Layout 1 (Page 1) - Sheridan Memorial Hospital

More documents

Recommendations

Info

8 The Sheridan Press, Friday, May 16, 2008 Ants swarm over Houston area, fouling electronics DALLAS (AP) — In what sounds like a really low-budget horror film, voracious swarming ants that apparently arrived in Texas aboard a cargo ship are invading homes and yards across the Houston area, shorting out electrical boxes and messing up computers. The hairy, reddish-brown creatures are known as “crazy rasberry ants” — crazy, because they wander erratically instead of marching in regimented lines, and “rasberry” after Tom Rasberry, an exterminator who did battle against them early on. “They’re itty-bitty things about the size of fleas, and they’re just running everywhere,” said Patsy Morphew of Pearland, who is constantly sweeping them off her patio and scooping them out of her pool by the cupful. “There’s just thousands and thousands of them. If you’ve seen a car racing, that’s how they are. They’re going fast, fast, fast. They’re crazy.” The ants — formally known as “paratrenicha species near pubens” — have spread to five Houston-area counties since they were first spotted in Texas in 2002. The newly recognized species is believed to have arrived in a cargo shipment through the port of Houston. Scientists are not sure exactly where the ants came from, but their cousins, commonly called crazy ants, are found in the Southeast and the Caribbean. “At this point, it would be nearly impossible to eradicate the ant because it is so widely dispersed,” said Roger Gold, a Texas A&M University entomologist. The good news? They eat fire ants, the stinging red terrors of Texas summers. But the ants also like to suck the sweet juices from plants, feed on such beneficial insects as ladybugs, and eat the hatchlings of a small, endangered type of grouse known as the Attwater prairie chicken. They also bite humans, though not with a stinger like fire ants. Worse, they, like some other species of ants, are attracted to electrical equipment, for reasons that are not well understood by scientists. They have ruined pumps at sewage pumping stations, fouled computers and at least one homeowner’s gas meter, and caused fire alarms to malfunction. They have been spotted at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and close to Hobby Airport, though they haven’t caused any major problems there yet. Exterminators say calls from frustrated homeowners and businesses are increasing because the ants — which are starting to emerge by the billions with the onset of the warm, humid season — appear to be resistant to overthe-counter ant killers. “The population built up so high that typical ant controls simply did no good,” said Jason Meyers, an A&M doctoral student who is writing his dissertation on the one-eighth-inch-long ant. It’s not enough just to kill the queen. Experts say each colony has multiple queens that have to be taken out. At the same time, the ants aren’t taking the bait usually left out in traps, according to exterminators, who want the Environmental Protection Agency to loosen restrictions on the use of more powerful pesticides. And when you do kill these ants, the survivors turn it to their advantage: They pile up the dead, sometimes using them as a bridge to cross safely over surfaces treated with pesticide. “It looked like someone had come along and poured coffee granules all around the perimeter of the rooms,” said Lisa Calhoun, who paid exterminators $1,200 to treat an infestation of her parents’ home in the Houston suburb of Pearland. The Texas Department of Agriculture is working with A&M researchers and the EPA on how to stop the ants. “This one seems to be like lava flowing and filling an entire area, getting bigger and bigger,” said Ron Harrison, director of training for the big pest-control company Orkin Inc. Around The World China prepares burial pits as earthquake death toll rises; toll could reach 50,000 LUOSHUI TOWN, China (AP) — Troops dug burial pits in this quakeshattered town and black smoke poured from crematorium chimneys elsewhere in central China as priorities began shifting Thursday from the hunt for survivors to dealing with the dead. Officials said the final toll could more than double to 50,000. As the massive military-led recovery operation inched farther into regions cut off by Monday’s quake, the government sought to enlist the public’s help with an appeal for everything from hammers to cranes and, in a turnabout, began accepting foreign aid missions, the first from regional rival Japan. Millions of survivors left homeless or too terrified to go indoors faced their fourth night under tarpaulins, tents or nothing at all as workers patched roads and cleared debris to reach more outlying towns in the disaster zone. On Friday, Chinese President Hu Jintao flew to Sichuan to support victims and express “appreciation to the public and cadres in the disaster zone,” the official Xinhua News Agency said. State media said that rescuers had finally reached all 58 counties and townships severely damaged. Bin Laden: Al-Qaida will continue holy war against Israel until liberation of Palestine CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Al-Qaida will continue its holy war against Israel and its allies until it liberates Palestine, Osama bin Laden said in a new audio statement Friday. The message came as President Bush wrapped up his visit to Israel to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state. Bin Laden says the fight for the Palestinian cause is the most important factor driving al-Qaida’s war with the West and fueled