Murky water hid dead body in Mass. pool for 2 days

via ksl.com

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) - A preliminary investigation shows "murky and cloudy" water in a public swimming pool helped conceal the body of a drowned woman for two days while people swam there, authorities said Friday.

The Bristol County district attorney's office said the body of Marie Joseph was submerged at the bottom of the 12-foot-deep end of the pool from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday evening.

Joseph, 36, was a hotel housekeeper in Newport, R.I. She was from Haiti and had five children. Her body was discovered after it floated to the surface shortly before some youngsters sneaked into the pool for a clandestine swim Tuesday night.

The medical examiner's office has determined the manner of her death to be accidental and the cause to be asphyxiation by drowning.

The probe shows the water in the Fall River pool was murky from the time the pool opened for the season last Saturday. Visibility tests conducted Wednesday revealed a diver couldn't be seen at a depth of 3 1/2 to 4 feet below the surface of the water.

"Although this office is releasing this preliminary information regarding the case today, the investigation into the death, the circumstances surrounding it and the delay in discovering the body is ongoing," the district attorney's office said in a statement.

State Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Edward Lambert said the preliminary findings "are deeply disturbing."

The agency will immediately begin investigating issues related to Joseph's death, including clarity of the pool water and whether water quality protocols were followed, Lambert said.

The death at Veterans Memorial Pool surprised and troubled swimmers, residents and public officials.

Lambert's agency, which runs the pool, immediately closed all 30 deep-water swimming pools and began reviewing safety and operational procedures.

Lambert said that 11 pools reopened Friday after safety inspectors found they met all safety guidelines and their staffs are well-trained. Additional pools will reopen once their reviews are complete.

But the Fall River pool will not reopen anytime soon because its entire staff has been suspended. City officials also have said that they will not issue a permit to reopen until state officials assure them that swimmers will be safe there.

Lambert, however, said state-run pools do not require local permits to operate.

"There are some instances where local communities come in and perform inspections. We don't discourage that," he said.

State officials on Friday sought to reassure the public about safety at public swimming pools ahead of the July Fourth holiday weekend.

Lambert said the pool closures and subsequent safety review reflected his agency's desire to "err on the side of caution so the public could have confidence in our facilities."

ksl.com - Housing project revitalizing downtown Ogden neighborhood

ksl.com - Housing project revitalizing downtown Ogden neighborhood

What a little paint can do for a home

Maximum Value Budget Projects: Painting

By FrontDoor.com | Published: 11/08/2010

With the right color paint, a room can feel brighter, larger and cleaner.

Painting is a fundamental part of caring for your home. You can hide imperfections, show off architectural features and transform and preserve any space in the home. Remodeling, landscaping and other home projects can take a toll on your budget, but painting can transform any room with a few swipes of a brush. A room can feel brighter, larger and cleaner with the right color paint, and painting can immediately increase home value.
CURRENT TRENDS

• Ceiling paint. In older homes, the unfortunate and dated trend of popcorn ceilings can be a deterrent for potential buyers. Get rid of the textured treatment and go over the newly smooth ceiling with a color that complements the rest of your home. Usually a white or some sort of neutral shade will work best.
• Start with a smooth foundation. Painting a room will do you no good if you haven't primed the walls for painting. Patch holes and seal any cracks you come across to begin with a smooth foundation. According to appraisal expert, Leslie Sellers, president of the Appraisal Institute, getting the best result always comes from following one simple rule: "80 percent preparation and 20 percent paint."

BIGGEST MISTAKE
According to Sellers, if your home was built before 1978 and the paint has seen better days, you should consider getting rid of all old paint that most likely has traces of a lead base. "Talk to a professional about how to get rid of the lead-base paint safety, and start from scratch," says Sellers.
Secondly, once you have decided to paint, it's important to pair a room with the correct paint. It sounds simple, but without knowledge of what kind of paint to use, you could wind up doing more harm than good. Once you have decided where to paint, consult a professional at your local home improvement or paint store to find the best paint for that specific area. All those paint choices exist for a reason! Learning the fundamentals will help keep you from having to start from scratch. Once you learn the basics, terms like eggshell, latex, primer and textured won't seem so daunting.
EXPERT TIPS

• On a Budget: Make a big statement without taking up a significant amount of time and money by choosing two or three rooms in the home that get the most use or have the most work to be done. Paint those areas to brighten the space and renew their purpose. Dirty kitchen backsplashes or a bright-purple kid's room can be given new life with a neutral color that appeals to the masses.
• Mid-Range/High-End: Once you have a satisfactory referral, consult with a professional painting company or paint contractor that can come in and tackle designated -- or all -- areas of the home. Typically, with more than one set of hands to do the job and with years of experience under their belt, you can expect an efficient and high-quality job to be done. The time saved by allowing a professional to step in is often well worth the price.