Prepper's Web

“It appears that there will be a lot of leaf fall this year; in previous years, it has come at a faster rate, which can be a real factor in flooding, and our leaf collection program that we do every year in those primitive areas before the rain event, we try to clear them out to minimize any impacts that do occur,” said Jonathan Dean, the Public Service Manager for the City of Charlottesville.

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – With the remnants of Hurricane Nicole heading up our way come Friday, you want to make sure your home’s gutters don’t have any issues with the heavy rain our area will see.

This storm comes at a time of the year when gutters can be more clogged mainly because of fallen leaves that were on the trees not too long ago. If there is plenty of rain and your gutters are filled with leaves, the gutters will likely fail to divert water from your home which can cause all sorts of problems like mold and mildew collecting and flooded basements.

Charles Sargent, a sales associate at Rocking R Ace Hardware in Harrisonburg, said there are a few things you can do to prevent that from happening.

“If your gutters are full of leaves, you can use one of these [cleaning wands], hook it to your garden hose, and wash your gutters out. Once you get your gutters clean, we have foam pads that you can put in your gutters that will divert the leaves,” said Sargent.

Sargent said the best way to find out if your gutters are clean is to run water through them to ensure that water is flowing out.

Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.

With Daniel Lippman

HOW K STREET HAS BEEN PREPPING FOR THE MIDTERMS: Today’s elections are all but certain to usher a new party into power in at least one — if not both — chambers of Congress, a shift that stands to impact virtually every entity that turns to K Street to advance its causes in the Capitol.

— The downtown community has been preparing for months for the likely change in power, gaming out which issues Republican majorities might prioritize, snapping up GOP aides with ties to leadership or else touting their existing ones, and preparing clients who might have targets on their backs for grillings on Capitol Hill.

— “It’s going to be a different Congress for a lot of reasons,” said Tim Pataki, a partner at the GOP lobbying firm CGCN, alluding to Republicans’ growing rift with swaths of corporate America. “I think it’s fair to say helping out corporate America is not at the top of the priority list.”

— “I think generally, the conventional wisdom is that Republicans are the party of CEOs and executives, and I don’t think that can be further from what’s actually going to be the case next Congress,” added John Stipicevic, another lobbyist at CGCN who like Pataki previously worked for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the likely next House speaker.

— Ken Spain, a partner at Narrative Strategies and former GOP aide, argued that while “the Republican takeover will be a win for the business community overall,” it likely won’t come without a little heartburn first. “You can’t just dust off the old playbook because Republicans are taking over Congress.”

— “There are industries that will have to grapple with a new contingent of populist-minded Republicans,” Spain said, adding that the party’s evolution means “it’s going to require more sophisticated and nuanced approaches to influencing Congress.”

— With the GOP poised to come back into power, companies are now looking to rebuild their relationships with Republicans, which soured further after corporate PACs swore off political contributions to those who voted against certifying the 2020 election results. Lawmakers took the freeze as “a lack of support from the business community — who has benefited over the years from Republican policies,” Pataki told PI.

— Even with President Joe Biden’s veto power serving as a check on Republicans’ legislative agenda, the party’s newfound subpoena power and the ability to set the agenda for oversight has clients looking for insight, noted Aaron Cutler, Hogan Lovells’ point person on congressional probes. That dynamic has K Street working to suss out what parts of Republicans’ agenda is “messaging and what’s real legislating,” Hogan Lovells’ Chase Kroll added, and from there determining “where does it impact the client?”

— Complicating things still further is that some congressional targets, like tech companies or U.S. companies doing business in China, will face scrutiny from both sides of the aisle for different reasons, Cutler said. “That’s gonna make it very difficult for somebody testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee or the House Judiciary Committee next year to prepare for that, because literally, you’re gonna get punched from all sides.”

— At CGCN and elsewhere on K Street, there’s hope that estrangement between the business community and lawmakers, combined with Republican lobbyists’ network, can help juice business. “There’s nobody better than this firm” to help companies mend their reputations in the halls of Congress, Pataki said, describing the firm’s pitch to prospective clients.

— Ballard Partners’ Brian Ballard, who two years ago was emphasizing his firm’s bipartisan credentials, now is now highlighting his firm’s ties to lawmakers who could soon wield considerable power in a GOP-controlled Congress next year, listing off Florida Republicans in line to chair or sit on key committees.

— “We really are institutionalized with so many Republicans that came up through the Florida legislature or what have you, that are now in pretty senior places in Congress,” Ballard, a longtime Florida lobbyist and GOP fundraiser, said in an interview, adding that beyond the Sunshine State he’d fundraised for nearly every Republican senator up for reelection this year. “I think … our current clients are going to be very happily situated.” Still, he added: “Obviously business is going to be good for Republicans.”

