The Mississippi Public Service Commission has added a new rebate and low-income credits in an updated rule on compensating homeowners for generating renewable power. With hopes of growing the number of Mississippians self-generating renewable power, the PSC announced a $3,500 rebate for home and small business owners purchasing a system such as rooftop solar panels, as well as higher payments to households earning up to 250% of the federal poverty level. “These new rules will make Mississippi open to business to clean energy technology developers, manufacturers, and installers, and will help boost low-income opportunities allowing Mississippians to experience the cost-saving benefits of solar energy,” Central District Public Service Commissioner Brent Bailey said. Mississippi has the second-lowest number of participants – roughly 300, as of February – among states with a net metering law. It also was one of the last states to adopt net metering, starting the program in 2015. Net metering works by customers selling any extra renewable power they generate back to their utility company. Clean energy advocates were critical of the original rule because, unlike in most states, net metering customers in Mississippi aren’t reimbursed at the retail price for their generated power. The PSC’s regulated utility companies – Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power – pushed back against expanding net metering, arguing that paying too much money in incentives puts an unfair cost burden on non-participating customers. Although the new rule announced this week didn’t raise the reimbursement rate, Mississippi Sierra Club director Louie Miller called it a “win for the clean energy sector.” “I applaud the commission on what they did, I think they really stepped up,” Miller said. “As we’ve seen with the price of natural gas and with how volatile fossil fuels are, this is going to give a lot of people the option to self-generate their electricity.” Between the new $3,500 rebate and federal rebates available to self-generating customers, those homeowners are going to “see some real money,” he explained. Miller also pointed to long-term benefits of self-generation, such as during storms when customers lose connection to their utility’s power grid. Among other changes, the new rule also allows the PSC to go back and make changes once the threshold for net metering customers – which increased from three percent of a utility company’s peak demand to four percent – is met, giving the commission more flexibility. The changes also lock in whatever reimbursement rate a customer is receiving for the next 25 years.

Dr. Daniel Edney, incoming Mississippi health officer, has endorsed increased Medicaid coverage for poor mothers in the state after they give birth. Edney says he supports expanding postpartum care from the state’s current policy of two months to a full year as the “easiest thing to do” to improve health disparities. “We have got to look at moving postpartum care back out to a year again,” he says. “Two months is not enough. We have women who are dying in months three, four and five from complications of pregnancy.” Mississippi State Department of Health data shows that 136 Mississippi mothers died either during pregnancy or within one year of their pregnancy’s end between 2013 and 2016. Of those deaths, 86% of them occurred postpartum.

By Kara Kimbrough The Presidential Library of the 18th president, Ulysses Grant, is located at Mississippi State University in the Mitchell Memorial Library. Also included are artifacts from President Abraham Lincoln. Reading a national journalist’s recap of a visit to the Mississippi Delta, it dawned on me he didn’t stop by nearby Starkville, where Ulysses Grant’s Presidential Library is located in Mississippi State University’s Mitchell Memorial Library. There’s an intriguing story about how the 18th president’s library ended up in a state targeted during the Civil War. There's also a collection of Abraham Lincoln's artifacts. If you’d like to know more, drop me an email and I’ll send you a link to my previous column. The story and subsequent reminder of the presidential library caused me to wonder why Americans are intrigued with the food our presidents and their families eat. Politics aside, I’m proud to know former Pres. Donald Trump dined on, among other items, gulf shrimp, during his inauguration dinner. Let’s hope it originated from Mississippi Sound, since we know it’s the best. Not surprisingly, Chicago native Pres. Barack Obama was fond of deep dish pizza, a specialty of his hometown. These reports led to a little research on the favorite foods of some of other