort between the police and trading standards. The area was chosen after reports from a number of people living in the area of conmen going door-to-door. PC Tony Gallagher, community beat manager for the town centre, said: "We have been plagued by a number of cold-callers and distraction type burglaries in this area. "We have had cases of people posing as gas workers, window cleaners, even people calling themselves police officers. "We are hoping this scheme will help give the residents the confidence to say 'no' by giving them the information to be able to contact us quickly." PC Gallagher and PCSO Alfie Kent went door-to-door in Manners Street on Tuesday to talk to people about the problems, offer advice and provide an information pack on how to react to doorstep sellers. A number of signs have been put up around people's homes by the police warning possible cold-callers not to go door-to-door in the area. Dave Callan of Trading Standards said: "We want to discourage rogue traders from coming to this area. "We get people charging exorbitant amounts for doing very little work, people distracting the person at the front door while someone else gets into the house and even people being taken to the bank to withdraw money. The problem in the Manners Street area has becoming worse in recent months, with residents raising the issue at residents' meetings. Barrie Cox, a neighbourhood watch co-ordinator, regularly attends such meetings. "I think the zone is an excellent idea. "We have had quite a few distraction burglaries up here. They always come in the evening and we tell people not to open their doors to anybody but some still do and this has resulted in people being robbed. "Putting the signs up should deter people from going door-to-door."

Al Sarabasa Jr. He pounces on the slack: Al Sarabasa Jr. has seen a few economic slumps during his almost 24 years as owner of D&A Building Services Inc. in Longwood. Which is why he now uses downturns to take up market slack left by out-of-business competitors and expand his company's service offerings. "If we come out strong enough at the end of this, we will be in the position to expand and pick up more markets," he said. From humble beginnings as a window-washing business with one employee, D&A has grown to become one of Florida's biggest Hispanic-owned businesses, with annual revenue of $19 million, according to California-based Hispanic Business magazine. The company's main line of business is built around janitorial services, facility maintenance, window cleaning, waterproofing, construction cleanup and communications networks.
Already this year, Sarabasa has lost some contracts and had to reduce his work force by 25 percent through layoffs and attrition. But he has also added lawn-and-ornamental treatment services to his landscape-maintenance unit. And he has expanded geographically, adding a fifth state last year with the opening of a Dallas office. "It's not about affordability; it's about the possibilities once we get out of the recession," he said of the expansion and added services. "It's tight, but we make it work."