Have you ever wanted to tell a politician or police chief to go jump in the river?
Tri-Citians won't have to do that this year, but they will get to a chance to watch some top law enforcers from the Tri-Cities -- and the state's top attorney -- take a plunge into the icy Columbia River.
Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg will be in good company this year as he jumps in the river for the sixth year in a row as part of Kennewick's annual Polar Plunge fundraiser.
State Attorney General Rob McKenna has agreed to take part in Kennewick's Polar Plunge this year, Hohenberg said.
"He has a real passion for helping children," Hohenberg told the Herald. "But secondly, he really supports the Tri-Cities."
The Polar Plunge is the police department's biggest fundraiser for Special Olympics Washington. And, the Kennewick Police Department has been the top fundraising law enforcement agency in the state for three years in a row.
Last year, the Kennewick Police Department raised $51,000. This year, they almost doubled that.
The 2012 event is set for noon Jan. 21 at the blue bridge boat launch at the east end of Columbia Park.
Hohenberg said McKenna felt so strongly about participating in Kennewick's event that he re-arranged his schedule so he could make it.
McKenna will get a chance to meet some Mid-Columbia Special Olympics athletes before he jumps into the Columbia River. If the winter conditions are normal, the water temperature should be 33 to 36 degrees.
"I don't believe he's ever taken the plunge before," Hohenberg said.
Last week, McKenna made a stop at the weekly meeting of Tri-City police chiefs and sheriffs, and Hohenberg took advantage of the visit to challenge other top cops in the area to join them.
Each year, Hohenberg has asked his fellow law enforcement leaders to jump into the river with him. He hasn't been successful at recruiting them until this time.
He already has commitments from several police chiefs, a sheriff and a prosecutor: Richland Police Chief Chris Skinner, West Richland Police Chief Brian McElroy, Pasco Police Chief Bob Metzger, Connell Police Chief Mike Kessler, Benton County Sheriff Steve Keane and Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant.
"There was a little bit of arm twisting," McElroy said, "but once he made the challenge, of course we had to step up to the plate."
McElroy said he hasn't taken a plunge in an icy river since he left the military, but he was told the water temperature "will be survivable."
Franklin County Sheriff Richard Lathim said he is "going to support us in spirit," Hohenberg said.
Hanford Patrol always has supported Polar Plunge with a team of officers jumping, and this year Hanford Patrol Chief Monty Giulio also will take the plunge with Hohenberg's leadership team.
Rudy Almeida, who serves as a liaison when McKenna is in town, also will see how the icy water feels, the chief said.
Hohenberg said Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller supports the effort but has a scheduling conflict and won't be able to jump with them. Miller recently completed a swim in the Columbia River without a wetsuit to raise money for a teen homeless shelter.
In 2007, the first year of the event, Hohenberg said Columbia Basin Dive Rescue team members gave him a dive suit to help him stay warm, but it didn't fit properly.
Icy water pooled up at his hands and feet and he had a hard time getting out of the water.
"It floated me down river like a turtle," he said.
Hohenberg said he told McKenna and his fellow chiefs and sheriffs that he now wears old shoes, tactical pants and a shirt that he can quickly take off once he gets out of the water.
A jump in the hot tub afterward to warm up really helps, he said, along with changing into dry clothes.
"So far I've never caught a cold or gotten sick," he said, but he admits "it takes your breath away. Once you get it, you definitely want out."
Hohenberg said people tell him he is crazy or stupid for going in the icy water every year. Then he pulls out a laminated photo from the Tri-City Herald that he keeps in the visor in his car.
"All you've got to do is point to the smile," Hohenberg said as he shows the picture of Chief Joseph Middle School student Matthew Bumgarner with a huge smile on his face as he crosses the finish line at a Special Olympics race in May.
All the money raised by the Polar Plunge goes to help local Special Olympic athletes compete at events around the state. It costs about $650 to support each athlete.
"I tell people it's not only a great cause, but a noble cause," Hohenberg said.
