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National Climate Report - June 2014
Maps and Graphics
Rankings Maps
U.S. Percentage Areas
Additional Resources
National Overview:
Major climate events NOAA is closely monitoring:
- Persisting and intensifying drought in parts of the West and Great Plains: Despite short-term drought relief in the Central and Southern Plains, long-term drought conditions will continue to impact water resources and agriculture. Long-term and short-term drought conditions in the West will also increase wildfire risk. More information is available from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
- Probability of El Niño increases later this year: According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, there is a 70 percent chance of El Niño conditions developing this summer, increasing to an 80 percent chance by autumn and winter. El Niño conditions could have significant impacts on temperature and precipitation patterns across the U.S. More information is available from the Climate Prediction Center.
- Upper Midwest and Northern Plains flooding: Record and near-record precipitation during June could increase the chances of river and lake flooding into mid- and late- summer.
Supplemental June 2014 Information
- Year-to-date temperature evolution for select U.S. cities
- Year-to-date precipitation evolution for select U.S. cities
- January-June records and near records
- June temperature extremes
- Climate Highlights — June
- The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during June was 69.6°F, 1.1°F above the 20th century average, ranking as the 33rd warmest June in the 120-year period of record. The average maximum (daytime) June temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 81.8°F, 0.4°F above the 20th century average, while the average minimum (nighttime) June temperature was 57.4°F, 1.7°F above the 20th century average, tying as the 10th warmest June minimum temperature.
- California both had their 11th warmest June on record. No state had a top 10 warm June.
- Below-average temperatures were observed in the Northern Rockies and parts of the Northern Plains. No state had a top 10 cool June.
- Interestingly, in much of the Lower Mississippi Valley and mid-South, wet and cloudy summer month acting to moderate both afternoon and overnight temperatures.
- The June national precipitation total was 3.62 inches, 0.69 inch above the 20th century average, marking the sixth wettest June on record, and the wettest since 1989.
- A significant portion of the contiguous U.S. — parts of the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and the Great Plains — had Minnesota being record wet for the month. The 7.75 inches of precipitation averaged across Minnesota was 3.64 inches above the 20th century average, marking the wettest month of any month for the state, surpassing July 1897 and June 1914 when 7.32 inches of precipitation was observed. In Canton, South Dakota, 19.65 inches of precipitation fell during June, setting a new record among all months for any location in the state, according to the South Dakota State Climatologist.
- Arizona tied its third driest June on record, with 0.01 inch of precipitation, 0.28 inch below the 20th century average; only June 1916 and 1951 were drier.
- Alaska was much wetter than average during June with a statewide precipitation total 53 percent above the 1971-2000 average, the second wettest June for the state. The wettest June occurred in 1980 when the monthly precipitation was 74 percent above average. Juneau and Fairbanks each had their wettest June on record, while Anchorage had its second wettest.
- According to the July 1 U.S. Drought Monitor report, 34.0 percent of the contiguous U.S. was in drought, down about 3.3 percent compared to the beginning of June.
- Beneficial rain improved drought conditions by one to three categories across parts of the Midwest and the Central and Southern Plains. Nebraska, which had its fourth wettest June, saw dramatic drought improvement.
- Warm and dry conditions in parts of the West led to scattered locations experiencing worsening drought conditions. In California, the percent area of the state experiencing exceptional drought, the worst category, expanded to 36.5 percent, up over 11 percent since early June. In the East, abnormally dry conditions expanded in the Tennessee River Valley and southern New England.
- Based on NOAA's Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI), the contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand during June was 33 percent above average and the 25th highest in the 1895-2014 period of record.
- There were more record cool high temperature records (676) than record warm high temperature records (391), but warm nighttime temperatures dominated with more record warm low temperatures (1257) than record cold low temperatures (344). When aggregated together, there were more than one and a half times as many record warm daily highs and lows (1648) as record cold daily highs and lows (1020).
- Climate Highlights — year-to-date (January – June)
- The contiguous U.S. average temperature for the first half of 2014 was 47.6°F, 0.1°F above the 20th century average. This ranked near the middle value in the 120-year period of record, and marked the coldest first half of any year since 1993. The average maximum (daytime) year-to-date temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 59.8°F, 0.4°F above the 20th century average, while the average minimum (nighttime) January-June temperature was 35.4°F, 0.3°F below the 20th century average.
- During the January-June period,
- Wisconsin each had a top 10 cold January-June. No state had six-month temperatures that were record cold.
- The national precipitation total for the January-June period was 15.29 inches, 0.02 inch below average.
- Wisconsin had its sixth wettest start to the year.
- Arizona had its third driest six-month period, with 1.42 inches of precipitation, 3.19 inches below average. The city of Wichita Falls, Texas, experienced its driest 45 consecutive months ending in June 2014.
- The U.S. Climate Extremes Index (USCEI) for January-June was above average. On the national-scale, the spatial extent of one-day precipitation extremes ranked as the third highest value on record at 80 percent above average. On the regional scale, the West had its highest value on record, driven largely by warm daytime and nighttime temperatures and the spatial extent of drought. The Upper Midwest had its second highest value on record, driven largely by cold daytime and nighttime temperatures, high one-day precipitation totals, and high number of days with precipitation. The USCEI is an index that tracks extremes (falling in the upper or lower 10 percent of the record) in temperature, precipitation, drought, and land-falling tropical cyclones across the contiguous United States.
- Based on REDTI, the contiguous U.S. temperature-related energy demand during January-June was 25 percent above average and the 24th highest in the 1895-2014 period of record.
**A comparison of the national temperature departure from average as calculated by NCDC's operational dataset (nClimDiv), the U.S. Historical Climatology Network (USHCN), and the U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) is available on our National Temperature Index page.**
Alaska Temperature and Precipitation:
- Temperature
- Alaska had its 35th coolest June since records began in 1918, with a temperature -0.45°F (-0.25°C) below the 1971-2000 average.
- Alaska had its 10th warmest April-June since records began in 1918, with a temperature 2.39°F (1.33°C) above the 1971-2000 average.
- Alaska had its 3rd warmest January-June since records began in 1918, with a temperature 4.39°F (2.44°C) above the 1971-2000 average.
- Precipitation
- Alaska had its 2nd wettest June since records began in 1918, with an anomaly that was 52.99% above the 1971-2000 average.
- Alaska had its 15th wettest April-June since records began in 1918, with an anomaly that was 18.58% above the 1971-2000 average.
- Alaska had its 41st wettest January-June since records began in 1918, with an anomaly that was 6.45% above the 1971-2000 average.
For additional details about recent temperatures and precipitation across the U.S., see the Regional Highlights section below and visit the Climate Summary page. For information on local temperature and precipitation records during the month, please visit NCDC's Records page.
Regional Highlights:
These regional summaries were provided by the six Regional Climate Centers and reflect conditions in their respective regions. These six regions differ spatially from the nine climatic regions of the National Climatic Data Center.
- Northeast Region: (Information provided by the Northeast Regional Climate Center)
- June was another warmer-than-normal month in the Northeast. The region's average temperature was 66.1 degrees F (18.9 degrees C), 0.9 degrees F (0.5 degrees C) above normal. All twelve Northeast states saw above-normal temperatures during June, with departures ranging from +0.1 degrees F (+0.1 degrees C) in Rhode Island up to +1.6 degrees F (+0.9 degrees C) in West Virginia.
- The Northeast was slightly wetter than normal during June. The region received 4.43 inches (112.52 mm) of precipitation, or 105 percent of normal. Only five states ended the month with above-normal precipitation, with departures for those states ranging from 103 percent of normal in Vermont to 119 percent of normal in Pennsylvania. As for the seven drier-than-normal states, Delaware had its 19th driest June on record at 61 percent of normal precipitation. Departures for the other dry states ranged from 52 percent of normal in Connecticut to 89 percent of normal in Maryland.
- At the start of June, a small portion of southern West Virginia was experiencing abnormal dryness, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. By mid-month, abnormal dryness was introduced in parts of southern New England. By the end of June, dry conditions eased slightly in West Virginia; however, dryness lingered in southern New England and was introduced in parts of northern New England.
- Severe weather affected the Northeast throughout June, with dozens of wind and hail reports from across the region. Four EF-1 tornadoes (two in West Virginia, one in Pennsylvania, and one in New York) and an EF-0 tornado (in Pennsylvania) caused structural and extensive tree damage. Straight-line winds of up to 90 mph (40 m/s) caused similar damage. Hail up to golf ball size was reported and downpours caused flash flooding that washed out roads and stranded people. In addition, lightning started multiple fires. According to the USDA, fruits such as strawberries, apples, peaches, and cherries were still well behind schedule through June despite mostly favorable weather conditions. However, other crops like cucumbers, cantaloupe, sweet corn, and tomatoes were near or ahead of schedule.
- For more information, please go to the Northeast Regional Climate Center Home Page.
- Midwest Region: (Information provided by the Midwest Regional Climate Center)
- June temperatures were slightly above normal in the Midwest. Statewide temperatures were between zero and two degrees F (0 to 1 C) above normal for the month. The second week of June was cool but the other three weeks were above normal. Year to date temperatures ranked as the 10th coolest in the past 120 year for the region as a whole. All nine states ranked among the coolest 25 percent with Wisconsin (6th), Michigan (8th), Illinois (8th), and Indiana (9th) ranked among the top ten.
