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News Briefs

Date Posted: August 3 2007

Union Sportsmen's Alliance launched
Union men and women who hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors -about 3.2 million, according to a recent survey - can now join together in the AFL-CIO-backed Union Sportsmen's Alliance (USA).

The new outdoor enthusiasts' group is a joint venture between 21 unions and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP). One of the main goals of the two groups is working together to boost the TRCP's long-standing dedication to guaranteeing access for hunters and anglers, conserving fish and wildlife habitat and increasing funding for conservation.

TRCP President George Cooper says union members are some of the most active conservationists in the nation but most of them are not affiliated with hunting, fishing or conservation organizations. "USA gives them a unique affiliation opportunity and will bring them into our fight to insure policymakers are better addressing the priorities of our nation's sportsmen-conservationists," he said.

The dues-based group's new website will help union members plan trips, learn tips, swap stories and save on hunting and fishing gear for an annual membership fee of $25 or a charter membership fee of $40.

For more information, go to www.unionsportsmen.org (From the AFL-CIO).

Long-time editor Constantineau dies
Don Constantineau, who worked at The Building Tradesman from the paper's inception in January 1952 until he retired as editor in 1989, died July 20, 2007. He was 80 years old.

A Navy veteran, Mr. Constantineau started as a reporter for the Detroit Times in 1948. During his tenure with The Tradesman, the paper won several labor journalism awards, but he was known just as much for his people skills.

"He was just an outgoing, social guy who got along with everybody," said Dave Davis, the Tradesman's retired advertising director. "Don was a nice easy-going guy who was always good for a laugh."

An article published in The Building Tradesman when Don retired in 1989 noted his "genial nature," and the 12 journalism awards the paper won while he was there. "His recognition factor was enhanced by his dapper attire and fancy footwork on the dance floor of many banquets he attended over the years," the article said.

U.S. residential work 'a disaster'
A July 3rd decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has struck down the last challenge blocking the construction of the $270 million Firekeepers Casino in Emmett Township, near Battle Creek.

To rise on a 78-acre site, the facility is to be built by the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians on property located near I-94 and 11 Mile Road. The tribe says it expects to break ground on the project this coming fall. Completion is being expected within 12 months.

Full House Resorts, Las Vegas, Nevada, has said it will be handling the facility's design and construction. The project has been opposed by a group known as the Citizens Exposing Truth About Casinos for about eight years. (From MichiganConstructionNews.com)

More schools get 'responsible'
Public and private nonresidential building is fueling the U.S. construction industry, said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), earlier this month. "Private residential spending remains a disaster."

He was commenting on a U.S. Commerce Department report from the beginning of last month, that said total U.S. construction was down 3.9 percent in the first five months of 2007 compared to the same months in 2006. But broken down, that number includes a jump of 15 percent for nonresidential construction and a plunge of 18 percent for the residential sector.
"I expect private nonresidential construction to keep up the pace for the second half of 2007 and probably right through 2008 as well," Simonson said. For the residential market, "I don't foresee an improvement in these numbers before the second quarter of 2008," he said.