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• HOMES are selling quickly in The Highlands! We are barely entering the typically up spring market and already more than half of the homes on the market in The Highlands have accepted offers! This is nothing like last year when we had an over supply of homes so that many homes sat for quite a while before getting accepted offers--and some never sold at all. If you were planning to sell within the year, NOW is the time to list your home. There is also less competition right now before more homes come on the market. Give me a call to take a look at the current market and to answer any questions you might have. If you have owned your home for 5 years or more--it may not be too late to cash in on the $6500 tax credit that you may be able to qualify for. Cathy.Kirkman@homefinder.org 812-650-4134 Direct

• Been Away for a while..... If you've wondered that there haven't been many additions to this website in recent months it is because I have had to place it on the back burner during my mom's illness and care. Sadly, she passed away the day before my birthday in November. We missed her throughout the holidays and just in general. In tribute to her and her life, I want to say that I had a wonderful mother and I owe a lot to her for her example in living, and all the wonderful qualities and bits of wisdom she passed along to me before going to be with her Lord. The website will be undergoing some changes in the coming weeks. The real estate page is not friendly with the new homefinder system, and never was totally friendly with the old. Hopefully we can get that fixed. I am sorry that the past couple of e-newsletters went out without my editing. I was never notified by the company that hosts my website. There has been some glitch there. Hopefully you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas and holiday season and are staying warm and safe--and maybe enjoying some fun in the snow! As always, if you have a real estate question of any kind, do feel free to pick up the phone or shoot me an email. I will be glad to get the answer to you. Cathy Kirkman Avenues Realty Group 812-650-4134 Direct

• Call for information on the TWO real estate Tax Credits--$6,500 & $8,000 To find out if you or a friend might qualify for the $6500 tax credit (for those who have owned a home/principal residence for 5 years or more), or for the $8000 First Time Home Buyer's Tax Credit, call or email me. I will email or mail you information on both to you right away. Hurry, as the deadline to have an accepted offer is April 30th! Cathy Kirkman Avenues Realty Group Cathy.Kirkman@HomeFinder.org 812-650-4134

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  Street Legal Vehicles Many people have been interested in the 'going green' lately. Professional Golfcar offers STREET LEGAL vehicles in many designs. These ARE NOT golf cars and are completely legal on all city and county streets. The vehicles are also eligible for a $4500 tax credit!!

• Time of thieves? Could anyone let us know what time the robberies may have occured? A young child was awakened at an unusual hour according to her parents and they are wondering if perhaps she heard something outside. It was 5 a.m.

• Rash of Items Stolen from Cars this morning 11-17-2009 There have been reports of valuable items stolen from cars this morning. One specified street was W. Hennessey Street. I do not know whether the cars were left unlocked or not. Please lock your cars and bring all valuables inside if possible including GPS's (one was stolen). If you hear or see anything unusual or that doesn't seem to fit into the norm in our neighborhood, we are encouraged by the police to call them and let them know. Let's help each other out and alert our neighbors if we see anything or anyone that doesn't look right. Cathy

• Carpool to Batchelor Middle School Hi, I hope to find people who can carpool to/from Batchelor Middle School for kids. My son is in 8th grade. I can take him and your kids to the school in mornings. I need somebody who can give my son a ride back home after school. Please call 847-971-5800 if interested. Thanks.

• $5 OIL CHANGE Coupons Available for VICTORY LANE ! I have coupons, $5 each, for Victory Lane over by Menards. I had my oil changed there a couple of weeks ago and they were very thorough, explaining and showing things to me like my worn belt and the air filter. The great thing was that they said I could WAIT a while longer to change my air filter. That is not the usual! Others have told me they had the same great experience over at VICTORY LANE! Try them & see! EXPIRATION DATE: 12/31/2009 !!!! Call Cathy: 812-650-4134 to get a coupon

