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This interview was originally broadcast on Oct. 24, 2011. The third season of Boardwalk Empire starts Sunday.
HBO's Boardwalk Empire, set in Atlantic City in the 1920s, is about organized crime in the era of Prohibition. The show stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, an Atlantic City politician who sees the coming of Prohibition as an opportunity to make even more money from illegal activities and kickbacks.
Buscemi's co-star, Michael Shannon, tells Terry Gross that when he signed up to play the righteous federal agent Nelson Van Alden, he didn't know his character would succumb to the temptations of Atlantic City — and so quickly. In the show's first season, Van Alden cheated, lied and even drowned a fellow federal agent.
"I do believe he ultimately has good intentions, and he wants to do the right thing — and he goes to Atlantic City believing that he can do some good in the world," Shannon tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "[But] he also is surrounded by people thwarting him at every turn, so that act of drowning [his fellow agent] is the culmination of a great deal of frustration."
Shannon explains that before portraying Van Alden, he created a back story for the character in his head. He imagines that Van Alden grew up in a very strict household where he was told to never slouch and to sit up straight.
"That is the seed of what grows into the adult Van Alden," he says. "But he's a sad character. ... I think it is a Frankenstein scenario in a way, because I think inside of Van Alden is a child — that arrested child — that never really got to develop its own identity. I think as much as he believes that he's operating from these deeply held beliefs, he's actually in a way very hollow."
Interview Highlights
On Atlantic City
"Terence Winter [the show's creator] did mention that one of the themes of the show was going to be how Atlantic City can corrupt people like the snake in the Garden [of Eden], and how everybody in the story was going to have trials and tribulations from being in Atlantic City."
On religious people
"I've known a lot of religious people. My mother is very religious, but she also is very private about it. When I was growing up, she never went to church. She just prayed and read her Bible and kept it to herself. I'm not from a background of flamboyant believers. It's much more a personal issue. But it's very important for me not to judge Van Alden or to judge people in general. When you're an actor, it can be a hindrance if you look askance at people."
On his role in the thriller Take Shelter
"It was easy because it made sense to me. I think even though, in the film, with these nightmares and these visions [that my character has], they're obviously exaggerated beyond what most people experience. But I do think they're reflective of a general feeling that people can relate to — of feeling frightened and powerless and wondering what the heck is going to happen next."
On his role in the next Superman movie
"I'm an alien, which is weird because it's hard to research being an alien — and what it's like to be on Krypton."
On his role in Revolutionary Road
"I really drew 99 percent of my inspiration from the book, Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. It's a phenomenal piece of literature. ... I felt like as long as I held on to what inspired me about the book, that I'd be good to go."
This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies, in for Terry Gross. Season three of the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire" begins Sunday, and one of the standout characters is Federal Agent Nelson Van Alden, played by our guest Michael Shannon. Shannon is also starring in the new movie "Take Shelter" as a husband and father who starts having visions about an apocalyptic storm and doesn't know if this is prophecy or a sign of mental illness.
In 2009, Shannon received an Oscar nomination for his role in "Revolutionary Road." "Boardwalk Empire" is set in Atlantic City during Prohibition. Shannon's a Prohibition agent with the Department of Internal Revenue, an inhibited man and devout Christian surrounded by a world of crime and sinful temptation. He eventually succumbs, drinking liquor, having extramarital sex and committing a horrific act that would change his life. Terry interviewed Michael Shannon last fall, during the second season of "Boardwalk Empire."
I'd like to play what might be your most talked-about scene. This is the scene in which you insist on baptizing your partner, Agent Sebso, in the river, and he doesn't want to be baptized because he's Jewish. Now, you correctly suspect that he's been on the take to Nucky Thompson, the boss of the liquor operation in Atlantic City during Prohibition.
So in this scene, you've brought him to a spot on the river where a local African-American church conducts baptisms, and the preacher, who is in the water performing baptisms, as you arrive, he sees you and speaks first.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (as character) Agent Van Alden of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, have you come here to be accepted into the arms of Christ?
MICHAEL SHANNON: (as Nelson) I have never left him, deacon, though I have at times turned from his love.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (as character) You cannot turn from him, sir. Whatsoever the compass point, he's there beside you.
SHANNON: (as Nelson) I do know that to be so. But this man does not. There is a veil over his eyes, deacon, and a darkness in his soul.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (as character) Come forward.
ERIK WEINER: (as Agent Sebso) No thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (as character) Young sir, come forward.
WEINER: (as Sebso) No thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (as Nelson) Come forward, Mr. Sebso.
WEINER: (as Sebso) I'd really rather not.
SHANNON: (as Nelson) You insult these good people in their beliefs?
WEINER: (as Sebso) They're not my beliefs.
SHANNON: (as Nelson) What are you afraid of, Mr. Sebso?
WEINER: (as Sebso) I'm not afraid, I...
SHANNON: (as Nelson) Then let these waters wash you clean.
GROSS: So you finally get Agent Sebso, who again, is Jewish, into the water, and you have the pastor's permission to baptize him. You keep dunking his head underwater, and he keeps declining to be baptized. And in your zeal to baptize him, you keep his head underwater so long you end up drowning him.
So let's hear that part of the scene, and in this part of the scene, the pastor is getting worried that you're hurting Agent Sebso, and he tries to intervene, but you keep on dunking him until you kill him. The pastor speaks first.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (as character) This is not a battle, sir.
SHANNON: (as Nelson) You are wrong, deacon. It is a battle against the devil himself. I have seen him abroad in the daylight and the night, and by God I will force him out. Thou has fulfilled the judgment of the wicked.
GROSS: Wow, you've just killed this guy, and you're praising God that thou has fulfilled the judgment of the wicked. You say, about this agent who you've just killed, that there's a darkness in his soul. And of course, that really describes your character. There is a real darkness in your soul.
SHANNON: Yes, well, I think with Van Alden, probably like most people, his problems began in childhood. I imagine him coming from a very strict background, probably not a very compassionate background. I imagine his father being somewhat of an ogre and maybe even, you know, physically abusing him from time to time. And so that's kind of the seed of what grows into the adult Van Alden.
But I think he's a very sad character, because I do believe he ultimately has good intentions, and he wants to do the right thing. And he goes to Atlantic City believing that he can do some good in the world. And as many nefarious activities as he gets up to, he's also surrounded by people thwarting him at every turn. So that act of drowning Sebso is the culmination of a great deal of frustration and despair on his part.
GROSS: Have you known anybody who is as much, you know, a zealot and delusional at the same time, as the agent who you portray is?
SHANNON: You know, I've known a lot of very religious people. My mother is very religious, but she was also very - is very private about it. She - when I was growing up, she never went to church. She just prayed and read her Bible and kept it to herself. So I'm not from a background of flamboyant believers. It's much more a personal issue.
But, you know, I don't - it's very important for me not to judge Van Alden or to judge people in general. When you're an actor, it's - it can be a hindrance, I think, if you look askance at people, you know.
GROSS: At the same time, though, you've tried to create a back story for him so you can understand what he's been through that shaped him. And you were telling us, for instance, you assume his father might have abused him when he was young. And he abuses himself.
SHANNON: Yes.
GROSS: There is a scene in the first season where because he feels sexually attracted to somebody who he should not, she's not his wife, you carefully lay out your belt on the towel, and then you take off your shirt, and then you lift the belt and knot it and then start flagellating yourself.
SHANNON: Right.
GROSS: It's, like, such a surprise, like you're not - you know, like you're not prepared - I mean, the viewer is not prepared for that. But is that one of the reasons why you assume that the agent's father beat him when the agent was a child, and now he beats himself?
SHANNON: Yes, I think this behavior he probably learned from his father. Maybe his father practiced it, as well. But I think one of the things that's so striking about the scene, like you say, is that it's very ritualistic, and it's not - it's not histrionic, you know, or hysterical.
It's very methodical. And that to me is one of the fascinating things about Van Alden's journey, is seeing him not only lose control of maybe his reason or his perspective, but I think along the way he loses control of that methodic, ritualistic sense of himself.
To me, it's much more horrifying to actually see Van Alden take a drink than it is to see him whip himself with the belt because the drink is something that Van Alden has told himself his whole life that he would never, ever do under any circumstances.
So for me, playing the part, it was actually a lot more difficult to show up and do the scene where he walks into a speakeasy and has a shot of whiskey and then goes over and talks to Lucy than it was to do the flagellation scene.
GROSS: And you understand this character so well. You've thought him through so carefully. It seems to me you should be, like, writing your part.
GROSS: Do you have any input into the writing of it?
SHANNON: I haven't tried to exercise it, put it that way. There are certain people on the show that I think do a great deal of research and from time to time get to go up to the writers' room - the writers' room - and make a pitch for this or that. But I enjoy seeing where the writers' imaginations take this character. So I trust them.
GROSS: Now, you're very tall. How tall are you?
SHANNON: I'm 6'4".
GROSS: And you use your size in some of your roles in a very imposing way, like in "Boardwalk Empire." And in "Boardwalk Empire," you are so, like, tall and imposing, yet so disconnected from your body. I mean, the body is a source of sin and temptation.
There's almost something Frankenstein-ish about it in the sense that, like Frankenstein is a brain inside this body that the brain doesn't belong in. So the body just doesn't know how to move. The body's so stiff and kind of rigid. And, like, that's what your body is. You are so out of touch with it.
