Window Cleaning News

Superhero window washers rappel down the side of Children's Hospital in Hershey: Josh Vancena as Spiderman and Edgardo Milan as Batman waving out to fans. Superhero Window Washers Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and Captain America rappelled down the side of Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital in Hershey, fans including patients gathered in their rooms and below to watch on Wednesday Aug 13, 2014.

Superheroes do windows at Penn State Children's Hospital: Window cleaning usually isn't all that entertaining - that is, until Tuesday morning when a high-rise adventure brought smiles to young faces at Penn State Children's Hospital. While patients are taken care of inside, the building is under care outside. It's window washing day. But wait, why are there children watching from below with IVs in tow? "It was a surprise. I had no idea this was going to happen at all," said patient Thomas Judkins.

The surprise: window washers who in a flash turn into superheros! "We had Batman, Superman, Spiderman and Captain America." said Jodi Judkins. "We have our Superhero Window Washers here today to bring a little excitement to our patients and families," said Ashley Kane, manager of the hospital's Child Life Program.

The heroes brought a lot of excitement for children who battle illnesses, like Thomas Judkins. "Thomas is here because he has Chron's disease," his mother, Jodi Judkins said. "He has infusions in the Children's Cancer Center every eight weeks. He has chemo to keep the disease at bay,"

"The kids are just in awe. First of all, watching window washers is just amazing, but to have a superhero come down and wash your windows, it's just really cool for the kids they get really excited. The families just love to see their child smile when they are here in the hospital," Kane said. "This is an amazing event for the kids, especially for Thomas," his mother said. "All of these children suffer a lot and they are very brave. In fact, I think the children are the bravest."

Not only did Northeastern Window Washers employees volunteer to dress up, they purchased their own costumes. This was the second year for the popular superhero window washing show.

Window cleaning business becomes “first of its kind” to join British Franchise Association: Harvard Window Cleaning launches franchise operation with plans to expand nationally. Window cleaning firm Harvard Window Cleaning has launched as a franchise operation with accreditation from the British Franchise Association (bfa); the “first business of its kind” to receive bfa membership.

Launched in 2012 by young entrepreneur Luke Rayner, Harvard Window Cleaning offers commercial, construction and residential window cleaning services and looks after many high-end properties in Poole and Bournemouth.

Over the last two years, the company has secured contracts for several multi-million pound properties in the Sandbanks peninsula and is currently tendering for a contract to clean one of the Royal palaces. It intends to use its new franchise status to roll-out the business across the country, with plans to expand into “leafy” areas of Surrey and “expensive parts” of Britain. It will initially be looking to develop its franchise network in Poole and is seeking to recruit “hard-working, enthusiastic” individuals.

Harvard Window Cleaning founder, Rayner, commented: “We are very proud to be able to franchise our business and we’re the first window cleaning company to be members of the British Franchise Association. “It means we can expand across the country and importantly we can be in total control of the expansion. “In Poole we can train people in how we do things to our own high standards then set them up with a van and all the equipment.” To find out more about becoming a franchisee for Harvard Window Cleaning, click here.

Charity fundraisers Avril Graham and Jim Gamble who have raised over £500,000 for Friends of the Cancer Centre.

The inspirational duo who are cleaning up for cancer charity: Over half a million pounds has been raised in Fermanagh for Friends of the Cancer Centre. “I think people would do without that loaf of bread to give you a pound up the street,” said a delighted Jim Gamble, a well-known window cleaner, who along with Ballinamallard woman Avril Graham has been involved in fund-raising for the charity for over 30 years. Friends of the Cancer Centre may be based in Belfast City Hospital but it has a thriving support group working from Fermanagh led by the two dedicated, passionate volunteers.

It is because of the tireless efforts of the two friends that cancer patients in Fermanagh directly benefit from the projects that the group funds, enabling them to receive treatment, particularly radiotherapy, in Belfast. The charity funds local cancer research, including its recent investment of nearly £1 million for locally led research into clinical trials. It funds three specialist cancer nurses - called clinical nurse specialists - which offer patients expert care and support during and after their cancer treatment.

Most of this work would not be possible without the input from Fermanagh. However, a humble Mr. Gamble is reluctant to take any of the credit, saying: “It is not through us it is because of the public who have been generous - they have put their back into it, really and truly.” The actual amount of money raised to-date could be much more than £500,000, explained the chairman, adding: “It’s a huge sum of money. The wonderful thing is that it has gone from strength to strength. We have more income – every year it is going up and up. It is going well, and it is going that well that we are needing more help.”

Metal detector enthusiast offers to help others after discovering historic items in Tiverton: Just a month after discovering a solid gold Roman coin, Tiverton window cleaner Stephen Lovering has uncovered new treasure and is now offering his services to others free of charge. Stephen, 60, unearthed his latest find last weekend while using his metal detector to search a location in Tiverton which he is keeping strictly under wraps. The metal detecting enthusiast found a bronze ring dating back to the second century lying just six inches underground. He said: “I won’t say where I found it but this was under grass. I moved the turf and it was just lying there so I took a picture of it in the ground before I moved it. “I think it’s a man’s ring because it fits my finger and it has symbols engraved on the top which looks like a sunburst.”

Stephen has been searching for historical artefacts since 1972 after seeing an article about metal detecting. His first detector cost just £15 and Stephen has upgraded his machines throughout his 35 years of detecting, and now uses the internet to study land and unearth Roman sites in the area.

Stephen said that the history behind his finds is what drives his searches and there has been much interest in the Heraclius gold tremessis coin he discovered in June.

He said: “I’ve been contacted by an American radio station that wants to interview me next month about the gold coin. It’s a radio show about metal detecting and they emailed to see if I would be interviewed. “I’m also taking my finds to Tiverton Museum to show them. I use the museum’s Microfiche reader to look at the maps they have and maps are what I need. “I’ve just got an advanced version of Google Earth. I still won’t reveal where I’ve found things because people will descend on the site. What I do is my hard work and my research.”

While Stephen is staying firmly tight-lipped about his search locations, the keen metal detector is more than willing to help others who would like to search for items. Stephen said: “I’m offering a free search service for anyone who has lost jewellery in the past or anyone who wants their land searching. “People can call me anytime; whether it’s a small area or a big piece of land they want searched, I don’t charge. “I offer a 50/50 split on anything I find and I do ask people to sign a metal detecting legal agreement form.”