Happy Election Day and welcome to PI. Send K Street gossip: [email protected]. And be sure to follow me on Twitter: @caitlinoprysko.

MY KEVIN’S MAN ON K STREET: “Jeff Miller is not a household name, but he stands to yield tremendous influence when the next Congress gets sworn into office,” POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs writes in a profile of the Miller Strategies chief and longtime confidant of the likely next House speaker.

— “Should McCarthy end up as the next Speaker, Miller, a paid lobbyist for some of the biggest companies in America, stands poised to be the K Street operative with unmatched access. ‘Everyone else is a distant second,’ said Sam Geduldig, a fellow GOP lobbyist.”

— Even as Miller’s relationship with McCarthy “is about to pay off royally, Miller could face some hurdles in a Republican-run congress” as he balances “his work for a number of major corporate entities and a GOP leadership increasingly acrimonious towards Big Business.”

— But “Miller himself has proven valuable for the GOP on this front. He worked to assuage concerns of corporate donors in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot and to ensure the big dollar spigot remained open. National Republican Congressional Committee finance director Leigh Ann Gillis called Miller ‘the MVP of House Republican fundraising efforts this cycle.’”

CRYPTO MEGADONORS’ EXCHANGE HITS TURBULENCE: “The global crypto exchange Binancehas agreed to acquire Democratic Party megadonor Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto exchangeFTX after the company was bludgeoned by a severe liquidity crunch over the past week,” POLITICO’s Sam Sutton reports.

— “FTX’s sudden downfall — which Bankman-Fried said won’t affect its U.S. subsidiary FTX US — is hitting the crypto ecosystem after the 30-year-old billionaire spent roughly $40 million on super PACs and political campaigns before the midterm elections.” The exchange’s co-CEO, Ryan Salame, has also poured money into the midterms, dumping more than $20 million into races on behalf of Republicans this cycle, according to data from OpenSecrets.

— “FTX has also lobbied aggressively in support of bipartisan legislation from leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee that would put its exchange and other crypto brokerages and trading platforms under the direct oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.”

— Protocol’s Benjamin Pimentel notes that Binance’s rescue of its rival “follows a Twitter tit-for-tat between the two crypto giants over questions related to the finances of Alameda Research, the trading house started by Bankman-Fried,” with Binance’s chief executive hinting that there was more at play.

ANOTHER TRADE GROUP’S PAC PILFERED BY THIEF: The American Hospital Association’s PAC became the latest Washington trade group to report the theft of thousands of dollars from its coffers, Insider’s Dave Levinthal reports.

— “In a letter to federal regulators, American Hospital Association PAC’s treasurer acknowledged that the committee lost $12,650 in what its treasurer, Melinda Reid Hatton, described as a case of ‘fraudulent activity’ involving fake checks.”

— “‘The checks were written using the Committee’s bank account and routing number, but are in the name of a “Wendy Naylor,” listing an address in Florida,’ Hatton wrote to Federal Election Commission officials on November 7. ‘These are not real Committee checks, nor were they written on actual Committee check stock.’”

— Hatton “told federal officials there is ‘no reason to believe or suspect that anyone from American Hospital Association or the Committee participated in the fraud,’ which took place in July.” That’s the same month that an “unknown individual” stole nearly $37,000 from the Consumer Technology Association’s PAC, the committee said in an FEC filing in September.

— Curtis Swager has joined Dropbox as director of government affairs for the Americas. Swager was most recently with McCain Foods and previously served as chief of staff to former Sen. Cory Gardner. 

— Jacqueline Tame will be PsiQuantum‘s first director of government affairs. She was most recently acting deputy director of DoD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.

— Michael O’Brien has joined BSA | The Software Alliance as vice president of global public affairs. He was most recently vice president of public affairs and advocacy for the National Association of Manufacturers.

— Roya Rahmani and Julián Ventura are joining Albright Stonebridge Group as senior advisers. Rahmani is vice chair for public policy at Delphos, distinguished fellow at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the former Afghan ambassador to the U.S. Ventura is the former Mexican deputy secretary of foreign affairs.

— Brian Wagner has joined Maxar Technologies as the company’s first director for public sector communications. He was previously the senior director for strategic communications at Peraton.

None.