SHANNON: Well, I think that's another thing, another aspect of Van Alden that probably germinated in his childhood. I imagine that he was always told not to slouch, to sit up straight and to have good posture. And I think it is a Frankenstein scenario in a way because I think inside of Van Alden is a child, that arrested child that never really got to develop its own identity.
I think as much as he believes that he's operating from these deeply held beliefs, he's actually in a way very hollow. I don't think he has even begun to really explore who he really is. So I think that is very exciting for the trajectory of the character because, I mean, you can already see that he's really painting himself into a corner. He's going to have to reinvent himself.
DAVIES: Michael Shannon, speaking with Terry Gross. We'll hear more after a break. This is FRESH AIR.
DAVIES: We're listening to Terry's interview recorded last fall with Michael Shannon, who plays Federal Agent Nelson Van Alden in the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire." Its third season premieres Sunday.
GROSS: In "Take Shelter," you play a husband and the father of a young girl who's deaf and needs surgery and lessons in American Sign Language. You lose your job during the course of the movie. So things are rough. But throughout the movie, you're having these nightmares and hallucinations of menacing cloud formations, and in the sky you see hundreds of birds in very disturbing formations.
It starts to rain in these nightmares, and the rain is almost like rust-colored. It's like a yellowish brown. And you don't know whether this is some kind of premonition that you're having, if this is some kind of like prophecy that will be fulfilled or if you're losing your mind. And you're afraid that you are entering a stage of mental illness because your mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was in her '30s, which is the approximate age that you are now.
So let me just play a scene from this. At this point, you've decided to seek psychological help. So you go to a counselor who's played by Lisa Gay Hamilton. She speaks first.
LISA GAY HAMILTON: (as Kendra) I'm going to start by asking you some questions.
SHANNON: (as Curtis) Okay. I already answered all the questions on the form.
HAMILTON: (as Kendra) I know. I looked at them. But I need to get a profile started on you.
SHANNON: (as Curtis) Right, well, out of the five possible symptoms needed to be diagnosed with schizophrenia - delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized behavior and the negative symptoms - I've had two: delusions and hallucinations.
(as Curtis) So I took this quiz in the back of the book. I scored a five out of a possible 20. Schizophrenia starts at 12. So they say it might be a brief psychotic disorder. Whatever it is, I need to know what to do or what to get on to get this thing under control.
GROSS: You are in a constant state of anxiety in this movie because you're always expecting the Apocalypse, and you're always imagining the worst-case scenario and needing to protect your family from it. Were you in a constant state of anxiety making the movie?
SHANNON: No, I wouldn't say that. I actually really enjoyed working on the film. I really enjoyed the people I was working with a lot. And for me it was easy because the - it just made sense to me. The movie made sense. And I think even though, in the film, with these nightmares and these visions, they're obviously exaggerated beyond what most people experience.
But I do think they're reflective of a general feeling that people can relate to or a percentage of people can probably relate to, of just feeling frightened and powerless and wondering what the heck is going to happen next.
GROSS: Do you dream a lot?
SHANNON: SHANNON: I go through periods where I dream a lot and then periods where I don't. Oddly enough, when I'm working, I don't tend to dream very much, I guess because what I'm doing during the day has a kind of dream-like quality to it that is very different than if I went to an office and filed data all day long. Then I'd probably want to go home and have a, you know, rich life in my dreams.
But, you know, my life is so surreal.
SHANNON: Making films is a very surreal business, you know.
GROSS: I just want to say something about your face. We talked a little bit about your height earlier. A couple of distinctive things about your face is that you have very full lips, and they're often, like, depending on the role, like, when there's a lot of tension in your face or pain or inwardness, they tend to like really turn down your lips, you know, like turn down with the expression of tension. And I never know whether you're thinking about that or whether you're just thinking the emotion, and that's what happens.
SHANNON: Aw, gee. Boy, you can get into pretty dicey territory there if you're...
GROSS: With trying to like move your lips or not?
SHANNON: Yeah. If you're just trying to manipulate - it's a very delicate thing because, you know, film and television, it's photography. And this is going to sound kind of ridiculous, but in a way, you're kind of modeling a story. You know, you have to be conscious of the fact that it's being photographed, whereas in theater, you really are just trying to get to the heart of the matter.
You know, I've had experiences on film where I really felt what was happening and I felt like it couldn't be any more perfect than what it was. It just seemed, like, exactly what it needed to be. And then I've seen it and it's completely the opposite of what I thought, or you don't see anything.
I had this experience recently where I was working on something and doing a take and - over and over. And I had talked to the director, and he'd say, well, what about this or what about that? And I'd say, OK, OK. And then finally I just did a take where I kind of turned my head a slightly different angle, and it worked.
He was like, oh, that's perfect. I was, like, all I did was I just turned my head a little bit. And he's, like, well, trust me. It's exactly what I wanted. So we'd been having all these, you know, high-minded conversations about what my character was thinking or what he wanted, and really, all I needed to do was, you know, turn my head 45 degrees.
But by and large, to your original question, I'm trying not think about that aspect of it. I still try to focus just on what my character's trying to do.
GROSS: So, you've played so many eccentric characters - bordering, some of them, on crazy. Do you think of yourself as eccentric?
SHANNON: Hmm. I, you know, I guess I do. Partially, it's just the life of an actor. It's an unusual life. It's hard, you know, if you walk downtown past all the people with, you know, their briefcases and going about their daily routine, that it's hard to feel like a member of that society, I guess. I feel like I'm settling down. I had a very long period where I had led this kind of gypsy-like existence, traveling a lot and not really putting roots down anywhere. But now I'm, you know, starting a family and settling down.
It's also my life is a little less - you know, I used to not have much money, and it was hard to get by sometimes. And now I have a little bit more comfort and security in that department. But I think more than anything what it is is that I'm just a very incredibly sensitive person.
I think most actors are, you know. I'm very sensitive to what goes on around me and I'm very - I feel like I'm always kind of paying attention to everything, like I don't have blinders or I don't have a lot of, maybe, defense mechanisms that other people have. I'm very - you know, you're supposed to be very present if you're an actor, and I feel like I am.
GROSS: And at the same time when you're an actor, you're facing so much rejection and not getting roles and getting bad reviews - not that you've gotten bad reviews, but I mean like what actor doesn't have to face that? So, like, the sensitivity can be a real problem.
SHANNON: Yeah. I've dealt with a lot of that. You know, I think with anybody you see who makes it to the, I don't know, this level of the public eye, you know, it's easy to forget that everybody - even the famous people - have put up with a lot of rejection.
You, know, there's a lot of parts I haven't gotten and I have gotten a lot of bad reviews. Some of - you know, right when I started in Chicago, the first play I got cast in outside of, you know, an academic environment, I was fired from.
Yeah. It was a little tiny storefront theater in Chicago, you know, folding chairs and clamp lights, the whole nine yards. And it was called - I think it was called "West Bank Story." And I rehearsed for a couple of weeks.
And then one day the director walked up to me and said, you know, you have a lot of raw talent, but you should go to the conservatory or something and learn some technique because you're just too - we can't figure out how to get you to do what we want you to do. And so I gave her the finger and left, and then...
GROSS: Did you go to the conservatory?
SHANNON: No. No, I didn't go to the conservatory. I went - and actually I went and did some electrical work, laying cables in a theater. And then a few months later, I went back and gave it another shot. And the rest is history.
GROSS: Right.
GROSS: Okay. It's been great to talk with you. Thank you so much.
SHANNON: Thanks, Terry.
DAVIES: Michael Shannon speaking with Terry Gross, recorded last fall. Shannon plays Federal Agent Nelson Van Alden in the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire." Its third season premieres Sunday. I'm Dave Davies, and this is FRESH AIR. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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The nearly two inches of rain Montezuma County received from Jan. 25-28 had a positive impact on the high country snowpack, a local meteorologist is reporting.
Meteorologist Jim Andrus said before the rain, the snowpack for the region stood at about 50 percent of average for this time of year. After the rainfall, the snowpack stood at 83 percent of the average.
While rain fell around the county, snow was falling in the higher elevations.
"The amount of rain we had at the end of that weekend helped a lot," Andrus said. "We had a ton of rain last weekend."
On Saturday, Jan. 26 Cortez received 1.19 inches of rain and the liquid amount of moisture from both rain and snow added another .69 inches of precipitation for a combined total of 1.88 inches over the three days.
"It's a little short of average, and we could probably use one more (storm)," he said. "Certainly, right now we are in much better shape with the snowpack amount than we were in January."
He said the 50 percent of average snowpack in the middle of January was concerning, and added there could still be some problems as spring approaches.
"Fifty percent is not a good figure at all, and that was a concern," he said. He said the 83 percent of average, while not ideal, would not create the same dire circumstances.
The big factor for snowpack is the spring weather. If it's a warm spring with rain and high winds, the snow would evaporate and the major drought concerns would return.
Andrus said the recent cold spell that gripped Cortez with sub-zero temperatures was good but the very cold weather is likely over for the winter.
This week's forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-40s with lots of sunshine. Normal high temperatures for this time of year is 45 degrees, which is what was recorded last Thursday.
No snow is forecast for the week, and the best possible chance for precipitation is either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

