Latest news with #Burnet
Al Arabiya
11-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Texas floodwaters damaged crops and endangered livestock. Now farmers and ranchers are cleaning up
Across a wide swath of Texas, the inundated rivers that ravaged communities also tore through farms and ranches. In the town of Bend, about two hours north of Austin, Boyd Clark waded into rising waters to help one of his stranded ostrich hens. Matthew Ketterman spent several agonizing hours trapped on top of his truck amid coursing rapids after driving out to check the fences on his exotic game ranch outside Burnet, about an hour south of Bend. And the overflowing San Gabriel River knocked Christmas trees sideways, and staff had to get petting zoo animals into a temporary pen at Sweet Eats Adventure Farm in Georgetown, about 65 miles east of Ketterman's ranch. As authorities work to understand the extent of the loss of human life–as of Friday, at least 120 people were killed, more than 160 missing–farmers and ranchers are working to assess damage to their properties, crops, and animals. Many are facing the task of caring for livestock while salvaging what crops they can and cleaning up the wreckage. While many farmers lean on a relentless optimism to get through the uncertainty of relying on the weather for a living, extreme weather disasters like catastrophic floods, droughts, and wildfires can take a toll. The weather events also pose unique challenges to those who rely on seasonal tourist rushes or who might not have crop insurance. It's a double-edged sword: as some farmers turn to agritourism or niche crops to weather unpredictable markets, climate change is also intensifying many of the natural disasters that can make it more difficult for those experiments to succeed. Even the larger operations are not immune; farmers who produce all kinds of crops must plan for emergencies. 'We expect it to happen again. It's never a question of if but when,' said Jon Meredith, co-owner of Sweet Eats, an agritourism outfit that mainly grows Christmas trees. 'And so we just continue to try to mitigate our losses and reduce our risk around events like this.' Still surveying the damage and starting repairs, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said there has been so much rain so quickly that some farmers are seeing complete loss or severe damage to their crops and infrastructure in several counties and beyond the banks of overflowing rivers. 'We've had farm equipment washed down the river. We've had tractors underwater, so they're totaled, won't be able to use those. Irrigation equipment wadded up like a bowl of spaghetti,' Miller told The Associated Press. 'We're finding cattle dead on top of trees downriver. So it's pretty devastating.' Miller said there are resources available for farmers. Those include the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, which helps farmers access disaster funding; the Hay and Feed Hotline, which donates animal feed; and the AgriStress Helpline that provides 24/7 mental health support. Now comes the task of cleanup: repair miles of destroyed fence line, tally lost livestock, and move debris from foliage and mud to piled-up picnic tables. After a harrowing night waiting for hours to be rescued, Ketterman, who had gotten stuck on his vehicle, felt lucky to be alive. But he and his team were also grieving the loss of a member who died in the flooding on his way to work. They lost some animals to the churning water as well. 'We're in the hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage, but you know at the end of the day that's just monetary and we'll recover from that,' he said. Disasters like floods can be tough for specialty farmers. Small farms that offer experiences to visitors, don't sell to wholesalers, or don't have crop insurance are especially vulnerable, said Hannah Burrack, professor and chair of the entomology department at Michigan State University, who has worked with fruit farmers in the aftermath of floods. Clark said ostrich growers can access some US Department of Agriculture programs that cover the loss of grass that birds graze on, but otherwise there isn't much assistance. Ostriches also get too cold in heavy rain, and it cuts down egg production; the hens almost stop laying eggs, and mud and water can ruin what few they do. 'It does definitely affect our production this year and our profitability,' Clark said. Burrack said that other crops for consumption, like fruits and vegetables, that get submerged can no longer be sold. Unharvested plants in fields can build up, causing pest issues or creating an unpleasant experience for visitors. And once submerged, long-term echoes of these short-term stressors can make trees more vulnerable to disease. Meredith said Sweet Eats was lucky; the Christmas season is still months away, and they still had a chance to put the trees back up. They would've had a harder time if they were still doing peach trees like they used to. 