- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Across the nation, 4-H programs are threatened by cuts in state and county spending, according to an Associated Press story by John Seewer distributed widely last week. The article recounted the dire situation in Ohio, Tennessee, Louisiana and Minnesota. Today, the Fresno Bee localized the article for California by adding comments from the assistant director of News and Information Outreach for ANR, Pam Kan-Rice. (The story does not yet appear on the Bee's Web site. If it is posted later today, I'll add a link here.)
According the print version, Kan-Rice told the newspaper that...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The farm animals taking part in the Yolo County 4-H Spring Fair this weekend will be monitored for symptoms of flu and other diseases, according to UC Cooperative Exension director Kent Brittan. Brittan's comments were in an unbylined article in yesterday's Woodland Daily Democrat..
"All animals will be checked by a veterinarian upon arrival at the fairgrounds. Only animals that pass these health checks are allowed to be shown at the fair," Brittan was quoted. Brittan also said in the article that animals will be kept at a safe distance and will have no direct contact with visitors.
Health monitoring is of particular importance this spring...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Santa Rosa Press Democrat writer Meg McConahy opened a a story about varmint infestations with a cute, if maybe exaggerated, lead. "If you thought flood, fire and mold were the largest threats to your house," she wrote, "you probably have yet to face the menace of a pregnant raccoon."
The lead foreshadowed an anecdote in the story in which a raccoon ultimately led homeowners to hire a crane lift and punch a hole in their roof to get rid of an unwelcome guest. Fortunately, most critter infestations are more easily remedied. On way to face the problem is by downloading information from the UC ANR...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Modesto Bee ran a story over the weekend with a headline that proclaims, "Experts positive about effect of grazing on land." It is remarkable, in my opinion, because scientists are so rarely "positive" about anything and are very adept at using conditional wording, such as seemingly, may be, could be, almost, nearly, etc.
On the other hand, the headline writer may have been using the meaning of "positive" as merely the opposite of "negative."
The story was based on reporter John Holland's take on a recent Tuolumne County Resource Conservation District seminar, in which participants learned that grazing...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A news release about UC Cooperative Extension's involvement this year in "Operation: Military Kids" was picked up by the News Blaze, a northern California community newspaper. The story said UCCE's 4-H Youth Development program has teamed up with the Operation: Military Kids once again this summer to host camps throughout California for the children of military men and women deployed all over the world.
Operation: Military Kids was launched in April 2005. Since its inception, OMK has touched 88,000 military children. The summer camp is just one part of a support system for military youth. Camp participants are enrolled in 4-H and local 4-H...