subset: commoncrawl


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*Note: This information is not a guarantee of earnings with the company.
Numbers are based on a $500 / party sale average with great potential for higher earnings as you build a team of Consultants.
The kit includes a supply of our most popular products**, plus all the supplies you need to start your Norwex business. And you can earn your starter kit free***—a $200 value!


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The CSA Expert Exchange is an online conference co-presented by Small Farm Central and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) occurring live on March 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- The CSA Expert Exchange is an online conference co-presented by Small Farm Central and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) occurring live on March 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Nationwide, the conference is expected to engage between 500-1,000 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers. The conference will be accessible via any web browser; attendees will be available to watch video of presenters, view powerpoint slides, and interact via chat to ask questions. The fee is $45 and registration is open at csafarmconference.com.
The CSA Expert Exchange will consist of four sessions, each one hour in length, focusing on the following topic areas; CSA management, member retention & maintaining a profitable CSA operation, certifications and equipment and member education.
The featured speaker will be noted author and CSA pioneer, Elizabeth Henderson, author of Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen's Guide to Community Supported Agriculture.
Conceived by Robyn Van En as an antidote to industrial, monocrop agriculture, the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) concept offers farms the opportunity to become centers of more sustainable communities.
Based on inspiring examples from other CSAs around this country and the world and her own experience with Peacework Farm and the Genesee Valley Organic CSA (now renamed Peacework Organic CSA), Elizabeth Henderson will discuss how the most successful CSAs are much more than a clever marketing alternative for family farms.
These long-term CSAs are respected, local institutions, providing healthy, fresh food while involving members, educating consumers, training new farmers and serving as hubs of economic development.
"Many members of PASA currently operate or are becoming more interested in starting CSA operations on their farms. We felt partnering with Small Farm Central to offer this unique online conference was a great way to engage participants from a wide geographic area, while having noted experts in this field share their experiences," said Michele Gauger, Membership Director with PASA.
Small Farm Central is also offering 20 scholarships to new and beginning farmers to help offset costs to participate in the CSA Expert Exchange. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 1.
"It is exciting to be able to bring Elizabeth Henderson's wealth of experience to CSA farmers across the country: she has 25 years of experience running a CSA and has been at the forefront of the CSA movement during all of those years.
It is so important for farmers to learn from each other as we create a vibrant local food system. The online format is just a new way to collaborate and learn," said Simon Huntley from Small Farm Central.
Full details about the CSA Expert Exchange: An Online Conference are available at csafarmconference.com.
About PASA
With over 6,000 members, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is one of the largest and most active sustainable agriculture organizations in the U.S.
Through educational programs and regional marketing assistance for farmers, advocacy, and public outreach, PASA seeks to promote profitable farms that produce healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.
PASA's hallmark event, the Farming for the Future Conference, draws thousands of participants from more than 30 states and six countries each February. For more information, visit pasafarming.org.
About Small Farm Central
Small Farm Central is a leading technology provider to small-scale farms across the U.S. and Canada. Started by an former CSA farmer, Small Farm Central provides farm websites, CSA member management services, and more to help increase the economic sustainability of small-scale farmers by creating professional and engaging experiences for the farm's customers.
Small Farm Central's Member Assembler technology is built to manage the office side of the CSA from online member signup and payment processing to box packing and delivery logistics.


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Facility relocating to Beech Street
By Rachel Segura
Journal Staff Writer
Cindy Irvin's mission statement is simple: have a passion for compassion. The executive director of the Good Samaritan Center has spent the last 31 years promoting love and good faith to those who need it most.
Now, after 27 years of operating the center at 25 1/2 S. Elm, Irvin will pack up the goods and move one block over to 25 S. Beech - next door to the Cortez Barber Shop. The center's new operations, which opened on Monday, March 18, will be in a more visible, centralized location.
Irvin explained that over the years, the task of keeping up with all the various items that people are dropping off at the center had become chaotic. Signs around the Elm street location clearly state that any donations should be dropped off during working hours. However, these rules are followed by few.
"When things get dropped off while we aren't open, people will go through them," Irvin said. "They will also urinate on the items, defecate on the items, or trade out their dirty clothes for clean ones."
The mess Irvin would find the next day was becoming too much for her to handle. Sorting through the muck was amounting to more work than necessary. As the only paid employee, Irvin does not run the center for money. She runs the center because she loves people. But she was getting worn down.
She took her concerns to the Good Samaritan Center's board of directors, hoping they would have an answer. Criminal activity and volunteer safety was also becoming a risk factor for Irvin and center volunteers. The board took action to find a new location.
"I didn't want the move to be under my reign," Irvin said. "But when we walked through the new building they voted that day to move."
Irvin, who is hoping to retire at the end of the year, was excited and surprised that the decision came so quickly. With the new space, Irvin and the board declared new rules for assistance.
First, the center will no longer accept or provide clothing, household goods or furniture. They will strictly carry food and hygiene products, only. The items they are no longer keeping were sent to other organizations who also provide for needy families. They also will now require a proof of address along with photo identification. If they are from out-of-state, the proof of address is mandatory.
They are also only able to receive food benefits every 60 days.
The new facility on Beech street, is a breath of fresh air for Irvin. The Elm Street location has not had air conditioning the 27 years she has worked there.
"We run every fan we own and sweat all summer," Irvin said.
She's excited to be in a building with both working air and heat. Walking space is also more efficient for customers and volunteers. Irvin sees the move as a positive change. She looks forward to a job with less chaos and oversight.
"There will be more directed help as far as counseling services go, food distribution and help with hygiene," Irvin explained.
The amount of people the Good Samaritan Center serves monthly can reach upwards of 500. Families, individuals and lonely travelers are all welcome. In the month of February, the center served 258 people. The amount of food given was worth $9,910.
Irvin keeps track of everything given and who stops in. She also remembers the many people who have made great impressions on her.
"Many clients have helped to give back financially or with help cleaning up," she said. "There are so many to be thankful for."
The center is currently operating out of their new facility. Irvin hopes the new building will take some stress of the job away and replace it with more faith.


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The Morehouse Parish Library prides itself on offering educational and entertaining material free of charge. Books and movies aren't the only items available for one's reading and viewing pleasure, free songs can now be obtained as well, offering music to the ears of library card holders.
Freegal Music Service began Wednesday as part of the libraries joint effort with Library Ideas network of Public Library websites, which allows card holders to access over three million songs. Under the terms of the agreement, three songs can be downloaded a week in the MP3 format. Once the songs are downloaded to a phone or computer, they remain permanently, until the holder deletes them.
MPL librarian Ellen Highsmith said it's easy and fast to use Freegal. You must first obtain the Freegal app, which is free, and can be downloaded to any Apple or Android device. It is available in the iTunes app store or Google play.
After the Freegal app is acquired, visit the Morehouse Parish Library website. Once on the website, "Freegal" can be seen at the top right side of the screen.
"If you click on Freegal, it will talk you through it," Highsmith said. "You can download songs from over 10,000 different music labels."
Highsmith said the new service is being offered as one of Trailblazers newest ventures. Trailblazers consists of libraries from 13 parishes in Northeast Louisiana. It was created to help increase the readership population of smaller libraries by allowing them to communicate and exchange ideas.
Delta Jr. High eighth grader Regi Johnson said being a music lover, this is a great idea for students like himself.
"It's something to keep me entertained while doing schoolwork," Johnson said. "This is also a great opportunity for people who don't have a lot of extra money to take advantage of."
To download the free Freegal Music tracks, visit www.youseemore.com/morehouse.
Highsmith said she's hoping this will be popular with all Morehouse Parish residents, but especially teens.
"I hope teenagers will like the new service," she said. "I know parents will like it because it's free and we opted for no bad lyrics."


text: 1010 Share This Post... Tuxedo: Ike Behar Tuxedo Tags: Ike Behar Tuxedo Book Bridal Appt Email Us What do you want to do? * - Select a value -Request more infoAsk a questionBook Bridal AppointmentGet helpReferralsApply nowBridesmaid Measurement FormReserve A TuxedoBecome A Prom RepOther Click Here To Book Appt Date * Date More information? Time More information? What product or service do you need help with? Describe in detail what happened Services Needed What is your question? You'll receive a gift card for every new customer you refer to us that utilizes our products or services. Please note: referral fees will be paid after the referred job is paid in full. What is your friend's name? What is your friend's email address? First Name * Last Name * Email * Phone * More information? Address Country - None -United States Is this suit for a wedding? * Yes No Bride's Name Groom's Name School Message What is the best way to reach you? - None -PhoneEmailText Message How did you hear about us? - None -Seattle Wedding Showweddingchannel.comtheknot.comPinterestFacebookOnline SearchSeattle Bride's Magazineweddings.comaliciasbridal.comBridal Inspirations Wedding ExpoReferralRadioNewspaperOther Bust Coat Size * Hip Waist Inseam Neck * Sleeve * Shoe Size Height Weight Normal Dress Size We hate spam too and will never share your email address. Contact Us!


