Campaign for Police Commission - Endorsement from Connecticut State Representative Chris Lyddy

From Representative Chris Lyddy:

I am thrilled that Andy Sachs has decided to run for Police Commission in Newtown. Andy Sachs has the necessary intellect, thoughtfulness, and understanding of our community to be an effective member of this elected body.

As a local businessman in Newtown, Andy Sachs has proven that he truly understands the unique landscape, needs, and desires of our community. His passion for Newtown and his eagerness to serve in a capacity that will make Newtown a safe place to learn, live, and work is what we need at this time.

As a young father to Emily and husband of long-time Newtown resident Jessica Tendler, Andy Sachs knows firsthand how important it is to create and maintain a community that is both safe and family friendly. Andy wants nothing more than to provide his young daughter, and all children of Newtown, with a safe environment to grow up in. When Andy Sachs takes office, parents will be able to breathe a little easier knowing that our Department of Police Services has the critical oversight that it absolutely needs and that taxpayers absolutely deserve.

I whole heartedly endorse Andy Sachs’ candidacy for the Police Commission and ask that you join me in voting for him this November.

All my best,

Christopher Lyddy

Preparing For Halloween

5 sure-fire ways to zombie-proof your home

It turns out that protecting your home from and preparing your family for a zombie attack can be quite useful. As the Director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) puts it,  “If you are generally well equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack.”

Here are some tips from This Old House and the CDC on the best zombie defense.

1. Prepare for a siege —create a Zombie All-Hazards Emergency Kit that includes water, non-perishable food, wooden stakes, a flashlight, basic tools, a battery or hand-crankable radio and a gun loaded with silver bullets if you can get your hands on some.

2. Dismantle your staircase — retreat to your upper floors and eliminate all access from downstairs. In the panic of attack, you might be reduced to smashing your stairs to bits, but a little advanced planning will enable you to take it apart for re-assembly post apocalypse.

3. Power tools are not your friend —there is plenty of precedent for zombies finding nearby power tools and wielding them with deadly effect. Drain the power, bury the tools or break them, but do what you can so they can’t be used against you.

4. Strengthen your siding — fiber-cement siding is the most likely to withstand zombies scratching and kicking the outside of your home to get to you. Not to mention, replacing your current exteriors with fiber-cement siding ranks number one in Hanley Wood’s Cost vs. Value report for projects costing more than $1,200, returning an average of 83% of your investment when you sell your home.

5. Don’t let them know you’re home —keep your curtains closed and your shades down. Cellular shades and wood blinds both offer adjustable light as well as helping to control the temperature of your home, keeping the heat out in warm months and keeping it in during cooler times, which might come in handy if your fuel supply is threatened during a zombie invasion.

For more tips on defending your home, see this step-by-step guide from This Old House.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

5 home maintenance tips that will save you headaches in the future

 

Prevention, not procrastination, is a homeowner’s best friend. Luckily, there are websites, magazines, tv shows and news items aplenty to help homeowners recognize, prioritize and address common home maintenance issues.

 “Mr. Fix-It” himself, Lou Manfredini, who hosts House Smarts TV and is the home improvement contributor for NBC's Today Show, recently released his list of common mistakes and solutions. “Very often, homeowners miss the warning signs that there is a problem or look for short-cuts to save money around the home. However, emergency repairs can end up costing more in the long run, so it's important to be aware of common home maintenance mistakes."

1. Change is a good thing — change heating and cooling system filters regularly

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that homeowners change the filters in their heating and cooling systems at least every three months. Clogged, older and over-used filters may cause the system to work harder and run longer, costing more in energy costs and repairs over time. 

2. Mind the gap — keep an eye out for loose tiles and gaps in the grout

Check the grout in between bathroom tiles annually, especially around wet areas. Gaps in grout can result in water seeping behind the tiles, causing damp patches, risk of water leaking into other rooms and loose tiles.

3. Water can do more than make your hair curl — check your roof regularly

Once or twice a year, take a good step back (about 50 feet) and check your roof for curled shingles, which generally mean there’s a leak in your roof. If you think some shingles look suspect, call a licensed roofing contractor for a more thorough inspection and assessment.

(for more tips from Mr. Fix-It, see his “Home Maintenance Mistakes Will Cost You”)

HouseLogic, an online homeownership resource from the National Association of Realtors®, also offers a wealth of information on keeping your home in tip-top shape, including Home Maintenance 101.

 

4. Less water, less noise, less money — fix running toilets to save water and money

Running toilets can not only be annoying with their constant noise, they waste water and cost money. The EPA estimates that constantly running toilet can waste 200 gallons of water or more a day.