presidents. In addition to Tex-Mex, George W. Bush also enjoyed pizza. Bill Clinton regularly dined on chicken enchiladas, while George H.W. Bush couldn’t live without pork rinds. In previous decades, Ronald Reagan listed mac and cheese as a favorite side and Jimmy Carter enjoyed steak. The athletic Gerald Ford was a roast and red cabbage man. Lyndon Johnson liked tapioca and Fresca. Urbane presidents like Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy had simple tastes. FDR loved scrambled eggs and grilled cheese sandwiches, while JFK ordered tomato soup with sour cream or a Boston favorite, clam chowder. Keep in mind these men served a couple of centuries ago when supermarkets selling shrink-wrapped meat were nonexistent before you judge. Presidents William Harrison and James Garfield regularly requested squirrel soup at the White House dinner table. On a more palatable note, I discovered the favorite food of our first president was ice cream. I was disappointed to learn George Washington never chopped down a cherry tree, much less ate cherry pie. However, there’s nothing wrong with going along with a timeworn fable when it produces a recipe for a dessert that’s easy to make and delicious, especially when topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Here’s an easy recipe to honor the Father of our Country and keep cherry pie, or at least cobbler, alive and well. George’s Cherry Cobbler 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling 1 cup Bisquick 1/4 cup milk 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature More sugar for sprinkling on top Spread pie filling into bottom of buttered 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Place in a cold oven; turn oven to 400 degrees, heat until dish reaches 400 degrees; continue to bake for 10 minutes. Remove dish from oven. While filling is baking, combine remaining ingredients. With a tablespoon, drop dough onto hot pie filling (about 6 dumplings). Sprinkle each dumpling with a little sugar. Put casserole back into oven and continue to bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

By seven in the morning, we are usually out for our daily walk. One day we were about halfway through our route, walking on the sidewalk of a lovely treelined neighborhood. As we approached the next house in front of us, we watched as a car pulled slowly and carefully out of the garage. Had we kept walking at our current rate, we would have found ourselves smack dab in that driver’s way as he kept backing. So, naturally we slowed down and waited on the sidewalk for him to back out onto the street. But the driver saw us as he glanced out his side window, and immediately stopped. That put his car directly across the sidewalk in front of our walking path. So, Andy politely motioned for him to continue backing on to the street, and then we would go on our way. The driver happened to be an older, silver-haired sweetheart with glasses, and was obviously being careful about driving in reverse. When Andy motioned for him to go ahead of us, the man rolled down his window and with a smile told us that “by all means pedestrians should go first.” My husband demurred and explained we would wait on him to finish backing off the sidewalk. Then this quick-witted, good-humored gentleman quipped, “I just usually back up ‘til I hear glass!” I loved it. I would call him a man who is comfortable in his own skin. He is aware everyone sees all older adults as probably having slower reflexes and diminished sight. Aware that as a senior adult, people can be very wary of his driving skills. And rightfully so in many cases. But was he defensive and prickly with us, as we cautiously waited for him to finish backing out of his driveway? Absolutely not. In fact, he had charmingly poked gentle fun at himself for being the “scary old man on the road.” But at the same time, he was able to slyly jab us, because he knew that we had him stereotyped him as the average older driver – someone to watch very carefully. But this was a guy who evidently knew his own driving skills and limitations very well, and knew how to function within them. He refused to let people’s laughing comments about older drivers’ abilities make him feel upset and less-than. He struck me as able to let the hurtful comments about old age roll harmlessly off his back. Good-natured enough to join in making cracks about his old age, and wise enough to take into consideration his lessened abilities. An older driver? Of course he was, but he sure had a great outlook on living. Wish all of us had his capacity for not taking our self too seriously. I believe we would have a lot more fun in life.