- June precipitation was above average for most of the region. Only Kentucky was below normal for June while the other eight states were above normal, in some cases well above normal. The region as a whole ranked as the 4th wettest June in 120 years of records with more than 2.00 inches (51 mm) above normal. Statewide total in Minnesota set a new June record with nearly three and a half inches (88 mm) more than normal for the month. It was also the wettest month in Minnesota for any calendar month. Iowa had 4.30 inches (109 mm) more than normal in June. Iowa (3rd), Wisconsin (6th), and Illinois (10th) also ranked among the top 10 wettest Junes on record. The wettest area was in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa where widespread totals of 10 to 17 inches (254 to 432 mm) were reported. Nine Iowa stations recorded there wettest month (for any calendar month) on record.
- June was a busy month for severe weather across the Midwest with 25 of the 30 days in June having at least one report in the region. The busiest days were the 3rd, 16th, 18th, and 30th. Much of the activity was in the middle third of the region but reports were also received from the northern and southern thirds of the Midwest. The storm on the 30th knocked out power to thousands of Chicago area customers, and many were without power for a day or more. Damage along a eight mile (13 km) stretch of US 30 in Lake County, Indiana was so extensive the busy road had to be shut down overnight to repair numerous power lines and traffic signals damaged in the storm.
- The wet conditions in June, especially in Minnesota and Iowa, reduced the footprint of drought in the Midwest. Minnesota became drought-free for the first time since July of 2011. Iowa also became drought-free taking the statewide percentage from 28 percent at the beginning of June to zero percent as of July 1st. Missouri was the only Midwest state with about 10 percent of the state in moderate drought. Significant parts of Missouri and Kentucky were noted as abnormally dry at the end of June.
- Although corn planting had largely wrapped up by the beginning of June, soybean planting was completed in June. Condition reports put both corn and soybeans at between 60 and 85 percent of the crops in good or excellent condition in all nine Midwest states. However, local flooding has damaged the crops in some locations.
- For details on the weather and climate events of the Midwest, see the weekly summaries in the Midwest Climate Watch page.
- Southeast Region: (Information provided by the Southeast Regional Climate Center)
- Mean temperatures in June were variable across the Southeast region. The greatest departures were found across parts of the Carolinas, where monthly temperatures were 2 to 3 degrees F (1.1 to 1.6 degrees C) above average. Charleston, SC (1938-2014) tied its fifth warmest June on record, which included 23 days of 90 degree F (32.2 degrees C) and greater temperatures. Monthly temperatures were also above average across much of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with San Juan, PR (1898-2014) recording its third warmest June on record. In contrast, June temperatures were near average to slightly below average across southern portions of Alabama and Georgia as well as much of the Florida Peninsula. The warmest weather of the month occurred from the 17th to the 21st as temperatures reached the middle to upper 90s F (30s C) across much of northern Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and southeastern Virginia, with a few locations (e.g. Tallahassee, FL, Valdosta, GA, and Columbia, SC) reaching 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C). Heat index values also exceeded 100 degrees F across a large portion of the region during this period. In contrast, the coolest weather occurred during the first three days of the month, as mean daily temperatures ranged from 5 to 10 degrees F (2.8 to 5.5 degrees C) below average across much of Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas.
- Precipitation was below average across much of the Southeast region in June. The driest locations were found across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as parts of central and eastern South Carolina, where monthly precipitation totals were less than 1 inch (25.4 mm), or about 20 to 40 percent of normal. San Juan, PR recorded its third driest June on record with 0.77 inches (19.6 mm) of precipitation, while Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas recorded just 0.14 inches (3.6 mm) of precipitation, marking its fourth driest June in a record extending back to 1953. In contrast, the wettest locations were found across central and southern portions of Florida, northern Alabama, eastern portions of Georgia and North Carolina, and northern and central Virginia, where monthly totals exceeded 10 inches (254 mm) in places, or about 150 to 200 percent of normal. One of the wettest locations was Miami, FL (1895-2014), which recorded its seventh wettest June on record with 19.62 inches (498 mm). Also of note was Savannah, GA (1871-2014), which recorded its wettest 1-day precipitation total for June with 6.65 inches (169 mm), breaking the old record of 6.60 inches (168 mm) set on June 29, 1999. Elsewhere across the region, monthly precipitation totals were generally about 50 to 75 percent of normal.
- There were over 1,000 reports of severe weather across the Southeast in June, with at least one report on all but the first three days of the month. Over 80 percent of these reports were for damaging thunderstorm winds. In addition, five tornadoes were confirmed across the region. On the 6th of the month, an EF-0 touched down in rural Bamberg County in southeastern South Carolina. The next day, an EF-1 touched down in Troup County, GA near the town of La Grange along the Alabama-Georgia border. Two tornadoes touched down on the 9th of the month, including an EF-1 in Colbert County near the town of Russellville in extreme northwestern Alabama, and an EF-0 in Orangeburg County near the town of Bowman in southeastern South Carolina. The next day, an EF-1 was confirmed in Jackson County near the town of Scottsboro in extreme northeastern Alabama. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
- Small changes were noted in the Drought Monitor across the Southeast in June. Areas of moderate drought (D1) and abnormally dry conditions (D0) were eliminated across South Florida and parts of extreme northern Alabama, while small areas of D0 and D1 were introduced across central portions of the Carolinas and extreme southwestern Virginia, respectively. By the end of June, more than 90 percent of the Southeast was free of any drought designation and very few agricultural impacts were noted. Lightning strikes triggered two separate brush fires totaling more than 12,000 acres across parts of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in South Florida. Record precipitation totals over the past year in this region have contributed to greater densities of biting flies, such as yellow flies, horse flies, and deer flies, particularly across parts of the Florida Panhandle. Numerous bites from these flies can significantly reduce milk production and interfere with grazing of cattle and horses.
- For more information, please go to the Southeast Regional Climate Center Home Page.
- High Plains Region: (Information provided by the High Plains Regional Climate Center)
- While most of the country had temperatures which were near normal, the upper Missouri River Basin was the cool spot in the nation with temperature departures generally up to 4.0 degrees F (2.2 degrees C) below normal. These lower temperatures were common across much of Montana, northern Wyoming, and the western sides of the Dakotas. Elsewhere in the High Plains Region, temperatures hovered around 2.0 degrees F (1.1 degrees C) above or below normal. Only a few locations in southern Colorado made it into the 2.0-4.0 degrees F (1.1-2.2 degrees C) above normal range. Most areas did not experience record breaking temperatures, but a few isolated locations did break into the top 10. One of the cooler locations this month was Pierre, South Dakota. With an average temperature of only 64.4 degrees F (18.0 degrees C), Pierre had its 9th coolest June on record (period of record 1933-2014). The coolest June occurred in 1945 with 60.1 degrees F (15.6 degrees C). On the warm side was Trinidad, Colorado which had its 6th warmest June with 70.7 degrees F (21.5 degrees C). The record of 73.8 degrees F (23.2 degrees C) set in 2002 held (period of record 1899-2014).
- The month of June brought a wide variety of weather to the High Plains Region. Much of southern Wyoming and western and central Colorado was dry with precipitation totals reaching 50 percent of normal at most. Alamosa, Colorado, located in the southern part of the state, had its 4th driest June on record with only 0.02 inches (1 mm) of precipitation. Only 3 other times had June been drier, with just a Trace, in 2011, 1980, and 1946 (period of record 1906-2014). Areas to the north and east, however dealt with multiple rounds of severe weather and heavy precipitation. In some areas, precipitation was quite welcome as this helped improve or eliminate drought and helped create excellent grazing and pasture conditions. However, areas with excessive rainfall dealt with flooding which washed out roads and bridges and inundated farmland. Some areas along the Missouri, Big Sioux, Souris, and Red Rivers experienced at least minor flooding. One example was the Big Sioux River which crested at 105.6 feet (32.2 m) at Sioux City. Luckily, this was lower than expected. A levee upstream failed and enough water flowed through the failure that flooding was not quite as bad as originally predicted. The record was 108.3 feet (33.0 m) set in 1969. Although not as bad as feared, buildings, houses, and farmland were inundated and a section of I-29 was closed several days. The majority of Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas were extremely wet this month with precipitation totals well over 150 percent of normal. The western half of Kansas, much of Nebraska, and northwestern and southeastern South Dakota had totals over 200 percent of normal with some locations even topping 300 percent of normal. Numerous locations ranked in the top 10 wettest Junes on record and flash flooding was common. Sioux Falls, South Dakota was one of these extremely wet locations with a June total of 13.70 inches (348 mm) which was 9.78 inches (248 mm) above normal, or 349 percent of normal precipitation. The old record of 8.43 inches (214 mm) set back in 1984 was absolutely crushed (period of record 1893- 2014)! Sioux Falls experienced 19 days with measurable precipitation, of which there were 9 consecutive days of precipitation. This tied for the 2nd longest streak of measurable precipitation for any period. Only March of 1987 claims more, with 12. Preliminary data also suggest that Canton, South Dakota, located on the Big Sioux River just south of Sioux Falls received an incredible 19.65 inches (499 mm) of rain this month (period of record 1896-2014). According to the South Dakota State Climate Office, this is possibly the most rain ever received in one month in the whole state of South Dakota since records began. As mentioned earlier, June was an active month and has been the most active severe weather month this year in the U.S. - more than doubling the number of storm reports from May. Severe weather was a major issue in the High Plains Region with 1,681 total storm reports including 156 tornado reports, 794 hail reports, and 731 wind reports. Severe weather was reported somewhere in the Region every single day this month with the most reports occurring on the 3rd and 14th. The town of Pilger, Nebraska took a direct hit by an EF-4 tornado on the 16th. According to the National Weather Service Office in Valley, Nebraska 5 tornadoes were confirmed in the Pilger area, 4 of which were rated as EF-4 tornadoes and one as EF-0. Another EF-4 tornado occurred near Alpena, South Dakota on the 18th. In addition to the structural damage from the severe weather, agriculture also took a hit. Damage to crops, irrigation equipment, and grain storage occurred and livestock losses were reported as well. In regards to crops, some producers have been able to replant, however others were still making those decisions at the end of the month.
