Window Cleaning News

Found on social media - Humans of New York captures ordinary people in public places.

Firefighters called in to help stranded window cleaner: Firefighters have been called to help a window cleaner who is stranded on a building in downtown Toronto. The window cleaner is stuck at the fourth or fifth floor of the building located at 150 Gerrard St. W. It is believed that her hair has become caught and she can’t get down as a result. Security staff say the window cleaner has not been injured.

Window cleaners rescued by fire brigade: Tweet 1 - We're rescuing two window cleaners who are stuck in their cradle on 3rd floor level of an office block on Great Tower Street, EC3. More soon. Tweet 2 - Great Tower St rescue update - our skilled rope rescue crews are assisting the window company in bringing the two men back to ground level. Tweet 3 - Great news from Great Tower St, EC3! The two male window cleaners have been brought down to earth. Thankfully both are uninjured. 

Whistleblower: Serious injuries from falls double: In September, a window washer named Lee Teske died after he fell 60 feet from the roof of a building in St. Cloud. A month later, a roofing employee fell 9 feet from a scaffold in Rochester and also died. The cases are still under investigation, but James Krueger, director of the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA), said an increase in fall fatalities and serious injuries has prompted his agency to increase enforcement against companies that fail to protect their employees from such accidents.

In 2013, seven Minnesotans died as a result of workplace falls, a number that has remained steady since 2009. But the number of serious injuries resulting from falls doubled in 2012, to 14 from seven. Krueger said MNOSHA is issuing more citations to companies that are not protecting their employees as workplace safety laws require. Under the law, construction companies, such as home and residential builders, should provide employees with a fall-protection system if they are working more than 6 feet off the ground. That could include a guard system that prevents employees from falling off an elevated site, or a fall-restraint system with a harness and anchor that catch a falling employee.

In 2013, MNOSHA issued 438 fall protection citations, up from 173 issued in 2011. “Typically, fall protection [equipment] is easily available. You can get it for less than $100,’’ Krueger said. “A majority of companies want to comply and do that routinely to keep their employees safe,” he added. Terry Hukriede with Adolfson and Peterson Construction said his company works with MNOSHA as a partner, and not as an adversary, to keep employees safe. “They help us ensure we do everything we can and that our workers go home to their families at night,” Hukriede said. “If we don’t do that, we fail.”

Even if the company provides the proper equipment and all the training, Hukriede said, employees sometimes don’t use their harnesses or other protective gear. “It’s an inherent human trait that we take chances,” Hukriede said. “Sometimes a worker says, ‘I only have to go out there for one second, and I’m not going to fall.’ But that’s the guy who ends up falling.” Two employees fell while working on the 36-story LPM apartments under construction near Loring Park, but because they were wearing harnesses, they were not seriously injured, Hukriede said. “That would have been a very tragic event,” he said.

David Rumsey, a certified safety professional, said fall protection extends beyond the big construction sites. In recent days, Rumsey said, he has seen news reports showing workers steaming ice dams off roofs without any fall protection. “It goes on all the time,” Rumsey said. Rumsey says homeowners should be cautious when going on their own roofs to clear snow or re-shingle. Home improvement stores sell fall-protection kits for less than $200 called “compliance in a bucket” and he said every homeowner should own one. “When you let your husband or spouse on that roof, are you willing to accept that your life could forever be changed?” Rumsey said. “We don’t often think about the consequences of that when we go up because we just have to remove snow.”

Mary Hunt - Everyday Cheapskate: Know your cleaning products: Two women, different locations, same accident. Both women, using an ordinary commercial toilet-bowl cleaner, were not satisfied with the way it was removing stains. Each added household chlorine bleach and stirred with a brush. One died quickly, the other spent a long time in the hospital. Here's the problem: Whenever chlorine bleach comes into contact with acid or an acid-producing substance like toilet-bowl cleaner or vinegar, there is a sudden release of chlorine gas. This is not a good thing! A similar result occurs when chlorine bleach is mixed with ammonia, lye or other alkaline substances. Chlorine gas is lethal. Now that I have your attention, let me assure you: If you stay clear of chlorine bleach, you have nothing to fear by making your own cleaning products. But, you may be wondering, why should you even consider doing that? The cost, for starters. You know that blue window cleaner sitting on your counter? You paid about 28 cents an ounce for it, and it's 95 percent water.

