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Marcia Davis: When do young hawks need our help?

Lawrence, Kansas (PRWEB) July 02, 2014

With summer temperatures luring us outdoors, scientists with the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) say its a great time for refresher course on poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac. All three thrive during summer months and are known to trigger highly irritating skin rashes that can last for many days.

When you look at the thousands of people exposed each year and at the misery a rash can produce, poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac certainly rank among the most notorious weeds in the nation, says Lee Van Wychen, Ph.D., WSSA science policy director.

All three belong to the Toxicodendron genus and produce irritating urushiol oils. When urushiol comes in contact with the skin of sensitive individuals, itching and watery blisters will follow.

Poison oak and poison ivy in particular are common fixtures in many outdoor landscapes, often tucked among other native vegetation and growing as either a low shrub or trailing vine. Both produce small, whitish green flowers in the spring, followed by small berries in the summer. Birds enjoy the seeds and help to spread the weeds into new areas.

Poison sumac is rarer, and tends to be found primarily in wetlands. This characteristic is one of several differences among the three weed species and where they are found.

Poison oak grows as a low shrub in eastern and southern states and in tall clumps or long vines on the Pacific Coast. Fuzzy green leaves grow in clusters of three. It may have yellow or green flowers and clusters of green-yellow or white berries.

Poison ivy is found nationwide, with the exception of Alaska, Hawaii and some portions of the western coastline. Each leaf includes three glossy leaflets that vary in color (and sometimes shape) throughout the year red in spring, green in summer and yellow, orange or red in the fall. It can grow as a shrub or as hairy, ropelike vines sometimes seen growing up the sides of trees.

Poison sumac grows as a woody shrub or small tree primarily in the eastern half of the U.S. Leaves feature multiple pairs of leaflets that have a smooth, velvet-like texture. Flowers and fruit are similar to those produced by poison oak or poison ivy, but hang in loose clusters.

Misinformation about poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac abounds, making it important to separate fact from fiction.

Continued here:
Common Myths About Poison Oak, Poison Ivy and Poison Sumac: WSSA Experts Separate Fact From Fiction

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UPDATE: Evansville Police officer injured in Riverside Drive accident

HANNIBAL, Mo. (WGEM) - Utility officials lifted a boil order Thursday afternoon at 4:20 p.m. for residents in and around Hannibal. The boil order for customers of the Ralls County Public Water Supply district will remain in place until Friday at 1 p.m.

BPW customers and PWSD residents were asked Monday to begin conserving water after the basement in the treatment plant flooded Sunday afternoon. The conservation warning was lifted Wednesday morning at 8 a.m.

Monday afternoon, PWSD and BPW issued a boil order for all customers in the service territories through Wednesday at 1 p.m. That order was extended Tuesday, when officials said the boil order would expire Friday at 1 p.m., but after all bacterial testing came back clear, BPW officials lifted the boil order early.

"Residents are now free to use water as they normally would," Kari Goodman, of BPW said. "However, some customers are experiencing dirty water, so please be mindful when doing laundry."

An update on BPW's website said water levels were back to normal in the water treatment plant and system tanks Wednesday morning.

"So anything that we cooked today, we used boiled water on and then for our dinner tonight we're making sure that we even boiled our coffee and tea to make sure we took care of that matter," Executive Director Debbie Catlett said. Ice was another concern for Catlett. So much so, workers went to a gas station to get enough for the day. Resident Tony Weldy said even he didn't fully understand how much water he used until Monday.

"I do realize it, but I don't realize what all you need clean water for, I guess sometimes, so washing dishes in the dishwasher even or even taking a bath or shower," Weldy said. BPW Director of Operations Heath Hall still isn't sure how this happened, but the department is already trying to figure out ways to make sure they don't find themselves in this situation again.

"We have several ideas in the works on how to prevent this from happening again, from putting some extra alarms in, to raising the motors up even higher," Hall said. "There are several things in the works, so we're going to try. Many of them very cheap."

Catlett said it's a wakeup call for anyone who takes their drinking water for granted.

"It's terrifying to think about it," Catlett said. "We all count on it, we're all so used to it. We're not ready for it really so we're all just going to have to do our best."

Read the original:
Boil order lifted early after water plant floods

6/26/2014 - South Side Leader

COVENTRY: On June 7, Summit County sheriffs deputies responded to a vehicle accident on Woodfield Avenue, where a driver crashed into trees on the front lawn of a residence. The driver was transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries and also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia found in the vehicle. Charges for DUI were pending results of a BAC test performed at the hospital.

A Cope Avenue woman reported June 12 someone broke security lights outside her home and damaged a padlock on a door.

A Daisy Avenue woman reported June 14 the father of her children grabbed her by the neck and choked her during an argument at her residence. He denied assaulting her, but deputies observed marks on her neck, arrested him for domestic violence and took him to the Summit County Jail.

