Project uses tree rings to determine age of historic Atlanta buildings
Why it matters: While historical documents may say a building was constructed in a certain year, the wood used to create the structure could tell us a different story.
Driving the news: Cobb Landmarks is using dendrochronology — the study of tree rings — to pinpoint when wood for metro Atlanta buildings was harvested for construction.
What they're saying: Trevor Beemon, Cobb Landmarks' executive director, told Axios they are partnering with University of West Georgia students who, under the guidance of two professors, will take 12 to 15 samples from structures around metro Atlanta.
Buildings in the study include the William Root House, Power-Jackson Cabin and Brumby Hall in Cobb County, Mimosa Hall in Roswell and several buildings in Atlanta's South Downtown neighborhood.
"This is an opportunity for us to partner with science to help make sure that the history that we're sharing is as accurate as possible," Beemon said.
Zoom in: Bryan Capps Jr., project manager for South Downtown, said samples will be taken from about three dozen buildings that are undergoing structural rehabilitation and stabilization.
The partnership is "really the one chance" South Downtown has to learn about these buildings before they are redeveloped, Capps said.
The intrigue: Throughout the process, Capps said, they've noticed that many buildings have been "stitched together" with cosmetic fixes over the years, including finding missing walls and plenty of windows that were bricked over.
Beemon said there's a theory that part of the Root House, a Marietta-based museum managed by Cobb Landmarks that documents life in the mid-19th century, was built before the official established date of 1845.
"It's already a significant structure, but it could be even more significant if it predates 1845," he said. "That would make it really one of the oldest structures in Marietta."
The bottom line: Capps said the project could debunk misconceptions that Atlanta was reduced to ashes during Gen. William T. Sherman's March to the Sea.
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Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Jan Kay, stalwart west suburban volunteer, dies
Jan Kay led Wheaton's League of Women Voters chapter and focused other volunteer efforts on helping the homeless and disadvantaged, serving for more than two decades on the western suburb's Housing Commission and Commission on Aging. 'Jan had a gift for reaching out to others, especially those who were disenfranchised or on the margins, to make sure they knew she saw them and could be a friend (and) an ally,' said Kim Hesterman Reed, a friend and member of the League of Women Voters of Glen Ellyn. Kay, 89, died of natural causes on June 10 while in hospice care at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, said her son, Bob. She had been a longtime Wheaton resident. Born Janice Lucille Cave in Waverly, Iowa, Kay received a bachelor's degree in music from Wartburg College in Waverly in 1959. While at Wartburg, Kay met her future husband, Thomas O. Kay. The couple married in 1959 and moved to Wheaton, where her husband taught history at Wheaton College for 45 years. He died in 2022. For many years, Kay taught piano in her home, and she also played the piano at her church and accompanied the chorus at Hawthorne Elementary School in Wheaton, where her children went, her son said. Kay also served on Wheaton's United Way board. In Kay's later years, she became deeply involved in her community. She was president of Wheaton's League of Women Voters chapter from 1993 until 1995 and again from 2005 until 2009 and earlier, she had served as the group's action chair. And she served on the board of the city's Housing Commission — now known as its Commission on Aging — from 1997 until her death. 'She was a very strong advocate for our community,' Wheaton Mayor Philip Suess said in June at a City Council meeting. 'You think of her community involvement over the years that she's lived in Wheaton, she and her husband, Tom, were great advocates for the community, and (they were involved) … through their church, through Wheaton College and through the League of Women Voters.' Colleagues recalled Kay's interest in people on welfare and those experiencing homelessness. Starting in the 1990s, Kay was involved with a Chicago-based women's group called Creating Bridges, which held simulations aimed at helping middle-class suburbanites better understand the frustrating, entangling webs of welfare agencies. 'I've gotten to know women who have had to be in the (welfare) system for some time,' Kay told the Tribune in 1991. 'I hope I'm a help to them … as a friend.' That same commitment to assisting those in need spurred Kay to become part of the Continuum of Care, a DuPage County-led agency that is a planning body that works with a variety of agencies to provide strategies at ending and preventing homelessness. Kay served on the DuPage Continuum of Cares Gaps and Needs Committee for more than three decades until her death. The Gaps and Needs Committee identifies the gaps in services and the needs of the Continuum of Care in serving vulnerable populations, including analyzing local data and providing evidence to further address and support such needs within the community. 