Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) seem attracted to human dwellings. Your yard and porches provide wren edibles, including spiders, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, ants, small bees, wasps, millipedes, sowbugs, moths and snails.

One quirky habit that amuses and surprises is Carolina Wrens pick some unlikely places to build their nests: an old bucket turned on its side, a hanging planter or a bicycle helmet left out on a porch, an old shoe forgotten in a shed, a mailbox. One season, my resident pair announced they were ready to settle down and begin their first nest of the spring.

Research has shown that Carolina wrens often pair for life. This male announced the nesting cycle by singing his wichity-wichity-wichity song to let the female know he had nest sites to show. I watched as he began exploring a corner of my porch. First, he brought three leaves and placed them on a shelf, then called until the female appeared from neighboring shrubs.

After hopping about and trying out the nest site, the female declared her rejection by simply leaving. The patient male showed his mate two more offerings. She rejected both. Suddenly, the male perched on a loosely woven grapevine basket I had hung high on the porch wall. The female again appeared and explored the basket inside and out. Then they both disappeared and returned several minutes later to began tucking materials into the basket. For three years I cleaned out the old nest and each year they returned to the same basket, rebuilt the nest and raised their young where I could pull up a chair and watch.

Dont panic if you find a wren nest with one or two eggs in it and no wrens tending the nest. The female comes to the nest once a day to lay one egg and wont begin incubating until shes laid four to five eggs. When she begins incubating, expect eggs to hatch in 12 to 14 days. Once chicks hatch, both parents collect insects for the developing chicks until they fledge, usually in 10 to 14 days. The parents then call from nearby shrubs and undergrowth to encourage the chicks to flutter-fly and begin their initiation into wren adulthood. The whole family stays in touch with soft contact calls, so even when you cant see them, you know where they are. Carolina Wrens prefer to hunt insects in leaf litter and low in thickets or your garden.

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Gail Compton: Carolina wrens quirky nesters

For two years, the class of 2012 at Richland High School has wondered: Who is the Ding Dong Ditcher?

A few came close to discovering the identity of the prankster who left boxes of Hostess Ding Dongs on their doorsteps.

One student said she was tipped off by some handwriting on a box. Another student went through his entire list of friends and gradually eliminated possible suspects.

In all, about 100 students, along with some parents and others, including Principal Tim Praino, received boxes of the cream-filled chocolate cakes.

Thursday, though, all was revealed, when Praino handed boxes of Ding Dongs to seniors Jessica Danoff, Bridgette Nickeson and Heather Eadie during graduation rehearsal at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.

The three friends said they don't remember what initially got them started playing the joke on friends, but they worked long and hard to cover their tracks.

"We knew no one would suspect us," said Nickeson, 18. "We wanted it to be as perfect as possible."

The premise was simple put a box of Ding Dongs on someone's front step, ring the doorbell and run away before anyone sees you.

The Hostess website says such games have different names in various countries and have been played since the 19th century.

Danoff, 18, said the joke started with her and her mother, Shelley Damrell Horton, and was based on a similar prank that an aunt and uncle played on their friends.

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Sweet ending to saga of Ding Dong Ditchers

Photo by Contributed photo

Contributed photo Steep Canyon Rangers does bluegrass right on its latest CD, "Nobody Knows You."

It's summer now, and that means green trees, shady country lanes, long afternoons of fishing and the smell of freshly mowed grass from shady front porches.

Oh, and bluegrass music.

Speaking of bluegrass music, the BrownChicken BrownCow Stringband made a strong impression on acoustic music fans when the talented young West Virginia pickers brought their hot and innovative "new traditional" bluegrass to the Iron Horse Pub in March. They promised to return, and they will when they settle in Saturday night for a second go-round at the Iron Horse Pub.

If you can't make it to the BrownChicken BrownCow show, the group's three albums are available at its website, and they're all good reasons to become BrownChicken fans.

And any of these other new releases will help set a bluegrass mood.

"Nobody Knows You" by Steep Canyon Rangers

Banjo-picking comedic legend Steve Martin could have gotten any top bluegrass outfit to be his backup band in the studio and on the road, but he chose the Steep Canyon Rangers. The Rangers' new album, "Nobody Knows But You," again showcases the distinctive spark that drew Martin to the group.

While the Rangers work within the traditional bluegrass mold as invented by Bill Monroe, they don't let strict traditionalism confine them, often breaking out on songs like "Between Midnight and the Dawn" before returning to the rollicking banjo-driven fun on tunes such as "As I Go" and "Ungrateful One."

Excerpt from:
Rangers bring banjo smiles

It's yellow snow. No, it's a dust cloud.

Actually, it's a whole lot of tree and grass pollen that has been covering automobiles, porches, windowsills you name it.

This is the time of year for pollen, but recently there have been higher levels than usual.

