Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Α 3-year-old boy was fatally struck by a car on Tuesday in Spata under circumstances that have not yet been clarified a 58-year-old man hit the child with his vehicle He immediately stopped and rushed the boy to the local health center The driver has been arrested as authorities continue to investigate the exact circumstances of the incident Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox Support responsible news and fact-based information today People are generally decent in this airline’s “Hunger Games”-style boarding process but there’s always one couple sitting in the window and the aisle seats trying super hard to keep the middle seat open that couple sat in the aisle in front of me A man trudged up from the back of the plane and tried to claim the seat The window-seat woman patted the middle seat in the next aisle This couple ended up with the one open seat on the plane as I always am by the window-and-aisle-seat couple Here in Tampa Bay, we celebrate Festivus thanks to Tampa Bay Times reporter Christopher Spata (Also people who don’t return grocery carts to the corrals are generally monsters Spata first discovered the holiday in a 1997 episode of “Seinfeld.” He and his roommates had a Festivus pole and texted each other their grievances on the eve of Christmas Eve. (As a reminder, according to CNN the episode-inspired holiday also includes feats of strength and a feast.) “What cemented my love for Festivus was when I worked at the Tampa Tribune,” Spata told me in an email “We had a holiday lunch in the office one year Someone set up a box to submit grievances anonymously beforehand and one of my coworkers read them out loud as we ate Those grievances from a bunch of salty veteran reporters were Although the one that I can never forget simply said ‘We’re all going to die,’  which made everyone laugh really hard Spata was working for the Tampa Bay Times (which Poynter owns) and asked readers for their Festivus grievances in an audience call-out “and I was asked to make it an annual tradition.” He starts collecting grievances in December but last year after CNN wrote about the Times’ tradition “Every year there are new trends and old standbys,” Spata said “This year there was a lot of general displeasure with Elon Musk and a lot of people who wanted to complain about Tesla’s Cybertrucks though they weren’t very specific about why.” When my 12-year-old son calls me “bro.” Last I checked this kid calling his mom ‘bro,’ and for some reason that never ceases to be funny to me,” Spata said “I also love when they’re super specific and petty such as this one from the very first year.” My cousin’s husband ate my Christmas cookies six years ago and still hasn’t apologized This story first appeared in Local Edition our newsletter about and for local journalists With the exception of the Houston Chronicle this year’s Pulitzers largely left legacy metro papers behind the Pulitzers recognize outstanding journalism The Pulitzer board honored ProPublica for a second year running this time for exposing the fatal consequences of vague abortion exceptions The winning series — produced as part of a New York Times local investigations fellowship — explores Baltimore’s fentanyl crisis university professor and co-founder of NABJ Get the Poynter newsletter that's right for you Microsoft may have a large footprint in the two business parks at Spata where the technology giant is implementing the largest data center complex The region combines proximity to the Athens Airport with easy access via the Attica ringroad and even the nearby port of Rafina Such is the demand for the two parks (at Gialou and at Voulia) that only last summer did the streets around them acquire names and numbering Kathimerini understands that among the new arrivals at the Gialou business park is a company owned by a well-known TV chef and entrepreneur: Akis Petretzikis Hub has secured pre-approval for the construction of a two-story office building and TV production studio with a total maximum construction area of 6,100 square meters Its main purpose is TV productions and services related to food and leisure in general an investment project of around 1 million euros The implementation of another production studio is under way in the area an ecclesiastical goods industry is launching the implementation of a new two-story building pharmaceutical company Elpen has developed Athens LifeTech Park which represents an investment of €51 million the new investment consortium of Dromeus Capital and Apto is launching its first investment in data centers This is an investment that is expected to reach €1 billion when fully developed Amazon Web Services and even Microsoft itself expected to be among the potential users of the complex The construction of Microsoft’s first data center which represents an investment of €100 million and when completed will have an installed capacity of 19.2 MW Spata has also been chosen by the joint venture of PPC and EDGNEX Data Centers to develop the first phase of its data center The first stage of construction of the €150 million project is expected in the first quarter of 2025 22We were still mucking the floors and ripping out drywall when we saw the first forecast The National Hurricane Center released the graphic an ugly white blob over the Gulf of Mexico It reached us via texts from our cousins and alerts from the local news or guys showing us their phone screen in line at Publix There went its track, straight into Tampa Bay. We scoffed. We joked in group texts, laughing to keep from crying. Where are we moving to? Michigan maybe? What disasters do they have there? Someone shared a Zillow listing for a big house near Cincinnati, cheaper than anything you’d find here. Were we still joking? Hurricanes are part of the price we pay to live on a “peninsula in the tropics,” as Florida’s emergency management director described the state this week. We get 200-plus days of annual sunshine, cotton-candy sunsets and sweet tropical fruit in our backyards. We