Your own products will cost only pennies to make and will not contain toxic chemicals that could be harmful to your family and the environment. Glass and window cleaners: Club soda, straight up. For a light-duty glass cleaner, just pour club soda (less than 2 cents an ounce) into a spray bottle and you have a very effective, non-toxic glass cleaner. How simple and cheap is that? Vinegar and water. Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a spray bottle. If glass is particularly dirty, wash with warm soapy water first. Ammonia and rubbing alcohol. Heavy-duty formula. Mix household ammonia and rubbing alcohol together in equal proportions in a spray bottle. Label and keep out of reach of children. This is strong stuff and powerful, too!

Bucknall window cleaner steals bike from customer to buy gift for mum: The 22-year-old, of Heming Place in Bucknall, spotted the £450 Diamond Back Mountain Bike in the garage of one of the homes he was cleaning. Eager to buy a gift for his mother who had just been discharged from hospital after an operation, he returned to the property sometime between February 20 and February 22 and took the bicycle. Jones was later arrested by police who spotted his address in a Gumtree advertisement he had put on the website in a bid to sell the bike.

Spring Is (Way Up) In The Air - The inside view from 17 floors up. That's the Masonic Temple in the background.

If the temperatures don't tell you that springs is finally starting to break through, maybe this picture will. It was taken from the 17th floor of the Carlyle Condominiums in Alexandria, but a man hanging that high up can only mean that temperatures are finally getting back to somewhere approaching normal throughout Virginia. On Tuesday, the forecast calls for temps in the northern portion of the state to approach 70 — with Fredericksburg climbing over that mark with a forecasted high of 72. How much money would it take you to do this job?

Residents demand answers from firm (Hartlepool, UK): Angry residents are in dispute with bosses at a fabrication yard over damage to cars and houses which the homeowners claim is being caused by the firm’s work. Amanda Grigor, who lives in Corporation Road, on the Headland, discovered what appear to be rust spots melted into the paintwork of her car and on the window frames and doors of her home. The 27-year-old mentioned the matter to her neighbours, who found the same damage on their homes and cars.

The residents claim the stains, which won’t wipe clean, are the result of sparks blowing off the Heerema site just yards from their homes. Amanda, a nursery nurse and mum of Macauley Myers, six, said: “It was my window cleaner who alerted me to it – he showed me the damage on my windows and door and it just wouldn’t come off, it’s melted into the plastic." “Then we found the same thing all over my car." “I spoke to my neighbours and they’ve found exactly the same." Amanda Grigor who says says damage to her car and window is being caused by the welding at the nearby Heerema site.

Brady King, owner of Soap On A Rope.

Savannah - Soap On A Rope, LLC - Professional window cleaning and building maintenance, commercial and residential - owner - Brady King, age, 37. Education - Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, Ga. From Canford, N.J. and Savannah

Fast facts:

• Started Soap On A Rope in 2000

• Now has seven full-time employees and two vans

• Member of the International Window Cleaners Association (IWCA), Savannah Chamber of Commerce, Savannah Downtown Business Association, Better Business Bureau, Business Network International and Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA).

• Has cleaned more than 100,000 windows a year and more than 1 million windows in the last 13 years

Coming home “The more I visited Savannah, the more I fell back in love with Savannah. Of course in high school, I was ready to leave and explore the world, … I’d do interesting odd jobs, and then I’d travel a lot. I’d save up some money and I did Southeast Asia, South America, the Middle East, Europe, so I really got to see the world.”

Love at first height “I was doing an odd job as a limo driver, and I saw a guy cleaning windows, swinging from rope, and I thought that it looked neat, and I got a job in Baltimore doing high-rise window cleaning, and then I moved to New York City. I started doing bicycle courier in New York, and that was actually more dangerous than high-rise window cleaning … In college, I was introduced to rock climbing. I had cleaned windows all through high school, so since I was 15 years old, I’ve been cleaning windows. I was familiar with climbing gear, and knew I was comfortable with heights and climbiing scenarios, so Soap On A Rope was merging those two interests or skills.”

Soap On A Rope? I wanted something being catchy, that had rope access implied and also had cleaning implied. Initially, we were exclusive rope-access cleaning. Now, we’re not only window cleaning and rope-access window cleaning, but we do lots of things. Since we’ve become a more well-known name, we’ve held the name even though we’re not just doing rope access. Plus, it’s one of those catchy names where people (think) ‘I wonder what that is’ or ‘Why did they name it that?’ ”

Stay diversified “When the economy started to struggle, window cleaning was the first thing to get cut from budgets. And so we diversified into building maintenance and anything from gutter cleaning to painting to pressure washing. I also apprenticed with stone masons and historic preservation (professionals) and learned about facade restoration. I’ve learned a ton of things working with others, and skilled contractors.”

