Window Cleaning News

Babushka Death Wish: Spotted in Istanbul, Turkey, a lady cleaning windows at height without the benefit of any access of safety equipment. OK its not from Russia- so Büyükanne would have been be more accurate, but let’s not ‘split hairs’ - allow a little poetic licence. The grandmotherly looking lady is certainly risking her life as she shimmies along the window ledge/sill to reach all of the glazed area and frame of the fixed window panel. While she appears to be doing an exceptional cleaning job, she has paid little attention to her method and her safety – bit like many construction sites!

Russian window cleaning: Getting the job done without the silly details like safety.

Window cleaners work outside the tenth floor of a hotel in the city of Hefei, Anhui province on August 7, 2012. Asia has been a ray of sunshine in the global economic gloom, but a confidence survey released Wednesday shows the region’s executives are starting to worry as China’s growth slows and exports sink.

MJF Cleaning doubles its workforce: A cleaning firm is mopping up after doubling its workforce in the last 12 months and completing a string of 12-week industrial cleaning contracts worth up to £70,000 each. MJF Cleaning, based in Darlington, is currently undergoing a period of rapid expansion as demand soars for its specialist commercial, industrial and construction cleaning services. MJF has recently completed a three-month cleaning package for BAE Systems at their new production facility in Washington, Tyne and Wear, as well as a lengthy stint at the five-star Rockliffe Hall, near Darlington. Other prestigious clients include Shepherd Construction, Tolent Construction, Esh Group and Morgan Sindall. The firm has upped its workforce in accordance with demand from 60 full and part-time staff to 120 after buying larger warehouse and office space in Darlington for £70,000 in the New Year. Managing director Martin Ferguson says the company has come a long way since its humble beginnings six years ago.

“It was just a tiny window cleaning business when we launched in 2006 but it has snowballed ever since,” he said. “Our services now include commercial, window cleaning, industrial and construction but it is the large construction contracts that have really done well for us in the last 12 months. “When a construction company finishes a new-build they have to allow for a major clean before handing it over to the client. “These contracts can be anything from a few days up to 12 weeks. “At the moment, we’re looking to turn over approximately £1m this year but we want to double that the following year. “If our turnover doubles then so too will our workforce and we will be recruiting another 80 to 100 staff.” Looking forward, the company is gearing up to expand its services across the UK – a strategy which will be supported by a new, improved website and social media presence. Ferguson said: “We’ve invested heavily in the business’s infrastructure, including staffing and new premises and we expect to invest again over the next year.”

Cornershop Heroes #2: The Window Cleaner - Every cornershop relies on a network of corner-shaped professionals. In this thrilling new mini-series we meet some of the behind-the-scenes men and women that keep the indie retail world going. The window of a shop is its public face, and as such it is quite the most important part of an establishment’s structure. If a shop’s window is shit, then people simply won’t come in. Of course it’s up to the shopkeeper to fill it with enticing morsels and artistic displays, but the window itself also needs to be clean. Now we have heard that some very hard working shopkeepers clean their own windows. We are full of admiration for this, as it is indeed a task fraught with complications: smears, water in the armpit, falling off the ladder, chaffed hands, wet everything…not to mention the irrational-but-persistent feeling that an awful lot of people are laughing at you as you jiggle up and down.

We tried to do it ourselves. The first time Mrs.Shopkeeper was up a ladder covered in suds someone came along and asked if they could buy the ladder. The second occasion, just a week after the shop opened, it was a blastingly cold December day and her knuckles were bleeding from the combination of wet and icy. Just when she was about to burst into tears and admit window-cleaning defeat, a little voice behind her said: “Looks like you need a window-cleaner…”  Mark Mason has been our window-cleaner ever since. We regard him as one of our sounder petty cash investments: a fiver a fortnight is hardly going to give the accountant palpitations. Mark is relentlessly cheerful, whatever the weather, and seems sublimely happy in his job. We asked him why, and he said he genuinely loves being out and about meeting people all day. He has been doing the job for over 20 years, and took over from his father: altogether they have had their Peckham round for around 60 years.

Seems the only thing that pains him about his work is the increasing homogenisation of the high streets. Corporate is as bad news for independent cornershop heroes as it is for the cornershops themselves. Oh and yes: we did ask him if he had any, er, confessions (window cleaner? geddit? okay – you’re probably too young): sadly he didn’t. We shouldn’t really share all our trade secrets with you, but if you live in or near SE15 and are fed up with wet armpits, give Mark a ring on 07932 085932 and he or one of his little helpers will zoom round with their super squeegees to help you out.