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"On March 8, 2012, Sheriff Charles McDonald took office amid a swirl of turmoil both within the department and the community at large," Sgt. Jason Brown told a class of new recruits in the Sheriff's Citizens Academy on Feb. 19.
"On March 8, 2012, Sheriff Charles McDonald took office amid a swirl of turmoil both within the department and the community at large," Sgt. Jason Brown told a class of new recruits in the Sheriff's Citizens Academy on Feb. 19.
Many in the class nodded. They knew the story of how former Sheriff Rick Davis left office after taking a medical retirement.
Employee morale was at a new low. Public confidence had dwindled. Then McDonald was chosen by the Henderson County Republican Party's executive committee as the next sheriff.
"(McDonald) took a stance to look inward... 'identify the problem and then fix it,'" Brown said.
"Quitting or taking the easy way out's not an option, but a lot of people go that way," McDonald said in a recent interview.
And so McDonald called in reinforcements. Les Poole, a 34-year veteran of Scotland Yard, returned to help the department take a bold step in moving forward.
His task involved an internal audit which led to an action plan in strengthening personnel, targeting burglaries and asking the community what they think.
Davis contacted Poole six years ago to audit the department and provide recommendations, but the work "was not followed through," Poole said during a recent interview, his British accent slightly mellowed by his nearly 17 years in the States. "When (McDonald) came along, he asked me if I would be willing to come back and relook at the agency and look at what things were like here and... provide him with an audit report of what was going on as I see it."
"He asked me one thing before he agreed," McDonald said. "He said, 'I need to know this, if I come up there and you pay me to do this, do you plan on following through? Because if you're not going to follow through, I don't need the money badly enough to come up there and go through that again,' which I thought was fair."
Credibility is important to Poole. He has no website to tout his experience and expertise as a private consultant. He often works through personal recommendations and comes highly recommended by the National Sheriff's Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police and independent sheriff's and police departments.
Years of experience
In the United Kingdom, Poole rose through the ranks of detective to operational boss of southwest London in the Metropolitan Police Service. His 10 years as a commander included a post as director of national training and police promotions for 120,000 police officers, in which he conducted worldwide surveys on training and promotion and produced a number of new programs.
Poole was an internal force inspector. He also served as the director of personnel for 29,000 uniformed officers before his work led him to retire in the U.S. as a consultant and professor at the Southern Police Institute in Kentucky.
Poole's senior posts involved major elements of agency reorganization and planning, making significant transformational change in operational policing, personnel and training, according to his SPI profile. He was awarded the medal for services to British policing by the Queen of England in 1993.
"When I came here (to the Henderson County Sheriff's Office), some things had deteriorated from when I was here six years ago," Poole said.
He stared down the barrel of the biggest issues: morale and motivation of the staff, lack of association or closeness with the community and outdated personnel systems.
"I had made recommendations about (the personnel systems) before but that didn't get picked up," he said.
When he came to the agency six years ago, Poole said, he asked Human Resources, "'Can you just tell me how many people you have in the agency who have a degree?' And I was told, 'Only if I go through each of the 230 personnel files, sheet by sheet, will I be able to tell you.'"
Poole returned to the agency in June. In August, he submitted his audit to McDonald.
"When I did my audit, the biggest issues that were raised were a lack of transparency and the lack of fairness; very little accountability," he said.
Brown said there were 248 applications sitting in a box when McDonald took office. Those applicants have now been vetted and entered into a comprehensive tracking system. Several applicants have been hired or are going through the hiring process.
Poole saw a system that "desperately needed to be looked at, from how we hire people, how we recruit people, to how we treat them when we get them here, and then what we do with them once we've got them and how we pass them through the system," he said. "We call it cradle to grave."
'Hire to Retire'
McDonald said that they've renamed the mission, "hire to retire."
Brown said employees formed a recruiting committee tasked with how to identify and recruit the most qualified candidates. Power was given "back to the people that work here," he said.
In March, a recruiting video was filmed for the agency. A new personnel process was created to ensure standards are met. Applications are now electronically archived and kept on file. The department's documentation is "light years ahead of where it was," Brown said.
Scoring on performance evaluations shrunk from five points to four points. Now employees will be evaluated as either 1 – not acceptable, 2 – need improvement, 3 – acceptable or 4 – outstanding, Brown said. The revised evaluations are set to begin July 1.
A committee of employees worked to create an organized employment flow which represents career paths available to officers, setting minimum standards of time and experience in a field before an employee can be promoted.
They developed a field training program ranging from eight weeks to six months for patrol, communications, detention and criminal investigation.
The sheriff admitted that changing a culture and changing the way the department thinks "isn't that easy."
"It's a change in organizational culture," Poole said. "It's a change in which we move forward. It's how the organization is looking at themselves and then looking at the service that they provide. It isn't just a political message... This is about making things better in here – out there."
In addition to revamping the "hire to retire" process, the department is focusing on improving service on prevalent types of crime.
Reduce break-ins
The sheriff plans to reduce break-ins by 12 percent in 2014 using a specialized task force, a departmentwide approach at information-gathering and crime-mapping software that will highlight hot spots. They also plan to conduct a community survey and publish the results once they come in this October.
"At the end of the day, I guess, we hope that the service that we're providing is good," Poole said. "I think it's courageous to allow someone to come into your organization, audit what's going on, present a report, pick up the recommendations and then make the changes and then stick with it. That takes courage."
Brown has served 15 years in law enforcement, was a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and served four years as a homicide investigator. He now works in the department's newly created professional standards division.
There was a "gargantuan jump" that the sheriff had to make, Poole said. "We're not there yet, but we're a long way down the road from where we were before."
Reach Weaver at firstname.lastname@example.com or 828-694-7867.


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February 14, 2013 to be V-Day's Largest Day of Action Ever
On February 14 2013, at 6 p.m., Portland, MI community members will gather
outside at the Red Mill to join with people around the world for ONE BILLION RISING, the
largest day of action in the history of V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.
One Billion Rising began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3
women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at
7 billion, this adds up to more than one billion women and girls. On February 14,
2013, V-Day's 15th anniversary, the people of Portland, MI will join activists, writers, thinkers,
celebrities, and women and men across the world as we express their outrage, demand change, strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women.
"When we started V-Day 14 years ago, we had the outrageous idea that we could end violence
against women," said Ensler. "Now, we are both stunned and thrilled to see that this global action is truly escalating and gaining force, with union workers, parliament members, celebrities, and women of all backgrounds coming forward to join the campaign. When we come together on February 14, 2013 to demand an end to violence against women and girls it will be a truly global voice that will rise up."
To make a real impact for the victims of violence in Portland, items will be collected for Ionia
County RAVE (Relief After Violent Encounter). RAVE offers free and confidential services
to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. RAVE is committed to supporting healing and
empowering individuals in crisis as well as educating individuals and the community on the
power of healthy relationships. To learn more about RAVE, please visit http://www.raveim.org/.


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Like Us on Facebook and you are automatically entered to win a free gourmet meal delivered to your home.
Gift Certificate Redemption Notice: IF YOU RECEIVED A HOLIDAY GIFT CERTIFICATE PLEASE EMAIL YOUR NAME, REDEMPTION CODE, AND CHOICE OF MENU TO email@example.com. WE WILL SHIP GIFT CERTIFICATE ORDERS EACH WEDNESDAY.
Preheat oven for 15 minutes to 400 degrees F.
From this point, preparation of your dinners will take about 30 minutes.
1. Handmade Appetizers
Remove plastic lids and gold foil. Place appetizers in container in 400 degree F. preheated oven for 12 minutes. Let stand for five minutes before serving. Enjoy while your entrees and accompaniments are finishing.
2. Entrees and Accompaniments
Remove plastic lids and sauce cups. Place entrees in 400 degree F. preheated oven for 30 minutes or until internal food temperature reaches 165 degrees F. (Add 30 minutes if preparing from frozen). When ready, plate entrees on your best china!
3. Sauce Cups
About 5 minutes before your entrees are finished, place sauce cups in microwave oven at MEDIUM setting for 20 seconds. Be creative. This is your finishing touch. (Note - some entrees such as lamb shank, chicken cordon bleu & pasta dishes do not have sauce cups since the sauce has been prepared directly on the entree.)
4. Desserts
Refrigerate parfait in GourmetStation dessert packaging at least 1 hour before serving and serve chilled. If you have chosen bake your own gourmet cookies, place them about two inches apart on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes at 325 degrees F. in conventional oven (275 degrees F. for convection). Allow cookies to cool slightly, and enjoy with great conversation.


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Congressional Research Service Reports - 4 Matching Results
Search Results
- The Proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement: Background and Key Issues
- The proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a new agreement for combating intellectual property rights (IPR) infringement. The ACTA negotiation concluded in October 2010, nearly three years after it began, and negotiating parties released a final text of the agreement in May 2011. Negotiated by the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union and its 27 member states, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, and Switzerland, the ACTA is intended to build on the IPR protection and enforcement obligations set forth in the 1995 World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement).
- The EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and Its Implications for the United States
- This report discusses the free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the European Union (EU). It looks at various aspects of the South Korea-EU FTA (KOREU FTA) including economic ties, trade strategies, and an overview of the key provisions of the agreement focusing on manufactured goods, agriculture, services, and various other provisions of particular interest to U.S. policymakers and the U.S. business community. The report also gives an analysis of the potential economic imact of the KOREU FTA and potential implications of the agreement for the United States.
- U.S.-EU Trade and Economic Relations: Key Policy Issues for the 112th Congress
- This report examines the trade relations between the United States, the European Union, and China.
- The EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement and Its Implications for the United States
- This report is designed to shed some light on the KOREU FTA for Congress.4 It briefly reviews EU-South Korean economic ties and the respective EU and South Korean objectives regarding the KOREU FTA. It then discusses the KOREU FTA in general and examines some of its major provisions in more detail, with special focus on autos and some other manufacturing sectors, agriculture, services, and labor-areas of particular interest to U.S. policymakers and the U.S. business community. The report does not attempt to determine if one FTA is better than the other. Finally, the report analyzes the prospects for the KOREU FTA and the agreement's potential implications for the United States.


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Difference between revisions of "Boston/Back Bay"
Revision as of 10:51, 18 November 2014
Once a stagnant pool of water behind the Public Garden, Back Bay now holds some of the most exclusive real estate in Boston. The streets between Commonwealth Avenue and the Charles River are almost entirely residential. Newbury St was once all stables to support these homes, it is now a shopping district that has been compared to Rodeo Drive in LA and 5th Avenue in New York. On the other side of Newbury is Boylston St, which on one side contains numerous bars and restaurants, and on the other several city landmarks, most notably Copley Square and the Prudential Center.
Get in
The Back Bay is bordered by the Charles River to the north, the Public Garden to the east, Fenway-Kenmore to the west, and the South End to the (you guessed it) south.
By car
Like most of downtown Boston, driving in the Back Bay is a terrible idea. While, unlike the rest of the city, the streets are laid out in a grid, the traffic tends to be bad to terrible. Newbury is the worst, as trucks frequently double park and pedestrians brazenly walk in front of cars. Boylston and Mass Ave are also frequently congested. If you must drive there are several parking garages in the area, and Exit 22 off I-90 East (only) serves the area. Storrow Drive is also another point of egress, although during rush hour it is often gridlocked.
By subway
Orange Line: the Back Bay station is near the border of the South End, near the Copley Place mall and the Prudential Center. Also served by the 10 and 39 buses.
Green Line: Several stations on the Green Line are located within Back Bay. The Green Line splits into multiple branches here: the following listings will indicate which branches serve which stations.
By train
The Back Bay station is served by Amtrak trains, and by MBTA commuter rail (Attleboro/Providence, Framinghham/Worcester, Needham, and Franklin lines).
By bus
Routes CT1, 1, 9, 10, 39 and 55 service the area. The 1 bus is the most useful to tourists, as it runs on Mass Ave and connects the Back Bay with Central and Harvard Square in Cambridge.
With no specific destination, the best way to explore the Back Bay is to start at the Public Garden and walk up Newbury St. The shops slowly change from extremely high end to more bohemian. At Mass Ave, going to the right will bring you to Commonwealth Ave; a split road with a tree-lined pedestrian mall in the center. Bordering Commonwealth Ave are some of the most elegant townhouses in the city, rivaled only by those on Beacon Hill. Going left as Mass Ave will bring you into the Berklee College of Music, many more shops and eventually Symphony Hall. Left off Mass Ave is Boylston Street, a vibrant avenue that has many bars and restaurants on the one side, and many popular Boston attractions such as the Prudential Center, Copley Square, and Hynes Convention Center on the other.