Why Savannah? “I do love the historic elements of the architecture and the city. It’s not such a large city that there was a lot of competition for the rope access, but it was large enough to where there was a need for it ... In Savannah, the initial niche was that there was no one who was insured to access over two stories, and really no one who was really able to access over three stories safely, so this was trying to build that niche.”

Being a business owner “I was a philosophy major who thought I knew how to do a skill and do it well and efficiently and safely. I kind of learned through experience what it is to run a business. I had a very simple business strategy to begin with and since then have done a lot of reading and learning the hard way, but realizing that having good systems is essential for a smooth operating business. We’re always refining our systems – scheduling, accounting, customer database and follow-ups on jobs.”

Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? “Visit the Savannah BDA. They have free business counselors, so anytime I’m making a big decision changing things, before I go to a lawyer and spend $175 an hour, I go them and spend an hour with them for free, and get whatever paperwork I need to do to go to see a lawyer really fine-tuned so I’m as efficient as possible.

And from a business aspect, day one – find a really great lawyer. And a great counselor. And then a really good accountant. I did my own taxes the first few years, and then I realized that I wasn’t saving myself any money, time or energy by doing it myself.”

Scaling new heights “As we get into building maintenance, we want to become the go-to place for building management supervisors and owners. With any questions, we want to be focused on really responsive customer service, so we want our customers to feel like they can ask us anything, and we’ll be willing to help with whatever the issue may be.”

A rare breed “It takes a certain person that is comfortable with heights and risks. It’s all very safe equipment, but it takes a certain focus and confidence in order to do the work. “We get two responses from people when we’re in the elevator with harnesses and gear and people realize that we’re going to hang off the side of their building. People say ‘You couldn’t pay me a million dollars to do that,’ or ‘That’s so cool. Can I come out and do it with you on my lunch break?’ kind of thing. In general, it’s a certain personality that is attracted to it, but they often find us.”

Palmetto Window Cleaning, Spruce become one company: Two residential and commercial cleaning and maintenance services companies in the Carolinas have decided to become one. Palmetto Window Cleaning LLC, based in Greenville, and Spruce, in Asheville, announced they have merged to “better serve new and existing customers within and beyond the two companies’ original service markets.” The merger unites the two companies under the business name Spruce: Services and Solutions. Spruce will now offer customers updated and extended residential and commercial services and solutions for cleaning and maintenance as well as exterior enhancements. Will Bruce, Spruce’s founder and owner of both Palmetto Window Cleaning LLC and Spruce, will continue to lead the newly expanded company.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to be in a position to expand our company to meet the needs of more customers in more communities throughout the Carolinas,” Bruce said. “What began as just me in 2006 has grown into a team with a work ethic that I would put up against anyone in the business. I think Spruce is different because of our people. We value our employees, stress a culture of service here, and perform our services on time and at fair rates. I believe our customers recognize and have supported us because of that.

“Doing business as Spruce: Services and Solutions, we are expanding our services in ways that, before, as two separate companies, we could not. We want people to think of Spruce as who to call when they need anything related to cleaning and maintenance, whether that be for their home or their business.” Bruce started Palmetto Window Cleaning LLC in 2006 after a career in the medical sales field. Palmetto Window Cleaning grew and expanded to service much of the Upstate and parts of North Carolina. At the beginning of 2013, Bruce launched Spruce in Asheville with the same footprint of services.

Before long, Bruce realized that uniting the two companies would raise the value proposition for customers and allow Spruce to expand both in breadth and in depth throughout — and possibly eventually beyond — the Carolinas, he said. Spruce will operate from two main offices — one based at 9 Ramseur Court, Greenville, and another at its current Asheville location, 28 Schneck Parkway, with satellite offices in Columbia and Charleston.

Obamacare: Health insurance agents now the most popular people in town: Not long ago, a chance meeting with an insurance agent might have led strangers to start running in the opposite direction or politely extricate themselves from the inevitable sales pitch. Yet as the March 31 deadline to enroll in a health care plan looms, health insurance agents have become some of the most popular people in town. "It's absolutely true," Kelley Filice Jensen said with a chuckle.  Jensen, who has been in the insurance business for 15 years, said whenever parents at her children's schools discover her profession, they almost always tell her about a relative who needs advice or help signing up for a plan under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. "People, and their questions, are coming out of the woodwork," she said.

