December 2019

Zigler planes to ‘force rain’ by dropping ice on clouds

Zigler Flying Service is all set to "make it rain" as soon as the necessary towering cumulous clouds appear. When you see such a towering cloud overhead, look for the circus.

George Houston, manager of the Zigler Flying Service, says between 40 and 50 pounds of dry ice is safely stored at the field and that Jeff Hooper, pilot, will have a plane ready to take the ice aloft and blast the cloud and force a rain.

"There is no guess work about it," said Mr. Houston. All we need is the necessary cumulous cloud of the towering variety and we won't let it go by."

SPORTS BRIEFS

Derrick Henry questionable for Titans’ showdown with Texans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee running back Derrick Henry is questionable for the Titans’ AFC South showdown with the Houston Texans.

Henry has not practiced all week with a sore left hamstring that limited him in th e Titans’ 42-21 win over the Oakland Raiders last week despite him running for 103 yards and a touchdown. Henry currently ranks second in the NFL with 1,243 yards rushing and is tied for the league lead with 13 TD runs.

Brady, Patriots look to get offense going vs Bengals

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady says he is still having fun playing football, even in the midst of one of the most challenging seasons of his career.

“I love it,” he said on Friday, though he balked at saying whether he likes it as much as he used to.

The defending Super Bowl champions head into Sunday’s game against Cincinnati in a prolonged slump, losing two in a row and three of their last five games. Since the start of Week 9, they are 30th in the NFL with an average of 17.6 points per game; only the Bengals and Jaguars are worse.

Plenty of QBs with a pedigree should be available in 2020

(AP) - Several quarterbacks with impressive resumes could be looking for new teams in 2020 after disappointing performances this season.

The list of QBs who could be available includes guys with MVP trophies on their mantels, former No. 1 draft picks and longtime starters.

Eli Manning is the most accomplished of the group. The two-time Super Bowl MVP already has some Hall of Fame credentials. Philip Rivers also has built a case to have his bust enshrined in Canton.

Cam Newton was the 2015 NFL MVP. Nick Foles and Joe Flacco were Super Bowl MVPs.

NFL Notes: Meaty questions, deep cuts with Saints’ Payton

(AP) - Sean Payton responded to a grocery store butcher’s questioning of one of his play calls with a cutting retort about the quality of the meat behind the counter.

The New Orleans Saints coach says he was really trying to be lighthearted about it, but also felt compelled to explain his decision to call for a 2-point conversion that failed in the first quarter of a 48-46 loss to San Francisco last Sunday.

MAGICAL RUN ENDS IN HEARTACHE

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NEW ORLEANS - The Cinderella run ended for the Jennings Bulldogs Friday night in the Mercedes Benz Superdome as they fell to a talented No. 1 St.James Wildcats squad by a score of 51-14. After a fast start by the Dogs that gave them a 7-0 lead, St. James responded by scoring 31 unanswered points to go into the half down 31-7.

Get crafty with evergreen holiday decorations

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Everyone has no doubt begun decorating for the holiday season. You’ve got your excited folks who started listening to Christmas music and threw up the decorations before the Thanksgiving holiday. (Hey, no judgement here.) Then you’ve got the folks like me who put the tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving. And some of us are busy and just getting around to it.

Shrimp season to close in portions of state waters

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced the 2019 fall inshore shrimp season would close in all state inside waters Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, at official sunset, except for the following inside waters east of the Mississippi River:

Farmers hear about challenges of growing hemp

ALEXANDRIA— Industrial hemp is gaining interest as farmers explore the potential for increased profits from growing hemp varieties used for fiber, seed and cannabidiol, or CBD, oil.

“This crop will have its growing pains through the first couple of years due to so many unknowns, particularly labor costs, market risks and production variables,” said LSU AgCenter economist Michael Deliberto.

New Zealand recovers 6 bodies days after volcanic eruption

WHAKATANE, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand military specialists recovered six bodies from a small volcanic island Friday days after an eruption claimed at least eight other lives and left a toxic and volatile landscape. The eight specialists wearing protective clothing and using breathing apparatuses landed by helicopter and found six of the bodies thought to remain on White Island since the eruption Monday. The bodies were airlifted to a ship near the island off New Zealand’s eastern coast where scientists and other police and military personnel monitored the risky operation.