How One Family Farm Made American Sake Possible
The first thing one notices when driving through the plains of east-central Arkansas is how flat the land is. No hills, no slopes, no ridges. In fact, if it weren't for the sporadic patches of forest and a few manmade terraces and artificial levees, the horizon would be a straight line that seemingly goes on forever.
This level terrain, along with reliable rainfall and cheap irrigation, makes the farmland ideal for the water-intensive process of growing rice — Arkansas produces more than 40% of the total US rice output, according to the USA Rice Federation. Almost all of that is and has long been American table rice. 'The kind you put gravy on,' says Chris Isbell, a fourth-generation farmer. For decades the same was true of Isbell's low-lying fields, 3,500 remote acres about 30 miles southeast of Little Rock.
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Washington Post
41 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Scheffler part of 3-way tie for lead at Travelers with Fleetwood and Thomas
CROMWELL, Conn. — Scottie Scheffler provided hope with a late double bogey. Tommy Fleetwood charged through with two eagles in three holes , and so did Justin Thomas with five straight birdies . They wound up tied for the lead on a blustery Friday at the Travelers Championship. All it took was the fate of the wind, good or bad, to shape the leaderboard going into the weekend at the TPC River Highlands, with 12 players separated by four shots. Scheffler was comfortably in front when the left-to-right wind his tee shot had been riding laid down, sending his ball into the fairway bunker on the par-4 17th. He put the next one in the water, barely reached the green with his fourth shot and made double bogey. He wound up with a 1-under 69. Fleetwood felt the wind going right-to-left, then slightly hurting, then slightly helping on the par-5 13th. He had 240 yards to at least cover the water, 264 yards to the hole, and he felt his 9-wood would at least reach the green. So much depended on the fickle wind that fooled so many players. 'I just sort of caught the right moment,' said Fleetwood, who also chipped in for eagle on the reachable 15th and shot 65. 'Came off perfect and then beautiful putt.' Thomas wished he could have hit the ball a little better off the tee, but he stayed out of trouble, stayed patient and cashed in on the back nine with his five straight birdies, two of them from the 25-foot range, that led to a 64. They were at 9-under 131, one shot ahead of Jason Day (66). Rory McIlroy was 3 over through four holes in gusts that topped 30 mph, at one point falling eight shots behind Scheffler, a daunting prospect. But he kept in the game, found hope when Scheffler dropped back to 9 under, and got a little luck on his own. His second shot from a bunker on the 17th was so think that he took one hand off the club and waited for the worse, mainly a splash. It founded the water at such a low trajectory that it skipped out onto the fairway. He failed to get up-and-down, taking bogey, but felt it could have been worse — the shot, and his position going into the weekend He batted for a 71, leaving him only four back. 'The conditions today definitely bunched the entire field together and should make for an exciting weekend,' McIlroy said The conditions — mainly the wind strong that was blowing hats off of heads and sending unoccupied chairs tumbling away — was everything in the second round. The average score was 70.7, nearly two shots harder than the opening round. It was the highest scoring average for a single round at the Travelers since the second round in 2017. The toughest part for players was figuring out which way it was blowing. Scheffler experienced that on the 17th. 'The tee shot, I hit exactly the way I wanted to,' Scheffler said. 'Somehow the wind either stops or goes back because the way my ball was flying it should have basically gotten to the middle of the fairway and I end up in the left bunker. 'Then I catch it a hair fat, and all of a sudden I'm dropping and hitting my fourth shot, and I hit the shot exactly the way we wanted to, and as the ball is flying, you get a gust into the wind, and all of a sudden the ball is not on the green,' he said. 'You can't get every one correct. You just do your best to manage your way around the golf course.' Day had his own version of a hat trick on the front nine — three pars, three birdies, three bogeys — until hitting all the right shots for a 31 on the back to get in the hunt. Denny McCarthy (64) and Austin Eckroat (71) were at 7-under 133, followed by Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley 70) and Nick Taylor (68). Patrick Cantlay had a 68 with a double bogey on the par-5 13th and joined the large group at 135 that included McIlroy. If the wind wasn't bad enough, Luke Clanton showed remarkable patience in his second tournament as a pro. He had been playing with Jordan Spieth, who had to withdraw with soreness in his upper back on Thursday. Clanton was a single in the middle of the field, behind Scheffler and U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, in front of Andrew Novak and Jacob Bridgeman. He waited on every shot and did well to post a 72, leaving him in the middle of the pack. ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Teen Survives Being Struck by Lightning in Central Park, but Admits One Decision He Made 'Wasn't the Best Idea'
A New York City teenager was struck by lightning in Central Park on June 19 Yassin Khalifa was enjoying a picnic with friends when the storm started, and he suggested they wait the rain out under a tree 'Apparently, I'm pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened,' Khalifa saidA teenager is speaking out after surviving a lightning strike in New York City. Yassin Khalifa, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, was struck by lightning while spending time in Central Park on Thursday, June 19, according to WABC-TV New York and The New York Times. Though he fell unconscious for a few minutes, he only sustained second-degree burns and is expected to make a full recovery. After enjoying a picnic with his friends near the East Meadow, a severe thunderstorm set in, according to WABC. Khalifa told the outlet that he decided to ride out the storm under a tree, which he admitted "might not have been the best idea." The bolt of lightning struck the tree he was leaning on around 3:40 p.m., the New York Post reported, and Khalifa lost consciousness for a short time after the strike. By the time an ambulance arrived to take him to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, though, Khalifa was awake and alert. Additionally, Fox 5 New York reported that according to officials, the teen was also burned on impact as he was wearing a metal chain. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "Apparently, I'm pretty lucky, because my spine was directly against the tree and no nerve damage happened," Khalifa told WABC-TV. "So I'm pretty happy about that." In the case of lightning strikes, one in ten people die, The New York Times reported in 2017, though it remains one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the United States. The thunderstorm in Manhattan was part of a string of severe weather along the East Coast on June 19, affecting parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Read the original article on People
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Colorado's Empower Field at Mile High to take precautions for heat during The Weeknd concert
This Saturday, thousands of people are expected to attend The Weeknd concert at Empower Field at Mile High, and venue organizers are working to make sure the heat doesn't ruin the fun. The Weeknd is a popular Canadian singer and songwriter famous for hits such as "Blinding Lights," "Starboy" and "Die For You." His stop in Denver is part of the "After Hours Til Dawn Tour" with Playboi Carti. Officials expect there to be a large crowd and heavy traffic during the concert and are encouraging guests to arrive early. Lots will open at 3 p.m. The Weeknd performs onstage for "After Hours Til Dawn" 2025 Stadium Tour at State Farm Stadium on May 09, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. Kevin Mazur via Getty Images for Live Nation The Denver metro area will be under a heat advisory Saturday, with temperatures possibly climbing into the triple digits. The heat advisory will go into effect at 11 a.m. and remain in place until 6 p.m. The stadium management company said there will be several precautions in place, including additional medical staff to help concert goers with heat related issues. Some areas around the stadium will be used as expanded medical treatment areas, and over 30 free water refilling stations will be positioned throughout the stadium. Organizers said there will also be water refilling stations outside the east and west areas of the stadiums for guests waiting to enter. Precautions will also be in place to protect staff from the heat, with additional break areas with hydration stations.
