Latest news with #restoration
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Publix Commits to Multiyear Project for Coral Reef Restoration
LAKELAND, Fla., July 30, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--During the first year of Publix's effort, the company donated $675,000 to further support coral reef restoration efforts at Biscayne National Park and Dry Tortugas National Park through the National Park Foundation (NPF). This was the first donation as part of the company's $2 million multiyear commitment. Publix first donated to coral restoration efforts with NPF in 2022. "At Publix, we remain committed to supporting efforts that aid in protecting, conserving and restoring coral reefs around Florida," said Publix Director of Communications Maria Brous. "We're proud to fund this multiyear effort through NPF and continue looking for meaningful ways to provide additional support throughout our operating area." The company's donation will continue to support various coral reef restoration projects, including transplanting nursery-grown corals restoring storm-damaged corals treating corals affected by diseases completing coral rescues in response to marine heat waves and mass bleaching events removing invasive species to maintain a healthy reef fish population providing in-water protection for corals growing larvae of protected coral species and restoring reef habitat through the removal of submerged marine debris. Biscayne National Park America's largest marine park, Biscayne National Park, can be found south of Miami, and a large portion of the Florida Reef Tract is located within the park's boundaries. In recent years, the area has been affected by heat waves, hurricanes and the ongoing outbreak of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, a highly lethal disease that affects coral and can spread quickly between reefs. Dry Tortugas National Park Dry Tortugas National Park is a 100-square-mile park 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, and includes seven islands. This remote park is home to a variety of unique coral reefs and marine life and is only accessible by boat or seaplane. In fact, only 1% of Dry Tortugas National Park is dry ground. In recent years, Dry Tortugas National Park has been affected by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease. Publix's other conservation efforts Publix is focused on doing good for the environment throughout its operations and in the communities it serves. Efforts include restoring water in the Florida Everglades; tree plantings to support reforestation efforts in the Southeast; improving fuel usage in transportation; using efficient technologies in our stores and support locations; offering sustainably and responsibly sourced seafood options in stores; and implementing an expansive recycling program across its operations. During the company's April 2025 Good Together environmental campaign, Publix associates and customers donated more than $2.6 million to fund tree plantings with the Arbor Day Foundation and marine debris removal projects with NPF and FORCE BLUE. Read more about Publix's continued commitment to sustainability at Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 260,000 associates, currently operates 1,413 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. For 28 consecutive years, the company has been recognized by Fortune as a great place to work. In addition, Publix's dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business. For more information, visit the company's newsroom at View source version on Contacts Maria Brous(863) 680-5339
CTV News
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Sask. man restoring farm trucks for collectors
Regina Watch WATCH: Wayne Mantyka has the story about a Saskatchewan man who has built a business restoring old prairie farm trucks for collectors.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
ECD Conjures Up 1967 Ford Mustang ‘Ghost'—with a Scary Price
ECD Automotive Design is expanding its bespoke offerings to Ford's popular pony car after establishing itself with Jaguar and Land Rover products. The first example of ECD's approach to the Ford Mustang is a 1967 Mustang dubbed 'Ghost.' ECD says anything from a nut-and-bolt restoration to an over-the-top custom is in the realm of possibility. Commissioning a full restoration or a custom car seems daunting, at least from the perspective of one who can't afford it. There's having to place a deposit in the hopes of months—or more than likely years—down the line seeing the fruits of a craftsman's labor. Adding to that, the fear that your dreams might one day wind up on the evening news. Fortunately, there are more than a handful of solutions to toss a vintage machine into your collection—for a fee. From Crumpets to Mustangs While not the latest to jump into the bespoke restoration and modification world, the folks at ECD Automotive Design have recently set aside their crumpets, scones, and