Superhero window washers brings smiles to sick children (STANFORD, Calif.) - Children being treated at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital got a special treat when they looked out their windows Monday. Hanging from a harness from the roof were several of their favorite superheroes. It was an annual visit created by the window washers at Delta Window Cleaning in Santa Clara. Three of their employees don Spiderman, Superman and Batman outfits and scale down to entertain the children while they work. “It’s difficult for children to be in the hospital,” said hospital spokeswoman Winter Johnson. “We want to make staying at the hospital a magical experience.” From the smiles all around, it definitely proved to be a magical day for the young patients. "It's a simple way for us to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary," said Andrew Rich, director of housekeeping. "We know these legends will brighten everyone's day."

England's traditional crafts are in danger of disappearing, according to the few people still practising them. Clog makers, basket weavers and wood turners have practised their skills for generations but the modern world increasingly has few needs for traditional master craftsmen. Can the skills be passed on to the next generation before it is too late?

Stanley Clark trained as a wooden ladder maker but retired from the trade 20 years ago. "It was the trade I learned as a young man but aluminium ladders came in in the 1960s and 18 months later, nobody wanted the wooden ones," he says. "We used to make more than 2,000 ladders a year, made to measure ones, out of Colombian and Norwegian pine. "Once the aluminium ladders came in, I made the odd one for a window cleaner who wanted a made to measure ladder but that was it. There are now only a few people left who can make the wooden ones." Pictured; Stanley Clark, 75, was a wooden ladder maker (retired) from Northampton.

New CILS-81000TK self-laminating computer printable labels: perfect for hoses and pipes - Computer printable 'in minutes' straight from a standard laser or thermal transfer printer, the new CILS-81000TK self-laminating durable label range adheres permanently to all industrial pipes, flexible hoses and conduits for failsafe long term identification. Featuring a clear 'wrap-around' protective tail, CILS-81000TK labels permanently seal and safeguard all printed variable data for complete protection against chemicals/solvents, hydraulic oils, abrasion and extreme temperature (-196°C to +388°C).

Bees keep Minneapolis City Hall buzzing: Minneapolis City Hall was abuzz, and it had nothing to do with political intrigue. Inhabitants of one of the two beehives installed last year in the Romanesque building’s seldom-seen courtyard had subdivided. The swarm resettled in a honey-gorged beard of bees on a fifth-floor gutter. The job fell to Jim Doten, one of City Hall’s three designated volunteer beekeepers, to pop out of a rooftop hatch with a safety harness to nudge the docile horde into a large box that more typically would hold city files. “Even though they’re mellow at this point, one of them might not have gotten the memo,” said Doten, wearing full protective beekeeper clothing. Once the hives were brought in, the window washing crews were initially nervous. “Even the people who were nervous about it, they seem to really like them now,“ Doten said. “People with the windows on the courtyard really love it.”

Window cleaner Oliver Plowman has appealed an 'unfair' parking ticket he received while cleaning windows in the town centre.

Window cleaner battles council over parking fine: A window cleaner is locked in a ‘David vs Goliath’ style battle with Worthing Borough Council after he was slapped with a parking ticket while working in the town centre. Oliver Plowman, 60, parked his van on the precinct in South Street Square one morning while he cleaned windows in Chapel Road. When he returned to the vehicle a warden had written him a ticket for £70. Mr Plowman said: “I think it’s out of order. I’m a small trader. I was working, I wasn’t shopping. “I want to make a point to the council that there are times when they have got it wrong. I just think it’s unfair.”

Services at the Criminal Courts of Justice, including window-cleaning, security and maintenance, cost €846,000 a month, the Courts Service has said. The cost to the State for the overall design, build, maintenance and provision of support services for the modernised criminal courts complex will top €604 million at the current rate by the time it comes into the ownership of the Courts Service in 2035. The building at Parkgate Street in Dublin 8 is the largest courts project undertaken in the history of the State. The award-winning construction is 11 storeys high and provides 23,000 square metres space with 450 rooms and 22 courts.

Asked for details on the cost of one element of the servicing costs, window-cleaning, the Courts Service said it was not invoiced directly for such services, it did not deal directly with the company which cleaned the windows and did not hold the records sought. Amber Infrastructure and its subcontractors G4S manage the services required to maintain building and deal with the service providers including those providing window-cleaning services. The windows are cleaned by specialists who abseil down the façade. “The cost of constructing and maintaining including cleaning a largely glass external façade would have been built into the pricing of the tender submitted by the successful consortium headed by Amber Infrastructure,” the Courts Service said.

Window cleaning goes on MP’s expenses: Bosworth MP David Tredinnick claimed more than £38,000 from the taxpayer in expenses during the last financial year including £72 for window cleaning at his constituency office. The figure doesn’t include staff costs, covering office fees, accommodation and travel and subsistence only. The previous year, April 2012 to March 2013 the expense bill was £169,213 with £122,391 of that going on payroll. During the same period the Tory politician gave three staff £280 in ‘reward’ payments - which he was able to put on expenses.

MPs are able to legitimately claim back costs incurred in carrying out their Parliamentary duties. Regulator the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority publishes data every year and information on all politicians and their expenses can be accessed on its website. Mr Tredinnick made three claims of £24 each for the window cleaning at the local HQ in Priory Walk, Hinckley. One claim listed the cost as being ‘a third of the bill’. IPSA paid the claims made in June and September last year and January this year.

South Shields residents hemmed in by overgrown weeds: Nettles and weeds which surround a flats complex in South Tyneside put elderly residents at risk of being trapped in the event of a fire, it has been claimed. When Robert Burn opens the back door of his one-bedroom ground-floor council flat in Claudius Court, on the Lawe Top, South Shields, he is confronted by a virtual forest stretching several feet. A narrow access path along the windows at the flats complex is covered by a swathe of deep brambles, vegetation and prickly vines – blocking any exit for residents. Mr Burn has demanded an access is cleared to ensure residents – one of whom is 92 – are not trapped in their homes if a blaze breaks out. Today, a spokesman for South Tyneside Council said the authority accepted there was a problem – and promised action. and I was cut to shreds trying to make my way down. “It’s full of brambles and nettles which are all intertwined. It’s very, very dangerous.