By Bob Garver Last year, a longstanding tradition was bucked when the MCU’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” opened to an impressive $75 million at the domestic box office over Labor Day weekend. For some reason, maybe having to do with the kids being back in school, Labor Day weekend is typically one of the worst box office weekends of the year. Not just one of the worst holiday weekends, weekends overall. Now in 2022, things are back to relative normal, and theaters were once again nearly deserted over Labor Day weekend. The big movie was a re-release of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” from last December with $6 million, followed by “Top Gun: Maverick” from May, “DC League of Superpets” from July, “Bullet Train” from early August, and “The Invitation” from last week. I was on vacation last weekend and unable to review “The Invitation,” so it gets the dubious honor of warranting a review on this ditch on the box office calendar. The film follows Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel), a struggling caterer from New York City. She takes a DNA test and finds out she has family in England. She meets a rich cousin named Oliver (Hugh Skinner), who invites her to a family wedding at the estate of even richer family friend Walter (Thomas Doherty). Parts of the trip are like a dream come true, with luxuriousness at every turn and an extended family that welcomes her with open arms (none of the white relatives are bothered that she’s African-American, owing to an interracial affair a few generations back). Other parts are not so pleasant, like condescending butler Fields (Sean Pertwee) and standoffish bridesmaid Viktoria (Stephanie Corneilussen), though timid bridesmaid Lucy (Alana Boden) seems okay. Other parts are downright frightening, like things going bump in the night. So many things go bump in the night, as if this movie can’t think of a way to drum up scares for its first hour. It’s not hard to figure out that something is amiss with the rich weirdos, especially because the movie opens with a suicide by hanging and maids keep getting yanked offscreen, never to be seen again. I thought the villains were just into run-of-the-mill ritualistic killing, but it turns out there’s a supernatural element too. The mastermind behind it all is named Walt. Change the W in his name to the letter before it in the alphabet, the T to the similar-sounding D, and switch the A and L around, and you’ll get an idea of what the twist is. Once the secret is out, the movie is just plain goofy. A dinner scene marks a point of no return for any hope this movie had at dignity, plus it features a death that I felt had no place in a PG-13 movie (a last second cutaway from… well, a cut, is what technically saves it). The movie wasn’t great at doing horror before with its cheap jump scares, but there was potential in its “Get Out”-meets-“Ready Or Not” setup. And Evie is a likeable protagonist, struggling to keep her humility in the extravagant setting with funny video-chat help from her best friend (Courtney Taylor). But Walt is bland in every role: as a host, as a potential love interest, and as a villain. I won’t say that secondary villains Fields and Viktoria “steal the show” exactly, but I would have preferred either of them as a sort of Big Bad at the movie’s climax. It’s an easy joke to say that you should decline “The Invitation,” but judging by the lousy box office, you’ve probably been doing that anyway. Grade: C- “The Invitation” is rated PG-13 for terror, violent content, some strong language, sexual content and nudity. Its running time is 105 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Co-Lin will offer a new degree option for students beginning in the Fall 2022 semester, the Associate in Science (AS). The new degree focuses on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and is designed to allow for a more seamless transfer to a four-year university for students majoring in STEM areas. The 60-hour degree will include a larger number of mathematics and science courses within its core requirements than the college’s traditional transfer degree, the Associate in Arts. “The new Associate in Science degree option is going to give our students an advantage at the university whether they want to major in polymer science, complete an engineering degree, or go to medical school,” says Co-Lin Wesson Campus Vice President Jackie Martin. “We want to put students in the best position to transfer into a STEM program at a university and be successful.” The Associate in Science degree option will be awarded to students who complete 40 semester hours of core curriculum for university transfer and complete an additional 20 semester hours in approved transferable courses. With the AS degree plan option, students will complete more science and math courses that directly relate to their chosen career field. Each student will be guided one-on-one by an advisor to ensure courses in which they are enrolled at Co-Lin meet criteria for university programs. Co-Lin has a strong reputation for having well-prepared students once they transfer to the universities in STEM fields. This year alone, Co-Lin had five students accepted into Pharmacy school at William Carey University, one student received the TVA STEM Scholarship, two students received the only two national Mu Alpha Theta Scholarships, and Co-Lin’s biomedical research team presented at the LSU-Shreveport Student Scholars Forum. With the development of curriculum to enrich hands-on learning through classes such as the Introduction to Engineering, Engineering Design, as well as the Biomedical Research classes, students have uniquely enhanced opportunities in preparation for their programs of study. “Our goal at Co-Lin is to offer the best quality program, while being sensitive to the financial and time responsibility of our students as they work toward their educational goals,” says Co-Lin Dean of Academic Instruction Dr. Stephanie Duguid. “By offering the Associate in Science, we are showing our dedication and commitment to the STEM fields by enabling students to focus on the required upper-level STEM credits that Co-Lin offers without expending additional time and resources to seamlessly transfer to a four-year university.”