- According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, major improvements in drought conditions occurred in the High Plains Region this month as heavy precipitation helped eliminate or ease drought conditions. Approximately 23 percent of the Region was in moderate (D1) to exceptional (D4) drought at the end of June, down from 33 percent at the end of May. The extreme precipitation in South Dakota allowed for the elimination of all drought conditions there. Only a bit of abnormal dryness (D0) remained. In Nebraska, drought conditions were eliminated in the east and reduced in the central and southern parts of the state. Meanwhile in Kansas, all D4 was eliminated and a 25 percent reduction occurred in the extreme drought (D3) coverage. Parts of eastern Colorado also received ample precipitation and drought conditions were eased there as well. Other drought areas of Colorado persisted. According to the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook released June 19th, current drought conditions are expected to improve or be removed in Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado.
- For more information, please go to the High Plains Regional Climate Center Home Page.
- Southern Region: (Information provided by the Southern Regional Climate Center)
- June was a slightly warmer than normal month for the Southern Region. Much of the central and northern areas of the region averaged within two degrees F (1.11 degrees C) of normal. Conditions were much warmer in the western panhandle of Texas, with most stations averaging three to six degrees F (1.67 to 3.33 degrees C) above average. In eastern Tennessee, stations averaged between two and three degrees F ( 1.11 to 1.67 degrees C) above normal. All six states in the region reported state wide average temperatures that were above normal, however, all state rankings fell within the two middle quartiles. The state wide average temperatures are as follows: Arkansas averaged 76.70 degrees F (24.83 degrees C), Louisiana averaged 79.90 degrees F (26.61 degrees C), Mississippi averaged 78.60 degrees F (25.89 degrees C), Oklahoma averaged 77.20 degrees F (25.11 degrees C), Tennessee averaged 74.90 degrees F (23.83 degrees C), and Texas averaged 80.60 degrees F (27.00 degrees C).
- June Precipitation totals in the Southern Region varied spatially with some areas remaining dry, while others received more than twice the monthly average. With the exception of Crockett, Terrell, and Val Verde Counties, southern Texas remained relatively dry as most stations averaged between 25 to 75 percent of normal precipitation for the month. Conditions were similarly dry in the Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas border region and also in eastern Oklahoma and eastern Tennessee. Conversely, it was quite wet in the Texas counties of Crockett, Terrell and Val Verde. Precipitation in this area averaged over twice the monthly average. This was also the case in north eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee and in northern Mississippi. In northern Texas, precipitation totals were near normal to above normal. Similar conditions could also be observed in southern Mississippi and in central Louisiana. All six states were wetter than normal. The average state wide precipitation totals are as follows: Arkansas reported 6.13 inches (155.7 mm), Louisiana reported 6.32 inches (160.53 mm), Mississippi reported 6.65 inches (168.91 mm), Oklahoma reported 5.57 inches (141.48 mm), Tennessee reported 6.78 inches (172.21 mm), and Texas reported 2.90 inches (73.66 mm). For the state of Tennessee, it was the sixth wettest June on record (1895-2014), while for Arkansas, it was the fourteenth wettest June on record (1895-2014). Mississippi recorded its twelfth wettest June on record (1895-2014), while Oklahoma reported its twenty-fifth wettest June on record (1895-2014). Louisiana and Texas reported their thirtieth and fifty-fifth wettest June on record (1895-2014), respectively.
- Drought conditions in the Southern Region did not significantly change in the states of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana. Portions of easternmost Tennessee is, however, classified as moderate drought. In Texas and Oklahoma, drought conditions have remained relatively dire. Much of the state of Texas is still under the grip of moderate to severe drought, with extreme and exceptional drought covering much of the northern counties of the state. For Oklahoma, the majority of the state is experiencing severe drought or worse, with exceptional drought occurring in the panhandle the southern counties, and in north central portions of the state.
- Weather.com reported that slow moving thunderstorms near the end of the month caused flash flooding in Memphis, Tennessee, and in eastern Arkansas. According to the report, two to three feet (61 to 91 cm) of water flooded underpasses near I-240 and near the I-40. Cars were stranded and five families were evacuated in Forrest City, Arkansas.
- In Texas, rains across the state have helped farmers. Expected corn planting acreage and harvesting acreage are both down, at 11% and 10% respectively. Upland cotton acreage is up 11 percent from last year, and Pima cotton 44%, but with no estimates on harvests yet. Winter wheat came in 5% lower than 2013 with a 2% reduction in harvest numbers, which were already low in 2013. Sorghum seemed to be the big winner for harvests, where no change in acres planted has thus far seen a 9% increase in harvested acres. Other smaller crops are all doing better in 2014 than 2013 with the exception of rice, still struggling with no discharge out of the Colorado River, which is down 3%. The Colorado River is still struggling, with the Lower Colorado River Authority voting to increase water rates on customers from $151 to $174 per acre-foot and not to release water to farmers downstream. McKinney has entered revised stage 3 water restrictions, as has Rowlett, and continued in Garland, Plano, and Allen. Many regions around the state are acting to ban hydraulic fracturing in order to both conserve water and but at ease concerns about pollution; the TCEQ is drilling over 500 test wells to check for groundwater contamination from oil drilling. Where desalination is being considered, the high cost is concerning people, as an estimated average of $21.68 per month could be added to water bills to pay for the process. (Information provided by the Texas Office of State Climatology)
- In Texas, several fronts passed through the state in June, many of which spawned severe storms with damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes. At the beginning of the month, storms passing through the Panhandle and north Texas spawned tornadoes in the former and flooding and power outages in the latter. Similar storms caused flooding and damage in Houston, with an EF1 and 100 mph (160 kmph) winds, causing power outages to over 2,000 people (Information provided by the Texas Office of State Climatology).
- For more information, please go to the Southern Regional Climate Center Home Page.
- Western Region: (Information provided by the Western Region Climate Center)
- The northern tier of the West saw above normal precipitation this month along with slightly below normal temperatures. The Southwest was primarily under the influence of typical summertime high pressure and remained mostly dry and with temperatures somewhat warmer than normal.
- The Southwest monsoon season officially began on June 15, though little to no precipitation was observed in the Southwest US monsoon region from this date through the end of the month. As is common in June, many southwestern locations did not receive any measurable precipitation this month including Los Angeles and Sacramento in California, Reno and Las Vegas in Nevada, and Phoenix and Flagstaff in Arizona. The Central Sierra received some beneficial precipitation on the 25th and 26th with the passage of an upper level low; several locations saw a storm total over 0.5 in (13 mm). Following a record wet spring, Seattle, Washington saw below normal precipitation for the first month since January. Seattle recorded 0.73 in (19 mm) of rainfall this month, 46% of normal. Drought conditions continued to expand throughout the West, with every state seeing expansion of a small area of abnormally dry conditions at the very least. Slight improvements in drought conditions were observed in small areas of eastern Washington, eastern New Mexico, and eastern Colorado.
- June is typically one of the wettest months of the year for much of Montana, and precipitation was more abundant than normal this month. Kalispell recorded 5.24 in (133 mm), 204% of normal and the 4th wettest June since records began in 1896. Great Falls observed 4.18 in (106 mm), 165% of normal. Other inland Northwest locations saw above normal precipitation as well. Meacham, Oregon recorded 4.19 in (106 mm) of rain this month, the second wettest June since records began in 1948.
- Warmer than normal temperatures accompanied dry conditions in the Southwest. In northern California, Ukiah recorded an average temperature of 72.1 F (22.3 C) this month, 4.5 C (2.5 C) above normal and the warmest June since records began in 1949. Temperatures at Fresno, California, averaged to 80.9 F (27.2 C), tied with 2013 for the 4th warmest June in a 67-year record. Las Vegas, Nevada, saw 21 days with temperatures equal to or above 100 F (37.8 C); the normal for June is 15 days. This was the 5th warmest June on record at Las Vegas at an average 89.4 F (31.9 C). Further east, Tucson, Arizona recorded its 3rd warmest June at 88.9 F (31.6 C), 4.1 F above normal. The first half of 2014 has been the warmest on record for Tucson at an average 69.7 F (20.9 C). Tucson's records began in 1946.
- Cooler than normal temperatures were seen in the wetter areas of the West this month, though were within a few degrees of normal and far from record setting. Lewistown, Montana recorded an average 55.3 F (12.9 C), 2.8 F (1.5 C) below normal and the 20th coolest June in a 119-year record. In Wyoming, Lake Yellowstone recorded an average temperature of 45.2 F (7.3 C). 3.4 F (1.9 C) below normal.
- Above normal precipitation was observed throughout the eastern half of Alaska. In the far southeast, Ketchikan received 5.45 in (138 mm) of rainfall on June 22nd, the wettest June day since records began in 1910. Also in the southeast, Juneau logged its wettest June in a 79-year record at 7.46 in (189 mm), 230% of normal. Temperatures were cooler than normal throughout the state this month, especially in the Interior. Further south, precipitation was variable throughout Hawaii with many locations below normal on Big Island and in Maui County and above normal on Oahu and Kauai.