“I can’t get a window cleaner to clean the back windows. When the council came to do some painting they said scaffolding was too dangerous to put up – they used a cherry picker instead. “The whole lot should be ripped up. What are we going to do if there is a fire? We have no access out. If we came outside, we would fry.

It's Bad Cop, Worse Cop in 'Police Power: Police Abuses in New York City' - A window-washer and his wife were having drinks at a Harlem bar. When they quaffed their fill, she went out to get a cab: an average evening ending as average evenings do. But on the street, according to one account of the incident, “a policeman, mistaking her flashy clothes for those of a prostitute, ordered her to move on. A vituperative argument ensued, and the wife was knocked down with a punch in the eye. When the husband ran out of the bar with a friend to protest, he was also knocked down.” She got an assault charge; he, disorderly conduct.

This cop-citizen interaction might sound familiar to a New Yorker or, for that matter, the resident of any large American city — Detroit, Albuquerque, New Orleans — where police brutality has recently risen to the fore of public debate. The above incident isn’t new, however. It is recounted by Paul G. Chevigny in his 1969 book, Police Power: Police Abuses in New York City. Based on a study of police brutality for the New York Civil Liberties Union, the book is utterly unlike the dreary tomes of public policy one is likely to encounter today. Yet Police Power remains as relevant as many newer books on the subject.

Dorchester man self-publishes book about dog's role in healing journey from drugs and prison. Jim Adduci's latest self-published book is told from the perspective of his dog Muffin. The hope that he would reunite with his dog after he was imprisoned helped him through dark times and led him on a clean path.  While some may dream of getting out of prison to spend time with their family and friends, Jim Adduci, 66, originally from Bowdoin Street in Dorchester, simply couldn’t wait to see his dog Muffin again.

His third self-published book, “Muffin,” told in the voice of his beloved dog, chronicles Muffin’s life and death with his “dad” Jim and concludes with a narration from Adduci which explains his love for his dog and the guilt he felt for abandoning Muffin when he went to prison on a drug charge. “I screwed up and I went to prison for three years because of my stupid mistakes.   I  broke my dog’s heart,” he said.

Adduci’s desire to see Muffin again after prison and get the dog back from his ex-girlfriend no matter what stood in his way helped Adduci stay clean and pursue a path as a window cleaning operator in Naples, Florida. With encouragement, Adduci turned his prison writings into self-published books.  “I have two good reviews on Amazon,” he said.  Adduci now drives people between airports and hotels for a local transportation company.

'Something big's coming,' muse the window cleaners. Graham Swift.

England & Other Stories by Graham Swift – all human life is here: Graham Swift is a watcher, a listener, the recorder of our days. "People are life," one of his characters suggests, but life is also the social structures that provide context for the living of it. The short stories in his third collection often focus, therefore, on occasions. Weddings and divorces, job interviews and funerals, all the puzzled collisions with the bureaucratic infrastructure, all the usual points of connection between the individual and the culture: if they aren't providing a direct context, they're never very far in the background.

Swift keeps an ear out for the classic English interior monologue. "Going Up in the World" gives us the musings of Charlie the window cleaner. "Something big's coming," Charlie's friend Don tells him, as they look out across the towering financial centres that have given London window cleaners a good living since the 80s, "something big and bad." While the protagonist of "Half a Loaf" recalls, "My mother used to say, 'All good things come to an end'," then muses: "Perhaps all mothers say it. As if the harm she foresaw for me was the tragedy of good stuff not being constantly on tap." What the osteopath and the window cleaner have in common is yearning, not so much for what they've lost but for what their anxieties tell them they're about to lose.

Lawsuit filed after new Tribeca building is found with flawed windows that must be replaced for $10 million - The shiny new One York on York St. has a flaw: the insulated windows cloud up and have to be replaced at a cost of more than $10 million. As a result, the sponsors of the building are suing the general contractor, Lend Lease Construction, and three companies that manufactured or installed the insulated glass walls.

A posh new building in Tribeca has a skin problem: Its insulated windows are clouding up and have to be replaced at a cost of more than $10 million. The sponsor of One York on York St. and the condo board are suing the general contractor, Lend Lease Construction, and three companies that manufactured or installed the floor-to-ceiling insulated glass walls. In papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, the plaintiffs say unit owners started complaining immediately about streaking and rust-like discoloration on window seals. Contractors discovered that the installers had used unauthorized gaskets and the wrong combination of glazing and sealant materials.

A window washer cleans off the lettering at Morgan Stanley headquarters, in New York. Morgan Stanley has agreed to pay $275 million to settle a case alleging that Morgan Stanley misled investors about risky mortgage bonds it sold prior to the 2008 financial crisis. Morgan Stanley neither admitted nor denied the allegations. The $275 million Morgan Stanley is paying includes a $96.4 million penalty and $160.6 million in restitution of profits from sales of the bonds, plus about $18 million in interest. It will be returned to investors in the deals who were harmed, the SEC said.

5 on 3: Window Genie - Blair Littlefield

Business name:  Window Genie of Flower Mound

Business address: 2225 Ellis Drive, Flower Mound

Year opened:  July 2014

Employee name: Blair Littlefield

Position at the company:  Owner

Total number of employees:  2

Describe what the company does: Window Genie is a home service provider specializing in window cleaning, window tinting, pressure washing, gutter clean out, and concrete cleaning and sealing.

What does your business offer that is unique compared to similar businesses? Our techs wear uniforms and have a photo ID. They have had background checks performed to ensure we hire the best people we can. Our specialty is the superior service level we provide and the highest quality employees we send into our customers’ homes.

What is the most important part of your job on a daily basis? Scheduling jobs to ensure on time arrival and completion. Also performing estimates, which gives me the opportunity to personally meet most of our customers.

What are your keys to success? Do the job right the first time, every time.

What surprises you most about your job? There is a lot more to window cleaning than I thought.

Tell us something most people wouldn't know about your company. Window Genie is a very community minded company. They encourage their franchise owners to get involved and provide assistance to help them. Their “Window for Wishes” program here.

