Acceptance and participation requirements for the program and all activities are the same for all -- regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, age or disability; there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. With the return of proms, graduations and end-of-the-school-year parties, PennDOT is urging high school students to show extreme caution each time they get in a vehicle with friends. Aggressive driving, especially speeding, is another major contributing...

Excellent planting progress was made by North Dakota farmers during the previous week, and although rain over the weekend brought field work to a standstill, the moisture was welcomed by farmers. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, small grain seeding was ahead of the five-year pace, except for oats, and the planting pace for the remainder of the crops was close to the five-year average. There was a downside to the rain, however, in the southeastern area of the state, where isolated incidents of...

Department of Agriculture inspects food producers to ensure they meet its standards for organic products. The environment has become a very hot topic these days, especially among parents who want to protect their children's health and the world they'll be inheriting. Parents such as Amell-Nash are propelling a surge in organic baby food sales, and that has prompted more companies to either join or expand their offerings in the sector. They include banning the use of conventional...

Japan has been skittish about foreign beef since the first case of mad cow disease was found in the United States in December 2003. The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. Department of Agriculture has denied a Japanese request to remove a Nebraska beef processing facility owned by Tyson Foods inc. from a list of plants authorized for Japanese export. In February, Japan stopped beef imports from a Lexington, Neb. Although the USDA...

A lunch food pilot program in Ashland Elementary Schools has potential to bring local, organic food to kids, but there are still a number of hurdles to pass. Other concerns included being sensitive to families whose eating values and lifestyles might not be in sync with the nutritional values of the pilot program; that adults hovering over the students' food choices might create negative food issues for them; and taking away choices. Other concerns included being sensitive to families...