Best Apprentices win Competition

The Rocky Mountain Masonry Foundation awarded two scholarships on Sept. 26 to the winners of the Masonry Apprentice Bricklaying Competition at Front Range Community College. Kent Kosakewich (beginner division) and Chris Dernocoeur (advanced division) were selected as the best apprentice masons in their divisions at the FRCC Masonry Arts program. Working from blueprints, the competitors had one hour to build a masonry structure. Their work was judged on height, level, plumb, neatness, correct design, square and range, manipulation, uniform joints, speed and safety practices. The two apprentices received scholarships to FRCC, tools, and cash prizes. The competition was judged by Dale Martinez from JVS Masonry, Wayne Grosvenor from Grosvenor Masonry, and Ray McDermott from Selway Masonry.

Funds for the scholarships were raised through the foundation’s annual 5K run. The 2008 Run Around the Block 5k was held Sept. 7 at Sloan’s Lake. In addition to the scholarships, funds raised at the annual 5K run were also used to purchase masonry textbooks for architecture and engineering students at the University of Wyoming.

Immigration reform group

Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together is putting pressure on the feds to keep immigration reform in the spotlight, and get something done.
This is an interesting group. http://www.matt.org/english/index.html
Not sure if they will accomplish what they aim to, but enough Colorado Business leaders have bought into it that they met Gov. Ritter on the steps of the State Capitol for a press conference.
Regardless of what you think about the bailout, when the economy recovers we will need legal workers to move things forward.

Thornton takes the LEED

Last night a Denver suburb, the city of Thornton, officially adopted a commercial design ordinance which requires that commercial structures be primarily brick, block, or other durable facade. This ordinance took two years of negotiations and conversations between city council and city planners to develop, and is primarily aimed at developments of 15 acres or more.
You can read the ordinance at:
http://www.cityofthornton.net/cclk/Council/2008/092308/8D.pdf
This is a well-done ordinance which gives the city control over the appearance of its commercial developments and addresses the need for responsible, sustainable development.

Progress???

ICE arrested 59 illegal immigrants in Colorado over the past four days:
Federal agents caught 30 fugitives in 14 Colorado cities who refused to leave the country after being ordered to do so or who failed to show up for their immigration hearings.
ICE agents arrested 29 additional people they encountered during the fugitive sweep on other immigration violations, according to the agency.
Great!
11,999,941 to go

precedent in immigration battle

A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld an Arizona law that penalizes businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants and requires them to verify the employment status of their workers.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision rejected a challenge by business and civil rights groups that contend that the law infringes on federal immigration powers.

I wonder what things would look like if the residential construction market were strong and US was in desperate need of workers who have a work ethic and are willing to do hard labor.

Construction of new homes and apartments fell to its weakest pace in 17 years in August, far more than expected, but lower mortgage rates and tax credits have given builders some glimmer of hope of a possible rebound.
Housing construction dropped 6.2 percent last month, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday, far larger than the 1.6 percent decline analysts had been expecting.
It was the slowest building pace since January 1991, but that should help clear out bloated inventories of unsold homes. Building activity is on track to slide below the 1 million mark for the year, the first time that has happened in more than six decades.

Some people don't get it

We've blogged about this before. This is not the appropriate use for bricks.

DENVER (AP) - Denver police say they found rocks, bricks and sticks stashed around the city that may have been placed there by people planning violence during the Democratic National Convention.