Prior to purchasing a Window Genie franchise, Blair Littlefield spent 13 years working for a car dealer in the greater Dallas area before joining the corporate staff of an automotive accessory company in Chicago for 21 years. After the company he worked for took a major hit during the recession, Littlefield began thinking about his next move. He said, “Not many people can say they love their jobs, and I loved mine for over 20 years; I was happy to go into work every day. When the recession hit, a lot of changes were made and I began feeling differently so I quit and moved home.” For Littlefield, home has always been Flower Mound, where his family lives. “I’m glad I moved home when I did because my father was in poor health and I was able to spend the last 8 or so months of his life in Texas with him before he passed. He had always admired people with the guts and drive to open their own business, so with the support of my family I began researching small business and franchise options in the greater Dallas area.”

Through his research, Littlefield connected with Phil and Joan Cansler, Regional Developers with Window Genie. “The Canslers were incredible and made the process so easy on me. Although I was researching several franchises at once, something kept me coming back to Window Genie,” Littlefield said. “I met the corporate support staff via Skype and it just felt right; this was a team I could trust and feel good working with. I got in touch with existing Window Genie franchise owners who gave me hours of their time to answer my questions and paint a picture of what the life of a franchise owner with Window Genie looked like. All these guys were incredibly helpful and honest about their ups and downs, but all were happy and said they would do it again.”

Ultimately Littlefield chose Window Genie because it most closely met his needs based on interests, strengths, weaknesses and goals. “I didn’t want a storefront or a lot of inventory to deal with and Window Genie is a business you can run from your home or a small office. I loved the service aspect of Window Genie; I get to interact with and serve my community every day. I’ll continue building relationships with customers who will keep having us back to perform different services; you can’t beat that,” he said. “This wasn’t a quick decision, but I think I made the right one. Working for myself and being my own boss sounds better and better each time I say it. I can’t wait to open for business, tackle these challenges and see what I’m made of.”

Men In Kilts Launches in the Okanagan Valley: Men In Kilts Kelowna opens for business Friday August 15th, 2014 and will be the eleventh location to open since franchising began in 2010 and the third in the province of BC. The franchise will service the communities of Kelowna, Westbank, Vernon, Penticton, Osoyoos, Summerland, Grand Forks and Oliver and offer Window Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Siding Cleaning, Pressure Washing and Snow Removal services to residential and commercial customers.

Franchise Owners Gareth Rider and Stacey Steele transitioned into the window cleaning business after spotting their very first tartan truck. Gareth says, "Throughout our research into franchises, Men In Kilts kept showing up in our searches. We read a lot of reviews about the franchising opportunities in various publications across North America. We started to see their trucks driving around town all the time and one day while we were on site painting a client's house, I looked out the window and saw Men In Kilts next door cleaning out the gutters - the decision was made!"

Gareth and Stacey, now kilted technicians themselves, used to run their own painting company in Calgary, AB, but wanted a change - which included a move to BC - and starting a Men In Kilts franchise allowed them to do that.

The Future of Change: The 2014 7x24 Exchange of Atlanta and the Carolinas will be held in Charleston, SC on August 14th and futurist Jack Uldrich is keynoting the event. The 7x24 Exchange is hailed as the "the end to end reliability forum", and their mission is to "promote better understanding of the design, implementation and management issues involved in achieving high levels of uninterrupted infrastructure support for data centers." To that end, bestselling author and trend expert Jack Uldrich will be addressing future trends and holding a panel discussion after his presentation.

As a futurist, Uldrich is currently focusing on nanotechnology and the surprising ways it's climbing into peoples' lives. Uldrich says, "In ways small and big, nanotechnology, the science of the small-is well positioned to have an outsized impact on the world around us. If you need further proof, look around. Nanotechnology is already inside your smartphone and might soon be inside your body battling cancer. Who knows, it may even be outside your window at this very moment in the form of a gecko-like human scaling a self-cleaning, nano-enhanced solar window." Uldrich is an innovative and inspirational speaker on topics such as future trends, emerging technologies, innovation, change management and leadership, giving his audience members a more vivid perspective of tomorrow.

Cleaning every nook and cranny: John Smith of New Sewickley, owner of Smith's Window Cleaning, is tucked under an awning at the 1810 Tavern in Bridgewater as he cleans a window.

Text messaging/SMS isn’t new. Nor is it reserved for just smartphone owners; any mobile - smart or otherwise - can send and receive them but, it’s still a great mobile service that can create real business benefit. You’ve probably experienced a text from your dentist reminding you of an appointment or check-up, or your car dealer suggesting it’s time for your car to be serviced or have its MOT. Have you thought how this could be applied to your business? Restaurants sending reservation reminders, accountants or financial advisors sending tax reminders, or window cleaners reminding their customers to leave a cheque.  Platforms such as Global Messaging or Text Local take some of the manual burden out of sending the messages by automating the process and are straightforward to set up.

Glass Door Knob Starts a House Fire: One of the most benign, mundane objects of all time — a doorknob — is being blamed for causing a fire that destroyed part of a bedroom in a home in London.

Because the glass knob was in direct sunlight, it refracted rays onto a nearby robe, which then caught fire, the London Fire Brigade explained in a release. The house was empty at the time and no one was injured, but the room did withstand considerable damage.

Luckily, builders working next door eventually heard the fire alarm before the blaze could spread to the rest of the house. They alerted authorities, who identified the crystal doorknob as the catalyst. “The focal length from the window was just the right distance and it became the same principle as when you try to set fire to paper with a magnifying glass when you are a child,” Charlie Pugsley, of the London Fire Brigade’s investigations unit, told The Telegraph.

An Oestopath from Newmarket braved the weekend’s bad weather to raise cash for two important local charities. Bruce Smart, from Derby Cottage Clinic in Newmarket, took on the RideLondon on Saturday, cycling 100 miles through Surrey, before finishing on The Mall in London. Bruce took on the challenge to raise funds for Racing Welfare and the Injured Jockey Fund, completing the route with seven others in memory of his friend Jock. Bruce said: “My ex window cleaner was a lovely boy called Jock who passed away. He had a previous career in horseracing and his last claim to fame was doing the Racing Welfare calendar. “ He came in before he died and asked me to do it for him.”

