Tag Archives: #featured

Big sendoff: National Guard unit deploys to Kuwait

I was invited to the deployment ceremony of a military unit from the area. The challenge once I arrived was finding the local voices within the communities I serve. That piece could have turned out better, but overall I was pleased with the outcome.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Hochul speaks with Staff Sgt. Steven Cleveland and his wife, Sherry, both of Clarence.
U.S. Rep. Kathy Hochul speaks with Staff Sgt. Steven Cleveland and his wife, Sherry, both of Clarence.
By Les Bowen for Genesee Country Express   |   Feb. 2, 2012   |   Original source

Seventy-five soldiers, their friends and family joined Saturday afternoon in a departure ceremony at the New York State Armory in Geneseo. New York Army National Guard’s Company A, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment.

The group is part of a the full company that heads first to a two-month training in Mississippi before continuing to Kuwait for a one-year tour of duty.

Command Sgt. Maj. David Oliver noted the history of Company A, responding to protect government installations after 9/11 and leading military efforts in New York City in 2004 and 2005, Arizona in 2006 and Afghanistan in 2007. Continue reading Big sendoff: National Guard unit deploys to Kuwait

Banjo basics

This was one of my first video projects. Coverage of the Springwater Fiddlers Fair had always been a challenge since the experience is all about sound. Though the camera’s microphone quality was less than I would have liked, this was a great first step into video.

By Les Bowen for Genesee Country Express   |   Sept. 17, 2011   |   Original source not available

Feeding the college fund

This was my first exposure to youth in agriculture. I interviewed two sets of siblings in two parts of our coverage area about their experience raising livestock as part of FFA and 4-H.

By Les Bowen for Vernal Express   |   June 4, 2008
Joe Frost puts a bridle onto Silver, a 20-year-old pony belonging to his little sister, Jacelyn.
Joe Frost puts a bridle onto Silver, a 20-year-old pony belonging to his little sister, Jacelyn.

Most kids’ college funds are deposits in the bank. But for several families in the Uintah Basin, the college savings plan is a different kind of animal – or rather, a whole herd of animals.

“It’s a good deal for the kids,” said Lisa Frost. “It lets them see how money is spent.”

She and husband Shane and their family run more than 300 cattle on more than 850 acres in Randlett.

Two of their kids, Joe and Josh each own at least 10 animals in the herd. And if that isn’t enough work, they’ve worked through the last year with steer and pigs to get them ready for competitions in the Uintah Basin and elsewhere in the West. Continue reading Feeding the college fund