• Keep Valuables inside and lock up your home and car--Always! Here is an email I just received from a neighbor today 10-7-09 Hi Cathy I posted Monday or Tuesday in the Neighbors Message Board area on the Highlands website – but its not showing up yet. Sunday night/Monday morning at least 5 cars on Leighton Lane were broken into. (They got my GPS and Laptop). It would probably be a good idea to put something on the website letting folks know what happened….reminding them to lock their cars, etc, and to report any suspicious activity to the Sheriff’s Department. **************** Please do report immediately any problems you have to the Sheriff's Department. Do not be afraid to report what appears to be 'only suspicious' behavior. I was at a talk given by a Bloomington Police Officer and he said the police DO want to know about anything that doesn't appear 'right'. Sometimes your instincts tell you and sometimes a certain person's behavior or they way they drive through the neighborhood doesn't 'fit' the average of what you experience day to day in that neighborhood. Thank you for contributing this information Terri. We appreciate you letting us know. FYI: When an item is submitted to this website, the tech guy asks us to give him up to 48 hours to get it uploaded. If something is very, very important, and I am available, I can get it put up immediately. Cathy Kirkman

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  What's the Gas Mileage of the car I want to buy? Go to: http://gotmpg.com/

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  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYIKfEU8yl8 You gotta see this. Guys--you'll love it! Bike Tricks like you've never seen! Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYIKfEU8yl8

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  You'll laugh until you cry!! Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPRxWsX50kI#watch-main-area

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  Want all the facts and comparisons for buying a new car? Go to: http://www.edmunds.com/

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  Natural antibacterial sanitzers & eat these green immune boosting foods. Many already in your home! Click here for details!

• Oodles of Boys & Girls Clothes for Sale See Classified Ads Page

• Hoosier Disposal 8/24/09 Here is some good information. I use Hoosier Disposal for my trash pickup. I pay approx. 70 dollars every 3 months, however I got a flier from Monster trash last week saying they are 11.95/month totaling 35/every 3 months so I decided to switch. In calling Hoosier Disposal they price matched Monster trash for one year so they could keep my business. Are you paying high prices for trash? Do the same, tell them about this price and that you are switching and they will match them, so they can keep you, at least for 1 year save money.

• Beagle FOUND! Owners are Very Happy!

• Got Outgrown Kids' Clothes? Swap them at the Clothing Swap at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church located at the corner of Sare & Rogers. August 10 Bring clothes to swap at 8 a.m., then be the first ones to use your 20 vouchers to start 'buying new' clothes at 9. Don't have clothes to swap? You will still receive 20 vouchers and you may begin 'shopping' at 10 a.m. Friends helping friends! Questions? Call Jennifer at 327-4395

• Neighbor's Southern Living Party A bunch of us got together and had a fun party with Brooke Ivey from The Highlands and got to shop and eat and visit and meet new neighbors! Call Brooke to book a Southern Living party. You will have a good time! brookebivey@gmail.com

• Zumba Dance Fitness Class 3 of us, no 4 including a daughter that also came, had a great time at Nancy's Zumba Dance Fitness Class Thursday night 7-23-09! See Classified Ads page and Referral Page for class schedule.

• Great New Shop! 'THE PRIM CELLAR' (inside Melton's Orchard) Located on Hwy 45 just west of Walmart. We’re right on your way to the Monroe County Fair! Come enjoy our new primitive shop located inside Melton’s Orchard!!! Featuring handmade candles, soaps and primitive home décor! Perfect for giving and receiving!!!

• Newspapers Ok so Sunday morning I headed out for church, running behind I left our newspaper in the drive as I usually do on Sundays, only to return and the paper to be gone. It isn't a giant deal to me however, to some it may be. If you get a delivered paper don't leave it, it will get stolen. And to those who took it, if by chance you read this site than pay for your own, or even ask first!

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  B-Line Trail is open--watch the special on t.v. Thursday night 8 p.m. 7-9-09! WTIU, south central Indiana’s PBS station, covers area news and feature segments Thursday nights at 8pm. WTIU Newsbreaks air weekdays at 5:55 and 10:55pm. This week’s segment is on the opening of the B-Line Trail and how it affects local art and commerce. http://www.indiana.edu/~radiotv/wtiu/weeklyspecial/ ..:: JOSEPH E. HREN ::..Highlands Neighbor! WTIU / Television from Indiana University IU Radio & Television Center WTIU DIGITAL TV LINE-UP: 30-1 WTIU HD, high-definition PBS and local programs, 30-2 PBS WORLD, 30-3 TIU FAMILY with PBS CREATE and PBS KIDS programs, 30-4 VE ME, PBS programs in Spanish.

