Wednesday, June 30, 2010
J-D loves those summer time peaches!
By KIM PIERCE / Special to the Dallas Morning News reports, Last year, we were crying in our bellinis over the near-total loss of the Hill Country peach crop and damage to orchards around the state.
This year, extension agents and growers predict a record harvest. "This could be the best we've had since 1982," declares Darren Rozell, who grows East Texas peaches with J.T. Lemley (better known for his tomatoes). "It's about time."
What a difference a year makes.
"We've got the makings of a tremendous crop," says Hill Country peach grower Jamey Vogel, owner of Vogel Orchard near Stonewall and vice president of the Hill Country Fruit Council. "People are just itchin' for peaches."
"This will be an awesome year," enthuses Galen Logan, Camp County Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent in East Texas. "For the first time in several years, we've got a beautiful crop." Ditto the famous peach-growing area around Weatherford to the west, says Parker County extension agent Jon Green.
Chalk it up to the vagaries of weather, which ruined last year's crop. In 2009, a late-spring freeze plus hailstorms doomed the peaches. This year, an unusually cold winter provided the perfect setup for a bumper crop. "Peach trees require so many 'chill hours,' " says Rozell, when the temperature must be below 45 F. "We made it this year."
With the freeze threat past and hail less of a problem this year, farmers are rejoicing, and peach lovers should be, too.
A lot of peach fans hold out for their favorite varieties, such as freestones that include Loring, Bounty, Harvester, Dixieland, Red Globe, Redskin, Ouachita Gold and Gala, to name a few. But there are many newer, improved varieties that taste just as sweet, says Rozell, whose orchards are in New Harmony, northwest of Tyler. "Harvester has a little tartness," he adds. "A lot of people who are putting up jams or making cobblers prefer it."
"The peaches do get sweeter, the hotter it gets," says Lafreita Hutton, whose family owns Hutton Farms in Weatherford. Even then, it takes the right combination of sun and showers for peak flavor, she says.
"The best peaches come off between June 15 and July 25," says Rozell. "If you want some high-quality peaches to put up, that's the time to buy them."
Kim Pierce is a Dallas freelance writer.
Get some yummy recipes HERE
I didn't know Old Glory had a make-over
J-D said, "How about this....If you make money selling America's most revered symbols, Old Glory, make sure it has 13 stripes AND 50 stars....Jeeze!
Casey Norton on wfaa.com reports, when you see the red, white and blue proudly displayed for Independence Day, take a closer look.
President Eisenhower set the standard for all American flags 51 years ago. The order requires 13 stripes and 50 stars on a field of blue.
Tim Childress had to double-check when he unfurled Old Glory — he got more than he wanted.
Large or small, the American Flag is supposed to be flown with pride, a symbol of our nation.
The seven red stripes represent hardiness and valor; six white stripes stand for for purity and innocence. There's a blue field for perseverance and justice. And, of course, 50 stars for each of the 50 states.
That makes Tim Childress' flag something other than American.
"You can kind of see the stars are all crooked, and if you count them, there's actually 61 stars," he said.
Childress counted several times. He multiplied rows and columns. He counted them one-by-one.
Every time, it added up to 61.
So he went back to the Dollar Tree store where he bought the plastic flag and sent an e-mail message to the Virginia marketing company.
"I kind of let them know there are 50 states in the United States, and they need to correct this — or at least get the Chinese supplier to correct this," Childress said.
Yes, it's a plastic flag, and it only cost a dollar, but Childress argues this is not just another decoration at a discount store.
"They can do that to Santa Claus; do what they want, change his face. But this is the flag, and it needs to stay that way," Childress maintains.
The Dollar Tree assistant store manager wouldn't comment on camera, but said the flag is sold as a "patriotic banner" — not as an American flag.
See the story HERE
Casey Norton on wfaa.com reports, when you see the red, white and blue proudly displayed for Independence Day, take a closer look.
President Eisenhower set the standard for all American flags 51 years ago. The order requires 13 stripes and 50 stars on a field of blue.
Tim Childress had to double-check when he unfurled Old Glory — he got more than he wanted.
Large or small, the American Flag is supposed to be flown with pride, a symbol of our nation.
The seven red stripes represent hardiness and valor; six white stripes stand for for purity and innocence. There's a blue field for perseverance and justice. And, of course, 50 stars for each of the 50 states.
That makes Tim Childress' flag something other than American.
"You can kind of see the stars are all crooked, and if you count them, there's actually 61 stars," he said.
