Latest news with #LewisandClark
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
One of state's oldest trees — tourist attraction ‘Old Wolf Oak' — has died
Nebraska's "Old Wolf Oak" tree, a burr oak that is more than 380 years old, has died after a long drought. (Courtesy of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission) LINCOLN — One of Nebraska's oldest trees has died, and officials are blaming drought conditions. The 'Old Wolf Oak,' a burr oak with a 9.8-foot circumference located along a hiking trail at Ponca State Park, was estimated to be more than 380 years old. The tree was a popular stop for park visitors, given that it was 223 years old when Nebraska became a state in 1867 and was a silent witness to the Lewis & Clark Expedition of 1804-06. But Nebraska Game and Parks Commission officials say drought conditions in eastern Nebraska have created large areas of dead or declining mature trees, including the stately oak. The past two years have seen extreme drought across Nebraska, officials said. While native species like the bur oak are drought-tolerant, prolonged drought causes dieback in the canopy and root systems, weakening tree defenses. This creates an opening for pests and pathogens, officials said, and makes a tree more vulnerable to infection. Game and Parks staff had been monitoring and, where possible, treating bur oaks for bur oak blight, which can weaken a tree. Officials also identified a new threat to trees, hypoxylon canker, a fungus that invades the vascular systems of drought-stricken trees and dooms a tree. The old oak will soon be cut down under a response plan developed after consulting with experts, Game and Parks announced. Infected material must be destroyed on-site, officials said, to avoid stressing the surrounding healthy trees. A sign at the Wolf Oak, erected in 1964, states that it 'began its life in 1644.' But more modern dating techniques later added another half century to its age. Ironically, it was not a state champion tree in its category. A registry kept by the Nebraska Forest Service lists a burr oak with a circumference of 18.7 feet near Peru as the state champion. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Lewis and Clark expedition begins in Illinois
Today is Wednesday, May 14, the 134th day of 2025. There are 231 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 14, 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition, organized to explore the Louisiana Territory as well as the Pacific Northwest, began its journey near present-day Hartford, Illinois. Also on this date: In 1607, Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, was established by members of the Virginia Company. In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner successfully inoculated 8-year-old James Phipps against smallpox by using cowpox matter. (Smallpox would be declared the first fully eradicated human disease in 1980.) In 1948, the independent state of Israel was proclaimed in Tel Aviv by David Ben-Gurion, who became its first prime minister. In 1955, representatives from eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, signed the Warsaw Pact in Poland. (The pact was dissolved in 1991.) In 1961, Freedom Rider civil rights activists were attacked by violent mobs in Anniston and Birmingham, Alabama. In 1973, NASA launched Skylab, the first American space station, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In 2022, an 18-year-old white supremacist wearing body armor opened fire in a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people before being taken into custody. (The gunman, Payton Gendron, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in February 2023.) Today's Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Pérez is 83. Filmmaker George Lucas is 81. Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis is 74. Musician David Byrne is 73. Actor Tim Roth is 64. Actor Cate Blanchett is 56. Filmmaker Sofia Coppola is 54. Former NFL running back Frank Gore is 42. Actor Amber Tamblyn is 42. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is 41. Former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski is 36. Actor Miranda Cosgrove is 32.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Kelly Elementary teacher Emily Dawes named Grand Forks Public Schools' teacher of the year
Apr. 3—GRAND FORKS — A first-grade teacher from Kelly Elementary is Grand Forks Public Schools' Teacher of the Year. Emily Dawes was honored Wednesday afternoon at Kelly's April student assembly. Dawes has worked as an elementary school teacher in the district for the last 10 years, spending the last four years teaching first grade at Kelly. "Emily Dawes embodies what it means to be an outstanding educator," Principal Kelli Tannahill said, reading from a testimonial provided by one of her coworkers. "Her No. 1 focus is always her students, as well as the students of her teammates." Dawes, her coworkers also wrote, is a team player, a consummate professional, and has a genuine passion for teaching. Superintendent Terry Brenner visited Kelly to announce the award. "Today, we give her the recognition she so richly deserves, not just for her instructional talent but for the heart she brings to our schools and the difference she makes," Brenner said. Dawes was joined in Kelly's gymnasium by her husband and three of her four children as she was honored. She said she was still processing the award when asked for her reaction from the Herald. "I teach with so many wonderful teachers and to be picked, this is pretty amazing," she said. Every year, parents, students and district employees submit nominations for teacher of the year, which are reviewed by a committee of around a dozen principals, administrative staff, and a representative