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Soggy planting season leaves growers dripping with concern - The Intelligencer

The ground is holding a lot of moisture,” Brunt said. “The fields are wet.”Master gardener Pauline Myers, with the Penn State Extension Service in Montgomery County, agrees. “It’s absolutely saturated,” she said of the soil. And with all the wet weather, the bees aren’t as busy pollinating the fruit trees and other plants that depend on them. “Bees don’t work in the rain.”Animals have also been affected. At the Doylestown Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Laura Weis said she’s seen about a dozen cases of leptospirosis this year, most likely because of the ground not drying out. The rare disease is spread in the urine of dogs and wild animals. Because it’s been so wet, dogs that come in contact with the urine of another animal can acquire the infection which affects their kidneys and can be fatal if not treated, she said.“We haven’t seen much of it until we’ve had this incredibly wet weather,” she said. A vaccination prevents the illness, but previously there wasn’t much need for dogs to be vaccinated. The vaccine costs about $20 to $25. The disease also can affect people but most of those cases are from swimming in ponds or other untreated waterways, she said. Farm animals such as sheep can also be affected by infections from standing in muddy areas.Soybeans are usually planted by late May, but this year, Brunt and other family members who farm on land they own and lease have had to plant around wet spots. “We’re behind where we should be in planting. We’d like to be done and we’re only a quarter of the way done,” he said.And the strawberries, a late spring favorite, need some extra care this year as well.When the ground is so wet, the strawberries hold extra water. “They get mold faster," said Brunt, on his Southampton farm.Myers said all the rain promotes an increase in both fungal and bacterial diseases that can affect fruits and vegetables. To help keep a garden healthy, she advised home gardeners to put plants in raised beds or containers. Also, make sure to water just the base of the plant because wetting the leaves permits fungi and bacter... https://www.theintell.com/news/20190525/soggy-planting-season-leaves-growers-dripping-with-concern

MADD fights for tougher Md. laws on drunk driving

Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, followed by burial at Judean Memorial Gardens in Olney. (WTOP/Kate Ryan) WASHINGTON — The death of a Montgomery County police officer is galvanizing efforts to toughen drunk driving laws in Maryland. Lisa Spicknall, state program director for MADD Maryland, has watched police and politicians call for interlock devices — or in-car Breathalyzers — be installed by law in cases where a driver was found to have been driving drunk. “We’ve actually fought for that law for the past eight years,” Spicknall said. The proposal has stalled every time. Spicknall said bills to require an interlock device for those found guilty of drunken driving have failed in Annapolis year after year when the bills go before the House Judiciary Committee. “That committee hasn’t allowed it to come up for a vote,” Spicknall said, “and you can’t get anywhere” if a bill isn’t voted out of committee. This year could be different, though: The death of 24-year-old Noah Leotta, a Montgomery County police officer, has put a spotlight on Maryland’s drunken-driving laws. Leotta was working on a holiday drunken-driving task force the night of Dec. 3. He pulled over one driver when a second... http://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2015/12/madd-still-fighting-tougher-md-laws-drunk-driving/

Amid Mixon suspension, Dimitri Flowers becomes Oklahoma's go-to player in win over Iowa State

Thursday’s game against the Cyclones, it was assumed the job would fall to true freshman Abdul Adams and walk-on Devin Montgomery -- both of whom had impressive showings five days ago against Kansas.However, when OU broke the huddle for the first play of Thursday’s 34-24 win over Iowa State in Ames, it was Flowers lined up at tailback.His first collegiate carry ever went for eight yards and a first down. His next for 11 yards. And then five.At the end of the day, Flowers rushed the ball 22 times, gaining 115 yards with an average of 5.2 yards per carry.“I thought he would run pretty well,” offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said. “He has such a good feel for the blocking schemes because he’s in there blocking them so often.”Of Flowers’ 115 yards, just over half (58) came in the fourth quarter, when he received 11 carries as OU milked the clock. His longest rush of the night -- a 13-yarder -- set the Sooners up in the red zone with less than three minutes left in the game.“From that first carry and I had a decent run, I just started to settle in after that,” Flowers said. “I was getting used to being back there again. It just felt natural after that.”But it wasn’t just running Flowers did against Iowa State. He hauled in three passes for 34 yards, one of which was a leaping touchdown just before halftime to provide some momentum for a team that had just regained the lead.Flowers blocked. He played wildcat quarterback. In the absence of what coach Bob Stoops said was around a dozen players from the starting lineup, Flowers was the Sooners’ go-to man.“Dimitri Flowers needs to be credited,” Stoops said. “I told him the locker room in front of the whole team that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a guy do all that he d... http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2016/11/03/amid-mixon-suspension-dimitri-flowers-becomes-oklahomas-go-player-win-iowa-state