- June (all month): Southwest drought continues: The onset of typical hot, dry summer conditions further exacerbated the drought situation in many areas of the West. In Nevada, ranchers continue to scale back their herds and a few have sold their ranches. Farmers in Pershing County are receiving zero allocations of water this year, and fish die-offs are expected in several low water reservoirs. Nearly all of California's major reservoirs are reporting below average storage and mandatory water restrictions are in effect for many municipalities. Low water levels are impacting boating and recreation on some of California's lakes and reservoirs.
- June 25: Diego Fire, New Mexico: Lightning strikes ignited this fire near Coyote, New Mexico and the fire has since grown to over 3,000 acres (1200 hectares). No structures have been destroyed, but road closures and evacuations are in effect.
- For more information, please go to the Western Regional Climate Center Home Page.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Accommodation in Argentina runs the gamut from campsites and youth hostels to fabulously luxurious estancias (ranches) and opulent hotels offering every conceivable amenity. Between these two extremes you'll find a whole variety of establishments, including charming old colonial houses with balconies and dark and seedy hotels that lack so much as a window. Informal room rental is also common in towns with seasonal influxes of tourists but too few hotels to cope.
Prices vary considerably depending on where you are in the country. Areas receiving large numbers of foreign visitors, particularly Buenos Aires and Patagonia, have seen prices rise sharply in recent years; less-visited areas offer less variety but also much better bargains. Even in the capital, however, you can expect to pay slightly less for comparable accommodation than you would in most European countries or North America. Single travellers on a budget and seeking more privacy than is available at a youth hostel will find things harder, although the number of places offering per-person prices appears to be on the rise, especially at resorts and estancias where meals or activities are included. Discounts can sometimes be negotiated, particularly if you are staying for a longer period. Bear in mind that taxes are often not included in quoted prices, while places aimed at foreigners may quote in US$ rather than pesos. If paying with cash dollars, you may be able to strike a deal on the exchange rate.
Most towns in Argentina will have at least one hotel, though in many places these are unimaginative, rather drab places. If you are on a budget, and the option is available, you might do better to head for a hostel, most of which provide good-value private rooms as well as dorms. Posadas and bed and breakfasts can be more attractive in the middle of the range, while small boutique or designer hotels – which have popped up in significant numbers in Argentina in the last few years – often have a lot more individuality than the standard plush but monotonous five-star places aimed at business travellers.
Posadas, hosterías and B&Bs
The use of the term posada usually denotes a fairly idiosyncratic place, often with a slightly rustic feel, but generally comfortable or even luxurious. In a similar vein, the term hostería is frequently used for smallish, upmarket hotels – oriented towards tourists rather than businessmen.
A similar type of accommodation, particularly common around Buenos Aires, is B&Bs (the English term is used), which tend to be chic, converted townhouses with an exclusive but cosy atmosphere – price-wise they tend to be mid- to top-range options, and generally offer far more attractive surroundings than standard hotels at the same price.
Youth hostels are known as albergues juveniles or albergues de la juventud in Argentina, though the term "(youth) hostel" is frequently used instead – albergue is normally taken to mean albergue transitorio (short-stay hotels where rooms are rented by the hour). There is an extensive chain of mostly reliable hostels in Argentina affiliated with Hostelling International (HI), as well as a good number of independent hostels, which vary more in quality, but when they are good – particularly in Buenos Aires, Mendoza and Salta – they are among the country's best. Accommodation is generally in dormitories, though most places also have several double rooms, often en suite. Facilities vary, too, from next to nothing to swimming pools, internet access, washing machines, cable TV and patios with barbecue equipment.
Note you sometimes see the term "hostal" used as a seemingly general term for hotels – both youth hostels and high-rise modern hotels call themselves hostales.
Youth hostel associations
The local office of Hostelling International is in Buenos Aires, at Florida 835 (t011 4511 8723, whostels.com). Associated hostels give discounts – usually a few pesos a night – to holders of HI cards but they rarely require that you possess a card in order to stay there. Membership for non-Argentines is US$20 a year, and also gives you discounts with some bus companies and other businesses.
Residenciales and hospedajes
Basic hospedajes and residenciales have low prestige in Argentina and often are not recommended by tourist offices, but they can be far more welcoming, clean and secure than one-star hotels; a few of them stand out as some of Argentina's best budget accommodation. Furnishings tend to be basic, with little more than a bed, perhaps a desk and chair and a fan in each room – though some are far less spartan than others and there is even the odd one with cable TV. Most places offer private bathrooms. There's little difference between residenciales and hospedajes – indeed, the same establishment may be described in different accommodation lists as both, or even as a hotel or hostel. The only real difference is that hospedajes tend to be part of a family house.
A very different experience to staying in a hotel is provided by Argentina's many estancias (ranches, or fincas as they are known in the North) that are open to visitors. Guests usually stay in the casco, or farmhouse, which can be anything from a simple family home to an extravagant castle-like residence. Estancias are nearly always family-run, the income from tourism tending to serve as a supplement to the declining profits earned from the land itself. Accommodation is generally luxurious, with bags of character, and a stay is a mini-vacation in itself; for about US$300–700 a day you are given four meals, invariably including a traditional asado, with activities such as horseriding and swimming also usually part of the price. Many places offer experiences that reflect the local area, from cattle herding and branding in the pampas to wine tasting at Mendoza to observing caymans in the Litoral.
You can book your estancia accommodation either by approaching them directly or through certain travel agencies; a comprehensive one in Buenos Aires is Estancias Argentinas, at Roque Sáenz Peña 616, 9th floor (t011 4343 2366, westanciasargentinas.com).
Popular in resort towns, self-catering cabañas are small, chalet-style buildings that can vary from miniature suburban villas with cable TV and microwaves to pleasingly simple and rustic wooden constructions. If you have been staying in a lot of hotels or doing some hardcore camping, cabañas can be fun and relaxing places to take a break for a few days. They are often very good value for money for small groups, although a few of the simpler ones can also be surprisingly affordable options for couples or even single travellers. They are usually grouped together in outfits of between two and ten cabins; many campsites also offer basic ones as an alternative to tents.
There are plenty of places to camp throughout Argentina, with most towns and villages having their own municipal campsites (campings), but standards vary widely. At the major resorts, there are usually plenty of privately owned, well-organized sites, with facilities ranging from provisions stores to volleyball courts and TV rooms. Some are attractive, but mostly they seem to take the fun out of camping and you're more likely to wake up to a view of next door's 4WD than the surrounding countryside. They are, however, good places to meet other travellers and generally offer a high degree of security. There are also simpler campsites, though at nearly all of them showers, electric light and barbecue facilities are standard. A campsite with no, or very limited, facilities is referred to as a camping libre. Municipal sites can be rather desolate and sometimes not particularly safe: it's usually a good idea to check with locals as to the security of the place before pitching a tent. The price and pricing system vary greatly from place to place but expect to pay around $30–70 per person.
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IHS Markit is your source for ISO standards and publications.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer and publisher of International Standards.
ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 163 countries, one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system.
ISO is a non-governmental organization that forms a bridge between the public and private sectors. On the one hand, many of its member institutes are part of the governmental structure of their countries, or are mandated by their government. On the other hand, other members have their roots uniquely in the private sector, having been set up by national partnerships of industry associations.
Therefore, ISO enables a consensus to be reached on solutions that meet both the requirements of business and the broader needs of society.
ISO Standards cover a wide variety of items ranging from medical equipment to shipbuilding. ISO Standards cover: Mechanical, Machinery, Chemistry, Coatings, Construction, Metals, Aerospace, Fuels, Energy, Transportation, Information, Image Technology, Quality, Measurements, Safety, Environment, Medical, and Consumer Goods.
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Editorial: Shame on us
Yes, you read the headline correctly — shame on us. We (the newspaper industry) have done a terrible job throughout the decades of informing readers, audience members, business leaders, community leaders, elected officials and citizens about how our business operates. Now, when faced with tough decisions we somehow expect the communities we serve to understand why we're making changes when we have never explained our business model well. We're reaping what we have sown. That's on us.
A joke often heard in most newspaper operations is we're in the communication business and yet are some of the worst internal and external communicators when it comes to our own business. We want to cover stories, not be a part of stories. Back in the heyday of newspapers, telling our own story didn't matter. Now it does.
So in a departure from tradition, we are baring our souls.
Just as it isn't easy for people to ask for help, it is similarly not easy for an organization to admit it has a problem, faces a challenge or just plain needs help. That's where RiverTown Multimedia is today, that's where the newspaper industry is today. We're facing a challenge and we need everyone's help.
Like our coverage, dislike our coverage, it doesn't matter. Our communities need us. Our democracy needs us. You need us. We need you.
Recent decisions
Currently, some of you are upset with our recent decision to close buildings in some of the communities we serve. Some have described our actions as abandoning communities. That's the furthest thing from the truth.
We're not leaving the communities where we're closing buildings. We remain committed to providing quality, community-focused content. The reality is the locations we have closed were not frequented often by the public. Our customers are using Facebook, text messaging, email, websites and other electronic means to communicate with us in real time and more often.
Other media entities cover the metro area, the state, the region from one office, not offices in every community they serve. The number and location of RiverTown offices has zero impact on our news coverage and our commitment to provide excellent, timely content and advertising messages.
A primer on newspaper economics, newspaper economics 101 if you will.
Let's dispel a couple of misnomers: Newspapers are not non-profit businesses; nor are they public utilities.
