BY STEVE METSCH smetsch@southtownstar.com July 14, 2014 4:48PM

Alfreda Giedrojc | Oak Lawn Police photo

storyidforme: 69159926 tmspicid: 20548929 fileheaderid: 9550236

Updated: July 14, 2014 5:35PM

An Oak Lawn woman charged with murdering her 5-month-old granddaughter with a sledgehammer and knife is not mentally fit to stand trial at this time, a Cook County Circuit Court judge ruled Monday.

Judge Clayton Crane agreed with the findings of psychiatrist Dr. Matthew Markos, of Cook County Forensic Clinical Services, who in May determined that Alfreda Giedrojc is unfit to stand trial.

After a series of delays the past few months, her fitness hearing finally was held before Crane at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building at 26th Street and California Avenue in Chicago.

It took all of five minutes for Crane to issue his ruling.

He told Giedrojc that she must return to court Aug. 28, at which time her treatment schedule will be unveiled. The judge also said Giedrojc, 62, must be re-evaluated after one year to determine whether she is fit to stand trial after treatment.

The Polish immigrant, who needs an interpreter during court appearances, was dressed in jail-issued blue coveralls over a white shirt. She used her left hand to pat down her graying hair as she entered the courtroom. No family members attended the hearing.

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Judge: Woman accused of killing granddaughter not fit for trial

Norfolk Festevents and Virginia Stage Company are again teaming up for a free outdoor performance art event July 25-27 in Norfolk's Town Point Park.

"Moon Take Thy Flight" will explore the story of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" using actors, large scale puppetry, musicians and visuals. Last summer, the two organizations offered a similar treatment of Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

The annual performance is part of a mini-festival titled "A Midsummer Fantasy Fest." In addition to the theater piece, the festival will feature children's activities, craft brews, wines, ciders and foods.

Festevents CEO Karen Scherburger called the project "a new type of audience experience inspired by today's performance art movement." The Shakespeare comedy will be presented in a non-linear production using repurposed materials from previous festivals and new materials by seven commissioned artists. The public is invited to stop by Town Point Park on Wednesday and Thursday, July 23-24, before the festival to meet the artists as they construct their work.

"Moon Take Thy Flight" is being called the first interactive performance art project for Hampton Roads. Audiences are invited to bring a lawn chair and wait to become part of the story or wander through the large scale art environments.

The artistic team includes:

Bland Hoke, working as the visual art project manager, has created art installations at the Burning Man festival in Nevada and has been recognized for his installation art pieces worldwide.

Blair Mielnik of New York has worked with Sleep No More, an interactive theater experience in Manhattan.

Mike Bell, a Virginia Beach artist and designer, has assembled a group of local artists who will collaborate with the artistic team to design and construct the large scale art pieces. The team includes Charlie Rasputin of the Arts District and Alchemy; Wes Cheney, known for his bamboo constructions; Paul Costen, motion design and projection artist; Nichole Ashikis, and James Molloy. Hoke, Mielnik and Bell will be constructing signature pieces for the project.

Musicians include DjP and MrT, Jake Hull, Kelsie McNair and Karacell, all producing and performing original music.

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Shakespeare gets performance art treatment at Norfolk festival

Mullins Landscaping Grounds Maintenance (706) 564-6284
Mullins Landscaping Grounds Maintenance Address: 4340 Wrightsboro Rd, Grovetown, GA, 30813 Phone: (706) 564-6284 Mullins Landscaping Grounds Maintenance ...

By: Shawn Sanders

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Mullins Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance (706) 564-6284 - Video

Plainfield, Ill. (PRWEB) July 08, 2014

Summer is here, and that means hot weather and beautiful sunshine. Yet, with the recent rains we have been receiving, its also the perfect environment for a mosquito population explosion. Luckily, Spring-Green Lawn Care offers a mosquito control service that will keep those pests away.

With more than 170 species of mosquitoes in the U.S., it can be hard to maintain a mosquito-free yard. And with all of the holidays in the summer and outings, a fun evening can quickly turn into an unpleasant swat fest. Some methods of mosquito control, such as using bug sprays and lighting candles, may only last a few hours. Spring-Green's method, however, treats the plant life around the perimeter of a yard to create a long-lasting barrier, helping to control mosquitoes and prevent their return for up to a month.

