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The traditional concept of the mall is fading away.
Once an epicenter of the suburban lifestyle, the shopping mall s purpose and importance have slowly been transforming. Specialty retail bankruptcies made shopping centers a less diverse and interesting experience. Anchor department stores filing Chapter 11s, though, has lead to destabilizing and upending entire shopping complexes. The overextension of many mall tenants and their need to rightsize was noticeable long before the pandemic, Placer.ai analysts wrote in a Redefining the Mall white paper. That, along with a seemingly one-size-fits-all mall style that was copied and pasted across the country, led to the realization that the reach of the classic anchor department store was limited and that new types of tenants must enter into the mix to augment that role.
Erica Dietz | Tribune-Review
Joe Grillo, of Lower Burrell, sings “God Bless America” during the flag ceremony at American Legion 868 on Monday, May 29, 2017.
William T. Larkin | Tribune-Review
Joe Grillo as Santa Claus photographed by the Valley News Dispatch for a holiday edition in the late 1980s.
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After 16 years, Lower Burrell Councilman Joe Grillo said it’s time to go. He announced last week he would not seek reelection this year during a council meeting this week.
“I’ve given it long and hard thought since 2018 when I had a cancer scare,” Grillo said. “Thank God, I’m now a cancer survivor.”
Residents in Rome are seeking to preserve the former West Rome School building a structure they say is historic from being torn down to make way for a car wash.
Hoffmann Development of Albany is looking to build a 6,400-square-foot car wash on the 1.93-acre site at 1315 Erie Boulevard West. The proposal, which is making its way through Rome’s Planning Board, would include three queuing lanes for the car wash and 13 vacuum parking spaces, according to board documentation.
The possible destruction of the former school house does not sit well with numerous city residents, including local resident Bill Rapke, who started a petition to save the building. The petition is in the process of being presented to the Planning Board.
Lower Burrell Councilman Rob Hamilton will not seek reelection later this year in order to pursue a doctorate. Hamilton, 32, a veteran, has a full plate with a young family and a new position as executive director of Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard in East Liberty. Hamilton is in the
ESCONDIDO
To grow, pick and ship six million pounds of mushrooms each year requires lots of labor, total commitment, and the perfect compost recipe.
“If you make good compost you get lots of mushrooms, said Gary Crouch. “If you don’t make good compost you get no mushrooms.”
Crouch, who was recently named San Diego Farm Bureau Farmer of the Year, is owner of Mountain Meadow Mushroom north of Escondido. He said mushroom farming is like one big ongoing science project where everything has to be done just right.
It’s also very much a business, one that’s getting tougher and tougher to manage in California with all its labor laws and rules, he said.