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Delaware State Police urge holiday shoppers to be vigilant and cautious as they enter the busy shopping season.
Delaware State Police urge holiday shoppers to be vigilant and cautious as they enter the busy shopping season.
Troopers say criminal activity rises during this time, so they will increase patrols in shopping centers and malls. But, the first line of defense is to reduce your vulnerability.
Officers offer a few safety tips while shopping:
— Park in high visibility and well lit areas.
— Lock your car and take your keys.
— Stay alert to your surroundings and the people around you.
— Shop with a friend; there is safety in numbers.
— Use credit/debit cards and avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
— Keep your purse close to your body at all times and keep your wallet in your front pocket.
— Be extremely careful using ATM machines. Use them in populated places and pay attention to your surroundings.
— Do not leave purchased items visible in the car; leave them in the trunk.
— Report suspicious people or activity immediately.
Keeping your home safe:
— Keep the outside of your home well lit with doors and windows locked.
— Keep gifts hidden from view through outside windows of your residence.
— After opening gifts, break down the boxes of expensive electronics or other gifts and dispose of in a non-clear garbage bag to hid the fact you have valuable items in the home.


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I've known Butler County Commissioner Jim Eckstein since 2004. During that time I've had plenty of reasons to respect him.
Now, as a result of comments he made during the commissioners meeting of Jan. 23, he has lost some of that respect.
If I were robbed and something valuable was stolen from me, I would be devastated. If there was evidence pointing to a perpetrator, I certainly would hope the state would pursue that evidence.
Knowing that sometimes justice moves slowly, I might show frustration when the implicated perpetrator is feted and I'm still without something I valued. But I know I would be furious if government officials then worked out a plan where I have to pay for my valued possession and the perpetrator is praised.
In an insulting and ill-conceived statement following testimony of several affected residents of the Woodlands and local activists (including me), Eckstein had the nerve to tell the residents that "there would be no free lunch." He later repeated that phrase.
Let's review what happened. Many people who live in the Woodlands area of Connoquenessing Township had the quality of their water ruined after Marcellus Shale gas drilling commenced in the area. They were forced to live with all of the perils and irritations of living in an industrial zone.
Almost none of the affected families got even a penny from this invasion. Thirty families now are forced to subsist on 20 to 25 gallons of water a week provided by a local church.
These people are not living in luxury. The value of their homes has plummeted; their savings have been decimated. Many of them have developed health issues.
They are not getting a free lunch; they have paid dearly.
For Eckstein to suggest that a solution that forces residents of the Woodlands to pay to restore what was taken from them is, somehow, fair is cruel and callous.
What is inexcusably brutal and clueless is to compare these people — victims of ecoterrorism perpetrated with the imprimatur of the state — with the despised "takers" vilified in the last election cycle.
All these people want is to have what they had before. They want justice, not a lecture delivered by a badly misinformed scold.
If Eckstein wants to find someone to give his free-lunch speech to, perhaps he should visit the criminals hiding in the corporate boardrooms of some of the oil and gas terrorists who have waged war in Butler County, and the traitors and collaborators in the government of the commonwealth.


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Inauguration Day
March 4, 1797
Inauguration Day
From 1797 until 1933, March 4 has been an important day in the life of our nation. With few exceptions, March 4 had been the day the new President of the United States was sworn in. That changed in January 1933 when the 20th Amendment was ratified. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first President to be inaugurated on January 20.


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Translation Disclaimer
Special Meeting Annotated Agenda January 27, 2015
Click on the linked agenda item titles below for background materials/reports. Adopted Resolutions and Ordinances (second reading) are available via Records Online (http://www.CityofBerkeley.info/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=4222) as soon as they are finalized.
Resolutions and Ordinances are subject to amendment, rescission or repeal, or readoption in whole or in part. Additional research may be necessary to verify the completeness of the legislative history. To research the Berkeley Municipal Code, visit: http://www.CityofBerkeley.info/BMC
These documents are presented in Adobe Acrobat PDF*, and will open in a new browser window. Some files may exceed 1MB in size. All items are available for review at the City Clerk Department, (510) 981-6900.
*To read PDF files, download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you are unable to access .pdf documents online, please contact us via email (firstname.lastname@example.com), telephone (510) 981-6900, or TDD (510) 981-6903 so that we can provide an alternate format.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Council Chambers – 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Tom Bates, Mayor
District 1 – Linda Maio
District 5 – Laurie Capitelli
District 2 – Darryl Moore
District 6 – Susan Wengraf
District 3 – Max Anderson
District 7 – Kriss Worthington
District 4 – Jesse Arreguin
District 8 – Lori Droste
Preliminary Matters
Roll Call: 5:32 p.m. Councilmember Anderson absent. Councilmember Worthington absent. Councilmember Worthington present at 6:06 p.m. Councilmember Anderson present at 6:53 p.m.
1. goBerkeley Pilot Results and Next StepsPresentationFrom: City ManagerContact: Andrew Clough, Public Works, 981-6300Action: Presentation made and discussion held.
Public Comment – Items on this agenda only - 9 speakers.
Action: M/S/C (Capitelli/Worthington) to adjourn the meeting.Vote: All Ayes.
Adjourned at 6:59 p.m.
CommunicationsCouncil rules limit action on Communications to referral to the City Manager and/or Boards and Commissions for investigation and/or recommendations. All communications submitted to Council are public record. Communications are not published directly to the City's website. Copies of individual communications are available for viewing at the City Clerk Department and through Records Online.


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Taft College defeats Feather River and Los Angeles Harbor
Taft College got its baseball season off to a good start by winning two of three games against two non-conference opponents.
On Friday, the Cougars split a doubleheader with No. 4 Feather River College and came back Saturday to edge Los Angeles Harbor in a game shortened by darkness after TC squeezed home what proved to be the winning run.
Cougar right-hander Allen Sanchez out-dueled Feather River's Michael Bennett in the season opener Friday morning to give TC a 1-0 victory.
However, the Golden Eagles surged back behind a sterling effort from Jace Puckett to win the second game 9-1.
The only run in the opener came in the bottom of the seventh when freshman second baseman Shane Sudsbury drove in Josh Roelofs, who opened the inning with a single.
The Cougars managed five hits off Bennett, including doubles by shortstop Luis Trinidad and catcher Josh Hickle and a single by Clint Jorgensen.
Sanchez, who missed last season with a broken ankle, scattered six hits, struck out four and walked one.
Feather River, located in Quincy and a perennial northern California powerhouse, banged 15 hits off six Taft pitchers to win the second game.
TC managed just two hits – singles from Travis Tessandori and Trinidad, who drove in the Cougars' lone run with his hit in the third.
The game was close until the Golden Eagles scored five runs in the sixth on five hits, including three doubles, a walk, hit batter and dropped third strike.
TC 4, Harbor 3
Freshman right-hander Brandon Van Stone threw six and a third solid innings, allowing three runs on four hits with four strikeouts and one walk as the Cougars improved to 2-1.
Tessandori's third hit of the game was the game-winner, driving in Tyler Meditz with a safety squeeze in the bottom of the eighth.
The game was then called by mutual agreement because of darkness.
Michael Vaquera, a transfer from Allen Hancock College who played at East High in Bakersfield, got the win in relief. He also got the save in Friday's win over Feather River with two shutout innings.
The Cougars are in Los Angeles today for a return match with Harbor.
They will close out the week with a three-game home series, playing College of the Siskiyous Thursday and Friday and Barstow on Saturday. Starting times for those games are 1 p.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.