Americans for Prosparody (Hybrid PAC)
Justice Tranquility Defense Welfare PAC (Super PAC)
RHEEM PAC (PAC)
Success Charleston (Super PAC)

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP: Ka Joog
Capitol Solutions LLC (Md): Critical Labor Coalition
Capitol Solutions LLC (Md): Elevanta
Chartwell Strategy Group LLC: Tickpick,LLC
Clark Hill, Plc: Consolidated Safety Services, Inc.
Downs Government Affairs: Community College Of Denver
Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Fibernet Mercurydelta
Fbb Federal Relations: Rock And Rail, LLC
Hatez Capital: Hatez Capital
Liebman & Associates, Inc.: Nexus-1 LLC
Miller & Chevalier Chartered: American Property Casualty Insurance Association
Monument Advocacy: Guarding Against Pandemics
Ms. Gwendolyn O’Brien Donaldson: Carolina West Wireless
Summit Health Care Consulting: American College Of Osteopathic Internists
Venable LLP: National Rental Home Council

The Campbell Consulting Group: New Morning Foundation

With storm rolling into the Valle on Tuesday, it often means flooding and water on the roadways.

Riverside County tells News Channel 3 they’re actively working to prepare for flooding on the Valley floor.

“Areas where we have roadway flooding. They’re definitely monitoring the areas where we have recent burn scars, so that we can kind of assess everything that’s coming in and what our current state is,” said Shane Reichardt, Senior Public Information Officer for the County’s Emergency Management Department.

As for residents, there’s ways you can prep your home ahead of potential flooding.

“We encourage people to go to their nearest fire station pick up some sandbags. Most fire stations have sandbags available, you will need to get sand,” Reichardt said.

Cal Fire fire stations provide bags for you to fill up. You can find the nearest location to you here.

The County recommends placing them in front of your doors, garage and other areas that are typically prone to flooding.

“The sand that you put in the sandbag can be everything from sand. Worst case scenario, you can even use dirt,”Reichardt added, “It doesn’t necessarily have to be clean, like playground type sand, you can get sand and bags of sand from the local hardware stores. But, you can just use whatever’s available to you.”

The County recommends saving and reusing those sandbags for the next rainstorm since they can last about a season or two. If you are out and about on wet roads, be sure to drive slow and make sure your tires are maintained.

Watch for flooding, especially in the wash areas. If roads are closed, be sure to follow the signs.

“We want people to remember Turn Around Don’t Drown. It’s just not worth it. It puts them them at risk. It also puts our first responders at risk if they have to come out and rescue somebody that’s made that attempt to cross a flooded roadway.”

Millions of Americans are gearing up, not for the end of days, but for a disaster that calls for taking cover.

LAKE CRYSTAL, Minn. (KEYC) – The Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial-Nicollet Knights cross country team is prepping for their sixth state tournament appearance after winning its first section title in school history.

Boys cross country tournaments begin Saturday. For the Knights, they’ve won their first section title in school history but they are searching for something bigger, a state championship.

It’s been a long time coming for Knights head coach Doug Burns. As head coach for the boys cross country team for 30 plus years, this is the Knights first section title in school history. He is excited about the Knights accomplishments this season.

“It’s tremendous,” said Burns when asked how he felt winning the schools first section championship. “The boys really worked hard. This is a team that improved a lot throughout the season. We’ve made it to state, we were pretty good way good back in the 90′s, these kids weren’t even born; but we had five section second place finishes so this is our sixth time at the state meet in program history and this is a team that came on like gangbusters. I’ve said over and over that they ran out of their minds that day which we were really happy about.”

Knights senior captain Christian Fells feels the hard work and excitement not only from his teammates, but coaches as well.

“It’s been really great because the coaches have been wanting this for a while because I think we had the great season last year but we didn’t quite get where we wanted to be,” Fells said. “And then to see everything come together right when it mattered was nice and cool.”

As the state competition approaches, Fells understands preparation is key for a legendary state title run.

“Our goal this year was to qualify for state and get section title,” said Fells. “It was really nice to get that, now that with this week, we’ve been working on, not as hard of workouts but lesser stuff to get us more prepared and in shape and just run he best meet we can in state.”

The meet begins at 1 p.m. at St. Olaf College.

Copyright 2022 KEYC. All rights reserved.

The inside conversation in D.C. these days, as you might expect, is all about scrutinizing the midterm polling data, Nate Silver-izing the margins of error, and guessing where the chips will fall on Tuesday night. Inside the White House, Bidenworld is cautiously preparing for a red tide in the House, with Republicans potentially picking up more than 20 seats. The outcome of the Senate may be unknown on election night, and it could even drag on until December 6 if neither Senator Raphael Warnock nor Herschel Walker pass the 50 percent threshold, triggering a runoff in Georgia. Much has been made of how election cycles have turned into endless, multi-year events. Elections, themselves, are now multi-weeklong affairs.

