Birth defects affect 1 in 33 babies every year and cause 1 in 5 infant deaths. For many babies born with a birth defect, there is no family history of the condition. However, there are steps women can take to help prevent birth defects.
Not all birth defects can be prevented. But you can increase your chances of having a healthy baby by managing health conditions and by adopting healthy behaviors before and during pregnancy. Here are tips: Wednesday, January 13, 2021
I like birds. Everybody who knows me knows that. People who know me and people who have read an article I wrote for the newspapers often send me questions about birds. The question I'm asked most is, "What is your favorite bird?"
It's a simple question but the answer often changes. Now, for example, I'm eating breakfast and watching birds outside the window and there's a red-breasted nuthatch on the bird feeder. Red-breasted nuthatches nest in forests in Canada. They're a winter bird in northern Indiana, but I never see more than one and I don't see one every winter. To me they are uncommon. Wednesday, January 13, 2021
When former Plain Dealer & Sun editor Bryce Mayer, who retired in March 2020 after 22 years, wrote the opening line "An eventful year, for sure, was 2019 in Jennings County" in his annual Top Stories of the Year report in January 2020, he had no idea that in just two months, 2020 would surpass its predecessor 1,000 fold as one of the most eventful years, not just locally but globally, in recent memory.
Most would agree, however, that while the rest of the country and the world erupted into chaos, our sleepy little county thankfully did not see half the craziness of its big-city counterparts. Wednesday, January 13, 2021
The phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" has never rang more true than in the year 2020. Most of us will never forget such an unprecedented 365 days of our lives and will reflect upon them for years to come.
2021 is a New Year being welcomed with open arms, and with the door between the years swinging closed, here are what some of the Jennings County community members are reflecting upon and what goals they are setting for 2021. Wednesday, January 6, 2021
House sparrows and black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, cardinals, tufted titmice and mourning doves fly in and out to the bird feeders I stock with seeds every day the weather isn't too stormy. Blue jays and downy woodpeckers visit most days. The downiest also visit the suet feeders hanging beneath the eaves. Goldfinches come to the Nyger seed feeder beneath the eaves. These are the regulars, birds that come to my feeders in summer and winter, spring and fall.
Top 10 stories of 1995 as determined by the Plain Dealer & Sun are as follows: 1. The Wilder murder/suicide shocks Jennings County; 2. Geneva Township Fire Chief Mike Burkman saves girl from swollen creek; 3. North Vernon is named the fastest growing city in Indiana; 4. Closing of the Jefferson Proving Ground announced; 5. Doors open on the Jennings County Homeless Shelter at the JC Coordinating Council; 6. Jennings Community Hospital announces plans to affiliate with St. Vincent's Hospital; 7. Drunk driving takes center stage as four of the county's five traffic fatalities for 1995 were alcohol related; 8. Democrats claimed all the North Vernon city offices with the exception of one council seat; 9. Residents in southern Jennings County mourn the loss of the Paris Crossing Market; 10. The Jennings County Humane Society Shelter closes its door.
While the winter slowdown has not yet happened, it does seem to be around the corner. Or is that just wishful thinking?
At any rate, winter is a time to regroup and plan for another year for the farm. We always do some serious infrastructure planning to improve our management of pastured chickens and grazing sheep. The goal is always about allowing for more organized rotational grazing and sorting.