from the Grand Forks Foundation for Education. Assistant Superintendent Matt Bakke, who served on the committee for the first time this year, said committee membership was meant to reflect a "wide plethora" of views within the district. Dawes first worked as a teacher before leaving the classroom to raise her kids. She substitute-taught in the district while her kids were young, and later taught music and health classes to kindergartners and first- and second-graders as an instructional paraprofessional at Century Elementary School. In 2014, she applied for a full-time teaching position at Lewis and Clark Elementary. "I needed a class, I wanted a classroom," she said. "I wanted my own little people." Tannahill, then at Lewis and Clark, said Dawes was already well-liked as a parent and educator when the latter was hired to teach third grade. After six years at Lewis and Clark, Dawes moved over with Tannahill to Kelly, where she's worked as a first-grade teacher ever since. Dawes says she feels like she's "at home" in a first-grade classroom. Her first-graders seem to think so too: she was mobbed by her students in a dogpile as they returned to the classroom after the assembly. Tannahill said one of Dawes' best assets as a teacher is her ability to adapt and stay current with changing mores in elementary education. "In education now, with the way things change rapidly, you need to do that along with your students," Tannahill said. "She's willing to take risks and do that without hesitation, because she's willing to do what's best for kids." As part of the award, Dawes received a check for $500 from the Grand Forks Foundation for Education. Previous award recipients each received $1,000 in 2023 and 2024, according to Herald reporting and a district press release, respectively. Dawes will also be considered to be Grand Forks County's Teacher of the Year, a prerequisite for the statewide teaching award given by the Department of Public Instruction to one North Dakota teacher.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
O'Fallon had abandoned property on its hands. Habitat for Humanity found use for it
Habitat for Humanity has acquired a city lot where a condemned house had been demolished to build a new home, its 12th in O'Fallon. After the property at 513 E. Washington had fallen into disrepair, the city took over, tore down the house, and maintained the lot over the past several years. As it has worked with the city on obtaining available property, Habit for Humanity's Lewis and Clark affiliate, proposed a purchase, and the city agreed. At the March 17 O'Fallon City Council meeting, Mayor Herb Roach signed a quit claim deed after aldermen approved it. Ward 3 Aldermen Jim Campbell and Andrea Fohne, who work with the group, abstained from the vote, and the resolution passed 11-0. City Attorney Todd Fleming determined by law that the city could sell it to the nonprofit organization for $1,000. The city has previously sold lots to the group before. In 2017, they sold one on Elm Street. In 2021, they sold three properties on Booster Road at 112, 126 and 132. Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide decent places to live for every man, woman, and child – and work in communities across all 50 U.S. states and 70 countries. With its ecumenical Christian ministry component, they welcome support from all backgrounds. People come together in a common cause to help break down barriers and generate equity, respect, and lasting change, Campbell said. The local group has been active since 2013 in what they describe as a community effort. Funds collected through donations and fundraisers are used to build the homes. The group receives discounts and donations for supplies from many businesses, and churches, civic organizations, and individuals have pitched in too. The local chapter has built 11 homes with the goal of providing 'hard-working families a stable and safe environment,' he said. Habitat for Humanity of Illinois has an open-door policy, which states: 'All who believe that everyone needs a decent, affordable place to live are welcome to help with the work, regardless of race, religion, age, gender, political views or any of the other distinctions that too often divide people.' Lloyd Soeters, the local construction chair, has said before: 'It's really God's work, but it's our hands. It's an entire community effort. When you see the families be successful, see them smile, it's worth it. We get to know them pretty well. We're helping people who want to help themselves.' Campbell, a retired hospital administrator, said the homeowners are selected in an open application process and must meet criteria, including need, ability to pay and willingness to partner. The homeownership journey includes financial classes and completing 200 hours of sweat equity – working alongside construction volunteers to build their future home, at the ReStore and in the community. Each qualified Habitat partner family is a first-time homebuyer with a demonstrated need for affordable housing. To be considered, they must attend a one-hour orientation meeting. In addition to making affordable monthly mortgage payments, partner families are responsible for the down payment, which provides the foundation for their future stability. The O'Fallon Area Habitat for Humanity is now accepting applications for potential homeowners – construction is scheduled to start in the summer of 2025. One must attend a 1-hour information session to receive an application and be considered for the program. They are planned for Wednesday, March 26, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, March 29, at 10 a.m., both at St. Clare Catholic Church, 1411 Cross St. For more information or to RSVP, email Karen at kshees@ or call 618-670-6632.
