www.kentuckynewera.com | LOCAL/NATION | Wednesday, May 9, 2012 A7

200 Glass Avenue • (270) 887-7000www.christian.kyschools.us

It’s About Every Student Every Day

Christian County Public Schools

ChristianCounty Boardof Education

The Christian County Board of Educationis seeking teachers, administrators and

other educational certified professionalsfor the 2012-13 academic school year.

We will be hosting aEducational Teacher Job Fair

on Saturday, May 19, 2012. This event will be held at the:

Christian Co. Public School’s Boardroom200 Glass Avenue,

Hopkinsville, KY9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Certified teacher candidates seekingemployment are encouraged to attend.

Apply online atwww.christian.kyschools.us

Call 270 887-7020 for more information.

“Recruiting the Best and the Brightest Teachers”

Christian County Public Schools’

Teacher Job FairSaturday, May 19, 2012

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

• Bring your

resume!

• Be prepared to

meet with local

principals and

teachers to discuss

anticipated

opportunities!

Christian County Boardof Education

200 Glass AvenueHopkinsville, KY 42240270 887-7000www.christian.kyschools.us

Specialty crop funding availablethrough agriculture department

BY DENNIS O’NEIL NEW ERA STAFF WRITER

The Kentucky Department of Agricul-ture recently made grant funds availablefor developing specialty crops such asfruit, vegetables, tree nuts and nurserycrops.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture re-cently gave a $260,000 grant to the state forenhancing competitiveness in its spe-cialty crops market. According to a newsrelease from the state, Kentucky produc-ers took in $72 million for sales of green-house and nursery products, $23 millionfrom vegetables and melons and almost$11 million from fruit, nuts and berries in2010.

Kentucky Commissioner of Agricul-ture James Comer said the state’s climateand soil are well-suited for developing spe-cialty crops and thinks the grant fundswill help diversify the state’s agricultureindustry.

“I encourage all eligible individuals andorganizations to apply,” Comer said in therelease.

Crop producers as well as commoditygroups, agriculture organizations and col-leges may apply for grants. All applicantsmust reside or have their business in Ken-tucky.

The maximum grant amount is $75,000.

According to the news release, grantfunds won’t be awarded for projects meantonly to benefit one individual or institu-tion. Applications must reflect a project’spossible benefits to the specialty crop in-dustry or the state.

Brian Lacefield, general manager forCommonwealth Agrifinance, helps secureloans for farmers to finance their opera-tions. While most farmers in the areafocus on crops like soybeans and tobacco,Lacefield said many are looking for newcrops to grow.

Lacefield said he has seen several localfarmers lose tobacco contracts in the pastfew years. With tobacco contracts only re-newed on a year-to-year basis, he said it’shard for a tobacco farmer to plan his op-eration long term. He thinks specialtycrops could provide a useful alternative.

Lacefield also said farmers are hesitantto grow specialty crops because theyaren’t sure if there is a market for them.Things like tobacco and soybeans, he said,are more reliable.

“With these other crops, sometimesthere is not the safety net that you havewith corn, wheat and soybeans,” he said.“I guess people are hesitant to move awayfrom what is known.”

REACH DENNIS O’NEIL at 270-887-3237 or doneil@kentuckynewera.com.

Puerto Rico aims to becomeentirely bilingual by 2022

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico(AP) — The governor ofPuerto Rico is trying to dowhat more than a centuryof American citizenshiphas failed to accomplish:make Puerto Ricans fluentin English.

Gov. Luis Fortuno, who hasbeen mentioned as a possibleRepublican vice-presidentialcandidate, has proposed anambitious, and what criticscall far-fetched, plan to re-quire all public schools toteach all courses in Englishinstead of Spanish.

The U.S. territory has hada long and contentious rela-tionship with the Englishlanguage, and many PuertoRicans are skeptical aboutembracing it, fearing theywill lose a key part of theiridentity and find them-selves a step closer to state-hood, a status that onlyabout half of islandershave backed in recent polls.

The governor wantsPuerto Rico to become the51st U.S. state. But he sayshis plan is about economicnecessity, not politics.

“Bilingualism opensdoors and provides oppor-

tunity to our children sothey can shine and becomesuccessful in a labor mar-ket that is increasinglycompetitive and global-ized,” he said.

Only 12 of the island’s1,472 schools offer an all-English curriculum of thesort envisioned by Fortuno,while 35 other schools offersome courses in English,such as math and physicaleducation, said EducationSecretary Edwin Moreno.

“The main idea is to havea Puerto Rican who cancommunicate in Spanish aswell as English,” saidMoreno, who acknowl-edged that he himself hasan imperfect command ofEnglish.

Moreno is overseeing aninitial $15 million project toinstall a bilingual curricu-lum in 31 schools startingin August and to reinforcethe English-Spanish cur-riculum already in place inthe 35 other schools. Plansfor adding the rest are stillhazy, but the governor sayshe wants all public schoolstudents to be bilingualwithin 10 years.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

After trying to blow bubbles and not succeeding, 2-year-old Landen Bushey encourages his mom, EvangelineBushey, to help as he holds his bubble wand out toward her Monday at their Washington Avenue home inOwensboro.

Working together