People like Davlyn Spetch, 34, owner of Action Cleaning Service in San Jose. In late February, she sought out Jensen to help her pick the best Obamacare plan for her 13 employees. Jensen directed Spetch to a small-business plan that will give the business owner tax credits for the employee premiums she pays, but which also allows her employees' spouses and dependents to qualify for a federal tax subsidy. "I don't have the time to read through all the fine print and figure out every little detail of these plans," said Spetch, who said Jensen proved to be a "gold mine" of information. While online sites like eHealthInsurance.com and GetInsured.com have taken a bite out of independent agents' business, problems with California's health insurance website and the sometimes endless waits to talk to someone at official call centers have won these Rodney Dangerfields of the business world a newfound respect. They quickly became the go-to people for Obamacare.

How much should you tip for home services? (Las Vegas) Tipping is one of the most confusing customs in the U.S. There are few generally agreed-upon guidelines, and even fairly standardized tipping practices — automatic gratuity for large parties, for example — are polarizing. Ask a dozen different people how much to tip in a variety of circumstances, and you’ll likely get a dozen different answers. But it’s nice to have some guidelines. The once-customary 15 percent in the service industry is closer to 20 percent now, but what about outside of the service industry?

One way to look at it is that in the service industry, you are usually paying for a product (food, a haircut, etc.), but tipping for the service. But what about in cases where you’re already paying for the service, like with painters or window washers? A recent survey by GreenPal of 10,000 home service professionals found that the majority don’t expect to be tipped, although it’s always appreciated. Only about a quarter of professionals in services ranging from painting to window washing to home repairs said tipping was mandatory. Tips ranged from $5 to $25.

At the low end, only 18 percent said pool cleaners and repairmen should be tipped. At the other end of the spectrum, 30 percent said window washers should be tipped. The results of the survey will hardly bring the tipping debate to a screeching halt, of course. A common compromise if you don’t feel comfortable tipping on a regular basis is to give a sizeable tip to your regular repairman during the holiday season.

Fleetwood syndicate’s horse romps home: There has been another impressive success for a Fleetwood-based racing syndicate. The Mount Racing Club, founded six years ago, saw its horse, Eva Clare, romp to victory at Leicester last week. Club founders Geoff Holden (left) and Andy Eaton set the syndicate up because it was their dream to own a racehorse. By allowing the public to buy shares, ordinary people can enjoy that chance too. A previous horse owned by the club, Loki’s Strike, even had Sunderland football star John O’Shea as a shareholder.

Geoff, who is a window cleaner in Fleetwood, said: “It was a brilliant win and our jockey, Ben Curtis, did really well. “We’re proving you don’t have to be rich and famous to own a good racehorse.” The horse was named Eva Clare in memory of Andy’s grandmother, who recently died. Andy said: “It made the win extra special.”

SHINING EXAMPLE: Window cleaner Shawn Scott has returned to Lossiemouth for his fourth spell.

Biscuits glad to be back at Lossie - Shawn Scott simply wants to enjoy his football again. After signing a three year deal with Lossiemouth, the 30-year-old striker is back where he feels most comfortable. He started his career as 16-year-old at Grant Park before a brief and unsuccessful spell at Forres Mechanics saw him return to Lossie. He then got a big-money move, in Highland League terms, to Buckie Thistle where he won the league title and other honours, before ex-Lossie boss Charlie Charlesworth took him to Banff. Biscuits, as he is known to team-mates and fans, admits once a week training in Aberdeen, as well as another session in Banff had started to become a problem. "It had started to impact on my family life and my work," said Elgin-based Scott, who has two young sons and runs a window cleaning business in Lossiemouth. A return to his home town club Lossiemouth is the perfect fit for Scott at this stage of his career.

Top Film, Gregory's Girl stars Douglas Sannachan: The window cleaner famous for the line, "If I don't see you through the week, I'll see you through a window".

Auckland skyscraper in $100m foreign sale: Indonesian and Singaporean investors are buying one of the country's biggest office towers from a New Zealand entity in a deal a state authority says will be worth more than $100 million once it is completed. The Overseas Investment Office has just revealed it has approved Auckland City Holdings' (Indonesia 50 per cent, Singapore 50 per cent) application to buy a leasehold interest in 205 Queen St from Kiwi Property Holdings (80 per cent New Zealand, 20 per cent Australian), part of the NZX listed Kiwi Income Property Trust, owned by many kiwi investors. A team of about seven abseiling window washers make their way down the Phillips Fox Tower.

Getting the message over: A sign spotted, we assume in the USA, with an amusing message - perfect for a Friday afternoon - sorry if you are just logging in from the Americas. The picture speaks for itself so have a great weekend.

Custodial department introduces sustainable products, technology: After years of planning and divided implementation, Geneseo’s Custodial Services began introducing new sustainable and increasingly efficient cleaning products and technologies. Supervising Janitor Laura Canfield said the changes include using three main cleaning products from Proctor and Gamble: Spic and Span, Comet and Mr. Clean. Canfield said that her department chose these products because people know and trust them, and they are proven to work.