Mosquitoes are a fact of life, said Harold Enger, director of education for Spring-Green. Spraying for them is a great way to reduce their populations so that you can enjoy your outdoor environment, even at dusk when mosquitoes are most active. Mosquitoes need standing, still water to breed. Harold offers a few tips to help minimize mosquitoes: Look for spots where water collects like flower pot saucers, watering cans, and even rain gutters. Empty the saucers when full and change the water in watering cans every other day.

Rick Hoover, franchise owner in Yorkville, Illinois, believes the mosquito control service is invaluable in any environment where mosquitoes can thrive. No one should underestimate how harmful mosquitoes can be, Hoover said. This treatment does exactly what its supposed to do and thats keep the bugs away from your family.

Aside from the mosquito control service, Spring-Green also delivers traditional and organic lawn and tree care services nationwide. Its service is centered on the beautification of neighborhoods and communities. Spring-Green serves both residential and commercial customers.

Spring-Green Lawn Care has a history of listening to our customers, said CEO Ted Hofer. Offering mosquito control is just another example of our commitment to meeting our customers expectations for caring for their lawn and landscape.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/SpringGreenLawnCare Twitter: https://twitter.com/springgreenlawn Website: http://www.spring-green.com

About Spring-Green Lawn Care:

Founded in 1977, Plainfield, Illinois-based Spring-Green Lawn Care has been delivering lawn and tree care services nationwide for over 37 years. Its service is centered on the beautification of residential and commercial customers in middle-class and affluent neighborhoods and communities. Spring-Green is an attractive opportunity for entrepreneurs and existing green industry business owners who want to align themselves with a franchise opportunity that has proven economic resilience, healthy profit margins, industry leading business and marketing intelligence, recurring revenue, and retirement & family planning through business ownership. Spring-Green currently has 127 franchises operating in 25 states. Spring-Green Lawn Care franchise owners gave the franchise opportunity a 96 percent overall quality rating, according to the Franchise Research Institute September 2013 survey. For more information, visit http://www.springgreenfranchise.com or http://www.spring-greenfranchiseblog.com.

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Spring-Green Offers Service to Fight Mosquitoes

By Amanda Mascarelli July 7 at 4:36 PM

This is the time of year when pesticides get sprayed on lawns, parks and golf courses. Though the goal may be to make these green spaces more pleasant places to play fewer bugs, fewer weeds these treatments may not be as safe as you assume.

Most people are not aware of the hazards that the unthinking use of pesticides poses to their children, says Philip Landrigan, dean for global health and a professor of pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Pesticides include herbicides to kill weeds and insecticides such as those sprayed to manage cockroaches and other pests.

Pound for pound, children receive much higher exposures to these chemicals than adults do, just through normal daily activity, Landrigan says. Because children are growing quickly, they take into their bodies more of the pesticides that are in the food, water and air, he says. They also roll around in the grass and put their fingers in their mouths, which greatly increases exposure.

Researchers are learning a great deal about how vulnerable childrens brains are to pesticides during fetal and early childhood development. These delicate developmental processes are easily disrupted by very small doses of toxic chemicals that would be virtually harmless for an adult, Landrigan says.

States and local jurisdictions play a major role in regulating the use of chemicals on lawns. The active ingredient most widely used on residential lawns in the United States is a chemical mixture called 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, or 2,4-D, which is sold in differing formulations under a variety of trade names. Another common herbicide is glyphosate. Studies of occupational exposure to agricultural pesticides (including 2,4-D and glyphosate) have found a positive correlation with certain cancers.

The Environmental Protection Agency approves pesticides based on their intended use, but there are many uncertainties regarding how much exposure is safe and how mixtures of chemicals act together, says Gary Ginsberg, a public health toxicologist and an assistant clinical professor at the University of Connecticut. Many states and counties require that signs be placed on turf that has been treated. Maryland, for instance, requires commercial applicators to post signs following the spraying of pesticides on lawns and other landscapes but does not require homeowners to do the same.

Unfortunately, flags generally do not give people adequate warning, says Ginsberg, author of Whats Toxic, Whats Not. And many people ignore them, he says.

