Damon Petr is not a vampire, but he does his best work at night. Wearing one of seven pairs of headlamps, Petr does his carpentry, vegetable gardening, chicken husbandry and outdoor maintenance in the dark.
You can see the remarkable results of his nocturnal pursuits Sunday at the second annual Peep at the Coops tour in East Dallas. Not only does he have a neat, roomy habitat for nine hens that he constructed with a childhood friend from recycled materials, he also has a substantial kitchen garden full of thriving tomatoes, potatoes, greens, herbs and berries.
Petr explains he gets most of his chores done when the rest of the neighborhood is asleep because he runs his home-based business during the day and takes care of his 4-year-old daughter, Zoë, when she is not in nursery school.
“I really can’t get that quiet alone time until Zoë goes to sleep,” says the Dallas native, 39. “I couldn’t garden” without the headlamp. He has multiple sets, so he is never without illumination if he misplaces one. He says they are used more frequently by fishermen, hunters and campers so they can work in the dark hands-free. He buys his supply at Whole Earth Provision and REI.
The entrepreneur (Petr founded Allied Delivery with his mother 17 years ago) enthusiastically proselytizes sustainability at the consumer level. He has been building his urban farm, as he calls it, for five years. He decided to take part in the coop tour in hopes of persuading visitors how much pleasure can be built into a backyard.
“I hear people say they’re bored, there’s nothing to do, and they have a whole backyard,” Petr says. “People live their entire lives without getting their hands dirty. Some people can live and die and never grow a single thing they ate.
“But times are changing. I get chills just thinking about it,” and Petr shows the goose bumps on his forearms. “This is not a fad — the chickens, the vegetable gardening. I slowly see a trend of people letting go of the green yards. The only way I see that we can sustainably grow is to ditch the grass.”
Petr’s backyard is entirely turned over to recreation and raising food. It receives a full day of sun, mandatory for a bountiful harvest. The pair of patio umbrellas, in fact, are not used to shade lounging humans but to protect 4-foot-tall tomato plants and their fruit from being scalded by the harsh sun later in the season.
“This is going to be the very best tomato year, ever,” Petr proclaims.
Petr’s interest in his family’s health ignited his interest in backyard vegetables, including growing foods naturally, without chemicals, and knowing where food comes from. He also is the sort who responds viscerally to the wonders of nature. The goose bumps returned when he talked about the most beautiful waterway in Texas (the Devils River in South Texas) and the first time a hummingbird visited the garden, hovering within inches of his face and staring into his eyes.
It is no surprise, therefore, that the backyard hens are family pets, all named. The coop is large and tidy, with no odor. It is designed so the hens have access to both sun and shade. Petr’s many “healthy” friends save the pulp and skins from daily juicing for the hens, which augments chicken scratch and layer pellets. Four-year-old Zoë collects grubs in a jar as her father unearths them while working the soil.
He and his carpenter friend also built a 23-foot tunnel of wood and hardware cloth to connect the coop to an even bigger exercise area in the side yard. The structure provides the chickens with plenty of space to scratch for bugs and exercise, but it protects Petr’s vegetables from voracious hens.
With the addition of a seeping water feature built from landscape boulders, a hogwire fence on the back property line to support blackberry brambles, a beehive and a three-bin compost station made of the same rough cedar as the coop, Petr is in the final stage of his backyard’s transformation. The last feature is a hand-built pizza oven made of cobb, an ancient building material consisting of sawdust, clay, straw and water. Cobb is fireproof and inexpensive.
Petr expects to be eating oven-to-table, thin-crust pizzas flavored with homegrown vegetables and just-snipped herbs by autumn.
“It seems so right,” he says of his lifestyle. “It’s not for everybody, but it’s the way I want to live.”
2011年4月28日星期四
Ask Umbra on secret backyard chickens
Don your feathered fedora, pull it low over your eyes, and let’s venture into the subterranean realm of secret backyard chicken coops. (Perhaps they will be the new speakeasies.)
First, anyone interested in the issue should peruse this immensely thorough and useful piece by Jill Richardson about getting your city to allow backyard chickens. She dispenses great advice about how to investigate your area’s laws, gather pro-chicken allies under your wing, and eventually approach your city council.
And yes, if at first you don’t succeed, Richardson says, “Civil disobedience might be the right way to move the issue forward in your city, as legalizing backyard chickens becomes much more pressing a question once several families have backyard flocks in violation of the law.” Agreed! We can’t all be Tim DeChristopher (bless him!)—and taking a stance on backyard chickens may be your own brave form of peacefully challenging a law you see as unjust.
If you’re so inclined, there are message boards devoted to the topic, and a man known only as Bob keeps a blog on his secret chickens in Salt Lake City. Read and be inspired.
If you decide to join the underground chicken movement, Richardson advises you to be a model chicken-keeper by picking docile chickens (no roosters), quelling your neighbors’ fears, and maintaining a safe and clean coop. And make sure you’re OK with the consequences if you run afoul of the authorities. In Philly, where secret chickens are on the rise, “First-time offenders can expect a fine of $150-$300 if caught, but according to animal control the code is rarely enforced without a complaint coming in from a neighbor first.” Which is why the part about making nice with the folks next door is so important. In a comment on Richardson’s post, user ewerb says to simply go for it (especially since city officials are often overwhelmed—bigger birds to fry, if you will):
[D]on’t wait for permission from overwhelmed, understaffed petty bureaucrats who eat from vending machines to support common sense solutions to your home grown food goals. Join together with like-minded neighbors, figure how to do it, and then help others. Eventually our elected “leaders” will either get of the way or follow along with what is working.
Investigate your area’s laws on backyard chickens. Apartment-dwellers, see if a home-owning friend is willing to go in on a couple of hens with you, if you swear to share the chores.
Amen. Who knows, your town may already have a burgeoning chicken movement that is flying under your radar. As the Dayton Underground Chicken blog says, “If enough of us band together, we can convince the city to create some policies and code to make having these backyard beauties more legal.” Find some others to join with you and go for it. A few households with illicit backyard chickens may be all your city or town needs to topple the status quo—especially if you serve up your civil disobedience with a side of mouth-wateringly orange-yolked eggies.
First, anyone interested in the issue should peruse this immensely thorough and useful piece by Jill Richardson about getting your city to allow backyard chickens. She dispenses great advice about how to investigate your area’s laws, gather pro-chicken allies under your wing, and eventually approach your city council.
And yes, if at first you don’t succeed, Richardson says, “Civil disobedience might be the right way to move the issue forward in your city, as legalizing backyard chickens becomes much more pressing a question once several families have backyard flocks in violation of the law.” Agreed! We can’t all be Tim DeChristopher (bless him!)—and taking a stance on backyard chickens may be your own brave form of peacefully challenging a law you see as unjust.
If you’re so inclined, there are message boards devoted to the topic, and a man known only as Bob keeps a blog on his secret chickens in Salt Lake City. Read and be inspired.
If you decide to join the underground chicken movement, Richardson advises you to be a model chicken-keeper by picking docile chickens (no roosters), quelling your neighbors’ fears, and maintaining a safe and clean coop. And make sure you’re OK with the consequences if you run afoul of the authorities. In Philly, where secret chickens are on the rise, “First-time offenders can expect a fine of $150-$300 if caught, but according to animal control the code is rarely enforced without a complaint coming in from a neighbor first.” Which is why the part about making nice with the folks next door is so important. In a comment on Richardson’s post, user ewerb says to simply go for it (especially since city officials are often overwhelmed—bigger birds to fry, if you will):
[D]on’t wait for permission from overwhelmed, understaffed petty bureaucrats who eat from vending machines to support common sense solutions to your home grown food goals. Join together with like-minded neighbors, figure how to do it, and then help others. Eventually our elected “leaders” will either get of the way or follow along with what is working.
Investigate your area’s laws on backyard chickens. Apartment-dwellers, see if a home-owning friend is willing to go in on a couple of hens with you, if you swear to share the chores.
Amen. Who knows, your town may already have a burgeoning chicken movement that is flying under your radar. As the Dayton Underground Chicken blog says, “If enough of us band together, we can convince the city to create some policies and code to make having these backyard beauties more legal.” Find some others to join with you and go for it. A few households with illicit backyard chickens may be all your city or town needs to topple the status quo—especially if you serve up your civil disobedience with a side of mouth-wateringly orange-yolked eggies.
The Felice Brothers escape the confines of Americana
Folks in upstate New York make albums a little differently, at least if the Felice Brothers' legacy is any indication. After recording their last two albums in a converted chicken coop, brethren Ian and James rounded up their non-Felice cohorts and upgraded to the gymnasium and auditorium of a former high school.
"It hadn't been that long since kids were there, but just enough of an amount of time to make it like a little eerie," says bassist Christmas Clapton of the unusual location in Beacon, a small town some 60 miles due north of New York City. "The auditorium was great — a big room that had a stage and theater seats and stuff like that — but it felt really spooky. It definitely had a vibe."
As does Celebration, Florida, the resulting album that's slated for release next month on the Fat Possum label. A more ambient, less structured work than its predecessors, this is the record that could finally put a damper on critics' perennial comparisons to Dylan, the Band, and contemporary Americana bands.
In addition to the change of venue, the group was operating with one less Felice brother. Drummer Simone left in 2009 to start his own group called The Duke & the King, and was subsequently replaced by Dave Turbeville.
While the Felice Brothers' music has never been as genre-bound as it's made out to be, Celebration, Florida does stand out from the group's earlier efforts. "Fire at the Pageant" is a chunky, rustic number that turns into a shout-along anthem before segueing into "Container Ship," a track that introduced the aforementioned ambience along with sleek keyboard textures and clunky, old-school jabs of percussion. "Honda Civic," by contrast, is a brash rocker that shifts between funky horns and galloping punkish rock. And in the spirit of possibly haunted gymnasiums, "Dallas" is a ghostly, mostly acoustic ballad with strains of old-time country.
That said, this latest album continues to build upon the group's track-record of shambling, rough-around-the-edges, frequently unpredictable roots-rock.
It's an approach that dates back to the band's early days busking in New York City subways. After some proper gigs that generated a growing buzz, the band did some national touring, self-released a 2006 debut album, Through These Reins and Gone, and signed to Conor Oberst's Team Love Records.
While the Felice Brothers now have no problem filling up clubs across the country, they'll still occasionally set up on the street, just to have some fun and keep in touch with their roots. Clapton says the busking experience continues to inform the Felice Brothers' live shows, which can often be spontaneous, unpredictable and rowdy affairs.
"People, when they're walking by, they don't really want to hear your band or anything," he says of the primary street-performance dilemma. "They just want to go buy some cigarettes or something. So we just would have to kind of catch peoples' eye by doing whatever ridiculous shit we could think of. It also made us play louder and scream and stuff like that. I think once we got into that, we were never able to shake it."
"It hadn't been that long since kids were there, but just enough of an amount of time to make it like a little eerie," says bassist Christmas Clapton of the unusual location in Beacon, a small town some 60 miles due north of New York City. "The auditorium was great — a big room that had a stage and theater seats and stuff like that — but it felt really spooky. It definitely had a vibe."
As does Celebration, Florida, the resulting album that's slated for release next month on the Fat Possum label. A more ambient, less structured work than its predecessors, this is the record that could finally put a damper on critics' perennial comparisons to Dylan, the Band, and contemporary Americana bands.
In addition to the change of venue, the group was operating with one less Felice brother. Drummer Simone left in 2009 to start his own group called The Duke & the King, and was subsequently replaced by Dave Turbeville.
While the Felice Brothers' music has never been as genre-bound as it's made out to be, Celebration, Florida does stand out from the group's earlier efforts. "Fire at the Pageant" is a chunky, rustic number that turns into a shout-along anthem before segueing into "Container Ship," a track that introduced the aforementioned ambience along with sleek keyboard textures and clunky, old-school jabs of percussion. "Honda Civic," by contrast, is a brash rocker that shifts between funky horns and galloping punkish rock. And in the spirit of possibly haunted gymnasiums, "Dallas" is a ghostly, mostly acoustic ballad with strains of old-time country.
That said, this latest album continues to build upon the group's track-record of shambling, rough-around-the-edges, frequently unpredictable roots-rock.
It's an approach that dates back to the band's early days busking in New York City subways. After some proper gigs that generated a growing buzz, the band did some national touring, self-released a 2006 debut album, Through These Reins and Gone, and signed to Conor Oberst's Team Love Records.
While the Felice Brothers now have no problem filling up clubs across the country, they'll still occasionally set up on the street, just to have some fun and keep in touch with their roots. Clapton says the busking experience continues to inform the Felice Brothers' live shows, which can often be spontaneous, unpredictable and rowdy affairs.
"People, when they're walking by, they don't really want to hear your band or anything," he says of the primary street-performance dilemma. "They just want to go buy some cigarettes or something. So we just would have to kind of catch peoples' eye by doing whatever ridiculous shit we could think of. It also made us play louder and scream and stuff like that. I think once we got into that, we were never able to shake it."
