Bus tour promotes area agriculture
Hi JDSON - The Agricultural Busi╜ness Committee of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, an ad╜vocate for all types of local agricultural, has developed a bus tour to promote a more complete understanding of agriculture's breadth, diversity and significance.
In addition to being one of the major industries in the county, the health and suc╜cess of agriculture affects the viability of tourism, retailing and manufacturing. It is an exciting and informative trip, which demonstrates and pro-motes diversity and impact awareness; Agriculture as it relates to food system; Per╜centage of the county en-gaged in agricultural pursuits
and some resulting statistics; Associ╜ated businesses; New Legislation for agricultural viability; What can be done/what you can do.
There is no charge to participate in the tour, which features a grown-in-Columbia County "box dinner." Also
major industries in the U.S., including financial services and banking.
planned is an informative adventure which includes get-off-the-bus visits at two area farms.
The tour is scheduled for July 23. Participants are asked to gather for re╜freshments at the First Pioneer Farm Credit Bureau on Route 9H in Claverack at 4 p.m. The motor coach tour bus will
depart promptly at 4:30 p.m. and return no later than 7:30 p.m. The tour is free, but because space is limited, reserva╜tions are required and are due no later than July 17. [read full article]
Democrat Smith to kick off state bus tour today State Sen. Rod Smith plans to travel from Pensacola to Miami to promote his candidacy for the gubernatorial nomination of the Democratic Party
TALLAHASSEE -- The least-known of the four major candidates for governor, state Sen. Rod Smith, will begin a statewide bus tour today from Pensacola to Miami.
Unlike the leading Republican candidates, Tom Gallagher and Charlie Crist, Smith has never campaigned statewide. His Democratic rival, U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, consistently bests him in the polls.
MEETING THE DEADLINE
Smith and Davis officially qualified for the Sept. 5 primary on Monday in Tallahassee, delivering their qualifying papers and checks for $7,743.60 each for the governor's race. So did three political unknowns: Democrat Carol Castagnero of Lakeland, Democrat John M. Crotty of Maitland, and Republican Vernon Palmer of Miami.
After qualifying for the ballot, Davis canvassed a Tallahassee neighborhood briefly before he was shut out by rain.
"This is the year we take back our state," he told cheering supporters outside the state Division of Elections, vowing to take government away from the "special interests."
When Davis finished speaking, he accepted a check from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees of Florida, the labor union.
Smith delivered his qualifying papers in Tallahassee and then rode his tour bus to Gainesville, near his hometown of Alachua, to rally with supporters. His tour will make about 15 stops along the 1,100-mile route. [read full article]
Nationwide bus tour takes aim at HIVAIDS in Africa
Two years ago, Maryland native Nathaniel Elliott wanted to do something to get the word out about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa to his peers.
The teen helped spark the Living Hope Bus Tour, which is traveling across the United States to raise awareness among other young adults about the epidemic.
"Having a passion in life gives you direction," said the 18-year-old, who will start college this fall at Taylor University in Upland, Ind.
At the Omaha Home for Boys on Tuesday, Elliott and four other young men spoke to a crowd of about 75.
The event was sponsored by the Omaha chapter of the ONE Campaign, a national effort to petition the U.S. government to allocate an additional 1 percent of the federal budget toward providing the basic needs of health, education, clean water and food to countries with extreme poverty.
The idea for the tour came after Elliott's various international travels. He had also learned that about 40 million people in the world are HIV positive -- most of them living in Africa.
The others traveling with Elliott -- Scott Brookens, 18, Derick Henderson, 23, Chris Franklin, 21, and Tommy Francovitch, 17, were recruited through an application process.
After fundraising and gathering donations, the tour started in Baltimore June 10, and will end in Seattle on Aug. 16. The guys are traveling in a donated and renovated school bus.
The tour is sponsored by World Vision, a Christian relief and development organization. [read full article]