Other changes involve using microfiber towels and mops, which minimize the use of chemicals and water and limit the spread of germs. “We continually look for new innovations to reduce our chemical and fresh water use [and] provide a safe and healthy environment for the campus,” she said. The window-washing system is also seeing changes, made evident by the purchase of the HiFlo Carbon Tec window cleaning system from Unger Cleaning. This product uses ionized water rather than chemicals while simultaneously reducing the fresh water needed to wash windows. It also eliminates the need for ladders, making the entire process safer.

Hospital staff in Worcestershire get behind kidney charity: Staff in the kidney dialysis unit at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre are holding a charity raffle in honour of World Kidney Day. There are approximately 70 patients being treated in the Kidderminster dialysis unit at Kidderminster Hospital and Treatment Centre, who all come in for dialysis three times a week. Prizes for the raffle have been donated from generous local companies. Prizes include: a weekend away to Towyn, North Wales, courtesy of Whitehouse Leisure Park and a year’s free window cleaning, courtesy of Bluefrog Systems.

Shocking! Mike cleans up with pink challenge - A window cleaner has been given a shocking new look thanks to a Stockton Heath salon but it’s all in aid of a good cause. Mike Quayle has dyed his hair and beard a bright shade of pink to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Care. It is part of the 52-year-old’s Pink March challenge and is proving to be a talking point among his clients in the village. Mike, of Elaine Street, Fairfield, said: “My ambition has been to do something that is attention seeking, shocking and hopefully raise money for charity. “I had thought about doing something for charity but I’m not one for taking part in group things, I’m more of a solo fundraiser. “I decided to grow a beard when I did not charge my razor overnight and so it’s just gone from there.”
 The transformation took place at Peter Walsh Hairdressing, on London Road, last week and since then Mike has been catching customers’ attention. “Some of my clients have already pledged to donate money towards it and I’ve already collected almost £200,” he said. If you would like to sponsor Mike visit justgiving.com/mikequayle to make a donation.

Long list on chopping block to balance budget - School District 20 is looking for community feedback on cost saving measures that could include the elimination of all exterior window washing and free bussing. The annual grocery list of cuts, add ons or shifts in money placement has been developed based on a predicted deficit of nearly $730,000 in the 2014/2015 budget. This is largely a result of the Ministry of Education phasing out funding protection and an increase in staffing costs as a result of the CUPE contract settlement, according to superintendent of schools Greg Luterbach. Among the contentious items is the possibility of reducing one tradesperson and or eliminating all exterior windows washing and front entrance pressure washing crews during the summer. “When you’re $729,000 short, you’re looking at all options so this isn’t a preferred list, this is a brain-stormed list coming from staff that looks at all possibilities,” said Luterbach. “There is no doubt about it that this one (a drop in cleaning standards) has caught the eye of a number of people.”

Work overtime? You could soon be paid more (WASHINGTON) — Millions of American workers could qualify for expanded overtime pay under a new push by President Obama to review existing Labor Department regulations, part of his election-year strategy to use executive authority to bypass Congress and focus on middle-class economic issues. Obama plans to direct the Labor Department on Thursday to begin updating regulations aimed at preventing employers from designating lower-paid salaried workers as “managers” or “professionals” in order to make them ineligible for overtime, even though their primary responsibilities are the same as hourly workers, officials said. “The president believes that if you’re making $25,000 a year and you’re working 60 hours a week, you should be getting paid for the extra hours you work. And that’s what this is about,” Betsey Stevenson, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, said at a briefing Wednesday.

Pro-labor groups also want the administration to clarify the federal definitions of what kind of workers earning more than the threshold can be exempted from overtime rules. Executives, administrators and professionals are currently exempt from overtime. Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the liberal-leaning Economic Policy Institute in Washington, said the exemption is particularly “ill defined, basically as doing something important that is not production work.” Eisenbrey said the new definition should be focused on a worker’s primary duties.
As it is now, a window washer who spends 5% of his time supervising two or more window washers and 95% of his time washing windows himself could be classified as an “administrator,” thereby making the person ineligible for overtime, he said. James Sherk, senior policy analyst in labor economics at Heritage Foundation, said the changes could be “fairly harmful,” particularly if the threshold is doubled, as liberal groups want. “A lot of the entry-level, salaried employees are going to face pretty stringent restrictions on what they are able to do,” Sherk said. It also will complicate the situation of people who really are managers, but who make a lower wage because they live in low-cost areas, he said.

