Window Cleaning News

Residents in Moab, Utah have started a petition to have Negro Bill Canyon renamed because they are embarrassed by the name.

Utah man starts online petition to change name of Negro Bill Canyon (Salt Lake City) - Moab resident Louis Williams (pictured) cringes every time he tells visitors the name of the canyon with the great hike to a stunning arch: Negro Bill Canyon. Williams, a window cleaner who has lived in Moab for 14 years, is leading a renewed campaign to change the name of the Southern Utah canyon that he and others believe is inappropriate. He has posted an online petition that has garnered more than 600 signatures and plans to submit a formal renaming application to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names. "People cringe when we have to tell the name of it. The looks on their face is: 'What did you just say?'" Williams said. "People ask. 'Why is it named that?' They don't ask who he is." 

He wants it to bear the last name of the black cowboy who ran cattle there in the 1870s, William Granstaff. The canyon name has already been changed in the 1960s to "Negro Bill Canyon" from a name that featured a derogatory word. He said he has dug up history that shows Granstaff's name was actually spelled with a "d'' after the "n." That's why he wants it renamed as Grandstaff Canyon. "Most of the places and streets and trails that were named after settlers just used their last names," Williams said. "That is what we should do for him."
Even though efforts in the late 1990s and 2000s to change the canyon name were met by resistance from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Williams is optimistic the idea will gain more traction this time. His campaign is one of dozens across the country to rename canyons, reservoirs, lakes and other places still bearing names deemed derogatory. There are 757 places with "negro" in the name from Alaska to Florida and Maine to California, according to an analysis of government records. But the president of the NAACP's Salt Lake City chapter, Jeanetta Williams, said her organization opposes the name change just as it did when others tried to make the switch.

Condominium corporations in Ontario are not permitted to fine owners who breach the condominium documents. Fines are, however, permitted in many U.S. states and also in British Columbia. A recent case in British Columbia, Strata Plan LMS4255 v. Steven Newell, illustrates that fines may not be effective in getting a unit owner to cease breaching the condominium documents. In this case, the unit owner of a penthouse suite with an exclusive use balcony and roof deck above the unit, spent more than $800,000 on renovations, which included the installation of a hot tub, barbecue and entertainment system (TV and wall-mounted speakers) on his exclusive-use deck. Sounds like one of those bachelor pads that many of us have seen in the movies. After completing the renovations, the owner hosted many noisy parties that lasted until the wee hours of the morning.

In addition to the noise issues, the Strata Corporation took the position that the installation of the hot tub was an unauthorized installation and thus, should be removed. (The owner had previously asked for consent to install the hot tub, which was declined by the Corporation. Despite this, the hot tub was installed.) The Strata Corporation had failed its fall protection equipment inspection, as the location of the hot tub impeded the usage of two anchors required for proper window washing procedures. The Strata Corporation brought an application against the unit owner, as well as John Doe and Jane Doe and other persons unknown. This was done so that any court order would also be binding on all the attendees at the unit owner’s parties.

Cronin: 5 million jobs on track (South Africa): Public Works Deputy Minister Jeremy Cronin believes the government is on track to meet its target of creating five million job opportunities by 2014. According to Cronin, the government has created 2.6 million job opportunities in the past three and a half years through infrastructure projects. Cronin was addressing delegates at the department’s third Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) summit in Pretoria. Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Qedani Mahlangu urged other municipalities to look at Tshwane as an example of how jobs could be created while also creating a clean environment for the benefit of residents and communities.

She suggested that such jobs should be expanded to include window-cleaning and the upkeep of buildings in city centres – a model in use in countries in Europe and Asia. “We should look at creating these jobs but, more important, we should help those getting the jobs… to create co-operatives and manage and run the cleaning projects. “I’m urging municipalities to ensure that locals are employed in the projects, and not have a situation where a contractor comes into a province but has employed people from elsewhere.” A requirement for awarding the contracts should be the employment of locals, as should buying building materials from local hardware stores. “This way the money comes into the local community,” said Mahlangu.

Jobs Few People Want - High-Rise Window Washer: A job that is definitely not for the faint of heart that has an abundance of openings is high-rise window washer. Finding solid applicants for this position is not as simple as a retail or office job. The applicant must be comfortable working at staggering heights, deal with inclement weather and feel secure in a job where a lot of accidents occur. According to an article released by thefiscaltimes.com, eight people are injured every year in New York City alone, and 75 high rise window washers have died between the years 1983 and 2008. While the risks are clear, the benefits come in the form of a solid salary. High-rise window washers make on average $14 to $19 an hour. However, this can increase depending on your contract bids. Window washers make bids on contracts for various companies and they can accept as many or as few as they'd like. By being an independent contractor, high-rise window washers can determine the amount they want to bring in.

A new online tool from the soda giant tells you precisely how much exercise or housework it will take to work off that sugary beverage you just drank. Get ready: You’re going to be vacuuming for a while. Since the enactment of Obamacare, we’ve become used to calorie counts (restaurant chains with more than 20 outlets must have them). But Coke’s Calculator goes further. Not only do you get the counts, you also get a read-out on the exercise you’ll need to do afterwards to wash away the effects of the calories you’ve consumed.