Newspapers are a for-profit business and are managed and operated like most other businesses. We pay employees wages and benefits. We buy materials and services from local, state, regional, national and international vendors. We pay for utilities. We pay taxes. We donate cash, services and other items to charities.
Newspapers traditionally have derived revenue from three different sources: Advertisers who place ads to market their goods and/or services; individuals who place classified advertisements selling couches, cars, and other goods; and individuals who pay for a subscription to receive the news and advertising messages printed on the newspaper's pages.
And after all the revenue owed to us is collected and expenses paid, we strive to have more revenue coming in than expenses going out — a profit.
So how did we get to where we are at today?
Up until about 2007 the newspaper industry was chugging along as it always had. Enjoying mostly good economic times, with an occasional bad year, or two, as a result of the overall health of the local, state or national economy.
Major disruption started in 2007 as technological advancements resulted in the explosion of the "smartphone" — mainly starting with the iPhone — and simultaneously the build-out of a faster network to handle the movement of massive amounts of data to a massive amount of devices. The newspaper industry had been struggling with how to "monetize" its websites on the internet for nearly a decade and now stared at the added challenge of people being able to access even more data mobily. What had been a relative slow decline in the number of print subscribers and subsequently subscriber revenue started to accelerate. Meanwhile, retailers started to migrate advertising dollars out of print and to digital advertising sources, which had a further negative impact on newspapers.
If that wasn't enough of a challenge, the U.S. economy, and the world economy, tanked in 2008, leaving retailers hurting and pulling back on advertising investments across all mediums. The Great Recession took a significant bite out of newspaper advertising revenue.
The development of social media platforms, coupled again with mobile and network advancements, resulted in people being able to sell their personal items directly to others they were connected with. This eliminated the need to place classified ads in newspapers, resulting in even less revenue flowing into newspapers.
During the same period the cost of business wasn't going down. The cost of materials, equipment, taxes, health insurance were all going up.
Not a good scenario for any type of business.
What have we done?
We've adapted. We're no longer just printing newspapers, we're multimedia companies producing content in text, audio and video formats for dissemination in print and online.
We've embraced technology, resulting in the automation and centralization of many processes and tasks. This has allowed us to retain, and employ, content generators and sales professionals in the communities we serve.
We've shrunk the number of buildings we own and operate. We continue to support the communities we cover even as our physical footprint dwindles; it's because the evolution of our business no longer requires enormous pieces of equipment, or high volumes of people. Just as many factories have reduced in size or number as technology has changed, so have we. One reporter with a smartphone has literally replaced dozens of people compared to 30 years ago. Same goes for a sales representative with a tablet.
We never were a destination business like a retail store. Our employees have always gone out into the world to do their work. Reporters travel to stories. Sales representatives meet with business owners at their places of business. Our independently contracted delivery force, or the U.S. Mail, brings our print products to your doorstep, and, of course, the internet brings content to your mobile phone, tablet or desktop computer.
The world has changed and we have changed with it.
The result is we produce more content today than ever before and have more audience than at any point in our history. We also have less economic support from our communities than ever before.
That's right, we're producing more than ever, being read by more than ever, yet the communities we cover provide us less economic support than ever before.
What's next?
First, newspapers are not dying. They are reinventing themselves on the fly, for all the world to see.
No pressure, but you need us to figure this out. Our democracy, our way of life depends on a strong, free, ethical press. The journalist watchdog is more important than ever as all of us are overwhelmed with messages coming from unknown, untrained, unverified sources.
We're not seeking a free pass. Call us out when we don't meet your standards. We will listen and work to meet your high expectations.
We're asking for your support. Today, that means purchasing us in print, as we don't yet charge for our website-based content. In the very near future we will charge for access to our websites and will welcome your support when that day arrives.
If you own a business; place advertisements with us. Our products get results. We have more audience than ever before.
If you are selling your couch, or car, place an ad with us. Our products get results. We have more audience than ever before.
Support us like you support all local businesses, or perhaps how you should support local businesses. If you want a healthy community, it starts with having a healthy business community and we're a part of that community. Our employees work and live here, buy houses, buy cars, buy groceries, pay taxes; they do their part to support the local economy, as does our business.
We are producing more content than ever and have more audience than ever before. We now need the community economic support to match.


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The official NEWARK RUFC app
The Rugby Ground Kelham Road Newark-on-Trent, Notts 01636 702355 NG24 1WN View with Google Maps
This website is part of the Pitchero Rugby Union network. Create your own free Rugby Union club website with Pitchero.
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This is an exciting time for space aficionados.
Sure there are concerns about the sustainability of what NASA is doing, but there's a ton going on in the commercial market. Not only are private companies like Virgin Galactic opening space up to the common (but rich) man, they're promising to fly humans back beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time in four decades.
And people are making their excitement known.
Last December a company called Golden Spike announced a plan to send two-person missions to the surface of the moon by 2020 for about $1.5 billion a flight.
Originally the company planned to begin a marketing campaign in around 2015 to allow the public to participate in the process of developing, planning and experiencing such a flight.
"After the announcement we expected a pulse of interest," the company's founder, Alan Stern, told me. "But we had people knocking down our door down from the beginning and it didn't die off. We realized we've really got something here and we don't want to keep turning people away, so we we decided to accelerate those promotional activities."
So, as the leading edge of its efforts to engage the public, Golden Spike has launched an Indiegogo fundraising campaign. It's simply an outlet for people who want to get the human race flying back to the moon a way to show their support and get a few token perks in return.
Obviously giving money to a private company just for the purpose of supporting spaceflight isn't for everyone. But such ideas have worked before — public subscribers funded many of the early expeditions that explored the Arctic and Antarctic areas of the planet.
And Stern's not trying to reach everyone, anyway.
"What's different now compared to what we had during the first 50 years of human spaceflight is that with NASA's limited resources they could only do one thing at a time. And with the government model you had to have a consensus on what that one thing is. In the commercial world if I can capture 3 percent of the American population's interest, that's a huge market."
So if you think this is a dumb idea, Stern doesn't care. He knows there are many others out there who do care about exploration.
And he's giving them a chance to put their money where their mouth is.


text: Large-scale catalogue documenting the video collection held by the Generali Foundation. Additionally this catalogue documents other works held by the Foundation including paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, and other works. "Some art is dismissed as 'difficult' -- difficult because of the media it employs, but even more so because of the sociopolitical themes it addresses. This art is often conceptual or performative, works cross-disciplinarily with architecture and design, and critically examines social parameters and the role of the media. Its media is naturally mixed, spanning and going beyond photography, film, video, and installation, all of which allow for process-oriented engagement. The Generali Foundation in Vienna has devoted much of its collection, exhibition energy, and research focus to this 'difficult' type of artwork. Though many of the artists that form its collection are part of the canon of recent art history, they are mostly underrepresented in institutions -- but not the Generali Foundation. Occupying Space presents a dense, comprehensive selection of projects from its collection by such artists as Valie Export, Andrea Fraser, Isa Genzken, Dan Graham, Hans Haacke, Hans Hollein, Mary Kelly, Gordon Matta-Clark, Adrian Piper, Martha Rosler, Allan Sekula, Peter Weibel, and Franz West, together with brief, articulate texts on their work." -- publisher's statement.


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It's not a scientific exercise. It's more a gut feeling than anything else.
The Kentucky Derby almost always results in a great, touching story about the winner.
The stories are so remarkable that it often seems that deciding which Derby horses possesses the best back story might be a more profitable method than poring over past performances, speed figures and notes on traffic woes.
So, as a public service, here is a list of thumbnail sketches of the stories that have caught my eye so far during the Kentucky Derby 138 season.
HANSEN — If the reigning 2-year-old champion runs well in Saturday's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, I think he'll be the Derby favorite.
Not only will he be accomplished on the racetrack with five wins in six races, his color will drop his odds by a few points. Hansen is so gray he is nearly white and his owner, Dr. Kendall Hansen, wears a T-shirt that bears the words: "The Great White Hope.â€
Hansen will be an irresistible bet for a lot of casual racing fans, many of whom seem to gravitate to grays. That group is in ample supply on the first Saturday in May.
OPTIMIZER — He's owned by former Franklin, Ky. tobacco farmer Brad Kelley, who is the richest Kentuckian you've never heard of.
Kelley founded Commonwealth Brands Tobacco Company in 1990, which Fortune magazine reported that he sold for $1 billion a decade later.
That publication ranks him at around 600 on its list of the world's richest people.
But what makes Optimizer most interesting to me is he is trained by Hall of Famer and four-time Derby winner D. Wayne Lukas. Lukas is now 76, with his next birthday looming on Sept. 12. Charlie Whittingham became the oldest trainer to saddle a Derby winner when Sunday Silence won the 1989 Derby, just after the "Bald Eagle†had celebrated his 76th birthday on April 13.
Optimizer runs in Saturday's Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
TAKE CHARGE INDY — If this son of A.P. Indy wins the Derby, the headline should read "The Return of Pat Byrne.â€
The British-born trainer was a national sensation in 1997, when he had 'Horse of the Year†and 2-year-old champion Favorite Trick and 2-year-old filly champion Princess Diana in his barn. The following year he guided Awesome Again to a surprise victory over the greatest field ever assembled in U.S. racing in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.
Things have been quiet for Byrne in recent years until his well-bred colt upset early Derby favorite Union Rags in the Florida Derby to firmly establish his Derby 138 credentials.
The Derby is a huge hole on the talented Byrne's résumé and a win would put him right back in racing's spotlight.