Whitworth tools to expand their offerings to first-generation Ford Mustangs. The publicly traded restoration and customization firm formerly known as East Coast Defenders made its way, as its name would suggest, restoring and modifying vintage Land Rover Defenders. Even though the company has found success with its Land Rover operation, it's been branching out to Jaguars and now the Ford Mustang. The first example from what is now named ECD Automotive Design started life as a lowly Mustang coupe before going through a fastback conversion at ECD's facility. Of course, this fastback conversion wasn't the only major change from ECD. This '67 Mustang, dubbed Ghost, now rides on a Roadster Shop chassis and leans on a stroked Windsor powerplant from Roush. Going down the build sheet, the bones underneath the Ghost read like a pro-touring enthusiast's trip through the SEMA show after hitting the Mega Millions—seemingly no expense is spared on the hardware. The Parts and Pieces 'The thing that we do well is we try to build quality into every single aspect of the car,' says Elliot Humble, ECD's CTO and one of its founders, while walking around Ghost. 'So every single part we buy is a quality part. We don't cheap out on pretty much any area of the vehicles.' And, he doesn't seem to be wrong. The high-end Roush mill and Roadster Shop RS chassis are only two, albeit important, pieces of this Mustang. The interior gets Recaro power seats that are finished in custom leather coverings. The AM radio is gone, and a touchscreen Alpine head unit handles your podcast or Bob Seger playing duties. That Alpine head unit also enables Apple CarPlay, which should help you navigate to the next stop on the Hot Rod Power Tour. The Roadster Shop chassis comes equipped with the rear four-link controlled Ford 9-inch rear, and the Roadster Shop SPEC IFS control arms manage the front wheels with Fox fixed-valve dampers. Bringing this Mustang to a halt is a set of Baer four-piston calipers that clamp 11.0-inch rotors at each corner. Those brakes don't see any vacuum assist, but you do get power rack-and-pinion steering to make the machine more nimble for low-speed maneuvers. How It Drives If you're wondering how this all translates to the driving experience, well, it still feels like a first-generation Mustang, if that makes sense. Admittedly, we weren't given the chance to push this Mustang to its limit on a skid pad or autocross, but just cruising around the Detroit suburbs shows that it still has some of the charm of an early Mustang. Body roll and dive are better managed, of course, and there's plenty more power on tap than a worn out 289 CID mill. The beating heart of the operation, the 347 CID Ford small-block from Roush Performance, makes this custom Mustang a treat for the community. Churning out 465 hp, this Windsor-based Roush Performance V8 breathes in through a set of velocity stacks that are managed by Roush's own EFI system. This spendy V8 looks slick with the hood up and offers good part throttle operation, as well as nice throttle management while you're rolling into it. The tune smelled maybe on the rich side, but that could just be a sensitive nose at play. That V8 works through a 4R70W transmission from Bowler, which works well and lets the owner enjoy the car as they see fit. Overall, the transmission did what you'd expect from a lightly upgraded 4R70—the shifts are smooth but firm. That said, folks at ECD would be more than happy to give you three pedals and let you row your own gears. As with any custom car or bespoke build, there will be some options that are more to your taste. This Mustang, for example, opted for non-power-assisted brakes, which means its owner is going to have great pedal feel from the Wilwood master cylinder, but might have one leg that is a little bit stronger than the other after a few weeks. Just like the transmission, ECD can give your Mustang power brakes. This is all good, and it's great to see the team at ECD expand its operations into the Mustang. It's also great that there's another seemingly reliable operation churning out collector cars. The downside? The cost. It's How Much?! Commissioning your Mustang from ECD will start at $279,995. Obviously, anyone who has commissioned a ground-up restoration or custom car build from a reputable shop will know the bills start to add up quickly. ECD wants to set itself apart from the average restoration shop by having tight timelines and keeping their customers informed about the process. 'We do absolutely everything possible to hit these timings that we promise,' says Humble. The company notes that for that princely starting price, you'll also net a two-year warranty. All in, this Ghost of a Mustang is undeniably a high-end, expensive-feeling custom car. Even more interesting than this particular '67 Mustang is how ECD is taking a different—and somewhat confusing—approach to the collector car restoration business model. 