also face the occasional threat of annihilation. Long-time residents know the routine when it comes to hurricanes and, after the past two weeks, so do the many transplants who have moved to a part of the state that was affected, which is pretty much all of it. Hurricanes get measured with precision: maximum winds and pressures; the historic, life-taking surge of Helene; the once-in-1,000-year deluge of Milton. While we can’t measure Floridians’ collective stress and exhaustion like rainfall, we sense that these last two storms set a record for that, too. We traveled in cars packed with unhappy pets and photo albums and favorite pillows. Friends sent pictures of bare store shelves. Our out-of-state family who knew nothing about hurricanes texted well-meaning and useless pieces of information. We tried not to hold it against them. We fanned out across Florida wondering, as the track wobbled, whether we’d picked a safe spot. With around half a million people under mandatory evacuation orders, our cars clogged Interstate 4 and Interstate 75, and our bodies filled up all the Airbnbs, VRBOs, motels and hotels. In lobbies, we traded stories — our origins, our zones, our fears. Good luck to you. Those who weren’t evacuating went to Home Depot for plywood, where forward-thinking handymen passed out their business cards. Round-the-clock storm coverage held us in its hypnotic glow. The public officials on TV had traded their suits for windbreakers and ball caps. The linemen were staging, they said. The forecasts were dire. We typed out comments beneath forecasts, enshrining our anxiety. This is the first time in a long time that I am very, very worried and scared. I truly feel like life is going to change. The fear ran deeper this time, nipping at the heels of Tampa Bay’s worst storm in a century. Our chests ached as dark daydreams crept into those long, long hours. Where would it go? And how could we possibly take any more? Milton made landfall just after 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday near Siesta Key under cover of darkness — just 13 days after Helene. The worst always seems to come when we should be asleep. We opened our front doors and stepped out to feel the rain. After days of watching a red and purple radar mass haunt our screens, we had to see Milton in person. But as Wednesday night became Thursday morning, it was the sound — wind like thunder shaking our walls — that terrified us. We prayed that our roofs didn’t fly off. That storm was the most scared I’ve been since I was a kid. Police and firefighters had already stopped responding to calls, for their own safety. As the sun rose, it shone down onto the diamond of an exposed Tropicana Field. It wasn’t long before people were selling pieces of its shredded fabric roof on eBay. Blocks away, with terrifying weight, an immense crane constructing a gleaming new skyscraper had smashed through several floors of a downtown office building, one of the city’s oldest. Three million households found themselves without electricity. We who had stayed stepped outside to walk our sorry blocks, finding live oaks crushing roofs, telephone lines like torn streamers. We saw apartment buildings missing entire outer walls, houses in ashes. We who had fled begged neighbors to drop by our homes. On Reddit and Facebook and Nextdoor, we commented in the hundreds: Could you check out 4137, the house with the blue door? Slowly reports trickled in about the catastrophic flooding in neighborhoods no one had expected, and the residents ferried to safety on inflatable boats, including what the Pinellas County Sheriff called “the most significant water rescue” ever in the county — hundreds of people pulled from an apartment complex. We are still learning the extent of the flooding and damage across the region. A pedestrian checks out the conditions on Dr. Martin Luther King Street at 26th Avenue S on Friday with flooding from Lake Maggiore after Hurricane Milton. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]We mourned our little neighborhood spots, like the flooded obscure Tampa mini-mart with the great boiled peanuts, just as much as the regional icons like the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, where a section of roof flew away. Milton, like all hurricanes, doled out suffering on an unfair spectrum. We all agonized. But some of us were merely left sweating through a long power outage with spotty phone service, while others, in floods and fires, lost everything they hadn’t taken along. Across the state, at least 23 lost their lives in over a dozen counties, at least six from tornadoes. Others were killed by falling trees or electricity. A woman died in a crash at a Tampa intersection with dead stoplights. An evacuee suffered a stress-related heart attack in an Orange County hotel room. We emptied our accounts and racked up credit card debt on supplies and hotels, but other bills remained due. We still had weddings to pay for, funerals to plan, dogs bound for the vet, demanding bosses, cranky kids, papers to write. We spent the money we had been saving to move out of our in-laws’ place. People wait at the Speedway gas station on 66th Street and 30th Avenue N, hoping for for a truck to deliver gas, in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton on Friday in St. Petersburg. [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]Life went on. Two women gave birth in hurricane shelters. After the storms, we were merely human. We argued in grocery stores over the last rotisserie chicken and over cutting the line for the pump at the one Wawa with gas, which we needed to un-evacuate, but also to fuel our generators if we were lucky enough to have them. We gave up on finding ice but idled in lines literally a mile long at filling stations we’d found on the GasBuddy app, with plenty of time to ponder how quickly things can look apocalyptic despite all our modern comforts. We helped our neighbors move trees, gave them cases of water and handheld fans and searched for their missing cats. I have a propane mini