Childress counted several times. He multiplied rows and columns. He counted them one-by-one.
Every time, it added up to 61.
So he went back to the Dollar Tree store where he bought the plastic flag and sent an e-mail message to the Virginia marketing company.
"I kind of let them know there are 50 states in the United States, and they need to correct this — or at least get the Chinese supplier to correct this," Childress said.
Yes, it's a plastic flag, and it only cost a dollar, but Childress argues this is not just another decoration at a discount store.
"They can do that to Santa Claus; do what they want, change his face. But this is the flag, and it needs to stay that way," Childress maintains.
The Dollar Tree assistant store manager wouldn't comment on camera, but said the flag is sold as a "patriotic banner" — not as an American flag.
See the story HERE
Dallas Police Chief David Brown's son high on PCP
Rebecca Lopez on wfaa.com reports, An autopsy report shows that David Brown Jr., the son of the Dallas police chief, was high on drugs when bullets started flying at a Lancaster apartment complex on Father's Day.
Brown, 27, is blamed for the shooting deaths of Lancaster police Officer Craig Shaw and another man before Brown was killed by police.
The autopsy report was finished rather quickly. Normally these types of reports take months, but the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office released it on Wednesday, 11 days after the crime.
The report says David Brown Jr. had marijuana and PCP in his system when he died.
The autopsy found Brown had 0.12 milligrams of PCP in his system and also a small amount of marijuana. Experts tell News 8 that even a slight amount of PCP can have psychotic effects.
Parkland Memorial Hospital toxicologists told News 8 the levels in Brown's system were high, and are consistent with other cases they have seen where people have gone crazy and done violent things.
They said PCP can cause bizarre behavior and intense hallucinations.
On June 20, the day Brown gunned down an officer and an innocent man, witnesses said he had been acting erratically. He got into a fight with his girlfriend, Misti Conaway, and had been shouting and yelling at people at his apartment complex before he began shooting.
The autopsy results also show Brown was shot nine times by Lancaster police, who opened fire on him after he shot and killed Officer Shaw.
News 8 has also learned that back in 2004, Rowlett police arrested Brown. He was booked as a mental health patient and was ordered into a psychological assessment program.
It is not clear whether Brown completed that program, or why police and health care workers felt he suffered from mental health problems.
Watch Rebecca Lopez's coverage HERE
Brown, 27, is blamed for the shooting deaths of Lancaster police Officer Craig Shaw and another man before Brown was killed by police.
The autopsy report was finished rather quickly. Normally these types of reports take months, but the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office released it on Wednesday, 11 days after the crime.
The report says David Brown Jr. had marijuana and PCP in his system when he died.
The autopsy found Brown had 0.12 milligrams of PCP in his system and also a small amount of marijuana. Experts tell News 8 that even a slight amount of PCP can have psychotic effects.
Parkland Memorial Hospital toxicologists told News 8 the levels in Brown's system were high, and are consistent with other cases they have seen where people have gone crazy and done violent things.
They said PCP can cause bizarre behavior and intense hallucinations.
On June 20, the day Brown gunned down an officer and an innocent man, witnesses said he had been acting erratically. He got into a fight with his girlfriend, Misti Conaway, and had been shouting and yelling at people at his apartment complex before he began shooting.
The autopsy results also show Brown was shot nine times by Lancaster police, who opened fire on him after he shot and killed Officer Shaw.
News 8 has also learned that back in 2004, Rowlett police arrested Brown. He was booked as a mental health patient and was ordered into a psychological assessment program.
It is not clear whether Brown completed that program, or why police and health care workers felt he suffered from mental health problems.
Watch Rebecca Lopez's coverage HERE
Stark Arrogance
Rep. Stark Mocks the Minute Men by asking them, "Who are you going to kill today?"
Foxnews.com reports, A California congressman known for edgy sarcasm mocked an opponent of illegal immigration during a town hall meeting last week, asking, "Who are you going to kill today?" before the constituent, a self-identified Minuteman, posed his question.
Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., no stranger to controversy, mocked the idea that the borders are not secure when asked about the federal government's lack of activity on border security.
"We can't get enough Minutemen armed. We'd like to get all the Minutemen armed so they can stop shooting people here," Stark said.
Eventually, members of the audience urged Stark to offer a serious answer.
"If you knew anything about our borders, you would know that's not the case. Our borders are quite secure, thank you," Stark said, drawing jeers.
Stark resumed his hostile act, asking the Minuteman what he would do to secure the border.
"I would send about about 25,000 troops for one thing and build a wall down so vehicles could not pass," the Minuteman said.