2011年4月26日星期二
Voters may decide chicken coop controversy
A fight over how much room hens have to lay their eggs is brewing in Oregon and Washington, and the issue could be placed before voters.
Most consumers probably don’t think about where the eggs they eat come from or how the chicken is treated. But animal welfare groups want every hen to have enough room to spread their wings and turn around – essentially cage free – but local farmers say it’s unrealistic and would shut them down.
The Humane Society of the U.S. captured video of farms in Iowa that show chickens crammed in cages with almost no room to move.
“Inside of these (wire) battery cages, each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live for more than a year before she is slaughtered,” said Paul Shapiro with the Humane Society. “It really is difficult to imagine a more miserable existence.”
But the cages at Willamette Egg Farm in Canby don’t look like the ones in the Humane Society video. The chickens aren’t tightly packed in and they can move around. Each cage is about four square feet and holds eight hens.
“Clearly, it’s a very efficient way to produce eggs,” said Greg Satrum with Willamette Egg Farm. “The hens do stay clean and healthy.”
But if voters in Oregon and Washington opt to give hens twice the space – freeing them from cages – Willamette Egg Farm’s cages would be against the law.
Willamette Egg Farm does have hens that are cage free but they make up only 5 percent of its hen population of about 2 million. Satrum said that’s all customers buy so far.
“It’s quite a bit more expensive,” Satrum said which goes for switching over the rest of the farm to cage free.
“The egg industry did its own economic analysis on what it would cost for egg farmers to switch from cage confinement to cage free,” Shapiro said. “And what they found is that it would cost less than a penny per egg more.”
“To convert completely to a nice cage-free system that we would be proud of, we’re probably looking at 80 to 100 million dollars,” Satrum said.
As a compromise, farmers came up with requirements for bigger cages that have twice as much space and allow the chickens to turn around a flap their wings.
But animal welfare groups say the cages aren’t big enough and want all Northwest hens and their eggs cage free within eight years.
“They’re really proposing a pretty extreme measure, I think, to try to put Oregon farmers out of business,” Satrum said.
“All animals, including animals raised for food deserve protection from cruelty,” Shapiro said.
The Humane Society says this is not just about cruelty but also about food safety. It says tests found higher levels of salmonella in confined chickens.
This is not about chickens running free in a field. Those are free-range chickens.
If the initiatives make the ballot, Oregon voters would have their say on the issue during the November 2012 election while Washington residents would vote on it this November.
Most consumers probably don’t think about where the eggs they eat come from or how the chicken is treated. But animal welfare groups want every hen to have enough room to spread their wings and turn around – essentially cage free – but local farmers say it’s unrealistic and would shut them down.
The Humane Society of the U.S. captured video of farms in Iowa that show chickens crammed in cages with almost no room to move.
“Inside of these (wire) battery cages, each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live for more than a year before she is slaughtered,” said Paul Shapiro with the Humane Society. “It really is difficult to imagine a more miserable existence.”
But the cages at Willamette Egg Farm in Canby don’t look like the ones in the Humane Society video. The chickens aren’t tightly packed in and they can move around. Each cage is about four square feet and holds eight hens.
“Clearly, it’s a very efficient way to produce eggs,” said Greg Satrum with Willamette Egg Farm. “The hens do stay clean and healthy.”
But if voters in Oregon and Washington opt to give hens twice the space – freeing them from cages – Willamette Egg Farm’s cages would be against the law.
Willamette Egg Farm does have hens that are cage free but they make up only 5 percent of its hen population of about 2 million. Satrum said that’s all customers buy so far.
“It’s quite a bit more expensive,” Satrum said which goes for switching over the rest of the farm to cage free.
“The egg industry did its own economic analysis on what it would cost for egg farmers to switch from cage confinement to cage free,” Shapiro said. “And what they found is that it would cost less than a penny per egg more.”
“To convert completely to a nice cage-free system that we would be proud of, we’re probably looking at 80 to 100 million dollars,” Satrum said.
As a compromise, farmers came up with requirements for bigger cages that have twice as much space and allow the chickens to turn around a flap their wings.
But animal welfare groups say the cages aren’t big enough and want all Northwest hens and their eggs cage free within eight years.
“They’re really proposing a pretty extreme measure, I think, to try to put Oregon farmers out of business,” Satrum said.
“All animals, including animals raised for food deserve protection from cruelty,” Shapiro said.
The Humane Society says this is not just about cruelty but also about food safety. It says tests found higher levels of salmonella in confined chickens.
This is not about chickens running free in a field. Those are free-range chickens.
If the initiatives make the ballot, Oregon voters would have their say on the issue during the November 2012 election while Washington residents would vote on it this November.
Dog raises 30 chicks
It’s a relationship that could cause a few ruffled feathers in the animal kingdom, but Marmaduke, the 120 pound Great Dane, doesn't think anything about playing mother hen to a brood of chicks.
"We took some out of my sister’s coop and incubated them for the kids and it ended up being for the dog,” says owner Sue Paull.
The family dog went from being simply curious to passionately protective of the 30 fluffy chicks, even grooming his adopted family and sleeping near them this last week.
“He was always cleaning them and doting over them especially when the kids had them out on the couch,” she says. “He’ll make sure that no body's hurting them, or doing something they he didn't like.”
Marmaduke is just over a year old, but has shown an affinity for taking care of young animals of all kinds on the Paull's Kelowna farm.
“We had a baby goat here that we bottle fed and he was the same way with that too,” says Paull. “Great Danes are gentle dogs. They’re characteristics are gentle. But he’s just gone over the edge, I guess.”
“He obviously thinks he’s human. He has his own bed-couch and wanders the house like it’s his own.”
Rather than take chase, Marmaduke gave up charge of his adopted family today as they transitioned into their real home: the chicken coop.
His short lived job as doting dad is done, even if his celebrity status as an unlikely mother hen lives on.
"We took some out of my sister’s coop and incubated them for the kids and it ended up being for the dog,” says owner Sue Paull.
The family dog went from being simply curious to passionately protective of the 30 fluffy chicks, even grooming his adopted family and sleeping near them this last week.
“He was always cleaning them and doting over them especially when the kids had them out on the couch,” she says. “He’ll make sure that no body's hurting them, or doing something they he didn't like.”
Marmaduke is just over a year old, but has shown an affinity for taking care of young animals of all kinds on the Paull's Kelowna farm.
“We had a baby goat here that we bottle fed and he was the same way with that too,” says Paull. “Great Danes are gentle dogs. They’re characteristics are gentle. But he’s just gone over the edge, I guess.”
“He obviously thinks he’s human. He has his own bed-couch and wanders the house like it’s his own.”
Rather than take chase, Marmaduke gave up charge of his adopted family today as they transitioned into their real home: the chicken coop.
His short lived job as doting dad is done, even if his celebrity status as an unlikely mother hen lives on.
2011年4月24日星期日
Uber-Green, Urban Couple
In the heart of Seabright, twin biodiesel fueled VWs sit in the driveway of Dee and Daniel Wright’s home. But, driving eco-friendly vehicles is just the beginning for this uber-green, urban couple.
“Every week, I teach fifth and sixth graders how they can reduce their impact. I tell them about saving energy, little things they can do every day, like putting on a sweater instead of turning up the heat, and opening the blinds instead of turning on the lights, carpooling, riding their bikes, saving water, things they can reuse, saving animals, not buying endangered products. Every week I tell them these things, and I try to practice what I preach,” said Daniel, who is a field instructor at Walden West, an outdoor education program in Saratoga. “Reusing and reducing is our philosophy. It happens to be economical. It’s a little more effort, but financially, it’s easy.”
The couple’s backyard is large for Santa Cruz, accommodating a chicken coop, tool shed, four raised beds, a hammock and a sitting area surrounding a fire pit made from a repurposed clothes dryer insert.
Their winter garden is abundant with organic onions, greens (sprayed with soap water to protect against aphids), carrots and Brussels sprouts. Orange, lime, peach and banana trees also grow in their yard.
Daniel made two compost tumblers from repurposed barrels, and constructed raised beds with scrap redwood he procured through Craigslist. While his toolbox is relatively small, Daniel is a fearless DIYer. He borrows tools they don’t own and collaborates with like-minded friends for ideas and gardening solutions.
Blanche, Dorothy and Rose, their three chickens, are named after the housemates and friends from the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls.
“Chickens always seem to have old lady names, so we thought it would be fun to name them after the Golden Girls,” Dee said.
Both Dee and Daniel grew up in the suburbs and had no childhood experience growing vegetables. They are mostly vegetarian, but occasionally eat sustainably caught fish. The Wrights like growing their own organic food.
“Every week, I teach fifth and sixth graders how they can reduce their impact. I tell them about saving energy, little things they can do every day, like putting on a sweater instead of turning up the heat, and opening the blinds instead of turning on the lights, carpooling, riding their bikes, saving water, things they can reuse, saving animals, not buying endangered products. Every week I tell them these things, and I try to practice what I preach,” said Daniel, who is a field instructor at Walden West, an outdoor education program in Saratoga. “Reusing and reducing is our philosophy. It happens to be economical. It’s a little more effort, but financially, it’s easy.”
The couple’s backyard is large for Santa Cruz, accommodating a chicken coop, tool shed, four raised beds, a hammock and a sitting area surrounding a fire pit made from a repurposed clothes dryer insert.
Their winter garden is abundant with organic onions, greens (sprayed with soap water to protect against aphids), carrots and Brussels sprouts. Orange, lime, peach and banana trees also grow in their yard.
Daniel made two compost tumblers from repurposed barrels, and constructed raised beds with scrap redwood he procured through Craigslist. While his toolbox is relatively small, Daniel is a fearless DIYer. He borrows tools they don’t own and collaborates with like-minded friends for ideas and gardening solutions.
Blanche, Dorothy and Rose, their three chickens, are named after the housemates and friends from the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls.
“Chickens always seem to have old lady names, so we thought it would be fun to name them after the Golden Girls,” Dee said.
Both Dee and Daniel grew up in the suburbs and had no childhood experience growing vegetables. They are mostly vegetarian, but occasionally eat sustainably caught fish. The Wrights like growing their own organic food.
Russian police free kidnapped Kaspersky son
The kidnapped son of Kaspersky Lab's founder has been freed and five suspects are in custody in connection with the abduction, according to a Russian media report today.
Russian law enforcement officials freed Ivan Kaspersky, the 20-year-old son of Chief Executive Eugene Kaspersky, through a special operation with company security forces, according to the Interfax news agency.
"He has been freed without ransom," a spokeswoman for the Moscow-based antivirus company told the news agency.
The younger Kaspersky, a fourth-year student of mathematics and cybernetics at Moscow State University, was kidnapped Tuesday morning on his way to work at InfoWatch, a company owned by his mother, Natalya Kaspersky, according to the English version of Pravda.ru. Someone claiming to be his abductor later reportedly phoned the father and demanded $4.3 million.
No further information about the suspects was available, and Kaspersky representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russian law enforcement officials freed Ivan Kaspersky, the 20-year-old son of Chief Executive Eugene Kaspersky, through a special operation with company security forces, according to the Interfax news agency.
"He has been freed without ransom," a spokeswoman for the Moscow-based antivirus company told the news agency.
The younger Kaspersky, a fourth-year student of mathematics and cybernetics at Moscow State University, was kidnapped Tuesday morning on his way to work at InfoWatch, a company owned by his mother, Natalya Kaspersky, according to the English version of Pravda.ru. Someone claiming to be his abductor later reportedly phoned the father and demanded $4.3 million.
No further information about the suspects was available, and Kaspersky representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Best fried chicken in Charlotte? It just might be Price's Chicken Coop
It’s not the best location. The building itself leaves a lot to be desired. Though there’s a large lot in the back, parking can still be a challenge.
It’s crowded nearly all of the time, with the lines waiting to order at the counter often 6-7 people deep. (and there’s 5-6 lines)
Most importantly there’s nowhere to sit. We mean that literally, nowhere. Price’s is take-out only. Take your box of goodies to your house, to your office, or eat it sitting on the bed of your pick-up like I did recently, just don’t plan on eating in the restaurant.
Call it soul food, southern food, comfort food or any other food, we’ll just call it southern fried goodness.
Price’s menu contains many items such as burgers, fried shrimp, fried shrimp and more. For us though, the reason to eat at this Charlotte staple is chicken, fried chicken, and it’s as good as it comes.
You’ll pay $6.25 for a quarter chicken (white meat) The all-white meat ½ chicken meal runs $8.75. You’ll receive cole-slaw, tater rounds, hush puppies and a roll with your meal. The service at Price’s is brisk and concise but friendly and your meal will be packaged in a carryout box with condiments and utensils.