Anyone can take the plunge as long as they raise a minimum of $50. Those who want to support Special Olympics but don't want to jump in the water can donate to someone who has signed up, or they can register with $50 in donations to stand in the Chicken Coop -- a joking reference of those "too chicken" to brave the frigid water.
2011年12月12日星期一
2011年12月8日星期四
Chatfield couple buys Old Vasa Children's Home
The Old Vasa Children's Home, a historic property built in 1899, was recently sold to Scott Hanson and Denise Conway, a Chatfield couple. Reported price of the sale was $925,000.
Hanson says they have always liked the area and that the property is a nice place for Conway and him to host their kids and grandkids.
The couple was honored by the city council in Chatfield for the work they have done in restoring and preserving a number of old homes in that city.
Hanson says they have bought, fixed up and sold about nine old homes, mainly Victorians. He calls the work a hobby, but adds that they have done all right with some of the sales.
The Old Children's Home is in good shape and will need very little work, said Hanson.
Dedicated in December of 1899, the Children's Home was originally an orphanage built and run by the Swedish Lutheran Church. Pioneer Pastor Eric Norelius and his wife, who came to the area in 1855, took care of children out of the basement of the Vasa Lutheran Church and a few other structures before eventually building in 1899 on a property just a little bit west and north of the church, beyond the cemetery. The property is quiet and secluded; located on a dead-end gravel road, and not visible from Hwys. 19 or 7.
The Children's Home housed up to 80 residents before it was closed in 1926 and relocated to Red Wing near the intersection of Hwys. 61 and 19. Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota operates it today as a 24-bed facility that supports children and young adults, 7-22 years of age, with a wide range of developmental, physical, psychological, social or behavioral delays.
According to histories compiled by real estate agents, the Old Children's Home in Vasa sat empty from 1926 until 1968, reportedly even used for grain storage at some point in that period. Richard and Marianne Bushbaum acquired the property (294 acres at that point) and began an extensive remodel and renovation.
One of the Bushbaum daughters, now a minister in the Twin Cities, had tried to raise money to purchase the property in recent years with hopes to have it run as a retreat center.
In 1974, the renovated home and buildings and the remaining 34 acres of land were sold to George and Rita Richcreek. The Richcreeks continued with improvements, including extensive gardens, orchard work and other landscaping. A chicken coop became a guest cottage. A heated garage was built. A bunk house became an artist's studio. Another garage and guest apartment were added.
Rita Richcreek passed away in 2007. Her husband preceded her in death in 2004. The property was passed on to her daughters, Twin Cities residents, who were the recent sellers.
The main home is now a three level, with the finished attic a very nice space that the grandkids really enjoy, said Hanson. The house features plenty of woodwork, a multi-windowed garden room and a neat mix of old features and modern amenities. Finished square footage is about 5,150.
The house and property had been listed at $1.2 million.
Hanson says they have always liked the area and that the property is a nice place for Conway and him to host their kids and grandkids.
The couple was honored by the city council in Chatfield for the work they have done in restoring and preserving a number of old homes in that city.
Hanson says they have bought, fixed up and sold about nine old homes, mainly Victorians. He calls the work a hobby, but adds that they have done all right with some of the sales.
The Old Children's Home is in good shape and will need very little work, said Hanson.
Dedicated in December of 1899, the Children's Home was originally an orphanage built and run by the Swedish Lutheran Church. Pioneer Pastor Eric Norelius and his wife, who came to the area in 1855, took care of children out of the basement of the Vasa Lutheran Church and a few other structures before eventually building in 1899 on a property just a little bit west and north of the church, beyond the cemetery. The property is quiet and secluded; located on a dead-end gravel road, and not visible from Hwys. 19 or 7.
The Children's Home housed up to 80 residents before it was closed in 1926 and relocated to Red Wing near the intersection of Hwys. 61 and 19. Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota operates it today as a 24-bed facility that supports children and young adults, 7-22 years of age, with a wide range of developmental, physical, psychological, social or behavioral delays.
According to histories compiled by real estate agents, the Old Children's Home in Vasa sat empty from 1926 until 1968, reportedly even used for grain storage at some point in that period. Richard and Marianne Bushbaum acquired the property (294 acres at that point) and began an extensive remodel and renovation.