Websites http://www.pollen.com and http://www.weather.com are predicting pollen counts for today and tomorrow to be high for tree pollen and very high for grass pollen.

The weather is clearly a factor when it comes to how much pollen we see, said Dr. N. Alan Harris, an allergist with Central Massachusetts Allergy & Asthma Care in Worcester and Auburn.

Sometimes we have a severe winter and everything bunches up and comes in one huge burst. Sometimes we have a mild winter and it gets spread out. This year it seems like we're getting huge amounts of pollen, said Dr. Harris. My best pollen count is looking at my car, the kitchen counter or on the back porch.

Dr. Harris said most people do not have allergies to pollen. But many people do, which means their body has an allergic immune response to a part of the pollen.

That immune response sets off a cascade of events when the pollen comes in contact with a mucus membrane or the lining of the lungs if you have asthma. The cascade of events leads to the symptoms: congestion, runny nose, sneezing, shortness of breath, coughing and itchy eyelids.

Ronnie Beauregard of Holland, grounds foreman at Worcester State University, got hit hard Tuesday after spending the morning and afternoon mowing the campus. Most of the thick lime green pollen was from the grass and pine trees, which produces large waxy particles.

When I got off the mower at the end of the day, I was covered in yellow dust my arms, my legs, everything. My mower was also covered, Mr. Beauregard said yesterday. Lake Ellie, where all the drain water runs off into, now that's all yellow, too.

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Pollen piles up

Thousands banged pots and pans as they marched in more than 70 cities all across Canada Wednesday night. The spreading "casserole" protests have erupted in Quebec as thousands of non-students have joined with the students to demand an end to austerity measures and Bill 78, which bans unauthorized public assemblies and curtails the right to protest.

Casserole Night in Halifax, Nova Scotia -- 150 enthusiastic people from all walks of life took to the streets last night in a show of solidarity with the ongoing protests in Quebec. (Photo/Miles Howe) People cheer from their porches as processions of marchers pass through the streets.

Casserole rallies or cacerolazos originated in Latin American countries as a form of popular protest where people bang pots and pans.

Meanwhile, Quebec's emergency anti-protest legislation - Bill 78 - has now drawn the attention of the United Nations.

Two UN experts on freedom of expression have raised concerns about Quebec demonstrations which took place on May 24 that involved serious acts of violence and the detention of up to 700 protesters.

They urged the provincial government to respect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, expression and association of students.

The recently adopted legislation unduly restricts students rights to freedom of association and of peaceful assembly in Quebec, warned Maina Kiai, the UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.

Kiai said fines ranging up to $125,000 that are included in the law are disproportionate and warned that a municipal regulation requiring protesters to provide their itinerary in advance should not be misused to restrict the legitimate right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

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Thousands March in Canada's Casseroles Night

by Martha Maurer/KTAR (May 30th, 2012 @ 4:30pm)

The Gumball Rally passed through northern Arizona today.

High-dollar sports cars, like Lamborghinis and Porches, were flying along Interstate 40 on their way to Las Vegas.

Carrick Cook with the Arizona Department of Public Safety said 10 drivers were pulled over and one was arrested.

"A driver who is from Holland and lives in Switzerland was traveling at over 120 mph on I-40," he said. "It's a dangerous event. I think these people don't keep in mind that there are innocent people driving along the road and this puts them in danger as well."

The I-40 has a speed limit of 75 mph.

"Reckless would be a good word to use with the driving behavior for them," said Cook. "We haven't seen any crashes or anything like that. Hopefully we don't, but the way these people are driving could seriously, seriously hurt somebody or themselves with the speeds that they're driving at."

The rally was traveling from New Mexico to Las Vegas as part of a 3,000-mile international race.

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Gumball Rally zips through northern Arizona, DPS issues tickets, arrest

Home A&E Music-Theater-Dance Loading

Published: 5/31/2012

BY SALLY VALLONGO SPECIAL TO THE BLADE

This weekend's Old West End Festival will include lots of outdoor music along with home tours, garage sales, art shows, and the Wamba Parade. The Toledo Symphony's 5K Stampede will have live classical accompaniment from porches of houses along the run route. A variety of acts will keep the Main Stage at Parkwood and Woodruff avenues lively.

And, to cap off Saturday events, the Cathedral Concert Series will feature local jazz artists Mark Lemle and Eric Dickey in a free concert at 7:30 p.m. in Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, 2535 Collingwood Blvd.

The performance will be a debut for the duo's new CD, "Wind, Stone and Ivory," with an eclectic mix of jazz standards, works by Keith Jarrett and Jay Ungar, and original pieces.

A free performance at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Recital Hall of the University of Toledo Center for Performing Arts will represent Barbara Rondelli Perry's swan song as a professor of music. Now professor emerita from the department where she shaped dozens of up and coming singers, Rondelli Perry will be serenaded by 13 of those fledged students.

