Chrystal Chattam Moore was recently awarded Gordon Hospital’s Extra Mile Award, created by members of the hospital’s Employee Engagement Committee in an effort to recognize employees who go above and beyond the call of duty on a regular basis. The award is given monthly to deserving employees selected by the hospital’s directors. “Chrystal is an outstanding nurse, who I am proud to have on this team,” says Kari da Costa, director of the hospital’s Medical/Surgical Unit. “She daily portrays the mission of this facility and incorporates the practice of going the extra mile in everything she does.” Moore, RN, has been employed by Gordon Hospital for one year. She is a 1995 graduate of Calhoun High School and earned a degree in respiratory therapy from Southwestern Georgia Technical College in 2001. She earned her nursing degree in 2011 from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College School of Nursing and Health Sciences. “I truly appreciate this award,” Moore says. “It is an honor to come back home and be chosen for the Extra Mile Award by leadership.” Moore resides in Gordon County with her husband, Aaron, and daughters, Malya, 4, and Brooklyn, 1. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Investigators will look closely at a broken section of rail to see if it is connected to the commuter train derailment and collision outside New York City that left dozens injured, as the focus begins to shift toward cleanup and rebuilding ahead of challenging times for travelers and commuters along the Northeast Corridor. A member of the National Transportation and Safety Board said Saturday that a fractured section of rail is of substantial interest to investigators and a portion of the track will be sent to a lab for analysis. Officials also said Saturday the incident was not the result of foul play. It's not clear if the accident caused the fracture or if the rail was broken before the crash, the NTSB's Earl Weener said. He emphasized the investigation was in its early stages and said he won't speculate on the cause of the derailment. Data recorders on board are expected to provide the speed of the Metro-North trains at the time of the crash and other information, he said. Seventy-two people were sent to the hospital Friday evening after a Metro-North train heading east from New York City derailed and was hit by a train heading west from New Haven. Most have been discharged. Officials earlier described devastating damage and said it was fortunate no one was killed. "I feel that we are fortunate that even more injuries were not the result of this very tragic and unfortunate accident," said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who visited several patients in the hospital. The crash damaged the tracks and threatened to snarl travel in the Northeast. The crash also caused Amtrak to suspend service between New York and Boston. Blumenthal called the damage "absolutely staggering," Attention is slowly shifting to the cleanup, restoration — and the upcoming work week. Metro-North said train service will remain suspended between South Norwalk and New Haven until further notice. Railroad officials said rebuilding the two tracks and restoring train service "will take well into next week." NTSB investigators arrived Saturday and are expected to be on site for seven to 10 days. They'll look at the brakes and performance of the trains, the condition of the tracks, crew performance and train signal information, among other things. When the NTSB concludes the on-site phase of its investigation, Metro-North will begin to remove the damaged rail cars and remaining debris. The process requires specialized, heavy equipment that was expected to be in place Sunday, officials said. Only after the damaged train cars have been removed can Metro-North begin the work of rebuilding the damaged tracks and overhead wires. "It is a significant undertaking that could take days to complete," MTA said in a statement. The NTSB has allowed Metro-North to begin removing some of the track and wire from the scene. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said commuters should make plans for alternative travel through the area and urged them to consult the state Department of Transportation website for information. Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said the disruption caused by the crash could cost the region's economy millions of dollars. About 700 people were on board the Metro-North trains when one heading east from New York City's Grand Central Terminal to New Haven derailed at about 6:10 p.m. just outside Bridgeport, transit and Bridgeport officials said. Passengers described a chaotic, terrifying scene of crunching metal and flying bodies. A spokeswoman for St. Vincent Medical Center said late Saturday that 46 people from the crash were treated there, with six of them admitted. All were in stable condition, she said. A Bridgeport Hospital spokesman said 26 people from the crash were treated there, with three of them admitted. One was in critical condition and two were in stable condition, he said. The other 23 were released. The MTA operates the Metro-North Railroad, the second-largest commuter railroad in the nation. The Metro-North main lines — the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven — run northward from New York City's Grand Central Terminal into suburban New York and Connecticut. The last significant train collision involving Metro-North occurred in 1988 when a train engineer was killed in Mount Vernon, N.Y., when one train empty of passengers rear-ended another, railroad officials said. ___ Associated Press writers Michael Melia in Hartford, Conn., Susan Haigh in Fairfield, Conn., and Verena Dobnik in New York City contributed to this report.