And there's a bonus: Take Charge Indy will have three-time Derby winner Calvin Borel in the saddle.
UNION RAGS — This talented colt could still be the favorite on Derby Day despite his third-place finish behind Take Charge Indy in the Florida Derby, a race in which he encountered traffic woes and ran seriously for only a furlong or so.
He's trained by Michael Matz, who saddled the ill-fated Barbaro to win the 2006 Derby.
Along with being a top-notch trainer, Matz's bio makes him a compelling presence when he shows up for any race. He had a remarkable career as a show jumping rider and was chosen to carry the U.S. flag for the closing ceremonies at the 1996 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Seven years before that he was praised for his heroism in the crash of United Airlines Flight 232, which suffered mechanical failure and slammed into a Souix City, Iowa cornfield.
Matz led four children to safety in the aftermath of the crash that took 111 lives.
Three of those children – siblings who were traveling alone on the flight – were at Churchill Downs with Matz and his wife D.D., who was traveling with Matz on that day, for Barbaro's mesmerizing Derby triumph.
WENT THE DAY WELL — Team Valor's winner of the Lane's End Spiral at Turfway Park is following the successful path to Kentucky Derby roses used by stablemate Animal Kingdom a year ago.
He's trained by Graham Motion and a victory in Derby 138 would be the first back-to-back wins by an owner-trainer team since Riva Ridge and Secretariat won the race in 1972 and '73, respectively.
GEMOLOGIST — The unbeaten winner of the Wood Memorial will attempt to follow in the footsteps of recent stars Barbaro and Smarty Jones (2004), who won the Kentucky Derby with spotless records.
He would be the second Derby winner for both WinStar Farm and trainer Todd Pletcher, who teamed to win in 2010 with Super Saver.
ALPHA — This son of Bernardini could finally provide the Dubai-based Godolphin and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum with a long-awaited Kentucky Derby victory.
America's greatest race is one of the few prizes to elude Godolphin, despite untold millions spent in the effort to win it.
Lexington native Kiaran McLaughlin has trained the Wood Memorial runner-up in the U.S., a departure from the earlier Godolphin strategy in which its Derby hopefuls trained in Dubai before shipping to Kentucky. The best finish yielded by that plan was a sixth-place run by China Visit in 2000.
DULLAHAN — Trained by Louisville native Dale Romans, this half-brother to longshot 2009 Derby winner Mine That Bird runs in Saturday's Blue Grass.
DADDY LONG LEGS/WROTE — Both are trained by Irish training king Aidan O'Brien, who won two races in last fall's Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs and would love to add a Kentucky Derby to his fantastic résumé with the 1-3 finishers in Dubai's UAE Derby.
There are more good stories, to be sure — but those should get you started with just over three weeks to go until Kentucky Derby 138.
Photo By GARRY JONES | Contributing Photographer


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Create the ultimate Feature Wall! All these designs are produced on fabulous non woven, 'paste the wall' paper, making them easy to install. The only hard part is deciding which one to choose.
Childs Room, Kitchen, Bathroom, Play Room or Office use Digital Wall Art to create a 'wow factor' in your home. Browse through our collections below to choose a Digital Wall Art for your favourite room. Please note delivery on all Wall Art is 10-14 working days.
A Collection of stunning Digital Wall Arts from Nono's Wallpower Next Collection.
Please Note: Please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery.
Bold, bright and colourful designs to brighten up your childrens room or play area.
Please Note: Please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery.
Mr Perswall - Communication. This wallpaper collection enables you to tell the tales that shape your everyday life. Straight on the wall.
Destinations is an unlimited collection that appeals to everyone who at some time has been out in the wide world, has pulled up their roots or headed for new destinations.
Mr Perswall - Fashion. Whether you're infinitely impressionable, incurably provocative or comfortably predictable, you'll find your personal expression in this collection. Fashion is a wardrobe full of wallpapers that make sure your walls show who you are.
Take a look, try them out and choose a style that brings character to the rooms in your home. We promise a perfect fit, superior quality and walls that suit you.
Hide & Seek is an educational collection that encourages children to discover new things using their entire body.
Mr Perswall - Accessories. Accessories embraces features not normally associated with wall designs. It opens the door to endless opportunities for adding exciting dimensions and a distinctive character to your home.
Think outside the box, let a flower interact with the light fitting on the ceiling; a necklace embellish the dressing table; a microphone say who you are. Accessories' versatile wallpapers inspire playful creativity and new lines of thought.
Mr Perswall - Creativity & Photo Art. Do you dream of windows overlooking the sea or a view of New York? A larger apartment? Your own private spa? Discover the collection's creative illustrations and photographs that let you play with spatial perspectives and frames of mind. You'll find many of the wallpapers are highly usable too.
Creativity & PhotoArt is the collection where you can expect the unexpected in the realm of innovative wall design.
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Whether you are a nature lover exhilarated by the pulse of the city, or a city person in step with nature, the wallpapers in the Urban Nature collection offer what you need to give the walls of your home a unique look.
Mr Perswall - Photo. Do you want to create space in confined areas or have large windows with views? Wallpaper your living room with a private jetty! Or choose a motif that adds depth and dimension to a small bathroom.
The collection blends Scandinavian motifs with exciting graphic art, comprising photographs of both urban and natural scenes. Photo provides a simple means of bringing totally new perspectives to your rooms and a vibrant, personal touch to your home.
The need to express ourselves and tell our story visually is as old as mankind itself. It lies there deeply imbedded in our DNA – the urge to share our experiences, opinions and thoughts. And all the time art by nature is constantly changing, always adapting its expressions as history unfolds.
New styles of art are invented every single day and it is our inherent will to experiment that is taking us forward. From cave drawings to the renaissance genius and today's street artists.
The desire of being surrounded by uncontaminated nature, of reliving heroic deeds and of recalling ancient prints of the past.
The Macro collection has been created with the ambition of constantly evoking facinating emotions day by day. Offering a new collection of Avante-Garde wall covering., manufacturered with a sophisticated technology, maintaining however the original value of the image proposed, giving the impression of an artistic engraving made by hand.
Every colour pressent in the Macro collection has been carefully selected in order to match perfectly with the image itself and offer a harmonic sset of chromatic values, suitable for a great variety of projects of interior decoration.
Macro is innovative collection of wall covering, unique of its kind, developed for a very specific purpose; offering the opportunity to create a luxurious atmosphere of exclusiveness.
Accessories - A collection of stunning Digital Wall Arts from Henri Maison.
Make your home a place to remember! The collection Nostlagic is literally a memorable collection designed to trigger childhood memories, the feeling of the first kiss or the grandmother's story from the past.
The inspiration comes from the 1900s, with everything from 20th century great movie stars, hippie flowers, American road signs and neon flickering pinball machines. Welcome to take a trip down memory lane!
A Collection of stunning Digital Wall Arts from Eijffinger's Wallpower Rhythm Collection.
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A Collection of stunning Digital Wall Arts from Casadeco's "So Wall" collection.
Please Note: Please allow up to 4 weeks for delivery.
Remember you childhood activity books? Finding the odd one out, drawing lines between numbers or playing a game of memory. This is a wallpaper collection that takes us back to our most educational creative joy and sets it free to flourish on the walls. Put your mind to work and start to interact!


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We all know Valentine's Day is a bunch of bullshit, and many of us with partners aren't celebrating because it's stupid and also, we have work and families and stuff. However, it's still kinda fun to get upset about forced consumerism in the name of romance, right? Many of us are always looking for a way to rage against the societal machine, and today's a better day than most for that!
So while everyone else in the America is fucking, or eating chocolate-covered penises off of their partners bodies (or whatever it is people in relationships do), we need to put a NAME and FACE to our collective loneliness We need a soundtrack for our pain, and movies to yell at while we eat ice cream with a celery stick spoon (cancels out the calories, just check with your friend, SCIENCE).
To get us started:
Smile, Lily Allen
I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor
We are Never, Ever, Ever Getting Back Together, Taylor Swift (obviously, T-Swif in general)
Cry Me a River, JT
Since U Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson
I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt (SOBBING)
Someone Like You, Adele
End of the Road, Boyz II Men
I'm Not Crying, Flight of the Concords
I Don't Want to Get Over You, Magnetic Fields (also, "You Must Be Out of Your Mind" is great, too)
Out in the Streets, The Shangri-Las (Blondie cover is great, too!)
Sliding Doors
500 Days of Summer
First Wives Club
Wuthering Heights
The Break-Up
OK, let's make some really fucked-up, heart-wrenching playlists. Go!


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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Ichiro Suzuki hit a go-ahead two-run single in the ninth inning and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 Tuesday night.
Robinson Cano ended AL Cy Young Award winner David Price's night with a leadoff single in the ninth. Tampa Bay is winless in all five of Price's starts this year. The left-hander (0-2) allowed three runs and eight hits over eight-plus innings.
After Cano stole second on a pitch by Fernando Rodney that struck out Vernon Wells, pinch-hitter Travis Hafner was intentionally walked and Lyle Overbay walked to load the bases.
First baseman James Loney helped Rodney by making a sliding catch on Chris Stewart's foul ball, but Suzuki then drove in two for a 4-2 lead on a liner to centre.
David Robertson (1-0) worked a perfect eighth before Mariano Rivera got his sixth save despite allowing Evan Longoria's leadoff homer.
The only other team to lose the first five starts made by a reigning Cy Young winner was the 1989 Minnesota Twins. They lost in Frank Viola's first seven starts before finally winning on May 9.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Howie Kendrick hit his second home run of the game in the 11th inning and finished with four RBIs, leading Los Angeles over Texas.
