Updated: February 14, 2014 To be fair, I didn’t really spend two days at a 200-year old French apple farm – I spent two days at an apple farm that is at least 200 years old. And despite some editions over the years, the farmhouse itself was built more than 300 years ago. Catherine and Olivier, the couple whose children I take care are of, both hail from the north of France, but this week we went to visit Catherine’s family at their charming apple farm. (Is there any other kind of apple farm?) We arrived late at night after a four-hour car ride from Paris, but luckily there was a full meal waiting for us: arugula salad, jambon persillé and country bread, which we washed down with a healthy dose of red wine. (Or well, I did.) The next morning we started cooking early to prepare for the birthday party of Catherine’s 11-year old nephew. In honor of the festivities, Olivier made his signature scallops with crème fraîche and … [Read more...] about Two Days at a 200-Year Old French Apple Farm
11 month old wearing 6 month clothes
Hanford Police: 4-month-old kidnapped by homeless found safe
Police in central California say they have located a 4-month old baby boy who was allegedly kidnapped by a homeless man.The Hanford Police Department says the baby was found safe in Lemoore about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Hanford, where the child was abducted. The suspect identified as 42-year-old Wesley Williams was taken into custody.Investigators tell the Fresno television station Williams called police stating that he had the child and asked about his rights. They say officers directed him to return the baby, but he did not do so and turned off his phone.Police initially believed this was a child custody dispute but have since confirmed it was a kidnapping … [Read more...] about Hanford Police: 4-month-old kidnapped by homeless found safe
Alabama police question man in 3-year-old girl’s kidnapping
Authorities in Alabama have taken a person of interest into custody in the kidnapping of a 3-year-old girl , who remains missing.An Amber Alert issued Saturday said Kamille McKinney, whose family calls her “Cupcake,” was in “extreme danger.”The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said a stranger in a dark SUV grabbed her while she was outside at her birthday party.Birmingham police took a man into custody about 24 hours later after residents at a condominium complex where a Toyota Sequoia was parked called police, saying the driver and car matched surveillance images released by police. Kamille was wearing a pink Minnie Mouse T-shirt when last seen. Deputy police Chief Scott Praytor said there’s no indication the kidnapping is related to child custody.___Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews … [Read more...] about Alabama police question man in 3-year-old girl’s kidnapping
86-year-old former Missouri minister deemed sexually violent
Jurors have ruled that an 86-year-old former southwest Missouri minister is a sexually violent predator who should remain confined even though he has completed a 15-year prison sentence for sodomizing teenage boys.The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that jurors reached the verdict last month in the case against Donald Peckham, but the case records weren’t publicized until Tuesday. Prosecutors say Peckham, who is from Sarcoxie, sexually abused at least 14 boys between 12 and 16 years old over the course of 30 years and continued to victimize young boys until he was 67 years old.Defense attorney Amy Clay says the decision to indefinitely commit Peckham to a treatment program run by the Missouri Department of Mental Health amounts to a “life sentence” because few people get through it.___ Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com … [Read more...] about 86-year-old former Missouri minister deemed sexually violent
HCMC begins 14-month project to upgrade flood-prone street
The 3.2-km (2-mile)-long street, which connects the downtown District 1 with District 2, home to a large expat community, is now on the list of the most flooded areas in the city. Experts have blamed its subsidence on a series of real estate projects with thousands of apartments that have sprung up along either side of the street. The VND473 billion ($20.4 million) project will be started on Saturday to elevate the surface of the street in some sections that are severely subsided while other parts are kept at the same height to ensure the water drainage system works well. The 500-meter-long section from an underpass in front of The Manor building to the Nguyen Huu Canh Overpass that suffered the heaviest subsidence will be lifted by between 50 cm to 1.2 m. Nguyen Vinh Ninh, deputy head of the HCMC Management Board of Investment and Construction of Traffic Projects, the project’s investor, said a new water drainage system and lighting system as well as other technical … [Read more...] about HCMC begins 14-month project to upgrade flood-prone street