Deputies responded to a disturbance at a South Main Street bar June 15. A group of people had been arguing and one woman refused to comply with officers requests to calm down. Despite several warnings, she continued her disruptive behavior, according to the report. The Akron woman also reportedly lied about her identity and was handcuffed, arrested for disorderly conduct and obstruction of official business and taken to the Summit County Jail. The other parties involved in the argument agreed to separate for the night.

On June 16, a Flowerdale Avenue woman reported she received threatening text messages from an unknown person.

A dealer license plate was stolen from a vehicle at a Ley Drive auto auction lot June 17. Deputies entered information about the plate into a national database for stolen vehicles and plates.

Deputies investigated a June 17 report filed by a Flynn Avenue woman who said an acquaintance made threats against her via a social web page. Deputies contacted the acquaintance and advised her to have no contact of any kind with the victim.

A Pamer Drive man reported June 17 his estranged wife called him 26 times that day after being told not to call him. Deputies called the woman and told her to have no contact with him.

On June 18, deputies were seeking the person who stole American and Ohio flags from a pole outside a Portage Lakes Drive site.

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South Side Neighborhood Watch

The flagpole outside of the Washington Parks Department office near Lions Lake is adorned with an ornamental tree, shrubs, flowers and a bench. Its a beautiful tribute to the late Lucile Mauntel, a great among many in the Washington Garden Club, but it wasnt always so.

There was a time not too long ago when the ground surrounding the flagpole, which was dedicated to Mauntel, was barren.

Enter the Washington Garden Club.

Once it came to their attention, members dug in, literally, to plan and plant a garden that would be worthy of Mauntel, who served as president of the National Council of State Garden Clubs at a time when there were 400,000 members.

Today the Lucile Mauntel Flagpole Memorial Garden is one of three gardens around Washington that the club maintains.

Others are the pocket garden at the corner of Lafayette and Second streets, across from the Downtown Post Office, and at the Lions Lake bridge, where many people come to take photos for proms, graduations and weddings. Washington Garden Club members also help with gardens at the Downtown Washington Post Office, the old water works building on Front Street and at the Washington Public Library.

For 75 years now the Washington Garden Club has been actively working to make the community a more beautiful place, even if the approach has changed over the last 7 1/2 decades their commitment has not.

Theres a verse that I read when I was in middle school, and I think it holds so much meaning for our garden club, said Sally Bocklage, president:

I have found that those who love a dog, a tree, a bird and flowers are usually thoughtful of larger needs that may be ours.

Organized in 1939 With 21 Members

See original here:
Keeping Washington in Bloom

HANNIBAL, Mo. (WGEM) - Utility officials lifted a water conservation warning, but a boil order in Hannibal remains through Friday for residents in and around Hannibal.

BPW customers and Public Water Supply District One of Ralls County residents were asked Monday to begin conserving water after the basement in the treatment plant flooded Sunday afternoon. The conservation warning was lifted Wednesday morning at 8 a.m.

Monday afternoon, PWSD and Board of Public Works issued a boil order for all customers in the service territories through Wednesday at 1 p.m. That order was extended Tuesday, when officials said the boil order would expire Friday at 1 p.m.

"Residents are now free to use water as they normally would," Kari Goodman, of BPW said. "However, some customers are experiencing dirty water, so please be mindful when doing laundry."

An update on BPW's website said water levels were back to normal in the water treatment plant and system tanks Wednesday morning.

"So anything that we cooked today, we used boiled water on and then for our dinner tonight we're making sure that we even boiled our coffee and tea to make sure we took care of that matter," Executive Director Debbie Catlett said. Ice was another concern for Catlett. So much so, workers went to a gas station to get enough for the day. Resident Tony Weldy said even he didn't fully understand how much water he used until Monday.

"I do realize it, but I don't realize what all you need clean water for, I guess sometimes, so washing dishes in the dishwasher even or even taking a bath or shower," Weldy said. BPW Director of Operations Heath Hall still isn't sure how this happened, but the department is already trying to figure out ways to make sure they don't find themselves in this situation again.

"We have several ideas in the works on how to prevent this from happening again, from putting some extra alarms in, to raising the motors up even higher," Hall said. "There are several things in the works, so we're going to try. Many of them very cheap."

Catlett said it's a wakeup call for anyone who takes their drinking water for granted.

"It's terrifying to think about it," Catlett said. "We all count on it, we're all so used to it. We're not ready for it really so we're all just going to have to do our best."

Read the original post:
Water conservation warning lifted, boil order still in effect after plant floods

Whitehouse Landscapings Tree and Shrub Care program provides everything your trees and shrubs need to remain healthy. A healthy plant will be less susceptible to insect and disease damage and will promote greater bloom and color growth.

Forests have incredible organisms within the soil that enhance soil structure, store water and nutrients, decompose organic matter, and make nutrients available to plants. Unfortunately, the soil in our yards have been bulldozed and disturbed over the years and are missing those critical organisms that foster healthy trees and shrubs.

Our Plant Health Care Program proudly uses Holganix, a 100% bio-nutritional product that restores the proper balance of organisms to your soil.