'Because so much of our stuff is pick-your-own, so if we can't be open for customers, then it magnifies the challenges that we face because of cash flow issues,' he said. All farms need to plan for emergencies and climate change. It's not just floods: farms across the country have taken hits due to extreme weather in recent years. Wildfires have damped farm-based businesses in California, including pick-your-own apple orchards in the southern part of the state and wineries in the north. An unusually warm winter had Midwestern maple syrup producers scrambling in 2024, while pinching drought has hit pumpkins along with many other crops across the West. 'It's good business sense to observe how climate change might affect your operation and make adjustments accordingly,' said Rob Leeds, an extension educator at Ohio State University who works with farmers, especially those interested in agritourism. He described how, after watching a barrage of tornadoes and high winds in recent years, some cattle producers in Ohio have been building tougher barns that more typically would be seen in windswept areas of the West. Some fall-themed agritourism operators have started installing fans and misters, anticipating more hot days later into the fall. It will take a while for Texas farmers to fully recover, but some are already building back stronger. Ketterman said he thinks they're going to put up sturdier fence posts in the coming weeks as they secure the fence line. They'll lean on each other too. Many farmers described the tight-knit sense of community as they weathered the storm. 'We all started calling each other to make sure we could get our animals out and anything else that we needed to save,' said John Meredith, owner of Sweet Eats, 'just because this is a fact of life. When you live on a river, it's beautiful and enjoyable, but there are occasionally times where things can go south very quickly.'
The Independent
11-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Texas floodwaters damaged crops and endangered livestock. Now farmers and ranchers are cleaning up
Across a wide swath of Texas, the inundated rivers that ravaged communities also tore through farms and ranches. In the town of Bend, about two hours north of Austin, Boyd Clark waded into rising waters to help one of his stranded ostrich hens. Matthew Ketterman spent several agonizing hours trapped on top of his truck amid coursing rapids after driving out to check the fences on his exotic game ranch outside Burnet, about an hour south of Bend. And the overflowing San Gabriel River knocked Christmas trees sideways and staff had to get petting zoo animals into a temporary pen at Sweet Eats Adventure Farm in Georgetown, about 65 miles east of Ketterman's ranch. As authorities work to understand the extent of the loss of human life—as of Friday least 120 people were killed more than 160 missing —farmers and ranchers are working to assess damage to their properties, crops and animals. Many are facing the task of caring for livestock while salvaging what crops they can and cleaning up the wreckage. While many farmers lean on a relentless optimism to get through the uncertainty of relying on the weather for a living, extreme weather disasters like catastrophic floods, droughts and wildfires can take a toll. The weather events also pose unique challenges to those who rely on seasonal tourist rushes or who might not have crop insurance. It's a double-edged sword: as some farmers turn to agritourism or niche crops to weather unpredictable markets, climate change is also intensifying many of the natural disasters that can make it more difficult for those experiments to succeed. Even the larger operations are not immune; farmers who produce all kinds of crops must plan for emergencies. 'We expect it to happen again. It's never a question of if, but when,' said Jon Meredith, co-owner of Sweet Eats, an agritourism outfit that mainly grows Christmas trees. 'And so we just continue to try to mitigate our losses and reduce our risk around events like this.' Still surveying the damage, starting repairs Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said there has been so much rain so quickly that some farmers are seeing complete loss or severe damage to their crops and infrastructure, in several counties and beyond the banks of overflowing rivers. 'We've had farm equipment washed down the river. We've had tractors underwater, so they're totaled, won't be able to use those. Irrigation equipment wadded up like a bowl of spaghetti,' Miller told The Associated Press. 'We're finding cattle dead on top of trees downriver. So it's pretty devastating.' Miller said there are resources available for farmers. Those include the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, which helps farmers access disaster funding, the Hay and Feed Hotline, which donates animal feed and the AgriStress Helpline that provides 24/7 mental health support. Now comes the task of cleanup: repair miles of destroyed fence line, tally lost livestock and move debris from foliage and mud to piled-up picnic tables. After a harrowing night waiting for hours to be rescued, Ketterman, who had gotten stuck on his vehicle, felt lucky to be alive. But he and his team were also grieving the loss of a member who died in the flooding on his way to work. They lost some animals to the churning water, as well. 