Now's the time for a petcoke deal

EDITORIALS

KCBX Terminals Co. storages sites for coal and petroleum coke, or "petcoke" along the Calumet River in Chicago's 10th Ward where residents filed a class action lawsuit against the company storing the uncovered hazardous material. | Sun-Times files

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Last summer, piles of petcoke along the Calumet River on Chicago's Southeast Side suddenly grew into mountains several stories high, alarming area residents.

Now, a flurry of proposed solutions seems likely to grow into a mountain as well. That could be a problem if the result is a hurried set of rules that don't work well.

The public outcry and the political attention have created a perfect opportunity - right now - to reach a On Sales with the petcoke industry that is best for the Southeast Side. Almost certainly that will require enclosing the petcoke - an outdoor solution looks insufficient. Industry representatives, meeting with the Sun-Times editorial board last week, signaled a willingness to do so if officials will work with them on the specific steps and timing. They really don't want to leave town.

On Wednesday, an ordinance was introduced in the City Council on petcoke, a byproduct of petroleum refining that looks like coal. The city's Health Department is planning to announce its own new rules governing petcoke any day now. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is devising a set of regulations as well. On Tuesday, the Illinois attorney general sued KCBX Terminals Co. for allegedly allowing water runoff to carry petcoke into the Calumet River, the second lawsuit the attorney general has filed. Last month, a bill to regulate petcoke was introduced in the Illinois House. A class action lawsuit was filed last year. And three local Democratic members of Congress, Jan Schakowsky, Mike Quigley and Robin Kelly, have signed a letter asking for a federal investigation into how petcoke - also known as petroleum coke - is handled and what its health effects are.

Those are a lot of answers for an issue that industry doesn't see as necessarily a big problem.

Piles of bulk materials, including petcoke, that generate dust are an environmental issue that needs to be carefully regulated. Nobody wants to breathe the stuff on windy days. And as industry taps into heavy grades of petroleum, such as tar sands oil, there's going to be more petcoke to deal with.

The sites along the Calumet River act largely as transfer stations. Much of the petcoke comes in by rail from a refinery in Indiana and is transferred to barges for a global market that burns petcoke as fuel. The sites also are used to transfer coal. The Southeast Side, with its strong transportation networks, is an ideal location for this business, and the operators of the petcoke sites clearly want to stay there.

Some nearby residents, though, would rather see the sites be pushed out of the Southeast Side, a longtime home of heavy industry that struggles with a legacy of environmental issues. In August, heavy winds blew black, powdery dust from the sites, coating nearby homes and yards. But KCBX, which owns two sites, says $10 million worth of dust suppression measures installed since then, including water cannons to damp down the dust and a network of air monitoring devices, has solved that problem.

KCBX also is expressing a willingness to consider enclosing the piles of coal and petcoke on its sites, which might prove to be the ultimate solution. But the company says it would need cooperation from the city to go that route. Some of the proposals put forward so far, it says, would simply force it to shut down its facilities. KCBX also acknowledges it's unacceptable for petcoke dust to leave the company's sites, but points out it isn't more of a health risk than dust from any other type of bulk material.

If this issue winds up as a legal battle, it could drag on for years in the courts with an uncertain outcome. A better option would be to thoroughly air the various proposed regulations and come up with measures that both satisfy the industry while protecting the health of Southeast Side residents.

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TODAY'S DEALS: Greystone Grabs North Carolina Apartments

<Best Offerp>Cary, N.C.-Real estate investment and development firm Greystone has picked up a 360-unit apartment community in Cary, N.C., for $24.3 million. The property, Cary Brook Apartments, fits in with the company's strategy of buying 1980s or newer vintage assets with a light value add component.

Built in 1984, Cary Brook features 23 garden-style buildings with an accompanying clubhouse and leasing center. The property was sold by RFI Cary Brook LLC. Greystone Property Management will run daily operations.

"The Cary Brook multifamily property represents the ideal target for our owner / operator strategy, where we can add immediate value to an asset and leverage the upside of growing markets," says Bill Guessford, managing director of Greystone acquisitions, and vice president of Greystone Property Management. "After analyzing the property's offerings and the solid market drivers for the greater Raleigh area, we feel confident that this acquisition will serve as a strong performer in our growing portfolio,"

Transwestern sells 1,652 units in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.-Transwestern's Bethesda office has recently arranged the sale of seven multifamily properties valued at more than $128 million. All transactions closed in the month of February.