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essex (uk) based explorer - i post stuff i think is ok. sometimes i create summaries of others stuff. now & then i'll create content when inspired. it keeps me amused.
Where the stuff on this blog is something i created it is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License so there are no requirements to attribute - but if you want to mention me as the source that would be nice :¬)
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
british statistics
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Saturday, September 1, 2012
Our House Was Never Silent
The clocks in our home included wrist watches, pocket watches, alarm clocks, wall clocks, and mantle clocks in all sizes and varieties, and probably a few other kinds I've forgotten. Most of them were there because they didn't keep time properly or at all. You see, my father had a small, second-job business as a watch and clock repairman and as a jeweler, a trade he learned through a correspondence course.
Each watch or clock that came in for repair received a tag on which was written the owner's name and phone number. My father had little hooks inside his roll-top desk where he hung the smaller ones before and while repairing them. You can see a few on the left side of his desk in the photo at right. (Click photo to enlarge.)
Most of the clocks returned to their owners when they were keeping accurate time. A few owners never came for their timepieces and more than a dozen of the clocks and watches in our home belonged to my father and our family. We all had our own alarm clocks -- the wind-up kind. We all had our own wrist watches -- also the wind-up kind. And there were several clocks throughout our house.
One of the constant time-keepers in our home was the clock you see on the back wall in the photo to the left. It was an electric Bulova advertising clock. The only numbers were 3, 6, 9, and 12; dots took the place of the other numbers. It had a second hand and a light. Whenever we needed to come downstairs at night there was the friendly clock, like a nightlight, casting a small glow. I don't know when or where Dad got it but it seems like it was in the same place from the time I was little until we removed everything from the house before selling it.
The other constant time-keeper was my father's wrist watch which he carefully wound every day. I don't know how he knew the correct time but he was always careful that our clocks were set accurately. Whenever I returned home for a visit from college he'd ask me how my watch was keeping. He'd have a look at it, reset it if necessary, then hold on to it for a day to see if it was running on time, fast, or slow. If not on time, he might keep it till I came home the next time if I could spare it.
I think I took time for granted when I was younger, even as recently as 10 years ago. It came, it went, I did things and there would be more time later or tomorrow. These days I have the sense that time is moving faster than I am, that I may run out of time before I run out of things I want to do. When I was a child living with someone who watched time carefully, I don't remember an extreme emphasis on time other than that some things were always done at the same time, namely, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
With all the clocks there was never complete silence at our house. It was not a small cacophony, if you're wondering, but rather a quiet, friendly, soothing sound. The clocks didn't interfere with conversation, music, or the television. Sometimes the tick of the clocks was the only sound we heard, a sound which was very comforting. All's right with my world - or will be soon - if I can hear a clock ticking.
This is a Sepia Saturday post. If you have time, I invite you to visit Sepia Saturday to find links to others' photographs and words about clocks, time, and a variety of other topics.
31 comments:
Funny how little things, such as a clock ticking, can bring back so many memories.ReplyDelete
The sound of time clicking away is something to ponder. In a home with so much time I could see how it would be easy to not notice time.ReplyDelete
I have several watches, I rarely wear any. I decided long ago to try and not be a servant to time. This concept does not always work. Just in case you were thinking of trying it yourself.
I would have loved to have been present in your house at noon or midnight. Must have been a fantastic experience! Now that you mention it, I still have this Bulova Accutron from the sixties. It is running way too fast but I'm sure that can be repaired. Glad you reminded me of that, thanks!ReplyDeleteReplies
The only problem with repairing your Accutron might be finding someone who actually works on non-electronic clocks. I don't know if there are many of those repairmen around these days.Delete
It's strange, but I don't remember many chiming clocks. I think it wasn't until I was in my teens that we began having many clocks that chime. My father built grandmother clocks and then the chiming began.
You've made me realise that we can't hear any of our clocks ticking except for small alarm clock when it is on a bedside table.ReplyDelete
The only clock I have that ticks is a travel alarm clock. I always like to know what time it is, so I sometimes carry it with me when my watch dies.ReplyDelete
How wonderful Nancy to grow up with all those watches and clocks and to have the foresight to take photos so that you could use them on Sepia Saturday many years later! I could do with someone like your father to look at my grandfathers's pocket watch as it no longer ticks and I'd dearly love to have it running again.ReplyDelete
Your post reads like the gentle and comforting ticking of so many clocks. I enjoyed reading about the constant timekeepers. I remember ours from my childhood: a yellow kitchen clock with a slightly melted 4, 5, and 6 from being too close to the stove, I guess. But it kept working!ReplyDelete
How lovely. Your post reminded me of how senses other than sight bring us back - for me it is the unmistakable smell of the interior of my great grandmother's china cabinet or the smell of my grandfather's pipe. Thank you for reminding me of the importance of those memories!ReplyDelete
I can see why this week's prompt of a clock struck such a chord with you and brought back memories of your father and your childhood. You paint a very vivid picture of what it was like to live in the house.ReplyDelete
I enjoyed this post, Nancy. My uncle was also a clock lover; he collected them and his house was constantly chiming. I remember asking my aunt years later how long it took them when the time changed twice/year to go around and change all the clocks. She told me they long ago gave up on doing that and just had to remember when the clocks were all 1 hour off! Great post.ReplyDeleteReplies
I had forgotten about changing the clocks for Daylight Savings Time. I can't remember what my father did with the clocks he was repairing. He probably just left those and changed the ones that we used. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.Delete
A very fun post, and if not for time, and clocks, and living, there would never be memories like these!ReplyDelete
My home is never silent either. Not sure where I got my love for keywound and chiming clocks, because I don't recall having any in my childhood home.ReplyDelete
Great post, Nancy. It would have been neat to hear those clocks all at the same time.
Dee @ Shakin' the Family Tree
Nancy, I have always been more "Falstaff-ian" in regards to time, but I loved your telling of the story -- a careful weaving of times,places and people --- then and now. Lovely.ReplyDelete
I was at a dinner party last night and looked around the table to see how many people were wearing wristwatches. Only one.ReplyDelete
I think it's sort of sad.Replies
Christine, I haven't worn a wristwatch for ages. For many years I went around wondering what time it was. I tried a small, portable clock in the car but it quit and for a while I carried a wristwatch in my purse but kept forgetting to wind it. When I got my cellphone, all my watch problems were solved. But I agree it is sad that people don't wear watches anymore. I suppose lots of people felt the same way when the style went away from pocket watches and changed to wristwatches. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.Delete
The house of a hundred clocks sounds like a tale from a children's story book. I wish there was a watch and clock repair shop where I live as I have several antiques that I'd liked fixed. I've heard that schools of horology are now disappearing.ReplyDelete
Years ago I played in an orchestra and sat next to a musician who had a cheap pocket watch. In quiet music, his ticking watch was so audible, I became convinced that the regular ticks were influencing the conductor's beats and choice of tempo!
- AnonymousSeptember 4, 2012 at 7:59 AM
That's a lot of timepieces to have in one house! Lovely post, Nancy :-) My grandparents had two Swiss cuckoo clocks in their kitchen. I used to pester my granddad to push the hands forward while I stood on a chair to see the birdie popping out :-) JoReplyDelete
I always remember the clock growing up too...chiming and ticking when it was due to. A comforting sound. And I agree that time seems to be speeding up as well. (This is Tasha, btw).ReplyDelete
Clocks are always an asset in every household. It tells time, pose as a reminder and keeps us on the go. It is essential in our everyday lives.ReplyDelete
I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.


