SYCAMORE What a difference two years makes.

Two years ago, the Sycamore Park District closed its building on Fair Street because of budget constraints. The superintendent of recreation's position was elimiminated. Fewer recreational programs were offered.

On Wednesday, the district announced the hire of a new superintendent of recreation, Meghan Jourden-Messerich, who is scheduled to begin work July 17 with an annual salary of $76,500, executive director Dan Gibble said. She is currently an assistant superintendent of recreation for the St. Charles Park District.

Fitness facilities and classes and an indoor jogging track are some of the features the district plans to offer when its new community center is complete about 10 months from now.

"We've been in a scaled-back situation since [closing the Fair Street building]," Gibble said. "Now, we're going to be back in expansion phase, and we need someone with good experience managing those facilities."

Jourden-Messerich's duties will include staffing, scheduling and organizing programs offered in the new community center space, such as dance, fitness, arts and crafts and tumbling classes.

Gibble said a community-wide survey indicated strong interest from adults and older individuals for indoor excercise facilities, such as a place to walk or jog during extreme cold or heat.

The 22,400-square-foot community center is projected to open about 10 months from now, barring construction delays, with concrete walls already beginning to form the building on the site of the future recreation campus along Airport Road.

The next major step in the community center construction will be adding structural steel and panels to form the roof shortly after the Fourth of July, Gibble said.

The recreation campus will also include a dog park, splash pad, sled hill and an outdoor ampitheater and patio. Those features, along with other ACTION 2020 projects a new golf course irrigation system, bike path extensions and sports complex expansion are being funded by about $9 million in property taxes, $3 million in grants and $1 million in donations.

The district is now about $32,000 short of its $1 million fundraising goal in the Leaf a Legacy campaign, Gibble said.

The community center should be the first ACTION 2020 feature open for public use in March or April 2018, followed by the splash pad that summer, he said.

The dog park is tentatively scheduled for fall '18 and the sled hill for winter '18 or '19, but their openings will depend on the turf having enough time to settle so that it is ready for heavy activity, Gibble said.

Live updates to construction on the recreation campus are posted to the Sycamore Park District website.

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Sycamore Park District back in expansion mode with community center - DeKalb Daily Chronicle

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry recently teamed up with 180 volunteers to build a playground in Middle River Terrace Park.

In just six hours, the volunteer group constructed a 2,500-square-foot playground from the ground up. It contains 14 components such as a triple racer slide, monorail and a cozy cocoon.

The outdoor zone gives 3,000 neighborhood kids have a safe place to enjoy the fresh air and excercise. Previously, the closest playground was across a busy arterial and nearly a mile away.

Landry kicked off the work party with his mom, Dietra Landry. Building a play space has a personal connection for Jarvis. As a kid, he spent many hours playing football at a local park. It kept him off the streets and out of trouble, he said.

The playground was built in partnership with Landry, the city parks department, Middle River Terrace Neighborhood Association, Target and KaBOOM!, a national non-profit that provides play areas for kids.

Target's district team leader Alexandra Slaton said KaBOOM! met with residents in the neighborhood to gather their input on the playground's design last spring. It took another eight weeks to formalize the plans.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, commissioner Dean J. Trantalis, assistant city manager Stanley Hawthorne and parks and recreation director Phil Thornburg were on hand to dedicate the new space located at 1329 NE 7th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale.

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NFL star joins volunteer effort for new playground - Sun Sentinel

A "major incident training exercise" that took place in Hull on Saturday has been hailed successful.

Called Exercise Orange Falcon, the test run was organised by the Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust, alongside crews from the police, fire service and ambulance staff.

The "scenario" created was said to be a "lorry crash with potential chemicals involved".

It saw Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, St John Ambulance Service and Humberside Police all at the scene at the Army Reserve Centre, Londesborough Barracks, in Londesborough Street, Hull.

"Casualties involved also descended on Hull Royal Infirmary to test the hospitals response to a major emergency.

Mock decontamination arrangements then got underway at the hospital following the "crash".

Around 40 casualties were made up with fake wounds as part of the excercise.

Makani Purva, deputy chief medical officer at HEY NHS Trust, said: "What we have seen today is a decontamination exercise.

"We have had an accident where there have been people who have been immersed in a contaminated liquid and from the accident site we capture the journey of the patients and how they were managed by the various agencies who were involved in it.

"We have about ten organisations who were involved in it, taking you right from the incident side all the way into the main hospital."

Mr Purva said it has been a real learning process for those involved.

