Here are the 12 clues for the 2015 Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt and their meanings. The medallion was found Thursday.

Our hunt this year tinged with a tear

For a master who kept us in stitches.

With humor and wit, clues cleverly writ

Led many from Rags to riches.

The rules of the game, remain much the same --

Both inside the box and out.

Public property bound, don't dig in the ground.

Golf courses: Don't cast about.

Clue #1 pays tribute to Pioneer Press reporter and former Treasure Hunt clue writer Jim Ragsdale, who passed away this past year. The "riches" (medallion) is wrapped in rags. "Both inside the box and out" reprises an image from recent hunts and reminds hunters that the medallion can be hidden inside or outside St. Paul city limits, anywhere in Ramsey County.

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Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt: This year's clues explained

Jan 23 2015 at 1:14 PM

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Swan Hill is a well laid out city of some 10 000 people with a pleasant, garden-like main street, located at the eastern edge of the Mallee area in north-western Victoria. Here the Murray River meets the Little Murray River. Together they denote the eastern boundary of the settlement. The Murray proper forms the border with NSW and, as the town's Giant Murray Cod indicates, the river provides good opportunities for fishing, as well as boating and water sports. In all it extends 2530 km from north-eastern Victoria to the coast of South Australia, making it one of the longest navigable rivers in the world with a catchment area covering 14 per cent of the continent.

Swan Hill is 344 km north-west of Melbourne on the Murray Valley Highway and 70 m above sea-level. Its large saleyards indicate its role as a market centre for part of NSW's Riverina district, although irrigation has also led to the production, in the shire, of wheat, wool, citrus fruits, grapes, wine, dairy products, fat stock, fodder crops and maize. Local manufacturing centres on farm machinery.

Prior to European settlement the area is thought to have been occupied by the Wemba-wemba Aboriginal people. Surveyor and explorer, Thomas Mitchell, camped here in 1836 and gave the site its current European name. In his journal he writes of a 'shallow lagoon, where swans and other wild fowl so abounded that, although half a mile from our camp, their noise disturbed us through the night. I, therefore, named this somewhat remarkable and isolated feature, Swan-hill'. The Beveridge brothers established 'Tyntynder', the first European property in the district, around 1846.

A punt began operating at Swan Hill in 1847. It was the only point at which the Murray could be crossed within 160 km and this would remain the case until the 1930s. When the first punt sank the wood was salvaged and used to build the town's first hotel.

In 1853 Swan Hill was visited by Francis Cadell who here concluded a rather famous steamship voyage from the mouth of the Murray. Despite popular claim it was not the first such voyage but it did herald the start of the inland river trade and Swan Hill became the first major inland port. A wharf was built and remained in use until the 1920s (the remnants can still be seen on the riverbank along with a photograph and explanation plaque).

Swan Hill became a municipality in 1871. The river trade declined with the growth of the railways but the town received a new lease of life when the Mallee was cleared and developed for agricultural purposes. It became a borough in 1939 and a city in 1965.

The town hosts the Red Gum Festival in March, the Racing Cup Carnival in June, the Italian Fiesta and Fireworks in mid-July, the Inland Irrigated Wine Show in October and the Swan Hill Agricultural and Pastoral Show on the first Friday and Saturday of October.

Tourist Information Visitors can garner local information at the Swan Hill Development and Information Centre at 306 Campbell St which is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and on Saturday from 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m., tel: (03) 5032 3033, or, toll-free, 1800 625 373.

Read this article:
Swan Hill, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do

Pyongyang, January 21 (KCNA) -- Moran Hill, located in the heart of Pyongyang, is one of scenic spots visited by Pyongyangites through four seasons.

Its scenery in winter is so fascinating, with its cliffs, valleys, walls and forests covered with snow.

Conspicuous in the hill are pavilions and old walls of fortress.

Among people's destinations are Kim Il Sung Stadium, Kaeson Youth Park and the Moranbong Youth Park, built at the foot of the hill.