It’s crowded nearly all of the time, with the lines waiting to order at the counter often 6-7 people deep. (and there’s 5-6 lines)
Most importantly there’s nowhere to sit. We mean that literally, nowhere. Price’s is take-out only. Take your box of goodies to your house, to your office, or eat it sitting on the bed of your pick-up like I did recently, just don’t plan on eating in the restaurant.
Call it soul food, southern food, comfort food or any other food, we’ll just call it southern fried goodness.
Price’s menu contains many items such as burgers, fried shrimp, fried shrimp and more. For us though, the reason to eat at this Charlotte staple is chicken, fried chicken, and it’s as good as it comes.
You’ll pay $6.25 for a quarter chicken (white meat) The all-white meat ½ chicken meal runs $8.75. You’ll receive cole-slaw, tater rounds, hush puppies and a roll with your meal. The service at Price’s is brisk and concise but friendly and your meal will be packaged in a carryout box with condiments and utensils.
2011年4月23日星期六
In the name of urban farming, there were a lot of ways BJ Hedahl could have transformed her spacious, fenced backyard in Seattle: putting in an organic garden, a beehive or a chicken coop, maybe.
But Hedahl wanted ducks. Or rather duck eggs -richer, denser, with yolks bigger than your chicken variety, she said.
Here on a recent afternoon were her four ducks, hopping out of the kiddie wading pool in the middle of her yard, each webfoot capable of producing about 300 eggs every year.
That's a lot of quiche.
But these ducks aren't a lot of work, she said. "They're lower maintenance than chickens and I think [the eggs] taste better." Hedahl now runs workshops showing Seattleites how to raise ducks in their yards.
These days, around Seattle you can find just about every conceivable workshop related to urban farming. The slow-food, eat-local movement has spurred hordes of city slickers to adopt some small measure of homestead mentality into their daily life.
Workshops are packed.
The nonprofit Seattle Tilth, which offers the widest range of city farming know-how workshops in Western Washington, reports record attendance in recent years. Chickenraising courses have wait lists. Sessions on beekeeping for honey fill quickly. The group's annual summer self-guided tour of chicken coops around Seattle has expanded to include homes with bees, ducks and goats.
The widespread interest has led Seattle Tilth to diversify its class offerings to include raising ducks and goats.
Raising urban dairy goats, which was previously rare (and before 2007 illegal) in Seattle, has become trendy here and in other parts of the country.
Three years ago, Jennie Grant, who teaches the dairy-goat workshop at Tilth's Wallingford, Washington, headquarters, convinced Seattle's city government to allow homeowners to raise miniature (45 kilograms or lighter), dehorned goats.
Urban farmers consider goats to be "the city cow," a smaller milk producer that needs no more yard space than a typical dog.
Grant's class is more popular with people who are curious about getting fresh milk to make cheese and yogurt. She tells potential goat owners to buy a breed that's quiet. Erect a 1.5-metre fence, build a shed and be prepared to milk day and night.
Grant's backyard features seven chickens, two goats and a view of Lake Washington. With the eggs and the goat milk, that's pretty much all you need for a soufflé, she said.
Her goats each can produce around a gallon a day. Grant has it on her oatmeal, her husband pours it over cold cereal and her 10-year-old son drinks it straight. The surplus is given to neighbours or made into chevre and mozzarella. It makes for a fine goat-cheese pizza with tomatoes and caramelized onions, she said.
How does it taste? Clean and rich, similar to whole milk from a cow, with none of the awful tangy or gamy flavour that you can get from the goat's milk on grocery shelves.
Grant said her other goat, Snowflake, produces an even richer milk. "It's like drinking half-andhalf."
For Hedahl, raising ducks has involved a bit of trial and error since there weren't many local duck owners to turn to for advice. An early mistake was unwittingly buying a breed that quacked loudly. That didn't win her any fans among neighbours.
She now has two each of the khaki Campbell and Indian runner breeds -a lot quieter, said Hedahl, who recently started teaching City Ducks 101, a class with the subtitle, Learn how to get started, raising your very own team of ducks -no lake required.
She's perplexed that chicken coops are popping up all over Seattle yet many people still look at raising ducks like it's some kind of freak show. "We live in wet, rainy Seattle. It's ideal for ducks."
But Hedahl wanted ducks. Or rather duck eggs -richer, denser, with yolks bigger than your chicken variety, she said.
Here on a recent afternoon were her four ducks, hopping out of the kiddie wading pool in the middle of her yard, each webfoot capable of producing about 300 eggs every year.
That's a lot of quiche.
But these ducks aren't a lot of work, she said. "They're lower maintenance than chickens and I think [the eggs] taste better." Hedahl now runs workshops showing Seattleites how to raise ducks in their yards.
These days, around Seattle you can find just about every conceivable workshop related to urban farming. The slow-food, eat-local movement has spurred hordes of city slickers to adopt some small measure of homestead mentality into their daily life.
Workshops are packed.
The nonprofit Seattle Tilth, which offers the widest range of city farming know-how workshops in Western Washington, reports record attendance in recent years. Chickenraising courses have wait lists. Sessions on beekeeping for honey fill quickly. The group's annual summer self-guided tour of chicken coops around Seattle has expanded to include homes with bees, ducks and goats.
The widespread interest has led Seattle Tilth to diversify its class offerings to include raising ducks and goats.
Raising urban dairy goats, which was previously rare (and before 2007 illegal) in Seattle, has become trendy here and in other parts of the country.
Three years ago, Jennie Grant, who teaches the dairy-goat workshop at Tilth's Wallingford, Washington, headquarters, convinced Seattle's city government to allow homeowners to raise miniature (45 kilograms or lighter), dehorned goats.
Urban farmers consider goats to be "the city cow," a smaller milk producer that needs no more yard space than a typical dog.
Grant's class is more popular with people who are curious about getting fresh milk to make cheese and yogurt. She tells potential goat owners to buy a breed that's quiet. Erect a 1.5-metre fence, build a shed and be prepared to milk day and night.
Grant's backyard features seven chickens, two goats and a view of Lake Washington. With the eggs and the goat milk, that's pretty much all you need for a soufflé, she said.
Her goats each can produce around a gallon a day. Grant has it on her oatmeal, her husband pours it over cold cereal and her 10-year-old son drinks it straight. The surplus is given to neighbours or made into chevre and mozzarella. It makes for a fine goat-cheese pizza with tomatoes and caramelized onions, she said.
How does it taste? Clean and rich, similar to whole milk from a cow, with none of the awful tangy or gamy flavour that you can get from the goat's milk on grocery shelves.
Grant said her other goat, Snowflake, produces an even richer milk. "It's like drinking half-andhalf."
For Hedahl, raising ducks has involved a bit of trial and error since there weren't many local duck owners to turn to for advice. An early mistake was unwittingly buying a breed that quacked loudly. That didn't win her any fans among neighbours.
She now has two each of the khaki Campbell and Indian runner breeds -a lot quieter, said Hedahl, who recently started teaching City Ducks 101, a class with the subtitle, Learn how to get started, raising your very own team of ducks -no lake required.
She's perplexed that chicken coops are popping up all over Seattle yet many people still look at raising ducks like it's some kind of freak show. "We live in wet, rainy Seattle. It's ideal for ducks."
Urban chickens get test run in Fredericton
Fredericton has passed a variance on a bylaw to temporarily allow urban chickens in the New Brunswick city.
The pilot program was launched this week and will permit a few residents to set up backyard chicken coops for one year. The bylaw will then be reassessed.
Fredericton joins more than 300 North American cities allowing urban chickens. The issue has also been a hot-button topic in Halifax, where urban chickens remain prohibited.
Natalie Dunn and her husband Phil Cyr will be among the chicken pioneers. They plan to install a chicken coop in their backyard to house three egg-laying birds.
"I was very surprised myself. You always think that it's not something that the city would want — we are not farmers," Dunn said Friday.
Dunn and her husband are eager to have their own chickens so they can be more self-sufficient and environmentally friendly.
"It's just a way for us to live more sustainably, [to] know where our food comes from," she said. "It's kind of like a hobby for [Cyr]. He grows vegetables and now eggs."
Concerns about smell, hygiene
Fredericton councillor Jordan Graham said council had heard from people opposed to urban chickens.
"Some of it was about the hygiene of it, others was the smell that might come from it, and then others simply were concerned that there might be a nuisance having a potential noisy chicken coop next door," he said.
Graham said after the year-long pilot runs its course, council will reconsider its stance on urban chickens.
"After one year we will be able to re-evaluate everything. We will be able to see if there are rules that need to be put in place, or if it should discontinued," he said.
The pilot program was launched this week and will permit a few residents to set up backyard chicken coops for one year. The bylaw will then be reassessed.
Fredericton joins more than 300 North American cities allowing urban chickens. The issue has also been a hot-button topic in Halifax, where urban chickens remain prohibited.
Natalie Dunn and her husband Phil Cyr will be among the chicken pioneers. They plan to install a chicken coop in their backyard to house three egg-laying birds.
"I was very surprised myself. You always think that it's not something that the city would want — we are not farmers," Dunn said Friday.
Dunn and her husband are eager to have their own chickens so they can be more self-sufficient and environmentally friendly.
"It's just a way for us to live more sustainably, [to] know where our food comes from," she said. "It's kind of like a hobby for [Cyr]. He grows vegetables and now eggs."
Concerns about smell, hygiene
Fredericton councillor Jordan Graham said council had heard from people opposed to urban chickens.
"Some of it was about the hygiene of it, others was the smell that might come from it, and then others simply were concerned that there might be a nuisance having a potential noisy chicken coop next door," he said.
Graham said after the year-long pilot runs its course, council will reconsider its stance on urban chickens.
"After one year we will be able to re-evaluate everything. We will be able to see if there are rules that need to be put in place, or if it should discontinued," he said.
Debbie Cavallaro talks about the baby boom down on the farm
Q: When can we see the baby animals?
A:We try to start having our babies at the end of February and go all the way through at least May and into June. We try to split them up because they do grow fast and that way, no matter what time folks come out, they get to see babies. They're right in the barn or right at the fence, and they're very friendly. They actually like visitors.
Q: Where did the animals come from?
A:Many were born here. We get some really good donations from local people. We try to show good examples of the breed, so most are thoroughbred. Some we raise up, some we will purchase. We have a donation box in our barn, and we generally use donated funds if we need to buy an animal. And then many of our animals get sold to 4-H kids or local farmers. That's always very gratifying for us to go to the local fairs and see how our goats and sheep and pigs are competing. We're close to the Livingston County Fair, the Oakland County Fair and the Washtenaw Fair.
Q: Who takes care of the animals?
A:We have three full-time staff and we have five part-time staff -- people that do a variety of things. I feed animals every day. I clean pens every day. The herdsmen check who is ready to deliver, who didn't come up to the feeder to eat, a lame horse, whatever it may be. We have a lot of kids programs. We just got done with our big maple sugaring program. We do horse-drawn rides, and that takes a special team called teamsters and they harness horses. No day is the same, I can tell you that.
Q: How many animals do you have?
A:We're looking at all the cows, all the sheep, all the chickens, goats, the ducks, the geese: We probably have 75 to 85. It certainly increases in the spring, especially with all the twins coming. This time of year we have a lot. Usually in November, that's when we sell a lot of our extras off.
Q: How many buildings do you have at the farm that people can go into?
A:We have five buildings you can actually go in. Certainly our biggest attraction is our lower barn area. That's the maternity ward where all the babies are. And then you can go into our chicken coop and cow pen. It's set up where it is close viewing pretty much for everybody, and it is all wheelchair- and stroller-accessible -- very easy to maneuver.
A:We try to start having our babies at the end of February and go all the way through at least May and into June. We try to split them up because they do grow fast and that way, no matter what time folks come out, they get to see babies. They're right in the barn or right at the fence, and they're very friendly. They actually like visitors.
Q: Where did the animals come from?
A:Many were born here. We get some really good donations from local people. We try to show good examples of the breed, so most are thoroughbred. Some we raise up, some we will purchase. We have a donation box in our barn, and we generally use donated funds if we need to buy an animal. And then many of our animals get sold to 4-H kids or local farmers. That's always very gratifying for us to go to the local fairs and see how our goats and sheep and pigs are competing. We're close to the Livingston County Fair, the Oakland County Fair and the Washtenaw Fair.
Q: Who takes care of the animals?
A:We have three full-time staff and we have five part-time staff -- people that do a variety of things. I feed animals every day. I clean pens every day. The herdsmen check who is ready to deliver, who didn't come up to the feeder to eat, a lame horse, whatever it may be. We have a lot of kids programs. We just got done with our big maple sugaring program. We do horse-drawn rides, and that takes a special team called teamsters and they harness horses. No day is the same, I can tell you that.
Q: How many animals do you have?