'We're in the hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage, but you know, at the end of the day that's just monetary and we'll recover from that,' he said. Disasters like floods can be tough for specialty farmers Small farms that offer experiences to visitors, don't sell to wholesalers or don't have crop insurance are especially vulnerable, said Hannah Burrack, professor and chair of the entomology department at Michigan State University, who has worked with fruit farmers in the aftermath of floods. Clark said ostrich growers can access some U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that cover the loss of grass that birds graze on, but otherwise there isn't much assistance. Ostriches also get too cold in heavy rain. And it cuts down egg production; the hens almost stop laying eggs and mud and water can ruin what few they do. 'It does definitely affect our production this year and our profitability,' Clark said. Burrack said that other crops for consumption like fruits and vegetables get submerged, they can no longer be sold. Unharvested plants in fields can build up, causing pest issues or creating an unpleasant experience for visitors. And once submerged, 'long-term echoes of these short-term stressors' can make trees more vulnerable to disease. Meredith said Sweet Eats was lucky the Christmas season is still months away; they still had a chance to put the trees back up. They would've had a harder time if they were still doing peach trees like they used to. 'Because so much of our stuff is pick-your-own, so if we can't be open for customers, then it magnifies the challenges that we face because of cash flow issues,' he said. All farms need to plan for emergencies, climate change It's not just floods: farms across the country have taken hits due to extreme weather in recent years. Wildfires have damped farm-based businesses in California including pick-your-own apple orchards in the southern part of the state and wineries in the north. An unusually warm winter had Midwestern maple syrup producers scrambling in 2024, while pinching drought has hit pumpkins, along with many other crops, across the West. It's good business sense to observe how climate change might affect your operation and make adjustments accordingly, said Rob Leeds, an extension educator at Ohio State University who works with farmers, especially those interested in agritourism. He described how after watching a barrage of tornadoes and high winds in recent years, some cattle producers in Ohio have been building tougher barns that more typically would be seen in windswept areas of the West. Some fall-themed agritourism operators have started installing fans and misters, anticipating more hot days later into the fall. It will take a while for Texas farmers to fully recover, but some are already building back stronger. Ketterman said he thinks they're going to put up sturdier fence posts in the coming weeks as they secure the fence line. They'll lean on each other, too. Many farmers described the tight-knit sense of community as they weathered the storm. 'We all started calling each other, to make sure we could get our animals out and anything else that we needed to save,' said John Meredith, owner of Sweet Eats. 'Just because this is a fact of life. When you live on a river, it's beautiful and enjoyable, but there are occasionally times where things can go south very quickly.' ___ Walling reported from Chicago. Amy Taxin reported from Orange County, Calif. ___ Follow Melina Walling on X @MelinaWalling and Bluesky @ Follow Joshua A. Bickel on Instagram, Bluesky and X @joshuabickel. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
West Australian
01-07-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Calls for Government action to tackle crisis level of drug deaths after Penington Institute findings
A planeload of Australians are dying every month to drug overdoses, a new analysis of fatality statistics has shown, sparking calls for more work from governments to tackle the crisis. A new snapshot by the Penington Institute found while overall numbers of drug-induced deaths fell slightly in 2023, there was a growing share of those over 50 dying from unintentional overdoses. The 2272 Australians killed by an overdose in 2023 marked a 10th consecutive year of more than 2000 deaths — roughly the equivalent of a Boeing 737 once a month — and almost twice the national road toll of 1315. Opioids were the most common drug overdosed on, at 43.9 per cent, while benzodiazepines overtook stimulants as the second-placed drug. The snapshot comes ahead of a full report in August, which last year showed WA had recorded the highest per capita rate of overdoses for more than 10 years. Penington Institute chief executive John Ryan said the figures showed how persistent overdoses were in Australia. 'A decade of losing more than 2000 Australians to overdose annually marks a sombre milestone,' he said. 'Governments need to tackle overdose with the same level of energy and enthusiasm used to reduce alcohol and tobacco harm in Australia. We need a comprehensive national overdose response strategy to end the overdose crisis. 'We already know what works to reduce overdose deaths. 