Cyclist survives heart attack - with help from mystery motorist: A cyclist from South Oxhey had a narrow escape when he suffered a heart attack and spent 25 minutes unconscious on the side of the road before a passing motorist came to his aid. David Green, of Prestwick Road, was riding in Hampermill Lane near the garage in Sandy Lodge Lane on August 4 at 10.30am, when his heart suddenly began beating at about 180 beats per minute. The 49-year-old suffers with cardiomyopathy, the deterioration of his heart muscle, and has an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) fitted inside his chest which is designed to restart his heart in case of emergency.

He said: "I was out riding my push bike and suddenly I didn't feel right, I was very short of breath and the next thing I knew I had collapsed on the grass. "I went into cardiac arrest and by the grace of god my ICD shocked me, otherwise I would have died on the roadside. "The ICD knew I was going into a cardiac episode and shocked me three times. I was unconscious for about 25 minutes before a passing motorist stopped to help me up. "It happened so fast, I was getting off my bike and that's the last thing I remember. I woke up and felt like I'd been in a title fight, the man helped me to the petrol station and called an ambulance, but I never got his name."

At Watford General Hospital a readout from the ICD showed Mr Green's heart activity in the run up to his heart attack. The data showed his heartbeat increased from about 65 beats per minute, to more than 180. Mr Green said the condition was the main cause of sudden death for under 35s. He added: "I had some trouble with my knees at work and a random heart test I had found the abnormality, so I was lucky it was picked up. "I had no symptoms other than shortness of breath. I had no idea I had this killer condition." After four days of monitoring in hospital Mr Green was discharged, although he has to return regularly for tests. The retired window cleaner said: "Everything is on hold until I get the ok to start building myself back up. I don't even know if it's safe to run for a bus. "I've given up work, my cardiologist would probably have kittens if I said I was climbing ladders. "As long as I can still play golf and ride my bike, I'll be happy."

Shopkeepers say their voice is being ignored over Tesco in Llanrwst: Independent shopkeepers in the Conwy Valley market town of Llanrwst say they are especially against alleged plans for a 28,000sqft superstore and council waste transfer station (WTS) in the town. Their anger has been fuelled after feedback from the council funded Llanrwst Vision Statement, carried out in 2011, recently revealed the majority of those questioned were against a supermarket. They say the research is being ignored.Window cleaner Colin Jones from Llanrwst said: “If local shops have to close because of Tesco it will affect my business drastically because I clean most of the town’s shops and in winter it is my only business ,as house owners don’t want their windows doing in winter.”

Window cleaner Peter Boote threatened a group of youths with an air rifle in a row over a motorbike parked outside his house. The 57-year-old lost his temper when teenager Jordan Scott left his bike in Newchapel Road, Kidsgrove, after Boote had told him to move it. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Boote then made a phone call which set in motion a chain of events that saw Jordan violently attacked later that night. The court heard Jordan was with friends when he parked his motorbike on the night of July 22, 2011. Neil Ahuja, prosecuting, told the court yesterday: "The defendant asked Jordan Scott to move the motorcycle. Jordan got back on and moved it a short distance down the road before walking to meet his friends. "The defendant shouted, 'Move it or I will have it moved'. The air rifle was under his arm in a case. A number of abusive comments were made by the youths, not including Jordan Scott. "In response he raised the air gun, which was not pointed at the witnesses, and said, 'You will have this'. "In response the group of youths ran off and then contacted the police." The court heard Jordan later returned on a bicycle to get his motorbike.

But following a phone call from Boote, 20-year old Adam Smith approached Jordan and questioned him about the earlier incident. Smith, of Gloucester Road, Kidsgrove, then attacked Jordan with a bottle, causing serious injuries. In March, Smith was locked up for six years after admitting wounding with intent. Boote was arrested on July 23, 2011, and has admitted affray. Presenting a number of character references, Stuart Muldoon, mitigating, said: "Mr Boote has not asked for these. People have provided them of their own volition after learning about these proceedings. "Clearly this is a serious offence. If he hadn't made a telephone call what happened later in the night would not have happened. He's appalled at that. "He is effectively a man of good character, his only other conviction was in 1984. He's a man who simply enjoys having a quiet life. He has been involved with shooting since he was 10 and there have never been any concerns."