Whats more, there is no scientific standard for how long one should stay off a lawn after it is treated. Many companies that use these chemicals warn that people should stay away from sprayed surfaces for six to 24 hours. Yet a 2013 study examining the levels of lawn pesticides in the urine of dogs found that herbicides persisted on lawn surfaces for at least 48 hours after spraying. If youre trying to get rid of the bulk of the exposure, you want to be off of [a treated area] for at least two days, and I would say more like three, Ginsberg says.

It is not just direct exposure to sprayed areas that presents a concern. Theres some inevitable transfer into the home or the neighbors home from the use on the lawn, Ginsberg says. Some pesticides waft in through vents and windows during and after spraying; people and dogs also track residue inside. A 2001 study found that a week after lawn treatment, 2,4-D could be detected on all indoor air surfaces, including tabletops and windowsills. The team estimated that indoor exposure to 2,4-D for young children was about 10 times higher during the week after lawn application than it was in the week before the lawn was treated.

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What to know before you spray your lawn with pesticides

A Mount Holly man is dead after a lawn mower crash Wednesday.

On Monday, Vermont State police said 54 year-old George Lynn, of Mt. Holly, Vermont, died from injuries sustained in a lawn mower crash July 2, 2014

Vermont State police in Rutland said Lynn died of his injuries at 1:45 p.m on July 4, at Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington.

Lynn is Formerly from Bristol, Connecticut.

Police said in a press release that just after 1 p.m. on Wednesday July 2, troopers from the Rutland Barracks responded to a lawn mower crash on Bowlsville Road North in the Town of Mount Holly. Investigation revealed that Lynn was traveling east on his John Deere lawn mower when he drove off the roadway and crashed down a small embankment. As a result of the crash, Lynn sustained serious injuries and was transported to Rutland Regional Medical Center for treatment.

The crash remains under investigation.

Troopers were assisted at the scene by members from Mount Holly Rescue, Mount Holly Fire Department and Rutland Regional Ambulance Service.

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Man dies after lawn mower crash

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) July 07, 2014

Emerald Ash Borer is a killer pest that threatens all Ash trees in the Philadelphia area. Treatment is the only way to save Ash trees from this 100% fatal pest. Based on over a decade of university and government research, Giroud Tree and Lawn explains how to select a tree service company to perform Emerald Ash Borer treatments, as well as the treatment options proven to successfully control the pest.

"Early detection is the key to saving Ash trees," says Lou Giroud, ISA-Certified Arborist and President of Giroud Tree and Lawn, a tree service and lawn care company. Have an ISA-Certified Arborist do a comprehensive health inspection for Emerald Ash Borer, consider each tree's value to the landscape, and determine if treatment is feasible.

Property owners living in the high risk zones of Bucks County, Montgomery County, PA, and parts of Philadelphia need to take action and call a professional tree service. However, it's important to be aware that the qualifications of the tree service company and the quality of treatment can vary widely from inexperienced companies to certified professionals.

Here are some key points to look for in selecting the company to perform Emerald Ash Borer Treatment:

1.Qualifications: Use an ISA-Certified Arborist with experience in identifying Ash trees, evaluating health, and determining the best treatment. Additionally, make sure the technician performing the treatment is a PA Licensed Applicator with specific training in Emerald Ash Borer injections. 2.Tree Evaluation: A professional tree service will not recommend treatment unless the Ash tree meets minimum health standards. To be a good candidate, the tree must have at least 50% of its crown, be relatively healthy, and able to absorb the treatment. If treatment is not possible, tree removal may be recommended. 3.Emerald Ash Borer Treatment Options: Research shows that trunk injections kill the highest number of Emerald Ash Borer larvae and are most effective. Other forms of treatment such as soil injections or topical cover sprays are less effective but may be the only affordable option. 4.Pricing: Question pricing, especially for trunk injections. The chemical known as TREE-age, the most effective insecticide used for these treatments, is expensive. If the trunk injection is being done properly with the best insecticide at the right dose for the size of the tree, then pricing should be comparable.

In the past 12 years, Emerald Ash Borer destroyed over 50 million Ash in 15 states. The fatal pest kills Ash trees when the larvae tunnel beneath the bark, stop food and water movement, and starve the tree to death. Without Emerald Ash Borer Treatment, 100% of the Ash trees infested with the borer will die within 3-5 years.

