The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1477073
SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY? SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY? Give us a call at 812-753-3553 or email editor@sgstartimes.com PICO DE GALLO PICO DE GALLO By Jennifer Vallee Cooking Columnist news@sgstartimes.com I was working at Denny's Classic Diner when I first tasted Pico De Gallo. Pico, as we called it, is basically a fresh salsa. It is not cooked and meant to be served when the tomatoes and other ingredients are at the peak of ripeness. I have been in love with Pico since my very first bite and prefer it to any other type of salsa there is, so when I found out how easy it was to make, I filed that recipe away in my head quickly and have pulled it out time and again to the delight of my Mexican food loving friends. This would be a fabulous recipe to start out one of your junior cooks with, as there is very little room for er- ror. Please make sure that the cook is able to use a knife without cutting off a finger, however, as I would feel aw- ful to know I had been the cause of a family emergency. This recipe is good as a topping on tacos and other Mexican dishes, or a stand-alone with chips. It is deli- cious! Enjoy! INGREDIENTS • 2 to 3 medium fresh tomatoes (1 to 1 1/2 pounds), stems removed • 1/2 medium red onion • 2 serrano or 1 jalapeño pepper, stems, ribs, and seeds removed (less or more to taste) • Juice of 1 lime • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste • 1 pinch dried oregano (crumble in your fingers be- fore adding), or more to taste • 1 pinch ground cumin, or more to taste • Note: When using fresh chili peppers, always taste first before adding! Some peppers are hotter than others and you really can't tell unless you taste them. Just take a very small taste. You'll be able to gauge the heat of the pepper and will be better able to judge how much you need. DIRECTIONS 1. Roughly chop the tomatoes, chili peppers, and on- ions. Be careful while handling the chili peppers. Use a plastic baggie or disposable gloves to handle them, or wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling and avoid touching your eyes for several hours. 2. Set aside some of the seeds from the peppers. If the salsa isn't hot enough, you can add a few for more heat. 3. Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food pro- cessor fitted with the blade. Pulse only a few times, just enough to finely dice the ingredients and not enough to purée. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely dice by hand. 4. Place in a serving bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the chilis make the salsa too hot, add some more chopped tomato. If it's not hot enough, carefully add a few of the seeds from the chilis, or add a little more ground cumin. 5. If you like, let the salsa sit for an hour (room tempera- ture or chilled) for the flavors to combine. 6. Serve with chips, tortillas, tacos, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, or pinto or black beans. The salsa will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. Source: Simplyrecipes.com Library news FORT BRANCH AND HAUBSTADT Fort Branch Hours: Monday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday 1 to 7 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 1 to 5 p.m., also open 8 a.m. to noon on first and third Saturday of the month. Haubstadt Hours: Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 1 to 7 p.m., Friday 1 to 5 p.m., also open 8 a.m. to noon on the sec- ond and fourth Saturday of the month. Submitted by Dana Gansman The Haubstadt Branch Library will be open this Saturday, Aug. 27 from 8 a.m. to noon with our final Farmers Market in our parking lot during that time. Lo- cal vendors like Unforgettable Custom Baking, Little Bean C&C Co., Ritter's Farm, Hope Hill Farms, Woodworking, Crafts and more are lined up. Come out and support your local businesses. Storybook Walk is up and in full swing from Aug. 15 -31. Fort Branch "Monkey and the Little One." Haubstadt "Library Books are Not for Eating." The library has partnered with local businesses to bring an outdoor, family-friendly activ- ity to the community. Follow the map and read the pages of the story posted in the windows of each location. Enjoy the stroll, the excitement of young readers, and hopefully you will giggle a time or two. Maps and more information will be available in both libraries and on Face- book. Both locations will be closed for the observance of Labor Day. Grab and Go Kids Crafts are back on Wednesday Sept. 7 while open and supplies lasts. Adult Book Club books for September are in and available at both locations. We provide the books and you provide the conversations. Classic Book Club is reading "Whistling Past the Graveyard" by Susan Crandall and will meet on Thursday Sept. 15th at the Fort Branch Location. Modern Book Club is reading Laura Jean Baker's "The Motherhood A ffidavits" and meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at K ANT Brewery at 6 p.m. Have you heard about 1000 Books Be- fore Kindergarten? This is a program for children from birth until they start kindergarten to instill a love of reading. Come into either location to sign up your child today and get your first read- ing log. This program is totally free and comes with some great incentives for