"They key factor in patient safety is excellent communication so what we have learnt today is that we need to improve even better all our communication skills, not just between individuals and between departments in an organisation but between organisations as well.

"That has been a key underlining message that we have learnt."

Ms Purva said although the exercise was not related to recent tragedies, it is reassuring that it has taken place.

"On the one hand it was mandatory but I think it is very reassuring considering the recent incidents that have happened around the UK and the world that what we are doing today in Hull has put us in a good position to look after not only our patients but also the people who live in this area," she said.

"We were able to free up dozens of beds very quickly, we had enough surgeons with enough nursing staff who could have easily looked after these patients so it demonstrated to you how well we have performed as an organisation in rising to such a challenge."

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Hospital staff 'rise to challenge' in chemical spill exercise at Hull Royal Infirmary - Hull Daily Mail

CTV Vancouver Island Published Friday, June 23, 2017 10:22AM PDT Last Updated Friday, June 23, 2017 6:23PM PDT

Temperatures will push into the low 30s on inland and eastern Vancouver Island this weekend as a heat wave scorches areas across B.C.s South Coast.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Whistler and the eastern and inland island, saying a strong upper ridge of high pressure building over the province will result in a heat wave.

It expects record-high temperatures will be broken in some areas over the weekend.

The current forecast says temperatures in the Port Alberni area will hit 32 degrees Saturday and a scorching 34 degrees on Sunday.

On the east side of the island, the weather statement was extended from Courtenay to Campbell River, Duncan to Nanaimo and Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay.

On the South Island itll be a little cooler, but Victoria is still in for a sunny weekend of roughly 28-degree weather, according to Environment Canada.

Temperatures will start to dip again on Monday due to an onshore flow of cool, marine air.

Environment Canada is warning residents that the heat could pose risks for young kids, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses and people who work or excercise outdoors.

Those at risk should be aware of the symptoms of heat illness, which can include swelling, rashes, cramps, fainting, heat exhaustion or stroke.

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Temperatures to hit 30s on parts of Vancouver Island this weekend - CTV Vancouver Island

North America's oldest ashram, on the shores of Kootenay Lake, is getting ready to welcome a new, lotus-like worship space three years after it was all but destroyed by a fire.

The original Temple of Light at Yasodhara Ashram was built 22 years ago, with seven entrances representing the world's major faiths, but it was seriously damaged in a blaze that began with a spark inadvertantly ignited by a work crew in June, 2014.

That was "a great loss" to the dozens of people who live at the yoga retreat full time, as well as its many visitors, according to resident Swami Sivananda.

The cost of construction is estimated at $3.5 million. (CBC News)

Construction began on the new temple last year, and by the time it wraps up this summer, it will have cost about $3.5 million. The award-winning Vancouver firm Patkau Architects took on the redesign as a research project, putting the cost within reach of the ashram.

"They took this idea of light, of many doors entering and the idea of a flower. It's like a lotus opening. They come up with this multi-petal-like structure that's curvilinear if that makes any sense with these huge windows around the base," Sivananda told Daybreak South on Friday.

The eight petals that make up the structurewere prefabricated by the Spearhead manufacturing company in Nelson and assembled on site, spiraling upwards to join around a skylight at the top.

"It is absolutely unique. I think it's an example of pushing the edges of architecture and certainly pushing the edges of builders," Sivananda said.

The eight petal-like panels that make up the roof were all prefabricated in Nelson. (CBC News)

There are few straight lines inside the structure, making tasks like dry-walling a challenge. Still, the finishing touches are expected to be complete by the end of July, and members of the public can see the progress firsthand at the ashram's annual social this Saturday.

"It's a place of light, a place of spiritual renewal, contemplation, that's meant to inspire. And I'm sure it will," Sivananda said.

The ashram hopes to raise $200,000 by the end of June to cover all the costs of the project.

Excerpt from:

'A lotus opening': BC ashram welcomes new temple after devastating fire - CBC.ca

Almost a year after having surgery on her ankle, Rebecca Fisher will represent New Zealand at a world aerobics competition.

Fisher tore lateral ligaments in her ankle in June last year, had surgery in November and spent the following four weeks in a cast.

To make matters worse, the injury happened a week before trials for a world championship event.

All that hard work just spiralled away, Fisher said.

Determined to return to aerobics and, hopefully, better than ever she spent months working on mending her ankle and was recently selected to represent New Zealand at the Sport Aerobic and Fitness World Championships.