"How high and long would it be?" Stark asked.
"As high and as long as it takes," the Minuteman said, elicting cheers.
Stark said he would start a ladder company with the Minuteman if he designed the wall and doesn't shoot the people coming over.
"But I've got to know how high the wall is and I'll sell a whole lot of ladders for people who want to come," Stark said.
"This is a very serious matter and you're sitting there making fun of it," the Minuteman responded.
"I don't have to make fun of you sir, you do a fine job all by yourself," Stark said.
Stark made the comments last week at a town hall audience that included Steve Kemp, a member of the Golden Gate Minutemen, a group that opposes illegal immigrants. Kemp recorded the confrontation.
A spokesman for Stark did not return voicemail messages left at his office or on his cell phone. He also didn't respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
The clash came as the national spotlight focuses on Arizona's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigrants and the protests it is drawing across the country, including a legal challenge from the federal government.
Immigration is shaping up to be among the critical election-year issues as Republicans try to regain control of both chambers in Congress riding a wave of anti-Washington sentiment.
Stark, a liberal Democrat, is expected to easily win re-election against a lightly regarded opponent, political newcomer Justin Jelincic, who describes himself as a conservative Democrat.
Stark earned his primary challenge after he slammed a constituent who voiced his opposition to Obama's health care plan last summer at a town hall meeting.
"Mr. Congressman, don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining," the constituent told Stark, referring to what he called the smoke and mirrors of the president's plan.
"I wouldn't dignify you be peeing on your leg," Stark fired back. "It wouldn't be worth wasting the urine."
In March, Stark seized control of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee for one day after Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., stepped aside due to an ethics probe. But Stark was quickly pushed aside in favor of Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., after many Democrats privately complained that Stark was too volatile to lead such an important committee.
Stark is known for making inflammatory comments.
In 2007, Stark accused President Bush of sending troops to Iraq "to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement."
He also once called former Colorado Republican Rep. Scott McInnis a "fruitcake."
See the video HERE
Foxnews.com reports, A California congressman known for edgy sarcasm mocked an opponent of illegal immigration during a town hall meeting last week, asking, "Who are you going to kill today?" before the constituent, a self-identified Minuteman, posed his question.
Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., no stranger to controversy, mocked the idea that the borders are not secure when asked about the federal government's lack of activity on border security.
"We can't get enough Minutemen armed. We'd like to get all the Minutemen armed so they can stop shooting people here," Stark said.
Eventually, members of the audience urged Stark to offer a serious answer.
"If you knew anything about our borders, you would know that's not the case. Our borders are quite secure, thank you," Stark said, drawing jeers.
Stark resumed his hostile act, asking the Minuteman what he would do to secure the border.
"I would send about about 25,000 troops for one thing and build a wall down so vehicles could not pass," the Minuteman said.
"How high and long would it be?" Stark asked.
"As high and as long as it takes," the Minuteman said, elicting cheers.
Stark said he would start a ladder company with the Minuteman if he designed the wall and doesn't shoot the people coming over.
"But I've got to know how high the wall is and I'll sell a whole lot of ladders for people who want to come," Stark said.
"This is a very serious matter and you're sitting there making fun of it," the Minuteman responded.
"I don't have to make fun of you sir, you do a fine job all by yourself," Stark said.
Stark made the comments last week at a town hall audience that included Steve Kemp, a member of the Golden Gate Minutemen, a group that opposes illegal immigrants. Kemp recorded the confrontation.
A spokesman for Stark did not return voicemail messages left at his office or on his cell phone. He also didn't respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
The clash came as the national spotlight focuses on Arizona's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigrants and the protests it is drawing across the country, including a legal challenge from the federal government.
Immigration is shaping up to be among the critical election-year issues as Republicans try to regain control of both chambers in Congress riding a wave of anti-Washington sentiment.
Stark, a liberal Democrat, is expected to easily win re-election against a lightly regarded opponent, political newcomer Justin Jelincic, who describes himself as a conservative Democrat.
Stark earned his primary challenge after he slammed a constituent who voiced his opposition to Obama's health care plan last summer at a town hall meeting.
"Mr. Congressman, don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining," the constituent told Stark, referring to what he called the smoke and mirrors of the president's plan.
"I wouldn't dignify you be peeing on your leg," Stark fired back. "It wouldn't be worth wasting the urine."
In March, Stark seized control of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee for one day after Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., stepped aside due to an ethics probe. But Stark was quickly pushed aside in favor of Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., after many Democrats privately complained that Stark was too volatile to lead such an important committee.