your little ones. Be sure to sign up for our monthly email newsletter for our segment– Kim's Column. This is a featurette by staff member, Kim, who will give some recommended reads each month from books that are in the library. To see some of these hidden gems, go to the bottom of our website at fortbranchli- brary.com and submit your email. Grab and Go is always an available op- tion. You can call us to put in requests or log in to the catalog and shop for them yourself, choosing which library you would like to pick up from. Using the number under the barcode on your library card and the last four digits of your phone number will get you into your library account. Here you can man- age requests, wish lists, or just browse. If you have issues, please call either library and we'd be happy to walk you through it. We gather the books you re- quest and you can choose to either be called, texted, or emailed when they are ready to pick up. Please note our hours. Call 812-753- 4212 or text us at 812-649 -1084 with any questions. We look forward to seeing you soon. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates about the Fort Branch Library Build. OWENSVILLE CARNEGIE Regular Library hours Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Check out our website at owensvillelibrary.org. The library hosts a new step chal- lenge. Join us on the library lawn each Friday morning at 9 a.m. or join in at home–the library offers a step tracker for anyone looking to join in on the fun. So many books, so little time. OAKLAND CITY COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP Public Library hours Monday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed Sunday. The Oakland City–Columbia Town- ship Public Library has partnered with Mesker Park Zoo recently. Zoo passes are available for checkout to library card holders. A pass allows two adults and up to four children to visit the zoo at no cost. One pass per household may be checked out for three days. Passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis with no holds or ad- vanced reservations allowed. Questions about the program may be directed to the library at 812-749 -3559. The Board of Trustees for the Oak- land City — Columbia Township Public Library adopted the second Wednesday of every month at 4 p.m. for their month- ly board meetings. The meetings are in the Library Meeting Room. Most parents are familiar with sleep-related issues in infants and tod- dlers. Developmentally, it is normal for babies to wake up every few hours. Tod- dlers can also struggle with sleep issues - especially while toilet training. Overall, most sleep-related issues dis- sipate as children grow older. But what happens when a child who is normally an excellent sleeper begins having is- sues during elementary school? Recently, we have been working through sleep issues with our 8 -year- old. I first contacted our pediatrician for advice, who told us it is common for el- ementary school aged kids to have trou- ble sleeping. She explained that at this age kids start to understand more about the world around them and can become prone to anxieties and worries, which can play out prior to going to bed. Kids at this age may start to have more vivid nightmares. A recurring nightmare our daughter mentioned was someone breaking into the house. Fears such as these can be common, especial- ly when they see frightening themes introduced on television. It's important to monitor screen time to make sure your child is watching age-appropriate content. One of the tips our pediatrician rec- ommended was developing a behavior reward system. She recommended giv- ing our daughter a "hall pass." She was allowed to use this hall pass to get out of bed three times each night, but after that she would have a consequence. Another tip for parents is to talk to your child about potential underlying issues. Ask your child if they are wor- ried, scared, or having nightmares. In our case, we discovered that we had the most issues on Monday before school or before a big event our daughter was ner- vous about. Talk to your children about ways to cope with their worries. We kept some Pop-It toys by her bed and taught her some breathing exercises to help her calm down when worried. It is also im- portant to normalize your child's feel- ings. I told my daughter it is normal to worry about unfamiliar situations and shared that I feel these emotions too. The point is to help your child feel less alone by explaining that even adults struggle with these things. The most important aspect of sleep training is to establish a consistent bedtime routine. Most parents will give their child a bath, read a book, and put their child to bed. It is also important to limit technology use. When our daugh- ter watched television or played on her tablet before bed, she had more trouble sleeping. If you decide to initiate a consequence based on their behavior, make sure you follow through. I, like many parents, sometimes have trouble with this. When you are exhausted it can be hard to fol- low through with negative consequenc- es, but your child will learn they can continue negative behaviors if you don't follow through. Lastly, know that this phase will pass, just like when you had an infant that only slept for an hour at a time at night. It may have felt like it would never end, but it