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  Missing a Cat? Orange Cat seen on Meeting House A neighbor emailed me to say that a cat had appeared on his patio early this morning (7-7-09) and he fed it. It 's behavior was that of a house cat he thought. Please email me if you are missing an orange cat and I will let this neighbor know in case he sees it again. Cathy.Kirkman@homefinder.org 812-650-4134

• July 2009 HOA Newsletter now on The Highlands HOA page The Highlands July 2009 Newsletter has been posted to the HOA page on this site. This is separate from the email newsletter that goes out from this site. Sign up separately on this site, or email me for the e-newsletter. Thank you to Charla Lancaster for all of her work in preparing it! Cathy

• Coupons on Site for Local Businesses Hello! I am working on gradually adding some COUPONS to the MERCHANTS' PAGE on here to offer something of value to all of my neighbors in The Highlands and the Clear Creek Trail area. Take a look at the Merchants' Page, and print off any coupons you want to use. Check back over time, and hopefully there will be several more. One is going to be added for a relatively new business on Liberty Drive over by Walmart called 'Victory Lane'--a place to get your oil changed among other things. If you own a business or work for a local business, let me know and I'll have some coupons placed on here for your business--at no charge--whatsoever. Cathy Kirkman Realtor, Avenues Realty Group Resident of The Highlands Cathy.Kirkman@homefinder.org

• Architectual Approval Request Forms now on HOA Page! If you need to obtain approval in order to make some change to your home or yard and need the form, you can now go to the HOA page and print one! Thanks for the suggestion, Leanne! 6-23-09

• Scoop Your Dog's Poop!! Highland neighbors - have the common courtesy to scoop your dog's poop!! I am continually finding dog doo in my yard (I don't have a dog). The dog doo is not near the sidewalk nor my front yard. Instead it's nearly 50 FEET into my yard!!!! If you own a dog, be a responsible pet owner and scoop your dog's poop!!!!

• Be thinking about something fun for the whole neighborhood next spring, summer! The HOA Board discussed the possibility of having something fun for the whole neighborhood and want to start getting ideas and suggestions from you starting now! It will take a lot of planning, saving up money, figuring out what will be fun for everyone, and when would be a good time to have an event. So, keep thinking about it, and if you know of anything other neighborhoods have done that have been successful, please share! HOA Board

• Desperately Seeking a Ranch in The Highlands!!! There are two different buyers desperately trying to find a ranch in The Highlands. One buyer for sure has a preapproval letter from his lender. If you, or someone you know would consider selling without the stress of having your home on the market, getting ready for multiple showings and open houses, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE! Call Cathy A.S.A.P. at 812-650-4134 p.s. Please speak to your neighbors who own ranches (without basements) and let them know. They might not see this request in time. Thank you ahead of time from the buyers!

• Entry Landscaping I saw a few people landscaping the entrance to the Highlands and I wanted to say thank you for all your hard work. It looks beautiful!!The additional flowers, weeding and mulch really look fantastic. I know how time consuming that was and wanted to let you know it is very much appreciated!

• Thanks to Cathy A special thanks to Cathy for setting up this site and advertising so widely to help our community! Cathy, you are awesome!

• June Email Newsletter I wanted to apologize for the June email newsletter. I was not notified by my website technician as I usually am that it was ready to review before being sent out. It has some old news (the garage sale) and some repetitive links among other things. I have been trying to have my website technician get some 'bugs' fixed, to no avail as of yet. I hope it was at least partly helpful and informational. Thank you for all of your contributions and suggestions to and for the website. The site is for you, to help you, and for all of us to help each other. And--if you know the parents of all these babies being born in the Highlands--tell them to have me come by and take a picture of the little one so that I can put the pictures up on the website for all to enjoy. I can use first name only, or no name such as 'New Baby Boy' or 'New Baby Girl'. Hope you are all enjoying these warmer days! Cathy