'What made Jan Kay so special is that she was such a powerful advocate and such a compassionate champion for so many people and so many causes,' said Lisa Snipes, the DuPage Continuum of Care's continuum planner. 'She was a people person, and the work she did with the Continuum of Care was centered around individuals experiencing homelessness.' Snipes recalled that whenever Kay would encounter someone who was homeless, 'she would have so much compassion and kindness for people who were vulnerable and who found themselves in unfortunate circumstances that she would engage them in conversation and buy them a sandwich and sit down and listen. That was so comforting. She practiced what she preached.' Kay also was very active in the DuPage Federation on Human Services Reform, a nonprofit collaboration of government and community groups that works to marshal local resources to address human services needs. With her knowledge of elected officials and legislation through her work with the League of Women Voters, Kay led a committee for advocacy at the DuPage Federation. She had been involved with that group since its inception in 1995. 'She was generous with her time to help the federation do its best job for advocacy,' said David Roth, the group's executive director. 'Jan excelled at supporting people, and she is one who fervently believed that if we worked together, we can get this done. And she did it with a graciousness and a passion that was unsurpassed.' Early this year, Wheaton honored Kay with the city's volunteer Excellence Award. In addition to her son, Kay is survived by a daughter, Catherine; another son, John; two sisters, Virginia Ruzicka and Rebecca Radel; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Services were held.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
How a $1.8M grant will help YSS fund transitional housing for homeless youth in central Iowa
An Ames-based organization is helping curtail youth homelessness thanks to a $1.8 million grant. YSS, a non-profit that offers education, counseling and emergency shelter to youth across the state, was awarded funds for its Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP). The two-year program will provide transitional housing and rapid rehousing support to 36 youth aged 16 to 24. The transitional housing will offer supportive housing for 12 young adults aged 16 to 21. Rapid rehousing will accommodate up to 24 young adults aged 18 to 24, YSS Transitional Housing Director Cassandra Cruz said. "Both components are designed to address the unique needs of youth experiencing homelessness by providing stable housing paired with individualized support services for up to two years, with the goal of successful discharges to permanent housing options," Cruz said. The almost $1.8 million grant came from the Iowa Balance of State Continuing of Care/Community Plan. The joint program will cover the Two River Region, which includes Story, Marshall, Hardin, Boone and Greene Counties. YSS anticipates that about 70% of the funds, about $1.2 million, will be spent in Ames and Story County. The new housing program is scheduled to begin on Oct. 1 by hiring staff. YSS will start accepting referrals once staff is trained. More: Carr Park agility course now open, offers cargo nets, ladders and more The transitional housing component will offer individual housing units and roommate-style housing arrangements for single youth. The rapid rehousing component will provide flexible housing options to accommodate single youth, couples, and families, with the goal of providing long-term housing stability and independence for up to 24 months. The YSS program is income-based, and all participants must be willing to provide income data to be eligible. Participants will undergo an annual assessment to determine if they qualify for the second year. More: A new $1.2M childcare center has opened in Slater, filling a vital need. What to know Interested youth must be within the specified age range and undergo an entry process, Cruz said. "Once a youth is pulled from the coordinated entry process, they will have additional assessments with staff to determine the best fit for them," Cruz said. "Once housed, goals will be developed, and they will have up to two years of supportive assistance offered." YSS offers "offer education to build healthy minds and bodies; counseling to overcome life's challenges; and stability to focus on the future," according to the organization's website. The organization was established in 1976 and expanded into Boone, Des Moines, Marshalltown, Nevada and Webster City in the 1980s. YSS has been housing young adults in its communities for the past 39 years, with a foundation rooted in the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project. More: New $30M campus represents 'largest investment in children's behavioral health' in Iowa "We are committed to continuing to apply for and utilizing all local, state, and federal funding to end youth homelessness in our communities," Cruz said. "We firmly believe that every youth deserves a place to call home and will continue to