Judge Paul Glenn handed Boote a 12-month community order and instructed him to do 180 hours unpaid work. He said: "You set off a sequence of events that led to a young man receiving a very unpleasant injury that night. You didn't cause that injury and there's no evidence that you instructed the man to injure him, but I hope the injury caused to Jordan Scott lies heavily on your conscience. "You totally overreacted and made a show of raising your gun." Boote must also pay £750 towards the prosecution costs.

Homeless female veterans get housing, new lease on life, COCOA — Janet O’Sullivan (pictured) feels like her life is back on track. Recently on the verge of homelessness, the U.S. Navy veteran now lives at the new Operation Home Front, an apartment building operated by the Center for Drug Free Living, that houses female veterans and their children. It officially opened Tuesday morning. “I had hopes and dreams and lost them,” she said. “They provided me with the opportunity to reclaim my dreams.” Since moving into the complex that will provide housing for up to 28 women and children, O’Sullivan, 57, has received a Veterans Retraining and Assistance Program grant to study network systems technology at Brevard Community College. She said she is now full of hope. O’Sullivan wants to get a car so she can start a window-washing business while she attends college. “It’s nice to get up in the morning knowing where you’re going to sleep,” she said.

One last chance for danger dog: A Buxton man has been ordered to keep his Alsatian dog under control or face having it destroyed after it bit a 12-year-old boy. Joshua Taylor was with a friend in the back garden of a property on Baslow Grove, Fairfield, on April 28, High Peak Magistrates Court heard. The two boys saw some friends on the field behind Baslow Grove so climbed over the gate into the field, prosecutor Sherrall Pickford said.  But as soon as Joshua landed in the field, he felt a dog grabbing his right thigh with his teeth about three or four times. Joshua suffered two puncture wounds to his thigh and was given painkillers and antibiotics.

The dog, an 11-year-old Alsatian called Harrison which was owned by Paul Holland, had bitten someone several years ago, the court heard. Holland, 52, of Darley Way, admitted being in charge of a dog which was dangerously out of control. John Bunting, defending, said: “The previous incident which has been referred to was some years ago. “There had been a window cleaner dragging his ladders across the back yard and the dog had gone for the window cleaner but didn’t draw blood.” He added: “The defendant responded entirely sensibly and responsibly. “He gave his particulars and invited Joshua to stroke the dog to reassure him.” Holland was ordered to pay Joshua £200 compensation but no order was made for costs. Magistrates made a contingent destruction order with the conditions that Harrison must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public and Holland must keep him under control. If the conditions are not met, the dog could be destroyed.

Risca man in court for harassing old couple: A RISCA window cleaner who went to an elderly couple’s home with a rottweiler asking for money has been fined £250. Darren Evans, 25, of Holly Road, admitted harassment and failure to surrender to custody, when he appeared before Caerphilly magistrates. Evans, who had with him a large rottweiler, told them he had cleaned their windows and requested money. The court heard how a passer- by saw the defendant trying to intimidate the couple, swearing and saying he had wanted payment. A passing motorist also left her car and told the defendant to leave. Evans was arrested on July 30 and taken to Ystrad Mynach Police Station, where he did not accept what the witnesses said, stating he had not been menacing.

David Lewis, mitigating, said the defendant works had cleaned this couple’s windows before, adding that he sometimes cleans people’s windows without asking and puts a note through their door. On this occasion, he had come to collect the money, Mr Lewis said, describing the situation as relatively civil until a third party became involved, after which the argument became heated. “When walking away he did swear, but not at the elderly couple,” Mr Lewis added. Magistrates fined Evans £100 for harassment and £50 for failure to surrender to custody. He must pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Eugene Boyle hopes to clean up at Mynt: Alistair Houghton meets Eugene Boyle, executive chairman of Mynt Facilities Services. He has big ambitions for his business – but given his track record at work and at play, you wouldn’t bet against Eugene Boyle making another mint out of Mynt. When Boyle was suddenly made redundant from a managerial job at Cable & Wireless, he vowed to become his own boss so it could never happen to him again. First, he helped turn high-tech start-up XTML into a business worth tens of millions. Then, he moved into the low-tech world of cleaning and did the same. Now the enthusiastic Lancastrian has returned to the cleaning world with Bootle-based Mynt Facilities Services, a “buy and build” vehicle that already owns two businesses and is looking to buy more.

