Many are unaware that chemicals and everyday pollution have different effects on animals and humans.At the same time, insecticides and cleaning agents can pose a serious risk to animal companions - even if they are considered harmless to humans."We are aware of cases in which animals have suffered fatal poisoning from common household products," says Silke Gerstler, environmental advisor at the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Center in Herne.She gives the following tips for dealing with household helpers that can be dangerous for animalsInsect killers with the active ingredient permethrin can lead to severe poisoning and even death, especially in cats.This active ingredient is found in many insect sprays, but also in nebulizers, the so-called foggers.These are popular with pet owners because they promise a convenient remedy when infested with lice and other pests.They fog entire rooms with a high concentration of insecticides that is often too high for pets.The consumer advice center recommends non-toxic alternatives such as insect screens or glue traps.If you use anti-tick and flea products that are only approved for dogs on cats, you risk poisoning them.Spot-on products for dogs are also a danger for cats living in the same household.Anti-flea agents should be used on the animal after consultation with the veterinarian, but not as a spray or fogger in the home.Caustic cleaning agents and hygiene cleaners with benzalkonium chloride can get on the fur of dogs and cats when they lie on freshly cleaned surfaces.When grooming, these chemicals are then absorbed with the tongue and can lead to chemical burns in the mouth.The result: the four-legged friends refuse food and drink.The NRW consumer advice center recommends generally avoiding aggressive cleaning agents and hygiene cleaners.Neutral cleaning agents or soft soap and microfiber cloths are hygienically adequate alternatives.For animals, some substances used in the home and garden taste temptingly sweet.These include different types of slug pellets or antifreeze for the car.When using these agents, dogs in particular should be kept away and any spilled items should be cleaned up.Synthetic garden fertilizer is also eaten by pets again and again and can lead to poisoning.If a pet has poisoned itself, it is best to go to the vet as soon as possible.If the cause of the poisoning is known, the product should be taken in its original packaging."O'zapft is!" will be the motto not only from Saturday, September 17, 2022, in the Bavarian capital of Munich, when the 187th Oktoberfest opens.Herne can also do Oktoberfest.Therefore, the Herner Wirtshaus in the Neuen Höfe Herne on Robert-Brauner-Platz invites the Ruhrpott Bavarians on Saturday, October 1, 2022, from 5 p.m.Admission is free - that's good for the wallet.The guests can expect a Bavarian marquee atmosphere including DJ and dance floor - a toast to coziness is almost guaranteed here.The Löwenbräu Oktoberfest beer runs out of the taps by the liter to supply the thirsty part-time Bavarians.For hearty refreshment there are all kinds of culinary delights from the south of the republic: pretzels, white sausage, pork knuckles or Kaiserschmarrn are on the tavern menu this evening.Because everyone knows that drinking (and partying) on ​​an empty stomach is not particularly good.Of course, the traditional fashion with smart dirndls, checked shirts and lederhosen is very welcome."But it's not a must," says the Wirtshaus managing director Britta Rommel, who is happy to open the doors to visitors who are dressed differently.Accordingly, nothing stands in the way of an evening of swaying, singing and toasting one another - so you can save yourself the approximately 650 kilometers to the original on Munich's Theresienwiese.The allotment gardeners at the Im Stichkanal facility are still in turmoil.They fear that their 92,000 square meter allotment garden will have to give way to the water master plan and that the area will be used for residential development.As a reminder: According to the City of Herne, the Master Plan for Water Locations is intended to serve as a planning basis for the spatial development on the Emscher and Rhine-Herne Canal and to take a broad range of topics into account.In addition to the potential for living and commercial space, the topics of leisure and mobility as well as environmental and open space issues are also to be dealt with (hallherne reported and reported).However, the planning considerations are causing concern among allotment gardeners."On June 28, 2022, our first chairman and I were informed by the city association based on pictures that our facility should probably give way to the master plan for water locations," reports Elmar Brennecke, 2nd chairman of the association, in an interview with halloherne. "First of all, our The system was shown quite normally in the picture. It was then marked in red on another, which is supposed to mean that it had to go. We later found out that houses had already been drawn on the master plan."The board then informed the allotment gardeners.“Of course, that was a big shock for us allotment gardeners.Many of us have had our gardens here for generations.When you think about it... some have even had their plot here for 53 years," says Heike Stotz, the club's first cashier. The garden is a welcome change from everyday city life, especially for young families. "The children can play here and get in touch again with nature and the animals," says Stotz.