Kirwan Heights Fire Department in need of volunteers: Rescue captain Mike Quinlan was 14 when he first volunteered to be a firefighter. Nineteen years later, he still spends hours each week training and donating his time to the Kirwan Heights Fire Department. Quinlan, 33, recalled his journey on Aug. 4, while overseeing his fellow firefighters during a night of rope-rescue training at an abandoned house near the Interstate 79 interchange on Washington Pike. “A couple of friends were firefighters and I started hanging out there and thought, ‘This is cool.' And I've been there ever since.”

But members say the number of volunteers are dwindling, and they could use some help. “Volunteers are hard to come by. It's harder nowadays because a lot of people work two jobs and it's just hard to find volunteers. We operate completely on volunteers. Everyone's in the same struggle we are,” Deputy Chief Earle Allender said. During the night's training exercises, firefighters set up a pulley system consisting of ropes connected to rescue vehicles so they could practice walking down the side of the house, which was donated to the department two months ago, and perform “raise and haul” exercises. Quinlan said the training simulates raising or lowering someone in need of help, such as a window washer who is stuck on the side of a building. “It's the life of a volunteer. Donate your time. Not a lot of people want to do it anymore, either. There's a lot of work and a lot of training.”

A Pittsboro neighborhood band turns a suspicious eye toward the town's future: It's 8:30 p.m. on a Monday night, and Brinson sits upstairs with his two sons—Buck, 6, and Levon, 3—reading bedtime stories. Downstairs, Sara tends to their newborn daughter, Sorrel, not yet 1 and already asleep. At last, Brinson steps outside, holding two electric guitars and a mixed six-pack of local brews. He heads just two blocks south, parks across from Pittsboro's landmark courthouse and ambles up a flight of stairs to his new band's antique practice space. "This is the old hotel," Brinson explains, tuning his Gibson hollowbody guitar as the other three members of The Outboards trickle in.

The Outboards' fascination with Pittsboro history owes to a collective loyalty to the Chatham County town. They are a neighborhood band. But it's not all gentle. "Rock Chatham Park," the band's most telling tune, takes aim at the proposed development and research park that could dramatically increase Pittsboro's population during the next three decades. Though downtown Pittsboro typically shuts down by early evening, discussions and votes about Chatham Park have packed the nearby courthouse until midnight. The Outboards practiced the night of one such vote. Brinson wanted to open the windows while they played, but they'd been painted shut. "We missed our big U2 moment," Boyer quips.

The song subject may seem topical from the outside—Pittsboro has been in the news because of Chatham Park—but it's more personal than political for these four. They all moved to Pittsboro for its easy pace. The community lacked the competitiveness they'd observed elsewhere—a progressive Mayberry, where young families moved for low housing prices and a small-town rapport. There's a soda shop, and the cops are friendly even when they break up backyard band practices. Haugen says local crime is cute, like the neighborhood teen with the habit of swiping ashtray change from unlocked cars. As Brinson sings in "Rock Chatham Park," "I live here because I'm a believer/that one can have enough."

His life is evidence for that mantra. He owns the window-washing business Window Wizard and keeps four employees, two late-model work vans and a pickup truck. He is his own boss. His lifestyle is comfortable without excess, his family's modest, two-story home sitting on an old residential street and overrun with cats, dogs and kids.

Bourne Abbey pupils record song for Royal British Legion project: Schoolchildren have recorded a song to raise funds for the Royal British Legion and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War. Steven Giullari, of Rippingale, has put together a song and accompanying music video called When The Rain Falls and children in the choir at Bourne Abbey Primary School were delighted to lend a hand with the project. Steve also lent his own voice to the song. Steven, a window cleaner, said: “It was a fantastic day and the children worked very hard for a really good sound. I would like to use this opportunity to thank each and every one of them for their hard work, especially since they gave up their golden time for the cause.

A window cleaner at an office building in Shenyang, Liaoning province. The services sector has been a bright spot in the Chinese conomy for a while. Growth in China's services sector slipped to a six-month low in July as new orders rose at their weakest rate in at least a year, data indicated, taking some of the shine off an industry that has been a bright spot in the Chinese economy this year.

Prankster paints his best mate's house in Mr Blobby colours while he is away on holiday: Mr Ansett, who spent around £150 on the joke, said: 'I was doing a job for Pete so I put all the scaffolding up around his house and then I see he’s put his initials all over it. 'He thought it would be funny, so I thought, right. 'I waited for him to go on holiday and then I spent a good couple of hours painting his house pink and spray painting on the yellow dots. 'His housemate was in the house at the time - which I didn't know - but he just thought it was some window cleaners. 'He’s alright about it, it’s just a laugh and a good bit of fun. 'If he gets me back, I’ve got something up my sleeve.' Mr Blobby first appeared on Noel Edmonds’ Saturday night hit Noel’s House Party in 1993 and had a Christmas number one before disappearing from the spotlight in 1999.

(F)ART - Istanbul-based artist Ali Miharbi, known for the robotic structures he builds, recently took part in an artist-in-residence program at quartier21 in Vienna, and is currently showcasing a new installation he created in the Museums Quartier complex. Before he arrived at the Museums Quartier and saw the space, he had an initial project idea, but after seeing the unconventional space, he wanted to create a completely new installation specifically for that venue. “In Schauraum, viewers see the exhibition through glass windows, either when they are entering MuseumsQuartier through one of its gates or when they pass through the corridor next to that entrance. I wanted to play with the way people experience the artworks there, considering the protective, transparent layer between the viewer and the work,” he says, explaining his recent installation “The Stroke.” So I created ‘Stroke,’ consisting of large linear motors equipped with different objects such as a cleaning brush, a plunger, a window squeegee and a garden rake, attached to their tips.

David Booth's story is one of rags to riches, from a poor upbringing to becoming one of the city's biggest  employers. And the home he shares with wife Ann has seen a transformation, too, from cowshed to rural retreat. When David Booth took the bold step of leaving his factory job in Belper 24 years ago to set up a window cleaning business, he could never have foreseen two things. Firstly that he would become one of Derby's major employers, with 320 staff. And secondly that he would end up living in a cowshed. Well, a former cowshed to be exact. But these two rather surprising things have actually happened – and David, 64, who owns Office Care in Derby's Pride Park, couldn't be happier! Married for 44 years, David and wife Ann today live in a stylishly rustic property dating back to the 1700s in beautiful Turnditch.