5. Preparation prevents panic — become familiar with controlling your utilities

If water starts rushing into your home, do you know how to shut off the main water line?  What about the gas and electricity? The best time to find out how to shut off your utilities is when there is no urgent reason to. Everyone in your household should feel comfortable turning off the water or electricity if needed.

 

For home maintenance videos, tips, instructions and more, visit these sites:

Home Inspector Locator’s Home Maintenance Guide

House Logic’s Maintenance & Repair

The EPA’s Fix a Leak reviews finding a fixing a multitude of common household leaks

FEMA’s Utility Shut-off and Safety

 

No rush to lock in record-low mortgage rates

No rush to lock in record-low mortgage rates

Decade’s Housing Growth Near Historic U.S. Low - BLOOMBERG

The biggest housing boom in the last 30 years was offset by the sharpest slump in a generation,
ensuring that the growth in housing units over the last decade remained at lows not seen since the
Great Depression, the U.S. Census Bureau said today.

The number of homes, apartments and condominiums added over the decade grew 15.9 million to
131.7 million, a 13.6 percent growth rate. Almost 90 percent of the growth occurred between 2000
and 2007. There were 2.1 million housing starts in 2005. Last year, there were 587,000, Census
figures show.

“This is unprecedented,” said Patrick Newport, an IHS Global Insight economist in Boston. “We
just overbuilt by far. We’ve never seen anything like this.”

The overall growth rate was slightly higher than the 13.3 percent registered between 1990 and
2000. It was less than half the 28.7 percent recorded during the 1980s, when the maturing baby
boom generation added 19.7 million homes, and barely half the 23.2 percent growth registered
during the 1940s.

The nation’s rate of homeownership dropped to 65.1 million, down 1.7 percent from 66.2 million in
2000. The Census Bureau said it was the sharpest drop since the 1930s. Even with the drop, the
percentage of homeowners was the second-highest since the 1890s, the government said.

Seven-County Cluster

Seven of the nation’s 3,142 counties accounted for 10 percent of the new housing units. Maricopa
County, Arizona, added 389,000 homes during the decade, followed by Harris County, Texas, which
 added 301,000, and Clark County, Nevada, which increased its count by 281,000. Some of those
counties are now mired in the housing crisis, with empty blocks of overbuilt homes and no buyers.

Three U.S. counties doubled their housing stock. The number of Sumter County homes in central
Florida grew 110 percent. Teton County, Idaho, boosted its number of homes by 108 percent, and
Kendall County, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, grew by 107 percent.

The number of vacant homes grew almost one-third to 15 million, or 11.4 percent of all housing
units, up from 10.4 million in 2000.

Hardest Hit

Some of the areas that were hardest hit by the nation’s foreclosure crisis registered only small
changes in the percentage of homeowners and renters. The number of renters grew in San
Bernadino County, California, to 37.4 percent from 35.5 percent. Maricopa, also hit hard, had its
renter percentage climb to 35.5 percent from 32.5 percent.

Almost 500 counties lost housing units. St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, lost 37 percent, or 9,996
homes, after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. Neighboring Orleans County lost
25,195 homes, or 11.7 percent of its housing units. McDowell County, West Virginia, formerly home
to an integrated mining operation for U.S. Steel, lost 2,260 homes, or 16.7 percent of its housing
stock.

Save on Your Heating Bill Without Turning Down The Thermostat

Tips from the pros on insulating for the winter

Summer is officially over and winter is not that far away — which means it’s the perfect time to prepare for chilly temperatures and blustery weather. Insulating your home properly to keep cold air out and warm air in is the number one way to help control your heating bills.

If you don’t want to replace your windows, but you think they could use a little beefing up in draft and heat loss prevention, here are some tips:

1. CAULK— for obviously leaky and breezy window frames, use an acrylic caulk to create a tight seal around the window.
2. DRAPE— cellular shades or heavy curtains drawn when the sun is down (or hidden behind stormy weather) provide another layer to keep warm air in and cold air out. Tip: keep curtains open during the day to take advantage of the sun’s heat, and drawn at night.
3. CLOSE— make sure vents and flues to the outside are closed whenever possible and keep the doors to closets and unused rooms closed to keep warm air in the areas where you spend time.
4. PROGRAM— if you don’t already have one, consider installing a programmable thermostat that will automatically reduce the temperature at night and other times lower temperatures are acceptable.

For more ideas on how to save while staying warm, visit these resources:

Bill and Kevin Burnett at Inman News: Best way to insulate windows

Las VegasReview-Journal: Fight the battle of rising heating costs

Apartment Therapy: 5 Ways to Insulate Your Windows For Winter

HeatingOil.com: Tips to Reduce Your Winter Heating Oil Bill