A classic red-and-white can (139 calories) equates to 51 minutes of vacuuming, 21 minutes of lawn-mowing, 34 minutes of table tennis, or 17 minutes of Zumba. A 12-ounce regular soda contains 8 teaspoons of sugar.

If Sprite’s your thing (144 calories) you’ll need 13 minutes of circuit training, 41 minutes of window cleaning, or 33 minutes of pilates. And so on. There are even suggestions for when you drink a Slimline Tonic (no mention of the gin), or one of Glaceau’s "enhanced" waters (12 minutes of ping pong for a "Vitamin Water Power C"). The calculator is currently only on Coca Cola’s U.K. site--though, presumably, the calculations apply wherever its products are sold, and wherever there’s window-cleaning to be done.

Massachusetts-based All Access Equipment, the North American distributor of CMC Narrow Access Compact Crawler Lifts, has opened a new facility. Marketed and sold under Crawerlifts, the facility is located at 891 Woburn St., Wilmington, MA. It offers customers the ability to view all Crawlerlifts models available from All Access and receive demonstrations of the equipment in action. The new facility also provides extra space for training, servicing and a full warehouse of in-stock parts to meet the demands of the lift industry.

The company chose to combine its office and warehouse into a larger single facility to better serve their customers, and the new location’s close proximity to major highways provides for speed and convenience in sales and service, the company said in a statement. In a statement, the company said, "Crawlerlifts are the next generation narrow access lifts, built heavy duty and rugged for demanding industries such as tree services, window cleaning, painters, electricians, roofing, facilities maintenance and rental stores. Available popular lift sizes range from 50 to 105 feet working height. Crawlerlifts are light and nimble, and capable of entering 36-inch doors and gates."

Dubai-bound Leeds duo putting work first: Both men have had to take a week off work to fulfil their 7s commitments – Steve Morton from his role as an enforcement officer for Leeds City Council and Chris Peach (pictured right) taking a break from his window cleaning business, which he runs alongside cousin David Peach, also 35. He, too, was a Dubai 7s candidate until injury struck, something Peach knows all too well about having broken his neck during his playing days. “My cousin played in the trial game and broke his leg, otherwise he’d have been in with a shout of going over as well,” said Peach.“He’s just come out of the pot,” But they insist that their upcoming venture to the Dubai Rugby 7s is no holiday, well, almost. Morton, of Bramley, and Peach, of Morley, are the sole Leeds representatives selected to play for the British Amateur Rugby League Association’s BARLA Bulldogs international veterans squad.

Healthy young nursery worker has double mastectomy after finding she has breast cancer gene: Fiona Luscombe, 23, had the operation after discovering she has the gene that killed her mother and grandfather. Fiona Luscombe has had a double mastectomy after both her mother and grandfather died following a battle with breast cancer. The 23-year-old had elective surgery to remove both breasts after discovering she had the hereditary BRCA2 cancer gene. The abnormal gene is passed from parent to child and caused Fiona’s mother, Brenda, and grandfather, Frank, to develop breast cancer. Fiona revealed: “It went really well but it was really daunting. Both breasts were removed at the same time. They removed all the tissue and put the implants in." She said she had already spoken to her fiancé Chris Warn, a window cleaner, about the operation before she took the test. Fiona said: “He was around when my mum died as well and so he knew about my family. He was very supportive - just saying 'I'm happy as long as you're happy'.”

Is it the end of the line for cash? Cashless societies could become the norm but much will depend on consumer confidence in the available options and the level of security. Getting rid of cash has long been on the agenda of credit card providers, which trade on the fact that they can provide transaction data to the retailers they service. But now a new wave of virtual ways to pay means that consumers could soon be using new currencies Bitcoin and Ven to pay for goods too. Meanwhile, the UK’s three largest mobile networks got together earlier this month to work with retailers on consistent technology that will allow people to pay via a mobile ‘wallet’.

Digital payment solutions iZettle and credit card payment system Square, created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, have introduced technology that allows everyone to accept card payments. Small traders, for example taxi-drivers, window cleaners and plumbers, and those retailers that do not have card acceptance in place can attach a dongle to smartphones and tablets to accept payment. This means the barrier for entry into cashless options is lowered and it is possible for those traders that were cash-only to accept cards.

Coastal Bend residents dream of winning $550 million Powerball jackpot, discuss plans for huge payday. In Corpus Christi it’s the $550 million question. What would you do if those six numbers matched the ones on your Powerball ticket? Surely there’s a unique answer for each person who bought into the dream of beating the 175 million to 1 odds to win Wednesday’s record-breaking lottery jackpot. But after buying nine tickets from Stripes at Water Street and Interstate 37 on Wednesday, Victor Acosta summed up the most likely sentiment. “I’d quit my job,” said Acosta, a window cleaner from San Antonio. If you’re looking for better odds than Powerball — it’s a safe bet to say most people would do the same. But what comes after the initial urge to free yourself from the ranks of your current job? Acosta said he’d also like to travel the world, specifically to Acapulco, Mexico. His choice of transportation for the trip would be a new yacht. Two lucky ticket holders — one in Arizona and another in Missouri — are waking up Thursday to new lives as multimillionaires after the largest Powerball jackpot drawing ever. The numbers drawn for Wednesday night, for the second-highest jackpot in U.S. lottery history, are: 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 and Powerball of 6.