• Who Not to Call---Who to Call Tia at the model is not in charge of: Pot holes Complaints on signage other than Beazer signage Ice and Snow Removal Cleaning up doggie poo in front of the model Jim Wray, the developer, is responsible for the huge pot hole at the roundabout, and the many! horrible pot holes on Wickens as you come in from the old entrance. Jim Wray Cell: 322-8383 www.Richlandconstructioncompany.com Open House Signs are allowed from Friday after 5:00 p.m. through Sunday evening (the city sets these restrictions). If you see one left behind--be patient and call the company to ask them to please pick up their sign. If you see signs regularly left behind for days afterward, let the company know that. If you are unhappy with signs: 1. Please do not accost the realtors. You will need a realtor one day when you are ready to sell your home. 2. Bring up this or any other issue that falls under the HOA--to an HOA Board member. 3. Remember that no one knows that you are unhappy about something until you politely express your views. 4. Remember that not every other resident may feel the way you do. We all need our jobs to take care of our homes, ourselves, and our families. Please respect others as they do their job. Please do not damage or destroy others' property. Signs have been damaged and run over or taken. Those signs cost anywhere from $15.00 to $150.00. All of us work hard. Let's respect each other and each others' property. Please voice your concerns and also your praises and appreciation!--but do it in a way that makes people want to listen and try to help! Thanks! A neighbor

• Do you own a Ranch Home in The Highlands? Ranches are HOT right now! I have buyers looking for Ranches in The Highlands or the S.W. quadrant of Bloomington. Ranches are hot! Give me a call or email me asap. I will show you a market plan that will get your home fast! We are now in the hot real estate season for the Bloomington area. Homes are moving fast! Especially ranches in this area. Our market is strong and will continue to be so through at least August. Give me a call tonight! Cathy Kirkman 812-650-4134 Cathy.Kirkman@homefinder.org

• Don't take the Bait!!!! Beware of PHISHING !!! Dear Homefinder Community, 'Phishing' is a form of criminal activity using social engineering techniques, characterized by attempts to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an apparently official electronic communication (such as an e-mail or instant message or an automated phone call). The term “phishing” arises from the use of lures to 'fish' for people’s financial information and passwords. A scan of online news services such as CNN or Google News will show you some of the most current attempts. For example, we recently saw a message sent to a Bloomington resident telling her that she had an e-mail issues that – to fix them – she needed to reply to the message and provide her user name, password and date of birth. Some news services report an increase in Internet fraud as a by-product of the current economic downturn (I guess crooks are feeling the pinch as well). A detailed history of phishing can be found at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing) If you receive an electronic communication asking you for sensitive information such as passwords, birthdates, social security numbers, account numbers or credit card details, ConsulTech's advice is to be wary – be very wary. Patrick ------- Patrick Casey Phone: 812-323-8324 patrick.casey@consultech.net ConsulTech Technologies, Inc. Quality • Value • Reliability www.consultech.net

• New 1st Quarter Bloomington Real Estate Stats--Real Estate I sent in stats for Land and Lots, Residential, and Residential Condos in Bloomington, and my tech person only put up the Land and Lots. The other stats hopefully will be up later this week. If anyone would like stats specific to The Highlands, just call or email me. Cathy 6-3-09

• New Baby Boy Highlander! Welcome a new little Highlander born May 2009. See Neighborhood Pictures page to the cute new baby!

• Beware of Water Stains My wife and I noticed a water stain above our fireplace. We thought it was odd since our house is just under three years old. We called Action Plumbing who installed our plumbing, but there phone was disconnected. We had a local plumber come out. When they opened the drywall around the stain they found two things. First, the plumbing around the drain was not properly installed. It was only hand tight and there was no plumbers putty around the pipe. Secondly, there was black mold around the inside of the dry wall and on a board just below the leak. It looks like it is just on the surface and localized to one area so, I think we caught it early. I was told that Action Plumbing was bought out by R&R Plumbing by my customer care rep. He said unfortunately, there is only a two year warranty and Beazer or the Plumber couldn't do anything about it. The drain was not installed correctly which lead to the leak in the first place. This was not faulty or worn out products, this was incompetence on the install. Make sure you keep an eye on your walls and ceilings if you had Action Plumbing or R&R Plumbing install your pipe work. If you see any discoloring, call to get it fixed quickly. A concerned Neighbor