“But the facility is also used for social contacts by many senior citizens.We have widows here who always meet and do things together.You can't even imagine it if that were to go away." She continues: "Especially during the Corona period, the facility was a way of maintaining social contacts. In addition, our members could, for example, if they didn't have a balcony or garden , during these times in the facility at least relax a little for an hour and get some fresh air."In addition to the social aspects, the financial aspects also play a role.Many gardeners have made numerous investments in their plots over the years that would no longer be possible elsewhere, the allotment gardeners make clear.Benny Callies accompanies the allotment gardeners for his project 'Herne asks about' and has already spoken to some of Herne's politicians about the water management master plan.He also shares the concerns of the allotment gardeners: “I am an allotment gardener myself and was therefore able to put myself in the position of those affected.I believe that the uncertainty in particular gets on the nerves of the allotment gardeners." Elmar Brennecke also confirms this assumption. "Not knowing how things will continue is the big problem. If we got clear information, then we could act accordingly - even if it would be difficult. But this uncertainty really gets on my nerves."This situation also affects potential new members.“We now always have to tell interested parties straight away that the facility could fall victim to the master plan in water.You can of course imagine what the reactions will be then," says Brennecke. The allotment gardeners hope that there will soon be a clear signal from the city so that they can prepare for one or the other outcome for their allotment garden and the mood within the When asked by halloherne, city spokesman Patrick Mammen said: "The planning report of the waterfront master plan will be presented to the committees and citizens in November 2022. The city has not commented on speculation about the allotment gardens."A draft resolution by the CDU and SPD parliamentary groups for the next meeting of the Committee for Planning and Urban Development on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, could be a glimmer of hope for the allotment gardeners.The parliamentary groups propose a revision of the waterfront master plan, which should provide for the preservation of all allotment gardens.From Monday, September 26th to Friday, September 30th, 2022, the senior citizens' advice centers of the city of Herne are offering five online lectures for senior citizens and their relatives.On Monday, September 26, 2022, at 10 a.m., there will be a lecture entitled “Digital travel with your smartphone”.Which smartphone is the right one?Which functions and apps are important?What is an app anyway?In this lecture, the functions of a smartphone are presented in a way that is easy to understand and tips are given for selecting a suitable device.On Tuesday, September 27, 2022, at 10 a.m., the focus will be on "Care services - in a nutshell".What care services am I entitled to?How and where do I even submit an application?How does an appraisal work?What does the classification in a nursing degree mean?On Wednesday, September 28, 2022, "Housing Advice" is the topic at 10 a.m.As a person in need of care, how can I live at home for as long as possible and maintain my independence?What improvement measures are there?On Thursday, September 29, 2022, at 11 a.m., there will be a lecture on powers of attorney.What do you need a Power of Attorney for?What is the difference to a living will or care directive?Does a power of attorney have to be notarized?These and other questions will be addressed in this lecture.On Friday, September 30, 2022, at 10 a.m., the lecture is called "Safely on the go with an e-bike".What is the difference between an e-bike and a pedelec?Can you ride it on the sidewalk?In this lecture, participants will get answers about safe handling of an e-bike.If you are interested in participating in one or more lectures, you can register by sending an email to Seniorenberatung-Herne@herne.de.The zoom link for the video conference will then be sent promptly.It was very informative on Tuesday (September 13th, 2022) in the premises of the AWO on Breddestraße.The annual day of action for “Migration Counseling for Adult Immigrants (MBE) and Youth Migration Services” was held here.Representatives of the AWO had gathered around the head of the department for integration and migration of the Ruhr-Mitte association, Sami Bouhari and the MBE employee Türkan Bektas.They were joined by representatives from politics and administration, such as the head of department for children, youth and families, Andreas Merkendorf, and the SPD parliamentary group leader, Udo Sobieski.The municipal integration office, the foreigners authority and the job center were also on site.First a few facts: Since 2005, the MBE has currently offered 1,371 contact and advice centers.The five main countries of origin of MBE in 2021 were Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bulgaria and Turkey.The main tasks are the reduction of transfer payments, i.e. the transition from social assistance to a regular job and income, as well as German language support.In 2021, around half of all those seeking advice were identified as having a need for language support in German.There are around 500 youth migration services (JMD) in Germany, with over 700 full-time employees and more than 2,000 volunteers working there.Here, young people with a history of immigration are supported from the age of twelve to the age of twenty-seven.Individual accompaniment, group offers and networking with schools, training companies, integration course providers and youth welfare facilities are among the most important tasks here.For two hours there were reports on the projects, questions and discussions.In the end, Bouhari was very happy with the event.He sums up his presentation with the three verbs advertise, praise and warn, he reports in an interview with halloherne."I advertised a colorful landscape of migration services that the AWO serves," says Bouhari.This includes community-oriented work, municipal refugee advice, regional advice for refugees, the MBE, the JMD and the respect coaches."These services are very important in urban society and have been established for years." Bouhari praised the good cooperation with the authorities, the city administration and the various offices."You don't always agree, but there is a cooperative tone," says the head of the department.He warned of cuts in funding of 25 percent that would be in the room.