One of the Bushbaum daughters, now a minister in the Twin Cities, had tried to raise money to purchase the property in recent years with hopes to have it run as a retreat center.
In 1974, the renovated home and buildings and the remaining 34 acres of land were sold to George and Rita Richcreek. The Richcreeks continued with improvements, including extensive gardens, orchard work and other landscaping. A chicken coop became a guest cottage. A heated garage was built. A bunk house became an artist's studio. Another garage and guest apartment were added.
Rita Richcreek passed away in 2007. Her husband preceded her in death in 2004. The property was passed on to her daughters, Twin Cities residents, who were the recent sellers.
The main home is now a three level, with the finished attic a very nice space that the grandkids really enjoy, said Hanson. The house features plenty of woodwork, a multi-windowed garden room and a neat mix of old features and modern amenities. Finished square footage is about 5,150.
The house and property had been listed at $1.2 million.
2011年9月29日星期四
Bronx neighbors are staging a coop at urban chicken farms
"Today is my first day as a chicken farmer!" crows Lily Kesselman, who is cradling a speckled hen in a lush garden where rows of bell peppers, collard greens and string beans are flourishing on a late Indian summer afternoon.
Behind her, 14 more biddies scratch the dirt in their freshly dug run and explore their coop built by Kesselman and her peeps just the week before.
Neighbors rotate through the hen house to coo over their new feathered friends before signing up for shifts to feed the birds and clean the coop.
Pretty bucolic for the South Bronx, no?
It gets better:
The 4½-month-old hens, a crossbreed of Rhode Island Red and White Leghorn, were hatched from eggs tended by public school students as part of the Queens County Farm Museum's 21-Day Eggs-periment program.
The farm then reared the chicks before donating them to the Friends of Brook Park in Mott Haven, where community members and "chicken deputies" from local schools will now take over caring for the flock.
"These are New York birds, through and through," says Owen Taylor from the Just Food organization's City Chickens Project.
Taylor launched the City Chickens Project in 2005. It provides training, materials and chickens to help make fresh, locally grown food accessible to New Yorkers.
They've set up 14 chicken coops from Bedford Stuyvesant to East Harlem over the past six years as chicken-rearing has become an increasingly popular part of the urban farm movement. More than 530 members have also joined the New York City Chicken Keepers Meet-up group online.
"Raising chickens in New York City is not unusual," says Taylor. "It's legal, it's sanitary, and if anything, we're going back to normal, to the city's agricultural roots, when everyone used to own their own chickens."
Kesselman first hatched the idea for a backyard chicken run more than a year ago as she became more involved in the Brook Park community garden.
"I am very dedicated to my neighborhood," she says, "and I started thinking that this could be a fun project for the garden."
As she read up on the benefits of owning chickens - the birds aerate and fertilize garden soil, compost kitchen scraps and control the bug population - she realized they could be a great educational tool for kids hooked on sugary drinks and processed foods.
"It's a great way to get neighborhood kids into healthier food by getting them to meet the chickens, interact with them and understand where [our] food comes from," she says.
Together, Taylor and Kesselman scored a $700 grant from the Citizens Committee for New York City to pay for their coop. Kesselman raised another $750 by launching a sponsorship program online, where neighbors and classrooms paid $50 to name a chicken. The money goes toward feed, the project's biggest expense. The 15 birds will run through a 50-pound bag of feed (about $20 apiece) every month.
The sponsors also get a glossy 4-by-6 photo of their hen provided by Kesselman, a professional photographer.
The community is already fussing over the new chicks on the block, which they hope will provide up to 4,300 eggs per year (to be doled out on the honor system) once the hens begin laying in the next month or so.
"Oh my goodness, I'm holding a chicken!" laughs high school sophomore Amanda Johnson, 15, who is using her service hours in the park for a class volunteer project. "It's just so funny. The only time you ever see chickens in the Bronx is on a menu."
Behind her, 14 more biddies scratch the dirt in their freshly dug run and explore their coop built by Kesselman and her peeps just the week before.