Singers will be Kevin Foos, Janet Brehm Ziegler, Jodi Jobuck, Scott Knueven, Michelle Perrine, Jo-Anne Chrysochoos, Ebone Waweru, Michele Marszalkowski, Sasha Noori, Joyce Rush, Sam Mason, Dusty Selman, and Anthony Ferrer.

On the program will be works from opera and oratorios as well as art songs by Mozart, Handel, Gounod, Puccini, Wagner, Rorem, Gershwin, Brahms, and more. Robert Ballinger and Phillip Clark will accompany the singers.

Link:
Jazz concert tops off weekend fest

CHATHAM Local residents were out seeking shade under trees or sitting in chairs on their porches or front lawns shortly before 11 a.m. Monday as firefighters and band members assembled on Woodbridge Avenue, all for Chathams annual Memorial Day parade.

Meghan Distin, 7, was sitting on the shady front lawn of a Kinderhook Street house with her great-grandmother, Jean Wadsworth, of Old Chatham, her great-aunt Benita Loyche and her cousin, Rebecca Loyche, as she does every year at this time. Marching in the parade were Meghans father, Chatham Fire Chief Matthew Distin, her brother, Andrew, 12, who was riding in a fire truck and her aunt, firefighter Kelly Distin.

Meghan said her favorite part is always seeing her father march by, carrying a flag or an ax.

Sitting on the porch were Danielle and Peter Palleschi.

And a glorious day to boot, added Peter.

Chatham Police Officer David Moon, directing traffic at Park Place and Kinderhook Street, said the parade was not as busy as last year, but a fine day to do it, especially since its not raining.

Jim and Anita Cartin of Kinderhook Street were standing with a large group of people in the shade of trees at the corner of Kinderhook Street and Park Place. Jim tried to remember when they first started coming to the event.

Ever since the kids were in band, he said. Son Matthew Cartin, here with his family from Atlanta, Ga., said he was in band in 1987. But daughter Bridget Lieberum of Thurman, Warren County, said the family had had marchers from the Girl Scouts in the parade from 1982 to 1997.

The master of ceremonies at the village gazebo was William Hogan of the Chatham American Legion. His wife, Post Commander Melissa Hogan, was the keynote speaker.

Freedom is our call, but it doesnt come free, Hogan said. The meaning of this day impacts the whole world. Tens of millions of veterans put their lives on hold to wear the uniform.

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Parade honors lost soldiers

With my son playing Babe Ruth Baseball at Guy Smith Park, I have had several opportunities to drive past the location of the new Dream Park on Chestnut Street and would encourage others to drive through this blighted section of Greenville to see where your tax dollars are going. I have to agree with our city leaders that something needs to be done about this run-down area but I am not sure a Dream Park is the answer.

Judging from the large number of people just hanging out on front porches and in the area of the existing park, I would say that what they need help with is jobs.

Helping these residents find meaningful job opportunities is the only lasting solution to the economic plight of this neighborhood. I am afraid a new park will do little to raise the property values in the neighborhood, although I am sure the unemployed and homeless will enjoy having a new half-million dollar park to hang out in instead of the old one they currently enjoy.

I hope the budget for the new park includes money for a plaque recognizing our current mayor and City Council members who voted to spend tax dollars on the new park so we can remember them when we ride through the neighborhood in five years to see how much the area has improved around the Dream Park.

DAVID A. SNEED

Greenville

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Letter: Park not what blighted area needs

Neighbors were shocked but had their suspicions after police found a bag of human bones buried in a nearby apartments backyard Friday morning in the 5800 block of 24th Street.

Jaime Tello and Lee DeVaughn watched from their porches across a West Lubbock apartment complex as investigators set up lights in preparation for continued digging and forensic examination through the night.

Nobody expected this around here, Tello said after maintenance workers conducting a routine welfare check of the sewage lines at Lubbock Chaparral Apartments dug up the bag.

Capt. Jon Caspell of the Lubbock Police Department confirmed investigators determined the bones are human, but knew little else by Friday afternoon.

Tello and DeVaughn said apartment residents believed the remains presence in the complex triggered memories of a murder two decades ago in the same block.

There are no identified suspects tied to the human remains, Caspell said, but their discovery could shed light on an old murder case.

We wont know exactly whose remains were found, but we have a pretty good idea of what direction this will lead us, Caspell said.

But Caspell would not confirm Friday afternoon if police suspected the remains were those of a 24-year-old Lubbock man missing from an apartment in the same block since 1991.

Lubbock County jurors in 1997 determined Robert Scott Dunn was bludgeoned to death some time after he was last seen on May 31 of 91, convicting his live-in girlfriend of murder despite investigators failing to locate a body, according to previous articles in The Avalanche-Journal.

Investigators found Dunns blood in the apartment and evidence much more had been cleaned up enough blood that they believed Dunn was dead.

Originally posted here:
Human remains found on 24th Street