by MARIE SAAVEDRA

WFAA

Posted on January 13, 2014 at 10:58 PM

Updated yesterday at 11:00 PM

ARLINGTON Imagine pouring yourself a cool glass of gritty grass clippings. Not appetizing, right?

Unfortunately, thousands of North Texans are now getting water out of the tap with a similar smell and taste.

"Like, if somebody was to mow their lawn and get part of the dirt area you know how it flies up and theres that smell? thats exactly what it tastes like and it smells like," said Rachel Pann of Arlington.

H20 with an earthy odor is now pouring out of her faucet. She noticed it Sunday night after making iced tea with her husband.

"He took the first taste and he said, 'Wow, this tastes like dirt... this tastes off,'" she recalled. "He dumped it out, made another one... same outcome."

Now that soil-scented water is everywhere in her dishwasher, shower, and in thousands of other homes.

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Tap water takes on unsavory flavor in Tarrant County

Lawn Care tips Kansas City - Topeka/ Proper watering
Jeremy of TooGreen Lawn Care LLC goes over Lawn Care tips / Topeka - Kansas City, proper wateirng for Kansas lawns. We offer $20 off you first lawn treatment...

By: TooGreen Lawn Care

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Lawn Care tips Kansas City - Topeka/ Proper watering - Video

What is an audiologist?

Audiologists, who have earned undergraduate and doctorate degrees in the field of audiology, evaluate and treat patients with hearing and balance disorders. Audiologists determine the type and severity of hearing loss and develop a treatment plan, which may include fitting for hearing aids and assistive listening devices.

Who is likely to need an audiologist?

Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the United States, and contrary to common belief, it does not occur only in elderly people. More than one-half of the 36 million Americans with hearing loss are younger than age 65. Anyone with any degree of hearing loss can benefit from an audiologist's expertise.

What causes hearing loss?

One of the most common preventable reasons for hearing loss is exposure to excessive or consistent loud noise. Other reasons for hearing loss include ear disease or trauma, family history and genetics, certain illnesses and medications, and deterioration of hearing due to the aging process.

Who is most likely to have hearing loss related to noise?

Occupations and pastimes commonly associated with hearing loss include musicians and people working in the music industry, farmers, military members, pilots, certain dental/medical occupations, motorcyclists, hunters and target shooters and racers. Also, hearing loss can be related to home or every day activities such as lawn mowers, vacuums, drills and saws.

What are the symptoms of hearing loss?

Common symptoms include tinnitus (ringing of the ears); difficulty communicating, particularly in crowds or where there is background noise; frequently asking others to clarify conversations; muffled speech; and avoiding or withdrawing from social situations.

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What you need to know about an audiologist

It's time to start working on your yard. I know. It's cold out there and there are playoffs going on. Nevertheless, it's still time for you to get started on your lawn. To help you in this endeavor, below is a month-by-month calendar for you to use as a template.

January: If necessary, water your lawn. You can apply herbicides to kill any winter weeds but I don't recommend it. Winter weeds are going to be gone by late spring. But, if you want to go that route, you can use post-emergent herbicides for broadleaved weeds such as 2-4, D, dicamba and mecoprop.

February: Water as needed. In the later part of the month, apply a pre-emergent herbicide to stop spring and summer weeds from getting started. Pre-emergent herbicides include Amaze, Betasan, Haltz, Penulum, Preen and Surflan.

March: If you haven't already, apply pre-emergent herbicides early in the month. Rake up dead leaves. If your grass has already begun to grow, apply a balanced fertilizer.

April: Repair dead or damaged areas in your lawn. Once a fungal disease is in your lawn, you can't cure it. You should apply a fungicide as a prophylactic treatment. Put out an insecticide. Synthetic pyrethroids such as bifinthrin, cyfluthrin and lambda cyhalothrin will last two to three months and will have to be reapplied at least once during the growing season. Products containing imidicloprid, a systemic, will last all year with only one application. But systemics have to be applied when your lawn is actively growing and not before.

May: Apply a second dose of pre-emergent herbicide. Spot treat weeds with one of the mixtures containing 2-4D, dicamba and mecoprop.

June: If you didn't apply an insecticide, start looking for chinch bugs. They start to show up in hot weather.

July: If you have any weeds, use Image (for nutsedge). Any other herbicides have temperature restrictions.

August: Too hot to do anything. Stay inside, consume adult liquid refreshments and keep cool.