The deals involved three sales for three sellers with a total of 1,652 units in Washington, D.C., and the city's Maryland suburbs. The transactions consisted of five assets in the DC/MD Beltway Portfolio, the Legation House and one off-market property, each offering value-add and positioning potential. Transwestern's Mid-Atlantic Multifamily Group, led by co-directors Dean Sigmon and Robin Williams, exclusively represented the sellers of all seven assets.

"The Washington, D.C., multifamily marketplace continues to see significant and growing investor interest in value-add investment opportunities in both single assets and portfolios," Sigmon says.

Largo sets $7.7M, 12-month interest-only loan

Buffalo, N.Y.-Perry Miceli, principal for the Largo Group of Cos., arranged $7.7 million in financing for the acquisition of a 160-unit apartment complex located in Deland, Fla.

Developed in 1991, Country Club Park Apartments features a clubhouse with a pool and sundeck, 24-hour fitness center, private entries and ample parking. The complex is situated within 10 minutes of the area's three primary demand generators, Stetson University, Florida Hospital DeLand, and Florida Hospital Fish Memorial. It is in close proximity to I-4 providing quick access to Orlando and Daytona Beach. Perry arranged a 10 year fixed rate term with a 12-month interest-only period; the loan is structured with a 30 year amortization schedule.

Largo has relationships with 17 correspondent lenders and offers additional lending sources to the marketplace, which will benefit owners and developers of commercial properties providing alternative finance options. Largo offers long-term, non-recourse financing at a competitive fixed rate for its borrowers through its strong network of correspondent lenders.

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Nexus 7 vs Sony Xperia Z1 Compact - Price and Specs Comparison

Google entered the tablet market by introducing Nexus series of tablets.

Nexus 7 is a 7-inch tablet manufactured by Asus. It is considered to be one of the best 7 inch tablets in the market. Sony, a leading manufacturer of consumer electronics has also introduced Xperia range of tablets. The Xperia series have always been compared with Nexus lineup of tablets. By launching Xperia Z1 Compact, Sony has tried to explore a different path. The Xperia Z1 Compact has all characteristics of an Xperia tablet but the compact form makes it's a smartphone. Let's compare Nexus 7 with Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and know the technology and features each device has.

Nexus 7

This 7-inch tablet is powered by a Snapdragon S4 processor from Qualcomm having clock speed of 1.5 GHz. The processing power of the device is greatly enhanced by the addition of an Adreno 320 GPU running at a clock speed of 300 MHz. Asus has tried to take performance of Nexus 7 to next level by providing ample RAM (2GB) and internal storage of 16GB/32GB.

The tablet has an array of connectivity features such as dual band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. If that is not enough, you can also use the device on GSM, HSPA+ and LTE networks by inserting a SIM provided by telecom service provider. The 7.2 inch HD Display in Nexus is packed with 323 pixels per inch allowing you to watch HD content at resolution of 1920 X 1200.

Nexus 7 has two in-built cameras, one 5 MP Rear camera and 1.2 MP camera at front of the device. The 3950 mAh battery can be charged wirelessly and a single recharge gives you talk time of 9 hours. Asus has also provided speakers with surround sound feature in Nexus 7. The Discount of Nexus mainly depends on the storage capacity of the device. The 16GB model is priced at $199 while you can purchase 32 GB model for $249.

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact

Xperia Z1 Compact is considered to a new breed of device that brings features of tablet, camera in form of compact Smartphone. The 20.7 MP camera is the most talked about feature of Xperia Z1 Compact. The camera's photo clicking capabilities are further enhanced by G-Lens and BIONZ image processing engine. You can click stunning photos even in low light conditions using Xperia Z1.

The Xperia Z1 Compact 4.3 inch screen is protected from scratches and it has a shatter proof resistant glass. The 4.3 inch display packs 342 pixels per inch. Sony has powered this device with quad core processor from Qualcomm. The performance of the device is greatly improved by a discrete Adreno GPU and 2GB RAM. Sony has tried to improve the device location capability by providing GLONASS and A-GPS support. Despite the small factor, the Xperia Z1 Compact weighs around 137g.

The Smartphone works on wide range of networks such as 2G, 3G and 4G. The phone is loaded with Jelly Bean OS and the company plans to upgrade it to latest KitKat OS. Sony has loaded Xperia Z1 with all latest connectivity technologies such as Wi-Fi, Wi-Direct, Bluetooth, and NFC. The Xperia Z1 Compact retails at approximately $822.

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Deal: Get 50% Off TYLT Accessories With This Coupon Code (Updated)

: TYLT reached out to us to say that they are NOT currently running a 50% off Coupon Code. In other words, the code we originally posted shouldn't be working. And don't bug their customer service trying to get it to.