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4:30 am
Power of Place: Geography for the 21st Century "The Mainland" Laos: Isolated Heart - Laos is emerging from isolation to join the global economy as an exporter of hydroelectric power. Vietnam: Fertile Dreams - As the world's second largest rice exporter, Vietnam's booming economy is evident in the explosive growth of Ho Chi Minh City. D
5:00 am
NHK Newsline NULL
5:30 am
Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish "El Secreto (The Secret)" This episode continues to introduce basic words and sentences of the Spanish language.G
6:00 am
6:30 am
Clifford The Big Red Dog "Another Fine Mess/King Mac" Another Fine Mess - Clifford's Big Idea: Be Responsible When Emily Elizabeth puts off the responsibility of cleaning her room, the mess grows until she can't find anything. She spends so much time trying to find things that she misses out on fun activities like reading to Clifford and playing with her friends. She soon learns that taking care of responsibility now can save a lot of trouble later. D
7:00 am
Arthur "Silent Treatment/Kung Fool" Silent Treatment - When quiet, shy George wonders if any of his friends really notice him, he has a great idea. He's not going to speak to anyone until they notice! Well when they do in fact notice he's been feeling sad, they decide to throw him a surprise party to make him feel special. But it backfires, when they need to avoid him to plan the party! Kung Fool - Fern volunteers to help an elderly neighbor, Tony Wu, with his household chores, and then discovers his past life as a Kung Fu celebrity. D
7:30 am
Martha Speaks "Martha Goes to School/Td and the Light Bulb of Doom" Martha Goes to School - TD thinks it would be funny to put Martha's name on the list for substitute teachers. TD and the Light Bulb of Doom - TD swears he'll start working on his report just as soon as he watches the "Harry Blotter, Boy Wizard" movie marathon, all nine parts!G
8:00 am
Curious George "Hamster Cam/The Great Monkey Detective" Hamster Cam - Steve's pet hamster, Hogie, is on the loose in the city streets with nothing but a small video camera tied to his back. George helps Steve track his whereabouts using clues from the hamster cam and his best monkeyish map-reading skills. But can a monkey with a map keep up with a hamster on the run? The Great Monkey Detective - It's mystery movie night at Chef Pisghetti's restaurant. D
8:30 am
Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! "Meet The Beetles/Tongue Tied" Meet the Beetles - Nick and Sally must protect their cookie jar from cookie snatchers! But how? Well by meeting three of the Cat's beetle friends, that's how! Stan the Giant Stag beetle shows them how to look scary, while Cliff the Click beetle teaches them to make a noise them jump! And Bobbi the Bombardier beetle has a stinky surprise for those that try to sneak up on her. Now Nick and Sally can keep their cookies safe! Tongue Tied - Mmm, there's nothing better than a blueberry popsicle, even though it makes your tongue blue! Speaking of tongues, the Cat has some friends with marvelous tongues! The kids meet Treetop Tom and see how his tough tongue can pick food off of thorny branches. Then Snifty the boa snake shows them how she uses her tongue to smell. D
9:00 am
Super Why! "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse" Whyatt's big brother Jack is going off to college, and Whyatt is going to miss him so much! The super readers jump into the tale of two mice brothers who live far away from each other. They journey with the mice from the bustling city to the quiet country, only to find that the best solution to their problem doesn't mean losing the comforts of home. Educational Objectives: To learn about visiting someone. D
9:30 am
Dinosaur Train "Dinosaur Train Submarine: Maisie Mosasaurus/Date Night" The Pteranodon family goes back underwater in the Dinosaur Train Submarine and meet Maisie and Marvin Mosasaurus, a daughter and father who are huge, fast-swimming lizards with flippers. Maisie and Shiny bond when they discover neither likes to go down deep in the water. The Pteranodons and Mosasaurus have a great time up near the ocean's surface, each family showing the other how they hunt and catch fish to eat. D
10:00 am
Sesame Street "The Best House of the Year" Elmo is outside roller skating when he and Leela hear construction noises. They investigate and come across the Three Little Pigs building a brick house to enter the "Best House of the Year" contest. It is a contest to find the strongest, prettiest, bestest house. D
11:00 am
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood "Daniel's Birthday/Daniel's Picnic" Daniel's Birthday - It's Daniel's Birthday! Daniel is very excited to go to Baker Aker's Bakery with his mom to pick out a cake for his party. When they arrive home after a bumpy ride on Trolley, Daniel is disappointed to find that his cake is smushed. It turns out. D
11:30 am
Sid The Science Kid "Ignatz's Inertia" Sid is sending his toy panda Ignatz on yet another adventure! He places him on top of a skateboard and rolls him across the patio. The skateboard comes to an abrupt stop when it bumps into a wooden bench, but Ignatz keeps moving forward and flies into the air! Sid is curious why Ignatz didn't stop moving too, so he and his friends investigate and discover that things in motion stay in motion until they are stopped-and that's inertia! (Educational objective - Inertia). D
12:00 pm
WordWorld "The Race to Mystery Island/A Star Is Born" The Race to Mystery Island: Pig and Frog are trying to out-do each other. Their competition results in a big race to Mystery Island. While each WordFriend builds himself several words to thwart his competitor along the way, Pig and Frog both finally come to realize that the only way they'll succeed is to work together. D
12:30 pm
Caillou "Captain Caillou" Captain Caillou - Grandpa's got a surprise for Caillou on their trip to the park - it's a remote control sailboat! Caillou is eager to race against the other boats on the pond. He imagines himself as Captain of the fastest sailboat ever. In his eagerness to win however, Caillou goes a little too fast and the boat capsizes. D
1:00 pm
Barney & Friends "The Shrinking Blankey/Things I Can Do" The Shrinking Blankey - Baby Bop's blankey seems to be getting smaller; she's convinced it's shrinking. But Barney shows her that, actually, she is growing. Baby Bop is not sure she likes this idea at first, but Barney soon helps her see that growing and changing are very good things! Things I Can Do - Baby Bop isn't satisfied with the things she can do. D
1:30 pm
Thomas & Friends "Laughing Together" Big Belle - Belle is very excited to learn that Toby also has a bell just like hers, and wants to go and be friends with him. Toby is a little intimidated when he sees how big and powerful Belle is. Belle decides that she wants Toby to do everything that she wants to do. D
2:00 pm
Curious George "Hamster Cam/The Great Monkey Detective" Hamster Cam - Steve's pet hamster, Hogie, is on the loose in the city streets with nothing but a small video camera tied to his back. George helps Steve track his whereabouts using clues from the hamster cam and his best monkeyish map-reading skills. But can a monkey with a map keep up with a hamster on the run? The Great Monkey Detective - It's mystery movie night at Chef Pisghetti's restaurant. D
2:30 pm
Martha Speaks "Martha Goes to School/Td and the Light Bulb of Doom" Martha Goes to School - TD thinks it would be funny to put Martha's name on the list for substitute teachers. TD and the Light Bulb of Doom - TD swears he'll start working on his report just as soon as he watches the "Harry Blotter, Boy Wizard" movie marathon, all nine parts!G
3:00 pm
The Electric Company "Skills" Keith is invited to join the Electric Company, but before he can take the oath, Francine swoops in and steals his special skill. Can the Electric Company help him get it back, or will Keith be powerless forever?. D
3:30 pm
WordGirl "Mr. Big's Colossal Mini-Golf/The Young and the Meatless" The Young and the Meatless - Romantic sparks fly when the Butcher meets Lady Redundant Woman's copy Dupey. Will Lady Redundant Woman allow a union between one of her copies and the meat-wielding villain? Vocabulary: Duplicate, Interruption. Mr. Big's Mini-Golf - There's a new villain in town, Guy Rich, he's a super rich evil businessman. D
4:00 pm
Wild Kratts "Mom of a Croc" Chris and Martin are determined to prove to Aviva that there's more to crocodiles than their reputation as scary brutes. They use an egg disguise, created by Aviva, to infiltrate a crocodile nest for an insider's look at the challenging journey of the infant crocs and their mom. Science Concept: Heat can be produced in many ways, and can move from one object to another by a process called conduction. D
4:30 pm
Cyberchase "Ecohaven Ooze" When Hacker discovers that the liquid ooze that feeds the animals of EcoHaven also gives him a super energy boost, he decides to drain the pond and take the ooze home. He builds a fort around the pond, so the CyberSquad must figure out a way to get in without being noticed. They take inspiration from the Greek myth of the Trojan Horse and build a giant "Trojan Ducky. D
5:00 pm
Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman "Long Glen Silver And The Pursuit Of The Golden Fetchie!" Ruff's nephew Glen has been playing a pirate-themed video game on the Go Get It! Web site. Through this game he's somehow gotten into the Go Get It! mainframe computer, and discovers that they're hunting for something called The Golden Fetchie. Ruff wants to find the FETCHie first, so he sends the kids off to the island. D
5:30 pm
Nightly Business Report Stocks weren't the only investments falling today. NBR's Erika Miller takes look at what's at the root of the commodities sell-off and whether it will continue. The White House is threatening to use trade enforcement authority and sanctions to punish nations that steal U.S. D
5:56 pm
NewsHour Promo NULL
6:00 pm
PBS NewsHour A report from Florida, the first state to record more than one million requests for permits to carry concealed weapons. PBS NewsHour explores the increase in requests for gun licenses in the wake of Newtown, and the arguments for and against concealed-carry laws in the state where Trayvon Martin's killing is still a fresh memory. D
7:00 pm
Doc Martin "The Wrong Goodbye" On his last day in the office treating patients, Martin sees a taxi driver who complains of severe headaches. Going through town on the way to London, another incident helps Martin connect the medical dots and he realizes Louisa is in danger in the man's taxi on the way to her own medical appointment.G
8:00 pm
Outdoor Idaho "Boat Builders" Idaho's boat builders draw on old craft techniques as well as new technology to rebuild wooden boats or design new ones. Whether working on a 1939 speedster or creating new drift boats, they turn out stylish products for Idaho's waters.G
8:30 pm
This American Land "Rio Grande Del Norte, Climate Adaptation, Flying Aces of the Insect World, Peel Watershed, Indigo Snakes" In northern New Mexico the Rio Grande runs through a spectacular gorge formed by a rift in the Earth's crust. It is a critical flyway for migratory birds, with a plateau on either side that is an important habitat for elk and deer. A pending Congressional bill would protect these areas as the Rio Grande del Norte National Conservation Area.G
9:00 pm
Midsomer Murders "Murder On St. Malley's Day, Part 2" After a local Devington man is found murdered on the school grounds, Barnaby believes that someone is willing to kill to keep the morbid history of the Pudding Club from being exposed. Part 2 of 2G
10:00 pm
DCI Banks "Innocent Graves" After a local Devington man is found murdered on the school grounds, Barnaby believes that someone is willing to kill to keep the morbid history of the Pudding Club from being exposed.G
11:30 pm
Charlie Rose NULL


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Heritage Collection - Large - Blue
The USATF Heritage Collection --- USATF pays homage to its rich heritage in Athletics excellence.
London – Tokyo – Munich – Los Angeles – Barcelona – Atlanta. These cities provided the stage, the United States has provided the golden performances. Today, USATF's Athletics legacy lives on in this heritage-inspired collection fusing the foundations of America: glory, valor and pride. The Nike USATF Heritage Collection relives the excellence with this collection of vintage Team USA apparel inspired by the World's Greatest Track & Field Team.
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Finney Law Office, lawyer, listed under "Lawyers" category, is located at 1735 South Big Bend Blvd. St. Louis MO, 63117 and can be reached by 3146460300 phone number. Finney Law Office has currently 0 reviews.This business profile is not yet claimed, and if you are the owner, claim your business profile for free. If you are not the owner you can invite this business to join by email or by phone.Browse all Lawyers in St. Louis MO. Discover census data for St. Louis, MO.
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Four voices new to Edensong will be part of the group performing its annual Christmas concert at 2 p.m., Sunday, December 2, at the First Baptist Church, 201 N. 4th Street, Heber Springs.
Four voices new to Edensong will be part of the group performing its annual Christmas concert at 2 p.m., Sunday, December 2, at the First Baptist Church, 201 N. 4th Street, Heber Springs.
Director Nancy Foss is proud to announce the addition of Alto, Sherry Organ, and Basses, Dennis Organ, Al Henegar, and Rodney Balderee.
Sherry Organ, originally from Ft Worth, Texas, is a retired Assistant Professor of English from Harding University. She holds a B.A. and M.Ed. from Harding and earlier taught at ASU/Beebe. In addition to being a life-long choral singer, she is also an accomplished pianist, serving as an accompanist for various musical groups and individual performers.
Dennis Organ, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, is a retired Professor of English from Harding, where he also served as Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. He took his B.A. from Harding, an M.A. from the University of Missouri, and a Ph.D. from Texas Tech. He, too, has been a choral singer from grade school right up to the present moment.
Al Henegar has been Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Heber Springs since September 2011. Many readers of the Sun-Times are acquainted with his weekly newspaper column. Prior to coming to First Presbyterian in Heber Springs, Pastor Henegar served as a Chaplain at UAMS, as well as Coordinator of the Palliative Care Service. He has been a singer in school and church choirs, and, early on, was both a Church Music Director and Choir Director.
Bass singer Rodney Balderee is the Cantor (song leader) for St. Francis Episcopal Church in Heber Springs. He has been a member of the Arkansas Choral Society in Little Rock for more than fifteen years and has enjoyed singing all his life. For EdenSong, in addition to singing as a bass-baritone, he will do some of the solo work.
The concert will feature Vivaldi's "Gloria," as well as a selection of Christmas music, including carols with which the audience will be invited to join in.
There is no admission charge for the concert, but contributions to the EdenSong Music
Fund will be gratefully accepted.