• Please slow down when driving through the neighborhood Warmer weather is here and our kids are spending more time outside, enjoying playing with friends. Please remember that young children can be unpredictable and may run into the street to chase after a ball or may be out riding bikes in the neighborhood. Please help to make the neighborhood safer for all by slowing down. Far too many drivers exceed the speed limit while traveling through the subdivision. Please remember that this is a residential area and keep your speed down. Many of our streets are designed with slight curves & bends that would make it easy to not see a child or pet darting out. The extra seconds it takes to get home are well worth it if it prevents an accident from occurring.

• Community Garage Sale I would love to know who organizes a community garage sale and doesn't notify the residents of the community? This is the second year in a row that this has happened. I found out late Thursday night the sale was this weekend. I am a very busy person and would need at least a month notice to prepare for this event. I do not have time to sit around and surf the net all day looking to see see what is going on in my community. I drove around late this morning and there are only 13 homes having a garage sale. This is completely unacceptable! Please, if you are going to take on a task be organized enough to let everyone else know what is going on. A flier on the mailbox, a knock at the door, something. Not everyone reads the newspaper and not everyone sits at the computer 24/7.

• Home Owners' Association Meeting May 2009 The e-newsletter that went out yesterday on Wednesday gave the results of the recent Home Owners' Association meeting. For all of those who have not signed up for the monthly e-newsletter that went out Wednesday, we did have enough votes and proxies to take over the HOA. The 5 new board members are: Scott Miller Jason Shaevitz Charla Lancaster Cathy Kirkman Sandy Kortz NEIGHBORHOOD GARAGE SALE Saturday, May 16th The garage sale was also noted in the newsletter as well as at the meeting. For those of you who cannot join in on Saturday, please let me know. I will have to try to advertise for a single garage sale hopefully in the near future, so if anyone wants to be included, please let me know. Cathy Kirkman cathy.kirkman@homefinder.org Parking along the streets was discussed, and one good point was brought in from a neighbor who wanted everyone to realize that ambulances and fire trucks will have trouble getting to homes in The Highlands when people park on both sides. Also, let your guests know that if they park in front of mailboxes, that neighbor, or you, will not get mail delivery that day. The minutes are not out yet, but you can always call Indy to see if and when you might get a copy. If anyone wants to add what they recall from the meeting, please do submit the information in order to let all the neighbors know who could not make the meeting.

• Please Help! Lost Beagle! He is black/brown/white beagle, named Baron. He has a black collar and a microchip. Could you please e-mail me or call me, Rosie, at 812-219-0094 if somebody in the neighborhood sees my dog. Thank you, Rbanova@indiana.edu 8-9-09 Thank you very much!! We also offer a reward for whoever finds him.

• Confirmed: Neighborhood Garage Sale Saturday, May 16th Jesse and Crystal Mechinus, residents in charge of this, verified that the garage sale will be May 16th. JUST IN CASE you may want to watch the news on here. Start cleaning out your closets and plan a big get together with family and friends after the garage sale to show off your clutter-free home and garage! Start telling friends, family, neighbors who may not know about it, and coworkers! AND--DON'T FORGET that any items you don't sell can be listed on the FREE CLASSIFIED ADS page on this website. Hoping for a beautiful day that day~! Cathy

• Sign at Rockport Entrance??? WHO put up that funny sign by the stop sign at the Rockport Entrance ?(You can see it on the Neighborhood Pictures page)! funny!!!

• New Little Highlanders! 2009 Congratulations to the parents and Welcome to our Neighborhood, little Nicholas and Andrew! Nicholas was born in January and Andrew was born in March. Mom and Dad, if you want to send in pictures of your little special one, we would all enjoy it! (We will only note first names.)