A:We're looking at all the cows, all the sheep, all the chickens, goats, the ducks, the geese: We probably have 75 to 85. It certainly increases in the spring, especially with all the twins coming. This time of year we have a lot. Usually in November, that's when we sell a lot of our extras off.
Q: How many buildings do you have at the farm that people can go into?
A:We have five buildings you can actually go in. Certainly our biggest attraction is our lower barn area. That's the maternity ward where all the babies are. And then you can go into our chicken coop and cow pen. It's set up where it is close viewing pretty much for everybody, and it is all wheelchair- and stroller-accessible -- very easy to maneuver.
What Does It Mean to 'Eat Green?'
When it comes to following a green diet, there are several different aspects to consider. There’s your own health (and pocketbook), the ecological impact of growing and transporting food, and the waste generated from packaging. How does this translate to your own kitchen? We talked to local experts to tackle some frequently asked questions about green eating.
What does it mean to eat organic?
Officially, the USDA organic label means foods are produced without antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, irradiation or bioengineering.
Why should I eat organic?
“Eating organic foods reduce your exposure to chemicals, many which have been linked to everything from headaches, autoimmune diseases and cancer,” explains Betty Keller, M.D., of Optimum Wellness Center, an integrated health care center in Franklin Lakes. “Plus organic food is believed to have a better nutritional value, with more vitamins and antioxidants.”
It’s also better for the land—and those who work the land. Studies have linked pesticide use to Parkinson’s disease, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Is eating organic better for your health and your family?
Some people say yes, while hardcore evidence is still sketchy. The bottom line is, it couldn’t hurt to eat organic, and it probably can help, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is for you to actually eat your fruits and veggies.
Does organic food have more nutrients?
Sometimes, but not always. Some nutrients in food, such as resveratrol (the heart healthy component in red wine and blueberries), are part of the plants natural “immunity” against molds. Untreated plants have to build up their immune system to survive, and therefore have more of the nutrient. In fact, some reports estimate organic fruits and vegetables have 40 percent more antioxidants then conventional produce, and higher concentrations of important minerals such as zinc and iron.
What foods should I eat organic?
“Buying organic can get expensive,” admits Dr. Keller, who specializes in chronic disease prevention and natural healing. “That’s why it’s important to note that not all produce has the same chemical exposure.”
Foods that retain the most pesticides include carrots, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, spinach, kale and other leafy greens, as well as strawberries, blueberries, apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, cherries, and grapes, according to the FDA.
“You can significantly reduce your exposure to chemicals, just by choosing organic for those foods,” Dr. Keller noted.
And you can even grow some of them, like tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and leafy greens in your own backyard. (Unless of course, the rabbits get them first)
Foods that retain the least amount of pesticides (and can be enjoyed with less worry) include onions, avocados, corn, pineapple, mango, papaya, watermelon, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, cabbage and eggplant.
What about animal products? When is organic better and when is it just more expensive?
When it comes to milk, many experts advise opting for hormone-free and antibiotic free dairy products. For beef, hormones and pesticides build up in the fat, but not the actual meat. On the other hand, poultry is better organic: chickens are fed grains, which on traditional farms contain pesticides that can build up in the meat.
What’s the difference between organic chicken and free-range chicken?
The term free range often brings to mind chickens roaming free on a grassy pasture, but officially, “free range” means the chicken was not confined to a small coop, and it was given access to fresh air. Some people say free-range chicken tastes better, while for others, it’s a anti-animal cruelty karma-thing.
What about coffee? What does Fair Trade and Shade Grown mean?
Many coffee beans are grown in countries that do not regulate pesticides, have unfair labor practices or are harmful to the environment. In the green coffee world, “free trade” is a dirty word, synonymous with no guarantee of fair price and no ecological standards. The buzzword “Fair Trade” signifies cooperatives that work together to ensure fair pay, non-abusive labor practices and environmentally sustainable farming methods. The term “shade grown” means the crop was grown under rainforest trees and no trees were cut down to farm.
More ways you can eat green:
Shop locally: Help the local economy, cut down on packaging and transportation. Frequent local farmer's markets (like Abma's Farm) or the one on Sunday mornings in Ridgewood. Get involved in a garden co-op.
Reuse shopping bags: Reduce waste by bringing your own shopping bags to the store. Feel guilty because you always forget? Ease your conscience by using paper bags (and reusing them to hold your paper recylcing or return your plastic shopping bags to the recycling bin at the grocery store—our used bags are turned into long-lasting decking materials.
Be mindful of packages. Less packaging, means less waste. And whenever possible, recycle the packaging.
Start a compost pile. Recycle kitchen scraps into fertilizer for your garden.
What does it mean to eat organic?
Officially, the USDA organic label means foods are produced without antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, irradiation or bioengineering.
Why should I eat organic?
“Eating organic foods reduce your exposure to chemicals, many which have been linked to everything from headaches, autoimmune diseases and cancer,” explains Betty Keller, M.D., of Optimum Wellness Center, an integrated health care center in Franklin Lakes. “Plus organic food is believed to have a better nutritional value, with more vitamins and antioxidants.”
It’s also better for the land—and those who work the land. Studies have linked pesticide use to Parkinson’s disease, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Is eating organic better for your health and your family?
Some people say yes, while hardcore evidence is still sketchy. The bottom line is, it couldn’t hurt to eat organic, and it probably can help, but at the end of the day, the most important thing is for you to actually eat your fruits and veggies.
Does organic food have more nutrients?
Sometimes, but not always. Some nutrients in food, such as resveratrol (the heart healthy component in red wine and blueberries), are part of the plants natural “immunity” against molds. Untreated plants have to build up their immune system to survive, and therefore have more of the nutrient. In fact, some reports estimate organic fruits and vegetables have 40 percent more antioxidants then conventional produce, and higher concentrations of important minerals such as zinc and iron.
What foods should I eat organic?
“Buying organic can get expensive,” admits Dr. Keller, who specializes in chronic disease prevention and natural healing. “That’s why it’s important to note that not all produce has the same chemical exposure.”
Foods that retain the most pesticides include carrots, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, spinach, kale and other leafy greens, as well as strawberries, blueberries, apples, pears, nectarines, peaches, cherries, and grapes, according to the FDA.
“You can significantly reduce your exposure to chemicals, just by choosing organic for those foods,” Dr. Keller noted.
And you can even grow some of them, like tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and leafy greens in your own backyard. (Unless of course, the rabbits get them first)
Foods that retain the least amount of pesticides (and can be enjoyed with less worry) include onions, avocados, corn, pineapple, mango, papaya, watermelon, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi, cabbage and eggplant.
What about animal products? When is organic better and when is it just more expensive?
When it comes to milk, many experts advise opting for hormone-free and antibiotic free dairy products. For beef, hormones and pesticides build up in the fat, but not the actual meat. On the other hand, poultry is better organic: chickens are fed grains, which on traditional farms contain pesticides that can build up in the meat.
What’s the difference between organic chicken and free-range chicken?
The term free range often brings to mind chickens roaming free on a grassy pasture, but officially, “free range” means the chicken was not confined to a small coop, and it was given access to fresh air. Some people say free-range chicken tastes better, while for others, it’s a anti-animal cruelty karma-thing.
What about coffee? What does Fair Trade and Shade Grown mean?
Many coffee beans are grown in countries that do not regulate pesticides, have unfair labor practices or are harmful to the environment. In the green coffee world, “free trade” is a dirty word, synonymous with no guarantee of fair price and no ecological standards. The buzzword “Fair Trade” signifies cooperatives that work together to ensure fair pay, non-abusive labor practices and environmentally sustainable farming methods. The term “shade grown” means the crop was grown under rainforest trees and no trees were cut down to farm.
More ways you can eat green:
Shop locally: Help the local economy, cut down on packaging and transportation. Frequent local farmer's markets (like Abma's Farm) or the one on Sunday mornings in Ridgewood. Get involved in a garden co-op.
Reuse shopping bags: Reduce waste by bringing your own shopping bags to the store. Feel guilty because you always forget? Ease your conscience by using paper bags (and reusing them to hold your paper recylcing or return your plastic shopping bags to the recycling bin at the grocery store—our used bags are turned into long-lasting decking materials.
Be mindful of packages. Less packaging, means less waste. And whenever possible, recycle the packaging.
Start a compost pile. Recycle kitchen scraps into fertilizer for your garden.
The Coop restaurant opens in Chapin
Chicken knickknacks on the shelf and fried chicken on the stove will often greet customers when they step into Chapin’s newest eatery.
The Coop opened its doors April 11 at 418 Superior St., the former location of Granny’s Icebox, a longtime restaurant that closed last summer.
Fried chicken is the special every Wednesday and Sunday at The Coop, said owner and operator Tracy Galloway of rural Arenzville. Catfish and buffalo fish are the Friday special.
Galloway, who has a lot of experience as a restaurateur, is happy with her new venture’s success thus far.
“Business has been surprisingly great,” she said. “The people in Chapin have really supported the restaurant.”
Galloway grew up near Chapin and knows many of her customers.
The Coop offers breakfast all day, as well as lunch and dinner.
“We have a lunch special every day,” she said. “My tenderloins are hand breaded. We also make cream pies, pudding and cinnamon rolls. I like to offer good home cooking.”
Galloway bought the building in January and spent a few months getting the place ready for The Coop.
“We totally refurbished the interior,” she said. “We painted everything, added some tables and a counter and redecorated.”
The restrooms were also updated and a new roof was installed.
“I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish opening The Coop without the help of Jody Whited,”
Galloway said. “She has been a huge asset. I have also had a lot of help from friends, family and the Chapin community.”
Galloway and her husband, Mike, owned Galloway’s Cafe in Mount Sterling from 1990 to 1995 and since then she has worked in several area restaurants.
She said after her husband died in 2007, she returned to the Arenzville area, where several people encouraged her to open a restaurant in the Triopia community.
“People say you can never come back home, but I believe you can,” Galloway said. “The Chapin community has been behind me 100 percent.”
The Coop is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
The restaurant has a separate banquet room available for parties and meetings. Both the restaurant and banquet room can seat about 62 people.
The Coop opened its doors April 11 at 418 Superior St., the former location of Granny’s Icebox, a longtime restaurant that closed last summer.
Fried chicken is the special every Wednesday and Sunday at The Coop, said owner and operator Tracy Galloway of rural Arenzville. Catfish and buffalo fish are the Friday special.
Galloway, who has a lot of experience as a restaurateur, is happy with her new venture’s success thus far.
“Business has been surprisingly great,” she said. “The people in Chapin have really supported the restaurant.”
Galloway grew up near Chapin and knows many of her customers.
The Coop offers breakfast all day, as well as lunch and dinner.
“We have a lunch special every day,” she said. “My tenderloins are hand breaded. We also make cream pies, pudding and cinnamon rolls. I like to offer good home cooking.”
Galloway bought the building in January and spent a few months getting the place ready for The Coop.
“We totally refurbished the interior,” she said. “We painted everything, added some tables and a counter and redecorated.”
The restrooms were also updated and a new roof was installed.
“I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish opening The Coop without the help of Jody Whited,”
Galloway said. “She has been a huge asset. I have also had a lot of help from friends, family and the Chapin community.”
Galloway and her husband, Mike, owned Galloway’s Cafe in Mount Sterling from 1990 to 1995 and since then she has worked in several area restaurants.
She said after her husband died in 2007, she returned to the Arenzville area, where several people encouraged her to open a restaurant in the Triopia community.
“People say you can never come back home, but I believe you can,” Galloway said. “The Chapin community has been behind me 100 percent.”
The Coop is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
The restaurant has a separate banquet room available for parties and meetings. Both the restaurant and banquet room can seat about 62 people.
2011年4月21日星期四
Scott Kolb: Shooting hoops in a chicken coop
Since the weather has decided to make a return to winter for a few days, it seemed like a good time for one more tall tale from the basketball court.
Driving south out of Austin on 4th Street SE, near the edge of town is an old chicken hatchery. This was originally built over a century ago and was named Ziemer's Hatchery.
In the 1950s, my grandfather Carl Anderson and his family moved into the house next door. Grandpa operated a chicken business in the hatchery until the early 1970s. For most of the year, the big building along the banks of the Cedar River was filled with chickens.
Business ebbed of course in the cold winter months and this gave my uncle, Craig Anderson, and his friends a chance to turn the hatchery into a basketball court.
Time of change
Now, the late 1960s were certainly a time for experimentation and the clean cut era on the court was coming to an end. At all levels of the game, canvas sneakers and buzz haircuts were being replaced by colorful uniforms and long hair.
Characters like "Pistol" Pete Maravich changed the way a player looked on the court and most importantly how they handled the basketball. Even at the local games, I can remember seeing Albert Lea players adorned with pompons and bells on their shoes.
Pickup games around town were a common occurrence and church league was also a big thing for hoops fanatics. Of course, the legendary Shaw Gym was still a place to hang out and the game was played by a lot of kids.