respond to the needs that we are observing in our communities to create hope and opportunity for the next generation." YSS recently opened the Ember Recovery Campus in Cambridge, a $30 million, 70-bed youth behavioral and mental health campus that will provide residential addiction treatment, emergency shelter, and crisis stabilization for youth and young adults. The City of Ames is taking steps to help its transient community. The city-funded Homelessness Outreach Services Team (HOST) discovered that the most common reasons residents are homeless are their inability to afford rent, past evictions, or landlords not allowing a lease renewal. The outreach team has identified several gaps in services, including a shortage of mental health services, shelter beds and affordable housing opportunities. Homeless individuals often struggle to obtain IDs that have been lost or stolen, and there is minimal case management. More: Iowa State, Mary Greeley partnering to build a nurse training center, employee housing. HOST estimated it has assisted about seven people per week, or 168 people in the last six months. The team has sheltered 51 people during that span. In January 2025, the Ames City Council allocated $11,250 for the outreach team to address as the need for additional clothing, personal hygiene, bus passes and more. A little more than $6,500 had been spent through May, leaving about $4,700 leftover. The financial support from the city has had a great impact in the community, team member Susan Moore, a licensed social worker at Mary Greeley, said at the Ames City Council meeting on June 24. "People often think, 'Everyone in Ames is hiring, go get a job.' Well, it doesn't work like that when someone stole your backpack and you don't have your birth certificate or an ID," Moore said. "There's so many things that go into someone applying for an apartment or getting a job, significant barriers that we have been able to help with." Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@ This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: A $1.8M grant will aid YSS' efforts to provide youth housing in Iowa
Newsweek
9 hours ago
- Newsweek
Video of Shelter Dog Pacing Goes Viral As Staff Say: 'Nothing Comforts Her'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Pennsylvania-based animal shelter has shared footage that reveals the toll that life there can take on anxious animals. In a video shared on Facebook, Griffin Pond Animal Shelter in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, revealed 1-year-old shepherd mix Iris's distressed behavior in the kennel, pacing back and forth. "Her fear was a heartbreaking but common sight; many dogs arrive at our shelter without the socialization or confidence-building they needed in their early life, making a loud shelter environment terrifying," Sherry Crolly, development director at Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, told Newsweek. Iris was initially picked up as a stray by Scranton Animal Control. The shelter posted the video hoping someone might see past Iris's fear and recognize the gentle dog underneath. "We shared her video, hoping someone would see the sweet, deserving dog beneath the fear. And people responded," Crolly said. Iris has now found a forever home. "We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to our community, Iris (now named Bella) will be officially adopted on Tuesday, July 15," Crolly said. Pictures of Iris the dog, who struggles with shelter life. Pictures of Iris the dog, who struggles with shelter life. Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, Facebook Her journey from stray to adopted dog is a triumph—but also a stark reminder of the overwhelming strain shelters like Griffin Pond are currently facing. "Her success story is what we work for every day. However, it also highlights a crisis we can no longer face alone. Since January 2023, our shelter and shelters nationwide have been operating at double capacity," Crolly said. "This means dogs just like Iris are still here, waiting for a quiet room, but their happy ending isn't guaranteed." Alongside a video of the stray dog shared on Facebook, the shelter said: "This is the unfortunate reality some dogs face when entering the shelter. Some never settle, relax or stop this behavior. Nothing we do comforts her, we don't know her real name so we can't even try to help her by calling her something familiar." Crolly shared the major concerns for shelters. "A shelter is not a home. While we provide safety, the environment can be incredibly stressful for anxious animals or any other animal," she said. Concern about space was also an issue. "We lack space and staff. Overcrowding limits our ability to provide the one-on-one walks, enrichment, and training that build confidence," Crolly said. "Resources are scarce. Without the ability to provide intensive behavioral care, we must sometimes turn to medication to ease a dog's severe anxiety." The director hopes that, by sharing Iris' story, it will encourage more people to support shelters. "We hope the public will look at their local shelters and rescues, adopt, foster, or volunteer," Crolly said. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