'The plan is growth,' says Humble. That push for growth is why the company is expanding from the relatively hard-to-find—at least in the United States—Jaguar E-Types and Land Rover Defenders, and is adding a more readily available option. 'People love the car. It's the American icon, isn't it?' he says. 'So, like, it's got to be a good first entry into the American car market for us.' It's hard to say that a Mustang from ECD is a good value—mostly, because that's just a ton of money. Still, having any restoration shop that won't end up on the nightly news take you through the process of completely rebuilding a car will set you back a good chunk of change. The company also has a fun configurator tool on their website that you can play with, even if you don't want to drop over a quarter million dollars on one of their machines. Do you think you'd ever spend that much on a restoration or restomod Mustang? Tell us your thoughts below.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC The Repair Shop's experts restore model village's church
A historic model church that had fallen into disrepair has been restored by experts who work on the BBC's Repair Shop model village, at Spears Cross, Somerset, was created by Llewellyn Pluck 50 years ago and was so popular it even appeared on postcards. Several decades after the miniature village was dismantled, Llewellyn's granddaughter, Sarah Gardner, turned to social media to track down some of the original ten months, she found the model of Culbone Church and then contacted The Repair Shop producers who agreed to restore it. She said: "I don't have any idea what happened to the others. I believe this might be the only one left in a state that could be repaired."The BBC series shows a workshop filled with expert craftspeople who bring loved pieces of family history back to life. Ms Gardner said her granddad "needed a bit of a hobby" while running the guest house."He opened the model village to the general public which they loved. It was a real labour of love over years," Ms Gardner eventually discovered the model church had been kept in an allotment."It had been outside for 50 years so it was in a really bad state," she added. Ms Gardner contacted the Repair Shop about two years ago and they approached her in early April."I put it in the back of my shed and it got to the point that my husband said we need to get rid of it," Ms Gardner said."I couldn't put it out in my garden, it was too badly damaged. And then suddenly I got the call."I don't have any idea what happened to the others. I believe this might be the only one left in a state that could be repaired. If there are any out there, please get in contact."The episode featuring the model church will air on BBC One at 20:00 BST.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Fire-hit Parnham estate's homes plan draws mixed reaction
A planned development of 85 new homes on a fire-hit estate has drawn a mixed reaction following a public I listed Parnham House, near Beaminster, Dorset, was gutted in a suspected arson attack in rave promoter James Perkins, who bought the property in 2020, previously said the housing would pay for restoration residents said Tuesday's public presentation did not answer their questions over the housing plan, although the estate said it was preparing an "incredibly detailed" planning application. The fire broke out at Parnham in the early hours of 15 April 2017 and took four days to fully owner Michael Treichl was arrested on suspicion of arson and was found dead two months later. On Facebook, residents who visited the public event described the housing design as being "a bit like Poundbury" and having "varied doll's house fronts".One said: "I can't see long-term how any of this benefits Beaminster."The doctors are already struggling. The sewage system is already having to be pumped out regularly and taken away by tankers."Will there be affordable housing and social housing?"Another wrote: "I understand the local concern but if they have a desire to bring the house back in to some functional use, then they have to do something."I have no problem with the development, as long as they provide the utilities to service this." The estate's senior project manager Ed Grant said Parnham had "agreement in principle" for development from Historic England and Dorset told BBC Radio Solent: "We're coming up with a viable solution, which has taken an awful lot of work, of how to save the building."Mr Grant said the scheme would use a new rising water main and would include new sewage treatment said it was classed as an "enabling development" - one that would not normally be allowed but for the conservation benefit to Parnham Perkins, 56, who co-founded the Fantazia events brand, has already won permission for parties and weddings, a restaurant and holiday chalets on the 131-acre May, an auction of his collected fossils and artworks raised £2.2m, according to Dreweatts auctioneers. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