A rainy August has caused flash flooding in portions of central Mississippi and the lower Mississippi Delta that jeopardizes early-planted cotton and soybeans that were nearly ready for harvest before the weather deteriorated. Torrential downpours dropped 8-13 inches of rain in much of Leake, Neshoba, Scott, Kemper, Hinds and Newton counties, as well as parts of surrounding counties, prompting road closures and evacuations. The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District increased the discharge from Barnett Reservoir to 45,000 cubic feet per second on August 25 in anticipation of incoming water and the Pearl River crested at 36 feet before August 30, threatening low-lying areas in Jackson and Rankin counties. “No one is picking cotton yet, but we are close,” says Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service cotton specialist Brian Pieralisi. “We will have defoliation applications going out when this weather system clears. We can expect hard-locked bolls, some boll rot and sprouting seeds in the bur. Seeds will sprout in open bolls when the lint stays damp for several days in a row.” MSU Extension soybean specialist Trent Irby said most soybeans in the affected areas were still growing before the flooding. “The impacts on soybean will depend on the stage of development of the crop,” Irby says. “This is one of those ‘it depends’ type of scenarios. Those acres that are ready or close to ready for harvest could absolutely be compromised with potential for seed sprouting in the pod and reduction in quality, and some later planted soybean acres that are less developed may come out of this round of weather with little to no impact to the quality of the seed.” Field damage will be a future problem resulting from the storm system. “Once we do get sun and start getting into the field, the crop itself will be dry, but the ground won’t be,” says MSU Yazoo County Extension agent Phillip Vandevere. While there were still numerous full corn fields in his area, Vandevere said the crop was at an advanced enough stage to withstand major damage. “One good thing about the corn is, unless we get to where stalks start falling and lodging, the kernels are pretty hardy,” he says. “I haven’t seen any stalks falling so far.” Reports on poultry houses affected by the rains are still being gathered, but the Peco poultry processing facility in Sebastopol was closed due to flooding on Aug. 24. EDITOR’S NOTE: Excerpted from a Mississippi State University Extension Service report.

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) invites nominations and applications for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). The award is the highest honor the United States gives to teachers of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. Two Mississippi 7-12 teachers will be selected for the 2022-23 PAEMST award cycle. National honorees receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation, recognition at a White House ceremony, and the opportunity to provide input on policies to improve science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science education. Parents, students, fellow educators, or members of the public can nominate a 7-12 grade teacher who teaches science, technology, engineering, or mathematics as part of their contracted teaching responsibilities at the 7-12 grade level. Teachers may also nominate themselves. Eligible teachers must have at least five years of full-time employment as a K-12 teacher prior to the 2022-2023 academic school year, with science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teaching duties during each of the past five years. Nominations will be accepted until Jan. 9, 2023. Teachers must complete the application process by Feb. 6, 2023. “There are so many Mississippi 7th - 12th-grade teachers deserving of a PAEMST award for their dedication to students in the subject areas of science and mathematics,” said Dr. Kim Benton, state superintendent of education, interim. “I encourage friends, families, and colleagues to nominate a teacher who is achieving positive student outcomes and is passionate about teaching and learning. Teachers may also strongly consider nominating themselves.” Congress established the PAEMST Awards in 1983. The award recognizes teachers with deep content knowledge of the subjects they teach and the ability to motivate and enable students to be successful in those areas. Awardees reflect the expertise and dedication of the nation’s teaching corps, and they demonstrate the positive impact of excellent teachers on student achievement. The National Science Foundation administers PAEMST on behalf of The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Each year PAEMST alternates between recognizing K-6 and 7-12 grade teachers. The 2023-24 PAEMST cycle will award the nation’s top teachers who teach science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science in grades K-6. To nominate a teacher or apply, visit: paemst.org.