What catches one's eye in the hill are the looks of old men and women who are merrily dancing to the tune of song "Though Time Passes by", in disregard of cold weather.

Nam Mun Suk, an old woman living in Sokbong-dong in Sosong District, told KCNA: I feel refreshed to be here. I come here everyday and have a walk and dance.

The scenery of Moran Hill gives a glimpse of the advantages of the socialist system in the country.

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Landscape of Moran Hill in Winter Season

Dalhousie Universitys agricultural campus in Bible Hill is changing the academic landscape for Atlantic Canadian post-secondary schools.

Well known for its architecture program at the main campus in Halifax, Dalhousie is launching an undergraduate program in landscape architecture in its faculty of agriculture.

This program is about making connections between the landscape contracting industry and landscape architecture, Tracey MacKenzie, an environmental sciences professor, said in a news release.

It will focus on designing functional spaces, using an interdisciplinary approach that includes horticultural and engineering skills and applying environmental knowledge to create site solutions, MacKenzie said.

This program will encourage students to be in tune with natural ecosystems and apply a creative mindset to tackle various environmental and design challenges.

The program will be the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada and only the third in the entire country.

The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects explains that the field combines art and science in the creation and preservation of built environments, taking a holistic approach that recognizes that the needs and activities of people can be complementary parts of larger environmental services.

The new Dalhousie program will include areas of study that explore site and ecosystem analysis, engage in collaborative design exercises, apply concepts of sustainability and efficiency, create construction details and specifications, and enhance the environment both esthetically and ecologically. Students will receive training to develop technical skills in design, communication, installation and management.

The program is a direct response to the need for skills and techniques to support a growing profession.

As we face increasingly urgent issues such as climate change, habitat loss, pressures on agricultural land, the necessity of creating better urban environments and other similar concerns, landscape architects are the professionals that are trained to create sensitive science-based solutions through the planning and design of our built and natural environments, said Gordon Smith of the Atlantic Provinces Association of Landscape Architects.

See the rest here:
Landscape architecture program to launch at Dals Bible Hill campus

Dalhousie Universitys agricultural campus in Bible Hill is changing the academic landscape for Atlantic Canadian post-secondary schools.

Well known for its architecture program at the main campus in Halifax, Dalhousie is launching an undergraduate program in landscape architecture in its faculty of agriculture.

This program is about making connections between the landscape contracting industry and landscape architecture, Tracey MacKenzie, an environmental sciences professor, said in a news release.

It will focus on designing functional spaces, using an interdisciplinary approach that includes horticultural and engineering skills and applying environmental knowledge to create site solutions, MacKenzie said.

This program will encourage students to be in tune with natural ecosystems and apply a creative mindset to tackle various environmental and design challenges.

The program will be the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada and only the third in the entire country.

The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects explains that the field combines art and science in the creation and preservation of built environments, taking a holistic approach that recognizes that the needs and activities of people can be complementary parts of larger environmental services.

The new Dalhousie program will include areas of study that explore site and ecosystem analysis, engage in collaborative design exercises, apply concepts of sustainability and efficiency, create construction details and specifications, and enhance the environment both esthetically and ecologically. Students will receive training to develop technical skills in design, communication, installation and management.

The program is a direct response to the need for skills and techniques to support a growing profession.

As we face increasingly urgent issues such as climate change, habitat loss, pressures on agricultural land, the necessity of creating better urban environments and other similar concerns, landscape architects are the professionals that are trained to create sensitive science-based solutions through the planning and design of our built and natural environments, said Gordon Smith of the Atlantic Provinces Association of Landscape Architects.

See the original post:
Landscape architecture program to launch at Dalhousies Bible Hill campus

Emily Zaengle took the reins as the new executive director of Stone Quarry Hill Art Park on Jan. 5 Photo by Jason Emerson.

Cazenovia After more than one year of being run by an interim director, the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park Board of Directors last week announced the hiring of a permanent executive director for the park Emily Gates Zaengle.