Our 6 Visit Tree & Shrub Program builds up the microbiological life in the soil, promotes root development and nutrient uptake which supplies optimum opportunity for plant growth. Our custom program inspects first then treats based on what we see.

March 1 - Horticultural oil (kills hibernating insects that have camped out over winter) April 15 - Holganix & fertilizer & soil applied systemic insect control June 3 - Holganix & insect control and disease suppression July 15 - Holganix & insect control and disease suppression Sept. 5 - Holganix & fertilizer & insect control and disease suppression Nov. 6 - Anti-desiccant/horticultural oil (winter protection from cold and winter)

Emerald Ash Borer

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infests and kills ash trees. This invasive pest destroys the tree's transport system under the bark, cutting off the flow of water from the roots. Infested trees typically die within 3 years without treatment. Whitehouse Landscaping can determine your risk as well as if your trees may have already become infected. We can create a custom program that best suits your needs, ensuring the health and vitality of your trees and landscape.

View post:
Tree and Shrub Care - Yard Landscaping - Landscape Design ...

HANNIBAL, Mo. (WGEM) - A boil order in Hannibal has been extended through Friday as utility officials say residents in and around Hannibal still need to conserve water after the basement in the treatment plant flooded Sunday afternoon.

BPW customers and Public Water Supply District One of Ralls County residents are under the conservation plan. Monday afternoon, PWSD and Board of Public Works issued a boil order for all customers in the service territories through Wednesday at 1 p.m. That order was extended Tuesday, when officials said the boil order would expire Friday at 1 p.m.

Places like the Hannibal Nutrition Center, which serves meals to dozens of people a day, had to switch gears fast.

"So anything that we cooked today, we used boiled water on and then for our dinner tonight we're making sure that we even boiled our coffee and tea to make sure we took care of that matter," Executive Director Debbie Catlett said. Ice was another concern for Catlett. So much so, workers went to a gas station to get enough for the day. Resident Tony Weldy said even he didn't fully understand how much water he used until Monday.

"I do realize it, but I don't realize what all you need clean water for, I guess sometimes, so washing dishes in the dishwasher even or even taking a bath or shower," Weldy said. BPW Director of Operations Heath Hall still isn't sure how this happened, but the department is already trying to figure out ways to make sure they don't find themselves in this situation again.

"We have several ideas in the works on how to prevent this from happening again, from putting some extra alarms in, to raising the motors up even higher," Hall said. "There are several things in the works, so we're going to try. Many of them very cheap."

Catlett said it's a wakeup call for anyone who takes their drinking water for granted.

"It's terrifying to think about it," Catlett said. "We all count on it, we're all so used to it. We're not ready for it really so we're all just going to have to do our best."

Crews worked Sunday night and Monday cleaning debris and monitoring water levels. General Manager Robert Stevenson says the system has been using clean water out of storage tanks. The tanks hold about 6,000,000 gallons of water and 1,000,000 gallons was lost during the incident. The city uses approximately 3,500,000 gallons of water per day.

Affected customers are asked to conserve water in the following ways:

View post:
Boil order extended as residents asked to conserve water after plant floods

HANNIBAL, Mo. (WGEM) - Utility officials in Hannibal and Ralls County say residents in and around Hannibal still need to conserve water after the basement in the treatment plant flooded Sunday afternoon.

BPW customers and Public Water Supply District One of Ralls County residents are under the conservation plan. Monday afternoon, PWSD and Board of Public Works issued a boil order for all customers in the service territories through Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Places like the Hannibal Nutrition Center, which serves meals to dozens of people a day, had to switch gears fast.

"So anything that we cooked today, we used boiled water on and then for our dinner tonight we're making sure that we even boiled our coffee and tea to make sure we took care of that matter," Executive Director Debbie Catlett said. Ice was another concern for Catlett. So much so, workers went to a gas station to get enough for the day. Resident Tony Weldy said even he didn't fully understand how much water he used until Monday.

"I do realize it, but I don't realize what all you need clean water for, I guess sometimes, so washing dishes in the dishwasher even or even taking a bath or shower," Weldy said. BPW Director of Operations Heath Hall still isn't sure how this happened, but the department is already trying to figure out ways to make sure they don't find themselves in this situation again.

"We have several ideas in the works on how to prevent this from happening again, from putting some extra alarms in, to raising the motors up even higher," Hall said. "There are several things in the works, so we're going to try. Many of them very cheap."

Catlett said it's a wakeup call for anyone who takes their drinking water for granted.

"It's terrifying to think about it," Catlett said. "We all count on it, we're all so used to it. We're not ready for it really so we're all just going to have to do our best."

Crews worked Sunday night and Monday cleaning debris and monitoring water levels. General Manager Robert Stevenson says the system has been using clean water out of storage tanks. The tanks hold about 6,000,000 gallons of water and 1,000,000 gallons was lost during the incident. The city uses approximately 3,500,000 gallons of water per day.

Affected customers are asked to conserve water in the following ways:

See the article here:
Residents asked to conserve, boil water after lightening strike floods water plant