Spring Cleaning: Hazelton said window cleaning is probably regarded by people as the worst job in the spring cleaning routine. I have a solution for that. Just don't do it. If you let the windows get dirty enough, you can get rid of your blinds and drapes. Just think of the savings on time and maintenance.

Ladder and Squeegee in Hand, Local Resident Brings Fish Window Cleaning to the Area - America’s largest window cleaning company has arrived with the opening of a new franchise location at 4255 Westbrook Drive #228, Aurora, Ill. The new business provides services for commercial and residential customers in Naperville, Oswego, Aurora and Plainfield. This Fish Window Cleaning location is owned by Jim Freund. Prior to joining FISH, Jim was an independent contractor and Illinois-certified residential real estate appraiser. Previously he also held a number of management and accounting positions at the DuPage Convalescent Center, a long-term care facility, and with DuPage County’s financial services department. To prepare for the new business, Freund completed multiple weeks of training in the Aurora area and at Fish Window Cleaning headquarters in St. Louis, Mo. He is currently hiring and accepting applications. “I am committed to providing quality service and 100 percent satisfaction,” said Freund. “I look forward to meeting my residential and commercial neighbors and becoming the top, reliable provider for window cleaning needs.”

Spring cleaning at National Trust properties in Derbyshire: Spring is in the air and many people might turn their thoughts to the annual, super spring clean. The houses, halls, mansions and castles cared for by the National Trust are no different, but there everyday tasks take on a whole new dimension: clock-winding can take hours, lawn-mowing days, and hedge-trimming or window-cleaning weeks, if not months. In Derbyshire, it takes several weeks and the use of a cherry picker to clean the windows at Sudbury Hall.

Kirk Stensrud gets endorsement for 48A - Former state Rep. Kirk Stensrud earned the Republican endorsement for the House District 48A election in November, kick-starting his quest to regain the seat he held in 2011-12. Stensrud, an Eden Prairie resident, defeated Democrat Maria Ruud to gain House membership in 2010. He now will take on sitting Democratic Rep. Yvonne Selcer in a rematch of 2012. “My goal remains to bring a common-sense perspective to the Capitol,” Stensrud said. “People I speak with are disappointed in the amount of overreach they see from our government. They express frustration over seeing broken promises, runaway spending and massive tax increases. I look forward to taking on the challenges our state faces and making decisions that represent the wishes of people in our area.” Stensrud is the owner of a Fish Window Cleaning franchise. He and his wife, Wendy, have three children. The Stensruds are active members of Wooddale Church.

Spiderman Window Cleaners Entertain Children's Hospital for Purim - Window cleaners surprised children at the Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel today, when they arrive in full Spiderman garb to clean the top floors windows of the complex. The window cleaners, Niv Karvi and Ofir Pashrel, professionals who volunteered for the task, surprised both staff and patients with their impressive maneuvers at Schneider Children’s. The center is the only comprehensive, highly specialized care hospital of its kind in the Middle East. Click picture to enlarge.

Tough drug treatment helps Telford family buy time: A father-to-be given just months to live is battling gruelling rounds of chemotherapy to defy medics and buy precious time with his family. Andre Timberlake-Evans, 39, of Oakengates, Telford, has fresh hope after cancer specialists found his first rounds of treatment were proving successful. And with a baby on the way he is determined to outlive the expectations of doctors, who found he had an incurable brain tumour. “Surgery removed 98 per cent of the tumour but the chemo is to reduce the residual fluid left on my brain,” explained Andre, who was forced to sell his business, Horizon Window Cleaning, when he became ill. His wife Maria, 32, a retail assistant at Asda Living in Wrekin Retail Park, Wellington, said: “To start with our oncologist was very straight down the line and said you’ve got nine to 12 months. “But the fact that he’s talking about Andre possibly being around next February is really positive. “He’s been treating another patient who has the same condition as Andre for three years so that gives us hope.”

YAKIMA - Christopher Edward Eichler “Chris,” 29, of Yakima passed away unexpectedly on January 23, 2014 at Memorial Hospital in Yakima. Chris brought immediate joy to his parents, Janice K. Moss and Dave Eichler, grandparents and siblings on the day of his birth, August 10, 1984. He entered into this world as a bright-eyed, beautiful, little baby. He had three passions in his life as he was growing up, his family and friends, playing his guitars and fishing. Chris began fishing at the age of 2 and reached the level of expert in his later teen years and beyond. He taught himself to play the guitar and could play any song he heard by ear. Anyone who listened to him play would comment that he could really “shred” his guitar! He also became an excellent chef and absolutely loved to cook for his family and friends.