Zaengle, 27, a native if Unadilla Forks, holds advanced degrees in both landscape architecture and museum studies and during the past three years has served as both an intern and a volunteer at the art park.

Im really excited. I dont know if its a post made for me or me for it, but it fits, Zaengle said. It will be a challenge, but I love challenges and creative problem solving. Im up for the challenge because I believe in it. And I have a great board of directors that support me and believe in this place.

I cant tell you how thrilled we are, said SQHAP Board of Directors President John Hunt. We felt we needed that long-term look at the future, and one of our five-year goals was to get someone in that executive director position and allow them to take the park through our 24th and 25th years and onward finish out our first quarter century.

Stone Quarry Hill Art Park will host a day of winter fun from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Winner Gallery. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the new executive director, Emily Zaengle, as well as to sit back with a cup of free hot chocolate and participate in arts and crafts and whatever outdoor activities the weather will allow. The event is free and open to the public, and does not require any reservations. For more information call the park at 655-3196.

Stone Quarry Hill Art Park is one of the first outdoor sculpture parks in the country. The park , which consists of 104 acres of land and more than four miles of hiking trails, showcases the works of emerging and established artists in natural and gallery settings, and offers public programs and educational outreach including exhibitions, lecture-demonstrations, workshops and classes.

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Stone Quarry Hill Art Park names new executive director

Raleigh, North Carolina (PRWEB) January 19, 2015

Timmons Group, a civil engineering, landscape architecture and surveying firm, announced their merger with Mitchell Environmental. Led by Scott Mitchell, Mitchell Environmental specializes in environmental and soil sciences, primarily for land development and infrastructure improvement projects. Mitchell Environmental has operated in Raleigh for over 10 years. The merge will bring additional environmental engineering expertise to Timmons Groups practices throughout the state while simultaneously expanding the capabilities and services of Mitchell Environmentals clients.

When the opportunity presented itself to merge with Mitchell Environmental we looked at it from our clients perspective, said Keith Roberts, Group Leader of Timmons Groups Raleigh office. This merger will allow both firms to provide an even wider array of expertise to clients, and with faster response times. We are excited to bring Scott and his staff onboard, knowing that our clients will enjoy working with them as much as we do.

Timmons Group has four offices located in North Carolina: Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Fayetteville. Notable projects in North Carolina include the Tanger Outlet Center in Mebane, FORSCOM/USARC Combined Headquarters in Fort Bragg, and the award-winning Northside Elementary School in Chapel Hill.

This is the second Raleigh firm Timmons Group has merged with in the past twelve months.

About Timmons Group Timmons Group is a multi-disciplined engineering and technology firm recognized for over twenty-five years as one of Engineering News Records (ENR) Top 500 Design Firms in the country. The firm provides economic development, civil engineering, environmental, GIS/geospatial technology, landscape architecture and surveying services to a diverse client base. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Timmons Group has regional offices across the United States. For more information, visit http://www.timmons.com.

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Raleigh-based Mitchell Environmental Merges with Timmons Group

Sometimes, trying to return to sleep in those unsettling hours before dawn, I'll walk my mind through vanished sports landscapes.

The mental exercise required to dredge up details of once-familiar locales can induce sleep as effectively as any pill.

I might enter Connie Mack Stadium beneath the 21st and Lehigh portico, and walk through the clacking turnstiles and down the dank concourse, passing program vendors and dimly lit concession stands, until finally I am climbing a ramp to the lonely left-field bleachers.

Other times I'll exit a car in the vast parking lot at Brandywine Raceway, enter that busy clubhouse where the ever-hopeful chatter of prerace handicappers is as thick as the smoke and move on to a spot at the rail to watch the trotters and the glorious sunsets.

On other nights, the venue might be the Arena; Municipal Stadium; Convention Hall; or the cramped, linoleum-floored gymnasium at the bottom of that steep hill behind St. Pius X school in Broomall.

Sadly, since sports is no less immune to time's fickle nature than newspapers or malls, there's no shortage of stops on these nocturnal tours.