the Sept. 11 attacks. The authenticity of the close to 10 minute message could not be verified, but it was posted on a Web site commonly used by al-Qaida. President Bush heads to Saudi Arabia to seek help for soaring gas prices at home JERUSALEM (AP) — President Bush put the finishing touch on his celebrate-and-be-celebrated Israel stay, leaving the Holy Land Friday with no movement on Mideast peace but hoping to fare better in Saudi Arabia at obtaining help for soaring gas prices at home. “What’s on my mind is peace,” Bush told a group of Israeli youth leaders gathered for a short talk with him at the Bible Lands Museum, dedicated to the history of civilizations in the Bible. “I believe it’s possible. I know it will happen when young people put their minds together.” The discussion in the grass under an olive tree in the museum’s garden was Bush’s last stop of a two-day visit to Israel to mark its 60th anniversary. The young people who spoke to the president and first lady Laura Bush before the media were ushered out seemed eager for an end to the long fighting between Israel and the Palestinians. Come in to see & taste New look • New Menu New Restaurant Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Open Daily 6:30 am - 9:00 pm Best Western Sheridan Center 612 N. Main Sheridan 674-7421 Historic Downtown Sheridan
The Sheridan Press, Friday, May 16, 2008 9 Alaska officials condemn polar bear listing • Gov. disappointed in threatened-species designation ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she’s disappointed by a federal decision to list polar bears as a threatened species but relieved by the conclusion that the cause was not petroleum development, the mainstay of Alaska’s economy. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne called Palin before his press conference Wednesday announcing the decision. “It was reassuring to hear Secretary Kempthorne remind me also that he’ll be acknowledging to all of America that it is not oil and gas developments that have such an adverse effect as to have led this decision for the threatened listing.” Nearly 90 percent of Alaska’s unrestricted revenue for next year is projected to come from the oil industry. Though crude oil prices are at record prices, production has fallen and the trans-Alaska pipeline has been running at less than half its capacity since 2000. Palin has made construction of a natural gas pipeline to Canadian or Lower 48 markets a priority and has pushed for other petroleum development, including offshore sources in polar bear habitat. The governor also aggressively lobbied against a polar bear listing, rejecting science used to justify it, including climate models that predict a complete summer meltdown of the polar ice cap by 2030 or sooner and a U.S. Geological Survey study that predicted polar bears in Alaska could be wiped out by 2050. Palin said her attorney general, Talis Colberg, will review the listing decision and the accompanying administrative record to determine whether there were significant defects. She did not rule out challenging the listing in court. “We’ll keep that kind of in the hopper there, that possibility of litigation,” she said. The listing decision was condemned by Alaska’s all-Republican congressional delegation. “This decision represents an assault on sound science and common sense,” said Rep. Don Young. The decision threatens the economy and freedoms of Alaskans and all Americans, he said. Radical environmental groups, he said, likely will file numerous frivolous lawsuits to stop development and traditional Alaska Native activities. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the listing was “grossly premature” and based on highly variable climate change models. “A listing decision based purely on speculation about the future, lack of existing data, and in the absence of better research on bear prey species populations, sets a truly dangerous precedent for listings of a host of wildlife species,” she said. Murkowski and U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens both claim polar bear populations are increasing, a claim disputed by conservation groups. Stevens said the decision was made without research demonstrating dangerously low population levels in polar bears but instead on speculation regarding how ice levels will affect Arctic wildlife. “Worse yet, today’s decision cannot and will not do anything to reverse sea ice decline,” he said. Gay marriage opponents vow to fight Calif. ruling SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Even as same-sex couples across California begin making plans to tie the knot, opponents are redoubling their efforts to make sure wedding bells never again ring for gay couples in the nation’s most populous state. A conservative group said it would ask California’s Supreme Court to postpone putting its Thursday decision legalizing gay marriage into effect until after the fall election. That’s when voters will likely have a chance to weigh in on a proposed amendment to California’s constitution that would bar same-sex couples from getting married. If the court does not put its ruling on hold, gay marriages could begin in California in as little as 30 days, the time it typically takes for the justices’ opinions to become final. The Republican-dominated court’s decision, which cited a 1948 California Supreme Court decision that overturned a ban on interracial marriages, swept away decades of tradition and said there was no legally justifiable reason why the state should withhold the institution of marriage because of a couple’s sexual orientation. The 4-3 opinion