Despite finally feeling comfortable in her skin, Abby struggled to be accepted by others. She said: 'I briefly stayed with my sister in Huddersfield but she turned against me suddenly and kicked me out on the street. 'I had lost my job as a window cleaner when I had been ill and I was penniless.

Father of six, Mark Hughes lost everything when she came out as transgender women Abby-Grace. When she eventually summoned the courage to come out, her parents disowned her and her oldest two daughters stopped speaking to her - but Abby says she's never been happier. The 47-year-old had known all of her life that she had the mind of a woman, but it wasn't until last year that she started living as one. The Mancunian ex-window cleaner, who now lives in Idaho, America, has left her old life - and her children - behind to start afresh as Abby.

She says she 'cries every day' to be separated from her children, but her new life means that she hasn't seen them for almost a year. 'My children mean the world to me,' said Abby. 'I'd have stayed as Mark if that meant being with them but after I was diagnosed with gender dysphoria my ex-wife asked me to leave. 'If I hadn't transitioned I honestly think I would have died. 'I've had three nervous breakdowns and I'd even contemplated suicide because living as a man made me so miserable. 'It is difficult to be so far away from them but at least this way I'll see them grow up. Abby initially flew to the States on holiday, to recover after a breakdown in August last year. She stayed with a transsexual friend, Dahlia, whom she had met online, but eventually decided that being in America was best for her recovery and never came back.

Wilson finds business niche through windows: Tammy Wilson would have never thought her hobby would eventually turn into business. In San Diego, Wilson applied her interest in art to windows, painting decorations for fun. When she moved to Ely so her husband could be closer to his family, she realized she could use that skill to add something to the community. “I really didn’t have any ideas of what to do, and I was trying to figure out something while we were living here, something that would keep me busy and that was needed,” Wilson said. “I realized there was nobody that decorated the windows for holidays and nobody that cleaned them, so that’s when I came up with this idea.”

She started White Pine Window Cleaning and Decorating in September. Since then, she has had no problem keeping busy. “I have only had two weeks of not having any work to do,” Wilson said. Christmas trees. Teddy bears with Santa hats. Wilson’s paintings could be seen on windows for Mt. Wheeler Power and other businesses over the holidays. She got so busy that she even had to add some seasonal employees, her children. “I love it. There is nothing like being your own boss,” Wilson said.

Now that the season has past, Wilson says her business has shifted more to cleaning windows around town. She says she already has set up scheduled cleaning contracts for businesses all over the city. The smaller community of Ely has helped her get the word out about her services. “It’s been a lot of word of mouth,” Wilson said. Wilson charges $5 for each side of a window she cleans, and $2 for window screens. The price for her artwork ranges, depending on the size, amount of detail and the time commitment for a piece. She plans on adding new services like window repair by spring.

‘Forgotten’ abuse victim ‘let down’ by Pope: Derry man, Brian Doherty, has a message for Pope Francis. “Don’t forget about Northern Ireland,” said Brian. Brian Doherty was born in 1947 and when he was three weeks old he was placed into the care of the Sisters of Nazareth in the St. Joseph’s Home in Termonbacca. Brian remained there until he was 14 years-old.

Brian has spoken very openly about the abuse he suffered at the hands of the Sisters of Nazareth in the 1940s and 50s and within the last 12 months he has sent six letters to Pope Francis asking him to meet with survivors of clerical abuse from Northern Ireland.

“The Pope met with clerical abuse victims from Ireland and mainland United Kingdom last month but there was no one there to represent the victims from Northern Ireland. Do we not matter simply because we are from Northern Ireland? It’s as simple as this, child abuse is wrong no matter what part of the world you are from. “I’ve sent the Pope so many letters and he has still yet to respond.

“I understand that he must be a very busy man but this is something very serious we are talking about here. It’s only fair that we have our say and he, as leader of the Catholic Church, listens,” he said. Brian now lives in Woolwich and is a retired window cleaner. He still has some family in Derry and visits here when he can.

SINGAPORE - A maid who hit a retiree with a bamboo pole and stamped on her foot, causing her to fracture a bone, was sentenced to three months' jail on Tuesday. Myanmar national Cing Sian Huai, 24, had pleaded guilty to inflicting the fracture on Madam Grace Toh Ah Bay, 66, on April 27 in the Bedok flat where she worked as a maid for Madam Toh and her mother, Madam Seah Cheng Poh, 93. The court heard that the incident happened before 9pm that day when Cing refused to continue cleaning after Madam Toh scolded her for not cleaning the dishes properly. Cing said she did not want to continue working and insisted on returning to the employment agency but Madam Toh refused to unlock the gate.

Cing tried to force open the lock using a window wiper. When this failed, she started hitting the gate with a bamboo pole, breaking the wiper and pole in the process. Madam Toh tried to calm Cing down but the maid hit her hand three times with the pole instead, stamping on her foot after the attack caused her to fall. The attack left Madam Toh with bruises on her arms and a fractured metatarsal bone in the foot. She was given two weeks' hospitalisation leave.

Marriage break-up led to M62 horror: A loving stepfather whose marriage had broken down took his own life by throwing himself in front of a lorry on the M62. An inquest at Heywood Coroner’s Court yesterday heard how devout Jehovah’s Witness Ian Stuart Barker (47) ran out on to the motorway after parking his car on the hard shoulder between junctions 19 and 20, on the morning of April 11, 2013.

Lorry driver Daniel Dolan, from Dublin, said: “I don’t think I could have done anything to avoid hitting him. “I saw him bounce off the lane and land on the hard shoulder. “I will never forget it. Sometimes I get flashbacks.”

Mr Barker, a window cleaner, had moved out of the house he shared with wife Julie and was living with his parents on a temporary basis in Tyldesley, Wigan. His wife described Mr Barker as a “loving stepfather” to her child from a previous marriage.

Mrs Barker said her husband had not given any indication that he wished to take his own life, though she did admit that she had been “concerned about the state of his mind” the night before. Senior coroner Simon Nelson said: “I can well understand that the intricacies of any relationship are difficult to resolve. “I assume, sadly, that for him he was in the depths of despair.”

