| Ag Expo Kicks Off in Pocatello
Thanksgiving is when most families look forward to spending time with each other, but it's also a time when domestic violence rises. Dana Katona/Victim Witness Coordinator, Pocatello Police Department: "The holidays, Christmas, Thanksgiving that's where you see a rise in those." But they're not typical domestic violence cases we often here of. Dana Katona/ Victim Witness Coordinator, Pocatello Police Department: "A woman shows up in the hospital totally black and blue, teethed knocked in those types of things." Instead it's the kind of disturbances that law enforcement refers to as domestic battery. Dana Katona, Victim/Witness Coordinator, Pocatello Police Department: "When you have family getting together you have people getting together that maybe don't see each other all the time you have fights, verbal arguments you have alcohol possibly involved." Katona says it's usually a case of a person -who may have a violent history - set off by stress or money.
Inland retailers counting post-Christmas sales
Inland shoppers joined their post-Christmas counterparts nationwide Wednesday, hitting stores for some last big discounts while retailers tried to salvage a so-so holiday sales season. "There are more people buying today than returning," said Ruth Lusk, manager of the Macy's store at Westfield Palm Desert, which opened at 7 a.m. Wednesday and was slated to keep its doors open until 10 p.m. Macy's was offering early-bird shoppers discounts spread through the day. The Inland locations of several national chains were open as early as 6 a.m., offering clearance discounts -- 50 percent and more -- on such items as bed linens, seasonal clothing, toys and holiday decorations. Following up on a steady crush of last-minute shoppers last weekend, retailers aimed to pump up what has been a flat December for national holiday sales amid a sagging economy.
Bells will be ringing
You know it's Christmastime when you hear the bells ringing and see the red kettles around town."The kettle is a holiday icon," Dawn Baskett of Dalton says. "I get a kick out of seeing those smiling faces beside the red pots when I'm running around at Christmastime. It puts a little extra pep in my step and raises my holiday cheer. I can't pass one by without giving something."That's what Maj. Henry Hunter, Corps officer for the Salvation Army in Whitfield and Murray counties, is counting on. "Community generosity is vital to our efforts to provide services, not only at Christmas time, but throughout the year. The kettles are our last thrust of the year at making people aware that we are on the front line," he said.The public's contributions to the kettles enables the Salvation Army to bring the spirit of Christmas to those who might otherwise be forgotten – to the aged and lonely, and to the poor and unfortunate.
Road-tested Giants oozing with confidence
How else can you describe the NFC champions' demeanor as they arrived in Phoenix on Monday, dressed in black suits and serious faces and looking ahead to Sunday's Super Bowl XLII against the undefeated New England Patriots like it's a neighborhood scuffle they expect to win? Sure, the Giants (13-6) were the NFC's fifth-seeded team. They had to march through the wild-card route and score upsets over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to get to the big show, while those picture-perfect Patriots (18-0) held off the scrappy Jaguars and Chargers at home, on cozy Gillette Stadium turf. There was something to all those road wins this season - 10 in a row, seven in the regular season - that gives the Giants reason to stroll into Phoenix this week with some serious attitude.
An Amazin' steal for the Mets
That might be a little overstated, but you get the point. I saw Carlos Gomez play last year. He has been compared to Roger Cedeno, but is better defensively. He lacks plate discipline and might not fit in the top half of the lineup. That is not saying much and he was the centerpiece of the package. Phillip Humber hasn't been the same since Tommy John surgery and the other two pitchers are still years away from ever seeing big league action and a lot can go wrong in that time. The Twins have some of the best talent evaluators in baseball working for them, so I guess I have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Remember, this is the same group that fleeced San Francisco out of not only Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan, but starter Boof Bonser as well, for catcher A.J.
Just Plain Neighbors: Historical society record gives glimpse of life ...
Many readers tell me they like the columns about the past in Franklin County. All right, here goes another one: In 1909 Darwin Barnard of Boston, a native of Shelburne, spoke to the Greenfield Historical Society. He told about Franklin County 50 years before that, in other words, in 1859. It is very long and I'll just include some excerpts. Barnard, in remembering his school days at the Greenfield school downtown, mentions a Mrs. Wendell Davis, who, in the days before May 1, went to the school ''voluntarily,'' to arrange for a picnic for the children on that day. ''The weather was fine and a large part of the school went to Petty's Plain to gather May flowers. Upon our return, we paraded through Main Street to Washington Hall (the town hall where the Veterans Memorial Mall is today) where Mrs.
Review: The Jumeirah Al Qasr, Dubai
For the uninitiated let us first review the stunning Arabesque-style Madinat complex with its collection of Dubai wind-towers. This is an integrated five-star resort along one kilometre of pristine beach adjacent to the famous Burj Al Arab hotel. There is 3.7 kilometres of canal and a water-taxi service to whisk you between the two hotels, restaurants, villas-for-rent, swimming pools and the impressive arcades of the air-conditioned but traditional souk. If you want to stay in one location in Dubai then with around 40 restaurants and its extensive souk, the Madinat is perfectly self-sufficient. But then you are also only 10 minutes away by taxi from the skiing and shopping at the Mall of the Emirates, the largest in the Middle East, and from the excellent Gold and Diamond Park. Choose the Al Qasr for some of the finest beach accommodation available anywhere.
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