September: Apply a balanced fertilizer and pre-emergent herbicide in the later part of the month.

Originally posted here:
Get to work in that yard

SALISBURY TWP., Pa. -

State police have identified the truckers involved in Wednesday's fiery crash involving two 18-wheelers.

The accident happened around 11 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 78 in Salisbury Township, just west of the Summit Lawn interchange.

A tractor trailer driven by Luis Nunez, 42, of Union City, N.J., was slowly climbing the hill on I-78 at around 10 mph when it was rear-ended by a second tractor trailer, driven by Albert W. Couch, 45, of Antioch, Tenn., police said.

A third truck was traveling behind the other two trucks, and the driver saw the collision. Troy Richards stopped to help pull Couch out of his cab, which caught fire a short time later.

Couch's cab also helped catch the rear trailer of Nunez's truck on fire.

Couch's passenger, Brandon Daniels, 27, of Hermitage, Tenn., and Nunez's passenger, Diogenes Valedez, 54, of Englewood, N.J., along with Couch and Nunez, were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The highway was closed for more than two hours.

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State police release names of truckers in I-78 crash on Wednesday

Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter Posted: Wednesday, January 8, 2014, 5:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new kind of implant may offer people suffering from sleep apnea an alternative to wearing an air mask while they snooze, researchers report.

With the implant, a pacemaker delivers electrical impulses to a nerve that controls the tongue and maintains the muscle tone of a sleeping person's upper airway, according to a study published in the Jan. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

These impulses reduced nightly sleep apnea events by about 68 percent, according to the results of the one-year clinical trial. The technology also decreased by 70 percent the number of times that a person's blood oxygen level dropped due to sleep apnea.

Not surprisingly, patients reported a 40 percent improvement in their ability to stay awake during the day, the researchers added.

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which a person's breathing pauses or grows shallow while they are asleep. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea, in which the person's airway collapses or becomes blocked during sleep, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Left untreated, the condition disrupts sleep and causes a person to feel drowsy during the day. Long-term health consequences can include heart disease, insulin resistance and high cholesterol, said study author Dr. Patrick Strollo.

Doctors most often treat obstructive sleep apnea by asking patients to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine while they sleep, said Strollo, co-director of the Sleep Medicine Institute at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the university's Sleep Medicine Center.

With CPAP, patients wear a nose and mouth mask attached to an motor, and the mild air pressure maintained by the pump keeps their airway from collapsing -- much in the way that an air pump keeps an inflatable holiday lawn decoration from flopping over.

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Chest Implant Might Help With Hard-to-Treat Sleep Apnea

Gisborne has only three days water supply left if residents dont reduce their use of water. Gisborne District Council needs every business, every organisation and every resident to reduce their use of water by at least a third, says deputy Chief Executive Peter Higgs.

"Water consumption reduced marginally yesterday but nowhere near enough. Gisborne does not have enough water to meet the current demand. On Sunday and Monday we used 23,000 m3/day. This must reduce to 14,000 m3/day to avoid turning the taps off."

"Luckily Gisborne has a standby treatment plant at Waipaoa that is supplying water to the city. This is being topped up by water from the Te Arai stream that is feeding through the Waingake Treatment plant. Together they are providing a small supply of water. With careful use this should ensure the city has enough water for essential use only."

"If demand for water is not drastically reduced we will have to have periods of time where we have rolling water stoppages - times when you will turn on the tap and there will be no water. Council will not allow the city to completely run dry."

Council has put a number of things in place to reduce water consumption.

There is a complete ban on the use of hoses - no washing your car, watering your lawn and garden or filling swimming pools etc. People really should just be using water to drink and for hygiene reasons. If you see your neighbours or anyone else wasting water please let Council know.

There is now a total fire ban in place in Gisborne city. No fires of any description should be lit and no permits will be issued. "With the supply of water so limited it is a risk we cannot afford to take, says Mr Higgs. "Any fire outside of the city must have a permit."

"Water crisis response manager Dave Hadfield is in contact with the citys top 20 industrial water users. All have water shortage contingency plans which they are being asked to action immediately. By doing this now it is hoped there will be minimal disruption to industry as many enter their busy processing season."

Gisborne is running out of water because its main water supply has been damaged by a land slide. The main water pipe from the Mangapoike Dam into the Gisborne District Council water treatment plant was knocked out on Monday at 3am.