For many, a serious injury would be career-ending, but Fisher did not let it stop her from achieving her goals.

It had been a hard road getting back into aerobics and her ankle was still not completely back to normal.

[It is] still quite weak, but it does not stop me from doing anything, she said.

Fisher has a background in gymnastics she competed for 10 years which she credited as being the backbone of her success in aerobics.

Despite taking a three-year break between sports, gymnastics definitely helped with the transition to aerobics, especially performing jumps, she said.

When she is not competing or training, Fisher teaches aerobics classes in Northeast Valley.

Fellow aerobics athlete Jade Fielding was also selected to represent New Zealand.

The pair had to submit a two-minute video each of their routine and were judged on their skill level and potential.

The Sport Aerobic and Fitness World Championships will be held in the Netherlands in October.

To give to Fishers Givealittle page, go online to https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/ rebeccafisher.

JESSICA.WILSON@thestar.co.nz

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'Hard road' to return - Otago Daily Times

I was cooking in the heavy meat industry. It was full-on, I didnt really like the energy, so I gave up meat and got a job in a vegetarian kitchen in 2009. Then in 2014, I took a break, started to train, and became vegan. I was posting my meals at home [on Instagram], and people were like, Where can I get this from? I thought, Its time to disrupt the industry. I set up Cook Daily in 2015 with no publicity whatsoever, and within a week we were established, everyone passed through the doors, all the London music industry scene. People are like, JMEs a vegan, JMEs going [to Cook Daily]. Its like, actually, its quite cool to be a vegan. You dont have to have dreadlocks and be white.

No ones ever caught cancer from eating too much broccoli, and thats a fact. As a professional chef, I advise people that a vegan whole food diet is one of the best diets you can have. I feel that living a vegan lifestyle has given me clarity; it makes me a much more loving chef, whereas before I was an angry chef. Now, I cant be angry, because all Im doing is dealing with broccoli and bananas.

Im from a south east Asian background, so Thai cooking is a big part of my culture, and it's heavy on fish sauce. [To substitute fish sauce] I thought, What tastes like the sea? Seaweed! I blend a mixture of seaweed and soy sauce, and there you go, Ive got vegan fish sauce. No one would know, not even my mum. Thats my secret weapon.

Whats your signature dish? Our bestseller, and one of my favorite dishes, is the High Grade. Its a smoky sweet and sour barbecue [flavor], with vegan chicken, chickpeas, and veg, topped with hemp seed crumble. We serve it with brown rice. Its based on marijuana. Its a real winner, especially with hemp seeds being 90% protein.

Link:

How To Be A Cool Vegan - The FADER

Concussions occasionally produce albums.

A retropharyngeal abscess almost cost singer-songwriter Annette Conlon her life in 2012. The infection cut off her breathing, resulting in an eight-hour emergency room visit and several surgeries. Afterwards, she couldn't talk or hold an acoustic guitar - harsh blows to a professional musician. She learned to play a junior violin in hopes of musical solace. "It gave me some feeling of playing music while I was recovering," Conlon says.

Time and voice therapy eventually equipped her to restart her career. Then she suffered a concussion. A doctor prescribed her six weeks sans screens as an antidote to her brain trauma, providing Conlon an opportunity to reflect on everything she had been through. Her debut album, "Life, Death, and the Spaces Between," is the result.

"I learned how to hear my story as a way to help others," says Conlon, a former Colorado Springs resident who attended Air Academy High School.

She shapes her experiences into country-Americana ballads with criminally catchy hooks. Each song feels universal in its nuance; she clearly took the old mantra "write what you know" to heart. On "Cedar Box," she croons, "Now I faced death once or twice/ and I can look back with a smile." She sings, "It's not enough wasting-up feeling the ache I feel/ the sorrow of tomorrow already feels too real" to her dying cat on "Sweet Sophia." The meowing heard on the track was provided by her real-life feline companion.

Conlon's "Compassionette" tour, which makes a pit stop at Pikes Perk on Saturday, takes its name from one of her core values: compassionate living. The singer champions awareness of people's effects on the world and one another.

"All I can do is the very best I can," Conlon says. "If I'm conscious about the butterfly effect I have on other people, and I open that dialogue and I say, 'Hey, let's think about things,' hopefully they will. I'm not going to judge them. I only want to open a dialogue. If someone wants to ask me questions, man, I am so there for the answers."

Conlon is an avid animal-rights advocate and vocal vegan. She wears vegan clothes, sports a vegan guitar and uses vegan cleaning products. She rescues kittens and volunteers with the Stray Cat Alliance. In other words, she walks the walk.