Neighbors rotate through the hen house to coo over their new feathered friends before signing up for shifts to feed the birds and clean the coop.
Pretty bucolic for the South Bronx, no?
It gets better:
The 4½-month-old hens, a crossbreed of Rhode Island Red and White Leghorn, were hatched from eggs tended by public school students as part of the Queens County Farm Museum's 21-Day Eggs-periment program.
The farm then reared the chicks before donating them to the Friends of Brook Park in Mott Haven, where community members and "chicken deputies" from local schools will now take over caring for the flock.
"These are New York birds, through and through," says Owen Taylor from the Just Food organization's City Chickens Project.
Taylor launched the City Chickens Project in 2005. It provides training, materials and chickens to help make fresh, locally grown food accessible to New Yorkers.
They've set up 14 chicken coops from Bedford Stuyvesant to East Harlem over the past six years as chicken-rearing has become an increasingly popular part of the urban farm movement. More than 530 members have also joined the New York City Chicken Keepers Meet-up group online.
"Raising chickens in New York City is not unusual," says Taylor. "It's legal, it's sanitary, and if anything, we're going back to normal, to the city's agricultural roots, when everyone used to own their own chickens."
Kesselman first hatched the idea for a backyard chicken run more than a year ago as she became more involved in the Brook Park community garden.
"I am very dedicated to my neighborhood," she says, "and I started thinking that this could be a fun project for the garden."
As she read up on the benefits of owning chickens - the birds aerate and fertilize garden soil, compost kitchen scraps and control the bug population - she realized they could be a great educational tool for kids hooked on sugary drinks and processed foods.
"It's a great way to get neighborhood kids into healthier food by getting them to meet the chickens, interact with them and understand where [our] food comes from," she says.
Together, Taylor and Kesselman scored a $700 grant from the Citizens Committee for New York City to pay for their coop. Kesselman raised another $750 by launching a sponsorship program online, where neighbors and classrooms paid $50 to name a chicken. The money goes toward feed, the project's biggest expense. The 15 birds will run through a 50-pound bag of feed (about $20 apiece) every month.
The sponsors also get a glossy 4-by-6 photo of their hen provided by Kesselman, a professional photographer.
The community is already fussing over the new chicks on the block, which they hope will provide up to 4,300 eggs per year (to be doled out on the honor system) once the hens begin laying in the next month or so.
"Oh my goodness, I'm holding a chicken!" laughs high school sophomore Amanda Johnson, 15, who is using her service hours in the park for a class volunteer project. "It's just so funny. The only time you ever see chickens in the Bronx is on a menu."
2011年7月25日星期一
Chicken owner petitions city to amend ordinance
In the middle of historic homes in one of Spartanburg's most prized neighborhoods, stands a chicken coop.
Dr. Brian Rothemich's Coop D'ville is empty with a sign that reads, “Gone for the summer. See you in September.” It's the retired doctor's hope that when he and his wife return to Spartanburg from their North Carolina lake house that his five hens will accompany them.
At Rothemich's request, Spartanburg City Council will consider amending its animal ordinance to allow hens. Council passed an ordinance in 2009 prohibiting chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pheasants and other domesticated fowl.
Rothemich's son gave his father five chickens, which he and his wife refer to as “the girls,” last year for Father's Day. Rothemich said he was aware then that the city prohibited the chickens, but he tried to sneak them in any way for the fresh eggs they produce.
He didn't try to hide the hens and gave away most of the eggs to neighbors in Converse Heights that he said were supportive.
One of those neighbors, Mayor Junie White, said he supports Rothemich's request as long as the city regulates the number of chickens and prohibits bringing roosters into the city limits.
“I've done the research, and most cities allow chickens,” White said. “Brian takes care of his and has done a good job keeping them. I agree that we need restrictions, but allowing them is worth a shot.”
Animal control officers ticketed Rothemich last winter after an anonymous caller tipped them off. His trial date is set for Sept. 14, and he says he will protest the $234 fine.
Dr. Brian Rothemich's Coop D'ville is empty with a sign that reads, “Gone for the summer. See you in September.” It's the retired doctor's hope that when he and his wife return to Spartanburg from their North Carolina lake house that his five hens will accompany them.