On Cyber Monday, we tipped you to a deal through accessory manufacturer TYLT that would save you 50% off of purchases of their high-end accessories. We basically crashed their site, which caused some of you to not be able to take advantage of the deal. Thankfully today, TYLT is running another 50% off promo by using coupon code "50TYLT-T4102711″ during checkout. It appears to be 50% off of your entire order as well, so feel free to gobble up brightly colored accessories.

Not familiar with TYLT? They are mostly known for the TYLT VU wireless charger, but I've also used their portable battery packs and USB cables. All of it comes off very well-made, in a variety of bright colors, and is a solution for anything from car charging to audio splitting to case protection.

Cheers Scott!

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Fender bender in Las Vegas? Forget calling police. They won't come. - CNN.com

(cnn news las vegas) -- If you get into a fender bender in Las Vegas, don't bother calling 911. A car dings yours in traffic, same deal. In fact, unless the car crash resulted in an injury don't expect police to show up.

That's because Las Vegas Police just don't have the time anymore. Every week police in Sin City estimate they spend 250 hours on this kind of work. Time they'd rather spend it tackling bigger cases.

So come March 3, police will leave it up to drivers in these minor accidents to do the right thing. That means exchanging insurance data and filing a report themselves.

Not everyone thinks the new move makes sense.

"People are going to be over exaggerating, understating the accident, and the procedure of the accident isn't going to be reported correctly because of a lack of police involvement," Dena Gaskin told CNN affiliate KLAS.

And while drivers in many cities gripe about traffic hazards, Vegas motorists face certifiably mean streets.

All State Insurance Company every year ranks 200 cities based on their claims data. In 2013, Las Vegas ranked 130th. Meaning that on average, drivers there get into an accident once every 8.7 years.

If you don't like those odds, keep in mind, the city has improved on its 2012 performance. It has moved up six whole spots in the rankings.

Police aren't sugar coating their new policy. They acknowledge in a press release that the move "may be an inconvenience to our citizens." But they also say motorists won't be totally on their own. Police will respond to minor accidents if one driver refuses to turn over his or her info.

Also, officials were quick to point out: Las Vegas isn't the first.

San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities have similar policies, traffic chief Mark Tavarez told KLAS.

Los Angelinos in particular will likely have some sympathy for Las Vegas's decision.

Their city weighs in at 181 on Allstate's list.

Las Vegas police seek driver who ran over man at gas station

CNN's Tina Burnside contributed to this report

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Final phase of upgrades finished at Overtown's historic Lyric Theater

At the beginning of the 20th century, before the United States entered World War I, Overtown's original Lyric Theater building was described in a 1915 advertisement as," possibly the most beautiful and costly playhouse owned by colored people in all the Southland." The theater was built for silent movies - cowboy flicks were especially popular -traveling troupes and vaudeville shows. It served as a symbol of black economic influence, culture, entertainment and job opportunities.

One hundred years later, at the beginning of the 21st century, the historic Lyric Theater has evolved into the premiere venue for black culture in South Florida. Now adjacent to the theater is the Black Archives headquarters, offices and Welcome Center, creating an arts and humanities complex for tourists, visitors and residents. The theater is open to the public and provides opportunities for film-makers, dancers, rappers, musicians, and spoken-word artists. Parties, family and class reunions, plays, receptions, weddings, other social and civic events can be hosted there at 819 NW Second Ave.

Timothy Barber, a graduate of Miami Central Senior High School and Florida A&M University, is the Executive Director of the historic Lyric Theater, Black Archives and Welcome Center complex. The historic Lyric Theater is an Outreach Program of The Black Archives. Tickets for upcoming events may be purchased online at www.theblackarchives.org. For more information, email lyriclive@theblackarchives.org or call 305-636-2390.

My research shows that Overtown's pioneer businessmen would be proud of the ambitious programs planned by Barber and his staff. When the Colored Board of Trade organized in Miami's Colored Town, now known as Overtown, entrepreneurs including D. A. Dorsey and Dr. William B. Sawyer also had a strong desire to succeed. They owned numerous parcels of land and several hotels. Other members owned businesses and real estate in Coconut Grove, Lemon City, Liberty City, Perrine and throughout Dade County, in areas with without restrictive clauses in deeds.

The 1915 ad's banner headline read, "Colored Town Section of the City of Miami is a Thriving Community." Each column was filled with pride, describing numerous successful businesses located then in Colored Town. They existed in spite of the humiliation of legal segregation under Jim Crow. The black community developed in spite of limitations. The ad and other documents reflect strong civic satisfaction and value in various activities in business, school, church, fraternities and other societies. Overtown evolved a distinct "sense of place." The atmosphere encouraged tourists to relocate to Miami.