Meanwhile, the spin machine inside the White House is in overdrive, as the messaging gurus prepare to position the reality, no matter the historical precedent, that Americans came out, at least in part, to repudiate their administration. I’m told that the Obama alumni in Biden’s inner circle, such as Anita Dunn, are still experiencing mild trauma-quakes from Obama’s admission that the 2010 midterms offered a “shellacking”—a phrase that echoed loudly on behalf of the recognition that his agenda, centered around the Affordable Care Act, had become part of the Tea Party’s immaculate conception. (Obama, of course, wasn’t the only president to fall into the trap of stating the obvious—George W. Bush remarked in 2006 that the G.O.P. endured a “thumping” in his second midterm.)

Of course, the A.C.A. has since become the left’s generational touchstone, and becomes more popular every year. But while Obama looked vulnerable in 2010, there was no question that he was the leader of the party. Biden’s position, on the contrary, is far more precarious given the open speculation by some Democrats that he might not be the right candidate for 2024, making it more critical that they not frame the midterm outcome as a referendum on his first two years. 

Even though Biden is unlikely to suffer his own 63-seat shellacking, the midterm results certainly reflect frustration around a plethora of issues, from inflation and gas prices to the gridlock of his first year, which have largely outweighed (at least in the cultural memory) his recent legislative victories and overall success in handling the pandemic. So the question is how to spin the defeat with grace and optimism, perhaps gesturing at a silver lining, and so forth. 

---

What to Say?

People close to the White House say they are loath to issue a mea culpa, and the messaging gurus want to steer the gaffe-happy, speak-from-the-heart president toward a message that transcends himself. “Everything that happens in that first 24 hours after the elections impacts the lame duck session, the next two years of his presidency, and ultimately the 2024 election,” said a source close to the White House. “They don’t have a vested interest in saying they were wrong.” 

It’s a sticky wicket. Biden needs to: 1) show strength despite losing the House (and maybe more); 2) make sure no one doubts the veracity of the elections; 3) listen deeply to groans from the party poobahs without accepting responsibility; and 4) pull all this off in a non-tone-deaf manner without any off-script moments. “I just don’t see them taking responsibility,” said a Democratic strategist. “I think it’s going to be hard to accept that they lost the midterms because of them.” 

I’m told the White House is leaning toward delicately arguing (positioning, as they say here) that the results would have been different if Congress had been able to pass his very popular legislation earlier into his term, so that voters could have felt the effects before going to the polls. Of course, this is also a dig at camera-mugging, foot-dragging moderates, like Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, who just wouldn’t support his F.D.R.-ish $3.5 trillion Build Back Better bill, rather than an admission that the president’s agenda was his own version of Obamacare—perhaps too ambitious and mismanaged by Chief of Staff Ron Klain, who wasted far too much time negotiating with progressives, like Pramila Jayapal. I’ve also heard that Bidenworld wants to position the inflationary pressures as exogenous and beyond anyone’s control, especially after Covid. 

In his first remarks after the midterms, Biden does have the opportunity to use the power of the presidency to lay down the marker and pick the first fight with Republicans—to put them on defense heading into the next Congress, perhaps preemptively taking Medicare or Social Security benefits off the negotiating table, or gently flex his office’s might before the inevitable slew of subpoenas arrive for his family and cabinet secretaries. A tweet yesterday from White House spokesperson Andrew Bates, red-flagging Republican plans to potentially curtail various social programs, is indicative of the presumptive strategy. Fighting for entitlements like Social Security and Medicare could also engender the support of Bernie Sanders and Manchin, creating the impression that the party, while diminished, is at least unified.

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The Team

Bidenworld doesn’t want to show weakness in his remarks. They don’t want to show it in their ranks, either. And a huge post-midterm shakeup could imply that the Biden administration has been on the wrong track. 

The result may be fewer personnel moves than were previously expected as Biden enters the second half of his term. I’m told from multiple sources close to the White House that Biden wants to keep Klain as his chief of staff, even if Klain, after putting in his two years of service, is ready to head for the door. With Republicans about to investigate Biden’s family members, and possibly even attempt to impeach his cabinet secretaries, Biden’s bunker mentality is likely to take hold, which could put Klain in a situation like his communications director Kate Bedingfield, who was talked out of leaving in the spring for a more lucrative corporate sinecure. After all, if there’s one thing that Biden likes, it’s old familiar faces and reliable loyalists. This also explains the cadre of middle-aged white men, like Ricchetti and Mike Donilon, at the top of his pyramid. And it explains why Dunn keeps flying back into the White House through the revolving door. 