grill. I have a battery-powered chainsaw. Anyone need three bags of ice? We commiserated. In some cases, we caught up after years, or met for the first time. The weather was beautiful. Some of us swore we’d leave the state, but others resolved to stay. Some felt like coming so close to losing our piece of this place crystallized our hopeless love for it. We pondered how these storms felt somehow unprecedented, even in this storm-battered state. In such a short time, in vastly different ways, Helene and Milton flooded unexpected places once thought safe. Some of us remembered, exactly 20 years ago, the season of Charley, Ivan, Frances and Jeanne — six weeks, four hurricanes. And yet these latest storms were different. What has changed, meteorologists say, is the speed and intensity with which hurricanes can strengthen due to climate change. A car is submerged in water on a flooded street Thursday in the Hillsborough County community of Progress Village. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]We weighed this feeling of unpredictability alongside the most accurate forecasts in history, grappling with the fact that there is “no guaranteed 100% safe place in or around a hurricane,” as retired forecaster Dennis Feltgen put it. We hid from the wind, ran from the water, but it found us anyway. Feltgen grew up here, spent 50 years as a meteorologist, 15 years as a spokesperson for the National Hurricane Center in Miami, then retired to Minnesota — no more hurricanes. He remembers doing stories every year in the 1980s and 1990s when he was on local TV in Tampa, about the catastrophe it seemed the city was overdue for. Tampa still has not suffered a direct hit in 100 years. It will happen, Feltgen said. Debris piles still line the streets of Shore Acres, a low-lying St. Petersburg neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Helene two weeks before Hurricane Milton's arrival. [ Colleen Wright ]Storms have shaped Florida’s coast for eons. The weather happens on a timeline greater than human memory. But in our lifetimes, the one-two punch of 2024 will be hard to forget. On the Saturday two days after Milton, sawdust flew under a gentle sky as we cut through fallen palms and stowed the plywood shutters. We stared at the estimates the power company sent, promises that the lights would come back on. We left our key cards at the front desk, prayed for open roads and began the drive home. Brooke and Frank Spata at the home they purchased in Ridge after years of renting on the Island Brooke Spata works as a purchasing technician for the Town of Brookhaven and bartends twice a week she picked up what felt like a third job: Looking for a house Spata kept a close eye on Zillow and Facebook When a new listing popped up that fit her criteria only to be sent back to square one by people who outbid her wielding all cash offers “There were some months where I definitely gave up,” said Spata two-bathroom house came on the market in Ridge As sale prices continue to climb amid low inventory it might seem impossible to land your dream home on Long Island right now But there are a few keys to success in your house-hunting journey Some new homeowners and real estate experts shared their tips tricks and advice on what to expect when starting to house-hunt Brooke and Frank Spata moved into their Ridge home after a yearlong You can get really impatient with the process .. Denise Schook hadn't bought a home since 2005 she and her husband looked for a house on and off over three years ultimately deciding to move into a condo due to the bidding wars they witnessed post-pandemic Schook was constantly looking at new listings online This was a job — this was tedious and it wasn't fun.” Despite taking some breaks while looking due to the pandemic and she and her husband moved into their new home last October They put down about six offers before landing their three-bed The biggest challenges were things out of her control like the competition that came with such a high demand Staying on top of the latest listings helps buyers to be competitive But once you’ve gotten in the door and find the property to be a good fit try to save as much money and put as much down as you can,” said real estate agent Taleen Krug who is based in the Coldwell Banker American Homes' East Meadow office but anything above and beyond that really stands out for sellers Make your prices as aggressive as you can.” Working with an agent who will be your advocate and look into properties on your behalf is important during this stage of the process too of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty “You have to get out there and look at properties and educate yourself on the market,” he added it’s a waiting game — Walters recently worked with a first-time homebuyer who had his heart set on a house in Jamesport but the seller was only interested in all-cash offers he and his client kept “re-offering our offer,” and eventually it was accepted “If you see something you like and the first bite of the apple does not work out “Sometimes it takes sellers a while to go through the process and consider something that they didn't think they were going to consider initially.” Krug knows the importance of first impressions she connected via Zoom with lots of prospective clients who would be buying homes for the first time “pick two or three different agents and interview them,” she suggested ask your potential real estate agent about their background their strategy to help you land your home and how well they know your desired radius “I think it’s important for any consumer to read reviews.” Coldwell Banker American Homes real estate agent you can also get a sense of your real estate agent’s personality before enlisting their help because you’re going to be in constant communication,” Krug said Once you’ve interviewed and selected your agent making sure they’re asking the right questions Walters said that comes into play once clients find a property in which they’re interested “If you’re getting ready to put an offer in we’d ask the