'The data tells us that opioids remain the largest contributor to fatal drug overdoses. One relatively cheap and easy solution is giving potential overdose witnesses wider access to naloxone, a life-saving opioid reversal treatment already proven to save lives.' The alarming figures come as a new study will be released on Wednesday showing Generation Xs — those born between 1962 and 1982 — are more likely to die from methamphetamine use. The study, published in the journal Addiction, found the demographic experienced the highest risk of dying from methamphetamine-related causes, such as overdose and cardiovascular disease. While meth deaths have increased fourfold since the start of the century, the rates among younger users declined. Among the reasons for the broader rise were a stigma around drug use, misinformation and limited access to tailored support services. 'Many people who use drugs are ageing, and the support systems in place are not designed with their needs in mind,' study author Oisin Stronach said. 'These deaths are complex, often involving multiple substances. Yet much of our service sector remains geared toward people using opioids, leaving people who use methamphetamines — particularly older people — underserved.' Burnet Senior Research Fellow Dr Amanda Roxburgh said the societal stigma around methamphetamine use was a clear barrier to accessing care. 'Methamphetamine is arguably the most stigmatised drug in Australia. That stigma not only isolates people but also deters them from seeking help,' Dr Roxburgh said. 'If we want to save lives, we need to ensure equitable access to health services for all people who use drugs — regardless of their age or substance of choice.'
The Herald Scotland
31-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
The best building in Glasgow, and what we can learn from its tragedy
Someone else who shares my love for it is Colin Drysdale, a photographer and writer who's known for the social media account This Is My Glasgow where he posts pictures of some of the city's finest buildings. Colin has now written a book, Glasgow Uncovered, which features 18 walks round the city and I went out with him the other day to stroll round the St Vincent Street area and talk about the buildings we came across and some of the details I might have missed (there were many). The Mercantile Insurance building was only one of the places we visited but it sticks in my mind not only because I love the look of it but because of the tragedy of the place. One of the details I'd previously missed, which Colin pointed out, is the sculpture of the ship to the right of the door and the letters carved into the sails: IOU. The sculptor Archibald Dawson left the letters there in frustration really because the project hit financial problems and he was never paid for his work. And it gets worse, sadly. The fact Dawson wasn't paid was the start of almost a decade of financial woes for him, and in 1936 his business was taken over by a former apprentice, Jack Mortimer, in lieu of debts. One of the other rather sad features of the building is the pair of statues of a man and woman above the front door: it was Mortimer who sculpted them and he based the figures on Dawson and his wife as a tribute to his ruined mentor. The sadness is in with the stone. The story of the architect, John James Burnet, is also not without unhappiness. Burnet built some extraordinary places, including the Clydeport offices with its great dome and bulls and doric columns, and Charing Cross Mansions, that elegant swoop of apartments saved from the destruction of the M8 by the skin of its teeth. But he had financial problems too, caused in part by trying to fix the foundations of the Mercantile, and when he retired early, he was stressed and troubled and damaged. These are the kind of stories that don't show when you look at a building, or don't show much. Read more The Argyle Street Gap – what does it say about Glasgow? The TV channel that saved us, and heralds the change to come Eurovision 2025: the year they fixed their Israel problem However, the stories of Burnet, and Dawson, and the Mercantile, and some of Burnet's other buildings, can at least point us to a few lessons, the first of which is about protection. Some of Burnet's finest and most famous buildings, including the old Alhambra Theatre on Waterloo Street, have been demolished and replaced with something worse (in the Alhambra's case, crappy offices). But one of the critical points Colin Drysdale made on our walk was that the buildings that are struggling to find tenants are the ugly modern ones, not the old ones because people want to be in one of Glasgow's beautiful classic buildings. So do not demolish. Protect and reuse. There's also a lesson in the way Burnet and other architects of the time worked. As we made our way up St Vincent Street, Colin asked me to turn round and look back down the hill at the buildings and the way they fit in with each other, elegantly maintaining a similar height. One of the reasons for this is that Burnet was part of a network of architects who lived and worked in the city; they were walking the streets every day and talking to each other and knew what their colleagues were doing, so it all held together rather than clashed. It worked. As Colin points out, the problem with a lot of the modern design in Glasgow is it no longer works in the same way and many of the buildings are designed by architects with little or no knowledge of the place. If instead of walking the streets of the city, you're looking at a computer screen in some other place, there's