The drill leaves me wondering what now-popular landmarks, what games and traditions will exist only in the mind's eye a half-century from now.

Can Franklin Field endure many more decades as an outdated, little-used facility that sits on increasingly valuable real estate?

Will historic area clubs - and the game itself - survive the steep decline in golf interest? Will the paucity of U.S. stars kill tennis in America? What does the future look like for the Penn Relays, the Dad Vail Regatta?

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Giving 'Em Fitz: The vanishing local-sports landscape

The director for Campaign to Protect Rural England Oxfordshire has praised the council for standing its ground over a planning appeal for 117 home in Banbury.

A government planning inspector last week <6/1> backed Cherwell District Councils decision to reject the controversial plans for Crouch Hill.

The council had thrown out Gleeson Developments Ltd's application for planning permission for the site on the outskirts of the town in March.

CPRE Oxfordshire director Helen Marshall said: It is good to see such a sensible decision from the planning inspectorate and well done to Cherwell District Council for standing their ground. This site is an important landscape feature, providing a rural backdrop to the town, as well as being of cultural importance in relation to the Civil War."

The plans proposed developments on the 10.5 hectare land south of Broughton Road including up to 117 homes with parking.

On Tuesday, January 6, inspector Jennifer Vyse refused the appeal concluding that the plans would have a significant adverse impact on the character and appearance of the part of the district.

She said: In my consideration the site is still seen as an essential component of the rural setting of the hill and is very sensitive with a low capacity for residential development.

"I am in no doubt that the erection of up to 117 dwellings on the lower field would constitute a considerable intrusion into that setting.

Cherwell District Council rejected plans originally calling it a "sporadic and unsustainable" extension of the town's boundary.

Cherwells lead member for planning, councillor Michael Gibbard, said: The site was not thought suitably practical on landscape grounds and it is pleasing to see the inspector has supported that view.

Continue reading here:
CPRE happy Crouch Hill housing plan thrown out

For a place where beer and barbecue reign supreme, Texas has a wine scene that is catching up fast, becoming No. 5 in U.S. wine production.

Centered in this small town 77 miles west of Austin and 70 miles north of San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country is home to more than 40 wineries, and it is clear why it was named one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine's top wine tourism destinations.

Visitors can fill their days visiting wineries and talking with vintners and never be more than 30 minutes from their lodging. Wineries and tasting rooms line both sides of U.S. Highway 290 between Fredericksburg and Johnson City, with the vines sharing the landscape with peach orchards and lavender fields as well as tumbleweeds and cactus.

The biggest challenge is choosing which properties to visit. In a bit more than three days of visiting and tasting, I found a lot to love and few to forget. Tasting costs vary but average $10 to $12 for a six-wine sampling.

William Chris Vineyards (williamchriswines.com) is one of Hill Country's newest, and it is one of the first that visitors encounter as they drive from Austin. William Chris uses all Texas fruit and specializes in clean, fresh-tasting wines with minimal oak. I especially liked the Enchante red blend.

It is also a great introduction to the attitude that surrounds Texas wines: The vintners are passionate about their wines, but a current of fun flows through all the tastings. There seems to be a lot more laughter than in the tasting rooms of Napa.

When I asked about tours of the winery, the manager said, "Yeah, but it's right over there. Just wander on back, and the guys'll be glad to answer any questions."

Becker Vineyards (beckervineyards.com) is one of the more famous Texas wineries, getting a boost from having its wines served in the White House by President George W. Bush.

Located about a mile off U.S. 290, Becker has just under 50 acres of vines surrounding its winery. The tasting room is huge but frequently crowded on weekends. A small 19th-century cabin once served as a B&B but is now just a historic visual note.

The wines I tasted were universally good, with the reserve cabernet demonstrating why it is regularly rated among the top wines in the state. A big surprise was the Provencal, a superb dry rose. True oenophiles who visit on Saturday should not miss the Library tasting of aged reserve, single-vineyard cabernets. Spots are limited, and reservations are required.

Continued here:
Texas finds that there's wine in them thar hills