Jumping into this arena of change, my uncle decided he would hold games during winter afternoons on the main floor of the hatchery. They generated their own heat with spirited games on the cold concrete.
Fadeaway into cages
Although the chicken cages were empty, I can still remember the distinctive sound when one of the guys would shoot a long jumper and fade out of bounds into the stacks. A few feathers would fly out of the cages as the ball caromed off the rim.
Even old Grandpa would come out and watch the games. According to my uncle, he enjoyed the spectacle in the hatchery, until one time an errant pass knocked off his spectacles.
Maybe, that's where they got the saying, "it's not all fun and games." I'm not sure if that applies to shooting hoops in a chicken coop, but it seemed to fit the occasion of those long ago games.
My uncle is now in his 60s and lives on the west coast. Grandpa has since passed away, but it's still fun to recall the times when he allowed the kids to have some fun shooting hoops in the hatchery.
Steve Neiswanger of Austin now owns the old hatchery and a few years ago did a beautiful restoration job on the old place. He once asked me if I remembered when there were chickens in the place. I told him about the din created when the chickens were in residence and some old story about shooting three-point shots while the birds clucked.
Preaching the gospel
Before the story ends there's another side to the tale. Years later, we started going to mid-week services at a place called the Southgate Baptist Church.
It didn't take me long to realize they were preaching my kind of gospel, salvation via the rainbow jumper. After the bible studies, members of the fellowship cleared away the chairs and set up a basketball hoop at one end of the sanctuary.
Headbands and knee-high socks were part of the uniform worn by the faithful. One of the elders was my old buddy Craig Jurgensen, who embraced the religious fervor of the times and also loved to play basketball.
Jurgensen still plays noon-ball at the Austin YMCA and we talk fondly of the days at the baptist church.
My time on the court has long faded from view, but a storyteller always has his memories. From dribbling around the church pews to shooting jump shots over chicken cages, the glory days of basketball in this town are not forgotten.
Driving south out of Austin on 4th Street SE, near the edge of town is an old chicken hatchery. This was originally built over a century ago and was named Ziemer's Hatchery.
In the 1950s, my grandfather Carl Anderson and his family moved into the house next door. Grandpa operated a chicken business in the hatchery until the early 1970s. For most of the year, the big building along the banks of the Cedar River was filled with chickens.
Business ebbed of course in the cold winter months and this gave my uncle, Craig Anderson, and his friends a chance to turn the hatchery into a basketball court.
Time of change
Now, the late 1960s were certainly a time for experimentation and the clean cut era on the court was coming to an end. At all levels of the game, canvas sneakers and buzz haircuts were being replaced by colorful uniforms and long hair.
Characters like "Pistol" Pete Maravich changed the way a player looked on the court and most importantly how they handled the basketball. Even at the local games, I can remember seeing Albert Lea players adorned with pompons and bells on their shoes.
Pickup games around town were a common occurrence and church league was also a big thing for hoops fanatics. Of course, the legendary Shaw Gym was still a place to hang out and the game was played by a lot of kids.
Jumping into this arena of change, my uncle decided he would hold games during winter afternoons on the main floor of the hatchery. They generated their own heat with spirited games on the cold concrete.
Fadeaway into cages
Although the chicken cages were empty, I can still remember the distinctive sound when one of the guys would shoot a long jumper and fade out of bounds into the stacks. A few feathers would fly out of the cages as the ball caromed off the rim.
Even old Grandpa would come out and watch the games. According to my uncle, he enjoyed the spectacle in the hatchery, until one time an errant pass knocked off his spectacles.
Maybe, that's where they got the saying, "it's not all fun and games." I'm not sure if that applies to shooting hoops in a chicken coop, but it seemed to fit the occasion of those long ago games.
My uncle is now in his 60s and lives on the west coast. Grandpa has since passed away, but it's still fun to recall the times when he allowed the kids to have some fun shooting hoops in the hatchery.
Steve Neiswanger of Austin now owns the old hatchery and a few years ago did a beautiful restoration job on the old place. He once asked me if I remembered when there were chickens in the place. I told him about the din created when the chickens were in residence and some old story about shooting three-point shots while the birds clucked.
Preaching the gospel
Before the story ends there's another side to the tale. Years later, we started going to mid-week services at a place called the Southgate Baptist Church.
It didn't take me long to realize they were preaching my kind of gospel, salvation via the rainbow jumper. After the bible studies, members of the fellowship cleared away the chairs and set up a basketball hoop at one end of the sanctuary.
Headbands and knee-high socks were part of the uniform worn by the faithful. One of the elders was my old buddy Craig Jurgensen, who embraced the religious fervor of the times and also loved to play basketball.
Jurgensen still plays noon-ball at the Austin YMCA and we talk fondly of the days at the baptist church.
My time on the court has long faded from view, but a storyteller always has his memories. From dribbling around the church pews to shooting jump shots over chicken cages, the glory days of basketball in this town are not forgotten.
2011年4月20日星期三
Chicken coops cropping up in Greenville backyards
Take a peek around your neighborhood and you may even find one yourself —– a chicken coop.
“It is going crazy,” said Jim Adkins, a sustainable poultry expert who recently visited Furman University for a sold-out workshop on backyard chicken keeping.
He said he's seen a huge surge in recent years in the number of people who keep chickens in urban and suburban environments. Some do it for food, some do it for fun, some do it for nostalgia. But whatever the reason, folks with chickens say it's not as strange —– or as tough —– as it may sound.
“It's no trouble,” insisted Deborah Gibson, who bought five chicks about a year ago from a local feed store.
The inspiration came from her sister, who has a flock of chickens at her rural home down state.
“She just has the best time with it,” Gibson said. “When my granddaughters got older, I thought, ‘How cute would that be if we had a coop that we could gather the eggs and have just a few little chickens?' ”
The girls, ages 4 and 2, live across the street from Gibson and are her regular helpers.
“They're back and forth. We're in that coop and we're cleaning, we're feeding. Their little friends come over, and we have little tea parties out by the coop,” she said. “It's so fun.”
She's down to one bird in her yard at the moment after an unexpected turn of events with the original flock of chicks: one began to crow.
“I heard this funny little noise coming from my coop one morning. I thought, ‘What is that?' ” she said with a laugh.
Over the next three weeks, three others started crowing. Not wanting to be the bane of her neighborhood with four crowing roosters, she gave the birds away to people with farms or larger properties.
But she's had such fun with her remaining hen, Cocoa, that she's ordered three more chicks from a hatchery (these are supposed to be all hens) and is expecting them at the end of the month.
“It is going crazy,” said Jim Adkins, a sustainable poultry expert who recently visited Furman University for a sold-out workshop on backyard chicken keeping.
He said he's seen a huge surge in recent years in the number of people who keep chickens in urban and suburban environments. Some do it for food, some do it for fun, some do it for nostalgia. But whatever the reason, folks with chickens say it's not as strange —– or as tough —– as it may sound.
“It's no trouble,” insisted Deborah Gibson, who bought five chicks about a year ago from a local feed store.
The inspiration came from her sister, who has a flock of chickens at her rural home down state.
“She just has the best time with it,” Gibson said. “When my granddaughters got older, I thought, ‘How cute would that be if we had a coop that we could gather the eggs and have just a few little chickens?' ”
The girls, ages 4 and 2, live across the street from Gibson and are her regular helpers.
“They're back and forth. We're in that coop and we're cleaning, we're feeding. Their little friends come over, and we have little tea parties out by the coop,” she said. “It's so fun.”
She's down to one bird in her yard at the moment after an unexpected turn of events with the original flock of chicks: one began to crow.
“I heard this funny little noise coming from my coop one morning. I thought, ‘What is that?' ” she said with a laugh.
Over the next three weeks, three others started crowing. Not wanting to be the bane of her neighborhood with four crowing roosters, she gave the birds away to people with farms or larger properties.
But she's had such fun with her remaining hen, Cocoa, that she's ordered three more chicks from a hatchery (these are supposed to be all hens) and is expecting them at the end of the month.
2011年4月19日星期二
Morris County couple find raising their own poultry safer
As a young publicist in New York City, Abby Ray never pictured a future in farming.
But as Ray, 26, grew more interested in both food safety issues and her fiance, nursery owner Thomas Gallo, 26, she found herself moving to the farm-friendly suburbs of Harding Township, Morris County, and becoming the proud co-owner of six chickens and a few hundred fresh eggs.
"I grew up in Maine, with cats. We were afraid of chickens," said Ray, who now runs the blog EcoMoTown, about the environmental movement in and around Morristown. Ray doesn't eat industrially raised meat because of safety concerns, and grows her own vegetable garden near the chicken coop.
"She was all, "spiders and smells,' " Gallo said laughing, noting that he grew up with animals and thought it would be a good idea to have them at their shared home. "I convinced her."
Ray and Gallo are just two of many first-time chicken owners reviving backyard chicken keeping in New Jersey, a trend that has grown as people become aware of potential dangers in agribusiness, explained Rutgers professor Michael Westendorf.
"I think food security is a big issue," said Westendorf, a Rutgers Extension Specialist in animal sciences. "When you're reliant on trucks coming across the Delaware River to bring you eggs, I for one feel safer having some egg production be local."
Westendorf said his office has received an increase in calls in the past 10 years from residents looking for advice on starting their own backyard flocks.
"I think people want to produce their own food if they can, buy local food if they can, and get back to a simple way of life," Westendorf said.
For Middletown resident Mary Hussey, food safety issues were only the gateway to her chicken keeping. She now shows her flock in poultry competitions around the country.
"Initially, it's a food thing. When you don't have chickens, you don't know what you're getting into, but you know you're afraid of the food," Hussey said.
Chickens are now the fastest-growing segment of the pet population, said Kurry Walsh, manager of Rick's Saddle Shop, with locations throughout Monmouth County. The store recently started selling baby chicks each spring.
"If you'd have told me five years ago that people would want to buy chickens, I wouldn't have believed you," Walsh said. "The good thing about buying chickens is that you know there are no chemicals going into the egg. When you buy Perdue at the store, you don't know what's in those, and you probably don't want to, but with your own chickens, you control what goes in."
Hens generally lay one egg every day until they reach about two years old, when production decreases, Hussey said. They're also helpful for tilling gardens, producing compost, and controlling pests, and are often raised for meat, Walsh said.
Owning chickens isn't for everyone, warns Hussey, and the decision must come with a lot of planning.
"Do your research first, don't get an animal on a whim," Hussey said. "Take time to build or buy a coop or run first, and make sure it's secure, ventilated, and draft-free."
Gallo, who built his coop for about $300 out of wood and fencing, said he lost his first flock to raccoons because of gaps in the chicken wire.
"The second time, I made sure it was sealed up. I buried the fence six inches into the ground and zip tied the top together," he said. The biggest predators for chickens are hawks, foxes and raccoons, he said.
Gallo said he cleans his coop out completely four times a year, replacing the wood chips and hosing down the roosting boxes. When clean and well-ventilated, a chicken coop shouldn't have any odor, Hussey said. And when healthy and happy, chickens shouldn't make any discernible noise.
"I've had neighbors that didn't even know I kept chickens," Hussey said of her flock.
In return for the upkeep, a flock of six hens (no rooster is necessary for egg laying) will yield a dozen eggs every two days. Eggs can keep, unwashed, in the refrigerator for up to six months because of a special sealant on them, Hussey explained. Different breeds produce different eggs, including white, brown, and even green, but inside, she said, "an egg is an egg is an egg."
Walsh emphasized that a fresh farmed egg is a different thing altogether than a supermarket egg, noting the "orange color, and a real egg taste." Ray said a fresh egg "stands together" when cracked open, while supermarket eggs tend to run flat when cracked.
As chicken keeping grows in popularity, many towns are enacting ordinances regulating where and how they can be kept. In Bloomsbury, Hunterdon County, the borough council passed an ordinance in March to legalize chicken keeping. Borough clerk Lisa Burd said people had been keeping chickens for years until a noise complaint arose, and the council took action to ensure people could continue to raise chickens.
Westendorf, of Rutgers, said most residents in New Jersey with a backyard and a good lawn can keep chickens without any environmental problems, and said he has worked with residents who are trying to convince their towns to let them have chickens.
"If you're going to have six chickens in the backyard, it's not going to be a problem," he said.
Once residents understand their local laws, set up a coop with food and water, and buy their birds, the rest is easy, Gallo said. "There's not much to learn," he said. "Just do it." For Ray, it's a long way from her life in the city, but leading a more sustainable life and being a better consumer are rewarding trade-offs.
"We have friends with kids who come over, and the kids chase the chickens around," Ray said. "And now, when we go to someone's house, instead of wine, we bring a dozen eggs."