Everyone has a comfort zone or two. I think I have two. I love to talk sports and coach and I also really enjoy the animal science or animal husbandry side of my job. I guess that love for livestock started when my grandfather, A.D. Bowman, would put me to work on the family farm. He owned a farrow-to-finish swine operation. At any time, we would have 1,000 head on the farm and would sale a load of market ready hogs a week. My dad, Gary Bowman, also had a part when he took me to my first calf show and got me involved in showing steers and heifers. I estimate our family has been around the cattle show ring for over three decades now. Finally, Mr. Jack Dyer and Mr. Joe Darby taught me so much about livestock evaluation while I competed as a Gordon County 4-H’er. In fact, I have an old plaque that says I was the best livestock judger in Georgia back in 1988. Today, I am going to put my animal science hat on for a few minutes and talk about two important events that will take place on May 28 and 29 at the Northwest Georgia Research and Education Livestock Pavilion in Calhoun. First, the beef cattle industry is a very important sector of the overall agricultural make-up of Gordon County. Recently a new Ag census was taken so a more accurate reading of our current cattle numbers will be in print. I can tell you, Gordon County is home to a lot of cattle. We estimate that we have easily over 10,000 brood cows in our county. One important management responsibility of any cattle producer is in raising or purchasing of replacement females for the herd. For over a decade ago, the Georgia HERD program was established with our area being one of the heifer evaluation sites. HERD stands for heifer evaluation and reproductive development program. This program is a great source for folks to buy an evaluated heifer and also a good way for producers to in a way compare the heifers they are raising in a test with other consigners. You are not required to sale your heifers at the end of the process. In fact, many consigners will take at least a few of their heifers back home and put in their own herd. When the bulls went off test in early December 2012, the UGA farm crew, UGA specialists and area county agents welcomed consigned heifers to the UGA farm in Floyd County. The five month evaluation will conclude with the annual sale on Wednesday, May 29 approximately 60 confirmed bred heifers offered at public auction. These heifers have been on a solid plan of nutrition to assist in growth and weight gain. The heifers were scored for disposition and hip height measured for frame score data. The females were weighed for gain and were also evaluation for reproductive efficiency by having pelvic measurements and tracts scored. Back in February, the heifers were synchronized for a timed artificial insemination process. The bulls used this year were HA Program 5652 and LCC New Standard. These Angus bulls are known to be calving ease sires. After A.I., heifers were exposed to calving ease Angus bulls for clean-up. The last official farm work day will be here soon to ultrasound the heifers to confirm pregnancy for sale. For cattlemen that try to have a controlled calving season, these heifers should start calving in December 2013. Again, the sale will be mid-day on Wednesday, May 29. Sale catalogs will be available soon. One additional opportunity is an evening of education on Tuesday, May 28 event again at the pavilion. The event is a beef cattle reproductive management workshop. Dr. Lawton Stewart, UGA Extension Animal Scientist, Dr. Lee Jones, UGA Vet and Josh White, Georgia Cattleman Association Executive Vice President will be in attendance. A few of the topics covered will be reproductive development of heifers and also management considerations for cattle producers. The pre-sale night workshop is $10 per participant and does include dinner. Anyone interested in attending needs to register by Friday, May 24. You can stop by the county extension office for a registration application. The registration form will also be in the sale catalog. A good point on the workshop too is that the heifers will be on site and available for you to evaluate. For more information contact Gordon County Extension at 706-629-8685 or email gbowman@uga.edu.