At the time of his passing, he worked as a high rise building window cleaner for Intermountain Cleaning Service. His greatest joys came within the last year and a half, when he became the father of Makenzie Kay Eichler, born on February 8, 2013, and his second daughter, Maycee Eichler, born on January 25, 2014, just two days after his passing. He was an incredible father and the love he had for his children was obvious to all. Chris will be greatly missed by his family and friends, as he was a very kind and gentle man who loved to teach his friends how to fish. “So long for now Chris and tight lines to ya”

Ray Flood, a much-loved former Hampshire cricketer, has passed away, aged 78, following a six-month battle against cancer. Born in Southampton, he made most of his 24 first-class appearances for the county in 1959 under Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie’s captaincy alongside the likes of Roy Marshall, Jimmy Gray, Henry Horton, Denis Baldry, Peter Sainsbury, Leo Harrison, Derek Shackleton and Vic Cannings. Ray batted mostly at No 5, scoring 885 runs at 23.28 for Hampshire after making his debut under Desmond Eagar in 1956, when the County Championship was still contested on uncovered pitches. A right-handed batsman, he scored five fifties and one first-class century, an unbeaten 138 against a Sussex side including Ted Dexter, Jim Parks and Robin Marlar at Hove in 1959.
After being released by Hampshire a year before the 1961 County Championship triumph following a debilitating knee injury, he worked as a window cleaner in Lyndhurst, where he lived for most of his life. He also played for Lyndhurst CC for more than 30 years and, more recently, was president of Swan Green CC in Emery Down. Ray passed away in his sleep at Hartwood House, a care home in Lyndhurst, this morning, having been diagnosed with liver cancer in September.

It was after Christmas in 2007 when Steven Kalogerakos disappeared from the Idaho City home he shared with a longtime friend. That friend, Michael S. Dauber, was arrested Wednesday night and charged with first-degree murder, Boise County Sheriff Ben Roeber said Thursday. The first major step in the case came about five months ago, when Kalogerakos' body was found in the Idaho desert an hour or so from Idaho City, said his sister, Maria Kalogerakos. He had been shot, she said.
Evidence found by investigators and witnesses who came forward helped build a case against Dauber, she said. According to the charges against Dauber, the killing occurred on Dec. 27, 2007. Steven Kalogerakos, 42 when he disappeared, was "a really good guy" who planned to start working for a window-cleaning business in January 2008, Maria said.
He and Dauber moved from Chicago to Idaho together in 1994, she said. "They were very good friends," Maria said. In 2000, Steven Kalogerakos moved back to Chicago, but Dauber convinced him to return to Idaho City in September 2007, Maria said. Her brother was staying at Dauber's house, she said. Maria Kalogerakos said she plans to come to Idaho for Dauber's trial. She said the family looks forward to the case being resolved so they can bury Steven's remains, which are now evidence. "It's been a long time coming," she said.

‘He was a special breed’ - Firefighters, community say farewell to Peart: A legacy of service, courage and good humor was celebrated Wednesday when the Fort Dodge community paid its final respects to firefighter Tom Peart. ''He was a special breed - he was a firefighter,'' Mark Woolbright, the second district vice president of the International Association of Firefighters, said during Peart's funeral in Sacred Heart Church, 211 S. 13th St.

About 800 people, including firefighters from as far away as Burlington and Sioux City, filled the church to mourn Peart, who died unexpectedly on March 14. The veteran firefighter, 48, was exercising at home prior to starting his shift at the firehouse when he collapsed. The lives he saved during 22 years of Fire Department service are an important part of Peart's legacy, according to Woolbright. ''Thanks to his service, many others live today,'' he said.

According to McCoy, Peart had a ''spirit of civil service'' that prompted him to join the United States Marine Corps, the Iowa National Guard and the Fire Department.

Peart's window washing and chimney cleaning businesses were an extension of that spirit, McCoy added. He said that while many would consider washing windows or cleaning chimneys to be a form of penance, Peart viewed it as a service to others. His funeral was laden with Fire Department tradition. Rows of firefighters in dress blue uniforms saluted and a bagpipe wailed as a team of Peart's colleagues carried his flag draped casket from the church and lifted it onto the back of a pumper truck that served as a hearse.

Sex offender Craig Thomson back in football: Shamed footballer Craig Thomson has made a return to Scottish football, the Evening News can reveal. The former Hearts player has been training with Premier League junior outfit Arniston Rangers in Gorebridge in recent weeks. Club sources have revealed team bosses are keen to sign the 22-year-old, who was placed on the sex offenders register three years ago after being convicted of preying on underage girls online. The former Scotland under-21 star, who has been working as a window cleaner, earned £1500 a week at Hearts.