90-year-old robbed of £150 by fake window cleaner: A 90-year-old woman was robbed of £150 by a man pretending to be a window cleaner. The thief knocked on the lady’s door saying he had come to collect his pay for cleaning the windows. Because she didn’t recognise him she thought he was collecting payment for her regular cleaner. The thief entered the woman’s house and made a remark about a dirty window. While the woman was distracted he stole £150 from her purse. Sutton police are hunting for a young white man, wearing light-coloured clothing, who was in the area at the time.

He was seen picking up a bicycle further down the street before cycling off. If you have any information about the incident, call Sutton Police station on 101 quoting ref no: 4008340/14.

Fake Window Cleaner Robber: Police have renewed their appeal to find a man who pinned down an elderly woman and robbed her in her own home a year ago. Alberta Cockroft was sitting in an armchair at her home in Cellar Hill, Lynsted, when the intruder flung open the door leading from the kitchen to the living room and told her he was collecting money for window cleaning.

The widow, who was 93 at the time, stood up to confront him but he pushed her down and held her in place before stealing her purse out of her knitting bag beside her. It contained around £300 in cash plus the card she uses to draw her pension from the post office. He then ran out the front door and along the road in the direction of Cambridge Lane. The theft happened between 1.55pm and 2.07pm on July 16, 2013.

It’s believed he gained access through the back door which had been left open due to the warm weather. The man is described as white with dark short hair and a longish face. He was clean-shaven and thought to have been in his late 20s.

Vale man lay in wait for victim: Ian Baird, of Tullichewan, was banned from entering the home or having contact with his partner after being released on bail. But after the pair got into an argument after a mutual friend’s wedding, the 30-year-old left the party early and waited in the victim’s bedroom for her to come home. The argument then continued before Baird repeatedly punching and kicking his victim on her head and body. Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard last week how Baird, appearing from custody, who owns his own window cleaning business, could not remember the attack after downing a cocktail of booze and diazepam.

Isobel Martin, prosecuting, told the court: “The pair were at a party at a friend’s house after the wedding and then fell out. She left and so did he. “He got in a taxi and got to her house before her, went into her bedroom and waited. When she got home, she went up to her bedroom and found him there and the argument resumed.” Ms Martin told how the argument quickly became heated and woke up four children that were in the house. It was then that Baird assaulted his victim. “He began to kick and punch her on the face and head,” Ms Martin told the court. “That continued downstairs in the lounge and dining room.” The couple’s nine-year-old daughter was woken by the noise and called police who could hear shouting and screaming in the background.

Coroner's warning to health bosses after man dies in fire thought to be caused by e-cigarette: A coroner said health bosses should be made aware of the “potential dangers” of e-cigarettes after a man died when his oxygen supply was ignited by the device. David Thomson, 62, was found dead in his flat in Penkett Road, Wallasey, after the charger for his e-cigarette was left on top of a pipe connecting his mask to an oxygen tank.

It sparked a small fire, which was extinguished before firefighters arrived. Opening an inquest into the window cleaner’s death, Wirral and Liverpool Coroner Andre Rebello said Mr Thomson “realised what was happening” and collapsed as he attempted to reach the tank to switch off the supply. He said he planned to send what is known as a regulation 28 report to NHS England, asking it to alert suppliers of home oxygen to the potential dangers of e-cigarettes.

A room without a view. "In the grand scheme of the universe, the following no doubt ranks as the least important problem anyone can have: dirty exterior windows in apartment buildings. Apparently it is a rare landlord that thinks looking through clean glass windows is a very good and pleasant thing; and, therefore, having the exterior windows cleaned twice (or at least once) a year is not included in the amenities.

"I live in a senior-housing apartment that has three stories. The Dakota County agency that operates their 26 buildings in the county does not arrange for exterior window washing; nor does it build buildings that have windows that flip down so we can wash them ourselves. "Does anyone have a 40-foot ladder this 70-year-old woman can borrow?"

Window cleaner admits breach after football match: A Dundee window cleaner has admitted carrying out a football aggravated crime after a match. John Anderson had been at the Rangers v Dundee United semi-final in the Scottish Cup at Ibrox when he committed a breach of the peace on his way home to Dundee. Anderson, 24, of Rosefield Street, had stopped off at the Glendevon Hotel in Auchterarder when an incident took place which led to him being arrested. He admitted behaving in a manner which was likely to incite public disorder by repeatedly shouting and swearing and refusing to leave the hotel on April 12 this year while on bail. Sheriff Kevin Veal was told Anderson was currently serving a jail term for a T in the Park drugs offence and was not due for release until January 23 next year.

MALICIOUS MISCHIEF: A painting contractor had an employee who damaged approximately 60 window panes while cleaning paint away from the glass with a scraper. The damage was estimated at $5,000.

Grega sues State Police detectives, state’s attorney (Brattleboro): John Grega, a New York man who spent close to 18 years in prison for the West Dover murder and rape of his wife, has sued three Vermont State Police detectives, the town of Dover and the county prosecutor who gained his conviction in 1995. Grega, 51, won the right to a new trial in 2012 after modern DNA testing revealed the presence of another man’s DNA in a sample collected from Christine Grega. New murder charges were dropped last August.

In a suit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Grega alleges that retired state police detectives William Pettengill and Glenn Cutting, current Detective Richard Holden and retired State’s Attorney Dan M. Davis, as well as the town of Dover, conspired to convict him with false, trumped-up evidence involving a Long Trail Ale bottle and poor police work. “Mr. Grega’s wrongful conviction was no accident, but rather the result of unconstitutional and tortious acts by the defendants to this lawsuit, as well as policies, customs and practices that were deliberately indifferent to Mr. Grega’s civil rights,” the suit states.

Grega, who ran a window-washing business with his family, was on vacation with his wife, who was a physician’s assistant, in West Dover in September 1994 with their 2-year-old son, John Jr.  Christine Grega had reportedly told friends and family they were trying to salvage a marriage troubled by alcohol and drug use. During the vacation, she was found dead in the ski condo’s bathtub. She had been brutally raped with what appeared to be a foreign object and choked to death, evidence showed.