• $8,000 First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit Also Applies to.... You may know that first time home buyers who qualify by income level may receive an $8,000 tax credit if they close on a home by 11/30.2009. If you or someone you know has owned a home in the past, but has not owned one in the past 3 years, they also could qualify for this great new incentive! Do someone a favor and let them know! Give me a call and I'll email you some of the details whether you know a first time home buyer, or someone who hasn't owned a home in over 3 years. Cathy Kirkman Cathy.Kirkman@homefinder.org Direct: 812-650-4134

• Neighborhood Garage Sale coming!!! around the 3rd Saturday in May! Mark your calendars for around the 3rd Saturday in May and start watching for the OFFICIAL DATE. Start piling up all the stuff you no longer want, all the clothes your children have outgrown, all the toys that are spilling out your doors and windows! If you're thinking of selling your home in the next several months, it would be great to make a little extra $ now rather than be in a hurry later and have to toss out a lot of great stuff other people would be willing to buy! REAL ESTATE TIP: REMEMBER--less stuff in rooms and closets allows those rooms and closets to appear larger to buyers. Stuff makes them appear small. This is not the official announcement, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up since there was such late notice last time. More reason to regularly check this website and to use it to your advantage. Remember that if you have things left over from your garage sale, you can advertise them on here as well as on other great websites that serve the Bloomington area. Happy bargains and happy extra cash! Cathy Kirkman Avenues Realty Group Direct: 812-650-4134

• View 4th Quarter 2008 Real Estate Stats for The Highlands Now updated! Cick on the large, reddish rectangular 'button' on the real estate page that says, 'Most Recent Highland Real Estate Stats' Also, to view all the listings in The Highlands, click on, 'Featured Homes' a little below the stats. The 'Search all Bloomington Properties' will include Highlands homes along with all the Bloomington area homes for sale. Got questions? I'll be glad to answer them, Cathy Cathy.Kirkman@homefinder.org

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  YOUNG LIFE --- Greater Bloomington Take 'the plunge'!

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  Got Middle Schoolers and High School Kids? Check out Young Life activities at: ....................................................................................................... http://sites.younglife.org/sites/greaterbloomington/ ........................................................................................................ There is even a really fun camp kids can go to this summer. I'm thinking The Blob, a ZipLine, lots of laughs, horseback riding....being crazy...it's a blast! =YOUNG LIFE= --Greater Bloomington For more information send emails to: younglife.IN35@gmail.com

• More on the Surveillance Sign This is from Linda Cummings, Beazer New Home Counselor . Linda used to be at our model in The Highlands and is now at Stonechase out on W 3rd Street: Hello, I want to make you aware that the builder has taken a proactive step by placing a new sign about surveillance at the entrance all of their communities. These have been put up to protect the builder and to be in compliance with the insurance carrier. Unfortunately, building sites are easy targets for vandalism and theft and there have been areas in Indianapolis that have had trouble with things going missing during the build process. The surveillance is limited to construction only and not the whole neighborhood. It’s so nice to know that everyone is honest and above board down here in Bloomington. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. My best, Linda Cummings New Home Counselor Beazer Homes - Bloomington, IN 812-825-6330 Stonechase Hours: Mon. 1-6, Thurs. - Sat. 11-6 & Sunday 12-6 lcumming@beazer.com

• What is 'ReSTORE' ? You can donate TO or pick up bargains at 'REStore' at 300 W. 11th St in Bloomington. You can bring or buy ktichen & bathroom cabinets, furniture, lighting fixtures (no flourescents) and building supplies that have been donated or taken out of homes being remodeled. Donations: *Goods that are still Good can be donated. *Receive a tax benefit *Help the environemnt by keeping usable materials out of the landfill. *Support Habitat for Humanity's mission of affordable housing. *Pick up is available within Monroe County. Open Monday - Friday 10:30-5:30 Saturday - 11:00-4:00 CALL 331-2660 for pick up & more information.

• New Pictures on Neighborhood Pictures Page Check out the new winter storm pictures on the 'Neighborhood Pictures Page'. Don't miss the GIANT SNOWMAN ON WICKENS! Send in your own pics to share with all of us!