The ad gives special praise to Geder Walker, the businessman who built the Lyric Theater "for providing the community with such a beautiful building for pleasure." Walker, a man of little or no education, owned considerable real estate and several businesses. His wife, Henrietta, was known as being fashionable, wearing long fancy dresses and bouffant wigs. Walker and his wife lived on Northwest Eighth Street, southeast of Avenue G (now Northwest Second Avenue). Before World War I, they traveled to France.

When the Walkers returned to Miami they bragged about the European sites visited, especially the Opera House of Paris. Intrigued by its architecture and grandeur Walker created in Overtown his version of the opera house in Miami's Overtown. Built in 1913, the Lyric Theater opened in 1914. The ad boasted that the theater was equipped with everything needed for modern theatrical performances of that day and it was managed and operated by residents. Walker added an ice cream parlor and café next door in 1919. The exterior of the original theater, made of brown stone and reinforced concrete, and the interior compared favorably with the big theaters in other metropolitan cities.

The historic Lyric Theater is Miami-Dade County's oldest movie and performing-arts theater, followed by the downtown Olympia at the Gusman Performing Arts Center built in 1925.

After Geder Walker's death, his widow, Henrietta, inherited the theater and continued to hire residents for management and operations. She added talent shows, the Mickey Mouse Club and other programs for children. During the 1930s, the Great Depression affected all segments of life. Movies and programs at the Lyric Theater nearly came to a halt. At the end of World War II business picked up when groups of actors, singers and dancers booked performances.

Upon the death of Henrietta Walker, Wometco Enterprises purchased the Lyric for its chain of movie theaters. In the 1960s, a church, the House of Prayer for All People, bought the theater and held services there for nearly a decade. The church congregation founded by Bishop C. M. Grace, also known as"Daddy Grace," developed a religious empire that was known for feeding, clothing and elevating the poor.

When a new church was built in another part of Miami, the Lyric Theater site stood vacant for many years. In the 1970s, the doors hung open and the inside was used as a dump for discarded furniture, garbage and mattresses piled high. Even with half a roof, some people used it as shelter.

In 1974 I was a Dade County school librarian and reading teacher preparing for America's Bicentennial. Looking for book jackets from biographies and autobiographies written by local blacks, I was told that the downtown library only had a folder with obituaries about black people. The answer given: "I guess those people have not thought enough of themselves to write their history." Shocked and in disbelief that anyone would think this, I made the answer a personal challenge.

Looking for evidence on how to document generations of pride, I returned to graduate school earning certification in archives administration, training in historic preservation and a degree in public history. I established the Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida in 1977, saved the Lyric Theater from the wrecking ball, led the Black Archives Board to purchase the Lyric in 1988 and began Phase I restoration. The theater reopened in March 2000. Once a drummer at the Lyric, Clyne Killens, Overtown's entertainment entrepreneur made program suggestions.

The need for dressing rooms and expanded lobby led to the construction of a Welcome Center in 2005, completing phase II. As the potential for programming continued to develop, we added rigging and an expanded stage, more dressing rooms, a loading dock and banquet rooms, and we moved the Black Archives collection and offices, all as part of the final Phase III.

During a recent visit, I saw many young people from the neighborhood stop by to inquire about jobs. Some are already working at the theater with "Expressions" and "Lyric Live," two signature programs. The multifaceted cultural complex can provide job opportunities and nurture careers for diverse current and future generations. Sponsors include the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency, Miami-Dade County, The Knight Foundation, Coca-Cola, macy's furniture, The Design Group, and Miami & Drummer Boy Sound. Pride will only carry the program so far, increased community and corporate support is needed to continue this important work. For more information on The Black Archives of South Florida visit www.theblackarchives.org.

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US in 'preliminary' talks with EU for Ukraine aid deal

"Let me be clear, this is at a very preliminary stage. We are consulting with the EU and other partners about the support Ukraine may need after a new technical government is formed," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. "Any decisions we make will be guided by events in Ukraine and our consultations with the new government after it is formed."

But Psaki said no further details were available yet as Washington was so far only in discussions.

The confirmation came after EU foreign policy Cathy Ashton told the Wall Street Journal that the EU and US were working together on a financial aid package.

Ashton is due to return to Ukraine on Tuesday in a fresh bid to end the crisis triggered after President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned a plan to sign an association Deal Now with the EU.

US Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland is also returning to Kiev this week, in a new sign of US support for the pro-democracy demonstrators.

Voice of Russia, AFP

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