Louth tradesmen angry over warning letters about parking while doing their jobs: A council employee, market traders and local tradespeople have all received warning letters about parking while undergoing their jobs. In preparation for new civil parking enforcement by Lincolnshire County Council which comes into force on Monday, wardens have been patrolling towns and issuing warning notices to drivers who are parked illegally. But Louth Area Committee heard that local tradespeople and market employees have also received warning notices whilst they are undergoing their work. Councillor George Horton said: "Common sense is a big factor. I was collared by a window cleaner who was doing his job who was told he could not park his van there because it is illegal. "Louth is a thriving town. Things like this do not do anything for the cause."

Man sentenced following distraction burglaries: On Saturday September 1 Nathan Lee Makey, aged 35, from Longley in Sheffield called at the home of an 80-year-old woman in the Longley area pretending to be canvassing work for a cleaning company. After gaining her confidence he asked to use the toilet. He then went onto steal jewellery, which was of huge sentimental value as it was a present from her late husband. The following weekend, on Sunday 9 September, Makey pretended to be a window cleaner when he attended at an address in the Southey area of Sheffield - the home of an 82-year-old woman. He entered the house uninvited and engaged the elderly woman in a conversation. During his short stay he went onto steal her handbag, money and other personal items. “Both elderly victims have been informed that Nathan Makey is now serving a lengthy prison sentence. They commented that it was excellent news and they were over the moon” he said.

A knifeman who terrorised a nurse on a disused railway track in the early hours, has been jailed for six months. Burnley Crown Court heard how drunken David Harrington (pictured), 24, had earlier been attacked on a night out and had armed himself with two knives and set off to find his assailants. But his victim, a slightly built man in his 50s, walking home from a night out with his wife, was an innocent, total stranger and had nothing to do with what had happened. Harrington wrapped his arm around the man’s neck from behind and held one of the six inch bladed weapons just inches from his face, leaving him petrified. Harrington, then a Padiham window cleaner, fought back tears in the dock as Judge Jonathan Gibson told him: “Given the circumstances and the widespread concern about the carrying and use of knives, I'm afraid an immediate custodial sentence is inevitable.” The defendant, a father-to-be, of Milton Street, Padiham, had admitted common assault and two counts of having an offensive weapon and had been committed for sentence by Pennine magistrates. He had two previous convictions. Judge Gibson said: “I’m afraid what you did was truly dreadful and you accept that by demonstrating remorse, it seems to me, to the court. “Your victim was, not surprisingly, terrified and what happened has had a significant psychological effect upon him.”

Knockout for Motor Neurone Disease: Terri Reddy (pictured) a 44-year-old will trade punches with another girl as part of the ‘Pavilion Punch Up’ White Collar Boxing night in Leopardstown in order to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA). Terri’s husband Tom Byrne, 58, was diagnosed with the degenerative disease last November. In just one year, the 6ft 21/2 in rugby player, who worked as a carpenter by trade, has lost much of his mobility and struggles to walk.

For the last eight weeks, window cleaner Terri has been put through her paces at the National Stadium gym, training ground of our Olympic boxing heroes, by top coach Eddie Bolger, who trains Irish light-heavyweight champ Joe Ward. And this weekend she will stride into the ring to the theme tune of boxing movie ‘Rocky 6’ to try and outpunch her opponent for the charity.

The plucky Athy woman, who will fight under the moniker “Lights Out”, says she’s looking forward to the fight night, even though she doesn’t know yet who her opponent will be. “I’ll fight anyone, I don’t care at this stage!” she said. Some 30 supporters will be yelling her on on the night - a few, she suspects, who want to see the feisty fighter ship a few punches. “A few people will think it’s been a long time coming,” she joked. “People are very good, and are getting behind both me and the cause. Because we’re from a small town, everyone knows both of us.”

Coun Tarren Randle, left, and Hayley Johnson, general manager of Fever cleaning the outside of the premises.

Workers in Eastgate Street, alongside councillors and volunteers, grabbed the scrubbing brushes yesterday to take part in a big clean-up of the area. The call to arms was made as an incentive to help brighten up mucky shop fronts and empty buildings.  Other areas around the bowling green and Aviation Gardens were also given a spruce-up by young volunteers. It is hoped the deep clean will help draw in visitors. Councillor Jennie Dallimore, cabinet member for communities and neighbourhoods, said: "We have been working with volunteers from local businesses as well as our partners to undertake a deep clean of the Eastgate area. "We hope this will improve the area's appearance and encourage footfall from more shoppers. The council has been working with its partners Enterprise to undertake a deep clean, and Gloucestershire Highways have been performing gulley maintenance. Businesses and volunteers have been joining together to tidy the frontages. "Businesses such as Asda and Wilkinson's have also been supporting the day by donating volunteers and equipment."