• Beware of Bogus Green Labeling (article) By Robert Bieselin RISMEDIA, Nov. 6, 2008-(MCT) Green isn’t always what it seems, an environmental educator told consumers Saturday at a seminar in Lyndhurst, N.J. Consumers have grown increasingly ecology-minded during the past five years, and the marketplace has reacted, filling shelves with a sea of products that claim to be “green,” or something similar, such as “organic,” “natural” or “sustainable.” Packaging is commonly adorned with mountainous landscapes and other natural imagery, accompanied by slogans that imply some indistinct intention by the manufacturer to protect the globe. In many cases, experts say, it’s a lot of hype, or what they call “greenwashing.” “The word ‘green’ doesn’t mean anything,” said Susan Lewicki, senior environmental educator for the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s new Environmental Center in Lyndhurst, which is itself built according to the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council. “A lot of products that claim to be green really have no benefit on the environment. It’s just a way to get your attention,” she said. To separate fact from fabrication, the commission hosted a seminar Saturday to help interested consumers see through vague claims to find products that actually are good for the environment. In a new classroom, populated by fish tanks, lab stations and stuffed raccoons and herons, the Ramapo College educator explained how prevalent and diverse greenwashing has become. “One study, which tested a thousand products claiming to be green, found that all but one made some sort of claim that was deceiving,” said Lewicki, citing a report by eco-marketing firm Terrachoice that identified many green claims as vague, irrelevant, unproven or just plain false. After an informal presentation, Lewicki allowed participants in the seminar to do their own investigating, passing around products with dubious or questionable “green” credentials. Items included tea and honey marketed as “natural,” aerosol cans labeled as CFC-free-something all such cans have been since 1978-and entirely synthetic solvents that attempted to appear more natural by putting fruit on their labels. “In some cases, a label may highlight something which may be true, but distracts from some worse aspects of the product,” she said, comparing fruit-scented chemicals to organic cigarettes or Spam Lite. After casting a fair amount of doubt, Lewicki gave tips on what consumers can do to protect themselves from being greenwashed. For starters, she said, read packaging and investigate beyond superficial claims. If you’re not satisfied by labels, check product websites to see whether vague claims can be substantiated. And more importantly, don’t just trust what a company says about its products. Instead, look for a third-party certification that can verify ecological claims. “I’m very green-so green I have neighbors that make fun of me for it,” said Maureen McDonald of Secaucus, N.J., who keeps compost, cleans primarily with vinegar and alcohol and recycles “everything.” “But I didn’t know what to look for. Now I know what to trust and which organization certificates to look for.” For help in identifying green items, Lewicki suggested checking the Internet, primarily trusted sites such as: federal Food and Drug Administration, fda.gov; Department of Agriculture, usda.gov; the Global Ecolabelling Network, globalecolabelling.net; or Green Seal, greenseal.org, which identify deceptive labeling and offer information on legitimate green certifications. “These companies don’t want you to think,” Lewicki said. “They want you to buy these products and get a warm, fuzzy feeling for doing the right thing. But you should ask questions and investigate these claims if you really want to do the right thing.” © 2008, North Jersey Media Group Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

• Please Buckle Up! I just read a newsletter from my insurance agent which, if I didn't already buckle up EVERY time I got in a car--I would now! If you are driving 55 MPH and crash into something, which stops your car--your body is still traveling 55 MPH! If you are going 45 MPH and you crash into another car coming at you at 45 MPH--the impact is EQUAL TO your crashing into that car going as if you were going 90 MPH !!!! Kind of scary!--So buckle up, make sure your riders are buckled up, and buckle in that precous cargo of babies and children! Happy and Safe New Year 2009!

• Who plows and salts our roads? Who is in charge of clearing our roads? My husband and I have been trying to find the appropriate number to call to get someone out here to clear The Highlands to no avail. The HOA number listed on this site does not help since it's after-hours and our roads need cleaned now. For as much is allocated to snow removal in our HOA fees, we should have cleared streets. Currently, The Highlands streets are practically the only streets left in the city that have not been touched. I've seen several cars in ditches and my own son was involved in a small fender bender due to the lack of attention to our streets. Who do we contact to get this taken care of? And I mean taken care of now and not M-F 8am - 5pm.

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  Black Widow Spiders Just to let the neighborhood know. We found a black widow spider behind our house recently. They can be very harmful to small children and elderly. They are black with a red hourglass shape on their underside. Go to this website for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_widow_spider

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