listing agent a lot of questions like what’s the seller’s motivation,” said Walters Having background information about the seller’s timeline and extra details about the property itself “could put you in a first-place position It’s also important to be upfront with your real estate agent about your own financial situation so the agent can determine how to highlight your strengths as a homebuyer when it’s time to make an offer good credit or an approval letter “where you can show they actually can close,” Valverde said your agent can help to put your best foot forward “We find the strengths in each buyer to make them shine a little bit more As the process moves forward and your team expands to include a mortgage lender getting a sense of their expertise can help a homebuyer get to the closing table Quentin Hardy is a loan originator with Newrez and manager of their national renovation program He has also published three books on homeownership including one that focuses on the Long Island market “I do find many of the first-time home buyers I speak with even if they've spoken with other lenders will have no idea how they were approved or pre-approved for a certain amount,” Hardy said “They don't understand how they arrived at that number.” “So I make sure I explain it to them,” he continued “so they can make an appropriate decision on such a large purchase.” Newrez loan originator Quentin Hardy said consulting the right experts on the right topics is key Don't ask the Realtor legal questions don't ask the attorney mortgage questions Melville-based loan originator with Newrez Hardy highly recommends vetting your websites when getting information about homebuying or going directly to the source: Your team of real estate professionals But posing your questions to the expert best suited to answer them is key you can be sure you’re receiving the most accurate information possible “Make sure you’re looking into their guidance because they've done this before,” Hardy said “And make sure you’re asking the right one Don't ask the Realtor legal questions; don't ask the attorney mortgage questions." For first-time homebuyers on Long Island facing a language barrier or moving here from another country Valverde’s team educates clients about the process and how it may differ in the United States There are agents in her office who speak Spanish Beyond your own team, there are plenty of books and online resources to choose from, plus first-time homebuyer counseling offered monthly via Zoom by the Long Island Housing Partnership Advice from a friend or family member who has been through the homebuying process won’t necessarily offer insight to your current situation “Sometimes they’re getting information from someone who bought a house 20 or 30 years ago and the process was different and the market was different,” Hardy said “There are plenty of resources out there — just make sure they’re valid.” Being knowledgeable of the types of loans you can apply for as a first-time homebuyer may also widen your perspective when looking at different types of houses “I do a lot of renovation loans,” Hardy said “If you’re looking at a property that’s not in the exact condition you want first-time homebuyers can include the renovation in the mortgage Make sure you’re including that in your repertoire of possibilities.” Listings on OneKey MLS also provide down payment assistance options with a clickable link to determine your eligibility listing sites offer services like email and text notifications for your saved search criteria so you can be notified quickly about any new house on the market you might be interested in Spata’s homebuying timeline was pushed back because of the pandemic She and her husband had their wedding scheduled for July 2020 and planned to buy a house after that with the help of monetary gifts from their nuptials So when they had to postpone their big day to 2021 they couldn’t “jump on the bandwagon of everybody buying houses during COVID,” she said But Spata attributes her successful home purchase to having good credit there were certain times of the year that were ideal to look for and purchase a house really anytime is a good time to buy,” she said “I recommend that anyone thinking about buying should have done it yesterday There is not a time when it’s slower or busier in this current climate.” I recommend that anyone thinking about buying should have done it yesterday There is not a time when it’s slower or busier in this current climate you have to be serious about it 12 months of the year,” Walters added He also suggested for buyers “not to be so afraid to pull the trigger where interest rates are.” Hardy agrees that consumers are “paying too much attention” to the rates when really they should focus more on long-term home value which is expected to rise over the next few years “Mortgage rates are about average,” he said “It’s where they’ve been the last 40 to 50 years but they seem high because we’re coming off historic lows If you can afford to buy a home with today’s rates — if the rates go up One of Spata’s motivations for her family to move out of their condo was so their son wouldn't have to sleep in a shared bedroom anymore so Spata’s need for more space in a home of their own pushed them to keep looking The family searched for houses in the $450,000 to $600,000 range “Six hundred thousand was our breaking point,” Spata said The family "settled on a smaller house because it was finished" and didn't require much work Even though the house is smaller than what Spata first had in mind the previous owner took “really good care” of it and she reached her goal of providing bedrooms for each of her kids While it’s generally better to buy sooner than later if you have the means to do so Spata suggests taking it easy while searching “You can get really impatient with the process with everybody beating you out in a cash offer when you finally feel like you have something,'' she said The Newsday app makes it easier to access content without having to log in Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months