a good chance the buildings you create won't fit in with what's there. There's a good chance it won't work. The Hatrack (Image: Contributed) The ultimate answer is much stricter planning, specifically zones in the city that lay out what is, and isn't, acceptable. The strictest zone needs to be in the centre, where Colin and I did our walk, because that's where the finest buildings are and where the greatest damage can be done. You could then relax the rules as you go further from the centre. Across the river, for example, the big Barclay's development could still be possible because it incorporates what's already there and reflects some of the industrial heritage of the Clyde, and it's not at all bad, all things considered. What would never be acceptable though would be the idea of demolishing buildings such as the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company or anything like it and if you think that's far-fetched, just up from the Mercantile is a bland office building where Greek Thomson's offices once stood. The Thomson buildings were pulled down in the 2000s despite widespread protest. And look around you: it's still happening. The battle to stop it will be won, I think, when more and more people start to appreciate why Glasgow's architecture needs protecting and there's evidence of it happening, thanks in a large part to sites such as Colin's. I would also urge you, next time you're in the city, to take a walk up St Vincent Street and stop at the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company and look for the hidden IOU but mainly just stand back and admire the building. As I said, I think it's the best one in Glasgow. But I would also say that it's only one of the greats, the many greats. The job we've got is to celebrate them, and praise them, and value them, and save them.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Facing mounting deficit, Austin ISD will cut central office staff, weighs school closures
The Austin school district will be reorganizing its central office, including eliminating and reassigning positions, as part of its ongoing effort to cut its budget deficit from $97 million to $78 million. The district's austerity measures also align with discussions about potentially closing schools within the next year to slash long-term expenses. Officials say these measures are essential to maintain financial stability, after a year of budget cuts aimed at reducing a deficit that had grown to $110 million by January. The central office cuts will involve both staff reductions and reassignments, Superintendent Matias Segura wrote in a public letter Friday. 'We recognize the timing of this announcement puts a strain on our central employees,' Segura said in the letter. 'Please know we did not arrive at this decision lightly.' The district is projecting a budget deficit of $19 million for the 2025-26 school year, but won't reach that target without making significant changes, interim Chief Financial Officer Katrina Montgomery told school board members during a meeting last week. This could put the district's fund balance — or cash on hand — at risk, she said. 'That puts us in the place where we might have to borrow to cover payroll as well as accounts payable,' Montgomery said. District leaders cut $63 million from the 2024-25 budget through spending and hiring freezes and streamlining operations, according to district officials. However, the district's predicted costs have also risen this year. When the Austin school board adopted its 2024-25 budget last summer, it predicted a $78 million deficit. Since then, the district received $14 million less in property tax revenue, overspent by $40 million on special education, and lost $12 million in federal Medicaid reimbursements. The district has pledged approximately $1.7 million each to three North Austin middle schools — Burnet, Dobie, and Webb — next year to improve their state-rated F rankings. As part of long-term efforts to reduce costs, the district expects to close some of its 116 campuses before the 2026-27 school year and has pledged to announce its plans before the end of this year. Earlier this month, district officials announced plans for community conversations over the summer and to develop a framework for identifying schools that may be considered for closure. Officials don't expect to release the list of potential schools up for closure until the fall. The district has grappled with declining enrollment for nearly a decade, resulting in smaller student populations at some schools and a loss of state funding. Texas funds school districts per child in attendance. The district's student population has declined by about 10% since 2019, when it enrolled 79,787 students. Current enrollment, at 72,244 this year, has remained relatively steady since 2022. In discussing possible school closures, the Austin district joins other urban or large suburban districts around the state, like Fort Worth and Spring Branch, seeking ways to temper crippling budget shortfalls. The Austin district is asking families and community members to fill out a survey about possible school closures, or consolidations, by June 6. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: AISD will cut central office staff, weigh school closures amid deficit
