| Attic mold removal a high headache
Q: I am getting a lot of mold in my attic, which contains an air conditioning unit and hydro air that provides heat and air conditioning to the house. The mold is extensive, mainly on the roof sheathing. Two companies have offered to get rid of the mold, one for $2,000, another for $12,000. One man suggested taking up the insulation on the floor, which is not moldy. Why would that be needed, and how in the world could mold removal cost so much and with such a huge difference? What should I do?
TERRIFIED A: The $12,000 cost is due to the need to use protective clothing and taking many precautions while working, plus the removal of the mold itself, which may be a toxic mold. See if the $2,000 job will remove the mold, and if so, then you can do other things.
Outlook roundup: NeuStar, Diebold
STERLING, Va. (AP) -- NeuStar Inc., a provider of clearinghouse services for communications companies, said Wednesday it expects to earn at least $1.29 per share during 2008, short of analyst expectations. NORTH CANTON, Ohio (AP) -- Diebold Inc. will cut 5 percent of its work force as part of a plan to save $100 million, the maker of ATMs and voting machines said Wednesday. NEW YORK (AP) -- Apparel maker Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. on Wednesday raised fiscal 2008 earnings predictions due to a lower tax rate. DALLAS (AP) -- Lennox International Inc., a supplier of heating, ventilation and air conditioning products, maintained its 2008 adjusted earnings outlook Wednesday. HARTSVILLE, S.C. (AP) -- packaging products maker Sonoco Products Co. on Wednesday forecast first-quarter earnings below Wall Street expectations.
Mountaineer offense is on the hot seat
GLENDALE, Ariz. - As West Virginia's football season comes to a close, the immediate intrigue is in the unknown. That has nothing to do with who the next Mountaineer head coach will be. That's for another day, a later one. It has everything to do with how 11th-ranked WVU will try to offensively get to 11 wins for a third straight season against Oklahoma (11-2) here on Wednesday night in the Fiesta Bowl. There is some inkling that the Mountaineers (10-2) might try to go to the air more often than they have, although there's no strong evidence to support that. First off, WVU hasn't shown any vertical passing game since Patrick White has been the starting quarterback. Former Coach Rich Rodriguez, time and again, labeled most of his wideouts as unreliable.
Los Angeles Angels
He wants to go from a closer who recorded 85 saves in 99 chances over the last three seasons into the Cubs rotation as a starter. Dempster's goal will be to pitch 200 innings, a plateau he reached three times while a starter with the Marlins and Reds from 1998-2003. "Dempster wants to start. We're going to let him compete. If he shows us midway through spring training that he can do it, then we'll figure out the back end of it [the rotation]," Piniella said.
-- The Associated Press ROLEN A DISTANT MEMORY (4:12 p.m. ET)
The Cardinals wasted no time handing out Scott Rolen's old number. Newly signed reliever Ron Villone arrived at spring training camp Wednesday and was given jersey No. 27, previously worn by the third baseman dealt to Toronto in the offseason.
Ameren customers angered with rate increase proposal
Ameren officials are asking for $247 million more annually to help cover rising replacement costs for items such as utility grade wire, poles and plastic pipe. They claim the added revenue would not go toward offsetting the costs of rebates and refunds tied to this year's rate relief settlement.The Illinois Commerce Commission, which ultimately will decide to accept or reject Ameren's proposal, hosted the public hearing - the first of six statewide and the only hearing in the region.State Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, who asked the ICC to make Marion one of its stops, was not impressed with Nelson's presentation. He said another rate increase for the utility is unconscionable given that Ameren only had to pay back $150 million in rebates to its customers as part of the $1 billion agreement forged with the legislature last year."They say they're suffering, but they ought to see the suffering put on the people of Southern Illinois," Bradley said.
Firefighters Gain Ground As Santa Ana Winds Decrease
Helicopters and air tankers dropped 30 to 35 loads of water on two fires that have burned hundreds of homes in the San Bernardino Mountains, near Lake Arrowhead. "They're taking it down considerably," said Dennis Bouslaugh of the U.S. Forest Service. Authorities said they had largely contained many of the fires north of San Diego, and all five fires in Los Angeles County were about 50 percent contained or more. Despite the progress, none of the six major blazes in San Diego County was more than 15 percent contained, and those fires threatened more than 8,500 houses. The top priority was a fire in San Bernardino County that threatened 6,000 homes and continued to rage out of control. So far, this week's fires have destroyed about 1,500 homes and burned 674 square miles across five counties, from Ventura in the north all the way into Mexico.
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