It took Microsoft no less than four years to get the first construction permit for the main building of its first data center in Greece as well as changes in the management of the local subsidiary of Microsoft the pandemic and the traditional freeze which precedes any Greek election (this time the European elections) are to blame for this long delay If one adds the competition between potential suppliers and subcontractors and the time required by archaeologists to clear an area as well as the mobilization by from local government to take care of critical infrastructure one realizes the magnitude of the challenge for every investor the day that French technology company DATA4 announced an investment of 300 million euros in Greece for the development of a new data center campus in Paiania the joint ministerial decision that paves the way was finally published in the Government Gazette for the issuance of building permits for Microsoft’s €976 million investment The relevant building permits are expected to be issued in the near future and the construction of the first of three Microsoft data centers will begin at Spata as the company explained to the government The building permit will coincide with the four-year anniversary of the announcement of the investment on October 4 It took the mobilization of the government at the highest level so that the Development Ministry convened successive meetings of the general secretaries of co-competent ministries and with the Microsoft staff in order to get the investment started in the last quarter is expected to start the construction of the main building and then the supporting facilities at Spata Belmont College of Law alumna Alexa Spata (’17) has won the Tennessee Bar Association’s Law Student Volunteer of the Year award for her work with TALS (Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services) a local legal services organization and Belmont Law pro bono partner The Law Student Volunteer of the Year award recognizes a Tennessee law school student who provides outstanding volunteer services “while working with an organization primarily engaged in providing legal representation to the indigent.” Executive director of TALS wrote via email that “starting with her interview it was clear that Alexa was committed to jumping into our mission and helping us deliver strong outcomes.” She said “Alexa has been outstanding in every respect.” Spata said that she intends to stay involved with pro bono work and advocates that other lawyers do the same “We should feel obligated to give back in any way we can and I think the biggest thing is using our skills and our knowledge to just help people… I do think we have a duty to do what we can to give back… no matter what kind of law you actually practice.” University Marketing and Communications615-460-6650communication@belmont.edu Mike Claffey    312.744.0707 | Michael.Claffey@cityofchicago.org Susan Hofer    312.742.2006 | Susan.Hofer@cityofchicago.org CHICAGO – Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) Commissioner Gia Biagi and Alderman Daniel La Spata (1st Ward) today unveiled new protected bike lanes that were installed through a Rapid Delivery project on Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square on one of the City’s most heavily traveled bike routes The project is part of CDOT’s Vision Zero traffic safety program and will also include pedestrian safety infrastructure and transit access improvements all designed in coordination with residents businesses and the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce CDOT also released a map of new bike lane projects being implemented across the City this year including 15 miles of new bikeways on the South Side that are designed to complement the expansion of CDOT’s Divvy bike share system to cover more than 50 new miles on the far South Side “These new protected bike lanes show how we can use new safety technology to quickly deliver meaningful safety improvements on Chicago’s bikeways when we work with local communities and leaders to develop support for these types of projects,” said CDOT Commissioner Biagi said “The key is working with and listening to community stakeholders and designing projects that are tailored to the needs of the neighborhood.” As part of the City’s response to the mobility challenges of Covid-19 under the leadership of Mayor Lori E CDOT has launched a concerted effort to reach out and solicit feedback from the public in neighborhoods throughout Chicago at: www.Chicago.gov/covidmobility The site includes a survey residents can use to share their transportation priorities with CDOT Alderman La Spata has been a strong supporter of bike and pedestrian safety improvements in the 1st Ward “I’m very grateful not only for the opportunity to make Milwaukee Avenue safer for all of our residents but for the public process that preceded it,” Alderman La Spata said “The design we see today reflects the thoughtful input of hundreds of stakeholders.” The City of Chicago’s Vision Zero Action Plan identified Milwaukee Avenue as a High Crash Corridor Traffic safety data shows that two-thirds of all injury crashes over a five-year period from 2014 to 2018 on Milwaukee Avenue involved people walking and biking Through discussions with transportation activists CDOT established a redesign that would better reflect the needs and use of the corridor These improvements include northbound and southbound protected bike lanes installed in just the last two weeks to separate people biking from automobile traffic The new protected bike lanes feature synthetic plastic curbs and bollards that are bolted to the pavement and can be installed much more quickly than traditional concrete curbs typically used to create protected bike lanes The work on Milwaukee Avenue will continue later this fall with the installation of two new crosswalks and pedestrian space will be expanded at intersections through Rapid Delivery bumpouts in the coming weeks a new bus boarding island is being planned at Milwaukee and