But as Ray, 26, grew more interested in both food safety issues and her fiance, nursery owner Thomas Gallo, 26, she found herself moving to the farm-friendly suburbs of Harding Township, Morris County, and becoming the proud co-owner of six chickens and a few hundred fresh eggs.
"I grew up in Maine, with cats. We were afraid of chickens," said Ray, who now runs the blog EcoMoTown, about the environmental movement in and around Morristown. Ray doesn't eat industrially raised meat because of safety concerns, and grows her own vegetable garden near the chicken coop.
"She was all, "spiders and smells,' " Gallo said laughing, noting that he grew up with animals and thought it would be a good idea to have them at their shared home. "I convinced her."
Ray and Gallo are just two of many first-time chicken owners reviving backyard chicken keeping in New Jersey, a trend that has grown as people become aware of potential dangers in agribusiness, explained Rutgers professor Michael Westendorf.
"I think food security is a big issue," said Westendorf, a Rutgers Extension Specialist in animal sciences. "When you're reliant on trucks coming across the Delaware River to bring you eggs, I for one feel safer having some egg production be local."
Westendorf said his office has received an increase in calls in the past 10 years from residents looking for advice on starting their own backyard flocks.
"I think people want to produce their own food if they can, buy local food if they can, and get back to a simple way of life," Westendorf said.
For Middletown resident Mary Hussey, food safety issues were only the gateway to her chicken keeping. She now shows her flock in poultry competitions around the country.
"Initially, it's a food thing. When you don't have chickens, you don't know what you're getting into, but you know you're afraid of the food," Hussey said.
Chickens are now the fastest-growing segment of the pet population, said Kurry Walsh, manager of Rick's Saddle Shop, with locations throughout Monmouth County. The store recently started selling baby chicks each spring.
"If you'd have told me five years ago that people would want to buy chickens, I wouldn't have believed you," Walsh said. "The good thing about buying chickens is that you know there are no chemicals going into the egg. When you buy Perdue at the store, you don't know what's in those, and you probably don't want to, but with your own chickens, you control what goes in."
Hens generally lay one egg every day until they reach about two years old, when production decreases, Hussey said. They're also helpful for tilling gardens, producing compost, and controlling pests, and are often raised for meat, Walsh said.
Owning chickens isn't for everyone, warns Hussey, and the decision must come with a lot of planning.
"Do your research first, don't get an animal on a whim," Hussey said. "Take time to build or buy a coop or run first, and make sure it's secure, ventilated, and draft-free."
Gallo, who built his coop for about $300 out of wood and fencing, said he lost his first flock to raccoons because of gaps in the chicken wire.
"The second time, I made sure it was sealed up. I buried the fence six inches into the ground and zip tied the top together," he said. The biggest predators for chickens are hawks, foxes and raccoons, he said.
Gallo said he cleans his coop out completely four times a year, replacing the wood chips and hosing down the roosting boxes. When clean and well-ventilated, a chicken coop shouldn't have any odor, Hussey said. And when healthy and happy, chickens shouldn't make any discernible noise.
"I've had neighbors that didn't even know I kept chickens," Hussey said of her flock.
In return for the upkeep, a flock of six hens (no rooster is necessary for egg laying) will yield a dozen eggs every two days. Eggs can keep, unwashed, in the refrigerator for up to six months because of a special sealant on them, Hussey explained. Different breeds produce different eggs, including white, brown, and even green, but inside, she said, "an egg is an egg is an egg."
Walsh emphasized that a fresh farmed egg is a different thing altogether than a supermarket egg, noting the "orange color, and a real egg taste." Ray said a fresh egg "stands together" when cracked open, while supermarket eggs tend to run flat when cracked.
As chicken keeping grows in popularity, many towns are enacting ordinances regulating where and how they can be kept. In Bloomsbury, Hunterdon County, the borough council passed an ordinance in March to legalize chicken keeping. Borough clerk Lisa Burd said people had been keeping chickens for years until a noise complaint arose, and the council took action to ensure people could continue to raise chickens.
Westendorf, of Rutgers, said most residents in New Jersey with a backyard and a good lawn can keep chickens without any environmental problems, and said he has worked with residents who are trying to convince their towns to let them have chickens.
"If you're going to have six chickens in the backyard, it's not going to be a problem," he said.
Once residents understand their local laws, set up a coop with food and water, and buy their birds, the rest is easy, Gallo said. "There's not much to learn," he said. "Just do it." For Ray, it's a long way from her life in the city, but leading a more sustainable life and being a better consumer are rewarding trade-offs.
"We have friends with kids who come over, and the kids chase the chickens around," Ray said. "And now, when we go to someone's house, instead of wine, we bring a dozen eggs."
2011年4月18日星期一
P1M in corals found in Cebu
Two truckloads of rare shells and corals, worth about a million pesos, were found by police inside a chicken coop on the outskirts of Barangay Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City, Monday morning.
After receiving information from an anonymous source, a Mactan Police Station team led by Senior Inspector Junnel Caadlawon confiscated at 9 a.m. Monday the rare shells and corals kept in two areas in Sitio Malingin.
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When police arrived in the area, they saw some men working there who immediately ran away.
Punta Engaño barangay captain Lourdes Ibag identified the businessman who allegedly owned the chicken coop and exported rare shells abroad.
Police are now looking for him, after the man allegedly fled the area when police arrived.
Mayor Paz Radaza praised members of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO) and the Unified Task Force on Illegal Fishing for coordinating with each other on their latest catch.
Caadlawon said that when they arrived, different species of shells, including "takobo" or tridacna shells and clams, were found in piles near the shoreline of the sitio.
Aside from shells, different kinds of endangered corals such as acropora, barrel sponges and more than nine species of hard coral were also found packed in boxes inside the abandoned coop.
Members of the Lapu-Lapu City Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (CFARMC) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) witnessed the operation.
Caadlawon said the shells and corals, which amounted to almost two truckloads, have an estimated market value of P1 million.
Ibag, in a separate interview, said the chicken coop owner had been collecting rare shells and corals in previous years.
She said the businessman's older brother even reported him to the barangay for conducting illegal activities.
Ibag said that last week, the businessman asked her to issue a certificate to file action against his brother.
After receiving the information from Ibag, Caadlawon immediately ordered his men to look for the businessman.
Ibag revealed that in the previous weeks, she, along with the police, CFARMC and BFAR, met with residents in Punta Engaño and discussed about illegal fishing in the area.
She specifically invited some residents who were allegedly involved in illegal fishing.
Ibag said she told residents that the mayor has promised to provide alternative livelihoods for them as long as they quit illegal businesses.
Mayor Radaza, in a separate interview on Monday, said that City Hall has been providing alternative livelihood, through the Cooperative Livelihood Center.
But she said some illegal fishers would rather depend on other ventures that provide quick cash.
Radaza praised the police and the Unified Task Force for working together.
She said she has provided additional policemen in the Mactan Police Station to further strengthen their campaign against illegal fishing within Punta Engaño, Mactan and Maribago.
This was the second time that Lapu-Lapu City police confiscated rare corals and shells within Punta Engaño this month.
The last time the City operated in the barangay was in the beginning of the month, when the police confiscated more than P5 million worth of corals and shells in Sitio Sinalikway.
Last month, other law enforcement agencies such as the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the National Bureau of Investigation conducted operations against Ibag, who allegedly kept rare shells and corals inside her house in the same barangay.
After receiving information from an anonymous source, a Mactan Police Station team led by Senior Inspector Junnel Caadlawon confiscated at 9 a.m. Monday the rare shells and corals kept in two areas in Sitio Malingin.
Do you know where to buy the cheapest rice in Cebu City? Join our discussion on Facebook.
When police arrived in the area, they saw some men working there who immediately ran away.
Punta Engaño barangay captain Lourdes Ibag identified the businessman who allegedly owned the chicken coop and exported rare shells abroad.
Police are now looking for him, after the man allegedly fled the area when police arrived.
Mayor Paz Radaza praised members of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO) and the Unified Task Force on Illegal Fishing for coordinating with each other on their latest catch.
Caadlawon said that when they arrived, different species of shells, including "takobo" or tridacna shells and clams, were found in piles near the shoreline of the sitio.
Aside from shells, different kinds of endangered corals such as acropora, barrel sponges and more than nine species of hard coral were also found packed in boxes inside the abandoned coop.
Members of the Lapu-Lapu City Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (CFARMC) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) witnessed the operation.
Caadlawon said the shells and corals, which amounted to almost two truckloads, have an estimated market value of P1 million.
Ibag, in a separate interview, said the chicken coop owner had been collecting rare shells and corals in previous years.
She said the businessman's older brother even reported him to the barangay for conducting illegal activities.
Ibag said that last week, the businessman asked her to issue a certificate to file action against his brother.
After receiving the information from Ibag, Caadlawon immediately ordered his men to look for the businessman.
Ibag revealed that in the previous weeks, she, along with the police, CFARMC and BFAR, met with residents in Punta Engaño and discussed about illegal fishing in the area.
She specifically invited some residents who were allegedly involved in illegal fishing.
Ibag said she told residents that the mayor has promised to provide alternative livelihoods for them as long as they quit illegal businesses.
Mayor Radaza, in a separate interview on Monday, said that City Hall has been providing alternative livelihood, through the Cooperative Livelihood Center.
But she said some illegal fishers would rather depend on other ventures that provide quick cash.
Radaza praised the police and the Unified Task Force for working together.
She said she has provided additional policemen in the Mactan Police Station to further strengthen their campaign against illegal fishing within Punta Engaño, Mactan and Maribago.
This was the second time that Lapu-Lapu City police confiscated rare corals and shells within Punta Engaño this month.
The last time the City operated in the barangay was in the beginning of the month, when the police confiscated more than P5 million worth of corals and shells in Sitio Sinalikway.
Last month, other law enforcement agencies such as the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the National Bureau of Investigation conducted operations against Ibag, who allegedly kept rare shells and corals inside her house in the same barangay.
2011年4月17日星期日
Sun-Kissed Goodness
Picking strawberries was at the top of our “fun” list this weekend. Friday marked the season opening at Hall Family Farm in Ballantyne. My 5 and 6-year-olds couldn’t wait to get there and were “yahoo-ing” in the car when they saw signs that it was (finally!) open.
The fun doesn’t stop at picking your own delicious, ripe and ready sun-kissed strawberries. In fact, that’s just the beginning. We started out our little adventure by checking out the new colorful chicken coop that houses the birds that are pegged for farm-fresh egg production later this summer. Next, the kids ran over to the water pump duck-races. Yikes - watch those fingers! From there, they raced through the “maze” set up with posts and string. It was fun for them to run around for a few minutes, but they gave up pretty quickly and ducked between the ropes to get out.
I was eventually able to convince them that we should get going if we wanted to get our hands on some of those strawberries. The Hall Farm is luckier than some of the others to the south – their damage from the recent hail storms was relatively minor. We grabbed a cardboard basket and picked a row that looked good. We made it about halfway down the row before we had several pounds of juicy red strawberries.
We cooled off with a strawberry smoothie and waited for the “Sing-a-Long” hayride to start, a downright adorable addition to the farm’s fun activities. Farmer Kevin Hall put an ancient tractor to work, pulling kids around in a wagon while a recording (narrated by their daughter) gave a little tour in between classics like “Old MacDonald.”
If I have one regret, it was that I left my 16-month old behind. He would have loved the hay ride and I would have loved a picture of him on the farm. I can’t wait to go back to grab more strawberries and a great family photo!
The fun doesn’t stop at picking your own delicious, ripe and ready sun-kissed strawberries. In fact, that’s just the beginning. We started out our little adventure by checking out the new colorful chicken coop that houses the birds that are pegged for farm-fresh egg production later this summer. Next, the kids ran over to the water pump duck-races. Yikes - watch those fingers! From there, they raced through the “maze” set up with posts and string. It was fun for them to run around for a few minutes, but they gave up pretty quickly and ducked between the ropes to get out.
I was eventually able to convince them that we should get going if we wanted to get our hands on some of those strawberries. The Hall Farm is luckier than some of the others to the south – their damage from the recent hail storms was relatively minor. We grabbed a cardboard basket and picked a row that looked good. We made it about halfway down the row before we had several pounds of juicy red strawberries.
We cooled off with a strawberry smoothie and waited for the “Sing-a-Long” hayride to start, a downright adorable addition to the farm’s fun activities. Farmer Kevin Hall put an ancient tractor to work, pulling kids around in a wagon while a recording (narrated by their daughter) gave a little tour in between classics like “Old MacDonald.”
If I have one regret, it was that I left my 16-month old behind. He would have loved the hay ride and I would have loved a picture of him on the farm. I can’t wait to go back to grab more strawberries and a great family photo!
2011年4月14日星期四
Fire destroys barn in Four Lakes community near Issaquah
Flames destroyed a barn in the Four Lakes community south of Issaquah early Thursday morning, but a pair of chickens roosting inside at the time escaped unharmed.