Recognizing that Emerald Ash Borer is 100% fatal to Ash trees, early detection and treatment is the only solution to save valuable trees. Homeowners in Philadelphias high risk zone should not wait for these deadly pests to invade.

Learn more by contacting Giroud Tree and Lawn at 215-682-7704 or visiting: http://www.giroudtree.com/emerald-ash-borer.

About Giroud Tree and Lawn:

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Emerald Ash Borer is a threat to All Ash Trees in the Philadelphia AreaGiroud Tree and Lawn Explains How Homeowners ...

Man injured in St. Albans gas station explosion Man injured in St. Albans gas station explosion

Updated: Thursday, July 3 2014 11:33 AM EDT2014-07-03 15:33:33 GMT

Police say a man was injured when a spark ignited gasoline fumes in an underground tank at a St. Albans gas station Thursday morning.

Police say a man was injured when a spark ignited gasoline fumes in an underground tank at a St. Albans gas station Thursday morning.

Updated: Thursday, July 3 2014 9:53 AM EDT2014-07-03 13:53:53 GMT

Route 15 in Cambridge was closed for hours while first responders battled a house fire.

Route 15 in Cambridge was closed for hours while first responders battled a house fire.

Updated: Thursday, July 3 2014 12:06 PM EDT2014-07-03 16:06:11 GMT

The sudden death of an Oxbow High School student has the community coming together to honor his life.

The sudden death of an Oxbow High School student has the community coming together to honor his life.

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Lawn mower crash

Man injured in St. Albans gas station explosion Man injured in St. Albans gas station explosion

Updated: Thursday, July 3 2014 11:33 AM EDT2014-07-03 15:33:33 GMT

Police say a man was injured when a spark ignited gasoline fumes in an underground tank at a St. Albans gas station Thursday morning.

Police say a man was injured when a spark ignited gasoline fumes in an underground tank at a St. Albans gas station Thursday morning.

Updated: Thursday, July 3 2014 9:53 AM EDT2014-07-03 13:53:53 GMT

Route 15 in Cambridge was closed for hours while first responders battled a house fire.

Route 15 in Cambridge was closed for hours while first responders battled a house fire.

Updated: Thursday, July 3 2014 12:06 PM EDT2014-07-03 16:06:11 GMT

The sudden death of an Oxbow High School student has the community coming together to honor his life.

The sudden death of an Oxbow High School student has the community coming together to honor his life.

Original post:
Lawn mower crash in Mount Holly

Florida Hospital has acquired a new thermal laser called NeuroBlate. It's the first hospital in Central Florida to offer the treatment, and one of only a few in the state.

Diane Bostick, who fought back breast cancer in 2009 but later found the cancer had spread to her brain, received a literal ray of hope, becoming the first person in Central Florida to undergo a new laser thermal treatment for brain tumors.

Five days later, the Orlando woman was mowing her lawn.

"I was the perfect candidate," said the wife and mother of two grown children, who had worried her doctor would say the dreaded, "There's nothing more we can do."

Bostick, 51, was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago. She fought it with chemotherapy, radiation and a lumpectomy. Despite all that, her cancer doctor told her that her form of cancer was the type that would return.

And it did. A year later, doctors found two small lesions in her brain. After brain radiation, more chemo and a surgical gamma-knife procedure, the two lesions are gone. But a third brain tumor surfaced, this one on the left side of her brain, a region that controls speech, language and memory. It was about the size of a cherry and growing.

More radiation was out, and surgery to this area can cause serious, permanent damage, said Florida Hospital neurosurgeon Melvin Field, who treated Bostick.

But Bostick was an ideal fit for treatment from a new thermal laser, a NeuroBlate System that Florida Hospital had just acquired. It's the first hospital in Central Florida to offer the treatment, and one of only a few in the state.

Bostick's procedure called laser interstitial thermal therapy was May 21.

The procedure involves inserting a probe under MRI guidance through the patient's skull and into the heart of the mass, then heating it up. Heating tumors kills them. But because heat can also kill normal brain tissue, the thermal tool lets surgeons measure the temperature of surrounding tissue.

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Brain-tumor patient is area's first to try laser-heat treatment