“The federal government would like to reduce the funds for migration advice from 79 to 57 million euros.That would have a significant impact and would mean further downsizing,” warns Bouhari.Caritas also agrees with this warning - the refinancing of counseling centers would also be affected by a cut.“With immigration, the societal challenges of integration and participation are increasing.Reducing the funds now not only contradicts the coalition agreement.This decision also means endangering integration processes and social cohesion," emphasizes Ansgar Montag from the Herner Caritas Association, spokesman for the independent welfare organization in Herne.In the first half of 2022 alone, around 227,000 immigrants visited the migration advice centers nationwide, which is five percent more than in the same period of 2021. The migration advisors are also active as mediators, know contacts in the authorities, lawyers, volunteers and more: people who can help in turn to gain a foothold in Germany."Why the migration advice as a social link should not be adequately supported is a mystery to us.On the contrary: The counseling centers would have to be relieved due to the increasing demands, their quality standards must be guaranteed in the long term and the funds must be made more permanent.This is the only way we can continue to master the challenges of immigration for society as a whole in the future," adds Montag.Another actor hoping that funding will not be cut is the head of the Integration Council, Ibrahim Baltaci.He was also present at the AWO day of action: "It is very important that the participation here was so large.Great work is being done in migration advice, something is happening here," Baltaci told hallherne."This networking here is important because you have to get together and tackle problems together in order to compensate for weak points."For more than thirteen years now, the Ruhrwerk association - consisting of Cordula Klinger-Bischof, Safi Thoma, Cornelia Bruch, Iris Stiebling, Cornelia Lengert-Scholz, Frauke Schewe and Kerstin Zulechner - has been committed to the interests of children and young people who, due to physical, mental and/or social limitations have an increased need for support.Every year, they organize a benefit gala that brings together guests from business, administration, politics, culture and society.This networking should help to get further support for the existing projects and thus have a lasting effect on children and young people in Herne.This year, the Ruhrwerk event took place on Saturday (September 10, 2022) at the Vulkan company on Heerstrasse.320 guests followed the invitation of the Ruhrwerk ladies.At the official opening, the chairman of the association, Cordula Klinger-Bischof, made it clear that education is one of the most important tools for developing children's potential.“Education opens the door to social participation.It's more than just imparting knowledge and skills," said Klinger-Bischof. "350 children and young people take part in our long-term school-related projects every week. A further 300 children from 16 elementary schools in Herne benefit from our joint learning support project Extra Time for Learning with the association Learning in Herne (halloherne reported and reported)."Robert Faber, director of the Josefs elementary school in Wanne, and his colleague Julia Ciecior, who teaches a third class at the Josef school, made it clear just how important the Extra Time for Learning project is.At the Josefschule, 90 percent of the children have a migration background.Many children also have little support at home.In addition to language skills and social skills, the children also lack school materials, Internet access or simply a quiet place to study.To clarify, teacher Julia Ciecior reports on Lucie, a student who celebrated her enrollment in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic.“Lucie had trouble adjusting to class.Was shy, cried a lot and suffered a lot from the lockdown and the alternating lessons," says Ciecior. "But then the extra time came at our school and Lucie changed. The quiet and shy girl became a happy child, who is now with support of the students has found fun in learning and celebrates successes, whereby Lucie's story is representative of so many students."The promotion of young people is also an important concern for the two Vulkan managing directors Sebastian Meise and Sebastian Hackforth, who made the rooms of the Vulkan Group company headquarters available for the gala.