Stark is known for making inflammatory comments.
In 2007, Stark accused President Bush of sending troops to Iraq "to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement."
He also once called former Colorado Republican Rep. Scott McInnis a "fruitcake."
See the video HERE
Massafoolishnessetts! Say What?
The story hit the nation on June 25th. A Cape Cod Town elementary school at the center of a controversial policy on sex education. The policy involves handing out condoms to elementary school age kids! That's right, you read that correctly. Pick yourself up off the floor and keep reading.
According to ABC News, The superintendent of a Massachusetts school district is apologizing to parents for what she calls a misunderstanding over a sex education policy that as written, would have applied to both high school students and first-graders.
Provincetown Superintendent Beth Singer said in the letter e-mailed Tuesday that the district would clarify that elementary school-age students couldn't get condoms if they requested them from the school nurse.
Singer said it became necessary to revise the policy's wording after it was "so badly understood and misrepresented by the media," according to the Cape Cod Times.
"It is especially troublesome to me and to our school community that this is likely to have been your introduction to the policy," Singer wrote in the e-mail, as reported in the Cape Cod Times.
In 1991, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education passed its first policy on condom availability as part its previous policy on AIDS/HIV prevention education.
It recommended that "every school committee, in consultation with superintendents, administrators, faculty, parents and students consider making condoms available in their secondary schools."
Provinceton -- the smallest district in the state -- was at the center of a firestorm after its school board voted unanimously on June 8 to give condoms to students even without their parents' consent. But because of an outcry from Gov. Deval Patrick and others the district said would consider excluding students in grades one through four.
You can see the full ABC story and their video coverage HERE
*************************************************************
Also, a Massachusetts high school has decided to allow the Pledge of Allegiance in school, but not in class. Are you kidding me? Arlington High School Principal Charles Skidmore has "graciously" offered to allow students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before school begins, but not in the classrooms.
Todd Starnes on foxnews.com reports, Student Sean Harrington appears to have won his fight to bring the Pledge of Allegiance back into his Massachusetts high school -- except the Principal's proposed solution leaves the daily honor to the nation's flag literally hanging in the hall.
Charles Skidmore, principal of Arlington High School in Arlington, Mass., has offered to allow students to recite the pledge before school begins -- but in the school's foyer and not in the classrooms, as 17-year-old Harrington had hoped.
Kathleen Bodie, Arlington superintendent of schools, told Fox News Radio that “The principal wanted to be very respectful about the pledge and be sensitive to the Supreme Court ruling that students are not forced to say the pledge. He wanted to be sensitive to the diverse group of students we have.”
Bodie said there has been reluctance to put the district's teachers in a position of reciting the pledge, and she acknowledged that some have raised concerns about its inclusion of the words “under God".
“I don’t know if it’s all about ‘under God,’ but that is certainly an aspect of it,” she said.
She said the pledge is voluntarily recited in the district's elementary and middle schools, but it hasn't been recited at the high school in decades.
It is unclear whether Harrington, who led the fight to bring the pledge back to the school, will be satisfied with the compromise of having it recited in the foyer, and not in class. When he was a freshman, he noticed that there were no American flags in the classrooms, and he enlisted the aid of his fellow students to get them installed. He also began his fight to have students voluntarily recite the pledge.
Harrington recently presented school officials with a petition signed by 700 people, along with letters of support from lawmakers including Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. But the request to have the pledge recited failed when the committee's vote ended in a 3-3 tie.
"I was really heartbroken," Harrington told Fox News Radio. "It's hard to think that something so traditional in American society was turned down."
His fight has received quite a bit of support from the community. "When I was going to school, it was an honor and a privilege to pledge allegiance to the flag," Francis De Guglielmo, 55, told the Arlington Patch. He called the ban an "absolute travesty" and a "disgrace."
Harrington, who will be a senior in the fall, told Fox News Radio: "I'm not a person who quits and I don't back down. It's a very righteous cause and needs to be followed through until the end."
Some committee members voiced concerns about forcing people to do something that might violate their beliefs – including religious beliefs. Among the no-votes was committee member Leba Heigham.
"Patriotism is a very personal thing for all of us, but I do not think it is in the school committee's best interest to mandate that any of our employees recite the pledge," she told the Patch.
But Harrington stressed that he was seeking a voluntary recitation.
"If we can't find one teacher who is willing to say the pledge, then the system we have is cracked," he told FOX News Radio, noting that a number of teachers signed his petition.