Maplewood for 2021 Over 35 new bike racks have been installed between California and Western to ensure ample bike and scooter parking These infrastructure improvements are designed to make the corridor safer for all users and improve neighborhood access to local businesses CDOT released a map that shows that it is on track to install approximately 30 miles of new bike lanes this year across the City giving Chicago more than 300 miles of bike lanes CDOT is re-striping about 40 miles of existing bike lanes to clearly demarcate space for bikes This was quadruple the miles of bike lanes restriped in 2019 To view the detailed plans for the Milwaukee Avenue project and learn more about the CDOT and the 1st Ward’s community engagement process for this project, please visit https://www.the1stward.com/pb1. For more information about the City’s Vision Zero Traffic Safety Action Plan, go to: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/vision-zero-chicago.html You can follow CDOT on digital media: Twitter: @ChicagoDOT/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/CDOTNews The web: www.chicagodot.org Chanila German and Rolando Pujol Saturday 2021It's hard to believe there was a time when Brooklyn's Dyker Heights neighborhood was not chockablock with holiday lights.DYKER HEIGHTS Brooklyn -- It's hard to believe there was a time when Brooklyn's Dyker Heights neighborhood was not chockablock with scores of houses adorned with elaborate Christmas decorations and dazzling light displays Lucy Spata remembers these dark ages all too well moved here in 1986 and were disappointed by how plain their neighbors' homes were during the holidays "There were no decorations at all on this block And Christmas means a lot to me because I come from a family that has always decorated for Christmas," Lucy Spata said 'what do we do?' So we decorated not as much as this but for here I did it for my mother to keep her memory alive And now it means much more to me because two years ago I lost my husband." she's the area's "Queen of Christmas," and her kingdom of holiday cheer in Kings County is Dyker Heights The Christmas decorations in the neighborhood have become a major tourist attraction You can find homes decked out from 83rd and 86th streets Her husband had her promise that she would continue their tradition after his death And that's what makes me keep him alive," she said Con Edison might well be the biggest fan of these displays the electric bill.' It's really a matter of six hours on a timer and the LEDs and no matter what the cost is Even as the neighborhood brightens up every December Spata has contemplated scaling back at her home on 84th Street If you take your child to Rockefeller Center children "have a good time and it doesn't cost anything Get daily business news from the region delivered straight to your inbox will establish a state-of-the-art data centre in Spata marking a major step in Greece’s digital transformation and reinforcing its role as a key IT hub in Southeast Europe and PPC Group have unveiled plans to develop a cutting-edge data centre in Spata through a new joint venture called Data In Scale (DIS) which involves an initial investment of EUR150m will provide 12.5 MW of data centre capacity in its first phase with plans to expand to 25 MW in subsequent phases This new venture capitalises on DAMAC’s real estate development expertise and EDGNEX’s data centre capabilities alongside PPC’s leadership in clean energy solutions to create a facility designed to meet the surging demand for cloud computing The planned data centre in Spata is positioned to become a major infrastructure hub providing critical services that connect Europe Its strategic location in Southeastern Europe places Greece at the forefront of regional digital growth aligning with broader European Union objectives to enhance connectivity and bolster digital economies Supported by both local government initiatives and private investment the project aims to contribute significantly to Greece’s growing role as an IT and digital services leader in the region The project is currently in the design and licensing phases The first phase is expected to be operational within two years and sustainable digital infrastructure in the region Hussain Sajwani, founder of DAMAC, emphasised the shared vision behind the partnership, stating: “This partnership with PPC reflects our shared vision of creating a world-class data centre that caters to the diverse and evolving demands of today’s digital economy. By leveraging EDGNEX’s expertise in delivering reliable and agile infrastructure and DAMAC’s proven capabilities in large-scale developments we are building a future-ready facility to empower businesses with secure also highlighted the importance of the partnership He said: “By merging PPC’s energy expertise with DAMAC’s global leadership in data centre development we are building infrastructure that will empower businesses and position the country as a pivotal player in Southeast Europe’s data ecosystem This development in Greece is part of a broader international expansion strategy by DAMAC which continues to invest heavily in digital infrastructure worldwide The Greece project builds on DAMAC’s recent investments including a $1bn data centre initiative in Thailand and a EUR400m project in Madrid DAMAC is focused on delivering high-quality sustainable infrastructure that powers digital economies in key global markets this venture aligns with its broader strategy to bolster Greece’s position as a technology and connectivity leader PPC is actively involved in several digital infrastructure initiatives These include the nationwide rollout of its Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network as well as its participation in the East-to-Med Data Corridor project which aims to develop interconnected submarine and terrestrial cables to facilitate cross-border energy and data exchange PPC’s commitment to integrating digital and energy technologies is further reflected in its Olympus AI project which leverages artificial