Away from the office, former semi-professional footballer Boyle is a fitness fanatic who enjoys pushing himself to the limit. “I like to do a fairly extreme challenge at least once a year in some form or other,” he smiled. That has included climbing Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc, completing the French Etape du Tour cycle race four times, and running a marathon in just over three hours. Now, Boyle and his backers from YFM Equity Partners hope he can channel that drive to make Mynt a success. And if there’s one thing Boyle loves, it’s a challenge. “I’m very competitive and very driven,” he said. “I always have been.

“I decided that I wanted to do something that was less volatile,” he said. “The market had been very exciting and rewarding, but if you got your timing wrong you could lose your shirt very easily. “I thought ‘Why not go into contract cleaning?’ It seemed like a leap from a high-technology to the most low-tech service industry. But they’re still service industries – it’s about serving businesses.” Boyle’s research showed there were some 8,000 cleaning companies in the fragmented UK market – and that, he decided, meant that he could grow a larger business through a “buy and build” strategy.

Boyle began looking for new opportunities. And that led him to Mark Allen, founder of Manchester and Chester-based contract office cleaning business ACS. Allen and Boyle were introduced by YFM, which now manages the £45m North West Fund for Development Capital. “Mark and I hit it off fairly quickly,” said Boyle. “I invested and took a stake in the business earlier this year.”

With the addition of Boyle and £650,000 in funding from YFM, ACS became Mynt and made its first acquisition – Robinson’s Hygiene Services, based in Radcliffe, Bury. While ACS is a general cleaning business, Robinson’s specialises in cleaning commercial kitchens. “It’s a growing area,” said Boyle. “Insurance companies are becoming more and more proscriptive about fire hazards. “We go and clean the kitchen canopy areas and then clean all the ducting as well. There’s fat residue there that’s a significant fire risk. “Insurance companies are getting wise and stipulating in their policies that these areas have to be cleaned on a regular basis.” Allen and Boyle are now on the lookout for more takeover targets as they build Mynt into a key player in the facilities management sector. Those target companies could be in specialist fields – Boyle suggests landscaping, gritting or window cleaning

Massive glass pane falls onto City of London street: Police cordoned-off a street near Tower Hill in the City of London on Saturday after a 10ft x 6ft window fell eight floors from an office block. The giant glass pane shattered on the pavement below but miraculously no-one was injured in the incident on Leman Street. One passer-by said: “There was no building or maintenance work going on at the office block so it seems the glass somehow came loose. “It’s a really hot day so I don’t know if that had anything to do with it because the front of the office is an all-glass atrium. “Luckily it didn’t happen on a weekday because the pavement would have been full at midday when it came down. “I walk by here every morning to go to the gym so I was only a matter of minutes away from being underneath it.” A police officer at the site told the Enquirer: “We just got a call saying the street was covered in glass. It’s a bit of a mystery what has happened.”

Police issue warning after bogus caller targets Beeston woman, aged 82: Police were called to an address on Parkfield View, Beeston by an 82 year old lady following two separate attempts by a man attempting to gain entry to her home, it has emerged this week. The first attempt was made on Tuesday 10 July around 8pm, where a male called at her address and said he was a window cleaner and needed her to turn her water off from inside.  She told him to contact the local water company and told him to leave her premises. The second attempt was on Thursday 12 July at approximately 1.30pm the same male approached her again at home knocking on the door, ringing the bell and looking through her window before she even got to the door.

She recognised the man  is due to the boots he was wearing, she stated they were a tan suede colour and ankle height similar to army boots. On this occasion the male said he was working at the hairdressers at the top of the road as a window cleaner and his equipment was on charge but he needed her to go back in her house again and turn off or look at her own water. She immediately realised that something was wrong and told him again to contact the water company. She again told him to leave her garden and then called the Police. A neighbour reports that another male was hanging around in the park whilst the first male knocked at the door.

Walker Tower Gets Scrubbed Down; There are window washers, and then there are building washers. A tipster sent along these photos of the Walker Tower's brick getting a thorough scrub down. Just six short months ago, this side of the art deco building was getting its windows popped out. You can best see the contrast between the newly cleaned brick and the dingy, dirt-covered brick on the lower left side in the photo above.