By Mika Hartman With school starting back, I started thinking about all the new; new classrooms, new teachers, new routines and, especially, new friends. We have a real opportunity at the beginning of so much new to start instilling new good habits, too. We can get a bedtime in place, a better dinner routine after a summer off, oh yeah, better teeth brushing routines and we can even encourage our kids (and ourselves) to be kinder humans with adding a routine of “family sharing”. Here’s a great way to share: If we were at a store and we saw a puppy running scared in the parking lot, appearing to be lost, we would call out with our favorite noises to let the puppy know we are nice. We would reach out and not hesitate to pick the puppy up. Would we hold the pup at a distance? No, we would give a sweet embrace of reassurance. We’d look around for anyone that might claim the lost pup and then worry about getting him/her back home or giving the fur baby a new home. We wouldn’t research on the internet what the puppy would need, we’d already know; Puppy food, water, a bed, exercise and loads of love. Simple. With my child with Down syndrome, I expect the same. While he won’t be lost, he does need your love, your encouragement and your acknowledgement of his presence. As his mom, I am responsible for his medical needs. You don’t have to worry about what medication he takes or when, you don’t need to know how a g-tube works (unless you want to, I am always happy to show anyone who is interested), you don’t even need to know about his extra chromosome. He is a beautiful boy who deserves this life and to be included. He just needs to know you love him and you can treat him like any child you would come across. He should never feel alone. I am his mom, I am a guaranteed security blanket, but we know we all need even more than our mom's can give. And when he goes to school, I can't always be there. I need peace, too. Hudson is NOT fragile. Actually, he is really strong. He likes to play, spin, swim, swing, wrestle and even breakdance. As he grows, he’s only getting more strong. He might not play the way your kids play, but having friends will encourage him to learn from them. I have placed him in a setting where kids are present. He’s using his sippy cup more often and better, too , he’s dancing to music, he’s trying to eat more and he’s learning to play with other children. Talk with your children, just like this. I promise they can learn from Hudson or any child with a disability or different ability, just as he/they can learn from your child. These life lessons will carry their whole lives, both kids benefit. It will create opportunities that will begin to mold who they will become. Extra kindness goes a long way. It’s just as easy to be kind as it is to be mean, but meanness cuts deep and is so unnecessary. Even a non-verbal child knows the difference. I am raising him to be kind, too; but he is really teaching us in a profound way. Your child should know that Hudson didn’t ask to be born with his extra chromosome, just as the puppy didn’t want to be lost and alone. However, we have a true responsibility to both. They both have a need to live their best lives. So why is it so easy for one to help the puppy, but then use the “r” word or only see my son’s disability? Honest answer: it starts at home with you. Valuing a person, the whole person, not a disability, skin color, religious view, political party or any other difference is the only way we can move forward. We ALL have purpose and value. You never know, maybe one day you’ll have a family member who is born with the same extra chromosome my son was born with, who will you be? It does not take us having this in front of our face to learn from Hudson or to want be better people or raise nicer children; it takes a step of loving no matter what… and passing it on. Again, simple. Kindness is free. Changing the words you use costs nothing. Cheering for the success of another has no dollar amount attached. Teaching your children all of this… EXTRA Priceless. EXTRA EXTRA: Hudson Jag Hartman was selected for the upcoming NDSS Times Square Video for his 4th year in a row. Over 2,400 submissions and NDSS selected 500 for the 2022 NYC Jumbotron Show. Join the NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society) Facebook page on September 17th. The LIVE from NYC will begin at 8:30 am (CT). If you wish to join our team, we are “Team Hudson The Strong”. Donations can be made to: https://give.ndss.org/team/430719 Your love is EXTRA awesome. Thank you.