“We are both family fathers, so it quickly became clear to us that we wanted to support them here.Because the basis for a good professional career is personal and school development in childhood and adolescence," said Vulkan boss Sebastian Meise. Mayor Dr. Frank Dudda also praised the work of the Ruhrwerk: "Especially in these times of crisis, clubs like that are Ruhrwerk a good chance to hook each other up and overcome the crises together."Here the mayor alluded to the rising energy and living costs, which will increasingly burden the population.In addition, he and the other mayors of the Ruhr area are in talks for a solidarity campaign.After the official part, the guests were able to exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere and delicious food from, among others, Ollis Restaurant and Lisa simply good food.“We are very happy that the gala could take place again this year as usual.Last year it was a bit smaller due to Corona," reported Iris Stiebling from the Ruhrwerk in an interview with halloherne. The Ruhrwerkers always start planning their gala nine months in advance. "We are very happy that with LMV Veranstaltungstechnik and Prisma Plan have strong partners at our side who will help us with the implementation," says Stiebling.In the raffle, the guests could win, among other things, a fast ride to the Nürburgring, sponsored by Reifen Stiebling.“Like every year, the lots went very well.The raffle raised 6,500 euros in donations," reported Iris Stiebling. Later in the evening, DJ Steel and the Britney Boys got the guests excited.Apply for the dog tax online quickly or register your car, this is now possible with the city of Herne.Because more and more services can be requested online via the service portal of the city of Herne.A total of 70 services are currently available as a service, with another 80 to follow in the coming weeks.At a press conference on Wednesday (September 14, 2022), Karl-Heinz Harbott, Head of Human Resources and Central Service, Philipp Hennig from the Administrative Digitization Unit, Stephan Kubiak, Head of the Administrative Digitization Unit, Nick Gorzolla from the Citizen Services and Stefanie Gertzen, Team Leader for Organizational Consulting and Process Management, provided information , about the developments of the online service portal."From January 2023 we are obliged to offer corresponding online services for citizens," reports Karl-Heinz Harbott, Head of Human Resources and Central Service."In this way, we also want to contribute to the fact that the queues in front of the town halls are getting shorter." The online service portal of the city of Herne initially went online as a pilot project in December 2021, and more and more offers are now being added. Philipp Hennig from the Administrative Digitization Office welcomes the fact that that administration is becoming more digital: "I think the idea is a good one, but the little hindrance is that the idea only focuses on the application view."This idea is based on the Online Access Act (OZG).The OZG, which was decided by the federal government in 2016, is about being able to apply for administrative services electronically.There are a total of around 575 services, of which 250 services are to be processed by the municipality.The implementation deadline here is December 31, 2022. There is also the E-Government Act (EGovG) NRW, which is a law to promote electronic administration.Here, the deadline for implementation ends on December 31, 2025. With this law, however, the focus is more on the internal perspective of the administration.It is ultimately a holistic digitization of administrations."With our online service portal, we want to provide the technical basis for the implementation of the OZG," says Stephan Kubiak, head of the administrative digitization department.“To this end, all application services should gradually be made available centrally.We are constantly working to make everything better.” It should soon be possible to apply for housing benefits digitally."Especially now, in times of the energy crisis and the further additional costs, many people will probably have to apply for housing benefit.Here we would like to find a quick way that can process applications promptly.Because these times pose a great challenge for many people and the faster we can then pay out, the better,” says Karl-Heinz Harbott.The service portal is constantly being expanded.However, not all services can be used online in the same way."There are offers that can be called up directly from us, but also direct links to more extensive online offers," explains Kubiak. For example, the state has created numerous portals in order to be able to receive OZG services. On the service portal of City of Herne, interested parties can now apply for their service after they have registered on the site or via the NRW service account.The people in Herne can then also see the current status of their request in the inbox.However, those responsible warn against using service search engines -To look for the city's services. Because there are a number of scams with false links on the internet. "During the times of Corona, there were more fake pages regarding the services. That's why you should be very careful with search engines and always make sure that you is also on the right homepage," says Nick Gorzolla from the citizen services.In some cases, anyone who has now applied for their municipal request online no longer has to go to the town halls to pick up their document, these will also be sent by post in the future.Those responsible also point out that the online service portal is only to be understood as an additional offer, of course Herner can still come to the town halls and do their business there.Those responsible would also like to help the city's seniors with the digital service offering, and planning is now underway for this.In public statements, including to "halloherne" (halloherne reported and reported), the citizens' initiative (BI) "Recommissioning the Eickel indoor pool" has set up a supposed funding scenario for the Eickel indoor pool and thus created the impression that there is an economically realistic option for it refurbishment.The city expressly opposes this in a statement on Wednesday (September 14, 2022).The federal funding framework “Renovation of municipal facilities in the areas of sport, youth and culture” brought into play by the citizens’ initiative supports renovation projects with a subsidy of 75 percent.However, a maximum of six million euros can flow from this pot of funding.All other project costs will no longer be funded.However, the short report presented by the city of Herne assumes at least 17.5 million euros in renovation costs for the indoor pool (halloherne reported and reported).In view of the structural requirements of the project and the galloping construction costs, this cost estimate will no longer be sufficient.This means: At least 11.5 million euros, but probably significantly more, which are earmarked in the city budget for other mandatory investments in municipal tasks, such as for school and daycare buildings, would have to be put into the bathroom and would thus be used absent elsewhere.In addition, the hurdles for the program, which the BI, misjudging the facts, describes as "made for the indoor pool", are extremely high.For example, the building must be built according to the highest sustainability seal QNG PLUS, which entails special requirements for the building material, which in turn would be reflected in the costs.In order to be able to submit the application for funding, the probable total expenditure of the project would have to be shown in the same way as it is otherwise shown in the so-called preliminary planning of a project.For such a project, several hundred thousand euros would be incurred for this required preliminary planning."The statement by the BI that the funding program 'Renovation of municipal facilities in the areas of sport, youth and culture' has even better funding conditions than other programs is not correct," explains City Director Hans Werner Klee."So it's not about jumping over the shadow or not.It's all about budgetary reason and the responsible use of investment funds, which are scarce in Herne," Klee continued."The construction of two teaching pools and rental by a private investor, as the politicians have decided, is therefore an economical and budget-friendly solution that covers the needs of beginner swimming training," explains Klee.It was only on Monday (September 12th, 2022) that the BI submitted more than 8,000 signatures to the Technical Town Hall against the political decision and thus for its citizens' initiative (halloherne reported).These will now be checked, if there are more than the required 5,974 signatures, the topic will be discussed in the council."By the way: the expired 'Sports Facilities Investment Pact' program of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which the BI mourns, would have been completely insufficient simply because of the very low maximum funding amount of 1.5 million euros.In addition," the treasurer explains further, "it was 14 times oversubscribed.We had applied for money from this program for the energetic upgrade of the sports hall at Haranni High School, but we got nothing.If we don't receive any money for a sports hall that is in operation and at full capacity, nobody can seriously believe that we have received funding for a swimming pool that has not been used for six years." Finally: The city of Herne is currently not allowed any funding acquire for the property.It is bound by the current resolution of the Herne City Council, in which it decided in 2012 to rebuild the Wanana and subsequently to close down the indoor pool.Volunteering should be placed more in the focus of Herner.Lord Mayor Dr.Frank Dudda and Armin Kurpanik, Heads of the Volunteer Office, presented the "Herne Engaged" campaign on Monday (September 12, 2022).“Volunteering strengthens the sense of community and cohesion in society.Those who do voluntary work have a strong connection to their homeland and give others strength," said Mayor Dr.Frank Dudda.“We started the campaign during the nationwide week of civic engagement.It lasts until Sunday, September 18, 2022," said Armin Kurpanik.The volunteer office has had a new service page designed for Herner.There is a lot of information about volunteering here.“We had five videos made about honorary posts in Herne.Young-Soo Chang did that.He has already worked for Germany's Next Top Model and many other TV productions," said Armin Kurpanik.“Each video had to be approached differently.So we accompanied the volunteer fire brigade and were also in the hospice.So you couldn't use a template, you had to rethink each topic in order to bring volunteering closer to the people," says Chang.“We also started a podcast series.It can also be heard on Spotify under the title: "A matter of honor - the podcast about volunteering in Herne," Kurpanik continued.People are invited to the podcasts who do voluntary work, for example with the Technical Relief Agency or the Ukraine Aid.There are also posters and notices in the schools in Herne.The HCR is also part of the volunteer offensive.“Of course we are very happy to support the campaign.That's why we're promoting volunteering on the screens in our buses from now on," said Dirk Rogalla, HCR spokesman.The campaign will also be presented at the central borough conference.The local news portal halloherne.de reports daily from Herne and provides the city with the latest news in text, photos and videos.This news is free for the reader and is funded by advertising.