The lack of turnover in Bidenworld has already flummoxed some powerful Democrats, who thirsted for fresh ideas and new actors (and, of course, people more loyal or favorable to them…). “There are so many operatives and donors who are going to be pissed if heads don’t roll, people need to be fired when this is over,” said one Democratic strategist who advises donors. “People are going to want blood because they don’t want to roll into 2024 with the same battered team.” 

But these party operatives also know, as do the president’s inner circle, that he will likely handle his midterm response just as he handles his kitchen cabinet, and just as he will likely handle his re-election: he’ll listen to everyone, mull it over endlessly, talk to Jill Biden, operate on his own time frame, and then follow his gut.

Next week’s election is on pace to be record-breaking in the number of ballots cast. That is unusual for midterms, which usually see lower voter turnout. The Douglas County Election Commission is predicting a 57 percent voter turnout for this election. It ties the 2018 rate and blows past previous midterm elections in the last decade by as much as 17 percent. Douglas County has more registered voters than ever before. Plenty cast their ballot early on Wednesday. “This could be a record-breaking turnout,” said Brian Kruse, the Douglas County election commissioner. Kruse says his office sent out more than 100,000 ballots and received 67,000 back already. They are expecting a high voter turnout next week. “You know, I think in this election, really, there’s something for everybody to get out there and vote on that’s driving them to get a ballot,” said Kruse. UNO political science professor Randy Adkins tells KETV four things draw people out to vote: a sense of civic duty, the ease of voting by mail-in ballot, the clarity of the issues at hand and if a particular race is close, like the fight for Congressional District 2 between Republican incumbent Don Bacon and Democrat Tony Vargas. “That is probably going to be what drives turnout more than any other race in the district. When people know that a race is close, they’re more likely to turn out to vote for it,” said Adkins. “We felt it’s extremely important to come out and cast our vote because of the direction of the country and how it’s been headed in regards to the economy, the safety of the border, crime,” said Scott Hanson, a Douglas County voter. And with inflation, the abortion fight and the war in Ukraine on voters’ minds, the stakes are as high as ever. “The issues are as probably important as we have had in a decade or more,” said Adkins. Douglas County Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 8,000 in registered voters, but 25 percent identify as non-partisan. Adkins expects they will play a big role in these competitive District 2 races. Per Douglas County Election Commission: The voter turnouts for previous statewide gubernatorial general elections were 40.2 percent in 2010, 45.0 percent in 2014, and 57.7 percent in 2018.The Statewide Gubernatorial General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Polls are open from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Voters may confirm their information, such as political districts and polling place, as well as view their sample ballot, by visiting our website at www.votedouglascounty.com and entering their house number and zip code in the “Find Your Voting Information” area. Voters may also call the Election Commission at (402) 444-VOTE (8683) during business hours (Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.).All early voting ballots must be received by the Douglas County Election Commission, either at its office or at one of the drop box locations, by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. At this date, voters are discouraged from returning ballots via the US Postal Service due to extended processing times. Ballot drop box locations are listed on the instruction sheet included with every early voting ballot and are posted at www.votedouglascounty.com.Voters are encouraged to return their ballots as soon as they feel comfortable making their choices. Kruse encourages voters to return their ballots this weekend to one of the official convenient drop boxes if they are ready to do so.

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – As the autumn leaves fall, Ohioans instinctively know that snowflakes will be falling in the weeks to come.

The Ohio Department of Transportation is working vigilantly to prepare snow removal equipment for the season at hand.

ODOT District 5 Public Information Officer Morgan Overbey explained some of the processes mechanics are performing to be ready for that first snowfall.

“Our mechanics are doing a 150 point checks on all of our snowplows, plow-blades, salt spinners, all the equipment related to snow and ice season has to get checked. And the reason that we do that is if anything needs repaired at this point in time we can do that before the first snow flies.”

Last winter, ODOT crews drove more than 7 million miles across the state, removing snow and ice. This year ODOT has more that 120,000 tons of salt prepared to spread across Central Ohio’s roadways.

“It’s always our goal to have primary routes such as I-70, 40, 22, that sort of thing fully cleared and ready to go after a snow and ice event has ended. So that actually when the snow stops, it stops snowing. Two hours after an event it’s our goal to have the road clear and passable. And then some of those more rural state routes, it’s our goal to have them clear and passable four hours after an event stops.”

Last year, ODOT District 5 was rated 99 percent effective as they implemented a procedure that proved to be very effective in dealing with the Interstate 70 construction and plan to clear Muskingum County roads with the same procedures this year.