written by Chief Justice Ronald George said domestic partnerships that provide many of the rights and benefits of matrimony are not enough. “In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation,” George wrote for the majority in ringing language that delighted gay rights activists. Gay marriage opponents, meanwhile, derided the ruling as an example of judicial overreaching in which the opinions of a few justices trumped the will of Californians. “The remedy is a constitutional amendment,” said Glen Lavy, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, which is pushing for the stay. The last time the state’s voters were asked to express their views on same-sex marriage at the ballot box was in 2000, the year after the Legislature enacted the first of a series of laws awarding spousal rights to domestic partners. Proposition 22, which strengthened the state’s 1978 one-man, one-woman marriage law with the words “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California,” passed with 61 percent of the vote. The Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday struck down both statutes. Still, backers of a proposed November ballot measure that would allow Californians to vote on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage said the court’s decision would ultimately help their cause. “(The ruling) is not the way a democracy is supposed to handle these sorts of heartfelt, divisive issues,” said Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage, one of the groups helping to underwrite the gay marriage ban campaign. “I do think it will activate and energize Californians. I’m more confident than ever that we will be able to pass this amendment come November.” Twenty-six states have approved constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. In the past few years, courts in New York, Maryland and Washington state have refused to allow gay marriage, and New Jersey’s highest court gave the state lawmakers the option of establishing civil unions as an alternative. Massachusetts is the only other state to legalize gay marriage, something it did in 2004. More than 9,500 same-sex couples in that state have wed. The California ruling is considered monumental because of the state’s population — 38 million out of a U.S. population of 302 million — and its historical role as the vanguard of many social and cultural changes that have swept the country since World War II. California has an estimated 108,734 same-sex households, according to 2006 census figures. “It’s about human dignity. It’s about human rights. It’s about time in California,” San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom told a roaring crowd at City Hall after the ruling was issued. “As California goes, so goes the rest of the nation. It’s inevitable. This door’s wide open now. It’s going to happen, whether you like it or not.” BOOK YOUR MEETING ROOM OR EMPLOYEE TRAINING TODAY! REGISTER WITH EASY ON-LINE REGISTRATION AND PAY WITH CREDIT CARD AT WWW.WYOBUSINESSTRAININGCENTER.COM 10% discount when you register 14 days or more before date of class June 12 th - Customer Service Excellence Part 1 5:30PM to 8:30PM $125.00 per person One Night - Evening Class! June 16 th - Basic Supervisory Skills/Team Work Development 8:00AM to 4:00PM Includes Lunch and books - $290.00 per person 10% Additional discount for company registration of more than 6 persons per class June 19th & June 20 th - - MACS Air Conditioning Certification Fundamentals with use of R12, 134 Freon & Hands on training ␣ 7:00am to 4:00pm - $250.00 per person Includes lunch and books June 23 rd & 24 th - Crane Rigging Certification by Crane Institute of America Trainer $350.00 per person Includes lunch and books June 27 th & 28 th - MSHA New Miner 24HR. by MSHA Cert. Instructor 7am to 7pm - $225.00 per person Includes lunch and books You only have two! 116 South Main 675-2020 women’s clothing 7 ’s Popular brands & Trendy styles Open Mon – Sat • 675-1120 • 45 N. Main J ASON H ORSLEY 1973 – 1999 His life was earnest, his actions kind, A generous hand and an active mind, Anxious to please, loath to offend. A loving son, brother and faithful friend. L OVE , M OM , D AD , J OSH & J ORY People have won..... you could be next In celebration of 10 years of serving Sheridan, you could get your glasses or contacts FREE in our bi-weekly drawing. No purchase necessary so come in, look around & sign up W YO V ISIO N ASSOCIATE S , I N C . 673-5173 • 1450 Sugarland Drive • Sheridan Thank You for supporting our recent raffle. Thank You to the following donors and Congratulations to the winners: The Sheridan Press Package Winner – Tina Jones TruGreen ChemLawn Package Winner – Joyce Burnett Bino’s Grocery BBQ Package Winner – Carmen Arzy Alchemy Medi Spa Package Winner – Fred Cherni Eye Care of the Big Horns Package Winner – Tina Combridge Home Depot Package Winner – Miranda Wiltse THANK YOU for supporting our Club! June 30 th & July 1 st - Crane Vehicle and Mobile Certification C rane Institute of America Trainer $350.00 per person Includes lunch and books Wyoming Business & Training Center Call us to customize a class to your training needs!
Page 1 and 2: THE SHERIDAN 121st Year, No. 306 Ca
Page 3 and 4: The Sheridan Press, Friday, May 16,
Page 5 and 6: People THE Press SHERIDAN Friday, 5
Page 7: The Sheridan Press, Friday, May 16,
Page 11 and 12: Scene THE Press SHERIDAN Friday, 11
Page 13 and 14: Sports THE SHERIDAN Press Friday, M
Page 15 and 16: Bridge Friday, May 16, 2008 When, d

Layout 1 (Page 1) - Sheridan Memorial Hospital

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?