Kendrick, who hit a two-run shot in the sixth off Alexi Ogando and an RBI single in the first, drove a 1-1 pitch to left-centre against rookie Joe Ortiz (2-1) for his third homer of the season.
Dane De La Rosa (1-0) pitched two perfect innings for his first major league win.
The Rangers tied it 4-all in the eighth with an unearned run against Scott Downs.
Texas had a runner at third with two outs in the ninth against Ernesto Frieri, but left fielder Mike Trout robbed Adrian Beltre of an extra-base hit with a full-out diving catch on the warning track.
Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer for the Rangers.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Manny Machado had two hits and two RBIs, and Baltimore used a four-run second inning to beat R.A. Dickey and Toronto.
Miguel Gonzalez (2-1) allowed three runs in six innings for the Orioles, who have won nine of 13. By taking the first two games of the three-game set, Baltimore improved to 5-2 in seven series.
It was the 100th consecutive game the Orioles have won when leading after seven innings, a streak that began in August 2011. Baltimore is 4-3 in one-run games after starting 0-3.
Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer for the last-place Blue Jays, who have dropped six of eight. Dickey (2-3) gave up four runs, six hits and five walks in six innings.
BOSTON (AP) — Bartolo Colon allowed three hits and Oakland capitalized on eight walks, two balks and two errors to beat Boston in a rain-shortened game.
The A's broke a scoreless tie with six runs in the third when Seth Smith hit a two-run homer, then added two in the fourth, four in the fifth and one in the sixth to snap a four-game skid.
Colon (3-0) pitched all seven innings and had little trouble in the light-to-medium rain that fell throughout the game. He struck out seven and issued his first walk this season in 25 innings to Jacoby Ellsbury leading off the sixth.
Alfredo Aceves (1-1) wallowed seven earned runs in 3 1-3 innings for Boston.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Oswaldo Arcia hit his first career home run and Kevin Correia gave up two runs in seven innings, leading Minnesota over Miami in the opener of a day-night doubleheader.
The Marlins' offence finally showed some life in the nightcap with an 8-5 victory.
Arcia's three-run homer in the fourth backed Correia (2-1), who allowed five hits and struck out five in the opener. The Twins shrugged off yet another chilly day to win their fifth straight. Brian Dozier had three hits, and Glen Perkins got his sixth save.
Jose Fernandez (0-2) gave up four runs and six hits for the Marlins, who are off to a franchise-worst 5-16 start after an off-season salary purge. Joe Mahoney had two hits and two RBIs for Miami.
In the second game, Rob Brantly had three hits and a career-high four RBIs for Miami.
Brantly had two doubles and Ricky Nolasco (1-2) allowed two earned runs on six hits in five innings for the Marlins, who won for just the fifth time this season. Miami had a season-high 16 hits, including a double, a single and two RBIs from struggling slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Steve Cishek got his second save.
Joe Mauer had two hits and an RBI, while Mike Pelfrey (2-2) had another rough outing, giving up five runs on nine hits in 4 2-3 innings as the Twins lost for the first time in six games.
HOUSTON (AP) — Marwin Gonzalez homered, Bud Norris rebounded from a tough start last time out and Houston snapped a three-game skid with a victory over Seattle.
The game was tied at 1 when Gonzalez launched his homer about 10 rows into the stands in right field to start Houston's third. Gonzalez, who bats ninth, hit just four home runs in 80 games last season and has three in 16 this year.
Houston got an insurance run when Hisashi Iwakuma (2-1) hit Justin Maxwell with a pitch with the bases loaded later in that inning.
Norris (3-2) allowed a season-high eight hits in five innings.


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The Lost Gardens of Heligan
200 acres of garden history, mystery and romance
Twenty-five years ago, Heligan's historic gardens were unknown and unseen; lost under a tangle of weeds. It was only the chance discovery of a door in the ruins that led to the restoration of this once great estate. Today, The Lost Gardens have been put back where they belong: in pride of place among the finest gardens in Cornwall.
The Story
Read more about Heligan's history and rediscovery
Plan Your Visit
Find everything you need to know about visiting us
Wander over 200 acres of gardens and estate
Plan your day out with our events calendar


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If you've got children, or plans to grow your family, buying a home in a reputable school district is a must. Lucky for you, [SchoolDistrict] is just the place to find your next home. Shop new construction floor plans from over 0 of the nation's top builders, and you'll be sure to land your dream home, in an area where education flourishes.
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The Jail's recreation staff coordinates all prisoner recreational activities. Eligible prisoners are offered up to five hours of recreational activity weekly. Basketball, volleyball, and ping-pong are among the activities that are available during recreation periods.
The recreation staff coordinates the library services within the jail. The recreation staff distributes a variety of reading materials, educational books, and legal manuals to each of the housing units.
Day Reporting Program
Non-violent offenders serving sentences may be screened for release into the Day Reporting Program in lieu of incarceration. Prisoners in the program report daily and through their work perform valuable community service, while under the supervision of sheriffs deputies. This program has the added benefit of teaching prisoners valuable work ethics and skills.
Prisoner Work Program
services, kitchen duty, assist with commissary, and to assist with the overall cleanliness and sanitation of the facility. In 1993, the Prisoner Work Program was expanded to include work details outside the Jail including washing patrol cars, assisting with loading dock deliveries, and picking up debris around county facilities. This program saves the county money and provides meaningful activity for the prisoners.
Volunteer Program
A number of volunteer programs are made available to prisoners, including domestic violence/anger control classes and chemical dependency and alcohol/drug education classes. The jail also offers computer classes, health classes, and a self-esteem program. Worship services are offered weekly and a basic literacy program is available upon request.
If you are interested in participating as a volunteer, call us at (937) 225-4105.


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We are proud to serve fresh, locally sourced food where ever possible and all our dishes are home made. Our menus will change seasonally and we have a specials board in the pub which changes on a monthly basis, however we always offer a Sunday lunch and serve sandwiches throughout the week.
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Open Thread - 6/16/2019
US Politics & Gov't
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About Custom Wedding Favor Tags — Color Wash
Our Color Wash wedding favor tags are printed on extra-thick cover weight white paper and come in a variety of shapes and sizes (diamond, circle, heart, square, scallop-edged circle, ovals, and other more intricate shapes). And our Color Wash wedding favor tags come pre-punched with a small round hole to thread your choice of tie material. They are punched out individually and packaged as a set in small bags. At Evermine, we've put a tremendous amount of thought into our packaging, material quality and lovingly created designs to make all your products and gifts perfect. Start personalizing your Color Wash wedding favor tags today!


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Wobbly drive array problems? This'll stiffen your rack
But don't shout at your kit - it actually slows it down
Everyday background vibration in data centre drive arrays can slow drive random read performance by up to 246 per cent. Stiffer drive racks prevent this happening and make I/O-dependent apps go faster.
Storage consultant Robin Harris pointed us towards the IEEE paper Effects of Data Center Vibration on Compute System Performance, which describes the research that identified the problem and explored a fix. The paper was written by Julian Turner, Chief Technology Officer for Q Associates in Houston, Texas.
Turner writes that his research was sparked by the so-called Yell Test in which Brendan Gregg of Sun Microsystems shouted while standing by a Sun array and caused a measurable decrease in drive performance. The sound vibration of the shout penetrated the array cabinet and drive cases affected disk head and track alignment enough to cause I/O retries as heads and tracks realigned.
Turner supposed that there was ongoing vibration in data centres that would constantly impact on drive performance and slow application processing down, because the drives were taking longer than needed to read and write data due to the excessive retries needed to correct head/track misalignment causing data read/write errors.
He checked out the I/O performance of a Sun 7110 array with 16 x 300GB, 10k 2.5-inch Seagate enterprise class SAS hard drives installed in a raised floor data centre, using D-Trace analytic software. (There was absolutely no reason to suppose that the results are specific to this Sun array and its Seagate drives.)
He then compared the results with the same array installed in a specifically designed anti-vibration rack made by made Green Platform Corporation.
The effects of background data centre vibration were astounding with regard to random I/O, where reads could speed up by from 56 per cent to 246 per cent in the anti-vibration rack. Random writes improved by 34 per cent to 88 per cent. Streaming I/O improvements were much smaller though still measurable.
By stiffening drive array racks application speed should increase, and disk energy usage should decrease through much-reduced head movements because there is a far higher chance that data retries won't be needed.
The tests also revealed a very mysterious latent performance effect in which the result of a preceding test run would affect the next test run. If a previous run caused high latency to occur, then the next run would be slower than otherwise.
It seems to be a real effect that will affect benchmark runs. Read the IEEE paper (pdf) to find out more. ®


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European Commissioner Claims 'Nothing Secret' About TAFTA/TTIP, Tries To Defend Corporate Sovereignty
from the getting-desperate dept
After lurking in the shadows for a few months, the mega transatlantic trade deal TAFTA/TTIP is starting to hit the mainstream media. Here, for example, is an excellent article by George Monbiot in the Guardian, which rightly singles out corporate sovereignty as a key threat:
Panic spreads through the European commission like ferrets in a rabbit warren. Its plans to create a single market incorporating Europe and the United States, progressing so nicely when hardly anyone knew, have been blown wide open. All over Europe people are asking why this is happening; why we were not consulted; for whom it is being done.