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Americana-vegan musician Annette Conlon to perform in Colorado Springs - Colorado Springs Gazette

Fundraiser after fundraiser, people have shown their support of The Cookie Counter, which started as a food truck selling animal-product-free ice cream sandwiches.

Special to The Seattle Times

Three times over, Seattle customers proved how much they wanted The Cookie Counter, a vegan dessert business featuring unusual ice cream flavors, nostalgic treats, fancy sundaes and pastries. First, fans supported a Kickstarter for owners Chelsea Keene and Chris Olson to operate a food truck selling their animal-product-free ice cream sandwiches. Then they cheered on a second fundraiser to open a dessert shop in the heart of Greenwood this past summer. When the shop shut down in the fall (blamed on contractor problems that led to construction delays, followed by a car crash), fans didnt want to let the business go. They rallied, raising money to get the shops doors open again in May, bringing it up to a total of more than $70,000 raised to support The Cookie Counter over the years. Now, its become an inviting gathering spot that brightens up the block.

The setting: Simple and sweet, from the teal accents to the shelves of board games to the decorative crocheted hearts.

The menu: Ice cream sandwiches, cones, elaborate sundaes with names like Call The Dentist, pretty ice cream soda floats, soft-serve, milkshakes, and a pastry case filled with both glutenized and gluten-free pastries, including brownies and cookies and popster Pop-Tart replicas. (Add a scoop of ice cream to any bakery item for an extra $3.)

7415 Greenwood Ave., Seattle; open noon-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays (note: Between June 21 and mid-September theyll close at 10 p.m. instead); seattlecookiecounter.com

What to try: For my family, the answer is Fluffernutter ice cream. After all the times my kids have turned down marshmallow treats because of the animal products used in gelatin (Horse hoofs, the 6-year-old grumbles, though my understanding is that its more often derived from cows and pigs), it was a treat for me to tell them none of the flavors were off-limits. Your own favorites may depend on your own familys dietary restrictions or preferences. Sundaes ($8-$14) and floats are attractive, and we liked the (yes, vegan) chocolate shell over our single scoop, which doesnt entirely coat the ice cream, but is drizzled over and around it. I thought the gluten-free peanut butter blondie ($3.50) was more successful than the chocolate chip cookie ($2) or brownie ($3.75).

Be aware: The coconut milk and coconut cream used in the vanilla ice cream gives it a distinct overtone of coconut. Its good, but it may not fit your expectations of vanilla, and it seemed an odd match for the espresso in my otherwise adorable affogato ($6), a shot of espresso over ice cream topped with (again, it goes without saying, but vegan) whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. The shop does clearly post ingredient lists for all the ice cream flavors.

Wait, theres more: The ice cream truck that the business began with (a 1974 VW bus named Mavis) operates mid-May through mid-September, selling prepackaged items including ice cream sandwiches. Check out the schedule at seattlecookiecounter.com or look for flavor and location updates on Instagram at @seattlecookiecounter.

Read more here:

Fans show their love of The Cookie Counter's vegan treats - The Seattle Times

So much so that she is trying to use one to help the other.

The "Baywatch" star is opening a pop-up vegan restaurant in the South of France in July.

"Born of the meeting between Chef Christophe Leroy and international star Pamela Anderson, the concept of this restaurant has become self-evident: festive, glamorous and Vegan," the announcement reads.

The restaurant will feature a "sensual atmosphere."

Anderson already has a few guests in mind whom she would like to entertain.

In a post titled "Why My Heart Stands With Julian," Anderson writes of wanting to meet with new French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife Brigitte Trogneux to discuss her friend, Julian Assange.

Assange has been living at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for more than four years. He took refuge there after Swedish prosecutors issued a warrant for him in August 2010 based on allegations of sexual assault by two female WikiLeaks volunteers in the country.

His relationship with Anderson has become the subject of much chatter and speculation as she's visited Assange multiple times and written extensively about him on her site.

In her plea to Macron for help, Anderson kicked off the post with "No matter where I am, I can't forget this man isolated in the Ecuadorian Embassy."

"Thinking of Julian makes me wonder, what is the sexiest quality in a man," she wrote. "Surely the sexiest qualities in a man are bravery and courage. Sexiness in a man is showing strength. Having convictions and having the courage to stand by them."

Link:

Pam Anderson's vegan restaurant could help Assange - CNN.com - CNN