Dustin Hoffman’s 75th Birthday: That’s not to say that his path to success was easy. In a story about Hoffman’s first encounter with producer Joseph Levine, who made Hoffman a star with “The Graduate,” Levine apparently first mistook Hoffman for a window washer. Handed such fecund material, Hoffman took out his kerchief and began wiping down a window. (Little known fact: Hoffman’s winning of the lead role in “The Graduate” prevented him from playing Franz Liebkind in Mel Brooks’ film “The Producers.”)

It's a peculiarity of Bob Hoskins’ acting career that you can put a precise date on both the beginning and the end of it. It started in 1968 when he accompanied a friend to a theatre audition, was mistaken for one of the candidates and ended up being offered the lead. And it finished on Wednesday when the 69-year-old veteran announced his retirement following his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease.

He has described the intervening four decades, in which he played vicious gangsters, tender-hearted softies and real-life figures from J Edgar Hoover to Pope John XXIII or Mussolini, as having saved him from robbing banks, although he was actually a window cleaner when he got that first casting.

He says he fitted into the business like a sore foot in a soft shoe and he would be heartbroken if he were ever told – as he now has been – that he would never make another film. But while the acting life has been good to the working-class lad from Finsbury Park in North London who could at one stage command £5million per film, Hoskins is no stranger to depression and heartbreak.

Neu Window Cleaning opens in Johnston: James Neu of Johnston has started a window cleaning business that focuses mainly on residential customers. Neu has operated Neu Blinds, a custom blind and installation company, for 10 years. He added window cleaning in May. The company washes windows, screens and window sills. He works year round and won’t clean windows higher than three floors.

Window Genie of Atlanta Joins Charitable Initiative, Will Perform Free Window Cleanings for the Ronald McDonald House Charities: Window Genie is the Cincinnati based franchisor of home services known to “Clean Windows and a Whole Lot More!” Doing a whole lot more includes giving back to the community through their charitable program, Windows 4 Wishes. Each locally owned and operated Window Genie location owner will choose an organization/charity to benefit in their community. With Windows 4 Wishes, there are four ways in which a franchisee can give back to the organization/charity of their choice: donate money, volunteer their time, promote that organization for free and/or offer free Window Genie services.

David Flax, owner of Window Genie Atlanta, chose to perform free window cleanings for the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House. Flax and his team chose to give back to the Ronald McDonald house because of what they do to support families with sick children. “It’s the least we could do,” explained Flax. “My team and I felt strongly about choosing a charity that stands out for its efforts, and the Ronald McDonald house has touched so many families when they needed it most. If our window cleanings can enhance the look of the building and better the view for the guests staying inside, we’ll know we did a good job.” Flax and his team will do their first cleaning on Thursday, August 16. They plan to do this regularly to maintain the look of this building.

ST. LOUIS — Tony and Wendy Espeseth, owners of Fish Window Cleaning in Stillwater, received the Top Sales Award for adding more than 500 new accounts in 2011, the Top Producer Award for exceptional revenue growth during 2011 and the Navigator Award for their work with prospective franchisees. This is the third year the couple has won these awards. Tyler Hanson, sales manager for the business, also was honored at the FISH convention with the Top Salesman Award.  The photo shows Wendy and Tony Espeseth, above, owners of FISH Window Cleaning of Stillwater, where their sales manager, Tyler Hanson, were recognized at the recent FISH national meeting in St. Louis.

Terry Jenson, owner of Fish Window Cleaning in Colorado Springs, received three awards at the national Fish Window Cleaning convention in St. Louis. Jensen’s business was named Star Performer-Standard Market Group for top revenue performance. The business also received the Tops Sales Award for adding 500-plus new accounts in 2011 and the Top Producer Award for outstanding year-over-year increase in revenue production. Fish Window Cleaning was founded in 1978 and began franchising in 1998; it has more than 230 locations.

What's your passion? Seattle Center selected 25 people and asked them what they would do if given a chance to engage their passions. About a year ago, Seattle Center identified 25 people from throughout the region — people at different stages in their lives, of different ages and races, different levels of ambition and wildly different personalities — and asked them what they would do if given the chance to tap into that thing that really moved them. One man who grew up in a household of high achievers shut down his window-washing business and began traveling the world to learn about shamanism.

ShortsFest Weekend: In the Over the Edge block we had short documentary prize winner Paradise, about a group of Mexican window washers who risk their lives rappelling down the sides of Chicago’s high-rises to clean the windows. Really amazing cinematography in this film, but they also did a great job of telling a story; if they could sustain the storytelling and visuals of this short into a feature-length film, they’d have an awards season contender for Best Documentary (not that it won’t already be in contention for short doc, and yes, it’s that good). More info here.

