Manufactured Homes

One of Chuck O'Herron-Alex's chickens looks into the henhouse. O'Herron-Alex keeps his six chickens at his house south of Nob Hill on Anderson Avenue Southeast. "For me, the main goal is to raise some of my own food," said O'Herron-Alex, who uses the chicken eggs for breakfast.

Flights grounded as east coast storms wreak havoc

Over 500 flights in and out of New York's three main airports were cancelled over the weekend as violent storms hit America's east coast.Rhode Island's TF Green Airport was shut down on Monday when high winds damaged a construction area near to a departure lounge.Regional transportation for visitors and residents was severely affected too, with many ferry services out of New York suspended and rail services halted until tracks could be certified as safe again.So far, the torrential storms besieging the east coast have caused three recorded deaths, with one person killed in their mobile home and two deaths in car accidents.Early indications rank the storm as the worst in the region since December 1992, when floods, gales and torrential rain inflicted millions of dollars' worth of damage on private property.As in 1992, floods, concentrated in West Virginia, have driven many residents out of their homes.West Virginian state governor Joe Manchin has called a state of emergency.Meanwhile, power cuts have spread across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.© Adfero Ltd .

City talks trash - universal increase may be on the way

Discounted refuse collection rates for Eden seniors have been trashed, and City Manager Brad Corcoran hinted that across-the-board increases could come in several months.

Effective May 1, residents over 65 who dump less than 30 gallons of refuse a month will pay $8.50 per month. This rate replaces the current charge of $7.02 per month.

At Tuesday's city council meeting, Councilman C.H. Gover asked if council was required to change refuse collection rates because of a legal opinion.

During discussions for the upcoming budget, Tammie McMichael, Eden's director of Finance and Personnel, contacted a law professor at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Government for her opinion on the city's refuse collection rates.

"Generally, a local government can provide different rates for different classes of service," wrote Kara Millonzi, the professor, in an email to McMichael.

Mobile homes of a different sort

GALESBURG - A lonesome stillness lingered around the McKnight Street public housing area on a recent weekday.

Taking advantage of spring break from school, many residents had packed up the kids and gone to Chicago. Gone home.

Don Tomlin, executive director of the Knox County Housing Authority, has long known that the housing areas under his watch are refuges for people from the Windy City.

Currently, he said, 58 of the 176 occupied family housing slots are filled with Chicago-area families.

"Word of mouth is the big one," Tomlin said when asked how people end up 200 miles from home. "Family. Friends. I think we're on speed-dial at several (homeless) shelters in Chicago."

The exodus from Cook County to Knox County picked up steam in recent years when Chicago demolished much of its public housing for stated reasons ranging from its dilapidated condition to the value of the real estate on which it sat.