In a clear sign that the European Commission is starting to worry that people are waking up to the dangers present in TAFTA/TTIP, Karel De Gucht, the commissioner for trade, has written a response to Monbiot's article. Techdirt readers will recall that it was largely because of De Gucht's handling of ACTA that it suffered an ignominious defeat in the European Parliament last year. Sadly, it looks like he has learned nothing from the experience:
They have good reason to ask. The commission insists that its Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership should include a toxic mechanism called investor-state dispute settlement. Where this has been forced into other trade agreements, it has allowed big corporations to sue governments before secretive arbitration panels composed of corporate lawyers, which bypass domestic courts and override the will of parliaments.
George Monbiot, in his article on the negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, claims the European commission has tried to "keep this process quiet" (Chickens in chlorine? It's what free trade's about, 3 December). This is laughable. Every step of these negotiations has been publicly announced and widely reported in the press. The commission has regularly consulted a broad range of civil society organisations in writing and in person, and our most recent meeting had 350 participants from trade unions, NGOs and business.
It's true, every step of the negotiations has indeed been announced, but only in terms of what was happening when -- hardly very informative. What people want to know is what is being said during those negotiations, and very little of that has been released. They would also like the opportunity to provide their views on the subject, and to be listened to. It's not clear who those "350 participants" mentioned above might include, or what the exact breakdown of numbers is. What we do know is that of 130 "meetings with stakeholders" that took place earlier this year, 119 of them were with large corporates and their lobbyists.
Here's an interesting point raised by De Gucht:
no agreement will become law before it is thoroughly examined and signed off by the European parliament and 29 democratically elected national governments -- the US government and 28 in the EU's council.
I've not seen this misdirection before, but I'm sure we will in future. It seeks to convey the idea that nothing is final, and that the European Parliament will be able to examine and approve the agreement before it is ratified. Strictly speaking, that's true -- with two important caveats. First, that the European Parliament cannot change a single comma of the agreement that is presented to it, whatever horrors it finds there. And secondly, the "signing off" is all or nothing: either it accepts everything, or rejects it. Given the exaggerated claims about the agreement's benefits, the European Parliament will be under huge pressure not to reject it, even if it contains a truly awful chapter on corporate sovereignty, for example.
On the subject of supposed benefits, De Gucht of course trots out the big numbers:
we do not take Monbiot's extreme view that investment protection agreements (IPAs) are "toxic" attempts to put monster corporations in charge of our destinies. His exaggerated fears are no reason to abandon a deal with the US that could create £100bn in new growth for Europe.
No justification for refusing to recognize that ISDS places corporations above nations is offered, just a dogmatic statement. But it's worth remembering that the £100 billion -- which comes from the €119 billion figure in the European Commission's report -- is for 2027, is the best-case figure, and is anyway unlikely to be achieved. That's because it assumes massive deregulation of health and safety standards that will to be too much even for a European Parliament under pressure to accept the deal.
There then follows this comment from De Gucht:
(Contrary to Monbiot's claims, the economic impact of free trade agreements has been positive. For example, Europe's agreement with South Korea has seen our exports rise by 24% in its first two years.)
Monbiot was quoting figures Techdirt used earlier this year in the context of NAFTA and KORUS. I find it interesting that De Gucht underlines the success of the agreement with South Korea. That also applies to investments: according to the European Commission's own site on the agreement with South Korea, "European companies are the largest investors in South Korea." And yet it turns out that there are no corporate sovereignty provisions in the agreement: it would seem that even without them, European companies are perfectly happy to make significant investments in South Korea, so why does the European Commission insist ISDS must be a part of TAFTA/TTIP?
Here's De Gucht's only attempt at a justification:
In reality, these IPAs [investment protection agreements] protect job- creating investment from discrimination and unfair treatment. The UK has benefited, with 15 British companies launching cases under investment agreements in the last five years.
Well, let's look at the most recent of those cases, as listed in the annual report on ISDS published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. In 2012, UK companies concluded corporate sovereignty cases against the following nations: Argentina, Tanzania and Hungary. New ones were begun against Hungary, Indonesia, Pakistan and Uganda. That's pretty much as you'd expect: most cases were brought against governments in emerging economies where UK companies might be concerned about the judicial systems (whether or not that concern was justified is another matter.)
But those cases have no bearing on TAFTA/TTIP, which is purely between the US and EU, and therefore involves only the judicial systems of those two areas. Nobody could seriously claim that investors will fail to receive fair hearings in either, so De Gucht's invocation of other corporate sovereignty cases elsewhere is simply irrelevant.
He concludes by making some striking assertions:
EU investment agreements will explicitly state that legitimate government public policy decisions -- on issues such as the balance between public and private provision of healthcare or "the European ban on chicken carcasses washed with chlorine" -- cannot be over-ridden. We will crack down on companies using legal technicalities to build frivolous cases against governments. We will open up investment tribunals to public scrutiny -- documents will be public and interested parties, including NGOs, will be able to make submissions. Finally, we will eliminate any conflicts of interest -- the arbitrators who decide on EU cases must be above suspicion.
Of course, what he omits to mention here is that the EU is in no position unilaterally to insist: these things will only happen if the US agrees to them, and that seems highly unlikely, especially on transparency matters, where the US has shown itself completely unwilling to open up. Indeed, implicitly claiming that he will force the US to accept these conditions as part of the deal will make it more unlikely that it agrees to them.
De Gucht ends his assault on Monbiot with this stern admonition:
We should focus on the facts.
We should indeed, because they show quite clearly that the economic benefits of TAFTA/TTIP are likely to be extremely modest. They're certainly not worth the price to be paid in terms of loss of national sovereignty as a result of ISDS, or the enhanced corporate control of regulation on both sides of the Atlantic, recently revealed in the latest leak about the negotiations, which remain as secret and undemocratic as ever, despite claims by De Gucht to the contrary.
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Filed Under: corporate sovereignty, eu, investor state dispute settlement, isds, karel de gucht, tafta, ttip


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MIDDLEBURY — Crosswalk monitors are needed for the Walk/Bike to School Day in Middlebury on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Join children and adults around the world to celebrate the benefits of walking and biking.
CROSSWALK MONITORS NEEDED (Oct. 9, 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.)
Volunteers (12) needed to monitor crosswalk intersections along Route 7/ Cross Street/ Merchants Row during school arrival time. Meet at Mary Hogan School entrance at 7:30 a.m. for Safe Routes to School reflective vest and crosswalk location assignment.
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U.S. House Republicans along with their stupid and selfish actions have shut down the government.
It's perfectly obvious that the idiot Republicans in the U.S. House are hell bent to destroy our economy, our way of life, our society, our health care.
MIDDLEBURY — A Middlebury committee that is planning for a new municipal building and recreation center got its first look last week at some conceptual designs of how those structures might be massed.
It was on Oct. 1 that the Town Offices and Recreation Center Steering Committee got a chance to review the preliminary building sketches, prepared by Bread Loaf Corp. Current plans call for the new town offices to be built in place of the current Osborne House at 77 Main St., while the recreation center would be erected on school lands off Mary Hogan Drive.
MIDDLEBURY — Agri-Mark Inc. is seeking a permit from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources that would allow it to increase the amount of wastewater it discharges from its Exchange Street cheese plant in Middlebury.
While company and town officials say improvements at the plant will benefit them both by evening out discharges to the local water treatment plant, an outside group is raising questions about Agri-Mark's environmental record.
ADDISON COUNTY — As Vermont Gas Systems on Thursday formally announced plans to advance its proposed "Phase II" natural gas pipeline from Middlebury to the International Paper Co. in Ticonderoga, N.Y., officials in the two towns principally affected by the project readied for potentially rancorous talks with the gas company.
VERGENNES — With two new tenants in place and several prospects in the pipeline, the new owners of Vergennes landmark Kennedy Brothers Marketplace believe things have gone well since acquiring the North Main Street property in a family deal last December.
Boulder, Colo., couple Lillian Kennedy and Robert Feuerstein bought the Vergennes property and a Burlington property occupied by Sweetwaters restaurant from members of Kennedy's family.
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Fairway Needlecraft was started by two brothers and their father in 1919. One brother would print the embroidery pattern on doilies while the other brother would take his bicycle and go to local stores and sell these doilies by the gross. Their father financed this project. As the business grew they moved from the upstairs of the fathers house to their first factory location.The depression came and they survived by making ladies aprons. The business still continued to grow and finally the two brothers split the business, one continuing on with stamped embroidery and the other selling novelty items under the name of Fairway Manufacturing.Fairway Needlecraft moved from the city of St. Louis to its current location in St. Clair where the factory is located today. Three generation later, Fairway Needlecraft is still producing high quality stamped for embroidery items.We currently have a very complete line of embroidery items to purchase. A large selection of quilt blocks, with or without quilting marks. There are many different designs, some with only cross stitch, others with different embroidery stitches or a combination of both cross stitch and embroidery.Doilies with perle edge or with lace will accent any roomDresser scarves with either perle edge or lace edge are available to match our pillowcases and doilies.Pillowcases with perle, lace or our very own ruffled edge to enhance any bedroom. There are many different designs and many different themes.An area that we are continuing to develop is our Kids crafts. Currently we have our "Just Color It" pillowcases that are great for birthday parties or 4H project. The "Learn to Stitch" teaches children how to stitch and make an accent pillow for their bedroom. The newest addition to this area is our "Wall Art". This is a unique craft that encompasses painting, stitching, and fabric dyeing.Infant items are always good gifts. Our 9x9 inch baby blocks or 36x50 inch baby tops offer many different designs to choose from.
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