At Rothemich's request, Spartanburg City Council will consider amending its animal ordinance to allow hens. Council passed an ordinance in 2009 prohibiting chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pheasants and other domesticated fowl.
Rothemich's son gave his father five chickens, which he and his wife refer to as “the girls,” last year for Father's Day. Rothemich said he was aware then that the city prohibited the chickens, but he tried to sneak them in any way for the fresh eggs they produce.
He didn't try to hide the hens and gave away most of the eggs to neighbors in Converse Heights that he said were supportive.
One of those neighbors, Mayor Junie White, said he supports Rothemich's request as long as the city regulates the number of chickens and prohibits bringing roosters into the city limits.
“I've done the research, and most cities allow chickens,” White said. “Brian takes care of his and has done a good job keeping them. I agree that we need restrictions, but allowing them is worth a shot.”
Animal control officers ticketed Rothemich last winter after an anonymous caller tipped them off. His trial date is set for Sept. 14, and he says he will protest the $234 fine.
2011年5月15日星期日
Normal council to vote on chicken coop ordinance
The Normal City Council will consider whether to send a proposed ordinance allowing urban chicken coops through the public hearing process at its meeting Monday night.
Normal resident Mike Sebald asked the council to consider such an ordinance at the May 2 meeting. Council members asked town staff to create an ordinance for consideration.
The proposal would allow up to four hens of certain breeds and require a $5 permit, an enclosure and at least 25 feet distance between the chickens and adjacent lots.
Residents could not have roosters and could not slaughter chickens.
The council, which meets at 7 p.m. Monday night at Normal City Hall, 100 E. Phoenix Ave., will decide if the proposed ordinance takes the next step -- going to the June planning commission for a public hearing.
If that occurs, the commission would make a recommendation to the council and the council would make the final decision.
In a report to the City Council, Town Planner Mercy Davison said staff contacted several communities with urban chicken ordinances, including Naperville and Urbana, and learned there are very few complaints.
Sebald previously told the council four hens would provide about 12 to 18 eggs a week. He also maintains that because of the expense and time involved, it likely only would interest a small group of residents so it wouldn't change the community.
Some council members expressed concern about residents who might not be responsible chicken owners.
Besides addressing urban chicken coops, Davison said the proposed ordinance clarifies the town's rules about riding horses and homing pigeons.
Currently riding horses are allowed but the ordinance does not include regulations. The proposal would require at least 10,000 square feet of open space per horse and at least 25 feet between a barn, shed, stable or other enclosure for horses and any residence.
The proposal also adds homing pigeons to allowed animals. Homing pigeons are allowed by state law.
Normal resident Mike Sebald asked the council to consider such an ordinance at the May 2 meeting. Council members asked town staff to create an ordinance for consideration.
The proposal would allow up to four hens of certain breeds and require a $5 permit, an enclosure and at least 25 feet distance between the chickens and adjacent lots.
Residents could not have roosters and could not slaughter chickens.
The council, which meets at 7 p.m. Monday night at Normal City Hall, 100 E. Phoenix Ave., will decide if the proposed ordinance takes the next step -- going to the June planning commission for a public hearing.
If that occurs, the commission would make a recommendation to the council and the council would make the final decision.
In a report to the City Council, Town Planner Mercy Davison said staff contacted several communities with urban chicken ordinances, including Naperville and Urbana, and learned there are very few complaints.
Sebald previously told the council four hens would provide about 12 to 18 eggs a week. He also maintains that because of the expense and time involved, it likely only would interest a small group of residents so it wouldn't change the community.
Some council members expressed concern about residents who might not be responsible chicken owners.
Besides addressing urban chicken coops, Davison said the proposed ordinance clarifies the town's rules about riding horses and homing pigeons.
Currently riding horses are allowed but the ordinance does not include regulations. The proposal would require at least 10,000 square feet of open space per horse and at least 25 feet between a barn, shed, stable or other enclosure for horses and any residence.
The proposal also adds homing pigeons to allowed animals. Homing pigeons are allowed by state law.
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