"The break is in the pipe line from the dam into our water treatment plant. The water in your tap has still been treated. Engineers and geotechnical experts have a plan to fix the pipe and get the water flowing again. This will take 8-10 days."

Read more from the original source:
Total city fire ban to help Gisborne water crisis

Water Crisis Media Release (3)

Release date: Wed 8 January 2013

Three days water left in Gisborne if use doesnt reduce

Gisborne has only three days water supply left if residents dont reduce their use of water. Gisborne District Council needs every business, every organisation and every resident to reduce their use of water by at least a third, says deputy Chief Executive Peter Higgs.

Water consumption reduced marginally yesterday but nowhere near enough. Gisborne does not have enough water to meet the current demand.On SundayandMondaywe used 23,000 m3/day. This must reduce to 14,000 m3/day to avoid turning the taps off.

Luckily Gisborne has a standby treatment plant at Waipaoa that is supplying water to the city. This is being topped up by water from the Te Arai stream that is feeding through the Waingake Treatment plant. Together they are providing a small supply of water. With careful use this should ensure the city has enough water for essential use only.

If demand for water is not drastically reduced we will have to have periods of time where we have rolling water stoppages times when you will turn on the tap and there will be no water. Council will not allow the city to completely run dry.

Council has put a number of things in place to reduce water consumption.

There is a complete ban on the use of hoses - no washing your car, watering your lawn and garden or filling swimming pools etc. People really should just be using water to drink and for hygiene reasons. If you see your neighbours or anyone else wasting water please let Council know.

There is now a total fire ban in place in Gisborne city. No fires of any description should be lit and no permits will be issued. With the supply of water so limited it is a risk we cannot afford to take, says Mr Higgs. Any fire outside of the city must have a permit.

See the rest here:
Three days water left in Gisborne if use doesn’t reduce

Will Satan be celebrated on the lawn of the Oklahoma State Capitol?

A devilish group based in New York believes it should be perfectly OK.

The group, which calls itself "The Satanic Temple," today unveiled its proposal for a monument it intends to erect next to another religious statue: a depiction of the Ten Commandments.

According to The Satanic Temple's application, the proposed monument features a large pentagram and a 7-foot tall goat-headed Baphomet that sits cross-legged flanked by a child on both sides. The lap will serve as a seat for visitors.

It would also include quotes from poets William Blake and Lord Byron.

The monument, said the groups spokesman, was designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and could doubly serve as a tourist attraction.

The statue will serve as a beacon calling for compassion and empathy among all living creatures, said spokesman Lucian Greaves. The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation.

Oklahoma state legislators in 2009 approved the installation of a privately-funded Ten Commandments monument. It was installed last year over the protests of the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The Satanic Temple wasnt the only group to apply for a monument; People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and a Hindu group have also requested a place near the Capitol steps.

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Satanists unveil proposed statue for OK state capitol

District Judge G. Todd Baugh will retire at the end of the year and not seek re-election.

A district court judge since 1985, Baugh announced his retirement to KTVQ on Monday.

Baugh came under intense fire and garnered national scorn in August when he said a 14-year-old rape victim appeared older than her chronological age and he sentenced her teacher-rapist Stacey Dean Rambold to just a month in prison.

He did not return calls to his office on Monday.

When a Gazette reporter went to the judges office on Monday afternoon, Baugh, sitting behind his desk, simply refused to speak. His secretary said, He has no comment.

Its been a tumultuous six months for Baugh. The statements he made during Rambolds sentencing were picked up by numerous national and international news organizations and sparked outrage among many people, including members of the Montana chapter of the National Organization for Women.

A petition seeking Baughs resignation was circulated, and an Aug. 29 protest drew hundreds of people to the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn. Crews from Good Morning America, CNN and Fox News were there.

Two days after the sentencing, Baugh issued an apology for his comments, calling them just stupid and wrong.

Rambold was a teacher at Senior High when he was charged in October 2008 with three counts of felony sexual intercourse without consent for incidents involving one of his students, a then-14-year-old Cherice Moralez.

In February 2010, Moralez committed suicide, complicating prosecution, and so Rambold entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Yellowstone County Attorneys Office. Under the agreement, the state would dismiss the charges against Rambold if he completed a sex offender treatment program and complied with other conditions.

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Embattled judge won't seek re-election at end of term