did. This too shall pass. Shannon Loehrlein, LCSW, is a Youth First Social Worker at Thompkins Middle School in Vanderburgh County. Cox receives Masters Degree in Communications Audra Cox of Fort Branch was one of more than 3,000 students to graduate from Baylor University in Waco, T X this spring. Cox earned her Master of Science degree in Commu- nication Sciences and Dis- orders. MENU Aug. 23: Grilled chicken and bacon sandwich, Caesar salad chips, carrot sticks and sidekicks milk Aug. 24: Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, with gravy corn, chilled pears, hot roll and milk Aug. 25: Chicken Alfredo, roasted broccoli, carrot sticks, garlic toast, strawberries and milk Aug. 26: Soft shell ground beef taco, refried beans, sal- sa and chips, watermelon and milk Aug. 29: Mini corn dogs, baked fries, California blend, carrots and hummus, Fruit Cocktail and milk Aug. 30 : Teriyaki chicken, fried veg rice, eggroll toma- toes, roasted broccoli, red grapes and milk Student Spotlight South Gibson Star-Times Tuesday, August 23, 2022 B-7 HOME LIFE TO ADVERTISE: Call: 812-753-3553 Email: ads@sgstartimes.com Deadline: 3 p.m. on Friday Youth First Today By Shannon Loehrlein Sleep issues in elementary school kids My So Called Millennial Life By Stephanie Hayes Where is the manatee emoji? New emoji are on the way. I know — you're relieved. You've been bathing in an acid rain of primary ads in which all candidates continue to focus on a former silk tie manufacturer whose home has been raided by the FBI. Perhaps you've been screaming, "a plague on both your houses" like an irritated, dying Mer- cutio. You thought, "You know what I could use to cleanse my palate? A ma- racas emoji." Well, celebrate we will. The new slate of designs includes a moose and a goose, a jellyfish, a flute, a hair pick and a face experiencing whiplash (See also: Mercutio at the primary). These drafts are awaiting approval from the Unicode Consortium, my next team name at triv- ia. News website Grid spoke with Emoji- pedia editor-in-chief Keith Broni about the deeper meaning behind emoji. The interview contains reflections that should keep us all awake wondering if a moose, literal or proverbial, is peering through the curtain cracks. "You might think, 'Why do I need a moose emoji? '" said Broni. "Well, actu- ally, a lot of people across the world deal with moose on a frequent basis, and they're pretty significant creatures. If you encounter one, you're going to re- member." Fine. But this update is missing some- thing, a specimen absent from the line- up for too long. The treasured manatee. The significant manatee. Please explain how there is no mana- tee emoji. I'm all ears. Wait, do manatees have ears? They don't have necks, but... Hold on, I'll check. "They don't have ex- ternal earlobes, but anatomically, mana- tees appear to have good hearing," according to the National Ocean Ser- vice. "They have very large ear bones. You can tell how old a manatee is by counting the annual growth rings in the ear bone." Growth rings! Mana- tees are rad. Now search your phone. Start with "man" and brace for a cartoon flood of male proportions: a chesty genie, a British palace guard, Legolas from "Lord of the Rings," mangoes and manholes. Emo- jipedia advised "a less specific search phrase." I tried "sea cow" — same an- swer. Then I tried "Roly-Poly Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea" and the ground trembled beneath a corpulent tail slap. Reader John Bisney wrote this spring asking me to gin up a letter campaign around the manamoji, because we focus on the big issues here. "This, of course, is just shocking," he said of the dearth of petite digital manatees. Yes, John, it is. Others have noticed. In 2016, which was 342 years ago, the former Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa circu- lated a Change.org petition asking the Unicode Consortium for a manatee emo- ji. The zoo wanted to raise awareness for the species, an even greater idea now. Florida's manatees experienced record-setting death in 2021 and are still at risk for starvation. The petition closed with more than 26,000 support- ers, and yet we are stuck with seals and confused fish. Manatees remain icon- ic to Florida, the Carib- bean, the Amazon Basin and West A frica, a mag- ical mystery mammal to those sadly without. Ear- ly seamen mistook man- atees for mermaids, and those mythical babes are well-represented on the emoji keyboard. A little too well, cue eyebrow. Think of the commu- nication value! Manatees are a luxuri- ously slow creature. With one click, they say: I'm running late for the marketing meeting and also don't care... My mile is clocking in at 24 minutes and I'm go- ing to reject jogging for the couch... Let's skip class and laugh over salads at the pool... My head will be under blankets for 20-minute increments... How do we make this happen? We rise up as one! We band together! We... oh. Fill out a form during the application pe- riod from April to July. Or we can make this gentle plea go viral and pressure Unicode to wedge in a manatee before the committee approves moose and friends in September. That's the gray way, the lazy way, the roundabout (ba- dum-cha) way. The manatee way. Stephanie Hayes is a columnist at the Tampa Bay Times in Florida. Fol- low her at @ stephhayes on Twitter or @ stephrhayes on Instagram.