Suspicious "window cleaner"" doing the rounds in Malvern - A "Suspicious" male who told a woman he was a window cleaner has been reported to police in Malvern. West Mercia Police have received two reports of the male behaving suspiciously, one from a female in Ashdown Rise and another from a woman in St James Road. She reported that at 4pm on March 12 a male walked down her drive, opened her front door and told her he was a window cleaner. He is then reported to have commented that the windows looked clean and he then left. He was described as being a white male on a push bike aged about 30-40yrs old wearing jeans, a light coloured coat and a baseball cap.
At 12.28pm on the same day a female in St James Road was approached by someone matching the same description offering to wash cars. A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: "We do not know if this is a legitimate businessman but his approach seems very suspect. We would urge people to report suspicious activity on 101 as we would be very keen to speak to this man and establish his intentions - in the meantime, the best way to have any work done is by people who you know and trust or come with plenty of good recommendations." 

Three bungling burglars who tried to break into a cash machine at a bank were foiled when they activated a deadlock and set off an alarm. Lee Howarth, 41, James Cunliffe, 34, and Stephen Hood, 27, had gone to a “high degree of planning” when they set off in two cars from the North West with the intention of stealing from a Santander bank in Welton Road, Brough. They climbed onto the roof and carefully stacked the tiles they removed before getting into the loft and dropping into the bank after removing a ceiling panel. They landed where they intended – next to the automatic teller machine (ATM) – and tried to avoid detection by taping over some of the CCTV cameras.
The trio then began trying to get to the contents of the ATM, which contained about £55,000 in cash, by cutting it open with a circular saw. But when they cut through the hinges, they activated a deadlock, frustrating their efforts. Unbeknown to them, they had also activated a silent alarm when they broke into the premises at 2.06am on May 3 last year, allowing an operator to listen to what was going on, and the saw and their “muffled voices” could be heard. The crooks had fled by the time police arrived at 2.18am but they were soon picked up and arrested.

Cunliffe (pictured), of Eastleigh Road, Heald Green, Stockport, a father-of-two, had nine previous convictions for 22 offences dating back to the 1990s but ran a window-cleaning business and bought a house last year with his long-term partner. “He is the last sort of person to get involved with something like this,” said Mr Ward. Cunliffe received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, and must do 150 hours of unpaid work.

Police warn over Staxton white van men: Police are urging people to be cautious after two men, claiming to be part of a window cleaning business, were seen with a pair of ladders climbing to the first-floor of a house. At about 8.15am on Wednesday, February 26, the pair were seen in Kiln Field, Staxton, in a small white van before a resident noticed one of them climbing a ladder up to a first-floor window of one of the houses on the street. The resident challenged the man and he claimed he had just started up a window cleaning businesses. Police said although no criminal intent was confirmed, people should be cautious in case they do engage in criminal activity. The man on the ladder is described as white, in his 30s, with a medium build and a balding head. Anyone with information should phone North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for PC Mark Rees or email mark.rees@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

One of the most treasured aspects of the concept of home is the privacy and protection that a home provides. The importance of the concept of inviolability and sanctity of the home was brought home to me several weeks ago when my daughter Lisa awoke from an afternoon nap to the sounds of someone rifling through papers. She looked up and saw a young adult female stranger standing in the doorway to the sun porch where she had been napping. The intruder insisted that someone had sent her there to wash windows. Lisa absolutely knew that was not true, so she continued to question the intruder as she led her outside. There was another young adult female standing outside the doorway, and Lisa watched as they walked down the street just as fast as they could possibly walk without running.

Their speedy exit made Lisa even more suspicious, so as she looked around she noticed that her purse was wide open and all the cash was missing. Additionally, cupboard doors were wide open and fresh snow and mud was tracked all over the floor. Finally, with some help from an extremely reluctant Enterprise city official, they cornered the young women at the local laundromat while they waited a half hour for the county sheriff deputy to arrive. All summer long, many pairs of young adults who are obviously not from this area, have been soliciting around my neighborhood in Enterprise asking to wash my windows or sell cleaning products. This continued right up until January when I got a knock on my front door late in the evening. A young man was there, and he said, “I know it is dark, and I am dark but would you like to buy some cleaning products?” I thought it a strange visit, but quickly forgot about it. Since then, other neighbors have told me that several homes were invaded within the same time frame, and that items, including checks were stolen. It is my opinion that this group of “window washers” are there to scout your home and property for valuables for future theft opportunities. The moral of the story is that if you live in one of the small towns in Southern Utah, you may have a false sense of security.