Everybody has heard that cliché. I am saying something a little different. Don’t use all those eggs in your basket just for you - using your gifts and abilities only for your needs and wants. “I take care of me, and eva’body else needs to take care of themselves. No way that takin’ care of them is my job!” But those eggs you are protecting so fiercely with that attitude? Well, think back to those Easter egg hunts as a child, when some of the eggs were never located. Later on, when they turned up, those things were rotted and stinking. Of if they had been there long enough, they looked like they belonged in a museum for petrified things. Unused eggs can only last just so long. Please do not misunderstand, I am not saying that you should give all your eggs to everyone else and leave none for you. Of course you need to take care of you. The Bible teaches that a person who doesn’t know how to love himself cannot really love others. But life is meant to be shared with those around us. Hoarding your eggs leads to loneliness in life. So if you aren’t a fan of loneliness, share your eggs. Spend some time with a person who has lost their one special loved one, and who now does nothing for anyone else. Most of the time, you will hear a lonely, purposeless person talking only about themselves and their problems. Self-centeredness is a deadly bullet that can kill the very heartbeat of the one who is desperately seeking to find fulfillment and happiness. Talk about focus gone awry. They are doing the very thing that is causing their problem. Folks, it’s not a wise decision to depend upon one human relationship to supply all the answers to your every dream, desire and want. To rely on that one person to make your life worth living. In the end, when for some reason they can’t be your all-in-all, you are left totally alone and hurting. No one person should hold that much sway over your happiness. That is too big of a burden for them, and they shouldn’t have to carry it for you. Plus, it gives that person waaaaay too much control over your life. For your sake and loved ones, center your life on a relationship with God. The One Person who will gladly share any heavy burden and will never use His relationship with you to manipulate and control. He always leaves your decisions up to you, even when He knows the consequences will be devastating. But at the same time, He will never desert you when you are hurting with those very consequences. Your eggs were given to you for a reason. To connect you with others. Fry them, scramble ‘em, poach or bake them, but please, pull them out of your Just For Me Basket and use ‘em.

By Kara Kimbrough If you pay attention to the calendar (not the one that says summer ends when school starts and temperature are hovering near 90), the end of summer is finally near. For those interested in such facts, summer officially begins at the June solstice and ends on the autumnal equinox on Sept. 22. But for many, the season will end as the sun descends on Sept. 5 at the end of what I hope is a leisurely Labor Day weekend for all. For me, when all-American smells of lighter fluid, glowing charcoal briquettes and sizzling meat waft gently into the night, that’s the cue that fall is on the horizon. If, also like me, you follow the axiom that in the south, fall is the perfect time of year to grill out, I have just the thing for you too help extend grilling season. It was actually one of the biggest scoops of my journalism career. I uncovered the secret to great grilled meat. It started innocently enough. Several years ago, I was invited to attend a regional barbecue cook-off. Over 30 teams from eight southern states located along the barbecue belt gathered to compete in a prestigious grilling contest. I’ll omit the name and here’s why. Wandering up to one of the cooking team sites, I met a member who’ll remain nameless. That's because he received a severe scolding when other members discovered he’d shared some of the top secret grilling recipes with me. In the spirit of anonymity, I’ll share them without divulging his identity. For great burgers, take a pound of ground sirloin or turkey, mix in a package of Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix and crushed Ritz crackers and form patties. Coat with Tony Chachere’s Seasoning and grill to desired doneness. Steak-lovers who desire something different should try hand-made filet mignons, which can be cut to order at any service meat counter. Coat with Tony’s or other favorite seasoning and grill to perfection. And the top secret of all the secret recipes? It involves great ribs, the perfect end to summer’s grilling season. Full disclosure: this is the recipe that was supposed to be a closely-guarded secret. Since several years have passed, I feel comfortable in sharing it. Trim off all fat and soak in – here’s the secret part - pineapple juice with a splash of lemon juice for about five hours. For the all-important rub, sprinkle with Tony’s, then roll in brown sugar to coat. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, shake off excess sugar and grill at a low heat. Five minutes before they’re done, coat with your favorite barbecue sauce. Yes, it’s somewhat sad that summer is almost over but I’ll be grilling and enjoying the products from others' grills until frost bites. Until then, enjoy my journalistic scoop as well as the recipe for the tastiest burgers of the summer. Best Labor Day Burgers, Buns & Sauce (makes 8 large burgers) 3 pounds ground chuck 2 large eggs 1/2 cup store-bought (or you can make your own in the food processor) bread crumbs 1/2 cup onions, finely diced (can substitute a packet of Lipton's Onion Soup Mix 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (I add more simply because I like the taste) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons each: dried oregano, salt 1 teaspoon each: smoked paprika, ground black pepper Add eggs to a bowl and whisk well. Add other ingredients and mix just until combined. Form into 8 equal patties and make a small indentation in the top of each one with a spoon so burgers will cook evenly. If you have time, let the patties chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, as chilled meat stays together better during cooking. Grill over medium-high heat, flipping only once, until burgers reach desired doneness. To cook on the stovetop, a method that creates a crispy exterior, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook for 4-5 minutes until brown, then flip once and cook to desired doneness. Better Buns: Melt two sticks of salted butter, then stir in just a dash of your favorite hot sauce, minced garlic or other seasoning. Brush inside of buns and place face down for a few minutes on a hot grill. If using the oven, toast buns in a hot skillet on a baking sheet inside a 300-degree oven. Watch buns carefully, as you don't want them to get too brown or crispy. Burger sauce: combine 2 parts mayonnaise to 1 part barbecue sauce, then add a dash of pickle relish (to taste).

By Guest Columnist Stephanie Duguid Did you know that more than half of the human body is made up of water -- up to 60% to be exact? It is important to stay hydrated for your body to work properly. Drinking enough water keep you healthy in several ways: Strengthening brain and heart function. Improving digestion. Preventing kidney stones. Promoting weight loss. Reducing joint pain. Regulating temperature. Increasing energy levels. A few additional benefits of water: Strengthens your immune system. Removes waste products from your body. Protects your spinal cord. Cushions your joints. Helps clear skin. Fuels Muscles. Boosts Productivity. How do you know if you are drinking enough? How can you tell when you are dehydrated? Look for these key signs: Dry mouth or extreme thirst. Headache, dizziness, or lightheadedness. Dry skin, decreased skin elasticity and cracked lips. Little to no urine or darker urine than normal (healthy urine color for someone who is well hydrated is light yellow, close to clear). Heart palpitations. Low blood pressure. Sleepiness, fatigue or confusion. How much is enough? Most people think already drink enough water. But if you have some of the key signs above, you may not have as much as you think. You have probably heard the advice to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. That is a reasonable goal, but everyone is different based on size and activity level. A great rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. If you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking 75 ounces of water a day. Some may need less, while some may need more. If you are physically active or live in a hot climate, you will need to replace the water you are losing through the sweat. Here's to make sure you get enough water: 1. Take a water bottle with you when you are away from home. You can freeze one to have ice cold water on the go. 2. Keep a filled reusable water bottle with you at your desk or when you are out and about so you have it handy. 3. Choose water instead of sugar-sweetened drinks. Drinking water instead of one 20-ounce sugar-sweetened drink can save you 240 calories. 4. Order water when you’re eating out. Try adding a slice of lemon, cucumber, berries, or lime for a burst of flavor. 5. Drink on a schedule, especially before, during, or after a workout 6. Try drinking a glass of water when you are feeling hungry. You could just be thirsty. 7. Eat some fruit, since they are full of water. a. Watermelon -- up to 91% b. Strawberries -- up to 91% c. Grapefruit -- up to 91% d. Cantaloupe -- up to 90% e. Pineapple -- up to 86% Take the time to evaluate your day to see what small changes you can make to increase your water consumption. EDITOR'S NOTE: Stephanie Duguid is Dean of Academic Instruction at Co-Lin. She is also an athletic trainer and nutrition specialist and has been teaching courses related to those two areas as well as practicing what she preaches for more than twenty years.