By STEPHEN GEORGE
LEO Weekly
Ralph Packard walks into his barn carrying a five-gallon bucket filled with small, yellowish pellets of feed. The swine—young, inexperienced and craving anything to eat—swarm him, trampling the plastic feed trays. They’re losing themselves in the pursuit, all squeals and snorts. At this stage, everything is food. They’ll chew on your shoes… »

By CHRIS SHAFER

Small Saturday Poem
A flock of black birds passing
An old church steeple
Ink
Leaking in the Master’s pocket

Waking Me
Your hand on my back
First light on the valley floor
All that hungers hurries to the surface

Chris Shafer attended high school in Louisiana, after which he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a combat medic. He now… »

By GARANCE BURKE
Associated Press
The decline of honeybee colonies has slowed slightly since last fall, but a mysterious combination of ailments is still decimating the insect’s population, federal researchers say.
U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers found that honeybee colonies declined by 29 percent between September 2008 and early April. That’s an improvement over the last two years,… »

Newly-released report shows increased risk of cancer for those living near coal ash disposal sites
By JASON HANCOCK
The Iowa Independent
People who live near near sites used to store ash or sludge from coal-fired power plants have a one in 50 chance of developing cancer, according to a just released government report kept from the public for… »

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