intelligence for advanced energy management and innovation Data In Scale is poised to deliver not only cutting-edge data centre infrastructure but also drive economic growth in the region supporting the digital transformation of businesses and industries The collaboration will also serve to strengthen Greece’s position as a strategic location for international businesses seeking secure Read: Vodafone, DAMAC to build $100m data centre in this city CHICAGO –The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Alderman Daniel La Spata (1st Ward) announced that new protected bike lanes will be installed starting today on Milwaukee Avenue from Western to California avenues The project is part of CDOT’s Vision Zero traffic safety program and will include pedestrian safety infrastructure and protected bike lanes along the corridor one of the City’s most heavily travelled bike routes The improvements were designed in coordination with residents businesses and the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce.  “CDOT is very pleased to be starting this work that will create safer conditions for all users on this corridor in particular people walking and biking,” CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi said “This a great example of what we can achieve when we listen to voices in the community and work in partnership to re-imagine how we use our public way to make it work for everyone.”  The changes will be phased in and will begin with the relocation of some paid parking spaces and installation of bike lanes starting today and over the next several weeks The work will continue later this fall with the installation of two new crosswalks a new bus boarding island will be constructed at Milwaukee and Maplewood but for the public process that preceded it The design we see today reflects the thoughtful input of hundreds of stakeholders.”  Traffic safety data shows that two-thirds of all injury crashes over a five-year period on Milwaukee Avenue involved people walking and biking These improvements include northbound and southbound protected bike lanes to separate people biking from automobile traffic as well as bump outs and crosswalks that will improve the visibility of pedestrians These infrastructure improvements are designed to make the corridor safer for all users and improve neighborhood access to local businesses.  Over 35 new bike racks are also being installed between California and Western to ensure ample bike and scooter parking Some on-street paid parking spaces on Milwaukee Avenue will be relocated to nearby streets Residential permit parking will not be impacted.  Construction of the protected bike lanes and pedestrian bump outs will begin today (September 14) and will take approximately two weeks parking will be restricted on Milwaukee Avenue and visitors will be encouraged to park on side streets near their destination Milwaukee Avenue will remain open to traffic throughout construction To view the construction plans and learn more about the CDOT and the 1st Ward’s community engagement process for this project, please visit https://www.the1stward.com/pb1 For more information about the City’s Vision Zero Traffic Safety Action Plan, go to: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/vision-zero-chicago.html  Upgrade to TDL Professional or add a TDL Chicago membership to unlock all Chicago content Upgrade to TDL Professional or add a TDL Springfield membership to unlock all Springfield content JB Pritzker — The governor has no public events President Toni Preckwinkle — The president will preside over a Forest Preserves Board of Commissioners meeting at 10 a.m Mayor Brandon Johnson — The mayor will attend the Chicago Urban League 2025 Policy Summit at 8:30 a.m and will hold a media availability on the fifth floor of City Hall at 10 a.m the mayor will attend the 64th Chicago Police Department Annual Recognition Ceremony in the Hyatt Regency Chicago Grand Ballroom at 12:30 p.m Mayor Brandon Johnson names PR veteran to lead Chicago tourism agency board [Tribune] City Opens Investigation Into Uber Overcharging Riders Downtown Congestion Fee [Block Club] Gun stolen from a roomful of Chicago cops ended up being used in a series of shootings [WBEZ] Bureaucrat-turned-executive is Chicago's new Aviation commissioner [Sun-Times] Mayor Brandon Johnson taps former City Hall official to lead Department of Aviation [Tribune] Lori Healey, McPier chief and multi-faceted public servant under two mayors, dies at 65 [Crain's] Wrigleyville Hat Wars: Boutique Owner Accuses Sports Shop Of Selling Knockoffs Of Signature Cap [Block Club] Cinco de Mayo Parade Canceled in Chicago Amid Deportation Fears: ‘There is Nothing to Celebrate’ [WTTW] Meet the former Chicago transit president leading a community hospital [Becker's Hospital Review] Springfield headlines: Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signs Indiana-Illinois border commission, Gary supplemental pay and others into law [Tribune] Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias tries to bust myths about REAL ID before deadline [Sun-Times] Rep. Jan Schakowsky won't seek reelection to Congress, but vows to be 'always an activist' [WBEZ] Advocates push for mandatory minimum nurse staffing ratios at Illinois hospitals [Capitol News] When does Illinois' gas tax increase, and what decides how much it goes up? [NBC 5] Pritzker and Ocasio-Cortez: A billionaire and a former bartender emerge as Trump resistance leaders [Associated Press] A normally routine re-referral of a proposal out of the City Council’s rules committee led to confusion and an unusual roll call vote on Tuesday an alderman attempted in vain to further delay a proposal that would allow the booting of cars citywide Ald. Daniel La Spata (1) urged his colleagues during the meeting of the City Council Committee on Committees and Rules to vote “no” to re-refer to the Committee on License and Consumer Protection Ald. Ariel Reboyras’ (30) proposal that would make it legal for city workers to attach boots to cars across the whole city The practice is currently legal in only 32 wards La Spata routed Reboyras’ proposal to the rules committee after it was introduced last month essentially seeking to delay discussion and a vote on the proposal enough aldermen supported sending Reboyras’ proposal to the license committee where he originally proposed it to be assigned Related: Aldermen hobble Lightfoot water ordinance, Smith ethics package, Reboyras car booting expansion  “We know that there's one company in the city that does this service,” La Spata said on Tuesday “If this person wanted to bring this to 13…14 other awards they could meet with each of us as individuals to try to make that case.”  “It really is about trying to overturn a piece of legislation (O2021-735) that I passed last year about eliminating private booting from the 1st Ward,” La Spata said “I have tried to work with this company on the reforms that I felt were appropriate — efforts that they have rebuffed consistently.”  Reboyras’ proposal represents an “endeavor to both overturn aldermanic prerogative but also to bring private booting into wards that don't desire it,” La Spata said before urging a “no” vote Ald. Jason Ervin (28) asked La Spata where he proposes the measure be assigned if not to the council’s license committee La Spata said the company Innovative Parking Solutions has “referred to their business as a public safety issue and that is honestly why I called that committee on the floor That is how they describe their work to me.”  La Spata suggested the proposal be sent to a joint committee of public safety and license and consumer protection The feud between La Spata and Reboyras over booting has been simmering for a while La Spata pitched his ward-level prohibition after “more than a year of contemplation and research” after he received complaints from his constituents that their cars were booted without warning he said during a committee hearing last year He also decried the “lack of a formal appeals process” for people who believe they were booted unfairly creating an “unsavory arrangement” in which residents can only get fines waived by calling their local alderman Related: Aldermen call for citywide reform of ‘predatory’ car booting, delay home-sharing crackdown   La Spata’s 2021 booting ordinance was delayed by a month when Reboyras sent it to the rules committee Ald. Michelle Harris (8) largely quashed any substantive discussion on Reboyras’ proposal saying that should happen when it gets called in its regularly assigned committee As he voted in favor of referring the proposal to the license committee, Ald. George Cardenas (12) said “absolutely Separately on Tuesday, aldermen swiftly and without discussion re-referred Smith’s proposed ethics overhaul ordinance (O2022-1100) that Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6) banished to the rules committee back to the ethics committee Related: Ethics reform package set to be introduced this week would end ‘I got a guy at City Hall’ practice, sponsor says   The ethics package (O2022-1100, R2022-364) proposed by Smith last month would expand the city’s conflict of interest reach hike fines for flouting the ethics code and prohibit former aldermen from walking the City Council floor It is set on Tuesday to be reassigned to the council’s ethics committee Smith’s ethics package would mark the first update to the city’s ethics code since December 2019 the rules committee unanimously advanced to Mayor Lori Lightfoot the list of 14 nominees to the city’s first-of-its-kind citywide civilian committee tasked with overseeing the Chicago Police Department a former alderman and a state representative’s chief of staff Related: Finalists for interim police oversight commission include activists, pastors, former alderman, previous aldermanic candidate   Lightfoot is now tasked with choosing seven people who will serve on the interim commission until commission members can be appointed by local police district commissioners who are elected during the 2023 city election Aldermen approved the creation of the new Community Commission for Public Safety and Police Accountability last July, ending the battle for a long-sought framework for civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department Related: City Council approves long-sought civilian oversight of CPD, but supporters say there is still work ‘to be done’    Aldermen did not discuss the nominees or ask them any questions during Tuesday’s meeting which was the one chance the entire City Council had to probe the potential commissioners "These individuals represent a diverse group of Chicagoans with a deep commitment to improve safety within our community and building trust amongst communities and the police,” Ald A spokesperson for Lightfoot’s office did not respond to a request for comment on how soon she expects to make her picks for the commission Chicago Plan Commission Approves 79th Street Corridor Plan, Launches South Branch Riverfront Initiative Senate education committee approves bills to limit expulsions for young students, prohibit student ticketing City’s public health department says federal grant rescissions hurt ability to fight, prevent infectious disease outbreaks City breaks ground on first downtown office-to-residential conversion as mayor announces new economic development strategy We accept checks from businesses and organizations who are purchasing individual and group annual memberships. You can go here to begin that process Simply go to your membership setting and click cancel or you can go here membership-support There are no refunds or credits issued for a canceled or downgraded memberships Yes.  For all annual memberships that are either upgrading to the TDL Professional tier or expanding to a group membership a pro-rated credit for the time remaining on the existing membership will be applied to the new membership package's total. To do so, go here and complete the form A member of the team will be in touch shortly after to assist in this matter there are no refunds or credit for canceled or downgrading memberships