New Sirens By Ray Baltes Some communities in Franklin County will soon see their warning sirens upgraded. At the same time, some parts of the county that currently do not have warning sirens will be getting them. “It’s been a long-term project,” said Franklin County Sheriff Larry Richtsmeier. “About two years ago, the city of Latimer and the city of Coulter wanted to replace their sirens. They got ahold of (Franklin County Emergency Management Director) Steve O’Neill, and he got them some used sirens. That kind of put a bug in our ears, and we decided to put some up in our unincorporated areas.” For the complete story see the Aug. 27 edition of the Chronicle.
Early Frost? State Climatologist Offers Odds The rain, storms and flooding earlier this year may be only less-than-fond memories, but for some area farmers, the effects are still causing concern. The spring’s heavy rains forced many of the county’s soybean fields to be replanted, and some soybean seeds didn’t reach the ground until July 1 or later. As a result, those soybean fields currently look like they should have in mid-July. What has some farmers worried is the fact that because so many acres of soybeans are well behind the normal growing schedule, an early freeze could be devastating. For the complete story, see the Aug. 27 edition of the Hampton Chronicle.