Former window washer - Eleven years of hard work will pay off this week for a local med student who immigrated from the Czech Republic, starting out as a window washer. Rob Sedlak will receive his medical degree from the University of Alberta Friday after a unique journey has taken him through window washing, fire fighting and military service. The son of a Czech surgeon came to Canada at age 19 and worked as a high-rise window cleaner while he earned a biochemistry degree at the University of Calgary. He then became a firefighter and rope rescue expert, but he wanted more. Like his father and his younger sister, Sedlak had always been drawn to the medical field.

Sedlak moved to Edmonton with his daughter and then-pregnant wife when he was accepted into medical school. Never one to shy from a hard day's work, he kept his family afloat by running his own rope consultancy business and working as a medical officer with the Department of National Defence. Now 30 years old, Sedlak's dream is to "get away from the rat race" by moving to a small town with his wife and three kids and working as a rural family physician. But he still has one major obstacle to jump. When his family medicine residency concludes in two years, Sedlak will have to serve a four-year term in the military in exchange for the Department of National Defence paying his school expenses.

It is impossible to see where four years of army service will take Sedlak, but he is happy to serve his country. "It's going to be a great experience and there's a certain level of pride that goes with that," he said. "You could consider me a new Canadian, I wasn't born into it, so a little bit of service for your country is the least I can do." Attributing his work ethic and never-say-die attitude to his parents, Sedlak admits there were times he doubted himself along the way. But it's safe to say those times are long gone for the proud Canadian. "Compared to Europe, Canada is the land of opportunity," he said. "There probably isn't a better country to move to that I can think of as far as being accepted."

Lehman Brothers traders: One former trader described to me how the bathroom floor at Lehman Brothers would be covered in betting slips and how, on a slow day, the traders would bet on how long it would take the window cleaner to finish.

CLINTON —  The cause of an explosion in a gas-powered clothes drier that sparked a small house fire at 3 Woodruff Road Monday afternoon is under investigation by the state Fire Marshal, a spokeswoman said. The homeowner, Doreen Weeks, suffered burns and was taken to Clinton Hospital and then transferred to UMass Memorial Medical Center, University Campus, in Worcester. She was released from there Tuesday, a UMass spokesman said. The fire was reported around 5 p.m. Monday. Neighbors said Weeks was on the ground outside of the house with burns on her arms and hair. They initially thought she fell out of a window while washing glass panes.

‘Zombie’ drug hits Chico - Manufacturers stay one step ahead of the law: In May, a naked Florida man, Rudy Eugene, was found eating a homeless man’s face along a public roadway. Police ordered him to stop, but shot him to death when the crazed attacker only growled and continued to cannibalize his living victim, even after being shot once. That horrific story of the “Miami zombie” is what brought the street drug known as “bath salts” into the popular consciousness. Subsequent tests showed only marijuana in the assailant’s system. However, some in the medical community do believe bath salts were the cause, noting that some types of synthetic drugs are undetectable. In any case, the initial suggestion of bath salts established the drug’s reputation as causing extreme violence.

When legal, bath salts were sold in smoke shops. The drug’s name changed to “glass cleaner” after it became notorious, said Tyler Cash, a clerk at Chico’s Dragon Tobacco smoke shop. Although bath salts are illegal, there is still a market at smoke shops for legal drugs generically called “spices.” Also known as “incense,” “K-2” and “herbs,” spices are aromatic herbs that contain synthetic cannibinoids to provide a marijuana-like high. But they also rev-up the nervous system à la meth, said Geller. Sold in foil envelopes with names such as Mad Hatter, Kryp2nite and Space, they can create high anxiety but are not associated with the severe side effects of bath salts, he said. While some ingredients have been outlawed, the makers of spices continually change their ingredients to stay legal. Many versions are still available at Dragon Tobacco, while several other smoke shops in Chico have voluntarily removed the spices after hearing reports of crackdowns.

Donovan 'came out of nowhere' to a big political career: State Rep. Christopher, left, speaks with his son Aaron Donovan at a rally of the Service Employees International Union in Columbus Park in Stamford. Both of the Donovans have been very active in the unions fight for better wages. Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union represents more than 70,000 building service workers, cleaners, doormen and window cleaners in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. On the right is Jaime Farela, of Stamford, a union member.