He said the school's ban on the pledge sent the wrong message. "It tells me that we've basically cast aside what our country is founded on," he said. "It's saying that we don't really care, and it's sad."
Get more about this story from Fox News HERE
Kudos to Sean Harrington for standing up for what he believes in!
According to ABC News, The superintendent of a Massachusetts school district is apologizing to parents for what she calls a misunderstanding over a sex education policy that as written, would have applied to both high school students and first-graders.
Provincetown Superintendent Beth Singer said in the letter e-mailed Tuesday that the district would clarify that elementary school-age students couldn't get condoms if they requested them from the school nurse.
Singer said it became necessary to revise the policy's wording after it was "so badly understood and misrepresented by the media," according to the Cape Cod Times.
"It is especially troublesome to me and to our school community that this is likely to have been your introduction to the policy," Singer wrote in the e-mail, as reported in the Cape Cod Times.
In 1991, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education passed its first policy on condom availability as part its previous policy on AIDS/HIV prevention education.
It recommended that "every school committee, in consultation with superintendents, administrators, faculty, parents and students consider making condoms available in their secondary schools."
Provinceton -- the smallest district in the state -- was at the center of a firestorm after its school board voted unanimously on June 8 to give condoms to students even without their parents' consent. But because of an outcry from Gov. Deval Patrick and others the district said would consider excluding students in grades one through four.
You can see the full ABC story and their video coverage HERE
*************************************************************
Also, a Massachusetts high school has decided to allow the Pledge of Allegiance in school, but not in class. Are you kidding me? Arlington High School Principal Charles Skidmore has "graciously" offered to allow students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before school begins, but not in the classrooms.
Todd Starnes on foxnews.com reports, Student Sean Harrington appears to have won his fight to bring the Pledge of Allegiance back into his Massachusetts high school -- except the Principal's proposed solution leaves the daily honor to the nation's flag literally hanging in the hall.
Charles Skidmore, principal of Arlington High School in Arlington, Mass., has offered to allow students to recite the pledge before school begins -- but in the school's foyer and not in the classrooms, as 17-year-old Harrington had hoped.
Kathleen Bodie, Arlington superintendent of schools, told Fox News Radio that “The principal wanted to be very respectful about the pledge and be sensitive to the Supreme Court ruling that students are not forced to say the pledge. He wanted to be sensitive to the diverse group of students we have.”
Bodie said there has been reluctance to put the district's teachers in a position of reciting the pledge, and she acknowledged that some have raised concerns about its inclusion of the words “under God".
“I don’t know if it’s all about ‘under God,’ but that is certainly an aspect of it,” she said.
She said the pledge is voluntarily recited in the district's elementary and middle schools, but it hasn't been recited at the high school in decades.
It is unclear whether Harrington, who led the fight to bring the pledge back to the school, will be satisfied with the compromise of having it recited in the foyer, and not in class. When he was a freshman, he noticed that there were no American flags in the classrooms, and he enlisted the aid of his fellow students to get them installed. He also began his fight to have students voluntarily recite the pledge.
Harrington recently presented school officials with a petition signed by 700 people, along with letters of support from lawmakers including Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. But the request to have the pledge recited failed when the committee's vote ended in a 3-3 tie.
"I was really heartbroken," Harrington told Fox News Radio. "It's hard to think that something so traditional in American society was turned down."
His fight has received quite a bit of support from the community. "When I was going to school, it was an honor and a privilege to pledge allegiance to the flag," Francis De Guglielmo, 55, told the Arlington Patch. He called the ban an "absolute travesty" and a "disgrace."
Harrington, who will be a senior in the fall, told Fox News Radio: "I'm not a person who quits and I don't back down. It's a very righteous cause and needs to be followed through until the end."
Some committee members voiced concerns about forcing people to do something that might violate their beliefs – including religious beliefs. Among the no-votes was committee member Leba Heigham.
"Patriotism is a very personal thing for all of us, but I do not think it is in the school committee's best interest to mandate that any of our employees recite the pledge," she told the Patch.
But Harrington stressed that he was seeking a voluntary recitation.
"If we can't find one teacher who is willing to say the pledge, then the system we have is cracked," he told FOX News Radio, noting that a number of teachers signed his petition.
He said the school's ban on the pledge sent the wrong message. "It tells me that we've basically cast aside what our country is founded on," he said. "It's saying that we don't really care, and it's sad."
Get more about this story from Fox News HERE
Kudos to Sean Harrington for standing up for what he believes in!
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