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LANSING � Child poverty in Branch County has increased 52 percent since 2005 compared with a statewide jump of 28 percent, according to the latest Kids Count Michigan Data Book.
The book was issued Thursday.
The rate of young children in the county qualifying for food assistance increased 33 percent, compared with a statewide increase of 55 percent. The period covered in the book is generally 2005 to 2011.
Branch County ranked 71st of 82 counties for overall child well-being using 13 of 15 indicators.
"We clearly see a connection between higher-income communities and better outcomes for kids, but even in more affluent counties, child poverty and the need for food assistance jumped dramatically,�� said Jane Zehnder-Merrell, Kids Count in Michigan project director at the Michigan League for Public Policy. "No area of the state escaped worsening conditions for children when it comes to economic security."
Branch Intermediate School District superintendent Joe Lopez noted, "Not graduating high school and having a child before marriage�� almost 100 percent end up in poverty."
Early Childhood Education Director Linda George said, "It has been this way for years. That is one reason we target young mothers for Head Start" and other early education programs.
Asked why the numbers continue to be high, George suggested "it is short term thinking" by those 15, 16, and 17 years old.
Teen pregnancy rates in Branch County until 2010 have been 20 percent higher than the state average. A third of those teens were under age 18. Last year in Branch County 37 percent of households were headed by women compared to 31 percent statewide. In 2010 42 percent of households were headed by unmarried women.
In Branch County 27 percent of all households earned under $25,000 a year and of the total households, 35 percent of those who headed them lacked a high school diploma.
The rate of confirmed victims of abuse and neglect, linked to poverty, increased by a startling 91 percent in the county compared with a statewide increase of 28 percent.
The county's lowest ranking was 81 of 82 counties in the rate of confirmed victims of maltreatment, with 40 victims per 1,000 children compared with 14 victims per 1,000 children statewide.
Retired Probate Judge Fred Wood had linked the high�numbers to the lossof �close cooperation between local police agencies, local health officials and local child protective service workers. He noted in spring last year when the state went to to a central 800-number hotline the number of reported local abuse cases dropped dramatically, causing him concern.
Statewide, the biggest improvements were the decline of kids in foster care, decreasing from 17,000 in 2005 to 11,000 in 2011, and a drop in fourth-graders not proficient in reading from 40 percent to 32 percent of test-takers in the Michigan Educational Assessment Program.
George said a review of those students who completed Head Start showed 35 percent proficiency while those in the Great Start School readiness program had a 55 percent proficiency.
Branch County's best ranking is 9th of 81 counties in low-birthweight babies. Roughly 6 percent of babies in the county were born too small, compared with 8.5 percent statewide. Both BISD and the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Counties Community Health Agency have programs for�expectant mothers.
Youth poverty increasing locally


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The forecasts of snow are now hopefully behind us and wheat greening up in Kansas; it may surprise some wheat growers to know March was an important month for wheat disease development.
The forecasts of snow are now hopefully behind us and wheat greening up in Kansas; it may surprise some wheat growers to know March was an important month for wheat disease development.
@Body type RR:"It turns out that February and March are important because we often receive our first reports of disease activity from states to our south," said Erick De Wolf, plant pathologist with K-State Research and Extension. "This is particularly relevant for the rust diseases, which often survive the winter in these southern climates."
Wheat leaf rust is fungal disease that affects wheat, barley and rye stems, leaves and grains. Infections can lead up to a 20 percent yield loss. Wheat leaf rust is spreads via airborne spores.
Small brown pustules develop on the leaf blades in a random scatter distribution. They may group into patches in serious cases. Infectious spores are transmitted via the soil. Onset of the disease is slow but accelerated in temperatures above 60 degrees, making it a disease of the mature cereal plant in summer, usually too late to cause significant damage in temperate areas.
So far this year there are several reports of rust developing in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, De Wolf said. Stripe rust has been observed in all four states and appears to be spreading beyond the initial foci of infection. Leaf rust has been reported in Texas, but not the other states.
The reports of stripe rust and leaf rust from Texas are the most important for Kansas, because weather systems often transport the rust spores from Texas into Oklahoma and Kansas. Varieties such as Everest, Armour, and TAM 111 are being affected in Texas this year. This is similar to what was observed in 2012 and there are no reports of new races of stripe rust to date.
De Wolf said that Bob Hunger, a wheat disease specialist with Oklahoma State University, reported no finds of rust in Oklahoma as of March 21.
"Growers in Kansas should be monitoring the situation in Texas and Oklahoma. If the disease continues to develop in Texas or is reported in Oklahoma, we will need to evaluate the need for fungicides to suppress rust development in fields planted to susceptible varieties," he said.
— Ryan Flaming is a Kansas State Research and Extension Agent for Harvey County. Agriculture is his specialty.


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Webster (US): Police say a 24-year-old woman has been charged in connection with the ambush slaying of two volunteer firefighters responding to a house fire in upstate New York.
New York State Police Senior Investigator James Newell says Dawn Nguyen, of Rochester, faces a state charge of filing a falsified business record.
He says the charge is connected to the purchase of an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun that William Spengler had with him Monday when firefighters Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka were gunned down.
Three other people were wounded before the 62-year-old Spengler killed himself.
Newell says Nguyen also faces federal charges.


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Tuesday night, the Rolla City Council decided to drop an out-of-town finance company from its bid list and accept a local bank's slightly higher interest rate. The reason: the out-of-town company tried to raise its interest rate after its low bid was accepted Jan. 7.
"I don't have any confidence in them," City Administrator John Butz said of Municipal Leasing Consultants. "I'd drop them off the bid list permanently."
That isn't what happened; the council decided to drop the company from the bid list only for the fire truck financing plan, the bid the company had won the contract with. Instead, the council took the slightly higher US Bank bid.
Finance Director Steffanie D. Rogers explained that on Jan. 7 the council had accepted a bid of 1.97 percent for a 10-year term to finance $455,274 for the fire truck.
"Initially, Municipal Leasing Consultants indicated no further action was required by the city to lock in the rate," she said.
Then, shortly after receiving the bid, the finance company asked that a resolution be adopted to approve the bid retroactively to Jan. 18. That resolution was passed Jan. 22.
Municipal Leasing Consultants also asked the city to review the financing documents and inform them of any changes. None was noted; no further action was taken.
"Now, Municipal Leasing Consultants have proposed a slight increase in the rate referencing that the original rate was not locked in by Jan. 18," Rogers said. "The justification from Municipal Leasing Consultants was a provision within the resolution that states, "The proposal was approved at a rate of 1.97 percent, which is fixed until Jan. 18, 2013, after which time the rate floats until funding and will be based on the Like Term Swap Rate.'"
Although the proposed rate increase was modest, the finance staff "was not comfortable executing any of the lease documents."
Instead, Municipal Leasing Consultants and US Bank were asked to submit new rates (they were the low two bidders on the original bid, and US Bank was also the low bidder on the public works equipment lease at the Jan. 22 meeting).
The new bids were 2.05 from Municipal Leasing Consultants and 2.35 from US Bank.
The council decided that because of the machinations of Municipal Leasing Consultants, it should be dropped off the list and the bid from US Bank should be accepted.
The fire truck has already been ordered and an upfront payment has been made.
In other business or discussion:
The council approved a bid of $298,200 from Trojan Technologies for disinfection equipment at the Southeast Treatment Plant.
"This equipment will be used as part of the planned improvements necessary to meet new permit requirements set to go into effect at the end of 2013," Hargis told the council.
Consulting engineering firm HDR/Archer-Elgin had estimated $400,000.
The Trojan bid was the low bid.
"Once this equipment bid is awarded our consultant cam complete the improvement plans, obtain approval from DNR and seeks bids for construction of all improvements," Hargis said.
Additional equipment is still necessary for bidding, but the disinfection has a long lead time, so ordering it now is required if it is to be here and ready to install when the rest of the project is ready.
The council approved a resolution to take the next step to change the name of St. John's Parkway to Mercy Parkway, a request made by Mercy Medical Center and recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The resolution follows the requirements of the state law for renaming a street, which requires advertising the change in the legal notices of the newspaper for a week, then waiting four weeks for public feedback.
If there is no public opposition, the council may then pass an ordinance to change the name.
The council approved the first and final readings of an ordinance authorizing Mayor Bill Jenks and City Clerk Carol Daniels to sign an authorization form permitting Rolla Police Chief Mark Kearse and his staff to apply for free government money in the form of traffic safety grants from the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Kearse told the council grant funds, if awarded to the city, could be used to pay for overtime funding of DWI enforcement checkpoints and speeding checkpoints, for cameras in cars to document violators, especially DWI suspects, more radar guns, trailers, vehicles and other departmental needs.
There is no guarantee any grant will be awarded, but Kearse said the city has been successful in the past.
"We've gotten $50,000 before," he said.
Kristy Dilley, of the Parks and Recreation Department, accepted the Missouri Amateur Softball Association Sponsor of the Year award to the city.


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Cynthia Beard has been selected as the Spoon River College Employee of the Quarter for the third quarter of the academic year.
She has been employed by SRC for five years and is a business/technical analyst in the IT department on the Canton Campus, according to a news release.
She was chosen for her adherence to the core values of the college — caring, respect, integrity and responsibility — in her everyday interactions with co-workers, students and community members.
Beard was credited for her genuine concern for all SRC students and employees and being "truly engaged in what they say and enjoying their company."