The disaster that is Tropical Storm Harvey is still ongoing. It will be some time before the waters recede and the effect on Houston can be fully assessed. But it is already clear the damage to property is immense. Tens of thousands of structures were impacted by floodwaters. Eventually, Houston will require massive cleanup, demolition, and reconstruction of individual homes, large buildings, and infrastructure.

The first concern will be the financial resources necessary: Will insurance companies cover all the losses, and how much of them? How will the federal government’s heavily indebted flood insurance program come up with the cash to pay claims? And how much additional assistance will the federal government provide?

There’s another problem: a lack of human resources. It takes a lot of labor to remove debris after a storm and then reinstall Sheetrock and drywall, rebuild floors, and fix electrical and plumbing systems. The work is resistant to automation. And it is but one way in which Houston, which was poorly situated to deal with a hurricane, may also be poorly situated to recover from it.

More at source: Slate.com

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PORTLAND, Ore. – A workers union plans to protest the new owners of a downtown Portland office building, saying the owners have changed janitorial service companies to save cost and cut longtime union jobs. 

The Service Employees International Union Local 49 said it expected hundreds to to protest Chicago-based Zeller Realty at the Umpqua Bank Plaza

More at source: KGW.com 

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A federal lawsuit against the Detroit school district is officially over.

U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith signed off on the dismissal of the lawsuit today, more than a week after the district's board of education approved a $28-million settlement with Sodexo Management, the janitorial services company.

The board on Aug. 15 approved the settlement that would pay the company over two years, with the first payment of $16 million coming this month. Additional payments would be made of $2 million in February, $2 million in April and $8 million in August 2018.

More at source: Detroit Free Press

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When the weather starts to cool down and you feel a nip in the air, it means that cold and flu season are just around the corner. Although there is no sure-fire way to avoid catching a cold or the flu, there are a number of things you can do to reduce your risk of these illnesses this fall and winter. On this page, we've rounded up the most important information from Live Science on how to help prevent cold and flu, and what to do if you get sick.

Cold and flu infections both cause similar symptoms, and they are both more common in the winter months compared to other times of the year. But these illnesses have important differences. For example:

Only influenza viruses cause the flu, while many different viruses can cause colds.

There is a vaccine to prevent the flu, while there is no vaccine to prevent the common cold.

Adults have an average of two to three colds a year, but only get the flu about twice a decade. Kids get colds and the flu more frequently.

More at source: Live Science

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Forensic science researchers at an Ohio university have discovered that a certain household cleaning product can help law enforcement agencies clean up Fentanyl spills.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Bowling Green State University President Mary Ellen Mazey announced on Thursday that researchers have determined that household cleaner OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover has proven scientifically to be effective in cleaning up Fentanyl spills.

More At Source: Fox News

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Detroit schools would be on the hook for $28 million to settle a costly lawsuit with a janitorial services company.

The Detroit board of education  is  to take action Tuesday on a proposed settlement with Maryland-based Sodexo Management, which first filed a lawsuit against the district in 2014.

The company would be paid $28 million over two years, with the first payment of $16 million coming this month, according to background information prepared for the board for the meeting.

More at source: Detroit Free Press

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Higher wages would spur huge increase in Palo Alto's janitorial costs

Jose Elizalde, custodian assistant for the City of Palo Alto, heads out to empty trash and clean the facilities at Cubberley Community Center on Aug. 8, 2017. Elizalde, an hourly employee with the city of Palo Alto, also works part-time for the Palo Alto Unified School District. Photo by Veronica Weber.

Palo Alto's commitment to fair wages will face its first real test Monday night, when the City Council considers a new janitorial contract that will more than double the cost of keeping City Hall and other public buildings clean.

The proposed five-year contract with the firm SWA Services Group would cost the city about $1.9 million in the first year, which according to a Public Works Department report represents an increase of about $1.2 million in 2018 alone over the current provider. In subsequent years, the city would pay between $1.96 million and $2.15 million for the service.

More at source: Palo Alto Online

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We are excited when we add a new client, business, school, doctor’s office or manufacturer to our roster of clients. We know that we are helping that company to be its best. While talking to business owners, we often hear,

 “We do the cleaning ourselves” or, “The employees take turns doing the cleaning of the office.” We are often given “reasons” why companies do not need a professional janitorial service. I’d like to take a minute to look at the reasons why they should. It may seem financially beneficial to multitask and take care of the company’s cleaning needs in house, but there are many reasons to re-think this strategy, and determine whether is it actually helping in the long run. Here are some thoughts:

EXPERTISE – A professional janitorial company has trained individuals that understand the job. They know what to look for and how to take care of it. A good cleaning company has training programs and standards by which the cleaning staff must adhere. It has years of experience and knows what needs to be done to keep things in tip top shape.

More at source: Flagstaff Business News

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Today in ‘everything you touch is disgusting’ news, your kitchen sponge is so filth-ridden that you may want to just get up now, run to the kitchen, and toss it in the bin.

Each sponge was separated into its top and bottom parts with sterile instruments, and immediately frozen until the researchers could conduct DNA extraction and FISH staining.

The owners of the sponges were then asked if they regularly applied special measures to clean their sponge, such as heating it in the microwave or rinsing with hot, soapy water, and how frequently they changed their sponge

More at source: Metro UK

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HUNTSVILLE — For a third consecutive year, Scott County’s contract for janitorial supplies has created some contention.

This time around, County Commission reversed a previous stance of awarding the county’s janitorial bid to a local company despite its higher bid, causing representatives from that company to appear before commissioners Monday to make a plea that the bid be reconsidered.

County Commission last month followed the recommendation of the Scott County Finance Committee and awarded the bid for janitorial supplies to Ellison Supply, a LaFollette-based company that submitted the lowest bid for supplies for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. On Monday, representatives for Scott Janitorial, a local company with a parent office in Somerset, Ky., appeared before commissioners to request they reconsider the bid.

More at source: IHOnedia.com

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