Firefighters extinguished the flames, although the structure collapsed in the blaze. The incident occurred at about 5:30 a.m. in the 24000 block of Southeast 167th Street.
Neighbors called 911 after seeing flames leaping from the wooden structure just after 5 a.m.
Units from Eastside Fire & Rescue and Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety responded to the fire as news helicopters thudded overhead.
No injuries occurred as a result of the fire. The chickens — a hen and a rooster — escaped from a coop inside the burning structure.
“We opened the door, but they didn’t want to run out,” EFR Capt. Michael Geppert said. “We had to carry one out and shoo the other out while he was squawking at us.”
Investigators later determined a heat lamp in the chicken coop sparked the blaze.
The fire claimed a classic Chevrolet pickup parked inside the barn. The booming sounds neighbors reported hearing amid the blaze probably resulted from the truck’s tires exploding, Geppert said.
“That will make quite a boom when those explode,” he added.
Firefighters extinguished the flames, although the structure collapsed in the blaze. The incident occurred at about 5:30 a.m. in the 24000 block of Southeast 167th Street.
Neighbors called 911 after seeing flames leaping from the wooden structure just after 5 a.m.
Units from Eastside Fire & Rescue and Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety responded to the fire as news helicopters thudded overhead.
No injuries occurred as a result of the fire. The chickens — a hen and a rooster — escaped from a coop inside the burning structure.
“We opened the door, but they didn’t want to run out,” EFR Capt. Michael Geppert said. “We had to carry one out and shoo the other out while he was squawking at us.”
Investigators later determined a heat lamp in the chicken coop sparked the blaze.
The fire claimed a classic Chevrolet pickup parked inside the barn. The booming sounds neighbors reported hearing amid the blaze probably resulted from the truck’s tires exploding, Geppert said.
“That will make quite a boom when those explode,” he added.
2011年4月13日星期三
Halter Ranch: Ronald Reagan Hangout Becomes Sustainably-Certified Winery
Planted just ten miles from Paso Robles' famed Highway 46 wine route, Halter Ranch is a sustainable vineyard deeply rooted within California's history. The property made its Hollywood debut back in 1990 when its rumored-to-be-haunted Victorian farmhouse appeared in the creature-feature Arachnophobia. The house was built in 1885 by the property's first owner and has since been fully restored. That's not its only claim to fame, though -- Ronald Reagan announced his second-term run for governorship at the ranch in 1967 near the property's 3,400-foot airstrip. But of course, we visited Halter Ranch to check out the incredible wine it makes through sustainable practices.
The vineyard and winery is located on Paso Robles' somewhat-controversial Westside. In 2007, a proposal was made to split the Paso Robles AVA into east and west sub-appellations at the Salinas River and its parallel, Highway 101. An AVA is a wine grape-growing region in the U.S. distinguishable by geographic features and the Paso Roble's one, established in 1983, is California's largest. The proposal polarized Paso's wine community and with good reason. The Paso Robles Westside AVA would have become home to the area's more extreme weather conditions, making it neither homogeneous nor ideal. The proposal was withdrawn in 2009 for new proposal suggesting 11 separate and much smaller AVAs.
The original ranch that Halter Ranch now sits on was a 3,600-acre holding owned by San Francisco wholesale butcher, Edwin Smith. He moved to Paso Robles in 1874 (known then as Las Tablas). During the 1900s the property was broken up after the demise of Smith's business. In 1943, 1,200-acres were purchased by the MacGillivray family who introduced the property's first grapevines in 1996.
Just Say No to Certified-Organic
It was June of 2000 when Swiss-born Hansjörg Wyss (Hans for short) purchased 900 acres of what was to become Halter Ranch. The name Halter is Wyss's mother's maiden name. In 2008, Hans ranked number 164 on Forbes list of billionaires, and he is the second richest person in Switzerland. He established the Wyss Foundation back in 1989 which helps place large swathes of land under government protection. The foundation's efforts have led to over 4 million acres of land being declared as national parks!
So it comes as no surprise that Hans approached Mitch Wyss (no relation), a conventional kiwi farmer at the time, with one specific mission: "To see our vines stay in the ground for over 100 years."
Mitch confesses, "Farming conventionally, I knew this wasn't possible at all. If you give these vines water, fertilizer, water, fertilizer; its like giving your kids a coke and a candy bar everyday for lunch! You end up with sterilized vines that collapse in about 15 to 20 years."
Insectaries, owl boxes and raptor perches also pepper the landscape. If a block becomes plagued with pests, they call in the mobile chicken coop. Towed by a biodiesel-powered ATV, the coop is solar powered such that the doors opens automatically at sunrise. The 40-some chickens not only supply the land with much needed nitrogen but the employees also get a couple of dozen eggs every day.
The vineyard and winery is located on Paso Robles' somewhat-controversial Westside. In 2007, a proposal was made to split the Paso Robles AVA into east and west sub-appellations at the Salinas River and its parallel, Highway 101. An AVA is a wine grape-growing region in the U.S. distinguishable by geographic features and the Paso Roble's one, established in 1983, is California's largest. The proposal polarized Paso's wine community and with good reason. The Paso Robles Westside AVA would have become home to the area's more extreme weather conditions, making it neither homogeneous nor ideal. The proposal was withdrawn in 2009 for new proposal suggesting 11 separate and much smaller AVAs.
The original ranch that Halter Ranch now sits on was a 3,600-acre holding owned by San Francisco wholesale butcher, Edwin Smith. He moved to Paso Robles in 1874 (known then as Las Tablas). During the 1900s the property was broken up after the demise of Smith's business. In 1943, 1,200-acres were purchased by the MacGillivray family who introduced the property's first grapevines in 1996.
Just Say No to Certified-Organic
It was June of 2000 when Swiss-born Hansjörg Wyss (Hans for short) purchased 900 acres of what was to become Halter Ranch. The name Halter is Wyss's mother's maiden name. In 2008, Hans ranked number 164 on Forbes list of billionaires, and he is the second richest person in Switzerland. He established the Wyss Foundation back in 1989 which helps place large swathes of land under government protection. The foundation's efforts have led to over 4 million acres of land being declared as national parks!
So it comes as no surprise that Hans approached Mitch Wyss (no relation), a conventional kiwi farmer at the time, with one specific mission: "To see our vines stay in the ground for over 100 years."
Mitch confesses, "Farming conventionally, I knew this wasn't possible at all. If you give these vines water, fertilizer, water, fertilizer; its like giving your kids a coke and a candy bar everyday for lunch! You end up with sterilized vines that collapse in about 15 to 20 years."
Insectaries, owl boxes and raptor perches also pepper the landscape. If a block becomes plagued with pests, they call in the mobile chicken coop. Towed by a biodiesel-powered ATV, the coop is solar powered such that the doors opens automatically at sunrise. The 40-some chickens not only supply the land with much needed nitrogen but the employees also get a couple of dozen eggs every day.
2011年4月12日星期二
'Scream' queen Neve Campbell returns
Though she has worked steadily in smaller films and theater, Neve Campbell, 37, has largely been off the Hollywood radar for the past decade.
And it seems she wouldn't have it any other way, living single (she and actor John Light divorced recently after three years of marriage) in London's posh Holland Park.
Now she's back, co-starring with Courteney Cox in fan favorite, Scream 4, the latest installment of Wes Craven's horror parody franchise opening April 15. Once again, Campbell's Sidney Prescott finds herself the beleaguered prey of psychopathic killer Ghostface.
We recently caught up with Campbell.
Is it true you initially turned down Scream 4?
"Yeah. I thought we couldn't do it any better [than 2000's Scream 3]. I also didn't think audiences would still be interested! But after some coaxing and a great pitch that it might be something really fun not just for the cast but for audiences as well, [I changed my mind]."
What's the gist this time?
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you a whole lot because I'm sworn to secrecy. But Sidney has come to a point in her life when she's overcome her troubles and has written a self-help book to help people get through their own trauma. But the trouble starts all over again!"
How was it working with the new generation of kids like Emma Roberts and Rory Culkin?
"It was funny because Courteney and I realized at our age, we could be their mothers! I think they were all like 5 when we made the first film."
Is it true this was the first time you and Courteney Cox really bonded?
"Absolutely. We didn't have a lot of scenes together in the other films, and maybe the age gap seemed vaster then. [Cox is 46.] Now I'm more grown up and we have a lot to relate to each other. But I absolutely love that woman."
Did you do your own stunts?
'I had some action sequences where I'm wearing a harness. I actually injured my foot training for the film and did the whole film with a swollen metatarsal."
And it seems she wouldn't have it any other way, living single (she and actor John Light divorced recently after three years of marriage) in London's posh Holland Park.
Now she's back, co-starring with Courteney Cox in fan favorite, Scream 4, the latest installment of Wes Craven's horror parody franchise opening April 15. Once again, Campbell's Sidney Prescott finds herself the beleaguered prey of psychopathic killer Ghostface.
We recently caught up with Campbell.
Is it true you initially turned down Scream 4?
"Yeah. I thought we couldn't do it any better [than 2000's Scream 3]. I also didn't think audiences would still be interested! But after some coaxing and a great pitch that it might be something really fun not just for the cast but for audiences as well, [I changed my mind]."
What's the gist this time?
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you a whole lot because I'm sworn to secrecy. But Sidney has come to a point in her life when she's overcome her troubles and has written a self-help book to help people get through their own trauma. But the trouble starts all over again!"
How was it working with the new generation of kids like Emma Roberts and Rory Culkin?
"It was funny because Courteney and I realized at our age, we could be their mothers! I think they were all like 5 when we made the first film."
Is it true this was the first time you and Courteney Cox really bonded?
"Absolutely. We didn't have a lot of scenes together in the other films, and maybe the age gap seemed vaster then. [Cox is 46.] Now I'm more grown up and we have a lot to relate to each other. But I absolutely love that woman."
Did you do your own stunts?
'I had some action sequences where I'm wearing a harness. I actually injured my foot training for the film and did the whole film with a swollen metatarsal."
Plants Shy to Show Magnetism
Plants may produce tiny magnetic fields, especially when their flowers bloom, according to researchers from UC Berkeley who have been attempting to monitor “titan arum,” the largest flower in the world.
Using magnetometers — sensitive magnetic field detectors which can measure magnetic fields nearly a billion times lower than that of Earth’s surface — the Berkeley scientists hope to eventually record biomagnetism in plants.
While studies of animals have shown them to produce small magnetic fields due to heart and brain activity, plants have proven to be much more mysterious and uncooperative.
Interferences from external magnetic fields such as Berkeley’s BART trains or passing lab visitors have been proven problematic. The scientists cannot record subtle magnetic activity in plants while these other actors are present.
In order to capture any kind of magnetic field coming from plants, researchers hope to figure out how to completely segregate plants from outside producers of magnetic fields. They also intend to increase the sensitivity of their measuring instruments by 10 to 100 fold.
Using magnetometers — sensitive magnetic field detectors which can measure magnetic fields nearly a billion times lower than that of Earth’s surface — the Berkeley scientists hope to eventually record biomagnetism in plants.
While studies of animals have shown them to produce small magnetic fields due to heart and brain activity, plants have proven to be much more mysterious and uncooperative.
Interferences from external magnetic fields such as Berkeley’s BART trains or passing lab visitors have been proven problematic. The scientists cannot record subtle magnetic activity in plants while these other actors are present.
In order to capture any kind of magnetic field coming from plants, researchers hope to figure out how to completely segregate plants from outside producers of magnetic fields. They also intend to increase the sensitivity of their measuring instruments by 10 to 100 fold.
2011年4月10日星期日
Valley Coop Tour gives chicken farmers opportunity to share wisdom
Patrick Burns built a chicken coop in his backyard after watching instructional videos on YouTube, he said. It has wheels and was supposed to be mobile, but it’s too heavy to move.
Sharing that lesson and others with chicken farmers was the Burns family’s goal Sunday as they participated in the Pioneer Valley Backyard Chicken Association’s Valley Coop Tour. As the first of seven stops on the tour, the Burns family drew more than 20 people to their chickens’ humble abode.
Patrick Burns and his wife, Christine Burns, who began keeping chickens about a year ago, said they average four eggs almost every day.
“They taste like eggs, but better ... because they’re fresh,” said Christine Burns. “We love the eggs, but more than anything it’s the whole experience.”
The Burnses told tour-takers how they keep their chickens warm in the winter, cool in the summer and producing eggs regularly.
Patrick Burns said one of his favorite parts of raising chickens is caring for them when they’re young.
“They’re like babies in the womb,” he said. “I don’t think I could bring myself to eat them.”
So, just the eggs, then. But, unless it’s a special occasion like the Coop Tour, at which a dozen eggs from the Burns family cost $3.50, they aren’t for sale.
“It would be like work,” said Patrick Burns. “We still want it to be a hobby.”