Man on ‘AIDS needle’ charge: A man accused of going into a shop masked in a balaclava and threatening the owners with what he said was an AIDS-infected hypodermic syringe and needle has made his first appearance at court. Joseph O’Donohue is alleged to have been wearing socks on his hands when he entered The Art Shop store and newsagents on The Crescent, St Annes, and demanded cash and tobacco from the store owners, a married couple in their 60s. O’Donohue, a 46-year-old window cleaner, formerly of Canberra Way, Warton, now living at Boston Road, St Annes, is charged with attempting robbery. The offence is said to have taken place about 6am on February 22 this year.

A window cleaner found lying on a pavement with a St George’s Cross flag painted on his face has avoided being sent to prison after he assaulted a paramedic trying to help him. Marc Whalley swung his arm up and hit the medic across the chest and shoulder, after being gently shaken and asked if could wake up. Whalley, a 31-year-old window cleaner,of Coronation Street, St Annes, pleaded guilty to assaulting his victim. He was sentenced to do 150 hours unpaid work for the community and ordered to pay £60 compensation to the victim by the bench at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

The court was told that paramedics were called to Whalley on June 15 at 7.20am after he had collapsed outside Smiley’s shop, in Cleveleys.  At first the medics thought Whalley was suffering from extreme sunburn, but then they realised he had the flag of St George painted on his face, magistrates were told. One medic gently tried to rouse Whalley by shaking him. But the defendant responded by swinging his arm up, hitting the victim across the chest and shoulder, knocking him backwards.

Stourport window cleaner admitted producing cannabis: A window cleaner arrested on drugs charges claimed at Worcester Crown Court that he was intending to start a hydroponic business on a Stourport industrial estate. Simon Cooper said he had spent £8,000 on a legitimate venture but had been let down by a partner, who had dropped out at the last minute. Michael Conry, prosecuting, said police had discovered cannabis plants, scales and resealable plastic bags when they raided the premises in Sandy Lane,Titton. Cooper, 45, of Hodfar Road, Stourport, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis but the Crown did not accept his basis of plea that he had no intention of selling the drug commercially.

After a trial of issue hearing, Judge Michael Cullum accepted that Cooper had been working as a window clear with a successful business but rejected the suggestion that cannabis had been grown just for personal use. He ordered a pre-sentence report and bailed Cooper until August 22. Mr Conry said police discovered 13 cannabis plants and a crop which could have had a street value of £9,700. Cooper argued that the surplus had been supplied to friends, who had given donations towards the cost of electricity. Cooper told the court that he had decided to go into the hydroponic business because there could be a 100 per cent mark-up on the sale of equipment. The object was not to grow cannabis but peppers, chillies and lettuce.

A former Connecticut resident is facing federal charges for allegedly defrauding U.S. military veterans out of $175,000 they invested in a restaurant and blast-resistant window glass company he claimed to be starting up in Iraq but never did, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Joseph T. Morris, 51, who now lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is accused of telling investors in October 2011 that he had plans to open up a pizza restaurant at the U.S. consulate in Erbil, Iraq and was starting up a business selling special heat- and blast-resistant glass for hotels, homes and government buildings across Iraq, the release says. The purported business was based in Wilton.

According to the July 1 indictment, Morris ““made numerous fraudulent representations to his co-founders regarding the restaurant and the window film business, knowing that the representations would be communicated to potential investors to induce them to invest in the company.” The release says Morris used fake emails and photos to convince investors he had signed a lease for the pizza place and had obtained an “exclusive arrangement” with a specialty window film manufacturer.

Pensioner John Higgins received a regular visitor as he lay dying in his hospital bed – a large rat. But when the 82-year-old told his family, they thought it so unlikely they dismissed his comments as being the result of side-effects from his medication. Then his son Robert Langstead realised his desperately-ill father was not seeing things, when the rodent scurried out again along a windowsill at Medway Maritime Hospital - and took its picture.  Less than 12 hours later, his father had died - and now the family have spoken of their concerns over hygiene.

Mr Higgins, 82, a retired window cleaner, who lived in Orion Road, Rochester, had been admitted to Milton ward with a virus and his family had been told to expect the worst. Mr Langstead, 50, said: "Dad was very ill and kept saying he could see rats in the light, but we just put that down to the strong drugs he had been put on. "We couldn't believe it when we went into the waiting room and saw the rat on the windowsill - my sister screamed." Mr Higgins, a grandfather of six, passed away the day after the rat was spotted. He was on a the pathways to heaven scheme, used to assist the terminally-ill by keeping them comfortable in their final days.

Lifeguards who helped an 82-year-old swimmer keep up his lifelong passion were honoured to carry the coffin at his funeral. Bill Parker, of East Leake, died on June 27 after suffering a heart attack on the way home from his beloved David Lloyd Centre in West Bridgford. Daughter Teresa Allen, 56, of Attenborough, praised the friends who helped family guide the Alzheimer’s sufferer through his final years after his wife, Diana, died 11 years ago. She said: “He loved his routines and the staff at the leisure centre were fantastic at helping him stick to that. Without their help my dad wouldn’t have been able to do what he loved and would probably have had to go into a home. He spent as much time as he could there.”

Former window cleaner Bill was known for his jokes and “always” being right. “One of my jobs when I first started was to clean the windows,” said Tom. “He used to get out of the pool and show me how to do it properly.” Swimming partner Caroline Ansell said she was inspired by his commitment to the water. “I swim six days a week and Bill used to manage seven and would do 100 lengths each time. I never knew I could do 100 lengths until he made me try.” Bill was also a “legend” at Dunkirk football club, where he played in his youth and his grandson Ryan, 13, now competes.

Remembering Bobbie Turner: Bobbie Turner, 71 died at her home at McGee Creek after a long cancer illness. Her husband and her  children were with her. Her family was the most important thing to Bobbie. Bobbie worked with her husband Ray and her son Tristan in their Mono County carpet and Window Cleaning business for 38 years. Bobbie was also an engineer on the Long Valley Volunteer Fire Department from 1978 to 1995.

Bobbie loved to fish, camp, cook and work in her garden. She was preceded in death by her parents George and Rose Lucas of San Diego and her brother George Lucas III of Mammoth Lakes. Bobbie is survived by her husband, Ray; daughters, Bonnie Turner and Sloan Holmes; and son Tristan Turner. She has two grandsons Nathan and Ryan Holmes. Also, a little redheaded cat named Stella who slept with Bobbie every night right up to the end.