Ready Reporter

My mother loved to tell the story of getting an orange on Christmas in her stocking and what a big deal it was to her as a child. That was 70 years ago.  Today I have a choice of many varieties in my local grocery store.  However the news this week is that we won’t be seeing as many Florida oranges this year.

The Packer, a website covering the produce industry, reports that the USDA forecasts a smaller  citrus crop this year, down one percent. That doesn’t sound like a lot but The Packer reports it’s the most doomful forecast since 1970.

If you need help with stories about food or agriculture:

• The Packer is a good site for current news, trends and story ideas
• The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), a government agency provides helpful statistics
• Search by state at NASS allows you to drill down to your area for information about agriculture.  (see pull down menu at bottom of gray box on the left)

What happens every 48 seconds, 30 times a day?

The headline probably gave away the answer: Someone is killed in an alcohol-related transportation accident. That’s according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, republished by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

It’s likely that law enforcers will be stepping up the drunken driving patrols this holiday season. That could be a story when the news runs dry this month.

What are the latest in techniques or equipment being used? Have government cutbacks meant fewer patrols since sometimes they are funded with overtime money or grants? Does any agency keep stats on the severity of  punishment of drunken drivers? [and yes, AP style requires “drunken driving,” not “drunk driving”]. 

For background on those or other stories related to drunken driving, check out the CDC’s page on impaired driving, other links shown on that page, and this section on impaired driving from NHTSA.

Hey, be careful out there.

The neighbors have outlined their home in lights, the city’s done its annual Christmas tree celebration and the sound of ringing bells echoes around the Salvation Army kettle.  We’re hardly through Thanksgiving but it’s holiday time.

Here’s a primer on December holidays if you need some quick copy to tuck into a story, add to a facebook posting, or use for developing story ideas in a slow month of news:

Sunday, Dec. 2 is the start of Advent,  a season of hope that marks the beginning the the new year for Christians.  It is also a time of preparation leading up to Christmas and is observed successive Sundays through Dec. 23. For more information on Advent see this posting from Beliefnet.com

Buddhists will observe Bodhi Day on Saturday, Dec. 8, the celebration of the day the Buddha attained enlightenment. You can read more about the day and how Buddhists observe it in an article from a Buddhist teacher published on the Huffington Post.

Also on Saturday, Dec. 8 Jews begin their celebration of Hanukkah, continuing through  Sunday, Dec.16 Many people know about the lighting of candles but here is more background on the tradition.

Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is Tuesday, Dec. 25. Many churches have services on the evening of the 24th, rather than the 25th.  Watch through the month for food give-aways, clothing drives for underprivileged kids, and community service projects.

African Americans will begin celebrating Kwanzaa, a 7-day festival of community and culture, Wednesday, Dec. 26. This photo essay from Beliefnet explains the week-long observance. Check out this list of regional celebrations to see if one is in your area.