Keeping chickens in residential areas is a point of contention in many cities, including Holyoke, which has been debating the issue since at least last year. The Burnses, however, live in a part of the city where it is allowed.
“I think that people should be allowed to do it,” said Christine Burns, who said she also sees how it can be a problem. “I think there should be strict guidelines” such as how many chickens can be kept in a certain amount of space.
John Perdrizet, a Holyoke veterinarian who came to see the Burns’ coop, agreed.
“I’m a big advocate of bringing back small farms in local communities,” said Perdrizet. “It’s needed not just for healthy living and fresh food, but for the humane treatment of animals.”
There were six other stops on the Coop Tour in Pelham, Northampton, Amherst, Florence, Haydenville and Williamsburg.
Sharing that lesson and others with chicken farmers was the Burns family’s goal Sunday as they participated in the Pioneer Valley Backyard Chicken Association’s Valley Coop Tour. As the first of seven stops on the tour, the Burns family drew more than 20 people to their chickens’ humble abode.
Patrick Burns and his wife, Christine Burns, who began keeping chickens about a year ago, said they average four eggs almost every day.
“They taste like eggs, but better ... because they’re fresh,” said Christine Burns. “We love the eggs, but more than anything it’s the whole experience.”
The Burnses told tour-takers how they keep their chickens warm in the winter, cool in the summer and producing eggs regularly.
Patrick Burns said one of his favorite parts of raising chickens is caring for them when they’re young.
“They’re like babies in the womb,” he said. “I don’t think I could bring myself to eat them.”
So, just the eggs, then. But, unless it’s a special occasion like the Coop Tour, at which a dozen eggs from the Burns family cost $3.50, they aren’t for sale.
“It would be like work,” said Patrick Burns. “We still want it to be a hobby.”
Keeping chickens in residential areas is a point of contention in many cities, including Holyoke, which has been debating the issue since at least last year. The Burnses, however, live in a part of the city where it is allowed.
“I think that people should be allowed to do it,” said Christine Burns, who said she also sees how it can be a problem. “I think there should be strict guidelines” such as how many chickens can be kept in a certain amount of space.
John Perdrizet, a Holyoke veterinarian who came to see the Burns’ coop, agreed.
“I’m a big advocate of bringing back small farms in local communities,” said Perdrizet. “It’s needed not just for healthy living and fresh food, but for the humane treatment of animals.”
There were six other stops on the Coop Tour in Pelham, Northampton, Amherst, Florence, Haydenville and Williamsburg.
2011年4月7日星期四
Amherst Town Meeting members invited to visit backyard chicken coop
With Town Meeting slated to consider amending the backyard chicken bylaw next month, members have the chance to visit a coop as part of a regional chicken coop tour this weekend.
The Planning Board last week voted to support the petition that is being brought to Town Meeting by University of Massachusetts professor John Gerber. The board will offer some modifications on Town Meeting floor.
The petition, which has to receive a two-third's vote to pass at Town Meeting, would allow up to 12 animals – hens or rabbits – throughout town. The proposal also eliminates the need for a special permit, which is required in some town zones now.
The idea is to make it easier and less costly for people to be able to have backyard hens. Gerber said it cost him $210 to go through the permitting process.
Under the proposal, those wanting hens or rabbits would have to register the coop or hutch with town Animal Welfare officer Carol A. Hepburn. Health Director Julie Federman has suggested a $10 fee. Hepburn would inspect the site when someone is registering the first time, Gerber said.
The Planning Board last week voted to support the petition that is being brought to Town Meeting by University of Massachusetts professor John Gerber. The board will offer some modifications on Town Meeting floor.
The petition, which has to receive a two-third's vote to pass at Town Meeting, would allow up to 12 animals – hens or rabbits – throughout town. The proposal also eliminates the need for a special permit, which is required in some town zones now.
The idea is to make it easier and less costly for people to be able to have backyard hens. Gerber said it cost him $210 to go through the permitting process.
Under the proposal, those wanting hens or rabbits would have to register the coop or hutch with town Animal Welfare officer Carol A. Hepburn. Health Director Julie Federman has suggested a $10 fee. Hepburn would inspect the site when someone is registering the first time, Gerber said.
2011年4月6日星期三
Damage in Md. chicken coop fire estimated at $7 million
A team of fire investigators from the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office is combing through the ashes of a Cecil County chicken coop, trying to determine what caused Monday night's multimillion-dollar blaze at the egg producing plant.
Deputy State Fire Marshal Bruce Bouch said the 3-alarm fire at the ISE America egg processing plant at 605 Sassafras Road in Warwick, about a mile and a half from the Delaware line, destroyed about 220,000 chickens, each valued at $3.
The fire began at 7:20 p.m. Monday in the #2 chicken coop and quickly spread to two other 50-foot-by-530-foot coops before being brought under control by firefighters battling the flames and high wind conditions.
Bouch said the fire destroyed three coops and damaged a fourth chicken coop, which sustained heat damage.
Each coop was valued at $2 million.
The farm manager was alerted to the fire by a working high heat alarm system and called 911 when fire was seen coming from the #2 coop.
More than 100 firefighters from Kent and Cecil counties in Maryland as well as Delaware firefighters battled more than five hours to control. One Odessa firefighter was treated at Union Hospital in Elkton for a wrist injury and released.
Damage was estimated at $7 million, Bouch said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Deputy State Fire Marshal Bruce Bouch said the 3-alarm fire at the ISE America egg processing plant at 605 Sassafras Road in Warwick, about a mile and a half from the Delaware line, destroyed about 220,000 chickens, each valued at $3.
The fire began at 7:20 p.m. Monday in the #2 chicken coop and quickly spread to two other 50-foot-by-530-foot coops before being brought under control by firefighters battling the flames and high wind conditions.
Bouch said the fire destroyed three coops and damaged a fourth chicken coop, which sustained heat damage.
Each coop was valued at $2 million.
The farm manager was alerted to the fire by a working high heat alarm system and called 911 when fire was seen coming from the #2 coop.
More than 100 firefighters from Kent and Cecil counties in Maryland as well as Delaware firefighters battled more than five hours to control. One Odessa firefighter was treated at Union Hospital in Elkton for a wrist injury and released.
Damage was estimated at $7 million, Bouch said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
2011年4月5日星期二
No Injuries From Wild Ride
A Mountain Ranch man was not injured when his truck hit a shed and chicken coop.
The CHP says 78-year-old John Horner was driving a 1982 Amgen truck and pulling trailer along Fricot City Road last night. The truck slipped into neutral while going down a hill near Sheep Ranch Road and Horner lost control of the vehicle.
The truck went across an open field and first struck a tree. Horner then re-entered Sheep Ranch Road, went off the road again, and traveled through a wire fence on private property. The truck slammed into a shed and then a chicken coop, causing the trailer to overturn. The shed started on fire, and many of the contents inside the building were damaged.
Horner reported no injuries. The accident occurred at 5:40pm on Monday.
The CHP says 78-year-old John Horner was driving a 1982 Amgen truck and pulling trailer along Fricot City Road last night. The truck slipped into neutral while going down a hill near Sheep Ranch Road and Horner lost control of the vehicle.
The truck went across an open field and first struck a tree. Horner then re-entered Sheep Ranch Road, went off the road again, and traveled through a wire fence on private property. The truck slammed into a shed and then a chicken coop, causing the trailer to overturn. The shed started on fire, and many of the contents inside the building were damaged.
Horner reported no injuries. The accident occurred at 5:40pm on Monday.
2011年4月1日星期五
Daley on cop sex assault allegations: Police misconduct 'unfortunately happens'
Police misconduct "unfortunately happens," and "there could be one next week or the following week," Mayor Daley said Friday in his first public comment on the explosive sexual assault allegations against two Chicago Police officers.
'There could be one next week or the following week. This unfortunately happens, misconduct. And I think Supt. Hillard responded very strongly," the mayor said, after returning from a 12-day trade mission to China.
Two Chicago Police officers have been stripped of their police powers while awaiting the outcome of a criminal investigation into allegations that they sexually assaulted a woman they had offered a late-night ride home — first in their marked police SUV and then at the woman's North Side apartment.
That was one of three crime stories that dominated the headlines while Daley was in China.
The other involved the death of 68-year-old Sally Katona-King. She died after being pushed down the stairs at the Fullerton Avenue L station by a man fleeing the station after stealing another passenger's iPhone.
Local aldermen have demanded to know why the Fullerton station still lacks surveillance cameras, despite Daley's promise to install them at all CTA stations.
"They are putting cameras in. Unfortunately, there was an incident. Someone tried to grab someone's [phone], and they were alerting people prior to that. The CTA did. They had a number of incidents where [thieves] were grabbing ... cell phones," Daley said.
"Unfortunately, this innocent woman was pushed down the stairs. ... We're putting cameras in as much as we can."
There was one more crime-induced headline while the mayor was gone.
It's the Sun-Times story that won't quit about the 2004 death of a 21-year-old man who got into a Division Street altercation with a group that included the mayor's nephew.
Inspector General Joe Ferguson has now launched an investigation into the Chicago Police Department's handling of David Koschman's death to determine whether the mayor's nephew R.J. Vanecko received favored treatment.
The Illinois State Police agreed to do the same in response to a request from Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez.
Asked to comment on the two new investigations that threaten to sully his final weeks in office, Daley, looking both exhausted and annoyed, said, "I have no comment on that."
Koschman was punched on Division Street in 2004 after leaving a bar with a group of friends. He fell, hit his head and died 11 days later.
The flurry of law enforcement attention follows a Sun-Times investigation that raised questions about the Chicago Police Department's handling of the case.
Koschman's friends — as well as a bystander — have disputed police reports from the original 2004 investigation in which detectives said they told them the 5-foot-5, 140-pound Koschman was being physically aggressive toward a group that included Vanecko when he was punched in the early-morning hours of April 25, 2004.
The police determined that the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Vanecko threw the punch and that he and one of his friends then ran away. But taking a new look at the case early this year, they decided Vanecko had acted in self-defense and formally closed their now-seven-year-old homicide investigation.
Vanecko has declined to talk to police, who say witnesses couldn't pick him out of a lineup held 25 days after Koschman was punched. In Sun-Times interviews, Koschman's friends denied they told the police Koschman was being physically aggressive. And all told detectives earlier this year they would take lie-detector tests if asked.
'There could be one next week or the following week. This unfortunately happens, misconduct. And I think Supt. Hillard responded very strongly," the mayor said, after returning from a 12-day trade mission to China.
Two Chicago Police officers have been stripped of their police powers while awaiting the outcome of a criminal investigation into allegations that they sexually assaulted a woman they had offered a late-night ride home — first in their marked police SUV and then at the woman's North Side apartment.
That was one of three crime stories that dominated the headlines while Daley was in China.
The other involved the death of 68-year-old Sally Katona-King. She died after being pushed down the stairs at the Fullerton Avenue L station by a man fleeing the station after stealing another passenger's iPhone.
Local aldermen have demanded to know why the Fullerton station still lacks surveillance cameras, despite Daley's promise to install them at all CTA stations.
"They are putting cameras in. Unfortunately, there was an incident. Someone tried to grab someone's [phone], and they were alerting people prior to that. The CTA did. They had a number of incidents where [thieves] were grabbing ... cell phones," Daley said.
"Unfortunately, this innocent woman was pushed down the stairs. ... We're putting cameras in as much as we can."
There was one more crime-induced headline while the mayor was gone.
It's the Sun-Times story that won't quit about the 2004 death of a 21-year-old man who got into a Division Street altercation with a group that included the mayor's nephew.
Inspector General Joe Ferguson has now launched an investigation into the Chicago Police Department's handling of David Koschman's death to determine whether the mayor's nephew R.J. Vanecko received favored treatment.
The Illinois State Police agreed to do the same in response to a request from Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez.
Asked to comment on the two new investigations that threaten to sully his final weeks in office, Daley, looking both exhausted and annoyed, said, "I have no comment on that."
Koschman was punched on Division Street in 2004 after leaving a bar with a group of friends. He fell, hit his head and died 11 days later.
The flurry of law enforcement attention follows a Sun-Times investigation that raised questions about the Chicago Police Department's handling of the case.
Koschman's friends — as well as a bystander — have disputed police reports from the original 2004 investigation in which detectives said they told them the 5-foot-5, 140-pound Koschman was being physically aggressive toward a group that included Vanecko when he was punched in the early-morning hours of April 25, 2004.
The police determined that the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Vanecko threw the punch and that he and one of his friends then ran away. But taking a new look at the case early this year, they decided Vanecko had acted in self-defense and formally closed their now-seven-year-old homicide investigation.
Vanecko has declined to talk to police, who say witnesses couldn't pick him out of a lineup held 25 days after Koschman was punched. In Sun-Times interviews, Koschman's friends denied they told the police Koschman was being physically aggressive. And all told detectives earlier this year they would take lie-detector tests if asked.
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